"What's up 'Cee? What are you doing here?" Arcee looked up from digging around in the rubble. Jazz stood just behind her, a grin on his face.
"Jazz? I should be asking you the same question. I'm surprised to see you without your other half."
"Prowler and I aren't always together. He's grumpy and yells at me to go away a lot," he chuckled.
"Now answer my question." She rolled her optics.
"Just looking."
"For what?"
"Evidence." Jazz knelt down beside her.
"Evidence of what?" She growled.
"I'm starting to figure out why Prowl yells at you," the blue femme mumbled. He looked at her.
"I'm just curious." Arcee suddenly stopped. The visored mech looked at her.
"What's wrong?"
"I…I was afraid of this…" Jazz heard her sob.
"Arcee?" She rummaged through the rubble a bit more and Jazz figured out what she was doing. Arcee was trying to pull the offlined body of a sparkling out of the rubble.
"Primus." She pulled the body to her chest and sobbed.
"I'm so sorry sweetspark…" she sobbed. Jazz put a servo on her back.
"Someone you know?" Arcee looked at him.
"My daughter…Aurora…" She held the femme's frame to her chest.
"This is the remains of the orphanage I put her in…when I gave her up for adoption…I was afraid that I'd find her body…I halfway hoped that I'd just find something of hers…that maybe they evacuated before the city was bombed…That my sweet little femme would still be alive…" Jazz frowned deeply and rubbed her back.
"I know how you feel."
"You haven't lost a sparkling," she hissed.
"I lost my sister, Grace. I loved her more than anything and I didn't even get to meet her. My mom was almost to the end of her carrying period when she got sick with a virus. It got to Grace and sent my mom into early labor. When I was able to go to the hospital later that day…My dad told me that Grace didn't make it. That she was stillborn. My spark broke."
"I'm sorry for your loss."
"I'm sorry for yours as well Arcee. Hey. They're building a new crypt for the dead. They're having a ceremony for them too. Do you want to bring her there?"
"Yes…She deserves a proper burial. There are bound to be other bots and sparklings here too. They need to be buried too."
"I'll tell them."
"Thank you Jazz."
-2 Months later-
Two sharp clangs echoed through the room.
"How could you two be THAT stupid?! Why didn't you come find me!? Or Smokescreen!?"
"Ow," whined a male and female voice.
"Ok ok. Take it easy Prowl." Smokescreen stood between his angry older brother and two younger siblings who were holding their helms. He grabbed Prowl's arms and held them against his sides.
"We said we're sorry." The two looked at their older brothers apologetically.
"We got panicked." Prowl broke out of Smokescreen's hold and put a servo to his helm, sighing.
"I'm sorry I yelled. After carrier and sire offlined I thought the same thing had happened to you." Smokescreen smiled.
"It's ok Prowl," said Bluestreak. They hugged their older siblings. Smokescreen hugged back happily. Prowl stiffened a bit before putting his arms around his younger siblings.
"I'll protect them for you mom, dad. I promise," he said to himself.
-Later that day—
Bluestreak and Azalea sat in the small clinic waiting for the medic to check over them.
"Why did Prowl say this is protocol again?"
"To make sure we're in good health and aren't carrying any life threatening viruses or diseases," the younger bot said. Azalea sat with a data pad in her servo, reading over it. The door opened and the medic walked in.
"Hello you two. I'm Echo." Bluestreak's optics widened.
"Prowl said you two are his brother and sister."
"Yeah," said Azalea, looking at her datapad. Echo grabbed the scanner and walked over to the femme and scanned her.
"Hm. You're going to need your protection programs updated. But no viruses." She went to the computer and began typing. The grey mech's optics stayed on the medic. His sister noticed and looked at him.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Shut up Lea!" Echo raised an optic ridge and looked at them.
"Arm out Miss." She did as she was told and Echo connected a cord to her arm. She pressed a few buttons on her scanner and it updated.
"Alright. You're free to go." She hopped up.
"Thanks doc." Then left. Bluestreak watched as Echo walked over to him.
"Are you ok?" Echo pressed her servo to his forehead. He jumped back.
"Uh. Sir. Are you nervous around femmes?"
"No! I mean! I'm around Azalea all the time! I'm not nervous around femmes! It's just that I remember you! And I don't think you remember me! We met in the bar! That one in Crystal City! We spent the night together! You said I was your first! And you were mine! We were drunk! And-" Echo placed a finger on his mouth.
"Easy. Calm down." His doorwings drooped.
"I'm sorry. I tend to ramble. You don't remember me." Echo gently kissed his chevron.
"Don't be silly. I do remember you. I'm just trying to do my job." Bluestreak stared. She scanned him.
"Your protection programs need to be updated but that's it. No viruses." She took his arm and connected the cord to it. She pressed a few buttons on her scanner and then smiled.
"There. All done."
"Thank you." The femme started to turn away to walk out but her servo was grabbed. She looked at Bluestreak.
"What's wrong?"
"I want to talk."
"I'm kind of busy," she said quietly.
"Tonight then?"
"Alright."