EEEEY! Wassup! Long time not see!

Sorry again for the long pause between updates. I have been finishing up college, and I just graduated yesterday! WOOT WOOT! I am so happy to finally have that behind me! No more finals, no more homework, no more classes. Woo, its a good feeling. Anyways, since I finished all that up yesterday, I figured it was about time for me to sit back down and finish up this chapter. I have been working on it for a while, and let me tell you, the first draft of it was ROUGH. I had to rewrite it a couple of times, and its not anything like what the original chapter looked like. I'm not suuuper thrilled with it, and I didn't exactly want to end it where I did, but it was already getting pretty long, so I split it up anyways. Oh well, I hope you all still like it.

So, without further ado, let's get into the story!

Please note: I do not own Transformers. I do, however, have my own OC's which I have inserted into the story. My OC's include Reese Shields and Chase Sanders. Electra belongs to my sister.

Family Ties

This chapter corresponds to the episode "Grill"

The next day, Reese woke up in her own bed. How did she get there? She couldn't remember. She was still in her clothes from yesterday. Did someone take her there?

She slid out from between the covers, swaying a little as she stood up. She could still feel the dull ache in her side from where Ratchet repaired her wound. It would be tender for a few days.

What happened yesterday? Oh, that's right, the fight with Nemesis Prime. Her fight with Silas. Her almost killing him. She shook her head a little, trying to get the scene out of her head.

She threw on some fresh clothes and made her way into the main room, but her mind was in other places. She knew she shouldn't be dwelling on what Silas had said yesterday, but how could she not? Her father had worked for her arch enemy, and she hadn't even known. How was she supposed to respond to that knowledge?

"Reese, are you even listening to me?" Ratchet folded his arms and looked down at her.

"Huh, what? Sorry, I was lost in thought…" Reese shook her head a little as she realized she was being talked to.

"I can tell. I asked you how you were feeling, but I think you've already answered my question. Maybe I should run another diagnostic on you and make sure your processor is okay."

"No, that's okay, I'm okay. I'm… just a little overwhelmed."

"That is understandable," Ratchet nodded sympathetically. "I had Bumblebee take you back to your room last night, figuring you would rest more comfortably there. Primus knows you need all the rest you can get after a night like you had last night."

So that explained how she ended up in her bed.

"I see, that was very thoughtful of you and him."

"He was really worried about you. I haven't seen him look that distraught since Megatron accidently inflicted Raf with dark energon poisoning."

"I know… he's always been there for me."

"That's just the kind of bot he is. Once he sees you like family, he will do anything for you."

"yea… I know it sounds kind of silly, but he promised to be my big brother," Reese smiled at the memory.

"That's not silly. This is Bumblebee we are talking about, after all."

"Haha, yea, you're right," Reese chuckled, but then her smile fell as the memories of her old family flooded back into her head.

"Hey, you okay?" Ratchet seemed to notice her sudden shift in mood.

"Yea… Just thinking about something that Silas had said. He said my dad was a MECH soldier, and that he provided MECH with valuable intel on Cybertronians. I just can't see my dad doing anything like that."

"Try not to think about it too much, for now; it won't help you with the recovery process."

"How can I not think about it? My dad literally worked for and helped the man who ruined my life, and I never even knew about it! What else did he keep a secret from me? I mean, I already know he kept the whole Cybertronian thing a secret, but what else?"

"Reese, getting worked up isn't going to do you any good."

"How can you be like that Ratchet? I'm literally having an existential crisis here, and you're telling me to just blow it off?!"

"No, I'm not saying that. I just think that you need to recover more before you start working through difficult topics like that."

"I can't just put them out of my head, Ratchet. If you want me to recover faster, then get me some answers," Reese snapped before walking over to the sofa and plopping down, her back to the medic.

Ratchet only vented and went back to his workstation. There was nothing he could do when Reese was in this kind of a mood.

Reese turned on the tv and started flipping channels. Maybe something mind numbing like that would help her get her mind off things.

Unfortunately, Agent Fowler had other plans for her. He came in through the elevator, looking quite tense.

"Reese, I need you to come with me."

"Huh?" Reese asked eloquently. She could feel her anxiety spiking at the agent's comment. Fowler wasn't usually this tense, at least, not with her.

"General Bryce is not a happy man right now. With everything that went down last night, he has a lot of questions, and he's demanding answers. He has requested to speak with you… again." Fowler's jaw was set tightly, and there was an edge in his voice.

"I… I don't like the sound of that."

"Neither do I. This shouldn't involve you, but when he found out that you were on the scene when everything went down last night, he lost it. I think it best if you go and answer his questions, but don't divulge anything that he doesn't ask you to. I will be by your side the whole time." Fowler ushered Reese towards the elevator.

"Can I at least have some time to prepare?" Reese's stomach jumped into her throat.

"I'm sorry, but Bryce requested that you come in as soon as possible. He has a lot of briefings today, and he wants to get them done with as few delays as possible."

Reese looked anxiously towards Ratchet. Perhaps she could convince the medic that she wasn't in good enough condition for an interrogation.

Ratchet seemed to pick up on Reese's distress signal and cleared his throat.

"Agent Fowler, I don't think Reese is in a good place to be questioned right now. Perhaps this General Bryce can question some other people first."

"I don't make the rules, General Bryce does, and he isn't a man to be kept waiting. I promise, I won't let anything happen to Reese, and I will bring her back her as soon as it is all over with," Fowler looked as upset with this whole situation as both Reese and Ratchet were, but there was nothing he could do about it, so he continued urging Reese to get onto the elevator.

The two rode the elevator back up to the top of the plateau. Fowler's chopper was waiting for them, the blades still rotating. "Get in and put the spare headset on."

Reese complied without hesitation, knowing that if Fowler was acting like this, then it was best not to do anything to make things worse.

Fowler climbed into the cockpit of the chopper and started it up, flying it directly towards Area 51. He didn't say anything, but Reese could see the vein pulsing in his forehead. That didn't bode well.

Fowler landed the chopper on the helipad and escorted Reese into one of the buildings, stopping in front of a door that said

'General Bryce' on the name plaque.

"Now, listen, I don't know what he's going to ask you, but just remain calm and answer as honestly as possible. That being said, be as discreet with your answers as you can."

Reese nodded, her face white as a sheet. She watched Fowler knock on the door before heading into the office.

Inside, General Bryce sat at his desk. He looked much more tense than he had when she'd talked to him yesterday. In front of the desk were two folding chairs, and in the back corner of the room was another soldier holding a video camera.

"Please, Reese, have a seat," General Bryce motioned to one of the folding chairs.

Reese walked over and sat down, staring at her hands in her lap. She was beginning to feel like she might throw up right there in the general's office.

The soldier with the camera walked up beside Reese, pointing it at her. A red light lit up on it, signifying that it was recording.

"General Bryce, is that really necessary?" Fowler glared at the man with the camera.

"Indeed, I assure you that it is, now sit down."

Fowler obliged begrudgingly.

"Reese, I apologize for summoning you on such short notice, but given recent events, I'm sure you can understand why," General Bryce turned to speak to Reese directly.

"I understand, sir," Reese nodded, but didn't make eye contact.

"Good, now let's get down to the reason I called you here. I was informed that you were at MECH's base last night. The night that Optimus Prime was killed."

"He wasn't killed, sir."

"He wasn't? We found his body among the debris."

"That was a clone that MECH built, sir."

"How can you be certain?"

"Because the real Optimus returned from the fight."

"How do you know it was the real Optimus, and not the clone that returned to base with you?"

"The clone was remote controlled by Silas. Without him to control it, it was rendered useless."

"So, you saw Silas controlling the clone?"

"Yes sir,"

"And you made contact with him?"

"Yes sir…" Reese picked at some non-existent lint on her shirt.

"Why would you willingly make contact with him after what he did to you?"

"I didn't willingly make contact with him. His soldiers found me and brought me to him.

"Why would you even risk going to his base in the first place?"
"It's complicated…"

"Is it now? How complicated is it to stay away from someone who hurt you? Do you like torture? Is that it?" General Bryce leaned forward and glared hard at Reese.

"What? No! That's not… UGH I just didn't want Fowler to go alone. After what Silas did to me, I couldn't let something like that happen to anybody else," Reese shuddered, biting her lip. General Bryce was dredging up some pretty painful memories.

"Why would Silas do anything to Agent Fowler? You said the only reason he experimented on you was because he knew you were part Cybertronian. As far as I am aware, Agent Fowler is not a techno-organic, so why would you suggest that Silas would experiment on him?"

"I'm not… I was just worried about what could happen… that's all."

"I'm not satisfied with that answer, but another more pressing question has come to mind, so we will come back to that one later," Bryce sighed, rubbing his temples. "I have just realized that I forgot to ask how Silas knew you were Cybertronian. Did you tell him?"

"No! Why would I do something like that? I didn't even know I was part Cybertronian until after he had done what he did!"

"Then how did he know?"

"Well…" Reese faltered. Should she mention her father? How would that look on her if she told General Bryce that her father used to work for MECH?

"Answer the question, Reese. How did he know?"

"He learned it from my father…" Reese mumbled.

"Speak up, the camera can't pick up mumbling." General Bryce commanded.

"He learned it from my father." Reese said a little louder now.

"Your father? How does your father fit into all of this?" General Bryce leaned in, staring at Reese intently.

"He… uh…" Reese wrung her hands in her lap, trying to figure out how to best answer the question without divulging too much information.

"He what?" Bryce pressured her. "It's a simple question."

"Give her a minute General Bryce. This isn't exactly easy for her," Fowler cut in.

"I don't have a minute to sit around for her to decide when she wants to talk. I need answers now!" General Bryce effectively silenced Fowler with a steely glare. "Now, Reese, tell me about your father."

"He… He worked for Silas," Reese cringed, instantly regretting saying anything.

"So, your father worked for the enemy? Did you know this?"

"Not until last night, sir."

"Why would he tell Silas about you being Cybertronian?"

"He didn't… Silas just kind of figured it out."

"That seems highly unlikely, Reese."

"He helped Silas with alien research… that's all I know."

"And how did you find out that your father used to work for Silas?"
"Silas told me…" Reese bit her lip, wishing she could just disappear.

"He told you last night? While you were at his base?"

"Yes, sir."

"And that brings me back to our previous discussion. Why were you really at MECH's base?"

"I told you, I was giving Agent Fowler backup…"

"Agent Fowler is a highly trained secret agent. What possible backup could you provide?"

"I… I just wanted to help him."

"Why? Is there something you knew that you are failing to say?"

"No, I just wanted to help the team, and that team includes Agent Fowler."

"What team? You aren't on any team. You live with Optimus Prime and his team, but you are not a part of it, are you?"

"I am, to an extent."

"Did Optimus Prime give you permission to go on this mission?"

"No…"

"Then why were you there?"

"I just know that Silas is not one to be underestimated."

"And you thought that Fowler would underestimate him?"

"No, I just didn't think it was safe for him to go alone," Reese let out an exasperated sigh. It felt like General Bryce was asking the same questions over and over, like he was trying to find holes in her story.

"So, you went with him?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then tell me, what exactly happened while you were there?"

"We found the building where Silas was remotely controlling Nemesis Prime, and snuck in."

"Nemesis Prime?"

"That's what we were calling the clone."

"Okay, continue," General Bryce nodded.

"We took out the two soldiers who were standing guard, and I waited in the shadows while Agent Fowler confronted Silas."

"Then what happened?"

"Reinforcements showed up, and Fowler and I were both apprehended."

"What happened when Silas found out you were in his base?"

"He… he…" Reese choked. The memories from the night before were fresh in her mind, and it wasn't easy for her to relive them.

"He what, Reese?"

"He told me about my father…"

"Was that it?"

"He told me that he was chasing my father when my parents were killed."

"So, he killed your parents."

"Yes… Sort of. He was pursuing them, and they were on an icy road. They came to a sharp turn but slid on the ice and went over the ledge."

"How did you react to learning this?"

"I… I got angry."

"Elaborate."

"What is there to elaborate on? I got angry, okay?" Reese's eyes flashed brightly for a moment, and she had to remind herself to remain calm.

"What was that?" General Bryce stared at Reese with new suspicion.

"Nothing," Reese covered her eyes and shrank back in her chair.

"I'm not blind, I saw what you just did. Now explain to me what just happened?"

"General Bryce, you are scaring her," Fowler stepped in again.

"Agent Fowler, she's an adult, let her speak for herself."

"With all due respect, she's a civilian and isn't used to being interrogated like this!"

"She is the furthest thing from a civilian! She is a half robot alien, and she is acting suspiciously. Now stay out of this or I will have you removed from the room!" General Bryce bellowed, silencing Fowler and causing Reese to shrink back in her chair even more. "Reese, I'm only going to ask you once more, what just happened with your eyes?"

"They glowed…" Reese squeaked.

"I am aware of that, but why? You were angry, and they suddenly flashed. Why would they do that?"

"I don't know…"

"Don't you?"

"I don't really understand it much yet."

"Understand what much yet?"

"I… I can transform now… I didn't know I could until last night. My eyes just kind of glow when it happens."

"You can transform now? You mean, into a robot?"

"Yes, sir."

"What happened to make that possible?"

"I don't know?"

"I think you do, and you just don't want to tell me."

"No, sir, it's not that…"

"Then answer the question."

"It just kind of happened."

"Things like that don't just happen out of the blue. Yesterday, when we met, you said you couldn't transform. Now, you suddenly can. What happened to change that?"

"I just got angry at Silas."

"You got angry and transformed?"

"Yes, sir…"

"What did you do when you transformed?"

"I attacked him, sir…"

"You attacked Silas?"

"Yes, sir…"

"Did you kill him?"

"No, sir."

"What did you do, then?"

"I… I attacked him, but I didn't kill him."

"So, you tried to kill him?"

"Maybe?"

"So, you acquire this new form and the first thing you do is try to kill someone?"

"It's not like that, sir. He was telling me how he was responsible for my family's death. I understandably got angry, and I just happened to transform as a result of that. I wasn't thinking when I attacked. I was just acting on impulse."

"Are you saying that your instinct is to attack people who make you angry?"

"No, that's not it."

"Your eyes flashed when I made you angry. Are your instincts telling you to attack me?"

"No, sir."

"Then why did they flash when you got angry with me?"

"I'm still learning to control when and how I transform. I don't know exactly how to do it on command yet. It's currently tied to my emotions."

"When you transform, do you lose control of your emotions?"

"No, sir."

"You did with Silas."

"I did because he's the reason my parents are dead, and then he taunted me with that information."

"What kept you from killing him?"

"Bumblebee…"

"Who is Bumblebee?"

"He's a member of the team."

"What did he do to stop you?"

"He calmed me down. He reminded me that I don't hurt people, and that killing Silas wouldn't fix my pain."

"So, what did you do when he said that?"

"I dropped Silas."

"Was he alive when you let go?"

"Yes sir."

"When you saw him in that vulnerable position, did you have the urge to finish the job?"

"No sir. I walked away."

"Then what happened?"

"Bumblebee carried me back to the entrance of the building, and then the roof of the building collapsed."

"How did that happen?"

"Optimus and Nemesis Prime had been fighting on the roof. When we distracted Silas from his control panel, Optimus attacked Nemesis Prime and caused the roof to collapse beneath the clone. The clone and the debris of the roof landed on top of Silas."

"So, you saw Silas die."

"Not technically, no, but nobody could have survived having all of that stuff land on top of them."

"How did that make you feel?"

"What do you mean, 'How did what make me feel?'"

"Seeing Silas get crushed."

"I didn't really think much about it at the time. I was in a lot of pain and was severely overstimulated."

"You were in pain?"

"Yes sir. I was attacked by one of the MECH soldiers when I was apprehended."

"I see. So, when you got back to base, what happened?"
"Ratchet repaired my wounds and left me to rest. That's it."

"What did Optimus have to say about you interfering on the mission?"

"I don't know. He didn't say anything to me about it."

"Do you think he was angry?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think he would harm you in any way because of it?"

"Absolutely not."

"Hmmmm… very well…" General Bryce lean back in his chair and rubbed his temples. "That is all the questions I have for now, but be informed that I may call you in again should more questions arise. You are dismissed."

With that, Agent Fowler practically jumped to his feet. He saluted General Bryce and then grabbed Reese by the arm, dragging her towards the door.

"Oh, one more thing," General Bryce added before Fowler and Reese could make their hasty retreat. "Reese, you are not to leave the autobot base, or come in contact with any other humans, until we can be sure that you aren't a threat to mankind, is that understood?"

"Sir, I'm not a threat. I'm not some kind of monster!"

"Is that understood." General Bryce ignored Reese's retort and gave her a serious stare.

"Yes sir…" Reese bit her lip. Fowler ushered her through the doorway and closed the door behind them.

"Just keep walking, Reese. Don't stop," Fowler put his hand on Reese's back and urged her forward, leading her back towards the chopper.

They climbed into the helicopter and Agent Fowler began flying Reese back to base. Only once they were a good mile or so away from Area 51 did he speak again.

"You did pretty good, well, except for the little eye flashing thing," Fowler spoke into his headset.

"I didn't mean to do it. It just kind of happened."

"I know, but it's definitely something you're going to want to get control of. It could have caused you a lot of problems. General Bryce is not a pleasant man when he feels angry or threatened."

"yea, I kinda picked up on that."

"Listen, just lay low and try to relax when you get back to base. I will have to go back for my own personal briefing with the General, and I will try to hopefully clear the rest of this up. It will all work out, don't worry."

"How do you know? He clearly thinks I'm some kind of threat to humanity."

"No, he doesn't. Well, not entirely. He is just taking extra precautions."

"Do you think he will detain me or something?"

"Try not to worry about what General Bryce will or will not do. Like I said, I'm going to try and clear all of this up in my briefing with him. I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise," Fowler sighed as he pulled the chopper up to the Autobot base, landing it on the top of the plateau. "Now, go inside, and stay inside until all of this blows over, okay?"

"Yes sir," Reese nodded as she took off the headset and climbed out of the helicopter. She ducked and covered her face as Agent Fowler almost immediately took off again, kicking up dust and pebbles all around her.

Once Fowler's chopper was no more than a speck on the horizon, Reese made her way back into the base, hoping that nobody would be home. She wasn't in the mood to answer anymore questions, and she definitely knew that the autobots would want to know why she had been whisked off to Area 51 on such short notice.

Unfortunately, both Ratchet and Bumblebee were waiting in the main room for her.

"Reese, you're back! How did the meeting with General Bryce go?" Ratchet spoke up as he noticed her step out of the elevator.

"I don't want to talk about it," Reese grumbled, making a beeline for her room.

"What happened? Is everything alright?" Bumblebee whirred anxiously, kneeling down in front of Reese.

"I just said I don't want to talk about it, but no one ever listens do they?"

"We just want to make sure that you are okay, that's all."

Well, I'm not okay, but there is nothing you can do to fix it, so what does it matter? I got called into some emergency meeting with General Bryce and accidently almost transformed in front of him, and now he thinks I'm some kind of threat to national security, so whoop-de-doo, I'm screwed.

There, I told you. Are you happy now?" Reese snapped, her eyes flashing brightly. All the built-up frustration and tension finally decided to release itself now that Reese was in a safer environment. She fully transformed into her Cybertronian form, her eyes glowing eerily blue.

"Reese, calm down, I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding," Ratchet tried to diffuse the situation, but his words only seemed to make things worse.

"Calm down!? CALM DOWN!? How can you tell me to calm down when I have been deemed a threat to national security just for being different?!" Reese sputtered.

"Reese, getting worked up and spiraling out of control isn't going to help this situation."

"You think I don't know that!?" Reese threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "I am very aware that freaking out does nothing to help anything, and yet, you seem to forget that someone with panic disorder and extreme anxiety can't just turn their emotions off!"

"I don't know how to handle this," Ratchet ran his servo down his face.

"Maybe we could do something to get your mind off the matter," Bumblebee offered.

"Thanks, but I kind of don't feel like doing anything other than curling up in a ball to die, so if anyone asks, I'm going to my room to do just that, and I would rather not be disturbed," Reese's shoulders slumped as she walked down the hall to her room, letting the door slam shut behind her.

Optimus, who had come in at the tail end of Reese's outburst, walked up to Ratchet and Bumblebee. "What happened?"

"She was pulled into an interrogation with General Bryce, and it looks like it didn't go well. I'm concerned about her, Optimus. She hasn't been acting like herself since the incident yesterday, and I don't know how to help her."

"Just give her some time, old friend. What happened yesterday with Silas opened old emotional wounds, wounds that never properly healed. Not to mention, she is now dealing with the stress of learning to control her Cybertronian form, and she is likely overwhelmed with the emotional trauma of what she almost did to Silas. It is a lot to go through at one time."

"It probably isn't helping that the government is now highly suspicious of her…" Bumblebee vented.

"Indeed. Right now, the last thing she needs is the government scrutinizing her every move," Optimus shook his helm sadly. "Agent Fowler called me and told me to remain on standby, should General Bryce decide to speak with me as well. This whole situation has become much more difficult than need be."

"I agree, but for now, all we can do is hope that Fowler can convince them that we aren't a threat, and that includes Reese. Unfortunately, her inability to control when she transforms is part of the reason that she's in this mess. She almost transformed in front of General Bryce, and he wasn't too keen on that."

"Have you made any progress on locating her grandsire? Perhaps, if we could reunite them, he would be able to help Reese better understand the transition she is going through. He no doubt dealt with this with her father, so he should have more experience than us on the matter."

"Her grandsire? You mean your trying to reach BlueStreak?" Bumblebee whirred excitedly.

"Yes, and as a matter of fact, I just dug up an old frequency that might work. I was about to test it when Reese returned from Area 51. The frequency was in some old data files that were put together when BlueStreak's team was first sent to Earth, but that was eons ago. The odds of the frequency still being active are highly unlikely."

"We won't know unless we try it. Go ahead and try running it."

"Alright then, it's worth a shot," Ratchet typed the frequency into the communications terminal.

The frequency pinged a for a minute or so before a voice finally answered.

"Who is this and how did you find this frequency?" The voice sounded gruff, and unfriendly.

"This is Optimus Prime, leader of Team Prime here on Earth. I am trying to get in contact with BlueStreak. Is he available?" Optimus leaned forward and spoke into the mic.

There was a long pause before the voice finally responded again.

"… You're talking to him. What do you want?"

"BlueStreak, we have been meaning to get in touch with you for some time now, but it took us a while to find a communication frequency that would work. We have someone on our team who would very much like to meet with you, and whom we think you would like to see as well."

"Who would want to see me? Nobody knows I exist. I was abandoned by the autobots on this primus forsaken rock, and now you say someone wants to talk to me?"

"I assure you that this meeting will be well worth your time. We have ground bridge technology that would allow you to travel here directly, if that would make it easier for you," Optimus offered.

"and how do I know that this isn't some kind of decepticon trap? The rest of my team has already been killed by the cons, so what's to say that you aren't just trying to trick me?"

"I am terribly sorry for your loss. I was not aware of this. Would it put your processor at ease if I came to meet with you first?"

There was another long pause, followed by a deep sigh.

"Very well, but if you do try to harm me or my human, I will not hesitate to offline you."

"You have a human with you?" Ratchet interrupted, sounding quite surprised.

"I do. Is that going to be a problem?" BlueStreak responded curtly.

"No, it is not a problem. Rest assured, you and your human companion will be quite safe," Optimus quickly guaranteed.

"Fine, I will send you my coordinates," BlueStreak vented before sending in the list of coordinates in an encrypted message.

"Alright, I will be there shortly. Over and out." Optimus replied before terminating the link.

"Well, that went better than expected. Now the real issue is going to be convincing Reese to leave her room long enough to meet him." Ratchet muttered.

"Perhaps it would be best if you went to get her, Bumblebee," Optimus vented as he fired up the ground bridge, setting it to BlueStreak's coordinates. "And maybe don't tell her it's her Grandsire. Let that be a surprise. I think it would do her good."

"Alright, I will go talk to her," Bumblebee nodded before walking down the hall towards Reese's room.

Bumblebee activated his holoform and knocked, a little hesitantly, on Reese's door. "Hey Reese? You in there?"

"I said I didn't want to be disturbed. Go away."

"Uh… There is someone coming that Optimus really thinks you should meet."

"They could be the president of the United States, for all I care; I still don't want to talk to them." Reese retorted.

Bumblebee rubbed the back of his head a little awkwardly. It was hard to convince Reese to do anything when she got like this.

"I really think that you need to meet this person. They aren't with the government, if that's what you are worried about."

"No," a muffled answer called back. It sounded like Reese had retreated under her blankets.

"I'm not leaving until you come out here and meet this person." Bumblebee whirred stubbornly.

"Then you're gonna wait until you rust," Reese was barely audible at this point, but there was a despair in her voice that concerned Bumblebee. He knew she needed time to sort things out, but he also knew she would do better if she wasn't left to deal with her thoughts alone.

"Reese, I'm coming in there," Bumblebee warned before opening the door. Inside, Reese was curled up in a ball, in the middle of the bed, hiding under the blankets. She didn't move or do anything to acknowledge that Bumblebee had entered the room.

He pulled the chair from her desk over to the bed and sat down in it backwards, resting his chin on the back of the chair.

"I can feel you staring at me. Stop," Reese's muffled voice came from under the blanket.

"Not until you come out from hiding."

"I'm not coming out."

"What if I brought you chocolate?"

"You can't bribe me to be social. That's not how this works," Reese pulled the blankets tighter around herself.

"But you've said before that chocolate makes everything better, right?"

"I lied."

"I will be right back." Bumblebee briefly retreated from his chair to grab a candy bar from Reese's secret stash, which she kept poorly hidden in her closet. He placed it on the bed, sliding it towards the edge of the blankets, before sitting back down in the chair.

As expected, after a minute or so, a hand reached out and pulled the candy bar under the blankets.

"Where did you get this?

"Your candy stash."

"How do you know about that?"

"You're not very good at keeping stuff secret. I have seen you restock it several times."

"Were you spying on me?"

"No, I just happened to be walking past your room and you had left your door open. I peeked inside to see what you were up to, and I saw you stashing candy away in a box in the closet. You gotta learn to be sneakier."

"You're a jerk."

"I know."

Both of them sat in silence for a while, Bumblebee sitting backwards in his chair, and Reese still hiding beneath the blankets.

"I know you're still there. Why won't you leave? I said I didn't want to be bothered," Reese finally spoke up again, this time adjusting the blankets, ever so slightly, so she could see Bee but still remain hidden.

"I told you I wasn't leaving until you agreed to meet this person."

"And who exactly is this person you want me to meet?"

"It's a surprise."

"I hate surprises," Reese grumbled.

"That's a lie. You're just being stubborn."

"humph," Reese pouted, closing the opening she had made to peek out. Bumblebee could see her shifting under the blankets so that her back was to him.

"Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"No…"

"Yes, you are," Bee cracked a smile, he knew that Reese wasn't necessarily frustrated anymore, rather, she was just being obstinate, and that was something he could work with.

"Well, I suppose I could just tell him that you didn't care enough to see him," Bumblebee stood of from the chair and pretended to walk towards the door. "He will be so disappointed, especially after he came all this way just to see you, but if that's what you want."

"Oh come on, Bumblebee, tell me who it is," Reese whined, pulling back the blankets so that her face was fully visible.

"Sorry, but no can do. I already promised to keep it a surprise. If you want to find out who it is, you're going to have to come and see him for yourself."

"SDFmhdsfhfma," Reese grumbled as she grumpily threw the blankets back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "This better be worth it."

"It will, I promise," Bee grinned happily, following Reese out of the room.

The two walked down the hallway, and as they went, Bumblebee could see that Reese was walking slower and slower as she came up to the entrance of the main room.

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"Humph," Reese folded her arms. Bumblebee had hit the nail on the head.

"Come on, don't be like that. You're gonna make our guest feel bad."

"Well, they kind of picked a bad day to unexpectedly drop by. I'm not really in the mood to talk with people."

"You're talking to me, so what makes this person any different?"

"I know you; I don't know who this person is."

"Sure you do, its just been a while. They wouldn't have come all this way to see you if they didn't know who you were."

"Just tell me who it is already. The suspense is killing me. What if they are someone that I really don't want to see? Huh?"

"You won't know until you meet them, now keep walking," Bumblebee gently pushed Reese forward.

The two walked into the main room to find a large blue Cybertronian talking to Ratchet and Optimus. There was also a human that Reese had never met before, sitting on the sofa.

Reese looked at the human and the new bot curiously. The bot seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't remember why. Was this the person who the others had been so insistent that she meet?

"Ah, there you are! You sure took your time," Ratchet said, being the first to notice Reese and Bee enter the room.

"She was being stubborn, as expected. I'm honestly kind of surprised I was even able to convince her to come," Bumblebee smirked, chuckling teasingly.

"Well, now that you are here, allow me to introduce our guest. Reese, this is BlueStreak," Optimus motioned to the blue bot.

"Wait, did you say her name was Reese?" BlueStreak looked at Optimus with wide optics.

"I did."

BlueStreak knelt to look at Reese a little more closely. "Primus, it is you!"

Reese looked back at BlueStreak in complete and utter disbelief. Ratchet had said her grandfather's name was BlueStreak. Was this him? Had the autobots actually been able to contact him?"

"Oh, you probably don't recognize me like this, I never showed you this form." BlueStreak misinterpreted Reese's disbelief for confusion and activated his holoform, which only solidified Reese's initial suspicion.

"Granddad!"

"Heck yea, kid! It's your ol' Grandaddy! How've you been? You are a spitting image of your mom, I must say. Though, you have definitely changed a lot. I'm not saying that's bad; you just look really different. Like, what's up with your arms and legs? That something new? Also, I could've sworn that you had the biggest brown eyes when you were a little tike, now they are blue! What's up with that?"

Reese instinctively took a step back in response to the barrage of questions. She had forgotten how talkative her grandfather was. She didn't even know where to begin.

"I uh…"

"Do you have a boyfriend yet? If you do, I definitely want to meet him. Well, scare the crap out of him is more like it. Oh, and how are your folks doing? It's been a while. I probably should have kept in better contact, but with the way things went down the last time I saw them… well… best not to live in the past, I suppose."

"You… You don't know…" Reese's eyes widened a little. "Of course, you don't know. You went all MIA and never even bothered to check in on us or see how we were doing. I don't even know why I'm surprised," she sniffed, her disbelief turning into irritation.

"I beg your pardon? What is it I don't know? I'm kind of confused," BlueStreak looked completely bewildered and a little taken aback by Reese's sudden change in demeanor.

"They are dead," Reese whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible.

"What?"

"Mom and Dad are dead, but you wouldn't know that because you never even bothered to make contact with us over the past 6 years. How hard is that to do, huh? How hard is it to send a letter, or make a phone call? You didn't even give us a way to contact you!" Reese's voice cracked as she tried to keep herself from completely losing it.

"Reese, I…" BlueStreak covered his eyes and turned away slightly.

"You're what? You're sorry? Is that what you were going to say? Because it's a little late for that now. I really needed you after they died. I ended up in the foster care system and was mentally and emotionally abused because I had no other family who could take me in. I NEEDED you, and you were nowhere to be found. So, I'm not in the mood to hear empty apologies," Reese cut BlueStreak off. "It would have been better if you hadn't even come here today." With that, she turned on her heel and stalked towards the elevator, idly wiping away tears that were starting to pool in the corners of her eyes. She hit the button that took the elevator to the roof and kept her back turned as the doors closed behind her.

BlueStreak hung his head shamefully. He knew he should have contacted his own family, but he had always come up with some kind of excuse for why not to. Now he wished he really had kept up with them.

"BlueStreak?" The boy who had been sitting on the sofa finally spoke, looking at his guardian a little worriedly.

"Come on Chase, let's go. I don't think I'm exactly wanted around here," BlueStreak vented sadly and transformed, opening up the passenger door of his alt mode.

"Hold on BlueStreak," Optimus interjected, stepping forward to block the exit. "While things did not go quite how we had expected, I would ask that you stay just a little longer. I am sure you have many questions, and we can answer those for you. We also have questions for you, about Reese. We could really use your help. If you would be willing to give Reese another chance, I will go and talk to her while Ratchet answers any questions you might have."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea. Reese looked really upset. Perhaps another time…" BlueStreak idled his engines, sounding unconvinced by Optimus' request.

"Please, she didn't mean what she said about you coming here today. She has been through some really traumatic stuff over the past couple days, and it has been taking its toll on her physical and mental health. That is part of the reason why we wanted to contact you in the first place. She has suddenly begun transforming uncontrollably, and we were hoping you might be able to help her learn to control it. Surely you had to do the same with her father, right?" Bumblebee clasped his servos together, practically begging BlueStreak to stay.

"You said she has been transforming? I didn't realize she had that capability. Considering her father was only half Cybertronian, and her mother was fully human, I figured she was just a normal human like her mom. She never exhibited any of the signs of being part Cybertronian when she was a child." BlueStreak transformed again, holding Chase in the palm of his servo. He looked quite surprised and a little concerned as well.

"It's a relatively recent development, one that we would be happy to explain to you if you would be willing to stay a little longer," Ratchet said.

"I have already abandoned her for too long…" BlueStreak muttered seeming to rationalize things in his own head. "Fine, I suppose I can stay a little while longer."

"Reese really does want to get to know you again. It might take a little while, but we will get all of this smoothed out, I promise," Optimus reassuringly placed a servo on BlueStreak's shoulder plating, giving it an affirming squeeze. Then, he activated his holoform and made his way over to the elevator, ready to tackle his next task, convincing Reese to give her grandfather a second chance.

Phew, there we are. Sorry if that ending was a little weak, but like I said, it was already getting pretty long, so I had to cut it at some point. Anyways, I hope you still liked the chapter. Hopefully I will be able to upload more often now that I am out of school. Thanks so much for all your patience. You are all the best! As always, have a lovely blessed day! I will see y'all later! - Lucy