Okay, this chapter is a little on the shorter side, but it's also an emotional rollercoaster, so buckle up. I know it's taken a while, but I ended up chucking my original plot out the window and writing something completely new, which is why it took a little longer than anticipated. Hope you enjoy it though!

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.

Making Amends

Optimus' holoform found Reese sitting in her usual spot at the ledge of the plateau, her legs dangling off the side. It probably wasn't the safest place to sit, but now wasn't the time to lecture her on that. Instead, He walked over and sat down beside her, staring out at the desert landscape below.

"If you came up here to ask me to apologize to BlueStreak, the answer is no," Reese mumbled, not bothering to look at Optimus.

"No, I wouldn't expect you to want to go back down there at this moment in time. I just came to check on you, that's all."

"Well, I'm fine."

"I think we both know that isn't true. You are working through a lot of traumatic emotions right now. I know you want to keep all your feelings to yourself, but it's okay to not be fine, and it's okay to rely on others," Optimus finally turned to look at Reese, his deep blue eyes full of nothing but compassion and care.

"It's not fair. Nothing is ever fair," Reese grumbled, tossing a pebble idly off the ledge.

"If only things could always go the way we want them to, but unfortunately, life has a mind of its own. It doesn't always listen to what we want it to do."

"But it seems to be especially unfair to me. My family was taken from me, my humanity was taken from me, and my own grandfather abandoned me and my family. Not to mention, the government seems to think I'm some kind of threat. Who knows what will come of that? Knowing my luck, it won't be anything good." Reese rested her chin in her hands glumly, glaring at nothing in particular.

"You have endured more than most people your age, things that most people would likely never have to endure, but because of those situations, you have grown into somebody who is strong and dependable."

"That's not true… I can't be depended on, and I'm not strong. I'm so weak that I can't even control my cyberform. I don't want to be a techno-organic; I just want to be a normal girl who can live a normal life, without having to worry about being killed by decepticons, or used in science experiments. Is that too much to ask for?"

Optimus sighed; it was hard to see Reese in such despair. "Maybe your life would be different if you were normal, but even living a normal life has its difficulties, and those hardships would feel just as overwhelming. There is no use wishing for something you cannot have, but instead, you should try to alter your perspective, and see the good things that can come from where you are now."

"That still doesn't make what I'm feeling right now any easier to handle."

"Perhaps not, but it will be helpful for working through situations like this in the future. It is a mindset that takes time to develop."

Reese seemed to think on Optimus' words for a few minutes, not saying anything. Then, she turned towards him a little unexpectedly. Her eyes were misty, like she was trying not to cry. Then, with a watery voice, she asked, "Optimus?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you for something? Something I don't know that I have ever asked you for?"

"What is it?"

"Can I… Could you… um… would you mind if I asked for a hug? I know it's probably not the most appropriate thing to do, seeing as you're Prime and all, but…" Reese trailed off, looking a little embarrassed.

"Would that help you feel better?"

"Maybe… a little…"

"Then I don't mind," Optimus turned and held his arms open.

Reese looked a little surprised for a moment, but then leaned into him, allowing him to hold her tightly. It was a little awkward at first, but it also felt very familial. It was just like how her own dad used to hug her. The strong arms, the steady sparkbeat, they were both the same. It made Reese feel secure, for once in a long time. She pressed her face into his shoulder. Somehow, in this vulnerable state, she felt free to just release all the pent-up frustrations and sadness that had been burdening her heart for a while. She sobbed, shoulders shaking, as Optimus held her tightly.

"I'm sorry," Reese choked a little as her sobs began to subside, her face still pressed into his shoulder.

"No need to apologize," Optimus patted Reese on the back gently, before finally releasing her and leaning back.

Reese brushed her hair out of her face and wiped her eyes on her sleeve before shifting back into her previous position, legs dangling off the side of the plateau.

"Do you feel better?" Optimus asked.

"A little, thanks," Reese smiled weakly. She did feel at least somewhat better. When she was younger, whenever she would get upset or hurt, her dad would always give her a big strong hug, and somehow, it always seemed to make whatever she was facing seem small and much less painful. Getting a hug from Optimus had much the same effect.

"I suppose…" Reese sighed, trying to figure out whether she was really ready to finish the sentence. "I suppose that I should apologize to BlueStreak. I didn't mean what I said, when I told him it would be better if he hadn't come. I was really excited to see him. I just… I guess I just hadn't expected him to bring up my family so soon. I'm still upset with him for running away from us like he did, but I'm also glad that he has finally come back." Reese sighed again, turning to Optimus as she finished her sentence.

"You had a right to be upset. You are correct, it was not right of him to leave your family, but I think that you are making a wise decision in going back to make amends," Optimus placed a comforting hand on Reese's shoulder, and gave her an encouraging smile.

"I'm just not quite sure how exactly to answer all his questions, at least, not without getting all worked up again. Almost every question he asked hit a touchy subject."

"Don't worry, Ratchet has already explained the situation to him, and has been answering BlueStreak's questions while we were up here."

"Well, that does make things a little easier, I guess," Reese drew her knees up to her chest and rested her arms on top of them. "Now, I just have to figure out how to face him again…"

"Try not to over think it," Optimus said, patting Reese on the back and then standing up. "I will head down and let him know that everything is good. You just come down when you are ready."

"Thanks Optimus."

Optimus nodded and walked to the elevator, leaving Reese alone to muster up the courage to face her grandfather again. She sat for a few moments longer, taking deep breaths and trying to mentally prepare herself. Even if Ratchet had already explained everything to BlueStreak, it was still going to be difficult to face him again after the way their last meeting had gone.

Finally, after debating it for long enough, Reese stood up and headed to the elevator. BlueStreak deserved a second chance. She stood in the elevator, mentally rehearsing what she was going to say when the doors opened. Unfortunately, when she stepped into the main room and saw BlueStreak waiting for her, everything she had mentally planned to say evaporated from her mind.

"Reese?" BlueStreak asked hesitantly, trying to gauge Reese's mood.

"Uh… hey…" Reese ducked her head a little, brushing some hair behind her ear absentmindedly. "I uh… I wanted to-"

"No, you don't have any reason to apologize," BlueStreak cut her off, anticipating what she was going to say. "I was wrong. I wasn't there for you when you needed me to be, and then I overwhelmed you with questions that you weren't prepared to answer. After talking with Ratchet, I totally understand why you reacted the way you did. I am so sorry."

"I forgive you," Reese mumbled, still avoiding eye contact with BlueStreak.

"Really? Because, I mean, I would totally understand if you didn't. Like, truly, after what I did, I wouldn't want to forgive me either."

"I said I forgive you, it's fine," Reese said a little louder, finally chancing a glance towards BlueStreak.

BlueStreak's face broke into the biggest smile that Reese could imagine, and coolant welled up in his optics. He immediately activated his holoform, which came to stand in front of her. Then, without warning, he scooped her up into a big bear hug, squeezing her tightly.

"Ack! Can't breathe!"

"I've missed you so much!" BlueStreak squeezed even tighter.

"You're welcome, now could you please stop squeezing me before you crush something?" Reese gasped.

"Oh, sorry," BlueStreak set Reese back down and loosened his grip a little bit, but he didn't fully release her from the hug.

Reese stood there a little awkwardly, letting him hug her, though she didn't quite feel ready to return it. It felt weird coming from him, considering that the last time he had hugged her, it was when she was eight years old, when he was saying goodbye to her for the last time.

"So, uh… who's your friend?" Reese tried to break the awkward silence by nodding her head towards the young man that had accompanied BlueStreak to the base.

"Oh! I almost forgot to introduce you!" BlueStreak released Reese from the hug and motioned for the young man to come over. "Reese, I would like you to meet my adopted son, Chase."

Reese just kind of stared at Chase for a moment, not sure what to say. He was handsome, like REALLY handsome. He had olive skin and jet-black hair. His almond eyes were bright blue, and his smile, gosh, his smile was gorgeous.

"Hi there," Chase held his hand out for Reese to shake.

"Hi…" Reese replied a little shyly, shaking his outstretched hand. She half expected him to be startled by her implants, but he acted as if he hadn't even noticed.

"I have heard a lot about you, so it's nice to finally get to meet you."

"You've heard about me?" Reese's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yea, I mean, BlueStreak has told me lots of stories about you when you were a kid."

"Oh… well that's awkward," Reese pulled her hand back and covered her face a little as a pink flush began to rise in her cheeks.

"Don't worry, he only told good stories," Chase chuckled, trying to ease some of Reese's embarrassment.

"I would hope so," Reese mumbled from behind her hands.

"Of course, I only told the good stories! I'm not a total jerk, you know," BlueStreak slapped Reese on the back good-naturedly. "Anyhow, Chase is the son of some friends of mine who… unfortunately passed away. I have been taking care of him for them. You might be surprised to know that he is a tecno-organic, just like you."

"Really?" Reese looked from BlueStreak to Chase in surprise.

"Yep, so that gives you two something in common. Course, I didn't find out that you were a techno-organic until today."

"Wait, but my dad was one. How did you not know that I was one too?"

"You didn't exhibit any of the signs when you were a kid, so I figured you were completely human like your mom. Ratchet explained to me that the CNA in you was reawakened when you were exposed to energon, which makes sense."

"Oh… yea, that was when I found out I was part Cybertronian too," Reese's countenance fell a little as she remembered the events of that awful night.

"Hey, don't think on those things kiddo! Dwelling on memories like those will only give you wrinkles," BlueStreak rubbed Reese's furrowed brow with his hand, trying to get it to smooth back out.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Reese batted his hand away lightly, having been caught a little off guard by it.

"Well, anyways, I'm glad to finally be able to meet someone who is like me," Chase continued.

"Me too!" Reese smiled back, brushing some hair behind her ear again, an action that had started to become a bit of a habit.

"Of course, I don't know how long we will be hanging around here at this base. I mean, BlueStreak isn't exactly the type to stay in one place for very long."

"Oh… I hadn't thought of that… I'm sure you guys probably have other things to do and places to be," Reese's countenance fell again, a little disappointed by the thought that her grandfather might leave again so soon after coming back into her life.

"Well, I don't plan on leaving too quickly, considering I've just been reunited with my grandfemme. Besides, I have some important business to attend to here, most pressing of which is your inability to control when you transform, Reese," BlueStreak cut in. He wasn't about to walk away from Reese a second time.

"You can help with that?" Reese perked up a little, not only at the thought of learning to control her cyberform, but also at the thought that BlueStreak would be hanging around for a while.

"Well, I helped your dad with it, and Chase here too, so why not you?"

"I just… I guess I hadn't thought about that," Reese clasped her hands behind her back a little awkwardly. "What exactly do I have to do?"

"It's not just one thing. There are a lot of factors that can trigger involuntary transformation; you just have to deal with each factor one at a time."

"Oh… okay. So, when do we start?"

"I would say right now, but I need to talk with Optimus about a few important things first. Why don't you give Chase a tour of the base or something in the meantime?"

"I guess I could do that," Reese sighed, unsure of how long this little chat with Optimus was going to take. Knowing BlueStreak's chatterbox nature, it could take a while. Also, the idea of taking a tour around the base didn't sound like the most fun use of her time. The base was pretty boring to be honest.

As if he could read her thoughts, Chase leaned over and whispered, "You don't have to give me a tour if you don't want to."

"You sure? I mean, I can show you around if you really wanna see it."

"Nah, I'm good. Once you've seen one base, you've seen 'em all, am I right?"

"Well, I haven't really seen any other autobot bases, but I did find this one abandoned military outpost nearby that had some pretty cool stuff in it."

"Hey, that sounds neat. I wouldn't mind seeing that," Chase raised his eyebrows at the idea.

"I don't know. I was kind of told to stay inside for the time being…"

"Really? Did you do something wrong?"

"Not exactly… Well, kind of, but not really. Let's just say that I was at some places I shouldn't have been, and now the general at Area 51 isn't exactly happy with me."

Chase's eyes widened at this. "Well now you've got my curiosity piqued! I didn't know you'd been to Area 51!"

"I've only been there twice, and the second time was to be interrogated… I would rather not talk about it," Reese shifted from one foot to the other a little awkwardly, wishing for an easy way to change the subject.

"I gotcha, don't worry about it then. I wouldn't want to ask you to do anything that would get you into trouble."

"I mean, it technically is an outpost of this base… so if I went to it, would it really be considered leaving the base? Also, Agent Fowler did say I could go back to get the stuff I found… So, maybe it will be okay. I would need to get Bumblebee to help though, since the storage crate I want to bring back here is pretty heavy."

"Are you sure? Seriously, if it's gonna get you in trouble…" Chase trailed off, torn between talking Reese out of the idea and encouraging her. Exploring an abandoned outpost did sound a lot more exciting than waiting around while BlueStreak ran his mouth for ages, but he also had only just met Reese, and he would feel really bad if he got her in trouble within 10 minutes of knowing her.

"Eh, it shouldn't take too long. I don't think it will be a problem," Reese shrugged her shoulders. "I'll go ask Bee if he can take us over there really quick."

She bounced down the stairs and over to Bumblebee, looking up at him with the most pleading of puppy eyes.

"Oh no… don't give me that look. I don't know what it is, but with that kind of look, I know it's trouble."

"Oh come on, Bee, hear me out at least," Reese pouted.

"Fine… What is it?" Bumblebee vented, knowing that he was probably about to get roped into something he would regret.

"Well, I was wondering if maybe we could swing by the outpost real quick. Agent Fowler gave me permission to bring back some of the stuff I found while I was exploring around, but the box its stored in is too heavy for me to carry. I wondered if you might lend me a hand."

"Weren't you told not to leave the base until you heard back from General Bryce?" Bumblebee squinted at Reese suspiciously.

"Sort of, but considering that the outpost is an extension of this base, would it really be considered leaving? Besides, it will only take a few minutes!" Reese clasped her hands in front of herself pleadingly.

"Weeeeelllll… I guess we could make a quick trip over there. But we need to keep it fast. The last thing you need is General Bryce finding out and blowing his top," Bee whirred.

"Sweet, I'll let Chase know!" Reese clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Hold up, you never said anything about Chase coming with us."

"I didn't think I needed to. He wanted to see the outpost and I have stuff to get from there, so I figured, why not kill two birds with one stone?"

"Reese, I don't know that showing this guy all the base's secrets is such a good idea? You don't know him. Sure, he's your grandsire's charge, but that doesn't mean he isn't trouble."

"He can't be that bad! BlueStreak asked me to give him a tour of the base, and the outpost is part of this base, so I don't see what the issue is."

Bumblebee ran a servo down his face in exasperation. "If something happens, or we get in trouble, I'm going to be the one who gets blamed. It's one thing to sneak you out of the base for a few minutes, it's another thing entirely to invite a guy you know nothing about to come along."

"Hey, I know stuff about him! He's a techno-organic like me!" Reese huffed indignantly.

"Aaand? What else?"

"Aaand… well… that's all I know for now, but this could be a great opportunity to get to know him better!"

Bumblebee gave Reese a long hard look, but finally he vented, and his gaze softened. "Fine, Chase can come with us, but don't make me regret bringing him along."

"Yes! You're the best Bumblebee!" Reese gave Bumblebee's pede a quick hug before darting back over to where she'd left Chase.

"Good news! Bumblebee said he'd take us!"

"Hey, you know, I've been thinking it over a bit and I'm starting to think maybe this isn't such a good idea. I mean, you were told to stay here by the general of Area 51, for crying out loud… As cool as exploring an abandoned outpost sounds, I'd hate myself if you got in trouble because of it.

"Do you know how hard it was to convince Bee to take us?" Reese asked incredulously.

"I know, I'm sorry…" Chase ran his hand through his hair a little awkwardly. "But hey, I'd still be down to hang out. I'm sure there's something cool you could show me around here."

"Not really…" Reese huffed crossing her arms. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but I'm going to the outpost with or without you, so you might as well come along. Otherwise, you're gonna be stuck here with nothing to do. If we get in trouble, I'll take responsibility."

"Reese…" Chase sighed, unsure of what to do. She was going to go to the outpost regardless, so there wasn't anything he could say or do that would talk her out of it. "Alright, I'll come."

"Awesome, meet me and Bumblebee in the exit tunnel in five minutes. I'm going to grab a couple flashlights and my backpack, and we will head out. Oh, and make sure nobody sees you. They might get suspicious and ask questions." With that, Reese ran off to grab her things. She quickly darted into her room and grabbed her backpack from the closet, stuffing several flashlights into it. She did a quick scan of the room to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything, and then very carefully and stealthily crept towards the exit tunnel.

Lucky for her and Chase, all the other bots seemed to be too preoccupied with other things to notice them. BlueStreak, Optimus, and Ratchet had all retreated to Optimus' quarters to discuss whatever it was they needed to discuss; Bulkhead was working out in one of the training rooms, and Arcee was on patrol duty. Reese climbed into the driver's seat of Bumblebee's idling alt-mode, and Chase climbed in the passenger side.

"Thanks again for this, Bee," Reese said as she buckled up.

"You're welcome, let's just make this fast."

"Yea, yea, we'll be fast. It's just the one box I need to get." Reese waved her hand dismissively before turning to Chase. "So, Chase, mind telling me a little about yourself? I mean, other than the fact that you're a techno-organic."

"Oh, uh…" Chase looked a little caught off guard. "Well, what exactly do you want to know? That's kind of a broad question."

"I don't know… You could start with your age, some of your favorite hobbies, how you met my granddad… You know, stuff like that," Reese shrugged.

"Uh, okay… Well, I'm 22, I like photography, playing video games, and I want to be a doctor one day. BlueStreak has taught me a lot about basic Cybertronian medicine, but I want to be able to help humans too. As far as how I met Bluestreak… That's kind of a long story…"

"Well, there's no time like the present."

Chase sighed but conceded. "He took me in after Decepticons found and attacked our base. Bluestreak and my father, Skids, had been sent to earth with the task of protecting energon rations and several sparkling protoforms during the war. Unfortunately, they were kind of forgotten, and the war ended, unbeknownst to them. After figuring that nobody was ever going to come for them, they decided to settle down. BlueStreak and Skids each took one of the protoforms and decided to start a family. My dad waited a lot longer than Bluestreak to start a family though, so BlueStreak had already moved out of the base and his kid was already an adult and married by the time my parents decided to have me. My mom was Native American and lived on one of the reservations near the base where BlueStreak and Skids were stationed. Anyways, I lived happily with mom and dad until the Decepticons showed up out of the blue and attacked the base. They stole all the energon reserves that were stored there, as well as the only remaining sparkling protoform. They killed mom and dad. Bluestreak, who was visiting, barely escaped with me, and he hit the road, never looking back. I was only ten at the time…" Chase sighed, staring out the windshield as Bumblebee headed towards the outpost.

"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up painful memories…" Reese bit her lip and fiddled with her hands in her lap. She knew how hard telling that story must have been for Chase.

"No, its fine. It happened a long time ago, and while I still miss them, I have been able to move on. Can't let stuff like that keep me from enjoying and living my life, right?" Chase shrugged.

"I suppose," Reese stared at her lap. "Wait… I just realized something. When Granddad came by to say goodbye to my family, there was a kid out in his car. Was that you?"

"Yea… He told me to wait in the car and that he would only be a few minutes. He never actually told me who it was he was visiting though…"

"I see…" Reese fell quiet again, fidgeting with her hands in her lap. The silence in the car was really awkward now.

Thankfully, it didn't last long because Bumblebee pulled up to the outpost. "Alright you two, we're here."

Reese and Chase climbed out of Bumblebee's alt-mode and stood back so he could transform. Reese went over to the large metal door that led into the outpost. The frame of the door was a little stretched out from when Optimus had attempted to squeeze through last time.

"Here, I can open it," Bumblebee whirred as he stepped up to the door and pushed on it lightly, causing it to slowly swing open.

Both Reese and Chase wafted away the cloud of dust that billowed out.

"I forgot how dusty it is in here," Reese coughed as she pulled out her flashlight and stepped inside.

"How long has this place been abandoned?" Chase squinted into the dark, straining to make out whatever anything in the weak beam of Reese's flashlight.

"Several years, but the roof caved in back when Unicron was awakening, so there is a lot more dust and debris everywhere now."

"Wait, Unicron?"

"Yea, you remember back when all those earthquakes were happening? That was Unicron reawakening. Optimus sent him back into a dormant state though, so we are all good."

"Huh, BlueStreak seemed unusually antsy about those earthquakes, but he wouldn't say why. I wonder if he knew."

"Maybe, but it doesn't matter anymore anyways. Unicron won't be waking up ever again. Optimus used the matrix to seal him away for good."

"Huh, isn't that the thing that makes him a Prime? How come he's still a Prime if he used up the matrix?"

"That's a loooong story… one that we probably don't have time to go over right now. I will say that I got a free round trip ticket to Cybertron out of it though," Reese smirked as she turned to head deeper into the outpost. She knew that would pique Chase's curiosity, and it would give them more to talk about later.

"You've been to Cybertron! No way! How?" Chase gaped, following after Reese. Bumblebee brought up the rear, using his headlights to illuminate the hallway.

"I'll tell you later. Right now, we are on a bit of a time crunch. No communication signals reach in here, so we are gonna need to work fast. If someone from base tries to call us and the signal doesn't go through, they are gonna get suspicious."

"Wow, your life sounds a lot more interesting than mine."

"Honestly, it was super boring before I met the autobots. I left my foster family when I turned 18, best decision I ever made. Then I ended up living alone in my family's old house and going to work every day at a computer repair shop in Jasper. It was pretty dull, though… sometimes I kind of miss it. At least I lived a relatively normal life. Don't get me wrong, a lot of great things have happened since I joined team Prime, but so have a lot of not-so-great things… Anyways, this is the room with the stuff in it." Reese opened one of the many doors that lined the hallway.

"Compared to you, I suppose my life is pretty normal, or as normal as one can be when you live with a Cybertronian, but I suppose I can see what you're saying. Living an exciting life does mean more opportunities for bad things to happen," Chase sighed as he and Bumblebee followed Reese inside the storage room.

Reese made a beeline for one crate in particular, prying the lid off of it to make sure that it was the right one. "Yes! This is it! Chase, check out some of this stuff. From what I can tell, it's a bunch of abandoned invention prototypes that the previous tenants left behind."

Chase walked over and peered into the crate. On the top lay the non-operational jetpack prototype that Reese had fawned over last time.

"Is that… what I think it is?"

"If you're thinking it's a jetpack, then yea! It obviously doesn't work, but I figured that with Ratchet's help and some Cybertronian tech, maybe I could get it working! There is also some kind of plasma rifle prototype in here, as well as some other cool inventions."

"Why would the previous owners leave something like this behind? What if it fell into the wrong hands or something?"

"Well, my guess is that they figured nobody would bother with them, since its obvious that none of them work. I don't think your average human has the right technology to get any of them working anyways," Reese shrugged. "Besides, who would think to even look in a plateau for a secret base anyways?"

"Fair point."

"Sorry to interrupt, but if this is what you came for, lets go ahead and get it out of here. The longer we spend in here, the more risk there is that someone will notice we are gone," Bumblebee whirred a little impatiently.

"Right, right, sorry I got a little carried away," Reese nodded, quickly putting everything back into the crate. "Uh… You mind helping me with this?"

"That's literally the whole reason you dragged me into this," Bumblebee chuckled, easily picking up the crate. "Now, how about we get back to base."

"Fine, if you insist," Reese put her hands on her hips and gave Bumblebee a teasing smirk. Then, she and Chase followed him back to the entrance of the outpost.

Bumblebee carried the box outside, and then transformed around it, placing it securely in the backseat of his alt-mode. Chase went to get in, but Reese grabbed his arm, stopping him. He turned and looked at her quizzically.

"I can trust you to keep this whole excursion a secret, right?" Reese looked into Chase's eyes imploringly, trying to read what he was thinking. Her own eyes were dead serious. "If General Bryce found out about it… well, let's just say that it probably wouldn't end well for me."

"Yea, don't worry, my lips are sealed," Chase picked up on the seriousness in Reese's eyes.

"Good, then let's get back before somebody misses us."

The three very quietly pulled into the base, and luck was on their side, since nobody was in the main room. Not even Ratchet, which almost never happens. Reese and Chase climbed out of Bumblebee's alt-mode, and he transformed, holding Reese's crate of equipment in his servos.

"Where do you want me to put this?"

"Uh… You could put it in the empty storage bay across from my room," Reese offered.

"Alright, I will be right back," Bumblebee nodded and headed off towards the storage bays.

"Well, that was pretty cool. Thanks for inviting me to come along," Chase flashed Reese a bright grin.

Reese felt her cheeks flush a little. Why did he have to have such a gorgeous smile? The way it made his eyes glitter, the whiteness of his teeth. Reese shook her head slightly to try and clear it of the thoughts. She had only just met him. Why was she getting all flustered?

"You're welcome, hopefully it was more entertaining than a tour of the base would have been." She smiled back, brushing some hair behind her ear and hoping Chase wouldn't notice how flustered she was.

"Definitely," Chase nodded, either not noticing Reese's awkward behavior, or choosing to ignore it. "Though, what am I going to tell BlueStreak when he asks how the tour went?"

"Uh… just say it went well. You don't have to specify that you got a tour of the outpost, not the actual base."

"That's true," Chase mused.

As if on cue, Optimus, Ratchet, and BlueStreak came out from Optimus' quarters. They all looked pretty serious, but as soon as BlueStreak saw Chase and Reese, his optics brightened up and a smile spread across his facial plating.

"Hey you two! How did the tour go? You two getting along?"

"It was great, Reese is really cool," Chase shot BlueStreak a thumbs up.

"I knew you two would get along just fine. You need more friends anyways. you don't get to spend much time with people your own age," BlueStreak nodded, seeming satisfied with Chase's answer.

"Hmm, I wonder why that is?" Chase tapped his chin and squinted at BlueStreak teasingly.

"Yea, yea, I know it's my fault, but I can't be taking chances. I promised your folks I would keep you safe, and I intend to keep that promise." BlueStreak rubbed the back of his helm a little sheepishly. "That goes for you too, Reese. Leaving your family behind was the biggest mistake I ever made, but I will never leave you ever again. I will always be there to protect you."

"Oh, uh…" Reese looked away a little awkwardly. She was still getting used to the idea of BlueStreak suddenly coming back into her life. She did appreciate that he was trying to make amends though. "Thanks…"

"Don't mention it! What are grandads for?" BlueStreak beamed, activating his holoform and scooping Reese up in another bear hug. "I just finished discussing the details with Optimus, and it looks like Chase and I are going to be moving into the base with you guys! Isn't that exciting? They explained to me in greater detail everything that's happened since you came to the base, so I better know how to help you. Starting first thing tomorrow, we are going to start training!"

"Training?" Reese gasped as BlueStreak's hug squeezed the air out of her.

"Yep, to control your cyberform. Not to mention, it couldn't hurt to learn a little more self-defense. You seem to get yourself into sticky situations. We need to fix that." BlueStreak finally release Reese from his bearhug and instead rested his hands firmly on her shoulders. His voice lowered with that last remark, and his eyes looked sad… pained even. "You have gone through too much for someone your age. Heck, you've been through more trauma than any person should endure in an entire lifetime. I really am sorry I wasn't there for you."

"It's okay…" Reese shifted her gaze to the floor, not really sure how to respond.

"No, it's not okay, but I intend to fix my mistakes. I love you Reese. Your father and I may not have seen eye to eye, but I always loved you. You were my little ray of sunshine. I will make this right, I promise."

Reese felt her face flush and her eyes started burning. She was on the verge of bursting into ugly tears in front of everybody. Almost against her will, she found herself wrapping her arms around BlueStreak and properly hugging him back for the first time since he had shown up at the base. She buried her face into his chest, partially to hide it from view, and partially so that she could feel his spark beat, something she found inherently comforting.

BlueStreak returned her hug, much more gently this time. He stroked her hair softly as he felt tears soak through his shirt. "It's done this old spark good to get a hug from you again. You always did give great hugs, even though your arms were too small to reach all the way around," BlueStreak chuckled, though it sounded a little watery.

The other bots, and Chase watched with smiles. It was a touching reunion, one that everyone would remember for a long, long time.

How about that for feels? Huh? I hope you enjoyed it. I love how flustered Reese gets around Chase *giddy giggles*, they've only just met and they are already adorable! ALSO, DAD OPTIMUS! Please and Thank You. Not to mention, got some real wholesome bonding in there between Reese and BlueStreak. They definitely still have some stuff to work out, but I think that Reese is starting to open up to the idea of him being around again. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and until next time, God Bless - Lucy