That last chapter really helped me get back into the swing of things. All right, here we go!

REVIEW REPLIES!

wisegirl2415: Uh...what? I appreciate the help, but...what?

3luv4eva: It definitely wasn't an easy choice to end the original Talida Prime series, but it was a decision I still had to make. And yes. Mike Shinoda is awesome and I still cannot listen to One More Light without wanting to burst into tears and, to be honest, I don't think I'll ever be able to. My biggest regret is I never got to meet him and thank him in person for talking me off the edge through his music.

Awesomo3000: It was a fun ride and there are definitely more adventures with Talida on the way. The original series may be over, but her story isn't. I'm far from done with Talida Prime.

STRELOK474: Merry Christmas to you too!

wolverine12: It just took me a little bit to get back into the saddle. Merry Christmas to you too!

You guys should know this by now, but I'm going to say it anyway. I don't own anything except for any original characters and any original story points I may come up with in this universe.

I want to give a shout-out to gcallen22. She let me know that there was someone who was copying my story Strange Beginnings on Wattpad. The story has since been taken down, but I'm grateful that she let me know it was happening. Now, this isn't the first time someone has plagiarised one of my stories and, sadly, it sounds like something I'm going to have to deal with. I want to thank everyone in the past that has alerted me of this and reported the stories. I know a lot of us frequent websites such as Wattpad, Archive of Our Own, Tumblr, Quotev, and anywhere else we may write fanfiction. I'm wondering if you guys can please let me know via private message if someone is trying to publish one of my stories as their own or if they are using one of my original characters and they either don't seek my permission or don't say, "Hey, BTW, this OC belongs to IceGirl2772." (Seriously, though, how hard is it to ask first before you do that?)

I am sorry if I am inadvertently taking my anger out on you guys - you did nothing to deserve it - but it annoys me that this is something that many of us on here have to deal with.

ENJOY!

...or not...

Song: Capri by Colbie Caillat

Jack had no idea how long he spent on the floor, curled up in a fetal position around what could potentially be the last words his best friend will ever say to him.

That thought alone almost stained his now-dried cheeks once again with tears. By this stage, he thought he would have no more tears left to cry. Not just from that day, but for the entire few days that his best friend had been missing.

Wait. She's not missing. Well...technically, she is. But just moments ago, Jack learned that the disappearance of Talida Prime was never a standard missing persons case.

It was a kidnapping.

A kidnapping by aliens.

Well, if it had to happen somewhere...

He went to move his hand and felt the burning sensation travel around a particular spot. Looking down, Jack suddenly remembered the IV that was placed in his hand.

Oh. Right. He got attacked by one of those aliens and then got rescued by other aliens.

Who so happen to be his best friend's family.

Man, today's been a weird day.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

Looking up in surprise, Jack noticed that the wall he saw earlier had disappeared. There was now an easier view into what Jack could only guess was a bedroom.

A bedroom for giant alien robots.

And one said giant alien robot - the smallest of the group, the two-wheeler named Arcee, Jack thought - was occupying said room.

"I wasn't going to rip my IV out, if that's what you're worried about," Jack grumbled, "My mother's a nurse. I would never hear the end of it."

"Wait for Doctor Gomez to come back and check on you before you do anything stupid," Arcee instructed.

"Who's Doctor Gomez?" Jack demanded.

"The only human doctor we would let near Talida," Arcee answered, "Ratchet's very capable when it comes to Cybertronian patients. But Tally's not entirely Cybertronian."

"She looks so human," Jack argued.

"For all intents and purposes, she is human," Arcee shrugged, "But if you were to look underneath, you would find that her skeleton is weaker than ours, but stronger than the average human's. You wouldn't find a normal human heart. You would find a spark. It hums instead it beats. Everything that makes Talida what she is lies in her spark. The sole function of her brain is to keep her alive. But her memories? Her soul? You'll find them in her spark."

"There'd be a lot of people saying that her being an alien automatically meant she didn't have a soul," Jack pointed out, "Some people in Jasper are immediately scared of anyone and anything that's different."

"Good thing there are only a handful of people who know the truth about her," Arcee retorted, "I've encountered a lot of humans during my time here on Earth, Jack. Not a lot of them left good impressions. Whenever I say this to Tally, she says a quote by someone who compares humanity to an ocean?"

"Humanity is an ocean. If a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean itself does not become dirty," Jack recited, "Gandhi said it."

"Who's Gandhi?" Arcee asked in confusion.

"He led India's non-violent independence movement against British rule," Jack explained, "He also tolerated a group of humans others didn't like. He was assassinated by an extremist of one of those groups."

"It happens to a lot of people," Arcee mused, "On Earth and Cybertron."

"Has Optimus ever...?" Jack trailed off.

"Has anyone ever tried to assassinate Optimus?" Arcee finished Jack's question, "Many times. Some Decepticons thought they could worm their way through the Autobot ranks and kill Optimus from the inside. Because I'm Optimus' spark mate - I believe it is much like earth men having a wife? - some even went after me in an effort to hurt Optimus. It never works out for them."

"I can only imagine," Jack commented wryly as he walked closer to the railing separating himself and Arcee," So where does Talida fit into all of this?"

"There was a prophecy that a child would be born that would bring about the end of the war. I never thought I would be the one to bear that child," Arcee sighed.

"Why? You didn't want to because of the war?" Jack pressed before grimacing, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"No, it's okay. The war didn't have anything to do with us waiting so long to have a child. When we got tested, they found some...irregularities with my body," Arcee recalled, "Those irregularities meant that I would struggle to carry a child. That's part of the reason why we adopted Bumblebee. We thought we would never have a child."

With a bittersweet smile, Arcee recalled the day she found out she was with child.

Begin flashback
Moaning, the now-human Arcee slowly began to open her eyes, squinting at the bright light that was shining directly above her head. Still regaining her bearings, Arcee still tried to lift her arm to move that offending light away from her eyes.

It hurt her head more than the fall she had taken earlier.

Fortunately, there was someone who sat nearby who saw what she was doing. Thankfully, he continued what she was trying to do.

"Arcee?" her now-human spark mate asked worriedly, "Are you all right?"

"Water?" Arcee croaked.

There were many titles people could bestow upon Optimus Prime. The title of attentive spark mate was one of them. He not only helped her sip her water, but he helped her sit up and adjusted the pillows to let her sit comfortably.

"Why am I here?" Arcee asked.

"Ratchet wanted to find out what caused your collapse," Arcee answered, "He suspects it's because you're not taking care of yourself."

"I would not be talking," Arcee retorted, "How many times have you gone without Energon during the war to make sure everyone else got their rations? Or the amount of times you stayed up late monitoring every radio channel?"

"Do as I say, not as I do," Optimus threw back, "I believe that's what Agent Fowler said."

These human idioms were really going to be the end of the Autobots. Especially the Autobot medic who was now walking towards them with his handheld computer and the Autobot who struggled to adjust to life on Earth - and what he deemed their inadequate technology - the most.

"You gave us quite a scare, you know," Ratchet began.

"What's wrong with me?" Arcee demanded.

"From the looks of it, you are suffering a bit of dehydration and you had an episode of postural hypotension. From what I understand, it happens if you stand up too quickly and blood hasn't had enough time to reach your brain," Ratchet stated, "By themselves, they're not major causes for concern. However, with something else I found in the tests..."

"Is it treatable?" Optimus asked.

"It's not that simple," Ratchet shook his head, "In your tests, I also found evidence of human chorionic gonadotropin. When I asked Agent Fowler for clarification, he put me in touch with a human doctor. It's a hormone that is present during pregnancy."

Optimus and Arcee looked at each other in shock. They knew that human biology and Cybertronian biology were vastly different, but there were basic principles that remained the same between both species.

One of which was the process of procreation, to an extent. The AllSpark did produce generations of Cybertronians, but the main method of procreation was mating and the femme carrying the sparkling to term.

On Earth, they recalled that it was the same as a human female carrying a baby.

"Are you saying it's happening?" Arcee pressed, her voice daring to raise in hope.

"If you mean you two are finally expanding your family, yes," Ratchet nodded in a rare smile, "These tests indicate that you are about ten weeks pregnant in your pregnancy. Congratulations."

No longer able to keep it in, the usually guarded and stoic couple held each other in elation. They had sacrificed so much - lost so much - to the war and the only thing they dared to ask for was a child of their own.

Now their prayers were finally answered.

"Old friend," Optimus began, suddenly at a loss for words.

"You don't need to say it," Ratchet reassured him, "I am happy it's finally happening."

With those words said, Ratchet walked away, leaving the expectant parents to bask in the news.

They were finally having a child.

"I think it's a girl," Arcee proclaimed out of nowhere.

"Is this mother's intuition?" Optimus' brows furrowed in confusion.

"Also a mother's hope," Arcee answered as she looked down at her abdomen, which would soon expand as their child grew, "I love Bumblebee, but I've always wanted a little girl."

Optimus hummed in consideration before coming to agree with Arcee's proclamation. In the few times he dared allow himself to dream of having a family, he always saw a little girl. One that was very much like Arcee.

But hopefully with his patience and wisdom to balance her mother's brash temper.
End flashback

"On Cybertron, we call a baby something else. We call it a sparkling," Arcee explained before chuckling wryly, "It's funny, My Cybertronian form wouldn't let me carry a sparkling. But when Optimus and I turned human, we conceived without really trying."

"Sometimes that's the secret," Jack pointed out, "Sometimes, you have to stop trying for something to happen."

"In some circumstances, yes," Arcee agreed, "But I don't think this is one of those circumstances."

"From everything Lida told me," Jack began as he held up the disc containing the hologram he was playing earlier, "You are up against a formidable opponent."

"The Decepticons have access to technology that is far more advanced than anything you would find on Earth. Technology that allows them to elude us," Arcee stated, "We know where she is, but we can't get to her."

"How much time does she have?" Jack asked before he could stop himself.

"I don't know," Arcee shook her head, "She could have weeks. She could have days. She could only have hours. Your encounter with Starscream today was the first time we had seen a Decepticon since she was kidnapped. For all we know, they could have already killed her."

"No," Jack shook his head firmly, refusing to fathom the possibility that his best friend was dead, "Starscream said she was still alive."

"Starscream's a Decepticon. They lie!" Arcee snapped, "They can say whatever they want and we have no way to find out what's the truth and what's..."

Arcee trailed off, struggling to say her fears out loud. She was scared that the Decepticons were toying with them. She was scared of the torture her daughter was facing.

But more importantly, she's scared they'll be too late to save her.

"It's Talida we're talking about. She's not going to give up that easy," Jack stated.

Arcee could only hope that was true.

Sorry for the late updates, guys. But I started doing a Masters earlier this year and that is filled with A LOT of intense assessment that has taken up the majority of my time. Also, I was really struggling to find a way to end this chapter.

So the plan is I have Jack talk to all the Autobots at the base. You know. Bulkhead. Cliffjumper. Bumblebee. Ratchet. Optimus. Have him see and understand Talida's life in the base before we go on to the big rescue. There are a couple of questions I have.

One: Who should Jack talk to next?

Two: How the heck am I going to make this work with Bumblebee?

If anyone here has an answer to any of those questions - and some suggestions on circumstances where Jack could talk to the other Autobots (on their own and a flashback must be included) - I would greatly appreciate it.

You guys know the drill by now. Review. Fave. Add this story and/or me to your alerts.

And am I the only one who was utterly destroyed by Avengers: Endgame? I mean, I've seen the film four times in cinemas now (and am planning a fifth since they're doing that re-release with the extra footage) and I still cry! I don't know if I should hug the cast and crew and thank them for the amazing work they have done over 22 films and eleven years, and the work they will continue to do, or scream at them for hurting my emotions like that. DAMN YOU AND THANK YOU MARVEL!