The doors of her room open and Azura saw Optimus, Ratchet and Bumblebee entering her room. Azura barely paid attention to them as she was sobbing hysterically. She held the unicorn plush against her face to try and keep her tears from staining her face, but it likely would not matter. She felt familiar hands pick her up from the berth and was brought close to his chassis. Azura was quick to bury her face into his chassis as she sobbed and held onto the plush tightly for additional comfort. Optimus rubbed her back gently to comfort her as best as he could.
Bumblebee looked at Azura sadly before looking at Ratchet. "You did not tell her a weird or scary story before she went into recharge, did you?"
Ratchet looked at Bee in surprise at the accusation. "Are you seriously asking me that?" The scout nodded and Ratchet shook his head affirmatively. "I did not tell her anything of the sort. I only told her stories from my past, and nothing from my past has anything remotely nightmarish." He looked at Azura as his expression softened. "Azura might have simply had a nightmare of something else."
"It matters not if you had told her a story with frightening details," Optimus said to the two autobots as he kept his attention on Azura. "She had a nightmare, and that is the only detail I care about."
Ratchet was glad that Optimus was more concerned about Azura's tears than he was about why she had a nightmare. He was still worried about what she had dreamed about. It was the first time she had woken up screaming since she has been here. Ratchet was glad that Optimus and Bumblebee had only just returned when she woke up, as he didn't know if he would even be able to calm her down like Optimus could.
But Azura was still sobbing hysterically and she was trembling against his chassis. Optimus knew that it didn't matter if he didn't know what she had dreamed of, he would be there to comfort her. He said nothing for the time being as he held her, allowing her to hear the pulse of his spark within his chassis.
"I might check over Bumblebee while you stay with Azura," Ratchet said softly, gesturing to the door as he knew he was of no help. "I am afraid I'm of no help for the moment, unless I bring her hot chocolate."
"I think checking Bumblebee's system is a good idea, Ratchet," Optimus said to the medic gently. "There isn't much you can do here."
"Are you sure?" Bumblebee asked as he stepped forward. "Hey, Azura…" The girl flinched hearing Bee speak to him. "Nightmares are pretty scary, aren't they? Whenever I have them, sometimes I wake up with my blasters ready to shoot someone." She still didn't react to him as she listened, and Optimus knew Bee was trying to make her laugh. "That doesn't happen all the time, of course…but…"
"I am sure she appreciates your efforts to make her laugh, Bee," Optimus said to the scout kindly, turning his head to look at the bot with a smile. "But I'll handle Azura. She needs to be given time to calm down."
"Hopefully she won't be terribly tired when you take to her to school," Ratchet said gently, placing a hand on Bee's shoulder. "Come, Bumblebee. Let's get you checked over." Bumblebee nodded as he turned to leave the room. Ratchet looked at Azura with a smile, even though she had her face buried into Optimus's chassis. "One good thing about nightmares, Azura, is that they will never hurt you outside of your dreams."
Azura heard Ratchet and she did not respond. If only he knew what she had just learned. Azura felt so…she didn't know how to feel. She was extremely upset to learn that she and Megatron were related. She had accepted she only had one parent, but it didn't occur to her she had another. And that parent happened to be the decepticon leader. This was going to be one information she was going to struggle accepting. And she didn't even know how she was ever going to bring up the topic to Optimus and Ratchet. Alpha Trion said Optimus didn't know, and she believed him.
I don't know if Optimus will even want to accept the information either. I know I can't…I don't know if I will ever accept it.
Azura didn't know what to say to Optimus when she did finally calm down enough to tell him what the nightmare was about. She really didn't want to say anything to him. It would break his spark knowing this, even though she knew he would not abandon her simply because of her sire. She did wonder if the bots had a suspicion who the sire was, but it was definitely something she would wait for them to bring up, not her.
As Azura did not calm down after ten minutes, Optimus was getting very worried. "Azura, please try and calm yourself down," Optimus said to her gently as he rubbed her back. "I don't know what you say, but I had no idea it upset you this much." He heard her sniffle and mutter something he could not understand. "Did you dream about being left alone?" She didn't respond straight away, but she did not take long before she nodded. It was the other thing that would definitely scare her like this if she were to dream it. "Aw, I am sorry you had to go through that. But you are not alone. I guess with me not being here, your processor created a nightmare in your recharge. I am sorry."
Azura sniffled as she began to calm down. She really felt frightened and unsure about how she would proceed now, but she now realized why Starscream had told her she would be taken to her real family. Maybe he knew about Megatron using his CNA to create the habloid spark parasites in the with the bodies of autobots. Remembering that made it feel like it weighed heavier on her. Not just the fact that they knew she is a sparkling. She really could see them using that fact against Optimus.
Feeling Azura calming down was really good. Optimus had worried she would cry for much longer. He was somewhat lucky to miss the new born stage of his sparkling. New born sparklings, like humans, would cry quite often. And there was always to potential for a sparkling to end up with an illness, which can make things much worse. But Optimus did wish he was there for her new born stage. He missed out on a lot of things, and he knew it. But he was glad he could get to see more of her life stage achievements. Such as receiving her first coverings.
"You do not have to tell me what exactly you saw in your nightmare, Azura," Optimus said to her reassuringly. "You are free to just calm down. I'll wash your face once you have calmed down enough and stay with you until you go back to sleep."
Azura was happy that Optimus was not going to press about what she had seen in her dream. She definitely did not want to talk about it. She actually began to calm down a whole lot more because of that as well. Plus, she was feeling rather exhausted from the crying. She didn't know what time it was right now, but she didn't particularly care. She took deep breaths as she tried to calm her breathing. Her sparking was beating rather quickly and she pulled her head away.
She saw a large wet patch on Optimus's chassis from the amount of tears she cried and she looked up at him. "I…I'm sorry…"
"For what?" Optimus was surprised that she would even apologize. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Azura." He kissed her forehead gently, wanting to show his love for her. "Do not feel like you have to apologize when you needed me. I love you, and I will come to you whenever you need me."
Azura smiled at him and snuggled against him as she sniffled again with a light sob. "Okay…" She rubbed her eyes a little and she yawned softly. "I am just glad that you love me." Optimus was curious by what she meant by that, but he did not question her. "Why were you away for so long?"
"I think that would be better to be told when you are not half asleep, Azura," Optimus responded to her gently, walking towards the bathroom as he felt she was calm enough to wash her face. "All I can say is the issue was resolved. But just not in the way I had hoped for."
Azura wondered what he meant by that, but she didn't question him on that. She simply relaxed as she calmed herself further. He rinsed a cloth with cool water and washed her face gently. She grumbled as she felt the cloth on her face, but she didn't try to stop him. She felt a whole heap better with her face cleaned of tears and she yawned loudly once her face was cleaned. She honestly just wanted to sleep, but she wanted to stay with Optimus.
She looked at him curiously as she hugged the plush against her body. "Could I…um…I don't want to alone for the rest of the night, Optimus." She sniffled a little as he listened to her. "Am I able to sleep in your chassis? Just for tonight…" She felt a few more tears fall and Optimus wiped those away quickly with the cloth.
Optimus smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "I am afraid I am in need of a check over from Ratchet. Mostly because we did endure a fight unexpectedly." Azura looked at him in surprise before she frowned a little in irritation. "And for that, my chassis does need to be empty. We don't want to disturb you once you sleep. But I promise I will stay with you until you sleep."
"But I…" Azura grumbled as she realized this was a situation she probably wouldn't be able to wind. "Fine…" She shifted a little as she snuggled against him, curling her legs and holding her toy tight to her chest. "You will be here in the morning, right?"
"If you wish for me to wake you up, I will," Optimus responded reassuringly with a smile. "You need not fear. I am here." She closed her eyes as she believed him. He kissed her forehead as he felt her relax completely. "I will be here for you always."
She smiled as she heard the promise he made to her and she took a deep breath. Being near him and breathing in his comforting scent helped her relax some more. She may not be able to get the information out of her head, but she was with Optimus. She also had to deal with the fact that Megatron is dead. She only had Optimus. And in her mind, she wished it was how it should have been the entire time. But she fell into a dreamless with the ease knowing Optimus would be there.
Optimus was pleased as he watched Azura fall back asleep. Her whole body relaxed and he was happy she was happy again. He didn't put her back into the berth straight away. He wanted to hold her for a short time. He did not need to be checked over by Ratchet just yet as Bumblebee had taken the worst hits than he did. But he knew not to hold her for too long. He only held Azura for at least an hour before gently placing her back into the berth and tucking her in. He smiled at her as she did not stir from her sleep, and leaned in to kiss her cheek gently before taking his leave from her room.
Azura was happy to have a dreamless sleep. She did not want to have to go back to Alpha Trion and demand answers. She actually did not wish to go back to her dream world for a while. She needed a heap of time to process the information she had been given, and she was certainly fine with postponing her training for a while until she felt ready to return. She just hoped it would not hinder her progress in the long term, but she really just needed time to process it.
When morning came, Optimus made his way back to Azura's room as she was over recharging again. He was not surprised as she had cried a lot the previous night, and he knew that would have exhausted her. But Optimus did not wake her straight away. He carefully gathered her project and changed Azura into a red sundress with a desert print on the fabric. He wanted her to have enough recharge for the day, but once he had her dress and her hair brushed, he had to wake her up.
"Azura." His voice hummed gently as he spoke to her. "Wake up. It is time for school." Azura grumbled and shifted in Optimus's hand before opening her eyes. She looked at him with a frown and rubbed her eyes gently. "I apologize that I have to wake you from your recharge, but you don't want to be late for school, do you?"
She shakes her head and stretched her arms with a yawn, and realized she was already dressed and ready for school. "Oh…I must have been so deep my sleep…uh, recharge, that I didn't even notice that you had changed me into day clothes."
"You were, but I also did not wish to disturb you," Optimus said gently as he smiled at her. "But unfortunately, it also means you don't have much time." He walked towards the bathroom as he knew she would need to use the toilet. "I assume you need to use the toilet?" She nodded affirmatively. "Very well. That is the only thing I won't be able to help with."
She giggled softly as Optimus lowered her to the toilet where she proceeded to lift her dress and sit down to use it. She sighed as she relieved herself and looked up at Optimus curiously. "Do you think I am awake enough to know what happened to you and Bee yesterday?"
Optimus was amused by the sarcastic tone in her voice. "I guess I should answer the question you had asked of me." She nodded affirmatively. "Very well. Bee and I discovered the reason for the energon on transit. It turns out Starscream had reawakened on Megatron's most loyal warriors, Skyquake, and was attempting to persuade him to obey him."
"And it didn't work," Azura guessed as she listened to him.
"Skyquake and his twin brother, Dreadwing, both are extremely loyal to Megatron. The loyalty they have for him is considered rare in the decepticons. Starscream has longed for the position of leader, so it is no surprise he is trying too hard to take over Megatron's throne." Optimus's expression softened a little as he thought about it while Azura finished relieving herself and cleaned herself before flushing the toilet. "I had asked them to think on whether the war is even worth continuing. I wanted to try and reason with them. But Starscream is not interested in a truce. And Skyquake was more interested in following through an old order that Megatron had given him years ago. By attempting to destroy me."
Azura shuddered a little as she listened to him. She disliked the idea of anyone harming Optimus, even though she knew he could stand against any of the decepticons on his own just fine. "Sounds like he decided he didn't want to be reasoned with." She washed her hands and turned to Optimus once she was done. He picked her up and walked out of her room. She saw that Optimus's expression was slightly glum. "But I see you weren't happy with the outcome."
He nodded slightly as he thought back to the incident. "Unfortunately, the incident led to Bumblebee ending Skyquake's spark. It was not the outcome I ever wanted. I have always known that he valued many things that the decepticons did not." He intakes heavily and sighed deeply. "I had hoped he would have been able to be reasoned with. But alas, it was not meant to be." She smiled a little as Optimus's desire for peace without using violence was something to look up to for her. "Bumblebee and I spent the rest of the night giving Skyquake a proper burial."
Now that surprised her. "You…buried him? Why?"
"Because I never hated the con, Azura. There are times when you face enemies, but you should still respect them as individuals. And my offer to have him join our side was permenantly revoked. It pains my spark knowing that." She placed her hand on his chassis as she listened to him and Optimus smiled at her kindly. "I am sorry I did not return home soon enough to put you to berth. But I hope you understand."
"I do." She smiled at him and leaned forward to hug him. "I understand a lot, Optimus." She couldn't ask for a better father. "I was able to endure letting Ratchet care for me in your stead. He did a pretty good job…even if I was trying to stall." Optimus grinned at her as she spoke about the previous night. She gasped suddenly as she realized something. "Oh! My project! I think you left it in…"
"I have it within my chassis already, Azura." He opened his chassis for Azura to see, and she was relieved when she saw the 3D model within the chassis. "I wasn't going to forget it." She was very happy that he already grabbed it and she smiled at him. "You may have to drink low-grade on the way to school today. I am afraid we don't have time to remain in the lobby to feed you."
"That's fine." Azura shrugged as she was fine with waiting. "I don't mind, and it probably would be nice to drink on the way, honestly." She turned slightly as Optimus walked into the lobby and gasped happily when she saw Bumblebee. "Bumblebee!"
Bumblebee looked at her happily upon hearing her voice. "Morning, Azura. I hope you had a better night after that nightmare. I am happy to see you."
Azura wiggled in Optimus's hand and looked at him. "Can I at least hug Bumblebee?"
He smiled at her. "We don't have much time, Azura. But I will allow it." He lowered her to the ground and Azura jumped off Prime's hand to run over to Bee. The scout quickly scooped her up and she giggled loudly as he swung her around. Ratchet turned his head slightly in concern. "We need to start hanging out again like we used to, Bumblebee. I always thought of you as a brother."
"And as your big brother, I am not going to let you down. I'll just have to figure out how to make time for you and Rafael," Bumblebee responded with a shrug of his shoulders. "I know we haven't spent time together because of that, but we can try. I know you don't like videogames, but maybe there's something you might enjoy."
"I am sure we can think of something. But first…" Azura looked at Optimus as he stood by patiently. "I do need to get to school." Bumblebee chuckled as he hugged her for a moment before passing her to Optimus. "If I can think of something that can involve me and the three kids too, I'll let you know, Bee."
"If only Jack and Miko could understand me," Bumblebee said in a sad tone. "But I will do it to have fun with you." She was happy to hear that as Optimus transformed and revved his engine. "Now you go and have a good day at school today, Azura. I am sure you will do well on your science project."
Azura chuckled as Optimus drove away. She guessed Bumblebee was being made to stay behind by Ratchet as he wasn't following to go and pick up Rafael. She stretched her limbs and sighed deeply, still feeling partially asleep. She turned her head when she heard the glove compartment opening and she saw the fuel line being extended. She smiled as she was quick to take the line as she was feeling hunger and watched the low-grade fill the line.
She looked out the window with a smile, trying to forget the information she had received from Alpha Trion. "I think today is going to be a good day. The science fair is always a fun day."
"I am going to assume normal classes do not run on the science fair days."
"You would be correct, Optimus. It is nice, because it gives us a break from going through Math, Grammar and Science everyday. But…" Azura looked at herself in the mirror before looking down at the fuel line. "Ratchet said I had grown. Have I?"
"You have. I am assuming Ratchet has told you, you might not have much time before your current outer layers fades away. And you aren't happy about that, are you?" She shrugged as she didn't know how to respond before she began to drink the low-grade energon. "He told me what you told him about your eyes. I am afraid I cannot prevent your growth from being slow, Azura. You may not be able to complete high school physically, but I am aware it can be done through the internet."
"Yeah…it can…I just…" She could not help but look at her hands. She took a moment and realized the skin around her fingers in particular seemed different. And she didn't know if she was just seeing things because of her concern. "I just want to accomplish it, Optimus. It might not mean much to you, but it means a lot to me."
"Nothing is too small to be accomplished, Azura," Optimus responded to her gently as he knew what she was trying to say. "Even though the education is human education, I do believe it will give you a head start of your Cybertronian studies. I do not know when Ratchet intends on teaching you, but I can probably start that if you would like. I am not Ratchet, but I can still teach you to reach and write in Cybertronian."
"You would do that?" Azura asked in surprise with a smile.
"Yes, I would," Optimus responded happily as he heard the joy in her tone. "I believe it is something you should learn on the side, even if it takes time. Sparklings wouldn't normally learn until much later, but I believe you do not need to wait."
"I think I would like that a lot." She had not really thought on the idea of Optimus teaching her to read Cybertronian. She accepted Ratchet was going to do it. But this was way better. "That will be another activity we can do together. And go to the aquarium after school today."
"I believe we do have the time to do that," Optimus responded to her thoughtfully. "I look forward to seeing what fish you choose to buy this time. Hopefully, you'll still be able to get more fish once your outer layer fades away."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that too." She would have to rely on humans to do that for her and she was a little annoyed about that. "I guess I'll just get used to it. But I am looking forward to going to the aquarium this afternoon." She saw Optimus enter the town and she glanced at the time. She still had fifteen minutes before the bell would ring. "I guess this means I'll have to set the last tank up."
"It would seem so, unless you are happy with the three tanks you have currently," Optimus said gently. "I will check them when I return to base. There hasn't been much time to check on them and feed them. But I'll make sure of it."
"I know you will." She began feeling full on the low-grade energon and saw Optimus shut off the flow. "You have done a marvellous job of keeping the current fish alive. And most humans can't even do that."
"It was the love and care you had for the fish that inspired me to make sure they stay alive. I had no idea they would last for three years. I would have accepted that I didn't care for them properly if I had failed, as I did learn how fragile fish were from you. But I did learn from the best." She giggled as she knew he was referring to her. "If you ever need me to watch over the fish, I will do it for you. May I suggest getting the bloodfin tetra?" She looked at the dash as Optimus made the suggestion. "I have looked into different species, and, I know you might laugh, but the fish is blue with red fins. I figured you might like that."
"I had thought about them." She hummed a little as she drank the last bit of low-grade energon from the fuel line and leaned back as Optimus began to pull it back from her. "I think I will get them. I might get a school of them." She knew picking the fish based on its color can sometimes be silly, but she knew why Optimus suggested it. It was a similar color to him. She giggled softly. "Thank you for the suggestion. You should be there when I release them."
"I don't think I will want to miss it. Not when I know my daughter loves her fish."
She giggled again as Optimus turned into the by the school to park. "Now I am looking forward to the afternoon." She picked up her project happily. "Thank you again, daaaa…" She bit her lip as she realized what she almost said. Optimus himself was surprised too, but his spark also hurt when she stopped herself. "I mean, Optimus…sorry…uh…" She knew this was very awkward now as she opened the door to climb out. "I'll see you after school."
She closed the passenger door and turned away from Optimus as she felt very awkward. She hadn't meant to almost slip out dad while talking to him. She just got carried away. But it also made her realize she might be almost comfortable enough to call him that. Azura just decided to shake it off and make her way into the school. Her emotions were already a wreck thanks to Alpha Trion. As for Optimus, he watched her make her way into the school. He had grown accustomed to her calling him by his name, but he did look forward to the day where he would actually call him dad. He drove away knowing he couldn't force her to call him that. But he felt it was an indication she would start calling him that soon. And hopefully, Jack and the others will know that Optimus is Azura's father by that time.