As Optimus held her, the feelings Azura had regarding Optimus and the autobots came back like falling bricks. It was another reason why she was crying so much, not just from the pain she was feeling, learning that Cliff was gone and being kidnapped from her unit. And while Azura had felt completely uncertain over the last few years, coming back felt right now. She might still be upset that Optimus never told her who he was to her all those years ago, but she was happy to be in his strong, protective arms.

Optimus was still in disbelief. Azura had not let him hold her like this three years ago, and as soon as she came back, she wanted him to hold her. His sparkling was home. And Optimus felt elated, and he almost worried that this was also a dream. He hoped it wasn't the case, but that would remain to be. But he could see the scrapes on Azura's body and the energon bleeding from the wound, and he could sense she was feeling other pain as well.

Optimus looked at Arcee with a questioning expression. "How is this possible Arcee? Why is Azura hurt?" He glanced down at Azura before turning to Ratchet. "I think…"

"Yes, yes, I know." Ratchet gestures to go to the med bay. "It would be best for Arcee to tell us what happened while we are in the med bay." He turned and walked away with the others behind him. "It is definitely a Primus miracle this week."

"To be honest, I was not even expecting to find Azura when I went for a drive," Arcee said in a soft, sad tone as she walked behind Optimus. "I needed to clear my head from…you know." Optimus just nodded silently without looking back. "Anyway, as I was driving through Jasper I found myself being followed by two vehicons. I most certainly was not expecting it, but they weren't exactly being inconspicuous either. And I ended up with a little distraction while I was trying to get the cons off my tail through town, and making sure they wouldn't attack any human in the town."

"And you did not see Azura at the time?" Optimus asked curiously as they enter the med bay.

"I am afraid not…" Arcee was very upset about that. "I think the decepticons had Azura by the time they followed me…there was no other explanation." She glanced at the girl as Azura was still crying. She was still hiding her face and Arcee was a little happy that Azura was taking comfort with her carrier. "I was able to lead the cons to a drain just outside the town. It was there they revealed they had Azura with her and tried to use her as leverage to stop me from attacking them…and when they got distracted, managed to get Azura away…but they prevented me from stopping Azura from hitting the ground hard."

Ratchet was immediately worried upon hearing that. "Hmm…the visible injuries might not be the only injuries she has…" He walked into the med berth and gestured to the berth. "If you can, Optimus, place her on the med berth. I need to check the structure of her protoform. I have concerns that her lack in low-grade intake could cause her protoform to become weak and fragile."

Optimus nodded as he approached the med berth. He gently moved her away from his shoulder and she opened her eyes, looking at him in surprise. "Sorry, Azura. But Ratchet needs to look you over to help you. I'll be right here, Azura. I am not going anywhere." She whimpered a little as he gently placed her onto the med berth and grimaced as she felt pain in her back, legs and hips. "Ratchet, I think you are right." He was worried when he saw her face grimace from pain.

Ratchet immediately began to scan her body. "What else happened, Arcee?"

Arcee sighed and glanced at Bee who was looking at Azura with worried optics. "While I was fighting to fend off the vehicons, I was knocked down and thankfully, Bumblebee joined the fight. We both were able to keep the vehicons from moving their attention from us to Azura."

"We also had to make sure none of the blasts were pointed in Azura's direction. Things would have gone more smoothly, but we did not want to create an even worse situation for Azura." Bumblebee watched Ratchet scan Azura's body and check the results. "Do you think Azura was in their clutches this whole time?"

"No. She shows no signs that the decepticons had their claws on her." Optimus was very relieved that Azura had not been in the clutches of the cons for very long. "My guess is, she never left town. I have a feeling that Cliff knew her location and refused to tell us." Azura looked at him and nodded, confirming to him that Cliff knew. He sighed, knowing there was no reason to be disappointed now. "I am just glad she's home." He glanced at Ratchet as he walked over to the monitor to put in the results of his scan. "How is she?"

"Thankfully, she's not as injured as I feared. But her spine has received impact damage and she will have a hard time walking for a while." He brought up the scan's results on screen and Optimus looked at it to see the injuries Azura has sustained. "As I had suspected, her protoform is weakened from no low-grade energon in her system. She hasn't even grown a lot in the last three years, my guess is that is it slowing down." Azura wanted to comment that was normal, since she was seventeen now, but she felt much younger than her actual age. "If she allows it, I would recommend that you start feeding her low-grade, Optimus." Ratchet walked over to a shelf and grabbed a large jar and cloth. "I best put this onto her wounds. They're mesh wounds only, but they could get dirty and infect her with an illness."

Azura sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheeks, looking at Ratchet as he approached her. She smiled weakly at him and he smiled back at her. "I…I…I…I am…s-s-sorry…"

"There is no need to apologize, Azura." Ratchet gave her a sympathetic expression. "We…went about things the wrong way three years ago. And not just Optimus. We all did. We should be the ones apologizing to you. But I think being apart these three years is enough." She nodded and looked away from him as he opened the jar and dipped the cloth into the ointment. "Just prewarning, this might sting a little, Azura. But you will feel better after, I promise."

Azura did not respond. She felt a lot of different emotions. She felt fear, guilt, regret, sadness and…relief. She did not think she would be relieved to be back, but she was. She grimaced when Ratchet applied the cloth onto her knees, feeling the sting of the ointment. She did not fight him though. She hoped the pain in her back would go away though. She knew Optimus had to feed her the low-grade energon, and Cliffjumper explained to her why it should be from him since he's her carrier. She still did not know how she felt about it, but it was better than having a weak skeleton.

"It's too bad we found Azura the way we did," Bulkhead commented as he watched Ratchet do his work. He looked at Arcee who nodded in agreement. "It would have been much better if Cliff had told us where she was, or at least let us know she was safe." Arcee did not respond to Bulk, only frowning deeper as she listened to him. "Too bad those two cons did not stick around."

"I know what you mean. If I wasn't distracted with Azura's safety, things would have gone differently." Azura looked at Arcee and looked away with a sniffle. "I'm not blaming you, Azura. Sorry, wrong wording." She smiled at the girl who did not respond. "I just wanted to make sure you were safe. But considering I didn't even know the vehicons had you, the cons would have been scrap metal if I hadn't been distracted by that human."

"Human?" Optimus looked at Arcee in surprise.

"Yes, two human boys," Bumblebee confirmed with a nod.

"Two boys?" Optimus asked for confirmation from Arcee.

She just shrugged. "I guess the second one caught us in the action, I don't know! Was a little busy at the time! However…" Arcee paused, glancing at Azura briefly and looked at Optimus with a concerned expression. "They know who Azura is."

"Jack and Raf…" The bots look at Azura when she spoke, except Ratchet, as he had lifted Azura's shirt to apply the ointment to the graze on her back. "They're my friends…they tried to help…" She sniffled and looked down. "Now they're in danger…cause of me…"

Optimus softened his expression as he heard her small voice. "None of this is your fault, Azura." She didn't seem to believe him as she did not look at him. "The decepticons seem to be targeting us now. And…unfortunately, we lost Cliffjumper earlier today…" She looked up at him and let out a sob as she already knew that, but she did not realize how recent it was. "If the decepticons are targeting us, anyone perceived as our ally will be at grave risk."

"That's right…" Ratchet finished applying the ointment and was satisfied. The injuries weren't bad, but he did grab some bandages to wrap around her elbows as they had the worst scrape. "Even if you weren't present, Azura, your friends would be in danger right now. And again, none of this is your fault. We are just glad that you are back home."

Home…it certainly felt like coming home…especially now I know that these autobots are my family, and Optimus is my father. I still don't feel comfortable calling him dad yet though.

Azura thought about it and guessed that they were right. They could have been in danger even without her. That did not mean that she did not feel guilty that they were in danger. She sighed deeply and looked at Ratchet. "What does it mean now?"

"It means we need to bring your friends under our protection." Optimus turned to Arcee and Bumblebee. "I assume these two will be going to the same school Azura went to. You will pick up tomorrow when school ends and bring them here."

"Will I be able to go to school tomorrow?" Azura asked in a hopeful voice. "It's my last year, and I have a few…"

"It would be best if you remain here for twenty-four hours to allow your body to heal, Azura," Ratchet interrupts gently, making the girl whimper and look down sadly. "We are not stopping you from attending school, but your very well being is more important. And for the record, now that the decepticons have found you, it might be something you have to reconsider."

She groaned a little and let some more tears fall. "Fine." She sniffled and looked up at them. "And I…I was living in Jasper this whole time…you were right. Cliff knew where I was…and so did Fowler."

"Agent Fowler knew where you were too?" Ratchet rolled his optics and walked away. "That's unbelievable!"

"Well…he rented a one-bedroom unit for me…he wanted me to have all the space I needed." Azura knew her explanation might anger them, but she wanted to be honest. "And…I honestly did not think I would be there for three years…I thought maybe a year…but I just felt…numb after sometime. I stopped caring, and wanted to live the way I was for as long as possible." She rubbed her wrist nervously and looked down as more tears fell. "I was just hurting…and I wanted to run because you hurt me…and I did not know what to feel anymore. I just needed time…"

Optimus definitely was unhappy that Fowler knew where she was and did not tell him, however he was happy that she had been safe this whole time. "And I know there is no way we can go back three years and erase it…just like when I…" He paused and placed a hand on chassis, remembering the feeling of the habloid spark within him. "When I had to make the hardest decision I ever had to make." She glanced at him and looked down. He dropped down on one knee so he could look into her eyes. He gently took her hands into his own and she looked at his optics. "Do you think you are open to start again? I don't want to lose you again, Azura. And I want to start things right this time."

She listened to him and she could see the hope in his optics. Azura at first wanted to refuse, but she realized that there was no reason to say no. And Azura knew if she left, the decepticons knew where she lived now in the town. Plus…she realized she did not want to leave anymore. She wanted to stay. She smiled at him and sniffled again. "Yes…I want to stay…and I am sorry." She wiped the tears from her cheeks and held her arms out. "Can you hold me again?"

Optimus was more than happy to oblige as he took her into his arms and cradled her against his chassis. He smiled as she relaxed against him as tears fell from her eyes. "Would you like to go to your room?" She did not respond to him as she simply snuggled against him and relaxed. "I've made changes to it…it might come as a surprise, but it is now a lot more suitable for a sparkling like yourself."

Azura knew she was going to need to get used to being called a sparkling. She still did not know how she felt about that. But…she had truthfully been feeling odd for the last few months and she did not know why. She guessed maybe it was due to the lack of energon in her system. However, she was intrigued by what changes Optimus had made to her room, and Cliff had not told her anything. So she nodded with a smile and Optimus turned to leave the med bay.

However, she wondered what happened with Cliff. "What about…" Optimus glanced down as she started to speak. "Cliff?" His optics immediately soften as she mentioned his name. "Does he have a grave?"

Optimus nodded and thought about it for a moment. "If you wish, I can take you up to him." She nodded as more tears fell from her eyes. "Very well. Just understand, we only have a piece of him left. But it is enough to remember him by." Azura did not like the sound of that at all as Optimus walked over to the larger lift that once held missiles and he activated the controls. "I am sorry you had to return to the base and learn that Cliffjumper has perished. I assure you, he did not die in vain. We tried to reach him as fast as we could."

Azura let out some more sobs and she looked up at him. "He was supposed…to see me this week…" She sniffled loudly as the lift took them up towards the top of the silo. "I remember…him pressing me to come back. He told me I looked like I needed to come back, whatever that meant…and I shouted and screamed some horrible stuff at him. I don't know why I snapped…but he left after that. Now he's dead…and I'll never be able to apologize." She let out some more sobs and buried her face into his chassis. "I am really sorry!"

Optimus rubbed her back gently as she cried into his chassis. He had no idea that was the last thing that happened between Azura and Cliff, and he felt awful for her. There was nothing that could change what happened, and he understood by she felt so upset now. He knew it was not her fault, and Cliff undoubtedly would know she is sorry. He could only do what he needed to do and comfort his sparkling as best as he could.

Once they reached the door, Azura squints as the bright light of the sun and Optimus walked forward before he dropped and dropped on one knee. She turned her head and widened her eyes when she saw a pile of rocks. It was just a small mound, and she began to wail and buried her face again into his chassis. Optimus rubbed her back gently and looked at the rock pile, knowing it was only Cliff's horn underneath. He knew he did not need to show her, but he also knew seeing the small pile showed how much was left of Cliff, and it was devastating to her.

Now that Azura has seen it, she just continued to cry and Optimus stood back up to head back down. She did not seem to care that he was heading back down as she was grieving for Cliffjumper at the moment. And having Optimus hold her was comforting. She could hear the pulse of his spark, which felt extremely familiar and comforting to her. And sensing the Matrix within him was another comfort on top of that.

Once at the bottom, Optimus left the platform to make his way to her room. The one thing Optimus has noticed is that Azura was allowing him to hold her. She never really let him do that three years ago, and this was a change he was really happy about. It was extremely hard to not pick up his sparkling and hug her three years ago, and now he didn't have to even worry about it. She wanted it as soon as she got back and he could tell she was comforted by him. He guessed the time they had apart was truly necessary, and he hoped when she's calmed down, had sleep and low-grade energon, she would still want to be with him.

He did not know how Azura was going to react to her room since he made a lot of changes to it, but as it was designed for a sparkling in mind, he knew she might not necessarily like having a sparkling nursery. But she also might really like it. He also kept her fish alive these three years too, which was something he was happy with. And he had no doubt she would be really happy about that too.

As he reached the door, Azura had stopped sobbing heavily and she was back to light sobs and sniffling, looking at the door curiously. Optimus intakes and opened the door, and Azura had to blink and rub her eyes when she saw what was before her. The room had changed a lot. It was bigger now. And, to her surprise, the walls were a very light, dusty pink with lights that looked similar to fairy lights around the room. And she found herself loving it. She knew by human standards, this was for someone far younger, but Cybertronian, this was the right age.

Azura looked around and saw she still had a wardrobe, though it seemed quite big. And her bed had been removed and replaced with a berth. This one was large and tall, but it had a set of stairs. It was an oval shaped berth with a large mattress and a purple quilt with hot pink sequins sewn into the fabric. There were multiple pillows, and Azura felt like diving into the bed right now. Especially as there was a few different teddy bears of different colors, along with some plush dragons and a unicorn. Azura always wanted to have stuffed toys on her bed, it seemed comforting.

Optimus could see she was loving the room and he was happy. She glanced around and saw there was a large TV as well and she spotted her fish tank. "Oh! Cliff mentioned you were looking after my fish. He said they were still alive." Optimus smiled and walked over to the tank to drop down onto one knee. Azura stared at the tank, smiling as she saw the rainbow fish and tetras were still alive. "I am actually impressed. I had expected to hear they died. Fish aren't the easiest animal to keep alive long term."

"I made a promise to ensure that your fish remain alive," Optimus said gently as she watched the fish swimming in the tank. "The fish have gotten a little bigger since you left, but they are alive and well. The tank is well maintained. You have nothing to worry about. I also made room for additional fish tanks, she would want to add more fish."

Azura could not help but squeal happily and attempt to hug his chassis, but she didn't care that her arms just spread against the chassis. "Thank you…I had actually thought about getting some more…" Azura paused for a moment and gasped. "Oh scrap! I realized the card that Fowler gave me is back at the unit…"

"I think we can worry about that later," Optimus said gently, standing and turning away from the tank. "I think your face needs a bit of a clean." She widened her eyes and turned her head to see that the bathroom had been changed completely. There was an open doorway large enough for Optimus to walk through. "You still use the toilet, don't you?"

She looked at Optimus in surprise. "Yeah. Uh, don't Cybertronians need to go?" He shook his head and she frowned. "Really?" He smiled at her, and she folded her arms with a slight frown. "Well, that's unfair…I still need to use one…"

"I believe it has a lot to do with the food you ingest," Optimus said thoughtfully as Azura looked around. The bathroom was large with a large, raise tub at the center of the rob. It looked like a spa tub with jets, and it was clear this was made with Optimus assisting her with baths in mind. There was a showerhead as well as a bath tap. There was a toilet by the door too. "I also believe it has a lot to with the power of the Matrix in you."

Optimus grabbed a cloth to rinse it under cool water and gently rubbed it on Azura's face to clean off the tear stains. Azura grumbled a little and frowned at him. "I still think it's not fair…sometimes I get really constipated and uncomfortable…and using the bathroom becomes painful."

Optimus was not familiar with the word, but hearing how it made Azura feel made him curious. "I might make mention of that to Ratchet." Azura just shrugged and he finished cleaning her face and smiled at her. "I hope you are feeling better."

"I guess…my body just hurts." She looked at him with a pouty expression. "And I'm tired…it's been a long day at school, and…everything that happened this afternoon." She felt her stomach growling and placed her hands on her stomach. "And I'm hungry."

"Would you like to try low-grade energon?" She looked at Optimus in surprise as he made his way out of the bathroom and walked over to a metal stand by the berth. She thought about it carefully. "I am afraid we do not have any kind of human food present, and I do not feel comfortable taking you into town while you need time to heal." He sat down and gazed at her curiously. "You will likely feel satisfied if you have the energon for your meal."

Azura was hesitant because she did not know if she would even like the low-grade energon…but she also knew she needed it. She was in an odd situation. "Well…I have to try it one way or another…Cliff did tell me about it. So I know I need to have it from you since you're my carrier. He said something about important stuff in it."

"Cliffjumper was correct. The important nutrients that cannot be found elsewhere is produced within a carrier's system." Azura glanced down as she heard a hiss as a panel opened just below his chassis and Optimus reached down, pulling out a small, transparent fuel line. "After I can give you a bath and get you into berth."

Berth…another word I have to get used to…I'll probably still call it a bed.

Azura also knew she had to get used to being treated this way too. She was used to being treated like her human age, but not her Cybertronian age. It was definitely something to get used to. Optimus brought the line closer and she took it, widening her eyes when she felt the material was like rubber. She was a little nervous, but she noticed a slow flow of pale blue substance was approaching the end of the line. She placed her mouth at the end, and she soon felt and tasted the energon in her mouth.

The texture was similar to milk, but the taste was like vanilla and cinnamon, the combination was something Azura had not expected at all. And she found herself liking the taste immediately and she began to gulp it down greedily. Optimus smiled as she drank the low-grade and he could tell she liked it. He was extremely relieved because it meant she would recover faster, and possibly enter a growth spurt where she would look the human appearance. One thing he hoped she would not lose was her hair. He knew that golden strands were a sign of the Matrix's color as well.

He kept her cradled until she showed signs she was getting full and he shut off the line, but she drank the last of it before she was satisfied. She licked her lips and looked at him with a smile. "That was not bad." She nodded and he pulled the line away, retracting it back inside and closing the panel once it had closed. "I need to use the toilet now. Then I can have a bath."

Optimus almost chuckled in amusement. He seemed unsurprised and stood up. "I hope you won't have any trouble."

"Well…I might…" Azura shifted and grimaced at the pain in her back and hips. "I hate to ask…but…this is embarrassing…" She rubbed her forehead as she knew she was about to ask him to help. "I might need help…cleaning after…thankfully, I just need to pee."

"I do not know what gave you the idea I would not help you, Azura," Optimus said gently as he made his way back to the bathroom. "I may not be thrilled by the whole idea of humans using the toilet…I know Ratchet was rather horrified to learn how creatures live on this planet, but I will not refuse to help you. You are my daughter after all…" She glanced away from him as he said that. "I know that is something you are still getting used to."

"Yeah…I am…there's a lot I need to get used to." Azura was silent for a moment as Optimus stood by the toilet and knelt down. "What happened to my crystal?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask about it." He opened his chassis and reached inside before pulling out the necklace and crystal. "I have kept a hold of it this whole time, Azura." She smiled and he hands it to her. "It is still yours." She took it and stared at it. It felt like an empty void without the crystal, and she pulled the chain around her neck before gasping as Optimus lowered her to the toilet. "Will I need to assist you now?"

Azura was still embarrassed, and she wanted to say no. But as she tried to lift her rear to get her shorts off, she grimaced from the pain and Optimus immediately adjusted his hand to help her. She was very embarrassed, but she did not complain. He sat her on the toilet once her shorts and panties were down and left her so she could use the bathroom and grab her some pyjamas. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and looked at the crystal, happy she had it back. Once she finished with the toilet, Optimus assisted her with cleaning herself and flushed it down.

She did not need her clothes back on though and slipped off her shirt and bra before he filled the tub and placed her in it. He turned on the jets and she immediately fell in love with the massage. It felt amazing on her sore body, and she relaxed in the water with a smile. Optimus allowed her to relax before he would wash her body and hair after ten minutes. She did not argue nor fight him, it felt right and she just relaxed and enjoyed the massage until she actually fell asleep in the tub.

This surprised Optimus when he saw she had fallen asleep. But she did have a big day and she needed the rest, plus she had a full stomach of low-grade. He was careful when he took her out of the bath to dry and dress her before taking her to her berth and placing her into her bed. She never stirred, not once as he tucked her in and she looked very content. Optimus could not help but watch over her, feeling happy she was home after three years. He still felt a lot of pain and guilt from the three years, and especially from the years he had sent her away. Now they had another chance, and he would make things right. That included protecting her friends from the decepticons.