(Disclaimer: I do not own the Transformers; just my OC's)
Authors Note: Hello my lovely readers. I'm back! Due to the pandemic, I will be landlocked for a while, but hey, this gives me time to work on my stories. I am so, so sorry for not being online for the last few months, but that couldn't be helped. I was working out at sea. But now that I'm back I will try to update my stories and upload new chapters. I also have other FF's that I have not uploaded yet, but intend to do so at my leisure. Now, without further delay, let's continue the story.
Chapter 7
"...So that's when I realized Afterglow had been sneaking off to see Jackknife. Of course she begged me not to tell our creators…"
"You didn't tell them did you?" Filly asked with wide optics as she sat on her Uncle's knee and listened to his story.
He smiled and shook his helm, "No. I knew they weren't very fond of Jackknife, so I kept their relationship a secret."
"Oh good; cause I might not have existed if you hadn't." From where they were sitting, Jazz and Prowl shared a look: they could no longer imagine their lives without Filly in the picture.
Smokescreen gave them all a reassuring smile and emitted a slight chuckle, "Oh no, I'm sure you'd still be here. Afterglow was a very persistent femme and Jackknife wasn't one to give up on a challenge. They would've still ended up together regardless of what our creators said or did."
"Why did your creators not like my Sire?" She asked with a tilt of her helm.
The Praxion leaned back in his chair and sighed, "They were rather old-fashioned in their way of thinking. By that, I mean they hoped Afterglow would bond with a medic or a politician. Essentially, they wanted her to be with someone of a higher ranking class."
"Oh…," her winglets drooped slightly, "So they probably wouldn't have liked me because of who my Sire was."
His optics softened as he gently placed a servo on her shoulder, "Now that's not true. They would've adored you. I know they wanted grand-sparks, but sadly, they never got the opportunity. Both of them were offlined when Praxus was bombed."
"What were their designations? Carrier never told me much about them because it caused her too much pain. She only told me that they were both mechs."
Smokescreen sadly smiled in memory, "Their designations were Shell-Shock and Haze. Shell-Shock was our Sire and Haze was our Carrier. Both were strict yet very compassionate mechs." His optics dimmed and his smile fell, "I was out fighting Decepticons when I felt their bonds extinguish from my spark. I've never felt such grief as I did that night...I could barely focus on fighting, but I had to keep my wits about me or else I'd be offlined." *sigh* "After the battle ended and my injuries were patched up, I was sent to Praxus to help search for survivors. While there, I met up with Afterglow and we just held each other and cried until we mustered up the strength to search for our creators' remains in what was left of our home. When we found them, they were embracing one another like they knew the end was near." He regained his composure and shook his helm, "Apologies...I shouldn't be talking about such atrocities when you've endured so much already."
She hugged his arm, "It's okay, Uncle Smokey. You needed to talk about it and let it out. One day I'll have to talk about my own experiences...but not today."
"No...Not today. I will not ask you to relive such horrors." He gently hugged her back and smiled, "Now, on a different note: I understand Jazz and Prowl are your adopted creators, correct?"
She nodded and beamed up at him, "Yep! Papa and Baba formed a creator bond with me shortly after I arrived on Earth."
He looked over a said mechs, "I thank you both for offering to care for her. I honestly can't think of a better pair to raise her than you two."
Jazz smiled at the Praxion, "Aw, no thanks are needed. Prowler and I are just doin' what comes naturally. We've wanted a family of our own for so long an' now, thanks to Filly, we finally have one. She completes us."
"That she does," Prowl agreed. "We may have only had her in our lives for a short while, but she's filled a void in our sparks. I understand we'll never replace her birth creators, but we are honored to be caring for her and raising her as our own creation."
At his words, Filly sent an array of loving vibes through her bond, making both of her creators smile with adoration. She then climbed down from Smokescreen's lap and approached the two of them, to which she was then picked up and sandwiched in between her creators as they gently hugged her and kissed her cheeks.
XXXXX
-Later that Evening-
Filly and her creators were on their way back to the Med Bay for an update on her recovery status. Smokescreen had left to return to the Lab to review new smoke grenade designs with Wheeljack, but he promised Filly that he would be happy to share more stories with her later.
As they entered the Med Bay, Filly clung onto Jazz's leg and started to tremble: she was scared. Not of Ratchet or any of the other medics, but the thought of enduring another virus and stasis-lock. Sensing his daughter's fear, the TIC gently scooped her off the ground and protectively held her against his chassis, right over where his spark was located. "It's okay, sparklet. Prowl an' I are right here for ya."
"Indeed. You have nothing to fear," the SIC reassured and offered his servo to Filly, who graciously took a hold of it and squeezed his digits while Ratchet scanned her.
The CMO offered a kind smile to the small femmling and stated in a professional yet caring tone, "You appear to be recovering just fine," he ran a quick scan, "Your systems are now at 73% and should finish repairing within a few days if not sooner."
"I'm not going to contract another virus or fall into stasis-lock again am I?" She asked in a small, scared voice.
Ratchet shook his helm, "Not on my watch little one. As long as you refrain from using the internet for the next several days and allow your systems to recover on their own, you should be perfectly fine. Now, in the meantime, you should have your creators show you the improvements made to your shared living space. I think you'll like it."
Filly's optics lit up as she looked at Jazz and Prowl, "I don't have to recharge in the Med Bay anymore?"
Jazz shook his helm and smiled, "Nope. Prowler an' I rearranged our living quarters to accommodate ya sparklet."
"Really?!" She beamed.
At her eagerness, both of her creators gave a nod and smiled. "Seeing as how it's late, we should head over there now and turn in for the night," Prowl stated. He looked at the CMO and gave a tilt of his helm, "Thank you Ratchet. We'll be sure to bring her back for another scan tomorrow morning."
"Of course. Now get out of my Med Bay and get some recharge," he stated in a gruff yet caring tone, making Filly snicker.
XXXXX
Upon entering the private living quarters, Filly's optics widened: the room had literally been divided into two sections. Granted, there was still plenty of space but Filly now had her own private quarters. Basically, it was as if Jazz and Prowl sectioned off part of their room and made a large walk-in closet, except it wasn't a closet, it was a child's berthroom. With a knowing smile Jazz asked, "Would you like to see your room sweetspark?"
She fluttered her winglets and happily nodded, "Yes please!"
He chuckled and opened the door leading into her smaller room. While it wasn't nearly as big as his and Prowl's shared space, it was just right for their little femmling. There was a single-sized berth resting alongside the back wall and beside it was a small desk and chair. The walls were bare, leaving them open for Filly to decorate later on if she desired, but the ceiling was completely covered by a mural of the starry night sky.
"Wow…," she stared in awe as she took in the realistic artwork. "Did Sunny paint this?"
"Indeed he did," Prowl stated. "He wanted to add his own personal touch to your room. There's an added surprise to it as well," he then turned off the light, to which the painted stars suddenly glowed in the dark, allowing Filly to enjoy the evening sky in the comfort of her own room.
"This is amazing! It's like I'm really looking up at the night sky." She admired the artwork before approaching the desk and picking up one of the data pads.
"Those contain digital copies of human literature," Jazz smiled as he glanced at the data pad Filly was holding, "Your Papa an' I spent almost a week compiling them together. We made sure everything was appropriate for your age and we alphabetized them by author."
She scrolled through the data pad she was holding before glancing up at her creators, "Would you read me a berthtime story? Please?"
At her request both Jazz and Prowl shared a tender look before settling themselves down. Jazz sat at the head of the berth with Filly tucked under the warm thermal blanket, while Prowl sat at the foot of the berth and listened as Jazz began to read. "All children, except one, grow up."