Stephanie opened her eyes to the sound of metal rubbing against metal. At first she was confused as to what was going on, but then she heard Prowl's voice say Jazz's name. That combined with the soft grunts and moans told her exactly what was going on! Her eyes shot wide at that realization, because she'd had no idea that they could even do what she was pretty sure they were doing. Like most kids, she'd seen her parents going at it once or twice, but she hadn't said anything to them. Instead, she had simply closed the bedroom door and went to do something else.
Now was a different story. She knew that Jazz and Prowl had their bed right above hers, so she couldn't really go somewhere else and pretend that she hadn't heard them. Suddenly she grinned, because she knew that they would both deny everything if confronted about it. She listened in silence while the sounds became more passionate and almost desperate. She knew from what Prowl had told her that Jazz had only been brought back to life a few days ago. That information went a long way towards explaining why they were doing… whatever it was that they were doing. She knew that her parents had sometimes had sex, but she had no idea how robots could do that. Come to think of it, she wasn't really sure she wanted to know either. Finally after what seemed like a long while, the sounds, moans, and soft though impassioned cries of the other's name died down, and Stephanie could hear the sounds of their cooling fans working at high speeds.
"Jazz, we should endeavor to be much quieter if we are going to spark merge while Stephanie is in the room with us. We do not want her to hear us." Prowl whispered.
"Oh… it's way too late for that! I heard everything!" Stephanie laughed.
There were a few seconds of complete silence before she spoke again. "Don't worry about it though; everybody needs a good back rub sometimes… right?"
"Ya got that right Steph! A good back rub is just what Ratchet woulda ordered, and Prowler gives da best back rubs!" Jazz replied with a breathless sounding chuckle.
"Good! I'll keep that in mind if I ever need a back rub!" Stephanie shot back with a snicker.
Jazz could only chuckle as he and Prowl slipped into recharge.
The next morning, both Jazz and Prowl were polishing the scuffs and scratches out of their armor when Stephanie woke up.
"Stephanie, you may return to sleep if you wish. Jazz and I normally emerge from recharge at this time, but most of the humans who are not currently on duty, will sleep for another hour." Prowl stated calmly as he continued to make minor repairs to his paint.
"Hate to break it to you Prowl, but there's no way I'd get back to sleep with someone moving around in here. When I was living in the sewers, I had to wake up at every little sound because it could be a rat that might bite me, or someone who would sell me, or turn me in. So there's no way I can go back to sleep now." Stephanie replied honestly as she sat up.
"That don't soun like it was a good way ta live Steph." Jazz said quietly.
"It wasn't… well most of the time anyway. There was a few times that I had some fun, but not many. Most of the time I went hungry, and when it snowed, I had to stay in the sewers where it always stayed pretty warm. I only went out for short times because I didn't have enough clothes to stay warm when it was cold. When it was really cold, I always tried to find Vern if I had enough money. Hot coffee always warmed me up, and… and I didn't have to listen to other kids make jokes about how they could get me hurt or killed. Maybe running away to live in the sewers wasn't the best thing to do, but it was all I could think of to get out of there." Stephanie replied candidly.
"Do not misunderstand me Stephanie; I am not at all pleased that you were forced by circumstances to endure such conditions. I do not wish for you to do so again, therefore I will, and with the assistance of Jazz, ensure that you are not subjected to that type of lifestyle again." Prowl stated firmly.
"You really mean that… don't you?" Stephanie asked as she turned her head in Prowl's direction.
"Yes Stephanie, I do. Even if you were not the victim of a Cybertronian crime, I would endeavor to find some method of assisting you to improve your standard of living. You are young enough that you should not have been subjected to those living conditions regardless of your state of health. Prior to this war, sparklings, our young, were cared for by everyone. That is a particular behavior that we would enjoy bringing to your world, but currently, we are to remain a secret. It is not a situation that we find enjoyable; because there is actually quite a lot that we could assist your race with, and many problems that we could possibly even solve. I can not condone your previous existence, but Jazz and I can attempt to improve your future." Prowl said calmly.
Jazz was watching Stephanie with sadness in his optics. He now understood that there had been absolutely no rebellion in Stephanie's mind when she'd run away from the foster home. It wasn't a case where she could then do as she pleased, she had run away because her health, and even her life had depended on it! It hadn't been a day to day lifestyle where she could do what ever she wanted; it had been a minute to minute struggle to simply stay alive for a little while longer. It made the saboteur's spark burn with anger that someone so young could be subjected to such cruelty. He knew that there wasn't anything he could do about Stephanie's past, but he could certainly do something about her future! He created a mental note to ask Sarah about anything else Stephanie might need or make use of, because what he had learned in the past two days made him very glad that he'd lived up to the morals he'd already died defending!
Sarah Lennox walked into the rec room to see Jazz and Prowl sitting at one of the tables. She'd had some coffee at home, but she preferred to eat breakfast with the mechs because they were always interesting company.
"Morning Jazz; Prowl! You two mind if I join you?" Sarah asked cheerily.
"I have no objections at all Mrs. Lennox. The companionship that you provide is always appreciated." Prowl answered as he leaned over and placed his hand on the floor.
"Thank you Prowl. I tend to get enough exercise around here trying to keep up with Ratchet." Sarah said as she sat down on the mech's hand to be lifted to the table.
"Good morning Stephanie. You look like you slept pretty good." Sarah exclaimed in a good mood as she spotted the girl.
"Morning Mrs. Lennox. That was the best I've slept in a long time. An actual pillow instead of a pile of rags, a real bed instead of more rags, clean sheets and blankets… plus I didn't have to smell the sewers either. So I slept great!" Stephanie answered brightly while smiling.
"Glad to hear it… and like I told you in Wal-Mart… call me Sarah. I don't want to hear any more of this 'Mrs. Lennox' stuff out of you, because we're friends, and friends call each other by name, understand?" She finished in a firm though gentle tone and a smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes.
Stephanie's sightless eyes widened as she faced in the direction the woman's voice was coming from. "But… but… you're a grown up!" She protested.
"So? Compared to the bots, I'm still an infant! Hanging around bots for a while tends to give you a whole new perspective on age differences Stephanie. Even if someone was two hundred years old, they would still be considered a child by Cybertronian standards. So if they can call me by name instead of 'kiddo', 'kid', 'child' or 'sparkling', when I'm not even old enough to be left alone by their standards, then so can you." Sarah stated amiably.
"O…okay…. Sarah." Stephanie answered hesitantly. "Oh man that feels weird!" She added under her breath.
"What is it that feels 'weird' Stephanie?" Prowl asked.
"Calling a grown up by their name instead of saying Mr. or Miss."
"Well get used to it Stephanie, because I'm not about to let you start calling me 'Mrs. Lennox' all the time. That makes me feel like a grandma before my daughter is even old enough to drive." Sarah stated ruefully.
"Okay. If you say so." Stephanie agreed.
"Mrs. Lennox… we placed our order just before you entered, so if you wish, your sustenance can be added to our own so that all of it will arrive simultaneously." Prowl said while looking at the human woman.
"That actually sounds pretty good Prowl. I've had a couple cups of coffee, but I don't think I'm fully awake yet." Sarah answered.
"How come you don't make Prowl call you by name?" Stephanie asked a bit worried.
"Stephanie… I've insisted on that until I'm tired of even bringing it up." Sarah said disgustedly.
"Prowler's stubborn like that Steph. Just be glad he ain't callin ya by your whole name." Jazz added with a smirk.
"Oh…" Stephanie muttered softly.
Stephanie waited while Sarah placed her order, before speaking to the woman. "So what other mechs or bots are here?"
"Well, there's Wheeljack who you've heard about, because he's making you a new cane. There's Ironhide who works with my husband Will, and he's Will's Guardian as well. Chromia is Ironhide's Spark Mate, and that one's a femme… meaning she's a female Autobot…"
"Wait! There's girl Autobots?" Stephanie interrupted with her sightless eyes as wide as they could be.
Sarah just had to laugh at the excited surprise in the girl's voice, but before she could answer Stephanie continued.
"What's she like? When can I meet her? Is she nice? Don't tell me she's a grump like Ratchet… he's a humbug! Will I get to meet her? Is she fun to be around?" Stephanie demanded without pause between the questions, and only stopping because she ran out of breath to speak.
"Yes, I'm sure that you'll get to meet her. She's very nice, although she's a bit gung-ho about her cannons. If you really want to get on her good side, say that you like them. Now she's not as grouchy as Ratchet, but then, I haven't met a bot who is. Now besides her, there are also, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe who happen to be twins by the way, Elita One… she's the Spark Mate of Optimus Prime who leads all of the Autobots. Both of them are kind of like parents to everyone! It doesn't matter what kind of problem it is, they still try to help with it. Mirage is a little too aristocratic and stuck up if you ask me. Bumblebee is nice. He's serious when he has to be, but a lot of the time he acts like a teenager, and sometimes even a kid. Arcee is also here. I know you'll like her, because just about everyone does. She's calm and friendly most of the time. Pretty well laid back actually. Until you get her in combat, then she's all business. " Sarah said with a smile.
Stephanie leaned her back against the chair and smiled a bit, while Sarah added what she wanted to the order for their table. She knew from personal experience that Jazz and Prowl were nice, so she was sure that some of their friends would be nice as well. Finding out that there were girl Autobots had been surprising, because she'd had no idea that they would even exist. The fact that there were two of them on base where she could meet them was exciting to her.
It wasn't long before their order arrived, and Sarah noted that Stephanie had scrambled eggs, toast, hashed browns along with a glass of milk, and the cup of coffee that she seemed to enjoy so much.
"Stephanie… I need to ask you for a favor." Sarah said after the girl had finished everything except the coffee.
"What kind of favor?" Stephanie asked suspiciously.
"Nothing really hard. I just need someone to supervise Annabelle for a couple of hours while Will and I go to Church." Sarah replied.
"Oh… that doesn't sound hard. I can do that." Stephanie answered with a smile.
"Good! It'll only be for a few hours. We'll be home for lunch, and I'll pay you thirty dollars for taking care of her for me." Sarah said brightly.
Stephanie's mouth fell open and her sightless grey eyes shot wide in astonishment. It took her a moment before she was able to respond.
"I… I wouldn't even know what to do with thirty dollars." Stephanie finally protested.
"Well, maybe not right now, but I'm sure you'll think of something to spend it on eventually." Sarah said smiling. "So… will you do it?"
"Sure." Stephanie said with a nod.
"Thank you. Mikaela's busy today, or I would have asked her. I'll have some sandwiches in the fridge for you, in case either of you get hungry, but Will and I'll be back in time for lunch." Sarah said as she got up. "Jazz knows where our home is here on the base, so if you can be there in about an hour, maybe an hour and a half, I would really appreciate it."
"I'll be there." Stephanie answered quickly.
Stephanie got out of Jazz's alt mode, and got her bamboo cane before placing it in her left hand. She made her way up to the door, which was opened before she could even knock.
"Hi. Stephanie right? I'm William Lennox; we met yesterday." Will said as he answered the door.
As Will looked down at the girl, he saw that she was wearing a navy blue long sleeved shirt of similar material as a T-shirt, blue jeans, a pair of black dress boots with a low heel. Her medium brown hair that reached down to her waist had light curls and waves in it. Her left hand held a six foot length of polished bamboo that was clearly being used to navigate her surroundings. All in all, she looked like an average girl except for one thing… her eyes. The sight of her grey eyes staring straight ahead and not focusing on anything at all was more than a little disconcerting.
"Who's at the door Will?" Sarah asked as she approached while attaching her earrings. "Oh! Hey Stephanie, come on in! I'm glad you could make it." She added after seeing who it was.
"Hi Mr. Lennox. Hey Sarah, I told you I'd be here, so here I am." Stephanie answered a little nervously.
"Stephy!"
The excited peal tore through the house, and Will turned in time to see his five year old daughter running to the door with an elated smile on her face. "Annabelle, no running in the house!" He reprimanded quickly.
Annabelle slowed to a fast walk, but that bright smile never left her face. "Stephy… why you here? Mommy says you is still sick, and that you can't play with me right now."
"Well I can't really play much, but there's got to be other things we can do. We have the whole morning to find out. So what do you want to try first?" Stephanie said with a smile.
"Can we play dolls?" Annabelle asked hopefully.
"I can try." Stephanie replied.
Stephanie had to swallow hard and struggle to keep a smile on her face. Annabelle's voice sounded so much like her dead little sister that it was like hearing a ghost. She stepped into the house with her bamboo cane leading the way, and stopped when she heard Sarah speak to her again.
"I'm really glad you agreed to this Stephanie. Annabelle just doesn't do well sitting for several hours in church, and Mikaela is busy today, so there was no one else I could call at such short notice. There's a few sandwiches and some juice pouches in the fridge in case you want a snack, but we'll be back by lunch time. Now, can you call nine-one-one if there's an emergency?" Sarah finished seriously.
"I… I don't know. But I can dial the operator which is the middle button on the bottom. That's easy enough, and they have caller ID so they can find the address with no problem." Stephanie answered quickly.
"That's just as good. Operators can patch in to the nine-one-one dispatch easily, so fire, ambulance, or police are right there. Good thinking." Will said with a nod of approval.
Sarah picked up the handset and looked at it curiously to see if the girl was right. Her eyebrows rose in silent surprise when she saw that Stephanie was telling the truth.
"In that case here's the phone. Don't try to answer it if it rings, just let the answering machine get it. We'll see you two later." Sarah said as she passed over the phone before she and her husband left.