A/N: So this has undergone a name change! Rather than calling it "A Different Path" I have changed it to "Bumblebee's Boy", because the name came to me and I liked it better. So yeah, same fic as A Different Path, just a new name! :D

...

CHAPTER 18
Dangers and Alone Time

Bumblebee tore down the roads of Detroit at full-speed. He knew it was probably dangerous, and Optimus would no doubt scold him for it later. But none-the-less, he was ready for this battle, he was ready to rip Barricade apart piece-by-piece. Of course, Bumblebee was never a violent mech, but the mere thought of what Barricade had done clouded the usually soft natured side of the scout. :Bumblebee, slow down!: He heard Ironhide shout over the com link. :You're going to cause an accident at this rate!:

:Not happening,: Bumblebee practically growled over the com link. :We're talking about the fragger who scarred my kid for life, 'Hide. I don't want him getting away this time," His voice was tight as he turned a corner and down a street where several humans were rushing past him. :Don't worry, I have it covered!:

He cut off communication at that moment, turning as a blast headed straight for a woman. At once, Bumblebee transformed, flipping a car up and deflecting the blast, saving the human. Of course, rather than being grateful, the woman simply backed up and ran, dropping various shopping items as he did. Bumblebee didn't care though, he simply aimed his cannon over the burning car, firing off multiple shots at the vehicon drone that had fired off at the woman, the fourth of which took its head off.

His battle mask shooting down over his face, Bumblebee stared around for any sign of Barricade. Though he could see several drones, at least for the moment, the mech in question was nowhere to be found. "Looking for someone?" Bumblebee spun around, aiming his cannon at Barricade as he approached. "Oh now, why so hostil-?"

Bumblebee didn't demand how he got behind him, nor did he answer his half-question. Instead, he slammed his fist so hard against Barricade's still recovering torso that he could hear the Decepticon's shriek of pain. He quickly grabbed hold of Barricade's scruff bar, holding him tightly. "I should kill you, right now," Bumblebee snapped. "Why the Ridley's, huh!? Why did you have to kill those good people, those INNOCENT people."

"Who?" Barricade questioned, then realization hit him. "You mean the brat's mother? Heh, why not?" He questioned with a wide, disturbing grin. "I hadn't made any fleshlings beg for death yet. And believe me, hers were oh so savory to listen to."

The kick to his throat sent Barricade flying a few feet, groaning in pain. But Bumblebee only followed suit, as several blasts hit him from the rear. The scout groaned as he turned, several vehicons had now focused their fire on him. He quickly fired off multiple shots, his blasts hitting two of them, and toppling them before Barricade rushed behind him, and dug his claws deep into Bumblebee's shoulder plates. "How is the kid doing by the way?" Barricade sneered, leaning into Bumblebee's audio receptor. "If he's miserable, then I could pay him a visit later. It'd be fun to torture him, being the sparklings scream the loudest." Bumblebee flared in anger. "I could flay him alive and bring his skin to Starscream as a trophy-."

Bumblebee shot a blast which nearly took off the entire side of Barricade's face for that one. He was going to kill him, so Primus help him, he was going to make sure Barricade never got the chance to even think that way again. "I swear to Primus himself," Bumblebee began, his voice strained. "If you even lay a hand on him," He looked him in the optics. "I will rip your spine out."

"Ohhhh testy," Barricade snorted. "How unlike you, little scout. You've never liked offlining anyone," He taunted, leaning in close. "That makes the idea of slaughtering him more fun."

Bumblebee felt himself tripped up, hitting the ground harder. Yet without much effort, he whipped his own leg around, and tripped Barricade violently. "If you touch my son, I will offline you. Moral code or not!" Bumblebee snapped.

He'd only realized the mistake he'd just made moments after he spoke. Barricade lifted his head, sneering at his foe with absolute malicious glee. "Your son?" Barricade clicked his glossa slightly. "You mean to tell me you adopted the little thing? Oh how rich," His sneer only grew by the moment. "Little scoutie's a creator!" Bumblebee's fists clenched as he began to lift himself. "Oh you know I'll have my way with him NOW, Bee. I can't just let that one slide."

Bumblebee flung himself at Barricade, colliding with him violently. In the background, he could hear and see Ironhide and Optimus arriving to the scene. They transformed within moments, firing at and attacking the vehicons. He only briefly caught sight of the NEST soldiers arriving as well, but he knew they would be doing the same. "You're sick," Bumblebee spat. "You'd murder a child?"

"I'd murder anyone if it meant getting inside your little helm," Barricade sneered. "After all, you're the one that killed my mate in battle," Bumblebee leered as he brought up that memory. "You're the one that brought your suffering on yourself!"

Bumblebee hissed out in pain as a blast hit his side, and he cried out. It burned, really burned, but he was not about to let that stop him. He wanted to forget that day, the day that a stray blast had hit an unarmed Decepticon medic in the helm - his stray blast - and Barricade's mate. It had haunted him for stellar-cycles, and yet he would never forget it as long as Barricade had a say in it. "It was an accident!" Bumblebee shouted. "You butchering my son would be far from one!"

"She was UNARMED!" Barricade snapped. "You shouldn't have fired at all!"

Barricade threw a violent punch for Bumblebee's helm in his anger. Bumblebee felt his processor fritz as he hit the ground, another blast hitting him. He groaned quietly, looking up at Barricade, who was leering down at him. "Don't worry, you won't even go into stasis lock," Barricade sneered. "I want you online to witness as I tear from your hands what you took from mine. Your spark, your life, your EVERYTHING."

By the time Bumblebee had forced himself to his feet, Barricade had transformed and left. Every ounce of him wanted to follow him, to hunt him down and finish him, as well as this madness. And yet, he slowly found his arm draped around someone's shoulders, turning to see Ironhide. "Easy, kid," Ironhide grunted. "You look hurt pretty bad, and this fight ain't even over yet."

"He knows about Trevor," Bumblebee choked out. "Said he's gonna go after him."

"Kid, Trevor is at Diego Garcia," Ironhide told him, calmly. "If Barricade is gonna make a slagging stupid move like that. It wouldn't be there, now would it?" Bumblebee shook his head weakly. "And it's your own slagging fault. I told ye to fall back, to get back in the group," He shook his head. "It was too personal for you to fight Barricade like that."

As Ironhide turned to fire off several blasts at incoming vehicons, Bumblebee mused. He was right, he had screwed up, he had screwed up bad. And the rest of the battle didn't matter for that reason alone, because for that reason alone, he barely paid attention. All he wanted to do was take back everything he'd done, and stop himself from making such an insanely stupid move.

But there was no going back now, not now, not ever. He'd unleashed a can of worms he couldn't close.

...

"I should put more dents in you for your stupidity!"

Bumblebee cringed as Ratchet worked through the dents and damage that adorned his plating. He sighed quietly, allowing his doorwings to droop slightly in clear regret. "I know I was stupid," He finally managed to say. "I just was still so angry, Ratch. What he did to Trevor's parents was," He looked away. "I just couldn't think about him without thinking of that."

That time, he felt a clang on his helm, groaning. It was clear that he had said something that Ratchet had undoubtedly found stupid. And, to say the least, he was far from sure what he had said. "You forgot that Trevor has another parent. Right here," He pointed towards Bumblebee, and gave him a stern glare. "A parent who just threw himself into a battle with multiple vehicons, and Barricade, ALONE," Bumblebee cringed. "Let me tell you something, Bumblebee. You're a CREATOR now, you have another life relying on you. Your days for stupid stunts need to come to an END."

Bumblebee stared down at the ground, his optics drooping ever so slightly. Ratchet had yelled at him about many things before, but this was the first time that he was THIS angry. And to say the least, he felt like shrinking away at the very thought of it. "I'm trying, Ratch," He muttered. "But just because I'm a sire now doesn't mean I can change who I am."

"You don't HAVE to. But you do have to start thinking about the reprucussions of your actions," Ratchet insisted, his words hitting Bumblebee hard. "Because there's a fifteen year old boy out there with your sire, who took him out to get his mind away from it all. Because he could barely stand waiting for you to get out," That one made Bumblebee feel terrible. "Wondering if your damage was that bad and if you were going to make it."

Bumblebee really could have used that hole to crawl into right about now. But Ratchet didn't say much else, simply going back to his work. It was a clear sign that he was too angry to even speak to him at this point. A state that he showed few times, and yet, here he was, feeling the weight of it all. "I'm sorry, Ratchet," Bumblebee purred quietly. "I'm just new to all of this. I'll learn, but I can't learn overnight."

Ratchet huffed slightly, fixing up the last bit of damaged plate armor. "Just don't let me hear you did anything so stupid again," Ratchet grumbled. "Act childish around base as you chose if you must. But do not act foolish and get hurt like this again," Bumblebee slowly nodded his head. "It was terrible enough knowing that another orphan was made in this war," He explained. "Do not let it happen a second time."

Bumblebee only nodded, knowing full well he did not intend to let it happen. He would not let Trevor grow up an orphan, especially not after the promise he made to his father. After a moment, he stood, and exited the med bay without another word, his processor taking in all of what Ratchet had said. "Don't beat yourself up too hard," Bumblebee turned as Ironhide walked over to him. "Ratchet forgets sometimes that when you're a young father... You do stupid things."

"Did you?" Bumblebee snorted.

"Almost walked off with the wrong twins when Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were only a vorn," Bumblebee's optics widened, and Ironhide only grimaced. "What? The stroller we had for them was common on Cybertron!" Bumblebee simply rolled his optics as Ironhide sighed, and crossed his arms. "The point is, you'll make mistakes. Lots of them, actually. Just make sure the mistakes do NOT end in tragedy."

"Like that one would have if you had gotten home to Chromia?"

"She would have offlined me on the spot," Ironhide shook his head. "So, Barricade really DOES know?" Bumblebee gave a slow nod, his optics lowering to the ground again. "It'll be alright, Bumblebee. You're his father, no one can force him to go to the mainland without your consent," That reminder made Bumblebee feel at least slightly better. "If he wants to hurt him, he'll have to fight his way through armed soldiers, and the rest of us," He added.

"Fair enough," Bumblebee sighed. "So Trevor's with Prime, I heard?"

Ironhide nodded, smirking a bit. "Optimus thought it was time he got some alone time with him," Ironhide explained, shrugging. "They're in the rec room for Prime's break. Last I checked they were watching a movie," He explained, putting his hands on his hips. "Gonna go let the runt know that you're okay?" He questioned.

Bumblebee thought it over for a moment, scratching his chin. It was true, Optimus and Trevor had not had much time alone together. And thus, he figured that he'd give them at least a couple more minutes before he showed up. "I'll let them watch their movie," Bumblebee explained. "I'll just send a com for Prime to send the message along to him. I don't want to break up the moment."

"They did look awful snug in there," Ironhide snorted. "I think Prime is liking being a grandsire more than he expected."

Bumblebee smiled, he hadn't doubted that the leader would enjoy it. As serious as he was, he had a strong affection for younglings, and Trevor would be no different. "Want to get a training session in before I go to find them?"

"In your condition?" Ironhide snorted. "Go take a nap as the humans put it. I think you need one."

Even though he didn't entirely want to pass out, Bumblebee's body told him it was the right thing to do. After a moment, he quietly turned, and began to trudge towards his berthroom. What would it hurt anyway?

...

"That was Bee? Wow! He was so... Small."

Optimus chuckled at his grandson as he showed him the hologram of his memory. It was a memory of not long after they had found Bumblebee, who was, indeed, small. At ten vorns, he had only been about the size of a five vorn old from malnutrition, but in the memory, he was gaining some of his strength and energy back. He was attempting to do a cartwheel in the den of their home in Iacon, and smiling widely and brightly at him off-screen. "That he was, my boy," Optimus chuckled as he ran a finger along Trevor's hair. "He didn't quite manage the cartwheel as you can imagine."

"Did you get the crash on camera?" Trevor laughed, leaning back against the couch.

Optimus rolled his optics, wondering what young people in general saw in physical humor. And yet he shook his head, cupping his hand around Trevor's waist a bit as he turned off the memory. "I'm afraid, I looked away before the crash as you call it happened," Optimus told him, a hint of amusement coming from his voice. "I believe your father would be none-too-happy if I showed you that "home movie" with it anyway."

"Why? He was adorable!" Trevor shook his head. "It's so cool that you guys can project your memories like that, too," He told him, looking up at the mech calmly. "And it's just like, any memory you want?" Optimus nodded in confirmation. "I wonder how many memories of me Bumblebee has stored in his "home movies" by now?" He questioned.

Optimus looked thoughtful, if he knew his son well, and he did. He probably had stored well over twenty into his direct memory processor. Optimus himself now had two, one from the day Trevor was adopted, and now, this day as well. "More than you can count, I figure," Optimus chuckled slightly. "And someday, he'll be embarrassing you in front of your sparklings using them." He added.

"That's a long way off," Trevor snorted. "I'll probably be over any embarrassment by then."

Optimus nodded, his head lifting to look at the door. It surprised him that Bumblebee had yet to awaken from his "nap", but he also knew he had taken quite a bit of damage. Not that the Autobot leader minded much at all. Bumblebee's side of work allowed him much time with his son, but Optimus's hardly lent him time alone with Trevor. He wanted to get to know the boy even better, beyond the courage and bravery he displayed, and he clearly enjoyed the chance he got now. "Hey, Prime?" Optimus stared down at him for a moment. "You wanna go for a walk? It looks like Bee won't be coming anytime soon."

"Need a little fresh air?"

"Yeah, I've been in the base all day."

Optimus chuckled, obliging as he carefully put Trevor on his shoulder. He brought the boy out the back way, and towards the "beach", which he had been told was peaceful to walk along. "Trevor, I believe it is time we spoke of something," Trevor's eyes shot up, worry in them. "Nothing too serious, little one. I merely speak of making more time to do things such as this."

"Why?" Trevor asked. "You're too busy for that, right?"

Optimus shook his head, and looked at Trevor calmly. "I can make time for family," Optimus explained. "And I wondered if perhaps, once we are sure Barricade is not coming for you," Trevor shuddered at the thought of that. "You would wish to accompany me on my next travel to the mainland," Trevor's eyes widened. "I will be traveling often to several different cities, and countries. In hopes of continuing to strengthen our bonds with the humans." He then added. "It also allows me time to immerse myself in your culture, and learn more."

"O... Okay," Trevor managed. "So you want me to come and help with that?"

"I wish for you to come and join me, yes," Optimus nodded. "But teaching me would be secondary, much of the learning I would do on my own. I simply believe the bonding process will be far easier if we took time simply with the two of us," He explained. "As we are now, but, over a longer period of time would be wonderful as well."

"Alright, yeah, we can do that," Trevor nodded his head slowly, and then paused. "Prime?" Optimus turned his head to look at him once again. "I know I've said this before, but thank you," He told him calmly. "You've done so much for me since Tranquility, and I just... You didn't have to let Bee adopt me, or..." He felt his hair being brushed with Optimus's finger lightly. "I just don't know how to thank you enough."

Optimus watched as very slowly, Trevor leaned his head against the crook of his neck. It was an affectionate gesture, and perhaps one of the few he could give while Optimus was in his current state. And to Trevor's surprise, Optimus returned it by gently leaning against his cheek, very careful not to put any pressure on it. "Thank you," Optimus began. "For allowing my son the happiness you have afforded him," He explained.

Trevor smiled as Optimus retracted his head from his cheek. It wasn't the first time he'd shown affection to him, but it still felt good to have such a reminder that the Autobot leader did see him as family as well. And while their bond was not Bumblebee and Trevor's yet, it was a start. "You know, for a tough hard-aft," Trevor muttered. "You're really a gentle giant."

Optimus nodded, it was something he could not argue. While he was tough, and stern, he was proud to say he was indeed a "gentle giant". "I try to show kindness as well as strength and valor," He then added. "All should be the qualities of a Prime. And for that matter, of a grandsire," Trevor nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry I have not a had a chance to show you this side until now," He explained.

"You did in other ways big guy," Trevor shook his head. "You've always been a really cool mech."

Optimus smiled in response, but turned as he felt Bumblebee nearing their location. Sure enough, as he turned around, he could see the yellow scout trailing down the beach. On his shoulder, he could hear Trevor's sigh of complete and utter relief. "I'm sure you would like to see him," Optimus let Trevor climb onto his hand. "Go ahead, youngling."

To his surprise though, as he set his hand down, Trevor gently hugged his thumb. The leader's optics widened, as it was the first time Trevor had ever instigated an action like that. Yet he still carefully wrapped a finger around him, and smiled. After a moment, they stopped, and Trevor rushed off towards Bumblebee, who scooped him up, holding him close to his chest. Even from a distance, Optimus could see how relieved Trevor was to see that Bumblebee really was still standing, and okay. It was the same reaction Bumblebee had many a time when he would return home from battle, and unmistakable.

He inwardly smiled, and started to return to the base. He was now more than certain that in time, he too would have a close relationship with Trevor. And it was something he very much looked forward to.

...

A/N: It felt good to finally get some Optimus fluff in there! It was about time Trevor got some time alone with "grandpa". Yes, the battle scene was kinda short. But I hope to have longer battles in future chapters. :)