A/N: Quick note of a change from the movies. Elita will not be a member of the Arcee triplets, and neither is Chromia. Jolt, Mudflap, and Skids will also be absent from this, while Sunstreaker will be added to the group. This was decided since I wanted a smaller Autobot group on Earth for the story. But still felt it would be good to give a head's up.

...

CHAPTER 26
New Arrivals

Trevor swallowed, nervousness filling every pour of his body. The day had finally come for the newer Autobot arrivals to come. A group which included a new member of his family: a grandmother. One he had never met, and he wasn't entirely sure he was ready to meet. They had arrived nearly an hour ago, two femmes: Elita-1 and Chromia, and along with them, two mechs: Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. He hadn't gotten the chance to meet them yet, given they were currently being debriefed, but he hoped he got the chance to meet the twins and Chromia first.

He wondered if Optimus and the others were telling Elita about him. And what's more, he wondered what they were saying if they were. He leaned against a wall in the main hangar, and shifted on his feet slightly. Would she look at him and see anything more than an alien? Would she, as Optimus and Bumblebee guessed, really like him? He sighed, and ran a hand along his face, his mind swirling slightly. "What's a kid like you doing all alone?"

Trevor jumped at the feminine voice, his eyes trailing up towards the source. His heart sank slightly at the sight of the twenty foot tall, slender framed, and soft blue opticed dark pink femme that made her way beside him. Trevor knew her on sight, after all, she had been the femme that stuck closest to Optimus when he watched them arrive from a distance. But now, taking in the full form of Elita-1 made him even more freaked out than he had been. "Weren't you guys... Supposed to be in a meeting?"

Elita crossed her arms, and leaned back against the wall. "We were done a while ago," Elita replied. "My bonded's been wondering where a kid of the base was. When I saw you, I figured that must be you," She then added. "Considering you look considerably younger than the other humans," She added.

Trevor nodded his head, swallowing a little as he continued to stare up at her. He wasn't sure how to answer her, but he supposed that was partly the fault of his nerves. This was an awkward situation, and at that moment, he just wanted to shrink back. "Do... Do you know who I am?" Elita raised an optic ridge. "Did they tell you?"

Elita stared at him for a long moment, then looked up. Trevor turned his head, and noticed Bumblebee and Optimus were headed their way as well. He swallowed a bit, then looked back at Elita. "Tell me what?" Elita questioned, staring up at Optimus. "Why is it you two wanted me to meet the young human here so bad?"

Bumblebee quickly picked Trevor up, as if to try and calm him down. By the look in his optics, he definitely didn't want Trevor to deliver the news. So Trevor grew quiet, and Bumblebee cleared his "throat". "Elita, while you were gone, a lot of things changed," Bumblebee began, keeping his calm. "I've... Become a sire," He explained.

Elita looked at him with a mixture of confusion and surprise. She looked at Bumblebee, then at the boy, then back at him again. "How is that even possible?" Trevor's face flushed over. "How would you even begin to-?"

"Elita," Optimus interjected. "Trevor was adopted soon after the battle which destroyed the Allspark," Elita looked at Optimus with an "OH" look on her face, before rubbing her neck. "You've missed much, Elita. But Trevor saved Bumblebee's life, and worked alongside us," He then added. "And yet tragic circumstances within the events here... Caused him to lose his creators," He explained.

"I uh," Bumblebee rubbed the back of his own neck. "Promised his sire I'd protect him," He explained. "But our relationship grew from there. I uh... We went through a lot together," He explained. "I know it's gonna be hard to accept for a while. But he's a great youngling, Elita," The femme was silent, staring at Bumblebee.

Trevor watched for any sign of what Elita might have been thinking. But it did feel good to know that Optimus and Bumblebee were trying, at the very least, to explain the situation to her. To explain why this was happening, and how important he was to them. "Bumblebee is right, Trevor has been a wonderful addition to our familial unit," Optimus told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I am certain that you will be surprised at how much you would enjoy him."

"I'm only waiting for his side of things," Elita finally spoke, looking at Trevor.

Trevor literally had no idea what to say, looking up at Bumblebee. The mech simply nodded, as if encouraging him to say something. Trevor chewed his lip, and finally looked up at her. "They invited me into the family," Trevor explained slowly. "And I like this family. Heck I love them both," He explained, standing up slightly in Bumblebee's palm. "I kinda get why you're weirded out here. I mean, I'm not one of you, there's probably no chance I ever will be," He paused a moment. "But I'm at least hoping you could give me a chance?" More silence. "Maybe?"

Moments passed, and Elita smirked a bit. "You don't have to act so afraid of me, y'know," Elita put a hand on her hip as she said that. "It might be a little shocking, sure. But I'm not that quick to judge a person," She paused a moment. "Though I must say, the idea of a grandcreation about the size of my little finger is... Going to take some getting used to." She then looked at Bumblebee. "And getting used to the fact Bee is a sire is DEFINITELY going to take getting used to."

"Hey, I make a good sire," Bumblebee insisted. "You and Optimus raised me well enough that I know what I'm doing."

Elita smirked a bit, and tilted her head at her adopted creation. It was clear that she was pretty sure that was true, much to Trevor's surprise. And it was even more clear by the minute that Optimus and Bumblebee were right: he had nothing to fear when it came to this femme. "Well then," Elita began. "I think we'll be taking quite a bit of time to get to know each other."

Trevor now felt a whole lot better about that idea.

...

That night, the Autobots gathered in the rec room, Trevor included. His first impression of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker was that they were the two coolest looking Autobots next to Bumblebee and Optimus. Sideswipe was a tall, muscular silver Autobot with dark blue optics, and wheels for feet. Whereas Sunstreaker, although looking like his brother, was about an inch taller, a deep gold in color, with somewhat lighter blue optics. Sideswipe seemed very friendly, but Sunstreaker mostly seemed to keep to himself, and be a bit more antisocial. The two of them were also confirmed to be Ironhide and Chromia's adopted creations, a fact which Trevor had already suspected, but gotten confirmation of.

Meanwhile, he'd finally seen Chromia a little bit into the little get-together. Ironhide had his arm around her, and had a loving look that Trevor had never seen before in his optics. Chromia was a bit taller than Elita, and the bulkier of the two femmes, her armor was a deep blue, and her optics nearly matched them. Trevor noted that the way she carried herself made her as intimidating as her bonded was.

"So," Sunstreaker spoke as he finally shed his antisocial behavior and approached Bumblebee. ""Hide tells us you're a sire now. How does that work without femmes?" He then looked at Trevor, who had been standing at his side. "And for that matter, what's a fleshy doing in the middle of an Autobot get-together?" He questioned.

Trevor grimaced, had he just called him a "fleshy"? By the look on his face, Trevor could tell he had, and scowled slightly. It felt like what being called a "machine" might have felt like to the Autobots. "That's because the "fleshy" is his son," Trevor crossed his arms, and looked up at Sunstreaker. "Oh and the term is "human", so I'd suggest you learn it."

Sunstreaker stared at Bumblebee blankly. "I thought you adopted a son, not a pet?"

"And I thought you were supposed to be smart," Trevor replied.

"It's got a mouth on it, doesn't it?"

Bumblebee rolled his optics, and held a hand out to tell Trevor to calm down. "He's not a pet, he is my son, Sunstreaker," Bumblebee held up his hands slightly. "And trust me, you don't want to call them "fleshy"'s. That's not a term we use," Sunstreaker snorted, and shrugged slightly. "And I'd appreciate it if you refrain from insulting him more. Keep in mind this does make him the grandcreation of your Prime."

At that point, Sideswipe rolled up, and leaned in to get a good look at Trevor too. The boy gulped, wondering what was coming next. "Aw, come on, Sunny," Sideswipe put a hand on his twin's shoulder. "Maybe having one of them around will be cool," He then gave a kind smile to Trevor. "Good to meetcha, kid," He offered. "The name's Sideswipe."

"Trevor," Trevor nodded. "And I know, Bee's told me a lot. I kinda figured who you were on sight," Sunstreaker seemed to get a smug smirk at that.

Sideswipe gently nudged his twin, grinning eagerly. "See? Bee's talked us up to him and everything!" Trevor could already tell he was going to like Sideswipe, if the way he was acting was any indication. "I can tell I'm gonna like him already, li'l Bee," He looked at his younger friend with a grin. "If anything, his tinier body should be great for pulling off pranks."

Sunstreaker looked at Trevor, and seemingly nodded his head. At least that could be agreed upon when it came to the boy. Trevor chewed his lip slowly, his eyes moving from the two of them. "You know Prime's not going to be happy if we corrupt his grandcreation," Sunstreaker snorted. "Maybe it's time to draw out our last will and testament now."

"Are you kidding me? He's got Bee for a dad!" Sideswipe laughed. "He was doomed to be corrupted right from the start."

It was at that moment that Ironhide strode over, and placed a hand on either of his son's shoulders. It was odd for Trevor to see Ironhide like this, given he had never known him as a father. "If either of you corrupt your cousin, I'll be the one to tan your hide," Ironhide snorted. "It's been nice having a somewhat responsible youngling around."

"Technically, he's our first cousin once removed," Sideswipe chimed in. "But don't worry, we still will."

"Wait," Trevor looked at Ironhide. "You and Optimus...?"

"Elita and I are sisters," A new, calming, but gruff female voice spoke up. "So they're brothers-in-law, I believe you'd call it," Trevor turned to Chromia as she approached. "If you're the one adopted by Bee, then trust me. You'll learn that we Cybertronians have rather, large familial units. Just try traversing your new family tree. It'd take you years."

For the first time, Trevor was genuinely glad he wouldn't have to be in a real school for junior year. He remembered Sam having to give a geneology report, and now that was an almost scary thought considering that. "So does this mean I should call you Uncle Ironhide from now on?" Trevor teased the weapons specialist gently. "Or would it be great uncle?" Ironhide snorted, but Trevor knew that considering the age gap, it would be better to just keep calling him by his name. "So you're Chromia? It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Chromia nodded. "Ironhide tells me you're quite the adept young marksman."

Trevor shrugged his shoulders, but Bumblebee perked up at that. "Oh yeah, you should see him out at the range!" The scout chimed in enthusiastically. "My little mech wrecker's gonna be an awesome marksman. Especially for someone who's already going to be Nascar's top driver," He added.

"Dadddddd," Trevor blushed. "You're embarrassing me."

"Eh, I can brag if I want to," Bumblebee teased.

"We'll have to see about that," Chromia replied. "I'll be joining both Bumblebee and Ironhide for your training. So I hope that I can at least be as impressed as they are," She smirked a bit, and Trevor felt a bit of nervousness at that. "Your intensity just sky-rocketed, relax. We can worry about training later, right now we're supposed to be celebrating," She then added. "Why doesn't he have the human equivalent to high grade in his hand? Shouldn't he be "drinking" with the rest of us."

"Primus," Bumblebee shook his head. "Let's not get him drunk. He's underage and I'm pretty sure the results would be scary."

That was one of those times that Trevor wished Bumblebee was made of flesh so he could slug him. But at the same time, he knew his father was right. With his luck, he would end up being a goofy drunk and that was the last thing anyone needed. "He's probably right, I can get pretty hyper and all," He offered. "I think the most I can go for is soda."

"And on some days, even that's too much," Bumblebee snorted.

Trevor relaxed, laughing a bit as he looked around at the new arrivals. This was much easier than he had expected, and it made him feel calm to know that. Even if Sunstreaker wasn't the friendliest mech he had ever met, at least they all seemed normal. And a part of him had to remind himself that for a while, he was nervous around the other Autobots too. So maybe, in time, he would be able to establish friendships, at the very least, with all of them. After all, as he had just learned, they were family too.

But then again, didn't all the Autobots feel like his family now anyway? Even Ratchet, who he wasn't the closest with, definitely felt like that tough-as-nails uncle. After a long moment, he smiled widely, and looked at the twins. "So, what's this about pranks?" Trevor asked. "Because I could really use a reason to cut loose and be goofy like that."

"Aw, slaggit, and so it begins," Ironhide grumbled.

But Trevor only returned the grins on the twins faces.

...

"When did we get so old?"

Optimus chuckled at Elita as she entered his office later that night. The femme definitely raised a question that he had thought to himself a time or two since becoming a grandfather. Yet he merely shook his head, setting a data pad down on his desk. "We didn't, we just raised a youngling with a big spark," Elita smiled at the thought. "He truly is a good youngling, Elita. Once you get the chance to know him, you will be surprised by how well he fits into our familial unit."

Elita nodded her head, turning it to make sure that no one was there before speaking. "I noticed he lacks a leg made of flesh," Optimus frowned at that. "Is there anything I should know about his history? Is that common in humans?"

Optimus sighed, having hoped to keep the darker parts of his past quiet. He knew Trevor would understand though, this was his new grandmother. He wouldn't be able to keep it a secret should the man ever show up again. "When he was very young, he and his carrier were the victims of domestic abuse at the hands of his sire," Optimus explained. "He beat Trevor's carrier while she was sparked with him, and damaged him," Elita shuddered. "Before he came to us, a surrogate sire had stepped in and raised him."

"So the other creator remains out there?" Elita questioned, and Optimus nodded. "Please tell me we have taken measures about this."

Optimus nodded, looking her in the optics. "He helped me get a restraining order," Elita spun around to see Trevor in the doorway, dressed in pajamas. "Sorry, didn't mean to walk in on anything. I was just having trouble sleeping and overheard," He paused. "I'm not... Interrupting anything, am I?" He asked apologetically.

Elita gave a warm smile to her grandson, shaking her head. She couldn't help but note how he acted like Bumblebee in some ways. After all, she remembered many nights where Bumblebee had been unable to recharge and walked in on talks. "Of course not," Elita offered. "Just a bit of catch-up," She added. "You don't have to stay out there either, I promise, I don't bite."

Trevor took a step inside timidly, looking between Optimus and Elita. Optimus immediately looked down at him, smiling. "Does Bumblebee know you are up and awake at this late hour?" Trevor shook his head slowly. "Overcharged after the excitement today brought?" Trevor nodded, and Optimus rolled his optics. "Oh dear, he'll be waking up with quite the hangover."

"I'm ready with a million jokes about it in my head," Trevor chuckled.

Elita smirked, he had picked up a bit of Bumblebee's humor as well, it would seem. She put her hands on her hips, and looked down at him. "None-the-less, I take it you've been up a bit. You seem tired," She nodded to him. "What do you say I walk with you back to your room? You can tell me what's kept you up."

"I can bring him back," Optimus offered.

"I got this, Optimus," Elita replied. "I'll be back before you know it."

"Very well," Optimus nodded.

Trevor wanted to argue he wasn't too tired, but Elita was already out the door. He sighed, he was tired, as it had been a long day. But he hadn't expected to be brought back to bed so quickly. "Well, goodnight, Grandpa, I guess," Trevor chuckled.

"It's two in the morning," Optimus replied. "I would have done the same thing," He then added. "Goodnight, young one, pleasant dreams."

Trevor made his way out the door, and began his trek back to his room. For a while, he and Elita walked in silence, but finally, she spoke up. "Just so you know, I won't be like this all the time," Elita replied, as Trevor looked up in surprise. "I'm pretty relaxed about most things. But I'm reading up on humans, and lack of sleep for young ones like you can be detrimental to your health."

Trevor nodded, and stifled a yawn silently. "Yeah, I get it," Trevor replied. "Usually I get this way because of nightmares. But I think tonight, it was mostly excitement," He laughed a little, then looked back up at her. "So, what do I call you? Bee's dad, and Optimus is grandpa. But I don't... I mean, I know how we're related, but..."

"That makes me grandma," Elita teased. "But if you're not ready, Elita works too."

Trevor thought about it for a moment, swallowing a bit. He didn't know how to handle what that entailed, not after his mother had died. Since that, he had had Sarah Lennox as a female figure in his life, but she was not related to him. Now, he had someone related to him and that held something new over his head. "I guess I can call you grandma," Trevor replied. "I mean, it might take getting used to. But so did calling Bee dad, and Optimus grandpa," He looked up at her. "So, you really don't find this weird at all?"

"Unusual maybe," Elita shrugged her shoulders. "But I've always wanted grandcreations. It may have come a little soon, but I can live with that," She then added. "Not to mention you seem to make Bumblebee as happy as he's been in a long time," She began, there was a long pause between that and her next statement. "That said, I do want to get to know you," She smiled. "Maybe the two of us can take a day together sometime soon, and just talk." She then added. "Maybe do something fun."

Trevor smiled, encouraged by the fact that Elita actually did want to get to know him. It was how he knew that she was genuine, as that request seemed to come naturally to her. "Most of the fun is back on the mainland," Trevor offered. "But we watch movies and stuff around here. I also play video games, and just kinda hang out."

Elita crossed her arms. "Give it a few days, I'm sure I can get us a day on the mainland," Trevor smiled, the thought made him happy, given he hadn't been back since his birthday. "So, how far is this room of yours? Or are you simply stalling in an effort not to go back to sleep?" Trevor stopped in his tracks, surprised by the remark. "Don't be surprised, kid. Your father used to do the same thing."

Trevor chuckled nervously, turning the corner and making his way to his room finally. He sighed, and motioned to the door. "This one, right next to dad's," Elita nodded in response as the boy leaned against the wall. "So, uh, thanks for being so cool about this. I know it couldn't have been easy," Elita seemed to smile a little at that. "But I appreciate it, I really do."

"No reason to thank me," Elita chuckled. "We're family now, kid. And I stand by my family."

Trevor brightened a bit at that, even if he was already fully convinced that this new situation was going to work out alright. A part of him was thankful to hear that at least one last time before he called it a night. "Well... This family member is headed to bed," Trevor muttered. "So I'll uh... See you later in the morning?" He questioned.

"Good recharge, Trevor," Elita replied. "Have pleasant "dreams" as Optimus said."

As Trevor smiled and disappeared into his room, Elita sighed in relief. She had a feeling that she was going to like this boy a lot. Then again, she wondered as she started back to Optimus's office, was there any doubt? He'd stolen the sparks of her son, and her mate, so it went without saying hers would be next. "Trevor returned to recharge?" Optimus asked upon her arrival.

"Mmmm just like we should be," Elita told him, approaching him and wrapping her arms around Optimus. "We have a lot of catching up to do, Optimus Prime," She laid a gentle kiss upon Optimus's cheekplate. "Starting with returning to that wonderful feeling I get when recharging next to you," She added rather lovingly.

Optimus's optics warmed, and he wrapped his own arms around her waist. "Very well, I will oblige," He teased her gently. "After all, my body is desperately seeking recharge," He added.

"I thought so."

And so, they strode from Optimus's office together, happier than ever. It was a good feeling to have their family complete again, a good feeling they hoped would last.

...

A/N: For those wondering, no, Arcee is not a sister of Chromia and Elita as in the movies. But I kinda liked the idea the movie presented of Elita and Chromia being sisters, so I kept that. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the chapter, it was a little tough to finish. XD