Transformers: A Matter of Fate

MEET THE FAMILY

"Aw, please, Aid!" Crosshairs spoke up again, then motioned to her. "The sheila is HOT. And hot girls usually equal trouble, if you ask me." He crossed his arms a bit, her optics staring at her. "I hope you don't plan to get the runt into any trouble, girl. Or I'll have an iron fist with your name on it."

Prowl gave Crosshairs a small backhand at that, something Mark was undoubtedly thankful for. He shook his head a bit, his optics narrowing at Crosshairs. "Crosshairs, she is a guest, and you promised to behave," Prowl reminded him rather sternly. "If anyone is going to question her on her intentions with the boy, it will be me."

"Fine, I get to be the relative who tells her embarrassing stories," Crosshairs announced, turning back to her. "Sheila, tell me, has our boy here told you about the time-."

"Alright! Alright! That is enough!" Mark waved his hands, fearing whatever was coming next. "God, you guys are harder to handle than little kids sometimes." He blushed somewhat, and turned to Alexis, who looks amused and fearful all at once. "I am so sorry for them, Lexi. I swear, with every one but Optimus and Drift I sometimes wonder if I'd be better off raising myself."

"Are you even going to introduce me?" Alexis questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Right," Mark motioned to Optimus. "You obviously know the big guy is Optimus Prime, their leader. Also the coolest "uncle" on the planet." Optimus gave a polite nod and a dip of his helm, allowing Mark to continue. "The bonehead over there is Crosshairs. Just try to ignore him, it gets easy after the first few hours." He teased, as the mech gave him the bird. "Love you too, big guy. The one with the compliments is First Aid, he's a medic, the best they have one Earth too." That earned her a two finger salute from the mech.

"Who's the one that has the guts to make themselves a police car?" Alexis motioned to Prowl at that.

"Oh, that's Prowl. He's Prime's second in command, and the only person other than Prime who ranks above my dad," Mark then nodded towards Drift, who gave a small bow towards her. "And finally, you got Drift. Who literally needs no introduction. Because I mean, the guy is a samurai, all you need to know is he's a badaft." He then paused. "You also have Mirage, if he'll bring down that stupid cloaking device of his."

"How did you know?" Mirage questioned as he appeared in view just beside Drift.

"Your device is glitching again," Mark stuck his tongue out. "I could see part of your foot."

"Slag," Mirage grunted.

"So you're the Ferari!" Alexis squealed happily, jogging up to him. "Holy crap, can I ask you to take me for a spin? I've had daydreams about driving in a Ferari my entire life!" She added rather excitedly. "Why do you have an Italian accent? Did you land in Italy or something?"

"Primus, does this one have a mute button?" Mirage grunted.

Alexis frowned a little at that. "So the ferari IS antisocial."

"Told you so."

As the sound of a "throat" clearing echoed, Mark turned his head. Hound had finally made his way over, his soft blue optics looking over the two humans. "And last, but definitely super far from least," Mark motioned for Alexis to turn around. "This is my dad, Hound. Autobot weapons specialist, commando, and third-in-command." Hound gave a small wave.

"Whoa, so in other words, he has a nice gun collection," Alexis muttered.

"Heh, ye know it." Hound grinned. "Don't try anything funny though, and ye won't have a reason to meet it."

"Hey! You're forgettin' me again!" Mark stared down as Brains pushed his way between Drift and Prowl. "How's it goin', hot stuff?" Brains pushed his electric hair back slightly. "The name's Brains, Autobot interpreter." He made a few steps forward as Mark tried to resist the urge to punt the tiny mech several feet.

Alexis crouched low, a grin on her face. "Aren't you adorable?"

"No." Mark shook his head. "No, once you get to know him, he really isn't."

"That hurts kid, really hurts." Brains mocked.

Clearing his throat again, Hound crossed his arms as both teenagers turned to him. He nodded a little bit, and took a deep breath. "I think the three of us should take a walk, if everyone's done scaring the poor girl." He jested, earning some laughter from the others. "I think I've waited long enough to get the chance to meet Alexis. And I want to talk to her alone before any of you get a crack at her."

"Take away all the fun, why don't you?" Crosshairs grunted.

"Autobots," Optimus held a hand up to grab their attention. "Let us allow these three alone time. You may approach them once they are finished." After some hesitating, they began to walk off. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Alexis."

"You too."

As Optimus started off himself, Alexis felt her heart pounding. Alone? With a gun-totting giant robot, and his son? She gulped slightly, unsure of how to take her odds here. "Well then," Hound began, putting his hands together. "Should we go to my office? I think that would be the best place to sit down and talk." He then looked at Alexis. "Don't worry, I promise I won't make this too embarrassing fer ye."

And with that, he was off, heading towards his office. Turning to her, Mark smiled a bit, and shook his head. "Don't worry, they're all harmless," He reassured her. "I promise I won't let him grill you too hard." He added.

But even as she followed him, Alexis couldn't fight the feeling that it was not a promise he could keep.

...

A/N: A somewhat shorter chapter, but I wanted to keep the "official" introductions to be a chapter all of its own. :) The next chapter should be the usual length, after all, Hound has a lot to talk about with them. :)