"I think I know how you're feeling." Emily's voice was heard and it held solemn in it as well as sadness and familiarity to Arcee.
"Huh?" Cliffjumper perked up at this and decided to listen.
Inside Arcee's quarters, Arcee wiped the rest of her tears away and looked at Emily who was gazing at her feet with a somber look.
"You... You do?" She asked as Emily nodded with a sad smile.
"Yes... What you're feeling right now. I know what it is like... That's how I felt the day I found out who I really was. About my true origins. For so long there was this part of me that made me ask myself who I really was. Where did I come from? Why was I so different from the others? Why was I here? And what was my usefulness? The day Ratchet told me the truth, I felt... so crushed... so devastated... Even though I wanted to know for so long, there was this... part of me... that was filled with regret. I don't why... but I regretted finding out about all of this... That day, it felt like my heart was split in two parts even now it still is. There's the part of me that's trying to live a regular human life, well, more like regular human teenage girl life. Trust me, being a girl is tough. Super tough." Emily said with a small bitter laugh to stop a small sob from escaping.
"You could say that again." Arcee huffed slightly at that as Emily continued with a more somber look that was being replaced with sorrow.
"And then there's that part that is trying to earn its place among you guys. Always trying to be strong just like you. Alert just like you. And tough just like you... hoping it would work. You know as a human, I didn't have a very good life. Kids made fun of me my whole life because I was different... It wasn't a very pleasant life... but even so I had two special people in my life... my human parents who took care of me and were there when I needed them the most..." Emily said as she struggled not to cry as the most painful memory that haunts her that day resurfaced as she let a stray tear fall.
"Did one of them...?" Arcee questions gently but stops since Emily nodded sadly that one of her human parents is gone.
"Yes..." Emily nodded sadly with a sad smile.
"I'm so sorry..." Arcee apologized as Emily sniffed.
"It's okay. It's a part of life." Emily said as her voice cracked a little.
"I guess... Can I tell you something?" Arcee then asked as she looked at her and nodded.
"Sure." Emily said as Arcee vented slightly.
"Did Jack ever tell you about the time I felt so bad that I thought he didn't know what it was to lose someone?" Arcee asked her as Emily pursed her lips and shook her head.
"No. I don't think he did." Emily admitted.
"You know what's my greatest regret about that day? Is not even trying to listen to what he tried to tell me. I was angry and sad because we had lost Cliffjumper, but that doesn't excuse the fact that I was mean and I lashed out. What makes it worse is when I found out what he and June had lost." Arcee admitted and Emily knew what she meant. She heard the story of how Jack never met his father and how he and June lost him when he was just born.
"His father. Yeah, he told me about that one. From what he told me, the guy disappeared when he was born and was never seen again." Emily admitted sadly.
"Yeah... When I found out, I felt guilty. For so long, I thought that humans and Cybertronians were different." Arcee said as she understood that humans and Cybertronians are alike in different ways.
"Well, the only difference is that you get to turn into any vehicle you want. I kind of feel jealous about it. If I could, I would use this ability to get anywhere without walking." Emily said with a small playful smile as Arcee gave her a small look.
"Seriously?" She asked but Emily just waved it off.
"Nah. I would never do that." She said with a small shake of her head.
"Hahaha." Arcee couldn't help but laugh.
"Nice to hear you laugh. But please continue what you were saying." Emily said as she looked at Arcee.
"Well like I said. Finding out about Jack's past made me realize that we all lose something. Including those we hold dear." Arcee said as this brought the memory of that day back in Emily's mind as she looked down.
"Yeah..." She said while hugging her knees.
"So how did...?" Arcee asked her hesitantly.
"Hmm?" Emily looked at her curiously.
"Sorry, it's none of my business. Sorry for asking." Arcee shook her head. She shouldn't have asked a sensitive subject since she saw the pain it brought but Emily just offered a reassuring smile.
"It's okay. It's kind of hard to talk about it... but when it happened... I felt so crushed... I cried for days... losing someone that precious... It's the hardest thing that could happen to someone... Later, I've been told that it was a part of life... like some sort of universal thing... whether we wish for it not to happen... sooner or later it happens. And in the end,... we face a great loss... but as long as we hold those we had lost in our hearts, it feels like they're still here with us... watching us grow and live our life... no matter how hard this life may be..." Emily finished as she smiled sadly.
"Why do you feel the need to be like us? You can't be like me or like Ratchet or Optimus." Arcee told her as Emily just shrugged.
"I know... but as a half Cybertronian and Autobot, I feel like I have to give my best... and sometimes I feel like I can't do it... I can't divide my time between being a human and a half Cybertronian. If my life as a regular human was bad, what would my life as a half Cybertronian be like? What if I fail? What if I'm not good enough? Or strong enough?" Emily said as she looked at her hands before sighing.
"I see what you mean when you talk about feeling like your heart is divided in two." Arcee said as she smiled softly.
"Yeah... At least I have people that help me out. Did my story help you out? Or did I tell you all of this for nothing?" Emily asked as she looked at her and Arcee had to smile. Emily's tale did help her a lot.
"Actually it did help a lot." Arcee told her as Emily looked at her happily.
"Really?" She asked hopefully as the femme nodded.
"Yes. And I think I get your story. What you're saying is that my heart is divided in two parts. The one that wants to stay focused on her mission. And the one that wants to live a happy life." Arcee said as Emily rubbed the back of her head.
"Well, actually, it was something I was kind of taking off, well, you get the idea. You see, there's this one guy who you like because he's funny, hard headed and never stops talking. And on the other side, you have the same guy who's similar to him but a bit different. One part wants the funny one and the other part want the other guy. But you already made your choice and if you ask me. You should follow your heart. Who knows, maybe you'll end up making the right choice." Emily told her as Arcee looked at her to be sure.
"You sure?" She asked as Emily nodded with a confident smile.
"I'm positive." She said with a smile.
"What about...?" Arcee hesitated but Emily knew what she wanted to ask.
"The other guy? When the time is right, you'll tell him the truth. I know you will." Emily reassured her.
"Thanks, Emily,... for being a good friend with me." Arcee said with a grateful smile.
"You don't have to thank me." Emily told her bashfully.
"Yes, I do. That and so much more. I know you think you're not good enough for the team. But from what I witnessed today. You're bound to become the strongest member on Team Prime. It's thanks to your new ice powers that Cliffjumper and I came back in one piece." Arcee said but what she said caught Emily's attention and looked at the femme in confusion. Ice powers?
"Wait, wait, wait. Did you just say new ice powers?" Emily questioned in confusion as Arcee looked at her in confusion. Didn't she know?
"Yeah. You used them to get us out of the factory, remember?" Arcee said as Emily scratched her head but no memory of her getting her ice powers were coming back.
"No, I don't. I don't recall using new powers or anything like it." Emily admitted with confusion in her voice.
"That's impossible. You were amazing back there. You practically saved us." Arcee said as she was also confused. Why can't Emily remember?
"Then why can't I remember anything? Let me check my brooch." Emily muttered before taking off her brooch and started to check it to see if she received a new power but strangely enough there was nothing. Not even a new slot being with a symbol other than her quake element.
"This is strange. I ought to check if the brooch is broken. Knowing Ratchet, if he finds out that this thing is broken he's gonna throw a tantrum for it." Emily said with a shake of her head before hiding her brooch in her pocket as Arcee laughed and can imagine Ratchet throwing a fit.
"That's him alright." Arcee said.
"Yeah. Well, anyway, I hope what I said earlier helps you clear things." Emily said as Arcee hoped as well.
"Me too. Yet I still have my doubts." Arcee said.
"Give it time. Things will be clear sooner or later. You just need to be patient." Emily told her as Arcee shrugged.
"If you say." Arcee said. She felt a bit better after talking with Emily however she still felt a bit doubtful of what she had decided and Emily could see it on her face plate. She immediately had an idea and started to grin and scooched closer to Arcee until she was by her side.
"I have a question. Do you know what's the best cure against sadness?" Emily asked her as Arcee looked at her in confusion and was a little wary when she saw that grin on her face.
"No, what?" She asked warily.
"Laughter!" Emily exclaimed and started to tickle Arcee's side and caused her to tensed and jolted from that.
"Uh, what are you doing?" Arcee asked her nervously as Emily continued to tickle her.
"I'm tickling you." Emily told her as Arcee tensed slightly.
"Tickling?" Arcee questioned as she tried to stop her laughs.
"Yeah it's when you start scratching a person's sensible part and make them laugh." Emily said and continued.
"Yeah, well, good luck with that because-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP I-HI-HI-HI-HIT! STAAAAHA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAP IT NA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HOW!" Arcee burst laughing when Emily found a tickle spot.
"Someone's ticklish!" Emily exclaimed but started to grow nervous when she saw the smirk on Arcee's face.
"I'll show you ticklish. Come here!" Arcee said before grabbing Emily in her servo and started to tickle Emily on her tummy and sides while being careful not to hurt her.
"HAHAHA! NO-HO-HO-HO-HO! STA HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA HI-HI-HI-HI-HIT! HAHAHAH! NO FA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAIR!" Emily squealed in laughter as she tried to get away.
Outside Arcee's quarters, CliffJumper heard the commotion and when he thought that something bad was going on. He barged in to try and help the girls out.
"What's going on here?" Cliffjumper asked as the laughter quickly stopped and Arcee stopped tickling Emily who panted heavily.
"Cliffjumper?" Arcee asked in confusion. What's Cliffjumper doing here?
"Arcee, what...? What are you doing?" Cliffjumper asked in confusion when he saw that the two weren't in danger.
"I, uh,... we were just..." Arcee stuttered but Emily finished for her.
"Playing a game, but more importantly what are you doing here?" Emily asked Cliffjumper as she sat up and looked at him.
"Nothing. I was just, you know, passing by. I was just walking around." He said but Emily knows he was eavesdropping on her and Arcee.
"Were you eavesdropping?" Emily asked him as Cliffjumper became nervous.
"Me, eavesdropping? Yeah right, I'd rather stick my head inside an Insecticon hive than do that." Cliffjumper said nervously.
"So why did you barge in like that?" Arcee asked him curiously.
"Well, I heard weird noises and I thought something bad was happening." Cliffjumper said as Emily stood up and put a hand to her hip.
"We're just having fun." Emily told him.
"Oh, okay. Sorry if I disturbed anything. I didn't mean to interrupt you guys." Cliffjumper said as Arcee looked on the floor.
"It's okay." Arcee said.
For a brief moment, no one says anything before Emily cleared her throat.
"Uh, you know what? I have to go check on something. I'll leave you two to talk to each other. Something tells me you have a lot of things to solve." Emily said after jumping off Arcee's servo and started to walk to the door
"Where are you going?" Arcee asked.
"Yeah what's the rush?" Cliffjumper also asked as Emily looked back with a smile.
"No rush. I just don't want to interrupt you two lovebirds." Emily teased and caused both Cliffjumper and Arcee to blush.
"Hey!" Both of them exclaimed while blushing as Emily laughed good-naturedly.
"Easy there, I was just kidding. Forget what I say. Anyway, I'll see you guys later." Emily told them and left Arcee's quarters and left both Arcee and Cliffjumper on their own.
"So..." Both Arcee and Cliffjumper started.
Both were about to start talking but it was such an awkward moment that no one was able to talk in full sentence.
"I... Oh, sorry... I didn't mean to.... Please stop doing that... No, you stop." They both fumbled over their words.
Emily, from her hiding spot, was listening to what was happening as she had to face palms.
"Oh brother. This isn't going well." Emily said.
"What's not going well?" Miko asked curiously from behind her and she jumped in surprise.
"Ah! What?" Emily quickly turned around to see them.
"Uh, you okay?" Miko asked as she, along with Jack and Raf, surprised her.
"What? What are you guys doing here?" Emily asked as she looked at them.
"Well, we got worried about Cliffjumper so we thought we would go talk with him to make sure he was okay." Jack explained.
"When we went to look for him, we heard some weird laughter coming this way." Raf continued.
"And here we are now. So what's up?" Jack asked before Emily shushed them.
"Shh!" Emily hissed while putting a finger in front of her lips.
"What do you mean shh?" Miko asked in confusion.
"Keep it down, you guys." Emily whispered.
"What for?" Miko asked in a whisper as Emily pointed to something and why she wants her and the two boys to whisper.
"Oh, that." Miko nodded slowly and slowly got down and peeked in.
"What's going on?" Jack whispered curiously as they peeked in but was careful not to get spotted.
"They look like they're talking about something." Raf whispered while tilting his head.
"More like trying." Emily muttered in a whisper.
"I wonder where this will all go." Miko wondered curiously.
"If you wanna see more, be quiet and watch." Emily whispered.
"Okay, okay. You heard the girl. Be quiet and watch." Miko whispered.
"We get the picture, Miko." Jack whispered back.
"Shush up, guys. Do you want to get caught? If not, then stop talking." Emily hissed at them in a whisper.
Jack, Raf and Miko zipped their mouths shut and started seeing what's going on between Cliffjumper and Arcee who are still silent.
"Your quarters look nice... It hasn't changed a bit since... well, you know..." Cliffjumper commented and saw that nothing changed in Arcee's quarters last time he was there.
"Yeah..." Arcee said as she and Cliffjumper didn't make optic contact.
"It's true what they say, some things never change." Cliffjumper said as he laughed a little.
"And old habits die hard. Did you really think you fooled me earlier? I know you've heard what I said." Arcee said as she crossed her arms as Cliffjumper winced as he realized he was caught.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry?" He apologized with a sheepish look.
"Right." Arcee said before Cliffjumper took a deep breath and looked at Arcee as she glanced at him curiously.
"Look, Arcee, I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier. I know what you're going to say. That I don't need to apologize or anything but I do. And I want you to listen to what I have to say. After what happened I really thought that we would finally... get together, you know, like we always said we would." Cliffjumper admitted as Arcee was a little stunned by that and didn't know what to say.
From their hiding spot, the kids heard what CliffJumper said and were surprised. Jack was the one who got the most surprised. Not to mention that he was even shocked too when Cliffjumper said that.
"Did he say being together?" Jack whispered in shock as he couldn't take his eyes off the scene.
"You mean to tell me you didn't notice? Boys." Miko huffed slightly.
"I didn't know they liked each other. You don't think they're going to kiss right?" Raf asked with a weirded out look. Even if he was 12, seeing adults like his parents kissing seriously weirded him out.
"Actually I don't think bots can kiss." Miko said and wondered if they could.
"Now I know that with Tailgate's return, things are a bit... complicated. But I understand now that it wasn't because you made it complicated. I was the one making things complicated. I insisted too much on us being together and you telling Tailgate about all of this. Now I realize, I'm such an idiot. I get it now why in a human movie it's always the guy who says he's an idiot." Cliffjumper said as Jack felt a little insulted at that and made a mental note with the other three to make sure Cliffjumper doesn't watch too many human movies.
"That's insulting." Jack said with a huff.
"It is, because it's true." Miko said as Jack gave her a look.
"Okay, first of all, you have to stop watching human movies because what you're doing right now it's not working. And also you're right, you did make things complicated but I did too. And I'm sorry for that. I know I should've told him about us before he left. But with all what happened,... I guess I backed out..." Arcee confessed as Cliffjumper put a servo on her shoulder to try and comfort her.
"You did the right thing. We both want this more than anything. But we can't rush it. Well at least I think we want this. Do you... still want this?" Cliffjumper said before asking while looking at her hopefully.
"I do but... for now... we have to stay focused on what's happening now." Arcee said and shrugged his servo off while not meeting his optics.
"You're right. Guess we will have to wait a bit longer." Cliffjumper said as he hid the small sadness in his optics.
"Yes..." Arcee said sadly.
"Okay then. I'll be seeing you around." Cliffjumper said as he smiled a little and started to walk to the door while Arcee didn't say anything. And when she looks at him, she feels like saying something but she hesitates.
"That's it? Come on. Give us some more." Miko said in disbelief.
"Are you being serious? Don't you see how much they have to wait to be together?" Jack whispered to her as they were feeling sorry for the two Autobots.
"I feel bad for them. What makes it even sadder is that none of us knew about this." Raf admitted as he felt like crying right now.
"Yeah..." Emily agreed with him with a sad look.
"Wait a minute. You knew about this didn't you?" Miko turned to Emily when she realized that their friend seemed to have known this.
"I, well,..." Emily whispered with a sheepish smile.
"You knew? You knew about them and you didn't even tell one of us?" Miko whispered as Emily raised her hands in surrender.
"I thought it was obvious that they had something going on." Emily defended herself.
"That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the fact that you knew there was this drama between them and we missed all of it because you didn't tell us. Some friend you are." Miko pouted while puffing her cheeks a little.
"Well she did the right thing, Miko. I get that you're on board for this relationship. But try to be a bit more understanding." Jack said as he agreed with Emily.
"Hey, I get that things are tense between them two. But that is what makes it more interesting." Miko said as Jack raised an eyebrow.
"And just how the two having problems makes it more interesting?" He asked curiously.
"Dude. Have you ever watched a love movie? It's a classic situation. The two lovers are having trouble until something happens that makes them go back together. And then, boom. The final happy kiss." Miko said with a grin as Jack was confused with Raf.
"And how is this going to happen if they're not together yet? Ever thought of that?" Jack questioned her and Miko went silent. She hadn't thought of that.
"I... uh... whoops. I didn't think of that one." Miko said sheepishly before Arcee's voice was heard.
"Cliff, wait."
"Huh?" The four turned back to the scene in front of them as Cliffjumper stopped.
"Is there something you wanted to tell me?" He asked while turning to her.
"Yes, I... I can't do this." Arcee said as she wanted to beat herself for not getting to tell it yet.
"I see." Cliffjumper muttered.
"It's not what you think. I can't keep waiting. I can't do it... not anymore. I waited far too long for this... I didn't want to go through this now because..." Arcee started but trailed off as he looked at her curiously.
"Because what?" He asked curiously as Arcee took a deep breath.
"Because I was afraid that if we got together and something bad happened to you again..." Arcee said but Cliffjumper quickly reassured her by putting his servos on her shoulders.
"Hey, hey, hey. You don't have to feel that way. What happened back then wasn't your fault. It was mine. I shouldn't have taken those Decepticons on my own without backup. Next time, I promise I'll-" Cliffjumper started only to get cut off by Arcee who looked at him with disbelief and pain in her optics.
"Next time? Next time? Promises? Do you hear what you say?" Arcee questioned him as Cliffjumper tried to calm her down.
"Arcee, I get that you're angry. But please listen-" Cliffjumper pleaded only to get cut off again.
"No, you listen. I get that you're sorry I get that... but you can't come to me and promise me that nothing bad will happen to you again. Because we both know it's not true... In this war, there's no guarantee of survival. You of all people should know that..." Arcee said as she hugged herself while trying to stop her tears.
"I know, I know I didn't mean that..." Cliffjumper said but Arcee shook her helm.
"Nevermind what you meant... The fact is that you don't get it..." Arcee told him sadly.
"No, you're wrong because I get it..." Cliffjumper said as Arcee turned to him.
"Do you...? Did you ever consider how I felt when you died? How was your pride the reason you got killed? How I didn't make it in time to help you? Did you?" Arcee asked as her voice cracked a little.
Cliffjumper tried to speak but he was speechless as he saw the pain and hurt that Arcee went through just by looking through her optics.
"That's what I thought... and that's why you can't make promises you won't fulfill..." Arcee said as she clenched her fists.
"Arcee,... what I was trying to say is that... I can't promise that I'll come back. I can't even promise anything to you. Only that I care a lot about you. You have no idea how I felt when the cons got me. I was so afraid. Not because I might die... but because I wouldn't see you again. That thought was more hurtful than my wounds. Even more hurtful than Starscream's hand piercing my spark... But compared to what you just told me... all these pains I've been through almost mean nothing... to what you've been through because of me. I now understand that... hurting you, the one I care the most... is the worst pain ever..." Cliffjumper told her as Arcee's optics widened as Cliffjumper turned his helm away.
From their hiding spot, the kids were crushed by what they were seeing as it was just too heartbreaking to see.
"I don't know if I'm gonna be able to keep watching this..." Emily said as she tried to stop some small tears from forming.
"Yeah... maybe it wasn't a good idea..." Miko agreed as she sniffed a little.
"Maybe we should leave." Raf suggested but Jack shook his head.
"No." Jack said as Emily looked at him.
"I thought you didn't agree with all of this." She reminded him as Jack looked at her then at the two bots that he viewed as both parents.
"I did... but... part of me feels like I need to see this...so I can be there in case Arcee or Cliffjumper need help." Jack said as Raf agreed.
"You're right. They're always there for us. It's time we help them a bit." Raf said. The bots have always been there for them, it's time that they did the same.
"Well just as long as you agree with this. I'm cool with helping them. But from what I see, CliffCee is broken for good..." Miko said but felt bummed that her ship was now over.
"You're right. It did hurt... yet... I wasn't angry at you..." Arcee admitted with a sad smile.
From their hiding spot, the kids' interest in the two bots was coming back as they all perked up at this.
"Or maybe not." Emily said as she was filled with new hope that the two would finally get together.
"You weren't...?" Cliffjumper asked as he looked at her hopefully and curiously.
"Crazy right? I don't know why... I felt sad... yet the only person I was angry at... was me... because I had failed again... It's funny every time you start to get on my nerves, I would get angry at you but... in the end. I couldn't hold a grudge at you... not even a tiny bit of hate." Arcee said as she smiled softly as Cliffjumper smiled back.
"Guess I'm too charming to be hated." Cliffjumper said with his charming smile.
From their hiding spot, the kids heard what Cliff just said and couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. Miko started facepalming herself because she was wishing that she had never seen what just happened.
"Oh brother... Right now I wish I didn't see that." Miko said as she facepalmed.
"And on top of that he added the charming part. Which makes it worse." Jack said as he let out a small quiet laugh.
"Or maybe I'm doomed to tolerate you as usual." Arcee said with her smirk returning as she was cheering up.
"Well, it's a mutual feeling." Cliffjumper said.
"Don't push your luck." Arcee said as she gave him a small playful smirk.
"Okay, I'm just saying I'm not the only troublesome one here in this relationship." Cliffjumper said only for Arcee's optics to widen at that.
"Wait what?" Arcee asked in confusion.
From their hiding spot, the kids got hit by some unforeseen force after what Cliffjumper just said.
"Oh no, he didn't." Miko said as she felt her left eye twitch.
"What is it?" Jack asked warily.
"Is something wrong?" Raf asked curiously.
"You bet something's wrong. Cliff just said the R word 'relationship'." Miko said as Jack was confused. What's wrong with that?
"Yeah so?" He asked curiously.
"So?" Both Miko and Emily asked him in disbelief.
"Dude, are you sleeping or something? When someone says the R word it means big trouble." Miko said as she explained.
"By big trouble, she means something catastrophic." Emily agreed with Miko with that.
"I must be dreaming. Did you just agree with Miko and her craziness? That's the craziest thing ever." Jack said as he blinked in confusion.
"Watch it, buster." Miko said as she gave him a warning look.
"No offense, Miko, but I think you're over exaggerating. All just because Cliffjumper said the word relationship. So what? It's just a word normal people use. Saying that this word doesn't mean trouble. It's like saying that every time I use it, I'll end up in trouble. It's nonsense." Jack told her as Miko rolled her eyes.
"You boys don't get it do you. When a guy says the word relationship for the first time in front of the girl he likes, it's like saying I love you for the first time. It comes like a bomb. A bomb of mass destruction. Imagine the sound of the bomb falling down." Miko explained and made a gesture of a bomb falling down and made an explosion noise to get her explanation through as Jack looked at Emily.
"That's bad?" He asked nervously as Emily nodded.
"I'm afraid so." Emily admitted as they continued to watch the two.
"Hold on. Did you say relationship?" Arcee asked in surprise and confusion.
"Yeah, why?" Cliffjumper asked in confusion. Was it something that he said?
"Well, you never said that word. It's the first time you ever used it." Arcee said almost shyly as she averted her gaze.
"Oh, you're right. I'm sorry. I just got caught up in the moment. Not that I regret saying it because I don't. Good thing I didn't say I love you." Cliffjumper said as he rubbed the back of his helm only to stop and felt his optics widened and started to blush once he realized what he just said.
"What?" Arcee asked in astonishment and surprise as she looked at him with her optics wide and a blush on her face-plate. Did Cliffjumper say what she thought he just said?
From the hiding spot, both Emily and Miko heard Cliff say the L word and felt that this wasn't gonna be pretty as they both looked at each other. Jack and Raf both had their eyes wide in shock at this.
"Oh no, he didn't." Miko said in shock as Emily facepalmed.
"Yes, he did." She said as Jack glanced at them.
"He did what?" Jack asked in confusion.
"He dropped the nuclear bomb." Miko said but that confused Jack more.
"The what?" He asked in confusion.
"He said the L word, man." Miko deadpan with a look as Raf pieced it together.
"The L world? Oh you mean..." Raf said after finally putting the pieces together.
"Yeah that one." Emily nodded to his thoughts.
"Oh dear." Jack suddenly felt nervous about that.
"Right on, bro." Miko said while patting his back as they continued to watch.
"Did you just say you loved me...?" Arcee asked in surprise and almost shyness as a blush made its appearance.
"I did? Wait a minute... I DID! Oh for Primus' sake... I didn't mean to say it, no wait. I did want to say it but not like that. What I'm saying is that I didn't mean for it to come out right after an argument. I'm such a screw up." Cliffjumper rambled as he realized he just said it by accident and he covered his face with his servos.
"You are." Arcee said slowly as her optics were still wide from the confession. Did Cliffjumper really mean it?
From their hiding spot, the kids were getting ready and nervous to see what Arcee was going to say about the confession Cliffjumper made.
"Get to cover, guys. Things are about to blow." Miko said as Raf looked at her in confusion.
"Uh, we're already covered, Miko." Raf said.
"Don't ruin the moment, Raf." Miko told him as Cliffjumper was internally panicking.
"What should I do? What should I do? Okay. Primus, give me strength. Here we go." Cliffjumper said before taking Arcee's servos in his as they both look at each other.
"Arcee, what I'm about to tell you is gonna be a real shocker. You already heard it by accident but this time I'm gonna say it like I mean it. Arcee,... I love you. It's something I never told you because I knew that if I did, you would punch me in the face... or worse but I don't care because I can't keep that kind of stuff inside for too long and you are worth all the hits in the world. You and I have known each other for a long time... and with all the stuff you just said to me, I finally realize something that I should've seen ever since I first saw you... and that is that you're an amazing femme and I want you to know how much I care about you. To me, you're more than a warrior, you're my best friend and more importantly I want to be with someone as special as you are. Someone that could make you happy... and that won't make you go crazy." Cliffjumper confessed and Arcee's spark warmed at that. He really does love her that deeply.
"Cliff,... you should know that you are special. If anything, you're the special guy who I always wanted to be with. True, you drive me crazy but it's just like you said you're way too charming to be hated which is a good thing because I would've ripped your spark out a while ago." Arcee told him softly with a loving smile which he returned.
From their hiding spot, the kids were a bit shocked by what Arcee just said as Miko and Emily were both trying not to squeal to blow their cover.
"Ouch. Cliff sure is lucky." Miko said with a quiet squeal of delight of the two finally confessing their feelings
"Got that right. I'm surprised that Arcee was able to not hit him right where it hurts." Emily said with a small and relieved laugh.
"That's love for ya." Miko said with a dreamy sigh.
"You weren't exactly going to rip out my spark right?" Cliffjumper asked since he wanted to be sure she was just kidding.
"Not really. That would've been only in case you really made me angry but then again, you always do so. Let's just say I'm used to it." Arcee said with a small smirk.
"I see. Maybe I could try to be better." Cliffjumper said with a suggestive grin.
"Don't you even think about changing who you are. Believe me when I tell you this, you're great just the way you are." Arcee told him as he chuckled.
"Wow, that's the kindest thing you ever said to me. I think I'm going to cry." Cliffjumper said teasingly.
"Settle down, you crybaby." Arcee teased him as Cliffjumper smirked.
"Yeah, well, at least I'm not ticklish like you here." Cliffjumper said as Arcee gave him a playful look.
"Oh, so you were eavesdropping on us." Arcee said as Cliffjumper grinned
"Sure was. And now I know your weakness." He said before grabbing her and started tickling Arcee as she burst out laughing instantly.
"HAHAHA! NO-HO-HO-HO-HO! STA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAPH HI-HI-HI-HI-HIT! HAHAHAH! DO-HO-HO-DON'T DO THI-HI-HI-HI-HIS!" Arcee laughed loudly as Cliffjumper continued to tickle her.
"Good luck trying to get out of this one." Cliffjumper said as he finally let go with a grin.
"That's it! Now you're gonna get it, mister!" Arcee exclaimed with a playful look.
"You'll have to catch me first!" Cliffjumper exclaimed back playfully and ran out of the room.
"Get back here!" Arcee exclaimed as she ran out after him as their laughs echoed through the silo.
The kids who saw it all felt happy for Cliffjumper that finally confessed his feelings to Arcee as Emily and Miko squealed happily.
"Wow... I can't believe what I saw." Raf said in awe and joy.
"I can't believe it either. This is... a huge change." Jack said as he was feeling a little breathless.
"Whoa, seems to me like someone feels a bit down about all of this." Miko teased as Jack looked at her.
"Who, me?" He asked in confusion.
"Someone here is getting a bit jealous." Miko continued to teased as Emily reassured him.
"Don't worry, Jack. Arcee won't forget about you. You're important to her too, you know. Of course you two might spend less time together because of her relationship with Cliffjumper but that doesn't mean she'll forget about you." Emily reassured him as Jack just shook his head with a smile as he looked in the direction his guardian and her sparkmate ran off to.
"I'm not worried about that. And I'm also not jealous." Jack told them both.
"Oh really?" Miko curiously raised an eyebrow.
"As a matter of fact, I'm happy for her. For both of them. But mostly for Arcee. With all the things she's been through. It's about time she started to move on and try to be happy. I just hope that one day I get to confess something like that. It won't come out as an accident." Jack said as Miko grinned.
"If it happens, I'll be sure to bring a bag of popcorn so that I can enjoy it." Miko said as Jack gave a deadpan look.
"Are you serious?" He asked her but Miko just waved it off.
"I'm kidding, dude. Loosen up. Seeing your motorcycle starting to have some fun has made you a little cranky." Miko said with a snicker.
"I'm not cranky." Jack protested.
"Yeah right." Miko said while rolling her eyes.
"I'm glad they got together. Although I must ask. How long do you guys think this relationship is going to last?" Emily wondered curiously.
"I don't know." Raf said with a shrug.
"Considering how Cliffjumper can often be immature and stupid, I'd say... three months tops?" Jack guessed.
"Hey, come on. That's unfair. I'd say 6 months. That's how long it will take before we find out Arcee had killed him." Emily said with a pout.
"That sounds... gory." Rad said with a cringe.
"Trust me. You don't know half of it." Jack said with a shudder.
"Whatever you say, man. I give them two years, three tops." Miko said with a smile.
"Honestly, guys, I don't think we should try to determine how long they'll be together. It's not right. We should all wish the best for them." Rad told them and the three saw the point.
"You're right, Raf. And I do hope they get lots of happiness. And some sparklings. That would be cute." Emily said before squealing at the thought of sparklings running around the base.
"Me too. Just as long as I don't have to babysit. And I hope they don't name one Junior." Miko said as she was bouncing in excitement at the thought of sparklings.
"I doubt they'll name one of their Sparklings Junior." Emily told her.
"If you say so. Oh and one more thing. There's no way I'm changing diapers. Do bots uh..." Miko suddenly stopped and shuddered at the thought she had.
"Do bots do what?" Emily asked her.
"You know." Miko emphasized and they got the idea.
"Oh, that. I'd say that this is one of the many things we must never find out about." Emily said with a shudder.
"Agreed." Jack said with a shudder.
"Bet you anything that one of them will look like Arcee." Miko said with a grin.
"That would be cute." Raf agreed as he was curious what baby Cybertronian looks like.
"Yeah, well, if there's one thing we learned today, is that no matter what happens. In the end, love always wins. And for better or worse things, everything will be okay. Just as long as you're honest with the one you love." Emily said with a content smile.
"It's funny." Miko said as Emily looked at her.
"What's funny?" She asked in confusion.
"Well, what you just said reminds me of... a friend of mine who's in love with someone. They have a lot of differences yet they look like good friends. And this friend of mine likes the guy, like a lot. You might even say she goes nuts sometimes. And I think that she should try to tell the guy she likes what she thinks. He may not feel the same but she won't know unless she tries that honesty thing." Miko said before giving Emily the look with a grin.
Emily starts blushing when Miko looks at her. That's when she realized that her so-called friend was her and that she was talking about her having a crush on Optimus.
"Maybe someday. If a friend of mine agrees on telling the cute redhead guy she likes him so much that she's head over heels for him." Emily countered back with a grin.
Miko starts to blush and quickly puts her hand on Emily's mouth to make her shut up.
"I think that's enough for today." Miko said with a nervous laugh before taking her hand off Emily's mouth.
"I agree." She nodded.
"Hey, Emily, can I ask you something?" Raf asked curiously as she looked at the 12 year old.
"Sure thing." She nodded.
"What was that strange noise we heard earlier? It sounded like someone was laughing." Raf said and Jack remembered it as well.
"Now that you mentioned. When Arcee started to laugh, the sound she made was similar to the one from before." Jack said as she saw how Arcee was laughing.
"Yeah but even weirder she started to laugh when... when CliffJumper started to tickle her." Miko said and her eyes widened at this new information.
"Wait, so this means that the bots are ticklish?" Raf asked curiously yet excitedly. He would totally try it out with Bee when he gets the chance.
"I don't know. Ask Emily." Miko said as Emily raised her hands and feigned that she didn't know what they were talking about.
"Don't ask me. I got nothing to do with it." She said but Miko wasn't falling for it.
"Hey don't try to fool me, Ems. It won't work." Miko said with her arms crossed.
"Okay, fine. You really wanna know what that noise was?" Emily asked but decided to see if Miko would really wanna know.
"Yes." Miko nodded eagerly.
"You really wanna know?" She raised an eyebrow as Miko was growing annoyed.
"Yes." Miko said as Emily looked at Jack and Raf.
"What about you guys? Do you really wanna know?" Emily asked them as they both nodded.
"We do." Jack said.
"We're curious. Come on, tell us." Raf said curiously.
"You're really sure that you wanna know?" Emily asked again with a small grin.
"Yes, I already told you yes." Miko said while tapping her foot.
"You sure? I'm warning you." Emily said with her grin growing.
"Yes." Miko said as she was losing her patience.
"I'm warning you. You can't take it back." Emily said and Miko just exploded.
"JUST TELL ME WHAT IT IS!!!" Miko exclaimed as Jack and Raf cringed.
"Oh man... I never thought I would see this. Miko loses her cool. That's something you don't see often." Jack said as he rubbed his ear with his pinkie finger.
"Yeah and she had a loud voice." Raf said.
"No kidding, my ears are ringing." Jack said with a laugh.
"Okay, guess I should just tell you." Emily said as Miko huffed.
"You got that right. So go ahead and spill it out." Miko said.
"Okay, well, it's not something I can tell. But I can show it to you." Emily said as she started to grin playfully.
"Okay then, what is it?" Miko asked as she was curious why Emily is grinning.
"This." The blonde simply said before starting to tickle Miko.
"Hey what are you- HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE! NO, NO, STO-HO-HO-HO-HOP! STOP IT!" Miko squealed and burst into giggles.
"I told you. No take backs." Emily said with a smirk as she continued to tickle the asian girl.
"STOP IT! STOP-HO-HO-HO-HOP! HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE! I can't take it anymore! Okay that's it!" Miko exclaimed before she successfully got out from Emily's tickling grip and starts giving her a taste of her own medicine.
"Hey, NO! HAHAHA! NO-HO-HO-HO-HO! STAAAAHA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAP I-HI-HI-HI-HIT!" Emily squealed in laughter.
"Oh no, you asked for it! So deal with it!" Miko said with a grin.
"Hey, back off from her!" Jack exclaimed playfully.
"Yeah, leave her alone!" Raf joined in with a grin.
Both Jack and Raf help Emily by giving Miko a double tickle
"HAHAHA! NO-HO-HO-HO-HO FA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAIR!! IT'S TWO AGAINST ONE!" Miko shrieked in laughter.
"You mean three against one! Don't forget me!" Emily exclaimed and started to tickle Miko again.
"HAHAHA! Okay! That's it! You know what this means! TICKLE WAR!!!" Miko shouted and quickly got away from their grip and started running away.
"Hey, get back here!" Jack said as he ran after her.
"Let's get her!" Raf exclaimed excitedly.
"Not before I get you!" Emily said before grabbing Raf and tickling him.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Hey I'm on your side!" Raf squealed in laughter.
"It's the tickle war. Everything is fair." Emily said with a grin
"Well, good luck catching me!" Raf with a grin and quickly got away.
"Come back here!" Emily exclaimed as the kids started running around while laughing as their tickle war ensued.
Meanwhile in the Nemesis, Airachnid was getting medical attention while being scolded by Starscream but she just ignored him.
"This is outrageous. Totally outrageous. Not only you let the Autobots leave with their comrade. But you also thought you could do what our dear lord never could." Starscream scolded her sternly as she just rolled her optics.
"Well isn't this, ironic? You, giving me a lecture? Guess you took some experience considering the number of times Megatron often tried to teach you a lesson." Airachnid taunted as Knock Out and Breakdown snickered quietly.
"Hahaha." Knock Out snickered.
"She got you." Breakdown said as Starscream gave them a stern look.
"Silence, you two. Can't you see I'm trying to teach this wretch to respect authority?" He told them as Airachnid continued to push his buttons.
"You really think I would listen to someone like you, Starscream? You're more foolish than I thought." Airachnid said and Starscream gave her a death glare.
"I HAD JUST ABOUT ENOUGH OF YOU!!!" Starscream yelled as Airachnid hissed dangerously.
"Time for you to die." Airachnid hissed but before the two could go at each other's throats, Megatron's voice was heard.
"STAND DOWN, YOU TWO!!!" Megatron roared as he came in accompanied by Soundwave, Dreadwing and Skyquake as he glared at the two.
"But, master, that insubordinate wretched-" Starscream started but stopped when Megatron looked at him with a stern glare.
"Silence. I suggest you keep your mouth shut before I start ripping your voice box with bare hands." Megatron threatened him and Starscream quickly backs down from that.
"All bark and no bite." Knock Out said as Breakdown looked at him with confusion
"Huh?" He asked in confusion.
"A human saying." The Aston Martin Decepticon said as Breakdown nodded.
"My liege, I-" Airachnid started but Megatron cut her off before she could even explain herself.
"You don't need to explain anything, Airachnid. You forget that we see everything." Megatron said as Soundwave starts showing through his visor pictures of Airachnid taking down the bots and on the verge of killing Optimus. Airachnid silently gave Soundwave a glare and vowed to take him out with his stupid minicon.
"So you think that just because I let Optimus Prime live for so long that I am weak?" Megatron questioned her with a sneer.
"No, Lord Megatron-" Airachnid answered but he cut her off again.
"Do not interrupt me. You should know that if I have let Prime live. It's because I deem him a worthy adversary. The only one capable of taking me down. And this is why I don't let anyone try to kill him. So I suggest that the next time you think you can do my bidding. Remember what I'm about to tell you. No one kills Optimus Prime except me and only me. I do hope you don't forget this, Airachnid. It would be a shame for you to die." Megatron said while he let out a low warning growl to be heard in his sentence.
"Yes, Lord Megatron. I do hope you forgive me for what I did. It won't happen again." Airachnid said while keeping her head down.
"Lord Megatron, if... I may. I want to remind you that Airachnid failed her mission to bring back the Autobot. And I believe that a fitting punishment is in order." Starscream said but this only made Dreadwing take out his gatling gun and started to shoot at Starscream.
"AHHHHH!!!" Starscream yells in shock and surprise and quickly ducks but Dreadwing misses his shots on purpose and aims for the wall instead.
"You should learn to hold your tongue, Starscream. Only Lord Megatron can give punishment, you of all people should know that." Dreadwing reminded him as Starscream got back up slowly.
"You're actually wrong, Starscream." Megatron suddenly said and everyone looked at him as if he was crazy.
"I am?" Starscream asked in confusion.
"He is?" Knock Out said with confusion.
"Uh, I'm confused." Breakdown said as he blinked.
"But, my liege. Tailgate is with the Autobots." Starscream reasoned.
"Yes, he is. And that's why the mission was a total success." Megatron said as he wasn't the least bit worried.
"My Lord, I do not comprehend how you think that the fact that this Autobot has returned to his comrades is a success." Dreadwing said as he was confused with everyone.
"It's quite simple, Dreadwing. You see, when Tailgate was caught, we wanted to extract the information he had. But since he didn't remember. We couldn't get anything out of him. But now he holds a very precious piece of information. One that would help us destroy the Autobots." Megatron explained as Knock Out decided to ask what it was.
"And may I ask what that information is?" Knock Out asked curiously as Megatron smirked.
"A very useful one." He said.
Back in Oregon, Tailgate went out for a walk in the forest before he saw a smoke in the sky and decided to go check it. He thought that it was the Decepticons looking for him.
"You see without realizing it. The Autobot have made a mistake by bringing their lost friend with them. And by doing so they created their own downfall." Megatron said.
"My liege. You say that Tailgate has precious information that could be useful to take down the Autobots. But how are we gonna get this information? With the Autobots protecting him, there's no way we can capture Tailgate." Starscream said as Megatron just chuckled.
"Who says he's with the Autobots?" Megatron laughed evilly.
Tailgate starts getting closer to the source of the smoke.
"Knowing how the Autobots played a terrible part in the destruction of Cybertron and without memory of his past, Tailgate couldn't stay with the Autobots. Rather than lose once more, he had chosen to stay out of the war in hopes of one day regaining his full memory. Even though now he can't remember anything. He knows where his comrades are. He knows the location of their base." Megatron explained as they instantly knew what that meant.
Tailgate finds the source of the fire, and it turns out that some humans were making a campfire. Since he couldn't not let them see him, Tailgate had to hide and that's when he saw something that could help him not to attract the attention. He saw that the humans had a vehicle, Tailgate scanned it and started to develop a new vehicle form. He then got away. And when he found a quiet place, he transformed and started testing his new vehicle form happily.
"He may not realize it yet but by keeping his distance from his comrades. Tailgate made a mistake. He is out there all on his own. Without any protection. And sooner or later, we will find him." Megatron said as he planned on capturing Tailgate yet again to get the location of the base of his enemies.