Author's Note: Hello! This is a story featuring a very young Bumblebee and his life's desire that led him to become a scout/warrior in the Autobot ranks. I know there are probably plenty of those already out there but I still wanted to write my own! So please leave me a nice review! No flames please. Only constructive criticism.

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers they belong to Hasbro. The only characters that are mine are Bumblebee's parents unless they exist in a different Hasbro fandom in which case I don't own them either.

CHAPTER 1

A loud explosion thundered in the night, jolting a tiny youngling awake. Pounding feet and anxiously whispered words that he couldn't quite decipher beyond the closed door reached his young audios. This room served as his sleeping quarters, shared by his two loving roommates. It was a place where his little spark had always remained nestled in warmth and safety. Two adult Cybertronians entered. One of them was a beautiful, slender, aqua blue and yellow femme and the other a strong, gray and yellow- framed, serious looking mech.

Bumblebee chirped at the sight of his progenitors. He had just barely graduated from sparkling to youngling status only a very short time ago. He was an extremely small creature with sensitive senses and still retained a very fragile body. His little yellow frame shook ever so slightly as the 'booming' sounds beyond their neighborhood began to intensify. He was terrified…

His mother scooped him up from the recharge berth and held him, his small body engulfed within her loving arms. She whispered words of comfort as Bumblebee watched his father load a glowing blue clip of ammo into an assault rifle as the explosions steadily grew louder. Since the war began months ago, it was necessary for civilians to take precautionary measures. Beyond in the distance, flashes of light could be seen through the tinted glass window of the room as the tell-tale signs of exchanging gunfire lit up the night.

"Thunderbolt, we need to leave now," the shaky voice of his mother stated grimly as her spark thrummed with the maternal instinct to protect her child from the growing threat.

"No. With the fighting already so close they will only run us down. Take Bumblebee downstairs and lock yourselves in the bunker. Here, Brightflame. Take this, just in case," he commanded firmly as he handed his spark-mate the small blaster pistol.

The mech leaned down and tenderly kissed the top of Bumblebee's yellow helm eliciting a soft click from the little one, sparkling speech he had yet to fully outgrow. His father kissed his mother and then his father ran a gentle finger against Bumblebee's cheek plate in soft affection. Little Bee reached out and grabbed his large finger with tiny, grasping digits and hugged it against his tiny chest.

"Don't go!" he squeaked as he turned watery blue optics up at him.

"I have to son. Stay with your mother until I return."

With those final parting words, Thunderbolt gently broke free of Bumblebee's grasp and ran out of the door with all haste. He took up a defensive post and aimed his assault rifle at the front door, knowing that the enemy forces would undoubtedly come sweeping through to ransack the place. Thunderbolt was more than ready to lay down his life in the defense of his family. He prayed to Primus that his wife and child remain undiscovered as the battle steadily grew closer. Propaganda had recently streamed through news vids as both Autobot and Decepticon alike attempted to recruit new warriors to their opposing causes. He never imagined the war would spread this far so quickly. Soon the war was raging on his front porch. It sounded more like a massacre than a battle. Thunderbolt wondered if there was only one faction sweeping through their neighborhood. He heard the screams of other civilians out in the streets that were quickly silenced from a maelstrom of blaster fire and grenades that shook the very ground. He also heard the rally cries of the invaders, the shouting, and the screams of the injured or dying. Thunderbolt kept his three additional clips of ammo next to him and upturned a table to crouch behind as added protection. The enemy would have no choice but to kick the door down and once they did, Thunderbolt would gladly greet them with a friendly hail of bullets in heartfelt welcome.

-Meanwhile-

Brightflame ran with Bumblebee snuggled against her chassis downstairs to their underground emergency hideout that was carefully concealed beneath their entertainment center. She triggered a hidden lever and the entertainment center slid sideways to reveal stairs. The moment her feet landed on the very first step, small circular dots of light illuminated the stairway and marked the path below. This emergency safe-house was stockpiled with energon rations and medical supplies that could last them a few solar cycles.

Brightflame really wished her husband had joined them downstairs but he was stubborn and refused. Thunderbolt insisted that it was his duty to protect them from the invading forces. He used to be a guard at the Iacon hall of records years before he met her, so he had learned basic fighting skills and had become a decent marksman. He was currently a civilian construction worker. He switched careers once his guard duty robbed him too much time away from his loved ones. Thunderbolt never regretted leaving his former job once he settled down with his family. All they wanted to do was live in peace. Sadly it looked like their miniscule measure of peace would be cruelly robbed from them.

-Upstairs-

Thunderbolt remained steadfast when he heard enemy soldiers slowly begin to break down the door. He knew they were Decepticons. News reached his audios days before concerning their ruthless and bloodthirsty nature. They had no qualms killing anyone who got in their way. Not even sparklings and younglings were safe. Age no longer mattered in this newfound, hellish war of theirs. Thunderbolt and Brightflame chose to remain neutral. While they were no friends of the Decepticons, they still wanted no part in the war regardless if the Autobot cause was just.

Now it looked like Thunderbolt was forced to choose a side as the door was violently kicked down. He highly doubted Autobots were sparkless enough to ransack housing units so he wasted no time in showering his newly arrived guests with a hail of bullets and smirked with satisfaction when shocked and pained-filled cries reached his audios. Apparently they weren't expecting any sort of resistance. Well, they were in for a rude awakening. The enemy troops that had been mowed down and had fallen within the doorway now blocked the entrance temporarily slowing the advance. It didn't take long for his first clip to empty and he deftly hit the release button on the handle. Before the empty clip could hit the ground, a new one was already locked and loaded and the muzzle of the weapon lit up the gloomy shadows of the room in blazing glory once again. Soon he had to retreat further into his home as what appeared to be endless waves of Decepticons stormed the place. One of their blaster bolts painfully struck his left shoulder but he refused to surrender.

Thunderbolt cursed once he had finally run completely out of ammo. He successfully decimated what appeared to be two squadrons of Decepticon troops so far. Twelve bodies littered the inside of his house, doorway, and porch. He did not take any pleasure in taking lives but knew it had been a necessary self-defense. His spark thrummed with fear when he was completely surrounded within the confines of his living room. He stood in a fighting stance ready to resume the fight in hand-to-hand combat, which was rather foolish since it was universal what became of an unarmed soul against a heavily armed one. All of the enemy soldiers clicked their weapons on automatic and the defeated mech prepared to meet his Maker. To Thunderbolt's confusion, none of them fired their weapons. That's when he heard large, slow, clanking footsteps enter his home. The troops straightened to attention and saluted once they caught sight of their fearless leader.

Thunderbolt widened his optics at the strange mech. He was large in size and was a solid metallic silver and had spiked armor. The enemy leader looked like a demon from the pit as he locked burning red optics on him. The fearsome mech surveyed his surroundings, took in the carnage, and then released a very harsh, grating laugh as he began to clap.

"Well done! Well done. What is your name, champion?"

"Thunderbolt. Who's asking?"

"My name is Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. I must say you have impressed me today! Out of this entire district you were the only spark willing enough to fight! The rest of your whimpering, cowardly, neutral race have submissively bowed before me."

"They were slaughtered, you mean," Thunderbolt scowled with disdain.

"Only those foolish enough to challenge me personally. The others with some common sense have wisely chosen to follow my leadership. I'm taking new management of this sector. What of you? I see you wear no Autobot insignia. Why were you desperate enough to offer us resistance?" Megatron narrowed optics suspiciously.

"I have the right to protect my home from intruders such as yourselves."

"Ah. I see. Do you live here alone?"

Thunderbolt didn't waste time hesitating in his reply. His family's lives were at stake.

"Yes."

"I don't believe you," Megatron sneered at him. The Decepticon leader made a twirling hand gesture, signaling his troops to subdue Thunderbolt and to search the housing unit for any other survivors. The Decepticons spread out and began to tear apart his family's home.

"I swear to you, there is no one else here! You are wasting your time in this futile search."

"If you are truly alone, then a search of the premises should be of no concern to you. Unless you are hiding something from me?"

Thunderbolt shook his head in the negative.

"No."

"Good."

At long last one of the Decepticon troops stood before Megatron with a salute and reported.

"My lord, we found evidence that at least two others dwelt here."

Thunderbolt's optics widened when the Decepticon in question handed Megatron two very vital items that should have been kept hidden. There was a holo-picture of himself with his spark-mate and his infant son's soft, yellow blanket.

"You thought you could deceive me?" Megatron chuckled darkly as his fiery red optics burned holes through his captive's golden ones.

Thunderbolt remained silent and turned his head away in shame.

"You would make a fine Decepticon Thunderbolt. I appeal to you. Join our cause and your family…wherever they are currently hiding…may live in peace. Refuse and all of you shall die. Starting with the little one once I find them…" Megatron grinned darkly as he ripped Bumblebee's soft yellow blanket in half as a silent warning.

"You say you will allow my family to live in peace and yet you threaten their very lives! Why should I trust you?"

"Because Thunderbolt…I know where they are hiding…" Megatron's optics scanned the room ominously.

Thunderbolt hoped to Primus that the evil Decepticon leader was bluffing.

"I told you! They aren't here!"

"Oh really? Then why do you continue to anxiously persist that you are alone?"

"Because I AM!"

Megatron growled as he stalked forward. He grabbed Thunderbolt's neck with a sharply clawed hand, lifted him up in the air with amazing strength, and began to choke him. Thunderbolt's neck struts slowly bent in and a vital energon line was squeezed cutting off the vital blood flow that was meant to pump into his processor, making him dizzy.

"Do not take me for a fool! Now listen carefully. The decision is very simple. Join me. Or they die."

"Your threats… do not… sway me!" Thunderbolt managed to choke out as he grasped at Megatron's hand around his throat. He felt confident enough to say those words since his family's whereabouts continued to elude them.

"We shall see," Megatron released him. He looked at a nearby Decepticon and gave the order.

"Evacuate the premises and return to the streets!"

The Decepticons marched out, obeying his command. They left their dead where they lay lifeless on the floor and hauled a protesting Thunderbolt out as well. Once they were clear of the dwelling Megatron was handed a deadly object.

"Let's see if you were telling the truth, Thunderbolt. Let's see if your wife and child are willing to come out to greet us…"

Without any hesitation, Megatron threw a large grenade through the shattered door where it bounced and rolled before coming to a complete stop just a few feet shy of the entertainment center. Thunderbolt gaped with optics widened in complete horror when the grenade exploded. He couldn't stop the traitorous words from slipping past his lip components and outstretched a hand as he struggled against the two Decepticon warriors holding him back.

"NO! BRIGHTFLAME!"

-Down in the emergency bunker—

Brightflame cradled Bumblebee to her chassis and locked them both in the safe-house. Though muffled, they could still hear faint traces of what was occurring upstairs. They heard the blaster fire and screams, the thudding of wounded or lifeless bodies, the pounding of multiple footsteps and the crashing sounds of things being smashed and thrown around. Bumblebee whimpered softly although his mother sought to soothe her distressed child.

"Shhh…its' okay dearest one. Your daddy is going to be fine. We just have to be very quiet. Can you do that for mommy?"

Bumblebee softly clicked and chirped in response. He snuggled further into his mother's embrace and buried his face against her chassis. He pressed an audio against her chest plating and listened to her spark beating. It brought him a miniscule measure of comfort and did help to soothe some of his fears. He was distressed however when he felt the bond with his father disappear. Bumblebee was confused and couldn't understand. He looked up at his mother's face who was now glancing down at him.

"It's okay. We just can't feel daddy because he doesn't want us to be scared."

Brightflame knew that her husband bond-blocked them for a reason. Chances were, he was being interrogated if the current silence was anything to go by.

"We just need to keep being quiet."

The tiny youngling nodded in understanding and curled up again. His mother rubbed his back panels with a soothing touch. His internal systems revved with content and he soon found himself drifting into recharge. His blissful rest was shattered minutes later when a loud explosion shook their home, causing debris to begin raining down on them as their unit began to cave in and collapse on itself.

Both mother and son screamed.

Brightflame wasted no time in shielding her only child from the falling wreckage. She opened up the storage vault that was built out of reinforced cortonium, one of the strongest alloys on the planet, and shoved her youngling inside.

"No matter what happens, no matter what you hear…you STAY IN HERE!" His mother cried as she moved to lock her son inside.

The last thing little Bumblebee saw of his mother as she tried to close the door, was the rest of the ceiling caving in on her.

-Outside—

Thunderbolt sagged to his knees with a scream and wept as he felt his wife's spark extinguish. He could faintly feel his son and was happy to know that he was still alive but there was no way in the pit he was going to share that information with his current captors. It was best he make them believe they had succeeded in killing both his wife and little Bumblebee.

"…Primus no…you…you killed them…why?" Thunderbolt brought his hands to his face as he openly wept.

Megatron was greatly disgusted by his whimpering. Love, compassion, and mercy were weaknesses in his eyes.

"Now that your family is dead and you have fewer distractions, perhaps it will be easier for you to make the right choice. Join me now…or you too shall meet an even worse demise."

Thunderbolt rose back up to his feet and nodded in what appeared to be silent resignation as his shoulders sagged.

"You win…I'll follow you," Thunderbolt stared at him with dull optics in heartbroken defeat.

The leader of the Decepticons seemed to buy it. Megatron turned his back on him and began to walk away, silently signaling his troops to follow him with a simple hand gesture.

"But I will follow you on one condition…"

"Oh, and what pray tell could that be?" the leader of the Decepticons questioned as he turned around to face the bold spirited mech. Suddenly without warning Thunderbolt's entire demeanor changed and his face contorted into one of rage.

"I'LL FOLLOW YOU INTO THE ALLSPARK!" Thunderbolt bellowed with a righteous fury.

With a furious roar Thunderbolt elbowed the Decepticon in the face to his right that was holding him and turned to punch the other in the face. He over-powered a third and grabbed his rifle and shot in Megatron's direction. The towering behemoth smirked when the stray shots intended for him wildly missed. His smirk turned into a dark grin as his troops subdued Thunderbolt again but not after the defiant mech had killed two more of his warriors.

"You truly do have a fighting spirit, just like me. You don't give up easily. Your little act of vengeance however, was a valiant effort on your part Thunderbolt but it was in vain. I suppose your real answer is 'No' then…am I right?" Megatron questioned with a dark chuckle as he slowly stalked closer to him.

"I'm nothing like you…and I will never be a Decepticon. That's a promise."

Thunderbolt saw his death approaching but wasn't going to beg for mercy no matter what the monster was about to do to him.

"It is almost going to be a shame to have to kill you Thunderbolt. You would have made a fine warrior. Sadly for you, that day will never come."

Megatron's sword slid out of his wrist as he stood before the doomed mech.

"Any last words before I end you?"

"My family…will be avenged."

"I'm afraid not. For there is no one here to avenge them for you," with those words Megatron thrust his sword through Thunderbolt's chassis and pierced his spark chamber without any warning. He yanked his sword out and the troops that were currently holding Thunderbolt's arms let him go. He fell to his knees with an anguished scream and brought a shaky hand up to his chest and looked down to see energon running out of the wound. His spark flickered dangerously as it slowly began to extinguish. Thunderbolt collapsed to the ground, seemingly lifeless. Megatron, having been satisfied that he dealt the killing blow turned to leave but stopped cold when a powerful voice rang out just behind him.

"MEGATRON! STOP!"

Megatron turned and snarled at the one who dared to challenge him.

"OPTIMUS!" the Decepticon leader hissed with fury.

A large platoon of Autobots stood behind Optimus and a few Autobot snipers were positioned on the rooftops of some of the crumbling buildings. They had the Decepticons surrounded much to Megtron's surprise. None of them had seen it coming for they were too preoccupied dealing with the defiant Thunderbolt. The Decepticon leader growled and felt his hate beginning to build as the gravity of his situation began to weigh heavily down upon him. This was supposed to be a grand victory in the name of the Decepticon cause! He conquered this sector single-handedly and really didn't want to forfeit this newfound, hard-earned Decepticon controlled area. If only he could get his clawed hands around Optimus Prime's wretched throat…

"Surrender Megatron…you are outnumbered."

The Decepticon leader hated to admit it but he was. Optimus Prime's force was triple the size of his own currently since that blasted Thunderbolt killed fourteen of his warriors. He wasn't about to let that stop him though…

"That matters not. I shall rid the universe of your wretched kind soon enough, with or without a legion of troops!"

"There are four Autobot snipers on the rooftops. Their sights are currently locked on your spark chamber. And Megatron…their aim is astronomically precise…" Optimus narrowed his optics as he growled through his battle mask.

"I own this sector Optimus Prime. If you want it, you'll have to fight for it!"

Megatron rolled clear out of the snipers' line of sight and ordered his troops to target the Autobot soldiers on the roof and then ordered them to move forward in an onward assault. The fighting didn't last very long and soon Megatron admitted defeat.

"You may have won today but I promise you…this district will be mine once again in due time. Until we meet again!"

Megatron and his last few Decepticons hastily retreated soon crossing the planetary border that separated their territory from the Autobots. Prowl, the Autobot tactician, went and stood beside his leader.

"Optimus, shouldn't we follow them? This could be our one and only chance to defeat Megatron once and for all!"

"No. We have more important matters to contend with."

Now that the Decepticons were completely gone, the caring troops began to search the neighborhood for any survivors.

Optimus surveyed the carnage with sad optics.

"We were too late. If only we had gotten here sooner…these people would have been saved."

An elder Autobot came to stand beside the Prime and replied in a soft, compassionate voice.

"No one could have foreseen this Optimus. We won't be able to win every battle…but it is still possible we can win the war. It isn't over yet."

"I don't disagree Ratchet…but I cannot condone the loss of a single innocent life. A life that could have been saved."

"Sir, over here!"

A young Autobot soldier shouted to get their attention.

"I found one!"

The two mechs ran over to get a better look at the survivor. Optimus prayed that the injured victim wasn't too substantially damaged. His hopes were shattered when he saw the gaping hole and a dangerously dim spark flickering within the mortally wounded chassis of a gray and yellow mech. The neutral mech's yellow optics flickered as he struggled to stay online. Optimus was baffled. He witnessed Megatron's cruel murderous act from far away and believed the mech to currently be dead. His snipers got there far sooner than the rest of his platoon but Optimus ordered his soldiers to stand down until he arrived on the scene personally in the event there were any other innocent civilians in the vicinity. He didn't want them getting caught in a crossfire.

The empathetic Autobot leader could tell that there was something vital that this mech needed to tell them.

Thunderbolt shakily and very weakly reached a hand up and grabbed the forearm of a kneeling Optimus.

"My…my son…lives."

This news startled Optimus and he felt his spark skip a beat. So there was potentially another survivor…it had to be a miracle after what this last short battle did to the landscape around them.

"Your son, where is he?" Optimus wanted to give the dying mech the benefit of the doubt. It was true that some parents when faced with the death of a child became delirious with denial and merely imagined that a spark bond still existed with the deceased.

The dying mech weakly pointed at a crumbling housing unit somewhere behind the Autobot leader.

"Autobots, clear that wreckage!" Optimus commanded firmly. He looked down at the slowly fading mech and gently grasped his hand with his own. The amount of terminated Decepticon warriors littering the area between the dying mech and the shattered remains of what Optimus assumed had to be his home, suggested that he had fought against the Decepticons.

"What is your name?"

"Thunderbolt."

"You fought bravely. Your son will be proud, soldier."

Bumblebee's father smiled weakly and for the first time since the war began…he did not protest the title that the Autobot leader granted him. It was strange. Now that he was passing into the next realm he could finally see the Autobots for what they truly were. They were freedom fighters. Protectors. Defenders. To Thunderbolt…he could clearly see that they also fought for love, compassion, and mercy. The Autobots…were heroes. He had one last dying wish but he had to rest optics on his tiny youngling one last time before he could request it.

Optimus remained at Thunderbolt's side while his Autobots continued to clear away the rubble. He could only hope that the dying mech's son was still alive…

-Underground—

A tiny youngling sobbed piteously within the small space he had beneath the rubble of the building. His body had been sheltered within the confines of the vault but some of the rubble had blocked the entrance, trapping him inside. It gave him a scary, claustrophobic feeling.

Bumblebee's spark felt like it had been ripped to shreds once he felt the death of his mother. She told him to be quiet no matter what but he was too frightened…especially after hearing that last battle. He stiffened and went still when he heard movement somewhere above him. Someone was digging. He was also afraid…his bond with his father was fading and was on the verge of snapping completely. Uncaring of the future consequences of his actions, he opened up his vocal capacitor and screamed shrilly while hot, energon tears continued to leak down his face. He curled up into a small ball and shivered. His young processor, still developing from sparkling to youngling, could hardly understand the horror that had just happened.

-Above ground—

"I heard something! I think there is another survivor down there!" one of the Autobots shouted as the wreckage was continually cleared away. Soon they looked down into a hole of sorts and could see a slightly dented storage vault of some kind. The loud wailing was coming from the object in question.

"BUMBLEBEE! MY SON!" Thunderbolt cried loudly with a strength he didn't know he still possessed in such a weakened state and attempted to sit up but Optimus kept him down with a gentle hand.

"My soldiers will rescue your son Thunderbolt, have no fear."

One of the young soldiers was able to slide down an incline and crawled through some of the wreckage while the other Autobots supported the remains of the continuously deteriorating structure to prevent another cave in while their friend was down there.

Soon the young Autobot soldier got down on hands and knees and was able to peer into the still standing metal structure where the cries had emanated from after removing the debris that blocked it. There curled up inside the vault was a very tiny, yellow plated youngling. The little one was sobbing with high pitched squeaks. He screamed shrilly when he spotted the strange mech peering in at him. He cried harder and tried to burrow his way further into the vault but there was nowhere left to go.

"Hey, little guy! My name is Jazz…it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt'cha," the strange mech smiled with genuine warmth.

The tiny, terrified youngling's screaming quieted down into spark-breaking sobs. He remained curled up in the back of the vault and eyed the stranger suspiciously.

"I promise I'm not gonna hurt ya, little guy! Why don't you come out with me? This place is very dangerous and might trap us both down here if we stay."

The tiny little one shook his head in the negative and remained where he was. He felt safe in the vault and everything else outside of it was dangerous and scary. How could he trust this stranger?

"What's your name?"

The terrified child remained silent for what felt like a long, agonizing moment but answered in a squeaky voice.

"Bee."

"Your daddy wants me to rescue you. Don't you want to see him again?"

At the thought of seeing his father again the little one perked up instantly and nodded with wide eyes. Jazz reached out a hand for the child to take. Bumblebee didn't trust him but he felt his daddy in his spark. His father was still alive so maybe this strange mech named Jazz really was a good guy. Once his tiny hand touched Jazz's larger palm, the Autobot wasted no time in quickly scooping the little one out. Jazz held a hand over the child's optics so that he was unable to see the image of his deceased mother half-buried in the large chunks of architecture. Bee whimpered softly. This was the first time he'd ever been held in the arms of a stranger. It was a little frightening. He yearned for his mother to hold him instead. He was still so young he didn't understand that his mother wasn't coming back. His spark still hurt tremendously from the broken bond and the pain brought fresh waves of tears to his optics. Jazz held the tiny youngling protectively against his chest as he quickly climbed up out of the hole. As soon as they made it out, the remainder of the home crumbled in, burying the basement and the vault within it.

The Autobots cheered at the successful rescue.

Ratchet, Prowl, and Optimus stood near Thunderbolt. He had mere minutes of life left. The CMO covered Thunderbolt's chest with a tarp to hide the damage done to him. There was no need to introduce the infant to more trauma. Bumblebee cried and squirmed to get down when he spotted his father laying on the ground. Jazz set him down right next to Thunderbolt and watched the exchange with sad optics.

Bumblebee was so overcome with a maelstrom of emotions that he was reduced to sparkling speech and clicked, chirped, and whirred as he was tenderly scooped up and held in the arms of his father. The tiny youngling could immediately tell that something was wrong with his daddy when his proginator didn't hold him to his chassis like he usually did.

"You hurt?" he squeaked while reaching out to touch his father's cheek plate with worry.

"Yes, my son. Daddy…argh…has to go now."

"Go where?" Bee's vents began to work overtime as he displayed signs of another crying episode. He was beyond frightened now. His father was the last of his family and the thought of him going away was unbearable.

"See these good people around us?"

The yellow youngling nodded.

"They…will take care of you… while I'm gone."

"Don't go!"

Bumblebee snuggled against his father and latched on. His father couldn't leave him! He just couldn't! He needed him!

"I have too."

"Why?" Bee's voice wavered as his lower lip began to tremble. The unshed tears in his optics began to fall again.

"Cause daddy got hurt by the bad people. But…these good people…are going to take care of you. Promise daddy that you will be good for them while I'm gone…"

"I promise…" Bee hiccupped as he wrapped his tiny hand around one of his father's large fingers.

"Good-bye, my son. Always remember…that mommy and daddy love you…"

Thunderbolt looked up with flickering optics to give a subtle nod to the one who rescued his son.

Jazz took the cue to gently remove the youngling from his father's side. The moment he was pulled away he released audio shattering shrieks and wails. He kicked and squirmed, trying to get loose. Once Bumblebee was out of sight Thunderbolt locked optics with Optimus Prime's azure ones and made his dying wish.

"P-please…take g-good care…of him. K-keep him safe…" Thunderbolt's vents wheezed as he struggled to get the words out.

Optimus Prime nodded his head. Thunderbolt made his intentions known during Bumblebee's rescue. The leader of the Autobots swore to the dying mech that he would care for his son personally. Optimus remained at his side until the end.

Bumblebee's audio piercing shriek broke the silence when he felt the bond with his father sever and heaved his overworked vents as his sobs turned into pained croons now that his energy levels were nearly depleted. The poor little thing had practically shorted out his vocal capacitor with all of that screaming. Optimus walked over and gently took the little one into his massive arms and rocked the distraught youngling. He gently massaged the child's cranial unit with loving fingers. He spoke calming, compassionate words and wanted more than anything to ease the tiny youngling's pain. It broke his spark to see one as small as him to suffer so terribly.

"Shh…there, there now. It's going to be alright. I'm going to take care of you like your daddy said. You are safe now," Optimus's comforting, baritone voice rumbled.

Bumblebee was reduced to soft clicks as his optics dimmed tiredly. He snuggled further into his new caretaker's warm chassis and when his audios heard the powerful thrumming of the Autobot leader's spark…he immediately felt safe again.

"Recharge, little one."

With one last, tiny click…Bumblebee was deep in recharge as his overworked body shut down into a much needed rest as the last of his energy drained away.

While Optimus had been comforting and coaxing the distressed youngling into recharge, his Autobots finished burying Bumblebee's parents. They then stood reverently in a quiet circle and held a small memorial for the child's deceased parents as well as the other 1,234 innocent lives that had also been lost in Bumblebee's district alone. Once they were finished they turned their backs on the tragic scene and began their long trek home…

TO BE CONTINUED!

Author's Note: Like it, love it, hate it? Click that review button and let me know!