Jasper Rain ((TFP ULTRA MAGNUS X OC))

15

The remainder of that day trudged on with no incidences, and no sign of Ultra Magnus.

Molly had retreated to her room soon after breakfast whilst her mother paced the foyer, eyes flickering to the front door and down to her wrist watch every few minutes; oblivious to her sparkling sitting at the top of the stairs, staring at her through the guardrail. Ailani's stress was like a wave, crashing into Molly like a tsunami. Whenever her mother looked to the door, so would she, and with every glance to her watch, Molly would glance at the visible Tinkerbell wall clock in her room a few feet away. She wanted to know what the fuss was about so desperately, but knew that Ailani would be the last person to tell her anything.

All she knew was that the focal point of her mother's stress was her, and that it made her sick to her stomach.

By the time five o'clock rolled around, Ailani sighed in defeat and made way toward the kitchen, and once her mother was clear of the foyer, Molly sped down the stairs to follow her.

She peeked her head around the corner of the entryway, watching wordlessly as Ailani opened the fridge; likely trying to decide what to make Molly for dinner. Molly wondered if Ailani would eat as well, taking that her mother had neglected to make anything for herself that day. It was unusual, and another thing they fueled Molly's worry.

Where was Magnus when you needed him, she wondered?

She knew that her father would tell her anything she wanted to know with enough needling. She had convinced him to confess to being her father, after all, there wasn't much else she couldn't get him to tell her. Molly wondered why her mother was so high strung in terms of telling Molly exactly what she is, and why they're related to giant alien robots. There wasn't much that could put off Molly at this point, taking they she was raised by a mech. She was no stranger to the oddities that the Autobots were in her life, and she found it unfair that her mother continued to treat her as if she was a normal human girl. She wasn't, and she wondered if Ailani knew that.

Dinner that night was spent silently, and as soon as Molly was finished, Ailani instructed her to head upstairs and get ready for bed. She did as her mother told her, of course, yet again paused at the top of the stairs as Ailani looked out of the peephole on the front door.

"Mama," Molly called, prompting Ailani to glance up at her. "Are you okay?"

Ailani sent her a drained smile. "Yeah, Mol, I'm fine."

"Why do you keep looking outside?"

"To make sure no ones out there."

"Why's that matter?"

Finally, Ailani sighed, allowing the hand that sat on the door to slide off as she approached the staircase. She climbed the steps and gestured that Molly follow her to her bedroom, and Molly did as she was told without complaint as her mother sat on the edge of her twin size bed.

Molly climbed into Ailani's lap and looked up to her as she wrapped her arms loosely around her, noting the faraway look in her eyes as Ailani again let out a breath.

"There's a lot I should have told you from the beginning, huh, Bugs?"

Molly only nodded in agreement, a conflicted frown crossing her face.

"There's a bad man out there, Molly," Ailani started, her lax grip on her daughter tightening. "And he's looking to do bad things to the both of us. I've been staying at work late to try and find him and his Decepticon allies, but we haven't had much luck."

"Is that why you keep walking around in the hall?" Molly guessed and Ailani nodded.

"We thought there was only two of them at first," she continued as Molly rested her cheek on Ailani's chest. "But I was called out yesterday to find out that there were three after all. Maybe even more then that."