Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: Prime or any of the characters in the show.

Bumblebee dodged another blast before taking cover behind a rock next to Arcee. The two of them were attempting to get the latest unearthed relic from the Decepticons before they had a chance to use it. But it seemed that the 'Cons weren't going to make this easy for them, which most likely had something to do with the fact that Megatron was there.

"Do you know what that relic does 'Cee?" He questioned.

"No idea, just try not to get hit by it."

"Okay."

Glancing at the rocks around them the scout remembered how he had used the dust and dirt from them to trick Airachnid once. Maybe he could do something similar to give him enough cover to snatch the relic. Quickly he shot at all of the rocks, stirring up a large cloud of dust as a cover before sneaking out to try to get the relic before the 'Cons could leave. Bumblebee thought he was doing a good job when he suddenly felt himself get blasted in the chest. He let out a pained yelp as he felt the pain from the hit spread over his entire body.

Scrap, Arcee thought when she heard Bumblebee's pained yelp and she started to search for him.

By the time all of the dust had settled, the Decepticons were gone and she finally was able to spot Bumblebee. She rushed over to him and let out a gasp when she got a good look at him.

"Oh no… I need to get you to Ratchet."

"How did this happen?" Ratchet asked glancing over at Arcee before returning his attention to Bumblebee.

"I don't know. We were trying to get a relic from the 'Cons and I guess 'Bee got hit by it, and then that happened," the cobalt blue femme gestured towards the scout who now appeared to be the size of a sparkling. "Is he actually –?

"Is he actually a sparkling? Physically he appears to be that way, mentally is another thing entirely."

"What do you mean?"

"Well look at him. Is he behaving like a sparkling normally would behave?"

Arcee looked at Bumblebee to see that he was sitting with his arms crossed with a grumpy look on his face. He was purposely trying to avoid looking at her and Ratchet. Normally a sparkling would be vying for attention, not outright avoiding it. The fact that Bumblebee was avoiding attention could be an indicator that his still had the mind of his normal youngling self. That was both a good thing and a bad thing. It was good because that meant that Bumblebee understood everything that was going on around him and they wouldn't have to explain everything to him, but It was bad because that meant Bumblebee knew that there was no way that he was ever going to be able to help fight the 'Cons until he was back to normal. And when Bumblebee thought he was useless, they never heard the end of it.

"So he's just stuck in a sparkling body then?"

"Essentially it appears that way, but there is a chance that whatever caused his body to revert back to a sparkling state just has not affected his mind yet."

Now that grabbed Bumblebee's attention. The newly turned sparkling looked at the medic with a mortified expression on his face while he rapidly shook his head no. It was clear that he was terrified at the prospect of that happening to him.

"Can you turn him back to normal?" Arcee asked the question that Bumblebee himself desperately wanted to know the answer to.

"I'm not sure. If I had the relic that turned him into a sparkling, then perhaps I could. Without it, I'm not sure, but I'll see what I can do," Ratchet replied before picking up Bumblebee, who immediately protested. "Until Optimus gets back from patrol and I can explain this to him, you're going to watch him."

"What! Why me?" Arcee asked as she was handed the sparkling.

"Haven't you said before that he's like a little brother to you?"

"Well yeah, but…"

"No buts, be a good sister then and keep him busy while I try to figure out a way to turn him back to normal."

Arcee looked at the sparkling that was sitting on her berth. She was at a complete loss at what to do with him. It had been a while since she had helped take care of a sparkling and she was unsure what to do with Bumblebee now. She remembered that sparklings liked to be held and that they recharged a lot. Maybe she could figure out a way to get Bumblebee to recharge for a little while? Deciding to give it a try, she carefully picked up the tiny yellow sparkling and held him close to her chest. Instantly Bumblebee looked up at her with a glare, which came off as more adorable than threatening.

"Sorry 'Bee, but that doesn't work very well as a sparkling. You're just too cute to be threatening now," Arcee shook her head. "I don't know what your problem is. You like hugs, just think of this as a hug and recharge."

Bumblebee continued glaring at Arcee even though he knew it wasn't going to faze her. He wished he could communicate the fact that he didn't want to be treated like a sparkling to her better, but unfortunately it seemed he couldn't even use his beeps anymore. He had tried earlier and all that had come out were little sparkling chirps and clicks, which annoyed him to no end. Now he couldn't talk or do anything. And the fact that Ratchet had said there was still a chance that his mind could revert back to a sparkling state as well only made matters worse. He didn't want to go back to being a sparkling. Everyone would be stuck protecting him nonstop then and he didn't want to become a burden for them. He let out a small sigh and snuggled closer to Arcee. He had to admit that this was pretty comfortable. Soon he found his mind becoming fuzzy on what had been bothering him and before he knew it he was drifting off into recharge.

Optimus Prime mulled over the information that his medic had just given him. He had not realized that there was a relic that had the capabilities to revert one back to a sparkling state. And the fact that that was what had happened to his youngest soldier and scout made the news more troubling. They would have to make sure that there was no way for the Decepticons or MECH to get ahold of the sparkling. To ensure that he remained safe, someone was going to have to become Bumblebee's guardian.

"Bumblebee will require a guardian for the time being," he stated to Ratchet.

"I agree, but who will be his guardian?" When Optimus remained silent, Ratchet had an idea of who the Autobot leader had in mind. "Optimus you aren't honestly considering being his guardian are you?"

"The others are already the guardians of Jack and Miko. It would be too burdensome to have one of them be the guardian of one of the humans and Bumblebee, and still expect them to be able to go out and fight."

"Optimus you are our leader. You don't have time to watch over a sparkling, especially in the case of Bumblebee where we don't even know what the full extent of his transformation into this sparkling state will be yet!"

"I am aware of that Ratchet."

"And you've never taken care of a sparkling before. Even if Bumblebee's mind doesn't revert back to a sparkling state, which I'm becoming doubtful that it won't, he will still be unable to take care of himself."

"I know. But the others are busy and we need you to focus on finding a way to turn Bumblebee back to normal. I believe I can handle him until then."

It was then that Arcee walked into the room, holding a still recharging sparkling. Bumblebee's head was resting against the femme's chest and one of his hands was clutching one of her fingers. He looked very peaceful in recharge, and even Arcee had a small smile on her face from where she was holding him.

"I have to go pick up Jack from school now and I can't take 'Bee with me," Arcee said handing Bumblebee to Ratchet.

"I needed to do some more scans on him anyway," Ratchet said as the femme drove out of the base.

The medic gently placed the sparkling down on his medical berth before pulling out a scanner and scanning his small body. Concentrating on Bumblebee's head, Ratchet let out a small sigh as his scans showed that his previous speculations of Bumblebee's mind reverting back to a sparkling state were proving to be true. At the current rate, Bumblebee would be fully back to a sparkling state in a matter of days at the most, hours at the least. He was going to have to come up with a way to turn him back soon, or Bumblebee was going to be reliving his sparklinghood.

"You really think you can handle him?" Ratchet asked Optimus one last time.

"Yes, Ratchet, I believe I can."

"Alright then," Ratchet handed the leader the sparkling. "He should remain in recharge for a little while longer. Good luck. He may not want to misbehave, but he's not going to be able to help it. He's constantly going to be slipping further into a sparkling mentality."

"I understand."

Optimus looked down at the sparkling recharging in his arms. He was commander of an army and had been in countless battles, how hard could watching over one sparkling be?