Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, all rights to belong to their respective owners. Anything you recognise belongs to them, anything you don't belongs to me.

Story Summary:

Placing the kid onto a clear desk. Emily pondered just how to approach the situation. Did she need a hazmat suit? A gasmask? In all honesty, she had never smelt anything as vile as the stench the cute little blonde kid was currently emitting. Lennox owed her big for this.

So, this was gonna be a one shot, but I was inspired to write more. It's not to be taken seriously it's just something that wouldn't go away. Please read, review. Many thanks.

Holding the baby.

The cats nestle close to their kittens,

The lambs have laid down with the sheep.

You're cosy and warm in your bed, my dear,

Please go the fuck to sleep.

- Adam Mansbach. Go the Fuck to Sleep.

It was 10:00 pm on a Thursday night.

10pm on a Thursday night in which Emily found herself in her office smack dab in the middle of a staring contest with a two-year-old. She should have been at home in bed sleeping. Instead she stuck in the confined space that she called her office, babysitting and finding it increasingly hard to just not start crying herself.

The small space of her office had never bothered her up until now. No what bothered her was being stuck in a small space with the demon child from hell. For, Annabelle Lennox in Emily Quinn's humble opinion was the devil incarnate. She had to be. There was no other logical explanation for it.

After cleaning up the potential hazmat suit situation earlier on. She had witnessed a temper tantrum from hell that had damn near blown her ear drum after her failed attempt to coax the devil spawn to sleep by relocating to her office. This was after spending near on an hour of chasing said two-year-old around the hangar, a two-year-old who just couldn't sit still and appeared to be intent on career of either escaping, espionage or just plain old hiding.

Emily had somehow succeeded in thwarting all of Annabelle's attempts to hide. Something Annabelle was most displeased by.

Honestly the kid had sounded as though she was being murdered if that horrendous wailing had been anything to go by. Emily had been quite concerned that the MP's would show up pointing their guns and demanding that child be removed from her custody for the safety of the bases humanity and ear drums.

The hangar was just to open with plenty of small hidey holes that an inquisitive Annabelle could and would often sneak into the moment Emily even blinked or looked away from her. Emily really didn't want to face the wrath of Will Lennox when she had to explain that she had managed to inadvertently lose his daughter.

So yes, she was still babysitting, still stuck in her office. Still having a staring contest.

The battle of wills raged forever on.

The thought of having children herself had never really entered Emily's head and if it had it wasn't something she had thought about in great depth. She was 28 years old and as far as she was concerned she didn't have to worry about her biological clock tick ticking away, just yet anyway.

Watching Annabelle for a few hours had however managed to effectively quashed any maternal instinct that she would ever have.

Ever.

She blinked and the battle was lost.

There was no way that stare was natural. It was just damn right eerie and most definitely reminded Emily of the girl's Father.

It was like having a miniature female version of Lennox in the room.

Creepy beyond belief.

"…No."

Emily blinked again because really like she couldn't have seen that one coming. Her mouth was opening and closing so much that she was sure if anyone was filming her, she had taken on the resemblance of a fish out of water.

Well, there was no denying it she certainly felt like one at the moment.

Parenting had never been high on her list of achievements. Her family had said that she was incapable of looking after herself properly, so how did they expect her to look after her nieces and nephews? She was subsequently vetoed out of any forthcoming babysitting duties until said nieces and nephews were at least 21 and could therefore take responsibility of their aunt.

"Oh c'mon. Please just go to sleep. Please…." It was a plead of desperation and she knew she had slipped up the moment she had said it. What did her sister-in-law say when dealing with children, "whatever you do, don't show any weakness, whatsoever."

"Yeah," Her brother had added in agreement with his wife, "They're like Piranha's they can smell it." He had received a slap to the back of the head from Kate for his comment.

Well she'd certainly failed right there, hadn't she?

Another stare out. She could feel her left eye beginning to twitch. This was ridiculous! Beyond ridiculous really. But what could she do? She was defenceless against the spawn of the devil.

"….No."

"What is wrong with you?" Emily muttered to herself furiously. Honestly how hard was it for a baby to go to sleep? Wasn't it programmed into them? They had three basic needs, right? Eating, shitting and sleeping? The first two she had seen Annabelle do, and plenty of. So, what the hell was wrong with Annabelle Lennox? Why couldn't she just go to sleep?

She felt like throwing a temper tantrum herself.

"It'll only be for a couple of hours." Emily mimicked to herself snidely. That couple of hours had been six hours ago,! She was verging on close to having a nervous breakdown.

"C'mon Annabelle…it's way past beddy byes." Dear God, how much worse could it get? Baby talk now? She was an intelligent 28-year-old woman, Anna was an intelligent two-year-old and now she had resorted to talking baby. She was sinking fast, big brother baby, all the way down.

Christ, she needed a drink.

"…Daddy!" Annabelle shrill voice called out desperately and Emily really did feel for the kid, because she had a feeling that this wasn't how Annabelle wanted her night to turn out either. "Stowy…" Annabelle replied unhappily. The army issue blanket screwed up at her feet after the temper tantrum from hell. Cushions thrown angrily on the floor and her snuggly (which Emily had found stashed into the changing bag) gripped furiously in her small hand as though daring her to take it away. Annabelle's eyes were wide staring up warily at Emily - the expression clearly said 'you have no idea what you're doing do you? And for that I'm going to make your life hell.'

Well Emily thought it did anyway.

"Look, sweetheart. " She sat on the floor of her carpeted office, right next to Annabelle's impromptu bed. "Daddy isn't here right now, he's off…" She couldn't exactly say fighting gigantic evil robots, could she? " ...He's off saving the world." A little cliché, but still true. "As for me? Well I'm fresh outta stories. In fact, I'm the worst story teller ever. Looks like you got a tough break here, kiddo."

A pause and Annabelle's face scrunched up, the colour of her face going an unnatural angry looking red, and for a heart stopping moment Emily thought she was actually going to start crying, again. Please God no. Instead the blonde haired two year flopped down backwards onto the hastily constructed cot. Said cot consisted of two padded chairs pushed together. High sides to prevent Annabelle from rolling out when she was asleep.

If she ever went to sleep that was.

"'Winkle 'winkle!"

It took Emily a moment to process what the kid had said.

"Twinkle Twinkle?" She paused, "Little star?" She questioned. "You want me to sing this? And you'll go to sleep if I sing this?" Annabelle eagerly nodded her head.

"Okay." She paused bracing herself, here goes nothing. "Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are." Good her voice was terrible, no auditions of American Idol any time soon. "Up above the world so high. Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are…" She pauses. Not a sound could be heard going to stand the brunette thinks that just this once God is on her side.

"Again!"

Oh, for the love of God, why?

Looking towards the ceiling she let out a sigh that was close to hysteria.

She was almost tempted to shake her fists skywards.

Why do you hate me so!

Emily was waiting for the team by the time they had pulled into the hangar, with a dozing but not fully asleep Annabelle in her arms. She was thoroughly exhausted. Had drunken copious amounts of coffee and if she ever heard the words no, and again it would be a moment too soon. Emily in short felt like a jittery, twitchy mess.

Annabelle was therefore deposited into her Father's arms the moment he had stepped off the Humvee. Emily didn't care if he was dirty or sweaty or tired. Didn't care that he hadn't managed to dazzle her with that smile of his, or make her legs go like jelly just by catching her gaze. In fact, Will didn't even manage to get in a smile or a hello before he was awkwardly holding onto his daughter and the petite brunette was storming past in a hurry.

"Hey, wait up. Everything ok?" Will called out practically chasing after the younger woman. Emily stopped suddenly, causing the Major to nearly walk into her back whilst Emily turned to face him.

"Ok? Ok!" She screeched voice so high she had a feeling that she was a syllable away from only dogs hearing. "Are you fu-" She stops her inadvertent slip up, glancing down at Anna who is watching her with sleepy eyes. "...Flipping serious? A couple of hours you said - and here I am 9 hours later!" She breathes out angrily, her nostrils flaring eyes daring him to say anything. "I have to back here in three hours!" She harshly whispered out at him. "You owe me…" her eyes narrowed once again into angry slits and Will takes an involuntary step back as her finger harshly prodded him in the chest. "…big time."

Caitlyn smiled moving towards her but Emily had already spied her in her peripheral vision. "You...!" She pointed at the red head, who stopped mid step, her expression of a deer caught in the headlights. Caitlyn's hands immediately shot up in a gesture of surrender, as though she was warding off an attack. "... don't talk to me!" She bit out. Turning towards the dozing Annabelle, who was currently playing with the zipper on her Fathers jacket. Her face temporarily softened at how peaceful the kid looked. "You be good Anna." She said quietly stroking the downy hair on top of her head. Giving one last glare at Will, Caitlyn and even Optimus (who was currently not aware of the ongoing situation), she turned on her heel; storming out of the hangar as though the hounds of hell were on her tail.

"The female seems irate is everything well?" Ironhide questioned, his loud footsteps coming to rest next to his human charge.

"I honestly have no idea." Will answered truthfully somewhat perplexed by the sudden turn of events.

"I guess here that little 'Belle was a handful huh?" Staff Sergeant Robert Epps called out making funny faces as he made his way towards the child who giggled back at him. Slapping his friend heavily on the back. "You got some making up to do, huh?" Epps asked quietly before making his way to the wash rooms.

Will shook his head wearily, listening to the roar of a bike as Emily disappeared off base and into the night.

Women, he would never understand them.

Ironhide guffawed. Arms folding across his chest he stared off into the darkness.

"I guess femmes are the same for any race." He concluded in that low grumble of his.

"How's that 'hide?"

"Crazy."