Arcee came back to the house a little later and flopped on the couch. Optimus furrowed his brow as he saw the top of her head. He walked over and stood by the couch. She looked away as she folded her arms and glared at the floor. He sat by her and saw she had a cut on her arm. He frowned and gently grabbed it. She tried to pull away.

"Arcee." He said firmly. She let him look at it. The cut wasn't very deep but it was dirty. "Stay here." He said.

Optimus got up and walked into the other room. He grabbed a few things and walked back to the couch. He put some hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball, and gently held her arm. She winced a little as he cleaned the cut.

"Tell me what happened." He said gently. She looked at him then at the floor, but didn't respond.

"Was it the boys?" He asked sternly. She nodded slowly and they were quiet as he cleaned the cut. After he was done he knelt in front of her and gently lifted her chin. He gave her a serious look.

"You are not allowed to play with those boys anymore." He said sternly.

She searched his face for a minute then nodded before looking at the floor. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her head. She hugged him back as she thought about her friends.

~

"Dad!" Bulkhead yelled as he ran into the house. Optimus looked up from cooking dinner and raised an eyebrow. He wondered if his son was going to bring in an animal as well. The kids had all decided to play outside for a few minutes.

"It's Arcee...." he panted. "She's in trouble." Optimus dropped everything and turned the stove off before running out after his son.

He followed him down the street and into someones backyard. There was a group of boys standing under a tree looking into the branches. Bulkhead pointed up and the father paled. His daughter was dangling from a branch twenty feet in the air. There was nothing beneath her little toes as she kicked the air trying to swing to another branch.

"Dad!" She shouted when she saw him.

"Hold on Arcee, I'm coming to get you!" Optimus yelled up to her.

"Hurry!" She screamed as the limb bent a little. Optimus looked around and noticed he couldn't reach the branches.

"Bulkhead find a ladder." He said, the boy nodded and took off. The father turned at the other boys and glared.

"Explain." He said angrily voice rising a little. They looked at each other then at one boy. Optimus glared at them and the others pushed him forward.

"I....... uh....... dared her to.... climb to the top and back. But on the way down the branch broke." The boy mumbled.

"We told her if she could, she could play with us." Another boy muttered. Optimus glared at them and they looked at their toes.

"That was very unwise and foolish of you boys. I will not allow you to push my daughter around for your personal amusement." He said angrily.

They remained quiet as they stared at their toes in shame. They heard a crack and Optimus looked up eyes wide as the branch broke. Arcee screamed as it swung and slammed her against the trunk. The branch was attached by some bent bark, but it wouldn't hold for long. Arcee tried to reach another branch with her foot as she held on for dear life. Bulkhead brought a ladder and the other boys helped him set it up.

"Hold on Arcee!" Her father yelled as he straightened the ladder and started to climb.

He heard another crack and looked up again. The small part she was holding onto snapped off and she screamed as she fell. Optimus got down as the other branch snapped and fell towards the earth. He narrowed his eyes as he watched his daughter fall.

He jumped up and caught her, then held her close as he quickly rolled out of the way. The branch crashed to the ground behind him and he protected her as he crouched on the ground. The air fell silent and the boys stared eyes wide. Optimus panted heavily as adrenaline rushed through him. He looked down and relaxed a little when he saw two scared blue eyes looking up at him. The father loosened his grip a little and noticed she had a few more scratches.

"Are you alright?" He asked gently. She nodded vigorously as a tear fell. Bulkhead walked over and sighed with relief.

"I'm okay." She said quietly.

"Good, because you're grounded." He said seriously then smiled a little.

She simply nodded and hugged him tightly around the neck. He stood up as he held her close and glared at the other boys. They hung their heads again and squirmed under his gaze, wanting to disappear. He turned and headed back to the house Bulkhead close behind. Arcee looked at the boys then buried her head in he father's neck. She did need better friends.