Thankful for You

Hey, my wonderful readers! T-Mac's on the radio, and here's some Thanksgiving fluff with all the trimmings! Enjoy! ;3

The date was November twenty-fourth. Autumn had set in over the forest, splattering the landscape with hues of red, orange and brown. Frost teased at the coniferous trees, making silvery stripes across the highway below.

Melody looked out over it all from her vantage point; lost in thought. She had lost track of how long she and Vibes had been in hiding. Months, maybe. Long enough to fix the place up a bit. Now they had access to the human internet, which proved to be very useful. One thing the twins had discovered was the multitude of human celebrations and holidays. One of which being on this exact day. Something called "Thanksgiving", a popular tradition among the Americans. From what she had learned, it was a celebration of the nation's beginning, recognized with a feast. A time to reflect on one's possessions and luxuries, however few they may be, and be grateful.

Vibes was all too excited to participate in the joys of human festivities, and was currently busy researching more. It was understandable, since sorrow had dominated both their lives for so long. They needed a distraction, something to ease the stress of their brother's downfall.

But Melody wasn't thinking of that, right now. It had been well over a month since the last visit. She couldn't decide her feeling on it. She was worried, perhaps. But worried about what? No, it was something else… something she couldn't quite describe.

Her spark leapt when a flash of green lit up the far end of the road, just bright enough for her visor to detect. Instantly, she ducked inside, finding her sister entranced by a text on international Earth holidays.

"This is fascinating!" She said, turning. Melody halted, blinking. Vibes was smiling. It was almost surprising, since it had been so long since she had seen true joy in her sister's smile. It only lasted a moment, though. Vibes' smile faded as she noticed the conflicting emotions in her twin's gaze.

"What's wrong?" She asked, concerned.

"...um…" Melody shook her head, trying to clear it. A distant sound from the highway outside reminded her. She gasped, "Optimus is here, what do I do?"

Vibes gave her a funny look, confused. "What do you mean?"

Heat rushed to Melody's faceplate. "I mean…uh…"

She couldn't find the words to describe the sudden panic that had overtaken her. Why was she so nervous?"

Vibes grinned. "I know you like him. Is that what's making you so jumpy?"

Defeated, Melody nodded, wringing her hands anxiously. "I'm scared, Vi," She admitted quietly.

Vibes was silent, knowing exactly what her twin was talking about. She stepped closer, putting her hands on Melody's shoulders,

"Listen, Mel." She said seriously, "Cannon is history. Optimus is different. I know it. You know it, too. What you're afraid of is the memories."

Melody nodded, tears welling as the horrible recollection returned.
"The last thing you need is bad memories. We've got enough on our hands with Soundwave. Just go with it. If you can forget the past, it'll make the present a bit easier to handle."

"Okay…"

Grinning, Vibes nudged her sister playfully.

"Plus, he's way cuter than Cannon was."

"Cuter?" Melody asked, unable to keep from laughing a little at the ridiculous word. "You read too much human romance."

"Whatever you say," Vibes shrugged, "...but you might want to know that he's standing right behind you."

Melody jumped, spinning around. Vibes laughed hysterically as she realized there was no one there. Hot with embarrassment and frustration, Mel turned back to her twin.

"That was a dirty trick, and you know it."

"I know, I'm sorry," Vibes giggled. "But you have to admit, it was pretty funny."

"Yeah, yeah," Melody sighed, shaking her head. "He should be here any minute, though... I'm still so nervous!"

"Oh, just relax!" Vibes encouraged her, "It's the holidays, after all. I've heard interesting things can happen to lovers during celebrations.."

"Again, too much human romance." Melody replied. "And what makes you think we're lovers?"

"Oh please, Melody. You can't fool your own twin. It's Thanksgiving. You should be thankful you met a mech like him." She glanced over her sister's shoulder, grinning. "...and I'm sure he's quite thankful he met you."

Melody glanced behind her, wondering what Vibes had seen. She yelped with surprise, because this time, the Prime was right behind her.

Setting down the energon he had been carrying, Optimus flushed a bit. Vibes giggled, knowing exactly what she had done.

"I'll leave you two alone, then." She said, slipping out through another passage.

xxx

For a long time, Melody didn't know what to say. How much had he heard?

"...She was joking," She finally said, "Vibes loves to mess with me.."

Saying nothing, Optimus looked at her as she muttered on,

"..so sorry, I don't know…" She searched desperately for something to say to ease the awkwardness. "..I mean, I…"

Meanwhile, Optimus shook his head, smiling a bit. It had been quite a while since he had found something so amusing.

The words froze in Melody's throat as his form enveloped her in a firm embrace. She tensed, then relaxed, spark pounding. Slowly, she felt herself calm, instinctively pulling closer to the steady spark that reminded her of her youth…

"She was right." She heard him say. As if in a trance, she couldn't seem to comprehend the words. But her heart absorbed the meaning;

I'm thankful for you.