Optimus was watching the Autobots he had left behind. He had been scolded for doing such activities by Prima, the oldest Prime ever.
"Optimus," he said. Optimus flinched a bit. He hadn't heard his older brother coming until it was too late to cover up what he was doing. "I thought I told you that I did not think you should watch what you cannot have."
"But they are struggling."
"You are dead, Optimus," Prima said as he cuffed his brother's audio with a massive servo. "They are not. You are different now, and they are not your main concern."
Optimus watched his brother go before he turned back to watching the team as Sideswipe got on Strongarm's last nerve. Then he dismissed the image of the Autobots that had appeared on a mirror with a wave of his servo.
Bumblebee was getting annoyed. He had, in his opinion, done everything right. But the team was not doing as they were supposed to. They disobeyed his orders, walked away from him when he was still talking and giving those orders, and then they called him names in his face and behind his back.
Even Grimlock had taken to smirk at Bumblebee repeatedly, even though they were supposed to be mates. Instead of feeling like a tender mech was soothing him, Bumblebee felt like he was back in a relationship with Smokescreen, the speed demon with no sense of the words gentle, coddle, or cuddle.
Strongarm was losing respect for him. Instead, she was becoming as aggressive and as unruly as Sideswipe, her new "mate". What they did on the ground behind the piles of scrap was not mating. It was something other that involved a lot more biting, growling, and snarling. It was the reason that Bumblebee had yet to submit to Grimlock. He didn't want to be torn apart by a dominating mech.
He watched as Strongarm and Sideswipe returned from their latest crack at mating and creating. Bumblebee's optics followed them until Grimlock nuzzled his cheek softly. He turned and looked at his mate, pushed his helm away, and then he stood.
"Where are you going?"
"For a walk, Grimlock."
"I'll come with." Grimlock got up.
"I'd rather go alone," he said as gently as he could, but he might as well have spat in Grimlock's face. The Dinobot whined and sat back down as he muttered a half-sparked okay.
Then Bumblebee left. He looked for a place to sit where he could somehow locate Optimus' spirit as he had before he arrived back on Earth. It had been in a reflection, he remembered, and so he investigated anything shiny.
That included several mirrors back at the junkyard, the river, bits of shiny metal...but Optimus didn't show himself.
Optimus stood with his siblings. They were considering making another animal-based bot. They were very impressed with Earth's creatures. In the end, the vote for a new animal-bot was four to nine.
An Amalgami was made instead, much to Amalgamous' pleasure. Optimus gave the squirmy sparkling his blessing and then he picked the carrier, a femme the medics claimed was infertile. Now she was carrying a beautiful descendant of Amalgamous.
Amalgami, he remembered, was short for "Amalgamous' descendant". Amalgami was a quicker way to identify the shapeshifters of Cybertron.
Vector Prime noticed Optimus was zoned out first. He looked at Prima, who shook his helm in a way that meant Leave him alone. Vector Prime obediently bowed his helm, but he gave a glance at his brother.
Dying was hard on everyone. Onyx Prime had been the saddest when he died and no one could soothe the sad beast, not even his beloved Solus Prime.
But they couldn't coddle Optimus. He had died numerous times and had been given do-over after do-over. Onyx Prime would have wanted those do-overs when he first died. Everyone wanted those do-overs, but Primus favored Optimus over the other twelve.
Nexus Prime led Vector away and everyone left Optimus to mourn life.
Bumblebee was getting tired. He wanted to hear Optimus' voice once more, but Prime was absent. He wondered if he could summon Optimus' ideas into his processor. He saw the perfect place to try it on.
Sideswipe and Strongarm were fighting, biting and clawing at each other like always. Only this time Sideswipe was trying to mount her. Bumblebee remembered how he kept the Wreckers in line when Magnus wasn't there and he walked to them.
"Enough!"
They looked at him in surprise.
"You are mates now, remember? And you are on the same team."
They blinked.
It's working!
"Act like it."
They started laughing at him!
"Worst Starscream impersonation ever!"
"Starscream!?"
Strongarm and Sideswipe swatted at each other for a moment before the femme walked away to practice punching. Sideswipe went for a drive, having forgotten he was trying to mount his mate.
Grimlock stood behind him.
"Why don't they take me seriously, Grim?" Bumblebee looked at him with sad optics.
The Dinobot hugged him back against his chest and he nuzzled him. "You'll get them to follow you. Just stop acting like Starscream."
Bumblebee looked at his mate. "I was pretending to be Optimus!"
Optimus watched with amusement, then he sighed. He shouldn't have left Bumblebee in charge of a team. He was still young. He wished he could go back and not put the AllSpark in the Matrix. But he had to. There was nothing else he could have done.
Bumblebee laid on his berth, looking up at the stars. Grimlock watched him with warm blue optics, slowly moving closer every time he thought his mate wasn't paying attention until their armor plating touched. That was when Bumblebee spoke.
"Do you think the dead are actually stars?"
Grimlock frowned and he looked up at the sky, then he shook his helm. "Too many stars. The dead are here, like the stars. Always there, just hidden sometimes."
Bumblebee looked at Grimlock in surprise. He was about to ask Grimlock to repeat that, but the mech had fallen asleep. Had he just received an intelligent response from Grimlock? The thought made him smile and he curled up against the mech's chest.
Optimus paced in the Core. He hated being confined. He wished he could leave, but it wasn't possible for the dead to just leave whenever they felt like it. Solus Prime and Onyx Prime kept people from leaving and coming whenever it wasn't their time.
He had to have exclusive permission from Prima to leave after the twelve others have voted.
Optimus sighed and he sat down, looking down at Earth. He watched Grimlock and Bumblebee sleep together and he touched the smooth surface of the mirror he was holding.
For a brief minute, Optimus' reflection was seen in the mirror by Bumblebee's helm. Grimlock's optics cracked open at the right time and the Dinobot watched Optimus until the image faded. Grimlock held his mate closer as if he felt threatened by the Prime. Then he laid back down to sleep.
Optimus held the mirror against his chest. He had somehow gotten through to Earth without clearance from Prima. He looked slowly down at the mirror, but the mirror was just a mirror now. He tucked the reflective surface away and sighed softly. He wondered if he could do it again.
Since time on Earth and time on Cybertron were very different, it was morning before too long on Earth.
Prima, apparently, was also keeping tabs on Team Bee. The twelve walked to Optimus and told him that Bumblebee was in need of Optimus' guidance. And so Optimus was cleared to visit Earth with a vote of seven to six.
Prima touched his shoulder. "One Earth minute," he warned.
Optimus nodded.
Bumblebee stood in the hall of the museum, growling lowly in frustration. His helm snapped up when he heard Optimus' voice.
"Optimus?"
"Hello, Bumblebee. I see you have found another Decepticon. I am proud to see you are still working together as a team. I suppose you will go after the Decepticon together?"
Bumblebee gave a hopeless sigh and he looked down at his pedes.
Optimus bit his lip. His time was coming to an end. "Bumblebee," he said urgently. "Bumblebee, you have to lead them."
"I can't, Optimus. I can't lead like you."
"Exactly, Bumblebee. You are not me, and you can never be."
Bumblebee's spark felt as though it would break, but he looked down. So he was a failure... "I know..."
Optimus sighed and he went to touch Bumblebee's shoulder like he used to whenever the scout needed counsel. "I only mean-"
And then he was gone.
Optimus staggered back and he glared at Prima. "I was not done."
"I said one minute and you got one minute." Then Prima turned around and walked back to...wherever he had been before now.
The others gave Optimus sympathetic looks and then they followed Prima.
Bumblebee relaxed in Grimlock's arms after they had finally taken down the Decepticon. He sighed softly as Sideswipe and Strongarm fought through their interface.
They were a new team, and they had a lot of problems. They would be great some day soon, but for now, they were still working out the kinks.