Hello, again. I'm really happy to see that some people read this, because it means that this effort isn't for nothing.

Especial thanks to Skyshadow54 for her review. I'm glad you're still giving this story a chance. By the way, I'm going to say that you should feel more pity for Ratchet than for Knock Out... After all, the old doc-bot is going to have to endure this for as long as the hatchling is within that pod. XD

Now, I've based most of Rodimus' character in the MTMTE comics; however, I added the detail of him being an Elite Guard, because I think that if he would've been part of Transformers Prime universe, he and Smokescreen would've been part of the same unit, thus being close friends.

Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.

-ONE-

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

A week and a half… That was how long he spent away from his team, all thanks to the Council's antics. Ten, almost eleven, days. Scratch that: eleven. Period. After all, he wouldn't be returning to Earth until next morning, meaning that, today, he was trapped in meetings. Again. Groaning at the thought, he put down the data-pad that contained the matters to discuss that cycle, and left it over the room's desk while he got up and started to walk around to stretch his legs. It took him one or two days to readjust himself to Cybertron's greater gravity; it was as if his body wouldn't recognize this place as his natural environment anymore ―not that surprising, considering he has spent over seventeen years on Earth already. The realization made him take a look outside, to Iacon's outlining. He couldn't remember how many times he dreamed with being able to see this again… His city. The ninety percent of his life took place on these very streets, which he thought gone forever when the war broke out. Yet, he was walking on them again. One would think he would look happier for it ―he, himself, expected to be joyful―, but… He wasn't. Not completely. It was as if his spark didn't feel at ease on this place, not anymore. In part, it could be a result of his bond, which, during his first night-cycle so many light-years away from her, kept him up most of the time due to the feeling of something missing

However, it wasn't only that what made him feel like a stranger on his own land, but the fact that this… This wasn't home. Not anymore. He made friends and created bonds with people that were galaxies away, and he was feeling the distance from them. The children were family to him now, Cybertronian or not. There was no way to deny that the idea of leaving them hurt, even if it was only for a short while.

He couldn't help but smile when he recalled the night he announced his leaving: the four of them started asking how long he would be out, worrying because they were planning to use that summer to be all together again ―Miko even yelling something about how she saved for the plane tickets from Tokyo to Nevada, while warning him not to still be on Cybertron by the time she was back on Jasper. He couldn't remember a single time when they all screamed at him like that; not even when they were being attacked by Decepticons…

Sometimes it was hard to remember that they didn't share a bond with the children, not in the same way Cybertronians does. "If they only knew…" He thought, smiling faintly to the sky, wondering what those four were doing right now. What was his team doing right now? Even though Elita was more than capable of leading them while he was out, Optimus always worried a bit. Nobody better than him to tell that those bots could be handful…

It wasn't like the red and blue mech hasn't tried to check in with them; it's just that his privacy, ever since he set foot on the planet, has been nearly inexistent… To his surprise, the Council decided to assign him escorts; thanks to this, he had four guards with him almost all the time. They were standing right outside the door right now. This whole environment gave him the wrong kind of hunches, so he preferred to stay radio silent, and wait to be able to go back home. "Home…" He mentally repeated with a sigh. Who would've guessed that Earth would become such an important place for him? Considering what happened at their arrival…

Optimus hurried to shake his helm and went back inside, decided to finish reading the speech, so he could go and be done with these meetings once and for all. He didn't want to remember those two years. Besides, it was pointless to do so. What was done, was done.

Someone knocked at his door.

"I'm not one of these aft-holes, don't worry." A young, male voice said from the outside.

"Rodimus." He thought, recognizing the voice-print, and going to open up. Indeed, the orange and golden Elite Guard was standing right there, hands on the sides of his hip, glaring at the two Council Guards that didn't leave him alone for one second. The moment he was capable of barge in, he did, while saying that he wasn't sure how Optimus didn't lose his mind already, having those guys behind him at all times. Yes, the younger Prime was given escorts too; half the number given to his predecessor, but enough to drive him out of his mind.

"I can't even go for a drive without them chasing me like shadows! And they're always on top of me whenever I try to say hi to a friend of mine!" The youngster ranted freely, growling from time to time. "It's unnerving me! And I've never used that word before! For anything!" He said, going to sit at the nearest chair he could find.

Optimus said nothing, simply offering his companion a compassionate smile before going to pick up the data-pad once again. The sooner he was done with this, the sooner he would get back with his team.

"Sorry, 'bout this, by the way." The young warrior piped up, making the red and blue mech focus on him again. "I mean… I'm a Prime, those guys should listen my opinions, but…" Frowning, he groaned, glaring at the ceiling. "They think of me as some helpless sparkling!"

"They will come to respect you." The older Prime said, trying to reassure the Elite Guard.

"Doubt it… Diplomacy isn't my thing…" Rodimus retorted, turning to look at Optimus with narrowed optics. "Anyway! The meeting is in ten breems. We should get going." He added quickly, jumping out of his seat and stretching a bit.

Nodding, the taller bot put away the data-pad, following the other mech out of the room, where their escorts straightened up. At the sight, the orange and golden Prime looked away and muttered some curses under his breath, before he resumed his way, his two assigned guards following his every step actively. Soon, Optimus and his bodyguards would join the march.

Out of the building where he has been staying, Cybertron was brewing with new life. Even the noise was back to Iacon's streets and highways. The only thing missing so far was the tall silhouette of the Hall of Records, hovering in the distance, at the exact center of the city. When he arrived, someone informed him that the rebuilding was in process, but that it was taking longer to bring such a place to its old glory. A small part of him wished for the data storage there to be rescued somehow too… Perhaps from the Nemesis mainframe, since Megatron raided the Halls long ago. Maybe some of the information remained there. Hopefully.

Although the idea of seeing the tall golden tower where he spent more than the half of his youth made the Prime's spark a bit happier, it didn't last long, for he knew it would never be the same place. His Hall of Records was but a memory, alongside to all those he used to work with, such as Dion, a young clerk who always turned to him whenever he needed help; or Alpha Trion, the master archivist who looked after him like a guardian, taking him under his wing as a protégé. They were gone forever.

As the caravan took the highway, making the Council's tower visible, the red and blue truck's thoughts went back to the present moment. He knew what they wanted from him: to stay put on Cybertron as a Councilmember. Even when they attended to other matters during the discussion, by the end of the day, they came back to the same subject: the annexation of the two Primes to their Council of Elders. But, must importantly, they didn't just want any Prime… They wanted him. It had to be him, because of who he was, because of the way in which other Cybertronians looked up to him, for what he meant during the past four million years. So they forced Rodimus to turn up to Optimus for help by disaccrediting him during their meetings, jeopardizing his authority as the Matrix Bearer.

That day wasn't an exception…

"Please. We urge you to reconsider." One of the Councilmembers pleaded, after Optimus' and Rodimus' hundredth refusal to the proposition of joining the Council.

"As we have already said in numerous occasions: our culture establishes that the Council of the Elders, and the High Counsel of the Primes must remain as two different and separated institutions. This is in order for each to balance the other." The red and blue mech stated, firm and even frowning at the insistence of his interlocutors.

"You say you're respecting your kind's traditions," one of the oldest members of the Concil started saying, "when the truth behind your speech is that you wish to return to that organic planet, thus leaving you unable to rule your own."

The claim came out of nowhere, unexpected and cold; yet, within Optimus' spark, it had a result which opposed the intended. The tall mech's Energon started boiling within its veins, as his hands fisted firmly on his sides. Rodimus, noticing, couldn't help but think that his companion was holding to some mental anchor in order to not start yelling. Deep inside, the youngster thanked that the comment wasn't directed to him… With his temper, he would be with his servos around that guy already… Even when they were standing on opposite sides of the room; he would've just sped through the distance, and pounced on him. In fact, he was imagining the whole thing right now…

"No one with intentions of ruling Cybertron has ever been recipient of the Matrix." Optimus suddenly talked back. "I never wished to be a Prime, not even when your predecessors considered me worthy of the title. It was a duty deputed to me during one of our darkest times; and I wish to believe that I fulfilled, reason why the Matrix of Leadership has chosen a new bearer." He stated, turning to look at Rodimus and placing a servo on the youngster's shoulder on the last part.

"Ha! In your face!" The orange and golden mech mentally celebrated with a pleased smirk, seeing the old rust bags in disarray. The meeting didn't take much longer after that…

As the elevator took the two Primes back to ground level, with Rodimus making jokes about the Councilmen's reactions at Optimus' unexpected retort, the older bot simply spaced out. His mind was back on Jasper, wondering for the others; reason why his companion's monologue became but a distant sound in the back of his mind. And, suddenly, he decided to leave Cybertron; not the next morning, but that very night. Considering the Council hadn't stablished another meeting ―his retort left them too dumfounded to do so―, this was his chance to go back.

Tired, Optimus massaged his temples with an almost inaudible moan.

Rodimus noticed and thought his companion was feeling bad because of his constant rant, so he stopped immediately.

"Sorry, about this." The Elite Guard suddenly said, not looking at his interlocutor, who, instead, turned to stare at him, not understanding the reason for the apology. "I mean… I'm a Prime now, right? I should be able to deal with those rust bags, but…" He sighed, sagging his shoulders. "I'm out of my element here. I was trained as an Elite Guard, not a diplomat; and, during the war I proved to be pretty much an awful leader…" He admitted, remembering some disastrous missions he took… Next to everyone he lost in those.

The taller mech took a bit of pity for the orange and golden bot, seeing himself reflected for a brief moment.

"You and I were out of our comfort zones, Rodimus. Back when I was chosen, one would have expected the Matrix to be trusted to a warrior; instead, it took a data-clerk without military training. Not to mention my aversion to be placed in any kind of spotlight."

The younger mech stared at him with an arched optic-ridge.

"Are you kidding? You're Optimus Prime! The best Prime in the history of Primes, since Prima, himself!" The warrior said louder than he probably should, while gesturing toward the older bot with both hands.

"I… am flattered you think of me that way…" Optimus started, kind of uncomfortable. "But I am still just another mech, and as such I have made my own mistakes; some of which led to rather terrible outcomes." He admitted, looking away.

For a moment, Rodimus thought that the red and blue bot aged centuries in an instant, right in front of him. He couldn't help but wonder if he would look like that too someday… Probably he already did.

"We were fighting a war… Any slip up led to disaster; so there's no need for you to be so hard on yourself. You did the best you could to save our race's future." The orange and golden Prime said, sighing sadly. He was talking from experience…

"Not all my mistakes took place here." The older mech thought, as the elevator reached the ground level and its doors opened. The sky color told him that it was nearly dusk already, and his optics immediately searched the fastest way to the space-bridges. If he hurried, he could make it to Earth before night. So bidding his farewells to Rodimus, he transformed and left the tower.

It was hard to ignore all the curious optics that followed him as he passed by, since his foreign alt-mode made him stand out among his own race. Some of them would probably realize who he was later, but he didn't pay any mind to them… Once he reached the space-bridges and gave the keeper the coordinates to which he wished to be transported to, the Prime couldn't help but take a look behind him. There were no Council guards, nor guards of any kind for that matter. Good. At least they weren't chasing after him, trying to keep him on Cybertron one more cycle.

As soon as the portal swirled to life, the red and blue mech stepped through it without a second thought, coming out at a desert. He looked up at the sky, noticing it was dark… Well, at the continent he was currently on, at least.

"Ratchet." He called, activating the com-link.

«Good to hear of you after so long. » The medic's voice came through the line. «I'm activating the ground-bridge. By the way, get ready. The children have been asking for you since their arrival, two days ago. » He warned, as the green vortex folded space and time right ahead the leader.

"Understood." Optimus said with a smile, walking toward the bridge and fighting back a chuckle. Then he hung up.

The moment he passed the wormhole, stepping into the underground base, the first thing the leader heard was the cheering of their men, to which, soon enough, joined a set of voices coming from the platform. Indeed, the four children were already at the place. Well… 'Children' was a bit of a stretch by now, considering Jack was twenty one, and Miko was twenty. Only Rafael and Millie remained as minors, although not for too long, considering the boy was seventeen and the girl was fourteen. Their childish looks were long gone by now.

Before he could notice him coming, Ironhide gave Optimus a friendly smack on the back of his shoulder which, if the Prime would've been any littler, would've sent him flying across the room. Good thing the red and blue bot could take a hit.

"I was startin' to worry about yah! Don't call, don't write…" The weapons specialist mockingly accused, crossing his arms and smirking.

"I do apologize to you all for my failure in keeping in touch. But the Councilmembers decided to assign escorts to me, reason why I did not count with enough privacy to contact you." The leader told everyone, with an apologetic look.

"Wait, hold on." Arcee pleaded, raising her hands to gesture the Prime to stop talking. "Are you seriously saying that they put guards to tail you, all over the place?" She questioned, cocking her head, and placing her right hand on the side of her hip.

The mech simply nodded in confirmation, and suddenly, a chuckle made everyone turn to look at Smokescreen, who was covering his grin with a hand.

"I'm so sorry, boss, but…!" He snorted, imagining the picture. "Please, tell me they assigned escorts to Rod too…!" When he received a nod, the young Elite Guard couldn't help his laugh. "By the AllSpark! He must've been so pissed! I can imagine his face!" He started commenting among his chortles. "I'm not gonna let him live this down anytime soon!"

This made the other youngsters in the group either smile or chuckle; and even some of the older members of the team joined with soft giggles or small smiles ―except Ratchet who snorted something about Smokescreen and his knucklehead friends, while shaking his head. Nonetheless, the rest of the bots soon resumed their questions for Optimus, concerning Cybertron's current state; all of which the Prime did his best to answer, next to some casual interlopes from the four teenagers needing some extra explanation of some terms. After a few minutes like this, Jack couldn't help but cock his head when he scanned the leader. "He looks tired…" He noticed, realizing that the leader's optics weren't as shiny, nor as open as they usually were. Whatever happened those nearly two weeks took a toll on the Prime. Maybe it wasn't time to start harassing him with questions; so, for the bot's welfare, he nudged the other teens, making them notice the exhaustion on their friend's face. Understanding, they decided to let him go and rest before start planning their summer.

However, when Optimus mentioned that there were big chances for Rodimus to contact him again, since the Council seemed particularly decided to keep him on their home planet, the four kids couldn't remain silent…

"Wait, what?!" Jack yelled suddenly, staring at the red and blue giant with wide eyes.

"They can't do that!" Miko cried, gripping the security riel, pissed at the thought of somebody bossing Optimus around and keeping him away from the team. Alas, she reconsidered the comment seconds later: "Can they?" She asked, arching an eyebrow and cocking her head.

"No. My authority still excels theirs." Optimus explained with a nearly invisible smile, which everyone within the team has become used to see whenever he talked to the human children.

The four teenagers let go a relieved sigh at the answer. None of them wanted to lose their friend… Saying goodbye once was hard enough, and they all knew that they wouldn't resist a second time.

After this, the Prime decided to go and clean himself up, so he excused himself and started to walk toward his personal quarters. Another smile made it to his lips when, on the way there, he heard the bickering between the teenagers, which made some of his Autobots laugh at whatever shenanigans they were doing ―though there was also a Ratchet's groan in between. Only then he realized just how much he missed being there. "Home." He told himself.

After taking a shower, and even when he knew he should rest, Optimus couldn't help himself and went out to check the place; to make sure everything was fine during his absence. With this in mind, he started walking toward the engine room, the vault, and the storage. It wasn't until he was getting out of this last room that he got caught…

"Aren't you supposed to be resting?"

Looking up, the Prime found the pink figure of Elita-One leaning against a wall with her arms and ankles crossed, a teasing smirk on her lips. His spark started making loops inside his chassis at the sight. They've been away by trillions of lightyears, and their bond was, most likely, feeling the stress of said distance…

"I just wanted to make sure everything was in order." Optimus explained with a faint smile.

"What? Don't you trust I can keep this place in once piece for a bunch of days?" Elita teasingly challenged, smirk growing on her face. "You know I had a team of my own, don't you? I'd dealt with worse… Besides, compared with Chromia at the battle for Helex's Plains, these guys were easy."

He couldn't help but chuckle at the comparison.

"Even then, as the team's leader it is my job to ensure everyone's safety, which is precisely what I am doing." He stopped once he was right in front of her. "I will rest once I'm sure of it."

The femme shook her head, a clear grin on her face.

"Overwork, thy name is Optimus." She teased, chuckling at the idea and shaking her head slightly.

He couldn't help but to chuckle again.

"You've picked up some quotes from the children, I see." The leader said with a smile, crossing his arms and arching an optic-ridge.

Elita shrugged and pushed herself off the wall.

"They're fun to talk to. They watch too much TV, though…"

The two bots now realized that they were right in front of each other, and all alone in the hallway…

The pink femme was the first one in passing her arms around the mech's waist, who soon enough returned the embrace before they both shared a kiss.

"I missed you." The femme said as they separated.

"So did I." He admitted, leaning his forehead against hers.

Half million years… None of them could believe that it took so long for them to finally reunite. "Yet, we're not fully together yet…" Optimus remembered, unconsciously tightening his grip around his bondmate at the thought.

Their sparks were bonded, there was no arguing there; but the way they bonded… It was a mistake. Collateral. Elita was simply trying to bring him back from the Well, and the only thing she had to attract his spark was her own. Months after that, the connection started to become stronger, allowing them to feel whenever the other was hurt, sick or tired. Now, they were starting to sense each other's feelings; but, the connection wasn't completely open. They hadn't consciously merged yet… They agreed not to. For the time being.

They had to rediscover each other first.

"Optim-… Oh, my-! Sorry!"

The moment Ratchet's voice echoed at the corridor, both leaders pulled away from each other's arms, suddenly realizing they weren't at the most private of places… Fortunately, the medic already knew of their actual relationship, unlike the others ―save for Ironhide and Chromia who found out in no time. Once again, their bond happened by accident, so they just wanted to fulfill the ceremony in all its extent before telling anyone; and, in order to do so, they were taking their time to get on common ground after all these mega-cycles. Though it was taking longer than expected…

At least, it seems they were getting somewhere if they were so immersed into their own little world that none of the leaders noticed Ratchet's footsteps as he approached them. That detail, however small, gave both bondmates a little satisfaction. They couldn't be far from fully become Conjux Endura, then.

"Is there something wrong, old friend?" Optimus decided to ask to break the ice wall that suddenly raised between the medic and the other two Cybertronians.

The older mech, simply stood there, shoulders tensed, optics covered with his left servo, before rising his right hand to gesture the Prime to wait a minute. He needed to recompose.

Elita chuckled and crossed her arms, arching an eyebrow.

"Seriously? You act as if you didn't know us…" She mocked her embarrassed friend.

"Although I have known you, back when you two were courting each other as Orion Pax and Ariel, to actually run into you two behaving like this again…" The white and orange bot struggled to find words, trying to pry them out of him with some gestures, but it was useless. "It's just… I don't know. It will take a while." He ended, one hand over his aching processor.

Optimus sighed, kind of feeling why his friend was behaving so strangely about this matter.

"You know we chose to wait, Ratchet." He reminded the medic.

"Yes, I do; yet, I don't see why." The older bot admitted in confusion. "There isn't a rule forbidding a Prime to have a bondmate. So, why…?"

"You know why." The taller mech pressed, sharing a look with his bondmate, and placing a reassuring hand over her shoulder, feeling her stress about the subject.

"So what if you didn't plan it? You were going to become Conjux Endura, anyway. You were performing the steps."

"Yes, Ratchet, we were. Before the war started!" Elita retorted, before shaking her head rapidly and gesture everyone to drop the conversation. "I really don't want to talk about it right now; not like this…" She stared at the medic, eyebrows slightly furrowed. "It's a private matter, which you don't need to know about." The femme finished the conversation, gesturing from her to Optimus at the word 'private'.

The white and orange mech simply nodded at this. Yeah, she was right: whatever they decided to do with their relationship was their own business. He didn't have a say in it; only if asked, and they weren't. So, he agreed to drop it… For now.

"Was there anything you needed, old friend?" Optimus asked, now that the waters calmed.

This brought the medic back to the reality, and the reason why he came looking for the leader in first place:

"The children were trying to decide what to do first during this summer… When someone suggested a friendly lobbing match using our new holoforms… So the children could participate. I tried to talk some sense into them, but other than Knock Out and Arcee, the others seems to love the idea." Ratchet informed, frowning and crossing his arms; meanwhile, the leaders' optics grew wide in disbelief.

In no time, the three of them were making their way back to the control room in hopes of preventing an imminent tragedy…

"A lobbing match with the humans?! What kind of irresponsible, aft-head would allow such thing?!" Elita cried out, starting to frown at the idea of one of their friends willingly risking the children like that.

"Do you honestly need me saying it?" The old mech questioned, narrowing his optics while eyeing the femme from the corner of his eye.

After that answer, Optimus didn't need to guess who was responsible for this…

"Ironhide!"

I hope you liked it. Let me know your thoughts.

See ya soon.