Kerri walked into her apartment and sighed. She hadn't realized how much her home life had gone by the wayside recently. She pretty much only came home to shower, eat, and sleep. The kitchen sink was full of dishes, the laundry basket was overflowing, and every surface had a thick layer of dust. "Alright," she sighed. "Nobody else is gonna do it for you." With that, she rolled up her sleeves and went to work.

Several sweaty hours later, the apartment was clean. The laundry was done and put away. "Maybe I won't mind staying home tonight,"she said to herself, before stripping off her clothing and heading for the shower. She had just turned the shower on when her cellphone rang. She figured it was probably Ratchet, wondering when she was coming back. He had some paperwork for her to complete. Kerri answered the phone and said, "Sorry doc, I got tied up at home. I'm just hopping in the shower and-."

"Tied up huh? Sounds kinda naughty."

"Really, Wheeljack," she laughed at the drawl. "Leave it to you to twist an innocent comment around."

"It is one of my endearing qualities, right? At least I didn't start breathing heavy."

"True. So to what do I owe this honor?"

"Well," he started hesitantly. "I'm getting ready to go. Magnus is up and moving around. That's all I was waiting for. I wanted to see you before I left. You up for a drive?"

Kerri's face fell. She knew the time was coming, but she still wasn't ready. "Um, yeah," she said. "You wanna pick me up at my place? I can be ready in a half hour."

"Half hour it is, sweetstuff. See you then."

She ended the call before contacting Ratchet to tell him that she wouldn't be back tonight. Something else had come up. She climbed into the shower. It was warm and inviting, and for a few minutes she just stood and let the water run over her. She was mentally and physically exhausted. Saying goodbye to Wheeljack once again was an emotion that she didn't want to feel right now. But what she wanted didn't matter. Instead, she would need to put on a brave face and pretend that she understood his need to leave his friends, to leave her, to look for someone or something that may not be out there. He was running away and she couldn't stop him. She got out of the shower and managed to throw on a pair of jeans and t shirt before she heard a horn out front. He was here. She grabbed her jacket and headed out the door. The car door opened and she climbed into the passenger side.

"Good to see ya, hot stuff."

"It's good to see you too, Wheeljack," she said quietly. They sat in silence for a several seconds before she asked where they were headed.

"Well I figured we'd head for the mountains. It'll take a few hours to get there. No clouds tonight, stars will be bright."

"It sounds beautiful. I love going to the mountains."

"Well sit back and relax hon. You seem like you could use a nap. I'll wake you up when we get there." And with that he turned on soft music and she nodded off to sleep.

"Wake up babe. We're here. Got us a great spot."

Kerri sat up in her seat and looked around. He certainly didn't disappoint. They were on top of the mountain. The stars seemed so close that she felt that she could reach out and them. It was a breathtaking sight. She got out and Wheeljack transformed. He reached his servo out and she climbed into his palm. Once she was secure he pulled himself up onto a ledge and settled there before placing her on his shoulder. "So what did I tell ya, huh? Beautiful, right? Bet you never saw a view like this before." "Nope, I can't say that have. How'd you find it?"

"Flew over it once. It looked interesting. I immediately thought of you." "You thought of me because it was interesting or because it was beautiful?", she asked jokingly. "Both." They sat in silence, staring at the stars for a long time, before she spoke again.

"I hate saying goodbye. I miss you more and more every time you leave. We all do." Wheeljack sighed and shifted uncomfortably. "I know you don't understand, kid. There's no way you can. I don't fit in there. My place is with the Wreckers. I have to find them."

"You ARE with the Wreckers," she said. "Bulkhead is a Wrecker, Magnus is a Wrecker. They're here, they're alive, and you're out looking for ghosts." Wheeljack hung his head, but said nothing.

"Please let me down," she asked quietly. He put his servo out and and she climbed into it. When it was ground level, she jumped off and started to walk away. She was crying and it was pissing her off. Crying wasn't her style, but she was emotionally at her breaking point. So much had changed. The last few months had been the hardest of her life. Thankfully Wheeljack had been her rock. Her anchor. And he was leaving again.

She had gotten fifty feet away before she felt heavy footsteps behind her. She turned in time to see Wheeljack taking his human holoform. She had seen it once or twice before, but it still took her by surprise. He rarely used it. No reason to. Wheeljack reached his hand up and brushed her tears away before pulling her to his chest. More tears began to flow.

"I just wish one time that you would choose us. We need you. And you need us. We can't do this without you." Wheeljack rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed. "You guys will be fine. Magnus is almost up and runnin' again. The autobots always manage to make it work."

"And what about me? How will I make it work? I need you, Wheeljack! You're the only one who understands me, understands what I've been through!" Now the tears were flowing freely, burning her cheeks as they rolled down.

"I love you babe," Wheeljack said quietly, his face mere inches from hers. "You don't how special you are to me. It kills me to leave. But I have stuff to finish. Wreckers don't leave Wreckers behind. Maybe they're all dead and gone. I don't know. But I have to find out. I know you understand that." She did understand. The entire time Wheeljack was running for their lives from the Nemesis, she was asking about the rest of her unit. Had he seen any other humans? Any soldiers? He told her that he hadn't, and so she had to assume that they had been killed. But a piece of her couldn't be sure...

Kerri stood staring up at his face before nodding. "I do. Not knowing what happened to my teammates aboard the Nemesis tears me apart. I would give anything to find them alive, or at least know for sure that they aren't. That they're not up there suffering." She stood up on her tiptoes to give Wheeljack a soft gentle kiss on the lips. Through her tears she said "I love you Wheeljack. . Promise me you'll come back?"

"I'll do you one better, sweetstuff. This is my last trip. When I come back, it'll be for good. How's that sound?" Kerri's face lit up. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Now the tears were ones of joy. "You swear?!"

"Primus couldn't keep me away."