"'Out…?' You mean…OUT, out?"

Arcee could see the uncertainty in Jack's eyes. She grinned teasingly and asked, "What's the matter, Jack? You scared to be seen in public with me…?"

Jack blinked nervously, "What? No! No, of course not! Why would you even say something like that, Arcee…?!"

"Calm down, Jack…I was just kidding."

Jack sighed and deadpanned, "Ha, ha. Seriously, Arcee…this would be a big step for you. Are you sure you're ready for it?"

Arcee nodded, "I think so. I mean, I wouldn't even have considered doing it until Ratchet upgraded my hologram tech this morning. Now I can project the Sadie hologram directly onto the surface of my body and so far as anyone else will be concerned, I'm one hundred percent human."

"So that's what's happened. Scrap, Ratchet really outdid himself. Y'know…for awhile there I didn't even realize it was you, Arcee."

"Oh, really…?" Arcee's shining eyes twinkled mischievously as she manifested her Holocloak.

Jack immediately froze as he watched Arcee's techno-organic body shimmer and disappear, only to be replaced with the dazzling form of the exotic beauty from earlier.

Arcee opened her eyes and gazed seductively at Jack. Keeping her eyes locked onto his she suddenly performed a little pirouette, giving Jack a good long look at her upgraded holographic form. She stopped turning and slowly moved towards him, slightly swaying her hips from side to side as she did so.

Jack gulped and began to blush furiously. He stammered, "S-so wh-wh-what happened to S-Sadie? Wh-why the change…?"

Arcee finally stopped directly in front of Jack, her bare toes just barely brushing against his own. Slightly taller than Jack, Arcee looked down into his wide eyes and smiled knowingly. She leaned down and gently rested her head against his chest. She could feel how quickly his heartbeat was racing.

Oh…so fast…

She straightened up and wrapped her slender arms around Jack's trembling body and held him close before answering, "To be honest, Jack…I had gotten a little bored with Sadie's biker girl image. I decided it was past time for a change…" Arcee rolled her eyes and tittered musically, "…besides, that look was so three years ago!"

Jack humphed and muttered, "Well, I still thought she was hot…"

Arcee giggled, "The upgrade allows me to alter Sadie's appearance any way that I desire, and so I decided to go with something a little more…me."

Jack studied Arcee's features intently. After a moment he said, "Y-you look familiar, somehow…"

"Oh…?"

Jack nervously cleared his throat and said, "I can't put my finger on it…I don't know. Maybe I'm just imagining things but I'd almost swear I've seen that face somewhere before…"

"I suppose it's possible, but the odds against it would be astronomical. Sadie's new 'look' was created by incorporating millions of different combinations of human physical features." Feeling inexplicably insecure, Arcee suddenly asked, "Did…did I do a good job, Jack?"

Arcee stepped backwards and once again allowed Jack to have a full view of her new holographic body.

As before, Jack suddenly found it extremely difficult to breathe. He cleared his throat and rasped, "Ar-Arcee…? Are…are clothes included with your hologram upgrade…?"

She smirked, "Poor baby. Hold on, I'm still getting the hang of this."

Arcee concentrated and instantly an elegant blue and gold ensemble of South Asian origin appeared and draped itself around her flawless form. A choli or sleeveless bodice complimented her supple upper body, leaving the dusky skin of her midriff and lower back bare. From the waist down a lehenga or long embroidered skirt flowed to the ground where her delicate feet were encircled by a pair of golden beaded sandals.

"There…you can blink now."

"Th-thank you. It was getting pretty hard to focus..."

"So, what do you think?"

"W-wow, Arcee. Y-you look…amazing."

"You promise you're not just saying that? I could always change my appearance if you're not - "

"Arcee. Seriously, it's perfect. I…I especially like the jewel."

Arcee's hand reflexively moved to touch the tiny shining stone near the center of her forehead.

"Oh, you mean my little beauty mark?"

Jack said shyly, "I think it's called a bindi. It's nice…it really adds to the brilliance of your eyes."

Arcee smiled, "Thank you, Jack. I had gotten kind of used to the look of it since the Matrix transformed me, so I figured why not go with a human body that could also show it off!"

A strange silence followed her words.

Finally Jack said sheepishly, "Umm, listen…I should at least shower before we do anything. After walking around in the rain for hours, I could sure use one."

Arcee smiled suggestively, "Want some company…?"

Jack blushed, "I-I'll only be a couple of minutes. You just wait here and I'll be right out, o-okay?"

Before Arcee could react, Jack all but dashed into the bathroom and hurriedly closed the door. Arcee blinked for a moment, a strange sense of uneasiness settling upon her as she listened to the sound of the shower starting. She shrugged away the feeling and a sneaky smile formed on her face. She crept towards the bathroom, slowly opening the door and entering the tiny space without making a sound. Arcee grinned as she peeked through the shower curtain and shattered the relative silence by suddenly blurting out, "Mind if I watch…?"

Jack practically squealed, "ARCEE…!"

"Oh come on, Jack…don't be angry."

As he pulled a fresh shirt over his head, Jack huffed slightly and insisted, "I'm not angry, Arcee. I…I was just a little startled, that's all."

Still wearing her Sadie hologram, Arcee lay back onto the bed and cooed, "I'll make it up to you later, I promise…"

Jack swallowed nervously at Arcee's thinly-veiled offer as he combed his hair. He suddenly frowned at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and said, "I'm going to need a trim pretty soon."

Arcee quickly stood to her feet and approached Jack. Standing closely beside him, she raised her hands and slowly ran her slender fingers through Jack's mane of shaggy hair.

"I kind of like it, Jack. It's a good look for you."

Jack's eyes fluttered as Arcee continued with her soothing ministrations.

"R-really…? You think so?"

Arcee smiled, "Yes, I do."

Jack's breathing slowed as he stared deeply into Arcee's eyes. They felt themselves inexorably pulled towards one another until only a hairsbreadth remained between their lips. At the last moment Jack pulled back and murmured, "W-we'd better get going. It's starting to get late."

As Jack put on his shades, Arcee cocked an eyebrow but chose to say nothing…at least for now. The uneasy sensation was back and she knew something was going on.

They made their way towards the door and stopped. Time stood still as they paused and prepared themselves for what lay ahead.

Almost to herself, Arcee said, "At least the rain finally stopped..."

Jack glanced over at Arcee and softly asked, "Ready…?"

Arcee nodded nervously.

Jack reached out and opened the door to the outside world.

Arcee breathed deeply and whispered, "One small step…" before taking Jack's hand and tentatively walking over the threshold and out of their tiny room. Together they stepped into the light…into Jack's world.

Gazing all around her in wide-eyed wonder, Arcee marveled at how noticeably different things appeared. It was even more obvious than when she was inside the motel room. Now she fully realized her human-sized perspective and how tiny she was. The world had never seemed so overwhelming before. The experience was incredibly humbling to her.

There weren't many humans in the motel's parking lot. The ones there who had actually bothered to acknowledge Arcee's presence had not responded with fear or hatred, but instead with cordial nods of greeting and occasionally even a genuine friendly smile. Arcee blinked back tears as she saw that the humans didn't see her as an alien invader. They had wholly accepted her into their world.

Jack saw Arcee's eyes misting over and he asked with concern, "Hey, are you all right…?"

She smiled and wiped away her tears before answering, "I-I'm good. This is just…really nice. Thank you so much for being okay with this, Jack."

Jack returned her smile before replying, "It's no problem, Arcee. Listen, would you mind if we walked? That way we can take our time and you'll get to see more. You can enjoy the experience better."

Arcee nodded excitedly.

Jack smiled, "C'mon, let's go."

As they made their way through the small Midwestern town, Arcee was on cloud nine. She considered today a rare and fine gift. It was everything she had dreamed of, being able to appear in public with her beloved Sparkmate. She snuggled closer to Jack and held tightly onto his arm, thinking to herself that as long as she could do this she couldn't be happier.

Jack turned to Arcee and said, "You know, there's a mall not too far from here. Want to check it out…?"

"That sounds good, but I do have just one question."

"Sure, Arcee…what's that?"

"What's a mall?"

Jack blinked uncertainly at Arcee. An almost imperceptible smile slowly crept onto her lovely face before she began to laugh. Jack finally cottoned on that Arcee had been pulling his leg. He rolled his eyes in exasperation and guided his still-giggling companion towards the mall.

...

It was a relatively modest-sized cluster of interconnected buildings but there were still people everywhere. Arcee could not help but feel a little apprehensive. As they entered the mall, Jack did his best to reassure her, "You're going to be fine, Arcee. Just stick with me and you shouldn't run into any - "

WHAM!

"…problems?"

It happened so fast that Jack didn't even see it coming. A teenage girl wearing glasses and a loud purple t-shirt featuring a Canadian maple leaf had been intently speaking on her cell phone and hadn't noticed Arcee until it was too late. The two collided, slightly knocking both backwards. Instantly the girl began to apologize profusely.

"Oh, gosh…! I am so sorry! Wasn't watching where I was going! Umm…'sup? Hey, wow! You look spectacular! I absolutely adore your outfit!"

Nervously Arcee replied, "Th-thanks…?"

The girl smiled brightly and turned to walk away, immediately resuming her phone conversation, "…so anyway, I still can't believe it! We're actually gonna get to see 'em in concert! I know, right? Yeah, it'll be right around the same time as our annual get-together, so it'll be twice the awesome! Thank God my Dad was able to get us advance tickets on his last business trip, eh?"

As he watched the girl leave, Jack blinked and murmured, "Well, that was…interesting."

Arcee quickly became absorbed in the hustle and bustle of the mall's interior. People from all walks of life went about their business.

As they pushed deeper into the interior of the mall, Jack and Arcee came across an indoor playground where the children could run free while the parents rested and patiently waited for their kids to wear themselves out.

Arcee was mesmerized by the sight. An unfamiliar pang of longing swelled from deep within her as she watched the little children at play.

Suddenly she felt a tiny impact against her knees. Arcee gazed down into the smiling face of a little boy not more than five years of age. He grinned up at her and giggled, "You're pretty."

Arcee beamed at him and replied, "Thank you, you're very sweet."

The little boy's mother quickly ran up and apologized, "Please excuse us! I'm so sorry if my son is bothering you…"

Arcee chuckled and said, "Oh, don't worry. It's no trouble at all. You have a beautiful child."

The mother smiled in reply, "Why, thank you so much. If…if you don't mind me asking, have we met before? It's the strangest thing…you look very familiar."

Arcee shrugged, "I don't believe so. It's okay…this is actually not the first time I've heard that today. I guess I just have one of those faces."

"Well, it was very nice to meet you. Come on, Brody…it's time to go home."

As the mother and child walked away, Arcee gently rested her head on Jack's shoulder and whispered, "I want one of those."

Jack's eyes widened to epic proportions behind his shades. Arcee felt his body tense and become rigid as stone. She giggled, "Not right now…but someday."

Arcee felt Jack's hand reach for hers and their fingers slowly laced together. He squeezed affectionately and said, "We'll both know when it's the right time, Arcee. C'mon…let's have some fun and go shopping."

...

After learning the ropes, Arcee quickly became an experienced shopper. She knew the temperature outside had recently started getting colder, and so she helped Jack pick out a heavy black leather jacket that she knew would keep him warm. It didn't hurt that when she watched him trying it on, Arcee found Jack irresistible.

They soon ended up in a store that specialized in intimate apparel, and Arcee was astonished that a few tiny scraps of fabric were capable of producing such interesting responses from her Sparkmate. She giggled as she was forced to drag Jack away, but not before secretly scanning several particularly alluring outfits and adding them to her hologram's clothing files. She would be sure to model them for Jack later, and looked forward to seeing his reactions.

Without meaning to, Arcee and Jack found themselves in a maternity clothing store. Arcee tentatively reached out and held up a maternity blouse up to her body before she glanced questioningly at Jack. He gazed at the love of his life and could not help but smile. Silently Jack wondered what Arcee would look like if she were pregnant. He chuckled inwardly, musing that maybe he was ready to become a father.

From out of the blue, Optimus Prime's prophetic words came back in a rush to Jack. He remembered how the spark of the Last of the Primes had spoken about the shared destiny that lay before Arcee and himself, and how they were to be the progenitors of a new race of beings. Before Jack could ponder the subject any longer, he watched in dismay as his beloved Arcee's body suddenly slumped and began to fall to the floor.

Jack was a blur of motion as he managed to catch Arcee before she fell. Alarmed, he gently held onto her and guided her to a nearby chair.

"A-Arcee…?"

She sighed and chuckled, "Whooo…now that was weird. One minute I was fine and the next, the whole room started to spin. Before I knew what was happening I was falling."

Jack asked, "Have you ever felt this way before?"

Arcee shook her head, "No, never. Maybe it was too much excitement for one day…?"

"I…I don't know, Arcee."

Jack's stomach abruptly started growling.

"When was the last time you ate, Jack?"

He had to think for a moment before answering, "I think it was last night."

"What? You mean it's almost been a whole day since you've had something to eat?!" Arcee suddenly began to rise to her feet. Jack tried to convince her to remain seated but she stubbornly refused and focused on his needs instead.

"Come on, Jack. Let's get you some food."

Jack protectively wrapped his arm around Arcee's waist in case she had another spell. She instinctively knew that he was concerned about her and the resulting warm feeling made her spark sing.

Fortunately the food court was just around the corner. Jack helped Arcee sit down at an empty table and he immediately joined her.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Arcee?"

She sighed, "Jack, I'm fine. Go on…get yourself a bite to eat. I'll be right here waiting on you."

"Well…okay. I'll be back in just a few minutes."

True to his word, Jack was only gone for a couple of minutes before he returned with a grilled chicken sandwich and a drink. He took a brief moment to say grace before he dug into his meal.

Arcee deeply breathed in the tantalizing aromas and murmured, "That smells so good…"

Jack glanced up and asked, "Arcee, are you absolutely sure your new body can't eat anything? I mean, you never know until you try…"

Arcee paused for a moment before she attempted to explain, "It isn't something I can easily put it into words, Jack. When the Matrix unlocked an additional transformation within my body and gave me a third techno-organic form, I've since discovered that I possess a…sense of its inner workings. I'm fairly certain that not only is my new body incapable of ingesting human foodstuffs, it would be probably be very uncomfortable if I attempted it…maybe even dangerous."

Jack could immediately tell that Arcee was beginning to feel very isolated and alone from the conversation. He quickly reached out and held her hand.

"Scrap, Arcee…I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean…"

Arcee smiled, "It's all right, Jack…please stop worrying so much about me."

Jack couldn't help but grin, "Yeah, that's not going to happen anytime soon. Look, I want to make it up to you somehow…"

"Jack, seriously! It's okay."

Suddenly Jack clapped his hands together and looked excitedly at Arcee.

"I got it! Let's go somewhere where I know I'll feel insecure and then we'll be even!"

Arcee shook her head and chuckled, "You're crazy, Jack…you do realize that, right?"

"I've got the perfect place in mind, too…a dance club. Like I once told Mom years ago, 'experience tells me I should never cut a rug.' For you, Arcee…I'll cut a hundred rugs."

Arcee was especially touched that Jack would offer to do something that would make him singularly uncomfortable, all just to make her feel better.

"Jack, it's incredibly sweet of you to offer but I don't want to do that to you. Maybe there's somewhere we can go that would be a compromise?"

"I see where you're going, Arcee…you're talking about somewhere where we could meet halfway…somewhere where everyone feels a little bit uneasy, but where we could still forget about our problems and just have some fun!"

As Jack futilely wracked his brain trying to think of the perfect place, Arcee absently glanced out the huge windows surrounding the food court. It was already getting dark outside, but she could easily see a destinctive building across the road where a large number of people were gathering. Curious, she looked closely and read the bright neon letters on the side of the building.

"Jack…? What's a karaoke club?"