A/N: just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hope you all enjoy the chap. Please review.

Chapter Nine
Prowl sat in his room, he couldn't believe it. Sky Spirit was alive, she was alive! She wasn't dead, oh if only he'd known sooner.

There was a knock on his door, he looked over at it wondering whether or not to answer it. The door opened just as he decided not to and in walked his brothers.

"You okay, Bro?" Side Burn asked "You've been in here almost since you came back."

Prowl gave a small chuckle as he saw X-Brawn hit their brother upside the head and Side Burn groan in slight pain as he rubbed the sore spot.

"Of course he's not all right. How would you feel if you found out the one you love was alive all these years and wants nothing to do with you."

Prowl sighed downheartedly and looked down at the floor.

"Now who's the stupid one." Side Burn remarked almost cheekily at his oldest brother.

"It's not the fact that's she's been alive all this time." Prowl suddenly said sadly.

"It's the fact that she hates you, right?" Side Burn said casually.

"Side Burn, if you weren't our brother I'd probably throttle you for saying things like that." X-Brawn said half annoyed.

"Hm." Side Burn said folding his arms in a mock sulk.

X-Brawn looked over at Prowl -who was still staring at the floor- he went over and sat beside him. "Prowl," he began "She may have been Sky Spirit once, but she's changed. She's no longer the femme you once knew."

Prowl shook his head, "Your wrong, X-Brawn. She's still the same, only she has a hatred for me."

"Come on Prowl. I'm sure that's not true." Side Burn said walking over and sitting the other side of him.

"Isn't it?" he looked at his young brother his sadness clearly showing in his golden yellow optics. "You didn't see how she reacted when Optimus said my name. She hates me, and it's because of me that she won't be coming back."

"Now Prowl, don't make me hit you like I did Side Burn." X-Brawn warned a slight joking tone to his voice.

"Hey. How come he gets a warning and I don't?" Side Burn asked slightly hurt.

"You already got your warning."

"Huh?" Side Burn blinked in confusion.

"It's just a miracle that Prowl didn't decide to kill you back then."

"Hey, how was I suppose to know they'd once been together." He replied half moaning.

As a small argument started between the two, Prowl thought back to that moment.

Flashback
He watched them drive up and transform, then saw her turn to Optimus and say, "I knew you'd figure it out soon or later."

"You've tried to keep your identity hidden from us." He heard Optimus reply.

She obviously wasn't expecting that reply as she looked partly shocked, he then saw her rip something from her shoulders and said to him "There. Happy now?" there was a rhetorical tone to her voice "Now I remember why I didn't go after you like I did with the other two. You figure things out way too damn quick." She said half moaning as she folded her arms.

"You maybe able to change your look, but you can't change who you are." He heard Optimus say then add, "Sky Spirit."

Before he could stop himself Prowl gasped. Sk-Sky Spirit? No, that's not possible. She's dead but even as he thought this he heard confirmation of the 'impossible'.

"That Autobot no longer exists! She died back in that attack along with everyone else!" she turned towards him her arms now down by her sides as she looked out across the desert. Though he knew that she didn't know that he was there it felt like she was staring directly at him.

It… it is her! She's alive! But his happiness was short lived as he heard the rest of the conversation.

"Everyone but Prowl." Optimus said. He saw that at the mention of his name her hands balled into fists, which shook slightly.

"Everyone but Prowl." She repeated. He couldn't help but hear the hatred in her voice as she said his name

She hates me he thought sadly, but he reconsidered that thought when he heard Optimus say, "You still hold feelings for him, don't you." She does? Could it still be possible? He felt his hope soar then die at what he heard next.

"Are you kidding me!" she virtually shouted at Optimus turning back to him. "I told you, that Autobot died, DIED! Along with everything else that made her who she was. Including those…" he saw her shiver slightly "Feelings. I am Freespirit now and always will be."

She really hate me he sighed sadly not realising the sudden movement had made the sun reflect off him revealing his position. It was not until he saw Freespirit fly in his direction and start shooting in his vicinity that he realised he'd been detected.

The last thing he recalled was one of the shots hitting him before blacking out and regaining consciousness at Optimus' feet with Crosswise and Mirage helping him up, then he heard Optimus say "We're going to have to have a little talk when we get back."
End Flashback

He shuddered slightly as he held where she shot him. How could it be that she was the same and yet so different? He knew the femme he once loved was still inside of her, he'd heard them back when she told them her name, but then they seemed to vanish when she replied to his concern about the Predacons returning. Her tone was flat but angry as if she was talking to some mortal enemy.


Two days later.

"I'll get it." Koji called out as the doorbell rang. He opened the door and saw a boy of about his age maybe a little older, with copper red hair. He wore a red jacket, that was done up, blue jeans and white trainers. His eyes were the same green colour Topaz's were. Might be her brother he idly thought. "Can I help you?"

"Koji…"

"Hey, how'd you know my name?" Koji asked. He could swear he'd heard the voice somewhere before.

"Why would I not? We have known each other since your father's kidnap by the Predacons." The boy said.

Koji's eyes went wide as he realised who was in front of him. "Opti…" he put a hand over his mouth to stop himself from continuing.

"Who's at the door, Koji?" his mother called out.

"Just a friend, Mum. I'll be back later." He replied and walked out the door. He stood in front of the boy trying to get over from the shock. "Optimus, how… what's… your human."

"No time to explain, Koji." The human Optimus Prime said "I need you to take me to Topaz."

Koji blinked still trying to get over the fact that Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, was now human. "T-Topaz? Oh yeah, right. This way." As he walked out onto the street.

As they continued down the street Koji couldn't help but look over at Optimus every so often. How on earth did this happen? Was there some weird experiment that went wrong over at Cybertron base? Were all the Autobots now human? He certainly hope not, if that was the case how would they protect Earth from the Predacons, how could they find his father?

Optimus looked at his human friend. It seemed strange seeing him from this 'view'. He'd always looked so… small to him, but seeing him now he was just as 'big' as any other Autobot, if not slightly shorter. He then saw the worried looked on Koji's face.
"Do not worry, Koji." He said, "This is only temporary, I will soon return to my true form."

Koji sighed visibly with relief. "That's good." He said "For a horrible moment there, I thought something had gone wrong at your base and everyone was human."

That thought unnerved Optimus, all the Autobots human? He involuntary shivered making Koji look at him.

"Are you okay, Optimus?" he asked quietly with concern.

"Fine Koji. Though I am not used to this body." He replied.

Koji couldn't help but laugh at Optimus' answer. Soon they reached Topaz's apartment building and walked up to her place.

"I can't promise that she'll open the door. I got no answer the last time I was here."

Optimus gave a nod as they reached Topaz's front door. Koji knocked and to his surprise the door opened.

"Oh, it's you." She said. She sounded disappointed, as if she was expecting someone else. "What do you want this time?"
Although she could hear Koji talking she wasn't really listening, her attention drawn to the boy beside him. She felt as if she knew him in someway, but that was impossible she'd never seen him before.

Koji stopped what he was saying when he saw that she was staring at Optimus. Had the Autobot leader really been human Koji would have hit him upside the head for what he was about to say.

"My name is Op…"

"He's… my cousin," Koji said interrupting Optimus and trying to cover up the fact that he was about to say 'Optimus Prime'. "P-Paul… O-Optimal..." he concluded, saying the first names that came to his head.
Both Optimus and Topaz looked at Koji, Optimus in confusion and Topaz strangely. He began to feel his face heat up with embarrassment, to his relief he heard Optimus ask Topaz "May we come in?"

Topaz looked at him in slight shock, she had heard that voice before. That voice she thought can only belong to one person, one 'being'. Optimus Prime. She chuckled inwardly Nice try Koji, but you'll have to do better than that.
She let them in, only briefly wondering after she closed the door how Prime had become human. As she entered the living room it hit her, she felt like hitting her head against the wall, it was so obvious. Crystal, of course! Idiot. She berated herself.
"So what brings you here… Optimus."

Koji looked at her in both shock and horror that she knew the boy with him was Optimus Prime. He tried to cover it up, "N-no, not Optimus, Topaz. His name is…" but he didn't get to finish.

"Let's not play games shall we." She said seriously "We both know that he's Optimus Prime, leader of the…" she stopped and tried to compose herself as she saw the horror intensify on Koji's face, she wanted to laugh at him for having found out his little 'secret' and so her next word didn't come out as… spiteful, as she wanted. "Autobots."

Koji could have died when he saw Optimus confirm what Topaz had said with a nod, but he was not prepared for what he heard next.

"And you are Freespirit, known once as the Autobot Sky Spirit."

"Very good, Optimus. Though I gather you did not reach that conclusion on your own, a certain… entity, named Crystal told you." She said.

"I need to sit down." Koji said. This was all too much for him, Optimus Prime suddenly turning human he could handle, but finding out that Topaz was also a transformer and turned out to be the one who had supposedly died years ago. It was just too much for his poor brain to handle.

"She has asked you to 'talk' to me. To make me see that I'm still the same Autobot I was all those years ago." She folded her arms in defiance "Hm. Good luck with that." She said sarcastically.