"No way. I'm your best friend, but I'm not going, brother. Humans call this dreadful cold nonsense 'winter'. And it snows, then they put dirt on the roads, and I will not get dirty. Besides, Stiletta needs me here. I promised to help her with a project. I have no idea what I volunteered for." Sideswipe said to Jolt, his hands up.

Sunstreaker had also declined. Crosshairs and Dino refused to spend time with humans they didn't know, apologizing to Jolt. He was running out of friends to ask. He needed someone with good skill as a fighter to go with him, or Optimus would not allow him to go with Lena.

He contemplated asking Skids and Mudflap. The more he thought about it, the worse an idea it became. Prowl had declined, and Arcee was staying with Ratchet. Firestar refused, stating her duties were more important.

Jolt was frustrated, and he walked along the beach, kicking sand angrily. Even Ironhide and Chromia had refused to go with him.

"You have real heavy feet. You broke my concentration." Drift snapped from under the palm trees. "Sorry Drift." Jolt said, sitting next to his friend. "No matter, Jolt. What has got you so tightly wound?" Drift asked him.

"Well, I need someone to go with me when I leave with Lena. She wanted me to go with her, but Optimus says I need a guard myself. Sides won't even go. I was looking forward to spending some time with her, off base, to get to know what kind of femme she really is." Jolt said, scratching his neck with his long fingers.

"I will go with you." Drift said. "Why? You don't get anything out of it. Maybe a bit of education on human interactions and a cold bumper." Jolt said. "Ahhh yes. But I am your friend, am I not? We have been through much together as brothers in arms, and brothers in trouble. Old Ironhide was not easy for you to grow up with. I took the fall as much as you did for those other afts. But because this is important to you Jolt, I will go with you." Drift explained.

"Ha. We did cause a lot of trouble. Thanks, Drift. I appreciate it." Jolt said, quietly thanking Primus. "I assume I must use the holoform. Very well." Drift said, watching Jolt nod.

…...

Lena was in her hangar, packing her clothes. She was excited to be going home for Christmas, but she hadn't figured out how to explain two bodyguards. She decided to go for a walk, and enjoy the warm beach one final time before they rotated back to stateside.

She ran into Crosshairs. "Major. I heard you're taking Jolt with you." he said mockingly. She looked up at the green autobot, and kicked his foot. "You big goon. That's not very nice." she said with a smile. She and Crosshairs were friends, and were always battling with words, in which the green Corvette usually won.

"Two months ago, you hated him." Crosshairs stated. "Well, you overgrown rust bucket, things change." she said, kicking him again. "Kick me again, and I'll squash you." he said, nudging her with his foot. "You wouldn't dare. Ratchet would beat you. You know he loves me more than you anyway. And Firestar would hurt you." she retorted.

"The medibots don't scare me." Crosshairs said, scooping her up and placing her on his shoulder. "Yeah they do. Especially your pretty Firestar. And she wont patch you up after the next time you decide drag racing down the runway with Sideswipe and crash." Lena said, giggling.

"Yes she will." he responded. Lena looked at the side of his head. There were glyphs on his head, just like any other autobot, but his were unique to him. "What are they?" she asked, tracing the glyphs with her hand. "They are a family mark. Every autobot has them, and those who share the same parents, have identical marks. It tells us which family and which line you are. It's like a brand." Crosshairs said, flinching at her touch.

"So since Optimus and Jolt are family, would their marks be the same?" Lena asked, curious. "No. While it is true that they are the same family, Jolt has a different mark. It is a blend of his mother's mark and his father's mark. His father's mark was the same as Optimus. Jolt's dad was Optimus's older brother, Thunderbolt Prime. Jolt, is the last of the pure Prime line."

"Pure?" Lena asked, confused. "Okay. I'll tell you a brief story that every sparkling is taught. In the beginning, there were the original thirteen Primes. Primus created them to be unique, and to pave their own future. We are all descendants of a Prime, but there is only one pure line. As a gift for their feats in war, Primus created mates for the mechs under him. He had not expected Lady Solus and Lord Megatronus to fall in love. They produced their own line of male heirs to the name of Prime." Crosshairs said.

"So is the heir always male? What if there are more than one? Which Prime did you come from?" Lena asked, intrigued.

"The heir is always male. Always the eldest. In Optimus's case though, Thunder was killed, and Megatron defected. So that left Optimus. Sentinel had three sons. And I came from the line of Amalgamous Prime." Crosshairs told her.

"So what makes Jolt pure?" Lena asked him. "Weren't you listening? Jolt is the last descendant of Lady Solus and Lord Megatronus. He later became the Fallen. After he killed her. That is another story. Had the war never come, Jolt would have been born into a life of privilege and great social status. He would have been almost like a king."

"Jolt wouldn't be who he is if that would have happened." Lena observed. "I agree. He is my best friend. And he is very humble. He's always been that way, and it's a quality that many femmes on our planet chased him for." "So Jolt is a ladies man?"

"Not a chance. Jolt can't even talk to a femme. He got chased a lot in school for his mark. The mark of the Pure Prime. They all wanted fame and riches, social status, and privilege. That's not the kind of mate Jolt wanted."

Lena looked down at Crosshairs's paint. "Hairs, do you know what Jolt wants in a girl?" she blurted out. "Well, I don't really know, Major. I do know that he sees something special in you. I don't know why." he jested.

Crosshairs put her down, and she continued her walk, thinking about the great responsibility to the autobots that Jolt really had. Her blue Volt, was their next leader. He was quiet, calm, and fearless. He a lot of the same qualities as Optimus.

Before Lena had gone to West Point, she was a normal girl. She didn't like any kind of sport, cheer leading included. It was a waste of her time. Her high school days were spent in the books, getting the grades she needed to get in to the Military Academy. She didn't waste her time dating, and she hadn't done much of it after she'd graduated. Her only real adult boyfriend had been Nick, and it had been a disaster.

She had hoped this would be better.