Ok, fair warning! Several boxes of tissues are needed for this chapter. This was by far one of the hardest chapters I've ever had to write for any story. Yes, tears were spilled while writing it.

Sentinel

It is difficult to hold my son at the moment. To know that this will be the last time, for a long while, that I will feel the warmth of his small body against mine. To know that this is the last time his love will echo through my spark until the day we are reunited. To know that I will miss many vorns of his life as he grows.

I pray to Primus that I will not miss too many vorns. I know it is a fruitless prayer. The civil war has only just begun. From experience wars are never short lived. And still, I pray for I don't want to miss out on too much of my son's life.

"Papa," he yawns up at me, the warmth of his love spreading within me.

"I love you too, Optimus," I smiled, trying desperately to keep my tears at bay. "Recharge my son."

"Be a good little mech and recharge," Thea whispers, her hand caressing his small face.

He smiles and purrs at her.

My love couldn't stop her tears from flowing. Thankfully Optimus is too tired to notice. We're not giving him a chance to feel our spark ache by constantly giving him our love and our love only.

Another big yawn escapes him as his optics dim. Then finally he falls into recharge and Thea's tears and sobs fall hard.

"Ratchet, do it now," I say to my friend who had been standing in the shadows waiting.

"He will stay in recharge the entire trip and then some, I promise you," he tells us, gently lifting up Optimus' arm from beneath the blanket. "Nothing will bring him out of recharge."

I turned my face away. I could not watch him inject my son with the sedative. Thea's sobs continue to fill the room.

"It's done," he says, his hand resting gently on my shoulder.

"Are the others ready?"

Ratchet nodded slowly.

"Thea, it is time."

"I know," she sniffled, wiping her tears.

Together the three of us exited the private quarters Thea and I had been staying in on the base after our home was destroyed. I must say, it was pure joy having my son with me in my office. He's been Thea's and my constant companion, never once has he left our sight the past few days. He'd crawl or walk around, curious about anything and everything. And he would always fall into recharge curled up on my lap or in his mother's arms.

Out in the hall were my most trusted comrades, my officers…my friends. I looked into each of their faces and saw the same sadness that was drowning my spark. I didn't hesitate to move up to them, I called them here because I knew they wanted to say goodbye. I had seen how much they cared for my son and I could not deny them this right.

"Do not worry, he will not wake," I said then gently transferred Optimus to Wheeljack's arms.

"Whoa! He's gotten heavier since the last time I held him," he chuckled softly, slow tears rolling down his faceplates. "I'm going to miss you, Optimus. You will be in my prayers, always, until the day you return."

Wheeljack tenderly kissed Optimus on the forehead then passed him to Jazz.

"Hey little fella," Jazz cooed. "You are just too cute, especially when you smile. Stay that way and the femmes will adore you. You flash that smile and you'll be a femme magnet on any planet in the galaxy. Trust your uncle Jazz, he knows." Jazz broke down in tears. "Goodbye, my little friend."

"I got him," Prowl said reassuringly to Jazz who kept crying softly. "Hey Optimus, you are one brave little mech, you know that? Stay brave. And may Primus watch over you, keeping you safe until the day you return to us."

I smiled kindly, seeing Ironhide with big tears rolling down his faceplates. He didn't say anything at first as he held Optimus close. He just watched him for several long astroseconds, taking in my son's gently features.

"I'm going to miss you calling me fragger," he said, making us laugh softly. "You're always so cute when you do it too. And you grinned doing it like you knew exactly what you were saying. I love you Optimus. I'm gonna sure miss you…a lot, you little pit spawn."

Ironhide choked and sobbed. Not one of us laughed at him. Everyone knew he was tougher than titanium plate armor. And everyone knew he had a special place in his spark for Optimus.

"Slag it to pit! This is so hard, Sentinel."

"I know my friend," I smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "I know."

"Here, take him, Ratchet," Ironhide sniffled. "Before I leak all over him."

"Too late, my friend," Ratchet smiled, cradling Optimus in one of his arms. I watched with curiosity as he pulled the blanket aside and exposed Optimus' chest. "Sentinel, Thea, come here, I want to show you something. I did it yesterday during his exam."

Ratchet activated one of the beams on his medical wrist band. The beam was designed to see past the outer armor to check for internal injuries.

"See…there on…on his spark casing just to the left of the opening? It's small. I didn't dare make it any larger."

I narrowed my optics and focused on…

"It's the Autobot insignia," Thea said.

"I don't know why I did it," Ratchet explained, turning the beam off and holding Optimus with both arms. "I figured maybe it would bring him good luck and keep him safe. No one would ever know it's there unless there was an internal injury that needed repairing."

"You did good, Ratchet," I smiled, my tears finally falling. "He was born an Autobot. And when he returns he will be an Autobot. I know that in my spark. I feel it with every ounce of energon flowing through my systems."

"He will be one of our finest," Thea said, taking our son into her arms.

"He's gonna be a big fragger that's for sure," Ironhide added, making everyone laugh.

"My son will return. I promise all of you," I said in earnest to them. "He will be noble, brave, strong, and caring. He will be a leader amongst us. He will make us all proud to be Autobots."

"Sentinel…it's time," Prowl said softly and reluctantly.

I nodded to him, my tears fall faster than before.

"Goodbye my beautiful son," Thea whispered then handed him to me.

"Goodbye, Optimus. I love you so much. Even if you forget, your spark will always remember me, it will always remember the love I feel for you this very moment…always."

My tears fell on my son's forehead as I held him close one last time. Then I handed him over to Prowl. Thea and I decided it would be best if one of my officers took Optimus to his caretakers. Even now they were waiting for him at a secret rendevous point just outside the space port where the ship that would take my son to safety was preparing to launch. It was already so difficult right now; we knew it would be even hard later when we had to hand our son over to another mech and femme to raise him.

Prowl had proved he was willing to sacrifice himself for Optimus. I knew they all would. But Prowl was my second in command. He earned this right when he saved my son.

And so Thea and I, along with our friends, watched as Prowl disappeared into the shadows of the night with our son. Both of us clinging to each other, hoping that some day soon, our Optimus would return to the home where he belongs.