Disclosure : I do not own Transformers Prime, it's characters, the storyline, or anything of the sort. I am simply borrowing it to place a piece of my mind in it. I only own my OC, and I will, in a sense, carry the one. I give full credit to those who have created this wonderful series, and Hasbro. Read and Review my loves!

- Lizzzard

A single shot rang through the forest.

I scampered towards the noise, blood running down my back from an open wound on my shoulder. We were in the woods, somewhere. Tall trees surrounded me, the only option I had was to dodge them as I ran towards the sound of clanging metal.

Optimus and I were ambushed, and he dumped me so I wouldn't get hurt. However I somehow managed to get hurt, my shoulder throbbing in pain to remind me of it.

"You know what your problem is, Prime?" A nasty voice sneered as the noises grew louder. "You're weak. You defend those who don't defend themselves! You put all your efforts into a girl who cannot even provide her body with enough nutrients!"

Wait a minute. I recognized that voice….

"I'm afraid you're judgment is being clouded by the soiled energon coursing through your system." Optimus' voice rumbled weakly. I closed to a halt still some while away, but close enough that I could see whats going on.

Optimus was propping himself up on his forearms, laying on his back looking up at the con who attacked us. The barrel of a gun aimed at his chest, a white arm.

Wait a minute.

Following the arm up, you came to Ratchet's face.

"Ratchet!" I hollered at him emerging from my hiding place. "What are you doing!?"

"Cara, no!" Optimus moved to stop me before he was shoved back down by the weapon.

Ratchet sneered at Optimus again. "You're so weak," and he fired.

"Optimus, NO!"

"OPTIMUS!"

Soft hands were grabbing at me, a force around my waist and across my chest holding me firm. There was a voice, a mans voice, but it wasnt deep enough. It wasn't the voice I was looking for; it wasn't -

"Carabelle!"

There it was.

"Optimus!" I sighed in relief, my eyes finally focusing a bit.

"Cara, I'm right here," the baritone mumbled. The force on my waist and chest softened a bit, but it wasn't anyless of a hug. "Cara I'm right here sweetspark."

"Cara," a new voice said. It belonged to whomever hands were on me. "Cara, its Jack," I turned my eyes to his, they were focusing just a bit more. "Are you alright?"

"Yes…" I confirmed, focusing on his eyes. "Just…. A bad dream…"

"Do…. You want to talk about it?..."

"Not with you…"

Jack nodded, turning to look at the radio. "Does this happen a lot?"

"It isn't the first time she's woke panicking and screaming for me."

"Whenever she does, ask her to talk about it. The dream will feel less real if she's talked about it."

Optimus was silent. I looked out his windshield seeing that we were back in the base. I didn't remember returning, I only remembered when my stomach attacked itself and the kids and bots freaking out about it.

"Food?"

"Its right here," Jack held up a bag from Burger Bot, which I reached for immediately, the smell reminding me of just how hungry I was.

"Thank you," I scarfed down a burger as Jack retreated through Optimus' door. "Thank you," I told Optimus.

"You're welcome."

"When was the last time you had a shower!?"

"Uhm….." I chuckled nervously.

Miko had questioned my care, and once remembering that I was, in fact, homeless, starting questioning me.

"Optimus!"

I flinched as I heard the footsteps approaching me. I felt his gaze fall on mine for a moment, before he addressed Miko.

"You need to get her to a shower, and, like, now!"

"Miko…." I protested. "He's a leader in the middle of a huge war. He cannot be bothered with the issues of a human!"

"Uh, when the human is you?"

"Miko…."

"You're going to deny your guardian the chance to care for you?" She shot me an evil grin before we both turned to look at Optimus.

"It would be of no bother to me to help care for your needs, Carabelle." He rumbled in the voice that made me knees weak.

"Fine."

"Cara?"

"Yes Optimus?"

We were returning to base. For the first time in five years, I felt clean. It felt amazing. I even brushed my hair and let it down, the long black locks dangling down below my waist.

"How did you become part of this foster care?" He asked me innocently.

I sighed. I knew the bots would want to know more about me eventually. I mean, I wanted to know about all of their pasts, who they were before the war. Why wouldn't they want to know the same of me ?

"My father," I began my story. "Left when I was about 3 or 4. I don't remember it, and I'm not even sure my mother knew what was happening when it did. But she would tell me it was because of me. I cried too much or something." I sighed, remembering. "My mom did the best she could after he left, but she brought home many boyfriends…. Most of them hit me-"

"They hit you as a sparkling?" He grumbled angrily, and it immediately made me understand why he was the leader.

"Yeah… That's why the state took me out. But, then my foster parents weren't much better. I was with them from 11 until I turned 18. They were drug addicts, my foster mom being the worse of the two. When I was younger they used to give me some, it 'calmed me down.' And by the time I reached an age to say no…. I had grown addicted. It took me a long time to get over that." I absent mindedly scratched my arm, looking out his window. "So, when I was 18 I took all the money I had and left. I thought I could get a job somewhere, but really no one wants to hire a little girl who can't pass a drug test. And once I got clean… I wasn't very .. Visibly the one you'd want to hire."

Optimus was silent for a while as he drove. I ran my fingers through my untangled hair, something that I loved doing now.

"I am proud of you,"

What.

"You looked evil in the optic and kept going, to better yourself," he finished. "That is more than any human or bot could expect from you."

My chest swelled with pride as we rode in silence.

"I'm proud of you too…" I muttered, laying a hand on his dash.

"I… Am nothing to be proud of.."

"Optimus!" I couldn't believe me ears. "You are an amazing leader. You do all that you can for your troops, and those who follow you follow you because they want to, not because they have to."

Silence again.

He revved a bit as he entered the base. It was quite… Lonesome. He transformed, me falling to his hand which then immediately rose to his shoulder. Miko and Raf sat at the computer, the three bots nowhere to be seen.

"Raf, Miko." Optimus called, the kids looking at me then at him. "Do either of you know where the others have gone?"

"Why, no, sir, we do not know." Miko smiled innocently. Uh oh.

"Miko is correct, we do not know," Raf did not meet Optimus' optics. Something was definitely up.

"Why would we know?"

Optimus raised a brow at them curiously.

I visibly face palmed. "You are a terrible liar." Miko glared at me before turning to Optimus with a hesitant smile. "You should go for Raf," I muttered to Optimus. "He looks ready to burst."

"Raf?" Optimus stated, a hint of authority in his voice.

"Uhm….."

"You are so protective." I folded my arms in front of my chest, leaning into his seat. "I am perfectly safe with you, Optimus!"

"But that does not mean you may accompany me on every mission!" He protested. "They are dangerous and I will not put you at unnecessary risk!"

"Optimus, I want to spend time with you."

"We spend every minute on base together."

I scrunched my face at the mirror. "That's not the same as alone time." Through the rocks, I could see the flashing of a pair of headlights. "There he is."

Optimus blared his horn as he caught up with the same red speed demon from the night before. He bumped into him slightly, the much smaller car veering off, spinning into a ditch nearby. Optimus transformed, myself landing in his hand, then resting on his shoulder plates the next second. I tucked myself in so he wouldn't have to worry about me falling.

"Optimus," Arcee's voice carried through the open Comm as Optimus approached the vehicle frantically trying to reverse out of there. "Knockout has a hostage."

"Understood." he responded flatly.

He grabbed hold of the cons bumper, lifting him with ease straight into the air. I watched in astonishment as Optimus ripped the drivers side door off, the con letting out a groan of pain. He reached in, tugging a small boy out. The car transformed out of Optimus' hand, staring at his forearm that was missing a valued piece of metal.

"Ah! Do you know how hard that is to replace!?"

Optimus stared the con down, the other Autobot's approaching behind us. The red optics met mine, narrowing slightly, then he transformed, driving away quickly.

"Well…." I laughed. "He doesn't seem to happy."

And finally there's some of Cara's background. Please, leave a review!

-Lizzzard