Summary: Living with the Autobots has become normal for the Yeager family, they moved states to keep a low profile, kept the remaining 'Bots out of trouble for a whole year…then Optimus came back…and it all went to the Pit.
Disclaimer: I own except those you don't recognize, and even then I tweaked others a little...OH! And I do not own Daughtry's "It's Not Over" that I've been using as the title and chapter titles...it fits my story and I love it's theme for the fourth movie, kinda forgot about til now...whoops
Warning: Swearing
:Comm link:
"Radio/Bee's Lyrics..."
To Shadow Kat: He's not quite in a hugging mood...will though share the love! Thank you!
To Vege-chan: Thank you for the fave and follow!
Chapter Twenty-One
Let's Start Over
Xxx October
She was silent and still on the outside, but her racing heart wasn't so sure of that. Now would be a damn good time to panic.
Stupid of her to leave her headset in the house...
Optimus growled, the sound low and threatening, but she could hear a moan buried beneath it. His back arched as he tried to straighten, clocking his helm on the metal girder that supported the rafter framing.
Kate couldn't bite back the shriek she let out as she dived out of the way when Prime's arm swung at her, narrowly missing her back by less than an inch.
Prime groaned, this time sounding more normal as he shuddered, frame shaking as it slumped to one side, braced on his arm as the other went to his face. He rubbed at his optics, grimacing as they snapped with static before the white went out completely. Dull gray blue took over after a moment, shutters blinking as they tried to focus, finally resting on Kate backed against the side wall, watching him carefully.
"Katherine...what...oh no..."
Kate looked around confused before seeing his concern, a small line of blood tracking down her ripped sweat pants from her bloodied knee. Prime's frame shook as he covered his face plates with a servo. She sighed, standing and moving closer even as he flinched away from her.
"Look at me..."
Optimus didn't shoulders slumped in defeat as he resigned himself to what he'd done.
"Dammit Prime! Look at me!"
He visibly jerked as her hand slapped the side of his helm to get his attention, optics dull as they were forced to meet her gaze.
"You didn't do this, you didn't even touch me, I jumped out of your cab and rolled, I've always landed on my knees...just forgot this time I didn't have padding."
He still looked away, intakes shaking as she stepped back a pace.
"You were attacked in your cab by a human at some point huh?"
His frame stiffening was her answer and she turned away, grabbing her boots and actually tying them on this time.
"Transform."
"What?"
Primus his voice sounded bad...
"Transform, you're getting out of here even if I have to make you."
His optics narrowed but he complied only so she would actually open the shed door she was leaning against.
The second he had enough clearance his engine roared as he floored it, trying to get past her.
Now what Prime didn't know was Kate had experience with semi trucks, big ones especially so his steering jerked wildly on the gravel when she ran and jumped, grabbing a hold of his mirror bar and swinging onto the truck nose, gripping the windshield wipers to stay steady.
"Open up!"
His answer was to swing a hard left, tearing down the driveway as fast as he safely could on the muddy road, man he was out of practice.
Her eyes narrowed, glaring at the light bar on top of the cab, knowing that's how he could see her.
"Open up or I'll make you!"
Prime didn't reply, engine growling angrily as she glared, one hand gripped the horn on his cab bar, the other did something to the heel of her right boot, he didn't care as he gunned it harder, ramming the driveway gates and snapping one of them clean off. Luck or timing kept the metal from popping a tire, his undercarriage was scraped up enough by it as it was.
Kate shrieked angrily, smacking his windshield as he fishtailed wildly as he pulled onto the highway, heading South to the junction to the back highways where others wouldn't see them.
Something flashed in his peripheral vision as Kate swung her right boot at his driver's side window, he didn't get a lock on it before it dug into the crack where the window met the door. The glass held, the thin metal at the edge caught whatever was attached to her boot. Hurt like the Pit as she wrenched it out, tearing a gash in the door.
He roared, rage that had been building in his spark ripping out as he pushed his speed even harder.
She twisted around as he growled, the feral sound adding to the deep noise of his engines under her feet. She swung her leg again, and this time he flicked his door out to meet it. Only the full force of the kick wasn't aimed at the window, this time her heel went down, scraping his hood and lodging the metal attachment in his door hinge.
Rather amusing ingenuity to keep it stuck open as she gave his bar lights a cocky smirk before climbing in the cab while she had the chance. The wrenching sound his door made as he forced it shut wasn't pleasant, but locking the doors on his intruding passenger were, as was denying her the satisfaction of seat belts.
Kate didn't seem to notice, fixing her boot on her foot as she gripped the steering wheel to remain sitting upright when his sharp turn onto the next road almost sent the entire truck tipping.
"What is your problem?!"
Optimus ignored her, just as he ignored the CB radio just about screaming with the transmissions coming in. Kate kicked it, popping it loose and disconnecting some of the wires in one good hit.
Prime had just about resigned himself to her presence in his cab as he drove, and then Kate changed tactics, or maybe she'd been planning it...but Prime's entire frame just about seized up when her hands flew to his wheel and gear shift, feet slamming on his clutch and brake as she forced him to down shift rapidly. He dropped back to a more sane speed, left to climbing the road's hill much calmer than he'd taken the last one.
His neural wires were on fire in reaction to her touch, codes screaming at him to get her to stop. He fought her control, but her hands kept things from moving, even as he sent a shock up the gear-shift to her hand.
"Fine you aft-head...gonna act like a dumb glitch I'm going to treat ya like one!"
Prime cried out as she floored it, jumping gears almost too fast for his transmission to handle, making him stall slightly and jerk forward as the power flooded his frame. He growled, trying to wrench control from her, instead she swung his wheel hard, tires squealing and his back end flailing as he hit the gravel road at the bottom of the hill. Momentum was against him, he was too busy making sure he stayed upright to try and fight Kate like this.
"Fuck you."
Kate snorted at his rather pathetic insult, voice sounding out of breath as she raced the hills, dust swirling madly behind them, the cloud blocking anything in her mirrors.
"Frag you! That was weak and you know it, you wanna insult me try harder Prime."
His growl shook the seat, vibrating her core, "Slutty bitch."
"Petro-drone."
"Bastard."
"Knock Off."
"Outcast."
"Reject"
"Idiot fleshie."
"Half-clocked ground pounder!"
"Worthless human!"
"Rusted out pile of slag!"
"Liar!"
"Microchip!"
"Betrayer!"
"Coward!"
Prime should have stopped a long time ago, the next word to fly out didn't even register in his processor, the only one screaming at him was the one he hadn't wanted to hear.
"Heartless!"
Kate shut up at that, slamming the brakes so hard her legs were shaking with strain as she forced the clutch down and dropped from the hardest gear to neutral in a instant. Prime starting spinning, skidding several yards on the gravel road when she yanked the parking brake into place. Even before he came to a complete start, Kate kicked at his door, forcing it open otherwise she'd have dug her left boot's metal attachment into the fragile interior paneling.
She growled, staring at his headlights defiantly, "Say that to my face, or are you just a coward."
He gave into her demand, transforming to crouch in front of her, his fist slamming into the ground with enough force to leave craters. Kate rocked on her heels and stayed standing.
"Heartless."
Kate glared, arms crossed as his face leaned down nearer to her. Her silence bugged him, his intakes heaved in an attempt to cool his systems, engines still rumbling but beginning to settle down.
"You really think I'm heartless?"
Her sudden speaking still shocked him even though he could see it when it was going to happen, her tone also surprised him, low and steady, no accusation or really any emotion, just a simple question.
"You have an affinity for upsetting others."
"By keeping things to myself? By hiding others so they remain alive? By not saying everything upfront when it will only cause pain? If that's what you consider heartless then-"
"You have yet to leave me alone...have you not noticed everyone else avoiding me?"
"You have yet to realize that they only do so because you have never let them doing anything else. Eons in a war, around soldiers who've seen things no one should ever have to see, things you've had to endure...drives anyone to their breaking point...me being the first one to ignore your rank and step forward to say "I'm here if you need me"...that's being heartless...I don't get it Big Guy."
Optimus flinched slightly, but didn't look away, sapphire optics meeting her green eyes evenly.
"I watched you at the bar, you tracked us moving around, especially partners, I know you'd have to be blind to see it mattered to the others that they had someone there."
He did turn away at that, optics staring out over the empty fields.
"What do you want from me Prime? I wish I could go back and undo whatever it is that made you hate me so much..."
"I don't hate you..."
Kate sighed, "Then what? I know you don't trust me...I'm pretty sure you don't even like me. What I don't understand is why you came to me last night if you can't stand me."
Prime shook his head, unable to answer as his frame was buffeted by wind gusts, Kate even staggered as the dull breeze turned into quite a hit. Clouds that had dimmed the sunlight turned dark, beginning to release a slow fall of rain. He dropped back into truck form, opening his door for her and warming his cab enough to stave off the falling temperature.
She remained silent as he began driving, still following the gravel roads deeper into the hills and harvested fields.
His radio crackled softly as it came on, the music dull for a moment before lyrics came through clear enough for Kate to hear, and understand.
"Heavy is the head that bears the crown...Trusted, so much that...knock me down...wrong that I've done...what I've become...just killin' it...broken heart...I'll try anything-to drown out the pain..."
Kate hummed softly, resting her hands on the steering wheel gently, "Drowning the pain doesn't stop it."
"...I can stop the pain if I will it all away..."
She sighed, "But is that what you want? To be constantly hiding not just the pain...but everything else..."
"Don't want to fall asleep-'cause I don't know if I'll get up..."
"You're right...it's killing you Optimus..."
They were silent for a long while, the only sound was the soft rain on the truck and the low hum of the much calmer engines. Kate never took her hands off the steering wheel, and Prime didn't try to stop her. Her fingers were loosely draped over the leather, the wheel sliding through them without interference. It was soothing, the light touch that she didn't really seem to notice she was doing.
He hadn't realized just how badly he'd been craving someone's touch that wasn't meant to hurt him...
It was about time he took this seriously...not that he hadn't been before, but going on a suicide drive and sinking lower than the average 'con...bit of a wake up call.
"What do I do...?"
His voice was soft, cracking slightly as his intakes hitched. He gave up...engine stalling as he drifted to the side of the road, coming to a stop silently.
Kate let him sit for a moment before straightening in the seat, reaching for the gear shift slowly as she restarted his engine. Prime let her drive, her gentle movements taking him to the next road and back to the regular road, facing South to head back to the farm.
"Start by letting someone...anyone...help you, and not just repairing your systems, you've got to let someone in...talk to them or something...and not just because you need to, but socializing once in awhile won't hurt anything."
Optimus remained silent, allowing her full control as they pulled back on the main highway, several minutes passed before she eased him into the driveway, the gate was out of the way, the bent panels propped out of the way of vehicles.
Kate slowed and parked, turning off his engine with practiced hands before she climbed down, shutting the door gently. Optimus transformed and stood, rolling his shoulders before crouching to Kate once again.
He sighed, optics shuttering as he bowed his head, shoulders slumped and armor limp on his frame.
"...help me..."
Tada...
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