Hey there guys! I didn't want to leave you guys hanging on such a sad finish with the last chapter, so here's a little something that finishes on a much more fluffy note :)

I haven't had time to proof read this, so as always I apologise for any grammatical errors you may encounter.

Enjoy, my lovely readers!

xx

"Did it work?" Tessa echoed, looking around the surrounding, empty blackness. She was clearly talking to somebody in front of her, but there was nothing there; she was standing alone in the dark.

Lennox's voice was the one that responded; his voice ringing out in the vast hollowness, "We couldn't make it. He…he's gone Tess."

The girl's eyes widened in shock, "What? But you told me that he was safe! Sam brought him back! Where is everybody?"

"Gone. We turned Sam in."

Gripping her hands into her hair she tried to stop herself from drowning in the sense of confusion and loss that suddenly engulfed her. She felt her throat tighten and she reached out a hand for where Lennox should have been. She could see their faces; hear screams echoing from between her ears. Lennox, Graham, Epps; all of their faces faded and barely visible…all of them covered in blood!

"Tessa!" a voice cried in the background, the sound faded and distant; almost like it was underwater.

"Sideswipe!" she screamed suddenly; her scenery changing abruptly, "Don't go so fast! You'll kill yourself!" she shrieked, whirling around in disorientation as she found herself seated inside the Corvette. In the back of her mind she knew that the sudden shift in scenery wasn't physically possible; but she was trapped within her own mind. Nothing sense and she could not reason with herself.

Her skin felt like ice, her eyes were on fire.

"I'm sorry…" the silver Autobot crackled over the speakers. He sounded distant, weak; dying, "Nobody made it. They won…"

Screaming violently she slammed her fists repeatedly into the dashboard as she yelled at him. "NO! You're lying to me! He said he was back! It's not true!"

"Tessa!" the distance voice repeated.

"Even Optimus can't come back from the dead." Sideswipe replied and they dropped off the dark road and began to plummet into blackness; her stomach flying to her chest at the feeling of falling. "I told you, everyone was killed."

"FUCKING STOP IT!" She shrieked as she fell. She opened her eyes in horror when she realized that she was falling alone; Sideswipe was gone too. She flailed and kicked, trying to fight away the terror of falling that encased her; trying to destroy the unbearable sense of loss that gripped her.

"Tessa!"

She opened her mouth not caring that it wasn't going to save her; and screamed.

"Tessa!" came a yell, a pair of hands gripping her shoulders to shake her. "Wake up!"

She drew in a sharp, violent breathe that burned her throat raw as her eyes flew open and she grabbed at empty air frantically. A pair of strong hands gripped her on the face, causing her to focus. She was met with the sight of a pair of neon blue eyes, and a dark mop of blue-black tresses trailing into trimmed facial hair of the same colour.

"O-Optimus…" she breathed, tears welling up in her eyes as she shook her head violently. She shot a hand out at lightning speed and gripped the front of his jacket, burying her face into his chest. "You're real…you're real…"

She whispered the phrase over and over under her breath; trying to reassure herself. The Prime's Holoform stroked her hair gently as he tried to soothe her. He wasn't entirely familiar with how to ease a human's suffering, but he'd always noticed that whenever he touched her hair; she would calm down considerably.

Humans always seemed to seek physical contact when they were distressed, and if he was being honest with himself; he couldn't say he disliked having her against him.

Bending his face into her auburn tangles he shushed her gently. "It was just a stasis projection…" he whispered to her, trying to remember the term that humans used for it…a dream wasn't it?

She had calmed now, but he could still feel her heart racing as he held her; at least her breathing had even a little though. "…Chief…?" she whispered, clenching her eyes shut to blink away the drying tears, "…you…stayed…?"

The chest of his Holoform ached with what could have been compared to a sad emptiness. To think that she had truly felt so alone made him so furious with himself for having been taken from her. Lennox had informed him of the past few days' effects on the girl; of just how hard it had hit her to lose him. "Of course I stayed…" he murmured into her hair, inhaling deeply against it to memorise the scent.

Tensing her fingers against his back, making the fabric of his jacket gather in her hands, she dragged her forehead along his shoulder before withdrawing slowly from him; taking in her surroundings. She was in her cabin on the Naval Fleet ship, lying in the bottom of one of the bunk beds; the blankets up to her waist. Optimus' Holoform was respectfully on top of the covers, placed protectively between herself and the door; a subtle hint of defence. Due to the narrowness of the bed, and the large frame of him, she noticed that he was slightly sagging over the edge, and the sight made her laugh exhaustedly. After all; the last thing she remembered had been collapsing into tears in Optimus Prime's arms. She'd obviously lapsed into slumber and he had moved her onto the bed to that she could rest. Just the fact that he had stayed made her heart sing.

"How long…was I asleep?" she asked gently, trailing her fingers into her hair where his hand still rested. She gently rested her digits over his own and looked over at him; but was forced to cast her eyes away from the sheer intensity of his neon blue orbs as he watched her.

"Only an hour or two…" he murmured, savouring the feeling of her hand over his; the light movements of her fingers sending sensational pulses over the skin of his. He noticed the slight pink that dusted her cheeks as she looked away from him, and he reached out a free hand to softly trace the edge of her chin; trailing his fingertips over her lips before tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I need to go and see Sam…do you feel up to going on deck with me?"

She looked up at him with a smile; her body being washed with relief at having him home. Finally it was starting to sink in…he was back and he was in no danger. Never in a million years would she have dreamed that resurrection of the dead was possible, after all; the human race was based around the knowledge that death was the end. To have him returned to her after his end was met was greater than anything she could have wished.

"I'm fine now. Just…don't go fighting any more Decepticons for a while…okay, Chief?" she smiled.

Her eyes shot open when she felt his fingertips on her lips again, his posture completely relaxed and calm as he regarded her with a laid back, gentle look; it was clear that he was feeling the same strong sense of loss that she had, "I will confess, I'm relieved to see you smile again." He murmured before sliding himself off the bunk and standing up; offering her a hand, "Let's get up on deck…"

She took his hand with a smile that practically beamed with joy and she climbed out from the blankets to head for the door. That was when she noticed something; Optimus had yet to let go of her hand… the realization made her look up at him; her eyes shining from both the previous tears, and her relief at having him close. As they walked through the narrow corridor, she pulled her hand gently from his grasp and slipped her arm through his, keeping her eyes straight ahead.

"I missed you, Chief…" she whispered with a smile.

"I know…I'm sorry…"

She shook her head. "Decepticons' fault; not yours," she replied shortly before looking at him in surprise, "Wait…you know? How?"

"Two reasons…" he said, pausing in their steps to let go of her hand. She rested her back against the metal wall of the narrow corridor and watched him with a teasing smirk. It felt overwhelming to be able to smile again; to know that he was alive and that everything was going to be alright now.

"Okay…" she teased, crossing her arms across her chest and raising her eyebrow at him, "first reason?"

"Lennox." He replied simply, watching her eyes widen in surprise.

That meant that he knew about how she had reacted to his death, what she'd said to Galloway; everything that Lennox had known she'd felt. Knowing that there was no point in denying it, she nodded; maintaining eye contact with him, they both understood.

"Reason two?" she whispered.

Optimus lifted his left arm and held his fist out sideways for her to see. A fine, silver chain was twined around his wrist; a dainty, unembellished silver cross dangling from it delicately. Her gaze snapped down to the familiar piece of jewellery that he wore, and Optimus secretly delighted in the blush that crept across her cheeks. "Lennox was unable to tell me why I woke with this attached to my chest; but I know for a fact that it is yours." He murmured to her, putting his hand on the wall next to her head; his eyes burning intensely into hers and the chain gently swinging beside her ear, "Why would you have left this with me…?"

To say that her face was scarlet right about now was an understatement; his nose was barely an inch from hers, and still he did not break gaze. She laughed quietly, trying to look him square in the eye without being unnerved, "It was my Grandmother's." she murmured, "She gave it to me for luck when she passed away…and when you…" she swallowed thickly, "when you died, I wanted her to have a way to watch over you…So I attached it to you."

He had a perturbed look on his face now, "Then it should be returned to y-"

"-No." she said sharply, putting her hand firmly on his chest; looking up at him with a stern expression, "Keep it. Maybe it will provide you with better this time."

He smiled and dropped his hand from the wall to rest on her shoulder before pressing his forehead to hers, "I have missed you…" he said evenly, surprised at his own bluntness. There were no lies or denial in either pair of eyes. They both acknowledged that there was something there…just barely ignited between them; something that was only just beginning to grow. They both wanted to act on it…but it wasn't the time or place; it was too soon.

She smiled against him and whispered to him, "Dismiss the Holoform…I'll see you on deck; the real you."

He didn't say a word; instead she felt a gentle tingle on her skin as the figure disappeared in a gentle fizzle of electrical sparks. When several of them made contact with her flesh, she felt the most minute of electric shocks which made her giggle. Then she smiled to herself with a contented sigh and took off for the deck; not more than excited about being able to see the real Optimus; not just a projection of him.

She preferred to see him as he really was.

As she climbed onto the decking of the Naval ship, she noticed that the sun had just slipped below the horizon; leaving a cool dusk sky and a chilling sea breeze washing over them. She saw Optimus…her real Optimus, standing near the edge of the boat; and as she approached her turned to see her. She smiled up at him warmly as her hair tossed violently in the sea breeze; it was going to be so tangled later but right now she really didn't care.

The Prime bent down onto one knee and gestured to her with a knowing smile; she understood completely.

Not pausing for a second she closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms as far around his massive neck as she could; not caring for a second that the wind had made his metal freezing cold as it pressed against her, because she'd never been so warm in her life. His arms closed around her in the semblance of a hug to shield her from the cold air; it was the best he could do for her given that his sheer size made it almost possible to actually embrace her. His Spark crackled at the singing thought that she preferred him this way, not as some Holoform that she could actually hold.

"I need to see Sam…to thank him…" he murmured to her, waiting patiently for her to remove her arms from him and back away. She beamed up at him, unable to hide just how happy she was right now; all of her robots and all of her soldiers, home safe where they belonged. She grinned and raised a hand to playfully pat the vents on his cheek.

"Sure thing, Chief; I'm not going anywhere."

Giving a nod he made his way over to where the tall boy was standing overlooking the ocean; she assumed that the gangly looking adolescent was Sam Witwicky; the one who had brought Optimus back to life. She spotted a dark haired girl watching the two friends share a small moment, a taller, mildly Hispanic boy standing next to her; Tessa decided to introduce herself to the ones who had saved the Autobot leader.

Wandering over, ignoring her wild mane of auburn tangles; Tessa gently tapped each of them on a shoulder, making them turn. She was almost taken aback by the stunning beauty of the teenage girl, who unfortunately, Tess noticed; was a little taller than herself.

Damn teenagers and their steroid pumped chicken…she thought, glancing down at her own tiny not-quite-5'2 frame.

"Hi. I'm Tessa." She smiled up at the them, holding out her hand to the girl, who shook it; before turning to the boy and doing the same.

"Pleasure to meet you," the Hispanic teenager said suavely, "I'm Leonardo Ponce De Leon Spitz."

Tessa had to laugh at the kid's gall. He certainly seemed like a smooth customer; she just hoped he realized that she was older than him, therefore totally not interested. "Gee, that's a mouthful. Nice to meet you kid. I'm the Autobots' mechanic back at N.E.S.T."

"I'm Mikaela," the girl smiled, her incredible blue eyes catching the remaining light from the sun's rays, "Sam is my boyfriend." She gestured with her thumb over to where the boy and the giant, towering robot stood overlooking the ocean; her endearing smile being the only real sign of the ordeal all of them had just been through.

Tess smiled warmly at the girl, "So, he's the one who's brought the Chief back to me…" she replied thoughtfully, crossing her arms and looking over at the Autobot with a fond smile; a look that Mikaela didn't miss.

"So…you and Optimus?" she asked with a smirk, the cheeky teenage girl side to her coming out; a side she didn't get to show very often due to a lack of female friends. Girls had a tendency to be threatened by her, not something that she liked to confess in all honesty; but she liked the way this mechanic in the army greens was completely herself; no secrets.

She also thought it was totally funny and adorable the way the older girl blushed at the suggestion.

"Well…it's not like that…exactly. He's just…" she paused trying to find the right words as her gaze fell on the Prime; her expression instantly softening fondly,"…special."

Mikaela and Leo shared a look before smiling to each other, however before either of them could comment; Tessa had excused herself and headed over to the two at the edge of the ship. Her eyes were focused on the tall teenager; determination in her eyes.

"Sam Witwicky?" she called, causing both the boy in question and the man made of machinery to turn and view her.

"Uh, yeah?" he asked. He seemed like your typical, awkward post-teen/pre-adult sort of guy aside from the massive burns on his neck and face. And aside from the fact that he had brought back the Peterbilt she was so dearly fond of. She held out her hand to him firmly.

"My name is Tessa. I…owe you more thanks than I could possibly offer…for bringing him back… Thank you." she said shakily.

To her surprise, a smirk tugged the corner of his mouth and he coughed trying to hide it as he clasped her hand, "So…you're Tessa, huh?" he shot a glance up to Optimus with a cheeky smile. The robot turned to look down at them and raised his hand at the boy.

"Sam…" he said warningly.

Smirking to himself he instead looked back at the auburn brunette and grinned at her, "You're welcome."

She released his hand and turned to look out at the darkening sea with them before a sharp gust of wind made her gasp and wrap her arms around herself. She had thought that she'd been quiet about it, but evidently not; because within a few seconds Optimus had squatted down and placed his hand flat on the ground in front of her with his palm skyward. Understanding his message, she clambered onto his hand and allowed him to lift her up; the sensation making her stomach flip-flop at being raised so quickly.

To her surprise, instead of keeping her in his hands like he usually would, he lifted her to his left shoulder; waiting for her to get a solid footing before moving his hand back down to his side. She grasped tightly a the protruding blue finial that extended from his helmet to support herself as she moved her hands down to the circular gear on his cheek; using his facial plates as a support so that she could sit comfortably on his shoulder. They sat in silence for a while, just watching the horizon become dark until she could see no further; after all she had no doubt in her mind that Optimus could probably see in the dark. A heavy, contented sigh escaped her, making the large Autobot turn to face her.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, noticing the way the glow from his optics illuminated her face when she was this close. She gave him a half-lidded smile; one of confidence and complete content as she shuffled over a little closer on his shoulder.

She gently placed a hand on the vent of his cheek before stroking it thoughtfully with her thumb. "Just fine," she whispered. She cast a look down to Sam to make sure he was still watching the water before she looked up at Optimus with a smile that made his Spark flicker just a tiny bit as he kept eye contact with her. Ignoring the fluorescent blue glow on her face, she leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on the corner of his mouth; making the Energon flush to his facial plates.

"It's good to have you home, Chief." She whispered before she leaned her head against his much larger one and settling against him. The two of them stayed that way for a long while before Tess fell asleep in the crook of his shoulder.