A/N: FINALLY AN UPDATE. Don't forget to leave a comment - I plan to post the next chapter next week!

On Raf's thirteenth birthday, Bumblebee decided to fire up the ground-bridge and take his human companion on an adventure. He told Raf to pick anywhere in the world where he wanted to go. Rafael decided on Iceland because he had never seen snow before, plus he thought it would be cool to visit the Land of Fire and Ice. While Optimus and Ratchet remained at base, the rest of the team decided to join them on their excursion. Jack, Miko, and Monica wanted to take part in celebrating Raf's special day (as did Arcee, Bulkhead, Luna, and Smokescreen). Not to mention, it was a nice break from battling 'Cons.

They spent the whole day exploring the Nordic island, discovering enormous glaciers, natural hot springs, and active volcanoes. Once night fell, they were lucky enough to witness an incredible light show up in the sky, better known as the Northern Lights. Everyone was in awe over this natural phenomenon and they found themselves appreciating this peaceful moment of togetherness. Raf considered it one of his most memorable birthdays yet.

The moment they returned to base, Optimus noticed how everyone's spirits seemed to be lifted. He liked seeing his team happy, so he suggested that they make one trip per birthday. This war took a toll on them. Optimus understood that a little fun every now and again was necessary. It was the start of a tradition which applied to all of their human allies.

This time, it was June Darby's birthday. As per her request, the destination was a tropical island. The team got together to spend the day in paradise. Despite Miko's best efforts to make them come, Optimus and Ratchet did not partake. Prime's don't party, nor do medics apparently. Ratchet was, however, able to pinpoint an uninhabited island for them. The Autobots would be able to walk around freely without having to worry about being seen by people. One minute they were at base, the next they were surrounded by palm trees and crystal blue water.

Miko immediately thought it would be a great idea to go cliff diving. Before June could object, the teenager was already halfway to the top. It was at least 35 feet high. Luna assured June that the water below was deep. A jump from that hight would be safe. Miko was fearless as she jumped over the ledge, hitting the water feet first. It look a moment before her tiny head appeared above the surface. She called out to the others, encouraging them to try it. Something blocked out the sun, so she looked up to see Bulkhead hurtling towards her shouting cannonball. She started to swim away before he hit the water, which created a title wave that carried Miko back to shore. She was laughing and having a blast. After that, Raf and Bumblebee insisted they'd go next.

The rest of the day consisted of a wide variety of beach activities such as kite flying, boogie boarding, and sand castle building. Finally, the sun began to set so Bulkhead dug out a large hole in the sand to create a fire pit. Everyone gradually gathered around it. "Has anyone seen where my mom went? It's getting dark." Jack asked as he returned to the group with Arcee, both holding fire wood. Surrounding the fire sat Arcee, Jack, Monica, Bumbleee, Raf, Bulkhead, and Miko in that order.

"She's down by the water with her boyfriend." Miko smirked, looking over her shoulder to see June and Agent Fowler walking along the shore together. He unexpectedly spent the entire day at the beach with them.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Ha, ha. Very funny. They aren't dating."

She tilted her head at him, "Are you sure about that? They were flirting with each other all day. Like geez, get a room!"

"I think I would have noticed by now if something was going on between them. Right guys?" Everyone exchanged looks. Jack made a face, "Guys?"

"Well… Agent Fowler did go out of his way to come today." Raf pointed out, "And he did give her that nice necklace."

"Because it's her birthday!" Jack reminded him, a little defensive.

Miko huffed, "Oh please, he's giving her jewelry! That's a clear sign. They're not even trying to hide it anymore."

Jack assumed his mom talked to Agent Fowler so often because he was the only adult she had to talk to about the Autobots. He didn't realize they could actually like each other romantically. Now that he thought about it, June was going out more when she wasn't working and constantly on her phone texting someone.

Just a few days ago, Monica went over Jack's house to surprise him. As she went to go knock on his front door, Agent Fowler appeared to be just leaving from the inside. He was dressed in casual clothing, not his usual suit and tie. He could tell that she was caught by surprise. By the look on her face, she knew exactly what was going on. They awkwardly exchanged a few words. Agent Fowler informed her that Jack got called into work. Monica took that as her cue to turn around and pretend that interaction never happened.

She thought now wasn't the best time to bring that up. Instead, she asked Jack, "Your mom hasn't talked to you about it?"

"No, and I haven't asked. She hasn't dated anyone in years . . ."

"If she hasn't told you yet, she's probably worried about how you will react." Arcee speculated.

Jack sighed, "I guess it doesn't really matter to me, as long as she's happy."

"Imagine having Agent Fowler as a step-dad?" Miko snickered.

"I think it's sweet." Monica smiled at her boyfriend, "You should let your mom know that she has your support."

Bulkhead rubbed his head, "Human relationships seem kinda complicated."

"That's why i'm not in one." Miko said, proudly as she put her hands behind her head to lean against him.

"They can't all be complicated." Raf said, looking at his sister, "Our parents have been together since they were kids and they're still happy."

Monica nodded, "Dad always says that he married his best friend. I'm convinced that's the secret to a successful relationship."

"Back on Cybertron, I was lucky enough to have found my life-long partner. Our time together just ended too soon." Arcee said sadly as she stared into the flames. Silence filled the air. It was unlike her to open up about her past relationships. Everyone knew it was a sore subject. She didn't mean to make them feel uncomfortable, so she added, "I know i never talk about Tailgate, because it used to hurt. But I don't want it to be that way. I want him to be remembered."

"What was he like?" Raf asked. It felt like an appropriate time to ask.

"He was reckless and childish at times, but also fiercely loyal and brave" Arcee smiled, glancing at Monica, "He was my best friend."

"What about . . .Cliffjumper?" Monica questioned.

Arcee looked thoughtful for a moment, "I never thought I would be able to open up my spark to anyone else after Tailgate, but Cliff came pretty close. He helped me through a dark time. I can't ever thank him enough for that." The two-wheeler didn't want anyone's pity. They have all lost something from this war. Now she was ready to end it. Their deaths would not be in vain.

Wheeljack and Luna were missing from the group. At sunset, they were seen sneaking away together. "Since we're on the subject . . ." Miko looked around to make sure they were no where close by, "what's the story with Wheeljack and Luna? Are they an item for what?"

Everyone turned their attention towards Monica. She blinked, "What is everyone looking at me for?"

"We know you got the details. Luna's your guardian." Miko insisted.

"Wheeljack won't talk about it with me." Bulkhead added.

Monica shrugged, "I honestly don't know what their relationship status is right now. I think they just need some time to figure each other out."

"Sounds like they're making it more complicated than it needs to be." Jack said, locking eyes with Monica. She made being in a relationship with her so easy.

Monica smiled at him, "I agree."

"Uh, should one of us go check on Smokescreen?" Bulkhead asked, "He hasn't moved from that spot." Smokescreen was sitting on a boulder near the shoreline, staring out into the ocean. He was being weirdly anti-social for most of the day. He didn't even want to participate in any beach activities. It was clear that something was bothering him.

"I don't know what he's so down about. We're on a paradise island! What gives?" Miko wondered.

Bulkhead noticed Arcee and Bumblebee exchange looks. So did Jack and Monica. This got him suspicious, "Hey, do you guys know something that we don't?"

Miko also suspected something was up, "They're holding out on us, Bulk."

A week ago, Jack and Monica never made it to the Valentine's Day Dance because they had to go rescue Smokescreen. It turned out that the Autobot never wanted to be rescued. He was secretly meeting up with Nova, willingly working with a 'Con to take down a common foe. He didn't think he was in danger. After Luna and Wheeljack explained to him how completely unacceptable that was, he promised to never see her again.

Monica told her brother and Bumblebee about this incident. She wondered who else knew. She leaned into Jack to whisper, "You told Arcee, right?"

Jack nodded, "Yeah, and you told Raf and Bee?"

That only left Bulkead and Miko out of the loop. Miko demanded answers, "Hello? We can hear you?! You can't leave us out!"

They hesitated, so Raf blurted out, "Smokescreen's in love with a Decepticon!"

Bulkhead and Miko stared at him in shock. Since the secret was out, Monica and Jack decided to fill them in with more details. Bulkhead couldn't believe it, "Smokescreen should know better . . . Please tell me that they talked some sense into him."

Monica nodded, "Trust us, Luna set him straight."

"A-ha! That's why you didn't go to the dance!" Miko pointed at Jack, "You told me you got sick, liar."

Jack rubbed his hand behind his neck, "Look Miko, we're sorry we didn't tell you, but none of this can get back to Optimus or Ratchet-"

"Unless it happens again." Arcee cut in. She wasn't crazy about keeping this from Optimus to begin with. But Jack convinced her that Smokescreen made a mistake. She should give him a chance to redeem himself by keeping his promise.

"Smokescreen's been in enough trouble lately." Monica said, looking at Smokescreen's silhouette in the distance. He was probably spark-broken. She wished there was something she could do to cheer him up.

"Don't worry about me, my lips are sealed." Miko said, "This is the circle of trust, guys. Everything we talked about tonight stays just between us. So . . . anything else anyone wants to share with the group?"

There was a brief moment of silence then Bumblebee made some beeping noises. "Bee said he's the one who broke your bass speaker last week, not Bulkhead." Raf translated. Miko narrowed her eyes, unamused. Not the kind of confession she was expecting.

On the other side of the island, Wheeljack and Luna were sparring as a training exercise. They started to do this more often because they were able to learn from each other's skills. But this time, Luna was not in the mood. Something else was on her mind. Eventually, she let Wheeljack pin her down. "Are we going to talk about the other night?" She asked, their faces just inches apart. She was referring to their unexpected intimate encounter.

"What is there to talk about?" was his response.

Luna pushed him off of her so that she could sit upright, "I wonder if it meant to you what it did to me, or if you were simply taking advantage of me."

Wheeljack hesitated. What happened between them the other night made him realize that he felt the same way about her as she did for him. It was just hard for him to talk about. "It meant everything to me . . ." He admitted, "All these feelings I have for you . . . I'm trying to learn how to handle them. I hope you can understand that."

If he were to be perfectly honest, he has never wanted someone so bad before. Luna was a game-changer.

Luna could see that it was hard for him to open up. She didn't feel the need to press him any further, "We can take it slow then."

"Yeah, slow." He agreed, not entirely convinced that would work out so well. His attraction to her only grew stronger each day.

After that talk, Luna felt better about where they stood. For a long time, the two of them sat together on the beach in comfortable silence. Wheeljack couldn't remember that last time he felt so content. He glanced over at Luna, who seemed to be lost in thought as she stared out into the ocean. She was thinking about what would have happened with her life if the war didn't start. She assumed it would have remained exactly the same. She would still be battling others as a form of public entertainment. She would still be miserable without even knowing it.

Suddenly, she surprised him with a random question, "What was your occupation before the war?"

"Engineer." He automatically answered .

"Should have guessed. You were lucky." Luna smiled, closing her optics to the feeling of a cool breeze.

"How so?"

She turned her head to look at him, "You did something in our society that made a difference. Meanwhile, I was being bred to be a killing machine. Not exactly the life I wanted for myself."

"What would you have done if given a second chance?"

Luna paused, "I don't know . . . no one has ever asked me that before. I don't think I would have been good at anything else."

Wheeljack shook his head, "I don't buy that. Your patient and compassionate. Educator comes to mind. If anyone can inspire young minds, it's you." He paused once he realized she was smiling at him, "What?"

"A month ago, I would have never imagined hearing such kind words coming from you."

He shrugged, "A lot can change in a month. A lot can change in a day. We could end this war tomorrow, ya never know."

Luna narrowed her optics at him, "I hope your tone is being optimistic, not sarcastic."

"Hey, I want this war to be over just as much as you do. It's getting hard to remember a time when there was peace among our kind."

Luna's expression became serious, "Once we take down Megatron, we will find a way to re-build our planet and unite us all. There has to be a way. Maybe then . . . I can finally stop fighting . . . and focus on becoming a better version of myself."

Wheeljack didn't understand why she was being so hard on herself. The past was in the past. If anyone needed to change, it was him. He wasn't even able to open up about how he felt about her. "For what it's worth, I like this version of you right now."

Luna smiled as she leaned against his shoulder with her own.