Author's Note: Monumentally overdue but here it is…the moment Prime FINALLY gets to say what he has wanted to say for so long… Hey, remember good things come to those who wait… so thanks for sticking around. 😉

P.S – If you are diabetic, have your medication on standby when reading this chapter!

Chapter 156 – Finally!

Prime P.O.V

Elita's ship's engine roared to life, the stabilisers kicked in and the ship hovered above the tarmac, preparing to leave. As it gained altitude, the whirr of the ship's dark matter drive hummed loudly as it prepared to send the craft hurtling through space towards its destination. In that moment, a wave of sadness engulfed me as I watched the ship move further away. As it did, a part of my spark went with it, and I unknowingly raised my servo and covered my spark.

A warm servo covered my own as Phoenix reached out and brought my servo to her dermas, kissing it gently as Elita's ship drifted further towards the horizon and out of view. ''The ones we love the most Prime..'' she began to say.

I smiled at her, my spark filled with love and adoration for the femme who stood before me, ''never truly leave us.'' I bent down and placed my helm against hers as I caressed her face. For a moment we stood there, helm to helm, relishing the feel of being in each other's arms.

As I stepped back from her embrace, I noted with some amusement that this was the spot we had stood on years ago when Phoenix had been a human female – OC - and she was about to go and visit Sam. She had flung herself in my arms, terrified that she would lose me. I let out a soft, sad sigh as I recalled the last five years. /She did lose me, and I her/.

''What?'' She looked at me with those piercing brown and gold flecked optics and I was nearly undone. I brushed my digits down her face reverently and she reached out a servo and grasped my wrist, holding it in place as she leaned into my touch.

I ex-vented softly as I kissed her servo. ''I was just thinking back to that moment when you were OC and..''

''I came running back to you, terrified I was going to lose you,'' she smiled knowingly up at me.

I nodded, blinking my optics in surprise. ''You noticed too?'' I asked with some amusement.

She stepped forward and laid her helm against my chest, wrapping her arms around me. ''You would be surprised just how many things about us I have committed to memory Optimus Prime.''

I squeezed her tight in my arms. /Primus how I needed this femme/. Kissing her helm, I chuckled. ''Oh, really my Phoenix? Care to share?'' The other Autobots had dispersed to go about their business and attend to their duties. They likely also elected to give Phoenix and I some time alone, especially seeing as in less than two days' time… /NO! I will not think of that now, not in this moment/.

Stepping away from her I reached out and offered my servo. ''Shall we go for a walk to our beach Phoenix?'' I cast my optics to the heavens. ''It is a beautiful evening. Seems a shame to miss a chance to simply be together under our stars on our beach. I think we are owed some down time together, don't you?'' While time was of the essence, no matter what lay before us, if I had learned one thing these past five years, it was to take every opportunity you had to be with the ones you loved as tomorrow was promised to no one.

Phoenix smiled radiantly at me and took my servo in hers, squeezing it. ''I would love nothing more Optimus.''

We walked in relative silence, simply enjoying being in each other's presence. We strolled along the road past the Autobot personal quarters, the dreaded Med Bay and through the tree line until we were in the middle of our beach where the grass met the sand.

''Do you remember that first night you and I shared this beach?'' Phoenix asked as she leant her helm against my chest. When I mistook you for Ironhide…''

''Yes.'' I smirked against her helm. ''You know, I get that often.''

Phoenix burst out laughing and she kissed my chest. ''That offering reminds me of the night you made your first joke to me. Again – here!''

''Or the night you rendered me speechless and melted my spark when you tapped the place above your heart and told me I deserved to be loved.'' I closed my optics at the memory as it came flooding back. Without thinking I pulled her even closer to me and she squeezed me back.

''Or the night I told you about my stars and how I see them, and you thought I was stupid,'' I could hear the smile in her voice.

''Was?'' I teased her as I kissed her helm yet again.

Phoenix turned about in my arms, her brown and gold optics flashed brightly as they fixed me with a look of indignation. ''Careful Optimus!'' She smirked and leaned against my chest, ex-venting softly.

After a moment of amicable silence, she spoke again. ''You know, we've had some wonderful times on this beach Optimus.'' Her optics dimmed and a shadow flittered across her face. ''And some spark breaking moments too.'' I gently lowered my helm and placed it against hers. I knew what was coming. ''Like… like the moment I found out about Chase and ran here, and you found me.'' She flinched in my arms, and I kissed her helm, soothing her back struts as she clung to me fiercely. ''Or the moment I made the decision on this very spot to leave my family, my home,'' her optics turned to face my own and they were filled with pain and shadows of torment, ''YOU!''

I moved my servos to grasp her shoulders firmly, my optics focused on hers with an intense stare. ''Never again my Phoenix.'' She looked at me, a confused expression on her face. ''Never again will I let you walk out of my life like that. Never again will I let you go without fighting for you – for us.'' I wrapped my arms about her waist and pulled her to me tightly, protectively to emphasise my words. I lowered my helm slowly towards hers, delighting in how her spark sped up, her optics widened and flicked between my optics and my dermas. I turned my comm off. /Not this time/.

I sighed out loud in frustration. ''I should have followed you that day. I should have come after you and made you listen. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN NO AS AN ANSWER. I SHOULD HAVE MADE YOU SEE THAT…'' My voice had risen with every word that passed my dermas and my chest was rising and falling rapidly as I fought to keep the depth of my emotions at bay.

My servos flew to her either side of her beautiful face, grasping it tightly, scared she might disappear, or something or someone might come along and take her away from me. I brought my face down so I was right before hers, my own optics staring deeply into hers, willing her to see how I felt. /This is it, tell her – take your chance!/.

''See WHAT Prime?'' Her optics searched mine desperately seeking an answer, to hear out loud what her spark surely told her was true. Her servos reached out to cover mine.

As I gazed into her optics, I was filled with a sudden calm, and I brushed my digits across her cheeks. ''That I LOVE YOU Phoenix! With all my spark I LOVE YOU!''

She surged forward and captured my dermas, wrapping her arms about my neck, hungrily, passionately seeking me. I groaned into the kiss and wrapped my own arms about her, pulling her off the ground towards me, trying desperately to bring us as close together as possible. Having been deprived of the feel of her dermas on mine for so long, the feel of her body pressed fully against mine, it was intoxicating. Our derma and glossa devoured each other. ''MY Phoenix,'' I murmured. ''My Phoenix, my Phoenix!''

Finally, we parted and I slowly, reluctantly, let her slide from my grip back down to the ground, though I still held her close to me. ''I LOVE YOU!'' I repeated as I gazed down at her.

She closed her optics as my words washed over her audials and she gave a sob of joy as her grip tightened on my servos. I shook my helm in wonder. ''To think I was not looking for love, I resisted it. I did not expect to ever feel so deeply for another again. I did not know if I even could.''

She opened her optics and they shone brightly at me. ''Optimus…''

I kissed the chevron on her helm. ''But then you came along, and you captured my spark utterly and totally. Phoenix I love YOU, Primus but I love you,'' and I pulled her close to me. /Would I ever get enough of this femme?/.

Phoenix laughed, though she shook her helm, a look of absolute joy on her face as she gazed up at me. ''You know for someone who took so bloody long to say those three magic words, you sure are making up for it now aren't you!''

My chest shook as my own laugh rumbled in reply before I bent down to capture her dermas again in a sweet kiss. ''Phoenix if you only knew how many times I have been on the verge of telling you I love you, when something or someone interrupted me.'' I gave a sigh of exasperation. ''I have been wanting to tell you that since the morning you told me you loved me! I wanted to tell you that the moment you awoke in the Med Bay a few weeks ago but I did not know how you felt about me – about us – and I did not want to rush you. Besides,'' I sent her a smile small as I kissed her servo. ''I thought of all the places I could confess my love for you Phoenix, the Med Bay was the last place I wanted to do that!''

Phoenix once again laughed out loud, a sound of pure happiness and delight. ''Well, I am glad you chose our beach Optimus. But to be honest,'' she stepped closer and pulled me towards her so not an inch of us was separated. ''The setting never mattered to me, I just wanted to hear you say those words.''

I brushed her cheek gently again with my right servo as I slowly shook my helm. ''How did I get so lucky to have someone like you come into my life and love me?''

She grasped my servo in her hand and kissed it, looking towards me with utter love and adoration. ''You said ''yes'' Prime. All those years ago when I asked if I could come with you here, you let me. You saw in me something, someone worthwhile. You accepted me for me, and you allowed me to be a part of your family – something I had not had in such a long time.''

I was speechless at the raw honesty to what had been a rhetorical question. All I could do was run my servos down her cheek and grasp her face before I leant forward and kissed her tenderly.

As we broke apart Phoenix began to smirk. ''Plus, there is also the minor detail that your deity kind of orchestrated it and - you're kind of easy on the optics too.'' As if to emphasise her point, her gaze flicked over my powerful frame appreciatively and she gave a small sigh. ''You know I have been aching to tell you how much I….'' she hesitated a moment as she searched for the right words, ''appreciate and admire your new form.'' As she finished her sentence, she ran a digit lightly down the side of my face before dropping it to trail down along my chest.

I burned at the contact and a shiver coursed through my frame. /What this femme makes me feel…./. Phoenix withdrew her digit and I almost cried out, deprived of the contact. She laughed yet again, and a mischievous glint flashed in her optics. 'However, I must admit, sometimes your new facial expression makes you look like someone just took a dump in your Energon cube!''

I snorted through my enstrils at the interesting and unexpected imagery and a deep chuckle escaped my dermas. I felt my optics narrow menacingly and I folded my arms across my chest, raising an optical ridge at her, ''Phoenix? Are you being impertinent towards a Prime again?''

A teasing smile spread across her dermas as she raised her servo to her chest, feigning innocence. ''Me? Never!''

''Good. Because I would have to punish you, you know,'' My own optics shone with mischief.

''Oh really?'' She stepped towards me, but just out of my reach. I felt the heat of her frame deliciously close. ''How so?''

Without a sound and quick as a flash, my arms snaked out and wrapped about her pulling her towards me, pinning her against my body. I immediately devoured her dermas, seeking to claim her as mine. She gasped into my mouth, groaning as my glossa flicked out and traced a path along her lower derma. I broke the kiss and proceeded to place light kisses along her jaw line.

Phoenix just stood there for a moment, dazed. Her optics glazed over and her dermas were partly open in shock. I only just managed to hide a smug grin of satisfaction.

After a few seconds, she shook her helm and smiled at me. ''Well, if that's your idea of punishment Optimus, I should be irreverent more often!'' I chuckled against her jaw line. Phoenix sighed contentedly as I continued my ministrations. ''Well, I'd say it's official.''

''What is?'' I muttered as I continued to rain light kisses across her brow and back along her jawline.

''I'd say we have stepped it up a notch from walking to a sprint,'' she laughed, though a tremor run along her frame.

I pulled her close, that delicious heat rising between us again, ''Oh, not quite a sprint yet Phoenix. More like a steady jog.'' And I captured her dermas again, kissing her deeply. When I pulled away, I had a teasing look upon my face. ''The sprinting part is yet to come, and I so look forward to that with you.''

Phoenix's dermas flew open in shock. ''Did you… I mean.. what just..''

Ignoring her reaction, I kissed my way along and up her jawline again towards her audial. /I really do enjoy doing this to her/.

''Did Optimus Prime, Leader of the Autobots. Politically correct, paragon of virtue just make a very suggestive remark – out loud!''

I pulled back away from her and she almost whimpered. ''Would you rather I didn't?'' My optics had a teasing gleam to them.

Almost immediately, Phoenix wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed herself closer to me, smiling seductively as she whispered to me. ''And, what if I did rather you didn't say such things to me?''

I lowered my helm until our dermas were almost touching. My optics burned into hers as my body enveloped her. My deep, baritone voice rumbled between us. ''As you wish my Phoenix.'' As she leaned forward to kiss me, I released her and began to walk away.

It took a few seconds for her to register what had just happened. ''What the… HEY!'' She darted forward, almost tackling me. I laughed as I caught her, spun her around, and brought her to the ground beneath me in one swift, effortless motion. Pinned beneath me, I could not help smiling down at her, chuckling at the pout that formed on her face. ''How dare you call my bluff!''

My optics flicked across her face, settling on her beautiful dermas. My voice was almost a growl as I replied, ''As you wish my Phoenix,'' and once again, I hungrily captured her dermas. Her arms reached out and wrapped about my neck, desperate to pull me even deeper into the kiss. I felt the familiar pulse and call within my spark chamber as it once again sought what it recognised to be its other half, seeking a union of souls.

With a growl of frustration, I pulled away, denying myself yet again. Phoenix sighed out loud and sent me a knowing smile, lightly running her digit down my cheek before she gave a small laugh. ''Well, if this classifies as jogging, then I have a feeling sprinting with you Optimus is likely going to be the cause of me off lining or having some sort of total melt down!''

I chuckled as I stared down at her. ''Well. We wouldn't want that now would we Phoenix?'' My dermas curved up at the corners in amusement.

She glowered at me and slapped my shoulder. ''OPTIMUS!''

While the pain that had filled my spark at the sight of Elita leaving was still there, it was a dull ache, almost imperceptible, as the femme in my arms wrapped my spark in love. I looked down at her, a sense of wonder and thankfulness filling my soul. /Every time I feel I am getting lost in darkness, my light, my Phoenix, saves me/.

Almost at once a cold stab of fear tore through me as I recalled Phoenix would soon be leaving me to join him. The fear and panic slammed into me, forcing me to sit back abruptly. The thought of losing her again - especially to him - terrified me to my core.

Once again, I felt a warm servo reach out and gently comfort me as Phoenix sent me a knowing and reassuring smile. She knew what troubled me. ''Shh.. Optimus. I am here. You are here. We are together. While you have had to live seemingly your whole life thinking ahead, planning and preparing for what might come to pass, just for now – don't! Don't think of what tomorrow will bring, don't think of what might happen when so much is unknown. Just be with me, here – now. Please?'' Her optics burned into mine beseechingly, her servo urged me to come back to her.

I closed my optics and willed the fear away, banishing the cold with the warmth of her love. /Tonight. In this moment. There was just us. Nothing else/.

Just her.

I smiled down at her – my Phoenix – nodding my helm, I gave in to her request. As I sought her dermas again and savoured the taste of her, the feel of her, the sight of her in my arms, she was all that mattered.