The next day came and Saphira went to work, along with Jack without any hitch. Saphira still had her concerns, and Jack made sure she was looked after. Their boss didn't seem to notice anything strange with her, which was a bonus. And when their shifts came to end, Saphira made sure to stick near Jack in case there was any sign of Ronan. Fowler had contacted them that morning to inform them that the wrecked car was located, but not passengers or driver to be found. It really made the day sour. At least until they were able to return to the base and wait for Wheeljack to arrive.

Before that, she managed to convince Optimus to drop in at the local hardware store as she wanted to grab a few things. Mostly nails, she also grabbed a level tool, measuring tape and a compost barrel, all of which intrigued Optimus to know of their functions. Saphira told him about them, and he was a little grossed out by the compost. However, as Saphira explained the reason for compost, and why it was just a natural part of a normal ecosystem, he understood. Especially as she used the Amazon rainforest as an example of it, and why the bottom floor was primarily for compost. Optimus still wasn't entirely sure about it, but knowing it would be something she needed for the produce she intended to grow, he didn't argue much. They delivered these items to the shed of the lot and returned to base.

Saphira felt the excitement in the air upon arrival. She went back to her room to grab one of the ramen noodle packets to eat, deciding to dig into them and returned to the lobby to join the others. She walked up to the first-floor platform to sit, watch and wait while the kids wait eagerly, along with Bulkhead who was pacing impatiently in the lobby.

"Wheeljack's ship is approaching the landing zone," Arcee anounced as she watched the monitors with a smile.

Everyone was pretty much watching the monitors except Saphira and Bulkhead, mostly because he was pacing and Saphira was patient. Miko was bounce on her heels excitedly with a big grin on her face, it was like she was waiting for someone she already knew. Though of course it was through Bulkhead they learned about Wheeljack. That bot didn't stop talking about his buddy the previous night, and Saphira was certain he didn't stop talking about him when he took Miko home.

"You think he's here to visit?" Raf asked in an excited tone, glancing at Miko and Jack.

"Maybe he'll stay!" Miko was very hopeful about that and then got very thoughtful about something. "Hmm, have to find his own human though."

Saphira raised an eyebrow at Miko. "You know we're not things they own, Miko. They are as free to be your friend as you are to them. You made it sound so weird."

"I did?" The girl was surprised and shrugged a little. "You're the one who made it sound weird, Saphira. Besides, one partner for each bot. Except for doc bot of course, he's a little too uptight to have a human partner."

Ratchet scoffed loudly and rolled his optics. "I can hear you, Miko." He typed on the console of the ground bridge and looked up at the team. "Ground bridge cycling up." He gasped loudly when the console suddenly sparked, and the ground bridge stalled. He hits his fist on the console and kicked it into gear. "Blasted scraplets! It's been a week and the equipment still hasn't been the same since the infestation!"

Saphira looked at him with worry. "Is that going to impact the use of everything for much longer?"

"Maybe…but we can't be sure. Though you won't need to worry, Saphira." Ratchet turned back to continue working on the ground bridge. "It is our equipment that is still having issues, not yours in your room."

"That doesn't mean I'm not worried, Ratchet. It's a nuisance when things don't work the same. Though if worse comes to worse, building another…uhh…as annoying as it is, might be the other option." He gave her a look that said he would not do that and she understood as Saphira knew that the ground bridge took a lot of time to build. "It's a suggestion anyway."

Jack listened to the conversation quietly. "Taking that into account, why is Wheeljack landing halfway around the world, and you'll bridge him here when the bridge is having some issues?"

"We can't risk revealing the location of our base," Optimus explained, seemingly aware that it seemed somewhat silly to do this with the ground bridge needing repairs. "Just in case the decepticons are tracking Wheeljack's ship." Jack nodded, understanding that was necessary, just as using little communication outside of the base is.

Miko turned away from Optimus, smiling at Bulkhead and walked over, watching him walk back and forth impatiently. "Dude! I've never seen you so stoked!"

Bulkhead turned to Miko with a big smile. "You're gonna love Wheeljack! I know I've said so many times already! But it has been so many years! We were like brothers! And tonight, we are gonna party!"

Saphira made a face as she slurped up some of the ramen upon hearing that. Miko, though, was overjoyed to hear that. "SWEET!" The girl exclaimed, making Saphira roll her eyes.

Before Saphira could make a comment, they were all startled by an alarm noise from as the scanner picked up enemy targets. Saphira walked closer to the monitor to look at it curiously to see multiple enemies detected on the screen.

"Bogeys." Arcee glared at the screen, Bulkhead himself was frowning at the screen as well. "Closing fast on Wheeljack's position."

"Con scum!" Bulkhead cursed angrily, annoyed this was happening. "I guess they were scanning for ships after all!"

"So it would seem," Optimus agreed, turning to Ratchet who was quickly working on the bridge. "Is the ground bridge functional, Ratchet?"

"Give me a couple seconds…" The medic did not look up as he focused on his work as quickly as he could.

Saphira looked at the screen with the others, staring at it as the movement of the bots could seen. When Wheeljack's ship came to a sudden stop, she was immediately worried for the bot, even though she has never seen him before. She glanced at the others before turning to face the bots. Optimus was watching the screen with a concentrated expression.

Bulkhead, Arcee and Bee stood in front of the bridge, ready to go. Bulkhead turned around with an eager expression. "Open the bridge, Ratchet! We're missing all the action!" Bulkhead said to him eagerly.

Ratchet turned the ground bridge on and turned to face them. "I'll prepare sickbay."

Bulkhead chuckled confidently. "Who for? The cons? This is Wheeljack we're talking about."

Saphira watched curiously as the three bots run into the vortex, leaving Optimus with Ratchet and the kids. Miko was excited about, though Saphira looked up at Optimus curiously. "I never expected Bulkhed to have a lot of confidence in someone like that."

"Wheeljack is a great warrior, he is capable of handling multiple decepticons alone." She was still not sure about it, she knew even Bulkhead could get overwhelmed at times, and he was part of the Wreckers as well. Optimus could see that on her face. "Of course, while he is a great warrior, he may still need some help."

"I doubt he does since Bulkhead knows him best!" Miko looked at Saphira with a smirk. "Oh, and are you gonna be joining the party?"

She grimaced at the girl. "You know I don't like parties."

"But this one is coming to you!" Miko teased, waving her fingers at her and giggling. "I can't wait to show Wheeljack my guitar skills! I have the perfect song already picked out and everything!"

"And he's going to be so thrilled about it," Saphira said bluntly, finishing off the noodles and glancing at the bowl for a moment. Miko rolled her eyes at her and walked away. Saphira shrugged and glanced at Ratchet, she knew he was also not looking forward to this party, but he had to focus on what he was working on currently. She looked back at Optimus who was watching the screen. "Are they really going to party?"

"Wreckers enjoy parties," He responded quickly, glancing down at her with a slight smile. "We will have to endure it. At least, maybe not the entire party of course." He glanced back at the screen. "I myself am not into the kind of parties they prefer."

Saphira smiled at him as she thought about it for a moment. "Hmm…well maybe we…"

"Optimus!" She frowned a little when Arcee spoke through the com link, interrupting her sentence. "Wheeljack is clear, and the cons are down. We are free to bridge back."

Ratchet turned the bridge back on and watched the vortex as the four bots run into the lobby. Saphira glanced at the new addition, she was surprised that Wheeljack is smaller than Bulkhead and not as robust as the green bot. He was white, but not a sparkling white like snow. The colour scheme had a slime cream tint to it, and he had red and green stripes down his front and wings. Saphira could see the excitement literally steaming off Bulkhead with his friend here in the base. When Ratchet turned the bridge off, he pulled his hands back suddenly as it sparked and stalled again, though he didn't bother with it much since he was still working on it.

"Jackie, come here," Bulkhead said excitedly as his friend glanced around curiously, leading him closer to the platforms and gesturing to Miko. "Meet my other best buddy, Miko. She can wreck with the best of us."

Miko gave the bot a shy wave with a big smile on her face. Wheeljack smiled at the girl as he looked at her. "You keeping Bulkhead out of trouble?"

"I try," Miko shrugged slightly. "But trouble finds us anyway."

Wheeljack seemed amused by the girl's response and looked back at Bulkhead. "We're gonna get along just fine." He turned around as Optimus approached slowly, and Wheeljack smiled at the autobot politely. "Optimus Prime, it's a privilege."

"Likewise soldier." Optimus seemed relieved that another autobot was alive, and well. And Saphira didn't blame him considering everything they have been through. "What have you to report from your long journey."

"Been bouncing from rock to rock, searching for signs of friend or foe," Wheeljack explains in a gentle tone, glancing back at Bulkhead for a moment with a smirk. "Now, I find both."

Saphira raised an eyebrow, that sounded a little scripted to her with how it rythmed, but she wasn't going to point that out as it seemed the autobots didn't seem to notice anything odd. Especially Bulkhed, he was the one who knew Wheeljack the best.

"We are few, but strong. We have suffered loses…" Optimus turned and glanced at the kids and Saphira. "But we have grown." He smirked at them for a moment before looking back at Wheeljack. "And we would relish welcoming a new member into our fold."

"I would be honoured," Wheeljack said, he leaned slightly as he glanced at Saphira. "Some mighty fine company you have here, it would seem."

Saphira tensed at the comment, glancing at Optimus who narrowed his optics at the bot, though he said nothing. She pressed her lips together and shrugged at him. "I guess you could say that. We all are fine company."

"Uh huh." Wheeljack winks at her and she glanced away from him, feeling a little nervous all of a sudden.

"Then let's get this party started!" Bulkhead exclaimed loudly as he punched Wheeljack's shoulder suddenly, causing Saphira and the kids to jump. She watched as the two Wreckers jumper and chest slam each other.

She groaned a little and rolled her eyes. "Joyous…just what we needed."

"I couldn't agree more," Ratchet groaned in agreement, glancing at Saphira. "I might recommend you go to your room on this one."

"Actually…" Saphira looked up at Optimus with a smirk. "Why don't you and I go for a drive? I could use some fresh air."

Optimus smiled at her and gave her a nod. "That is a good idea."

"Aw, you're not gonna stay and party?" Miko asked as she began to set up her speakers for her guitar. "Tonight is supposed to be fun for everyone."

"That maybe, Miko. However…" Optimus glanced at Wheeljack for a moment as he and Bulkhead look around for something to throw. "It is in Saphira's best interest. She is not into this sort of parties…nor am I."

"I would join you, Optimus. However I am needing to finish my work on the ground bridge if we are ever to use it again." Ratchet looked at Prime with a knowing look. "And I agree that it is in Saphira's best interest."

Ratchet had been surprised by how forward Wheeljack was with his comment towards Saphira, it did not go unnoticed by either Optimus or Ratchet. And Jack thought it was rather weird for an autobot to throw a comment like that at a human. He actually glanced at Optimus curiously and thought quietly about it as he didn't know if it was possible for a bot to like a human.

"Alright, let me just take my bowl to my room, and I'll be right back." Saphira walked down the stairs quickly and dashed away from the lobby, not noticing Wheeljack had spotted her leaving quickly and he quirked an eyebrow before looking away.

Saphira herself was certainly surprised the bot flirted with her almost straight away. It made her really uncomfortable…and she wondered if that was normal for Wheeljack. She didn't know, and she was glad Optimus agreed to take her for a drive. She reached her room to put her bowl in the sink and grabbed a jacket in case the air was cool outside. When she returned to the lobby, Saphira had to cover her ears as the shriek from the speakers filled the air.

"OW!" Saphira shrieked and glared at Miko who smirked at her, raising her eyebrows slightly to tease her. "Not cool!" She looked at Prime who also seemed very unimpressed by the noise. "We can go now, Optimus. While the night is still young." She grimaced as Miko began to play the music and Optimus transformed. "Ugh…I hate this kind of party."

"Where you going?" Wheeljack called out from the other side of the lobby. He watched Saphira climb into Optimus's cab. "Come and stay with the gang."

"No thanks, Wheeljack," Saphira responded in a quick, yet polite tone. "Parties are not for me…and I need to get to work."

Saphira knew the bot would not quite understand, though Optimus rolled away as Bulkhead got Wheeljack's attention. She sighed in relief, rubbing her ears as there was still some ringing from the loud shriek from the speakers. She was happy to get away from it and to spend some quiet time with Optimus.

"Now this is better." Saphira smiled as Optimus drove out of the base onto the open road. "No loud, obnoxious music and just the open sky and the hum of your engine. Much nicer."

"It is indeed more pleasant," Optimus agreed. "Plus, we won't need to worry about Wheeljack's disrespect towards you."

She grimaced at that and looked at the dash. "I…uh…hope you're not going to be very mad about that. He would not have any kind of clue that you and I are together."

Optimus did not respond straight away, which pretty much answered Saphira's thoughts about him being mad. "I will ensure that Wheeljack will not further disrespect you openly. Do not worry, he will not be harmed, just be given a stern warning to keep his distance."

Saphira nodded before she smiled at him. "I never took you for the jealous type."

"Hmm, I am not sure why you would think that I was jealous," Optimus said softly. "I suppose it might look like that." He began to think about where he could take Saphira, he couldn't just drive around for so many hours as she would either fall asleep or get bored. "Hmm…do you know somewhere we could make a stop at for a few hours?"

She thought about it, Nevada wasn't exactly a place for the best picturesque places, but that didn't mean there wasn't something somewhere. She rubbed her chin, glancing up at the sky as it was clear and the moon was shining down on them. She smiled, it was a beautiful nice and she glanced at the dash.

"Anywhere off the trail would be good, Optimus. Somewhere away from the eyes of the road." She looked out the window, half expecting to see some place that was great for the two of them to enjoy, but there was not. "There's plenty of areas where we can sit together, light a fire and enjoy staring at the stars in the sky. You never know, we might get to make a wish if we see a shooting star."

"Is…is that a custom for humans?" Optimus asked curiously. "We never took shooting stars as something to wish upon."

"Not really a custom, just something people made up years ago. Yet, it still brings a kind of comfort." She leaned on the window as she looked up at the stars as Optimus continued to drive. "It's simply a way of saying that you send you wish up to the heavens, in the hopes that it will come true." She huffed a little and shakes her head. "I used to believe that. I stopped making wishes long ago."

"There weren't any wishes that you made that you still think about today?"

She pondered on his question thoughtfully, thinking back to all the wishes she had made in her life. "I guess…just one at the moment. Though it actually might come into reality."

"Would it be rude of me to ask what that wish is?" Optimus asked curiously before he suddenly turned off the road onto a dirt road to follow it.

Saphira looked ahead, curious to see where he would take them too while smiling at her wish. She was silent for a few minutes and took a deep breath. "Funny enough…the wish I held onto…I still hold on…I wish for someone to…love me…and…always be there…" She felt her cheeks head up as she spoke about it. "I guess I still kept that wish at the back of my mind…and here we are."

Optimus did not respond, he enjoyed hearing her tell him her wish. And it made his spark leap with joy to hear that. He was happy to grant her wish. He knew in his spark she knew where her feelings lay, she simply had to admit to them and not hold back from them. Being able to be alone with her tonight was a blessing in disguise. He knew Saphira felt the same way.

"In a sense...when you made a wish to the stars, it was meant for me," Optimus purred through the speakers. Saphira's blush reddened and tears fill her eyes. "I came to Earth like a falling star...and this is one thing I do not regret in my life is meeting and getting to know you, Saphira. Despite your early life, you are strong. Just like myself and when I became a Prime."

Saphira had a small smile on her face and her eyes sparkled with the reflection of the moon in her eyes. "I don't regret meeting you either. It kind of feels like I found the other side of a coin, complete reflection. When I used to look into the mirror, sometimes it felt like I only saw half of myself...it is hard to explain..."

"I have filled that void...just as you've filled mine." Optimus turned right gently, driving between a gap of a large mountain that curved slightly to give a sense of privacy. He came to a stop by a dead tree. "This should be concealed enough for us."

Saphira nodded as she opened the door. She shivered at the cold air and put her jacket on before climbing out. Once on the ground, Optimus transformed and kept his lights on, shining down as she walked over to the dead tree. There was a lot of branches around it, a dead bush and many leaves, thankfully there was nowhere for a fire to spread.

"I can light a fire for you," Optimus offered, stepping closer to the cluster.

Saphira chuckled as she picked up a smooth rock and a flint stone from the ground. "Or, I can show you how we humans used to light fires before we had lighters and such."

Optimus looked at her curiously as she walked closer to the tree and dropped to the ground. Saphira cracked the flint against the stone several times, and Optimus watched as sparks fly from the rocks as she hits them together. The sparks fly onto the dry branches and when they started to burn, Saphira waved her hand gently to encourage oxygen to fuel the flame and once it began to spread, she smiling and moved away from the flame. She felt the warmth from the gentle flame as it spreads towards the main tree and turned to Optimus as he takes a seat.

"Now this is a party," Saphira said sarcastically with a grin.

Optimus let out a gentle laugh and nodded in agreement. "I must wholeheartedly agree on that. This is much less obnoxious than the party that is surely taking place in the base. If Ratchet was not busy, I would have welcomed him to tag along."

"And ruin our alone time?" She shakes her head as she walked closer to him. "As much as I feel sympathy for him, you and I both know he would make things awkward for us. Especially if we try getting close to each other." She walked over to his leg and he lowered his hand to her, which she glad jump onto. She breathed in the fresh air as he lifts her onto his knee and she sat down comfortably. "Ah, fresh air." She glanced up at the stars with a smile. "It's nice to look upon the stars."

Optimus glanced up with a smile. "Usually I do not acknowledge the stars above. However, I too find myself enjoying them. They glitter in the reflection of your eyes, as does the glow of the moon."

She chuckled softly before she goes silent as she stared at the sky, with no sound aside from the gentle crackle of the fire. "Optimus…do you ever wish you were back on Cybertron?" She did not look at him, though she heard him hum gently as she spoke to him. "Maybe a way to fix your world?"

He went silent for a moment, processing her question. He did not really know how to answer that, for in his spark now, he did not know if he would want to return to Cybertron. "I have often wished for Cybertron to never have been destroyed. I wish that Megatron never started the war that destroyed it. However…as much as I wish for something to be there to fix it…it would create a tear in my spark." She turned to look at Optimus curiously as he smiled back at her. "I never would have met you."

"Maybe…but…that's not really the best way of looking at it. I mean, war has never been great, Optimus. I am not sure if you are even aware, but this planet has been through many. Significant ones are all listed in history here on this world." Saphira looked back at the stars. "All there to remind us that a lot of it tends to repeat itself. That is why we now honour our fallen soldiers each year, and those who return from service to get back into a civil life."

"I am not aware of the wars of your world, though I am not surprised you have endured it. War seems to be woven in throughout the universe." Optimus exhaled gently as he thought about it. "Something I wish never existed. However…I am grateful that now I am not out everyday fighting. There has been quite a bit of peace since arriving to Earth…it is only recently that things became hazed with war."

Saphira nodded in agreement. She took a deep breath and turned to face Optimus with a smile. "And dealing with me and my own problems on top of it. But…I think it will be short lived…I hope anyway." Optimus nodded and she crawled along his knee, closer to his stomach, which seemed cause a hitched intake as she heard a light hiss from him. "We really should find another excuse to do this again."

"Oh?" Optimus raised an eyebrow and chuckled gently. "I highly doubt that will fly. Arcee has already become suspicious. You didn't see the suspicious look she had on her face." He leaned back slightly to make it easier for her to keep crawling, Optimus's body hummed gently as he watched her crawl closer to his face. "Although…she tends to get that way if another femme is around."

Saphira raised a curious eyebrow. "Does that mean Arcee likes you? Like, really like you?"

"In some way, yes. However, Arcee has never caught my optics that way. However…she hasn't been as interested since she and Cliffjumper were together, those two were incredibly close." Optimus intakes were slow and heavy as she kept crawling closer to his face, as she now rested on his chassis, and she only needed to inch closer to kiss him. "I guess maybe…she could still be raw about losing him."

"Or falling in love with a human is considered a touchy subject," Saphira purred, leaning closer to his large face and watching his optics dim slightly as he watched her closely. She ran her fingers along his cheeks and planted a kiss on his lips. "Sometimes I still wonder why you fell for me…and other days, I wonder why I even fell for you. I don't think I could change the way I feel even if you didn't respond to my feelings."

Optimus lifts his hand to her body, caressing her back gently and teasing the strands of her hair with the tip, she shuddered under his touch, arching her back slightly. "Do you still feel uncertain about your feelings for me?"

She looked away from him for a second as she thought about his question. "I think it is just…fear…not…well…"

Optimus suddenly pulled her against his chin, humming gently and kissing the top of her head, she was surprised by the sudden gesture, but she melted into his touch and caress very quickly. "You fear that I will hurt you. I understand." He rubbed her cheek gently with the tip of his finger as he held her close. "I guess it is a protective measure for yourself. Understandable. That means, in no uncertain terms, you love me."

She chuckled softly and kissed him. "Yes…I wish my heart was as big as your spark." She ran her hand on his fingers before pulling them to her chest so he could feel her heartbeat, it was beating steadily as being close to him made her feel excited. "Especially with how you protect your family and put yourself in the way to keep them safe. I'm not even sure I'm that brave."

Optimus felt the beat of Saphira's heart against his fingers. Feeling a human heartbeat for the first time intrigued him, and it also warmed his spark. "Bravery comes in many forms, Saphira. Just as you have demonstrated your own bravery. You do not need to face a war to be brave. And you also know, courage is not the absence of fear."

She giggled at him and kissed his lips again. "I am glad I ran into Arcee a few weeks ago. I don't think I'd be alive now. You saved my life, Optimus. I hope I get the chance to return the favour someday."

He perked his lips slightly, moving his head a little to run his lips along her cheek slowly, Saphira tilts her head and closed her eyes slightly, feeling the heat in her body rise and cause her to shudder in delight. "Being with you is enough."

She did not respond, allowing Optimus to kiss the crook of her neck gently as he explored how much he could go without hurting her. She breathed heavily, keeping his fingers close to her chest while he stroking her back with his other hand. She almost considered removing a lay, if only to attract him more to her. That very thought seemed dangerous…but…she somehow liked that idea. Especially with how he was making her body feel, and it was betraying her. She was glad she was not kneeling or standing, her knees would be jelly right now as her body trembled. Optimus carefully observed the reactions of her body, she did not resist him and he could sense she was enjoying the caress of his lips. He did want to explore further and what more he could do. His vents his as steam is released from his system and Saphira realized he too was heating up from pleasure. She smiled, kissing his cheek gently and nibbled at his surprisingly, soft face, hearing a rumble from within his system. Saphira was curious about how their night was going to go now, and she was eager to find out.