Chapter 93 - Crossing

(MPOV)

§Carbon child,§ Mico whispered in my mind.

Odd, I thought I was asleep.

"Mother?" I replied regardless.

§Carbon child you will learn tonight,§ she whispered. I opened my eyes... sort of to see a spark floating in front of me.

"So the usual," I snorted.

Mico smiled, we rose together and walked to the med-bay, a light scan showed it empty. I stopped for a second.

"Crap, you realize that the second I've raised the dead-"

§Blame it on me, I am storing everything in your subconscious mind.§ Mico chuckled. §The disciple of Primus knows that I am here.§

I rolled my eyes and walked the route that Ratchet never did. None of the bots did.

They didn't want to face him.

They couldn't.

I took a deep breath and went into Jazz's casket.

§Grow,§ Mico commanded softly. I thought for a moment and lightly brought Ratchet's neurals to the wall, growing them. Energon flickered around us.

A stasis unit, a womb.

The body was simple. The spark...

To find the spark required the mind, the memory. The traces of the soul. I lightly touched Jazz's mind, searching.

Surface memories, the last request... a message.

::. Optimus, fo' Primus sake yeh'd bettah hear this.:: Jazz's memory stated flatly ::. An' yeh sure as the pit burns bettah pay attention! If yeh can't save meh, yeh bettah destroy the followin' chip. O' course if yeh're listenin' it means yer still goin' on – no... no yer someone else." Jazz stated flatly. "Who are yah, and what're yah doin' in mah mind."

"My name, is Prime Mikaela Archangel Banes, Earthborn child of Commander Calvin Robert Banes and Agent Eun Mi, All-spark Healer, Predator, Betrothed of Optimus Prime, Spark-daughter of Ratchet, Big-sister of Bumblebee. Gladly do I greet thee, Jazz."

Standing between the dimension of the living and the Well, Jazz stared at us.

"We ask but one question, Jazz, once you have finished asking yours." I smiled at him.

"Yeh speak'n questions?" Jazz demanded.

"Oh, what, you thought I wasn't going to tell you what the hell you want to know first?" I snorted. "I mean, come on, ask."

"Okay, what ah ya doin' in mah mind?" Jazz snorted.

"I want to know if I should bring you back to your body." I told him calmly.

"Wha' hap-n'd t' Optimus?" Jazz demanded.

"Optimus won the battle," I told him patiently. "He is currently in hiding."

"An' 'is relationship t' yah?"

"He is my guardian," I stated softly. "I bear his mark proudly above my own."

Jazz looked at me for a long moment and nodded.

"Do ah get t' live?" Jazz asked softly.

"If you wish," I nodded.

"Why?"

"Because you asked first of my intentions, and then of his wellbeing," I shrugged. "I have never truly met you, Jazz, but they miss you. But I need to know if you wish to return to your body. If I may ask more than one question?"

Jazz nodded, then froze.

"Wait!" he snapped out. "A few more. Aftah yeh ha' asked yeh're questions can ah ask more?"

"You just did." I smiled.

"Ho! Oh! Nice," Jazz snorted.

"If I may?" I smiled at him.

"Go 'head," he nodded.

"There is information which you need to know, Jazz, you will return, but you will be in stasis for a time, your body needs repair," I told him quietly.

Jazz nodded.

"Do you still wish to return?" I asked gently.

"Hey, if ah a'ways want t' be dead again, ah can jus' get dead," Jazz snorted. "'S boring up he'ah, nobody ta pestah."

"Pff, true," I laughed. "Was there anything else you wish to know before we return?"

"I'm good, stasis for a while, then 'm back," the spark stated contentedly.

I opened my eyes and felt a spark guttering under my hand. I snapped a levitation field to the stasis unit and brought Jazz back to himself.

"Rest," I whispered, reaching for the spark. Jazz hummed into deep, regenerative stasis. I reached for the body, and sent the command to the metals to cast away the dead.

They would be dealt with in time.

But for now, Jazz's armour released from his frame. I levitated it to the side and began sending a gentle, soothing current of energon along his frame.

Urging it to return to the place it was most comfortable.

I could feel myself running low on the ability to create energon, I pushed myself slightly and created a solid state cell strong enough to run the stasis pod.

Jazz slept, his body slowly healing.

I walked back toward my quarters... too far... too isolated.

I stepped into Optimus' quarters.

"Optimus," I whispered softly.

"Kae?" he murmured worriedly.

"Can I stay with you?" I whispered. Optimus chuckled softly and reached over, delicately running a finger down my back.

I climbed up his side and curled up beneath that hand.

I closed my eyes and peacefully met the darkness, Optimus' spark humming softly close by

(OPOV)

Optimus smiled as he came online. He could feel his Kae's spark, so close to his own.

His betrothed.

He onlined his optics and looked down at his tiny, exquisite femme. Her eyes opened and looked up at him.

She smiled, that beautiful, loving smile that stole his spark every time he saw it.

"Did the sun come out, or did you just smile at me?" she murmured softly.

"This time, next year, let us be laughing together," he murmured.

"It's a date," she murmured with a smile.

"So when do I get to lay absolute claim on you?" Optimus rumbled with a smug smile.

"That would be in approximately one orn," his Kae smirked.

Wait what?

"Engagement party, I'm multi-tasking." Mikaela stated with a small smile. "Your ambassador, your CIA Liaison, and your fiancee have all conspired against Director Galloway and to your extreme benefit. Top that."

"Engagement party?" Optimus rumbled curiously.

"It's a party thrown to celebrate the fact that you're going to lay absolute claim to me," Mikaela stated cheerfully. "Politically speaking at any rate, it's also an excuse to get Will, Barry and Chris all in the same room with us, and because the President is in on the wedding, his attendance is also a probability, an excuse for you two to talk face to face. And because it's an engagement party, it's neutral territory."

Optimus laid on his berth in shock.

The potential! The chance to simply talk!

"What do I do?" he demanded with a broad grin.

"You be yourself," his Kae laughed at him. "Engagement party, you can glue me to your holoform's side or let me make the rounds and mingle. Hell, if you want you can hold my bloody hand for the entire evening."

Optimus was grinning like a mad-bot. He knew he was. What a thing to wake up to.

"I love you, my Kae," he rumbled through that grin.

"Well I'd hope so," his Kae teased him gently. "However on that note I have to get up and attend to the party things. Do you know if Chromia's awake yet?"

That was simple. Optimus sent a light, searching thought along the frequencies. Chromia and Ironhide were still deep in their recharge, Arcee was awake though.

"Arcee is awake, Chromia and Ironhide are not." Optimus rumbled calmly.

Mikaela beamed at him and crawled up his chest to press a gentle kiss to his faceplates.

"You're a remarkably handy person to have around, you know that?" she teased him lightly. Optimus grinned at his femme and carefully rose.

"Well I would hope to be so," he smiled. He delicately deposited his Kae on the ground and strode toward his door.

"Optimus?" she asked curiously.

"I shall return momentarily, or rather, dress quickly my Kae, we still have to get Ironhide back, remember?"

"Ooh!" Kae was running the next second, back through the open side of her living quarters in a minute, pulling a shirt over her head. She almost scrambled into his hand as he chuckled, lightly depositing her on his shoulder.

He strode to the Weapons Master's quarters and absently picked the lock. The doors slid open and he took a minute to just look at his old Weapons Master and his femme.

Completely devoid of their armour and sprawled together.

Adorable.

"Rise and shine lovebirds!" he called out with a broad grin, a few tonal shades away from a thunder. Ironhide sat bolt upright, covering Chromia and summoning a cannon before his optics were even online.

There was a moment of silence as Chromia sat, staring around herself somewhat blearily and Ironhide glared at Optimus.

"You really couldn't help yourself, could you, youngling rip?" he demanded with a snort.

"I really couldn't," Optimus rumbled in a mockingly saddened tone.

"I'm not on duty for another four hours," Ironhide complained.

"ENGAGEMENT PARTY!" Chromia squealed the next second, grinning at Kae.

"We need to go shopping! Stat!" his Kae called back with a laugh. Optimus couldn't help but smile as Ironhide smirked at the femmes.

"Action now, explanation later?" he rumbled with a snort.

"Yes my love," Chromia trilled, climbing up her lover to press a kiss to his jaw. Which made the weapons master smile.

In moments she was on her feet, then in her armour. Moments more and she was climbing up his leg. Optimus snorted and burst out laughing as Chromia caught his hand.

"Up!" she commanded with a broad grin.

Optimus lifted the femme to his shoulder, the way he always had on Cybertron.

Especially if there were several going the same way he was.

"HE'S BACK!" Chromia squealed, laying a kiss on his temple. Optimus was helpless to stop her as she scrambled across his back to wrap Kae in a hug.

He was too busy laughing.

(MPOV)

I couldn't stop laughing as Chromia scrambled around on my Optimus, he was watching her, laughing as Ironhide idly summoned his own armour.

"Let's go let's go let's go!" Chromia trilled gleefully, winding me deep into her embrace.

"Call Flare and Cee," I grinned. "I'm going to finish repairing my armour and I'll meet you in the entrance bay in five?"

"Done!" Chromia trilled, she jumped down from Optimus' shoulder and landed lightly, scrambling out the door.

Then back in again. She hurled herself on Ironhide and tackled him to the berth.

The fact that she could do that was crazy.

"Chrome?" Ironhide asked curiously.

"You need to badger Will into going out with you, Optimus, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Sides Jolt and everybody to pick out a suit," Chromia told him seriously.

"Yes Ma'am," Ironhide nodded seriously. "Do we meet up with you femmes for proper coordination?"

Chromia beamed at him and fell to kissing his face.

"We'll sort that out as the day goes. For now, there's work to be done!" she trilled gleefully, whizzing out of the room again.

I rose and kissed my Optimus' jaw before lightly jumping into the hand he offered. He deposited me on the ground and I was off running.

First stop, my quarters, I quickly zipped into my riding leathers, integrated my neurals, slid my knife between my shoulder blades and snatched up my helmet.

Chromia was already in the entrance bay as I jogged to my bike, her holoform grinning madly as Cee and Flare whizzed in after me. I noted the soldiers watching us curiously as the four of us grinned manically, they transformed and I kicked my bike into neutral, revving it up the next moment.

The doors opened and we were off, chatting gleefully.

::. Where to first!?.:: Arcee trilled.

::. The Café.:: I grinned ::. We have plans to make.::

::. Ooh ooh ooh!.:: Flare hooted ::. Like what!?.::

::. Like sorting out who's doing what, Chromia's already decided the party colour, but we need to sort out food, flowers, decorations, fully formal or semi-formal attire, the works...::

(APOV)

Mikaela took point, leading the way to a small cafe near the shopping areas. She parked and grinned at them.

"Which is also an excellent excuse for me to introduce you to one of the few things that every femme on this planet needs to try at least once," she added cheerfully.

Arcee laughed and followed the tiny femme with her holoform, her sisters close behind.

"And what is that?" she asked with a smile.

"Death by Chocolate," Mikaela snorted, getting into the small lineup. "Grab that table in the corner there, will you?"

"On it!" Flareup trilled. Arcee watched curiously as Mikaela eyed each of them in turn. She got to the front of the line and smiled at the femme behind the counter.

"Could I get four Death by Chocolates, one espresso, one black coffee, one Chai Latte, one orange blossom tea, one green tea with lemon and four glasses of water?"

The femme behind the counter smiled and typed that in.

"To stay or go?" she asked cheerfully.

"To stay, please," Mikaela smiled.

"And where will you be?" the little girl asked.

"Corner table," Mikaela beamed at her, she turned and lightly caught Arcee's arm, guiding her to the table. Arcee smiled down at her tiny, newest sister as they sat, grinning around themselves.

"Right, so now what?" Chromia asked conspiratorially.

"Now," Mikaela smiled, flushing a small amount of energon into her neurals and building a small holo-pad. "We plan."

The little femme behind the counter carried a tray to their table, placing plates of a dark brown concoction and five cups. Mikaela immediately claimed her usual coffee and the stronger smelling tiny cup of the same.

"Right you three, give those a try, swap around, if you don't like any of them we'll find you something else," Kae grinned at them.

"You ordered them with us in mind," Arcee stated calmly.

"I did, my best guess for your tastes, but it's still a guess," Kae shrugged, smiling.

"Which one did you get for me?" Flare asked cheerfully.

Mikaela immediately seemed to scan the three remaining drinks and portioned them out. Arcee caught her first concentrated whiff of the drink Kae set in front of her.

It smelled incredible.

Arcee took a delicate sip and couldn't stop her own smile.

"It smells so..." Flareup murmured softly.

"Orange blossom tea," Mikaela nodded to her with a smile. Flare smiled and took a sip, sitting back with her eyes closed.

"Bliss?" Arcee asked her teasingly.

"Perfection," Flare smiled.

"Now, plans," Chromia smirked, sipping at her own drink.

An excellent start to the day.

Right, I know I've probably done a terrible job with Jazz's accent, for good reason, I hope. I have a lot of experience with Scotch accents, Brooklyn? Not so much. Sorry! Anyway, that's all for today folks, tell me what you thought!