A/N: Okay, so after that cliffy I decided I'd better do some fluffy stuff between Cade and Mira-so, yes, the secret's out: Cade and Mira are actually Cade and Mira. A very slow beginning, mind you; no fireworks yet. But, it's in the works. :D

Thirty-Seven

A thousand emotions ran through Mira Lennox at once, the overwhelming smell of Cade Yeager—a smell of sparks, smoke, gasoline, and cologne—swirling around her senses and shaking girlish fantasies alive within her. Fantasies, she realized; that she had buried with William Lennox and left for dead at his gravestone. All at once they came alive, like a swarm of butterflies dancing around her belly. It brought a feeling of horror and shame; yes, but at the same time a bubbling sense of rejuvenation and ecstasy and wanton sparkled to life as if she were, indeed, an actual princess.

She liked this man. A lot. That wasn't a crime, was it? He possessed all the qualities she loved in a man; he was strong, handsome, funny, sarcastic, intelligent, independent, curious, and feared God. He had a sparkle in his eye and optimism, as well as a care-freeness that she wished she had. Cade Yeager was a man of problem solving and workability, as well as a man of honor and roots. He made her head swirl, made her self-conscious, and perhaps most importantly—he made her want to cry.

Mira still loved Will, her heart ached for him every day. Seeing him in Merrick broke her every time she looked into those small, innocent eyes. She missed Will's laughter and his commandeering presence; his stick-to-itivness, his passion. She missed how he would pray with her and hold her hand in worship, or how he'd wrap his arm around her in NEST meetings. Oh, how she longed to stare into his eyes those late-night missions and hear him say how he loved her, and wanted her safety—how she missed those arguments about who would stay with the baby during which meeting! She missed his adoration of her, his undying devotion—she missed his kisses, his hugs, his playful grabbing. She still loved that man; he still had a piece of her….

…but Will was gone.

And Cade wasn't.

He was very much here, very much beside her and fighting for the world with her, something she loved most of all about Will. They'd met based on their desire to see the world restored—they fell in love hoping that someday Cybertron and the Earth would co-habitate. Not only had her and Will seen each others true colors and he still fell in love with her, but they had worked together and saw the others heart. They had seen each others relentless passion for life and freedom; they had dared chance and beaten death, by the skins of their teeth. Was so much different with Cade? Mira feared she was attracted to Cade not for himself but because he reminded her of Will.

But he was so different. Where Will had been tender with her, Cade was plucky and gentle, not "tender", for there were differences. Whereas Will would argue with her ideas, Cade bantered playfully with her. Will had rendered her a follower, whereas Cade made her a leader. Will was traditional and by-the-book, Cade was conservative but explorative. Both were hardworking, both had been great with children, but Cade was more….adventure. Daring. Independent, free. Mira reasoned Will wasn't these things because of his military family and background, as well as his divorce with Sarah. Here, kissing Cade was so different than kissing Will….Will was accepting and grateful, Cade was demanding and unsatisfied….

…and Mira was realizing she was kissing back.

Then, suddenly, she realized she was cruising through the city, doing 55 in a 35 zone, saving the world—again—with her little boy ahead of her in a golden Camaro. She remembered Will's wedding ring, securely around her right thumb, her wedding band on her ring finger. Pain shot into her heart, and she realized this knife was grief.

But she wanted this, oh she wanted this…how could she make him understand? How had he gotten over his first wife, Emily, so quickly? How could she tell him she…was interested but wasn't ready? It would crush him, surely; this man who wanted to love another woman again so desperately.

So, instead of pulling away, she pulled her head down, as if she were tucking her chin to her chest, and disconnected their kiss. She pinched her eyes shut, where salty tears had threatened the corners again, their foreheads touching and him lingering for a moment. She then sat back in her seat, reached up to remove her glasses and wipe at her eyes, and shook her head.

"Mira, I—"

She put up a hand, "No, no, it isn't you—" she said, shaking her hand as if trying to make the problem go away, "—it's…me. Very much…me—" Suddenly Crosshairs put on the brakes, and both adults watched as Bumblebee made a sharp right, pulled over to the curb, and the passenger door popped open. Crosshairs followed and rolled the window down as Bryce came over.

"What now?" The radio asked. Mira shot a look to it, then looped her hand through the steering wheel, palm up, fingers wrapping around the smooth, black vinyl. She squeezed it twice, then looked into the rear-view, which finagled slightly to look at her. She saw her reflection and shook her head, just barely, as if to tell him please don't mention this. Her seat-belt tightened a bit, as if reassuring her that her secret was…safe.

"I'm thinkin' it's a good idea to get a change of clothes, since most of the world is going to be looking for us. Plus, those get-ups are pretty shredded, and something tells me we got the apocalypse on our butts. Shorts and t-shirts probably aren't the best idea."

Cade nodded, "That's a good idea," he gave Mira a strange look, "Food isn't a bad idea either."

Mira popped open the door, released the belt, and walked over to the Camaro. Bumblebee opened the door and Tessa and Merrick slid out. She pulled Will's wallet from her back pocket and suddenly realized they didn't have their backpack of goodies—she cursed the realization and shook her head, counting about three hundred dollars left in cash. She nodded and ripped off forty of it and handed it to Cade. She shifted her weight awkwardly and stuffed the wallet back into her jean's pocket. "You and Bryce walk the strip here and see what's for food." She looked around the block for any type of affordable clothing store. She spotted the bright blue letters of a Goodwill store about a block and a half northeast. "Meet us at that Goodwill. I'll take Crosshairs with me and you stay with 'Bee. Let's make this quick-Optimus is counting the minutes."

They agreed to be quick, and Bumblebee tore off from the curb. The three of them piled into the Corvette and Crosshairs navigated around the block to the Goodwill store. He parked, the children exited, and Mira's seatbelt didn't release. She looked at the rearview again and frowned, "Crosshairs—"

"—you like him, don't you?"

She furrowed her brow, "What are you talking about? He kissed me, didn't you see that?"

He chuckled, "I'm not a glitch, Mira. I saw you kiss him back. It's alright, y'know." He pressed again, "Will would've wanted you to be happy."

"Yeah, well, I think he'd be a little hurt after only a year—"

Crosshairs stopped her, using the belt to pull her back into the car. He pinned her to the seat and threw the car into park, sounding a bit more authoritative than she'd liked, "People grieve at their own pace, princess. You weren't the type to be alone, we all know that. You need someone, which is okay. It's not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of compassion." She looked away from the rear-view, when suddenly a holographic hand grabbed her chin and gently pulled her to look at him. His holoform had a sad look in his eye, "Please, don't be like me and Hound who've lost our girls and given up. Don't grieve forever. If you feel ready, then, be ready. Will wanted, more than anything, for you to be happy. Most guys do." He smiled softly at her, then deactivated the holoform and released the seatbelt. "Now, go get yourself some clothes before Prime comm's and has a fit."

She exited, turned to smile at the car, and went into the store.

It took twenty minutes for Cade and Bryce to return with food, and when Optimus had commed, he hadn't been happy. Mira and Bryce had convinced him otherwise, and he'd finally relented. After a change of clothes for everyone, and some burgers with fries and Coke's outside the Goodwill, they'd left and hit the road, winding out of the city until they hit the country-side; which took 35 minutes of solid driving.

Merrick and Tessa had fallen asleep in the back of the Corvette. Bryce had Bumblebee had taken the lead, following Prime's GPS signal, and Bumblebee had assured them Bryce was catching up on some long-overdue sleeping. Mira and Cade, however, were not asleep, but awkwardly sitting in silence. It was heart-wrenching for Mira as she thought about what to say to him, praying and praying until finally she thought of the same verse she always thought of when she prayed about Will.

A time to mourn and a time to dance…

Ecclesiastes 3:4. She could live and breathe by that verse, it seemed. It didn't feel right, a year; it felt like it should be longer. She had—really, still—loved Will so much, but then again she was tired of being alone. She'd been alone it seemed like forever. And Cade was so available, so willing to try. He liked her, not for what she looked like or what job she had or her money but for who she was. That was something she'd sworn would be the best quality in a man, next to being God-fearing.

"Is it me?"

It sucked the air from the room, it was so fast. Mira turned to look at him, and her seat tensed beneath her—Crosshairs had heard it and was cautioning her. Her heart hammered in her chest now, and she reached across the console to touch his forearm. Shaking her head, she chuckled weakly and gave him a weak smile as well. "No. Absolutely not."

"Then why are you looking at me like I have the plague?" His question was genuine, filled with concern, worry, hurt, and confusion. She had to handle this carefully; she didn't want to upset him, much less drive him off. Removing her hand, she brought a leg up under her and played with the end of her pony-tail, which Tessa had fish-tail braided for her. She caught sight of Merrick in the back seat, leaned against Tessa, snoring. They were quite a pair already.

"It isn't you," she sighed, whispering as to not wake the children, "It's….the idea of you. I told you, it's…it's only been a year since I lost my husband, Will." She sighed, her hands shaking now as she traced the Corvette logo embedded on the steering wheel, "I'm not sure if I can do that right now."

He looked confused, and then ran a hand through his hair, the gun between his legs on the floor, "Then why on Earth were you kissing me back?"

She pondered this before answering, and then sucked in a breathe, "Because…" she felt like a child giving an explanation to her father, "…because I like you. I do, really, it's just that—"

"—you're just no sure you're ready to handle me, is that it?" he sounded softer now, understanding. She nodded and sniffled, a tear she hadn't expected tracing down her cheek, "I know that feeling."

She looked at him, "It…it's too soon…"

Cade looked in the backseat to the sleeping kids, and then leaned across the console. He reached up and cupped her cheek with his palm and swiped at another tear gathering in her eye. She snorted lightly at his goofy smile and he chuckled, both of them stifling laughter as to not wake the two in the backseat, "It may be too soon yet. That's okay. I'm not a busy guy."

"You don't want to wait around for me," she shook her head, looking away from him and out the windshield, focusing on the Camaro, "There's other girls, more—"

He shook his head, "I don't want anyone else."

It socked her right in the gut. She gasped, and her eyes widened at him, disbelief flooding not only her thoughts but her heart. How could this man; a forty-something, great-looking guy—who was actually ten years her senior—want her? Her life was a chaotic mess! She was grieving her dead husband, she was an alien-robot sympathizer, wanted by the Government; and she had a son! She wasn't exactly a southern belle, nor was she Betty Crocker, nor was she even the picturesque thirty-something woman on the front cover of Home and Garden. And, besides that, he didn't even know her!

Remember, my Beloved, I work in mysterious ways. You asked Me if there was another, and I provided. I am your Jehovah Jireh, your God who Provides.

The thought was quiet, like a soft breeze floating through the trees: refreshing and stirring, but serene. Peace flooded her heart as if it had planted there her entire life—and it had, as she had accepted Jesus even in her youth. Goosebumps flooded her skin, and the thought continued in her head, but it resonated more in her spirit than anywhere else.

And now, Beloved, I want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. Have hope in Me! I am your Provider. I have set you aside, from the beginning of time, for such a time as this. William has accomplished all I have for him; you have not.

Cade interrupted the revelation, "I think this is the right step. But if you aren't ready, then that's okay."

"You aren't going to run away, after all this?" She chuckled, patting the dash of the Corvette to prove her point, "It's not over yet."

He smiled, "What can I say? I'm an inventor, I don't shy away from challenges." He swiped at another loose tear making her way down her face, "Don't cry about this, Mira. I'm not going anywhere."

Both of them turned to look at their respective kids. Mira smiled and reached over the seat to remove a lock of Merrick's hair from his face. The boy shifted at the sudden action but didn't awaken. Tessa snorted very lightly and shifted her position, and Cade looked at her. "He's a great kid,"

"And she's wonderful,"

"They make a pretty good pair, don't they?"

Mira smiled and giggled, "Yeah. It's like they've been raised their entire lives together, and they haven't even known each other for a week."

"God's funny that way." He leaned over the console and gently kissed her again, this time on her forehead. He then sat back and looked at her, his eyes filled with an unexplainable emotion—one of joy, contentment, relief, and satisfaction.

She giggled. "Yeah. He is." She then looked at the radio, Cade doing the same thing. She pointed at it as if it were a living thing—really it was—and stated sharply.

"You tell anyone about this and you're dead," she warned.

He sounded offended, "Please. Like I wouldn't keep a secret?"