WHO'S READY FOR A PLOTTTTTT TWIIIIIIIIST...?

While this isn't exactly how I planned revealing this twist in Mira's and OP's story, it kinda...happened. I think one more chapter and an epilogue and we'll be DONE-ZO with the AOE arch. I already have a plan for TLK, so plan to follow me into the next chapter, which will follow the film loosely, but close enough to be TLK AU, at the very least.

One more closing chapter. ONE MORE. I'm so excited but also so so so so sad this happening. GAH I love this story!

I think ya'll will be surprised. And if you are - YOU GOTTA TELL ME! PROMISE YOU'LL REVIEW. PLZ PLZ PLZ. But this is the "coming home" chapter from the battlefield, which is an important close, since I made a huge deal of Mira leaving after Optimus. Plus, OP has a heart-to-spark with Cade you don't wanna MISS.

ILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOU ALLLLLLLL! Issues and mistakes on Megs because I can and I do love torturing him. xoxoxo

In a rampage, Galvatron swung into the bridge of the former-bounty hunter's vessel, screaming wildly at the lingering maintenance crews who had stayed behind to handle navigation of the vessel. They reeled back from the Decepticon, watching as he threw his amputated appendage across the bridge, lubricant seeping from his frame to land in fat drops across the bridge's floor.

He signaled for whatever prototypes had managed to make it to the ship, beckoning them to the bridge immediately. "Leave me!" he bellowed sharply, his tone edged with animalistic fury as he pointed to the exit of the space. Optics narrowing at the maintenance crew, his sight jumped between them unevenly, trying to assess their gauged reaction to his presence. They eyed him curiously, as if they were unsure of how to respond.

After all, he was not their leader - their leader was laying in two divided pieces in the weapon's chamber, drained of any lifeforce he may have previously possessed. Many thanks, Prime, for leaving me a vessel worthy to take me off this wretched rock, he would've offered a smirk if it were not for the pain of his severed limb being etched into the framework of his helm.

Eyeing the crew again, and further enraged that they had not responded, he belted out a roar of discontented rage. "Leave me," he snarled again, his fingers rolling into a tight fist, "Or join the remains of your former leadership in death. I will not ask again." Baring his dentas, the maintenance crewmembers each released a muffled and surprised static quirk, further confirming their lack of presence by not being able to speak.

Tripping over themselves, the atmosphere carried an edge of desperate terror as they filed off the bridge, leaving Galvatron in absolute silence. Finally, he was alone, and turned to seat himself in the jumpseat, where mainframe controls remained in an automated state of operation. Quickly scanning the system, he matched the protocols to his processor, and engaged fully with the panel, taking full control of the ship.

Dark matter drives were still in the cooling process, so they were going nowhere quickly. Movement in one of the forward sectors caught his attention, and he zeroed in on the disturbance. He snarled, releasing a guttural growl as he watched the three Autobot pests skitter across the platform, Prime in the lead, scanning for any exit. Though his sparkchamber positively burned in rage at the presence of Optimus aboard his controlled ship, he was in no position to engaged the Commander again. He couldn't risk any prototypes, either - he needed whatever brainpower they possessed to heal himself and regroup.

He spotted the femme human on the Prime's shoulder, pointing ahead. Her lips were moving but he didn't have audio - he could see the Shield glowing against the armor she wore, it folded over her beautifully. She really did carry the appearance of a Cybertronian, just at smaller scale. He recalled the Shield's ability to trigger consciousness back into her still form, it's presence within her body. If she carries the power of the Shield in the implant in her organic frame...realization began to don: if he ripped it from her body even with Optimus still alive, the device may not work. The power of the Shield may just be absorbed back into the Matrix if it sensed it's Keeper had offlined.

Frag it all to Pit, he closed his optics and massaged the plating between his optics. While unproven, he certainly couldn't risk the means to execute the theory. It, however, would not surprise him if the Prime hadn't instituted a fail safe within the Matrix, not only to protect the reverent power, but also it's Keeper. If I kill her, the Shield is worthless to me. I'd need to rip the Matrix from Prime's sparkchamber myself - though that is just as equally impossible. History had proven that the Matrix, if removed from a Prime, could not even be accessed - it folded within itself, a failsafe to keep it from falling into unchosen hands.

The only way to harness the life-giving properties of the Shield would be to keep the femme human alive. Keep her alive, and manipulate her to his will. Then, he would have direct access to the Matrix. She had some power of the Prime, power that could be accessed if the right strings were harnessed and stretched. A slow smile twisted his lip plating as he realized the meaning of his summation: get the femme human, and the Matrix would be his. In a matter of speaking.

This is how I bring life back to Cybertron, he closed his optics and fisted his hand, ignoring the pounding arrival of the prototypes all scrambling onto the bridge behind him. I will light the darkest hour of Cybertron, and bring order back to my world. Cybertron will live - and it will live by my hand. He opened his optics and glanced over his shoulder. He needed direct access to the femme. Direct access that only Optimus Prime could give. And to control a Prime...well. It only meant one thing.

"Cybertron, at last..." he breathed deeply in the thought of promise, "...hope for you is within my very grasp."

. . .

Optimus led them, at speed, towards the access port he'd used upon his arrival to the vessel. Finding that the shaft was unguarded and had remained undisturbed, he skidded to a stop before it and approached, his stride filled with purpose. Mira rose to a crouch against his helm, her fingers curled against the letter of the language of the Prime's, her heart thudding hard against her ribcage. Pain spiked a trail throughout her entire body, her spine seeming to tremble unsteadily as exhaustion pulled at the corners of her mind. Pure adrenaline kept her awake, sending painful heat into every vessel of her bloodstream.

Turning on the plating of his heel, Prime's optics scanned the area they'd just arrived from, and he lifted a hand to his shoulder for her the drop into. Doing so with great care, Optimus peered down at her, a look of contented relief filling the expression of his face. Scarred and still somewhat bloodied from both of his fights, her eyes drifted over the indentations to his armor, the imperfections of twisting metal and gouges that marred his magnificent frame. Her mouth suddenly emptied of moisture, her eyes finding his optics again.

She pressed a hand to his chest plating, his optics lifting to consider the area again. "You're alright?" She asked him carefully, her voice barely contained within a whisper. The Shield pumped steady concern across her nervous system, triggering her worry for him fully. While he looked fine, she could still identify the wet spots of leaking lubricant and Energon dripping down his frame. The CAST system even brought up a schematic of his entire frame, like it had Bumblebee - Prime had various degrees of damage, though non consistent with the potential for fatality.

He nodded once. "With some triage, I'll be on the mend." He answered, his tone reassured. "I've rallied Strafe to our position to extract Bumblebee." He looked to the yellow scout and set a strong hand on the mech's unharmed shoulder. "Hound has sent coordinates to their location outside the city perimeter. We meet there, and regroup." Looking back to her, he offered a soft smile. "And then, Mira, we go home."

A smile pulled at the corner her mouth. "Let's do it, then," glancing past him to the shaft, her brow set in a determined wrinkle. "Last one out is the aft end of every joke for the next century," she smacked the back of her hand against Prime's chest plating, a teasing grin lighting her eyes. "Get me up there so I can signal Strafe." Prime lifted his hand over his shoulder, Mira gripping onto the ledge to pull herself into the shaft.

She moved to the far end, where Optimus had entered from the vessel's exterior. Edging closer to the opening, she pulled to a stop when the thrashing wind echoed into the space, Bogota miniscule and distant below them. Swallowing a heavy breath at the sheer height in the atmosphere they were currently at, Mira lifted her eyes, the CAST system beginning to trace for any kind of signal from the flying warrior, who was en-route to retrieve Bumblebee back to the earth below.

She heard Bumblebee haul himself into the shaft, listening as Prime grunted and pulled himself in behind. A glance over her shoulder almost made her laugh, finding the two Cybertronian giants shimmying towards her on all fours. Irony would not cease as Bumblebee came to a stop behind her, glancing over the edge and giving a grave, desperate warble that made him sound as if he were opposed to the very idea of nearing the ledge she was currently standing before. He shook his helm, lifting a hand to wave in front of his throat in a no-go signal.

"Oh, mech up, Bumblebee," Mira teased him, a flare of heat echoing up her throat. Putting a hand to the sensitive area, she bit the corner of her lip to keep from flinching. Her voice was still rasped and sore, and by the end of the day she feared she'd be hoarse from both Lockdown and Megatron's war on her esophagus. Swallowing a sore breath, she gently placed a hand over the scout's larger one. "You got up here, remember that, soldier? Going down will be a piece of cake," She winked at him, about to continue when she heard the cry of the flying Dinobot, a loud shriek echoing across the thinning air.

Putting her fingers in her mouth, she whistled sharply, sticking her hand beyond the ledge in an attempt to create identifying movement. "Strafe!" Forgetting entire that she could communicate via Cybertronian comm-link, her smile widened when the creature pulled up, considering their position with an amused, baffled look. He moved his wings in a pattern indicative of his ability to over, before lifting his feet to expose massive claws, Bumblebee shrinking behind her.

A steadying hand on his shoulder from Prime made the bot stiffen. Bumblebee, giving a few concerned clicks and whirs, managed out of the shaft, before Strafe reached for him and took the bot's shoulders in his claws. With a flinch in regard to pain in his shoulder, Bumblebee nodded to them and Strafe broke away, rapidly diving toward the Earth. Bumblebee's shrill shriek of static faded beneath the scream of wind, Mira smiling as Strafe disappeared from view.

Optimus moved in behind her, managing to fell his legs over the side into a sitting position. She stood beside his hand, trying to ignore the pain at the back of her skull. Her chest hurt with each pull of breathe, and she lightly fisted her hands in an attempt to distract her energy into a task. Mira wasn't aware of Prime staring at her until she looked up at him, finding his invested gaze tenderly considering her small frame. Will's gaze had born the same tender intensity, looking at her as if he'd never see her again. Then it had been so caring, so loving...and same was mirrored in the Prime's optics.

He turned his hand, offering his palm to her again. "Are you ready, Countess?" He used the name so reverently, remembering her title with a light look crossing his features that stirred something in her stomach. Just him calling her by the title made it real, made her unable to imagine being anything else. "Allow me the honor to take you home?" It was more of a question, though he was teasing, a glimpse of the former Optimus Prime she had come to know showing through the barrier of defense he'd erected these last few days.

Climbing into his hand, Optimus gently closed it around her, his hold cemented, but so light against her frame. Nodding, she rested into the crook of his fingers, dismissing the visor from over her eye. Looking up at him and smiling softly, she nodded and rested her head against the cool plating of his hand. Heaving a deep sigh, she curled her toes within her boots, the idea of Merrick's warmth wrapping around her in a hug swiftly sending tears of relief to the corner of her eyes.

And in a flying leap, they fell from the ship. I'm going home, was her first thought, listening to Prime's thrusters powerfully engage. They leveled mid-air, Prime hovering for only a moment to calculate trajectory, before he rocketed down toward the earth, the vessel of the former bounty hunter slowly losing magnitude with each foot of distance they put between them. She closed her eyes, the thrashing wind stinging her skin as the atmosphere changed, allowing breathing to become much more appropriate.

Home. The word tasted sweet even as it tickled her lips without a voice behind it. The idea of her farmhouse in Texas rose goosebumps on her skin, her heart in desperate need of the familiar sunsets over the property that she had become so attached to. Even now, so many miles from her place in the States, she could hear Merrick's laughter on the air as he raced around then yard, his childish joy ringing alive beneath an open sky. A supreme sense of safety and peace washed down her spine, just as it had so many times before - the taste was familiar, even during her days at NEST.

Victory was a delicious feeling, certainly, though it didn't compare with the realization that everyone was coming home, and that the day's evil had been tossed. Just as in the days of NEST, the relief of a job well done, and a fallen enemy was indescribable. Everyone I love is safe, and going home. That was the end-all of the day, what she'd told dozens and dozens of men and women in uniform: at the end of the day, we all go home.

While unsure of what the future looked like ahead with the dismissal of Cemetery Wind and the exile of the Autobots still in play at government level, Mira didn't rightly mind. Her family - blood and steel- was alive. They were together again, as they were meant to be. She didn't care where they had to run, where they had to go to escape the wrath of official treaties and government ties - they were her home, more than any brick-and-mortar building or piece of property could be. For three years she'd been separated from Optimus and the name Autobot, that space of time stealing so much - changing so much in her life. The idea of returning back to the void of not having Prime's presence, to the helplessness of not knowing, almost crushed her.

Her heart quickened against her ribs, and she wondered if Prime could feel it. When he said nothing to register her change of pulse, she relaxed a little more. Her palms became damp as her mind drifted to Merrick, holding him again; of Bryce's strong embrace, Elena's cry of victory. Even seeing Tessa and Cade...her heart raptured into her throat at Cade, and her realization of what that meant. All of what she'd witnessed aboard the ship - all of what she'd concluded about Prime caring for her - suddenly crashed into the frontal lobe of her brain, sending a spiking sense of panic down her spine.

Nestled at the base was a swimming nausea, an uncertain burning. Mira couldn't imagine what to say, what to feel - how to react.

Maybe everything she thought about Optimus was wrong. Could it be? Am I insane? Then again, perhaps everything she'd shared with Cade had been wrong. Now you're really losing it, Miriam...panic pounced into her chest, snatching the even pace of her breath.

She swallowed a strong gulp, her brow furrowing in concerned thought. I can't think about this, she told herself. Merrick, Bryce. Elena. The bots. Home is where my heart rests. She opened her eyes, the blast of color and city flying by at a blur which stirred her stomach to a familiar place of unease. At least, for the moment. Keep it simple. Anything other thought than that sent curling fear into her chest.

Mira felt Prime adjust his grip around her, how he nudged her a bit closer against his chest. Lifting her head, in the distance she could see the outlines of the city, where she'd traversed before with the Dinobots. Her heart began to pound and pleasurable comfort prickled up into her legs, spreading through her slowly as her spine began registering the adrenaline of returning home. Rolling her lower lip inward, she gnawed on the skin lightly, her eyes frantically scanning the ground for any sight of the bots, their new ship, and her son.

She was breathless with anticipation as Prime moved into a hovering position just above the lush grass, the area quiet and seemingly unaffected from then battle within the urban populace. The Dinobots were not present, presumably still rallying to their position from the outskirts of Bogota, though Strafe had already deposited Bumblebee, shuffling back to fold his wings against his body. Bumblebee, still injured but relieved to be back on his feet, dropped to his knees and pointed to the sky, a Hallelujiah chorus ringing up from his radio and speakers.

Optimus touched down, killing the thrusters and immediately Mira felt her heart explode at the silence over the area. He knelt and deposited her on the ground, Mira slipping out of his grip effortlessly. Her eyes scanned over the bots, who were in various forms of transforming, her human allies all rocketing toward her with remarkable speed. Killing the armor, it folded away effortlessly, exposing her frame to full sunlight and air, almost bringing her to stagger.

Mira stepped away from Prime's hand for only a moment, and found her legs almost trembling. Moving back half a step, a thankful and bemused smile twisted her lips at the irony - all along she'd wanted to stand on her own feet, be her own soldier, even while being married to Will. But even then, she'd needed Optimus, and Will. Reaching out to rest a hand on his finger, she curled her fingers against the metal, finding strength in Prime's closeness.

"Looks like you kept your promise, Optimus," she said quietly, her eyes moving to his optics from the study of their hands. "You came back, and brought us home. Thank you." She could hear approaching footfalls behind her, though she didn't break contact with Optimus. "Well done," was her finishing statement as she rested her hand into his palm. She ignored the drop of blood that rolled down her temple from the implant's expansion.

He simply smiled at her. "It isn't a war won alone, Mira," his tone was deathly close to quiet. "Despite disregarding my orders." She couldn't help the blush that exploded on her cheeks as a soft chuckle rumbled up from his sparkchamber, splitting his lips into a tender smile. "Had it not been for you, my Countess, this day may have ended very, very differently."

She wrinkled her nose, dismissively. "I play a small part in things. Without you, Lockdown would still be..." she moved to cover the implant with her hand. "He'd still be here." She stepped closer, gently brushing her fingers through the plating on his face. "I'm just glad we all get to go home." Gently, the Autobot Commander pressed into her touch, his optics unwavering as they held her stare tightly. He didn't seem like he wanted the moment to pass, but it did, especially when she felt the air behind her swirl with activity, and she pulled from her moment with her guardian.

Elena had made it to her first, wrapping her in the tightest, thickest hug she'd ever experienced. After startling a moment to register the action, Mira's arms wrapped around her friend and she heaved a sigh, unloading a staggering amount of tension from her frame. Tears pulled at the corner of her eyes as Elena held her tightly, releasing a ragged sigh into her friend's shoulder as she clung to the brunette, whispering her thanks to God for bringing her back. With a squeeze, Elena moved back to take Mira's face in her hand, giving her a weak smile. Immediately she noticed the injuries, her brow wrinkling.

Mira didn't have time to explain before Bryce barreled into her, sweeping her up in a bear hug that took her off her feet for a moment, folding her against her brother's chest. He was hot with emotion, the tears falling to her wounded shoulder evident of his state of mind. Bryce was trembling as he held her, taking the back of her head in his palm as he rocked her back and forth, his breathing ragged with emotion.

His breath skipped unevenly over her shoulder. "You're safe," he said quietly, the stubble of his jaw irritating her bruised skin. "You're safe and you're alive. Bless God, bless God." He squeezed her a little harder, shuffling her back to grab her shoulders between his thick hands and stare into her face. "You don't ever get to go off and save the world without me again, ya hear?"

Smiling weakly at him, she nodded compliantly, her body burning with emotional buildup. Promptly her sinuses filled, and tears began to build until Bryce's hand lifted to brush away the blood by her ear, his fingers staining with the dark scarlet. His face fell immediately into a worried wrinkled as he considered the expanded implant the color draining from his face. Mira gently lowered his hand, dismissing his concern as she cupped his cheek within her palm. Very quickly, a black spot raced across her vision, and she felt her spine almost lifting out of her body, the world beginning to shift in a light spin as balance left her brain.

Mira staggered, falling forward into her brother, Bryce reacting immediately to catch her beneath the arms. Heat from the Shield raced up her arm, snapping her senses to attention at the back of her head. More black spots raced before her eyes, though the world began to stabilize a little, her legs struggling to remain stable beneath her. Her knees were weak, and her shoulders were throbbing, pain radiating through her core as she attempted to stabilize against her sibling.

Her brow was drawn with pain as the throbbing behind her eyes continued, her tears withdrawing in an attempt to identify the source of her injuries. Another brush of her hand against the implant behind her ear produced an even larger smear across her fingers, and she blinked, trying to register the injury which hadn't been so severe earlier. Bryce's attention drifted to her shoulder, and one glance from her showed that her shoulder was actively spilling blood, a large tear from Lockdown's ministration marring her flesh. She hadn't noticed it before, and chuckled dismissively, reaching a hand to the wound - spiking pain rocked her body, and she cried out, her knees buckling as her fingers dipped into the folds of the exposed wound.

Her brother went to lower her to the ground before two strong arms swept her up from the earth, cradling her against a strong, broad chest that was remarkably warm. A solid thrum sounded in her ears as her head rested against the beings chest, and her eyes fluttered almost closed as she tried to press out of the man's arms. "I'm alright, Bryce," she said softly, her eyes slipping closed as she released a shaking sigh, "I just...need patched up..." her eyes lifted to find that it wasn't Bryce who was holding her, but that it was Optimus' holoform who was looking down at her concernedly.

They were speaking about Hound, who Mira thought was transforming down into the military transport, though she wasn't certain beneath the thrum of Prime's spark and the rapid beating of her own heart. Her should was flaming with pain, and her face was still distorted, the pain behind her ear intensifying. She felt blood dripping down her arm, and then Elena's soft hand was at her elbow, the Latina gesturing wildly for Prime to put her in the back of the transport.

However, the small body running beside the South American doctor gave Mira pause, wide eyes staring at her in wondrous fear that she'd only ever seen in the eyes of dying men. For a moment, Mira was concerned she had seen William again, though the eyes were far too youthful and full of mirth to be her former husband's. However, recognition began to manifest, and the familiarity of her son rocketed to the forefront of her mind, her ovaries clenching as she remembered the small child forming in her womb; the infant in her arms, the first time he'd stirred her in the night. A smile slowly filtered across her dazing features, and she lifted her bloodied hand to the child, the stained digits of her fingers slowly meeting his touch. A veil of black was beginning to stain her vision, ripping the beautiful face of her offspring from steady view.

Merrick...her look was wilting further as Optimus stepped up in the familiar transport. "I'm here," she whispered, her son's form standing motionless outside the transport as her body gently found the floor. Tipping her swirling head back, she narrowed her eyes on the boy, who had started to cry. His face was red and contorted, cheeks stained with tears as Elena was over her, ripping off the shoulder of her shirt to consider the injury. Another holoform, this time Hound, gently tipped her face to the side to study the implant.

They were concernedly discussing her wounds, which manifested more over her frame as the examination deepened. Outside the vehicle she watched Prime's Western Star glint in the sunlight, motionless. Cade and Tessa were running to the transport, Merrick attempting to climb in after her. The other Autobots, at a distance, didn't manifest. She closed her eyes and sighed, her vision beginning to skip beneath the pulsating pain across her body.

Her eyes opened to find Optimus staring down at her, his holoform looking concerned. She offered him a light smile and reached up for his face, pain radiating up her arm before he grabbed her arm, his fingertips gently tracing down her skin as he lowered her hand. Furrowing her brow, she could hear Merrick sobbing for her, and she blinked at the holoform, her gaze turning back to her child.

"Merrick," she said again, trying to communicate her concern. "Optimus...Merrick," Finally, realization hit the holoform and he nodded, taking her hand in his to kiss her palm gently, giving it a light squeeze of reassurance as his eyes found hers. He mouthed something to her, before disappearing out of the transport, which was full and alive with Hound, Elena, and Bryce all rushing to triage her body.

She watched as Optimus swung out of the transport, wrapping huge arms around her son to pull him from the truck. Merrick was screaming, writhing against the holoform as he reached for her. Optimus bent at the waist, containing the boy at the chest as his face folded into Merrick's shoulder, whispering something into the six-year-old's ear. When Merrick didn't steady, Optimus picked the child up, pulled him onto his hip, and took Merrick's chin between his fingers, prompting the boy to quiet with a stern look of compassion. He reminded her of Will, comforting their child...LLike a father...

Her face was ripped away from the scene as Elena's bloodstained hand found her cheeks, turning Mira's attention to her. She was speaking steadily, a vial of something in her hand as Hound prepared a syringe over her. Mira strained to concentrate, her hearing all but dissipated as unconsciousness pulled over her body again. She wrinkled her brow, trying to determine the words her friend was speaking, until Mira felt the needle slip past her skin and into her arm, jarring heat suddenly racing over her body, arching her back as she cried out. The adrenaline kicked into her heart, rupturing every nerve within her body to a painful life she wasn't expecting.

She screamed before cold darkness snapped into her brain, snatching her from consciousness.

. . .

Cade watched Prime's holoform carry the unconscious brunette aboard the Cybertronian ship, her form curled contentedly against him. A blanket from the Western Star had been draped over her shoulders and crossed in her front, her clothing removed during triage to assess her bodily injuries, which were magnificent. Not only had she sustained a concussion, but she had a cracked rib; countless cuts, bruises, and scrapes, and the wound on her shoulder had required seven stitches. The implant had expanded, which had created a significant gash that had required four more stitches behind her ear. The swelling on her throat had bruised, and her speech would be affected until it healed properly.

He raked his hands through his hair, blowing out a breath as he moved to catch up to Prime, who was staring at the woman with an expression that made Cade nervous. Almost enchanted, the smile at the corner of the holoform's mouth was light, as if he were looking into a masterpiece instead of his greatest human ally. He didn't even flinch under her weight, Mira fully relaxed against his chest as he moved to the loaded Western Star, where Elena and Bryce were already preparing a place for the bionic woman to rest.

"She's gonna be fine, Optimus?" Cade asked, his tone far more worried than he had intended. "Her wounds are only minor for this kind of thing, right?"

Prime slowed to a stop, lifting his gaze from her face to find Cade's. The holoform was towering, complete with a thick chest and hard arms that were practically tearing out of the black military shirt he was wearing. Complete with a beret, military cargoes and thick boots, he was the spitting image of any commanding soldier Cade had ever known - so starkly different than the holoform they'd encountered before, wearing jeans and leather jacket. What remained the same, however, was his almost glowing eyes.

He nodded once, looking back down to the woman in his arms. "She will recover, Cade. She's exhausted, but the adrenaline has stabilized her condition. I anticipate she'll rouse once we are underway. Elena and Hound have tended her wounds efficiently. It just takes a few days for humans to recover from this type of warfare, as you can imagine." Then, Prime offered him a knowing smile, as if he knew a secret that Cade did not. "Mira, believe it or not, has sustained worse. She is a strong femme." He regarded her with such pride, such care, that it pricked Cade right in the heart.

Prime stopped at the top of the ramp, Cade gently lifting a hand to place on the woman's head. "She's unlike anyone I've ever met," Cade regarded quietly, studying the detail of her face. "She's...one of you." He gently lifted her implanted hand, then considered the implant on her face before looking to Optimus. "How is this possible?"

The holoform offered him thin smile. "Mira has always been one of my people," his gaze dropped to her face. "The implants merely make her allegiance official. Many things are possible with the Matrix of Leadership, Cade Yeager." He hesitated, his eyes lifting to him again. "From the beginning she has been different, been called by my spark to be one of my people."

Cade hesitated, his brow dropping into a confused wrinkle. He didn't understand fully, or at least he didn't think. He understood that Mira and Optimus were far closer than just merely friends, their bond ran as deep as blood and Optimus' own lifeforce, Energon. Prime had vowed to watch over her and her bloodline in something called a guardianship, which was vastly important to Cybertronian people. Cade didn't fully grasp the concept, but he knew enough to scratch the surface - Mira was initiated into their tribe of people, as one of their own. That much he'd witnessed. They loved her like their own.

But, called from Prime's spark? He didn't fully grasp the concept. "Wait...called from your spark? You mean in guardianship?" He gestured to Mira with a hand, Prime moving towards the semi once more. Cade kept pace with him, working hard to meet the stride of the Autobot Commander as he stopped before the driver's door, Elena waving him inside the cab to the rear cabin, where they'd made arrangements for the sleeping woman to rest. "Mira told me you were her guardian, Optimus."

Prime turned to consider him again, a disenchanted look painting his features. "And that is true." He stepped up onto the semi's side step, Cade holding open the driver's door, only half aware that the semi was actually the Optimus he was addressing. Gently moving past the seat, the holoform vanished into the rear cabin, leaving Cade to spin the bot's statement through his mind. The way he'd said it implied it was the beginning of a halted explanation.

His brain was buzzing, uncertain of the atmosphere following the Prime's statement. Something didn't sit right. He felt strangely - oddly - kept out of the loop, and only snapped back to attention when the holoform moved back to jump lithely out of the cab beside him, moving to close the door. His huge hands lingered on the paint, his head drawn to consider his feet on the ship's floor. Cade blinked, watching the holoform stand silently, before Prime pushed off his own alternation mode and turned to face him, his face a set in a stony, almost resolute expression.

"Cade," he said softly, his commanding tone strong. "My guardianship of Mira is merely the first step in what is a unique process for my people, Cybertronians." He nodded across the loading bay to the yellow Autobot, Bumblebee, who was currently being triaged by Hound. Mira's brother, Bryce, was seated beside the scout, watching carefully as Hound administered care to what appeared to be a joint in the bot's armor. It looked involved and interesting, though when Cade turned back to the holoform, he found Prime considering him carefully. "My spark chose Mira from the beginning, not just to be my charge, but to be my second. I knew from the moment I met her should be imperative to my people's presence on this planet, though it has become more than that." He sighed, his eyes skipping away to the floor. "I now understand why."

Cade nodded slowly. "Yeah, right," he confirmed. "She said she was like you're right hand guy." He rubbed at his jaw, trying to ebb away the tension. He was about to turn an intercept Tessa and Merrick and Joyce, who were seated in an alcove of the ship a good distance from the ramp, when he was pulled to a stop by Prime's strong hand on his shoulder. He flinched, followed the arm up study the man's face, which was drawn as if he were almost in pain.

"Understand something, Cade Yeager," he said, his voice set with a strength that demanded attention. "Miriam Lennox means more to me than any one person on this planet should." His brow tangled into a determined knot between the holoform's eyes, his jaw setting firm. "I know you harbor feelings for her, just as her first mate, William, did -" he was about to continue when Cade chuckled, stepped out of the man's hand, and put up his hands in mock surrender.

He shook his head. "Yeah, I know, and if I hurt her you'll have an entire alien army come after me," he waved off the man's surprised look, snorting dismissively as he took another step back, almost clearing the length of Western Star. "You don't have to tell me, Prime - I'm a monogamous kinda guy."

The holoform looked confused as his back stiffened into a straight pillar, his mouth twisting into a confused line. "Cade," his tone was gravely serious. "Do not misunderstand my meaning," he stepped closer, lifting a hand to grasp tightly to the framework of the semi's mirror. His bicep was basically rippling with strength as he leaned forward into the gesture, his brow visibly drawn into frustration. "I watched Mira enter into a human marriage and for years said nothing. She was happy, and then she bore a child and she loved William more than anything. I...I could not rob that from her then."

Now he was confused. "Optimus, what are you saying? That you don't think I could make her happy?" He stepped towards the holoform, gesturing with a raised hand to the semi's cab. "Holy hell, Prime, she kissed me. She's a big girl, Optimus - I don't think she needs you to decide for her who she wants to date, for God sake." He raised his brows. "Don't worry. I won't hurt her, I promise -"

Optimus dropped his hand from the mirror and stepped into Cade's frame, staring down at him hardly. "I am saying," his tone dropped an octave into a low, almost rumbling warning that sent a rod through Cade's back, so strong that it stiffen his frame to attention. He locked eyes with the holoform, seeing every bit of strength that the true form of the Commander possessed. "That I cannot stand by and watch another human male claim her." Cade felt his blood run chill within his body, his muscles almost constricting as his stomach curled into his abdomen. Oh my God he is not...

Optimus hesitated, before sighing. "My spark loves her, Cade. I love her." The words crushed his brain matter into an array of nothing. Prime put a hand to his chest and dropped his gaze. "I know it is not conventional."

Conventional? He was speechless. "Op...Optimus. Are you saying you're...in love with her?" His mouth hung open briefly as he attempted to find words, his eyes scanning over the holoform quickly, trying to grasp the revelation. Outwardly he appeared like a man, and his brain was having a hard time registering the fact that he was actually a forty foot robot from outer space, though actually it made perfect sense. Of course the woman of his dreams had to be...accounted for? But she'd kissed him..."How is that even possible?"

He didn't miss a beat. "My kind love deeply, Cade. In that we are not so different."

Cade gave a nervous laugh. "Different? Optimus, everything about this is different," he scratched the back of his hand, looking to the floor to heave a huge sigh out of his lung tissue, his spine almost curling with tension. A million thoughts were rushing through his mind, his lips burning with the lingering taste of her kiss, gut almost spinning at the thought of her waking alone. But...but how do I compete with this? He's got a decade on me, and he's Optimus. Of course she's in love with him and doesn't know it. "Have...have you at least told her?"

He hesitated only briefly, suddenly looking very uncertain, which wasn't a good look for the Autobot leader. "I have not," he smiled and looked back at the semi. "Though I intend to," he sighed looked back to Cade. "I...I am sorry." His gaze dropped immediately, as if it were shameful to admit. While it wasn't exactly thrilling, Cade could see fully the Autobot's intentions - they were written plainly on his face. It all made perfect sense, the last few days. The touches, the statements...even the way he'd stared at her. I am such an idiot.

He swallowed. "I...I don't really know what to say," was the mutter, and Cade blinekd at the holoform, brows lifting in surprise. "That's...wow."

Prime offered him a half smile. "You don't need to say anything," he explained. Looking over Cade's shoulder, he nodded to Merrick, Tessa, and Joshua, drawing Cade's attention. "Please, tend to your daughter and Merrick. This is an overwhelming ordeal, especially for ones so young. I will deal with Joshua, and the seed." He stepped to move by Cade, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "And thank you, Cade Yeager. For everything."

Cade nodded to Prime, locking eyes with the holoform. "Any time, Optimus."

Giving him a wry smile, Optimus tightened his grip on his shoulder, gently lifting his other hand to lightly slap his arm. "Thank you, though I hope to keep the past behind us, he said quietly. "You are a good man, Cade. As fine an Autobot as any human I have known." Nodding to him, he stepped away before Cade could respond, moving to address Joshua, who rose to shake Prime's hand.

Moving to the side of the alien ship, Cade rested against it and tipped his head back, closing his eyes. Covering his face with his hands, he sank down the wall into a crouch, staring at his feet as he tried to pull the entire conversation he'd shared with Optimus to the front of his mind. It was impossible to entirely wrap his brain around it, but he exhaled sharply and dismissed the budding jealousy in his chest as he looked over to Tessa, looking exhausted and frightened as she curled into a blanket of her own.

Well, he stood, raked his hand through his hair, and approached his daughter and Mira Lennox's son. I suppose she was never mine from the get-go. Maybe Tessa was right...maybe dating isn't the way to go. Not yet, anyway. He smiled softly at the young boy, who was curled against his daughter tightly, staring into the void of space as the ramp of the ship began to close loudly with a shrill, mechanical grind.

He crouched, opened his arm to Merrick, and took the boy into a tight hold. "C'mon, buddy," he cupped his hand against the back of Merrick's head. "Let's get you home." He stood, gestured for Tessa to follow him, and headed in the direction he remembered the bridge to be. Drift would be there, with Crosshairs and Sideswipe, beginning proceedings for takeoff.

And as the boy curled against Cade's frame, he couldn't help but think that the boy was already home, despite his better judgement.

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