One-Shot Interlude: A Day with Small Leader

"Here we are, I hope you like where I'm taking you."

Penny had to fight the grin that was threatening her face as she watched Optimus pressed his faceplate against the car window. His curious optics lit up with wonder and awe at the place the car was parked in.

It was no surprise that Penny felt that she needed to make a better connection and bond with her children. But with so many children under her roof, there wasn't enough time to spend with all of them. So with the help of her new babysitter Izzy, she decided to make days to spend with her various kids. Today she was spending time with the most obedient of all the children, Small Leader. He was difficult to read, hard to understand, and was always listening to her thoughts and ideas. Whenever she was facing a troubled time with the finances or schoolwork, he was always there to lend her a hand in whatever she needed. At breakfast, she decided to surprise him for all his hard work and dedication.

"Small Leader, would you like to spend the day with me?"

The Autobots and Decepticons were relaxing at the newly built table that she had placed in the kitchen. They were all enjoying a nice breakfast of oilcakes, Penny's attempt of making dishes suitable for her robot babies. Optimus sat at the end of the table on one side while Megatron sat at the other end. Everyone else sat in between, leaving a seat for Penny at anyplace at the table. Currently she was sitting between Smokescreen and Knockout, both of them trying to sneak more oilcakes on their plates. She slapped their servos with her fork, making them recoil in sadness. Taking a sip from her coffee, she asked Optimus this question, making some spit out their oil. Bumblebee and Starscream in general started to whine loudly, wanting to spend their time with her. Soundwave showed a shocked face emoji, making Lazerbeak freak out by him. Arcee groaned loudly, wishing she could have a day with Penny. Bulkhead looked down, his thoughts consumed with jealously. Breakdown pouted while Knockout whined as well. Megatron had the worst reaction as he aimed his cannon at Optimus' face.

"What did you say to her Prime?!" He yelled, his cannon charging up. "Why does she want to spend the day with you?"

"GRUMPY LEADER PUT THAT CANNON DOWN!" Penny shouted, her eyes blazed with fury. "What the heck do you think you're doing? How many times do I have to tell you, no weapons at the table!"

Megatron growled at Optimus once more and places the cannon away. He gave her a puppy dog look before poking out his lip. He wanted so desperately to spend some alone time with her. Penny pursed her lips as she rubbed his helm.

"I promise to spend some time with all of you. I need to build a deeper bond with all of you. The only way to do that is to get to know you guys better." She gave him a big hug. "How about you can go next? That way, we can hang out together, just the two of us."

Megatron purred in her arms, liking the nice compromise. She placed him back in his seat and turned towards Optimus. "So what do you say? Shall we hang?"

Optimus nodded his head happly. He too wanted to spend time with his carrier. He hoped she had something exciting planned for the two of them.

Penny parked the car in front of the large building as she got a hoodie out of her purse. It was red with blue stripes on it. Optimus put his hands up as she wiggled the hoodie over his large helm. Adjusting the strings, she gave him enough room to squirm around in. She got out if the car with him in her arms and climbed the large steps. His optics looked up at the golden letters that adorned the top of the sign.

Library

Penny felt him shift a bit in her arms as squealing sounds came from his vocalizer. Confusion spread on her face before she realized that he was excited and happy. He was practically bouncing in her arms as she opened the large doors. The sound of silence enveloped them along with rows and rows of books. The smell of must and ink filled her nose. Optimus swerved his head around to see all the different colors of the books and their titles. This was where he felt more at home, this place was like a second home to him.

He felt like his old life back on Cybertron, back when he was Orion Pax.

Penny placed him on the ground as they walked around the area. A few people cooed at the two, making cutesy faces at Optimus. The young bot walked with a pep in his step as they reached the main desk. The older gentleman at the front desk gave them a smile.

"Welcome back Miss Drake." He said, a twinkle in his chestnut eyes. "I see you brought a little guest with you. Is he one of your students?"

"No Mr. McGregor, he's one of my kids. I recently adopted as bunch of them." Penny informed him, looking down at Optimus. "I need to get a library card for you. Why don't you wait for me in the kid's section and then we can pick out some books together!"

Optimus nodded and walked over to the colorfully decorated children's section. He saw various kids on computers, sitting on beanbags, and reading on the couches. He looked over the variety of books in the small shelves when he bumped into someone. It was a young African American girl with short brown hair and hazel eyes behind a big pair of spectacles. She wore a green shirt under blue overalls and red and white sneakers. In her arms was a stack of books which he had knocked over. He hastily leaned over to help her out as he gathered her books.

"Thank you! You act just like a knight!" She squeaked, placing the books in a small red basket. "Cool hoodie by the way. My name is Tanya, what's your name?"

Optimus shifted a bit on his peds and put his servos in his hoodie pockets. Tanya must've noticed he couldn't talk so she dragged his arm to the table littered with crayons and papers. Giving him a red crayon, she slid a piece of paper towards him.

"Why don't you write it out? You seem to not want to talk. Not that I blame you..." Her glasses fell askew as she pushed them up. "A lot of kids have trouble talking."

Optimus smiled at the way she thought. He scribbled his name for her and gave her the paper. Tanya grinned at his actions, fascinated by the way he acted.

"So you're name is Optimus huh? You must like reading a lot huh?"

He nodded at her.

"Okay here's the thing: You don't want to read any of these namby pamby books. They make my little brother seem smarter in comparison. The adult books look like more of your speed." She placed her basket on the table and slid a book at him. "Try this one Optimus. You might like it!"

Optimus looked at the book she had given him. It was dark blue with a golden spine. In gold letters on the front, it read "The Legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table."

"I garuntee you will love that book. I've read it five times!" Tanya said, her short curls bouncing. "And what better way for a knight to read is with a beautiful princess!"

"Wow Small Leader, you've already made a friend huh?" Optimus turned to see Penny smiling behind him, giving him a smile. "Did you pick a book to read yet?"

He showed her the book and her smile widen. "Good choice as usual! I think the others will love this book!" She picked him up and nuzzled her nose on his face. "But right now, let's find a good corner to read in." Penny looked down at Tanya. "Thank you for talking with him."

"No problem lady. Can he come by again? I like to have intelligent conversations with smart people."

"We'll try to come by every week! What's your name sweetheart?"

"Tanya, Tanya Carter! And one more thing lady..." Slinging the basket on her arm, she started to walk away. "His name is Optimus, not Small Leader!"

First of the solo series and the introduction of the sassy intellect friend of Optimus, Tanya! You'll see more of her later in the series! Hope you enjoyed!

Until then: What should Penny do with Megatron?