Chapter 3

If Only

Flashback

Artemis ran as fast as she could away from some guards. They had been chasing her for a while due to her stealing an energon cube. "Come on," she groaned loudly. Artemis glanced over her shoulder and threw an energon cube up onto the ledge. She bolted up a ladder to grab the cube. After a few more moments she finally lost the guards. She collapsed to the ground once she got to her home. After glancing around she made her way inside. Inside of the house she saw her younger sister sitting there. Artemis walked over and knelt down and handed her the energon cube. "Here you go Arcee, drink as much as you want or need to," she mumbled as she held the younger femme close.

Arcee rested against her older sister and drank from the fresh energon cube. "Where are sire and carrier?" she asked as she glanced up at the older blue femme. "When are they gonna come back? Are they out fighting in the gladiatorial arena again?" Arcee started to ask all sorts of questions.

Artemis took a slow deep breath and let it out even slower. "Arcee, carrier isn't coming back for us. She doesn't care about us any more," she said clearly hurt. The one they called carrier wasn't even their carrier. She hurt them and booted them out the door once their sire passed away in the gladiatorial arena. "Sire passed away in the arena a couple days ago...I'm sorry Arcee," she said as they looked into each other's optics. Artemis wiped the tears off of the Arcee's face. "I will make sure you are never left alone again...I swear to Primus. I will always be by your side," she said sternly.

Arcee nodded and hugged her older sister. She ended up falling asleep against her. Artemis leaned against a wall and held Arcee close.

Artemis sat up fast from her daydreaming in her room. She shook her head and rubbed her optics after a while. "If only, we could tell the others we are siblings," she mumbled to herself. Artemis then walked around the Omega One outpost and sighed as she looked into a reflective surface and saw how much she changed from the days when she had to worry where she could get her next meal. She ran her hand along the armor on her hips. She sighed and disconnected the skirt she wore. It fell to the floor. She then tore off the armor on her hips and threw it to the floor. She picked them up and tossed them into her now room. She looked back into the reflective surface and saw she was more in her old gladiator armor than her commander armor. She smiled a little before walking back into the normal area. She saw all the bots turn to face her. "Hello," she said in a quiet tone.

Ratchet smiled as he saw her without her commander armor. She had always worn it on Cybertron and since she was bonded to Claw. "It's nice to see you up and about Artemis," he said. The other Autobots gathered around her. Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead saluted her.

"No need to do that, I am not your commanding officer on this planet." she said as she looked over them and saw Optimus at the control panel. "He is and he deserves far more respect than an old Wrecker leader," Artemis admitted as she walked through the crowd and over to Optimus. After she walked through the crowd the three of them went and retrieved the children from school. She frowned as she remembered the memories of her and him. But that was in the Golden Age of Cybertron. When he wasn't a Prime but instead a simple data clerk. "If only Primus didn't choose you to be his knight of light," she mumbled under her breath.

Optimus heard her and his head dropped as he turned around and looked down at the smaller blue femme. He cracked a rare smile and walked over and gently touched her shoulder. "Primus choose you for something as well, and you know that," he said in a faint whisper. She smacked his hand off of her shoulder. "Something that has yet to be seen," he said as he stepped back to facing the counsel. He released a breath and turned back towards her. "Come with me Artemis, you could use some fresh air," he said with a soft gentle tone that he rarely used. She nodded and walked with the Prime towards the elevator. They stepped into it and rose to the roof of the base. Optimus led the way to the memorial to Cliffjumper. "It has been a while since I have since I have seen you," Optimus admitted before walking to the end and sat down with his legs over the side. Artemis followed and sat beside him.

"Well, not everyone can meet in the same place, especially with how scattered we all were after leaving Cybertron," she explained and glanced down. "But I am glad to now see some friendly faces, especially after all those mega cycles with Claw." she said as she hugged herself and let out a vent.

"What did he do to you? You should've bonded with someone so you didn't have to be with him," he said as he gently touched her shoulder. "You could've found anyone to bond with, I know Ratchet offered," he said as he showed how protective he was over her.

"But it would be out of pity, not love, and both my loves were taken away from me due to this war that has been going on for far too long. I didn't want someone to be stuck with me because they didn't want me getting hurt. Besides now I am free from his cruelness. And he did everything you can possibly think of to me. But luckily I didn't bare any of his children." She said quite relieved.

Optimus frowned and looked away, he could've saved her from this all but chose not too because his spark had belonged to a different femme at the time. He choose his love at the time over the one he had fallen for but couldn't have. Optimus wrapped his arm around the slightly smaller femme and held her close. So she could have some comfort. As he held her close she relaxed and rested against him. Optimus thought to himself "If only, I wasn't such an idiot back then. I wouldn't have lost you." he sighed as he looked down at her but soon a small smile developed. This would be his last chance to see if they could be together. To break caste rules and defy the odds. He had to for both of their sakes.