New Year's came around too quickly for Cordelia's liking.
She was just over four months into her pregnancy and annoying little doubts had started to creep into her mind, keeping her awake at night.
She voiced these concerns aloud to Optimus on New Year's Eve. They had decided to have a quiet night in and had invited Leo over to spend the night in the guest bedroom. Optimus made a magnificent meal of ale-glazed beef complete with a crispy onion crust, roast carrots and cream corn.
The flavours were deliciously well-balanced and the creamed corn's gooeyness finished off the whole dish.
Leo chased his last mouthful down with a generous swig from his glass of red wine. "I have to say Optimus, I've never known anyone to be able to cook like you – how do you do it?"
"It is a simple matter of carefully monitoring the polymers and molecules in whatever you are cooking. For example, when cooking meat as I have done this evening, I observe for an effect known as the Maillard reaction. Basically, observing the reactions between the carbohydrates and the molecules within the meat. It really is rather simple."
He rose in one fluid motion and began to clear the dishes from the table, stacking them all up impressively on one arm whilst he collected their cutlery with his other hand. He deftly opened the dishwasher door with a well-aimed flick of his foot and within thirty seconds, the dishwasher was loaded and ready to go on.
He returned to the table and folded his arms, resting his chin on the gauntlets that adorned his forearms.
His cerulean optics found their way to Cordelia's green eyes and his eyebrows came down in a slight frown.
"Lia? Is something the matter? You've been noticeably quiet this evening and your cortisol levels have just risen significantly."
She didn't answer straight way but fiddled with the necklace that Leo and Optimus had gotten her a few birthdays ago. She rolled the spherical charm between her finger and thumb, looking for any way to stall in answering Optimus' question.
New Year's Eve had never been a particularly easy time of year for her. Odd that it was that way really; anybody would have thought that she might find Christmas more difficult, but no. Somehow, looking in on all the families gathered around their television screens getting ready to countdown to the new year was more difficult than seeing it at Christmas time.
Whirring servos and silver fingers brought her back to the present as Optimus cupped her face gently in both of his large hands.
Leo leaned forward, concern etched on his worn face.
"Lia, you know you can tell the both of us absolutely anything."
She tried to swallow but found it hard to get past the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. She dropped her eyes from Optimus', unable to hold his gaze for long.
"I just…I'm worried. I keep having this bad feeling that something bad is going to happen or that I will let this baby down somehow…what if I'm a crap mother? What if I can't give birth? What if you and Leo are hurt by the Decepticons? What if-"
Optimus brushed stray hands of her red hair back behind her ears and framed her face in his hands. "Shh, shh. You're over-thinking things Lia. Leo and I will be here for you in whatever capacity you need, for both you and the baby." His optics flared like twin supernovae, showing how much he believed in what he was saying.
Leo nodded in agreement. "Lia, I have every faith in you. You will make a fantastic mother, let me tell you now – that baby is lucky to have you as his or her mother. You are one in a million Cordelia and don't let anybody ever tell you otherwise."
His hand moved up to rest on her shoulder.
On one side she felt the weight of a human hand, warm, comforting and soft; and on the other a sturdy, metallic and safe hand. Both pushed her fears and worries away as easily as if they had been thin wisps of air.
"You're right. Thank you." She scooted forward on her seat and wrapped one arm around each of them, grateful for the support they provided.
The rest of the evening passed in easy frivolity.
Cordelia reclined on the couch, leaning against Optimus' chest whilst Leo sat in the armchair nearest the large fireplace.
When the bells sounded midnight, Optimus pulled Cordelia and Leo to their feet and embraced them both, resting his chin gently on the top of Cordelia's head.
Her cheek grew warm as she leaned her face against Optimus' breast plate, listening to the happy thrumming of his Spark.
This was her little family, and she couldn't have been more content than right at that moment.
.o
February arrived seemingly in the blink of an eye and winter had still shown no signs of loosening its hold on the ranch and the surrounding area.
Cordelia had gone out to get a few baby supplies with Optimus and the other Autobots. On one such trip she and Optimus had bought a fancy diaper bag that came with an assortment of bottles and teats as well as an old-fashioned crib.
On another trip with Hound, she bought a pram that doubled as a car seat and a state-of-the-art baby monitoring system, complete with HD webcam and two-way sound.
One afternoon when the snow had been falling solidly for four hours, Cordelia decided to start clearing out the old office upstairs. Neither she nor Optimus used it and it would make a cute little nursery.
Optimus was on patrol and would be for a few more hours, so she figured she may as well do something productive with her free time.
The office window offered a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding landscape, and Cordelia thought the natural light would be greatly beneficial to a growing baby.
She started with moving the smaller things out of the room first, like the swivel chair, side tables and small sideboard.
She put all her weight against it and pushed it towards the door, leaving it as tucked away as she could against one wall of the landing.
She made her way downstairs to fetch the vacuum cleaner, a little more out of breath than she would normally have been even a few weeks ago.
She set the vacuum against the foot of the stairs and then ducked into the utility room that was just off the kitchen and grabbed the mop and bucket. Filling it with warm soapy water and pine-scented detergent, she took all three items up the stairs at the same time.
Five breathless minutes later, Cordelia plugged the vacuum into the power outlet and flicked it on. She worked it over the floor, wrinkling her nose as it picked up God knows how many months' worth of dust.
It was satisfying to watch the old oak floor change colour from a dull brown to a vibrant mahogany.
Once she was satisfied she'd gone into all the corners of both the floors and the walls, she traded the vacuum cleaner for the mop.
Before she started mopping, she eyed the heavy desk in the corner of the room. It didn't look too hard to push and besides, it was only five or so metres to the door.
Rolling up her sleeves and propping the mop up against the wall, Cordelia wrapped both hands around one of the desk's thick legs and started to pull.
No matter how hard or from what angle she pulled, the old desk didn't budge a single inch. Despite the chill in the house due to the crisp winter air, she felt sweat trickling down from her hairline onto the nape of her neck.
Spying a small gap between the desk and the wall, Cordelia squeezed herself into it, sitting slightly on the smooth surface of the desk. She brought both feet up so that they were resting flat against the wall and started to push with every ounce of strength that she could muster.
No matter how hard she pushed, still the desk did not move.
"Argh!" She growled, slipping out from the narrowed gap and eyed the desk with a look of disdain.
She turned back to face the large window and got the fright of her life when she saw a huge metallic face looking in through it.
She laughed at herself and went over to the window, lifting the catch and letting it swing open into the room. She slid the mechanism in the other window out of its bolt and let that too, swing into the room.
A few stray snowflakes blew into the room, bringing with them the cold afternoon air that caused the fine baby hairs on the back of her neck and her forearms to rise.
Optimus regarded her with a stern expression, his optics narrowed and the lenses within them somewhat constricted.
Cordelia felt the familiar rush of blood coming up from her neck and into her cheeks whenever she was embarrassed. She stood sheepishly on one spot and fiddled with her hands behind her back.
"How long have you been standing there?"
Optimus simulated a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose between a thumb and forefinger. "Long enough. Lia, why didn't you call for assistance? Myself or anyone of the other Autobots would have been more than happy to assist you."
He was bending his knees slightly so as to bring his face level with the window. Cordelia could hear the hiss of his hydraulic joints as if in protest to the bitter cold.
"I honestly didn't think about calling one of you…it didn't even cross my mind." She couldn't stop a small grin sliding onto her face as she crossed the room and placed her hands on his cold lips.
His stern expression melted at her touch as he leaned into it, his mouth plates forming a small smile. He gently nudged her with his nose and she gave him a playful shove (that didn't move his face at all) in return.
"Would you like me to assist you in removing the desk?" He jerked his chin toward the offending item.
"Yes please. I can't move it one inch."
He laughed his quiet, rumbling chuckle before he straightened and carefully inserted his hand and wrist into the room.
Being around Optimus' holoform so much had made Cordelia forget just how colossally huge he actually was. Seeing his hand next to a piece of human-sized furniture made the difference between them seem all the more ridiculous. She felt as if she was the doll in a doll's house.
He deftly wrapped his hand around the table with ease, making it look like a toy in his huge hand and lifted it with no more effort than someone picking up their mobile phone.
He carefully maneuvered it out of the window and turned around to place it on the floor. Cordelia approached the window and leaned out of it and saw hilariously that Optimus was leaning his hands on his knees so that his face was level with the window.
He followed her gaze downwards and offered her a wry smile.
"How much taller than the house are you then?"
"Well, approximately twelve feet. Unless you wish to talk to my chest…it is necessary for me to lower myself, just a little." He winked at her. "The cold is beginning to aggravate my intakes and it is not conducive to your health to have these windows wide open in the middle of winter. Would you mind if I parked myself in the barn and utilise my holoform?"
Cordelia nodded and watched as Optimus folded himself into a Western Star and reversed into the barn. She heard the faint 'zap-zap' sound that his holoform made when it was materialising.
She turned to face him just as it completed. He stood perfect in front of her, everything normal about him except the size. He'd chosen to stand his holoform at six foot eight inches in height, so he still towered over Cordelia's petite five-foot one-inch frame even at this size. Her head just brushed his chest armour, placing her at the perfect height to see the faint blue glow coming from his Spark chamber.
He surveyed the room through curious optics, turning in a slow circle until he was facing her once more.
"What made you want to start clearing out the office?"
"Well, I was thinking, I'm almost halfway through this pregnancy and we've made a start on getting what Nova needs, but there's no room prepared for when she arrives…so I thought I'd start clearing out the stuff that we don't need."
His optics rose in a small smile. "All you needed to do was ask for some help little one", he placed both hands on her growing bump. "I want to be here for you in every way that I can be –" Optimus leaned down to rumble softly in her ear " – even for the heavy lifting."
"Thanks, big guy" she said, leaning into his comforting embrace. She wrinkled her nose at the tired beige colour of the walls. "These walls need stripping and repainting. This colour is just…ugh."
"I have to agree with you about the colour. It does nothing for the aesthetics. I shall rectify it for you. What colours would you like to go for?"
She chewed her lip thoughtfully. "How about grey? A nice light shade and then we can accentuate it with oak furniture to match the floor...what do you think?"
He kissed the top of her head with a soft click of his mouth plates. "Whatever you want, you shall have."
She was about to reply when her vision suddenly narrowed, and it looked like she was looking at everything through a dark tunnel. Optimus' face swam in front of her, his voice becoming slow and distorted.
Her balance faltered and Optimus caught her by the elbow before she fell over.
"Easy little one, come here." He gently manipulated her into a sitting position and raised her knees so that they were bent. "Put your head in between your knees, there's a girl. I'm right here." He kept a soothing hand on the small of her back and she concentrated on the feel of it there, using it to bring herself back into the here and now. "Good girl, this will help the blood flow back to your head."
She concentrated on the sound of his voice and the feel of his hand on her back. She tipped her head forward just in time as a wave of nausea overcame her.
Optimus, bless him, was lightening quick and he caught the offending matter in his outstretched hands.
Cordelia was mortified. "Oh my God, Optimus – I – I'm so—"
"Shh, shh. It's okay. It doesn't matter. Human bodily fluids have no effect on me whatsoever; to me this may as well just be water. Can you stand?"
She nodded and got shakily to her feet, hanging onto the wall for support.
She followed Optimus into the bathroom and watched him deposit the lumpy liquid into the toilet bowl and then wash his hands in the sink. He flushed the toilet and then turned to face her again, touching the back of his hand lightly to her brow.
"Hmm, you haven't got a fever. You may have overdone it with trying to move the furniture."
She smiled weakly and leaned against him, suddenly exhausted. Each one of her limbs felt as if they had ten-kilogram weights attached to them. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears, and she pressed her face harder into Optimus' chest, trying to soothe the flaming sensation in her cheeks.
Optimus carefully scooped her into his arms and carried her bridal style into the master bedroom. He set her down on the king-sized bed and drew the plush fleece blanket up around her shoulders.
He moved to lay behind her and draped his long arm over her hip and abdomen. "You know, I believe you are experiencing what is known as the nesting instinct, when pregnant mothers have an urge to clean and prepare for the arrival of their infant."
"Oh?" Each one of Cordelia's eyelids weighed a tonne and it was becoming a real effort to just keep them open.
"All this talk of newborns reminds me of when I was growing up…I was a rather shy individual. I worked in the archives of Iacon, which was the Autobot capital on Cybertron. Sentinel had placed me there for my own protection, though I didn't know this at the time. He…"
Optimus' low baritone rumbled incoherently as Cordelia lost the battle and succumbed to her exhaustion, sleep finding her easily.
.o
It was late evening when Cordelia awoke to the sound of the front door banging shut. There was a faint rattling sound behind her, and she turned to find it was coming from Optimus.
Hysterically, Optimus 'snored', but only when he recharged on his back. The fan that was responsible for keeping his central processing unit sometimes slowed down too much when he was in recharge, but he still 'breathed' regularly by sucking air in through the vents on the back of his head. With the increased volume of air and gravity, the fan sometimes struggled to get back up to speed without rattling in its casing.
It was something Cordelia found hysterical and endearing at the same time.
"Hello? Anybody home?" Leo's voice called from downstairs as Optimus rumbled into alertness, his blue optics flickering as he came back online.
"Up here!" She pushed herself into an upright position and was pleased to find that she didn't feel nauseous or dizzy in the slightest. A quick glance in the bedside mirror showed her that she had a classic case of bed head.
She groaned and pulled her hair out of the tie securing it. Optimus, as always was very attuned to her and sat up in one quick motion, gathered her hair in both hands and braided one long plait down her back.
"There you go little one." He made to shimmy over to her side of the bed and stand up, but he failed to notice the blue fleece blanket caught in one of his boot-like feet. He sailed headfirst onto the floor, landing in a tangled heap of long arms and legs.
"Oof!" His grunt of indignation did it for Cordelia and she collapsed into tears of laughter.
"Oh Optimus, what are you like? Are you okay?" She wiped the stray tears from her eyes and stood.
Optimus regained a vertical base. "I am fine Lia. Was that Leo I heard?"
"Yes, shall we go down and meet him?" He held his hand out to her and helped her up off the bed. "Are you going to be okay going down the stairs?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I feel okay now. Sorry – I don't know what that was all about earlier."
He waved her apology away. "There's no need to apologise little one, making another human being can be unpredictable at the best of times."
Leo was waiting for them downstairs, his hands clasped loosely behind his back as he examined the pictures on the mantle piece.
His face broke into a wide smile when he saw Cordelia and he stepped forward, enveloping her in one of his famous bear hugs.
She inhaled the scent of his aftershave and the smell of the cold that still clung to him. She stood on tiptoes to reach up and ruffle his soft, curly hair. "You need a haircut, it's got so poofy again!"
His blue eyes rose skyward, and he laughed gently. "It's my winter coat coming in."
She slapped him gently upside the head and took a step back. "You hungry?"
"Ahh, you read my mind."
"Great, there's left over pot roast in the fridge – fancy it with a jacket potato?"
"Sounds perfect."
Optimus ghosted up behind her then, placing one hand gently on the small of her back. "Lia, I'm afraid Drift has gotten himself into a bit of a wreck a few miles off the main road and I am the only one with enough traction to pull him out. Simply transforming won't help as he is wedged in too tight a space. I won't be long." He leaned down and brushed his lip plates along her hairline.
"Is Drift okay?"
"Yes, he is fine. I believe the only thing he has dented is his pride."
She smiled, rubbing small circles into the back of his hand with her nails.
"Good. Go on, we'll be fine." There was the usual puff of air as his holoform dissipated.
Leo clapped his hands together. "Right, shall we get this dinner going then?"
Twenty minutes later, the pair of them sat down to oven-baked crispy potatoes, left over pot roast and a white wine vinegar dressed side salad.
Cordelia took a sip of her Pepsi Max, enjoying the sensation of the tiny bubbles popping on her tongue.
Pushing her plate to the side, she leaned forward on her arms and rested her chin in her hands, waiting for Leo to finish his last mouthful. He took a generous gulp of spring water and fixed her in his steady blue gaze.
"So, how goes everything with you love? That baby behaving itself?"
At the mention of the baby, Cordelia's hands automatically made their way down to cradle the ever-growing bump.
The five-and-a-half-month bump had grown in size, but it was still not visibly obvious that Cordelia was that far along in her pregnancy. There was a definite bump protruding between her hips, but it looked more like she had stuffed a small watermelon up her top than an actual bump.
"She's good. She's kicking me a lot more now – she seems to like kicking my ribs especially. Did I say we'd picked out a name?"
Leo's eyebrows raised; his curiosity piqued. "Oh? What have you gone for?"
"Nova." Even saying the name made her smile and made her throat ache with love for this little person whom she hadn't even met yet.
"Nova? That is…unusual. So you know you're having a girl then?"
"Well, not exactly. But every time I picture her, I just see a girl. I can't quite describe it, but she just feels like a girl." She noticed Leo chewing his lip thoughtfully, a somewhat troubled expression on his face. "What's the matter?"
Leo sighed and made motions like a fish before he spoke. "Lia…you're not going to like what I'm about to say…but I am only saying it because I love you and I think of you as my own daughter. Do you think that it is the right idea to raise this baby…with Optimus posing as its father? I mean, what kind of normal life will that child ever hope to know?"
A cold sensation passed from Cordelia's scalp down to the back of her neck. "Are you serious right now?! What kind of 'normal' life?! And what exactly is a normal life supposed to look like?" She tried to keep her voice even, but emotion overpowered it and raised it a few octaves above her usual pitch. "My life was never 'normal' if you care to remember, and it became even less normal the day I tried to end my life! And do you remember why I didn't die? DO YOU?!" She screamed at him, the tears coming thick and fast now.
His face morphed into an expression of pure horror. "Lia, I—"
"Don't! Just don't." She stood up roughly, knocking the chair over in her effort.
She grabbed her coat from where it hung by the back door and stormed through it, slamming it with a force that sounded like it rocked the house on its very foundations.
Snow was falling quickly, and it was already a foot deep before it had resumed snowing. Her muscles burned as she pushed her way through the white powder, but she used her anger to fuel her aching legs, wanting to put as much distance between her and Leo as possible.
She loved Leo dearly and she would have done anything for him at any time, but he also infuriated her at times. He had never seemed to be able to understand the relationship that she had with Optimus and the love she bore him.
Maybe its jealousy, she thought idly, scrunching her face up against the bitter cold. He knows I've never had a 'normal' life…and Nova can't either! The world knows of my connection to Optimus now…I'm an accidental celebrity. Any kids of mine would never have a 'normal' life…
She trudged on and on, not paying any attention to the sun sinking lower and lower in the sky or the way her shadow grew by the minute.
When her hands were numb from the cold and she couldn't feel her lower jaw, she looked up. She was surrounded by a cluster of dense pine trees and it was almost completely dark. She cursed herself inwardly for leaving her phone back at the ranch.
She had no idea how long she'd been walking for, and it was far too dark now to try and make her way back safely through the dense forest. She did her coat up more securely and buried her hands in the deep pockets, wishing she'd had the sense to at least put on her scarf.
A little off to her left was an enormous, gnarled tree with a twisted stump that looked perfect for huddling into. She made her way over to it and cleared as much of the snow as she could before sitting down.
She drew her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them and then rested her head on top of her knees.
The air was crisp and cold, and through the break in the tops of the trees she could make out the stars that had appeared in the inky black sky. She tried to pick out the constellations, but could not make out a shape, let alone a complex collection of distant stars.
Sighing, she breathed some warm air onto her freezing hands and closed her eyes, taking in the sounds of the nocturnal animals as they scuttled around her in the woods.
Sometime later, how long she didn't know, she heard the faint sound of the trees being carefully moved aside to make way for something much bigger.
She lifted her head just in time to see one long blue and silver leg descend in front of her.
Optimus dropped to his knees with a little more rush than he would do usually, causing the ground beneath them to shake ever-so-slightly.
Cordelia saw silver palms coming at her from either side and let herself relax and be lifted by the Autobot leader.
Optimus cupped her tenderly in both of his hands, sending heat to his palms to warm her shivering body.
She felt, rather than saw him stand up and curled into the foetal position in his hands to try and retain what little natural heat she had left in her body. His thumb began rubbing her back soothingly, going up and down her spinal column.
He held her close to his chest, close to the heat and frantic 'zap-zap' of his Spark. As she came into contact with his breast plates, she heard the 'pulse' of his Spark noticeably slow and resume a healthier rhythm.
"Shh, it's okay little one. I'm right here. I've got you." His voice rumbled all around her, making it feel as if her very ribs were vibrating.
"I'm sorry," she croaked, struggling to make her voice come out clearly. "I didn't mean to worry you, I'm sorry…I'm sorry." She repeated it over and over until she didn't know how to form the words anymore.
"Shh, shh. Don't speak Lia, just rest for a moment. We're almost back at the ranch."
"Can we go into the barn? Please, I need to be with you, not a holoform."
"Of course. I had anticipated that you might ask that. Don't worry, Leo has returned to his domicile for the night."
Cordelia didn't respond verbally but patted his hand to show she'd taken in what he'd said. They were now so attuned to each other emotionally and physically that sometimes words didn't even have to pass between them in order for them to communicate effectively.
Within fifteen minutes they were back at the ranch and Optimus made straight for the barn, sliding the door open.
He was too tall to simply walk through the barn's door, so he had to crawl in on his hands and knees. "Pardon me little one," he said as he withdrew one of his hands to support the weight of his upper body whilst wrapping all his fingers firmly around Cordelia in his other hand.
It would have been extremely comical to watch; a thirty-two-foot-tall robot going in through a door on one hand and two knees; vaguely reminiscent of a dog using a dog flap.
Once they were inside, Optimus was able to uncurl to his full height. The barn was a generous height and he still had a good eight feet or so before he would have reached the ceiling.
There was a ramp leading up to the 'mow' area where things such as hay, straw and grain would have been stored, and it was this ramp that Optimus reclined against.
He placed Cordelia carefully on his chest and cupped one hand behind her as a support so that she wouldn't roll down onto his abdominal area.
She leaned against it gratefully, greedily seeking more heat from his warm palm.
There were a few minutes of silence before she brought her gaze to his concerned optics, knowing that he would not pressure her to talk or interrupt her when she chose to start talking. He would simply listen and be her pillar of support when she needed him most.
She shrugged out of her coat, it was wet with the heavy snowfall and it was stopping her from affectively absorbing the heat that Optimus was supplying her with.
She sucked in a deep breath. "I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to do…I was just so…so angry. Do you know what happened?"
Optimus nodded the affirmative. "Leo filled me in upon my return from the ranch. I was a little…exasperated at the fact that he didn't contact me the very second you left the house…but right now that is neither here nor there."
His optics remained fixed on her, taking in her tiny, shivering form. "The most important thing for me right now is to establish whether or not you are okay."
She smiled weakly at him, leaning back into his fingers. "I'm okay big guy. I probably over-reacted…ugh, it's probably these damned hormones. I'm okay. I was angry at the time, but I'm not anymore. It doesn't mean I agree with or like what he said, but what am I achieving by staying angry about it? Other than upsetting myself and Nova? No, the time alone allowed me to think."
He awarded her with one of his gentle smiles that was only ever reserved for times when they were totally alone. "You were not wrong to be angry or upset Lia, your feelings are valid and obviously Leo poked at a neuron when he said what he did. It is never wrong to feel angry or upset, just don't let it consume you."
He spoke with the eons of sagely wisdom that came from commanding and strategising, wisdom that came from fighting a losing war and watching his home world die.
"I could not be prouder of you. When I think back to the little girl who landed in my palm all those years ago…I could never have imagined the beautiful, thoughtful, compassionate and benevolent young lady that you would turn into."
Her cheeks burned furiously at his words. Dropping her gaze, she said "umm, thanks. By the way—" she lifted her eyes to meet his, "—it's 'nerve', not 'neuron'."
He crossed his optics at her playfully, his version of sticking his 'tongue' out at her.
The hand that was cupped around her stroked her face with a gentle index finger, subtly touching her cheek at the same time.
He rumbled in a low hum, apparently satisfied with something. "Your temperature is coming back up to a healthy figure. It is currently 98.6 Fahrenheit."
"Thank you for coming to find me…and I'm sorry for running off like that."
"Shh, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for Lia."
"Thank you for listening." She kissed the tip of his index finger and rested her hand on the tip of his thumb which had moved to lay lightly across her lap.
"I'll always listen, by the AllSpark, you've listened to me enough times." He paused and she heard him take in a large cycle of air through the vents on the back of his head. "Leo was quite distressed at that fact that he had inadvertently upset you. I honestly think it was not his intention. He was speaking from a place of love and I fully understand his concern, as I fully understand your reaction to it."
She smiled. Optimus, bless him, was always so determined to see the good in everyone. "I know," she said, stifling a yawn.
"Oh, Cade and Tessa are stopping by for a visit tomorrow on their way back to Tessa's college; is that okay?"
"Oh yeah sure!" She exclaimed, excited at the prospect of seeing Cade and Tessa again. "It'll be good to catch up with both of them."
"Indeed." Optimus' smokey baritone rumbled around her and suddenly it was a fight to keep her eyes open. "Sleep little one, tomorrow is a new day."
She settled into the little depression in his chest that was the perfect size for her, almost as if his new body had been made for that purpose. His hand settled over her and sleep found her easily.
The barn creaked slowly into silence as the Prime and the tiny human female on his chest slept, completely unaware of the world around them.
.o
Cade and Tessa arrived the next morning at around eleven. Optimus had prepared a full English breakfast complete with bacon, eggs, tomatoes, hash browns, baked beans and sausages, all finished off with multiple rounds of toast.
Cade leaned back in his chair, placing his knife and fork down on his now empty plate. "I gotta say Prime, I didn't realise you could cook! That was just awesome. Still gotta get used to seeing you in the kitchen!"
"Ahh, thank you Cade. Anyone can cook so long as they apply logic and a little imagination. I enjoy experimenting with different foods and textures and seeing the outcomes."
"Yeah, but not all of them have been edible, have they?" Lia laughed, wiping a stray piece of egg from her cheek.
"Well, I'll grant you that perhaps watermelon partnered with tuna fish steak was perhaps not the most brilliant culinary idea I've ever had."
Tessa snorted as she was taking a gulp from her glass of orange juice and tried to disguise it as some sort of botched sneeze.
"Geez, that sounds gross. Umm, may I use the bathroom please?"
Lia pushed her chair back and got up. "Sure, I'll show you where it is."
Tessa followed Cordelia out of the kitchen, through the living room and up the stairs.
Lia was suddenly self-conscious of her bump and pulled her shirt down over it, trying to conceal it beneath strategically placed arms. If Tessa noticed this, she didn't say.
Tessa ducked into the bathroom and emerged five minutes later. She smiled warmly at Cordelia, her blue eyes a stark contrast against her Texan tanned skin.
"So, Lia, how have you been doing since…" she let her voice trail off.
"Since all the alien craziness? Yeah, I'm not doing too bad. The baby is getting more active now – she's most active in the middle of the night. She seems to think that is a great time to start rehearsing for the international gymnastics championship or something."
"How far along are you now?"
"About five and a half months. What are you studying in college?"
Tessa tucked a stray strand of honey-blonde hair behind her ear. "My major is in International Relations and my minor is in Economics. I'm studying at NYU. It's so amazing there – the city is full of so many opportunities. I'm trying to convince dad to get a cheap apartment near campus, but he hates the city so that'll never happen."
Cordelia moved into the bedroom and Tessa followed suit. She sat on the bed and patted the vacant space next to her, inviting Tessa to sit down.
"That sounds amazing. I don't think I could live in New York – it seems too loud and busy."
"Yeah, it does take a certain type of person to live there; to be honest I still feel like a tourist most of the time. I still haven't been up the Empire State Building yet. That's something I really wanna do…so long as King Kong doesn't come and kidnap me or something."
"Heh, with what we've seen over the past year or so, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest."
The rest of the day passed quickly, all of them trading stories and jokes.
By the time the sun began its descent into the horizon, Cade stood up and stretched.
"Well, thanks Prime, Lia, for havin' us an' all that. 'Preciate the food. We best be goin' on Tess."
Hugs and well wishes were exchanged on the porch as they all said their goodbyes. Optimus and Cordelia stood side by side as Tessa and Cade drove away, waving like mad.
They went back into the house and shut the door on the cold air outside, content to just sit and read together for the rest of the evening.