When we pulled back up to the hotel, Ron and Judy were tussling over the last cherry on a banana split while lounging on the bench out front. It made me grin, but I don't know if I would have had the guts to call Ron "adorable" to his face, even after I was his daughter-in-law.

The thought of being their daughter-in-law was a little more nerve-wracking than I'd expected. Ultimately saying "yes" to Sam wasn't even a question - I'd figured out when I saw him dead in the Egyptian desert that I didn't want to face the future without him. Sure, I'd begged him to come back, but it wasn't me that made him actually breathe again. That was a straight-up miracle, and it made hundreds of other miracles seem within reach.

He'd still been a knuckle-head sometimes, but that just proved he was (still) human. Honestly, a part of me had been expecting a ring from him for months. Seeing the gleam in Judy's eye now, though, made me want to keep this just between me and him for a little while longer. Besides, he wanted to keep this quiet for the time being, too. So I slipped the ring into my jeans pocket. Then, un-ringed, I twined my fingers between his. He'd notice the absence and, I trusted, would follow my lead.

"So…?" my future mother-in-law asked.

"Judy," Ron stage-whispered, "we talked about this."

"I didn't say anything," she immediately said back. "So…"

"Hey, famous," I cooed at Sam. "You think the ice cream place is still open? I could really go for a sundae."

Judy blinked. This was not the appropriate way to respond to a busy-body who had been impatiently eating melting ice cream and cheering on our romance for who knows how long. "So?"

"So I thought we could get some dessert and join you two," I said. "It's too bad that we couldn't share tonight with the whole family."

"Too bad we got an intergalactic restraining order," Ron grumbled, glancing pointedly at RaFly.

It had been more like an intergalactic impoundment, but I wasn't about to split hairs over the terminology.

"I mean I figured you had some special plans if you were so intent on ditching us," Judy said in a conspiratorial tone. "Ow! Ron." Ron had rolled his eyes and not-very-subtly elbowed her.

"Of course we had special plans," I said dreamily, "the canyon was beautiful. Sunset over the waterfall was absolutely magical and then we did some stargazing on the drive back here." I fawned for effect and tightened my hold on Sam's hand. He made a slightly strangled sound.

Judy looked absolutely perplexed. I was not following her script.

"Wanna see pictures?" I offered sweetly.

This was, of course a distraction and deflection, but it kept her from flinging her arms around me at the moment. I dug into my pocket, hand brushing the ring, and pulled out my wallet.

Winking at Sam, I said, "I need something smothered in chocolate."

Judy's eyes watched my hand all the way to Sam's and some of that sparkle seemed to dim. Not only was I not gleefully affiancing myself to her baby boy, but I wasn't even dishing the dirt on what had kept us busy for all that time.

"Sure thing, Mikaela." He kissed my hand gallantly, leaving the wallet in my grasp. "It's on me."

"How romantic," Ron deadpanned. "Come on, son. I think we need to have a little talk."

By the time they'd gotten back, I'd given descriptions that put every guidebook and travel site review to shame. I didn't break out many more over-the-top adjectives, but I let her ooh over the view from the point, and awww at me and Sam taking a smooching selfie, and told her how special it was to share such an experience with the man I loved.

But I could tell that if she hadn't been showing some discretion, she would have said something along the lines of, "The most perfect place on earth and he didn't even put a ring on it? Has he learned nothing from me?"

When he returned with two hot fudge sundaes, Sam played along, asking how they'd spent their day after Old Faithful. Ron grumbled a bit as he told us, but they'd come straight back here - after they'd used their air compressor to refill the tires again.

We made small talk about the various wildlife that had stopped traffic (a mama black bear and her babies for us, a herd of buffalo for them), and by the end of the tales, Sam and I had finished our ice cream. "Well, we've had a busy day," I said lightly. "I think I'm about ready to turn in."

I stood and walked to the trash can to throw away our cups and spoons, and I almost missed Judy whacking Sam up the side of the head. I smirked and looked away. I'd have to kiss his bruised ego better later tonight, but the man could keep a secret if he needed to. It was yet another thing I loved about him.

Sam caught up with me, and hand-in-hand, we walked into the hotel. Over his shoulder, he called out, "Good night, Ma!"

...

The next morning, I opened my eyes and grinned at the sight of the ring on my finger. Sam was still snoring, so I started goofing off on my phone to let him sleep in. Eventually he woke up and rolled over, reaching for me. "Find the perfect dress yet?"

"Nope," I said, snuggling closer to him and holding the phone for him to see, "but maybe the perfect mechanic's shop. Think the 'bots would all chip in to get me one in D.C. as a wedding present?"

He blinked a few times in a way that made me wonder if he wasn't quite awake yet. "I...I don't know if that will be possible, Mikaela."

"Aw, come on. They bought you a college library for a back-to-school present your freshman year," I teased, rolling onto my back so I could see his face better.

"Not a whole library," he absentmindedly corrected, "but I don't mean that it's too expensive. I mean…"

He gave me a look I hadn't seen in a long time. There weren't many things that frightened Sam these days.

"Yes?"

"Officially, I'm going to be a lobbyist, Mikaela. In Washington, D.C. - we're talking about some pretty high society."

And just like that, I was standing in front of a judge again - a criminal, the daughter of criminals. My cheeks flushed hot in embarrassed anger. "And I'm not classy enough for you?"

"That's not what I said, Mikaela. It's not what I meant, either." He sighed helplessly, leaning down to brush his rough cheek against mine. "You are so far out of my league. You always have been. You can pull off 'classy' in ways I never could in a million years."

I took a deep, shaky breath. "But you don't want me getting my hands dirty when there's a chance we have to go to a black tie grip-and-grin and make a good impression."

"I want everyone to see the incredible person you are." Rising back up onto his elbow, he searched my eyes. "There are those who would judge you - and the Autobots - by the fact that your day job is being a grease monkey."

"So you just expect me to give up everything I do - everything I am - to skip across the country to be your arm ornament?"

"No, Mikaela, God no!"

But no matter how he tried to couch it, that's what it boiled down to. Rolling to sitting, I swung my feet to the floor. I found a pair of shorts in my suitcase and pulled on a clean t-shirt before reaching for my socks and sneakers. I waited until my laces were double-knotted before explaining myself.

"I need to go for a walk."

"Mikaela."

I made the mistake of turning to look at him. His pleading eyes said more eloquently than any words could that he loved me, that he needed me, and that he couldn't be the hero everyone saw in him unless I was there at his side.

The worst part was I knew who I was - child of criminals, even though I'd fought it my whole life - but the woman reflected in his eyes was someone so much better, someone good and strong. He believed in me, and I needed him, too. But this was asking too much.

Tearing my gaze away from his, I promised in a gentler tone, "I'll be back. I just need some air."

Once outside, I shivered a little in the cool morning air, but I fell into a light jog, heading uphill to avoid the campground where Ron and Judy were staying. For the first quarter-mile, I focused on my breath and my stride. Running always cleared my head.

But I couldn't outrun Sam's words. This was the problem with marrying the human Prime. I wasn't just marrying him, I was marrying the Autobots too in a roundabout way - joining the clan - and hitching myself to all the responsibilities that came with them.

I'd worked at mechanics shops in Pennsylvania during Sam's college years, and no one had made a fuss about it then. Sam willingly came back to California for the summer after graduation so I could spend some time with my dad and the old shop. It had never occurred to me that anything would change once we got married.

But as much as it left a bitter taste in my mouth, I was all too aware of how readily people judged. There was a reason I'd worked so hard to try to be irresistible to the popular, wealthy boys in high school. There was a reason I hadn't trusted Sam with my mom's story until our senior year. I was as much a mimic as the Autobots, in my own way, perfect at blending in and only letting people see what I wanted them to.

And even though Sam and I hadn't made definitive plans, I knew he wanted children. Pit, every last one of the Autobots wanted him to have a bunch of little Primelings, too. And there were a whole lot of chemicals in an auto shop that weren't safe for a fetus, or even little kids. Sam was trying to be gentle about all this, but Ratchet would not pull any punches if I endangered the unborn offspring of Samuel Prime. Not that I would want to let something hurt any babies I might have either, but….

It was one thing to think about all this in the abstract, as something that would happen someday. But now all these plans and expectations were as rock-hard and real as that ring on my hand. I slowed to a stop, catching my breath a little and looking at the way the diamond sparkled in the sunlight. Why couldn't our future be this bright and clear? Maybe for Sam it was, but for me, it had just gotten a whole lot muddier.

Then I noticed the station wagon. RaFly was hanging back a hundred yards or so, but she was definitely following me. I sighed and waved her forward.

Her holoform, introduced to oblivious humans as Rebecca Segretti, was already active and she pulled up the hill past me and parked in a turn out. Rebecca climbed out of the car, and she bobbed her head slightly. "I didn't mean to impose. It's just...I'd never hear the end of it if I let our new femme commander run off without any kind of bodyguard."

I'd been about to point I did have experience neutralizing Decepticons, but the words "femme commander" threw me off. "'Femme commander?' What's that supposed to mean?"

She seemed surprised by the question. "It's a tradition we thought would transfer to you. The mate of the chief Prime is also the commander of the fighting femmes, particularly those whose mates were also in a chain of command. Elita One was our femme commander for millenia, until she was extinguished a few years ago. But now that you and Samuel…"

Something in my expression must have given me away, because she hesitated and then looked away, shrugging. "Bumblebee is Samuel's guardian. If you want my services, I am happy to be yours."

I didn't quite understand her, though. "The Autobots never assigned me my own guardian before."

She frowned thoughtfully before answering, "You weren't our femme commander before."

And I thought I'd been out of my depth before I started running. I took a deep breath, but I was still too winded to let it out slowly. "I don't even know what those words mean, RaFly, not really. I'm glad you're my friend and it means the world to me that I can count on you, but I'm just not ready to be some kind of leader of the Autobots."

A pained expression crossed her face, and she turned to walk back to her alt-form.

"Just say it," I said to her.

She paused, back still turned, and said, "But that's what Samuel is. If you are going to be his mate, if you're going to be one with him, you will be seen as a leader for us, too." A heartbeat later, she added, "I'm sorry."

The genuine apology in her voice melted something in me. "Don't be. This is just...a lot to take in. It's a lot of adjusting all at once."

She glanced back at me, smiling just a little. "That's understandable. Take your time - I'm here for you. With a playlist or a cannon, whichever you need from a fellow femme."

I chuckled mirthlessly and nodded. "Thanks, RaFly." Turning my feet downhill, I headed back toward the hotel.

…

Sam was pacing our hotel room when I let myself back in. I held up my ring-bearing hand, interrupting what he was about to say and, retrieving my water bottle from the minifridge, I took a long drink. Once I'd drained it, I turned to him and said, "Okay, go ahead."

"Here's the thing, Mikaela. I'm not asking you to do any of this - to move to D.C., to stop working as a mechanic, any of it - for just me. I had other plans, other dreams, too. But I learned my first week of college that…that fate had something different picked out for me."

"I know," I said, moving to sit down at the little table.

He resumed pacing. "I was going to go into finance. Dad did well for us in the end as a salesman, but I remember some tough times when I was little. I wasn't...I couldn't do that to you. You deserved stability, comfort…"

"Sam," I interrupted, giving him a wry smile. "No one deserves those things."

"If I wanted to keep you - "

At my grimace, he hastily said, "That was my thinking back then. I tried to build a life without the Autobots but then Optimus died and I realized I couldn't escape them and even trying to was a fatal mistake. It was hard to get pulled back into the crazy that is life with Autobots and it even cost me my life, for a few minutes anyway. But you...you really proved yourself during all that, you know? I mean, that came out wrong. After Egypt, I know we - our relationship, us as a couple - we were on solid ground. I don't ever want to take you for granted, but I wasn't afraid of you walking out on me anymore." Stopping to look at me squarely, he added, "Until today."

I sighed heavily. "Sam…"

"I didn't really think that getting engaged would actually change us much since we've already lived together for years but now I'm afraid that I've screwed everything up and I'll lose you…"

"Sam, you're babbling. Shut up," I finally said and then gestured at the chair opposite me. He slid into it, still looking more terrified than he probably realized.

"I said 'Yes' yesterday, didn't I? I meant it then and I still mean it now."

His shoulders slumped with relief.

"But I get a say in who I get to be, okay? I know you're a Prime and that's a big deal - for both of us." I grimaced as I remembered again RaFly's thing about being a 'femme commander.' "That doesn't mean I will ever stop being me, though."

"And if that means you want to be tearing down diesel engines in D.C. I will fully support that."

I sighed wearily. "You and I both know how that'd be looked on. As much as I hate it, you did have a point."

His face twisted in what I imagined was a mirror to my own dissatisfaction. "I know. But, well, screw them. And I texted Optimus and told him that if I had to choose between marrying you and being a lobbyist for him, I would choose you."

Stunned, I sat back in my chair, staring at him. It was the first time he'd ever said he'd choose me over Optimus.

"He texted back that he understood and we'd find a way to make things work."

"You seriously said that?"

He nodded and handed over his cell phone as proof.

I read the screen, but my vision got blurry with tears. I blinked them back and swallowed down the lump in my throat. "I'm not going to make you choose. And I know Optimus wouldn't either."

"Mikaela…"

"No, Sam." I looked up and pushed the phone back toward him. "They're my Autobots, too. Don't you think I want to see the Matrix of Leadership recharged? Don't you think I want them to have energon and a future? Yes, I'm part of all this because of you, but they've been part of us from the very beginning, too. It's a mess, but it's one I'm okay with. It was just a shock realizing we had such different expectations."

He blinked in surprise, then blurted out, "You're amazing. Will you marry me?"

I laughed. "Depends. Is a sweet Camaro part of the package?"

He grinned and took a deep breath. "In a few months, yes. You're stuck with a station wagon until then, though."

"I wouldn't say 'stuck with' her. She's a pretty chill ride, too, even if she isn't flashy." I reached across the table to hold his hand. "Tell me what you envision, Sam. I didn't see much changing between us or with us individually, but that's clearly not going to be the case. Let me know what the plan is so I can have a say in it, too."

He nodded, squeezing my hand in gratitude. "I haven't exactly typed up a plan or a prenup. I just...well, you've been my plus-one at some of these black-tie political events. You know the kinds of circles I'll be walking in. We'll be walking in," he amended.

Somehow, even though I knew that would be his world, I hadn't really wrapped my head around it being mine.

"Yeah."

It was a seismic shift, going from grease monkey to lobbyist's wife. But knowing - reading it with my own eyes - that he picked me over Optimus made this change something I was suddenly determined to master. He chose me - I would choose him, too. This goofy, geeky string-bean of a man was the kind of person who was going to change the world for the better, and I wanted in on every second of that ride. Smiling at my Prime of a fiance, I touched his phone with my free hand.

"Like Optimus said, we'll find a way to make it work."