The taste of blood and the smell of gunpowder filled two of his senses while his hearing was reduced from the constant ringing. In front of him, the battlefield between the three Decepticons, Megatron, Starscream, Grindor, and the sole Autobot leader. The battle was long while Sam watched from start to the near end, his mind going blank and heart stopped when the blade of Megatron pierces through the Prime's chassis, an explosion coming only a few seconds after.

The blade left the tall mech while he fell to the ground on his side, prompting Sam to stand on his weak legs and look over to the defeated Autobot. His stomach churned and his heart sank when Optimus had turned to him, his voice coming out weaker than ever before. The flicker of the Prime's optics brought the fear behind his head to come, becoming reality while the leader spoke.

"Sam… run…" The colour of bright blue fading into cold harsh black, fading out with the rest of the world except for Sam and the dead Autobot.

The young adult jerked awake as he sat upright in his bed, sweat tricking down his head while his heart pounded in his ears. For the longest minute, he stayed still, figuring out how to breathe properly before realising he was awake now. Running a shaky hand down his face, he regulated his breath and stared intently at his lap.

'Another nightmare.' He thought. Second one that night. The first was the one that kept him awake at four in the morning. In about an hour of staying up, he forced himself to return to sleep, thinking that no more would come after the first. It never did the previous times. This just meant that it was evolving. He groaned at the thought of them coming during the middle of naps. Shaking his head, that didn't matter now. He'd deal with them if and when they do.

His eyes flinched when light struck the corner of his eye. Turning to his right, he stared out the window as he had a perfect view of the starting dawn over the horizon. Guess it's about time to get up… Sam gave a yawn at full volume as he wiped away the tears that began to form and stretched his arms first. Dragging his legs out of the bed, he forced himself up, losing balance almost instantly and dropping back down. Another groan left before he tried again. This time, he managed his way over to the luggage he left waiting at the entrance of the room. Picking out a few pieces of clothing, along with a few necessities, he headed for the bathroom.

Half an hour later, the young adult stepped out of the bathroom with a grey, long-sleeved v-neck and dark blue skinny jeans cladded to his body while he worked on drying his hair with a towel. Advantages of short hair, not much time needed after a shower to work on it. After a few wipes, he returned the towel back into the bathroom and walked over to the kitchen, hoping to find something large enough for both dinner and breakfast, seeing how he skipped the former.

Bending around the table in the middle of the kitchen, he reached for both handles on the refrigerator, opening it and revealing the work of God. Everything one could ever need was in the appliance as it was too stereotypical the way it was presented. He poked his head up and around to get a full view of each and every product, finding that they have all been carefully selected for any kind of need. His mind wondered as he didn't know where to start. With the ingredients presented to him, the possibilities were endless.

As he settled on the idea of eggs and bacon, at least twice the amount normally needed, he reached for the ingredients, stopping when came a rapid knocking on his door. His head poked back and looked over to the entrance, wondering if he was imagining it. When the knock came faster and louder, he jumped to close the fridge and jog over to the door. Before he could process the idea that it could've been an intruder, his hand slipped the door open as there was a blur of orange and green before he was tackled down to the floor.

The groans of annoyance that usually come from humans in the morning, had just turned into groans of pain for Samuel. The combined weight of he and the two intruders (yes, he could tell by the number of arms around his waist and neck) were more than enough for the breath in his lungs to be punched out. And as he cast a glare down at the two, something clicked at their looks. Almost everything about them was identical. Both wearing long-sleeved t-shirts with pictures of bolts striking earth on them. Both wearing brown shorts and a pair of joggers each. They even had the same flat hairstyle and blue eyes with childish grins on their faces. The two looked to be in their early high school years as the only thing differentiating themselves were the colours of their hair, shirts and shoes. One being a vermillion orange while the other was lime green. It was remarkable how exact they looked, but it was also easier to discover who they were.

"Skids! Mudflap!" A voice barked from the entrance as the three turned. Sam didn't need to second guess himself as the voice was instantly recognisable. It was the voice that had been reappearing in each nightmare he's been having.

Peeping his eyes up ahead, he gazed at the man standing at his door. Slightly tanned skin, raven black hair swept back with the same blue eyes as Bumblebee and the two on top of him, looking to be about in his early 30s. Silently, Sam had to admit that he was at the pinnacle of handsome. Strong jaw bone, rippling muscles that stretched the brown leather jacket over his black button-up with dark red flames flowing up the edges, and ripped jeans to compliment his black boots. His height was impressively tall, an inch or two higher than Lennox and a head taller than Sam. What made the man a god was the slight five o'clock shadow, making the Witwicky's heart leap. To conclude, around his neck were a set of dog-tags with the insignia of the Autobots as well as the set of initials, 'Optimus. O. Prime'.

Wait, did he just call these two… This confirmed his suspicion of who the two were. Skids and Mudflap, the twins. Only those two would go with a tackle as a greeting.

"I told you two to control yourselves! What do you do? Leap at Samuel the moment he opens the door at six in the morning!" The man chided, grabbing the twins by the collar of their shirts and lifting them up, setting them down outside the door.

"But, we can't jus' wait dat long!" The green twin argued.

"Yea'! Sam don't mind!" Mudflap added, as the two continued on like bickering children to a father. This gave Sam enough time to get back up to stare at the older man's back.

And as the two went on and on, the man felt a headache coming along. "Enough! Do you know if Samuel would like it if you two jumped him first thing in the morning?"

The two silenced themselves as a guilty look swept over them. From behind the man, Sam quickly noticed their expressions as he stepped in. "I-It's alright, Optimus." He said, almost waiting for the man to confirm if he was who he thought it was rather than a very attractive stranger. Wait… attractive?! He felt his face flushed when Optimus, he now confirmed, looked his way. "I-I'm sure they didn't mean any harm. Plus, I'm fine, so it's all good big guy."

"That's not the point, Samu-"

"Sam. I think we're past the formalities by now Optimus." He corrected as the leader was surprised to have the human cut in his words. Not even the government officials had the idea to do so. Taking a breath to calm his anger, he answered more appropriately to a friend.

"Right. Sam, the point is if you don't tell them not to, sooner or later, they'll be repeating the act. And believe me, the entire base has been informed of this." Optimus gave a sigh as he reached a hand to his holoform's face and slid it down. Sam looked to the two behind as they gave a not-so-innocent, sheepish smile. The Witwicky couldn't image what they had done to do so, but he'd guess he'd find out somehow.

"Then I think that's enough of a lecture for them. Besides, I did kinda' want to see you guys as well. Just, not be tackled the first second I do." The young adult smiled, its contagiousness affecting Optimus.

"See! He didn't mind!" The twins spoke in unison, earning a glare towards them.

"Don't you two have morning training with Ironhide today?" He questioned, the two jumping with terrified to looks to each other. And in a hot second, the two bounded out of the corridor, shouting arguments to each other.

"I told you we did!"

"We are so~ dead when 'Hide gets to us!"

"Not 'less Prowl does first!"

Sam could only peep his head out of the corridor to see the sprinting figures of the two. He laughed nervously before turning back to the Prime. The older man had also turned towards him, the two sharing a small moment of a silence as Optimus broke it.

"Anyways, good morning Sam." Optimus greeted.

"Mornin'. Wanna' come in?" Sam said, more like an offer than a question.

"If you don't mind." The young adult stepped aside as the Autobot stepped in, fascinated of the room. Sam walked pass the holoform as he returned back to the kitchen.

"Thanks for decorating the room, by the way. Bee told me." He shouted back to the Prime. The leader turned to the direction of the kitchen as he approached one of the seats.

"Well, I can't take all of the credit. Captain Lennox and Epps were the ones to implement the furniture. I simply researched into quality living arrangements for humans."

"Well it's the thought that counts." Sam commented, pulling out the earlier ingredients before the surprise greeting. "Want anything to eat?"

"No thanks. Our holoforms can't take in substances like your bodies. At best, we can take in energon cubes."

"Ah." The young adult nodded.

In hindsight, it was almost humorous how the two talked. As if they were simply friends coming to visit when both knew the other was more than that, after everything they've been through. While Sam got the stove ready, he began a new conversation.

"So, how've you been? Any troubles the past few weeks?"

"Hmm… A few political issues needed to be addressed as the rest of Decepticons have went into hiding, which we hope will be for a while, and our existence had been compromised. Other than that, the rest have been simple complaints while Ironhide healed, Ratchet holding his usual check-ups, the ruckus caused by the twins and there was also the sudden retirement of Mearings. I had to say, I was more than a bit pleased of her leaving and I believe the rest of the Autobots think so as well. But because of that, it leaves us without a liaison. We had Lennox reconsider the idea of him taking up the job, but for now, it's temporary." Optimus listed as Sam listened the entire way while cooking the eggs, a small chuckle leaving him when the Autobot mentioned the witch of a woman leaving.

"That's great, but you didn't answer my question. How've you been?" Sam repeated.

Optimus blinked for a moment before answering with a smile. "Fine. I'm still new to this holoform, but seeing as Bee was the one to suggest the idea of all of us using it during your stay, I'd happily learn for your sake."

Sam couldn't tell if it was heat from the stove or if it was the blood rushing to his face when the leader had said that as he flushed madly. "… Thanks…"

"And you? Are you doing well?"

Thoughts of Carly flooded his mind as he bit his lower lip before speaking carefully, unable to hide the uncomfortable tone in his voice. "… Yeah, I'm fine…"

"Sam. I heard what transpired… I'm sorry for what happened with Carly…" Optimus said, knowing he was treading dangerous waters just by bringing up the name. But after what the scout had informed the Prime about what happened the week before, he couldn't just sit by and watch without knowing how the human felt.

For the longest time, Sam hadn't said anything, nor did Optimus. Only the sizzling of the eggs filled the room while the young man trembled ever so slightly. Even though it was the smallest of movements, the mech noticed it the moment it began. Finally, after a full minute, the Witwicky had replied.

"… I'm fine… Can we, just not talk about it…?" He asked. But from the way he said it, Optimus almost believed that he was pleading.

"Of course, Sam."

There was a long minute of waiting before the young adult had started a new conversation when he began on the pieces of bacon, moving the eggs onto a plate. "So, is everyone in their holoforms now?" Optimus blinked at the question before answering.

"I believe so. Though, we've all been through difficult times when we began last week. William insisted that we take lessons from you on how to act normal while in these forms."

Sam turned his head and looked at the Prime from the corner of his eye. "Why?" He asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"He said we were tensed while we walked, naïve to human cultures and-"

"No, not that." Sam interceded. "I mean why you should be taking lessons from me? After everything, I thought I'd be the least normal out of everyone." The young man explained earnestly, comparing his life to every person involved since he bought his first car. To this, Optimus turned serious towards.

"I doubt that. To us, you are the light at the end of the tunnel for us. Someone we can look back to for normalcy in our lives. Even if Ironhide nor Ratchet would never admit it, you are our saviour. And don't go doubting yourself as anyone would tell you this even if you didn't ask."

The Witwicky grinned and felt the blush return when he heard the words the Prime used to describe him. And when he looked into the Prime's eyes, he could tell that the leader wasn't joking when he was talking. When he finally did pull his head back, he noticed the bacons had already cooked themselves. As he turned off the flame, he slipped the bacon down and searched the cupboards for a fork and knife. When he finally found them, he made his way to the seat opposite of the leader, plate in hand, and sat himself down.

"So, while I'm eating, mind telling me a few things that happened in the three years I was gone?"

Optimus smiled again before starting his recount. Most of the time, Sam had listened and ate, but during opportune moments, he would give a comment or two with a joke to follow. And after each joke, the leader would have a brighter smile than the last. But something had struck a chord in his head when the man smiled. Even though the smiles got brighter and brighter, it was a bit dull without any laughter. And as Samuel waited for a laugh to come each time, he was sadly disappointed. Not even a hint of a chuckle.

This then proved to be more than enough incentive and a challenge for the man to make it a game; bring the Prime to doubling-over. Frankly, it was harder than it looked. After dozens of humorous jokes and comments, the man could only radiate a bright smile, yet still keeping laughter from his lips. And he'd been running out of material while the leader continued. By the time Optimus did finish, Sam had finished his plate and had discarded it in the sink, leaving it to clean later.

When he gazed up to the clock, he found it had been about an hour since they started, placing it past seven o'clock already. "Wow, time flies. Don't you have any meetings today?" Sam inquired.

"I do, but none at the moment. I'll be free until nine, which I will have to return to my office. But till then, I'm free. If you'd like, I may give you a tour of the base?" Optimus offered.

"Really? I'll take you up on that offer then."

It wasn't long before the two set out of the room and began traversing the building, the leader pointing and labelling the room they had passed. Along the way, a few people had passed by the two as they gave a small wave to the leader or a general 'hello'. It was after the sixth passer-by that Sam had noticed a sort of pattern. Most of the ones who they had greeted were females. Aside from the fact of one being a soldier, the rest were all women. Either walking alone or in a large group. What made him curious was the way they would giggle or blush whenever the Prime would wave back.

For now, he ignored it, thinking of them as just simple coincidences, and remained focused on the different section of the building. The main dining hall, the meeting rooms, training areas for soldiers and many more to come. It was a short while, nearly eight, before they had come to a door, noticing how loud chatter erupted from the other side. The two shared an anxious glance before Optimus pulled his hand out and twisted the door open. Pushing in, the two were met by a few people in the room.

"Sam?" One of the men questioned, his voice that of the weapons specialist. The man looked close to the height of Optimus, but was about a few centimetres shorter with the dark brown hair that was messy all round, but complemented the rest of him. He wore a black shirt with brown army-pants paired with army boots. Around his neck was a set of dog-tags, one holding the initials 'I.H' and the other presenting the Autobot insignia. Unlike the rest in the room, he had fully formed beard that joined along with his moustache, matching the same colour as his brown eyes. He looked to be around his 30s at first glance.

Next to the man was another. This man looked to be in late 50s as it showed in his white hair and small signs of wrinkles here and there. He had cladded a brown sweater with black long pants as well as a pair of black loafers while a white lab coat draped over his arms, giving him the natural look of a doctor at work. He had the same build as Bumblebee, not too scrawny but not too built either, compared to the Prime and the first male. What Sam had caught noticed were the golden, feline eyes the man held as they stared at the two entering.

That's not all as the green and orange twin's, along with Bee's, holoform sat at a couch behind the first two while a fourth person stood behind them. The last person had looked to be the same age as Bee and Sam with flat blue hair, slightly pale skin and the same blue eyes as his hair. Under the sleeveless hoodie, he wore a white t-shirt that went a bit past his waist, onto his faded, green long-pants. His pants held up by a black belt while below he wore dark sneakers. The person leaned on the back of the couch, having his elbows support him while his arms crossed over.

Bee gave a wave to the human and Prime before Bee called out, 'Hey Sam! Over here!", gesturing with his hand to take a seat beside the blonde. The young adult gave a sigh as he figured out the situation before them. From what Optimus had been recounting, arguments like these were normal for the two men. He also included the crowd that would gather whenever they do argue. The soldier-like man must've been Ironhide while the doctor-like was Ratchet in this case. And guessing by the colour of the last stranger, it must've been Jolt.

As the human advanced towards the couch, he took the time to inspect the room. It looked like the room had dated back into the British times, with the walls painted a dark red with darker patterns following up the walls and each corner being lined with gold paint. It was a pretty large room. On the far side of the door, sets of windows were placed as a couch, and two sofas were pushed up to the wall. Beside the windows and sofas, two shelves were placed as one held both books and data-pads (Autobot form of a book), while the other held a collection of home movies and a few sets of games for different consoles. In front of the couch, a carpet was laid out, covering half the room with a table placed with different sets of remotes for the TV. While on the topic, the TV monitor was huge. It had almost reached the door as it was held up on the wall and stretched out to the corner where a vase sat on a stand. Under the television, sets of consoles, DVD players, and audio equipment were placed, allowing everyone full access to anyone. And if that wasn't enough, there was a small fireplace just beside the TV. To the walls of the room, there were five doors. One being the entrance. Two on one wall and two on the other, leading to different rooms.

The young Witwicky sat in between Bumblebee and the twins as he asked for a rundown of what he had missed, ignoring the fact of the many pairs of eyes on him.

"We just got back from training with 'Hide when Ratchet had instructed him not to, or it could lead to permanent damages. I believe that human's would call this, a lover's quarrel?" Bee joked as it took a moment for the rest of the Autobots to search for what the term meant on the World Wide Web. From there on, the room exploded with the death threats from the two older mechs, the twins and Jolt doubling over with Bee joining in halfway while Optimus tried to mediate the two shouting. Key word, tried.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME 'BONDED' TO HIM!" Ironhide roared, insult within his voice while a finger directed itself towards the medic. With that, Ratchet had turned his head and eyed the weapon specialist down.

"AND WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO IMPLY BY THAT?!"

"Basically what I said! Who'd in their right mind choose to be with you?!"

"Then I don't think much can be said about you either!" The two growled at each other as sparks flared between the two, Skids, Mudflap, Bee and Jolt wheezing by this point. Sam giggled at this point as he shook his head in the disapproval of the four dying in their positions. He decided to stay quiet in fear if either two arguing holoforms heard him, but it was soon time for the leader to put his foot down.

"Enough you two!" A hand flew in front of the medic's and weapons specialist's face as he pried the two apart from each other. The room went completely silent at the raised voice of the Prime. "I believe that calls for more than enough immaturity today." He sent a glare to the onlookers as the Autobots trembled with a nervous laugh. "Do I make myself clear?" The leader continued.

"But-" The two mechs started, quickly stopped by Optimus again.

"Do I make myself clear?" The Prime repeated, emphasising his tone in the first few words.

Sharing one last glare at each other, the two turned their bodies towards the opposite direction, each giving a huff of breath and crossed their arms. An awkward air blew between the group before Optimus heaved out his own breath, moving to sit on the sofa beside the large couch, a hand running over his face once again.

"You okay, sir?" Bee asked, leaning forward on his seat.

"Mmm. I'll be alright. I might've had one too many problems to deal with the past few weeks."

"That bad, huh?" Sam questioned, catching the attention of the three hadn't spoken to yet.

"Samuel, my readings are telling me your brainwaves are fluctuating erratically as well as you have seemed to have lost weight since we last met. Do you have any reasons behind this?" The medic questioned as the group turned to the human with worried looks. The young adult noticed that only the eyes of Optimus and Bumblebee had shown a hint of understanding.

Wanting to avoid the topic for now, he quickly answered. "I'm alright. There's just been a lot I had to do. So I guess I had barely any time to sleep or eat." He lied. The Witwicky didn't like to lie the Autobots as he knew they were only asking questions for his care, but right now… He didn't want to get any more suffocated by their comfort than he already is. "I'll be fine after a while. Don't worry."

Ratchet stared at the young adult before turning to his leader, using his communication line with Optimus.

.: Optimus… :.

.: I'll explain later. For now, don't pry on it. :.

The medic didn't like being held out of a loop of information, but for now he accepted it with a nod of understanding. The two turned back to their human friend as he started talking.

"Anyways, you guys seemed to be doing fine. I mean, after the battle and everything."

"Fine?" Jolt questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Dis ain't what 'd call 'fine'." Mudflap joked, pointing towards the medic.

"You mus' be out 'f your mind if you think this is 'fine'." Skids added, pointing towards the weapons specialist. The two older mechs growled towards the twins, earning a small laugh from Sam when the twins had dropped their fingers with innocent smiles.

"So where's Will?" Sam asked.

"Right behind ya' kid." A new voice spoke from behind, scaring the living daylights out of the young adult. As he jumped on his seat, the teen turned over to find that one ex and one NEST soldier had been standing beside the blue-haired holoform, smug grins among their faces. Having a hand over his chest, Sam laughed while a hand reached over the couch and ruffled his hair, forcing the Witwicky to pull away from the touch while they shared a laugh.

"Good to see you too, kid." Will greeted.

"I'm 21. Can you not call me kid?"

"Hey, as long as your shorter and younger than us, then you'll always be a kid." Epps joined, getting a laugh out himself.

"Then you'll always be a geezer. So what, your back with NEST now as well?" The young adult questioned, placing his hands on his hips while they talked.

"In fact I am. I re-instigated right after Chicago. Seemed like Will can't get some things right without me around." Robert quipped, receiving a small punch from the other soldier.

"Get some things right? Hate to break it to ya', but with you around, I can't get anything right!" Lennox returned the banter as the group shared another laugh. Soon enough, the entire room joined in the conversation, taking time to rightfully greet the Witwicky, compared to the quick reunion they had when Carly was around. Like old war-allies coming to a victory part, though no one acted like one. Optimus decided to stay out of most of the conversations, listening to each story told. What he was mainly focused on was the little human. No matter how much the boy would deny it, Sam was still a sparkling in all of their eyes.

Another thought came. Every laugh or smile the young adult gave, the more it brought excitement to his spark, pulsing faster. It had hurt, yet it felt strangely pleasing. And with the many stories going around, Sam had the intention of laughing most of the time. It had taken a while to get through most of the stories as well as the few things that the Autobots had learnt from human cultures. Soon enough, his eyes travelled up to the clock, the time reading 8:43.

Seeing as it was almost time for the meeting, he spoke up. "I hate to ruin this moment, but Lennox, Ironhide. We have a meeting to get to." The two mentioned nodded as they gave a small goodbye to the group before all three had exited the room. Sam waited a few seconds for the sounds of their footsteps to fade before standing to grab the attention of the those remaining. Something had been nagging his mind for the past few minutes, and he wasn't going to drop it soon.

"Okay, let's get serious for a second." Sam requested, receiving looks of confusion from the Autobots left and single human. "Have any of you guys seen Optimus laugh before?" He asked, Robert flipping back, in his head, the years he had stuck with NEST. The Autobots had done the same, only a few holding anxious looks. After a moment, Ratchet had brought his hand up as a sign that he had heard the leader's laugh. The group turned to the medic with surprised looks before Sam continued.

"And when was the last time you've heard him do so?"

Ratchet thought about it for a moment, recounting the vorns and putting translating it into human years. "In human terms, I'd say about… a millennium since then…?" The group took a moment to take in the information as their jaws dropped at the number. Especially Sam.

A millennium. Basically a 1000 years ago. He couldn't imagine something so horrible that could make a person not laugh for a thousand years. Decades of generations before they were born. And the mech hadn't laugh since then. Sam had to admit, he couldn't live such a life like that. And yet, the Prime has done so for a thousand years. It really just puts his life in perspective of how small it is when compared to the leader.

For now, he pushed down the depressive thoughts and returned to reality. "So do you know why he doesn't laugh anymore?"

Ratchet gave a mixed look between being nervous and being annoyed before answering. "I'm not sure if I'm at liberty to say though. What I've heard wouldn't do you any good. If you're that persistent, you'll either have to ask him or Ironhide. Only they know the real reason."

The young Witwicky nodded before moving back to his seat. As he did, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, turning him back around to the medic. "I may not know much, but I do know he hasn't enjoyed himself ever since he became a Prime. For both of your sakes, be gentle around the topic if you intend to ask him."

Sam's confused expression quickly turned to a generous smile. "It's alright, Ratchet. Even I have my own secrets." The young adult looked away as he stared long and hard at the door the three had left through. A wave of pity and sympathy building at the pit of his stomach. When he did, he had missed the eyes of anguish looking at his back.


A few hours later…

Sam took a seat behind the four Autobots as they raised their cannons towards the shooting range. Ironhide, Bumblebee, Prowl and Jolt were in their mech forms as they were once again training while the human had taken to watching the four with a small bag of popcorn and a cup of soda. Like always, Ironhide had been showing off his cannons while carefully aiming as well. Sam averted his attention to the transformed police, pursuit vehicle and Chevrolet Volt as they had done a decent job, but not as much as the black mech. Bee, on the other hand, was something else entirely as his shots came out wildly, and yet had the miracle of hitting each shot on the mark.

It had only reached the afternoon two hours ago and they had started their training an hour earlier, which left the young adult looking at every move they made. And only after a few more rounds after Sam had pulled out his phone did the firing come down to a non-existent level. The four made their way over to where Sam had sat, who sipped his cup while flicking through his phone. When they came to a stop, he turned back to them and listened in on the conversation.

"Bumblebee, you were shooting a little more wildly today. In a battle, you'd be wasting those shots."

The yellow Cybertronian gave a look of unease before giving the best he could replicate of a smile. "Sorry… Just something… going through my head…" The radio worded.

"Anything to worry about?" Sam asked, pulling the straw away from his lips. Bee turned to the Witwicky before shaking his head. In truth, he lied. The bot hadn't a single thing on his mind except for ways to show off to his human friend on how he had improved since he's last saw him in battle. Unfortunately, the young adult wasn't paying much attention and hadn't held the same eyes as a new recruit on base would.

The five talked for a while before a sweet reminder in Sam's head had him turning to the weapons specialist. Should I ask him? He thought. In his mind, he debated the results if he did speak what was on his mind. Before a conclusion could be made, he noticed that he was staring a little too long and the black mech had noticed with a slight hum as if to say 'speak now'. Throwing whatever doubts he had out the window, he went for it.

"Hey 'Hide? Why doesn't Optimus laugh?" Sam asked, almost regretting his decision when the three bots that were present had flinched while Ironhide froze, ironically, robotically towards the question. There was a small minute as Bee and Jolt had insisted the human to take the question back, Prowl poking the weapons specialist for an explanation. Unfortunately, Sam didn't falter as he waited for an answer while Ironhide looked him deep in the eye. Ironhide had been trying to decipher if he wanted to know as if it were a joke or he had wanted an honest answer.

A few seconds after, the mech shook his head lightly before deciding upon his words. "I'm only telling you this because I believe somewhere in my spark that you have a right to know, for bringing him back to the land of the living. And that I also believe he should move on from the past."

The human swallowed a mouthful of saliva, giving a small bob of his head to tell the bot to continue. Bee, Jolt and Prowl stood beside Sam, also curious of the answer. They had heard stories, but none had been confirmed by the leader yet, so it might as well be confirmed now. So like any other teenager, they were interested to find out. Prowl had already heard the story, only listening in to correct anything the weapons specialist would leave out. Or in worst case scenario, reveal too much about.

"It was just before Optimus had first become a Prime. Around that time, he had a bonded. A sparkmate. Her designation, Elita-1. Name before all that was Ariel. And she was the first ever Autobot femme, so of course she was treated differently. If you ask, Arcee would tell you more about her." A quick and short pain writhed through the Witwicky's heart as he winced at it. Ignoring it, he believed it was nothing and listened further. "But that didn't change how Optimus, nor most of us, had seen her as a great friend and a strong warrior. Almost matching the Prime."

The black mech took a pause as he pushed air out of his air vents, the Cybertronian version of a sigh. "A few days before the ceremony for Optimus to inherit the title of Prime, Elita-1 and her squad were sent off on a recon mission. Sadly, they never returned, nor were found." Bee and Jolt were shocked to this, but allowed the mech to continue. "We all took it pretty hard, but being that he was bonded with the femme, Prime took it the hardest. For a while, he devoted his time to searching for his bonded, and just continued to believe that she was alive. But eventually, he broke down and had given up along the way. And that's why he doesn't express his emotions nowadays."

For the moment, he allowed the four left uninformed to take in the information. Sam had stopped holding onto his phone and had lowered his drink along with his gaze to the ground. If Sam didn't feel bad about asking before, he sure was now. Looking at the leader right now, he couldn't imagine anything that would faze him. But even the greatest heroes have a dark past. To have a pain so harsh that would follow him for over a millennium, probably even longer. A bond was practically tying someone's soul to another, he had learnt. So to lose part of their soul, it was almost unimaginable. Now his life didn't look so depressing.

The Autobots noticed the sad look on the human as Ironhide quickly spoke up. "Sam… Don't regret asking. I chose to answer. And that is because I have hope.' The weapons specialist rest a finger on the human's shoulder.

"Hope in what?"

"You." The single syllable rung in Sam's head a few times before the black bot explained. "I have hope that you'll be the one who'll break through to him. That there is still a way to continue living, even if you can't be with the one you love. But I also have hope in him that you'll learn the same thing." For a moment, the young adult felt a gust of wind hit his back as a blush came to his cheeks. Shaking it away, a smile appearing on his face from the sincere belief.

"Thanks, Ironhide. I… I'll try my best." Sam responded, the gloomy atmosphere among the group dispersing as they each smiled in their own way.

"I'm sure you will."

"You know? You'd make a great uncle one day." Sam commented, watching as 'Hide gave a sarcastic stare.

"Is that a compliment? Or an insult?"

"Hmm… Maybe." He answered, a childish tone ringing.