Chapter 20

"Alright, let's do this thing!"

Bulkhead and Wheeljack bumped fists as they looked at the five humans standing in a line in front of them.

"May someone please remind me why we are doing this again?" Ratchet complained. He was wearing a pair of shorts and a loose t-shirt, not his usual outfit but since he was outside, it was the best thing he could find.

"Because it's fun doc!" Wheeljack answered enthusiastically. The medic groaned and muttered something under his breath.

"Ok, Jackie, you want first pick?" Bulkhead asked, throwing the football in the air and catching it.

Wheeljack looked at his choices. There was Miko, who was definitely very energetic. Bumblebee can probably doing anything he needs to. Raf was more of an offensive type. Optimus could run over anyone if he wanted to but the question would be would he do it. And finally, Ratchet who, as much as the wrecker didn't want to admit, looked really fit for his 'age'.

"Alright! I'm taking the commander over here" Wheeljack said, motioning Optimus to come over.

"I knew you would do that. Bee, I want you on my team" Bulkhead countered and the young scout happily jogged over.

"Miko! Get over here!" Wheeljack said.

"I guess we'll have Ratchet and Raf" Bulkhead finished.

"Actually, could I play quarterback for both teams? I've been working on my throw with Jack and I don't really want to get tackled." Raf suggested.

Bulkhead didn't mind and looked at Wheeljack.

"Hey, the little man knows what he's doing. Sure thing Raf" Wheeljack said.

The two teams quickly went over the basic rules and then went into their separate huddles.

"Alright guys, I think we have the better team over here but it's still going to be tough. We should be watching out or Bulk because once he gets the ball, it's going to take two of us to tackle him. Miko, I think you can cover Bee no problem but watch out, he's quicker than he looks. Finally I don't think Ratchet will be too much of a problem." Wheeljack said.

"Wheeljack, we must not underestimate our opponents. Ratchet may look old but he has proven countless times that he can accomplish anything we can." Optimus said.

"Alright then commander, if you think the doc might do well, I'll cover him. You think you can take Bulkhead?"

"I believe I can. May I ask, must we play pull our opponents down to the ground? I fear that our actions may result in a serious injury."

"Come on Optimus, we're just having fun out here. As long as we don't tackle as hard as we can, they won't either" Miko said.

"Very well then" the Prime complied.

While Team Wheeljack was going over strategies, Team Bulkhead was doing the same.

"Ok, we have the ball first which means we'll be on offense. We're playing no runs so Raf is going to have to throw it to one of us. Bee, I want you to use your speed more than your strength. They have Jackie and Optimus so I don't think we'll have a good time if we only rely on our strength."

"Excellent thinking Bulkhead, I must say that I am impressed" Ratchet said, genuinely happy to see the wrecker using his brain for once.

Bulkhead laughed. "Only when it comes to football Ratchet. Now I'll be the option when we're on offense. I know that I probably won't be able to outrun them but if we can gain enough yards to score a touchdown in five downs, we should be fine. Ratchet, you're going to be our secret weapon. I don't think they expect you to be any good at football so as soon as you get the ball, you show them who can really play."

The medic nodded; his rare competitive side showing. He hasn't been this active since the war on Cybertron and truth be told, he was secretly looking forward to it.

The two teams took their positions with Bulkhead's team and Wheeljack's team lining up across from one another.

"Ok, now how do I say this again..." Raf said, placing the ball on the ground. "One, two, three, hut!"

Wheeljack couldn't help but laugh. "Almost" he said as he followed Ratchet.

Raf had dropped back two steps, just like Jack had showed him before. He looked at his three targets; Ratchet was caught up with Wheeljack while Bulkhead looked to have a hard time getting clear from Optimus' big body. That left Bee who had used his speed to get past Miko. Raf saw his opening and took it, throwing a nice hard ball that spun in the air, landing right in between the scout's hands. As soon as Bumblebee got the ball, he turned up the field and ran, making almost ten yards before Optimus took him down.

"Nice tackle commander!" Wheeljack said, patting Optimus on the back. The Prime got up, still having his usual serious look on his face. Although, he could feel the adrenaline running through his body and when no one was looking, he gave a quick smile.

The game had gone by accordingly, both sides scoring touchdown after touchdown. The game was really heating up with all seven of them having a good time. Earlier, Optimus had made an interception which he had brought all the way, spiking it down on the ground like he has seen on TV before. Later, Ratchet had gotten the ball and made a swift move that fooled both Wheeljack and Miko, running for the touchdown. The medic was a lot less humble in his celebration compared to Optimus. He had jumped up and done a back-flip, landing on his feet. He then put the ball down, spinning it on the ground while dancing. The group looked astounded by Ratchet's sudden outburst and laughed as he enjoyed his small victory.

Ratchet had kept dancing until he realized that he was being watched by everyone. He stopped, clearing his throat and picking up the ball. "Umm..." He said, his face turning crimson red from embarrassment.

"That was some very nice dancing old friend" Optimus said and the group burst out laughing again.

The medic grunted but honestly didn't care. He was having a great time and was really getting into the game.

"Hey! Ryan! Cameron!"

The group stopped laughing and turned to see where the voice came from. Walking onto the field was Carson and Paul, along with a group of guys on the football team.

"Looks like you guys had the same idea of throwing the pigskin around today" Paul said, giving both of the wreckers a complex handshake.

"Hah, yeah. We're just having some fun with some family and friends." Bulkhead said, motioning towards the others.

Carson stepped forward and extended his arm, seeing that Optimus was more of a serious type of guy. "Hello sir, very nice to meet you. I'm Carson and this is Paul."

Optimus smiled slightly and took his hand, shaking it. "Very nice to meet you Carson. I am Peter Prime but you may call me Peter. To my right is Martin, my father, and Jason, my youngest son."

The two Autobots smiled and waved earning a wave back.

"And I recognize you two" Carson said, walking over to Miko and Raf. "You guys hang out with Jack don't you? Raf and Miko?"

"Yup, that's us!" Miko said, a bit too loudly. She was blushing slightly and while Carson didn't notice it, the wreckers clearly did.

"Well good to see you guys again, where is Jack anyways?"

"He and Sadie went on vacation to San Francisco, they'll be back in two weeks" Raf answered.

Carson couldn't help but smile. "Well, it looks like Jack took my advice and hung to that girl of his. I have to admit, she's real attractive."

"Hey!" Wheeljack said, giving him a light shove. "That's my sister you're talking about."

The quarterback gave a goofy grin. "Sorry but I'm just telling the truth. Anyways, how would you guys like to have a little game? 7vs7?"

Wheeljack and Bulkhead gave everyone a look in which they answered by shrugging their shoulders. They still wanted to play and they were still on their adrenaline rush.

"You're on Carson" Bulkhead said, slapping his back. "But don't come crying to me once we beat you guys."

Paul laughed. "Don't be counting your chickens too early Ryan, after all, you are facing your football team."

The teams quickly set up, using more of the field on account of the more players. The ball went up after the kick and landed in Miko's arms who immediately took it and ran forward, juking past a couple defenders before getting tackled.

"Nice run Miko" Carson said, pulling her up from the ground. She looked at his hand on her shoulder and couldn't help herself from blushing. This time it was her face that turned crimson red and she looked away.

The wreckers mentally made a note to themselves, telling them to make fun of Miko later. Now they were focused on winning this game as they set up on the line.

Raf walked over to the ball on the ground, slightly lifting the end up. He knew what to say now and he was ready to play.

"Set... hut!"

...

"It's so beautiful Jack. I've never seen anything like it."

"Yeah it sure is... oh wait, you're talking about the sunset."

Arcee rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's cheesy line. She moved closer to him, leaning against his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

After a tedious eight hour drive, they had finally arrived in San Francisco. By the time they had arrived at their resort and checked in, it was already mid-evening. They quickly moved their bags and suitcases into their room before hoping into the car again and heading out for dinner. They had eaten at a nice Mexican place which apparently had the best fajitas around, although Jack and Arcee rarely ate Mexican so they couldn't really be the judge of it. Nonetheless, the food had tasted amazing and they made sure to come back later on in the week.

After they had paid the bill, they decided to check out the beach where the waves were crashing against the sand and tons of people were wandering around, doing their own activities. It was a bit late for the beach and there wasn't enough privacy for them, which was exactly why Jack had done some earlier research.

Jack had driven them further along, almost ten minutes away from the actual beach. They had gone up multiple hills before going onto a dirt pathway which led to a secret place not many knew about. Jack had parked the car, opening the door for Arcee before covering her eyes with his hands.

"What are you doing?" she had asked.

"I have a little surprise for you" he had answered and nudged her forward.

The couple had walked in a straight direction, heading into a small forest before reaching their final destination.

Jack had let go of his hands and walked up to his girlfriend. No words needed to be spoken because he saw her face and knew that he had succeeding in surprising her.

In front of them was a beach side with an amazing view of the ocean. There was a miniature cliff side above the actual beach with large rocks sitting in the sand. The landscape looked even better since the sun was just about to set and the magnificent colors that are shown in the sky reflected on the smooth water's surface. It was almost like a private area, secretly hidden behind the forest and the many hills ahead of it. Jack had spent countless hours researching for a spot like this and eventually found it using Ratchet's high-tech satellite imagining.

"Surprise!" he said quietly, leading her to one of the large rocks. They had climbed on top of it and found that it was quite smooth and comfortable to sit on. Arcee couldn't describe the beauty of the ocean and instead sat there, holding her boyfriend's hand staring out into the wide ocean blue.

"So, I think that our vacation has just reached its peak" she said, nudging his neck.

"Not yet, I have one more surprise for you" Jack said, gently pushing her off of him.

Arcee gave a confused, yet happy look. She was starting to really like his surprises and judging by the look on his face, this one was going to be a big one.

"Ok, close your eyes and turn around"

Arcee did was she was told and face the other way. She was practically bouncing from excitement as she awaited her gift.

Jack double-checked to make sure she wasn't looking before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small white box. He opened it up and took it out, making sure to not drop it or ruin it in any way possible.

"Alright, babe, turn around slowly but keep your eyes closed" he said gently. Arcee once again did what she was told.

"Ok, now open them."

Her eyes flung open and what she saw melted her heart. Jack was smiling at her with so much love and care, it already sending a wave of warmth into her but it was what he was holding up that was really got her. Sure enough, in his hands was a beautiful silver necklace made form amazingly detailed links that glowered in the sun's fading light. At the bottom of the necklace was as small Autobot emblem, also incredibly detailed and shining in the light.

Arcee opened her mouth to say something but no words came out.

"Why don't we put it on and see how it looks?" Jack asked and she nodded, moving her hair so he could clip it on.

Once it was secured around her neck, Jack backed up, looking at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"You are so beautiful Arcee. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I will never let you go."

"I... you..." Arcee tried to speak but couldn't find the right words. Tears started to trickle down her cheek as she smiled at her boyfriend.

"Thank you Jack" she managed before moving closer to him, wrapping him in a tight embrace.

"There's no need to thank me Arcee, I'm the one who should be thanking you. You changed my life, opened my eyes. Because of you, I found someone who is special to me in many ways. I found someone who I want to spend a future with and someone I want to make happy. You, Arcee, are that someone."

"You're my someone too Jack. I love you so much. I love you with my entire spark and all my heart. I don't know what I'd do without you. I want to spend a future with you too Jack. I want to live with you, be with you, love you forever."

They locked eyes and Jack wiped away her tears. He knew that they were tears of joy and happiness and he was tempted to let some out as well, but he held them in.

"Come here Arcee" he said, pulling her in. They kissed, lips touching in such a passionate setting that it was as if God wanted this to happen. Two people, from different planets, different parts of the universe, coming together because of love. It was truly a beautiful moment for them both and they would never forget it.

They continued to kiss under the sunset, not wanting to stop.

Never wanting to stop.

Author's Note: Sorry if I got San Francisco's landscape wrong. I'm Canadian so I pretty much have no idea of what it may be like. Tried to be as authentic as possible but my lack of knowledge of American states has a limit.

Hope you enjoyed and please leave a review. My man Retrokiller has been reviewing every chapter of mine and I know he's not the only one reading this story. Don't be shy, put anything into the review box. It's not like I'm going to come after you if I don't like it...

...or will I?

:P