"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for the more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. And that's what you've given me. That's what I'd hoped to give you forever." - "The Notebook" Excert from a letter from Noah to Allie

000

Silence; that's happens when you're def or sound is being blocked so you're not able to hear anything that's going on around you. It can be terrifying sometimes or welcomed.

Black, true pitch black is something you can only get in a cave or in a closed room with no windows or lights. That also can be terrifying yet also welcomed.

Numbness though could happen from the result of a lot of things and for a lot of reasons. Being numb can occasionally be comforting when you're always hurting whether inside or outside. External or internal. For the larger percentage, being numb usually isn't considered a good sign. It usually meant something was wrong.

As was being blind and def, thing was, all could provide, at some point or time, comfort.

Being blind, seeing nothing but darkness continuously, to something can be defined in many ways. Sometimes it's out of mind like the old saying went 'out of site, out of mind.' Or being blind could mean exactly what it's real definition meant: Not being able to see. It meant you couldn't see the truth or what was false.

Being def can mean more than you're not able to hear; it could mean your def to what is the truth whether good or bad. Whether though shear stubbornness or weakness, depending on how you define the weakness.

Being numb can block out the pain the backside is that it can block out the good also.

Right now though it was like listening to terrible white noise.

The last thing he could remember, even if hazy, before blacking out was a pair of electric blue optics. Then he realized his audios were ringing to a point it was almost painful. Very slowly feeling was coming back to his body and as it did the feeling of heaviness swept over him like something was seating heavily on his chest. While at the same time he felt empty, utterly empty. He found that he didn't like it. 'Something is missing'.

If his processor were in the right place he would have realized sooner rather than later that something was, indeed, missing.

His vision was almost coming back albeit painfully slow. Static filled read outs were scrolling across his H.U.D. as was the ceiling; gray and completely discomforting. After some time the fog in his head and static in his vision started clearing while his audios were also readjusting themselves.

He didn't know how much time did pass, as he lay there unmoving afraid the slightest movement would send pain rushing through his tender frame. Then he sensed someone, a presence beside him that felt familiar.

"Optimus?"

The voice was so very welcomed despite the ache he already had throbbing in his head. Slowly his audios were adjusting as it started as if he had something muffling his sound trying to get his audios. Slowly as if hesitantly it was being returned to him.

What happened he wounded then it came back to him casually. That explained some of why his body hurt so much. He'd never been hurt while present in the Matrix, if that was where he had been, that is. It wasn't an experience he wanted to go through again.

"You sure he's online?"

"He is okay, right?"

"Yes, he's fine." There was a moment's pause. "Let's just give him a few more clicks."

Those voices were so familiar it made him glad to hear them again so very much. Glad that he knew those voices and whom they belonged to. Again he attempted to online his optics and with success this time. Then he realized as he stared up at the ceiling though fuzzy optics something, or really felt something. It wasn't the light discomfort he was in, no, it was something else.

"Optimus?"

Thought's momentarily lost he flickered his optics slowly letting his optical sensors adjust he turned his head to his left finding a pare of pale blue optics looking down at him. It was Ratchet a rare truly concerned expression on his light gray faceplate. The looked was so foreign on the medics usually scowling irritable face. Optimus mentally kicked himself realizing he'd made his friends worry about him.

"Ratchet?" a fait relieved smile crossed the CMO's faceplate

Nodding his head, "How do you feel, sir?"

His answered didn't come admittedly as Optimus' blue optics turned just past the medic finding Wheeljack and Teletran, standing. Teletran looked irritated but Optimus knew he was received too. He turned his blue helm gazing down his right side finding Jazz holding Blair in his left arm while Prowl stood just behind him.

"There's a light ache throughout my body but. . ." he trailed off

He could feel the medical berth he was starting to move from his lower back up, as it slowly propped him up. Ratchet didn't allow it to go to far up though.

"But what?" he asked

"I. . .I feel heavy? That's the closes I can. . .describe it as."

Optimus watched as Jazz carefully lowered his arm so Blair could step down onto his berth side. Mindful that she didn't have much room she turned and sat down hanging one leg off the side. The incapacitated Autobot commander felt her small slender human digits seek out his—compared to his own—larger and thicker blue digits. Warily he turned his hand palm down and let her slide her hand in his and lightly closed his own around hers.

To his left Optimus watched Ratchet turn slightly giving him a view of what laid behind him. Seating behind him, Optimus, easily could tell what it was, it was the monitor hooked straight to his main systems monitoring, mainly, his spark. Something was off though for some reason.

It was beeping oddly like an misplaced echo and then, like that, it all clicked with him.

"Your plans, they worked, Optimus." Ratchet said locking optics with his leader as he looked back up at him.

Memories rushed back into his processor things he remember being told about the likely side effects. "How. . .how long have I been in stasis?"

Ratchet spared a glance at Wheeljack, "Nearly three days."

Behind his mask Optimus frowned, why he wasn't sure. Just to Ratchet's left Wheeljack took a step forward putting a hand on Optimus' berth. "The transition was, as we predicted, took its toll on you."

"We were actually surprised you came out of the deep stasis lock you where in this soon, Optimus'." Ratchet finished

"I was in. . ."

Teletran grunted sending a glare at Optimus, "Yes you where." He said sharply "Scared the frag out me, too."

"I'm sorry." He said his voice telling his guilt that he did.

Slowly he looked down at his hands as he placed them on his grill. He didn't remember much, whether he should tell them, he didn't know but he'd wait a little longer. Going back the last thing he remembered clearly was talking with Teletran and Blair was they walked down the hall to the med-bay. The halls where quiet like they normally where at such late hours.

Now that he thought about it, it was amazing how something so 'dramatic' could be happening and yet everything else just continued on, no knowing a single thing. To them nothing was happening at all just life as it always was.

Ratchet leaned back staring down at the red and blue mech on the medical berth studying him like the doctor he was. Frowning he looked over to Jazz who, sensing a pair of optics on him, looked up and seeing the message the gave nodded his head in silent understanding.

Quietly, from his berth Optimus watched them leave saying their quiet good-byes and to get as much rest as he needed. He watched was Jazz lowered his hand so Blair could sit down on it, said her good-bye, and left with the Porsche. Rest. That sounded oddly appealing, odd because apparently he'd been in a stasis for nearly three days now.

Ratchet had walked off with the others muttering quietly to them, Optimus didn't listen, carefully he leaned back, optics offline. His processor was in a fog; his body aching was getting to him now every movement was painful. Not like the pain after coming back from battle but like he'd been training for hours with no rest. 'It had worked.'

He let a hand slide down to his lower torso feeling along the rim of temporary 'door' Wheeljack and Ratchet had made. It was odd; slowly things seemed to silencing around him except for the monitor and its double pulsing. Concentrating on the sound he searched for the right pulse that matched his spark isolating from the other yet focusing on the other at the same time. Finally, isolating everything away, he could hear it like standing in a empty silent room with a grandfather clock as your only company. Breifly he thought, he'd want to stay in the quiet room forever if it meant this feeling he had lasted. Brought him this comfort. This. . .satisfaction.

Mindful of how loud his footsteps where Ratchet walked back to Optimus' berth side watching the large mech who had on hand on his abdomen. It hadn't snuck in with the large mech yet what was happening. Briefly Ratchet wondered if they'd done the right thing. Could he'd found another way other than the one they'd done? Was there another scenario that could have worked? Could have been. . .safer?

Spark synchronization was delicate dealing not mention how so rare of a procedure it was. . .how dangerous it was. This could rightfully kill the mech on the berth but he dearly hopped that didn't happen.

"Optimus?"

Blue optics snapped online. Optimus turned his head looking down over at the boxy medic saying nothing.

"It would be best if try to go back in recharge to conserve energy and to keep your spark rate at a normal rate." Walking up to his commander side

At first he thought Optimus wasn't going to reply but looking into those aqua blue optics he knew somehow that there was a sentence waiting.

"Thank you, Ratchet. For helping me with this."

"Any time, sir."

000

They say time is just an illusion something you can't see and can never really fathom despite it being everything. Things die while at the same time things are re-born or replaced. The sun will always continue to set and rise while the moon will, also, rise and set. Time waits for no one, man or machine.

They say that time is just an illusion something you can't see, well some would say other wise. Oblivion gazed out over the Earth that was drifting in his line of vision, he knew what time was like, and he had witnessed it courteous of a dear friend. The hands of time speeding by so fast they should have been meer seconds on a stop-watch rather than days, weeks, months, years. . .millennia's even.

By the grace of a dear friend he'd watched as an civilization rise from the earth, grow and become a empire and had watched it crumble to the ground back to where it had been born from although now it was staid red. Roulette had been at his side the whole time witnessing it, both wanting to do something, anything as they watched helplessly but bound by The Laws they couldn't do anything.

That was one of the greatest curses of having power like 'they' did. You had to provide by The Laws or pay the consequences.

The star in the distance just coming up behind the planet suddenly glared into his optics sending the relays and sensors behind his glass eyes near overload. It too was so young. Oblivion frowned anyway turning on his heel to head back into their ship.

He stopped while seeing a familiar figure standing near the doors; saw the expression on her faceplate. A quite alien expression for her. "Roul'?"

"What?"

"What is it?" walking toward her, shadow stretching out in front of him eerily. "That expression is never a good thing." Looking into her currently dark blue optics

"I don't like it."

Oblivion frowned again, knowing exactly what she was referring to. Their lord had recently notified them of news so he called it. Neither of them liked it.

"I can't believe he did that!" she barked stomping her foot quite suddenly

On some other occasion Oblivion would have been startled of the sudden attitude his sister showed, but he wasn't and actually quite suspected it. It wasn't every day that either of them really got mad to a point they lashed out, like she'd just done. Oblivion stepped forward and tenderly took on of his sister's hands in his own.

He looked down at her hands and said gently, "He did it for his brother, Roul' you should understand that. I'd do something like that for you."

"You better not!" He was startled that time. "Frag the laws of equivalent exchange! You never ever give your life for me! If I die, I die, I don't want you to suffer for some stupid mistake I'll probably make and or the cause of!" she yelled into his face.

Optics wide, Oblivion had taken a step back completely caught off guard by his sister's onslaught of anger, of her words. In all their years together he couldn't recall a moment quite like this one. The liquid coolant tears drifting into space from her optics told him volumes nonetheless. As the red, black, and gold femme's anger seemed to dissipate Oblivion's faceplate's soften back to norm.

She'd turned around and he stepped forward wrapping his around her comforting her, "You'd do it for me, I know you would."

She didn't say anything to it but she did nod after a moment. "But he's our commander, our lord, he's done so much for our home, how. . .how could he did that?"

"Remember what Time said? Without death there can't be life."

"Without sacrifice of life other's can't be born." Roulette whispered to him glancing over her shoulder at her brother

"Yes." Rubbing tears away from her optics "What he's done, is an act of selfishness few would even consider doing."

Slowly Roulette turned around in her brother's arms, "But. . .I'm a idiot!" shaking her head "I'm being a idiot! Selfish idiot!"

Chuckling Oblivion put his hands on either side of his sister head so she'd look up at him, "Don't worry about it Roul' its understandable." Lowering his hands. "I don't like it either but there's nothing we can do about it, we have to respect what he's done."

Roulette nodded her head crossing her arms over her chest, "I'll deal with it, but that doesn't mean I'll like it." Oblivion just chuckled as the two turned back and watched as the Earth moved revealing the Sun.

000

A/N:

Sorry, terrably belated. They don't call me a procrastinator for nothing. Though not a chapter I'm fond of I think it came out decently enough and it's really short! I wanted it to be longer but for some reason the ending –that I wanted- didn't cooperate. There will be an epilogue if nothing else.

Please review; constructive crit. welcomed.

Much thanks for Myblueoblivion for his support in this. This is for you bro.

TF's and all related char(s) belong to Has/Tak and associated co.

Except for Blair, Roulette, Oblivion, Teletran, and the plot, which are mine

Names and/of char(s) are entirely coincidental