Gasp! A continuation? Yes! From here on out, I can't promise that there won't be any OptimusxArcee, but I'm not saying that that's what it'll turn into. We'll wait and see, yes?

…...

Optimus rounded the corner, completing his nightly rounds at the Autobot Base. He stopped, scanning his optics over the base's domed sanctum. The Autobot insignia at the center shined slightly in the dim light of Ratchet's computers (Spark knew how they had lasted this long given all the abuse that had been dealt to them). But this did not catch his optic as he looked at the room. What did catch his eye was the blue femme who was trying to work the medbay by herself, a task that was not coming along well, as evident by the fact that it wasn't even on. His brow furrowed, Optimus approached her as quietly he could, not wanting to startle her.

This was not successful, because as we've seen, semi-trucks are not particularly graceful. She turned around, startled. Her optics were dimmed, a sign that she was low on recharge, and she had a confused, angry look on her faceplate. Her expression softened slightly, though not much, when she saw who was there.

"Optimus." She stated, eyeing him cautiously.

Instead of leading up to the question, Optimus decided to get to the point. He figured Arcee was in no mood to beat around the bush.

"Arcee, why are you up so late? You look... unwell."

She laughed darkly. "You could say that..." She went back to tinkering with the medbay, and all was quiet for several seconds. Feeling the Prime's heavy stare on her, she sighed. Optimus wasn't easily driven off. "Look, can you just leave me alone right now? I'm trying to get this fraggin' thing working, and I'm not going to work any faster with you looking over my back." The corners of Optimus' mouth twitched slightly at this remark, but he kept an otherwise calm expression. Stoically walking over to Arcee's workplace (if it could be called that) he pressed the button marked "Activate" in Cybertronian.

Turning back to her, he spoke, keeping his calm facade. "Why did you not ask Ratchet to do this for you if you needed a medscan?" Arcee looked down, a mix of shame and anger appearing on her face.

"During the recon mission the other day with Jack..." Ah that explains it. Optimus had suspected something had happened during the mission, but neither Arcee or Jack had said anything of it, and both had appeared out of sorts. Now was his opportunity to find out. Narrowing his optics, he popped the question:

"What happened?" He asked firmly, not as a friend, but as a leader.

Arcee didn't look up, and spoke softly. "Airachnid."

The name sounded familiar, but Optimus was still confused by the matter. "Decepticon?"

Still not looking up, she spoke a bit louder this time. "Yeah. I'd... encountered her before. She crash landed on Earth and she... Jack..." Her voice began to choke, with fear and grief. It was clear Arcee was distraught by the matter, and Optimus decided it was best not to reprimand her for not reporting Decepticon activity at the moment.

Laying a comforting hand on her shoulder, Optimus gave her a sympathetic look. He knew all too well the fear, the shame, the grief, the hate that was shining in her tired optics. Venting, the Prime looked at his second in command. She was so young. She shouldn't have to bear the horrors of war. But she had too, and her whole generation had to. Yes, he knew exactly how she was feeling.

It was for this reason he could offer no solace other than warm, comforting, metallic hug.

The sudden display of...well, actual emotion, by her commander startled Arcee to an extent that she temporarily forgot her woes. If only for a moment.

Retracting from the hug, Optimus smiled down at her, and she weakly smiled back. Speaking quietly, he told her, "Go into recharge. We'll get you patched up in the morning." Arcee nodded, and quietly slipped into her quarters.

She couldn't help but wonder if, perhaps, Primehad been a little more affectionate than a CO should. She frowned at this thought, but quickly dismissed it as a result of her paranoia. Such a relationship would be dangerous, to say the least...

…...

Left ya with a cliffhanger didn't I? Still figuring out where I'm gonna head with this fic, but I'll try to make it as good as I can. As always, review plz. Constructive criticism would be much appreciated!