Chapter 4

"Are you sure that you'll be alright?" Optimus asked him for what must have been the hundredth time in the past few minutes. While Sam knew that the mech meant well he was quite sure that Optimus had no idea that he was very close to driving Sam insane with all of his repetitive questions.

"Optimus for the last time I'll be fine while you and the others are gone. Sideswipe and Epps will be here if anything happens." Sam said as he crossed his arms and shook his head in annoyance. Sam knew that Optimus knew he was annoyed as well. How could the mech not know when the bond between them was wide open. Optimus sighed and shifted ever so slightly where he stood.

"I know I'm being over protective and I know that you'll be safe here. I however can't help but worry about your safety little one. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you." Sam thought about pointing out the fact that he was human and that he wouldn't be living anywhere near as long as Optimus himself would but he didn't.

He knew better than to state that obvious fact. Sam knew that his capture in December had shaken Optimus more than the mech had cared to admit even to Sam. Optimus had always feared that something would happen to him. That somehow the Decepticons would take him. And as much as he wished it hadn't happened it had.

The fact that he'd been with Optimus when it had happened made it all the worse for the large mech. So as much as he hated it he knew that in the end he was going to fight against the annoyance he was feeling and let Optimus worry and obsess. If it helped him feel better about leaving for even a few hours then he was at least going to try to not get overly annoyed with Optimus. Though he still wasn't having much luck with it at the moment. It was a battle that would be fought for a long time coming and there wasn't a single thing he could do about it no matter how much he wished that he could.

"Optimus," Sam sighed, "I know you worry about me and I understand why but you have other things to worry about at the moment. You have new arrivals making landfall in a few hours and they're going to need you. So go get Hide and Ratchet and Lennox and get going. The last thing we need is for new arrivals to make it onto the morning news." Optimus shifted his feet slightly and nodded.

"You're right, Sam," he said, "We'll need to leave soon if we're to arrive at their landing site before they arrive." Sam smiled and made a shooing mention with his hands.

"If our conversation is making you late then go. Leave, I'm tired of looking at you." Optimus chuckled and shook his head. He could feel the amusement rolling off of Sam.

The boy's words weren't cruelly meant far from it in fact. Sam was just trying to get him to do his job, something that he hadn't truly been doing for quite sometime. Optimus had been to busy worrying over Sam to really do his job right and as much as he hated the though it was time for him to get back on track. He had an army to lead and worrying over Sam all the time was preventing him from being the leader that his mechs needed.

"We'll be back in a few hours. I'll try to make it back before you go to sleep."

"Don't worry bout that chances are I'll still be awake. Worry about your soldiers for now Optimus." Sam smile and send a wave of love over the bond before placing a hand on his hip and pointing towards the hanger exit. "Now get going." Optimus chuckled and turned to walk away. Only taking a moment to return Sam's love before exiting.

Ooo

The universe that they traveled through was vast and cold and full of danger. Some of the danger was in the form of meteorites but mostly it was in the form of enemy Decepticons. None of them were quite sure how many Decepticons they had slain while traveling to the small blue planet that others of their kind had taken refuge on. The battles seemed almost to many to count even for them. Though it was very likely that none of them wished to remember the fights for life and death that had cost them the lives of their friends and family.

There was hope however. Hope that the war was just a bit closer to ending now than it had been the moment before. Earth and that battles and won there gave them hope that the war just might be closer to ending than it would have been had they still been on Cybertron. Earth and the new allies they had found there and the hope that they would bring to the Autobot cause.

A hope that they could win the war and find peace. Four protoforms drifted ever closer to a single blue planet that had given their kind refuge even though they were as different from the native inhabitants as could be.

ooo

The might air of March was cool against his skin and while it wasn't as cold as it had been a few weeks before it was still cool enough that Lennox was thankful that Ironhide had insisted that he wear a jacket. Ironhide had even threatened to get Ratchet involved when the soldier had asked Ironhide if he was his mother. Lennox had cringed and done as asked.

He knew better than to tempt fate where Ratchet was concerned. While the mech wouldn't throw a wrench at him the mech did have a collection of Nerf balls that hurt quite a bit when they were thrown at whatever human was annoying the medic at the moment or being particularly difficult. The foam balls worked just as well on humans as wrenches worked on Autobots.

"So how much further is it Ironhide?" Lennox asked as he tapped his fingers on Ironhide's dash. The black mech was silent for a moment before answering, his deep voice sounding from radio speakers.

"A couple of miles. We wanted to be as far away as possible from people but close enough to a place where they could trans-scan a vehicle to change into in order to get back to base." Lennox nodded his head in understanding.

"Any idea who they are yet?"

"None though I think at this point they're doing it to be stubborn. They want it to be a surprise." Ironhide grumbled. Lennox laughed at the mech's seemingly sour mood. Ironhide hated surprises. The only type of surprises that the mech did like were the kind that could be blown up with his cannon's.

"Well it can't be too bad. I mean if they're going to do this just for the Hell of it then chances are they aren't being followed by Cons." Lennox had half a smile on his face. He sure as hell hoped that there weren't any Cons following the mechs that were on their way.

"I suppose that it's possible," Ironhide grumbled, "though I do know a few fraggers that would do this even if they had Megatron himself on their afts." Lennox snorted.

"I know that Hide. You've taken the pains to tell me about all of them in detail. Several times over in fact." And it was true too. Lennox was sure that both he and Epps would be able to identify half of the Autobot army simply from Ironhide's descriptions of them.

"And I do it for your own good Lennox. You'll need all the prep time you can get when it comes to some of the walking disasters I work with."

"I live in fear of Wheeljack and Sunstreaker." Lennox said with a grin.

"And you should Lennox. They're more trouble than they're worth most of the time." Ironhide's tone was so serious that Lennox couldn't help but laugh at the mech.

"I'm sure they're not that bad. Besides I'm sure that you can put both of them in their place without any trouble."

Ironhide snorted. "Of course I can. Of course Wheeljack isn't someone you want to spend too much time around. His tinkering can be hazardith to everyone's health even his own." Lennox laughed again. He'd heard all the stories about Wheeljack too.

"We'll stick him with the scientists. They're nuts anyways. He'll fit right in."

ooo

Epps chuckled as he listened to a group of soldiers groan. They were learning a lesson that was eventually learned by all members of NEST. Sam always wins at poker. It didn't matter if they were playing for spare change or candy. Sam always won and if he didn't then chances are that he'd let the winner win for what ever reason that had popped into the brunettes head at that moment in time. He'd seen Sam's hand when he'd supposedly lost and every time it would have been a winning hand. Though Epps was pretty sure that Sam lost some games so that people would come back to play him again.

"Epps he's cheating!" one of the soldiers called in a voice that Epps would have expected to hear from one of his kids. Epps simply raised an eyebrow at the soldier in question.

"What'd'ya want me to do about it man. I am not Sam's mamma and if I was Sam's mamma I'd be laughing my ass off at you losers. You're loosing to a kid." Sam grinned at him from where he was seated before he pulled a small pile of change, one's and five's towards him so he could see just how much was there.

"You'd think that all the whine would have been killed in boot camp wouldn't you Epps? I've seen six year olds that are better losers than these guys. Primus, you're kids are better loosers than they are." A few men sent Sam glares at the slight insult to their person. They however knew better than to mess with the teen that they'd just lost to. It wasn't worth it to try and get even with him.

"Eh, give um time Sam. It won't be long before we get whatevers left out of um. They're not gonna have the strength left to whine after Lennox and Ironhide are through with them."

"I hear that." Sam said as he began sorting money into two piles. One of which was pushed towards Epps after the money had been divided. The black man grinned as he gathered his share and put it in his pocket.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you Sam?" Epps said as he leaned back in his chair. Sam offered him a grin of his own before speaking.

"It was nothing. A deal is a deal after all." One of the solders Sam had been playing against sputtered and whipped his head back and forth his face going red.

"The two of you were in cahoots weren't you? You helped him cheat!" Epps looked hurt and placed a hand over his heart his eyes wide with shock.

"I would do no such thing my friend." Sam snorted.

"Sure you would Epps and you know it." Epps smiled.

"Eh, you're right I would." Several angry curses sounded throughout the room as the soldiers realized that they'd been had. Epps and Sam however merely looked at each other and smiled.

All Epps really had to do was hang around and make a few comments about poker and players would come running thinking that they'd be playing him (sadly, poker wasn't his game) when they'd actually be playing Sam. There wasn't really any cheating to it at all but if it made the other soldiers pride sting a little less then both Sam and Epps would let them think that they'd been working together to cheat the men out of their pocket change.

ooo

Optimus shuttered his optic's as he watched the sky above his head. Their comrades were due to make landfall at any moment and Optimus wanted to know the exact second that they breached the atmosphere. They hadn't had new arrivals in almost two years and all of them were looking forward to seeing old comrades again. It didn't even matter that they still didn't know who exactly was making landfall.

Ironhide's suggestion of them being stuburn and wanting to surprise them made all sorts of sense, mainly because they each knew several mechs who would want to make their arrival a surprise. It was amusing in a way and annoying in many others.

"They gonna be here anytime soon?" Lennox asked from his place on the ground next to Ironhide's feet.

"Any minute now, Lennox."

"Fraggers are taking their time. The sooner they get here the sooner I can get whatever repairs are needed done and out of the way." Ratchet said as he crossed his arms and began tapping a finger on one of his elbows." Ironhide snorted.

"Well, you won't have to wait much longer Hatchet. Here they come now." Eyes and optics shifted back up towards the sky and the three meteorite like objects that had just entered Earth's atmosphere.

The three protoforms streaked across the sky leaving trails of fire streaming after they impacted the ground a thousand feet away soil and dirt flew in every direction and smoke and dust filled the air. By the time Optimus and the others had arrived at the landing sight the dust had settled and the smoke had cleared. Three silver protoforms now stood before them.

It was Ratchet the broke the silence that threatened to stay between the two groups. He did so by chucking his favorite wrench at one of the mechs standing before them before he began tearing into him with words.

"Wheeljack you slagging idiot! I should send you to Primus myself for blocking off the bond like that!" Ironhide and Lennox both burst into laughter while the stunned scientist tried to explain that he hadn't meant any harm by blocking off the bond, only that he'd wished to surprise his bondmate and nothing more.

Optimus watched amused as Ratchet tore into Wheeljack before turning to great the other two Autobots that had landed. He had every intention of leaving Wheeljack to Ratchet and not interfering. He was just about to turn and great Mirage when the figure standing next to him caught his attention.

Optimus shuttered his optic's before taking a second look. His optic's hadn't been lying to him. Optimus would have known the femmie standing next to Mirage anywhere. It was one that was forever engraved in his memory banks. The femmie before him tilted her head just slightly and laughed a soft laugh that he hadn't hears for millenia. Unable to say anything Optimus found that all he could do was stare. The femmie before him laughed again before speaking.

"Hello, Optimus." It took Optimus a moment to pull an answer from his shocked vocals.

"Elita. How is this possible? The last time I saw you you'd been off lined.?" Elita laughed again.

"I assure you dearest spark that I am very much alive."

ooooo

Look a new chapter. I'm not actually really happy with this but I knew that this chapter wasn't going to go so well when I lost what I had before to a screen less computer. Eh, hopefully my computer problems are done until the end of November. I apologize again for how long it took me to get this done but life sucks and I couldn't do anything. I have the next five or so chapters planned out so they should be a bit smoother than this one. And with any luck I may have another update for you before NaNoWrimo begins. I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing this year. Though I may end up working on Hatching Eggs and getting my next crossover started.

Now then I have a request. On my profile page there should be a pole. This pole is a list of crossover idea's that have hit me and not left me alone. I have the same pole posted on the Transformers 07 fun group on live journal. If it's not to much to ask would you guys mind going and voteing? I want to know what crossover you guys want to see after Hatching Eggs is done and over with.

Please and thank you.

Pagen