Because I was feeling partially in a good mood, and because I love my fans so much, you're going to get this chapter in early. Please have some tissues ready, because what I wrote actually broke my heart. Also, have the song "If I Let You Go" by Westlife. Please? It was a perfect fitting for this event, one that made the chapter worth writing and picturing at the same time. Here's why:

"But if I let you go, I will never know what my life would be holding you close to me. Will I ever see you smiling back at me? How will I know if I let you go?" - If I Let You Go, Westlife

Chapter 18:

Never Good Enough

It had merely been several minutes since the battle had ended, but Optimus was desperate. After the adrenaline had worn off from the fight, Major Lennox and Epps walked around the battlefield with some of their men to check to see if any of their own was amongst the dead. Optimus hadn't heard a peep from out of Sideswipe's group since Ratchet's last report and this worried him. He mentally prayed to Primus that nothing had happened to them during the event, but something told him that they would be fine until he had checked in with Ironhide and the Bike Sisters.

From what they had told him, they were not seriously injured, though Ironhide had a few burns coating his body. Energon leaked from a gash on the side of his helm as well; no doubt it was a present from Mixmaster during their nasty skirmish.

Once he knew that they were alright, Optimus diverted his attention to searching for Sideswipe's group. He had tried calling the warrior on the com-link, but had received no response. It seemed that either Sideswipe's com had got damaged or he was offline, but Optimus knew better than not to jump to conclusions. He then tried Ratchet, but all he got was static.

Panic slowly took over his processor, Optimus barked out orders to Ironhide and the Bike Sisters to search for the group. The N.E.S.T soldiers, who had reported that only five of their men were killed in action, were also given the orders by Major Lennox and Epps to help look as well with their energon detectors and night vision goggles.

It took no more than half an hour to locate the group.

Sideswipe, the soldiers and Ratchet had somehow managed to get as far from the destruction of the base as possible. They were found just two kilometres away from the battlefield near a line of trees.

Sideswipe was standing vigilant, blades at the ready while keeping an eye out for anything that might pose a threat to his charges, and covered in energon that was a mix of both his and whoever he had fought. Ratchet was sitting in his vehicle mode, unmoving, and the three out of the four soldiers were sitting close together, trying to keep warm from the cool evening.

There appeared to be no sign of Jasmine or the fourth female soldier.

Optimus and his group approached them cautiously, and once they were spotted and identified by Sideswipe, they were allowed to come closer. Optimus wasted no time in getting straight to the point as Major Lennox debriefed Greg Boiling.

"Sideswipe, where is Jasmine?" he demanded, unable to hold back his concern for his charge.

The bloodied silver mech blinked as though his thoughts were somewhere far away. He shook his head, seemingly pushing them to the back of his processor. "She's safe," he replied, standing at attention. "She's in the back of Ratchet with one of the human soldiers, who is keeping an eye on her."

He bowed his head slightly, his expression serious.

"Sir, she was in really bad shape when Ratchet and the soldiers found her," he continued. "From what Ratchet told me, she was badly dehydrated and starving for food, even though it had been only four and a half days since she last ate. Her eyes were even sensitive toward the light because she had been kept in darkness for that long."

Optimus' hands clenched tightly into fists, anger boiling deep inside his spark. "Let me see her," he demanded softly. "Please."

"I can't let you see her, Optimus," Ratchet's voice spoke up, "at least not yet. She needs some rest and fluids in her system. I need to get her to the nearest hospital so that a human doctor can look her over, even though Danny and I managed to stabilise her."

"Then I'll come with you," Optimus said desperately. "Ratchet, please?"

For a moment, Ratchet didn't say a word and Optimus thought he would say no. But much to his surprise, a deep sigh of defeat came from the ambulance. "Alright, fine. You can come, Optimus. But I don't want you getting in my way."

"Optimus, what do you want us to do?" Major Lennox questioned, looking up at Optimus.

The Autobot commander glanced down at the human with determined optics. "Take everyone back to Diego Garcia and have Jason get onto an aircraft for Kaweah Delta Medical Centre, I'm going with Ratchet to watch over Jasmine like I promised." He turned to Ironhide, Sideswipe, and the Bike Sisters. "You can back if you wish, but I would like someone to come along to escort Ratchet to the hospital."

"I'll do it, Optimus," insisted Ironhide. "You'll need someone big and strong to protect you both."

When the others didn't volunteer, they and the rest of the N.E.S.T soldiers began to make their way up the hill, but Greg approached Optimus and fingered for something in his pocket. Once he found what he was looking for, he handed it to him. Optimus tried to say something, but the soldier turned on his heel and made his way up the hill, but not before he stopped and looked back at him. Optimus waited patiently for him to speak. "It's quite clear, Sir, that girl is very special to you," he said softly. "Look after her well."

"I will," Optimus smiled faintly, clutching the object tightly in his hand. "And thank you for getting her out of the base. I am eternally grateful for what you did."

Greg saluted to Optimus and followed after his men. Optimus watched them go until they were out of sight. He stuffed the object into his subspace pocket, and then he and Ironhide transformed into their vehicle modes, following after the quick moving Ratchet.

Jasmine's eyes fluttered open, but all she could see was blackness. Something was obviously covering up her eyes in an attempt to protect them from the light that she could faintly make out from the bright outlines. From what her body could tell, she was lying on a bed beneath a warm blanket. She could also feel something was in her unparalysed arm, but she couldn't distinguish it due to the calm darkness that enveloped her vision.

She could make out the sounds of a beeping machine, followed by quiet breathing toward her right, indicating that someone was in the room with her. This confirmed that she was in a hospital. Damnit, she was really getting tired of coming into these places...

She stirred slightly in the bed, hoping to get the attention of whoever was in the room.

Something padded over to her side from the far side of the room, the movement deliberately slow and quiet as though it was determined not to disturb whoever was breathing quietly. Something warm and gentle took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. It was squeeze that stirred her memories from the farthest corner of her brain.

"O-Optimus?" she whispered, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. No, it couldn't be!

"Yes, Jasmine, it's me," came the deep, familiar baritone voice of her guardian.

She couldn't help herself. She burst into tears as she started crying.

A pair of warm hands enveloped her body, sitting her up gently and then pulling her into a hug. She felt her head press against something hard, but very warm and she knew that she was being pressed against the small hologram version of Optimus Prime. The arms covered her up completely, drawing her in as she sobbed uncontrollably.

She really couldn't believe that she was back with Optimus again after a long four and a half days of being separated from him, Midnight, and Jason. The last she had seen of him was being badly injured by Barricade and Starscream until they took her away to their base. She'd been afraid for a while that the neither the Autobots nor Optimus would ever find her, fearing that his injuries were far too straining on his frame.

Now, they were together again, and she couldn't bear to be separated from him anymore.

"Optimus, is she ok?"

Jasmine stiffened at those words, but she couldn't help but smile at her brother's familiar voice.

"She's fine, Jason," Optimus replied, his fingers streaming through her hair's thin black strands. It felt soothing to her both her scalp and her constricting heart. "She just woke up."

Jasmine didn't want to remove herself from her guardian's protective and comforting arms, but she knew that she had to in order to give her brother reassurance that she was fine. She carefully pulled away from Optimus and found herself encaged in Jason's own arms; his flesh soft against her own.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Jason's voice whispered in her ear.

"I didn't think I would see you either," she answered back, her throat thickening with her emotions. "I missed you both so much."

"What did the Decepticons want with you anyway?" Jason asked quickly. "Did they even hurt you?"

Jasmine opened her mouth to say something, but no words would come out. She bowed her head and pushed away from Jason, unable to speak at all. How could she? It had obviously been the worst experience she ever had to go through. She had felt no sunlight, no food or water in her stomach to keep her alive. It had been like agonising torture to both her body and her mind.

She brought her knees close to her chest and rocked herself. The memories of being trapped in a dirty old cell with only a cot to keep her company plagued her brain like swords stabbing into her body.

"Jason," Optimus' gentle voice cut in, removing all traces of the trauma, "I think it is best that we do not force Jasmine to speak of what she went through. One must understand that getting someone to talk about the pain before they are even ready is just as damaging to the heart as it is to the mind."

A deep sigh was heard and she was enveloped in a pair of arms again. "I'm sorry, Jasmine, I didn't mean to pry."

"I-its fine, Jason," she muttered. "Right now I just want to go home."

"And you will soon," Optimus said kindly. "But you need time to recover, and it will be a little while before you get to see again. Your eyes need to recuperate after having been in the darkness for so long."

"And you'll stay with me won't you?" Jasmine asked nervously.

She could've sworn he was smiling, but he once again took her into his arms, rocking her in a fatherly manner that made her feel safe and sound, chasing away the frightening thoughts buried deep within her mind. "Every step of the way, Little One," he whispered in her ear. "I promise."

She leaned into his chest, closing her eyes and listening to the life essence within his chest that warmed her completely. She couldn't have asked for a better friend than the very one who had saved her life all those weeks ago.

Jasmine's physical recovery went by extremely quick. It took no more than a fortnight before she was deemed fit enough to leave the hospital and go home. She had only suffered from three days worth of starvation and dehydration, but the doctors wanted to ensure that she was fully alright by prescribing her special medication to control her brain-damaged seizure. Although Jasmine reassured them that she was alright, Optimus sensed that deep down there was more going on inside her than the doctors actually knew.

Before she was cleared to go home and Optimus had his human hologram watching over her while she slept in the bed, he had noticed her twitching violently, whimpering about 'robot-worms' and 'confined spaces'. He'd switched to his actual robotic holoform and rushed over to her side, gently shaking her awake until she had cried in his arms until he was stained from salt streaks and finger marks.

While he didn't want to force her to talk until she was ready, he sensed that Jasmine had been through something far worse than the doctors could ever hope to diagnose. She'd cried for half an hour as he had stroked her head, soothing her with promises that she was fine and that he was here for her until she had fallen asleep again.

By the time the doctors had allowed her to go home the next morning and Jasmine had climbed into his passenger's side... he knew that he had some thinking to do regarding the situation of his little human.

Once they had reached Tranquility, Optimus had called Jason to let him know that they were nearing their destination. Jason was there waiting for them outside by the time they reached the house. Optimus pulled up onto the driveway and parked himself. He activated the small version of himself and helped Jasmine out of the vehicle.

Jason approached them, a warm smile upon his lips as he wrapped his arms around his twin sister. "Jasmine, it's good to see you home at last."

The young woman seemed to force a smile. "It's good to be home, Jason," she replied, almost a little too casually.

Jason didn't seem to notice, but Optimus did. He activated his hidden scanners and noticed her heart was not beating its normal rate. "Jasmine, there is nothing to be afraid of," he whispered to her kindly.

She flinched a little, but emitted a deep sigh. "Sorry, I... I haven't been home in a long while and..."

Optimus shook his head. "You do not need to say anything now," he said softly. "Go inside the house and I'll bring your suitcase in."

She nodded, closing her eyes tightly as she made her way toward the house.

Optimus' holoform approached Jason and he took his arm in his hand, his grip tight, but not tight enough to hurt him. He looked him deep in the eye, his tone serious as he spoke every word carefully. "Jason, meet me outside the house out the back at midnight. Please make sure that Jasmine is asleep when you come down. We need to talk."

Jason frowned a bit. "Alright," he replied. "I hope that whatever it is that you want to talk about isn't bad."

Optimus released his grip on him, refusing to say more. He walked over to the passenger side of his vehicle form and pulled out a suitcase. As he made his way inside the house with Jasmine's belongings, he knew that Jason would be curious about what he wished to discuss about. But he couldn't talk about it yet until Jasmine was asleep and out of earshot. What he had to talk about with him was something that he didn't want to get out in the open.

Jason sat quietly on his bed, fully dressed in thick jeans, a black turtleneck top, leather jacket, and leather boots. The watch on his left wrist told him it was close to midnight – the time he had to go outside and speak with Optimus.

Ten minutes ago, he had gone to check on Jasmine to see if she was awake or not. From the way how she had been still, it seemed that she was deeply asleep. Now he had spent the rest of the time waiting for it to be midnight.

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

Jason glanced down at the watch that was illuminated in the gloom. Twelve o'clock, it read.

Sighing, he picked himself up off the bed and tiptoed past Jasmine's bedroom, down the stairs, and out the backyard door. He wasn't surprised to see Optimus parked in the exact same spot before he first revealed himself. From the way how the grass looked – having been treaded on by the massive tyres – Optimus had been sitting there for a while. How long, Jason didn't know.

Quietly, Jason took a seat on the familiar bench, watching Optimus with a curious eye.

For a moment, the Autobot commander didn't respond and Jason thought for sure that he was still in whatever the Autobots called sleep. His thoughts were soon dashed away when the vehicle's armour began to shift and slide, the legs coming first as they stood up tall and the front half of the vehicle coming up along as it became the arms, torso and head of his giant friend.

He would never grow tired of watching Optimus transform.

Picking himself up off the bench, he walked onto the grass and looked up at him, waiting for him to speak. Optimus seemed to get the message and he kneeled down to get on even ground with him, his bright blue eyes glowing in the bright moonlight, blinking twice as he switched on the headlights on his chest panels so that Jason could see better.

"I'm glad you came, Jason," Optimus said, his deep baritone voice lowering to a minimum so as to not be heard by Jasmine.

"Anything for a friend," the young man smiled. "What was it that you wanted to talk about between us that mustn't go unheard of by my sister? You know how much she hates secrets."

"I apologise for the secrecy, Jason," Optimus sighed, his facial expression stoic, but Jason knew that he was deeply troubled by something. "I have thinking about Jasmine since she came back from the hospital and..." He closed his eyes for a moment, then opening them again. The pupils in them shrinking and expanding with his emotions as he struggled to find the right words. "Ever since I became you and your sister's guardian, I had felt that my responsibility lay with you. But... it doesn't. That responsibility belongs to someone else."

Jason lifted an eyebrow. "I don't understand," he said, clearly confused by what his giant friend was saying. "What are you saying?" Jason asked.

Optimus pulled back and stood up to his full height, his eyes staring up at the starry night sky; they almost appeared to be twinkling in the moonlight. He seemed to be deep in thought as his right hand clutched onto something tightly.

He then shifted his gaze to the boy, the corners of his lips forming into a thin smile, his hand opening as he looked at the tiny object in the middle of his palm. "It is time that my guardianship to you be passed down to someone else."

The young man blinked, shocked by his words. "But, Jasmine is happy with you as her guardian!" he cried. "You can't just up and leave now!"

If Optimus was affected by Jason's outburst, he didn't show it. Instead, he answered in a calm manner, "While I have saved Jasmine from the clutches of the Decepticons, I have realised that she is not fully recovered from her ordeal with them. The time she had spent with them has inflicted deep wounds upon her spirit, wounds that are far too deep for me to heal."

"So you're just going to give up?" Jason demanded.

"No," Optimus replied, shaking his head firmly. "I am going to give Jasmine a way to believe again." He continued to look at the object in his hand. "By giving up this, I will do what I can to set her onto the path of recovery. I am putting mine and my people's future aside for Jasmine's own happiness."

Jason sighed, tears trickling down his cheeks. What he said next caught Optimus by surprise. "What did you have in mind? If you're going to leave us soon, then... who are you going to have guard me and my sister?"

The answer came simply, but hard and determined, "Come with me and I'll show you."