Here it is, the final Interlude as we begin the final story arc and bring MBRS to an end. I know, I'm crying too. But all good things must come to an end so that we can start the cycle all over again.

I must admit I have been very anxious to write this story arc for a multitude of reasons. One in particular is a scene I had written long when I first started the story. A scene that made me changed the title on you. I'm very excited you will all be able to finally ready it very soon...I hope.

One last note before we begin. One of my favorite reviewers broke down a wrote a lovely Kacey x Bee fic. I hope you all have time to enjoy it as I have. It's called Thank You For Loving My by Bunnylass.

And now, we start the Interlude and final story arc with Optimus.

Optimus

The past six years have gone by far too quickly for me. It is never easy for me to watch any of my younglings grow up before my very optics physically, emotionally, or mentally. Not that I had much choice in the matter. They were going to grow up no matter what I thought about it. I just thank Primus every day that they have actually been given the chance to grow as the base has come under attack several times from the Decepticons over the past six years. Between them and the now THREE teenagers I have I am constantly kept me on my toes and battle ready!

Honestly, I think I'd rather take on the Decepticons. Teenagers can and are often more frightening than a full out attack on the base! At least my three teenagers have been.

Leo my youngest is growing to be much bigger than originally projected. During his last maintenance exam Ratchet informed me that Leo would probably end up the same height as Jazz was. And from feeling the strong spark in my youngest, will be the same kind of mech wrecker that my good friend was, only much, much stronger physically.

Yes, my son is going to be one mech wrecker to be reckoned with on the battlefield once he's fully matured. He is already a handful now for me and his mother. We are constantly reprimanding him for pranks, rather ingenious pranks that even leave Sunny and Sides gawking, and his disruption during his studies with Alpha Trion! Leo is by no means dim witted. On the contrary is highly intelligent and would just rather us it smarts for more…exciting things. He is such a dangerous combination of smarts and creativity, much like Kacey!

Orion is probably the smartest of my younglings. Yes, according to Alpha Trion my first born son's intelligence even exceeds Kacey's. And as he's matured into a teenager he is more determined with his studies and is never one to hold back from asking questions. He literally craves information and can never seem to get enough.

I have often had to make him go to bed when checking on my younglings before heading for recharge myself. Upon entering his and Leo's room I'd find Leo recharging deeply with the blanket over his head because Orion would be sitting at his desk with a light on and a stack of datapads he was going through. 'Just five more minutes, father' he'd beg me. And I'd give in. Many a times I have found him recharging with his head on his desk and had to put him into his bed.

Ariel, being my most well behaved youngling, was a lot like her mother, temper, beauty and all. Had a schedule and stuck to it. So whenever I checked on her she was always in deep recharge. Even Galen got booted from her room at a designated time. Much to the young mech's disappointment and my relief!

Elita often chides me for being too nosy when I go to check on Ariel whenever Galen is visiting. I can't help it. I'm very protective of my femmes, daughters or sparkmate. And I know mechs! I am one for pits sake! I know what goes through a young teenager mech's processor. And I know when alone with a femme and not much else to do behind a closed door that Galen is doing something with Ariel. It may not be interfacing yet. But it is something!

This brings me to Kacey.

Primus, I don't even know were to begin. I'm caught between being extremely proud of the beautiful, lovely, gorgeous femme she has matured into and wanting to blast any mech into pieces that glances at her appreciatively. Even Elita has told me that she wants to blow mechs to bits because of how Kacey looks now.

Luckily she wears her cloak everywhere and only removes it when in our quarters for it covers the majority of her form. I have a feeling some mechs would actually fritz on the spot if she waltzed by in her bare protoform. A form that looks very much like a fully mature femme's protoform. Long slender, neck, legs and arms. Hips that had a curve that wasn't too round but not to flat either. A narrow waist that led up to a tight, flat abdomen that stretched up to…

Frag it to pit!

Between Elita, myself, and Leo, who is fiercely protective of both his sisters, there won't be any mechs alive on the base because of my daughter's beauty! Orion tells us were all nuts and that Kacey can handle herself just fine. And he's right. Prowl has given me several reports about Rox and a couple of his friends in the Med Bay with a dented crotch plates for stepping over the line with Kacey.

Still, as her father I cannot help but be over protective. Our bond has only strengthened even more ever since she saved my life. She worries for me whenever I go into battle and is always there to be the first to greet me upon my return. My end of the spark link is extremely sensitive to her feelings and hers to mine, more so than ever before. We've both had to learn to keep certain feelings to ourselves. Kacey tries to hold her worries in check while I…well let's just say that when I'm intimate with Elita I shut myself off from Kacey completely. Only Kacey still hasn't learned to completely shut herself off from me. Some lingering emotion always bleeds through the bond.

Even now I can feel her sadness as she tries to keep it to herself.

I frowned not sure if the party we were planning for her today was such a good idea or not. I mean it should be a joyous day as she's turning twenty-four and any day her transformation systems will come online. But the fact that Nitro has had his transformation systems online for a week now isn't helping matters for Kacey.

That and the fact the she dreads her annual maintenance check up each year now. From what Ratchet and Alpha Trion have told me is that Kacey's systems have developed naturally with no malfunctions whatsoever. They don't foresee any problems when her transformation systems come online.

However, there is one thing that has troubled Kacey and is the reason for her depression on this day. Her growth rate appears to have stopped some time ago. Personally, I do not see a problem with her being relatively the same height as Bumblebee or the twins. I know that once she has armor she will be able to hold her own with the best of us. Kacey however sees the lack of growth as a failure to be what she is fully capable of. And nothing I can say will change her mind. She is one stubborn femme at times.

What I and many of us did not know yet was that events were already in motion. Events that would challenge my daughter and force her to see the light. Challenges that my Kacey…my beautiful star was going take head on and rise up and be more than she thought she was ever capable of.