Author's Note: This chapter is best read after Chapter 39 of Introductions: Annabelle Lennox.

I was working in my office when Optimus Prime returned to base after the prom.

To my chagrin, he came straight to my door, overrode the lock, and let himself in. It had been a long time since I'd had the displeasure of being loomed over by my Prime, but loom he did for a good two minutes before speaking. "It was personal time, Prowl."

"Yes, sir," I stoically answered.

"That means it was personal. I am confident you've already calculated how long it's been since I've requested personal time of my own volition. I was exempt from anything war-related unless there was an emergency. And there was no emergency tonight."

"Yes, sir," I repeated.

"You had no business there."

"With all due respect, Prime, neither did you," I said, "which was why I felt compelled to ensure…"

"Ensure what?" he boomed.

My doorwings twitched nervously. Long millennia of working together meant that I understood exactly how much anger he was tightly controlling at this precise moment. More often than we should, we Autobots forgot that Megatron was Optimus' spark-forged brother.

He stepped closer, planted his fists on my desk, and again demanded, "ENSURE WHAT?"

"...ensure that the Temple of the All Spark was unharmed," I meekly answered.

He blinked and then straightened. "The Temple of the All Spark?"

"You carry the Matrix of Leadership," I quickly explained, "which now is also the All Spark. I swore an oath to protect the Temple that houses the All Spark, and that oath is reinforced with deeply-embedded code. As far as my oath-code is concerned, the Matrix-bearer is also a walking Temple of the All Spark. And that code compels me to ensure the Temple's safety, security, and continued functioning."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and vented a sigh.

"I apologize for any breaches of decorum. My intent was to simply ensure your safety and then leave undetected. When the DJ called the snowball dance, I tried to make my exit, but a femmling asked me to participate. I calculated that it would be more disruptive to decline than to comply with the social expectations of the snowball dance. Unfortunately, we crossed paths on the dance floor."

"Decorum is the least of my concerns," he said. "Do you have any concept of what tonight was about?"

I froze as I realized that, in all my agitation, I never considered what his motives might be. "I do not."

"In Firebrand's culture, prom is an important social rite of passage for human younglings. Our involvement in her life has made it difficult for her to interact with her peers. She had no other human prospects for a prom date this year, and her stated preference for a companion was me. Tonight was not about my desires at all. It was about her happiness and mitigating the damage that we have done by selfishly intertwining our lives with hers. I have gone to great lengths to make this evening a memorable and enjoyable one for her, and you showing up was flirting with disaster. You are fortunate that Firebrand gave no indication your presence ruined the evening. If she had, you would be in the brig right now."

Prime had never threatened me with the brig before and my door wings and my optic ridges lifted in surprise. More out of curiosity than in challenge, I asked, "On what charges?"

"Harassment," he answered grimly, and my door wings dipped in submission. He was right, my behavior did meet the elements for the human definition of the crime, and now that my oath code was not overreacting, I recognized that.

"In my defense, the oath code that accompanies the office of head of the Temple guardians did not take into account a portable temple. I'm uncertain if it can be modified with the medical resources available to us. As long as I know where you are – or where you are going, at least – then that code does not overreact."

"You were bad enough as a bodyguard before all this," he grumbled, venting another sigh and looking away.

I pointedly ignored the comment. "Perhaps in the future, should you wish to take genuine personal time, you could leave the All Spark with Samuel or in the custody of another trusted individual. I would not be thrilled about my Prime disappearing, but at least I would remain rational that way."

He lifted his gaze to mine, the light in them appraising. "You are fortunate I put up with you." And with that, he left my office.

…

The next four days were uneventful. I shut down Jolt's betting pool, Arcee spent cheerful "girl time" with Spitfire and Firebrand in the Autobot hangar, Ironhide eventually stopped giving me quizzical looks, and Optimus acted as though nothing had ever been amiss between us.

It felt horribly wrong.

The fifth day was my regularly-scheduled "weekend," so I locked myself into a holding cell. As the bars powered up behind me, I sighed in relief and settled in on the bare berth.

I was six hours into my self-imposed punishment before Optimus entered the brig. His looming was far less imposing when there were bars between us, but still I sat up.

"For how long?" he finally asked.

"The maximum sentence for a first offense is three months. At two days per week, it will take me almost a year to complete."

Prime folded his arms and loomed again for a few minutes. "That is unacceptable."

"It is the least-disruptive way for me to…"

Shaking his helm, he went to the control panel and powered down the bars. "Don't do it again, Prowl. I'll leave the All Spark with Sam if I need to take time off in the future, but…don't do this again."

"There must be some kind of punishment for my infractions."

I think he heard the pleading in my tone, because he relented slightly. "Very well. Then I will also require that you respond to any emails sent to you by Firebrand's classmates."

I vented a slow sigh. I would have preferred the brig, but Optimus was the one I'd wronged, so I would subject myself to the punishment of his choosing.

I rose to my pedes. "If that is your final verdict."

He jutted out his chin. "It is."

I nodded in agreement and exited the cell.

"And Prowl?"

I stopped and turned to look at him.

"I wish all my Autobots had your profound sense of honor."

My door wings tilted in curiosity. "Even if it meant also having my quirks?"

"The quirks are what keep my functioning interesting," he said, humor creeping into his voice. "Let's go, before anyone besides Jolt notices you're missing."

Falling in step beside him as he strode into the hallway, I asked in mild dismay, "Will I need to shut down another betting pool?"

"Not this time. I traded a bit of information for his silence."

I curiously glanced sidelong up at him. "What information was that?"

"Who won the betting pool about my personal time. It was Mudflap and Sideswipe."

I inwardly sighed. Of course it would be those two. "Will I need to confiscate their winnings?"

"No. Their only prize is the satisfaction of knowing they were correct. They believed that I would be meeting with a femme and getting cooking lessons from Spitfire. Firebrand's secret remains safe."

I snorted in amusement, and beside me, my Prime chuckled.