"The home is where the heart is. This phrase is truer than you realise. Right now you live in these dank underground rooms, but that doesn't mean it can't be a home."

Mission after agonising mission. There were clashes, there were losses to both sides but slowly, ever so slowly, the Autobots were starting to gain ground. From the information they gathered, they attacked methodically when the Decepticons were in isolated groups. With every mission more slaves had been rescued, more people rescued. A second base and eventually a third had been established to accommodate the slowly growing masses.

"Women have always been the homemakers. We are the ones taking care of the children, taking care of our husbands, our families. We always try to provide in our own ways."

Andrew, Kyle and Timothy had taken over the training of the 'Elites', as they were now called. Their group was swiftly growing into a force to be reckoned with. They inspired those left behind, planted seeds of hope in the remaining families, in the still captured slaves.

There had been numerous rumours that had started to spread. The Elites had been creating an ever growing hole in Megatron's forces. The bestial villain was outright infuriated by the progress that the Autobots were making. The slaves and even the other mechs had become terrified of being called to Megatron's chambers.

Being summoned usually resulted in death.

"This is where I come in. I'm pretty sure you can all remember happier times with friends and family. While I can't give that back to you, I can teach you how to give that to your own families."

Ever since Arabella's involvement at the base, the place had become a hive of activity. Thanks to Ratchet's cloaking devices, they had a fully functioning vegetable farm up and running. Overall the base was cleaner now that soap was something that could be made with abundance. The health of the people had increased dramatically.

Ratchet said that it was the nutrition they were receiving. Arabella said that it was the moral that was healing the people.

They were getting skilled labourers. Whenever new people were brought in, new talents came. There were now chefs, doctors, plumbers, electricians, carpenters and so many more people that had been brought to the base and slowly the living conditions improved. The base was starting to be expanded into a town.

"I know you all came here to be taught how to make something, but let me teach you this: material possessions fade. One day, what you make today won't exist anymore."

Even the Autobots grew in number, from the ones that had been saved from torture to the Decepticons who finally saw that they had been deceived when they had followed Megatron into war.

Everyone became so busy and caught up in the happenings that it became easy to forget. Eventually Arabella passed on the responsibility of teaching on to the other women and men. Whatever information they needed were in the books that had been saved from the libraries. They only came to her if they really needed it know and she slowly started to fade into the background.

"The only thing that matters is what you have. Your friends, your family, not… stuff. Stuff can be replaced; family not."

It ended. It finally ended in a battle to the death. The Autobots had been able to weaken the Decepticon forces to the point that they were near evenly matched. In an all-out battle where many had paid the price, Megatron had been dethroned and had taken most of his troops with him to the pits of Hell. They had eventually been able to convince the people that they were not there to take over the Earth anymore and that they would help rebuild what had been destroyed.

It was a time consuming process that had taken everyone's time and attention.

"So keep them close, 'cause in the end, they will be all you ever have. Right, now let's get started…"

And they never noticed when Arabella simply and quietly… left.

xxxxxPCxxxxx

Commander William Lennox had never been so embarrassed or ashamed in his life. He had become so caught up in the preparations for the final battle that he lost touch with those who had been close to him.

He had lost touch with Arabella.

When he had stood on the shattered stairs of what had once been the entrance to the White House, looking out over the city, a small thought bubbled up inside.

I wish that Arabella could have been here to see this victory.

It was then that he realised he had not even spoken to her in months. He slapped his forehead, grimacing at the thought. He closed his eyes, rubbing at the muck that had accumulated on his face, the adrenalin from the long battle finally fading. He promised himself that the moment that he kissed his wife and hugged his son he will find her.

"Commander Lennox!" His head whipped to the soldier that had called him. "Optimus Prime has requested your immediate presence, sir!" The soldier smartly saluted, heals clicked together. Will saluted in return.

"Acknowledged. Dismissed!" The soldier nodded once before promptly turning and marching away. Will sighed silently before turning to find the Prime.

When they had finally returned back at the home base a week later, it didn't take him long to find out that Arabella was no longer around. No one knew where she was and she was not on any of the registers anymore. It was only when they checked the security tapes that they had seen her loading her truck and driving out.

She had not said goodbye to anyone, not even Will.

It took another four months before everything was settled to a point where Will could make the journey out to the caves. Will, Sarah and Johnny drove out in Bulkhead along with Timothy and Kyle to find Arabella's caves. Andrew died during one of the missions. It had simply been a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It had been hard for the other two of the original Elites. They had been like brothers.

In the Army truck that was driving behind them was a handful of soldiers for backup if the situation called for it. The passengers sitting in Bulkhead were mulling over their own thoughts, save Johnny, who was playing with a small knitted toy that Aunty Arabella had made. The others felt pangs of betrayal as they drove. How could she have just left like that? They struggled with the question as they drove through the tall mountains on its weaving roads.

They went to the first caves to find it nearly stripped of all the perishable things. The large pieces like the furniture and most of the carpets were still there, reminiscent of a house where the people had simply gone on holiday. The undisturbed dust was the only clear indication that nothing had happed in there as of late.

They moved on to the second set of caves where they had fled to when they had found out that James had been the Decepticon. It was smaller and had less convoluted passages and was more Spartan in comparison to the first. Everything was still where they had left it when they had went to Smithers all those months ago.

They had no idea where she was.

Until William finally remembered something…

xxxxxPCxxxxx

"Boss, you sure we're going in the right direction?"

"Not really. The last time we came it was dark. I couldn't see squat."

"Why couldn't we just come in the truck?"

"Because we came on foot."

"But Bo… Hey! I think I see something!"

The group of soldiers broke through the undergrowth of the forest and finally laid their eyes on the small town Arabella had shown Will so long ago. The buildings were still ruins, but in the daylight it was very clear that only one of the houses still had occupants, because it was still being maintained. Bulkhead rolled to a stop behind him, taking no passengers so that he can be fully alert and able to respond instantaneously should the need arise.

Will finally started walking forward and only a moment later did the others start to follow. He signalled that the core group stay with him while the rest could scout for any danger. Will started towards the back of the well maintained building, motioning for silence.

He walked up to the door and crossing his fingers, he called out.

"Father, forgive me. It has been over a year since my last confession."

There was silence that slowly drew on. Will was starting to lose all hope when suddenly a man's voice answered.

"Speak, child, and all shall be forgiven."

Will breathed a sigh of release, before replying.

"Forgive me, Father, for in the time of great prosper I have forgotten my closest friend."

The door creaked open.

"I know." Eli was an old man by anyone's standards. His hair was completely white, but neatly trimmed. He had no beard, and was wearing worn beige slacks and a faded red checked shirt. His appearance shouted 'old man'. His back and hands were starting to hint at arthritis, but he hid it well.

"Eli…" Will stated quietly.

"You came looking for her, didn't you?" Will dropped his head. He couldn't bear to look the wizened old man in the eye. Eli continued regardless of Will's silence. "She's out for now. I'll have to go pick her up when she is done."

"Done with what?"

"Hunting. Now call all your soldiers around. I'll see if I can't get you guys something to eat."

xxxxxPCxxxxx

Eli had eventually talked them into a cup of tea. It had taken some convincing that he didn't need to expend his resources on him, but since he was ever so insistent to be hospitable towards then, they finally relented. They spent the next few hours exchanging stories about their varying adventures, pre- and post the take-over. It was nearly sunset when Eli suddenly rose.

"It's time for me to go fetch her. Will, you're with me. Everyone else, stay." There were a few shouts when the soldiers disagreed, but they listened when Will barked the order. Eli and Will walked out and climbed into a very old faded blue pick-up which slowly rumbled to life. They pulled out onto the old tarmac and drove for about 10 minutes before Eli pulled over. Before Will could get out of the cab, there were two separate thuds in the bed of the truck, followed by a triple pat on the roof of the cab. Eli turned onto the road again, heading towards town.

Will turned and saw Arabella sitting in the back with three freshly killed and skinned hares. She was deadly silent as she sat with her back against the cab, staring at the way they had come. Eli pulled a little window open.

"Bella, we have a guest." He stated so softly for a moment Will thought she had not heard him. Her body turning told him otherwise.

"Will? When did you get here?"

Will immediately noticed when she did not look at him directly.

"He showed up this morning with an entire troop of boys. Brought his wife and kid, too." She smiled.

"How's Johnny, Will?"

"H… He's doing fine. Just had his eighth birthday a few days ago and he is doing very good in school."

"And Sarah?"

"She has her heart set on finishing a hexagonal quilt before we get home." Bella smiled again.

"That's good. How's things back at base?"

"Well, Megatron is now officially dead and the war is now over. It's now just going to be the long process of restoring what has been destroyed. We lost a few good men, though."

She seemed not to hear him. "Hey, Eli! What do you say to Hare and Carrot stew tonight?" Eli gave a hearty laugh at her statement.

"That suits me just fine. You just go watchin' your step now. The house is a little fuller than it normally is." He warned briefly as they started to pull up to the place where they stayed. Arabella smiled.

"Thanks Eli. I'll get started on the soup. I'll bring out some of the extra supplies to make enough for everyone." The moment they had stopped, Arabella jumped off the bed and started for the kitchen. The second she opened the door she was bombarded with greetings from everyone which she happily reciprocated. Will stood next to Eli who was leaning against his truck.

"What happened to her?"

Eli sighed deeply. "I'll tell ya'll the story when she's asleep."

xxxxxPCxxxxx

Later that night when everyone was fed and in bed, Eli, Will, Timothy and Kyle sat around the small kitchen table with only a single candle for light.

"Alright boys. I'll tell you her story. Simply put, she has cancer." There was silence at the table. "Brain cancer. Her eyesight was the first thing to start going and now her mind is returning to a more childlike state. By the time she found you," he pointed at Will, "she couldn't see out of her right eye anymore. Now she can barely see out of her left. Earlier today she avoided answering you about your statement regarding the war, not because she didn't hear it, but because she couldn't process it. The rate at which her mind has been deteriorating has grown exponentially over the past couple of months."

The men sat dumbfounded. They had never in their wildest dreams imagined that something like that could happen to her.

"But… But isn't there something we can do about it?"

"By the time she saw your doctors about it, it was too late. Operating would have caused more damage than good and chemo wasn't gonna cut it."

"But, why didn't she tell us… Why didn't Ratchet tell us?" Kyle whispered.

"It's called doctor/patient confidentiality. He was not allowed to tell anyone about it and she didn't want you to worry."

"But why did she leave?" Will asked.

"Because you didn't need her anymore. She had passed on all her skills to ya' and when she knew you'd all be fine on your own, came back so that she can live the rest of her days in peace; doing what she done for the past eight years."

There was a thick silence in the air as the men tried to process this. Timothy finally spoke up.

"When will… How long until…"

"Your doctor figured out that in two weeks she won't be able to see squat anymore and in about six weeks' time the tumour would have gotten so bad that it will finally start cutting out the signals to the major organs. Her pain receptors have died a while ago and her mind will be so far gone that she will have a painless death."

The men sat quietly and tears were slowly running down Will's face.

"She didn't seem to have anything wrong with her when she was training us." Timothy breathed.

"That's because she learnt to hide it quite some time ago. All those quirky and weird statements she would make? That was her way of hiding the fact that there was something wrong."

There was another tense pause.

"Is… is there… is there anything we could do to make her life easier for now?" Will was barely speaking coherently anymore.

"Not really. I think when the time comes I will need your muscles. I ain't got my own anymore." The men sat still for a while and eventually Eli excused himself and went to bed. The others sat there for a moment longer before finally blowing out the candle and making their way to their own beds.

Needless to say, none of them slept that night.

xxxxxPCxxxxx

"Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today, to mourn the loss of our dearly departed friend, Arabella."

There was a light breeze on the slightly chilly Autumn day. In a small clearing in the middle of the forest there was a grave with a carefully carved tombstone. There lay a simple casket in the hole. Eli stood in his old Priest robes as he conducted the ceremony. Will, Sarah and Johnny stood huddled together close to the grave. On the other side stood Kyle and Timothy. They stood proudly with backs straight in the formal military pose. Tears were streaming down their faces but they remained silent, staring out straight ahead.

"To those who knew her, knew her as a mentor and a best friend. We have all learnt much from her over the years that we have spent together. She has taken care of us when we couldn't take care of ourselves."

Even Eli was struggling not to tear up. He had considered Arabella as a daughter.

Will was thinking back to her last wishes.

"Use… whatever you… can… from… the caves. I… want… you to… have… my… my… my bow."

"But, that's your bow, Bella."

"Non-sense… I'm… giving it… to… you. Will," He looked past his tears into her lifeless eyes, "live. You've… got your… family… now. Cherish… them. The… war's over. Live… Will. Remember to… to… to smell… the… roses… ok?" She gave a few shuddering breaths. "Will… promise me…" She started coughing.

"Promise what?"

"… promise… me… you'll… live."

Tears were streaming down his face. "I promise." It was a mere whisper. There was a small smile on Arabella's face.

"Bye… Will."

"No…" He could only watch as her eyes fluttered close. "No, Bella no!" He saw her chest rise once more and heard her sigh. "Bella!"

She did not inhale again.

"Bella! Bella, no!"

"We can only pray that she is in heaven with our Heavenly Father and that her soul will be at rest. Amen."

There was a small chorus of 'Amen's as everyone agreed. Just as they tried to grab the shovels, a voice interrupted them.

"May I say a few words?"

Everyone turned to see Optimus Prime along with the soldiers from the base. Bulkhead shrugged. He had notified Optimus to Arabella's condition a few days ago, which gave the leader enough time to arrive. Everyone turned to him to listen.

"We fought in a war that had spanned centuries of time. We stood, and fell, only to pick ourselves up again to continue. We have gained friends and lost comrades. Never in a million years would I have thought that the key to winning this war would lie on this planet. Arabella Michaels, you may not have landed the finishing blow, but you gave us the simple resources to do so. You brought many back from the brink depression and taught us so many valuable skills, skills that will be treasured and taught to everyone from now on. You will be remembered for the simple things that you did. For your service to mankind, I declare that a monument will be built in honour of you and the men you personally trained. For what you have done, I, Optimus Prime, will be forever in your debt."

Optimus stood up to his full height and snapped to a formal salute. Bulkhead followed suit, along with William, and soon every being there stood in respect of what she had done. A row of men came forward, carrying their weapons. Will nodded to them, before falling in line with them.

"Ready, face!"

The men turned on their heels, ankles clicking together as they stood facing the grave.

"Present, arms!"

Together, they brought their rifles to their sides.

"Ready!"

The rifles were lifted and held to their shoulders.

"Aim!"

The rifles were steadied.

"Fire!"

Seven rifles fired at the exact same moment.

"Ready!"

The rifles were cocked.

"Aim!"

The soldiers steadied the rifles once more.

"Fire!"

The rifles cracked loudly, and the procedure was repeated once more.

The men stood for a moment, before the sounds of a bugle filled the air. Bulkhead stood to the side as he played the recorded song. Tears were running down the faces of most of the people present.

Soon the song ended, the men were led off, and soon everyone came to say goodbye, by taking a handful of dirt a dropping it onto the coffin. Soon the grave was filled.

William stood, staring at the gravestone. He walked closer, resting his hand on top of the smooth marble.

"Good bye, 'Bella. And… And thanks… for everything." He stepped back, saluted once more, and turned, walking towards where his wife and child were standing and he walked proudly. He was proud that he had been saved by the woman that had saved the world.

I'm back from the dead! Woo!

So yeah. I thought it was time to end it. Sorry everyone. It was good while it still lasted!

I might end up rewriting the story and possibly changing elements, but don't hold your breathe that it is going to happen anytime soon. :P

Sowi.

Thanks to everyone for your reviews and your favs and follows. I really appreciated it :)

So long everyone! We might meet again!

Bye!