199

My visit with Sam wasn't long enough, but I had I had stayed as long as I promised everyone in Texas I would. I made sure to spend as much time as I could Ron and Judy; I tried spending time with Carly and Sam, as well. I could tell Saoirse and Eden looked like they had a fun time, as well. They really seemed to be comfortable with Ron and Judy, and they seemed to easily warm up to 'uncle Sam' and 'auntie Carly'.

Sam was nice enough to give us a ride to the airport and buy us tickets in advanced. It was an emotional farewell between all of us, but they promised to visit us once Daniel (the official name of their baby boy, they told us) was born, helping me contact Lennox and everyone else for our little 'family reunion'.

After our final farewell at the airport, and a promise to tell Carly our final goodbyes as well, the girls and I boarded the airplane and headed back to Texas.

Once we landed, the girl and I found Bee waiting in the crowd of cars at the airport. The Autobots had counted down the girls and I had been gone and made sure to wait for us the moment we returned. I smiled at that, patting the dashboard gently. Bee didn't activate the Holoform, but he did speak through radio clippings.

The drive took a couple hours, and was pretty quiet when Bumblebee wasn't attempting to talk with radio clippings. As far as I knew, everyone was OK, living safely on their own while I was with Sam and Carly. I didn't really have much to say to Bee, there wasn't much to talk about. The girls weren't really talking, they were just sitting there, nodding off.

Once we reached the Yeagers' farmhouse, I got out of Bee, holding the girls, and thanked him for his troubles.

Bee just gave a little rev of his engine, before settling in park on the large driveway.

The girls and myself walked up to the front door; I knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to answer. When Tessa answered the door, she gave me a big smile and announced my arrival to her father.

"It's good to have you back," Cade said, coming to the front door.

I gave a small smile. "It's good to be back," I responded. Placing Saoirse on the ground, she shuffled into the living room and plopped herself on the ground, falling asleep instantly.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked tiredly.

"They went shopping," Tessa said. "Ironhide and Sideswipe took them to the store to get some food and other things."

I nodded wordlessly. Sitting on the couch, I placed Eden beside me. She hadn't woken from her sleep, kind of falling on her side, curling up in a small ball. Brushing some of my hair out of my face, I sighed silently.

"Rough trip?" Cade asked. He shot me a sympathetic look.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "It was fine," I responded. "It was nice seeing everyone."

"Your brother seems like a really nice guy." Tessa sat on the armrest of the couch.

"He is." I leaned back on the couch, crossing my arms over my chest. I took a big breath and sighed.

I'll have to put the girls to bed, I thought solemnly. That's if I know which room is mine. If Cade still wants me to stay with him, anyway.

"Isn't he engaged?" Cade asked, looking deep in thought. He scratched the back of his neck distractedly.

I nodded. "His girlfriend of a couple years," I said solemnly. "She's pregnant. Sam and I were thinking of having our family reunion after the baby's born."

We talked for a little while longer before Cade told me he saved a room just for the girls and I. Helping me with the girls, he led me to the spare room and seemed pleased with how it looked.

"Thank you," I said gratefully. "I still owe you money."

Cade seemed slightly confused by what I said. Giving him a small smile, I thanked him for helping me with the girls and put them on the comfortable looking bed.

"When you fixed Optimus the first time we met," I said softly. "I promised I'd pay you. I'm going to get you the money."

Cade gave me a firm 'no'.

"You don't need to pay us." He looked utterly serious, crossing his arms over his chest. "After everything that's happened, we don't need anything from you. You protected my daughter and myself from danger; that's good enough."

"What about getting Tessa through college?" I asked worriedly. She always gave a twinge of motherly concern for me. I looked at Tessa as almost a surrogate daughter.

"Joshua is helping us financially," he responded. "He has a conscience, after all. Until we're able to support ourselves, and I can start a better business in repairing and building, he's going to be giving us some support."

"I wouldn't have expected that," I murmured.

"He's a decent guy if he's not complaining." Cade gave a slight smirk. "He's also going to help us in suing the government."

Suing the government...with Joyce? He's the one who was in charge of KSI...the guy who helped Cemetery Wind slaughter Autobots and melt them down for newer, better versions of Transformers. How well will this go for us if we go through with this?

Nodding silently, I took a moment to have what Cade told me.

If we're legitimately going to bring the government to court - though I don't think the entire government was aware of the situation with Cemetery Wind and KSI - then we're going to need some intense emotional and mental preparation. Would it be smart to have the Autobots be there? They wouldn't be able to fit in a courtroom, obviously...the Holoforms, possibly. But without Optimus... And so many of those Transformers prototypes had been killed in China! Galvatron's the only one we know that's still alive, right?

I mentally groaned.

Glancing at Cade, I gave him my best smile, thanking him for his generosity. He nodded his acceptance, throwing a friendly smile my way. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I looked at the girls solemnly.

I felt a dull sensation in the pit of my stomach, like a feeling I couldn't quite recognize. Rubbing my stomach absentmindedly, my mind wandered to Optimus. Despite the distance, I could still feel his emotions. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back and pursed my lips. Swallowing thickly, I tried imagining what Optimus was doing, where he was in space.

Opening my eyes, feeling the sting of tears in the backs of my eyes, I gave a shaky sigh.

Optimus POV

Optimus had stopped his search momentarily. He glanced behind him, toward the solar system his Sparkmate and Sparklings were inhabiting. His Spark ached.

His optics shuddered close. The Prime prayed to Primus that Desirée and the girls were safe and sound. When his optics opened, he frowned. He could still feel Desirée's emotions, even at a distance such as theirs. He still needed to find a secure location for the Seed, he couldn't return to her yet. Before he departed, he was certain he wouldn't be able to return to earth. Feeling Desirée's emotions were overwhelming him. She felt so much negativity, and he wasn't there to comfort her.

She's surrounded by friends and family, he thought sadly. She'll be just fine.

Turning around, reluctantly, the Prime resumed his search for the Seed's location and to gain information on the Creators.

QUICKY A/N:

I SHOULDN'T HAVE PUT A CH. UP TODAY, BUT I WAS FEELING CREATIVE SO...IT'S KIND OF IRONIC (I THINK) THAT I'M ABLE TO WRITE A CH. FOR THIS FANFIC, BUT I CAN'T WRITE AN ESSAY FINAL FOR MY ENGLISH CLASS. OH WELL! JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU GUYS THINK AND I'LL TRY TO MAKE THE NEXT UPDATE BETTER THAN THIS ONE.

I WAS THINKING OF POSSIBLY HAVING SOME TIME SKIPS IN THE FUTURE UPDATES, AND CARLY AND SAM'S SON WILL BE BORN AROUND THOSE TIME SKIP UPDATES. AND HIS NAME'S OFFICIALLY DANIEL, FOR THOSE WHO LOVE THE OLDER GENERATION OF TRANSFORMERS STUFF.

I GREATLY DISLIKE DISCLAIMERS, SINCE ALL OF YOU KNOW I OWN NOTHING BUT MY OWN CHARACTERS AND FILLERS, BUT THE TRANSFORMERS STUFF ISN'T MINE, THE FOUR OC'S AREN'T MINE, AND ALL THE MOVIES I USED IN MY FANFICTION ARE NOT MINE. THE TRANSFORMERS MOVIES BELONG TO WHOEVER DIRECTED IT. I ONLY OWN WHATEVER'S MINE AND A LIKING FOR THE MOVIES.

THANKS FOR ALL THE LOVELY REVIEWS YOU'VE LEFT! AND I CAN'T BELIEVE I REACHED 200 CH.'S FOR THIS FANFICTION. I AM GENUINELY SURPRISED.

THIS FANFIC HAS RECEIVED THE MOST REVIEWS AND HAS MORE CH.'S THAN ALL MY OTHER FANFICS. SO, THAT'S AWESOME!

STAY SNAPPY.

THANK YOU, ONE AND ALL.

READ, REVIEW, ENJOY!

YOURS TRULY,

~SMITHY