233

Optimus POV

It felt as if the Autobots had been driving forever. Occasionally they'd take a break, allowing themselves enough time to feel a bit more rested, then it was back on the road. They couldn't afford to waste too much time resting, or the enemy would cause more unnecessary damage. Optimus wouldn't allow that.

He was still protective of the human race.

No One POV

Marli and Celia stood at the doorway of the Yeager home. If Desirée was truly staying there...No, they needed to see her. They had to see her. Desirée needed to know what happened to them. She needed to know...

The two women looked at each other, almost feeling the same thing. Was it fear? Anxiety? The two of them wouldn't openly admit how they were truly feeling, they had spent such a long time suppressing their feelings, it felt weird openly expressing it.

"Are you ready?" Celia asked.

Marli swallowed. Neither of them knew Desirée's current condition. Taking a deep breath, Marli nodded, hoping she didn't seem too bothered by the whole idea.

They didn't know exactly what they were getting themselves into, and it worried them to death.

"Well, let's go then," Celia said, swallowing thickly.

They looked at the front door for a moment in an anxious, tense silence. Neither of them dared to move to knock on the door; neither of them moved an inch. They were silently terrified - all those moments they felt like they were doing the right choice in approaching Desirée to talk...and they felt petrified. Was that a natural feeling - petrified?

"I'll knock," Marli murmured, almost in a way to reassure herself. Closing her eyes, she took another deep breath and lifted her fist to the door, lowering it slightly. She was hesitating. Chewing on her bottom lip, Marli felt her determination slowly plummet. But she needed to do this. Celia and Marli needed to do this.

And she knocked.

Desirée POV

"There's someone here to see you." Tessa opened the door, looking behind her with a slightly confused and anxious. "Uhm,they say they know you."

"Oh..." My eyebrows furrowed. They knew me?

"Should I...?" Tessa looked at me. I nodded. Tessa nodded, opening the door wider and two women who looked very familiar walked in. Tessa kept the door slightly ajar, just in case there was any intervention needed.

"Hey, Desirée." I looked between the two of them, trying to figure out who they were. They looked so familiar...

"Uhm, hi," I responded slowly.

"Do you remember us?"

I looked between the two of them for a minute, trying to put a name with the familiarity.

"I...think so," I answered.

"Celia and Marli," one of them said, her voice sharp.

Celia and Marli...? My eyes widened. The names hit me like a ton of bricks. Marli and Celia! They were seeing Dino and Jazz! How could I have forgotten them? I thought, mentally screaming to myself.

I covered my mouth, surprise and fear bubbling up in me.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

"What happened?" Celia asked sharply. "You just abandoned us!"

Shaking my head, I felt tears filled my eyes.

"I didn't know what happened to you," I exclaimed defensively.

Marli put a hand on Celia's shoulder, giving her a look. Celia's eyes twinkled with an emotion I couldn't recognize. I swallowed thickly.

"Cemetery Wind took us." Marli looked at me solemnly. "We were imprisoned by them."

My eyes widened. "They imprisoned you?" I exclaimed.

"What else do you think they did?" Celia spat. "Do you think they let us go?"

"Celia," Marli hissed. "Listen, Desirée, we're not here to blame you for anything. You didn't know..."

"She had to have known!" Celia exclaimed. "They wouldn't have let us run free if we were with them."

"Celia, I'm sorry, OK?" I stammered, trying to control the tears that were threatening to fall. "If I had known where you were being kept, I would have gone after you both. I'm sorry."

"Apologizing doesn't help, Desirée." Celia's cold-hearted look made me feel so guilty.

"Celia, please." Marli gave her friend a desperate look. "We agreed we weren't going to blame her for anything - come on, she's in tears right now."

The cold-hearted look on Celia's face stayed as she pursed her lips.

Marli looked at me with an almost pitying look.

"Celia and I have some mixed emotions on seeing you again," she explained. "Celia's a bit more hostile on the matter, but...I'd like to believe that you..." She shook her head, trying to find the words. "I want to believe that you were doing the right choice," she sighed. "There must've been a reason you didn't know where we were."

I chewed my bottom lip. I didn't dare say anything, it would seem like I was making excuses.

"We were hoping that, maybe, we could just talk." The gentleness in Marli's tone made my stomach do back flips. I felt scared. Celia looked infuriated. Why was Marli so calm?

"Why aren't you upset?" I whispered shakily.

Marli's eyes softened a bit. "I just..." She sighed, looking down for a moment. "I am upset with you," she admitted, "but it's not the kind of anger Celia's feeling."

I nodded.

"Talking about what happened these past few years was something I wanted us to do," Marli said softly. "It could help us better understand what happened."

"Yes, of course!" I exclaimed, wiping my eyes furiously.

Celia's eyes watched me carefully. She looked at Marli, the two of them having some sort of silent conversation. I felt my heart beating painfully in my chest.

Elita POV

The Autobot hadn't been using her Holoform or transforming much. She didn't feel the need to. Ever since she found herself staying with the humans and the other Autobots, she didn't feel any kind of relief or closure. She hoped that, when reunited with Optimus, things would have picked up where they left off. No.

Optimus had developed feelings for a human; the Autobots were darker than she remembered. The ones who were alive anyway.

Whatever went on with the Autobots and the humans before Elita came to earth, it must have been something catastrophic.

But the femme's processors weren't on what happened between the humans and Autobots - despite how bad it might have been - her processors were on the Sparkmate of Optimus. She felt her Spark wrack with emotions every single time that human femme entered her processors.

In all of Elita's life, she had never experienced such frustration and - would that be the right term? - jealousy. Elita had never been a jealous femme before. But she had loved Optimus with all her Spark. And it felt like he couldn't see that.

QUICKY A/N:

Hey-Yo! I hope you enjoyed this update. Sorry it took so long to get up. The interweb connection in my room isn't the best! I just hope you all enjoyed this update.

Your reviews are the heartbeat of this story! I love hearing what you guys have to say about the updates I put up! Honestly, this story is still going because of all of you.

Anywho, before I finish my ramblings, I probably won't be updating tomorrow. My band's having its second-to-last band concert tomorrow and I need to make sure I get everything in order for that!

It's been an honor being able to provide you guys with a story that I hope you still enjoy!

STAY SNAPPY.

THANK YOU, ONE AND ALL.

READ, REVIEW, ENJOY!

YOURS TRULY,

~SMITHY