It was after noon and Saphira had just finished a sandwich, she was taking a break from working on the Nissan and she was currently checking real estate websites for rentals. She was not going to have a problem paying the rent, she will just have to give her current landlord a notice when she is accepted into a place. Her main priority was the size of the garage, she wanted one that Optimus could fit inside. It felt awkward he was sitting outside of the garage while the other autobots were inside with her with their holoforms. If just was strange to her, especially since she wanted to spend time with him.

"So renting doesn't actually mean you own that house?" Ironhide asked curiously after Saphira had to explain the difference between owning and renting a house to the autobots. She nodded to him and he frowned slightly. "Hmm…I guess your world is so strange that people can't even own a home of their own."

"It might seem like that, but everyone has a different life and unfortunately not everyone can own a home. But we are still lucky to have somewhere to live and sleep Ironhide. This garage isn't mine either." Saphira did not look at him as she scrolled through the different houses. "But I will ensure Optimus can fit in a garage when I find the right house."

"It is sweet of you to think of him that way." Ratchet was looking over Saphira's shoulder at the houses she was looking at. He never knew there was so many different houses on the planet, it intrigued him. "Although, you know when we leave at the end of the week, we don't know when we will see you again. The government hasn't been very helpful with that."

Saphira knew that, but that didn't mean she could not have a space for him. On that thought, she looked up from her computer with a hum and stood up, surprising the autobots. "Alright, I need to give my attention to him I think."

"You know he's just keeping watch for Barricade. Don't take him not spending time personally." Ironhide followed Saphira out of the room into the garage as he spoke to her.

"Yeah, but a week goes by quickly." Saphira walked up to the Peterbilt and placed her hands on her hips. "Are you gonna be like this all week Prime? Personally, I don't want us to do nothing. I like spending time with the others, but we should do something."

There was silence for a minute before the cab door opens. "Jump in. We can go for a ride." Saphira smiled and the autobots moved towards their vehicle forms. "Just Saphira. I want to use this as an apology for not spending time with her during the day."

Saphira was a bit surprised, as were the other autobots, but they simply shrug and waved to them as she climbed into the passenger seat of the cab. She got comfortable and put her seatbelt on. "Alright, where shall we go then?"

The engine of the truck starts and Optimus backs onto the road to drive away from the garage. "It would be better if I do not tell you." Saphira raised a curious eyebrow when he responded. "While you recharged last night, I went for a drive to ensure Barricade was not nearby. I might have driven a bit too far, and that is where I found it."

"Found what?"

"Hmm…I would love to tell you Saphira, however, it is a surprise. I figured it could be a new place for you to go and do this yoga you were doing this morning. Very peculiar I might add." Saphira smiled, she didn't know if seeing the poses weirded the autobots out or not, she wouldn't be surprised if it was the case though. Some yoga positions can be quite eyepopping if they are done correctly. "What is yoga for anyway? Seems to me you just stretch…but…I am not sure given our bodies would unlikely be capable of such an activity."

She giggled lightly at Optimus's comment about yoga. "It's honestly just for health reasons. I want to keep my body in shape. I am young, but we do get older everyday."

"Ah, I understand. It isn't just about the food you eat." She shakes her head as he spoke about food. "Good, it seems you do very well for yourself Saphira. It is impressive for someone your age."

"Yeah, not like I had any choice anyway. Being independent from a young age has its benefits though, or at least, that is how I see it." Saphira turned her head to look out the window as Optimus drove through the streets. "Can I ask you something Optimus?"

"Sure, you are free to ask me anything Saphira."

She did not ask her question straight away as she was trying to think on how to word the question. "Is Barricade the only reason why you won't use your holoform? You know, with all of you at the garage, I highly doubt he is going to do anything."

She heard the sound of something being expelled through vents on the outside. "It is not necessary to see right now Saphira. I am still on guard as not all the decepticons are gone. Megatron might be, but the decepticons are not. I am mostly concerned about Barricade as he has gotten close to you twice before."

Saphira didn't know if that sounded like an excuse or not, but she was not going to argue with Optimus. "Fine, well, maybe in the future I'll get to see it. It is just…it would be nice to spend time with you like the others. I don't see that as a bad thing."

"I never said it was a bad thing Saphira. I think you might misunderstand me if that is what you believe I think. It is just who I am. I look out for my autobots, in turn I look for you. When it is safe to do so, you will see my holoform." That sounded like a promise, but Saphira did understand where he was coming from.

She smiled, he definitely was a great leader if he cared for their wellbeing this much. "It's strange having someone looking out for me."

"You will have to get used to it Saphira. We are your friends after all." Friends, that was still a strange concept to her. She was getting used to it even if she definitely considered Bee as her friend. Maybe because she knew him for longer, or his personality matched hers a little bit. "At least you and Bee are getting along."

"Yeah, we are. I like him, even if he can't speak in his full form. I am guessing it because he's younger…although I have no idea how old you guys are really. But that isn't really my business." Saphira had guessed how long the autobots have lived for, but Cybertron years would probably be different to Earth years.

"Much older than the humans on this planet, I can assure you," Optimus said calmly with a light huff. "But we do celebrate our sparkdays when we turn a year older."

"Sparkday? That's another word for birthday I see. What do you do traditionally for your sparkdays? On Earth, we give the person celebrating their birthday a gift." She was genuinely curious because it could be something to participate in.

"Traditionally we would drink the highest grade of energon and give the one celebrating their sparkday a gift, usually a part they could use. On my last sparkday, Ironhide gave me new swords that I still use to this day. They have proven to be quite useful."

"I suppose drinking on your sparkday could be something I can do, maybe not energon but other drinks. But the part bit, nah. I'd have to leave that for you bots." She at least could participate in the celebration, she did wonder when their sparkdays were. But again, their world could have had a totally different calendar to Earth.

"I suppose we could do the same for you on your birthday. What kind of gifts are given humans on their birthday?" Optimus sounded genuinely curious about that, he was aware of Saphira's age and she would seventeen soon, although he may not be there for it.

"Well, there isn't anything specific Optimus. People buy gifts based on what the person likes, what their personality is like, if they need something or they just generally surprise them. They also can sometimes just treat them to a nice dinner, event or even a trip somewhere, there isn't anything specific. Only…" Saphira took in a deep breath and shrugged. "I don't really know the feeling. My parents stopped celebrating my birthday years ago. I just buy myself a small cake and light a single candle to blow out. That is my birthday."

"Hmm…I suppose that is going to need to change," Optimus said as he processed what Saphira told him. "Bumblebee will most definitely be here when you have your next birthday. I would promise to be there, but I would only hurt you when we are not there and break the promise." She was a bit disappointed to hear that, but she definitely preferred the truth over a promise that he might not be able to keep. "Knowing Bumblebee, he probably will get quite carried away with your birthday."

She giggled a little, that was something she would not mind seeing. "I think that will be quite interesting since human birthdays are not something you have ever celebrated."

"Not me personally, that is true, but Bee has been on this planet long enough to understand it. I have no concern about that." Optimus turned off the main road onto a quieter road that was slightly narrow. "Alright, we are almost there. Can I trust you enough to close your eyes until we get there?"

"Oh, so it is that kind of surprise huh?" Saphira said in a sarcastic tone and chuckled lightly. "Okay, I will cover my eyes Optimus, don't worry." She chuckled again as she placed her hands over her eyes. "You can always cover them yourself if you think I need the extra layer."

There was no response from Optimus other than a small huff coming through the speakers. Saphira was super curious on what Optimus wanted to show her. She had no idea he had found some secret place that he did not want the others to know about. She thought it was sweet of him, maybe he just wanted a place they could spend together without a garage. Nonetheless, she was very tempted to peak between her fingers to see where they were going. Especially when she felt him make a left onto a dirt road as she heard the sound of rocks crunching and the sound of the sides of the truck brushing against plants. It was super interesting and exciting to her. Optimus came to a stop and Saphira nearly pulled her hands away from her eyes, but he transformed suddenly and she felt his hand over her eyes to cover them while he held her in his other palm. She giggled a little, she realized Optimus was serious about this surprise, so she kept her hands over her eyes.

Slowly lowering her to the ground, Optimus gazed out upon the field he had discovered. He pressed his metal lips together and moved his hand away from her face. "You can open your eyes now Saphira."

Lowering her hands, she opened her eyes and took in a big gasp as she gazed upon the field in front of her. It was a large, open field with rolling hills and the hills had corrosion on them, suggesting that they had been dug into by vehicles many years ago. There was a small pond at the center of the hills, and the hill overlooking the pond definitely looked like a vehicle had dug into it. There were many wildflowers around the field and she was speechless, the aromatic scent filled her nostrils and she rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

"How did you manage to find this place Optimus?" Saphira said in disbelief, she almost did not want to get off his hand as her eyes gazed around at the field. "Was it really a total accident?"

"Indeed it was. I am not sure why I drove off the road, but I did." Optimus shrugs slightly, smiling as he gazed at the field while waiting for Saphira to explore it. "I figure you could use this place for your yoga."

"No, this place is too special for that." She stepped off the metal palm onto the grass, feeling it crunch under her feet as she walked through the grass. She giggled a little and felt the air blowing through her hair gently. "This place is so beautiful…"

"Yes, very beautiful." Optimus gazed at the field and his optics glance back at Saphira, he was very pleased he impressed her.

She glanced down at the slope in front of her and looked at Optimus. "At least I can do what I haven't done in a long time."

"What would that be?"

"Rolling down a hill of grass and flowers, I used to do that a lot at a local park before it got flattened. It is a lot of fun." Optimus seemed confused by that, yet curious on what that was. "You might be a bit too clunky for it." The autobot frowned slightly as she continued to speak, though he was still curious. "But, it's a lot of fun. Even slightly down the hill on a hessian sack is a lot of fun."

Optimus opened his mouth to ask what a hessian sack is as Saphira turned and ran towards the slope of the hill. She squeals in delight as she threw herself down to roll down the hill, laughing loudly. Optimus stood up and stepped towards the slope, watching her roll down the hill to ensure she did not injure herself. He thought it was a bit ridiculous himself, but it was a simple joy that made her laugh, he decided that there was nothing wrong with that.

When Saphira reached the bottom, she stared at the sky with her arms splayed out, breathing in the grass aroma from around her. She sighed and sat up with a frown, she had landed on something hard. It was probably a rock. She shifts and reached behind her, feeling a rock that she landed on. However, as she pulled it around, she blinked in surprise as the rock gleamed in the sunlight. She was surprised as she stared at it, it was unpolished, damaged and had a bit of dirt on it, but the green and glassy surface was unmistakeable. It was a gemstone. An emerald! She realized this place must have been an old emerald mine many years ago.

"Wow…never thought I would find something this expensive," Saphira muttered to herself as she rubbed her finger along the gem and glanced down, her eyes spotting the scattered pieces of emeralds around the field. She glanced up at Optimus with a smile. "There are emerald pieces in the field!"

He walked down the hill as he saw Saphira inspecting the rock in her hand. The sparkle of glistening green made him grimace slightly, he kneels to get a closer look at these rocks and he picks one up from the ground, looking at it closely. "Emeralds?"

"They are among the most expensive, and beautiful gemstones in the world," Saphira explained as she gazed at the stone in her hand. Optimus turned his head as he processed her words and listened to her. "Gemstones are stones we humans all wish to have, even if it is just a single carat. They are dug up from within the Earth, they are polished and shaped to fit any piece of jewellery."

"Oh, I see…" Optimus himself was gazing at the emeralds closely, and he saw Saphira's eyes in them. Her eyes were the same colour as them. "You share the same colour with them in your eyes." She grinned at that and nodded. "In fact, it seems the sun is reflecting off them, I see the glimmer of green on your skin."

She glanced up at him as he spoke about that and chuckled a little. "I can see the reflections on you too." She points to his chest and he glanced down to see she was right. "Any gem or crystal will do that Optimus. Even glass can." She looked back at the emerald piece in her hand and hummed a little. "I guess this is a little souvenir."

"Even though it is not polished?" Optimus asked curiously as he watched Saphira stand and brush herself off while holding the emerald.

"It isn't really important to me if the gemstone is polished or not Optimus. It is still beautiful, it is in its natural form." She looked at the pond in front of her and she smiled slightly as she saw the glitter of emeralds at the bottom of the water. "I don't see it as dirty or need to change. It is fine the way it is. Probably how I look at people honestly. When people ask you to change, sometimes it is best you don't listen to them unless you are doing something wrong."

"I have to say I agree with you Saphira. That gem is a metaphor in a sense." Optimus glanced at the pond, he too saw the emeralds shining from the light of the sun at the bottom of the pond. He had found this place at night, it really was different during the day. "I am glad you like this place. Perhaps we should bring the others out here at some point."

"Yeah, it could be a place to camp too." Saphira looked down at the flowers for a moment and walked towards a large cluster of flowers and sat down, crossing her legs. Optimus watched her curiously and followed her as she began to pick the flowers to weave the stems together. "It is nice you want it to be just you and I though Optimus."

"We could come here each day if you would like." Optimus's eyes never left Saphira's hands, he did not think that the stem of the flowers could be woven like that, and it appeared she was making something with them. "You are clearly enjoying yourself."

Saphira would like that a lot. She kept herself focused on what she was working on until she finished and held it up to show Optimus. "I made a necklace." She placed it over her head and Optimus smiled as he looked at the flower necklace around her neck. "If we have no gems, we use something else."

"I think that is very beautiful," Optimus said as he gazed at her, his optics seem to dim slightly as he spoke to her. "You are very talented for a young, human female."

She shrugged and pulled more flowers to weave another item. "I keep getting told that Optimus. But thank you."

Optimus couldn't help but think that Saphira did not take to heart of being told how talented she is. It made him feel sad for her. She was still so young, and it was obvious in her actions today. However, it showed there was a different side to her. A gentler side compared to the confident girl he was used to seeing. Plus, aside from the fact Elita's holoform had a similar appearance to Saphira, he felt something tugging at his spark. He didn't know why. Something about Saphira, her situation, personality and the will to fight hard for her place in the world…it just intrigued him so much to the point of tugging at his spark. He didn't know if that simply meant he was intrigued by this girl or there was something else. Nonetheless, it warmed his spark he was able to bring her here. She loved it and Optimus intended to bring her back here everyday. After all, there was only a few more days before they had to leave.