School felt like a big drag today. Saphira could barely keep her mind on the classes, her mind was on the autobots. Well, more specifically, Optimus Prime. His attentiveness and gentleness towards her intrigued her, especially after this morning. She had not realized her hair had interested him until he touched it. It was quite endearing. However, Saphira couldn't help but wonder why. It definitely came across he liked her more than a friend, although she had to remember he wasn't from Earth so his actions might not be that. It just simply felt that way though. Especially that the spot Optimus had found really felt romantic a lot, and Saphira found herself yearning to be with him alone. She was questioning her own feelings about it as well, mostly because she was confused. She figured she would work out those feelings eventually, but for now she would just go on as she is now.

When school finally finished, Saphira was waiting outside the school, leaning against the wall quietly as she waited for Optimus or Ironhide to pick her up. She kept an eye out for Sophia in case she tried to do something again, that girl had been mocking her with her still injured elbows for the past week, even though she ran when Ironhide approached her. Though, Saphira didn't really blame her. His holoform is rather intimidating like his full form is, even a buffed man would probably tremble upon seeing him. Still, Saphira would rather keep out of trouble if she could help it.

But, it just was not her lucky day when the girl spotted her as she walked down the stairs. "Well, well, well…" Saphira rolled her eyes, annoyed at that voice from Sophia. "Waiting for your pickup again? That's too bad!"

"What do you want Sophia?" Saphira responded in a dull, bored voice. "Do you have nothing better to do with your time?"

"Oh, of course!" Sophia reacted as though Saphira had a offended her as she placed her hand on her chest in shock. "I can't believe you said that. You know I'm a busy girl! I am going shopping today."

"You go shopping everyday," She responded and shakes her head at her. "You're way too vain Sophia. Try being humble, it might look good on you."

The blonde's laugh was high pitched and it made Saphira nearly cover her ears from the pitch. "Oh, you are so funny! By the way, what happened to that big, hunk who rescued you the other day?"

"He's still around. Why? You were terrified of him Sophia, plus he hates little bitches like you." Saphira chuckled at the shocked expression on the girl's face and she looked up to see Optimus and Ironhide arriving. "Oh, and here he is now."

Sophia glared at Saphira as she watched her walk towards the vehicles. "And since when did you like custom trucks huh?"

Saphira ignored her, her eyes lit up when she saw the door open, and William Lennox stepped out of the car. "Oh my…Will!" She ran over excitedly and hugged him. "It is so good to see you again!"

"Likewise!" Lennox responded with a chuckle before letting her go. "I hope you don't mind that I dropped by. The autobots figured you would be thrilled to see me."

She nodded. "Of course I am Captain…or, should I say Major now?" Saphira giggled as Lennox chuckled along with her.

"I think just Will or Lennox will be fine, you don't have to call me by my rank." Lennox stepped back and gestured for Saphira to get into the GMC. "Oh, ladies' first."

"Hey Saphira!" Sophia yelled, making Saphira grimace and groan loudly, Will raised an eyebrow and glanced at the blonde girl curiously. "You have another man?"

"What is she talking about?" Lennox asked with a frown, glancing at Saphira as she shrugged.

"That bitch pushed me into the cement the other day…" Saphira points at her bandaged elbows and the man widened his eyes as he understood. "She's just someone who I used to call friend, she turned out to be fake. Ironhide happened to help, that is what she means."

"Ah right." Lennox nodded and Saphira climbed into the cab as he glanced at the girl. "I'd advise you to back off, young lady. You have no business talking to her."

The girl frowned in confusion before turning in a huff and Lennox walked around to the driver's side to get in. Saphira was glad that the girl didn't make such a big fuss as that was the last thing she needed today with the autobots leaving in a few hours. "Were you able to have a break Lennox?" Saphira asked the man curiously as Ironhide drives away from the school.

"Yes, I am very glad I was able to. I got to finally meet my daughter." She smiled at him, she knew he would be a great dad to the girl. "It is a shame I won't be there like I want to. But…I have a job to do I guess. It was great while I could be there for my ladies."

"That sounds great. The autobots had a good time just chilling in my garage. I think they have enjoyed it…" Saphira paused for a moment and glanced at the dash. "You enjoyed yourself didn't you Ironhide?"

"I guess we did, punk," He responded casually through the speakers. "I know we all enjoyed learning Chess, how you work on cars and about the difference between renting and owning…I guess it has been a good week."

William laughed loudly as he heard Ironhide's response. "I guess it has been a week of learning for them huh? Though, I was very shocked to hear that you are living in that garage Saphira. I am very sorry your parents disowned you." Saphira just shrugged, he could see it was not bothering her. "I guess they must not have been great to begin with. Well…if you were my daughter, I probably would be more mad that you are hanging out with strange guys from another world than the fact you went to war."

Saphira burst out laughing as she could totally see that with Lennox. "I can so totally see that."

William chuckled softly, he himself thought it was hilarious, although it was likely something he would be when it came to his daughter when she becomes a teenager. "Oh well, nothing I can do when you're not my kid, though. At least you have new friends. I did hear you got an application approved for a rental, so at least that is good news. I am still curious about how you get money."

"Let's just say it's in my veins," Saphira responded with a smug expression. "I have not been making money this week, but I will from next week."

"Ooohhh, I see, you don't want the autobots to know about it. But I am sure since Bee will be staying, they will find out anyway." Lennox was curious about what she did for a living, but if she didn't want to say, he wouldn't press unless he suspected it was something illegal. "As long as it pays the bills and it is safe, that is all that matters I suppose. Still, someone your age being able to get somewhere to rent is very impressive."

"It is. I rented that garage like a year ago anyway, it was my escape from the old house and I've never missed a payment. My record is good enough that getting a place to rent is easy." Saphira glanced at the side mirror to see Optimus, she did wish she was in his cab instead, but it was nice to speak with Lennox. "At least I had somewhere to go after they kicked me out. The garage is not much, I know, but it is somewhere that is warm, sheltered and I am able to sleep comfortably at night."

"That is a positive way of looking at it I suppose. At least you'll have a more comfortable space soon, so I guess it is not all bad. I also heard something from the autobots…" She looked at William curiously and saw he had a concerned expression. "Did Barricade really offer to change sides?"

"Yeah, he did." She nodded, but Saphira didn't look confident about it. "I know, he's still around in the city and that means I have to be careful."

The man nodded, he did not trust Barricade, but Optimus told him a chance has been given to Barricade to prove that he genuinely wants to change sides. "If Barricade causes any trouble, do not hesitate to call for help. I will give you a list of other decepticons to watch out for that we think are still in the US. The others are scattered around the globe."

Saphira definitely would appreciate knowing about the other decepticons in the country. "At least if I recognize them, I can call them out. Plus, they behave differently to regular cars anyway. I know Starscream is still around."

"We have not been able to locate him," Ironhide said through the speakers. "Starscream is still alive, but we have not been able to locate him. We think he might have left the planet, maybe. But we are not sure on that."

That was interesting, and yet worrisome at the same time. She only had one interaction with that bot, and it was not good at all. Nonetheless, as long as he stays away, she would not have to worry about him at all. It will certainly be interesting once the autobots leave her with Bee if things will change.

"I suppose at least he won't be a problem, hopefully, for a while," Saphira said softly, looking out the window as Ironhide drives along the road. "My last year of high school is next year…"

"Oh yeah, they mentioned that." Lennox hummed for a moment and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'll give you my number and you can text me when the date of your graduation is next year." She looked at him in surprise and opened her mouth to speak. "Now, before you argue, I would be happy to attend the graduation with you. I'll make sure I can get time for myself, Robert and the autobots."

"Really? You would do that?" Saphira stared at him in surprise and he nodded with a big smile. "That would be wonderful. I just hope you are not pulling my leg, I know that working for the military can be unpredictable. So…I would hope you are not lying."

William's face softened as he understood what she was saying. "I completely understand Saphira, I know you must be used to being let down. But I am not like that. I am a Major now, that does give me a little more say in things. So, as soon as you know the date of your graduation, shoot me a text and I will be there, along with the other autobots and Robert."

She hoped he wasn't lying, but he did sound sincerely, unlike the tone her parents always had. "Well, okay. I look forward to it. Is Epps here today anyway?"

"No, sorry, he could not come today," Will responded with a shake of his head. "But he does send his best wishes to you. I will make sure he's there at your graduation though."

She was a bit sad Robert wasn't there today, but there was not much she could do about that if he couldn't come. "Well, thank him for me Will." He nodded and she noticed Ironhide turned into the street towards the garage. "Ahh, almost there."

"Yes we are." Will smiled as Ironhide approached the driveway. Saphira noticed the black SUV parked out front, she had guessed he had arrived in a different car. "So, I guess that means we should figure out what to do. We have about two hours before we need to leave."

"Two hours?!" Saphira groaned at that, she really thought she would have more than that. "I was going to ask Optimus to go somewhere, but there's no time for that I guess."

"Where would that?" Will asked curiously as Ironhide came to a stop.

"Oh, that emerald field Optimus found at the start of the week," Ironhide said through the speakers, answering the question. "It is an old mine. He and Saphira have been going there alone the past couple days."

The man raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh, have they?" Saphira nodded as she opened the door and slid out of the GMC with her bag. "Now that is interesting information."

Will stepped out of the car, Bumblebee and Ratchet were already waiting for them in their holoforms in the garage. Ironhide's holoform followed Will into the garage and the man took proper notice of the vehicles parked in the garage. He looked over them and the man realized what Saphira did for a living. He smiled a bit and shakes his head, he knew there were underground races around the city that were legal. There was nothing he could do about that.

"You have a sweet collection," Will comments, walking over to the Chevelle. "I imagine with the new space at the new house, you probably will get a few more cars right?"

He turned to look at Saphira who seemed very surprised. "Wait, you know about the races?"

The man nodded with a roll of his eyes. "Of course I do. I heard about it many years ago. It's good money once you know how to drive these babies properly. You must be really talented behind the wheel." She smiled and shrugged casually. "If it pays the bills, which I know it does, then there is no room for me to judge."

"Thank you." Saphira places her bag in the small room and grabbed a banana to eat as she was feeling peckish. "I've been skipping out on the meets in favour of spending time with the autobots."

"Which is reasonable, I highly doubt you would miss out on much. Maybe a few grand of course." Will shrugged and she chuckled at him. "Anyway…" He moved the bag he had on his back to his shoulder and opened it. "Here is the list of decepticons we know are in the US."

He pulled out a folder and Saphira took it. "Thanks, I'll look through it later."

"So, that's why you have those cars…" Ratchet placed his hands on his hips as he frowned at Saphira. She smirked a little and shrugged at him. "No wonder you seem to have skill behind the wheel…it's impressive, but it is dangerous."

"Sure it is dangerous, but that skill will get me out of tight situations if I need to," Saphira said, shrugging again, she wasn't caring that the autobots were not impressed by it. "It's honestly got me to where I am now Ratchet. Without the races, I…I probably would be in a very dark place mentally. I would not be happy at all. The cars, the races…they mean something to me. Plus, I wouldn't even have a roof over my head without them."

"She has a point," Ironhide said in a slow thoughtful tone. "We might not understand it, Ratchet, in fact we probably don't need to. But, now that we know of her life with her parents, it is understandable she would find something that she feels like she needs. I honestly wouldn't bat an eye if she had gone to the races while we are here. But, friends come first. Ain't that right punk?" Saphira nodded silently. "I bet once we leave, she will be on her way to a race meet."

Saphira did not really think about that, but she also probably won't feel like going. She didn't say anything on that one, but she could tell by Bee's face that he would try to stop her. She doubted he could stop her though even if he wanted to.

"I doubt she will." Will walked over to Saphira and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to hug her gently. "But, don't try to stop her Bee. It's how she's making a living. Only stop her if there is danger of course."

Bumblebee hums for a moment before speaking. "Fine. It does not sit right with me though. I've seen the way she drives. It frightens me she will hurt herself like that. I don't want to see my little sister hurt."

"Little sister?" Will chuckled lightly and looked at Saphira curiously. "How long has he been calling you that?"

"For a while. I think it's endearing and cute. I don't mind at all, he is like a big brother." She had a smirk on her face as she thought it was funny.

Will thought so too as he was smiling as well. "Well, that is out of the way. We need to think on what to do to pass the hours."

Saphira was not sure, she placed the folder onto a desk and turned to look at the Peterbilt. She really wanted to go to the field, but she couldn't. "Hmm…oh, I have Twister. We could play that. I haven't taught them that yet."

Lennox began to laugh as she ducked into the room to find the box. "Twister? Uhh…what is that?" Ratchet asked curiously.

"Oh, it's very easy, it's also very stupid and a lot of funny," Lennox responded. "But I might just watch for the first game. It is only a two-to-three-person game, so I'll go over the rules with you in a moment."

The autobots glance at each other and Saphira ran out with the box. She pulled out the mat and spread it out on the ground pulled out the spinner. "Alright, will you be the referee Will?"

He nodded and took it from Saphira. "Alright, autobots, the rules for this game is simple. This mat in front of you see the four rows of spots right? Well, when I press the spinner and it lands on a colour with, for example, right hand red, you must place your hand on that spot and don't move. The next person goes and places their hand or foot on a designated colour. You cannot touch the mat with your elbows or knees, so if you do, you're out. The idea of it is, is to force the other player to touch the mat with their elbow, knee or they are unable to get a spot. The last player left standing is the winner."

"Sounds simple," Ratchet comments as he listened to the rules.

Saphira giggled. "Well, I'll be one player, who wants to join. We should do three at a time." Ironhide stepped back, he didn't want to join in, but Bee and Ratchet were eager to join. "Alrighty, I'll go first. Will, if you please…"

William started the game off and it didn't take long before Saphira, Ratchet and Bee were giggling with their arms and legs tangled as they try to force each other off the mat. Ironhide was laughing his butt off too, he realized he would probably be too heavy for this game, but he definitely enjoyed watching. Optimus too, even though he was only watching from his alt form. Watching Saphira enjoy her time with the other autobots did make him a little sad he wasn't joining in. But he kept his promise of not letting her see his holoform unless necessary, and to keep watch for Barricade.

It took about thirty-five minutes before Saphira lost to Bee and Ratchet, and a further ten minutes before Ratchet beat Bee at the game. It was hilarious! Ironhide offered to be referee so Will could join in the game. Although it was going to be just three, they decided all four would play and that turned out to be hilarious. They all quickly were tangled up together and Ratchet was the first one to fall this time. The game went on for another hour until Lennox beat both Saphira and Bee, it was super fun and Saphira had a great time as they were all laughing. The autobots were even considering sharing this game with their friends when they arrive to Earth.

Saphira grabbed herself and Lennox some water to drink. "Here Will, all that excitement has made me thirsty," She said, sipping the cold water as Lennox took his cup.

"Yeah, me too." He glanced at his watch and sighed deeply. "And sadly, we have to go shortly. We have five minutes."

She groaned a little and turned her head to Optimus. She walked over to the truck and looked up at him. "Can I climb up for short bit? We only have a few minutes."

The door opened and she climbed up into the cab to sit in the passenger seat. She sipped more water and sighed deeply. "I am very glad and the others were able to have a great time this afternoon Saphira. It looks like a fun game."

"You could have joined in," Saphira said softly, rubbing her thumb along the side of the cup. "I am going to miss you. I don't think I have ever missed anyone in my life. It is a very strange feeling…"

"I imagine it must be, but we are not going to be far away." It will feel like they will be far away to her. "I apologize that we could not go to the field this afternoon. I had wanted to, but Lennox showed up and he said we had to remain here until we leave. I am sorry."

"It is okay. It was nice seeing him again anyway." She finished off her water and tapped her finger gently on it. "Lennox did tell me he will find a way to make sure you all will be at my graduation. I guess you won't be here for my birthday."

"I am not sure on that one, but yes it will be great to see you complete your education before moving onto the next stage of your life. I have heard from Lennox that college can be very stressful for young humans. It is strange to me that you would cause yourself to have such a stressful time for something you want to achieve." She wasn't about to disagree, but it really was the colleges that put stress on young adults. "I hope that you know what you will be studying."

"Astronomy was my pick. I honestly loved the stars…" Saphira leaned against the window slightly and looked up. "I learned to read them with my grandfather. He taught me how to understand direction by reading the stars, where different planets were, different galaxies that we know of and how to see the space stations moving across the sky. It was memorable."

"And then we came from the stars…" Yes, they most certainly did. "I guess it is magical for you in someway, to be looking at the stars and learning to read them when something good from the stars comes to you. I think you deserve it that is for sure."

"Thanks Optimus. I really am going to miss hearing your words of encouragement. They bring me comfort." She smiled sadly and took a deep breath, she was not going to cry today, at least not in front of the autobots. "Next time you come back I will have a gift for you."

"You don't need to give me a gift, but I know you will." Optimus chuckled lightly at her as he knew she was not going to take no for an answer. "I will miss you too, Saphira. But the more decepticons we remove from the world, the safer you will be. Keep a good eye on Barricade. I do not know if we should even trust him."

She nods, understanding what he meant. She groaned as she saw Lennox approaching, tapping his finger on his watch. "I guess I better get out…" She opened the door and climbed down from the cab. "Stay safe Optimus. I will see you again…whenever that will be."

"Of course you will see him again, I will make sure of it." She looked at Lennox with a smile and he held out his hand to her. "I had a great time today. You take care of yourself now." She shakes his hand before they hug quickly. "Alright, say your farewell to the other two quickly. We have to go."

Saphira nodded as Lennox walked to the SUV and she heard Optimus's engine start. The sound was music to her ears, but in this case, a sad song in her ears. She looked at the GMC as Ironhide had already melded with his alt form. She pats the fender gently as she walked by him with a smile.

"Make sure those decepticons eat those bullets of yours Ironhide," She said to him.

"You can bet I will punk!" He responded enthusiastically. "No decepticon can hide from me!"

She chuckled and looked at Ratchet's holoform, he smiled gently at her and hugged her. "I am sorry we couldn't be here longer. But, I had a good week. We've learned more about humans from you than we ever could. And getting to know you has been great too. We will see you again soon."

Saphira nodded as he pats her back before stepping away and walking over to the H2 Hummer to climb into the cab and meld with the vehicle. She heard the engine starting and she stood beside Bee as they watch the autobots reverse onto the road to follow Lennox. She walked out onto the driveway as they drive away and she stood on the footpath, watching them leave with sadness. A couple tears finally escaped and she quickly wiped them away, sniffling a little. She was going to miss them terribly, but she will miss Optimus the most. She only turned away when she could no longer see their tail lights, and walked back into the garage, closing the door behind her. It was just her and Bee for now.