Holding onto his hand, Saphira walked down the stone stairs with Optimus. She was lucky the stairs were wide enough for two people to walk down the stairs together. And thankfully, there was not that many. To her surprise, when they reach the bottom of the stairs, the old lanterns on the walls lit up suddenly. She looked at them to see they were burning a blue light and she realized they must be transformer technology.
"It seems Everett has some energon technology hidden here," Optimus comments as he looked at the lanterns and smiled a little. "It would seem he has thought of a few things." Saphira nodded as she looked ahead and Optimus looked around. "This is very intriguing."
Saphira walked ahead of Optimus and let's go of his hand. She saw the basement was rather large, and looked like it had been literally carved into the ground as there was no visible structure on the walls. The rock looked hardened with a special substance to keep it from collapsing, and she was grateful for that.
She first looked to her right and widened her eyes when she saw a suit of armor from the medieval times. It was locked into a glass case and she leaned forward to look at it. She did not recognize the crest on the chest. It was a circular crest with a simple horizontal and vertical line in the middle of the circle. She didn't recognize it because it looked older than any civilization that she was aware of. Especially as the armor looked worn and had seen a lot of battle.
She saw the swords that had been used at the time this armor was worn as well. She hummed as she wondered who these belonged to. They were here to show that transformers have been on this world for much longer than she thought. She knew the Fallen had been on this world before humans had even reached the medieval period, but that did not mean there weren't transformers on the planet from that time
"Saphira…" She turned away from the weapons and armor to look over at Optimus. He was looking at a large board and she walked over to see it looked like a massive family tree. "This looks like a human ancestry tree. Do you recognize any of these people?"
Ratchet walked over as he was curious too. Saphira looked at it and stared as she studied it. She shook her head before pausing as she saw the name at the top. King Arthur. "King Arthur? Wait…Camelot?" Optimus looked at her to see her confused expression. "They were real?" She looked away as she saw large books before looking back at the armor and swords. "King Arthur, Camelot, Merlin and the round table has always been a source of myth. I have always believed they existed at some point, but we never had a lot of historical information to confirm it." She walked away towards the books, only to pause when she noticed scrolls on a bookshelf. And it was labeled The History of Camelot. "Ah…if Arthur had some connection with transformers…" She grabbed one of the scrolls and unrolled it carefully as the paper felt fragile and she saw it was a sketch of four, larger, old transformers standing behind a group of men on horses. She showed the image to Optimus. "Do you recognize these guys?"
Optimus looked at the image carefully. "Yes. They are knights. They used to be guardians to something on Cybertron many years before my time. But I am not aware of the reason why they left Cybertron. No one even knew where they went." He hummed softly as he was intrigued by this information. "It would seem they met with noble humans many years ago. And the secrecy of our kind has been a job for many humans over thousands of years."
"Well…this is turning into something more surprising than I first thought." Saphira carefully rolled the scroll back up and placed it on the shelf. "I have a feeling I am going to be studying a few things down here. There's so much here that I am not even sure what I am…huh…" She paused as she noticed pictures of historical figures. "Abraham Lincoln…George Washington…these people are here, that means they know the secret."
"Weren't they political people?" Ratchet asked curiously. "And there's a few of the English monarchs as well. Does that not mean the royal family know about transformers too?"
"Maybe." Saphira had no idea how to answer that. "I know I'll probably find out the answers at some point. This is meant to be my job, after all. No wonder this place wasn't touched while my granddad lay ten feet under the ground."
"It seems like there is definitely more questions than answer around here," Ironhide comments in a bored tone. "I hope we are not going to be down here all day. At least you now know what Everett had hidden in his basement, Saphira. But today is your birthday. We should go out and enjoy the sunlight, even though the house itself has no power or running water."
Saphira looked at Ironhide with a smile. "You are right." She looked around the basement some more, glancing at the different books and other items that were in the room. She even noticed billboards with large astronomy images, space sketches and a planetary image that looked a bit like Cybertron. "I can start this work some other time. There's a lot I need to even learn from all of this, and I would definitely prefer spending time with you guys than down here. But it is still very fascinating down here." She turned to the stairs, only to stop when she noticed photos on the wall. "Oh, granddad has some photos of himself with Jetfire."
Saphira walked over to the wall with a smile, looking up at the different pictures. Optimus walked over to look at them curiously and smiled. There were numerous pictures of Everett standing beside other soldiers from the military during the world war. But there were other pictures of Everett standing by Blackbird, which Jetfire was. And there was one image of Jetfire in his full form with Everett in front of him smiling at the camera. It seemed like those two really were good friends, which was why Jetfire had respect and care for Saphira when he recognized who she was.
"There's definitely a lot of history here," Optimus commented. "Some is obvious, some of it is not." He gazed at the pictures thoughtfully and placed his arm around Saphira's shoulders gently to pull her in for a hug, making her smile and look up at his face. "We may not know what was said and done in the past, but at least we can make your grandfather proud. If I had gotten here sooner, I have no doubt I would have met one of the best men on this planet." He turned his head and kissed Saphira, making her giggle gently against his lips. "I have no doubt we will find the answers at some point. But Ironhide is right. How's your back?"
"Stiff, but I can manage. I can show you where the dam is, there's a lot of loose dirt near it and we could set up a volleyball net there." Saphira grabbed his hand and tugged Optimus towards the stairs. "And it is also a great place where we can set up a tent. You know, just like did back at the emerald field."
Optimus smiled and suddenly he scooped her up into his arms, making her squeal in surprise. He leaned in a kissed her. "That sounds like a great idea."
"Ahem!" Ratchet coughed loudly in amusement, making Saphira and Optimus look at him. "I know the period of newly sparkmates is a great time, but down here in the basement's not the ideal place, Optimus." The autobot leader's grin simply widened as Bumblebee chuckled loudly. "Come on, let's get out of here and get some fresh air. Wheeljack and I need to get Saphira some food, I am sure she's feeling hungry from no breakfast this morning."
Saphira just shrugged as she had not felt her stomach growling just yet, but she did know she would want to eat something soon, so that would be fine. "I am not even sure what food you have."
"Don't worry about that, Ratchet and I will ensure you do not go hungry," Wheeljack reassured her enthusiastically as Optimus carried her up the stairs, even though Saphira would have been perfectly fine going up them without any sort of aid.
Bumblebee walked up the stairs behind Optimus with a smile. "We also need to give you your birthday presents. I almost totally forgot about them…and I am the one responsible keeping them safe. Yesterday was a whole mess."
"I hope that they are still intact," Optimus responded in amusement as he carried Saphira out of the basement and lowered her to the ground when they reached the top and she looked at him with a smile. "After all, I know you don't necessarily mind not receiving any presents, it is your right to feel special on the day of your birth."
She hugged him as they move away from the wardrobe and kissed him. "I feel special enough just by being with you all, Optimus. After all, you all did put quite the burden on my shoulders when we first met. What was it that you said? Oh, yeah! Saphira Dawn, you hold the key to Earth's survival." Optimus grinned and rolled his eyes at her. "You have no idea how much pressure you put on me, because I had no idea I had something that could save or destroy our planet."
"And thankfully, things turned out the way we wanted it to." She nodded in agreement as they made their way out of the house. Ironhide was the last to leave the basement and he closed the door behind him to follow the others out of the house. Optimus had his arm around Saphira's shoulders again as he held her against him, and she had no argument in her to say no. "Now the Fallen is dealt with, I am still working out the riddle that Barricade has thrown at us."
Barricade looked at Optimus in surprise. "Oh, you are meaning what I am saying about Sentinel…well, uh, I really don't want you to be in the dark about it, Prime. I don't know the full story, but all I know is, that if we were to find Sentinel, I am not sure what his intentions would be given what I know."
"I know. And now we are having to wait for the human government to tell us what our next assignment is. But at least I know it will be a while before we have to go to NEST." Saphira knew that and she kissed Optimus as they reach the peterbilt. "Which direction is the dam?"
"Oh…" Saphira turned on her heel for a moment. "Hmm…you guys are going to have to…" She hummed as she walked away from Optimus quickly to the side of the house and looked ahead. "Yeah, you might have to drive around…there's a lot of brush…but you might be able to…" She turned when she heard the sound of transformation and smiled as she saw Optimus's holoform had disappeared and she looked up at his full form. "Yeah, I was just about to suggest that."
Optimus smiled down at her and kneels slightly, offering his hand out to her. "As this place is rather desolate and there are plenty of trees sheltering the property, we will be safe to walk around on the property." Saphira climbed onto his hand, and he lifts her, staring at her with love in his optics. "I can see why you were thrilled about bringing us here because of it."
She giggled softly. "Yeah, that definitely was the reason." He brought her closer to his face and she kissed his metal lips. "Anyway, head that way…" She points in the direction she had been looking and glanced at the other autobots as they transform to follow. "The property does have two dams on it, but I'll guide you to the largest one."
Optimus followed the directions that Saphira gave to him. She knew that it would not take very long for them to reach it, but she had to guide Optimus through the trees to reach the dam. She was feeling fairly happy and excited to celebrate the day with her sparkmate and best friends. She knew while she was still sore and stiff, she will still find a way to have a good time and she did not mind if it meant enduring some of that pain in order to have fun.
It took a few minutes before Optimus gently pushed branches aside and smiled when he saw the large dam. And Saphira saw that not much has changed. The rope that was tied to a tree branch over the water was still attached to it, the jetty looked like it was still reasonably sturdy and the water itself did not see terribly dirty. The lilies that were on the water kept it clean naturally and there was no sign of toxic algae in the water.
Optimus lowered her to the ground as he saw the large area of soft, loose dirt on the other side of the dam. "We will set a few things up on the other side while you can relax." She nodded as Optimus gestured for the autobots to follow him and she walked over to the jetty to sit at the end of it with her feet in the water.
She gently kicked her feet slowly in the water, enjoying the coolness of the water with a smile as she remembered the many days swimming out here in the dam. She missed Brody. The dog had passed away from a snake bite and he was only seven when he was bitten. And being quite far from the nearest vet, there wasn't much they could do for him but try to save him the way that they could. She remembered crying for an entire month over that dog, but she and Brody had a great relationship.
She stood up and walked over to the rope and grabbed in, looking over the thick rope to see it was mostly undamaged. She tugged at the branch, and it was still stronger. She smiled and glanced over at the autobots. She saw they had set up a tent and they were setting up a BBQ and a volleyball net. She was feeling very happy to be here and she was going to have the best birthday they could have while she was here with the autobots.
She tugged at the rope again, ignoring some of the pain in her back and legs before she ran forward and swung on the rope, giggling loudly. Optimus looked up to see her letting go of the rope and falling into the dam. She kicked up to the surface with a big smile, brushing back her hair and laughing loudly. Optimus hummed in amusement and walked over to the dam, looking down at Saphira as she swam back to the jetty and pulled herself back up onto it.
"It would seem your injuries are not as sore as we thought," Optimus commented as she grabbed the rope to jump back into the water. "Was that something you had tied to that tree when you were a kid?"
"Oh, no, not me. Granddad tied it and it's so much fun. When you're ready, you might find you will enjoy it with your holoform." Saphira grabbed the rope and ran forward again. "It's a heap of fun!" She swung off the jet and fell into the water with a heap of laughter.
Optimus was going to say something when he saw Bumblebee's holoform race past him and watched as the young man ran over to the jetty and jumped to grab the rope, swinging into the water. Saphira laughed loudly as he fell into the water, covering her face with her hands as he lands in the water. "I see Bee has beaten us to it."
Bee surfaced and looked at Saphira with a grin. "That was fun!" She nodded in agreement, and he grinned at her. "At least we didn't have to pressure you in some swimming." She giggled and he splashed her gently, making her laugh loudly. "Uh oh, Ironhide incoming!"
Saphira glanced up and shrieked as she saw Ironhide's holoform cannonball into the water. She fell the rush of a wave and she laughed loudly, wiping the water of her eyes as she looked at Ironhide. "Seems like I have created a magnet for everyone." She glanced up and saw that Optimus had moved away and looked around to see the peterbilt parked a little away. "Uh oh, where is my…AARRHH!" She shrieked loudly and laughed as someone had swam underneath her and she felt familiar, broad shoulders lifting her up from the water.
She looked down and saw Optimus's holoform grinning back at her. "You were not expecting that, were you?" She shook her head and he chuckled lightly. "I had figured you'd prefer a less dramatic entrance. How are the bandages holding up?"
"I don't know, I am sure Ratchet is going to vent at me about how irresponsible I am being right now." She looked at the jetty and giggled as Barricade swung on the rope and Mirage jumped into the water. "And that just leaves Ratchet and Wheeljack."
"They're still getting a few things ready. They want to wait until we start playing volleyball." Bee swam over to one of the lilly pads and picked one of the flowers before swimming back. "And at least this dam is pretty clean and clean. This flower looks pretty."
"They are…" Optimus reached to grab it from Bee and hand it to Saphira. She sniffed it happy and smiled. "I spent many summers here." Saphira smiled and shrieked with a chuckle as Ironhide tackled Bumblebee, splashing water in her eyes. "Oh! I know! How do you all feel about a belly flop competition?"
"Belly flop?" Ironhide looked at her curiously. "Oh, I see. But we aren't exactly able to feel the pain of the smack on the water."
She giggled at Ironhide. "That's not quite what I mean, Ironhide. Actually, I will be the judge to see who can create the biggest splash, and have the best style as well."
"That doesn't sound fair if you pick your sparkmate each time," Mirage teased with a big grin. "Though that actually does sound like a lot of fun."
"I think it would not hurt to give it a try. Though this does mean the medic and old bot over there will just have to miss out." Barricade chuckled as he climbed back onto the jetty. "You'd better let your bride down, Optimus. She's our judge." He flexed his arms and abs playfully as the autobots climb out of the water. "Oh yeah! This is going to be a lot of fun." He watched the others as he struts along the jetty. "I think I am going to win."
"Yeah, right!" Sideswipe chuckled at him, walking over to him with a grin. "We all know who she is going to pick. The one who became her sparkmate last night." He glanced back at Saphira with a teasing expression. "We are not silly."
Saphira was about to respond when Optimus playfully pushed her off him, making her giggle loudly. "I guess I had better make sure that you do be biased." She giggled at Optimus as he turned to her and kissed her. "Maybe I should be a judge as well."
"Oh yeah, that would definitely help," Ironhide teased jokingly. "Unless you are a little too chicken to join in, Optimus Prime."
Optimus turned and looked at Ironhide curiously. "Is that a challenge that I hear?"
"Hmm…it could be." He punched his fist into his palm with a grin. "Come on, get up here. Saphira can stay in the water and watch us show off our best moves and our best belly flop."
Optimus looked at Saphira and she gestured with her hands for him to go over. "I guess I have no choice but to participate." She nodded and he kissed her before walking over to the jetty and pulling himself up. "What is the order of this going to be?"
"Uh…hmm…I think whoever wants to go first," Saphira responded with a smile. "I don't really mind who goes first. But I will pick two winners. The one who creates the biggest splash, and then the winner who has the best style of flop."
Bee pumped his fists. "I will go first." He took a bow and walked towards the end with his hands raised like there was a crowd applauding him at this time. "Thank you, thank you. And this is my best leap." Saphira giggled as he ran to the edge and jumped up, star fishing before hitting the water. She cheered and clapped as Bee surfaced with a grin. She heard the sound of cheering coming from Bee's radio, which made it even funnier. "And crowd loves me."
Saphira nodded and gestured for him to come over. "Now you can come and stand by me while the next one takes a leap."
Bumblebee happily obliged and he had the joy of watching the others show off their best style and belly flop. He and Saphira thoroughly enjoyed it as Barricade was next and she thought he was extremely funny as he flexed his muscles. Saphira was certain that Barricade still liked her, but he hasn't tried anything questionable, which was good. He didn't make the best splash though as he slipped a little before he made a belly flop, but Saphira still thought his style was great.
Saphira thoroughly enjoyed the show. She knew that the rules were fairly simple and the autobots enjoyed themselves. Ratchet and Wheeljack watched from the sides as they were thoroughly amused and in the end, Ironhide won the biggest splash and Sideswipe won the best style, to everyone's surprise. Optimus did not mind though. At this point, Saphira did feel very hungry and she made her way to the bank where she saw bacon, eggs and toast waiting for her, and she happily dug into the food.
After breakfast, Saphira got to watch the volleyball game. Wheeljack had opted to stay out of the game, though he was pulled in, so it was kept even. With eight autobots, they had to ensure it was even. When the game started, Saphira was highly amused as the bots really got into the game. She enjoyed being on the side line as getting out of the water made her feel her aches and pains a bit more than she would have liked, so she settled on resting for the day. And it warmed up pretty quickly, so she was dry rather quickly as well.
The volleyball game went until around noon when they settled down. Saphira had Ratchet checked her bandages, and she was right, he was unhappy that they were drenched. But he noted that her injuries were already showing signs of healing, which he said was likely due to the bond between her and Optimus. She was happy to hear that, because that meant she would heal faster and she wouldn't have to endure the pain for too long.
With the tent ready, she was able to get changed into a sundress, and she slipped a swimsuit on as she did want to get back in the water, despite that would anger Ratchet even more. Once she was dressed, it was time for her to receive her gifts. She had not thought of them once at all, as she was happy about them just being there and spending the day with her. She didn't want anything else but their friendship with her.
Saphira was sitting in a picnic chair as Bee brought over the first gift bag. "This is from me." She chuckled as she looked at the blue bag and opened it. "I wasn't sure if you would like it, now that you have a lot of money, but I hope you do."
"Ooh…" Saphira reached in and pulled out a crystal with an image of Bumblebee and herself smiling together. "I am surprised you were able to get one of these personalized. Wow, this is great, Bee. Thank you. I do like this kind of stuff a lot."
"I know you are very sentimental, so I hope you will keep it," Bumblebee said hopefully. "You are my little sister after all."
She grinned at him and slipped the crystal back into the bag. "Thank you. Once I get the house cleaned up, I will find a great spot to put it." She glanced at Ratchet as he held out his present. She saw they were all using gift bags, and that was fine, that meant there would be either no or very little to clean up. "Thanks, Ratchet." She looked into it and smiled. "Wait…when did you do this, Ratchet?"
She pulled out a rose, gold picture frame and all the autobots were in the picture, smiling at whoever took the photo. It must have been recent as she did not see the twins or Chromia in the picture. "I had this done the morning we began travelling to Texas. I wanted to give you something to look at, like you have with Optimus."
She felt some tears in her eyes and smiled at Ratchet. "Thank you…I love it."
"I guess sentimental stuff will be the focus of the gifts." Barricade chuckled softly as he gave Saphira a small bag. "I kind of done the same thing." She opened it and saw a jewellery box. She pulled it out and opened it, widening her eyes in surprise. "I hope it's okay."
Inside the box was a charm bracelet, and the charms were of all the vehicles forms of the autobots she had formed a bond with. This included Jazz, the twins and femmes. She smiled in delight as she looked over the bracelet. "This is really sweet, Barricade. Very, very sweet. A great way to remember everyone."
"Hmmph…my gift isn't really sentimental…" Ironhide held out a bag to Saphira with a huff. "It's just something for you to have for protection…you lost that bracelet somehow a long while ago, so you get a new one. Especially since NEST no longer has any interest in protecting you."
Saphira opened the bag and she was surprised to see what looked like a pocket knife holder. She pulled it out and looked over it curiously and she pulled the top, thinking it would open, when it suddenly transformed into a gun. She stared in disbelief and chuckled. "Thanks, Ironhide. I am not surprised you would give something like this to me…uh…how do I change it back?"
"Press the round, green button on the top," Ironhide said, pointing to the top of the gun.
Saphira pushed it and watched as it transformed back. "I think I like this better. People are more interested in a more valuable piece of jewellery than they are with a knife holder." She placed it down and looked at Sideswipe as he stepped forward. "I suspect everyone has something for me."
Sideswipe grinned at her as he hands her the bag. "Of course! We want you to be happy. Besides, tomorrow we intend to help you with cleaning that house. We saw how much needs to be done, and we definitely don't want you to do it alone."
Saphira nodded happily and opened the bag. It felt a little heavier than the others and she was curious. "Ooh, a new quilt." She reached in and pulled it out. It was still inside the package, and she looked at it. The quilt design had the moon and stars above the ocean. And it had an image of shooting stars, making her remember the very night Optimus arrived. "I love it! And it is a good thing this is a king size, that's the kind of bed I will have set up in the master bedroom, once I have the courage to open it."
"Good. I figured it would be something to remember the night you sparkmate fell from the sky." Sideswipe glanced at Optimus teasingly as the leader rolled his eyes. "Besides, I also knew you might need some new things. I know you can afford it, but this was nice."
"I like it. Thanks." She put the quilt back into the bag and looked at Mirage and Wheeljack, they were the next two to give her a gift. Wheeljack held up his first, which was a small bag. "Hmm…I wonder what this…" She found another jewellery box and opened it to find a silver locket necklace inside. "A necklace?"
"It is actually a little device you can use," Wheeljack explained and Saphira looked up at him in surprise. "If you ever need our help, you just press the small button on the side and it will send a signal, alerting us to your position. It cannot open like a regular locket can, sorry. But it is a little, nice thing for you to wear if you need to."
"This is nice too, thanks." Saphira placed the bag down and looked at Mirage with a smile as he held out his bag to her. "Thank you, Mirage." She opened it and saw that it was a journal, a telescope and a camera. "Wow, this is unexpected."
Mirage smiled at her. "I figured you like jotting your thoughts in a bot, so I got that journal for you. And I was kind of happy when you said Everett used to look through a telescope with you…" She looked up at him as she listened to him. "So I kind of hope that you'll still do that. Studying the stars is still a nice thing to do. And since this place is picturesque, you can do some casual photography. My stuff isn't sentimental, but…"
"I like these a lot," She interrupts happily. "Thank you, Mirage." He nodded and she turned to Optimus. "I am not sure what kind of gift you can give me, Optimus. You gave me the best gift last night by officially becoming my sparkmate. I will cherish that moment forever."
Optimus smiled and he held a picture frame out to her. She raised an eyebrow and grabbed it, turning it around and widening her eyes in surprise. "That might be true, but I got you something anyway."
Saphira stared at the image. She had no idea when or how this was taken, but it was a photo of her and Optimus's full form sitting side-by-side at the emerald field with butterflies flying around them. She was holding his finger, looking up at him and he was looking back at her. She saw the glitter of the scattered emerald stones around them. She guessed some of this had been photoshopped, but it wasn't a lot to make it seem obvious. It was a beautiful picture.
"How long have you held onto this?" Saphira asked, looking up at Optimus in surprise. "We haven't been to the emerald field for almost a whole year now…this must have been before the Fallen…"
"It was." Her smile widened slightly as Optimus confirmed. "I had Bumblebee take a photo of us when it was meant to be just to the two of us. I hope you don't mind." She shakes her head as she was so happy to have this memory. "I cherish the moment we both began opening up, Saphira. I cherish that I became your protector, and soon your sparkmate. I intend to go back there."
"Maybe I should buy a house close by so we can go there whenever we want…or…" Saphira wondered if the land was for sale, or if she could buy. "I'll think of something, but…wow…" She looked at the picture and hugged it against her chest. "I love you, Optimus."
"I love you too." He smiled as he leaned down and kissed her. She kissed him back passionately and he could sense she wanted to be alone with him. "I think we should spend the day doing something else."
Saphira thought for a moment and gasped loudly. "I forgot I wanted to play baseball with you all. And I can be a part of it despite my injury." She placed the picture down carefully and stood up. "Bee, Dino, Barricade, can you help set it up and we can work out our teams afterwards."
The three autobots nod and they grab the sport equipment. They set up the game and Saphira was able to take part by pitching the ball, as she was not able to run. And she would pitch for both teams. It was a lot of fun. They played for a few hours before Saphira coaxed Optimus back into the water, along with the others and swam under the surface together. She found with the bond with Optimus, she could even hold her breath for longer. And she had Bumblebee use her camera to take a few underwater shots of her and Optimus, since he was so good at taking pictures. And thankfully, the camera Dino bought was waterproof. At the end of the day, Saphira received a small, red velvet cake as the autobots sang her Happy Birthday, and she roasted some marshmallows are they set up a bonfire before she retired into the tent with Optimus beside her the entire night. It was a great way to end her birthday and celebrate her new relationship with Optimus Prime.
