Saphira huddled under several towels with deep, pink cheeks. She had moved into the backseat to remove her drenched clothes. But as she took her jacket off, she knew she had her short, bra, jeans and panties to remove, which was why she was under the towels right now. She was attempting to soak up the water, but she was also wanting to change. Despite the fact she was with Optimus right now, which shouldn't bother her. But she's never actually changed clothes or been naked in front of any of the autobots. And while Transit had forced her to get changed under his watchful eye, she wasn't comfortable under the optics of the autobots. But with Optimus, it was kind of different. She didn't know why she was blushing, but she couldn't help but kind of like the idea of Optimus seeing her without clothes on. She knew it was silly, though that is what a part of her felt.

I think it's just the embarrassment that I have to change clothes in order to get warm more than fluster…

Saphira sighed as she carefully pulled her jeans off slowly. She didn't want the towels to slip off as she did so. Once they were off, she pulled her panties off and quickly dried her skin before slipping a new pair of panties and jeans on. She was relieved, even though she shuddered in embarrassment. With them on, she only had to do her shirt and bra. She took a deep breath and took her shirt off first before quickly unclipping her bra. She dried her chest and stomach before putting a new bra and shirt on. She took a deep breath as she felt so much better.

She smiled to herself and lifted a towel to look out, not seeing Optimus's holoform at all. She didn't know if he was thinking she was being ridiculous, but that didn't matter. She sighed as she pushed the towels off onto the ground. She was going to use the blanket, but went with the towels instead. She was glad about choosing that. She smiled to herself before she felt a sudden urge to sneeze. She grimaced, trying to hold it back, but she couldn't. She sneezed loudly and sniffled a little with a light shiver.

"Are you okay?" Optimus was surprised by the sudden sneeze, and he was a little worried that she might be getting sick. She nodded with a smile as she took a deep breath and relax on the chair. "I hope so. At least the scratches on your face is not too deep."

Saphira looked at the mirror to look at the scratches on her face. She knew she would need to put something on them as they could get infected, and she didn't want that to happen. "They may not be deep, but I will still need to clean them and apply something on them so they will heal quickly. At least I can get some rest and much needed food."

"Indeed." Optimus turned off from the road to drive into the wharf warehouse. Saphira smiled as she could see Arcee, Bumblebee and Mirage all standing and waiting for them. "Though it is still late at night. I assume you will want to wait until morning before going to get something." She did. She honestly wanted to sleep more than anything, but she wanted to see the others first. "I do wish we found you sooner, Saphira. I am sorry it took so long."

"You keep apologizing for something that isn't your fault, Optimus." Saphira crawled into the front driver seat and looked at the dash in amusement. "I am just glad to be here. I am glad to be back here with you, Optimus." She thought about what life might look like ahead of them. "Hmm…and I'll need to finish those paintings as well. I am behind a little bit because of this whole ordeal."

"I find it curious that is the first thing you are concerned about." She shrugged as Optimus came to a stop in the warehouse and opened the door for her. "And what you've done so far is wonderful." Saphira looked at the dash in surprise and frowned a little. "Please don't be too disappointed, Saphira. Mirage showed them to me to show how much you care about us. As I had doubted you would even come back…I had thought you would have taken the chance and fled from us. But when I saw the pictures, even if they were not finished, I realized how deep your care is for us. But the picture you have of me stood out."

Saphira sighed as she softened her frown, realizing there was nothing she could do about it right now. He has seen the image and she smiled at him. "I am a bit disappointed. It was meant to be a surprise you all. But I guess you have seen it. And yeah…I guess the one I painted about you was special." She shrugged as tears fill her eyes. "And it is more meaningful now that you know that there is no ship for you to go him with. So looking up at the stars, wondering, is something that you will probably do a lot now. Won't you?"

Optimus was silent as he pondered the question. He was glad she wasn't terribly disappointed that he had seen the pictures, though the fact that she considered his picture more special now was intriguing. And she was right. "Yes. I will look at the sky, wondering what is happening on Cybertron. Now that we have no ship, it feels like that we have lost the war. Megatron has won, he has Cybertron to himself now. And...well...I have yet to tell the others this news. I know Arcee has been yearning to return home, while Mirage and Bumblebee seem happy here on this planet. But we all will miss home."

Saphira placed her hand on the dash with a smile. "I am sorry that things haven't worked out the way you have hoped for, Optimus. I wish I could help by finding some other way to get you home, Optimus. It is not far that you are stuck here. I am glad that I have gotten to know such great beings, but it is almost selfish of me."

"Selfish?" Optimus was surprised that she felt that way. "No, don't feel that way, Saphira. You should not feel like you are selfish for feeling honoured knowing us. None of us knew this would happen, same as yourself. And, while I had been hoping for a way home through Transit, I probably should not have been hoping. If there was a way home, he probably could have taken it at any time too. That should have been my warning, I suppose."

Saphira nodded slowly before suddenly widening her eyes. "Oh…um…not to change the subject, but…do you think you should do something about his body? It is still at the bus depo, and when the morning comes, the authorities will probably be called in…"

"You have a point. I was thinking so hard about you, I had forgotten to deal with his body. You stay with Mirage, Arcee and Bumblebee, and I'll take care of it." Saphira nodded and finally made a move to climb out of the truck. "And Saphira, I should thank you for the pictures you are working on as well." Saphira looked at the dash with a smile, pausing midway down from her climb. "It is nice to know that you understand a lot more than I have given you credit for. And…the fact you care deeply, I thank you."

"You are welcome, Optimus Prime." Saphira felt her cheeks heat up and she snatched a clean, dry jacket before climbing the rest of the way and slipping it on. "I am sure you will go and deal with Transit's body and be back soon enough." She pats the fender lightly before she looked up at the other autobots and approached them. "Um…hi…"

Mirage grinned happily as he ran over to her suddenly and scooped her from the ground. "I am so glad you are back! And you are mostly okay!" Saphira had been a little alarmed by Mirage suddenly picking her up, but she giggled as he hugged her and she heard Optimus backing away to leave to deal with Transit's body. "You have no idea how worried I have been. I had first thought you were lost in the city, and with snow starting to fall at night, I was so worried that you would freeze. But, man, I had no idea that Transit would snatch you up and keep you as his prisoner. At least that asshole is dealt with, thanks to our leader." Mirage looked at the doorway as Optimus had just left and Mirage intakes a little. "I guess he's got to go take care of his mess. Might as well because we will get exposed otherwise."

Saphira smiled at Mirage as she had her arms around his shoulders as well. "To be honest, I was trying to get back to one of the places we come to for private conversations. And that are safe for you to transform into your full forms. And…I guess Transit worked it out." She shrugged a little and turned her head to look at Bee and Arcee. "I am sorry if I worried you all. But I am okay. I am still a bit cold, but I was able to get into some new clothes. I'll need a warm bath thought eventually, and some stuff for these scratches, but aside from that, I am okay."

"I can tell." Mirage's optics eyed off the scratches before he lowered her to the ground gently. He smiled as he placed his hands on his thighs while looking directly at Saphira. "With a bit of TLC, you will be as good as new." Saphira giggled as she loved his enthusiasm. "Oh! I almost forgot…" He turned a little to grab out something from one of his metal panels and pulled out something. "I found these. And I figured I could hang them up somewhere for you."

Saphira blinked in surprise when she saw several mistletoe in Mirage's hand and she rolled her eyes in amusement. "Why does everyone think that I have some kind of deeper feeling towards Optimus? Do you think the same of him?" Mirage tilts his head to the side with a fake, innocent shrug. "Oh, you do…" Saphira had not thought that they did, and she couldn't help but feel embarrassed for Optimus. "Ugh…I mean, that is cute, Mirage, but…" She sighed deeply and glanced over her shoulder and looked back at him. "I am not sure what I feel."

"Right…too forward." Mirage chuckled a little with a shrug. "But there has been signs from the two of you, that is why we say and do these things, Saphira." She didn't know if she believed him on that. "We've been on this planet long enough to observe how humans react to those they have a romantic interest in. And you have shown a few little signs."

Bumblebee let out a light chuckle. "He's right." She looked at Bee in surprise as the autobot walked over and knelt in front of her. "It is good to see you still have a skip in your step." She smiled at him. It still amazed her that he was able to find create words with only his radio. She didn't know how he did it, but he did. "You are okay, even though he kept you for a while, right?"

She nodded. "I'll be okay. I just need rest." She looked at Arcee who was standing off with a worried expression. "Hey, Arcee." The femme looked at her and she smiled at her kindly. "I don't suppose you are happy to see me too. Aren't you?"

Arcee nodded. "Yes, I am. It is just…" She looked at the door for a moment and looked back at Saphira. "Did Transit say anything about a ship?" Saphira looked down as she knew that Optimus should be the one to tell her. "I hope if he said something, it could be wrong."

Saphira placed her hand on her arm with a shrug and looked at Arcee. "Look, um…i-it would be best if Optimus tells you himself." Arcee's expression turned sad as she knew that wasn't a good sign. "All I can say is…I am sorry. I wish there was another way for you." Arcee clenched her hands and looked away from her. Saphira thought on how she could help, but she wasn't sure what could possibly be of help. "But…" She glanced at Bee and Mirage for a moment and looked back at the femme. "Are these guys even right? I mean, it is kind of ridiculous…"

"Yes, you are right. It is ridiculous." Saphira smiled a little as she was glad to know that Arcee seemed to disagree. "Especially since you're human, and not an autobot. But…" Saphira raised an eyebrow. "I will admit, that Optimus has softened with you overtime. I think when you stood on the edge overlooking the ocean, something changed in his mind. But I have not seen any deeper signs to know if he has deeper feelings. Optimus does keep his emotions in check though. A lot more than myself and the other two."

Mirage nodded with a shrug. "She got a point. He does keep control of his emotions better, but…still…" Mirage looked at Arcee with a smirk. "You haven't notice that he looks at her with an odd expression. It's hard to say what he is thinking when he has that expression on his face, but I noticed. Probably more in the two weeks leading up to Transit snatching her from us. Maybe he did not think we would notice, but I did."

Arcee rolled her optics. "I think you're delusional, Mirage. And now you have some mistletoe?" She shook her head with a scoff of amusement. "Sometimes I wonder what goes through your processor, Mirage. I think you are getting a little too ahead of yourself." Mirage shrugged with a light chuckle. "Well, at least we are happy you are back, Saphira." Arcee leaned down with a smile as she gazed at Saphira. Saphira was shivering lightly as it was still the middle of the night, and the rain was still pouring. "There are places that are open at this time of night. I imagine you might want something to eat. Do you want to get something?"

Saphira thought about it, because she did want food, but she also wanted rest. "Maybe tomorrow. I am hungry, but I just want to sleep, honestly. When Optimus gets back, I will probably climb back into the cab and go to sleep. That's how I feel right now." Saphira felt her nose tickling again and she frowned a little. "One second."

Mirage frowned a little. "One second? One second what?" The autobots flinch in surprise when Saphira began to sneeze several times. "Oh…" Mirage felt a little embarrassed for how he responded to Saphira as he stepped back for a moment, rubbing the back of his head. "I should have been smarter saying that…um…" Mirage watched Saphira sniffle with a groan and he was immediately concerned. "Oh, no…you were in the rain for too long, weren't you?"

"It's fine, I'll be fine." Saphira looked at the young autobot with a smile. "Really, I am okay. It's because I am feeling cold, but because I am getting sick, Mirage. Don't worry." She could see that the autobots were not buying it, but she understood that. "I would tell you if I am feeling sick, Mirage. Right now, it simply feels more like a nuisance. I don't feel a fever coming on at all."

Mirage lifts his hand to rub his chin a little. "Hmm…I hope that is the case, because it would not be good. Christmas is only a few weeks away, and you know, I guess since we might be stuck here, we might as well enjoy some earthly traditions, including things like Christmas."

Saphira was glad that he wanted to enjoy Christmas. She hasn't for a long time. "Well…at least this Christmas it will be with you guys. My previous Christmas's have been…lonely…Arthur made an effort before Christmas to get me a present…but that's it." Mirage's smile softened slightly as he fully understood that Saphira didn't really celebrate Christmas like other humans did. And he felt sad for her. "But honestly…I haven't celebrated it officially. It is nice that I can do that now with real friends…real family."

Arcee widened her optics a little as she was touched by Saphira's words. "It is nice you see us that way, Saphira. It really is." She stepped closer to the girl and knelt down. "Thank you. Personally, I am not sure I fully understand Christmas, and while it is lovely to see how humans decorate their houses…I have yet to understand it."

Saphira chuckled softly. "I know. And you know what? Christmas is a time of giving and memory, in my opinion. With Christmas, it's the time of year we can have hope…and it's a comforting thought. I know for you guys, getting home may not be a hope anymore for you, but you never know. There could always be some other way that you might find unexpectedly."

"I suppose we are going to have to wait and see." Arcee stood up slowly and turned to looked out the side door, noting the glimmer of the moon reflecting from the ocean. "I am still not sure how I feel about the possibility of living here until we rust…especially when we are safe, and our fellow autobots are not."

Saphira knew she couldn't make it better for them in that feeling. She knew that the autobots were unhappy about living on this planet, even Bee and Mirage probably were unhappy. And while Optimus has not officially informed them yet of the situation, Saphira was certain that the autobots knew what was happening based on her own response to their question. Saphira didn't want to be the deliverer of bad news, but it mattered little now.

Saphira rubbed her hands together as her teeth began to chatter lightly. "Um…hate to be bothersome, but I am getting a little too cold right now. Bumblebee, Mirage…" Before she could even finish her question, both bots transform at the same time and she chuckled softly. "Okay, well, that's nice for you both to offer. I only need one car." She stepped towards Mirage and opened the door. "Since you're the closest Mirage, I'll sit in the passenger seat for a while."

"Sounds good to me." Mirage was enthusiastic as Saphira got comfortable in the passenger seat after he closed the door for her. Saphira rubbed her hands together and crossed her arms. "Too bad we don't have any marshmallows, you might be able to roast some right now." She chuckled softly and shook her head in amusement. "You're right, we need a campfire to do that. But we also can't make a fire, or people might come in and see us. That would be super awkward…oh well."

"And you would be right about that too." Saphira smiled at him and leaned the seat back to relax. "I am glad to be back, Mirage. I am not sure what I plan on doing, aside from finishing those paintings, and after that…I guess we should wait for spring…" Saphira then had an idea of getting some skates. She figured that they could leave the city to find a private lake to use for skating. Though she knew that the autobots may not be able to skate, given their size and weight. "Hmm…maybe we'll find something to do. As long as Optimus is okay with it."

Mirage let out a light chuckle. "I am sure he will. Maybe we can check out other cities. With no reason to be here, we might as well just drive around the country. That would be fun." Saphira nodded in agreement, because that sounded like a good idea. "Whatever the boss wants to do, I guess thought. Oh well…we might as well make sure you're okay first, and let Optimus sort out what our next move is. Getting too many ideas too soon will set up for disappointment."

"I suppose that is a good plan." Saphira began to yawn a little as she felt the need to sleep begin to tug. "Hmm…I hope Optimus comes back soon. I do prefer the backseat of the truck than leaning back in a passenger seat. No offence."

Mirage was amused by the girl, as he was not worried about it all. "Let me check to see where the big man is…" The young autobot paused as he took a look as his scanners to see where Optimus was. "He…is…" Saphira got the instant feeling that Mirage was playing with her right now, but she didn't say anything. "Hmm…well…he's on his way back. I reckon he'll be here in about five minutes, so not so far, Saphira. Don't worry, he didn't take that long. And you'll be sleeping within his cab in no time."

Saphira was glad to know that, and she was looking forward to sleeping. She really just wanted to do that, and nothing more. "And I'll probably sleep for many hours. I didn't sleep well much over the last week, even though there wasn't much to do, but sit and become Transit's amusement. So I am sure that will not be a problem…hopefully, unless Optimus decides to wake me from a good sleep in."

"Nah, he'll let you rest as much as you like. You need it, so he will ensure you get it." Saphira hoped so. She breathed in deeply as she was feeling a lot warmer now that she was relaxed in the Porsche. She wasn't shivering anymore, and she would certainly not like venturing out into the cold weather. "I know for a fact, in the morning, we are all going to make sure you get some proper food. You've lost weight again since Transit held you captive, though I imagine because he wasn't feeding you properly."

"And I wasn't really interested, I only ate because I knew I had to. At least I made sure I had water." Saphira knew that wouldn't settle well with the autobots, but it was true. She only ate because she had to. "Well…anyway…I look forward to the morning. I don't mind going to a McDonald's in the morning. That'll be more than enough, honestly. I won't need a massive breakfast, as you don't want me to be sick from too much food either."

"I guess that's also true."

Saphira yawned and stretched her arms. She looked at the entrance wondering where Optimus was. She couldn't help but think that Mirage had been pulling her leg about Optimus to get a reaction out of her, as the autobot seemed to believe there was some deeper feelings between Optimus and Saphira. Though as she was thinking and wondering about his location, she saw his headlights shining along the road before he turned off the road towards the warehouse.

Saphira smiled when she saw him rolling in. She sat up and opened the passenger door to step out, shivering a little upon feeling the cold, and stood up out from the door. "Welcome back, Optimus." She walked around Mirage, and the young autobot transformed as she approached the freightliner as it came to a stop. "What did you do with Transit?"

Optimus stopped and transformed. Saphira stopped and admired his transformation with a smile as she couldn't help but enjoy the transformation. She didn't know why, she just admired the transformation. Once he completed the transformation, Optimus observed Saphira for a moment before looking at the others. "Transit's body is at the bottom of the river. I made sure it was at the deepest part of the river, so that humans will not find him for a long time. Hopefully, he will rust away long before he is found."

Saphira wasn't sure if that was a good place to dump the body, but she wasn't going to question him. "I suppose he's at least dealt with." She sighed deeply and smiled at him. "At least everything should be okay for now…even though…you are kind of stuck."

Optimus nodded slowly and looked at the other autobots. "I am going to guess Saphira might have given a brief response about the decepticon ship." All three nod affirmatively. "I had suspected. Unfortunately, Transit did not give the location of his ship. He claimed to have destroyed it, but it is possible it is out there somewhere. But without a signal, we are at a loss once again. I am unsure if we will ever find a way to get back home, but we at least have refuge here. And a friend who can keep us company."

Arcee was deeply saddened, as she had hoped Optimus would say something different to what Saphira had said. "I guess that means the girl was right…" Optimus looked at the femme sympathetically. "I do hope we find some other way, Optimus. Like you, I am sick of being on this planet. But at least this human here isn't bad. That's a positive."

Optimus nodded in agreement and looked down at Saphira. "Are you feeling better now that you are among friends again, Saphira?" She nodded affirmatively before she yawned. "Ah, and I see you want to sleep." He leaned down and lowered his hand to her, making her raise an eyebrow for a moment before she stepped into the extended hand. "I will place you in my chassis so you can sleep on the seat, Saphira. I have some things to discuss with the autobots while you rest, and I can't do that in my alt form."

"I understand. And thank you."

Optimus smiled as he opened his chassis and Saphira looked inside. She could see the front chairs had been shifted and compacted within his full form. While the backseat was unchanged, and Saphira was pleased with that. Though, for some reason, she felt her cheeks heat up a little. She didn't know why, but Optimus's gentleness suddenly towards her made her feel quite happy. And she enjoyed it thoroughly.

He moved her to his chassis, and Saphira crawled onto the seat, grabbing the blankets and pillow to get herself comfortable. She looked at the chassis when the doors close, leaving her in a warm, comfortable interior. She was very happy about it. "Thank you." Optimus hummed lightly in response, most likely surprised that Saphira even thanked him.

She yawned and stretched her arms, feeling happy she was here. She took her jacket off, as the heat around her was more than enough to keep her cosy. She laid down and got comfortable with the pillow and blankets. She glanced around the interior for a moment, admiring how different it was with Optimus in his full form before she closed her eyes. A part of her was afraid of waking up and finding she had dreamt all of this, and she was still trapped in Transit's clutches. But thankfully, that would not be the case.

Hey readers! Sorry I haven't been posting much! Been sick for the past week, and slowly getting better. It has affected my ability to concentrate on writing, though I am doing my best. So for those wondering what's happening, I apologize. But I'll get back to normal soon enough. Hope you're enjoying rereading my stories in the meantime.