A couple hours later, Optimus pulled his alt mode into the driveway of my home which had no sign of light. No sign of life. Then again, I took the last breathe of life just a couple days ago by killing Uncle Jesse willingly with my uncontrollable ability. I began to immediately regret coming back here. Optimus had turned of his engine, causing silence to wrap around me, only hearing the beating of my heavy heart.

Optimus' holoform disseminated, but he didn't seem to notice the distress I was in. The passenger door opened alone and Optimus' holoform stood below me, gesturing for me to take his hand for assistance out of the semi. I just stared at it, unable to take it...scared to go back to the place where I had taken a human life. Just like a Decpeticon would.

"Optimus...I changed my mind." I confessed to him, my voice shaking. He just gave me a confused look. "I don't want to go in...not after what I did." I told him as my head hung seeing only the shaking hands that rested in my lap. Optimus then slipped his hand over both of mine, wrapping his hand around me wrist. "I am here. You are not alone." Optimus reassured me. Looking to him, I nodded as I was unable to speak due to my dry throat.

I climbed down from Optimus' alt mode and both of us began to head towards the door. Using the key hidden in the flower pot, I unlocked the door stepping in. Something was different. There was no scent of alcohol and definitely no scent of a dead body. "Something wrong?" Optimus asked me as he noticed that I abruptly stopped before I made my way into the house. I shook my head and took a deep breathe, my breathing became shallow. Optimus walked from behind me and stood next to me, placing his hand on my shoulder gently. "Remember I am here. There is nothing to be afraid of." He reminded me. I nodded my head showing him that I was aware of that fact. I was afraid to go upstairs, but I felt the need to see for myself what I have done.

"Can you come...upstairs with me?" My voice shakily asked Optimus. "Of course." Optimus responded. I then began to slowly walk towards the staircase, but my legs felt like complete jello. I anticipated the horrid sight I would see of Uncle Jesse's body as I made my way up the stairs, Optimus close behind me.

My dad's room door was closed, which I found quite odd as I remember sprinting out without even closing the door behind me. Standing in front of the wood door, I took a deep breathe and I raised my hand to open the barrier that separated me from the evils I have done. Optimus softly grabbed my wrist, "Do you wish for me to enter first?"

I wanted to see the mess I made before he did. I shook my head, afraid of him seeing what I had done."No...I can do it." Walking into the room, I had expected to step into the puddle of blood that Uncle Jesse's body laid in. Instead, I walked into a completely flawless bedroom, no body in sight. No spot of blood on the floor. "What the...he was..." I couldn't use my words for the life of me. "Was this where the incident happened?" Optimus asked me for confirmation. I turned to him eyes agape. "Yes...his body was right here." I said as I pointed where I had last seen Uncle Jesse.

My mind was racing. This didn't make sense. What if the police came searching for me and found his body instead? What if the Decepticons found where I lived? Optimus looked just as confused as I was. Then an idea came to mind, "The box!" Quickly I ran over to where I had last seen it under the floor boards. Luckily, it was there. A sigh of relief escaped my mouth. "It seems that this couldn't have been the Decepticon's doing." Optimus told me as he examined the room.

"Why do you say that?" I asked him. "They would have torn this place apart..." Optimus explained, walking towards me. He bent down to my eye level where I was crouching above the secret space where my father's book once was. "...is this the box that you informed me of?" The Autobot leader asked me slowly. "Yes." I confirmed with a small smile pulling at my lips, tears in the corners of my eyes, relieved  that no one had taken it. "I'm going to look at it later though..."

"Very well..." Optimus responded, giving me his hand gesturing for us to stand up. He saw me worried as I looked at where I once saw the body of my uncle. "Hey..." My head was turned by the soft touch of Optimus' hand. "Let's not worry today."

The corners of my mouth curled slightly when I saw the gleaming and pleading look of his blue eyes. "Okay...why don't I show you around upstairs since you've only been up here to help me pack."

"Sounds perfect." He smiled as I took his hand and lead him to my room. "Welcome to mi cuarto!"

Optimus being Optimus didn't understand what I just. Obviously because of that confused face he made. I giggled at the sight of it, "Cuarto means room in Spanish."

"I see. Your room looks so decorative." Optimus said in fascination as he picked up the small things on my dresser. "Yeah, I took most of my things with me to base, but left the look of my room alone just in case I came back."

Optimus turned to me, "Do you want to leave base?" He asked me worriedly. "Not anymore, not with my dad not here. It's too...empty and lonely."

"I was afraid you would want to stay here." Optimus confessed. "Why would you be afraid?" My tone of voice confused as I asked him. "I don't want you to stay in a place that is no where near the base." He answered bluntly.

"Don't worry. I'm not leaving." I told him with a smile. I walked over to the bed and plopped down, taking in the scent of my sheets and pillows. I patted to the empty spot next to me when Optimus looked down at me. He too took his shoes off and laid next to me, both of us staring at the ceiling.

We sat there in silence for a couple of minutes, staring at the white emptiness of the ceiling. Laying there just brought back a flood of memories from the good times with my dad to the day I touched the door knob of the bathroom, which only led to a downfall of events. Even though I could break down at any second at the thought of my father, I was curious to know what Optimus knew of him."Did you know my dad well?" I asked Optimus still staring at the ceiling. "Very well yes...we worked together often."

"How often?" I continued to ask. "Almost everyday. He had worked with most of the Autobots, learning as much as he could of Cybertronian history to accomplish his developments for NEST." It struck me to know that my father was alive for so long and had never come back to me. He just left me, with the monster my uncle was.

"Did...did he ever talk about me?" I wondered hoping he would say yes. "All the time. He never stopped talking about you. Because of your father, you could say the team and I had already known you before we even met you." I could hear Optimus smiling from the way he said that. My smile widened and tears began to accumulate as I could picture my father doing so. Optimus continued, "He loved you very much. He constantly wondered when he would return to you."

My smile turned into a slight frown as I tried to control my quivering chin. "I wish he would have returned to me..."

Optimus sighed, "Just know that he wished that everyday..." Quickly I wiped away the tears before they rolled down my cheeks. My mind turned to think of the mother I would never have. "You know sometimes, I wonder if I was the real reason my mother died..." Optimus quickly retorted, "Sophia, you are not the reason. You cannot hold yourself accountable for that."

"But-" I was interrupted. "You were a sparkling at the time. If you weren't born-" I interrupted Optimus. "Then my father would still be alive. Maybe even my mother." I rolled over to my side which faced away from Optimus. I pulled my knees up to my chest from the thought of it, wishing my father's and mother's arms would just wrap around me. Instead, I felt Optimus' gently touch on my arm, lightly pulling for me to turn over to look at him. My eyes stung as I tried to control myself, afraid of the consequences of letting my emotions go loose. "If you weren't born, you wouldn't have met your father." He contradicted.

"Well at least it would have saved you the trouble of protecting me." I lightly choked on the building of sobs in my chest. "Who said it was a trouble? Sophia, I promised your father to protect you because I wanted to, not because I felt the obligation to do so."  Optimus explained to me while he searched for a sign of agreement in my eyes. I just sighed, drained from thinking so deeply of the parents I wished I had. Nodding my head, I showed Optimus that I understood his point.

"Now..." Optimus changed the subject, "What was it that you wanted to come back here?" He asked me with a smile on his face. I wiped away the final tears that bundled up into the corners of my eyes, trying to switch my mind to a more controllable state. "I wanted to find the book...but mostly importantly...I wanted to play the piano."

That's when Optimus urged for me to get up. "Let's proceed then." He happily urged with a smile. "Optimus...I don't know. I haven't touched that thing ever since my dad left. I don't know if I can even play." Making these excuses caused Optimus to smile, but only with sympathy. "How will you know if you never try?" He caused me to ponder, making me head out of my room and down the staircase.

Slowly I approached the instrument that once gave me so much happiness, but now caused me so much pain. It's black polish was dusted and left lonely as it had no pianist to play the tune that it was destined to sound. With a deep breath I pressed the key of C, checking the tune of the piano. It was the same...I haven't played since my dad left me. The way I left it was the way it stayed. I continued, pulling the piano bench far enough for me to conveniently reach the pedals near the floor.

Then I began to slowly play the song my father embedded in me. The one he had written for me, naming it "Sophia." I wanted to burst into tears as I heard the all too familiar tune rush to my ears as my fingers pressed each key. My father, his laugh, his smile all rushed through my head. Without even noticing tears were slipping down my cheeks silently as I emotionally invested myself into playing my father's composition.

I wasn't even aware that Optimus was sitting on the couch nearest to me, watching the movements of my fingers intently. I was lost in the world of reminiscence and music. Naturally, I played flawlessly. My fingers moving as if they were automatic. The piece had ended as I hit the last chord before silence again overtook the house. Sniffling and crying while I giggled out of nervousness, "That felt...so good." I had laughed and shed tears before looking at Optimus. A smile pulled his lips upwards, "I knew you could do it."

I smiled at his response, my heart felt light and free for once, hinting only a slight bit of pain. "Do you wish to leave?" Optimus asked me as he studied my expression. I shook my head, "Not quite..but you can go ahead and start heading out, I just need to do one more thing before we leave." Optimus had a confused expressed on his face. "I will be waiting." He told me before exiting and walking out.

Alone in the house, I turned my body back towards the piano and pressed the first chord of the song To Build a Home by Cinematic Orchestra. (Song Above) I never liked to have people listen or watch me while I sang, besides my father. With people there, I could never let loose and freely express myself so that's why I had implied for Optimus to leave.

As I struck the chords of the keys, the lyrics had stuck chords in my heart. Although a depressing song, I loved it. The tone, the piano...everything. It reminded me of this home, lonely and dusted. Filled with avoidance and silence.

There is a house built out of stone
Wooden floors, walls and window sills
Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust
This is a place where I don't feel alone
This is a place where I feel at home.

And I built a home
for you
for me

Until it disappeared
from me
from you

And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust........

Out in the garden where we planted the seeds
There is a tree as old as me
Branches were sewn by the color of green
Ground had arose and passed its knees

By the cracks of the skin I climbed to the top
I climbed the tree to see the world
When the gusts came around to blow me down
Held on as tightly as you held on me
Held on as tightly as you held on me......

And I built a home
for you
for me

Until it disappeared
from me
from you

And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust........

The song now ended as I pressed the last chord and sung that last word of the lyrics. "I miss you daddy..." I whispered to myself. Getting up, I retrieved the box I had taken from my father's room and headed out the door. Optimus opened the door for me and I climbed in. Turning on his engine, Optimus pulled out of the driveway and began to head home. Optimus' holoform formed in the passenger seat.

Looking at each other he smiled at me before he spoke. "What?" I asked him playfully slapping him on the shoulder. "I didn't know you could sing." He told me. I froze in his seat, how could he have heard me? "You heard me?" I embarrassingly asked as I could feel my cheeks blushing. Optimus shrugged his shoulders and looked ahead with a smirk on his face. "I hate you." I growled playfully. "Hate is a strong choice of words." Optimus teased causing me to roll my eyes. "My god, just drive Prime!"

That caused him to chuckle. I've never seen the Prime so loose in this manner. I didn't question it though. We just headed home, back to base with no worries in mind.