*I don't own Transformers or anything affiliated with Transformers. I only own my original characters and plots. All rights go to Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg.*

The ride up to Vermont seemed to be taking much longer than it should, and it was, actually. Optimus has been sitting in traffic for the past hour and a half--no lie--and I was just so ready to hop out of his cabin and walk the rest of the way. We had about two hours left until we were supposed to reach my grandparents' house, but with my excitement I could probably make in less than an hour. Optimus would never let me do you that though. Even when he's not being overprotective he's being overprotective. It was just an endless cycle.

One of the real reasons that this ride seemed to be taking so long was probably because I was just so ready to see my dad again. It's been four months since I last saw him "alive," and I really just couldn't wait to see him again. Most of the pain that I've been feeling for these past four months has subsided because of this information. Don't get me wrong, I miss my brother, sister, and my mom more than anything in the world, and I would continue to miss them, but I just found out my dad was alive after I spent four long months thinking he was dead. It was kind of hard not to be happy about it. Plus, I wasn't alone anymore. I might have just had one family member left, but I felt that was better than none.

"If we don't start moving in five seconds I'm getting out and walking the rest of the way," I exclaimed as I placed my head against Optimus's cold window.

"I believe I may join you. This is rather annoying," he responded. His words confused me at first. It took me about ten seconds to finally get the joke. He was an Autobot, which meant he could just transform and literally walk all over the hundreds of vehicles sitting in front of him. I had to laugh at it.

"You're funny."

He only chuckled in response, and in seconds I could finally feel us start to move. I was too relieved to even say anything. Instead, I just plopped back into the seat. Odds were that I would probably spend the remaining two hours sleeping, dreaming of finally seeing my dad for the first time in four months.

I just wondered what it would be like when I finally saw him; I wondered about just how much of our old life we could live with this Decepticon threat still lurking about. Would he and I be able to do the things we used to do? Would we go to Burger King or some random fast food establishment and just eat the entire menu, or would he be too skeptical to even wanna go out in public? The Decepticons are probably the reason why he's been locked in his parents' house for this long anyway. They thought he was dead, and I was sure he wanted to keep it that way. I just couldn't help but wonder how they didn't catch him those couple months ago when he was stalking the hell out of me. I still can't believe he never even thought to tell me that he was alive. He could have easily knocked on my hotel room doors or came to find me in an alley to tell me he was alive; we could have went to Vermont together! But, when I think about that happening then I realize that I wouldn't have met Optimus--the one who truly keeps me from falling apart, even now that I know my dad's alive.

My eyes flickered open as I felt myself being shaken. I met the bright blue eyes of Optimus's holoform, and almost automatically a smile crept onto my face.

"Hello," I greeted him as I rubbed my tired eyes. I don't even remember falling asleep.

"Good morning," he chuckled. "We've arrived at your grandparents' house."

I perked up almost immediately and sat up. Looking out Optimus's window only proved him to be right.

Just looking at the small two-story house in front of me was enough to make me happy. not to mention the amount of memories it brought back. I remember spending almost every summer up here when I was a kid. It was never too hot, but it was never too cold, so it was the perfect vacation spot for the summer. I just couldn't believe this is the first time I've been here since I was eleven. It was so different, yet it was still the same. The burgundy-colored front door was still present, but it was just a bit brighter than it used to be. I could only assume that my grandfather had touched it up a bit. The two, matching burgundy-colored furniture still sat on their over-sized porch as well. The only major changes that I could really point out was the new garage door, the brand new windows, and porch. It didn't really matter to me though. It still held that sense of home; I could feel it from here.

"I can't believe I'm here right now," I spoke absentmindedly. The next thing I know my door was being pulled open, and a hand was being held out to me. It was Optimus's holoform, and I was rather confused about how he got out there so fast.

"You were too caught up in admiring your grandparents' home to pay attention to me," he lightly chuckled. It was almost as if he could read my mind, or maybe it was just my facial expression. "Anyway, are you coming or not, young Brenna?"

I just nodded and grabbed his hand. As gently as he could, he pulled me out of his cabin and soon enough I was standing on the sidewalk that I hadn't stood on in almost seven years. It felt so surreal to even be here right now, and I had no clue why.

Optimus began pushing me towards the house when I didn't move, and soon enough I complied and began walking on my own. The moment I reached the door I hesitated. I wasn't sure whether I should knock or just go right in. Whenever we came here for vacation we would normally go right in, but that was only because my grandmother hated it when family knocked on her door. She used to tell my dad "You didn't knock on the door to come in the house when you were younger, so don't start now." She even told me and Brandon to just come in if our parents were taking too long, so we did, but I've been gone so long that it didn't feel right to me.

Finally, I let out a sigh and knocked on the door. Almost immediately I heard shuffling in the background and then the door burst open. A man stood in the doorway, and I recognized him as my grandfather right away. There's no way in hell I could ever forget that cute little face of his. Just looking at it brought a smile onto my face.

"Brenna? Oh my gosh! Darling, is that you?" he exclaimed as he placed his calloused hands onto my shoulders. He looked as if he were trying to figure out if it was me he was seeing.

"Yes, it's me, Pop-pop," I giggled.

His mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. He just pulled me to him and squeezed me as hard as he possibly could. My grandpa may have been kinda old, but he was still strong as hell. I guess it comes with being an army veteran, but who knows?

"Good gosh!" he exclaimed as he let me go. His eyes shifted from me to Optimus, and his eyes brightened with realization. "And Optimus Prime! Goodness, goodness. Come in, you two!"

He stood aside and held the door open for us to go in. The inside was just as familiar as the outside was; the sweet smell, the furniture, the pictures...everything. I felt so comfortable just being back here. I only wished that Brandon, Bella, and mom could be here as well.

"John, who was at the door?" a high-pitched voice sounded from the living room. It's been a while since I've been here, but I was still very familiar with this house and where everything was. That would probably never change.

"See for yourself, honey," my grandfather responded as he lead us into the living room. My grandmother was sitting in her recliner reading a Better Homes magazine, something she always does; it's probably why she has such a beautiful house inside and out.

She looked up as we walked into the room and nearly passed out when she met my eyes. She let out a small squeal and stood up, wasting no time at all in running over to hug me. I was kind of surprised at how fast she moved, but then again she seemed to be pretty excited.

"Oh my gosh," she cried as she squeezed me. "I can't believe you're here right now. I've missed the hell out of you, little girl."

"I've missed you too, Nana," I chuckled as I pulled away from her.

"Is this Optimus?" she asked as her focus shifted from me to Optimus's holoform.

"Yep."

He gave her a small smile and stuck his hand out for her to shake it, but she decided it would be best for her to tackle him in a hug. This startled Optimus just like it did when Mackenna hugged him. He was not good with this kind of stuff.

"Stop Nana," I told her as I tried prying her off of him. It was fairly difficult, and had I much better control over my ability I probably would have used it on her, but I didn't feel like killing her at the moment.

"Damnit, Gloria," my grandfather exclaimed as he finally managed to pry her off of him. I moved myself in front of Optimus in kind of a protective notion. Nana was a hugger, so I had to be extra careful. Lord knows she'd try it again.

"I'm sorry. But what do you expect me to do when I meet the one who's been keeping my granddaughter safe all these months? Shake his hand? Hell no," she huffed as she sat back down.

I looked at Optimus. "They're crazy and I'm sorry." He just smiled and gave me a comforting pat on the back.

"Come sit down, you two. Tell us about your adventures in the great beyond," my grandfather said.

I shook my head and grabbed Optimus's wrist before heading over to the couch to sit down. In reality, I didn't want to talk about my "adventures in the great beyond." All I wanted was to know where my dad was at the moment.

"Where's my dad?"

"Oh, he's in the shower," my Nana answered me. I just groaned and fell back onto the couch, accidentally landing on Optimus's lap. I sat up quickly and apologized, but he really didn't seem to mind at all. I just shook it off and began thinking about my dad again. I had no clue how long he's been in the shower, but he's been known for taking almost 45 minute showers, so I was probably screwed.

"He should be out in a minute. Don't you worry your pretty little mind," my Pop-pop laughed.

And that's when I heard it. . .

"Who shouldn't worry their pretty little mind?" I shot up immediately at the sound of the voice and turned my attention to the living room entrance. My father, the man I haven't seen in four months, the man I thought was dead, was standing in the living room entrance. The tears burned in my eyes, and without another thought I jumped up from the couch and ran over to him, wasting no time at all in wrapping my arms tightly around him.

"Oh my gosh. Daddy, I've missed you so much," I cried into his shirt.

"Brenna?" he inquired as he finally registered who I was.  "Oh my gosh! Hi, you little nugget!" He squeezed me as hard as he possibly could. He was probably crushing the hell out of my injured arm, but I didn't care. All I cared about was the fact that I was finally back in his arms; it felt so overwhelmingly fantastic. I honestly couldn't believe this was happening right now.

"You're freakin' alive," I exclaimed as I pulled away from him. "And your hair is still freakin' perfect too."

He laughed. "I could say the same for you too. How come when I told you to dye your hair this color, you wouldn't?"

"Because you didn't tell me to dye my hair this color. You told me to dye it burgundy, you idiot," I chuckled.

He just shook his head, smiled, and ruffled my hair before focusing his attention on Optimus. I turned around to see that Optimus was already standing up. He looked so official the way he was standing; it must have been an army thing.

"Captain Morgan, what a pleasure it is to finally see you again," Optimus spoke.

"I lost that rank four months ago, Prime. But, it truly is a pleasure to see you as well," my dad replied. "I've been waiting for the day I could finally thank you for keeping Brenna safe. I honestly cannot stress just how grateful I am to you, and I'm sure Brenna is as well."

I was more than grateful for Optimus. Words honestly could not describe just how much Optimus and his presence meant to me. I just couldn't stress it enough.

"It was my pleasure."

I couldn't help but smile at the two of them. Words could not describe just how happy I was feeling at this very moment. I was just so ecstatic to be in the same room with the now-four most important people in my life. It was almost as if the pain had been completely drained from my body and replaced with nothing but happiness, love, and joy. After four long months of being alone in the dark, I was finally out of the dark and I could only hope that it stayed this way.