Its been a few years since Prime had disappeared. You haven't heard a word from him since the battle in Shanghai.

A lot has happened since Prime left. 

To start, the government refunded N.E.S.T. It's headquarters located in the heart of Chicago once again. More energon scanners were spread farther within the city, including world wide.

There were still millions of people who we against the Autobots rejoing the military and setting base once again in Chicago but no matter what anyone felt or thought about the situation the government went through with it anyways.

Joshua as promised helped Cade rebuild his home and covered all the debt that Cade was financially in. Tessa graduated highschool with Cade right by her side; as promised he was her prom date.

The ceremony was beautiful, and you happily agreed to the invitation. Tears formed in your eyes as you watch Tessa walk up the stage just as her name was called to receive her diploma.

You were the one recording and taking photos since Cade was a bawling mess. Sobbing while cheering proudly as his little girl shook the hands of her teachers and principal before taking a final pose for another picture.

Of course Shane was there too, cheering just as loud as Cade was. It was such a wonderful experience for you and you were so proud of Tessa. It made you tear up as you reminisced your own graduation day, what a time that was..

You spent a good year or two with the Yeager family, spent your time with Cade in his newly built and improved shop and helped him with any new inventions that came to his mind. Tessa moved out and went to her dream university where she was accepted almost instantly thanks to her being a graduate scholarship.

Once Tessa left the nest you decided to pack up and leave too. It's not like you had any problems with Cade, you just felt it was the right time to spread your own wings and fly in a different direction.

The move was hard, you had lots of good memories with the Yeager family. Especially since you all fought side by side in an alien war together.

You decided to take up the offer by Lennox who took the title of leading the entire N.E.S.T organization. It was exciting yet you were full of anxiety. You were nervous about even stepping foot in Chicago again.

But with the help of the Autobots, along side of the major funding that N.E.S.T had put into the rebuild of Chicago; things were looking better!

You ended up getting an apartment funded by N.E.S.T to live in. It was set in a beautiful location up in Chicago. It was comfortable, cozy and just the right set up for you to enjoy.

But the team wasn't the same without Optimus. Even though its been a few years since he's been gone. Nobody was used to his lack of presence.

Especially you.

You missed him dearly. Missed his touch, his smile, his laugh, the way he would hold you and kiss you. You just missed him so much.

You still wished that he hadn't left earth, but at the same time...as he had said, earth would be safer without him around.

There hasn't been any signs or reports of Decepticons for quite sometime but within the shadows they still continue to lurk. The N.E.S.T team had came across a few energon readings and you had joined those missions and boy was it an adrenaline rush.

You enjoyed your time at N.E.S.T. Worked with the team and the Autobots helped the ache in your chest whenever you thought about Optimus.

You worked hard and well. Followed every task throughly and achieved above and beyond to whatever was set in front of you.

But it still wasn't truly enough to distract the pain in your heart. You would think after a few years of Optimus being gone that you would have already coped with it but you haven't.

You would often wake up to nightmares of all the possibilities of what could've happened to him for the years that he has been gone. The nightmares made it harder for you to cope.

It didn't matter what you did. Whether that be distracting yourself with work, house chores, going out to the bar, hanging out with your friends. None of it could ease the loneliness you felt.

Of course like Swiftdagger had promised Optimus, she had stuck by your side through all of it. Looking after you, making sure you taking care of yourself. She helped you through it all.

Having her around helped alot. Especially when it came to needing a distraction. You would often help her out with trying to fit in better with the humans since she had relied on using  her human holoform 99.9% of her time with you.

It often humored you when she had her trouble with adjusting but it was all in good fun. You enjoyed having her here, as it brought back good memories from your past back when she was your sole Autobot protector.

"I made dinner!" Swiftdagger shouts out from the kitchen. You groaned, pulling the pillow over your head. You were curled up in a ball from under your sheets. The mouth watering scent from the kitchen drifted into your room; making your stomach grumble.

"I'm not hungry!" You shouted back from under the covers. But of course Swiftdagger didn't take 'not hungry' as an answer.

You could hear her coming up the stairs and opening the door to your room. "Come on, kiddo. Up you get."

"I'm not a kid."

"Considering I'm hundreds of years older than you, then yes you are a kid to me." She replied as she pulled the covers off over your head.

She knelt down and gently brushed your (dark/light) (color) hair away from your wet face due to crying from underneath the covers.

"I miss him.." you said tiredly, sniffling softly as you looked at your companion.

"I know...I know.." she frowned, "but I did make a promise to him to look after you and I'm going to do exactly that." She said softly, as she stood back up, "I'm gonna get the shower ready, go get yourself freshen up."

You sighed heavily.

Your muscles were sore from yet another long shift at N.E.S.T. and you could use a nice hot shower to just relax after the long day.

You peeled off the covers, and finally got yourself out of bed. You could hear Swift starting up the shower from the bathroom, her soft humming made you feel at ease.

You picked out a pair of (color) cotton shorts and a (color) t-shirt. Before heading into the bathroom. "Got your towels set up, and the water is set to the right temperature the way you like it."

You smiled in thanks before she strolled out of the bathroom, leaving you to shower.

You take in a heavy sigh before undressing and stepping into the shower. Instantly the water felt like heaven to your skin, within moments your body became relaxed. You run your hands down your face before running your fingers through your hair.

Even if it was just for a moment, you enjoyed the relaxation you felt as you showered.

As time went on, you finally decided to finish up with your shower and get yourself dressed and ready for dinner. Your stomach was grumbling with hunger to the point where you couldn't ignore how hungry you truly were.

You slipped on a pair of socks before heading down the stairs and into the kitchen to where Swiftdagger was making your plate for dinner.

"It smells amazing." You said with a smile as she handed you a full plate of steamed rice with mixed vegetables perfectly placed on top. "Yup, stir-fry your favorite." (A/N: If it's not I'm sorry, I just really love stir-fry😭)

You stroll over to the table to sit down and instantly dig into the food. Your mouth watered with every bite. Swiftdagger smiled with delight as she watched you eat.

You were very thankful to have her. It brought back many memories from your past of Swift being your original protector when you and Sam first met the Autobots.

There was an instant connection between the two of you and since then it had only grown stronger.

It didn't take long for you clean off your plate and you weren't shy to ask for seconds.

"Thank you." You said with a faint smile as you and Swiftdagger finished cleaning the kitchen.

"No need to thank me. It's all part of the job. I'm happy to do it."

Tears weld in your eyes, instantly she noticed and before you could say anything else she pulled you into a tight embrace. Your brows furrowed and before you know it; you burst into tears.

"Thank you. Thank you for everything, Swift."

"You're very welcome, (Y/n)." She said softly, as you hugged her even tigher, "I don't know what I'd do without you." You said with a faint laugh as you both pull away and smile at each other.

"Like I said, I made a promise to not only Prime but to you too. I'm always going to be here to take care of you."

You smiled once more, wiping away your tears with the back of your hand.

Before you could say another word you hear a knock at the door. "I think you should answer it." Swift said with a smile and for a split second your heart dropped.

You turned towards the door. Instantly you could sense something that felt all too familiar. Could it be...it couldn't..could it?

You make your way towards the door, your heart racing, beating fast and hard to the point where you could hear its rapid beats in your ears.

Your hand shaking as you reach for the door handle. Eyes wide as you open the door to reveal the mystery person who knocked.

Your breath caught at the back of your throat, your heart nearly stopping as the tears weld in your eyes. There you stood frozen in shock, lips parted as you stared right into those beautiful blue eyes you never thought you'd ever see again.

"Optimus..."

You couldn't believe that he was here standing right in front of you. You broke into a sob, tears streaming down your face as you reach out a shaking hand to touch his face.

"Is this real? Are you real? Am I dreaming? Is this a dream?" You rambled out inbetween heavy sobs as he smiled softly.

He reached out to grab your trembling hand, pulling it towards his face so it could rest against his cheek.

You could feel the stubble of his beard brushing against your palm, "no my love...this is real. I'm real. I'm here." He said softly, but his voice was raw and thick with emotion. He had tears in his eyes as he looked at you.

Capturing every detail of your face, "you're just as beautiful as the day I had departed."

You smiled through your tears as you cupped his face with your hands. "I missed you, I missed you so much." You sobbed as he pulled you in a tight and strong embrace. He buried his face into your neck, taking in your sweet scent.

You both became undone, sobbing in each other's arms. You have never seen Optimus so emotional, especially like this.

All of it felt like a dream, none of it felt real but it was indeed real. He was here at your door, holding you in his arms.

He has returned.

You held each other tightly as you both fall apart. After years of being apart you were finally together again.

"For every day that went on, I had always missed you. You were all that was on my mind. The sole reason why I had survived all those years away from you."

You both pulled away, he reached to touch your face, his hand caressing your cheek, his eyes never leaving yours.

"I'm sorry that I had left you for so long...I'm so sorry..."

"Its okay baby, you didn't have a choice.." you said softly, gently wiping a stray tear that rolled down his cheek with your thumb.

Without further hesitation his lips crash into yours. Butterflies flourished at the pit of your stomach as he held you tightly against him.

It was euphoria.

It was everything you could've ever hoped for. Everything you had longed for years. It was perfect. He was back. He was finally home.

"I love you (Y/n)."

"I love you too, Optimus..."

He was home.

He was finally home.

"Welcome home, my love."

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HELLO EVERYONE!!
I know, I know, it's literally been a year and I'm so sorry.
But you know that saying "wattpad writers really go thru it?"
Yeah its been a real rough year for me. Like I have not caught a break from literally anything.
Its been chaos.
Like the first month of 2024 was absolutely horrible so many unexpected things happened like it was back to back..
Things have gotten better but it has not been a good year for me.
BUT!!!
WE FINALLY REACHED THE END LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
I'm so thankful to have yall, and all the amazing support I had gotten throughout this story!
I just really appreciate it and I'm just so thankful for you all.
I hope you all enjoyed the story, thank you for being patience and sticking around for the end.
I love you all.
Thank you.
❤