It was a quiet night at the base. Everyone was attending to their own business; Ratchet was sleeping, Prowl was meditating, Bulkhead was doing art stuff, Bumblebee was playing video games, and Optimus was on the computer, doing research on Earth customs.

He was researching different sports when a message appeared on one of the monitors.

"Hey Red"

Optimus looked closer. No one at the base called him that. The only people who called him that were his friends at the Autobot Academy… and since Sentinel probably thought he was dead, only one bot could have sent that message.

He didn't know how to go about this. Does he just ignore her? He couldn't just do that? How does he respond? He just goes with a "Hello. How are you?"

"About as good as usual. Want to come cheer an old friend up?"

Optimus froze. His automatic instinct was to say yes, because even though she was Sentinel's partner, he always had feelings for her, even after her technorganic makeover, and he's always cared for her, even after their fight. But, his logical side came in to say, hey, wait, this might be a trap.

After thinking for a while, he decided that maybe she deserved a second chance, and set up a meeting with her.

As he was about to leave, Bumblebee decided to start asking questions. "Hey, Boss Bot! Where are you going this late?"

Optimus was a terrible liar. "Oh, uh, n-nothing… just out for a processor… to clear my… drive… good night," he stammered before speeding off.

"Sure, Prime… sure," Bumblebee muttered to himself.

Optimus arrived in the woods, where they had agreed to meet, and he awaited her arrival. He heard metallic footsteps that were so delicate and graceful, just like Elita-1.

Blackarachnia came out of the darkness. She was smiling, unlike their last encounter. "Long time, no see," she chuckled.

"Blackarachnia, hello," Optimus said, blushing and rubbing the back of his helm. "So, what's your plan? You call me over so you can poison me again?"

"Hahaha, no, although that does sound like me, doesn't it?" Blackarachnia smirked. "No ulterior motive here, Prime, I just wanted to spend time with you, just like old times. Then, when we're done, we can go back to being enemies, and pretend like nothing ever happened."

Optimus smiled and looked down, still blushing.

"Come here," Blackarachnia grinned. "I missed you, too."

"But… you said… that it would be a while before you would trust any Autobot," Optimus stammered.

Blackarachnia approached him and hugged him. "That's true, yes. But I need this. I haven't felt comfortable in stellar cycles. I need this piece of the past, even just for a little while."

"If that will help you, then I'll give you this," Optimus whispered to her. He wanted to confess his feelings for her, but he knew it wouldn't be appropriate. It would just complicate things, and maybe she still loved Sentinel.

"I'm glad it's you who I found instead of Sentinel," she muttered. "Honestly, I was getting sick of his macho attitude."

Or not…

"Um, you know, El– I mean, Blackarachnia, I've always cared for you, too," Optimus said, the blush on his face reaching its peak.

"Optimus… are you saying…"

"Uh, I… yes."

Blackarachnia looked into his crystal blue optics and pulled him in for a kiss.

"Ouch!" Optimus yelped, pulling away.

"Sorry! Fangs!" Blackarachnia laughed. "Want to try that again?"

"It'd be an honor," Optimus beamed, pulling her in for a second, more successful kiss under the moonlight.