Author's note: I just plain felt like writing Optimus having some solo fun. Movieverse, and it's a one-shot. No more chapters will be added to this, so please don't tell me to write more for this story, mmkay? It's meant to stand alone. Thank you!

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A Moment Alone

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"And even though I know how very far apart we are

It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star…"

Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, "Somewhere Out There"

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Stars were beautiful things. They hung there like mineral deposits on dark stone, provoking dreams and wonder.

Optimus Prime found no beauty in the stars tonight. He saw them as a barrier between him and someone he missed with all of his being. Oh, how he longed for her touch again. They used to--as the humans called it--make love on nights like this. His Spark trembled in its chamber at the thought, craving her.

Moonlight gleamed off his red and blue flame paintjob. His normally bright blue optics gleamed almost dim white, broadcasting his sadness. He sat down at the base of the cliff from which he just sent his wide-range homing signal to any Autobots within range. Waiting was all he and his Autobot team could do now.

Was she out there?

"…Elita…" Optimus whispered to the sky.

He could deal with their separation before. He was fine with it, really, up until he saw Sam and Mikaela behaving intimately on Bumblebee's hood. Seeing them like that brought back desires he fought down for millennia. Now they came rushing back to him like explosives battering his memory banks.

Images of her pink form came emerged before him, each so real he tried to touch them. His hands were hers--running across his thigh, up between his legs and pinching at the cables on his stomach. Zigzags up and down his chassis, that always made him arch into her, and finally to the seam over his Spark chamber. Oh, touching that wrenched a soft cry from his vocal processor.

Elita, my beloved… He allowed his chassis to click open, his Spark glowing like a tiny sun amidst his chest plates. Its light glanced off his silver face, revealing a somewhat pinched mouth.

Optimus, she would say, You're so tense, dear. Lie back and I'll take care of you.

You always do, he'd reply, draping an arm around her narrow waist.

Cool night air felt wonderful against Optimus' Spark chamber. Exposing it brought a rush of sensation through his neural system. He had to relieve it--needed to relieve it--so he slipped his fingers into the sides of his Spark chamber. In his imagination, it was Elita's touch. He gazed skyward through unseeing optics, digging his fingers closer to his Spark. Oh, how he ached. He moved his fingertips in small circles where bare sensory circuits lay exposed. Waves of sensation plunged across his neural net. He let his head crash back against the cliff side, mouth open in anticipation of ecstasy.

Elita used to lay her full weight on top of him. Cheek to cheek, Spark to Spark, her weight erasing any space that existed between them. He could almost feel her again even though stars and four million years separated them from each other.

"Oh…" he moaned.

Oof! Ooh, nice chassis. She once said, running her fingers around the edges of his chamber. Slow circles that drove him to madness. Blue is definitely your color.

Why, thank you. I had it polished just for you, too, he'd replied--just before pulling her down so their Spark chambers came in contact with each other.

Optimus arched his chest towards her imagined Spark. His fingertips moved more frantic, desperately wanting. Dipping closer to his soul and pulling back, only to rush forward again and again.

Optimus… her lips parted inches from his face. He loved how she purred right before overloading. Ohhh, Optimus, it's happening…here it comes…OH!

"Uh!" Optimus grunted and arched once more. He let his head fall back against the cliff, mouth open and optics blazing. The almost-pain in his Spark chamber spread across his neural network in soft white waves, like caressing hands fingering every inch of his circuitry. His trembling body superheated so fast that all the dew around him evaporated into steam that condensed like sweat on his armor. Primus, he missed her so much!

Optimus…mmh…Optimus--

"Optimus?"

He blinked, clearing the static from his visual processors. A small shape leaned over the cliff side above his head. The human female, Mikaela. His optics cast soft blue light over her face. She appeared concerned.

"M-Mikaela?" Optimus blurted, caught completely off-guard. His Spark chamber clicked shut and he tried to roll to his feet, but his systems hadn't recovered from his orgasm yet. He floundered and sank back into a seated position. It never occurred to him to get embarrassed--back on Cybertron, sexual behaviors weren't regarded with shame. They were natural. He did find it odd that humans viewed sex so shamefully, yet broadcasted it to sell products. Such strange creatures.

Mikaela got down on her hands and knees for stability. Her long hair fell over her shoulders, dangling a few feet from Optimus' metal nose. "You yelled. I thought you were hurt--so what were you doing?"

"I…" Optimus struggled for a coherent reply that wouldn't embarrass the girl. "…was missing someone."

She tilted her head, arching an eyebrow. The corner of her mouth drew up. "Oh. Funny, it looked more like you were masturbating."

Masturbation? Ah…human term for self-servicing…oh, my, she's astute. His mouth plates slapped shut. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and stood up. Moonlight embraced his graceful motion. Using a small outcrop as a stair, he stepped up onto the cliff and knelt down, looking Mikaela in the face. "I was. And I was missing someone. I apologize if--"

"No," Mikaela lifted a hand, "It's okay, I understand. I'm sorry if I interrupted any--"

"You didn't." he said quickly. "I'm finished."

She nodded and stuck her hands in her jeans pockets. If she was at all uncomfortable, it didn't show. "So, is she pretty?"

At that, Optimus felt his face soften and a warm bubble of emotion spread through his chest. Placing his hand next to Mikaela, he ducked down even more so their eyes were almost perfectly level. "Elita is a lot like you, Mikaela Banes. Sam is a lucky young man to have your affections."

She smiled at him. A strange, shy smile, then she hopped over his fingers and made her way towards Sam. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Sam grinned, bending to kiss her.

Sparks flew off Ironhide's shoulder. Optimus heard him threaten to 'fix' Ratchet with his cannons.

"And who will perform repairs the next time a Decepticon shoots you?" Ratchet complained back.

Bumblebee played another human song over his radio. Aerosmith this time, "I don't wanna close my eyes, don't wanna fall asleep 'cuz I'd miss you, baby--and I don't wanna miss a thing!"

Optimus turned his smile to the sky. He had to keep hoping. She was out there, somewhere.

--The End--