Human Companionship, Part Two - Chapter Two
Transformers: Prime
Flashback
Lyrics/quotes

A/N: Guys, if you still love this book as much as I think you used to, please leave me some constructive comments! If anything, it'll make the next chapter better than this one, so comment away! You guys are the best fans!

Lyrics from 'Safe and Sound' by Taylor Swift; quote from Bram Stoker's Dracula.

She didn't know what was worse: being away from home or being away from her friends. Would it have been better to go with June and the others? At least she would've been around good friends – hell, they were family, themselves – who felt the same about the situation at hand. They could have understood each other. Mourned together. Longed for the rest of their family together. Been lonely together…

But that would have meant leaving home. Now that Jamie had a home she loved, it was hard to even think about having to leave it behind so soon. It was her safe haven; it was safe and sound, the way homes should feel. Maybe it was because of all the memories she had made there, or maybe it was her general love of the old silo, but there was something about leaving that Jamie did not like. It was the reason why she found herself alone in her room in the dark of night in the silent, empty silo.

There were no snoring mechs down the hall.

There was no sound of a monster truck rally on TV.

There were no beeps of a video game playing.

There was nothing except Jamie, Ratchet, and silence.

"'Just close your eyes… You'll be alright… Come morning light, you and I'll be safe, and, sound….'"

Cybertron was dark as the Autobots searched for a place to take refuge in. The stars were bright – that was something that the planet hadn't seen in so long. Most nights used to come with fear: fear of not having enough Energon, enough ammo, enough time to get away – to survive one more night in hopes of seeing the light of day. But now… now the fear was gone. Nothing but a memory.

"Jamie would've loved this view," Wheeljack whispered to himself as he gazed at the lights above.

"Damn straight she would." He turned and looked to his right where Smokescreen was walking beside him.

"Something she would've stared at for hours."

"Yeah, Cybertron was always good for stargazing."

"Jamie was good to stargaze with, Smokey," Wheeljack said, a sad little smile finding its way onto his faceplates.

"To watch movies with, and just to talk to…" Smokey replied. Subconsciously, the others began to join the conversation.

"I miss Raf, and I miss playing videogames with him," Bumblebee said, clearly lonely without his best friend.

"I'm holding onto the feeling of when Miko and I would watch rallies. Never a better pastime."

"I miss Jack's garage – it was always the perfect temperature in there at night – and driving through the open desert with him. That was always the best part of my day…"

"Personally, I miss the kindness we were shown by the humans. How the four of them accepted us the way they did when we came. How they didn't care that we were different," Magnus added. Any other time, his kindness would have been met with so much criticism, but this night was different. It was a night of mourning.

"I miss Jamie so much. I miss her and everything about her. There's just so much to that kid… I couldn't possibly list everything I miss about her already," Wheeljack threw in.

"Me too," Smokey added. "But her smile was my favorite. The way she would light up the room in an instant with her smile. Even if we were all having a bad day, if we were sad, if she was sad herself, she still always tried to make us all grin."

The others sat quietly for a moment. They all knew Smokescreen was right, and deep down, they all missed Jamie a little bit differently than the other kids just because of the person she was.

"She will be the one who holds them, who holds us, all together. Jamie will be our ultimate savior; I can feel it in my spark," Optimus stated with an unwavering tone of faith. Her personal struggles gave her a strength that was unique among their human comrades – he just knew it was true.

Hours went by before the group finally came across any structure that was both still upright and big enough to house them all. It was a primitively built structure; there were no windows left, the doorway was simply a hole in the wall, and the roof was consumed with holes, but it would make due for the night. The Autobots made their way into building one-by-one and dispersed inside of it to find a piece of the floor to recharge.

Magnus sat down the large box of trinkets in the middle of the room. "Shall we open this now or later?"

Unanimously, Ultra Magnus was met with a 'now' from the 'bots rather than a 'later,' so he opened the box carefully. One at a time, he handed out each item to its designated recipient as if he were playing Santa Claus at Christmas time. Each of the Autobots selfishly grabbed at and took their gifts, desperate to hold onto what tangibles of home they were given.

Wheeljack and Smokescreen sat beside one another. Jamie had packed them each a couple of gifts, all of which were wrapped. They were desperate to open them, but Wheeljack hesitated to do so while Smokescreen opened his immediately.

"What the…? Oh, I get it!" He exclaimed as he pulled the paper off of the sphere in his servo.

"What is it?"

"Yarn. It was how we got out of the ship, that day she saved our afts. Look, she even wrote a note; 'So you don't ever get lost or lose your way, you doofus.'" Smokey smiled.

"What about the other one?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" Smoke ripped the paper from the other gift he had to open. It was a radio. It also had a note which read, 'You know me. Can't avoid the music… :).' He carefully pushed the play button, and as soon as he did, everyone's audios flooded with Jamie's music. They all smiled as Smokey quickly stopped it.

"Well, um… How about you, Jackie?"

Wheeljack looked down at his gifts in his servos. "I guess I should probably open them, huh?" He grabbed the smaller of the two objects and carefully pulled away the paper. As he did, the two looked at it in shock. It was Cabela.

Jamie ran frantically around the base. "Where the frag did he go?! I swear I had him this morning!"

Wheeljack and Bulkhead were sitting around watching TV for no other reason than to kill time. "What are you looking for, Kid?"

"Cabela," she replied quickly as she continued to search in every possible spot.

"Who's Cabela?" he asked Bulk quietly.

"Her stuffed toy wolf. It helps her recharge."

"Hey, can one of you come over here and boost me up to the couch? I think it's the last place I had him today." The couch was on the far side of the catwalk, and with Wheeljack right there, it made the most sense to give her a lift rather than her having to walk all the way down to the ladder and back, so he did.

Jamie quickly dove into the couch cushions, and as soon as Wheeljack turned to walk away, she shouted in victory, "AH HAH! I FOUND HIM!"

He was slightly confused, yet simultaneously amused as he watched the scene before him unfold. Jamie began to cuddle the toy as if he were a long-lost friend that was separated from her long ago. But it made him smile because it was a moment of pure happiness, and happiness was something the two of them couldn't afford to not feel.

"This wolf is my one constant element in my life. He is my comfort provider and my trusty side-kick. I'd probably die before I'd let him go…"

"'… And I did, the day you told me you were leaving. At least a piece of me did. But it's all for a good cause. So, I figured that you'd need him more than me for the time being. Just remember to bring him back.'" Wheeljack's lip quivered in sadness at the note and the toy.

"Hey, Wheeljack… It's gonna be okay. Open the other one, maybe it'll make you feel better?" Smokey encouraged, his arm wrapped around Wheeljack's shoulders. He nodded in agreement as he reached for the other object. It was quite bigger than Cabela, as well as much heavier. He pulled the paper off to reveal two framed photos. The first one was of the Autobots all together; they were all in smiles, laughing and having fun together. It was one of those rare moments in their lives where they didn't worry about a damn thing.

The other was a bit more personal. Wheeljack instantly remembered where the picture was from as soon as he saw it. The days leading up to their departure, Jamie wanted to make sure she had something fresh to hold onto in her mind. Something she would've never dreamed of doing with anyone else. She asked if they could go to the beach.

There was no way he could deny her taking a trip to the beach, so he willingly took her to the Pacific. They were sitting against the base of a cliff together watching the sunset. It was the most perfect sunset he had ever seen on any planet. And now he had it to keep with him forever. At the bottom, she had penned in a quote:
"There are darknesses in life, and there are lights. You are one of the lights, the light of all lights."

He looked at the picture for the longest time.

And then he began to cry.

Morning came. It was supposed to be a new day, a new start… instead, morning brought more sadness.

Jamie got up at 8:30 as normal, and proceeded with her normal morning routine. She changed into day clothes, cleaned her glasses, took her vitamins, and put on her headphones. She started listening to her music, and then put on her socks to make her way to the main part of the silo. But she had to pass all the empty quarters that belonged to her beloved family.

The smell. Wheeljack's smell. His quarters smelled so much like him, and that was all it took. The smell came to her nose, and as soon as it did, Jamie's mind flooded with all these memories - good ones and bad – of before. As soon as that smell reached her nose, Wheeljack was back home. And then came reality.

"Jesus Christ… Why? Why'd you have to leave me here, damn it?!" she shouted.

She stared into Wheeljack's empty quarters for the longest time.

And then she began to cry.