Optimus was certain of himself as he drove his mate and his new son to the restaurant. His holoform caressed June's arm in a way that he intended would soothe her, but she was paying attention to the sand and cacti turning into buildings and sidewalks. And then they were parked neatly, taking up four parking spaces. His holoform looked over at Jack, who was picking lightly at a new shirt June had bought him. "You look nice," he whispered and he wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders. The boy smiled at him and he grinned back, but he saw the nervousness flicker in his human eyes and he released him. June hopped out wordlessly.

Out of the three of them, Optimus felt the most out of place. June wore black slacks and a nice dress top. Jack had his good pair of jeans on and a button-up shirt. Optimus wore jeans and a simple tee. He bit his lip and looked at Jack's shirt. A moment later, he updated his holoform with a similar shirt. Jack smiled as he watched. June didn't even see. She was looking around the parking lot. It was surprisingly empty, but after Optimus checked his internal clock, he decided it wasn't so surprising. They were just before the lunch-rush.

Inside, they were welcomed with smiles and a prompt table. "He's been waiting for you since eight," the waitress chirped over her shoulder. "There he is."

Optimus kept walking, but a quick check behind him showed that June and Jack had stopped walking. He studied them and then he studied the man.

He was tapping on a tablet. His eyes were dark behind long lashes and he was obviously stressed about what he was doing. He chewed his lower lip and worked his fingers deeper and deeper into his wavy brown hair. A tan-line of a ring showed on his left hand and Optimus noted it looked as though he had kept a wedding band around his finger for a long period of time. He remembered seeing a similar thing on June's left hand. Had both been stubborn to let go of the past? The man was caught up with what he was doing that for several moments, he did not look up, but jolted when Optimus pulled a chair back to sit across from him.

June settled beside him after a prompting gesture and further prompting got Jack on the other side of Optimus.

The stress on the man's face left as his eyes settled on June. "My pet," he purred fondly and he leaned over the table to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. Optimus' lips pulled over his upper set of teeth. Jack hid his face. June moved her head back, but the dirty deed was done. The hair was pinned behind her ear.

"You look well. Your new boyfriend has kept you well." The man looked Optimus up and down and the Prime willed himself to sit taller. Jack nestled deeper into his chair. "How long have you been together? Weeks? Months?"

The correct answer sprang to Optimus' vocals easily, and he was about to open his mouth when June jumped in.

"Years."

The man's gaze settled on Optimus. "And what were you about to say?"

Optimus didn't need to glance at June to know she was staring at him. "I was going to say it feels like days since we met, but with her it is easy to lose track of time."

The man laughed and nodded, putting his tablet aside. "I agree on that much..." He looked at Jack and smiled. "Hey, buddy. Remember me?"

Jack, though sixteen and fighting for independence, huddled against Optimus, his blue eyes wide as he watched the man. Optimus lifted his arm and pulled him against his side.

"I can imagine that he does," Optimus said softly, flashing teeth that would have looked like a smile to a human, but a display of dominance to another Cybertronian. The man flashed teeth back and chuckled.

"Probably not very good memories, but as you can see, I've really cleaned up, June." He looked at her with a sincere look on his face. "I would be honored if you came back to me..."

"You say that easily in front of my boyfriend?"

He scoffed and waved his hand in a dismissive way, reaching for his water glass. He took a sip. "Relationships are so fragile..."

June's outburst was interrupted when the server came back and prompted orders. Jack gave his tentatively after glancing at June, and she ordered next. Optimus and the man challenged each other with their eyes before the man smiled and ordered. It was all on Optimus now, and June prayed that he would act normal, not ordering lunch and then not eating it.

But he smiled easily and requested "the special", which made June look at the menu and she scowled. "But, love...aren't you dieting?"

"Oh, but I think this prompts enough celebration." He stopped the server, however. "And, may I request to speak with the chef? He and I are good friends."

She smiled and nodded, her blue eyes flashing. "Anything you desire, sir." She smiled a little bigger and something flickered in her facial expression. June blinked.

"Is she...?"

Optimus looked at her and made a simple nod, a smile forming on his lips and he kissed her forehead. "A good friend of mine. We go way back."

The man sat forward. "Oh? How far back?"

Optimus barked a laugh. "Eons!" He reached across the table. "Call me Orion, Mister...?" He fished for a name, his eyes boring into his.

"Jones. Nicholas Jones." He shook Optimus' hand. "What do you do for a living?"

"I run a small business," he said vaguely, leaning back. "With my family, I and a rival company compete for 'total Earth domination'. It is a really interesting battle. So far, we look as though we are winning."

"Interesting. What do you do?"

"It is actually very boring, Nicholas..." Optimus' gaze was stolen by an old friend.

"Prime," the man laughed and he hugged him when Optimus got to his feet. Their hugs were tight, almost painful. Born from war and pain, their friendship had been surprising and lasted longer than expected. Hugging this man was strange. The mech Optimus was used to had four arms. "What can I do for ya?"

Optimus smirked. "I just wanted to see if your ugly scars had gotten any uglier, Scraptrap!"

The man rubbed his face and chuckled. The scars around his eyes looked exactly like his real scars, and they did, indeed, look tragic. "I still look better than you."

Nicholas watched, a tight smile on his face. "What is this display for, Orion?"

Optimus sat back down, looking over at him and frowning. "You are on my turf now, Nicholas Jones...you do not insult my family. You do not threaten them, me, or my relationship with June. Do you understand? You are treading on another man's turf, and you are doing so recklessly."

He watched him, frowning slowly. The server came back and set plates down on the table. The plate at Optimus' place of the table held a cube of Energon and he smirked. He lifted the cube up, tossed the contents back into his mouth, and he swallowed. The whole time Nicholas stared. "Now. If you will excuse me, my mate, and my son, I will let them finish eating, and you will politely pick up the bill. I will supply a tip. Then we will shake hands. I will thank you for the meal, and we will go our separate ways, never to see each other again. Do you understand?"

Nicholas slowly nodded, and after June and Jack packed their untouched meals into boxes (the server asked them to have a nice day as she left, Optimus chirping her real name at her. She laughed over her shoulder), Optimus shook his hand and they left, Optimus' mouth a thin, hard line and Nicholas' parted slightly in a puzzled way...

ooo

Optimus turned on the radio in June's home. She made dinner, her eyes filling with tears, and not from the onions. She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes and her shoulders shook as she wept, and all Optimus could do was watch, his holoform flickering only slightly as he moved closer to her as the chorus started up on the radio.

I see you dressed in white,

Every wrong made right

I see a rose in bloom

At the sight of you (oh, so priceless)

Irreplaceable, unmistakable, incomparable,

Darling, it's beautiful

I see it in all you (oh, so priceless)

"Turn it off," she pleaded, but Optimus didn't move except to wrap his arms around her from behind. "Please...Optimus, I don't need this..."

"You need this," he insisted and he nuzzled her lightly. "You know you do."

No matter,

This is what you're worth,

More than all the money and diamonds and pearls,

Oh, this is who you are,

Yea, this is who you are.

This song was perfect, and he longed for it to continue forever for his June to listen to. He had to make sure he remembered the band and the title of the song so he could go out and find the CD for her, and a CD player...

So when it's late, you're wide awake

Too much to take

Don't you dare forget that in the pain,

You can be brave, hear me say...

Optimus rocked slightly with June in his embrace and he purred the chorus into her ear. Her shoulders shook more and she lowered her head, gripping the knife in her hand and pressing the other to her face.

I see you dressed in white,

Every wrong made right

I see a rose in bloom

At the sight of you (oh, so priceless)

Irreplaceable, unmistakable, incomparable,

Darling, it's beautiful

I see it in all you (oh, so priceless)

The song went on, but Optimus was busy holding June as they sunk to the floor and they held each other. Knife forgotten on the floor, Optimus kicked it away as far as he could. He remembered a favored friend of his that had carved up her skin until all he could see of her was scars. He wanted to prevent any human from harming themselves, and he made a special mental note to visit her later. June gradually stopped crying and she looked up at Optimus' face, reaching up to stroke the holoform and he smiled a little.

"That was For King and Country's new song, Priceless. Lovely song. And I hear tell that they are so serious about their 'movement' that they've made a movie! And it's coming out. I recommend seeing it. You will see one of the band members in the movie. I heard it's going to be perfect. Thanks for listen-"

June turned off the radio and she got back to cooking, the tears drying on her face.

"June, if it pleases you, I would like to see a friend of mine."

"Cybertronian?"

"Human." He smiled a little and he kissed her forehead when she looked at him in surprise. "More than a few humans have captured my interest, June, but you are on the top of my list."

She smiled a little and waved him off. "I'll be fine."

Optimus trusted her. She was a strong human being, he thought as he climbed into his cab and drove off into the country, an area his friend called "The sticks of the boondocks deep within the boonies."

He didn't fully understand, but it made her smile.

Her house was clouded with trees, embraced by the limbs and leaves. Two acres stretched out, occupied by a rundown pool and two ponds, an undetermined amount of fish in one and the other, standing empty as its occupants have already been moved. A dying apple orchard stood off to the side, shrouding the occupied pond. The pool reeked of rotting vegetation, the deck creeked and whimpered from lack of attention, and Optimus ran his hand over the worn wood before he got a sharp rebuke.

"Don't tell me you drove all this way to play touchy-feely with my deck!" A small human female stood in the doorway of the old farm house. Horses nickered from their home at the sound of her voice and Optimus smiled at her.

"I wanted to see you," he said as he crossed the gravel driveway, walking towards her.

"It's been a while." She tipped her head up to see his face, look up into his eyes. She grinned. "I saved some Energon you left for my present."

Two minicons were playing ping-pong, another keeping score. Optimus smiled at the display of his present well-used. He knew that they would get the exercise Kickstart was lacking in his office with his human friend. She kept them all busy and well-fed.

A three-legged cat bolted by Optimus, smacking his knee with her tail. He knelt to tickle under her chin and her tail flicked again before she chased a furry black cat she had fondly named Church. Another reference he did not get, but, again, it made her laugh.

"I'm next!" She grabbed the paddle of the loser and Optimus saw a flash of scars. She played well, for a human, but Cybertronians had internal calculations and were thinking at a higher level and reacting to things they had already predicted twelve seconds ago. Optimus would like to see how the minicons did against him.

"How long have you remained clean?"

"Since this October," she crowed, hitting the ball so that the minicon had a harder time retrieving it. It hit it out of bounds and into Optimus' palm. He bounced the ball on the table.

"Fairly impressive."

"Come on, Optimus. With everything going on, you'd think I'd be back at it." She served the ball and scoffed when the minicon declared it foul.

"Your face is foul."

"Uncalled for," the minicon snapped playfully and he served the ball. She returned it and the volleying started up again. Optimus watched silently for a moment.

"I understand." He studied his friend more.

Around her wrist were two braclets, one purple and yellow and thin reading What happened to you doesn't define you and another, thicker, bigger, and black with red text that stated Believe a life can change, with a smaller word that Optimus didn't grasp the meaning of: RED. Around her neck was a thin chain with a penny from another country, and clinking lightly against that was a shield. Optimus stopped the game when he grabbed for it, running his thumb over it. He frowned.

"The symbols mean For King and Country," she explained. "The penny means I'm priceless."

"Mm. And priceless you are." He tucked it back against her skin and he smiled at her, opening his hand for her wrist. But instead of tracing her scars, he looked at the bracelets. He recognized the yellow and purple one, but he plucked at the black one as if it offended.

"My new favorite band," she laughed. "It's a saying, I guess, lyrics to a song...believe a life can change...I don't know. I figured, with all that's going on, I needed to remember that I'm not defined by my past, my life can change, and I'm priceless."

Optimus nodded and he released her wrist. "That is an excellent strategy...June and I heard one of this...For King and Country's songs this afternoon. Priceless. It made her cry."

"My favorite, well, one of them." She surrended her paddle to the minicon and she took his hand, leading him to the next room, the living room. Soft music played and Optimus caught a little bit of the lyrics as he sat down beside her on the couch.

He remembered sitting in the same spot, four years ago, when he had first learned that she was harming herself, and then again in November, listening to a ten-year-old story of predatory sexual assualt delivered by her father.

"So, tell me how Junie is..."

When the story was told, omitting Nicholas' return, she was laughing and smiling and nodding. "You two are perfect. I ship you both so hard."

A third thing he did not understand, but he just laughed and nodded.

"I hope you don't mind, Prime, but I've done a little tapping at the keys and I might have accidentally written a story about you two."

"Accidentally?" He laughed and shook his head a little, getting up. "I must return to my mate. Send me this accidental story of yours and I may accidentally read it."

ooo

June was asleep when he came back, and she laid on her belly on her side of the berth, allowing room for Optimus' holoform to sink beside her. They slept peacefully that night, Optimus' arms wrapped around her and June's head on his chest.