AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, well, this is it. Thank you all for reading my story. I hope you've enjoyed it as much I did while writing it. It was a good devotion of a month or so of my life, and I only hope that I get to write more in the future. The epilogue is done now, Bound is complete. So far, no, I do not have any plans for writing for Transformer things or a sequel to this sequel. I'm sorry, but that's the truth. However, that isn't set in stone—it may change in the near future or when I get my school-issued laptop. (: Hope for the best is all I can say. Thank you all again! Transformers ftw!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Transformers, or any other characters.

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He wasn't sure how much more slandering his name could take. Much to Sam's dismay, Leo had told almost everyone willing to listen to him about Sam's new partner although he never dared to say his name. In a matter of days, the entire campus knew him by name and knew what he was up to. Sam was insanely embarrassed and only showed up to class because Optimus constantly forced him to and wouldn't allow him to hide away in headquarters to miss school. When he had to show, Optimus would chauffeur him to class and Ironhide worked full time as a bodyguard from classmates. Even with Vin around, that didn't stop the looks people gave him in the hallways. Any time he was seen with Prime, girls would instantly start whispering and glancing at them over their shoulders and boys would sneer and shove their way past. Sam had been having a strong desire to pull himself in like a turtle and hide until it all blew over. But it wouldn't, and he knew that for sure.

For nearly three weeks, Sam had to put up with the awkward tension between him and the rest of the students. It deteriorated over time, and people grew to be less nosey eventually. At one point, some girl had slipped past Ironhide's detection and actually asked Optimus for his name. She had to have been a freshmen—she wore a ripped hoodie and fishnet and had brown hair with bright blue eyes, and was particularly pushy with Prime.

"And who're you, huh? What's your name?" She was extremely intent on questioning him, but Optimus stood back and called Ironhide over. He ignored her questions, returned to Sam while 'Hide drove the rabid fangirl away, and held his hand. Walking around campus was a living hell to Sam yet Optimus didn't seem to be bothered by anybody's opinion of them like him. So much for keeping up appearances, Sam thought to himself. He didn't try to talk to him about that weird girl; he just continued walking, enjoying the warm touch of Optimus' large hand laced through his own. Absolutely no amount of school humiliation was going to stop him from loving Prime.

Leo had been dealt with accordingly, however. The other Autobots decided to have a long talk with him about exposing people's personal lives and the camcorder had been officially terminated. Sam didn't see Leo around his dorm for a couple days, not that he minded it very much. His other roommates said something about him having to check into a hospital because he got hit by a car, which was pretty much what he deserved. The Twins had to have been involved, but he never brought it up with them. It was better if he didn't know more than he needed to. Sam felt that whatever they did he probably brought upon himself anyway.

Christmas was right around the corner and Sam wanted to plan a celebration for the gang, who had never heard of such a holiday before. Like always, the pastime of holiday shopping was in order and the Autobots had decided to go out to Manhattan on a shopping trip for Sam. They did nothing but complain about the cold until they got there, and were bundled in all sorts of warmth when they stepped out into the frigid New York air. Sam wore a ski cap and a scarf to protect his face and Optimus had adorned him with an especially thicker coat than the others had for fear of his sensitive human body. The streets were crowded and people shoved their way towards their destination, gaudily lit Christmas signs hung in the windows of every single store they passed. One of the twins sneezed and began complaining about the cold, but Sam couldn't tell which because their scarves covered most of their faces.

Sam had sent the Autobots off on their own so that he could shop for them. He had to explain the whole 'you're not supposed to know what's in your present' thing for almost ten minutes before they understood the concept. He didn't mind; it was fun to buy things for people instead of getting things for himself. He got Ratchet an copy of Advanced Medicinal Practices, a new set of dumbbells for Ironhide, another iPod for Bumblebee (so that he could keep his old one), a pinstriped suit for Sideswipe, more "bling" for the Twins, a handheld tazer for Jolt, and a specially made framed photo of him and Optimus for Prime. It wasn't much, but he wanted to do something for everyone.

After a couple of hours of intense shopping, Sam met up at the Starbucks café he'd specified to the others. They were all there waiting for him and sipping their own drinks when Sam came in and dropped all of his pre-wrapped things on the floor around him. He sighed, and sat in the empty chair next to Sideswipe. "Well, that was an exhausting experience."

"You look tired," Sideswipe pointed out. "Does Christmas do this to everyone?"

"Anyone who shops," Sam added.

To Sam, hanging out with the Autobots was more fun than he ever had with his old friends. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but it made him feel better than he ever did before he met them. Sure, their friendship also involved fighting cataclysmic battles for the good of mankind against advanced robots bent on destruction, but Sam didn't mind so long as he survived and nobody was severely injured. Sideswipe told embarrassing stories of his nights on the town that everyone listened to and laughed. Optimus left and came back with a drink for Sam, which was thanked by a kiss on the cheek. They should go shopping more often, Sam thought.

After a while, they grew quiet and began staring out the café window at the onslaught of never ending New Yorkers hustling and bustling down the streets. It had begun snowing and in about an hour, the pavement and sidewalks were absolutely swallowed in white.

"New York never sleeps, does it?" Jolt remarked, watching the snowfall.

Optimus got up from his seat and was met with a curious glance from Sam. He smiled and shoved his hat onto his head, "I'm going across the street for a minute. There's something over there I want to look at." Sam understood and didn't protest as Prime made his way out the door into the bitter cold.

Prime wasn't very used to making his way through crowds. Most New Yorkers were extremely rude and ignored his polite mumbles of "excuse me" or "pardon me" and continued past him, shoving him as if he was the main thing keeping them from where they needed to be. Traffic was at a standstill so he didn't have much trouble once he finally reached the street. He weaved through the still taxis and vans and buses that honked impatiently at the traffic jam, and finally got to the shop across Starbucks that he wanted to see.

It was a newsstand, with magazines covered with beautifully scanty women and men with outstanding muscles and newspapers detailing the inevitable fall of the States' economy protected by a small wooden overhanging. The clerk chewed his gum noisily and glanced up from his DS when Optimus approached. There was a certain paper that caught his eyes, a superstitious newspaper of sorts that had a large article on the front detailing the sudden collapse of an abandoned warehouse scheduled for demolition. The newspaper was several weeks old, and Prime wondered why it was still on display. Smaller photos showed sightings of a police cruiser (Optimus recognized to be Barricade) patrolling the warehouse and a blurring glimpse of an F-22 Raptor lifting off from inside. After reading the article, he found their conclusions to be completely off and false, much to his relief. Prime considered the possibility of NEST's involvement to pay the paper's editors to keep quiet about such odd events. He took a step back from the stand and was engulfed once more by the crowd of people on the sidewalks.

Just as he was about to turn back to the Starbucks, a voice whispered heatedly in his ear, "Don't move."

A cold piece of metal pressed against his back, aimed almost directly as his Spark, and Optimus immediately froze with the newspaper in his hand. He knew that voice. He had to know that voice. Prime didn't try to look over his shoulder and people simply moved around him obliviously unaware that someone had a gun on him.

"I'm still not finished with you. This has just begun."

Sam came out and shouted across the street, "Hey, we're getting ready to..."

The metal disappeared from Optimus' sensors, and he spun to see who had threatened him. There was no one there but the blank faces of passersby, a single glimpse of a brown hood headed in the other direction of everyone else. Him. Before Optimus got more than a couple feet towards him, he was gone. The crowd had successfully cloaked his getaway.

Sam was suddenly at his side, panting and frantic. "Did you see that? I saw a gun and he...W-Who was that?"

Optimus scanned the dense street again, but scowled when he couldn't find that hooded figure. "If it's who I think it was, then this isn't over. This is only the beginning." The rest of his words were lost in the overwhelming din of Manhattan.