This is it. Last chapter. I've now utterly fallen in love with this odd pairing and added it to my like of OTP's.

Guess better give a bit of a warning for mech gore and violence.

21 years… 21 long earth years of destructive battles and the war was finally over. The cost had been a terrible one, the casualties and death count ending painfully high. Many an Autobot, Decepticon and human died in the closing hours of the war, but now it was all over.

Skyfire sat in the rubble of Autobot city holding his bondmate cradled against his frame, hand gently stroking over his damaged helm and bent audial finials. He had been sitting there for a good 45 minutes now, frame shaking so hard it felt like his plating would rattle clean off as he came down from the stress induced power surges and all the damage reports and corresponding aches and pains of his battled frame clamored for attention. Next to him sat a young orange and red, flame decorated mech by the name of Hot Rod, now Rodimus Prime, staring at the silent unmoving mech held carefully in the shuttles lap.

The same mech who had taken him in not long after his arrival on earth, given him the kind of family and direction he had been sorely craving in his war ravaged life and driving home the lessons Kup had been teaching him. The virtues of patience, confidence tempered by humility, power tempered by control and the knowledge of when to use it. All things he would need in his future as the new Prime.

Reaching out to take a limp, battered royal blue hand in his dark grey one, he numbly stared at his predecessor quietly praying to Primus that Optimus would survive this and break the curse like cycle of the Primes. When one Prime fell, another arose to take his place. For all he'd done and all he'd sacrificed Rodimus believed Optimus deserved to at least see the war he had given up most of his life for was over and done. He deserved a chance to be with his bondmate a little longer and a little selfishly, Rodimus didn't want to give up the two mechs who'd taken him in as if he were their own creation.

Looking over to the one who caused all this, the one who driven their species to the brink of extinction after he allowed power to blind him and make him as corrupt and power hungry as those he once fought against, the Decepticon Warlord, Megatron, Rodimus Prime felt a mix of anger and bitter sadness. The once proud, regal mech now lay sprawled on the energon soaked ground a few meters away. Once silver, black and red plating ashen grey and cold in death, body covered in scorch marks, deep dents, rents and scratches, his chest plates blasted in and laser core nothing but a smoking hole.

A pang of regret and the tiniest sliver of sympathy for the Warlord prickled at his spark looking at their now pitiful form of the once proud warrior. In the end it had been a mercy killing.

Hot Rod had been watching on the side line of the final climactic battle between the two opposing leaders, following Optimus Prime's order to stay clear. He uneasily bit his glossa and stayed put, keeping watch for any other Decepticons that might interfere as he half watched, half listened as Optimus gradually won the upper hand against the Warlord igniting the silver mechs legendary furry. In a fit of blind rage at beginning to lose the battle Megatron fake a move and use the distraction to violently punch his opponent in the helm and shoved him hard enough to pull away momentarily to get an advantage. Megatron snagged the leg of a dying Decepticon laying barely a few steps away, swinging the body around like a huge club and slamming it into Optimus before he could recover, throwing his several meters into a nearby wall. Pouncing on the opportunity the Warlord sprinted across to his opponent swiftly kicking him in the helm before he could get up sending him crashing onto his back on the ground. Gloating Megatron loomed over his arch nemesis, one foot viciously grinding into the open wound in the red and blue mech's side and weapon trained on his chest preparing for the ending shot.

Throwing reason into the wind Hot Rod had rushed in, bolting across the open space and bodily throwing himself at the tyrant in an attempt to knock the weapon off course. The young warrior's heroics earned him a vicious, plate crushing punch in the gut and a powering up fusion cannon in his face. Roaring in rage Optimus rushed to tackle the silver mech driving him away from the young mech, only to have the weapon turned back on him. The shot seemed to go off like a massive explosion to Hot Rod's audials as the two huge mechs clashed and the fusion cannon was jammed into the wound in the Prime's side and fired at point blank range.

Roaring agonizing pain and running almost entirely on battle induced charge, Optimus managed to tear the weapon from its morning in the ensuing scuffle driving Megatron to jam one hand into the now massive gaping wound in his side to gain the upper hand again. Viciously pulling at anything he could get his fingers around until he managed to get the other mech off him. Finally pinning the Prime under him, hand still jammed into the wound, digging for something vital to rip out, he clamped his free hand around the heavily bleeding, rapidly weakening, but still fighting Prime's neck cables, squeezing with all his strength in an attempt to crush the plating of his neck and snap his spinal struts. All in a blinding rage determined to see the life give out in his long time enemies' stark blue optics. So pit-bent and focused of crushing and tearing the life from the Prime, Megatron didn't notice Hot Rot snatch up the Prime's long since dropped ion rifle.

Firing wildly, arms nearly shaken from their joints by the sharp recoil of the powerful weapon the young mech scored several glancing shots, enough to make the Warlord his helm to face him. No sooner did they lock optics than one very lucky shot hit the silver mech directly in the optic.

Hot Rod watched in a kind of surreal horror as the mech's optic disappeared, followed seconds later by the warlord's helm exploded wide open at the back, metal curling outwards like some morbid flower, a small burst of metallic gore flying everywhere. To the young flame painted mech it seemed to play out in some type of macabre slow motion show created by Unicron himself as the huge silver mech twisted, flailed and rolled stumbling to his feet, his prize slipping from his grip falling to the ground with a pained cry. Then he slowly turned to look at the one who had shot him, the sight freezing the young mech's fluids in their lines.

Mech blood and gore painted what remained of Megatron's face, a huge smoking, sparking hole left where his optics once was, deep fissures running from the hole to spread all over the remainder of his face and helm, one remaining functioning rube red optic briefly focusing on the smaller mech. Then it flickered out and the huge frame tipped backwards to land on the weapons fire scorched ground with a loud, solid thump never to get up again.

It took several deep ventilations and a direct request from Optimus to confirm Megatron's death before the young warrior got up the nerve to approach the still brightly hued body. Much to his horror, the devastating shot have proven not enough to kill the Warlord. Even with his half his processor missing and the remainder completely fried to a blacked, smoldering slag pile - ensuring his conscious mind was completely gone and no chance of recovery - the bastards spark still beat feebly in his chest. Hot Rod knew from experience seeing sparks like this more times than he wanted to acknowledge, it would be several hours, possibly even a day or two before it would expire.

With great sadness and regret Optimus had managed to struggle to his feet with Hot Rod's assistance and took it upon himself to deal the death blow. A single point blank shot straight through the laser core and spark chamber instantly freeing his long time enemy's spark from a slow drawn out death by energon deprivation.

Hot Rod had stared on in a state of blank numbness watching his leader and father figure, a peaceful mech who a pored death and killing, finally take the life of his long time enemy without a fight or even a parting word. Seeing the young mech look at him questioningly the Prime simply explained this way it would look as through the tyrant died in battle saving him from the indignity and humiliation of his spark lingering on trapped and suffering in a useless shell. If he couldn't save him or turn him from the millions of vorns of pain, hate and violence he insisted on continuing to dole out long since his goal had been lost, the least he could do was give him a quick painless death on the battle field like a warrior of his caliber deserved.

The Decepticon army had retreated as the few witnesses announced the demise of their leader. The remaining soldiers were not keen on continuing an already lost battle now they were leaderless and low in number with no win in sight anytime soon. As far as the Autobots and humanity were concerned, the war was over.

Soon after Optimus collapsed from his extensive injuries and with his remaining strength he pulled the Matrix from his damaged chest handing it to the stunned flame coloured mech. He'd known since he first saw the brash young mech that he was to be his successor, the Matrix itself confirmed this.

Optimus made a point to take the young mech under his wing and at least give him a head start on learning to contain his head strong, sometimes thoughtless and reckless behavior and channel it into something more useful, to give him the foundations to one day be a great leader. It had also allowed him to indulge in having something like a family with the young mech being the young he wanted to have. As far as Skyfire and he were concerned they may as well have sparked him themselves with how attached they had grown. Now the Matrix had demanded to be passed on. Optimus had valiantly fought all his battles, done his duty as Matrix barer and earned the right to rest.

Using its former host as a conduit the Matrix spoke of its choice of the young Hot Rod as its new barer and his new name of Rodimus Prime before Optimus strength finally gave out and he fell into stasis lock.

In a daze the young mech blindly followed its instructions, placing it within his chest to be enveloped in warmth he could only describe as being held by something much greater than himself. Coming back to his senses he found himself sitting on the ground in a new, more mature frame with a rather stunned Skyfire standing before him looking between himself and his bondmate.

The shuttle had been witness to the entire exchange as he rushed over the last barriers to his mate and now sat silently cradling Optimus' offline, field patched frame as they waited for help.

The shuttle had done what he could during the horrific battles going on all over Autobot City, flying into the thick of the fighting ferrying injured mechs and humans out. It had been utter torture for him to have to ignore his bondmate in order to continue his rescue work despite his desperate want to just swoop down, snatch him up and hide him away from it all. On a return flight into battle Blitzwing engaged him mid air and he was managing to avoid the triple-changer until a massive burst of agonizing pain ripped through the bond. In that moment of distraction the triple changer managed to get in a short blasting off most of one primary wing.

Skyfire didn't remember a lot after that aside from the awkward, hard landing that banged him up pretty badly broke his right knee joint bad, tore of the remainder of his ruined wing and bent both his secondary wings. The triple changer didn't pursue him any further or fire on him again though the shuttle vaguely remembered hearing the anti-aircraft guns go off at least twice somewhere nearby. At the time he couldn't have cared less. Picking himself up he ran like a mech possessed as quickly as his damaged leg would allow. Dragging himself over debris and dead bodies - human and mech alike - he ignored the pain in his damaged leg and missing wing in his panicked fight to reach his bondmate. He arrived just in time to see the creation of the next Prime.

Staring at the two Rodimus slowly pulled his shock addled mind together. "Skyfire is… is he…going to be alright?" The young Prime couldn't help cringe at his own stupid question, but the large white mech slowly raised his head, optics dim with a small smile gracing his dirty faceplates.

"Of course… I can feel him he's still with me, he's strong. Besides, I still owe him the proper bonding ceremony to make our bond official… been putting it off for 13 years now for various reasons that seem so… so ridiculous now. He's not about to let me get out of it again just from us dying… Stubborn aft that he is." The shuttle laughed. Rodimus was mildly shocked to hear the laugh wasn't bitter, it was honest and warm.

Skyfire was being serious.

The young Prime couldn't help a small laugh of his own, a little of the high strung tension bleeding from his new frame. He'd never heard someone speak so candidly about Optimus like that before even Skyfire himself who many knew was Optimus' mate. It strangely lightened some of the weight of guilt threatening to overwhelm his young spark. Guilt that he wasn't fast enough to prevent things getting this bad, that he could have acted sooner and Optimus wouldn't be such a mess laying still as the dead in his bondmate's hold.

The sound of voices and the loud beat of helicopter blades announced the arrival of the rescue party. Looking at himself, the shuttle and the mech lying in the white mech's arms Rodimus couldn't help a small chuckle. "Well, this is going to be a fun story to tell. Kup and Magnus are going to ream me out and tear me a new aft when they hear what I did, new Prime or not."

End

And that's it for this one. THANKS FOR ALL READING AND THE FAVES! I'll be starting to post up the sequel soon (Towards the Future) just got to finish a couple of chapters for some other stuff first. And the sequel with have sparklings!