Spiritimus Prime: Oh ma, this took a lot longer than I thought. I swear, I am not making a 10 page long chapter again! -_-() My fingers are killing me completely! XD Other than that, I'm glad I've finally got around to it, I was taking into the obsession of my OC character's picture that someone drew for me. You can see it as an avatar on my profile. Just did the fine background for him, nothing to it. :P I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 3:

Safe With You

When Vanessa opened her eyes and stretched her arms, she felt a lot better than she previously did. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and sat up slowly. She used her fingers to feel around for her pillow, but she blinked her eyes when she realised that she had been lying on a metallic bed the entire time. Confused, she glanced around and rubbed her eyes again, expecting it all to be a dream.

“I must be dreaming!” she growled as she covered her eyes. “And, when I wake up, I’ll be back in my bed with happy, clean lungs with no mask attached to me.” When she uncovered her eyes and blinked once more, but she signed in defeat when she saw that the room with high tech wall was still there.

“Okay, I’ll pinch myself.” She pinched her cheek as hard as she could, but she only ended up crying out in pain. “Damnit, maybe it isn’t a dream.”

“No, it’s not a dream, Ms Phoenix,” a deep baritone voice said softly.

Vanessa jumped in surprise, startled, and she turned towards the owner of the voice, only to see the Autobot Commander, Optimus Prime, sitting on the chair next to the medical berth she lay upon. She could see his golden optics glowing in the dimness of the room and she noticed that the lights had been switched off so that the light would not hurt her eyes.

“Did I frighten you, Ms Phoenix?” the same baritone voice asked again and Vanessa realised that it had been Optimus telling her that it had been no dream.

She nodded her head faintly. “I didn’t mean to jump when you spoke,” she apologised. “I just thought that the whole fire was a dream and all that kind of stuff.”

Optimus’s blue lips formed into a gentle smile and he shook his head. “No, Ms Phoenix, it was no dream,” he said gently. “And it is natural to be afraid and believe that the aliens you saw were not real.”

Vanessa smiled back and she glanced around before her gaze returned to Optimus’s golden optics. “Um… about the ‘Ms Phoenix’ thing,” she said.

Optimus lifted an optic ridge. “Yes?”

“I’d rather not be called that. People only do that when I’m not paying attention or when I’m just going overboard with my… temper,” Vanessa explained.

Optimus nodded towards the girl, his warm smile filling her with security. “My apologies, Vanessa,” he said as he bowed his head in gesture to her words. “I will remember that in the future when I need to.”

Vanessa giggled at Optimus’s gesture. He seemed so funny and full of energy and she liked that. “Hey, thanks for staying with me last night,” she said. “I slept really company.”

“As did I,” Optimus answered softly.

“You guys actually sleep?” Vanessa asked in surprise, lifting a brow.

A deep vibration was heard deep within Optimus’s chest. Vanessa was puzzled by the sound until she realised that he was laughing. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

Optimus shook his head before he replied, “It’s nothing to do with you, Vanessa. You just actually asked a similar question that Bud once asked.”

“So you guys do sleep then.”

Optimus nodded. “Of course we do,” he answered. “How else are we supposed recharge our energy? However, we do not call it ‘sleep’, we call it ‘recharge mode’ or just simply ‘recharge’. You can call it sleep if you’d like.”

“Obviously it is similar to the human terms.”

The same vibration was heard in Optimus’s chest once again before he wiped his optics with a finger. “You are a strange human, forgive me for laughing,” he apologised. “It has been a little while since I’ve had a good laugh anyway.”

Vanessa folded her arms across her chest in a mocking manner. “So you think I’m funny do you?” she asked.

“Perhaps on numerous occasions,” Optimus answered. “From what Lori has told me, you seem to have quite a temper, perhaps a little worse than hers, or maybe less.”

A shocked look appeared on Vanessa’s face. “Who says I have a temper?” she growled as her left lip curled upwards into a snarl. “Besides, even if I did have a temper, it wouldn’t even be able to reach Lori’s when things don’t go her way, or if she is embarrassed.”

Optimus faintly rubbed the bridge of his nose in amusement. “Very well,” he said, “if you say so. Would you like to be introduced to the other Autobots?” He then slowly offered a hand out towards the girl so that she should climb aboard.

Vanessa seemed a little unsure about the hand, but the look in Optimus’s golden optics proved that he wasn’t going to harm her. So, she carefully slid herself between his fingers until she was sitting in the palm of his hand. She held onto his massive fingers as he lifted her up high and she was brought close to his massive broad chest plate that bore the windows of his alt mode.

With Vanessa holding tightly to his fingers, surprisingly, Optimus then slowly turned to walk out the room. But as he did this, the girl was slightly shaken up by his movement, so he had to stop and look down at her in puzzlement. “Are you alright?” he asked worriedly.

Vanessa had felt her stomach lurch inside her the moment Optimus had started walking and she felt like she was going to puke on the gentle giant’s hand. When he had stopped, the feeling had passed and he had asked if she was alright. She waved off his question and said, “I’m sorry, I think I’m not used to all of this being picked up by robotic aliens.”

Optimus chuckled before he lifted her up until she was levelled with his golden optics. “Then how about I do this?” he asked. And, before she could think, the Autobot Commander gently placed the girl on his shoulder.

In her surprise, Vanessa had nearly fallen off, and, during that process, had ended up grabbing Optimus’s audio receptor, which almost caused him to lose his balance. “Careful,” he said sternly, but not unkindly. “You wouldn’t want me falling over and crushing you underneath my weight, would you?”

Vanessa blushed in embarrassment. “Sorry, Optimus,” she apologised, “I was surprised when you put me up here.”

“It’s quite alright, little one,” said Optimus as a chuckle escaped his blue lips. “Come. We will head off to see the others.”

With a nod from Vanessa in response to the giant robot’s words and Optimus continued on his way out towards the Command Centre where all the other Autobots and the kids would be waiting to see the new human.

“Well, look who finally woke up,” chuckled Coby as Optimus Prime walked into the Command Centre. The entire Autobot crew lifted their heads in the direction of the approaching feet and friendly smiles crossed their lips in greeting to the member of the Autobot team.

Vanessa shyly hid behind Optimus’s head, surprising the Autobot Commander. She didn’t even notice his blinking eyes. Her main focus was on those that were staring at her in a manner she had never even seen before, except from Lori and her friends.

“Aren’t you going to come out and say hello?” Optimus asked as he lifted a brow.

Vanessa felt her hands tremble a little on Optimus’s fin, and she knew that he had sensed her nervousness in that tiny hand of hers. She mentally cursed at herself for ever going after Lori in the first place then she wouldn’t have to undergo pressure of meeting aliens.

“I… uh… I… don’t know,” she stuttered faintly, not noticing her fear creep up in her voice.

Optimus smiled softly, understanding the young teenager’s nervousness. Slowly, he offered his hand out to her and she watched it cautiously until his fingers stopped in front of her feet. “It’s alright, little one,” he said gently. “They will not harm you.”

Vanessa finally sighed quietly and she slid onto his hand. She seemed a bit unsure about all of this, but she did her best to keep as calm as possible. Nevertheless, the nagging feeling of her unspoken fears with seeing more aliens just made her feel more nervous by the minute.

Optimus lowered the girl down a little further until she was levelled with his chest. He watched as she glanced at every one of the Autobots, her eyes locking onto their own with slight hints of curiosity. “Everyone,” he said, “this here is Vanessa Phoenix. She was the human who warned Coby and the others of Thundercracker, who started that forest fire.”

The Autobots nodded in a friendly greeting towards Vanessa. “Hello, Vanessa,” they all said in unison.

“H… hi,” Vanessa answered a little shyly.

A green and silver mech stepped forward, his face consumed by a face plate and a red visor. “Hey, Vanessa,” he said kindly in an Aussie accent, “I’m Jetfire, Second in Command of the Autobots.”

The girl smiled shyly and blushed before she rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to hide a giggle.

“Aw, she laughed,” Jetfire chuckled and he stepped back to stand beside an army green mech, who said nothing at all to her. “Don’t worry about Overhaul,” said Jetfire teasingly. “He has a huge habit of not saying much.”

The mech, who Jetfire had called Overhaul, rolled his eyes and looked away as he snorted his annoyance.

A blue, silver, and yellow mech spoke in an unusual accent that Vanessa did not even know. “I’m Scattorshot. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Vanessa.” His voice was a little jittery, but Vanessa could easily tell that he was doing his best to be as friendly as he could.

An ancient nodded his head before he spoke in the kindest tone that Vanessa had ever heard in her entire life. “I am Vector Prime, Keeper of Space and Time,” he greeted. “It is an honour to finally come face to face with the young heroine who saved Coby, Bud and Lori at the hands of Thundercracker. I am in your debt.”

“I like him,” Vanessa whispered into Optimus’s audio receptor and he chuckled in amusement under his breath, which earned him a look of puzzlement from the redhead. “You’re laughing again…”

Optimus stopped his laughter and chewed his bottom lip to allow only a slight chortle to escape his mouth.

A yellow mech with a shovel part on each arm flashed Vanessa a friendly grin as well. “Nice to meet you, Vanessa,” he said as he nodded. “The name’s Landmine. Thanks for saving my best friends.”

“It was… just a warning,” Vanessa answered.

“Still worth saving their necks, wasn’t it?” Landmine replied as his blue eyes sent a wink in her direction, earning another blush.

Vanessa felt hurt by Landmine’s words. “Of course it was worth it!” she spat. “Lori is my best friend, and I would never turn my back on her or anyone else. You got me straight?”

Landmine took a step back and waved his hands in front of him in a panicky manner. “Okay, okay,” he said surprisingly. “I didn’t mean to offend you or anything like that, kid. It was not my intention to.”

“See what I mean when she has quite a temper?” Lori asked as she playfully elbowed Coby in the ribs, who rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“At least she’s not as bad as you, Lori. You do have quite a temper,” he said, earning a glare of annoyance from his friend.

“Whatever Coby,” she snorted.

“Well,” said Optimus finally removing the tension that was beginning to build up amongst Landmine and Vanessa, “I suggest that we move onto things right away. We have another Cyber Planet Key to find, and we also need to find the Omega Lock.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Vanessa blinked in surprise when Optimus settled her onto the floor beside Lori. She looked up at him, but his attention was focused on the other Autobots, so she decided that it best to not interrupt him since he was pretty busy.

“Hey, Vanessa, what’s on your mind?” Lori asked in a concerned manner. “You seem a bit… distracted for some reason.”

Vanessa waved off the question with a hand. “It’s nothing, Lori,” she said. “I’m probably still suffering from the effects of the smoke getting in my lungs and all. It’s probably nothing to worry about anyway.”

Lori smiled kindly. “We should at least introduce you to the Mini-Cons,” she said. “Jolt was the one who saved your life with the help of Red Alert and Optimus Prime.”

The redhead lifted an eyebrow. “Are you serious?” she asked in puzzlement.

“Of course I’m serious,” Lori replied. “Besides, you have an entire weekend to spend time with the Autobots because I told my mother that I was staying at your place, and that I told your mother that you’ll be staying at my place.”

Vanessa felt her jaw drop. “Wow, you are pretty organised,” she said. “I guess the rumours really are true.” She then winked in a friendly manner.

The younger girl rolled her eyes mockingly, but she knew that her friend was only kidding. Despite her hotheadedness, she was quite a funny person, knowing when to crack a joke or two whenever things seemed hard at times. Of course, that funny attitude seemed to have a habit of pushing other people’s buttons without realising it, and even getting on people’s nerves as well.

“Hey, Vanessa and Lori, are you two coming?”

Both Vanessa and Lori turned to see Coby and Bud standing at the doorway that led outside with smaller robots standing next to them. The two girls glanced at each other before they shot a grin and nodded towards the boys as followed after them to see where they were going, not noticing a curious look from the Autobot Commander, who had set everyone their tasks and was left standing alone in the Command Centre.

Without a further hesitation, Optimus followed after the kids to see what they were up to.

“Okay, Coby,” said Lori as she, Vanessa, Bud, and the Mini-Cons followed the boy outside where the sun was setting, creating many beautiful different colours of red, pink, and orange, “what did you bring us out for?” From a far off distance, the kids could see the town, as well as the evening star hanging above the mountains that glowed faintly in the distance.

Coby sent a silly grin towards the girls, which earned an annoyed glare from Vanessa. “I thought it would be nice to see the sunset, as well as Venus,” he replied. “Besides, it seemed like a good time for it to see it from this position.”

Both Lori and Vanessa lifted an eyebrow each and glanced in the direction of the setting sun. “Oh my God, Coby,” said Lori in a surprised tone, “you weren’t kidding. It really is beautiful.”

“Yeah,” Vanessa answered as she nodded in agreement.

Coby blushed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Not as beautiful as you are,” he whispered.

Lori looked back at Coby in puzzlement. “What did you say?” she asked.

“Coby said-” began Jolt, but he was silenced by Coby when he placed a hand over his mouth.

“I didn’t say anything!” Coby cried.

Bud and Vanessa sniggered while Lori rolled her eyes in annoyance. She had a feeling she knew what Coby had said, but really couldn’t put her finger on it. However, that did not mean she was interested. If she remembered correctly, she could not have any boyfriends until her father had died. What a nightmare!

“Excuse me,” a deep baritone voice whispered through the fading light, “Do you mind if I join you?”

The kids, Jolt, Reverb, and Sixbeat, turned and looked up to see a red, blue, and silver figure with sparkling golden optics just barely from within the dusk. From what else they could make out, the bot appeared to be glancing in the direction of the evening star, his optics reflecting its faint glow.

Vanessa mustered up the courage to speak. “Sure, Optimus,” she said. “We could always use with some company.”

Optimus smiled with his blue lips and he sat down cross-legged on the ground behind the kids, his proud optics shining with endless wisdom beyond all species knowledge. Who knew what lay beneath those golden pools of sun flaring embers? No one would know except those that knew him like at the back of their hand.

Vanessa glanced over at her friends curiously, but they said nothing. Puzzled by their silence, but not caring, she decided to take a step forward until she was right beside the Autobot Commander. She hadn’t noticed that his hand was right in front of her because her eyes were focused on his fine golden optics.

He seems so calm, and, yet, so full of…sadness, she thought unthinkably. What can be wrong with him deep inside that heart of his?

Without warning, a giant hand wrapped around her body and she nearly freaked out, but the fingers were extremely gentle and did not apply any pressure to her like she expected them to. She looked up and saw Optimus looking down upon her in a caring way that she had not seen before except during that time before she had fallen asleep.

Slowly, Optimus placed Vanessa onto his shoulder and he returned his glance to the red sky. Vanessa didn’t understand why Optimus would put her back on his shoulder, but she did feel a lot safer with him for some reason. She shrugged the mere thought off and stretched her arms before she yawned tiredly.

“It seems like we should get you kids into bed,” said Optimus from out of the blue, startling Vanessa. “You’ve had a long day today, and I’m sure that you’re all exhausted.”

“Come on, Optimus,” Vanessa laughed as she rubbed her eyes. “I’m not tired one bit.”

The familiar deep vibration filled the air. “Come along, little one,” he said. “Your rest is my main concern since you are still recovering from the effects of the smoke.”

Lori couldn’t help but chuckle as she watched her friend emit another yawn. “You heard the big guy, Vanessa,” she said. “Rest is good for your health.”

The elder girl huffed in annoyance and folded her arms across her chest. “Fine… Whatever,” she growled.

Optimus laughed again before he slowly stood up and his golden optics lit up the ground, allowing the kids to see better in the dim darkness. He then turned his attention to Vanessa. “And where will you be sleeping?” he asked. “The kids room, or back in the Med-Bay?”

Vanessa’s eyes blinked in surprise and fear. “I don’t want to sleep in those places,” she said. “Can’t I sleep with you, Optimus?” She then looked up at the large Autobot, her eyes forming into puppy-dog ones. “Please, Optimus?”

He nearly freaked out at the sight of those huge eyes boring through him like fiery daggers. He’d never seen anything like it in his entire life before, and not even his leadership skills could be prepared for such a trait. He looked down at Lori for help, but she appeared to be looking somewhere else, obviously knowing that Vanessa was pulling the trick of that odd look. Why me? he thought.

“Please, Optimus?” Vanessa asked again, her eyes blinking up at the Autobot Commander.

He sighed in defeat. “Alright, Vanessa,” he finally answered. “You may do so for the weekend, but that is all. Are we clear on that?”

“Yay!” Vanessa whooped excitedly and she hugged his face plate without thinking.

Optimus felt his navy blue cheeks flush with redness at the near contact of the human girl. Why him? Why was he suddenly feeling attached to this unusual girl, who seemed to have a temper just as unpredictable as Lori’s? Obviously it was out of the question, but he decided to figure it out later on when he had this sorted out.

“Well,” said Coby as he stretched, getting everyone’s attention, “we better jet off to bed. Goodnight, Optimus.” He then gave the Autobot Commander a quick wave and walked off with Bud and the Mini-Cons following in suit. Lori had somehow remained behind for a bit.

“Aren’t you going to bed, Lori?” Vanessa asked as she removed herself from Optimus’s face and she looked down at her friend.

“I am,” Lori replied, nodding. “I just wanted to know if you’re okay. You seem a bit… red in the cheeks.”

“What?” Vanessa looked into Optimus’s optics to see her reflection, not caring if he was looking at her in puzzlement, and she realised that Lori was right. The top parts of her cheeks beneath her eyes were as red as Optimus’s royal red armour. She turned back to Lori and blinked. “Maybe I just feel a little hot in a couple of places. You know what smoke can do to do.”

“If you say so, Vanessa,” said Lori and she turned to walk back inside, leaving Optimus and Vanessa alone.

The redhead shivered a little as a gentle breeze blew from the north and she wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep her body as warm as possible.

“It is late,” said Optimus gently, “we should probably head off to bed.”

Vanessa nodded in agreement as Optimus offered his hand out towards her. She slid down from his shoulder and settled into the palm without any complaint at all. Optimus’s thumb settled over her lap to give her some warmth and she rubbed her eyes again. She must’ve gotten some dirt in her eyes if she kept on rubbing them like that.

Optimus then stood up carefully and slowly brought Vanessa close to his chest to offer her some warmth from his Spark that pulsed gently to give her that desired warmth that her small body needed. He smiled faintly when she curled up into a ball, using his fingers as a blanket to keep in that warmth.

Sighing, the Autobot Commander walked back into the base to his quarters.

As soon as he walked into his quarters, Optimus commanded the lights to power down to a degree where there could be enough light for Vanessa to see. He closed the door behind him and approached his bed before he gently set Vanessa down on the recharge berth. He noticed her continuing shiver, and he knew that the temperature in his quarters was a lot lower than he’d anticipated. Of course, the only thing he could do for her was keep her warm until he had installed something to keep guests warm during the winter times.

He turned his back on her for a moment and sat down at his desk to do some work on the computer. He watched Vanessa at the corner of his optics for any symptoms of the after-effects from the fire. From what he had learnt on the internet, some humans took quite a while suffer from them, while others took nearly a month or two. It seemed like Vanessa was one of those that took longer. He would have to keep an optic on her until then.

The girl rubbed her eyes again and groaned, her body was still shivering from the coldness that was contained within Optimus’s quarters. She knew that robots could never feel the cold, especially in space. She wondered, though, if they did suffer from any kinds of sicknesses or diseases, but the thought no longer pondered on her mind.

Optimus finally switched off the computer and turned back to Vanessa, looking at her carefully once again. She only appeared to be shivering, but her body temperature had dropped a couple of degrees. He would have to get into bed and keep her warm. It seemed like it was time for him to get some decent recharge anyway.

Standing up and approaching the berth again, Optimus gently scooped up Vanessa in his right hand and he carefully climbed onto his bed once more. He lay on his back and he placed Vanessa on his broad chest plate. “Are you comfortable?” he asked softly.

Vanessa nodded faintly. “I think so,” she replied tiredly and yawned again.

“If you’d like,” said Optimus, “I could have you lying next to me while I lie on my side. It’s warmer that way for you.”

She shook her head. “I think I feel safer with you up here,” she answered. “Maybe your hand can act as a blanket?”

Optimus thought about it for a moment until he nodded his answer. “Yes, I guess it could.” He lifted his hand slowly and wrapped it around Vanessa’s body. He could feel her small body trembling body moving violently against his touch sensors. He used his index finger and thumb to rub her as carefully as he could. He was surprised to discover that her breathing and heartbeat had slowed down, signalling that she was asleep.

“It’s no surprise,” he whispered to himself. He then powered down his optics and he fell into recharge mode.

Spiritimus Prime: Awwww! That is so cute! I'm just spicing up the unknown relationship a bit before the actual stuff really begins. Hehe, don't worry, it will happen soon, just not right away. Give me at least six more chapters to make things really interesting until it really starts. :D I learnt that from Mistress Megatron, ya know? Take your time with relationships and then get things going on later on in the story. XD I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please remember to R&R!