Empty Places
by SMYGO4EVA

"Hey, dude. Mind if I join you?" A voice said quietly.

Jack lifted his head and saw Miko leaning against the doorway, dark lines from lack of sleep. It reminded him….of himself after the days of the Decepticons reigning supreme over Jasper, Nevada.

"Sure why not," Jack said with a small smile grazing on his lips as Miko made her way to sit across from him.

It was nothing that a nice combo of milk and cookies couldn't cure.

"Can't sleep?" Miko asked after a long period of uncharacteristic silence – it was late at night, after all.

"No, I didn't sleep a wink, after all that's happened." Jack replied, rubbing his eyes and glancing at the table before lifting his head to meet Miko's gaze.

"I can't say that I blame you, Jack. Everything was crazy, so uncertain, you know?" Miko said before taking a bite out of a cookie, chewing and contemplating.

Jack nodded, letting a sigh escape from him, from what had felt like it was locked up for too long.

Another bout of silence hung in the air before Jack blinked and looked at Miko, who met his gaze and swallowed the cookie she ate before looking at him.

"All right, Jack, what is it?"

Jack blinked and looked down. "Uh…Miko, I was thinking, d-do you think I…could have been a Prime?"

"Whoa, Jack – didn't expect that from you, dude." Miko looked at him incredulously and glanced back at her milk.

"Yeah, I know, that was stupid to say. B-But still, when Optimus gave the Key to Vector Sigma, he knew I was responsible enough to help him, help the Autobots, and it felt like something that I could to hang onto, to give me strength. If Optimus hadn't come back, I don't know what could have happened."

"Jack, I think that if there was a time for the first human Prime, I think that you would fit right in. Don't doubt that for a second. I know that you saved me and Raf a bunch of times to qualify." Miko replied, smiling, her eyes shining brightly, confidently for him, beyond a shadow of doubt.

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

Jack smiled. "Thanks, Miko."

"Anytime, dude."

The things he found in empty places turned to be exactly what he needed to hear.