SNRRKKK!

Arcee suddenly lunged forward, her clenched fists raised in a defensive posture. She rapidly blinked her luminous eyes as she looked around, searching intently for whatever terrible threat had made such a jarring noise.

She saw nothing but the peaceful night sky.

What in Primus' name WAS that…?!

In answer to her unspoken question, the noise returned…louder this time.

Arcee smiled and closed her eyes as she finally recognized the unexpected sound. She opened her eyes again and looked down, lovingly regarding the two men in her life as they both slept next to her. Little Orion snuffled and snuggled next to his father Jack Darby, who let loose with yet another earth-shaking snort. Arcee winced at the sound but couldn't help but smirk to herself.

…and Jack accuses ME of snoring? By the AllSpark, he could wake Unicron with that racket…

Arcee quickly realized there was very little likelihood of her returning to sleep, so she eased herself out of their shared sleeping blanket. Being careful not to wake her family, she fondly kissed Jack and Orion on their foreheads before standing to her feet. She stole a final adoring glance at them and then quietly made her way towards a flat outcropping of rock near the edge of their mountaintop retreat. Arcee sat down and sighed happily.

Somewhere in the distance a lone wolf began to howl at the moon. Arcee shivered involuntarily, the chill night air making her smooth metal skin tingle. She wrapped her slender arms about her body as she attempted to keep warm. Arcee suddenly felt an odd sense of déjà vu as it flit about, teasing the outer edges of her memory. Unable to place the feeling she shook her head in slight frustration and looked up, gazing at the distant sea of stars. Instinctively she began to search for her home world of Cybertron.

Strangely Arcee found that she did not miss the planet of her creation nearly as much as she would have thought. She smiled contentedly, knowing that it didn't truly matter where she was so long as she was together with her family. As Jack had once remarked to her, home is where the heart is.

The mere thought of her Sparkmate caused a tender smile to appear on Arcee's beautiful face as she thought about her beloved human and how far they had both come. So much had happened to them since the day they had first met, a relatively brief amount of time from Arcee's perspective. From the end of the Cybertronian War and the rebirth of Cybertron, to Optimus bequeathing the role of Prime to Jack Darby and the recent battle against the madness of the Fallen…their journey together through life had ultimately resulted in transforming the destinies of both their home worlds.

However, by far the most important change was the love that forever bound Jack and Arcee as One.

Through their shared memories as Sparkmates, Arcee finally realized why everything seemed so hauntingly familiar. She breathed deeply, closing her eyes as she remembered back to when they had first came to this place…

…

Jack opened his eyes and smiled.

Arcee lay next to him, sleeping peacefully. Sighing happily, Jack propped his head up with his hand and silently watched his beloved Sparkmate as she slumbered.

Sparkmate.

During the years he had spent with his Autobot friends, Jack had only heard the word used rarely and even then in hushed tones. Hearing the reverence in their voices whenever they mentioned it, he had suspected that it held an extremely important role in Cybertronian culture. Until several hours ago, Jack realized he only had an inkling of just how important.

Last night had been a bona fide miracle of new discoveries and sensations for both Jack and Arcee…their first time for many things. Jack shivered, his skin flushed slightly as the memories of their bonding came rushing back. His eyes caressed the beauty of Arcee's new body snuggled warmly next to his own.

It was then that Jack realized with some surprise that Arcee was actually asleep. When the Matrix of Leadership had transformed their bodies, it had given her a new transformation…a third body that duplicated human physiology, apparently including the ability to fall asleep.

Jack speculated that maybe the ancient Primes had intended this to happen all along…a complete transformation into a new species. He remembered Optimus' words to them, that Jack and Arcee were destined to be the progenitors of a wondrous new race of beings…a new destiny of Primes.

Jack began to wonder at the ultimate ramifications of that when his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a startling sound.

Arcee snored.

Jack lay back and stifled a chortle.

First I find out she snorts when she laughs and now this?

Jack slowly slid out of their shared sleeping bag, being careful not to wake her. He slipped on a pair of shorts and stood as he faced the breathtaking sunrise. He breathed the brisk morning air deeply and contentedly.

He quietly made his way to his bag of hastily-packed supplies and took out a small mirror. Gazing at his reflection, Jack took another look at his eyes since he had bonded with Arcee. He closely examined the soft blue glow emanating from his irises…a telltale sign that he was now and forever Arcee's Sparkmate.

"Heh…cool."

He sighed suddenly, sadly remembering that his eyes weren't the only thing that had changed irrevocably. Since he had become one with the Matrix, the ancient wisdom of the Primes had whispered secrets to him…one being that he was now virtually immortal.

At first he was excited, even elated by the fact that he would be able to remain by Arcee's side forever. Then the cruel truth came crashing down around him that he would also have to endure watching his loved ones on Earth all grow old and die, while he would remain perpetually young.

He buried these thoughts and tried his best to forget them, at least for now.

Still feeling somewhat melancholy, he searched through his bag and found his old harmonica. He brushed it off and held it up to reflect the light of the morning sun. He placed it to his lips and softly began to play.

A sad but hopeful melody began to echo around him, reaching into the surrounding valley below.

Arcee blinked and slowly opened her eyes.

"Wh-what…?"

Jack heard her voice and immediately stopped playing. He turned to face her.

Arcee squinted at the brilliant sunrise and murmured sleepily, "Why is it daylight? The last thing I remember, we…we…"

As her words trailed off, Jack smiled and blushed.

Arcee giggled as she remembered, "Oh, yeah…that."

Jack self-consciously cleared his throat, saying, "I guess your new body is capable of a lot of things, Arcee."

She cocked an eyebrow and asked, "What exactly do you mean…?"

Jack answered nonchalantly, "Well…for starters it looks like you're able to sleep now."

"Oh! Oh, I thought you were talking about…wait, is-is that what that was?"

Jack nodded.

"Huh. My first time asleep…now that I think about it, it was sort of like being in recharge mode, but…"

"Arcee…?"

"…but I seem to remember these weird images…"

Jack grinned, "Awesome…so you can dream, too?"

Arcee was excited, "AND my first dream…!"

Jack asked, "Do…do you remember anything about it?"

She thought for a moment before answering, "It was pretty bizarre."

Jack smiled and sat down next to his Sparkmate, genuinely intrigued, "Tell me everything."

Her voice took on a distant quality as Arcee began to speak, "It began with a huge battle between two armies…"

"Between the Autobots and Decepticons, right…?"

Arcee shook her head, "You would think so, but no. That's one of the first strange things I saw, Jack. It was actually a battle between two human armies."

Jack said, "Huh. Interesting…"

Arcee went on, "At least I think they were human. Some of the soldiers looked downright weird. One thing's for sure, though…both armies had some really impressive tech. They all began firing their weapons at each other. There were laser blasts and explosions everywhere, vehicles were being destroyed left and right…but for some reason nobody seemed to get hurt."

"Too bad that doesn't happen in reality."

"One of these soldiers, the commander of the bad guys I believe…he definitely stood out in particular."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing he had a…a mirror for a face, and you would not believe the lisp he had. Another thing…I know it doesn't make sense, but for some reason he reminded me of Starscream…"

Jack blinked and slowly replied, "O-okayyy…"

Arcee saw the bemused look on his expression and said, "It gets crazier, Jack. All of a sudden both armies had to retreat to avoid being trampled by a stampede of these tiny little multicolored horses…"

"'Little…horses…'"

Arcee nodded excitedly, "Hundreds of them."

Jack was dumbfounded, "Scrap…a-anything else happen?"

"Oh, yes. When the dust finally cleared, a stage had appeared in the middle of the battlefield. On that stage there was a strange vehicle…almost Cybertronian in appearance. Suddenly it transformed…it was me, Jack! Well, sort of…it didn't look exactly like me, but somehow I knew that it was."

"What was different about you?"

"You wouldn't believe it, but I was pink."

Jack repeated, "Pink…?"

Arcee nodded, "Pink. I was bright pink from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet."

"That's…that's a lot of pink, Arcee."

"I know, right?"

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what happened next…?"

"I reached up and removed my helmet. It fell to the ground and it was then that I saw I had become a human woman with long flowing hair…!"

"Was it pink…?"

"Hot pink…then four women appeared out of thin air, almost like my Sadie hologram, and joined me on the stage. One of them handed me a microphone and I realized that we were about to perform in a rock concert."

Jack didn't say anything. He was beyond words at this point and merely nodded.

"I slowly brought the microphone to my lips and began to sing."

Jack managed to find his voice again and asked, "W-were you any good…?"

Arcee grinned, "Jack…I was amazing. Everywhere, as far as the eye could see, there were soldiers and little horses applauding. They were cheering and clapping…clopping…whatever you want to call it. It was so noisy I couldn't hear myself think."

Arcee frowned suddenly, "I'm not certain, but I think some of the soldiers weren't too crazy about the music."

"What, they were booing you…?"

"I'm not sure. They kept yelling, "Ohhh, NO!" over and over. Then again, maybe they were saying something else. Like I said, it was hard to hear yourself think."

"Still…overall it sounds like you were a hit, Arcee."

"It was outrageous, Jack…truly, truly outrageous."

Jack fell onto his back and stared up at the sky in a daze. He attempted to process all that Arcee had told him.

"Wow. I think you dreamt about the Eighties, Arcee."

Confused, Arcee asked, "What…?"

Jack chuckled, "Never mind…it was before our time."

There was an awkward silence for a moment.

Jack watched Arcee as she stood to her feet, loosely draping a blanket around her body. Their eyes met.

"Jack, what was that you were playing earlier…?"

He shrugged, "Oh, I was just messing around with my harmonica, Arcee."

Arcee's steady gaze did not waver from Jack's.

"It was very beautiful, whatever it was."

Jack blinked, "Really? Huh. The song is from one of Miko's favorite TV shows from back home. I picked up the melody after listening to it a few times."

Arcee giggled, "You and your cartoons…what is this song called?"

"It's called 'The Scarlet Scarf.' I'm not totally sure because of the language barrier and all…but I think it's supposed to be about two lovers who had been separated, and how they held onto the hope they would be reunited one day. I…I guess it always made me think of us."

Arcee smiled shyly as she stepped closer to Jack and gave him an unmistakable look.

"Will you…play it for me, Jack?"

Jack gulped when he saw how Arcee's lips caressed his name. His heart began to pound in this chest as he struggled to answer, only to discover his regular voice had been replaced with a high-pitched squeak. He cleared his throat and tried again, deliberately deepening his voice.

"I-I'd be glad to."

Arcee chuckled as she watched Jack's hands tremble slightly as he brought the harmonica up to his lips. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before beginning to play.

As the haunting melody began anew, Arcee sat silently and allowed the music to touch her inner spark. Her slender body unconsciously began to sway in time with the music, and glittering tears fell from her eyes as she was utterly overcome with emotion.

Finally the song ended.

Arcee drew in a deep, shuddering breath and whispered, "Primus…th-that was…" She found that she did not have the words.

Jack beamed proudly, "And to think Miko still makes fun of me for playing the harmonica."

Arcee attempted to smile as she wiped away her tears, "There must be something about this place. Look at me. I haven't cried so much in…in…"

She glanced suddenly at Jack who sat and smiled innocently. He patiently waited for her to continue.

Arcee smirked knowingly and finished, "…in a very long time."

Jack chuckled, "Almost got you, Arcee. One of these days…"

Arcee huffed, "Not going to happen, Darby. I told you already…it's not important. You'll find out how old I really am when I'm good and ready."

Jack dropped the harmonica and was suddenly on his feet. He took Arcee into his arms and hungrily pressed his lips against hers. He then whispered into her ear, "Are you ready now, Arcee…?"

Her senses overwhelmed, Arcee murmured, "J-Jack…"

Hotly he breathed, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about last night…"

"You…you haven't…?"

"I can't get you out of my mind, Arcee."

The blanket dropped and fell to the ground.

"P-Primus, Jack…wh-what are you doing to me…?"

"I thought that was obvious, Arcee…"

"D-did the Matrix…t-teach…you that…Jack…?"

"Nope…just good old Darby hands-on, Arcee…"

"Ohhh, Jack …!"

The perfect evening…followed by the perfect morning. For Sparkmates Arcee and Jack Darby, the afternoon looked very promising.

…

Jack awoke to the cool night air. He groaned softly as he attempted to move. His body ached all over, but it was the best kind of ache. Jack smiled as his thoughts replayed the events of the last several hours.

Owww…if I die now, I die a happy man…

He turned to face Arcee, startled to find her wide awake as she watched him with a contented gaze.

She grinned, "Hi…"

"H-hi, yourself…"

Once again Jack's breath was taken away by Arcee's otherworldly beauty. Her glowing eyes sparkled as they looked deeply into Jack's own luminous orbs. Her neon microfilament hair shimmered in the darkness as the evening breeze gently blew through the individual strands. An unexpected meteor shower traced glowing contrails across the night sky overhead and appeared to race its own reflection against Arcee's shining metal skin.

In absolute awe of all that she was, Jack whispered, "Are…are you sure you aren't an angel…?"

Arcee smiled and gently tousled Jack's hair, "Very sure, Jack. You're not so bad yourself, my sexy little Sparkmate." She leaned over and kissed him fondly.

"H-how long have you been watching me?"

"About an hour…I could watch you sleep for days."

Jack gingerly sat up and stretched his sore limbs. He chuckled, "If that ever happened I'd either be dead or in a coma, Arcee…and both of those are an extreme possibility after today's…activities."

Arcee's eyes gleamed as she practically purred, "I must say, you're amazingly durable, Jack…"

Jack arched his back and winced as he felt it pop several times.

"…and you're insatiable, Arcee. Ow!"

"Poor baby…want me to kiss it and make it better…?"

Jack briefly considered it before he felt yet another twinge.

"Arcee, the spirit is willing, but…"

"Don't worry, Jack. I was kidding…mostly. Just don't forget…you did start it."

They both smiled and gazed lovingly into each other's shining eyes.

"So…" Arcee began.

"So…" Jack repeated.

"What now? Are you ready to return home, Jack?"

Jack smiled, "Home is where the heart is, Arcee…and my heart is wherever you are."

Arcee felt her inner spark burn bright as a star.

"If you keep saying things like that, I can't be held responsible for what might happen, Jack."

"You know, Arcee…we actually don't have to go back anytime soon."

"We don't…?"

Jack grinned, "Nope."

He reached into his bag and produced a glossy plastic card.

"Agent Fowler handed me a federal credit card right before we left Cybertron. He told me not to go crazy with it, but to consider it as paid leave…kind of like an extended business vacation. You know, for helping to save the world and all…"

Arcee smiled, "Hm. That was very sweet of him. Well, in that case…it's your planet, Jack. Where would you recommend we go first?"

Jack suddenly looked uncertain, "I…I'm not sure. It's funny…when you instantly ground-bridge from one place to another, it's easy to see the whole world but then you miss out on all the great places in between."

"Jack, are you suggesting…?"

"There's a lot of open road out there, Arcee. Why don't we see what we can find along the way?"

Arcee smiled, "A man after my own spark. As long as you're by my side, Smooth Operator…"

"…for forever and a day, Arcee. I love you, y'know."

"With everything I am and everything I have…I love you, Jack."

Jack blushed slightly and nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Umm, Arcee…?"

"What is it, Jack?"

"Listen, before we say or do anything else…w-would you mind if…?"

"Oh…?" She eyed Jack suspiciously.

Jack produced a cell phone and grinned sheepishly.

"She worries, remember?"

Arcee shook her head and chuckled.

Jack quickly dialed a number and waited patiently for an answer. He didn't have to wait for long.

"H-hello, Mom…? Hey, it's me. Yeah, I'm fine…we both are. Sorry, what was that? Arcee…?"

Jack looked at the love of his life and grinned, "Arcee, she…she's just perfect, Mom."

Arcee returned the smile, touched by the compliment.

They reached out to one another and held hands, gently lacing their fingers together as Jack continued to speak.

"Listen, Mom…? I have something important to tell you. You may want to sit down for this…"