A/N: Upon request, I've updated this chapter with a list of the Christmas songs I used, which is posted at the end of the story. They're not all good songs (what do you expect after three years of this), but they ARE all songs. I didn't include the artist if I didn't know or if it didn't seem to matter lyric-wise (sometimes covers change the lyrics slightly)
Thank you all for reading, Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy the final chapter of this story.

Bumblebee knew he'd never feel about snow the same way again.

Sooner or later, there comes a time for all of us when life takes us to a place we didn't plan for, expect, or even want. There's no way around it, no way not to come to that place, because we find ourselves drawn into it by events and forces beyond our control, maybe even beyond comprehension.

It is here, surrounded by the inescapable unfamiliar that life gives us a choice about what we do. To run, to fight, to hide, to accept, or to find a way forward. It is not our choice where life takes us, but what we do once we get there... that is on each of us in our turn.

Ratchet had been appalled by (and very vocal about) the condition Bumblebee had allowed himself to get into at the hands of the humans. But despite the colorful language Ratchet used to describe the damage, repairs hadn't been difficult or lengthy. Healing had taken more time.

Lawrence, Vera, Richard and Serafina O'Neill were gone long before Bumblebee had recovered, settling into a new home Fowler had arranged for them in Denver.

Though he knew they were physically safe now from the clutches of MECH, he couldn't help but wonder if anything he'd said or done had been enough to save them from themselves. He knew that for all his power and knowledge and experience, he could not make them become better people. They had to do that for themselves. And yet, he still couldn't help but feel responsible. His life had touched theirs, and he knew that made an impact, an alteration, a change. But he knew it was unlikely he would ever find out exactly what kind of lasting effect he might have had upon them. It worried him.

While still at the Autobot base, Fina had called Eddy to make sure he was alright. She had apologized repeatedly, not only for what she'd done but also for dragging him into a dangerous situation. Eddy, clearly still wounded by her betrayal, was nevertheless forgiving. Bumblebee had the feeling that, given the chance, Fina would one day repair the damage she had done to their relationship, at least enough that they would be friends. Clearly, whether Fina knew or accepted it, Eddy loved her, and would do anything for her. That alone was enough to give Bumblebee some hope.

Eddy was safe enough, though Fowler was having someone keep an eye on his house just in case. The only MECH agent who could have recognized the Noble and guessed who its driver was happened to be in custody now. That same agent was the one who'd seen and recognized Bee on the race track, and informed the superior he answered to, who had in turn sent it up the chain until it got back to Larry's (now former) superior. MECH had decided to take Bee back from Larry.

Bumblebee wondered how an organization that allowed small units within itself to initiate full blown capture and retrieval operations without the top brass knowing about it could possibly function. Obviously, based on what had happened here, they didn't function very well. Something told Bumblebee that MECH, at least in its current form, was doomed. Perhaps not soon, but someday. There was hope in that too.

As soon as Ratchet deemed him healthy enough for extended driving, Bumblebee took a trip to Colorado. It was a long drive, probably longer than Ratchet would have liked, but Optimus approved Bumblebee's request. The Prime no doubt understood why Bumblebee needed this.

And Bumblebee was not going alone.

{Are you sure your family is okay with this?}

"They think I'm staying overnight with a friend," Raf answered, "Which is technically true."

{What about the holiday?}

"Christmas isn't for another few days, Bee. And you can drive straight through, right?"

{Right,} Bumblebee replied, only slightly mollified.

"Besides, it's not like we'll be staying long, is it?"

{No,} Bumblebee answered, {Not long.}

In truth, he wasn't sure if they'd be staying at all. Bumblebee was concerned about what kind of reception they might receive, and had considered just driving past the house to make sure the O'Neills were okay and getting settled in alright. He hadn't originally planned on bringing Raf with him, but the boy had managed to convince him that his family wouldn't miss him too much, then had finally said "You're my best friend, and I just got you back. You're not going anywhere alone."

In his past, Bumblebee might have found it amusing that a tiny, fragile human thought he needed their protection. But he knew better than to laugh now. He had come to know that the humans, like himself, had the capacity to exceed or get around their physical limitations through their ingenuity, courage and strength of will. Raf had saved him before, he would not doubt that the boy might do it again someday.

And besides, he appreciated having the company.

They started off in the evening, so Bumblebee could drive all night. Raf spent many of those hours sleeping across the back seats. Bumblebee didn't mind. There was something comforting in the sight of a human sleeping peacefully, something reassuring in the quiet of the night with the road rolling out ahead and the stars up above, the same stars he'd seen every night since he got here. The same stars, yet he never got tired of seeing them, and they never lost their novelty in his eyes because they told him that he was on Earth, a world he had come to love more than life, and to see as his home.

He drove slowly, because the road was icy in many places, and some places had not even been plowed and so snow lay like a blanket across the pavement. For any ordinary Earth vehicle, that would have forced them to take an alternate route, but Bumblebee just took to the snow and drove through it. But he didn't go fast, because he didn't want to risk so much as a little slide, even though he could now transform and protect himself if he did lose control. He could even transform carefully enough to make sure Raf was also protected. But he didn't want it to come to that, and so was careful.

Sometime in the night, clouds moved in so that when the sun rose it reflected off them and turned the sky to fire blazing orange and gold, the snow cold fields a furnace red and distant mountains to deep pink hues which burned into crimson as the sun began to climb higher. The effect was startling in its intensity, and in its beauty. In minutes, the trees along the sides of the rose had turned yellow, and the fires of sunrise swept across the ground and road ahead, chasing the shadows of night before them.

The transition from darkness into light was sudden, and Raf woke up in time to see it.

"Wow," Raf breathed, pressing his nose against the glass of Bee's window so he could see out.

It was the only thing either of them said for some time.

To those who listen, it is often the silence which speaks most clearly.

Raf's family seldom went on road trips because it was impractical and unaffordable for them all to go, so he appreciated Bumblebee's eternal willingness to take him along on drives. Bumblebee seemed to enjoy his company, and -if he wasn't going anywhere dangerous- he never failed to call Raf and ask him if he wanted to come. The other advantage of going with Bee was there was never any overcrowding because it was just the two of them, or else one of the other Autobots was along with their own human companion (which still left plenty of space in the back seat; a rare luxury for the smallest child in a large family, and one Raf never ceased to appreciate).

Bumblebee seemed to be feeling fine for most of the drive. But as they neared the new home of the O'Neills, his demeanor shifted. Though he maintained speed and continued to follow the rules of the road as he'd learned them, there was something newly hesitant, almost wary about him. Raf knew Bumblebee wasn't picking up on any real threat, otherwise he'd have stopped and let Raf off while they were still some distance from the house. The nervousness he showed was therefore probably of a personal nature. Perhaps his time as the captive of these people had affected him more than he'd let on.

"What's wrong, Bee?" Raf asked, leaning forward between the front seats to look through the windshield to see the clear road, no cars coming their way at all.

{Nothing,} Bumblebee replied, but his normally steady burr quavered slightly.

"C'mon, Bee. It's me. I know you. You're worried about something."

{I don't know what to do,} Bumblebee admitted, {What should I say to them?}

Raf thought for a moment. He knew Bumblebee was worried not only about showing up unannounced, but also the fact that it was almost Christmas; a holiday he had heretofore been unable to comprehend on any meaningful level. Besides, what did you say when you visited former captors? Raf doubted any etiquette book in the world covered the appropriate greeting for strangers who'd once locked you in their garage and forced you into dangerous and illegal street racing.

"I don't think you have to worry about that, Bee," Raf said finally, as Bumblebee slowly rolled to a stop at the edge of the road in front of the house which was their destination.

They could see through the front window to a living room, where the television was on. The family of four was all piled on the couch together, huddling under a couple of blankets shared between them, watching a Christmas special on TV. To the left of the couch and right of the television, there was a fire going in the fire place, which was sending swirls of smoke out through the chimney.

"I think maybe everything that needs to be said, already has been."

Bumblebee didn't say anything for a time, observing the family together with their mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows, the fire crackling in its place, the mantle with its stockings hung and a small village scene set up above them, a small pre-lit Christmas tree glowing in the corner.

Everything in the house was new. Including the people. Watching them, Bumblebee seemed to understand that they were not the same four people he had first met, and whom Raf had never seen but only heard of. Their lives had been changed forever, and they didn't need Bumblebee anymore.

{I think I understand now,} Bumblebee said finally, pulling back onto the road and driving away.

"Understand what, Bee?" Raf asked.

{What Christmas is.}

"That puts you ahead of most humans," Raf told him.

{Really?} Bee inquired, sounding surprised.

"Sure. Most people think it's about decorations, toys, gifts, making cookies and listening to carols and watching whatever their special Christmas themed movie is, drinking hot chocolate and eating food and taking naps and all that other stuff. And all that stuff is great," Raf paused here, realizing for the first time that he'd had it wrong all along himself, because he'd wanted so much to be included in these very things that his family participated in that he'd missed the truth his whole life, "Don't get me wrong, it's great. Being with family, near and dear ones, it's really wonderful."

Bumblebee didn't pressure him when he stopped speaking, instead waiting quietly. Perhaps he realized that he had unintentionally given Raf new insight.

"But it isn't about that at all. It's not even about what physical gifts we can give. Not how other people make us feel, but how we choose to feel about them, and how we treat them. You gave those people the greatest Christmas present anyone ever could give, Bee," Raf said, "Because you gave forgiveness."

{Is that so unusual?} Bumblebee asked.

"It shouldn't be."

It shouldn't be.

Then ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
– I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

List of songs used:
Chapter 1: Fool's Holiday by All Time Low
Chapter 2: Magical Christmas Train
Chapter 3: Christmas Lights by Coldplay
Chapter 4: O Holy Night
Chapter 5: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Chapter 6: Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass by All Time Low
Chapter 7: I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up For Christmas by Aimee Mann
Chapter 8: Christmases When You Were Mine by Taylor Swift
Chapter 9: Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon
Chapter 10: Christmas Just Ain't Christmas Without the One You Love by the O'Jays
Chapter 11: Christmas Eve Can Kill You by The Everly Brothers
Chapter 12: Every Year, Every Christmas by Luther Vandross
Chapter 13: Someday at Christmas by Stevie Wonder
Chapter 14: Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band Aid
Chapter 15: Faith in Santa by Red Sovine
Chapter 16: Last Christmas by WHAM!
Chapter 17: There Will Be No Christmas by Crown the Empire
Chapter 18: Ave Maria (translated, one variation anyway)
Chapter 19: Little Drummer Boy
Chapter 20: Mary, Did You Know?
Chapter 21: I Won't Be Home for Christmas by Blink-182
Chapter 22: Anno Domine by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Chapter 23: God is With Us by Casting Crowns
Chapter 24: Back to a Reason (part II) by Trans-Siberian Orchestra