Yes, it's the last chapter! Much thanks to everybody who stuck with me thus far, I love you all. :hugs: Especially everyone who enjoyed my strange OOC bits of humor... glad to know there are people out there who are just as weird as me! o.O
And I am sooo sorry I couldn't update for so- freakin'- long! I had a great vacation with my extended family, but I think my grandparents have the only household in the country without a computer. O.O
Also, a public service message for those of you sixteen and over: as Judy Witwicky says, "Please, for the love of God, drive safely!" On the drive home there was a wrong-way driver on the freeway... I cannot tell you how much that scared me. You do not want to be the person who shows up on the news as the idiot who killed himself/herself through an act of stupendous stupidity, especially something like going the wrong way on a freeway... a divided freeway, no less. It takes a special kind of cluelessness (and drunkness, I suspect) to accomplish something like that. Remember: stupid hurts.
Well, now that I'm done with my little rant, enjoy. :)
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It was a perfect day. The sun was setting behind the hills outside Tranquility, transforming the skies into a marvel of gold and purple. Even though Kathryn had witnessed thousands of sunsets before, the beauty of each one always made her feel content somewhere deep inside. Each sunset was unique… and flawless.
Just like Blackbird, whom Ratchet had deemed fully healed and fit to come with them on this little outing. The Autobots, Sam, Mikaela, and Kathryn were watching the sunset on a bluff with a spectacular view of the western sky, admiring the planetary phenomenon that so many of the locals took for granted. They were all in vehicle mode except for Blackbird and Optimus Prime.
Of course, there was a practical purpose to their sightseeing, too. Optimus had deemed this wilderness a good place to record and transmit his message, calling any remaining Autobots to join them, to come and be together again. Kathryn listened to Optimus' deep baritone from her perch in Blackbird's lap.
"I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars. We are here; we are waiting."
Blackbird nodded silently; he had been raptly listening to the message. Apparently he approved.
"I wonder how the Autobots that get here are going to react to you," Kathryn mused.
"I've been giving that some thought myself," Optimus rumbled, striding over to sit beside them. "I think they will approve." He smiled encouragingly at Blackbird, who looked a little more optimistic.
Blackbird's attention, however, was soon diverted.
"Kathryn?" he said, so quietly only she could hear him.
"Hm?"
"What are Sam and Mikaela doing?"
Kathryn looked over and felt her face get hot almost instantaneously. Wow. They certainly weren't being shy about their feelings for each other. This was going to take some explaining…
"…Um…" she said, wondering how to put it. "They're kissing." Of course, they were doing a bit more than that; they couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other. But she wasn't prepared to tell Blackbird about that part just yet. "It's, um, a way that humans express affection for each other."
"Hmmm," Blackbird said, still observing them with fascination. "And Bumblebee doesn't mind?"
"Um, apparently not," Kathryn said. "I would think he does mind it a little, given the… somewhat intimate nature of what they're doing…" She trailed off.
"Hmmm," Blackbird said again. "Perhaps I should try it someday."
Kathryn felt her heart jump. Do it, she thought. Even though he'll probably think you're insane…
She turned and lifted her gaze to meet his.
"How about right now?"
Blackbird stared at her for a few seconds, and then a smile spread across his faceplates.
"Why not?"
--Fin--
Ta daaa! It's finished! Yes, there will be a sequel. However, I'm still thinking of ideas for it. If anybody has suggestions for what they want to happen, I'd love to hear them! That includes random humor. If you appreciated me making Optimus faint and Ironhide being called a giant testosterone molecule, I'm sure you can suggest strange things of your own that you'd like to see happen. (Which reminds me- thanks r o X i a n for your suggestion! I'm going to write a oneshot for that! Also, thanks ArmoredSoul for reviewing every single chapter! I'm glad I was able to make you faint two chapters in a row! XD)