Thank you to Challenger2011 for being my beta-reader for this story. You're amazing. If anyone has any questions, please ask away.

Her skin was white, as white as the snow after a blizzard. Her hair and her eyes were just as white. She seemed to sparkle with her own light, which helped since she had woken him up in the first place, and the room was still dark.

"William," she rasped. Her voice was scratchy and rough, but sweet, soft, and young. Yet the sole male in the room could almost feel the wisdom radiating from the girl who looked no more than 12 years old. "I need your help. And only yours. I can't explain everything, but my father can. Take my hand and I will bring you to him."

Will found himself reaching for her hand before he could even think about what she was asking. Sparkles of light, in red, green, yellow, and blue filled the room. He had to shut his eyes or risk going blind for good. When he opened them again, he was in a place he didn't recognize.

An old man sat at a white table in a white room. On the table sat a vase with a single flower. Its petals were red and blue with the exact pattern Optimus Prime's armor was decorated with. It was in full bloom and looked absolutely beautiful.

The old man had a beard of white that reached down to lick the table. His eyes were a sparkling blue and laugh lines marked his face. The only thing that didn't seem to fit was the dark circles under his eyes that made him look like he'd never even heard of sleep. The man motioned for Will to take a seat across the table. He did so. "William. I knew you'd come."

"And you are?" Will asked. The young girl took her place at her father's side.

"My children call me Primus. You've already met the Allspark," the man replied. Wills eyes widened since he'd heard each Autobot bring up Primus from time to time. Primus reached out and took the flower into his hand. He cradled the head of it as he held it out towards Will. "Seems familiar, doesn't it?" Will gave a nod. "Good. Good. Because it's now yours to watch over."

"What is it? I've never seen a flower like this before."

"This represents a spark. One in particular. You know exactly who it is."

"Optimus?" Will asked. A smile spread across Primus' face to reveal shining white teeth. Will looked down at the flower's blossom. Inside he could see Ratchet speaking with Optimus. Ratchet was grinning and gave a gentle shove to Optimus' shoulder. The Autobot leader laughed without sound before turning with a wave towards the door. Will focused back on Primus. "What do I do with this?" Primus dropped his smile.

"That, my boy, is where things get difficult. That flower is yours now. Protect it with your life since it really is his. You'll need it for the job I'm giving you. Sparks, why don't you tell him about what he has to do?" The Allspark moved over to the seat beside Will, and placed her hands gently on his.

"First, a history lesson is needed. All Transformers, Cybertronians, are Primus' children though me. I gave them their life. And so they are also my children. My father's children. But Primes are different. They receive their life through my father alone. They are my brothers. Optimus is my brother. Much like there are two sides to the war, the Autobots and Decepticons, there are two sides here. My father Primus and his brother Unicron. This creates balance. Optimus, like my father, has the title of peace bringer. He shall be the one to bring the war to the end. But some of Megatron's characteristics will begin to show in Optimus since they were raised as brothers. Megatron came from me, while Optimus came from my father," the Allspark informed. Will nodded as he tried to absorb and understand everything she said.

"I cannot meddle with their war. I'm already involving myself too much by speaking to Optimus through what you humans would call dreams. I cannot do more than what I am doing for you," Primus added.

"That flower will be very important during your task. Even after that, you may keep it. It will help you understand the way Optimus works as a being," the Allspark stopped talking with a smile that made Will wonder what she was thinking about. She waved a hand over the flowers petals and Will watched the colors change from flames to a pattern of red than blue petal by petal. The image of Optimus changed so that he looked much younger. The Allspark gained a fond look on her face. "This was when he was a youngling around Annabelle's age. A special time for Optimus, indeed." Will saw why. Even without words, he could tell that this was the first time he ever met Ironhide and Ratchet – his closest friends. The colors faded then into a bright silver that sparkled in the light both the Allspark and Primus gave off. This time the image was of Optimus when he looked more like an infant than the great leader Will had known him as. "A sparkling. Now, this is what we want you to change. The time that must be fixed." Will gave a horrified gasp as the flower nearly wilted away in his hands. The colors had changed from a bright red to a muddy version and the blue into a dark yucky one. He saw Optimus glare at Ratchet and could tell right away that they were fighting. Optimus actually looked old, as strange as that was. "You are the only one that can fix this. The past and present are untouchable. But this-" she motioned to the almost dead flower "- can be molded to what you think it should be. You and you alone can do it. But I warn you. Annabelle, Sarah, Ironhide, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Epps. None of them can help you. No one. If you need to, call out to me or my father and we will do what we can."

"What about Optimus? I mean, this is his life. Can he help?" Will asked. The Allspark gave a smile that lit up her face with a new light. One sparked by his acceptance to help.

"You are a smart young man. You are right. This is his life. He may help you. But be careful what you say. No one but the two of you may know we've told you. And no one, not even Optimus, may know of the flower. If you tell, Optimus will pay. I'm afraid nothing comes free. You will understand more later. Now, I must show you the life your friends lead in the future. That way you may understand what we are asking you to do. But be warned, nothing in this time is good. In fact, much of it may be painful for you to deal with," the Allspark said.

"One more thing. You will continue to live your life that you have now. During that day, the future will be experiencing night. The opposite for when your current life is at night. It might be confusing now, but you will understand later. I will see you again soon my boy," Primus explained. The white room and Primus disappeared. Will found himself standing in a medical center. He didn't recognize any of it.

"Where are we?" Will asked. He looked to his left where the Allspark was standing.

"On Earth in the future. At the Autobot base. I must also tell you that since you can't just appear in this time period, we've already created a being with your personality for you to take over. Too much time has passed for you to fit in exactly as you are now. Humans have changed. You will see," the Allspark replied. Will noticed then that he was much taller than he should've been. Probably so that he could see everything properly. A hand wrapped around his and the Allspark led him into another room. Will couldn't stop the gasp from leaving his mouth or the widening of his eyes.

"Ratchet..." Will whispered. The Allspark nodded sadly. "What... What happened?"

"A virus wreaked havoc on the Cybertronian population. Many fell to it. Ratchet's been ill with it for a while. His case is terminal. The virus even attacked Optimus, but he was able to recover," she replied as Will approached the berth slowly.

Ratchet looked horrible. His condition reminded Will of how Jetfire had looked. The Autobot medic seemed to be almost falling apart. His optics remained unfocused and had a green tint to them. His paint was almost completely gone. The metal beneath looked slightly rusted over. And Will knew Autobot normally didn't rust.

"He can't see me, can he?" Will asked. The Allspark shook her head.

"You are here to observe and learn. You will be able to speak with him at a later time. I promise you that he will not perish before you get a chance," The Allspark said. Will sighed in misery. How would he even be able to help with something like this? To him, it seemed impossible. "Come. We must move on. The next place will be hard for you. But remember, you still have your actual life when none of this has happened."

She took his hand again and this time they appeared in a long darkly lit hallway. She led him down it. Lining the walls were what looked like huge drawers. Each one had a golden nameplate. None of the names scratched into them seemed familiar to Will. When they stopped walking the Allspark pointed to one a few steps away. Will felt his heart break at the realization of where they were. The pain of it all was at least tripled at the name she was pointing at. Ironhide. "You mean he's..."

"He went off-line many years before this. No one could've stopped it. I'm so sorry. I know you are close to him." Will nodded. "You can take a moment before we continue. I understand."