Heart of a Prime

Chapter 58

Waking up the next morning felt like a dream for Saphira. She could feel a strong, protective arm around her waist and smiled when gentle lips kiss the back of her neck, making her moan softly and turn her head, looking into Optimus's eyes. He smiled back at her and kissed her on the lips, running his hand up her stomach gently and feeling her shuddering against him. She rolled onto her back and hugged him, holding him against her body. She ran her hands along his back as she kissed him, enjoying the warmth from his beautiful body. Saphira felt so happy to be officially his sparkmate. She could feel his love pouring through the bond, and she was absolutely enjoying it.

"Good morning," Optimus purred against her lips gently. "My beautiful gem...I hope you slept well. You did not stir once the entire night, and I know you were having good dreams." He kissed her again, gently moving his hands in a circular motion against her breasts. "I am so happy we are officially sparkmates."

"Me too...this is the best birthday gift, even if it's not on my birthday." She giggled softly and kissed him again. "I slept like a baby. I had you beside me, that is why. I might not have slept well otherwise." Optimus smiled, moving his hands away from her breasts to rub around her shoulders and hold her against his chest. "What time is it?"

"Why do you want to know? Would you not prefer just laying here?" Saphira was amused by Optimus's response, but he also understood why she asked him those questions. He rolled over slightly to check the clock on the side table. "I see on the human clock it says it is just after eight in the morning." He rolled back over to kiss her. "Does my sparkmate want me to get you some breakfast?"

Saphira thought about it for a moment before she felt the growl in her stomach. "Breakfast sounds good. Just make sure you don't forget to at least put pants on."

Optimus chuckled and kissed her again. "I will not alarm anyone with my full holoform being unclothed. I can promise you that."

Saphira knew for a fact he would not alarm anyone, but he would definitely get anyone eyeing him off. "Good." She kissed him passionately again before Optimus pulled away and got out of the bed. Saphira happily eyed him off and she watched as she pulled his pants back on and turned to face her with a smile. "I am just happy with some fruit and yogurt, if they have any. I don't feel like anything very heavy."

Optimus nodded and walked to the front door to leave the room to get her the breakfast she requested. Saphira laid there with a dreamy smile, closing her eyes and remembering everything that happened the night before. She loved remembering Optimus's caresses and kisses, and now she was able to feel what he felt. And he could feel what she feels. She felt so happy.

She did wish that they could communicate telepathically, but she wasn't a transformer so she knew that being able to sense feelings was more than enough. She was so glad that it was not a dream now that she's awake. She looked forward to spending time with Optimus while he could be with her for the next few weeks. She knew she did not know when Optimus would have to go back to NEST to go on the next mission. But she didn't care at this time.

Saphira felt beautiful. She never thought that a couple years ago she would meet the most amazing beings in the universe, and one of those beings she fell deeply in love with. She knew that because she grew up with parents who didn't show her real love, she could have ended up with someone who would take advantage of her and mistreat her. But Optimus was not like that, and she was so happy he wasn't. She loved him for his personality, and the fact he took interest in her when they met.

I got so lucky...I am the luckiest girl in the world. No one else will ever have someone like Optimus Prime.

Saphira smiled as she hugged the pillow Optimus had been laying on. The holoform has a different scent to his real body. But it was still a pleasant smell, it was almost like cologne. And she loved the smell. She really did wish that she didn't have to go driving today, but she knew that she had to. They wouldn't get to their destination if they just stayed here all day.

As Saphira daydreamed, Optimus returned after ten minutes with the requested food. She looked at him with a smile as he walked in with a tray, eyeing off the apples, banana and strawberries on the plate and the strawberry yogurt cup. She felt her stomach growling and she was looking forward to having the fruit.

Optimus walked over to the bed and sat the tray at the end and sat down. He picked up one of the strawberries and looked at her. "I was told they're in season, and they will be the sweetest at the moment. Just like how sweet you are."

Saphira giggled at him. "I would hope that is true. But how about you let me take a bite and I'll let you know." He did not hesitate to hold the strawberry out to her and she took a bite of the fruit. Saphira smiled at him and nodded. "I can let you know that it is indeed sweet. And I love strawberries anyway."

She took another bite, leaving only the leaves and small stem of the strawberry attached. Optimus placed it on the plate and picked up the next strawberry. "I am pleased that they are good. I wasn't sure if they would be good or not, but I am glad. I hope you don't mind me helping you."

Saphira giggled softly as she took a bite from the strawberry. "No, I don't mind at all." She chewed on the strawberry piece and swallowed before leaning up to kiss him. "You are my sparkmate and I love when you do anything. Even if you are holding a berry for me."

Optimus kissed her back and placed the strawberry against her lips for her to bite into. "Good to know. I can watch you enjoy the food even if I can't eat it. I'll be able to sense the enjoyment through the bond."

"Quite amusing to me. But food does make us happy, especially when we are upset about something." Saphira kissed him again and proceeded to kissed his neck to, hearing him groan softly in delight. "I am happy you made me your sparkmate last night, Optimus. Now I feel like I don't want anything else for my birthday. It was the only thing I really wanted."

"I know. I had been contemplating the decision for sometime. And I honestly thought there would never be a good time, and I realized there won't be until I go ahead and make you my sparkmate." He placed the second strawberry head on the plate and picked up another to give to Saphira while tilting his head to give better access to his neck while she nipped at his neck. "I made the promise to give myself to you, and make you mine...the decepticons are still out there, and I have been witnessing growing cracks within the human government and military forces." Saphira leaned back and looked at Optimus curiously as she was surprised by the statement. "Do not be too concerned by that, Saphira. I think it is more between the government and military, I don't think it has any implication for you."

Saphira hoped that wasn't the case. But she also had little to comment about as Optimus placed the next strawberry against her lips and she quickly bit into it. She decided it was not worth worrying about because she wanted to not think about the military or government for a long time. Especially since they have failed her as well.

Saphira allowed Optimus to feed her the fruit until it was gone and she ate the yogurt afterwards. The two of them were tempted to stay in the bed for much longer, but they knew that they had to leave. Saphira eventually got into some clothes and Optimus helped take her suitcases to the car before she took the key to the reception.

Saphira walked over to the M4, smiling at Optimus as he leaned against the car. "Are the others waiting for us?" She asked curiously. "I hope they aren't too mad that we took our time."

"They are indeed waiting for us. I can confirm that for you." Optimus stepped closer to kiss her and hug her against him before he opened the driver side door for her. "But they are not angry, I can assure you. They have been congratulating me all morning about us becoming sparkmates. So I know they are far from angry...so long as we don't keep them waiting for much longer."

Saphira chuckled as she stepped into the car and looked up at Optimus. "I most certainly do not want to delay them for much longer. Let's get going. I'm not sure where we will stop next, but hopefully somewhere we can all park."

Optimus nodded and leaned in to kiss her before closing the door and making his way over to the peterbilt to climb in. Saphira started her car and backed out of the car park and leave the lot to head to highway. Optimus followed behind. Saphira had a smile on her face as she drove on the road, thinking about her relationship with Optimus.

She soon saw the others behind her and smiled, seeing Bumblebee, Barricade, Ironhide, Sideswipe, Dino, Ratchet and Wheeljack. She was really looking forward to getting to her grandfather's house to party with them. She knew it was going to be the best time of her life. But nothing could ever beat the moment she and Optimus became sparkmates.

Saphira drove along the highway with the bots behind her and she decided to put on some music. She was really in the mood for some good music and she decided to put on a random playlist. She sang along to the different songs and danced to them happily. She knew the drive to the next place to stay for the night was going to go by very quickly with the music playing.

And she didn't need to stop for an hour and half after leaving the Ancient Lore Village as she did need to fill up the car, made use of the bathroom and bought a bottle of water for the road. After that, they kept going and drove through Nashville sometime afterwards and began making their way towards Arkansas.

It was eventually decided that they would stop at the Caddo Drive Campground, which was still a few hours away. Saphira was happy about that and she had absolutely no issue with the choice. She knew nothing about the place, but it was something Bee chose as he had been surfing the internet while he had been driving. Saphira was a tad jealous he could do that without having the risk of being pulled over.

Saphira did know that after Memphis, they could get there quicker by taking the backroads. She suggested it to them after they stopped in Memphis so she could get some lunch, and Optimus agreed. She was feeling extremely happy, especially with how many congratulations she received. Bumblebee literally hugged her tightly for a few minutes until she could not breathe. It was endearing, but he didn't realize his strength in that moment.

It definitely felt like a really good day. She was happy, Optimus was happy and she felt like nothing could ruin the day. When they left Memphis and made their way onto the backroads, Saphira thought about pulling over somewhere just to have a bit of fun. Especially as she saw a few rivers that they passed by, and she thought about just having a bit of fun in the water.

After a few hours, she thought she caught glimpses over a Silverado speeding on a road by them, but she didn't pay much attention. At least, not until she saw it again and she noticed it seemed customized. It had a massive bull bar on the front with spikes and red neon lights underneath. The headlights were also red and the vehicle was a very dark grey, it wasn't black.

Saphira was suspicious of it, but figured she was being paranoid. She sensed concern from Optimus as he had also seen the truck and was concerned by its presence. Nothing was really said or done just yet, as there was no actual reason. At least for the time being. The truck was on it's own road, and she stopped worrying about it after it kept driving and she just shrugged.

She resumed to listening to music and sang along happily, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel as she enjoyed the music. She knew they did not have far to go, so she could soon get out and relax. As she drove threw a crossroads however, at the corner of her eye, she saw the Silverado speeding from behind the trees and it was not slowing down.

Realizing it would hit her, Saphira grabbed the handbrake and pulled it, making the car skid and she turned the wheel to turn the car and drift it to avoid the truck hitting the side. She glanced at the driver and she frowned, believing she saw Galloway in the front. She put down the handbrake and straightened the car, though she slowed down and watched the Silverado make a sharp turn, completely ignoring the peterbilt driving behind her and watched the tyres spin as the driver glared at her.

It is Galloway! He's trying to run me off the road!

Saphira was shocked he would do this is broad daylight. But the Silverado was not fast like the M4, so Saphira slammed her foot down on the accelerator and the BMW lurched forward, the tyres burn on the road a little bit as she sped away. She wasn't nervous, as she could keep away from him. But knowing Galloway was back and attempting to kill her like this told her that he was desperate. Something was said or done, and he intended to take her out.

As Saphira sped along the road, the Silverado followed her and she was getting a little nervous of the bull bar. Optimus was close behind him and Ironhide had sped forward as well. He looked like he intended to drive up the left side of the vehicle to try and force him off the road. Saphira knew that Galloway was way out of his mind at the moment.

Saphira looked around for anything she could do to try and get away from the Silverado. She couldn't see anything and she kept driving while looking. She gasped when she heard the bull bar graze the back of her car and she wondered if the truck had been tuned and had its engine upgraded to be able to catch up to her. He could even have NOS in the truck, which was entirely possible.

Saphira looked at the side view and saw Ironhide coming up on the left side of the truck and she smiled. It took a moment before Ironhide swerved into the Silverado and forced it onto the side of the road. This gave Optimus room to speed up and slam into the back of the truck and caused the man to lose control of the vehicle. The Silverado turned sharply to the right and Ironhide moved away quickly as the Silverado donuts several times on the side of the road and almost rolled over.

Saphira was relieved and she slowed down as she was no longer in danger. The bots attempted to box the man in, but he reversed into the fence behind him and turned around, spinning the tyres aggressively and speeding through the paddock to get back on the road. Saphira saw Barricade following him and a panel opened on the left side of the challenger and a blaster raised up and he fired at the Silverado, successfully hitting the back left tyre and popping it.

The Silverado jolted slightly and swerved as it was losing control. However, Galloway swerved the truck back through the fence, and Saphira yelped as the side of the bull bar hits the backside of the M4, the spikes dug into the side and caused her car to swerve around.

Saphira tried to get the car away from the truck, but she was not able to and the truck was successfully dragging the car. She grimaced as the car angled and the driver side door was now scraping against the passenger side of the truck. Saphira looked into the truck and saw Galloway glaring at her and widened her eyes, ducking her head as he shot at her with a handgun. She covered her head and felt the truck swerving and she looked behind her to see he was trying to hit the M4 into a tree.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and crawled over to the back of the car, hoping to use the seats to block the bullets as he kept firing at her. She opened the back door and pushed it open. She knew what she was going to do was going to be crazy, but it was better than being slammed into a tree. She grabbed the top of the door and roof before lifting herself up, and looking over to see Optimus close behind the truck. She grimaced as she pulled herself onto the roof of the car.

She heard Galloway shout something that she could not understand, but she ignored him. She crawled along the top of the car and climbed into the tray of the truck. She thought about using her own weapon, but she heard more shots and she shrieked as the back window of the truck shattered from the bullets. She was lucky only one grazed the inside of her right leg. She grimaced and turned, looking at Optimus.

She heard a screech of metal and the Silverado jolted, making her almost lose balance and she looked as the M4 skids on the side of the road and came to a stop, thankfully. The back bumper was completely torn, she was happy her suitcases weren't destroyed, but she had to get off the truck to get safe.

And Galloway was still shooting, though she heard him running out of bullets and that gave her the time she needed. She crawled to the back of the tray and looked at Optimus. He sped closer, knowing she was going to try and jump. She knew this was just too crazy, but it was better than being wrapped around a tree.

She gripped the side of the tray as Galloway swerved deliberately to try and get her thrown off. She whimpered a little and looked at Optimus. "I hope you can catch me." She was getting very scared now, especially as the autobots were forced to be careful so she would not get injured.

Ironhide sped up alongside the truck again and she looked over at him and looked to the right as Barricade drove up the other side. She was happy and looked back at Optimus, and saw Bumblebee driving beside him to help catch her if Prime could not.

She shrieked when Ironhide and Barricade slam into the sides of the truck at the same time. She heard the screech of the tyres as Galloway tried to speed away from the two bots while they press their bodies into the truck. Saphira knew what they were trying to do. She stood back up and looked at Optimus. She took a deep breath and prepared to jump. She heard another shot fired and she felt it in the side of her lower back.

She grimaced and lunged off the back of the truck. Optimus quickly extended his hand from the peterbilt and caught her midair. He pulled her into the cab and Saphira grimaced as she felt intense pain in her back. "Ow...he shot me!"

Optimus rumbled angrily as Saphira sat there bleeding from pain. "Who is this person? Why is he even attacking you?"

"Galloway."

That was enough for Optimus now that he knew who this person was. Saphira placed her hand on her back, trembling from the pain she was feeling from the bullet. She didn't know if the bullet was still in her flesh or not, but she hoped this won't result needing to stay in a hospital. She let out some sobs as she felt like she won't get to her grandfather's house by her birthday.

As she cried, Optimus suddenly lurched forward and slammed into the truck forcefully. She looked ahead at the Silverado as the man was still trying to get away, but Optimus slammed into him again. Ironhide and Barricade moved away as Optimus rammed him again, causing the Silverado to completely lose control and flipped before hitting the ground and rolling several times and stopped as it hit a tree.

The bots came to a stop and there was no movement from Galloway. He was either dead or dying. "There was no reason other than desperation in his actions." Saphira nodded in agreement with Optimus's analysis of all of this. "Bumblebee retrieved your suitcases and he has them currently. Ratcher wants to look at your injury."

"I can't move...it hurts too much..." Saphira wanted to get up and walk, but she was in too much pain. "You will have to transform or..." She jumped when she saw his holoform form and he gazed at her with worried eyes. "That'll work too."

He carefully picked her up and carried her out of the cab. Ratchet had pulled over and opened the back of his ambulance and had the gurney ready for her. Optimus placed her down on her side and Saphira grimaced as Ratchet's holoform lifts her shirt. She did not know how bad it was. She knew Ratcher had learned a lot about human medicine, but she knew he wasn't an expert yet.

"Hmm, looks like the bullet is wedged in your back. Thankfully, it's not deep." Ratchet grabbed something from the ambulance and dabbed the liquid around the wound, making her hiss from the sting. "This will numb the area a little bit and I will attempt to remove it. It doesn't loo serious, nor does the graze on your leg."

"I have to say though..." Saphira looked up as Ironhode approached, smiling slightly at his large, bold head holoform. "You are one crazy human. I didn't think you were crazy enough to do what you did."

"He was shooting at me, I didn't have a choice." Saphira felt the feeling of numbness growing around the wound. "I don't need to go to the hospital, do I?"

"No...so long as it does not get infected..." Ratchet placed cloths around the wound to soak up the blood. "We did have to inform Colonel Lennox about the incidents. There will be some military forces out this way soon. We aren't allowed to leave for the time being."

Saphira groaned deeply. "I guess you can tell them I told you so." Optimus nodded slightly in agreement. "But I'd rather we make it to Texas by tomorrow. I don't want to be holding this off for too much longer."

"And we won't." Optimus leaned down and kissed her gently and looked at Ratchet. "Can you take the bullet out now?"

"It's not hurting now...it feels numb," Saphira commented, though she grabbed Optimus's hand and squeezed it tightly, just in case it did hurt when the bullet got pulled out.

"Very well." Saphira grimaced as she felt the wound being opened and something slipping inside. "I'm going to give a good pull, Saphira. Try not to think about it too much. Optimus, make sure she doesn't move much. The bullet's not big, but she may not appreciate the yanking." Saphira nodded in agreement that she definitely would not appreciate it. "On the count of three, I'm going to pull it out..." Saphira clenched her eyes closed and Optimus placed his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them reassuringly. "One. Two. Three."
Saphira yelped when she felt the firm yank and the slight sting that followed. She tensed and took deep breaths. Ratchet quickly placed a pressure pad on the wound and pressed down. It was as bad as she thought it would be, but it still hurt. She did feel better after though. She enjoyed the comfort that Optimus was giving her and she relaxed as Ratchet stopped the bleeding.

He bandaged the wound as it didn't need stitching, which she was lucky. Once she was clean up and was allowed to get up, she knew she wouldn't be as active as she would have liked. She wasn't happy, but she knew she would still have fun on her birthday. Now it was just the matter of getting to her grandfather's house after the military arrive to take care of the mess Galloway made.

"Sorry about your car," Bumblebee said gently as he walked over to Saphira. She smiled at his young, adult holoform as he gave her a sympathetic expression. Saphira was sitting on Optimus's lap while Optimus sat against his vehicle form at the moment. "Your suitcases were all saved though."

"I know, but at least I'm alive." Bumblebee nodded in agreement. "I guess we are going to have to figure out what fun things we can do. I wanted to play volleyball with you all...but I at least can be the referee."

"I think we will find something. We don't want you to be left out on your birthday." Bumblebee turned his head when he heard other SUVS approaching. "Looks like they are finally here."

Optimus sighed deeply and helped Saphira to her feet. "We should go and tell them what happened. You can lean on me if you need."

Saphira took him up on the offer as they approach the military Colonels who had arrived to tell him what happened. Lennox could not be there sadly, but he would be informed of it all. Once they were told, they were given the okay to leave. The BMW was totaled, so Saphira needed an alternative mode of transport. That was an easy decision.

"So you want to just have me keep driving to Texas?" Optimus asked after Saphira told them she didn't want to stop anywhere now, and just wanted to keep going. She nodded affirmatively. He brushed a strand of hair from her eyes and smiled at her. "Can you at least tell me where exactly the house is and I can lead the others to it?"

Saphira thought about it. She had wanted to be the one to lead them to the farm, but as she was not going to be driving now, she certainly wanted Optimus to know. So she gave him the address and Optimus simply nodded. "I hope you don't mind if I sleep on the way."

"You will need it to heal. Though now you are my sparkmate, you may also have a better healing ability. Hopefully there is a chance your wound won't be too painful and you'll be able to enjoy some physical activity. Especially since tomorrow is your birthday."

"That would be nice. At least we became sparkmates last night. Otherwise this injury would have halted that." Optimus grinned at her and kissed her before she pulled away. "I would like to change my clothes. I don't particularly want to wear my bloodied clothes."

"I can have that arranged. Let me help you into the cab and I'll grab one of the suitcases from Bumblebee." Saphira nodded and kissed him before Optimus helped Saphira back into the cab and made sure she was comfortable before leaving to get one of the suitcases.

As Saphira sat there, she felt sad that the day had been ruined by Galloway. It had been good until now. She was lucky she was not severely injured, and the decepticons are not likely to care that Galloway is dead, but that didn't mean she was happy right now. She certainly was not happy. But she knew she would be home soon, and it was the only comfort she had, aside from having Optimus close to her and being her sparkmate.

Optimus returned with the suitcases and put them into the back and Saphira was able to change from her clothes. All the autobots proceeded to leave the area as their holoforms disappear to keep driving to Texas. Saphira curled on the seat and simply stared out of the window at the sunset that was overlooking them right now. She knew that the next day was going to be better when they finally get home. She soon fell asleep as Optimus put on some gentle music for her to listen to, the music lulled her to sleep.