(Still continuing the 'what if.')

~~~

Optimus stared at the clock as if trying to get it to move quicker. Then again he might have been having a staring contest with the thing. No one was sure. He was sitting at the table with his book and some Oreos, but he wasn't touching his favorite cookies. He just stared.

"It will only move slower if you continue to stare at it." Elita said as she hugged him from behind and kissed his cheek. He smiled slightly and turned to look at her then kissed her.

"I'm just anticipating their arrival." He said and kissed her back. She smiled and stole one of his cookies.

"You have a full hour to wait still, my love." She whispered and went to the kitchen. "Would it be alright if you help me for a bit? Maybe it would make things go by quicker." She said. He chuckled softly and slowly got up then went to help her.

An hour went by and they finally had everything set up. They heard a knock on the door and he looked up. Elita laughed as he walked quickly to the door and opened it. He was like a child at times and she loved it.

"Hey dad!" Smokescreen grinned as Bumblebee ran up behind his brother. Optimus chuckled and hugged them both tightly.

"Are we the first ones here again?" Bumblebee said as he looked at him then around the house.

"How is that bad?" Elita asked as she walked over. He chuckled and kissed her cheek then hugged her tightly.

"Hey mom. And no its not bad." He said and they went into the house. Smokescreen closed the door and they told them about their lives. Optimus or Elita asked questions about the boys dating lives. The two felt awkward as they talked about it.

A little later there was another knock and Arcee came in with her family. Optimus smiled as he went over and carefully hugged her. Elita took baby Orion and squealed quietly as she held him. Cliffjumper laughed at this and shook his head a little.

"You get so giddy when we bring him over." He chuckled and Elita gave him a look.

"He's my grandson and needs all the attention in the world." She said seriously then went back to him. Optimus smiled as he led them into the home.

"All the attention in the world unless Miko shows up." Smokescreen pointed out.

"Are they actually coming?" Bumblebee asked hesitantly. "I know it's her first 4th of July with us." He said.

"Well they better come. I have all sorts of fireworks that I brought." Smokescreen grinned excitedly.

"Just keep in mind that she may not be used to them." Elita said hesitantly as she cooked something.

"Mom. She's from Japan. I'm sure she's used to them." He laughed quietly and looked at Bumblebee. His brother didn't seem so sure about that.

"We don't know what situation she came from." The youngest said as he furrowed his brow. "We need to be careful like mom said." He pointed out.

"Ya okay...." he mumbled and sighed forcefully then went to talk to Cliffjumper. The two were planning on setting off a giant display.

A little later Megatron came to the house with his wife and five kids. He smiled as they all greeted each other. His first wife had died during childbirth and his second had left him. He was now married to a woman named Beta, and she had three boys. Her oldest didn't really approve and had nothing to do with them.

Megatron smiled and hugged his friend tightly. The two talked while the others updated their friends on their lives. Optimus smiled more when Ratchet and his two children came to the home. He was absolutely thrilled that his best friends were happy.

Elita and Beta got along really well and might as well have been twins. Baylee and Piper sat with Arcee as they laughed and whispered.

Bulkhead finally came and Miko ran around talking excitedly to everyone. She told them stories and showed them her stuffed animals. The others tried to be patient with her, but she quickly overwhelmed them.

"I like music and toys and food and running and playing and singing." She said quickly as she stood by the three older men. Megatron blinked in surprise as Ratchet stared at her. Unsure how to handle the child.

Optimus just smiled as she talked a lot and asked tons of questions. He loved his granddaughter, even though she was adopted.

"What do you like to do? Do you have a monster truck? What time is it? I'm hungry. Is it lunch time? Are you a doctor? Are you a cop?! Do you have a gun? You like donuts?! If you eat a apple a day, will you stay away from yourself? I like chocolate! Grandpa can I have a candy?" She whispered the last question quietly as she gripped his knee, and looked at him hopefully. She had asked the other questions really fast. He chuckled softly and looked in his jacket.

"Here you go." He whispered and winked as he handed it to her. She squealed and ran to the table to eat. The other two men just watched her go then looked at their friend.

"Um... which question was I supposed to answer?" Megatron asked as he furrowed his brow. Optimus chuckled and shook his head as Ratchet blinked a couple times.

"She's just excited to hang out with her family. You don't have to answer her questions right now." He said and they sighed in relief.

"Miko! Who gave you chocolate?" Bulkhead asked as he set some plates on the table. She looked up at him then at her chocolate covered hands, face and shirt. She looked at Optimus who stared back at her. The small girl looked at the half eaten chocolate bar then at her dad.

"Ganpa." She said through her mouthful of the sweet. Bulkhead blinked in surprise then looked at the three men.

"Really Dad?" He asked as he furrowed his brow. "Now I have to give her a bath." He mumbled and took her to the bathroom. Ratchet and Megatron chuckled as Optimus went to clean up the mess she made.

A half hour later Miko was running through the house screaming in joy as her father chased her. She had one of Arcee's old shirts on that was huge on her. She squealed and giggled as Smokescreen and Bumblebee gave chase.

"Noo no no no! Uncle Smoke! Uncle Bee! Don't catch me!" She squealed as she ran around. Optimus laughed then picked her up when she ran by. She laughed and hugged him as the others helped with dinner.

"Can you tell me a story, Miko?" He asked as he sat on the couch, he had her sit just in front of him on the couch. She nodded quickly and started telling him a story as she played with her stuffed animals. He listened to her as he gently brushed her hair, then put them in pigtails. Just how she liked them.

After dinner they all set up some lawn chairs and went outside for the fireworks. Miko ran over to her dad and watched him set things up with Smokescreen. Cliffjumper and Blitzwing helped as they talked about how to set it up.

"Okay Miko. You need to go over by Grandpa and Grandma." Her father said seriously.

"Why?" She asked as she watched him and the others.

"Because, it's going to get really loud, and you need to be over there where it's safe." He whispered. She pouted cutely and folded her arms.

"I stay with you." She said stubbornly and stomped her foot. He sighed shakily and rubbed his face.

"Please?" He asked as he smiled slightly and kissed her forehead. She huffed then went to sit with the others.

"Are you sure she isn't yours?" Wheeljack asked as he walked over and smiled slightly. Bulkhead gave him a look and went back to setting up.

Miko was talking to Baylee and Piper about her new pretty shirt. She suddenly heard the men yell run and take off. She looked at them and saw they were running from the display as they laughed. She wanted to go see and took a step towards them, before she heard a loud pop.

Her eyes widened and she grinned as she saw color shoot into the sky before a loud bang sounded. She screamed in surprise and ran to the girls. She looked at the adults as they watched in amazement and laughed. How was this fun?

She heard another pop then a loud bang again. It was too noisy and she covered her ears as another sounded. She started to cry but couldn't see her dad. Where did he go? Did the fireworks get him?

Another bang blasted through the air and she sobbed uncontrollably as she looked around. She saw her Grandpa for a moment and ran to him. This was like lightning. She hated lightning and thunder. She jumped into her grandfather's lap and clung to him as he grunted. She sobbed harder and covered her ears again.

"I'm scared. I'm scared. Make it go away Grandpa." She sobbed uncontrollably and buried her face in his chest. "Save me from the monsters." She choked. He looked at her then picked her up and went back into the house. He closed the door and sat on the couch as he held her close.

"It's alright Miko. Grandpa has you." He whispered as he put a blanket around her. "They won't hurt you.... I won't let anything hurt you." He promised. She sniffed sadly and looked up at him with her big brown eyes. He smiled a little and gently kissed her forehead.

"I love you Grandpa... you're my hero." She whispered quietly and hugged him tighter. He smiled more and buried his face in her hair as he just held her.

She might forget what she said in a few hours. But he'd always remember.