Optimus stood in their bedroom, beginning to pack his things. The Prime, his holoform at least, Orion Pax, was leaving soon. Jasmine, JewelBlade’s holoform, stood outside with the children, entertaining them on the small playground they’d had added to the property. It had been brought in shortly after the two had made the secondary transfer: linking themselves back to their true forms, their techno-organic bodies becoming high-functioning holoforms.

        That had been years ago. The twins were now five years old. Scarlett and Ashton were progressing at a normal rate, at least for their physical forms. Optimus, Orion, swore that Scarlett was not the same physically as she was mentally. The young girl seemed to have inherited her mother’s intuition.

        That suspicion was only confirmed when he turned around in the bedroom, finding Scarlett standing in the doorway. Orion paused, looking at the way she watched him, her jade-green eyes watching her father, calm, but suspicious. “Where are you going, Dad . . . ?” She asked quietly. That tone of voice. Another thing that reminded Optimus that she had lived far before she’d been born to this form. Her wisdom and her knowledge seemed to stay with her, even though she didn’t quite remember the way it had been before.

        Orion wasn’t sure what to say to her. He knew how much Scarlett hated when he left. She loved her father as much as her mother. Scarlett never wanted her parents to leave, but at the very least, when her mother left, she was still in town. When her father left, lately, it was for other towns. Other states. Other countries. Her father went farther away than her mother. The distance hurt the young girl’s spark.

        “You’re leaving again, aren’t you, Daddy?” Scarlett asked, a bit of nervous energy leaking into her voice and her expression. “You can’t leave, Dad . . .” She told him, her nose wrinkling in distaste. This was a habit Orion and Jasmine had noticed in Scarlett from an early age: she often had lapses between calm and frenzied.

        “Letty,” Orion muttered, kneeling down in front of her. His daughter didn’t want to hear it.

        “You can’t leave!” She argued. “You promised you wouldn’t leave anymore!” Backing away from him, Scarlett dashed from the room as she ran into the hall.

        Orion winced at the tone of her voice. It had been a vague promise he’d made when she was three, one he’d told her so she would lie down for sleep that night. He’d assumed that she would forget about it by the morning. For the last two years, she used it against him each and every time before he went out on tour for MMA fighting.

        “I would give anything for you, Jade,” Orion murmured. “But I don’t know how to give this up.” Standing, the Prime’s holoform thought about where his true form sat inside the garage. The twins didn’t know about that yet. It was too complicated to explain to them until they were older. Orion and Jasmine were planning to be there for the twins every second they possibly could, and when adolescence came, with it, the unavoidable changes that techno organics normally suffered, they would be there to explain every moment. The twins would know how much they were loved and looked after.

        With a sigh, Orion Pax walked out of the bedroom, heading down the hallway, down the stairs to where Jasmine was outside with Ashton. Scarlett wasn’t around. Glancing around the area, Orion became a tad concerned. The young girl was most likely inside her room. It was unnerving to not know where she was, but Jasmine trusted the girl not to get herself into serious trouble.

        Orion wrapped his arms around Jasmine’s waist, the redheaded woman smiling at his touch. “Well, hello, Mr. Pax,” she told him, relaxing into his grip, still pushing the swing Ashton was seated in.

        “Good afternoon, Mrs. Pax,” he replied, his mood a bit dampened by Scarlett’s outburst. “Has Jade come back?”

        “No, Darling,” she murmured. “She said she wanted to give you something. Did something happen?”

        This was news to Orion. Scarlett hadn’t mentioned anything about that. “She was upset,” he muttered against her hair. “She doesn’t want me to leave.”

        “Of course she doesn’t,” Jasmine told him with a sad smile. “None of us do, Optimus. But you love what you do. We still talk often and we video chat in the evening. We’re doing just fine. She’ll be okay when you come back.”

        “But what about the meantime?” Orion asked, envisioning the behavior Jade had to be struggling with when he wasn’t around.

        “Angel and I can handle it,” Jasmine assured him. “We’ll be all right.”

        Orion gave a small nod. “All right, Sweetspark.” He kissed into her hair, just behind her ear. “I’m going to finish packing my things.”

        “As long as you don’t leave without seeing us again,” she smiled at him weakly.

        Orion chuckled, pulling her tighter. “Still refuse to call it goodbye?”

        “Always will,” she replied. “You ought to know that.”

        He gave a nod, holding her tighter still for another moment before releasing his grip. “I know.” Then, he released her, one of the most painful things that always preceded his departure as he walked away, heading back for the house. Faintly, he could hear Ashton speaking up as he left, Jasmine replying to him.

        “Dad’s leaving again?”

        “Yes, Baby. Daddy’s leaving. He’ll be back soon.”

        “How soon?”

        “Soon enough, Darling.”

        “But we don’t want him to leave, Mom.”

        “I know, Sweetie. But he’s following his spark. You’ll understand why that’s so important in the future.”

        Orion sighed, shaking his head as he re-entered the house. Across the kitchen and the living room space, Jade was blocking the front door. Scarlett was pulling and pushing, moving the coffee table, lamps, boxes in front of the door. It was a display of both strength and desperation by the small girl. “You can’t leave anymore!” She shouted when she realized he was watching her. “You promised!”

        “Letty . . .” Orion murmured, walking over to her slowly.

        “No!” She called out, backing away from him. “You can’t make me okay with it this time! You’re mine! They can’t have you! Not if they’re going to take you away from us!”

        Orion looked down on her, the fierce desperation in her a direct result of Jasmine’s own tendencies. “I’m so sorry, Baby,” he told her, kneeling down, reaching for her. Still, Scarlett stayed away from his reach. Orion sighed, closing his eyes, wishing she knew exactly how much she meant to him. He would give anything for her, he’d fight for her, he DID fight for her. When he was down in a fight, he pushed through for them. He pushed through because he imagined that his foe was a Decepticon, threatening his family. He was going to go after his family if Orion lost.

        He couldn’t lose.

        That thought never failed. Whenever those thoughts took over, Orion always pushed through. He always won. He won for them: his sparkmate, his children. In his mind, when he fought, he was protecting them. That’s why he always left.

        ~~~

        “Letty . . .” Orion muttered as another blow came to his skull. “Maiden . . . Ash . . .” Flashes of their faces crossed his vision, their smiles, their tears, as he fell to the floor of the ring. Everything was becoming a blur as he fought to get back to his feet before the count was up. “Starscream . . .” Orion murmured in a hushed whisper, his face becoming fierce as he aimed another blow for his opponent. It hit it’s target, and the opposing man fell from the impact.

        He didn’t get back up. Orion was victorious. The Prime’s holoform was thousands of miles from home, but he was victorious. His family was safe another day.

        “Daddy!”

        Orion’s eyes went wide as he turned, looking around at the crowd. A small girl was clinging to the outside of the cage. “Letty . . . ?”

        “Daddy!” She called again, her grip tightening on the metal. “Daddy, Mommy’s hurt! Mommy and Ash! You weren’t home! You couldn’t protect us, Daddy! They came and you were gone! Mommy couldn’t do enough, Daddy!”

        Orion rushed over to the fencing, looking at Scarlett Jade, just now noticing the thick, sticky liquid that was sliding down the chain links. The liquid that was coming from the self-defense induced cuts on Letty’s arms.

        “I told you not to go . . .” She muttered, pain filling her eyes, the tears sliding down, her eyes and cheeks tinged red.

        “Baby . . .” Orion murmured. “Open the cage!” He ordered, rushing for the door. The fighter was allowed out as his opponent was being looked after. “Letty!” He called out as he rushed around the perimeter, heading for where he’d seen her. Scarlett was on the floor. Orion immediately pulled her up into his arms, holding her close to him, her blood and energon staining his skin. “Letty what happened?” He asked, looking her over. She simply shook her head, losing her strength as the moments passed. “Letty, look at me!” He ordered, his spark pounding harder in his chest. “Letty, come on!”

        The small girl looked up at him, her pale green eyes, losing their focus. The chain in her hand pressed against the skin of Orion’s chest. “You weren’t supposed to leave anymore, Daddy,” she muttered. “You promised.”

        Orion’s spark seized as she stopped looking at him, her eyes beginning to glaze over. “Letty!” He called out. “Don’t give up, Baby, look at me! Daddy’s here! I’m here, Baby! Letty, stay awake!”

        “I . . . I love you . . .” She told him quietly as he held her closer.

        “Don’t give up, Letty,” he muttered, pressing her so close to his chest, he was certain he’d never let go of her again. Orion ignored the stares, the questions, the calls as he walked through the crowds, searching for some way to save his daughter. It felt hopeless. Orion’s spark ached. This couldn’t be happening. This was his baby girl.

        And what of Jasmine? What of Ashton? Where were they? What had happened to them?

        Scarlett’s hand loosened, the small locket falling to the floor, covered in red and blue.

        ~~~

        “I’m sorry, Orion,” the on-site doctor told him regretfully. The same doctor had treated Orion’s many concussions and other injuries. “She’s gone.”

        Orion stood up, raking a hand through his hair, squeezing his eyes shut, fighting the tears that threatened him. He’d tried calling Jasmine. He’d tried calling the landline. No answer from either phone. Everything had vanished from him.

        He stalked from the small offset room, striding through the now-empty stadium. His family. Snapped out of his reach faster than he could even imagine. How had Scarlett even gotten to Europe?

        Orion vented, trying to stop the tears that had begun coursing down his cheeks. The glint of the bloodied locket on the ground caught his attention, even through his watery eyes. Orion paused, kneeling down to the floor, grabbing the silver heart. The word ‘Love’ was printed elegantly across the cover in gold font. Inside the smeared and dirty metal were two occupied halves: one of their family huddled together, a picture they’d taken not even a month before, right before his last absence. On the other, was a messy handwriting, scrawled across notebook paper, with the words ‘Stay Safe’ and nothing more.

        Orion couldn’t take it anymore, he broke on the inside. His spark was breaking. His family had been yanked away. He would give anything to have them back. He understood that more than ever now. Orion’s hand transformed to a cannon, pointing to his helm. His spark couldn’t exist without them.

        ~~~

        That’s when he woke up.

        Orion was home. In his own bed. But it was empty. He quickly slid out of the bed, running through the halls. The other bedrooms were empty. “Jasmine!” He called out, knowing that the children had to be with her, unless he hadn’t really left that nightmare. “Letty! Ash!”

        Sprinting down the stairs, he heard the laughter of the twins from where they were outside on their small playground. In that moment, Orion’s spark nearly stopped from the relief he took from the sight of them. Quickly, he jogged outside to where they were, crossing the distance with ease. Getting nearer and nearer, his spark rose in it’s hopes.

        Orion quickly picked Jasmine up from where she stood, spinning her in his arms, her laugh hitting his ears. “Optimus!” She exclaimed, loving the spontaneous greeting. “What’s gotten into you, Love?” As he let her down, staring into her eyes, his chest starting to heave from the stress he’d felt. Her expression fell, the seriousness of it falling over her. “Orion what’s wrong?”

        Orion simply shook his head, a weak smile crossing his lips as he plucked the twins off the swings, holding them protectively in his arms. Her smile returned cautiously as he held them close. “I’m going to miss you so much,” he muttered, walking back over to Jasmine.

        “We’ll miss you, too . . .” Jasmine replied, watching him warily.

        He shook his head again as he set the twins down, taking her hands in his. “No, Jasmine. You won’t. I’d miss you far too much to leave you again. I’m quitting. You need me at home.”

        Jasmine blinked a few times. “Optimus, are you sure? You love the fights.”

        “No,” he replied. “I love feeling like I’m protecting you. But if it means I can’t protect you when the time is really here for me to do so, I can’t go. It’s far more important for me to be at home to protect you in reality than for me to protect you in my mind. I cannot replace the moments I would lose. I cannot replace the moments I have already lost. You could afford this place easily before I came here. You work much closer than me. The twins need their parents. I’m going to stay here.”

        Jasmine smiled softly. “But it’s all you’ve known since the first transfer, Optimus . . . Do you really want to give it up to be a stay-at-home Dad?”

        “I have something new to know,” he murmured, pulling her close. “My family. That is far more important than fighting for the sake of fighting. The war is over. I'm following my spark. I am not a gladiator. I am a father.”

        The twins merely smiled up at their parents. Orion’s promise to Scarlett was fulfilled.