"I just don't wanna get in anybody's way, or anything," she tried explaining, and this time, it was Ratchet who answered.

"If you get in my way, you'll know it," he said, without taking his eyes from his work. "Go ahead and talk – it'll keep him from pestering me." So he said, then muttered something that sounded rude even to her. Bumblebee's eyes glowed a little more brightly.

"Ok. Thanks." I guess, Mikaela added silently. She glanced up at Bumblebee once more and pursed her lips slightly, thinking furiously. You're, like, two steps away from an alien – there's got to be a million things to talk about, so think of something! But for some reason, she was drawing a blank.

Fortunately, Bumblebee saved her. "It would hurt," he said, returning to her original question, "but my system shut down those receptor-circuits some time ago."

"Please, don't despair on my behalf. It happened a long time ago," he said, but she wouldn't hear of it.

"I'll damn well despair if I want to!" Judy yelled, blowing her nose loudly into the rag. "It's…it's so not fair. What right does that creep have, huh?"

Now that she pondered it, maybe the information Optimus Prime's had offered explained a lot. If only that Megatron'd had a parental figure in his life, perhaps he would have turned out differently. The war might not have happened and no one would have died. Then again…

"I bet if your dad-mentor-person was here, he'd be awfully proud of you," Judy felt compelled to announce. She blew her nose into the rag again and Ron stirred for the first time, rolling over in his sleep. "Dropping dead aside, you've done pretty well for yourself."

Optimus Prime gave her the most indescribable look, before he nodded in gratitude.

"Yeap, I'm a chick magnet," Sam said smugly. "All the women in my life either want to feed me or have me read them a story."

"That’s better than what Daniel attracts," Jack commented. "His either want to marry him or kill him."

Daniel turned and gave Jack a disgusted look. "I'm not that bad," he countered.

"Oh really," Jack drawled. "Hathor. Osiris."

"Anise and Kynthia," Daniel snapped back.

"Like I would touch Anise with a 20 foot pole," Jack replied with a snort. "And Kynthia was a sweet kid in an adult body but she was still a kid. Ke’ra. Sarah."

Still perched on Optimus' knee, Sam leaned towards Carter and Teal'c and in a stage whisper said, "Are they… you know… together."

"When's the last time you were able to grieve – really grieve – as a clan?"

He looked down, radiating a sense of defeat.

"I'd say the need will be great tonight. If we're going to do this, we need to do it right and in ways that will mean something for all of you. Knowing…knowing that you're not all going to rust to death might be comforting for them, since the Matrix is…isn't going to work every time."

"You are right, brother." He glanced once at Bumblebee and transformed – going to talk to Lennox.

Bumblebee reached down, offering me his hand, and I climbed on. He held me close to his chassis, and I realized researching human funeral traditions probably reminded him I wouldn't live forever, either. "I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"Hush now," he quoted, then "I'm glad you're here with me, Sam."

quidamling

“You’ve put a lot of thought into your own mortality, Lennox,” he rumbled tightly.

The Ranger took a deep breath, leaning into the spot on Ironhide’s leg that Sarah had recently vacated. “It comes with the job, mech.” He scratched a little too idly at his ear, but Ironhide could sense the simmering tang of adrenaline and stress hormones increasing around Will throughout the conversation. “I know the more bars on my shoulder the better my odds, and we’ve not lost men like in World War II in decades. But fighting giant aliens is not safe by any means. I’m delusional if I pretend every mission’s going to go smooth.”

“If it comes to that, I will ensure they are safe in your stead,” Ironhide murmured.