Wounded Souls

*Wounded Souls*

Chapter 1

A jet black haired woman sat on a small platform near Ratchet as he worked to attach Optimus Prime's arm after his fight with Sentinal Prime and Megatron. Every once in a while the flamed mech would flinch or move earning a glare from the medic. The young woman sat there tapping her foot to the beat of a song playing in her headphones she was listening to on her smartphone.

"Rachel!" the medic snapped to get her attention.

The young woman jumped slightly startled by how he drowned out her music. She removed an ear bud the beat faint in the background as she looked at him her brow furrowed in slight confusion and irratation.

"What?" she asked.

"How do you expect to learn the to work on the autobots if you keep those blasted things in your ears all the time?" he asked his tone sounding annoyed.

Rachel just rolled her hazel eyes at the medic and groaned. She rolled her ear buds around her phone after pausing her music and slipped it into her pocket before she stood up and walked over to the railing around the medbay platform leaning against it slightly. Optimus watched her trying his best not to flinch or move while Ratchet worked.

"If you must know listening to music helps me think and it also drowns out your attitude so i can learn more about what to do then hear you complain about my habits." she said with a smirk as she got the reaction she wanted.

Ratchet huffed but didnt say anything else as he continued his work. Rachel now turned her attention to her friend and guardian who looked amused by what she said to the medic. Everyone at NEST knew she was the only one who could talk that way to Ratchet and get away with it. How that was possible no one knew or questioned.

"So what are you gonna do now that those slaggin Cons are gone?" she asked him curiously.

The autobot leader looked at her his blue optics blinking slightly at the question before he answered her.

"That i do not know. We will most likely help them rebuild their city after what happened." he said softly before flinching again as Ratchet hit a sore wire.

Rachel growled slightly when the medic glared at Optimus again. She had enough. she grabbed a wrench and tossed it in her hand as she eyed the medic slightly. She then chunked it watching in satisfaction as it slammed against the back of his helm making him curse in Cybertronian and turn and glare at her. She grinned brightly at him as she spoke.

"Either you be nicer or ill hit you again with a bigger one" she said simply as she crossed her arms across her chest. Optimus stiffled a laugh and Ratchet just grumbled to himself as he went back to work. Ratchet then sighed as he sat up.

" My hands are to big to attach these wires Optimus" he said softly.

Rachel instantly brightened as she looked between the two mechs.

"Oh oh oh i can do it!" she said excitedly.

Ratchet went to protest but was quieted by Optimus who gave him a look before turning to Rachel.

"if you think you can do it" Ratchet said.

Rachel grinned even bigger if that was even possible as she nodded excitedly. Ratchet sighed and held his hand out and she all but leaped into it  as he sat her on Optimus's shoulder.

"There are a few wires right there that i cannot reach to reconnect them." he explained motioning to the area he was talking about.

Rachel nodded and gently slipped he hands between the gap as she began connecting the wires. Optimus held back a flinch so not to worry her or scare her as she continued. Ratchet took his arm and the pieces he had to rebuild and began putting it back in place as Rachel connected the nessecary wires in order for him to be able to move his arm and hand again. It took a total of an hour and a half to finish up and once done Ratchet gave Optimu strict orders not to shift to vehicle mode until he did some therapy and made sure his arm was functioning properly again. Rachel stayed on his shoulder as he bid farewell to his friend who nodded and went to help some of the other autobots. Optimus walked out of the med bay and across the tar mac at the base in Washington, DC. Both the Prime and machanic were quiet just enjoying the fresh air and each others company before she spoke up finally.

"So what kind of therapy do you need?" she asked curiously.

Optimus looked at the young woman on his shoulder a moment before back to where he was walking.

"Anything that will strengthen my arm back to normal" he said simply.

Before Rachel could say anything else a shriek was heard followed by a radio clip that said, 'thats funny right there' from Larry the Cable Guy then a female voice cursing.

"Damnit Bumblebee!! That was not funny!!" shouted a young hispanic woman with auburn brown hair and brown eyes.

She was chasing said scout across the the base with a broom in her hand as her only weapon. The yellow bot was chuckling as he ran from her easily staying out of her reach. Rachel sat on Optimus's shoulder holding her stomach as she laughed. Primus how beautiful her laugh was, thought the Prime. He shook his head in amusement at the two. Sam Witwicky and Carly Spencer were sitting nearby laughing at them as well. William Lennox and his friend Robert Epps were talking about reconstruction when they saw the scene and chuckled.

"Karla you know you wont be able to catch him right?" Sam called to the hispanic soilder chasing the yellow Camero.

Karla growled as she skidded to a stop and aimed and threw the broom like a dart hitting the scout in the back of the head earning a yelp of surprise from the young bot as he stopped and turned to face her rubbing the back of his head as if it had hurt.

"You were saying Witwicky?" she said her hands on her hips.

Bumblebee walked back over rubbing the back of his head as he spoke using some clips as he pieced them together.

" Sorry I scared you Karla" the scout apologized.

Apparently Karla had fallen asleep on a couch that had recently been placed in the autobot hanger so Rachel, Karla, Sam and Carly could visit with the autobots and still be comfortable. Bumblebee had seen her sleeping and decided to pull up right behind said couch and blare his horn really loud causing Karla to jump up and fall off the couch. Karla looked at the scout a moment before she smiled and walked over hugging his leg.

"Thats okay Bee. Just know to watch your back for the time being" she teased with a smile the young bot tensing slightly nervously.

Sam chuckled and Carly giggled at the nervousness of their friend. I giggled on Optimus's shoulder as he began to walk away to the training area to start therapy on his arm. Once we were in the training area he gently scooped me up and sat me on a platform as he walked over and picked up a weight and began lifting it his movements slow at first as he grit his denta as he struggled to lift the weight all the way at first. Rachel watched him closely and smiled when she saw it getting easier for him to lift as he curled his arm holding the weight.

"Hows it feel?" she asked softly.

Optimus glanced at her before turning back to his workout doing a few more before setting it down and walking over to where she stood placing his other hand on the railing.

"it feels fine. Still sore in places but its returning to full functionality rather quickly" he said softly.

Rachel grinned happily as she walked over and patted his hand that was resting on the rail.

"Good that proves i do know what im doing" she joked earning a small chuckle from the Prime.

Optimus leaned down his face close to her as he spoke softly.

"You are a very intelligent being Rachel. It does not surprise me that you learned our biology so quickly. Though you being a techno-organic may have helped with that" he sasid the alst part teasingly.

Rachely giggled at him. He never showed this side of himself to anyone except her. She was glad to give him some kind of relief from his everyday duties as a leader. when she first met him it had taken a while to tear down the walls he had built around himself and now that she had she found out more about his personality that only a chosen few knew of. He was sweet and careing as well as humorus and humble and sometimes a bit of a trickster when it came to messing with her while she slept. He would always wait till she had fallen asleep in the bed in the back of his cab before he would blare his truck horn making her squeal before flailing around and falling off the bed.

"Id like to think being a techno-organic had something to do with it and being around a bunch of guys who are constantly getting hurt, whether its by Cons or each other from sparring, has helped me get alot of practice" i teased right back.

Optimus chuckled as he stood back up removing his hand before he knelt down and began doing push ups to try and strengthen his arm as well his shoulder ached slightly as he did so but he pushed past it and continued. Rachel watched him from the platform smiling to herself.

It took a total of two hours for him to get his arm back to normal again. By this time he was more than willing to take Rachel for a ride when she asked. He transformed into the blue Peterbuilt with red and orange flames and opened a door for her to climb into. Rachel did so giggling at how quickly he had agreed to her request. Once safely inside his cab and buckled into the drivers seat he shut the door and began to drive heading down the highway in silence for the moment.

"Whats on your mind Optimus?" she asked stroking the seat absently.

Optimus shivered slightly at her touch as he tried to find the words to say.

"I am wondering if this is the end of our enemy for good this time" he said softly.

Rachel smiled softly as she reached forward and stroked the dash the truck shuddering slightly when she rubbed a certain spot.

"Everything will be fine Optimus. And if something does happen i have faith that you will be able to stop whatever it is and keep this planet safe" she said reassuringly.

Optimus smiled to himself at what she said. She was always there to make him feel better and he was grateful for her insight. He had grown rather close to this techno-organic overt the last few years he has known her and he finds himself wanting her with him all the time just so he can feel the warmth of her personality and smile. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Rachel patt his dash.

"You ok there Oppie?" she asked using the nickname that drove him crazy.

"Must you insist on calling me by that name?" he asked slight annoyance in his tone.

"Oppie, Oppie, Oppie!" she teased him making a small rythum out of it.

Optimus growled slightly before sending his holoform out. His jet black hair hung slightly infront of his blue eyes. His chizzled features and broad chest fit perfectly with his muscular arms and stomach. He was wearing a white muscle shirt with a blue and red plaid button up shirt that was open along with some blue jeans and red and blue tennie shoes. Her seatbelt unbuckled as he grabbed her and carried her to the back and laid her on the mattress as he started tickling her. She squealed and squirmed beneath him as she struggled to get free.

"Optimus!!!.....st.....stop it!!!" she laughed.

Optimus chuckled and stopped letting her catch her breath as she giggled breathlessly. Rachel gave him a playful glare before smiling.

"So where we heading?" she asked as she sat up looking at him.

Optimus shrugged slightly as he looked at her. He then settled back against the wall of his cab his arms folded behind his head as he got comfortable.

"Does it matter?" he asked simply.

Rachel giggled at him as she sat against the wall next to him smiling.

"Guess not" she replied closing her eyes just enjoying the sound of his engine as he drove.

She eventually fell asleep and had fallen against his shoulder. He looked at her and smiled to himself not having it in his spark to wake her as he let her sleep against him. Primus why did she make his spark vibrate beneath his chest like this. He didnt know that he would find out sooner then he thought.