A/N: Okay folks this is the end. I'm glad that so many people have enjoyed this fic of mine. Huge thanks for the reviews, alerts and favs. Also many thanks to Gixxer Pilot who's been beta reading this thing for me from chapter 5. I was originally intended to have more story for this fic, but I've grown frustrated with many things over the time while I've been writing this. Maybe I'll make one shots of those pieces I left out from this one, but for now Origins has met it's end.

Look forward to seeing more fanfic from me. Because this as sure as pit isn't the end!

Ratchet's creators had deactivated just before the white mech and Ironhide had graduated. The spark bond between Ratchet's creators had dragged both of the elderly mechs to their doom. It had been spark breaking for Ratchet to be separated from his creators like this, but he made it through somehow with the help of Ironhide.

The two of them were feeling very alone in their apartment in the 3rd district. They had been so used to the presence of the elder bots that the whole place felt suddenly so empty and big. Ratchet had sealed the door leading to the berthroom of his creators; he just couldn't watch the empty berth standing alone in the room. Neither of the mechs said a word about it, but they were going to move away from there as soon as they graduated. There was no reason for them to stay in a place that held so many painful memories. Ratchet's creators were gone, and nothing could bring them back.

The time taught them both that deactivation was inevitable, the life didn't continue endlessly. At some point, all the mechs and femmes would turn out to be too old or something other could occur and their lives would be over. Death wasn't glamorous either. Ratchet had seen it with his very own optics while he was part of the medical team that had been taking care of his creators when the white mech and Ironhide brought them to the academy's hospital. It had been a painful and horrifying experience for the bonded couple, leaving Ratchet's father to suffer for a few moments before he had finally joined his wife. There were no great last words; just pure agony and even their final expressions had been filled with pain.

Ironhide and Ratchet had been made to learn a huge lesson about life in a very short period of time. They were now completely on their own. Even the emotional support the bonded couple had offered them was now gone. They may not have been able to support Ironhide and Ratchet financially or physically, but they still had been parent figures to them. Losing them meant they were now all alone without any family except each other. Only Ironhide and Ratchet grieved for the deceased bots.

Without the presence of his creators, Ratchet poured all the care and love he had to Ironhide. Until now, their relationship had been very light, but now they deepened it to the level where they could be called a couple. Ironhide had been more than happy to return the feelings with at least the same volume. It helped to fill up the empty gap left by Ratchet's creators.

After all of this, they had finally opened up themselves to the ever so curious psychiatrist Fender, who had been pestering both of them since Ratchet crashed during the lesson. The psychiatrist was very interested in their case because they had been growing up in such unusual conditions. The conclusion he came was that both Ironhide and Ratchet had been forced to grow up too quickly. The two mechs hadn't learned how to process their emotions properly at any point, which was why they acted like they did. Fender was really interested in studying them more and had plans for the information he had gathered by observing Ironhide and Ratchet.

Unfortunately, Fender had to close their file quite soon because Ironhide and Ratchet both received modifications and graduated. He was eager to see how they would cope at work, which was way more stressfull than studying, but he was unable to do that. Later on, Fender would be deactivated by Decepticons who were slowly fortifying their forces, making him unable to finish his studies on depression.

Ironhide and Ratchet had moved away from the slums as soon as they graduated and had jobs for themselves. They didn't want to spend any extra time in that place, because everytime they looked around themselves in there, they could see memories. Memories they would like to forget, but were unable to because they were reminded of them all the time. There were good memories too, but many of them weren't pleasant in any way.

In the end Ratchet had specialized in surgery. His over-sensitive hands turned out to be huge advantage in that area. It was also challenging enough to keep Ratchet interested in it. He wanted to make a difference, and being a medic certainly did a difference. He wanted to protect all life and becoming the best surgeon on all Cybertron was a good way to achive that goal.

Ironhide had become an enforcer. He loved chasing the bad guys day after day. He had a personal mission to eliminate the slum gangs from existence. He still hadn't forgotten what they had done to his beloved Ratchet, but back then he couldn't have faced them even if he wanted. Ironhide worked very well as a team with Chromia and together they could easily take on dozen of mechs.

Chromia enjoyed teasing Ironhide about his relationship with Ratchet. She was thinking they were moving too slowly. She often asked Ironhide that why he hadn't already bonded with Ratchet to be done with it. The subject always made Ironhide very uneasy. He wanted to have a lifetime commitment to the white mech, but he was not sure if Ratchet was ready. Ratchet was often busy nowadays. The white mech was quickly raising in the medical ranks. He was only second to the head surgeon anymore, while Ironhide was just a mere enforcer officer. Ironhide wasn't in a hurry to rise up in the ranks. He preferred action more than commanding troops or doing paperwork in a cramped office.

One evening, when both of them were home at the same, time Ironhide made up his mind. He wouldn't know when he would have another chance at this, since both of them were working on very irregular schedules. They were sitting on a couch in their apartment. Ratchet was leaning on Ironhide while Ironhide had his arm wrapped around the white mech's shoulders. The white mech was dozing in and out of recharge.

Ironhide turned to face his mate. Ratchet's optics flickered when he came out of slight recharge. Ironhide had a very serious expression which didn't go unnoticed to the white mech.

"'Hide what is it?" Ratchet asked with drowsy voice.

"Will you bond with me?" Ironhide stared straight to Ratchet's optics. Ratchet's spark skipped a beat. The white mech had been waiting for Ironhide to ask it for a long time, but he wasn't sure if he had heard right.

"What?!" Ratchet asked unintentionally harshly. He had picked up the habit of sounding irritated for good. Usually, he wasn't like that to Ironhide, but in situations that confused the white mech, he resorted to the insulting tone. Luckily, Ironhide had had more than enough time to be used to Ratchet's ways and he wasn't disturbed the slightest bit.

"Will you bond with me?" Ironhide asked again. This time Ratchet was sure of Ironhide's intentions. There was just one thing Ratchet wasn't sure if Ironhide had considered it.

"You do realise we could end up like my creators? I could have the same condition as they had. I would drag you down to the pit with me. I don't want to cause suffering for you," Ratchet questioned with a caring tone. He cared for Ironhide more than anything in the world and he didn't want to make the red mech suffer. Ironhide was in Ratchet's opinion too good and kind to be put through all that. The white mech preferred to stay without bonded if it would save any grieving.

Ratchet was about to keep on ranting how he could possibly ruin Ironhide's life when the red mech placed his index finger to Ratchet's lip components. Ratchet silenced immediately. Ironhide was still looking very serious.

"You should know me better than that. If it was for you, I would gladly die. I've thought this through several times and nothing except you could stop me bonding with you. So will you bond with me?" Ironhide asked very patiently and Ratchet knew Ironhide was right. The red mech had been there all the time for him and his creators; there was nothing Ironhide didn't know about the situation. Ratchet was silent for a while.

"Yes," Ratchet answered finally. Ironhide closed Ratchet instantly into a happy embrace, which was answered by an equally happy Ratchet. They sought each other's frames which they knew very well. They may have had the same basic structure, but each of them had their special spots where they were sensitive. Simple touching and stroking slowly turned into lustfull groping and biting. Ironhide used his strength as an advantage and quickly pinned Ratchet against the back of the sofa.

They revealed their sparks to each other the first time ever. For a while they didn't move. They were, afterall, going to do something that would change their lives eternally. Then Ironhide moved quickly followed by Ratchet and their chests met each other. Their sparks dove from their casings in an attempt to sought out the other spark calling to them. Ratchet felt Ironhide's consciousness invading his own. The feeling was really pleasurable for both of them. They opened up themselves to exploration. Ratchet dove deeper into Ironhide while Ironhide did the same to Ratchet. Feelings of past and present flashed through them. Nothing was secret to the other one.

Then for a while, both of them stopped from existing; there was no Ironhide nor there was Ratchet. They were a complete, new existence where both of their minds were intertwined together. Pure sensation filled their frames, driving them into a sensory overload which snapped the two mechs back into their own minds. Reluctantly, both of them started backing off from each other to their own consciousness. At the same time, their sparks started retreating back to their own spark casings.

But even when they had gone back into being Ratchet and Ironhide, they still could feel each other like never before. It was really comforting and amazing. Ironhide could feel how his new bondmate was tired but excited and decided to lay back on the sofa and bring Ratchet down with him. Ratchet practically collapsed on Ironhide; the bonding process had taken its toll on his already tired frame.

Ironhide smiled while being exhausted himself as well. Ratchet was now completely his own. He could spend the rest of his life with the mech he had adored for a really long time ago. Everything was going to be perfect. Ironhide tightened his arms around Ratchet as if the white mech might vanish suddenly. He listened to the calm intakes of his bondmate and finally fell to recharge himself.

Epilogue

Nothing was eternal. Not even peace. The Decepticons had gained more ground and the eternal war between the two factions had started. Ironhide and Ratchet joined Autobots because of the ideology Autobots held. Autobots valued the equality of all mechs and femmes, which was exactly why they had made it out of the 3rd District. They could have been looked down in the process, but there was no law preventing them to make something out of themselves.

All the cruel experience they had gone through made them quickly rise in the ranks. They weren't afraid of fighting or death. While the other field medics froze in panic, Ratchet would already be there and do everything he could. Ironhide would take out all of his aggressions on the Decepticons; many of the Decepticon soldiers used to be criminals of various sorts. Even Ironhide's old guardian had turned into a Decepticon – Some almost-youngling called Jazz had taken him out in a battle.

It pained both of them to see bots going through the same things they had gone through while being younglings. This time it was the war forcing bots to grow up too quickly, turning them into emotional and social wrecks. Ironhide and Ratchet knew exactly how it felt to be expected to act like adults even though one was not even near of being adult.

They kept their relationship hidden because otherwise they would have subjected themselves to targeting. They were both officers in the Autobot army which, meant that ridding of one of them would kill the other one too. If they had ever known that the war was going to break up in such a huge scale, they wouldn't have bonded in the first place.

At that point of war, they didn't know that they would be exploring around space for new planets or that they would be among the Autobot heroes who were aboard the Ark. Neither did they ever even think that they would be deactivated together in the Earth year 2005 on a supply run to the Earth. But the life would continue like it had even before them; there would be always bots to take their places, but nothing could take away the memories.

The End