Mazuiko: Hello everyone! First off, a very sincere apology is due to all of my readers and reviewers, especially since I have found that most of my reviews are from repeat reviewers who read every chapter. I appreciate your extreme patience and am glad to give you chapter 7. There is a twist in this chapter…the people who left because they thought the story was cliché will miss out. However, the faithful readers have waited long enough (too long). This chapter is also one of many where the English/Cybertronian difference will come into play, hence all the bold letters. It will help to understand the flashback here if you read the dialogue as very hushed, hurried, and stressed, as that is the atmosphere…Enjoy the twist!

Harmony

"Perhaps we should tell him now."

"No. He is still not ready to handle Barricade's treatment just yet…I do not think he will take it well. Maybe we can tell him when Cybertron has stabilized, yes, but not now."

"You always did coddle him, Prime."

"If that is so, then I am sure you know why."

Megatron shook his head in slight disgust, although he could not deny the power of the Prime's maternal instincts. 'This is one of the reasons I forbid bonding in the Decepticon army…a ma-bot is such a liability.' Their youngling was the last, so Megatron could not see any reason to question the Prime's concerns.

"Do you think of it often?"

The current Prime seated himself on what was now their recharge berth.

"Yes. I always carry it with me."

"It was an unusual sparking…"

A pair of deep blue optics dove into wine.

"The humans have their own word for such an event, in the English language."

A spark followed the optics into the drunken depths.

"You do know that any use of a human language is illegal?"

The surface of the liquid burst into flames.

"I am well aware of that law."

Deep underneath the surface, the flames provided light.

"What exactly do the fleshlings call it, then?"

Even at the bottom of the deepest trench, the optics saw and touched sentiment.

"Birth."

Neutral Territory, about 75,000 Earth years ago

"I have to call him, Ratchet!"

"I know you want to, but you must control it. He can't come yet—"

"—but he has to—"

"—and he will, but not yet. The other Autobots need more time, Optimus. Just give them a little more time."

Ratchet was at a loss for ideas. The Prime's ma-bot programming demanded that he call for the sparkling's pa-mech, but if Megatron came before the other Autobots arrived, they would have a terrible security problem. 'If he takes Optimus, I'm not sure we'll be able to get him back!' Time was of the essence, as the sparking would occur soon. The only problem was Optimus keeping enough control to not call Megatron until they were ready. From what Ratchet could hear and see, that control would not last much longer. 'Primus, he's already whirring. How much longer are they going to take?' Only Jazz, Prowl, Ironhide, Ratchet, and the twins knew about the sparking. There was too much at stake if anyone else found out.

"Ratchet, we've got the protoform!"

"Well, by Primus, it's about time! The sparkling is about ready to leave his body, and it will need one of its own. Ironhide, bring it next to Optimus."

"Couldn't we have chosen another place? We are right next to Decepticon territory, far out of reach of Autobot backup units. We've got no security here, and if Megatron springs a trap on us—"

"For the last time, Prowl, he won't. Megatron will not risk the sparking of his own sparkling with his own troops bombarding us. He's the only one coming, and is the only Decepticon that knows, thanks to his own instincts. We just have to be ready."

The whirring within the Prime's torso stopped, and out of his voice capacitor came a call that resembled nothing less than a well-composed Cybertronian song. Jazz figured that if it weren't for the unusual circumstances surrounding the song, he'd actually record it. 'Wish we coulda picked 'im a betta spot than da ground, but I can see it in 'im. He's ready.' Within mere moments, a large shadow was high above their heads, a jet ready to land in the clearing near where Optimus lay. Ratchet urged them all to step back.

"If either one of them considers us a threat, we'll be torn to scrap. Ironhide, do not point your cannons at him! Megatron doesn't need another reason to offline us!"

Megatron didn't seem to notice any of the commotion coming from the Autobots. His optics were fixated on the scene before him. Optimus was lying on the ground, his hands bracing himself for the sparkling to leave him. Megatron continued to merely watch, as though he was waiting for something before he would move. Only when yet another loud whirring sound filled the air did Megatron walk forward and slowly take hold of the protoform in his arms. He knelt down as he did so, soon completely kneeling next to the Prime's body. As the lower section of the Prime's torso opened, the spark rose to the level of Megatron's arms, hovered for a moment, and then entered the chest of the protoform. Even as the light faded away and Optimus rose to his feet, all optics were focused on the life Megatron was carrying.

Then, there was movement.

"Click! Click…hic…click!"

The reaction was instantaneous; the tension that had momentarily built within the Autobots released itself. Ratchet visibly loosened his stance, after which Ironhide placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort, and Jazz snapped his hands as he made a slight jump of joy. Sideswipe was squeezing his brother as hard as he could, to which Sunstreaker only growled half-heartedly. Prowl was just grateful the process went smoothly, especially with Megatron present.

"Thank Primus he's functioning well…"

"Yeah, and ain't he da tiniest, bumblin' lil thing ya eva did see? Oh, I jus' wanna squeeze 'im 'til his hydraulics start singin'!"

Jazz gazed with delight at the sparkling cooing and wriggling around in Megatron's arms. He seemed unafraid of the large tyrant who was considered a living nightmare by many an Autobot. Optimus and Megatron both seemed unconcern with the presence of the others; their focus was completely captured by their sparkling. Megatron only broke his gaze with the sparkling's baby blue optics to speak with the Prime.

"What shall his designation be, Prime?"

Megatron brought the sparkling up close to his face and gently tickled him, causing a new giggling fit from the golden mech.

"Well, he is buzzing with life, that one. Jazz said he's a bumbling little thing…a golden buzzing bumbler. Ah, how about Bumblebee? That seems to be a suitable designation for you, now isn't it, Bumblebee?"

Bumblebee squealed with happiness in response and reached out towards Optimus with his hands. Optimus took him into his arms and stroked his head gently before turning to Ratchet.

"He has his designation. Is it time to name the god-creators?"

"Yes, it is. You are to choose a god-bot for the sparkling. Do you know who you want the god-bot to be?"

Optimus simply nodded and turned to Ironhide; none of the Autobots were surprised that he chose his closest and oldest friend.

"Will you be Bumblebee's god-bot and guardian, old friend?"

Ironhide nodded and took Bumblebee into his arms.

"Of course, Prime. I will protect him. My name is Ironhide, Bumblebee."

Bumblebee became quiet and looked up at Ironhide for a moment.

"Urnhida! Urnhida!"

Every mech except Megatron burst into laughter upon hearing Bumblebee, although Megatron looked very amused by the mispronunciation. Ironhide, however, looked confused by the sparkling's attempts. Even Ratchet looked surprised.

"How odd…sparklings only communicate verbally once they near the youngling stage. He likes you…really likes you. Let's hope he's just as friendly with his god-mech, which by the way, Megatron must choose."

Ironhide nodded and passed the sparkling to Jazz, who gladly showed the wiggling mech to Prowl and the twins as Optimus and Megatron looked on warily. It was perfectly natural for them to be cautious about their sparkling's safety, but it was Megatron who had Ratchet concerned. The tyrant was dangerous enough without the protective instincts of a pa-mech influencing his actions, and Ratchet could not really imagine what kind of a Decepticon Megatron had chosen as the god-mech for Bumblebee. Jazz was slightly agitated by Ratchet's statement, as far as Ratchet could tell, and the twins were no better off.

"I know we've never done a Blessin' without a god-mech, but ain't dat dangerous? I mean, sure it's better for Bumblebee, but how do we know he ain't gonna tell nobody?"

The otherwise silent area began to fill with the sound of a helicopter; Ratchet somehow suspected that Blackout would be involved with the Blessing. He was by far one of the most loyal Decepticons Ratchet had ever seen, although truthfully he had not seen many loyal Decepticons at all. The large mech descended above the heads of the Autobots, earning a few choice words before landing amidst a group of very irritated and battle-ready mechs. He opened his ramp to let Barricade out before transforming into bipedal mode and walking towards Jazz. Megatron was not surprised by Blackout's arrival or Barricade's sudden appearance; actually, he looked expectant.

"Blackout is to be Bumblebee's god-mech, and Barricade is to be a witness to his Blessing."

"We must hurry to the Temple of Light and Order, Lord Megatron. Starscream may begin to suspect your absence. He must not be allowed to know of the sparkling's existence yet; he may very well try to offline him."

Blackout's words made Bumblebee's creators cold to their very sparks, but they knew he was right. They all had to make it to the Temple, conduct the Blessing, and return to their respective bases, all without being detected. It was then that they began their relatively short but careful journey to the Temple, with Prowl setting up a protective barrier for the sparkling.

"Sunny, you and Sides cover the rear…I mean it, or I'll scrap both your skid plates! Barricade and I will scout the front with Jazz and Blackout between all of us for reinforcement. Megatron and Optimus will be covering each side while Ratchet takes center and Jazz holds the sparkling; he'll be the fastest should we need to move the sparkling quickly. Ironhide will stay between the twins and Jazz in case we get ambushed. Stop grumbling, Sunny, we need to keep moving."

"Yet here we are, moving like Grimlock."

"Grimlock is never this careful, and will you please mute it already? We mustn't be heard!"

Part of the journey afterwards was a mix of whispers as Jazz tried to strike up a conversation with Barricade, but it was no use. The Decepticon kept shrugging him off with noncommittal grunts and dismissing servo movements. Still he kept on trying, as Jazz thought it would be better to speak with the mechs who were the only other witnesses to such a rare circumstance. He continued to stroke the sparkling's antennae softly as he looked up at Blackout.

"It's Blackout, right?"

He was rewarded with, Primus help him, another grunt.

"Ya might not be all enthusiastic 'bout this but…he is your godling. I thought…well, I don' know, ya wanna hold 'im?"

Blackout looked down to see Jazz holding the sparkling out like he was a gift to be given away. Bumblebee didn't seem to mind; in fact, he was reaching out to bridge the gap between them, slightly cooing at the large Decepticon. Blackout took the sparkling, albeit reluctantly and carefully cradled him in one of his arms. Bumblebee chirped for a moment, to which Optimus gave him a soft pat on the head; the Autobot leader could not hold onto his sparkling while they were walking, as his strength would be needed. That did not stop him from wanting to heed every sound Bumblebee made, however. They were protecting him, and for that moment it was enough. Just before they made it to the Temple, as Blackout carefully let the sparkling play with one of his servos, Bumblebee started to whine. He squirmed uncomfortably in Blackout's hands as the Decepticon tried to figure out what exactly was wrong. It was only when he gently pushed one of his servos near Bumblebee's lower torso that the sparkling stopped, making a soft whirring sound along with a gentle 'pfft'. There was a temporary silence as they all made their way to the Temple, which had recently come into view, before they realized what had just happened.

"What the…was that ozone? Who did that? My sensors…"

"Your sensors, Sunny? I think mine just offlined…agh…"

"I just got ozoned…who was it, Sides, you?"

"The sparkling, Autobot."

"Wait, he…"

"Yes, he did."

Blackout pressed again, seeing Bumblebee's continuing discomfort, and another 'pfft' came. Once the sparkling was done, a giggle came out to show his happiness.

"Oh Primus, why'd you do that again?"

"He needed to release it. It was causing him discomfort."

"Da two 'o you act like ya'll never done it before. What'd ya want 'im to do, hold it?"

"We are here, so mute it. What's going on back there?"

"Prowl, your sensors must not be working because this sparkling just declared war on us."

"Sunny, he probably just had some backup."

"Says the Hatchet who isn't in the back."

"All of you mute it. We need to get this done. Retract your weapons. You're not supposed to have them out here; this is a holy place, for Primus' sake."

Blackout gave the sparkling back to Jazz as they all entered the Temple and took a moment to gaze at its beauty. A statue of Primus, obviously much smaller than actual size but still larger than any of the mechs, stood proud in the center of the main hall. Although Unicron was not the main god of the Temple he still had a statue in the perimeter of the hall, as well as one standing guard outside of the main entrance. Also lining the perimeter were statues of great mechs who had played crucial roles in Cybertron's growth and prosperity. Every so often there was a window in the wall to allow light, and there was one window directly above Primus' head, as though to allow the light to signify his importance. The seats surrounded the statue completely, allowing visitors to look at it from all angles, each seat designed simplistically in smooth metal. There was not much decoration on the walls except around the windows, and it appeared that such simplicity was done deliberately, stressing key values to any visitor within the Temple's walls. Bumblebee's optics were wide with curiosity and silent awe, his head slowly turning to gaze at the various statues within his sight. Jazz gladly accommodated Bumblebee's curiosity, turning along with the sparkling to gaze at the massive structures contained within. Ratchet, however, seemed uneasy as he looked for the informational and devotional data pads needed to complete Bumblebee's Blessing.

"Megatron, did you bring only Barricade as a witness? That's quite…unusual, even for Decepticons."

Megatron seemed amused by Ratchet's irritation.

"Actually, if you were really paying as much attention as you should be, you would have noticed I brought more."

When Barricade let Frenzy out of his chest, and Blackout let Scorponok out of his back, Jazz pulled Bumblebee closer to him. Decepticons, even before the war, were very rough with sparklings and younglings. As much as Jazz wanted everyone present to at least see the sparkling personally, he didn't want any rough handling to result in too much stress for Bumblebee. 'I gotta do it for ya, lil bud…even if I don' like doin' it.' Jazz reluctantly got out of where he had sat down and walked over to Prowl, practically dumped the sparkling into the mech's arms, and proceeded to drag the protesting Autobot over to where all of the Decepticons except Megatron were bunched together. 'They're actin' like we're da unreasonable ones…' Autobot etiquette, and everything that should have been right but wasn't, demanded that he at least attempt the impossible and allow the Decepticons to hold the only mech sparked during the war.

"Optimus, do you mind if I…?"

The Autobot leader left his conversation with Megatron to take the sparkling from Prowl, giving the sparkling a quick look over before putting Bumblebee down.

"No, of course not. Just be careful, Megatron is already—"

Said mech quickly glowered in the First Lieutenant's direction.

"—I'm sure you understand."

"Yeah. One scratch and we'll all find our heads on pikes. Gotcha. No problem, really. So, Bumblebee, wanna say hi to Barricade 'til Ratchet's ready?"

Jazz needn't have asked; Bumblebee was already making his way towards the Decepticon shock trooper with eagerness. The twins, especially Sunstreaker, seemed to have come out of whatever reverie the Temple had gripped them in and were watching the sparkling's approach with great interest. Barricade was engrossed in a conversation with Blackout and was not even acknowledging Bumblebee's presence.

"It seems the medic is almost ready. We may soon return to base."

"So be it; these Autobots drain my energy reserves. I do not know why you are so keen on this event. This is Lord Megatron's concern, Blackout. "

"Be that as it may, Lord Megatron's concern has currently placed himself at your side."

The sparkling had indeed placed himself off to Barricade's right side, silently watching the Decepticon's conversation.

"Go and play with your dreadful Autobots, scrapheap."

Prowl suddenly found himself holding back two very angry twins, but their protests went ignored.

"He wants you to carry him."

"I do not want to carry him, therefore I will not."

"Click. Whirr…"

"If you do not want to play with the Autobots, then play with Frenzy."

"No! I'm not touching that sparkling. Forget it!"

"Scorponok, then."

Scorponok carefully let Bumblebee onto his back, allowing the sparkling to grasp his tail.

"Click click?"

"No, I will not join you. I am too large."

"Click click hic click?"

"Barricade, Decepticon shock trooper."

Bumblebee cocked his head to the side as the twins both bent down to get a better look at him, and he gently yanked on Scorponok's tail. The Decepticon didn't seem to mind, scurrying back and forth between Blackout and Barricade to make the sparkling laugh. This brought on another giggle fit from Bumblebee, who gave Barricade a rather strange look.

"Berry?"

Barricade's expression turned incredulous as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker hit the floor, earning a prompt scowl from the Decepticon. Ratchet had returned from the depths of the Temple with the data pads they needed, and quickly scooped up the sparkling from Scorponok's back and placed him into the Prime's arms.

"Enough. We've already been here too long, and now that we're ready, let's do it. Optimus, place Bumblebee between you and Megatron. The rest of you, sit on opposite benches, Autobots and Decepticons each."

Bumblebee continued to stare at the obviously grumpy and grumbling Barricade seated on the bench with the other Decepticons, completely fascinated. Optimus noticed this, and despite several attempts to garner the sparkling's attention, Bumblebee refused to remove his baby blue optics from Barricade's form. Even as Ratchet stepped up to them to conduct the Blessing, Bumblebee shifted to get a better view past Ratchet's head.

"Alright, let's hope after all that's happened—"

Ratchet took a moment to glare at the Decepticon tyrant.

"—Primus will still respond."

The Prime took one last glance at his fellow Autobots—was Sunstreaker really making crude faces and gestures at Blackout?—and nodded. They had to hope, like they always did, because that was what had gotten them that far.

It was all they had left.

"Primus, we ask as grateful mechs to our creator that you join us here in your Temple, and place your Blessing upon one of your own."

The silence for both the Autobots and Decepticons was tense as they all waited for a response. A barely audible hum began from the center statue, gradually growing louder until it filled the Temple, and the optics of the statue began to glow a deep blue, the room becoming filled with the light as the humming began to die down to being almost inaudible again. Primus' essence filled the statue and He became animated, moving his head to gaze down at the mechs in front of him. Every mech was completely attentive to His every move, every optic fixed upon His form, every spark longing to join again with its creator. The Decepticons were obviously surprised, probably not having expected Primus to actually respond, and the Autobots were trapped between joy and wonder, wanting to cry out with delight but unable to get their voice capacitors to work. Slowly but surely, Primus leaned forward, gazing knowingly at the sparkling whose attention was no longer captured by Barricade, but by Primus himself.

"What is the designation of the mech to be Blessed?"

His voice filled the Temple with a low rumbling tone, and Bumblebee cooed at the sound of it.

"Bumblebee, sparkling of Megatron and Optimus Prime."

Ratchet knew as well as the others did that Primus already knew them all; the whole thing was part of an ancient tradition passed on throughout Cybertron's history, and they were going to do it right, war or not. Primus looked down at the mechs sitting beyond Megatron, Ratchet, and Optimus, his gaze holding no judgment or criticism within its depths.

"Let the god-creators present themselves."

Ironhide and Blackout rose and walked up to take their respective places behind Optimus and Megatron. Ironhide did not like being so close to the Decepticons, but the air was full of enough tension as it was. He was to be Bumblebee's god-bot, and if the Blessing was for the sparkling's sake, he would do it.

"Do the god-creators swear to protect this sparkling until their sparks rejoin mine?"

All optics moved to rest on the sparkling held within the Prime's arms.

"I am Ironhide of the Autobots, chosen god-bot by Optimus Prime, and I do swear it."

Every Autobot then moved to look at Blackout and the other Decepticons, probably amazed at the lack of the usual menacing gestures.

"I am Blackout of the Decepticons, chosen god-mech by Lord Megatron, and I do swear it."

A collective, derisive sound arose from the Autobots as a whole at Blackout's use of Megatron's title, but one well-aimed glance by the tyrant himself quickly muted them. Primus seemed to take no notice, or as the divine deity that he was, wisely chose to ignore the small disturbance.

"Let the witnesses present themselves."

One by one, as the Autobots and Decepticons answered, they stood up from their seats.

"I am Prowl of the Autobots."

"I am Barricade of the Decepticons."

"I am Jazz of the Autobots."

"I am Frenzy of the Decepticons."

"I am Sunstreaker of the Autobots."

"I am Scorponok of the Decepticons."

"I am Sideswipe of the Autobots."

Finally, they were ready to achieve what the Blessing was all about, the only thing that could relieve the constant tension present within the Temple and the mechs themselves.

"Will you all bear witness to this Blessing?"

His voice boomed across the building; everything else was silent.

"We bear witness."

Their combined voices were a welcome invitation to what they had worked to gain by going to the Temple.

"Give me the sparkling."

Optimus was not reluctant to give Bumblebee to Primus; there was truly no safer place for his sparkling to be than within the hands of the Lord of Order and Light. The Prime knew the time had come, that all they had prepared for was ready. Bumblebee sat in Primus' hands, completely awestruck, mesmerized by the god's optics. Strangely enough, there was light coming through the window, but the source was not from the Cybertronian sky. Only Ratchet and Ironhide seemed unsurprised by this. A beam of light shone from Primus' optics down on the sparkling in His hands, his voice steady and strong amidst the otherwise silent atmosphere.

"I now declare my Blessing to be upon Bumblebee, sparkling of Megatron and Optimus Prime, until his spark returns from whence it came."

Primus gave Bumblebee back to Optimus and resituated himself where His position had been in the center of the room, exactly the same as it was before. For that moment, the mechs were no longer separated by the war of their factions, instead combined under what mattered to them all.

"'Til all are one."

Unity.

"'Til all are one!"

The same light and sound that signified His presence, the encompassing light and the great humming, returned to signify the Blessing's end. The humming faded to silence, and His optics darkened to their original state once more. The silence was broken by joy, the Autobots delighted by the success they had encountered. The Decepticons seemed irritated by the sheer noise of the cheering, but not really as irritated as expected by the joy itself. They only wished the Autobots wouldn't be happy in such a loud and obnoxious manner. So the Decepticons merely watched, standing in silent aggravation and contemplation, as Jazz and the twins proceeded to dance in celebration. Jazz shimmied his way over to Optimus, supposedly to teach the sparkling a few moves of his own, and the Autobot leader allowed it with a very amused expression. Megatron watched as Bumblebee bobbed his head and wiggled his body in time with Jazz, the twins performing identical moves behind him.

"I do hope your mechs intend to be much more helpful to our sparkling in the future than they are right now. Is this what he's going to be learning?"

Optimus chuckled at Megatron's overly serious concern.

"I assure you, they will do their best to help me teach him everything he needs to know."

Jazz and Bumblebee shimmied their way over to the Decepticons, much to Frenzy's horror, and Jazz took it upon himself to get a party started. There was a very clear rift, both physically and socially, between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Even if Jazz couldn't get Prowl, Ratchet, and the Decepticons to dance, he was sure going to try something before they left. He knew they didn't have much time before they would all have to leave and return to their respective bases; Bumblebee was going to be spending a lot of his time fighting against the Decepticons, and Jazz wanted his Blessing to represent the peace they were fighting for, not the war itself. So Jazz walked right up to Scorponok, with Bumblebee tagging along while wiggling to unheard music, and downright perturbed the mechs he approached. Barricade was just dismissive; it was one of the many reasons Jazz found him particularly difficult to deal with, besides just fighting him.

"This Blessing is over, Blackout. It is only a matter of a few kliks or so and we will leave."

"Indeed, but we must take care to avoid Starscream, even his seekers."

"Skywarp and Thundercracker? You think his wing mates may do something?"

"I already know they will at least tell him—those fools would never consider the consequences."

"Then let them suffer—can we help you, foul Autobot?"

Jazz had been waiting rather patiently for the Decepticons to fully notice his presence, although his dancing with Bumblebee was truly hard to ignore.

"Yeah. Come dance wit us. Prowl and Ratchet are busy talkin' wit Prime; I want a dance partner. Ya might as well celebrate wit us. Come on, Scorpy, gimme some tail!"

Scorponok looked confused; he glanced at Blackout as though asking him what should be done. Blackout seemed just as confused.

"Scorpy?"

Jazz tried his best to look innocent and put his hand out to the ground-based mech. Blackout gave a noncommittal shrug, and Scorponok tentatively allowed Jazz to hold his tail. Jazz slowly swayed it back and forth to an unheard rhythm, trying to guide the Decepticon out of his reluctance.

"See? It's not hard, just move to da beat. Go ahead and give 'em claws a whirl."

Scorponok began to gently spin his claws, the engine in his back whirring with sound as his legs swayed him back and forth. He soon found himself amused with the movements, chirping as Jazz used his tail for a spin. Bumblebee took his place underneath Scorponok's tail after Jazz was done twirling, wiggling his servos as he tapped his feet.

"Hey, ya lil' thief! Ya took my partner! Go get Barricade, go get 'im!"

Bumblebee charged at Barricade as fast as his little legs could take him, stopping just before contact to look up at the shock trooper. He then tapped the racer's leg, trying to get his attention.

"Click?"

"No. You have two legs of your own so carry yourself."

Barricade noticed the Prime glance over in his direction, checking on the sparkling and running a diagnostic before continuing the discussion with Megatron, Ratchet and Prowl.

"Click…"

"Then go to your creators and recharge."

"Click!"

"If you do not recharge, your exhaustion will increase."

"Click!"

Barricade growled.

"You stated you were exhausted. You must recharge to rectify that problem."

"Click, click whirr click click hic."

"You are in need of energon and should go to your medic."

"Click click…click?"

"You can walk there yourself."

"It ain't gonna kill ya to carry 'im over there, ya know."

Barricade gave one last forceful growl before literally swooping up the sparkling and quickly taking him over to Ratchet. Bumblebee, however, found it perfectly suitable to find a comfortable spot within the racer's arms and rest. Optimus watched him approach, smiling when Bumblebee buried his head further into Barricade's arm, closer to his chest.

"Your sparkling needs energon, and though he insists otherwise, a long recharge as well."

Optimus took Bumblebee into his arms and looked at Megatron knowingly; it was time for them to leave. Bumblebee could feel the ache of his ma-bot's spark, moving uncomfortably and unable to recharge. He started to whine and attracted the attention of the dancing Autobots, all of them suddenly very aware of the situation. Megatron gave the sparkling one last comforting stroke before pulling back; Bumblebee's whining grew more frantic.

"We will leave first and distract any attention away from you, giving you the necessary time to get back to your base. Move quickly and stay low as Starscream and his seekers are patrolling the area."

The sparkling was desperately trying to reach Megatron to the point where he was practically ready to jump from the Prime's arms. Optimus tried to comfort and quiet him, holding Bumblebee close to his chest.

"Hush now…you'll see him again."

Megatron was already making his way to the exit, only turning his head to look back once.

"Yes, I will see you both again…on the battlefield."

Reality struck the Autobots like an unexpected EMP, shaking them until everything they were aware of was in shambles. Blackout and Barricade followed their leader at a distance, their movement prompting the sparkling to call out again. The Autobots left the building once the Decepticons were at a small distance ahead of them, leaving in the direction of the nearest Decepticon base. Jazz did his best to comfort the sparkling staring at the backs of the mechs.

"Aw, don't worry 'bout 'em. I promise ya, they'll be droppin' us a missile sometime soon. Ya wanna wave 'em goodbye? Just wave your arm, like this."

The twins and Prowl looked like it was all they could do not to run as fast as they could back to base and forget everything that had happened, but they became much more patient when Bumblebee started haphazardly waving his right arm, servos moving in an unpracticed motion.

"Berry!"

Ratchet was surprised enough that Barricade bothered to look back, but even more so when the Decepticon got Blackout to do the same. They both stood there for a moment, completely still, and time stopped as the two mechs turned to face Bumblebee.

Two arms rose into the air and copied Bumblebee's motion, reflected by the Cybertronian sky as they waved farewell to the hope nestled in the Prime's arms.

Present

Barricade was pissed.

It didn't take a really intelligent mech to see it; Bumblebee would have known even if the mech hadn't been dragging him on the floor towards the med bay. There was a trail of energon behind them as Bumblebee's body continued to spill the substance from any number of places. It could have been from the fact that almost all of the armature and musculature from his arms and torso was completely gone, ripped off by whirling gyro blades and agitated servos, or the fraying wires that were jutting out from wounds in his legs, or the area on his back where his doors used to be. He had locked Barricade out of his own quarters as retaliation for having been locked in there for too long—then Barricade had proceeded to bust down his own door and lose it. The youngling wasn't completely sure just what Barricade has lost, exactly. Anything from just his temper to his very processor seemed possible, but Bumblebee was sure he had lost it completely. His quad optics had caught sight of the youngling's golden form, and before Bumblebee could realize just how much trouble he was in, the blades were flying. Barricade's quarters became a canvas covered with various patterns of Bumblebee's energon and was covered in holes and tears. The place was a mess. Barricade was a mess. He was a mess. 'We're all a mess now.' The whine that left his voice capacitor was not noticed—Barricade hadn't made a sound once he had proceeded to begin transporting the youngling to the med bay. He didn't look down or back. Actually, unbeknownst to Bumblebee, Barricade was thinking too hard to notice any sound that may have come from the youngling. From Bumblebee's Blessing and his time with the Decepticons to his progress as an Autobot soldier and his current stay with Barricade—the Decepticon didn't know what it was exactly that he wanted. He certainly didn't want the youngling dead, which was why they were headed for the med bay. He had done a thorough diagnostic on Bumblebee, and while he was certainly no medic, he was quite certain there was no threat of death. However, it was their relationship he was uncertain of. They had been enemies for a long time, comrades for Bumblebee's stay, and rivals once Bumblebee had truly learned to fight. Barricade was still unsure once they arrived and from the sounds coming from the med bay, he was also unsure of whether Ratchet would be able to repair Bumblebee immediately. From what he could deduce, the twins were in there with Skywarp and Thundercracker, and Jazz was still being repaired under Blackout's watch. Still, he knocked on the door, and was greeted with a very irate Wheeljack.

"We're a bit—Ratchet! Get over here, now!"

Wheeljack picked up Bumblebee and brought him inside the med bay, where Jazz, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe were already occupying three med berths. They took one good look at Bumblebee's condition—in the case of the twins, they just saw how much energon he was covered in—and chaos ensued within Ratchet's med bay. Barricade had just stepped through the doorway and Blackout ended up with Jazz gripped in his right arm, Sideswipe pinned underneath his left leg, and his other arm assisting Thundercracker and Skywarp in holding Sunstreaker back. Sideswipe managed to get Blackout's leg off of him, the momentum of which knocked Blackout completely off of his feet. Barricade had his flail ready and swinging when Sideswipe charged at him, direct contact causing energon to fly onto Skywarp as the Decepticon got off of Sunstreaker, which resulted in only Thundercracker holding the angry Autobot back. Blackout managed to get himself off of the floor and keep Jazz in his arm at the same time, grabbing Sunstreaker once again with his other arm and watching Wheeljack and Ratchet attempt to get Bumblebee onto a med berth amidst the chaos. Sideswipe was grabbed from behind by Skywarp, but Barricade was so angry that he took no consideration as he swung the flail over and over again. So the cycle went, with Blackout trying to hold Jazz and Sunstreaker back while Thundercracker helped him with Sunstreaker and Skywarp tried to pull Sideswipe back from the danger of Barricade's attacks. The med bay was filled with madness and profanities—Bumblebee wasn't sure if he should be more frightened of Barricade himself, the Autobots trying to avenge his injuries, or the Decepticons trying to get things under control.

"I'm gonna scrap ya—"

"Get off—"

"—swear to Primus—"

"Watch the flail!"

"He needs energon—"

More energon flew as the flail made contact with one of Sideswipe's arms, but the Autobot would not stop trying to charge Barricade.

"—you're dead, Cade!"

"—of me, Skywarp!"

Wheeljack managed to get Bumblebee onto a med berth with Ratchet's help and proceeded to get between the berth and the rumble going on to protect the youngling. His pleas for sanity went unheard as the words were drowned out by the rest of the noise.

"Bumblebee needs help—"

"You're nothing—"

"Be still!"

"Stop swingin' that thang around!"

"—and this—"

"—but a fragging 'Con—"

"Foul, worthless Autobot!"

"That's it! I've had it!"

"—is not helping!"

"—just like the slag maker himself!"

"ENOUGH!"

Ratchet was holding not one, but two wrenches, each one aimed at Barricade and Sideswipe. 'Oh no…it's the Hatchet…we are so slagged.'

"If any one of you moves, or so much as makes a sound, I will turn you into a pile of spare parts! Do you see that?"

He pointed at the shaking youngling laid out on the med berth next to Jazz's.

"Do you see him?! This, this sheer nonsense going on, is not helping him! I won't have it. This is where mechs are supposed to get better, not turn each other into slag! Sunny, Sides, Jazz, you three get back on your berths or I will put you there myself. MOVE!"

Jazz and the twins hurried to do as Ratchet said; they knew they had gone too far.

"As for the rest of you—"

The medic turned towards the four Decepticons covered in energon.

"—watch your Autobots, or get out and get yourselves cleaned up. That's your choice, and you're going to make it now."

Barricade put away his flail. Even the Decepticons had to admit it; they knew nothing about the Hatchet side of Ratchet like the Autobots did, but they could see that the medic was not to be underestimated simply because of his occupation. They all moved to stand by the med berths of their respective Autobots—Thundercracker and Skywarp shared the twins, but Skywarp preferred Sideswipe—and watched as Ratchet and Wheeljack began Bumblebee's repairs.

"I can't believe you, Sides; you've got more injuries now than before. You and your brother can't stay muted, and therefore out of my med bay, when there are Autobots out there that desperately need my help. I know you all see it; Autobots forced to bond and mate their sparks, beaten, brutalized, torn to pieces like it's a hobby. Some come here so often, they don't even look the same as when they first came in."

No one responded to Ratchet's rant as they all knew there was no response they could give. There wasn't a mech who wouldn't have known the truth in Ratchet's words.

"Most of them are in here for nothing; they do nothing and get beaten. They say nothing and get beaten. They do everything they're told and they still get beaten. You? You insist on fighting a lost war. For what? Your pride? What exactly do you expect to gain from being so stubborn? The war is over. We lost and that's the way it is. You see these berths? They aren't filled with dying mechs and stained with energon. They're empty. Clean. As I am sure you all remember they weren't that way during the war. Oh, and Barricade, would you like to tell me exactly why you did this?"

Jazz and the twins still did not say anything but quickly glared at the Decepticon shock trooper and racer. Barricade was completely unperturbed by the whole situation and successfully ignored the Autobots.

"He locked me out of my quarters."

Ratchet did not cease his concentration on Bumblebee's repairs or break his gaze, even for a moment, but his voice carried the same shock which was on the other mechs' faces.

"He locked you out of your own quarters? How?"

"He hacked into the defense programming and changed the security codes."

"How did you get inside, then?"

"I tore the door down."

Wheeljack moved up to Bumblebee's arms from his legs once he assessed there were no grave life-threatening injuries in them.

"When did this happen?"

"I attacked him after I tore the door down."

The conversation abruptly ended, due to there being no more information Ratchet wanted from Barricade and the rest of the repairs for Bumblebee and the other Autobots went on in relative silence. They all insisted on staying until they were all repaired, much to the chagrin of the Decepticons, but none of them minded as much as shown. Bumblebee was the first repaired due to the extent of his injuries and afterwards checked his chronometer. 'On Earth, it has been three of what they call 'months'. I wonder what Earth's condition is…' The twins and the seekers were the first ones to leave the bay after everyone was in good condition again. Ratchet wanted them as far away from the med bay as possible at the threat of their very lives. Jazz was refusing to go until he had done every kind of diagnostic himself on Bumblebee and checked with every field of vision that was available to him for injury.

"Jazz, you're fussing. I've checked and rechecked him. He's fine."

"Just makin' sure. Here, got some energon for ya. It's da good stuff, too!"

"Thanks, Jazz."

Blackout waited patiently for Jazz to indicate he was ready to go, standing by the Autobot's side as Jazz gave Bumblebee some energon cubes. The Decepticon was deep in thought for a moment and his thoughts left him before he could really stop himself.

"You…would make a good ma-bot."

Jazz started at the comment, looking at Blackout as though he had never seen the mech before.

"Ya mean that?"

Blackout nodded. Barricade was the only mech in the bay who didn't look stunned. This revelation only had a moment to sink in for Jazz before they all felt a rumble shake the ground beneath them; it was temporary. They soon felt another one, the second one feeling much closer than the first.

"By the Pit!"

Barricade's exclamation went unacknowledged as Sideswipe came running back into the med bay, covered in energon.

"Sides, what did I tell you—?"

The Autobot vigorously shook his head. He couldn't seem to speak properly.

"Missiles…Skywarp's fighting and…Ratchet you need to come help!"

Wheeljack grabbed Sideswipe's arms and shook him.

"Fighting? Where? What has happened?"

Another rumble shook the room and it was then that they could all hear the screaming.

"Energon everywhere…Autobots can't defend themselves…"

Ratchet didn't need to hear another word. He grabbed Wheeljack, Sideswipe, and his tools and ran for the exit.

They were under attack.

Mazuiko: 19 pages on Microsoft Word, and I'm not counting it because most of it is dialogue. weeps I hope this chapter helps explain why Megatron, Barricade, and Blackout have been less willing to blow Bumblebee to bits. They were just pretending he didn't exist for his safety is all, and yes, Megatron is cruel enough to psychologically and physically harm even his own bond-mate and sparkling. Tyrants do that sort of thing. Barricade has a lot of occupations: shock trooper (movie guide), racer (G1), pilot (movie prequel novel). Did I mention nanny? If there are any questions, just ask and as always, let me know about any unnecessary OOCness. I hope you all like this chapter, read and review to let me know! It lets me know if I should continue in this direction or not, which determines the next chapter. Love you all!