Normal disclaimer I don't own Transformers blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda Shadow Stalker, Ironblazer, Plasma, and Aquarunner are my OCs, just read the story. Some Shadow fluff for your enjoyment. Hehe. XD

::Comm. Link::

Shadow Stalker sat silently on top of a building not far from the Autobots' main base in Iacon. Her legs dangled over the edge, her servos in her lap. Her helm had fallen forward sometime in the hours she had been up here, and she had no strength to will it back up. Her optic were dim, her antennae flicked back in distress.

No one had yet to come looking for her.

They wouldn't, either. Only Optimus Prime would have been worried if she disappeared. But that didn't matter at the moment. Optimus was away on a mission somewhere near where Praxus use to be before the Cons vaporized it. He wouldn't be coming back for a few orns.

It'd be so easy to jump. Shadow's optics brightened as she peered over the edge with a small frown. It was at least 6 stories to the ground. If she dived head first, it would be an instant death, nothing too painful.

She bit her lip, gnawing on it as she thought out her spare of the moment plan. After what happened at Praxus, Elita-One's death along with the others of the group she was sent with, all those innocent offlined bots combined with the horrors the Gladiator Pits of Kaon had seared into her memory... She didn't want to see any more suffering.

But then again... She'd be leaving behind Bluestreak, that adorable, energetic youngling from Praxus she had met on her mission and had bonded to almost instantly after meeting him when she bought replacements for the synching crystals. Prowl, that hard aft Praxian tactician who didn't cut slack to anybody, but was amusing to say nonetheless. Jazz, the saboteur with a huge personality, not to mention ego along with his talent to get anybot to love him. Her arrogant, cocky, but motherly step-sister Trapjaw. She had been her mother figure when she had found her after she escaped the Pits. And of course, Optimus Prime. That big oaf you couldn't help but love. The gentle giant who was her best friend, and her beloved bonded in her dreams.

Heh. She'd miss them, yes, but was the enduring the suffering to stay with them worth it?

They were all insects anyways. Together they had cheated death many times. But one day, they would faulter, and death would win.

Shadow wasn't afraid of death. She was afraid of the dark thoughts that lurked within her processor. Was it really worth all this chaos and trouble for just a few bots..?

She'd get to see Aquarunner again. Her first love from the Pits who had sacrificed himself to save her. Surely he would miss her, right?

Then again, he had sacrificed himself for one reason. For her to live on.

She had yet to get her revenge on Ironblazer and Plasma as well for that very reason. Ironblazer, the cruel mech who had claimed to be her sole master in the Pits. Plasma, the glitch that had pitted Shadow and Aqua together for the sole reason to kill off Shadow.

Her plan had backfired horribly and just angered Shadow more. After that, Plasma had disappeared off the face of Cybertron, but she was still determined to find the creation of a glitch.

Ironblazer though, heh, Shadow knew where he was.

The fragger was hiding within the ranks of those blasted Cons. He was the darkness that had created Shadow Stalker's dark and cruel nature. 'The Angel of Darkness', he had called her.

6 stories and no suffering from the moment everything went black versus Primus knows how many vorns of torture and endless suffering.

Shadow Stalker had made her decision.

She scooted forward, her aft placed on the edge of the building. The primarily black femme stared at the ground. It seemed so far below. Her arms trembled, her optics offlined, and she propelled herself forward.

The feeling of flight, much less impact, never came.

Shadow onlined her optics, peering around to see what had gone wrong. She was.. hovering? That didn't seem right. The feeling of arms wrapped tightly around hers slowly made it to her processor.

Shadow shuttered her optics, dumbfounded as she was pulled back up onto the safety of the building. The obvious mech's arms didn't let her go even after he had towed her into the middle of the roof.

"Shadow Stalker! Snap out of it," the gruff voice hissed into her audios. Shadow shook her helm, looking up at the mech blankly.

"...Prowl?" The Praxian glared down at the femme, doorwings arched high into a perfect "V".

"What the frag are you thinking, you crazy glitch?" the Tactician spat, pulling Shadow into his lap as he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her tight. He had always seen Shadow as a younger sibling, and she certainly acted like it. But the usually witty femme who could out cuss the Twins trying to commit suicide? It nearly fried his processor.

Shadow curled into Prowl, releasing an almost inaudible whimper. Prowl's doorwings drooped, the tactician frowning. It was rare when the femme showed this much emotion that didn't make her look strong. It was unnerving to the black and white mech.

::Jazz ta Prowl.::

::Prowl responding. I found her Jazz.::

::Really? Where was da femme hidin'?::

::Roof a few buildings away.::

::What she doin' there?::

::She was going to jump.::

::...:

::Jazz?::

::Lemme see if I heard ya right..Shadow was gonna jump off da roof?::

::Yes, Jazz.::

::Da frag she do somethin' like that?!::

::I do not know. She is just sitting in my lap whimpering. She has yet to speak anything but my name.::

::I'll a be there in ah few minutes. Jazz out.::

Prowl cut the comm. link, staring down at the femme trembling in his arms blankly. "What were you thinking, Shadow?"

Prowl didn't even have time to react as the fist connected with his faceplates.

"We've been over this how many times? It's Shadow Stalker. Shadow fragging Stalker," the femme growled, pulling her fist back.

Prowl absently rubbed his cheek, dumbfounded. "Well then."

"And I was thinking about ending my suffering," she whispered, resting her helm under his.

Jazz sprinted up the stairs, panting heavily as he reached the roof to find the Praxian and the Kaonic. "Dey really need a elevator in dis place," he mumbled to himself, trudging over as he plopped down beside Prowl. "Shadow Stalker?"

"Jazz."

The saboteur took a daring risk and leaned down to hug the distraught femme. "I'ss alright."

Shadow didn't move, but simply let out another whimper.

"We need you, Shadow Stalker. Sure, the suffering will continue for many vorns, but victory against the Decepticons is worth it," Prowl hummed.

"Prowl? Jazz? Shadow Stalker?" the familiar baritone voice rang out as heavy pede falls neared them.

"Prime, sir," Jazz chirped, standing and saluting. "Yer back early."

"The reports we had gotten were invalid. What is going on?" Optimus asked, worry lacing his tone.

"Shadow Stalker decided to try out her luck and jump," Prowl deadpanned, shoving the femme off his lap.

Shadow growled, pulling herself up to a sitting positon as she stared at the ground.

Optimus knelt down next to her, lifting her chin to look at him. "Shadow? Is this true?"

Shadow adverted her optics, and Optimus pulled her into a hug.

"Don't do this to me, Shadow."

"I'm sorry, Optimus," Shadow cried into his shoulder, causing the Prime to tighten his grip on the femme.

"Hush, hush. Everything is alright, your time is not yet," Optimus soothed, picking the femme up bridal style. Shadow curled into him, staring as the moon dipped down below the horizon.

Shadow shivered, shuttering her optics. Optimus was right.

One day her candle will blow out and her time will end, but today was not that day. Shadow's optics narrowed, her lip drawing into a small snarl.

And she wouldn't go out easily. She would die fighting.