I'm having a bit of trouble with Love Under Duress at the moment, so I've decided to start this. It's been in my head for a while, so I started writing. I haven't given up on Love Under Duress. Just taking a small break from it.

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:bold:- bonded mechs talking

:italics:- comm link

Pairings:

Optimus Prime/Ratchet

Optimus Prime/Elita-1

Jazz/Prowl

Skyfire/Wheeljack

Smokescreen/Hot Shot

Bluestreak/Sideswipe/Sunstreaker

Elita-1/Galvatron

Megatron/Starscream

Skywarp/Thundercracker

Soundwave/Shockwave

Arcee/Bulkhead

Bumblebee/Barricade

Summary: The war with the Quintessons had resulted in Ratchet's death. Now, an orn later, Jazz looks deeper into Ratchet's death to try to find answers that would allow Prowl to find peace and move on from his carrier's death. As Jazz finds more questions than answers, a darker revelation regarding the medic's death comes about. Secrets on several ends come out, and as it turns out, everything is not what it seems.

Warnings: slash, mentions of character death, sticky, spark sex, mechpreg

Notes

1) This story is set in the Prime continuity, though it is extermely AU.

2) No war between the Autobots and Decepticons, so no faction.

3) Will contain a few elements from the movies and from G1. (The G1 elements are mainly characters that didn't show up in Prime.)

4) Takes place on Cybertron. No humans.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot!

Chapter 1

Deep within the Hall of Records in the capital city of Iacon, a lone, black and white mech sat at a table as he poured over various datapads that were strewn across the surface. The mech had been scanning the various datapads that were schematics of plans, reports, and the like from an incident that had happened quite some time ago.

The deep blue visor of the mech in question lit up as he read over the datapads, searching for the answers that his bondmate so needed in order to move on from the tragedy that had occurred so long ago.

"Jazz?"

The black and white mech looked up at the sound of his designation to see the archivist in charge of the Hall of Records standing in the doorway.

Alpha Trion had been in charge of the Hall of Iacon for more than ten vorn. Nothing happened in the hall without his knowing it. And for the mech sitting in front of him to be going over something so intently for joor upon joor was truly a shock.

After all, getting Jazz to sit still for a single joor was difficult in itself. For him to spend the last six joor going over datapads was more shocking than the archivist could explain.

"Oh. Hey, Alpha Trion. Sorry I've been taking so long." Jazz apologized.

"I am not upset at that, Jazz. You can take as long as you need to find whatever it is that you are searching for. I am just amazed that you have been here for six joor. It's not like you at all. You would cause Prowl to have a processor crash if he were to learn of this." Alpha Trion stated.

Jazz chose not to mention the fact that it was because of Prowl that he was down here in the first place. Jazz didn't care how long it took him to find the answers that his mate needed. He would search for the rest of his function if that was what it took to finally find the answers that would give Prowl the peace he needed. "It's just important what I'm looking for, and it's taking longer than I originally expected. Nothin' to worry about."

"Very well. If I can be of assistance, please just let me know." Alpha Trion then turned and left the black and white mech alone.

Jazz was glad the older mech had left. The fact was that the spy wasn't completely sure what it was that he was searching for. He didn't know what answers it was that Prowl needed to be able to move on, but he would do his best to find them. He had never failed his mate before, and he didn't plan to start failing now.

Jazz remained alone for another joor before another mech entered.

"Lieutenant Jazz?"

Jazz looked up and found himself looking at a light green and red mech with a bulkier build and understanding blue optics. "Senator Grindor. What can I do for you?"

Grindor made his way over to the mech. "Have you found what you were looking for?"

Jazz leaned back in his chair. "'Fraid not. In fact, I'm coming across more questions than answers."

"Oh?" Grindor made his way over to the black and white mech. "Perhaps you would like to explain to me what it is that is troubling you so much."

Jazz nodded before voicing his concerns.

Optimus Prime, the current Prime to oversee Cybertron, walked into his quarters. He had had a long, exhausting day. He just needed to get away and get some time to himself.

The red and blue mech made his way over to a chair that was situated so that he was able to see out the window and across the city of Iacon. The large mech fell ungracefully into the chair and released a depressed sigh. He shuttered his optics as his thoughts went in the direction they always did when he had nothing else to dwell on.

Ratchet. His lost mate.

The following day would make it a full orn since he had lost the mech who had held his spark for so long. Ratchet had been captured by the Quintessons, whom the Transformers had been at war with at the time. A team of femmes had been sent in to rescue the medic, but they reported that Ratchet had been killed before they were able to get to him and save him.

Since that day, there had been a hole in the Prime's spark that had never healed and would never heal until the cycle that he was reunited with Ratchet. He had loved Ratchet with everything he had, and there was no bot, mech or femme, who would ever take Ratchet's place in his spark.

Optimus knew that the worst part of it all was the fact that Ratchet had been sparked at the time of his capture. It was to be their first creations together, but they were lost with Ratchet.

While Ratchet had had two creations before that, Optimus had not. The fact that he had lost his mate and his creations had crippled the Prime. The pain had been overwhelming and had it not been for the love and support from his family, Optimus was certain that he would have never survived it. Feeling their bond severe had been the worst event that could have ever happened in his life.

Small arms wrapped around the Prime's shoulders from behind. "What's troubling you, Optimus?" a soft voice asked.

Optimus knew the voice as his femme consort.

After Ratchet's death, the Senate had been quick to demand that Optimus choose a new consort as it wouldn't do for the Prime to not have a consort. It had been an act that had quickly enraged several members of the Prime's family. They were all angry that the Prime was being forced to choose someone to replace Ratchet only a few joor after the Prime had learned of the loss of his mate. It was cruel to do something of that nature when Optimus was so grieved by all that he had lost.

Elita-1, Ratchet's sister, had become Optimus's consort solely as a means of getting the Senate off of the Prime's back. She only loved Optimus as a brother and would never be able to love him as a consort should love the Prime. But she would not, and she did this only as a means of protecting Optimus from the mechs and femmes who would have taken advantage of his sparkache and forced a bond he did not want onto him.

Optimus raised a large hand and covered Elita's much smaller one. "Tomorrow."

Elita understood. She always did. While she and Optimus would never be able to bring themselves to spark bond in a way that lovers would, they did share a bond. A bond forged of the love they both held for Ratchet and of the grief that both had felt upon Ratchet's demise.

The greatest loss was the fact that Ratchet's body had not been recovered and could not be entombed within the tomb of the Prime's where all Primes and their mates' bodies were entombed upon their deaths.

"I know, Optimus. It is a difficult day for us all." Elita told him.

Optimus sighed. "The pain hasn't lessened, Elita. It hurts now as much as it did when I first learned of his loss. As much as I know everyone wants me to move on from him-"

Elita's grip on him tightened. "Ignore what everyone says you are to do, Optimus. That does not matter. You have every right to not move on. Few can find it in their sparks to move on."

"I'm Prime, though." Optimus muttered.

Elita smiled. "Optimus, there is no law that states a Prime must spark bond. And there is no law that even states you must have a consort. What I did I did because I knew you wouldn't be able to say no to the Senate. Now, I know that you could."

Optimus knew that he would. If the Senate pressed the matter, the Prime knew that he would outright tell them no. No one could ever take Ratchet's place in his spark, and the Prime would not spark bond to one who he did not love. And he would never love anybot other than Ratchet. That was the way that it was, and that was the way that it would stay.

Optimus pulled on Elita's hand, indicating for her to come around.

Elita moved around the chair and sat on the stool on front of Optimus.

Optimus took the femme's hand on his own. "Thank you, Elita. For all that you have done for me since Ratchet's death. I'm not sure how I would have managed to pull through this without your help. You've been a true friend to me over this last orn."

Elita smiled. "You don't have to thank me, Optimus. We have been friends far longer than that. And you are my brother's mate. I wasn't asked to do it. I did it because I wanted to. And just because Ratchet has joined the AllSpark does not mean a fragging thing. You are always going to be family to me, Optimus."

Optimus smiled. "Thank you, Elita. You've been the friend that I needed for all this time."

Elita nodded. "In many ways, we've helped each other. Losing Ratchet hurt so many of us." Elita sighed. "Especially Prowl."

Optimus grew quiet at the thought of his step-creation. He had known that Prowl had been absolutely devastated by the loss of his carrier. And the Prime was well-aware of the fact that Prowl still struggled with dealing with Ratchet death. Even an orn later. "I know. I wish that there was something I could do to help him."

"We all deal with things in our own way, Optimus. Prowl will deal with this in time. Jazz has done what he can for him. Prowl and Ratchet were much closer than they ever allowed anyone to know. Despite appearances, Prowl was a lot like Ratchet. And they were far closer than most knew." Elita stated.

"I know. Prowl will most likely never fully recover from Ratchet's death." Optimus stated. As he would never fully recover from the loss of his mate.

Prowl sat at his desk immersed in his work as he normally was. As the Prime's second-in-command, the tactician had a great deal that he had to do. It took him most of his time to do it all and then there were times that he ended up working late to get everything done.

This cycle, though, the tactician found himself unable to concentrate on his work. He had been trying with all his might to do so, but it hadn't worked. His focus just was not on his work, and there was nothing that was going to allow him to think about it.

Finally giving up, the black and white mech dropped his stylus onto the table before he leaned back in his chair. He raised his hand and rubbed it over his faceplates.

An orn.

An entire orn since his carrier had been lost. It had seemed like so much longer to Prowl since his carrier's demise. Nothing had felt right ever since Ratchet had died. A part of Prowl's spark had died with his carrier; the part of him that loved Ratchet so much.

Prowl had tried to move on and find peace with his carrier's death, but it just had not happened. There were so many unanswered questions that the tactician had regarding his carrier's death. Questions that had haunted him for an orn. Questions that Prowl's battle processor refused to allow him to forget. Prowl knew that if anyone could hunt down the answers to the questions that he held it was his bondmate, Jazz.

Prowl hoped that Jazz was able to find the answers that he was looking for so that he could finally let go and stop dwelling so much on what happened.

Prowl knew that part of the reason he could not let go of it was because it had been his plan that the rescue team had used. It had been his plan that had been designed to save his carrier. It had been his plan that had failed to save his carrier.

Prowl just could not live with the guilt that came along with the knowledge that his plan had failed to save his carrier. It just weighed on him that it was his fault that his carrier had died.

Prowl hoped that Jazz could find the answers just so he could finally find some semblance of understanding as to why this had to happen.

Nemesis Prime, Optimus's sire, sat at a table drinking a cube of energon with his longtime friend Swiftwind. "An orn."

"Seems longer." Swiftwind muttered. The red and white mech was feeling a bit of depression sweep over him as he thought about his creation who had been lost so long ago. Swiftwind had taken it hard when he had received the news that his creation had died at the hands of the Quintessons.

"I know. How is Starlight?" Nemesis asked.

"She's already been crying. It doesn't matter that it was an orn since Ratchet died. It still hurts her as much as it did that day. I know now why it is so hard when a creator outlives their creation." Swiftwind shook his helm. "The pain of losing them is near unbearable."

Nemesis nodded. "I'm sorry that you've had to go through this, old friend. I can't even begin to imagine what you have had to deal with."

"Maybe, but I can't imagine being in Optimus's place. He lost Ratchet and their sparklings that day." Swiftwind stated.

"I know. Optimus has not dealt as well as the Senate expected. Although I'm not certain one could suffer the loss of one's mate while they were carrying and be able to deal well with it. Such pain is not something I would have wished on anyone. Certainly not my own son." Nemesis stated.

"I'm just grateful Elita was there for him. I know that she had been a great help to Optimus over this last orn. Primus knows what the Senate would have talked him into doing had she not been there to help him." Swiftwind mused.

Nemesis nodded his helm. "Before Grindor became head of the Senate, they would have talked Optimus into bonding to a bot of their choosing. Most likely a femme who is the daughter of one of the Senate members. Just so that they could control everything that happened."

"Indeed. Elita just wanted to help him and protect him from those who would have taken advantage of them." Swiftwind sighed. "Though this has hardly been easy on her. Elita misses Ratchet as well, and I know that she has grieved in her own way. I'm certain that Ratchet would have been grateful to her for what she has done for Optimus."

"Indeed." Nemesis glanced at his friend. "How are you truly holding up?"

Swiftwind gave Nemesis a bittersweet smile. "I'm surviving. I miss Ratchet dearly. There are no words to describe how it feels to lose your creation, regardless of their age. Every day I half expect to hear Ratchet shouting at Wheeljack for causing yet another explosion, or yell at Sideswipe and Sunstreaker some prank that they had played on him." Swiftwind released a sigh. "I know it won't happen, but I cannot help wishing that everything that happened back then was just a horrible recharge nightmare."

"I know. I'm certain that you're not the only one who has wished for that." Nemesis replied.

"Perhaps, but it doesn't ease the pain in the least." Swiftwind shook his helm. "I am not looking forward to tomorrow. It will be a difficult day."

"Yes. It will be." Nemesis himself truly missed Ratchet. He had seen just how happy Ratchet made his own son, and that was all that Nemesis wanted. He hated what the medic's death had done to his son.

Starlight sat in the kitchen of her home with a cube of energon sitting in front of her. The femme was thinking of her lost son and feeling the grief that pounded into her over the fact. It may have been an orn since she had lost him, but she had learned that nothing eased the pain. She still missed Ratchet as much as the day she first learned of his death. She would always miss her son.

"Grand-carrier."

Starlight turned toward the sound of the small voice and found herself looking at a small shuttle that was mostly white with red and gold thrown in. She smiled before standing up and walking over. "What can I do for you, Jetfire?"

"Can you come and play with us?" a second voice asked.

Starlight looked up to see a second small shuttle, this one mostly white with blue and gold. "Yes, Jetstorm. I believe that I can." She checked her internal chronometer. "Your sire should be here in about half a joor to pick you up."

"Then let's play now." Jetfire reached out and took hold of Starlight's hand and tugged on her arm, urging her to come over to where they were.

Starlight followed where her grand-creation was trying to get her to go and she spent the next half joor playing with her grand-creations. She was so immersed in playing with her grand-creations that she never heard the door to her home open.

"Carrier! Are you here?" Wheeljack called.

"In the playroom, Wheeljack." Starlight replied.

The inventor entered the room and found his carrier playing with his creations. "So, I take it everyone had fun today." He placed his hands on his hips as he spoke.

"Aw! Can't we stay a little longer, Sire?" Jetstorm asked.

"Jetstorm, if your sire says you need to go, then you need to go." Starlight told him.

"Nah. It's okay. Sky's workin' a little late. We can stay a bit." Wheeljack replied.

"Yay!" Jetstorm and Jetfire cried.

Starlight chuckled before turning to look at her son. "So, how was your day?"

"It was fine. Just a little busy." Wheeljack sat down by his carrier as they watched his creations play. "Tried to keep myself as busy as I could."

Starlight nodded. "I know what you mean."

It was difficult for Wheeljack in dealing with Ratchet's death as they were spark twins and held a strong bond between them. The severing of their twins bond had crippled him, and he was certain he would never have recovered from the death of his brother had it not been for Skyfire. His mate kept him together and helped him learn to live with the grief that Wheeljack felt. Even now, there was a part of Wheeljack's spark that still ached from the loss of the bond with his brother.

"It feels like it's been longer than it actually has. It feels like it should be at least a vorn since we lost him. Not just an orn." Starlight said.

"I know, Carrier. I miss him every day." Wheeljack stated.

"How Optimus has survived I'll never understand. I'm not sure I could have lived through losing Swiftwind." Starlight stated.

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Wheeljack sighed. "I spoke to Ironhide today. He and Chromia are going to try to come here tomorrow."

Starlight nodded. "I know. It still amazes me just how many bots cared so much about Ratchet. With his temperament, you would have thought there would have been less who liked him."

"Yeah. There was just something about Ratchet that drew some to 'im. Glad though. It shows just how much he was cared about." Wheeljack stated.

"I know." Starlight agreed. She watched as Jetfire and Jetstorm continued to play. Seeing them always made her think about what may have been for Ratchet and the sparklings he had carried. Ratchet and Skyfire had been sparked close together. Skyfire was only a few groon further in gestation than Ratchet was. It made Starlight wonder just what the sparklings Ratchet had been carrying would have been like. There were so many what ifs that came to her processors when she thought about Ratchet.

Wheeljack remained there a while longer before he made the decision to leave. "Well, we need to get goin'."

"But-" Jetfire stated.

"No, Jetfire. We have to go. Your carrier should be getting home before long." Wheeljack stated.

Both younglings groaned as they did not want to leave.

"Now do as your sire says. He knows best. Besides, you'll see me tomorrow." Starlight stated as she stood.

"Now, say goodbye to your grand-carrier." Wheeljack told them.

The two younglings ran to say goodbye to their grand-carrier.

"Bye, Carrier. I'll see you tomorrow." Wheeljack kissed her on the cheek before he left the house with his twin creations.

Starlight leaned against the wall as she allowed a tear to fall down her cheek strut. "Oh, Ratchet. You are missed so much."

Jazz had spent a great deal of time outlining for Grindor all that he had come across in looking over every minuscule piece of information they had on the events surrounding Ratchet's death: from his capture up to the failed rescue mission.

Grindor sat and listened to everything the spy had to tell him and was truly astounded by everything that he heard. These were things that he had not even considered, and they were questions that needed answering.

Once Jazz finished explaining all that he had found, the black and white mech sat back in the chair and allowed everything that he had said to sink into Grindor's processors. It had been a lot for Jazz himself to take in, and he had spent at least half of the time down here going over everything several times so that he truly understood what he had found.

"I see. I must say that you have given me a great deal to think about. And brought about a great many questions that need answering. These questions must not remain unanswered. It may finally give Prime some of the answers that I have no doubt he has asked about what happened." Grindor stated.

Jazz sighed. "I know." He was silent a moment. "May I ask a question that you may take offense to?"

"Certainly." Grindor never took offensive questions too personally depending on what they dealt with.

"The moment that I tell Optimus what I have found, he is going to demand that these questions be answered, which will mean opening a new investigation into Ratchet's death. What will the Senate say about that?" Jazz asked.

Grindor was silent.

"Most knew," Jazz continued, "that the Senate was not happy with Prime's choice of mate. Granted, he and Ratchet had been in a relationship for quite some time when he was still Orion Pax, and they were not happy when he refused to find a more suitable mate for a Prime. None of them were happy when they bonded. Will the Senate attempt to stop any investigation in Ratchet's death?"

Grindor considered Jazz's question. He himself knew that there were members of the Senate who would not like this. He knew some were pleased that Ratchet had died as they thought they could finally force the Prime to bond to a femme who the Senate controlled, meaning the Senate might could control the Prime.

However, Grindor had changed a great many things in the way the Senate worked since becoming its head, and the senator had no intention of being pressured by his fellow senators. These questions had to be answered.

Jazz hoped that he had not insulted the Senate head. After all, he's the one who could easily block any kind of deeper investigation into Ratchet's death to answer the questions that every member of Ratchet's family was bound to want answered.

"There will be those senators who will not want it investigated. It is no secret that many of the senators did not approve of Ratchet based solely on the fact that he was not of prestigious birth. Many thought somebot more suitable should have been Prime's mate. However, regardless of what they feel, Ratchet was the Prime's mate, and he deserves the honor of being remembered as such. And Prime deserves answers as to what happened to his mate. No bot deserves to have all these questions that are not attempted to be answered." Grindor stopped for a moment before continuing. "An investigation into this matter will be held. I will not allow it to be stopped. I am head of the Senate, and I will personally make the recommendation to Prime that a special investigation be held to determined just what happened to Ratchet."

Jazz nodded his helm. "Thank you, Grindor. I feel much better about this." The espionage expert looked over the datapads in front of him. "Prime, Prowl, and every other member of Ratchet's family as well as those who were close to him have wondered what went wrong in that rescue mission for far too long. Something about it never seemed right, so maybe we can finally find those answers."

Grindor nodded his helm. "These questions must be answered." He watched the black and white mech a moment. "Jazz, I am going to discuss with Prime the possibility of you heading up the special investigation team."

Jazz jerked his helm up, looking at the senator in utter shock. "Me! But why me? I mean, I'm a spy. I'm not an investigator. Besides, Ratchet was my mate's carrier. It'll be a conflict of interest."

"Perhaps, but you were the one who uncovered all this. It's only right that you be the one to follow through with this. Besides, I believe that Prime would appreciate having one he knows he can trust as head of this team, and I know that he would trust you." Grindor replied.

Jazz thought about that. "If Prime agrees, I'll do it." For Prowl, he would. The mech knew just how much Prowl had suffered since his carrier had been offlined, and Jazz would do anything to give Prowl some peace in this and finding the answers to these questions might be the way to do that. Once more, Jazz looked at the datapads scattered across the table. "We're going to need to take these datapads out of here to show everything to Prime. Do ya think Alpha Trion will make an exception to his rule about not taking the materials out of the hall?"

"I will discuss it with him. If all else fails, I will tell him what you have discovered. It if means finding answers to what happened to Ratchet, then he will do so." Grindor replied as he stood.

Jazz nodded his helm. "Think Prime would be upset if we discussed all this with him tomorrow. Given what tomorrow is."

Grindor was silent as he considered that. He knew it would be a hard day for the Prime, but there did not seem to be any better day than then. After all, the sooner this investigation was started, the better off they were going to be. "We will tell him tomorrow. He will want answers, and it will be better if the investigation is started soon. Consider who you want to be part of the investigative team, Jazz. Choose only those you trust and know will want to find the truth. I don't want anything happening that may jeopardize this. We need those answers."

Jazz nodded his helm. "I already have a few in mind."

"Good. Do not tell them yet." Grindor told him.

Jazz nodded in understanding.

Grindor left to talk to Alpha Trion.

Jazz started gathering the datapads together. He hoped that they could find answers. He himself had had some unanswered questions and knew he should have said something sooner, but thought it best to let the issue rest. Perhaps now they would all have all the answers they wanted and find true peace with the matter.

Optimus stood on the balcony of his quarters looking up at one of the Cybertronian moons. He was lost in his thoughts as he thought about what the following day would bring. His spark ached at the thought.

It had been an orn, but he still missed Ratchet dearly. There wasn't a cycle that went by that he didn't think of his mate. Some cycles, that was all he could think about.

Optimus allowed himself to think of the happy times that he had had with Ratchet. Those were the memories he wanted to remember more than anything.

He had still been the simple data clerk Orion Pax working in the Hall of Records with his carrier. He had been working there for almost an orn, and he had been told that there was a medic coming to do research for a paper he was working on. Orion was to give him all the help that he needed.

Orion had expected for the medic to be an old, gruff bot who held nothing but disdain for the younger generation. He had come across too many scientists and doctors doing research who were the same way.

While Ratchet had turned out to be older than he was, Orion had been taken aback by just how young he actually was. He had to admit that Ratchet had a gruff demeanor to him, but it was more like that was his personality in general, not that it was something that happened over time. Ratchet had been very easy to work with. The medic hadn't made unusual demands nor had he asked Orion to leave for him to do his research. In fact, Ratchet had asked Orion's help a great deal.

Once the research was over, Orion had assumed he wouldn't see Ratchet again. He would admit he was smitten with Ratchet over the time he spent in the hall researching.

To the young mech's surprise, he had left the hall one day to find Ratchet waiting for him. He hadn't been sure why the mech had been there until Ratchet asked him if he wanted to get some energon with him.

Orion had jumped at the chance, and it had been that way between them ever since. Ratchet had quickly informed Orion that he had two sons named Prowl and Smokescreen. He told Orion that their sire had abandoned them, and that they were a part of his life. Orion had been shocked, but accepted it. He had been quickly accepted by Smokescreen. It had taken longer with Prowl, but the archivist had ended up gaining Prowl's approval as well.

Ratchet and Orion had been together for several orn and had decided to bond when Orion had been named the next Prime.

Orion had been scared at being given such a title and had thought that he would never be able to do it. He had been sure that they had chosen wrong, but Ratchet was right there beside him and encouraged him to accept it. Ratchet had been his stronghold. It was because of Ratchet that Orion had become Optimus Prime and became the new Prime of Cybertron.

Optimus had been shocked and angry when the Senate demanded that he leave Ratchet and have a femme to be his mate as a femme would be considered a more suitable mate for the Prime, and they started to press several femmes onto him. Optimus hadn't been a fool as he knew that those femmes were all daughters of different senators. Optimus would not budge on the issue of Ratchet and told the Senate that he would not leave Ratchet. He told them that he and Ratchet had decided to bond before he was named Prime, and Optimus intended to bond with him regardless. Optimus had bonded with Ratchet despite the protests of the Senate, and the Prime couldn't have been happier that he made that choice. He knew he had chosen right.

Optimus had been ecstatic when Ratchet told him that they were having two sparklings of their own. He had helped Ratchet raise Prowl and Smokescreen since they were in their middle youngling stellar cycles and had grown to love those two as if he were their sire. However, it was different to learn he would have sparklings with Ratchet. It wouldn't change how he felt about Smokescreen and Prowl, though.

In the end, Optimus had lost everything during the war with the Quintessons. He had lost and Ratchet and their sparklings. In truth, he had lost a part of himself as well.

With a heavy spark, Optimus turned and returned to his quarters. He looked around the room that he shared with Ratchet. He had never been able to get rid of some of the items that Ratchet had kept in the room. As much pain as those items brought, losing them would be even harder.

Life without Ratchet had been hard at the start and it still was. Optimus knew that Prowl and Smokescreen had needed as much support as he had. Optimus had been there for them as well during that rough time. Even though Ratchet was gone, Prowl and Smokescreen were his sons, and they always would be.

Perhaps all their sparks would heal from Ratchet's absence one cycle.

But not right now.

Optimus climbed into his berth and curled up under the thermal blanket. Tomorrow would be difficult. Even more so than a normal cycle.

Optimus slowly drifted off into a fitful recharge as dreams of what the Quintessons had done to his mate plagued his processor.

Let me know what you thought of this, and let me know if you think I should continue!