*

Back in his apartment Hot Rod was thinking to himself. He was rather disturbed by his friend's revelations, about her real feelings for him. It had disturbed him that much he had to get out of there. Making a stupid joke and then getting out the first chance he could.

But she was right. He hated it when she was right. It meant he was being a coward and running away from his emotions yet again. She had been there for him through everything lately, especially since they had first met.

He was very confused now. His guilt over his personal stupidity was eating away at him. But who was he kidding. The whole time he professed his undying love for his own freedom, the Autobot cause and what was it, that word the humans used, 'bachelorhood', he and his bachelor ways, he was romancing and getting his way with one femme or another for one thing or something else. Romancing all the pretty femmes who fell for his charms and having his way with them. All the while he had also told Dark Angel about all his exploits the day after.

But now, the guilt he felt, he'd never do that to her ever again.

He had to admit, that wasn't what he was ultimately after. He had spent most of his young life alone and on the run from Decepticons, being a charming rebel and eventually joining the Autobots to give his life meaning. The acts of charming all these femmes were detrimental to him and he craved something more solid than the flimsiness they provided, something he had found in Dark Angel, but just hadn't seen it for the truth it was, until now. She had a habit of shining light on things either directly or indirectly.

He was loathe to admit it, but he knew that things really had changed between them now, even though he'd joked about it. He had never admitted to anyone that he had a secret passion for her beyond them being just friends; he'd even had dreams about her once when he had consumed too much energon, something that had disturbed him greatly at the time as he was unsure of his feelings and had tried to laugh it off silently without telling anyone.

It had made him feel as if he was growing up, getting older, being more mature and he didn't want that. She made him feel like she was the type of femme he could settle down with, and it scared the spark out of him. He wanted to keep his freedom above anything and couldn't decide what he was supposed to do with all this new information.

He never said anything to her because he felt she wasn't his type. She was a slight shorter than he was and very bulky, as well as heavy and strong, not at all like the hot looking slim athletic racer types he went after. Most to all of them had barely any intelligence to speak of, but 'Angel did, which was what impressed him the most. She could keep up with him both physically and intellectually.

She wasn't the best looking femme he'd ever seen but she was his closest and most loyal friend and he couldn't ditch her now even though this had happened. But in a few days he'd be going on assignment back to his original home of Cybertron for about a year.

He had been presented with a future for himself, something he had ultimately wished for but had ignored due to his freedom loving boyish nature.

He had two choices ahead of him now and he didn't know which one to choose.

'Why can't I have both?' he asks himself.

He thought about it for hours until he came to the conclusion that he could manage having both. So he set his plan in his mind for later when he had the chance to.

Then he finally was able to fall into his recharge cycle even though it was almost dawn.

*

Now.

Hot Rod, having just returned from a daunting year long assignment undercover on Cybertron was being cleared by Ratchet in Autobot City when the medic had received a call from Jazz and Cliffjumper about Dark Angel.

He had unintentionally overheard the entire conversation.

When Ratchet had gotten off the comms he was in a right mood and swore for several minutes before coming and attending to him again. He hadn't known that the reason for Ratchet's mood was because he had seen the devastation that Dark Angel had served the training room on vid screens relayed by Jazz.

But now she had taken off somewhere before she could be found.

*

In the training room.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were on their way to their allotted training for the time they had been given and walk in to see all the damage with their guests not too far behind them.

"What in the slag happened here?" Asks Sunstreaker.

"Yeah it looks like our quarters after Sunny has had a tantrum!" Jokes Sideswipe, which got him a whack from his twin.

Cliffjumper not one for being a fan of Dark Angel, snidely remarks, "Hot Rod's girl had a temper tantrum and wrecked the place, and then she went and left us with the clean up!"

Hot Rod and Ratchet had joined them not long after that and had caught some of the conversation.

'She's not my girl, at least not anymore.' Hot Rod thinks. He remembers the big fight they had the morning before he left. A year ago. They'd both openly confessed their feelings for each other the night before and then it had gone sour in the morning when he did something stupid that made Angel turn on him, possibly for good. He still felt somewhat guilty about that particular incident. Though everyone in Autobot City knew about it now and a fair few of his Autobot comrades thought very little of him for it.

"Why am I not surprised?" Sunstreaker rolls back his optics, "Well what are we going to do know?" He pouts, "My innate perfection doesn't come without practice you know."

"Put a lid on it Sunstreaker," It was Ratchet. His concern for his friend had brought him here on Jazz's request when he was able to. But he was more worried about Dark Angel and her welfare. He knew what was wrong with her. He was one of the very few that did. He wasn't inclined to take any crap from anyone, least of all Optimus, but sometimes 'Angel just downright scared him as she wasn't scared of him and his grouchiness at all. "The condition of this training room is unimportant; I'll get Hoist, Wheeljack and Grapple down here to help with repairs. In the mean time I'm going off to find Dark Angel," He grabs Hot Rod by the scruff of his neck guard, "And you are coming with me to help me fix what's wrong with her, this has gone on long enough." He says adamantly to the surprised mech.

This gets some quizzical looks from the others present also.

"Me?" Hot Rod scoffs, "Why me?"

Sunstreaker scoffs at Ratchet, "If a couple of heavy hitters like us can't help her, then what makes you think that wimp can?" This got a glare from Hot Rod.

"Just go and talk to her block head, you'll find out why." Ratchet says to Hot Rod quietly. 'If he'd bothered to try and answer her calls to him while he was on Cybertron we wouldn't have this situation right now,' He thought.

Sideswipe quietly whistles to himself, "Geez she must've been in one slagging mood to do all this!" He picks up a few pieces of metal and looks at it, "This stuff isn't cheap and the metal…" He taps his fingers on the material, "Isn't exactly soft?" He turns to his brother and says rather dirtily, "Maybe Hot Head should go and give her some relief!" He looks around the room again and then continues, "Coz' it sure looks like she needs it!" Sunstreaker slaps his brother's shoulder for making a stupid remark about Dark Angel that was uncalled for and has Sideswipe rubbing his shoulder armour from the impact. Sideswipe had forgotten that Sunstreaker actually liked the femme and freely stodd up for her whenever the situation demanded it.

Hot Rod had already left on Ratchet's request to find his former friend and leaves the others to look over the leftover damage in the training room. Ratchet followed him for quite some time to make sure he went right there to her apartment first, where she usually hung out and tehen left him there when they arrived, returning to the medical bay to finish off his own work.

Hot Rod had heard Sideswipe's joke on the way out, and wasn't impressed, 'Even if it was a joke?' he thought. He and Dark Angel had been very close friends for ages, and at times more so. But they had done something together before he'd left a year ago. And hadn't seen nor talked to each other since he had left that day.

He thought more about all the good times they'd had together since they'd first met. He wasn't one to admit it freely, but she was one person, albeit a femme who had managed to get under his chassis and make him feel more mature and responsible at heart, even if he didn't ordinarily show it. She had always been his steady rock in the past as he had been for her, till they had their fist fight right before he left for Cybertron. He still felt guilty about what he had done that day, real guilty.

Sure they'd teased each other. He'd teased her considerably about not going out and fraternising much, because he'd quite often keep her attention to himself and they'd had their fair share of mucking around as best friends do. Both of them had taken their close friendship seriously and there were very few barriers between them. But he thinks that the lack of him seeing what was right in front of them both, was what led to their nasty fight.

When the next morning came, he'd stupidly bragged about his conquest of her, and she'd found out about it and gave him the aft kicking of his life. The reason he did what he did was because he found out information about his mission. He'd had to sever any emotional ties he had just in case he didn't make it back, or if the Decep's captured him, not one of his better ideas.

The night before then, they had consummated their feelings for each other, and he had been a real jerk to her the next day, treating her just like another one of his conquests. She had been so insulted and angry by what he had done, that she told him never to talk to her ever again as their friendship, that they had built over the last few years, was over and done with for good.

Their verbal blow-out was after everyone had found what they did that night. He shook his head as he walked, knowing that it was the commitment he had been scared of.

Both of them valued their freedom above anything else, and after what had he done, he ran, he ran scared because she was one femme who could offer him the freedom he could keep and the steadiness he needed, just like he had done for her. But he was still an immature coward and he hung his head for it.

He felt sorry for himself now, finally being able to admit that her bad temper over the last year that he always heard about since their fight was his fault. He had to face up to it now and confront her.

He had to admit that he valued her company because she had an innate capacity to warm up to not only him, but anyone, even one or two Decepticons she'd made friends with.

He had missed her this last year. His feelings hadn't gone away, and nor had he been with any other femmes as he was still guilt ridden for what he had said that morning.

She could stand up to him, never let him push her around or anyone else for that matter, but always let him do what he needed to do to keep his freedom, and let him come back to her whenever he wanted.

Another thing he loved about her was her fighting capability. Her method was passive but very aggressive at the same time, and he loved being able to spar one on one with a femme that wasn't afraid of him or of herself like some of his 'beautiful' toys were. And even though she lacked his fighting skill, she made up for it in strength, both on a physical and emotional level.

She was his rock and he had run from her like a coward. He didn't know what he was going to do or say to her when they met up again, or whether she'd even talk to him again.

He allowed himself a small smirk, she was as wild and free as the uncaged animals of the planet Earth he had come to call home, and he was stupid for ever abandoning her. 'Never again,' he thought to himself, 'I'm going to take her back whether she wants it or not and fix the mistake I made once and for all.'

He stands outside her old apartment, the same one she had a year ago when he had left Autobot City on Earth and rings the buzzer, dreading the upcoming storm. He was hoping she would be here, as she had other places she often went to hide when she wanted to get away from people, places though he couldn't get to.

The look on her face was not one he was expecting when she opened the door. Nor was he expecting to be hugged tightly or let inside for a chat, but she did. She said nothing as she indicated to a couch where they could talk. Then they sat down to begin their reconciliation.

*