….alright people, this took longer than expected because I couldn't find the written version of this chapter… I basically had to do it from memory… and my memory bites. So that explains it….alright go ahead and read. Funny thing is, this was done AFTER chapters four and five… oO;; I skip around like that…it helps out quite a bit. (Like in Seeking for A Place to Belong.. NOT. I have the last five chapters of that one done, I just have to get there, first…) Okay, enough from me, read on!

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Chapter 3

          "So Red… is it serious…?"

          The medic had almost completed his examination of the little Transformer. "Well, physically all he's got are a few bruises, but aside from that I'd say he's fine."

          That was when Windracer noticed something. Every sudden movement she or RedAlert made was greeted with cringing and visible fear. "He doesn't look fine… I mean, just take a look at the little thing…He's scared stiff of all of us…"

          "Psychological damage, no doubt…"

          "But I wonder what could have done that to him…" Windracer seemed deep in thought as she pondered this.

          It was then that a new voice answered her question. "Megatron did. He nearly flattened that child." Windy turned quickly, and saw Wheeljack standing at the door. He seemed a tad uncomfortable, shy even, and kept his optics trained on Raider.

          "Really…? What happened to him?" She asked, concerned.

          He seemed quiet for a minute, and then realized that neither of the two Transformers in the room meant him harm, so he gave a gingerly-placed step forward. "Megatron attempted to pick him up, and got bitten, and so he smacked him hard. Hit a wall on the opposite side of the room."

          "That jerk!" Windracer said rather hotly, ticked off at this new information. But, at this outburst, Raider cringed and whimpered. "Oops…sorry, kid… I didn't mean to scare you…" She then gently reached down and picked him up in her arms. As a sign of forgiveness, he nestled into her, smiling contentedly, followed by a yawn.

          "Gee, I think the little guy could use a recharge…"

          RedAlert nodded in agreement. "More than likely." He then brought his attention to Wheeljack, whom he regarded as a part of the team already. "Something you need?"

          "No," He answered, "I just wanted to see if he's alright."

          "Well he should be fine."

          "Good…" A minute smile crossed his face when he looked back to Windracer and Raider, but it disappeared once he caught himself.

          Windy, however, caught onto this, and started over in his direction slowly. Raider remembered Wheeljack as his savior, but his almost dark persona repelled him. "..I'm…getting the feeling he doesn't like me…" He said tersely, watching the tired little mech eye him warily.

          "Aw, give him a while- he'll warm up to you soon enough"

          He looked uncertain for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose so…"

          Noticing the odd silence, RedAlert, who had tried to make himself busy and ignore their chat, cleared his throat. "Perhaps…you should show Wheeljack to his quarters, Windracer?"

          "Oh, uhh…yeah…Well come with me and I'll take you there…" She started a bit uncomfortably.

          He nodded quietly, bringing his optics back to Raider, who was still eyeing him with caution.

          "Alright then…" And with that, Windracer led Wheeljack out of the medbay to his quarters. As they walked down the quiet hallways, she noticed her new teammate's muteness. "Why so quiet? You should be happy that you're back on your old team…"

          "I know I should, but it's going to take a lot to earn their trust….

          "Well from what I saw, Optimus trusts you…and no doubt RedAlert and Scavenger do, too." She then added shyly. "And so do I…"

          His head snapped up at that. "Y-you do?"

          "Yeah! I mean…well…you saved my life back at the moon base, so why shouldn't I?"

          He gave a small smile, then noticed that Raider was peering over at him curiously from Windracer's arms, and directed his smile to him. The young Transformer giggled and smiled back, and Windy watched this with amusement.

          "Y'see? Looks like the munchkin's already getting used to you…"

          Wheeljack felt a little better with that and nodded, his smile present still. "I don't know what it is…but I was wondering…Could…I keep an eye on him? Have him stay with me?"

          Windy grinned, picking up on the mech's protective streak. "I don't see why not. Plus, he would really get used to you that way…"

          He agreed, nodding, a little bit happier that Raider would be under his care, but tried to hide his sudden yet very strong attachment to him.

          Pretty soon, the three Transformers came to a stop at a closed door, one that led to Wheeljack's new quarters. The airlock door slid open silently, and as she stepped in, she flicked on the lights. The tall and silent mech followed, and looked around his new surroundings.

          "Wow…these aren't anything like the dwelling quarters on the moon base…"

          "Gee, sounds like Megs was a real hospitable guy, huh?" She answered dryly as she bent down and set Raider on a Minicon-sized recharge bed gingerly.

          Wheeljack barked a half-amused laugh. "Yes, well, I didn't know what I was getting myself into back there…It was too late by the time I knew I had done the wrong thing…"

          "Burned too many bridges, huh?"

          He nodded. "As you can see with Hotshot…It seems like only the other day he was begging for me to come back…"

          "Well…you did hurt him, and not just physically. He's just bitter that you finally decided to come back now of all times, ya know?" He nodded quietly. "He'll befriend you soon enough…just give it time…"

          "I suppose that's the best thing to do…"

          "Oh, and the others…don't worry about them. Jetfire and Hotshot might not be really happy about this, but I didn't see any protests from RedAlert, Smokescreen, Scavenger, or Blurr."

          "…What about the younger one?" 

          "Sideswipe? Well you nearly killed him in a fire…"

          "…Point taken," he muttered, looking at Windracer out of the corner of his optics and switching into thinking mode. He still wondered why the slag he set her free-she had battered him in battle just minutes before, so why? He had deleted compassion from his emotion chip, but she brought it back. And she claimed to be a human… even stranger still. And back on the moon there was a moment where she tied his tongue and made him stumble over words like a child just learning to speak. He couldn't…like this femme, could he?

          "You alright?"

          Wheeljack's head snapped up. "Huh, what? Oh…fine…just fine. It's just that my energy is running low…" He looked over to Raider, who was sound asleep already, his optics going slightly dim.

          "Ah…ya need rest then, don't ya?"

          He nodded. "I don't mean to kick you out or anything…"

          "Naw, it's alright. I'm supposed to train with Scavenger in about five minutes…dangit, I should prep a C.R. chamber beforehand…"

          "You can't possibly be that bad of a fighter…I mean, look what you did to me last time we fought."

          "You asked me to."

          He slouched over a little bit. "Oh…yes… true."

          She stood on tiptoe, stretching a little, and turned halfway, her arms folded behind her back. "Well, rest up. You and that kid have been through some excitement today…"

          He nodded, that numb feeling grabbing hold of his voice modulator. "I-I will…And thanks for standing up for me back there…"

          "It was nothing…You did the same for me, right?" He seemed a bit flustered at her kindness, getting him to blush a bit, and again he couldn't talk. At that, Windracer smiled and started to walk out. "I'll see ya later then." And walked off.

          "Y-yeah…see ya…"

***

Training Hall

          Boom! With a thud, Windracer was on her back and staring up at the ceiling faster than she could realize. "Ow."

          "Come on! Your mind's not in this room today!" Scavenger shouted as he raced at her, without giving her a chance to regain her bearings. Balancing on her feet, she was greeted by a sharp and painful kick to her midriff, throwing her into the wall. "Get your head out of the clouds, Caitlin!"

          She winced. Only if she had ticked someone off would they use her human name, or if she wasn't listening and they wanted her attention. "I'm a little preoccupied right now, so lay off!" She shouted back, tackling him hard and pushing him back several yards, but was stopped abruptly. Scavenger soon had hold of her waist, and had lifted her clear off the ground. Kicking her feet desperately, she was thrown hard into the ground, on her back once again.

          "Well snap out of it!"

          As he dove down to bring her into a stranglehold, she brought her feet up instinctively. For a minute, Windracer's feet were planted hard in the elder mech's midsection, and then, with a surge of movement, she flipped Scavenger over her head and onto the ground. Soon she was up, pinning him to the ground, and her crossbow was leveled at his neck, him still splayed flat on his back. A few tense moments passed, the room almost alive with the energy.

          She blinked suddenly, breaking out of the trance. "Holy…did I…just…?"

          He smiled, winded, still on his back as he loosened up. "Yes, you did. A very good show."

          The former human stepped away, shocked. "You let me win."

          "No, I didn't. I let my guard down once, and you took advantage of it."

          "B-but…You're supposed to be able to kill me…" She was bewildered. Did she actually win for once? After weeks of losing or having victory dangled just slightly out of reach, did she actually beat him?

          "…yes, but you're skills are definitely improving. However… your lessons won't be over until you can repeat this victory, without a 'close call' win."

          "Fine by me…" She was still stunned. And sore. But the pain was nothing compared to the shock that took priority.

          He stood, and walked past her, a slight limp in his step. "You shouldn't be so surprised, Windracer. It was only a matter of time before this happened…" He walked off silently, leaving the femme to think about this alone.

TBC

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DMK: …so how was that? Uhh…the last part was totally off my head too, I didn't even have that little Windy vs. Scavenger part written… oO;; (Yeah…I found the written copy later, so now it's done in half the time…) This was bad, even by my standards, I know that already. Don't worry, I have some humor thought up for it…it'll just take a while to get to that point in the fic. Hope you enjoyed, and oh, I have a fanfic that isn't getting any reviews…it's a G-Gundam/Transformers Armada crossover, and I've only gotten one review since I updated… T___T if any of you have nothing do to, I'd gladly accept reviews for it, or else it goes bye-bye… Okay, enough negative stuff from me, hope you enjoyed.