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More Than Okay – Chapter 4

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The days went on, and Bumblebee found his middle expanding to accommodate the new life growing inside of him. He was still the only carrier in the Prime's nest, which meant he often felt lonely. He wondered what it had been like in earlier days when often there were multiple mechs and femmes residing in theHive, all heated and cooing over the bitlets inside of them. Ironhide and Elita-One must have been kept awfully busy back then, perhaps to the extent that they missed their time on the battlefield. Though Bumblebee couldn't imagine Ironhide giving up a fight to see to one of the intended. He probably had continued to put war ahead of his seeing to the in-heat Autobots.

Bumblebee spent his time reading up on pregnancy and parenthood. Other times he just watched old holovids. Sometimes he volunteered for monitor duty. Sometimes he worked on deep polishing himself to a gloss he'd not known for many vorns. But best of all were the nights he entertained the Prime in his berth. His life had become a pleasnt, quiet, and somewhat romantic vacation from the war.

And then three and a half deca-cycles into his pregnancy the Decepticons launched a major assault against Moonbase One, and suddenly the entire Iaconian installation was very quiet and lonely as most everyone was deployed to the moonbase's defense and then caught up in the aftermath.

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Bumblebee 'commed Elita-One. ::Elita? Could you bring me some energon? My supply is already depleted and I'm almost empty myself.::

::Already? And again? Bumblebee, you really need to pay attention to this. You know your systems need a lot more right now, and it may not be as the charts say what you'll need for your frame-type.::

::I know. And I'm just not used to this demand. I think I'm drinking four times what I used to.::

Elita-One gasped. ::Four times! Bumblebee? That can't be right! When's the last time you were in to see Ratchet?::

He thought for a moment. ::Three orns ago? About that?::

::Three orns!:: Elita-One choked. Bumblebee, you know you're supposed to go see him every hundred cycles!::

::I know, but the medical staff has been so busy. I thought I could at least help by staying out of the way. And besides the need to fuel so much I've felt just fine. Well, as fine as any mech carrying does.::

Elita-One sighed this time. ::Wait there. I'll be in with some energon and then I'm personally taking you down to the medbay.::

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When Elita-One entered Bumblebee's room she was stunned by the sight before her.

Bumblebee lay on his side on his berth, his back against the cushions. His abdomen had extended dramatically, the overlapping plates no longer overlapping but spread apart with freshly formed protomesh between them. His chestplates had been stretched apart as well though not to the same degree. No wonder Bumblebee had not emerged from his room for the past orn. He probably could barely move in his condition.

"Bumblebee! Look at you! You're huge!" Elita-One said in shock.

Bumblebee chuckled as his placed his arms around his expanded frame. His fingertips just met in the middle. "I know. I'm definitely carrying for the Prime," he said proudly.

"There was never any question of that, but you shouldn't be anywhere close to this big at this stage."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I am a minibot though. I should look 'bigger' from the pregnancy than a normal sized mech, right?"

Elita-One took one of the two cubes she'd brought, went and sat beside the mother-to-be on the berth, and helped him to drink by keeping him upright as he held the cube. "I'll call Ironhide to transport you to the medbay. I doubt you're walking well with all that forward weight."

"I'm not," Bumblebee agreed, patting his swollen form.

Ironhide knocked on the door just as Bumblebee finished fueling, and on entering his jaw dropped open. "Bumblebee! You're... Oh Primus! If I didn't know otherwise I'd think you were carrying for Omega Supreme."

"Am I really that big?" Bumblebee asked Elita-One.

Ironhide folded his arms over his chest. "You do know who Omega Supreme is, right?"

"Of course I do," Bumblebee answered. How could he not know? He could see the huge guardian's post from the window of his room in the Hive.

Ironhide transformed and opened his cargo compartment doors while Elita-One helped Bumblebee out of the berth and onto his feet. As soon as he was loaded inside Ironhide took off for the medbay.

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"Well Bumblebee, congratulations," said Ratchet.

"For what?" asked the yellow scout, his hands absently rubbing at his distended middle section.

"You've got two mechlings filling you. Your size is completely normal for a double pregnancy. It's just that you're a minibot, which makes what's normal for a standard-size frame look huge on yours."

"Twins? I'm going to have twins?" Bumblebee asked, more in amazement than in doubting Ratchet's diagnosis.

"Yup. Seems like the protomass split at about the time of the attack on the moonbase. That would be about the usual time for it to happen if it was going to. I would have caught it then had we not gotten distracted."

"Oh, Bumblebee! Optimus is going to be thrilled!" said Elita-One, her optics glowing joyfully.

Ironhide was grinning smugly. "Optimus did say that he was feeling lucky just after your pregnancy was publicly confirmed."

Bumblebee slumped back onto the berth and his hands pawed at his abdomen as if he could feel the separate bodies inside of himself. "Twins. I'm going to have twins," he said hazily, his optics glowing softly.

"This means I'm going to triple your metal intake and double your mineral intake. You really should have come to me sooner, you know," Ratchet told him.

"I know. I just didn't want to take you away from the mechs that needed repairs," he said sheepishly. "I heard there were a lot of casualties from the attack on Moonbase One."

"I understand," said Ratchet, putting his hands on his hips. "But your carrying is just as important. From now on I'll be checking in on you every three days. And I want you to remain in your berth as much as possible. If you have to be up for anything you're to move slowly. If you need to go anywhere outside of your room, you get Ironhide to take you. Understood?"

"Yes, Ratchet," was the answer.

"Good. Now back to your room." His focus shifted. "Elita-One?"

"Yes?" she responded.

"If you'd give Optimus the news. I'm sure he'll be quite interested."

She nodded at the command. "I'm very sure he will.

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Bumblebee had lain obediently in his berth since returning from the medbay. He'd read and re-read the congratulatory note from Optimus a hundred times now, brief as it was.

::Bumblebee, Elita-One has informed me of Ratchet's recent diagnosis, and I am deeply thrilled. I have not had the privilege of siring twins for more than a vorn. Please choose names to suit them. I will join you late tonight.::

Bumblebee had fallen into recharge several times in waiting for Optimus Prime, and when he heard the distinctive knock on his door he sat up hastily, and then chided himself for moving so quickly.

The Prime came in and immediately knelt beside the berth, placed his hands on either side of Bumblebee's bloated middle, and then pressed his face against the straining plates. "Bumblebee, I hope you can forgive me for neglecting you the past three orns. The Decepticon attack on the moonbase has been of great concern."

"I understand, and I'm not angry or feeling at all neglected. It was important to keep it from the Decepticons." In truth, he had been feeling somewhat abandoned, but he'd kept countering the feeling with his concern for the lunar base and his fellow Autobots. The strategic value of the location was immeasurable.

"Would you let me try to make it up to you now?" His hand slid slowly over the huge belly and the look in the blue optics was unmistakable. It wasn't the glow of lust or the glint of desire, but the warm shimmer of love and pride. It was the same look he gave to Elita-One. It was the same look bestowed upon his newborn creations.

And Bumblebee was helpless to it.

"Please Optimus. I'm here for you," Bumblebee said, his voice trembling with emotion.

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More to follow in Chapter 5.

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