A/N: I just realized that I never explained the G1/Movieverse/Prime continuity differences. Basically there are G1 characters with Movieverse type bodies – aka, no blocky designs. All minus Ironhide currently have their G1 colorings, although Ratchet's chevron is red. Ironhide has his Movieverse design. When Optimus becomes an adult, he'll look like Prime Optimus, although with blue flames everywhere but his helm. Once they reach Earth, they officially enter the Prime continuity and gain all Prime appearances (minus Ironhide, who stays in Movieverse form). Anyway, hope that clears things up! I don't own the Transformer series. Reviews are definitely appreciated.

20 solar cycles later, both Optimus and Ratchet had begun to feel worse. Both had stopped purging their tanks; however, slightly shaky limbs and extreme fatigue had begun to occur. Ratchet's overseer had left him for dead roughly 10 solar cycles ago, leaving the medic free to take care of Optimus without worry of missing his shifts. Ratchet continued to see Solus in private. This click was one such moment. Though the medic was sick, he was no longer contagious and was determined to spend at least some time with the former Prime. He sat on a bench in a small crystal garden set away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Iaconian life.

"Hello," a melodic voice said from beside him. Ratchet turned towards the voice and burst into a smile. "Are you happy to see me?"

"Of course," Ratchet said as he reached out a servo to guide the Prime towards the bench. She accepted it and sat close to him. He could feel the air from her vents gently flow onto his right shoulder. "How are you this evening?" The medic wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. She gently tucked the top of her helm in the slight curve where his neck met his shoulder.

"Just fine," she said. "It's good to get away from everything. We're lucky to have found this place, with the miners taking even more of the energon crystals every solar cycle. And how are you? You seem a bit...shaky, to say the least."

"I'll be all right. Just a little bit stressed over the twins is all. They're okay, don't worry, but with Optimus sick..." He vented a sigh. "I guess it's just a medic's intuition to try and fix everybody they can, and only time can heal him. I did all that I could."

"And that's all I ask of you," Solus said. She squeezed his servo with her own. "You're doing a wonderful job raising him. Thank you."

"It's nothing, really," Ratchet said.

"That's a load of slag and you know it," she said. Ratchet shuttered his optics and opened them again in surprise at the curse. "I'm raising Megatron. If he and Optimus share the same sire, then they're both equally rebellious. I can guarantee that."

"I...suppose so," Ratchet said, hesitating. He vented a sigh, but stopped midway. His optics widened. "Did you hear that?"

Solus bolted up from the medic's shoulder, and he fought the urge to whimper at the loss of comforting heat. "Hear what?" she asked. She looked around, cautious, at the glowing blue crystals. They lit the area and plunged certain spots into darkness, casting shadows. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary, Ratchet. Your processors must be playing tricks on you."

Ratchet's spark was doing flips in its chamber now; whether from fear or the virus, he didn't know. To be safe, he scanned both himself and the area for any sign of infection or unnatural heat signatures at the same time. The readings from his own body came out normal. The readings on his surroundings, however, did not. "Solus?" he asked, voice at a whisper.

"What?" She whispered as well, catching the panicked look in his optics.

"We're not alone," he said.

"What?" she asked, voice crackling into static. "Well then who-?"

"There are two," he said quietly, "one small, probably a youngling, and another older-" He stopped talking as a large shadow appeared, looming, from behind an energon crystal. The medic followed the darkness upwards and his worst fears were confirmed; he had just met Sentinel Prime.

"What," the male Prime asked, "in Primus's name, are you doing with my sparkmate?"

Ratchet tried to not gulp at the anger in the deep voice and harsh blue optics. "N-Nothing," he said.

The Prime took a step closer to the two sitting on the bench. "That's a load of slag," he said. "And the thing I hate more than anything is a liar. Tell me the truth and maybe I'll let you live."

"He wasn't doing anything, Sentinel," Solus said, jumping to her pedes. "He's telling the-"

"I didn't ask for you to speak," Sentinel said, and took a step towards his sparkmate. Ratchet jumped to his pedes as well and attempted to get between the two Primes. Sentinel pushed him aside a moment later. "Get out of my way, medic. This is between me and my sparkmate. Who is this 'Optimus' of which you speak?"

Ratchet finally found his voice. "No one important," he said. His voice was surprisingly strong for someone feeling like they were about to wet their tanks out of fear. The medic cocked his head to the side. "Why are you here?"

"I don't have to answer your questions," Sentinel said. "As I said before, this is between me and Solus. If you get in the way again, things will get ugly. That's a promise. And I don't think that you want to leave your precious 'Optimus' to face a horrible offlining, do you?"

That was definitely not the right thing to say in front of a defensive carrier. Solus, shaking with rage, stepped into her sparkmate's space and poked his armor on the right side of his spark chamber housing. "How dare you! Just...how dare you?" She spit the words out as if they had personally offended her.

"So he is important to you..." Sentinel said, tapping the side of his chin thoughtfully. He turned to Ratchet. "And you are his sire?"

"Yes," Ratchet said. His optics widened. "I mean no. I mean-" He looked to Solus for help.

"He's yours," Solus said to her sparkmate, "though there's no way I would let him end up like you." Sentinel's optics narrowed and Solus stepped back a bit as he advanced in her direction.

"You would be wise to not say that again," he said. "When was he born?"

"Almost three orns ago," Solus said, backing up more. Ratchet watched the unfolding scene warily.

"So you went against my orders and let him live," Sentinel said. A demented smirk appeared on his face as he turned to Ratchet. "Actually, I would bet that your medic went against my orders. They were the ones to kill all of the sparklings, you know. Or did he not tell you?"

"I know all about your little game," Solus said, "letting others kill precious sparklings for your own fun. And believe me, I want no part of it. I should have never become sparkmates with you."

"Oh really?" Sentinel said, stepping forward. Solus stepped back again, but bumped into an energon crystal. She was trapped on all sides. "Well, I should have never bonded with you either. You're a weakling for a Prime." He stepped to the right, now beginning to half-circle her. Ratchet's spark was about to beat out of its housing as he tried to come up with a plan to help her escape. "I bet that Optimus is a Prime as well." The male Prime chuckled. "After I kill y-"

Sentinel's optics widened as Ratchet pushed him bodily aside. One of the advantages of being a medic was that they had innumerable amounts of strength for carrying patients. However, he realized his plan was faulty as the Prime went after him. The medic stood there panting and legs shaking, virus weakening him after his stunt. He fell to his knees as his legs quit on him. In a last-ditch attempt to protect himself, he transformed his arms into large scalpels as he brought them in front of his chest. The circular saw on his left arm whirred at the Prime angrily.

"Sentinel!" Solus yelled. "Don't kill him. He's innocent!"

The large mech turned. "And I suppose that you aren't," he said. The sneer returned and he stalked closer to his sparkmate, who was still backed up against the energon crystals.

"Solus," Ratchet called. "What in Primus's name are you doing?"

"Saving Optimus!" she yelled, fierce. She cried out in pain as Sentinel plunged a long-bladed sword into her chest and twisted it. Ratchet could only watch in silent horror as her energon sprayed all over the crystals; his legs felt as though they had been encrusted in cement. The large mech approached him.

"I will give you half a click to get out of here," he said, stooping into Ratchet's face. He fought the urge to cringe at Sentinel's breath. "If you're still in Iacon by that time, you'll have wished that you were never sparked. I will personally find you and hunt you down." He started to leave. "Oh, and if I happen to see this 'Optimus,' I won't hesitate to kill him. Understand?"

Ratchet nodded weakly.

Sentinel left after giving one last kick to Solus. When Ratchet was sure that the mech Prime was really gone, her scurried over to her and transformed his weapons back to arms. "Does anything hurt?" he asked her. She just barely shook her helm, though the medic could see in her optics that the injury hurt. Energon flowed thickly. Ratchet scanned her and cursed under his breath, shaking his helm. Her optics flickered as she looked at him. "Oh, Solus," he said softly, curving a servo around her face. "I am so sorry."

The femme managed to bark out a laugh. "It isn't your fault that I bonded to that son of a glitch." She vented a sigh. "I knew this would happen sooner or later, Ratchet. You heard Sentinel; you need to get out of here before he comes back. Please...Just take care of Optimus and Magnus. I'll join the Well of All Sparks soon, and they need someone to look up to. I can't imagine anyone more suited for the job than you."

Ratchet cringed. "I'm just a medic," he said, "and ornery at that. Even Chromia would be better than me, I think."

Solus laughed. "I picked you, Ratchet," she said as she cupped the back of his neck. "They need you. I didn't pick anyone besides you and Ironhide because...well..." She vented a sigh. "I love you, Ratchet." She placed a soft kiss on his mouth just before falling back, her frame graying in death. Her servo trailed gently across his neck before it fell to the ground beside her. A lump welled in Ratchet's throat. He kissed her forehead before standing and walking away slowly. He never noticed a youngling Megatron watching from the shadows, helm bowed in sadness.