Fairytale Heaven
Disclaimer: Well, the people have spoken. I have finally begun work on a story that ties in heavily with "MASQUERADE"; this is Jhiaxus and Eros' backstory. I have planned this ever since it was requested by a few reviewers of mine and now, here you go! I hope you guys like this one. For those who haven't read Masquerade, I encourage you to do so.
"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love."
-Mother Teresa
"Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning."
-Unknown Quote
By: VampireQueenAkasha
"We had order. Structure. A perfect, faultless mechanism that was destined to re-shape the galaxy. Then you came..."
-Jhiaxus, G2
Part Seven
An entire-practically too long-solar cycle had gone by since she had seen him.
Eros was kneeling over her ship in the Iacon Repair Vaults, watching as Perceptor and Ananke surveyed the engine. Ananke was kneeling inside the booster and covered in grease stains. Perceptor was scanning the screen for fluctuating Energon levels.
"Look, I checked it this morning and it was running fine," Eros snapped, placing her hands on her hips. She jumped back with Ananke as a spark snapped through the air from the booster and growled in frustration. "Primus, this thing is useless!"
Perceptor looked at her. "YOUR SHIP REQUIRES A REPLACEMENT PRIMARY BOOSTER," he informed her, "THE ENERGON LINES ARE CORRODED AND WILL ALSO NEED TO BE REPLACED."
Eros rolled her optics. "And how much is that going to cost me?"
"I DO NOT KNOW YET," Perceptor replied, "I WILL HAVE THE ESTIMATE SHORTLY."
Eros smiled rather bitingly as Perceptor walked away, leaving her alone with Ananke. The other femme watched him go before she stood up and placed her wrench down. "All right. What is it?" she asked, calmly.
Eros looked surprised. "What?" she asked.
"You're hiding something."
"I'm not hiding anything."
Ananke looked at her with a gentle, encouraging smile. "Eros, you can tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone."
Eros shook her head and she looked distracted. "Look, I have to leave," she said, impatience in her voice laced with the barest hint of depression, "I have to clear my central processor a bit. If Perceptor comes back, tell him that what I need can be put on my account." Then, she realized what she said and arched her optic ridges. "And if you see that aft Pontus lurking around here for me, tell him to kindly keep his olfactory sensors out of my business unless he wants me to break it again."
Ananke looked shocked as Eros left the repair vaults without so much as a second word; she transformed and drove away. No sooner had she left, Ultra Magnus rode up and transformed, looking at Ananke inquisitively.
"Where is Eros?" he asked, "I want to speak with her."
Ananke wavered a bit and returned attention to her task. "I-I haven't seen her, commander."
Ultra Magnus grimaced with an impatient sigh and shook his head. "Eros can't continue to run off like this," he muttered, turning to go, "Please tell my daughter that. I know that she would listen to you before she would me."
Ananke rolled her optics as Ultra Magnus left. "Heh. Yeah, sure she would."
While her father left, Eros took a moment to ride down the streets of Iacon, hoping to clear her processor that way. She transformed and stopped at an intersection, casting her gaze toward the park; several Autobots were in the middle of discussion or laughing. A few passed her and gave her acknowledgements or waves, but she barely even noticed them. Her mind wandered to places she did not want it to go. To the powerful, startling and proud Decepticon Warlord who made her spark flutter every time she was even in the same room with him.
Why was she always thinking of him?
Eros had always been taught of their wicked ways. She had seen the extent of their abilities and witnessed their capacity for evil. Jhiaxus had taken her mother from her and Eros knew what she should have felt. She should have been angry. She should have utterly despised him.
But she didn't. At least, not anymore.
Eros' attention turned toward Rosanna; a pink Autobot singer walking her pets and she was almost trampled by Ramhorn. Rosanna gave her an apologetic smile before continuing forward.
"Sorry! He's been a bit moody today!" she said.
Eros barely smiled. "It's okay."
She watched Rosanna walk away with her pets and her optics drifted to two young lovers at the street corner; one appeared to be shy about displaying his affections to the femme and she was also mildly awkward.
Eros sadly smiled at that.
Why can't it ever be that easy?
O
The twin moons had never been more welcoming than that day.
Eros leaned back in the grass near her ship, optics closed and savoring the feel of the fireflies against her chassis. She left the gentle breeze clear her head a bit, but it didn't do much good. She still felt a sense of emptiness that couldn't fade away.
Then, a small shuffle drew her attention toward a collection of alien trees. She frowned and sat up, catching a glimpse of white and gray among them. Frowning, Eros stood and slowly approached the faint movement.
Jhiaxus.
She could see him standing near a gentle stream, watching the water with an impassive expression on his face; he didn't appear to see or notice her. Eros noticed no glory in his face as he often had before; there was no joy, no nothing. He just watched the passing water with a barely audible sigh. When she moved just an inch, he jerked his head back and looked right at her. His optics flickered with warmth briefly.
They didn't say anything for a while and just watched one another. It was Eros who broke the silence.
"Jhiaxus..." she began, uncertain of what to say. She was still so angry about the truth that she had learned about him, but also...lost. She felt confused because while she was angry, she was still happy to see him standing there.
Jhiaxus said nothing. He just...watched her.
When she took a careful step forward, she could actually see in the fading light the extent of his emotions; a mixture of frustration and anger, but more prominently, there was pain. Pain in his fiery red optics that kept her from coming closer. She actually took a step back; Jhiaxus actually looked like his old self again. He looked like that unchecked, blood thirsty monster that she had seen in image before she had met him.
Eros sighed and collected her thoughts. She wasn't afraid, just...careful. "I'm not really angry anymore, Jhiaxus," she said, softly, "I'm sad. I'm sad because it's so easy for you to take a life and most importantly, the life of someone I loved. Does life really mean so little to you? Can you truly kill someone without so much as a second thought? I want to know what I really mean to you, Jhiaxus. I want to know if you would ever do that to me."
Jhiaxus flinched at that and his optics widened with a grimace of anger on his face. "I would NEVER lay a hand against you, Eros..." he said, in a tight voice, finally speaking.
Eros groaned and looked away, torn at the sight of raw emotion flickering in his gaze.
Jhiaxus watched her for a moment before he turned completely, facing her. He took a careful, placating step toward her. "Eros...I know what I've done to you," he told her, his voice low and weak, even to himself, "In the time I have been apart from you, my existence has been without a semblance of meaning. I've torn apart my enemies, slaughtered countless and none of them have given me a moment's reprieve of your face in my mind." He looked at her startled expression and sadly smiled. "For the things I have done; for causing you such grief and such agony, I would do whatever it takes to to make it better."
Eros felt her chest grow heavy at his words.
Jhiaxus continued, speaking gentle and yet proud all at once. "But there is something that I will not apologize for; I refuse to apologize for what you have awakened in me. I refuse to apologize for the miracle Primus has blessed me with. For the first time in millions of solar cycles, I felt something I thought I had never even had. I feel nothing but feelings of gratitude for your presence and the greatest sensation of joy. For that? No. I will never feel sorry and nothing in the universe will ever hope to change it."
Eros' optics widened and lubricant began to form at the corners of her optics.
"However..." Jhiaxus said, much softer now. He reached behind him and took one of his swords, holding it out to her, "If you truly feel the ache of vengeance still burning in your spark, come and claim it." He watched the horror touch her face and once more, sadly smiled at her. "To be taken by your hand... I would grant no other this choice. Come and take your revenge. You have every right to it, Eros. I will not stop you."
Eros couldn't believe what he was asking. She stared down at the sword offered to her before she approached him and slapped him across the face. Jhiaxus took the blow without so much as a murmur of pain and Eros cupped his face, tearfully leaning forward.
"Primus damn you, Jhiaxus," she moaned.
She dropped to her knees, taking him with her as she threw her arms around his shoulders, pressing her face against his cloak. Jhiaxus held the back of her neck in one hand and wrapped his other arm around her.
"You killed my mother..." Eros whispered, voice trembling against his audio receptor, "I know I should hate you, but I can't. I can't hate you. It wouldn't make a difference; she will still be dead and I'll simply be left with a sick feeling in the pit of my internals. Why is it that I can't bring myself to hate you for that?"
It wasn't really a question Jhiaxus felt that he should answer or had the right to answer. While Eros spent a moment weeping into his cloak, he just held her and let her do so. After a while, she parted and uttered a swift intake of air before grumbling softly, wiping her optics with one hand. She felt embarrassed by her tears, but then again, her spark felt much lighter and relieved that she had cried at all, even if it was in front of him.
"I hate crying," she muttered, "I always feel so pitiful."
Jhiaxus chuckled gently. "I'd rather you did, Eros."
She looked up at him with a smile she knew probably looked ridiculous, but he didn't show signs of any kind of surprise at it. Instead, he leaned forward and reached up, delicately cupping her face and gently touching the undersides of her audio receptors. He looked at her, his optics asking permission and when she didn't refuse, he tilted his head and let his lips brush lightly against her own. That same shudder from the first time he had kissed her returned and she let herself feel it.
Eros closed her optics and leaned forward, murmuring softly against his lips. She felt his fingers as they gently-almost sensuously-stroked her face, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders to hold him closer. It was the second time he kissed her, but she reached a delightful, yet frightening conclusion: she didn't want to kiss anyone else but him.
Jhiaxus parted from her with a soft sigh and leaned his forehelm against hers. "For all that I have done, I swear to atone for you."
Eros held him close to her. Despite the sick sensation in the pit of her internals, her spark felt a surge of peace.
O
Ultra Magnus was busy at work typing up his reports when Eros stepped into his office and put her arms around his neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He looked surprised by the gesture and she smiled down at him.
"Good day, father," she greeted.
"Um, yes...uh..." Ultra Magnus began, still confused by Eros' abrupt change in attitude, "Hello, Eros. Is there something you need?"
Eros smiled and shook her head. "Nothing really. I wasn't busy at the moment and I just thought I'd come by and give my father a warm good morning." She reached behind her and placed a bottle on his desk, announcing her offering in a sing-song tone. "I brought your favorite!"
Ultra Magnus sighed and slouched his shoulders, giving her a knowing look. "What do you want, Eros?" he asked, in an even voice.
Eros laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Can't a daughter do something nice for her father?"
"Not unless that certain daughter had something she wanted from her certain father. That certain daughter's mother used to do the same thing."
Eros smiled brightly and shook her head at that. "Well, maybe this time, I don't have anything I want." She turned and started to go, but not before calling back to him. "Have a good day, father! I'm off to practice!"
Ultra Magnus blinked, amazed as she disappeared. Eros shared her good mood with Alpha Trion in the corridors with a cheerful smile. "Good day, Alpha Trion!"
He too looked equally befuddled by her change in behavior before he stepped into Ultra Magnus' office. "It seems that Eros is doing well again," Alpha Trion mused, "I was growing concerned for a moment there."
Ultra Magnus nodded his head. "Yes..." Then, he frowned curiously at him. "Did you wish to see me for something?"
"Something's going on with Pontus," Alpha Trion told him, his features a mask of uncertainty and suspicion, "He's been rather dodgy lately."
"When is he never?"
"This is different. Yesterday, I saw him going through Eros' ship."
Ultra Magnus' hands paused at his keyboard and he looked up at him with concern. "Why would he do that?"
"I don't know," Alpha Trion replied, knotting his brow, "I immediately confronted him about it and he simply laughed it off, telling me that 'it was nothing'. I'm beginning to think that he's up to something more than he's leading us to believe." He sighed and shook his head. "If I may be so bold, I have never trusted him to begin with, but this is different. He seems obsessed with something. Something that we're not seeing."
Ultra Magnus leaned back in his chair with a murmur. He looked deeply troubled.
"Pontus has always kept an unprofessional optic on my daughter," he said, softly, "But he's never been stupid enough to attempt anything."
Alpha Trion didn't seem very certain. "I would keep a watch out for him just in case."
Ultra Magnus was silent for a moment, clearly thinking about this. "Yes, of course."
Outside of the Metroplex, Eros observed her unit in training. She immediately ran on the field where Two-Times was in the middle of practicing sprints and ran alongside him. He was panting heavily through his intakes and limping a bit.
"Come on, Two-Times!" she yelled, "A Decepticon army's on your tailpipe! Move that aft!"
Two-Times groaned. "I can't... Too tired-Tired."
Eros laughed as she kept pace with him. "Then you need a little added motivation, Two-Times." She looked toward an Autobot drone and nodded her head.
He acknowledged and prepared a cannon turret. It unleashed a dummy blast at Two-Times' heels and the mech yelped in fright, sprinting much faster ahead of Eros. She couldn't stop her laugh as he blasted through the training field like a possessed maniac. She didn't see Ultra Magnus step into the fields until she turned. He gestured for her to come to him with one hand.
"Eros, I wonder if I could have a word with you in private," he said.
Eros shook her head and indicated her unit. "Oh. No, I need to..."
"No. Please." Ultra Magnus insisted.
Eros shrugged and looked over to Ananke. "Keep them busy while I'm gone."
Ananke nodded and Eros joined her father outside of the training field. Once they were in a perfect spot out of anyone's sight, Eros turned to him expectantly.
"What's wrong, father?" she asked.
"I want to know if Pontus has ever approached you in an...unprofessional or intimidating manner," Ultra Magnus said
Eros' optics clouded with unease; what did her father have to suspect that Pontus was up to something? Did Pontus lay down any form of subtle hints about Jhiaxus and herself? Then again, if he had, she knew her father would be raising the very depths of the Pit about it. Right now, he only looked concerned. She didn't want to make it any worse and simply shook her head, frowning and feigning confusion to his words.
"No. Why would he?" she asked.
Ultra Magnus' brow creased sternly. "I am not joking, Eros. I want you to be honest with me. Has he approached you behind my back?"
Eros snorted. "Father, this is hardly appropriate."
"Don't you tell me what is hardly appropriate. Tell me the truth."
Eros sighed impatiently. "I'm not having this argument, father; not now." She looked up at him with a smile. "Everything's fine. You have nothing to worry about. Pontus is just doing what he does best; snooping around because he has nothing better to do with his time." She paused and noticed the glimmer of doubt in her father's gaze. "I'm doing fine, father. I promise you, I'm good. There is nothing that you need to be concerned with."
Ultra Magnus sighed and nodded his head, seemingly satisfied for the moment. "Good. So when we approach the Council during meeting-" He cut himself off when Eros gave a bored groan and continued with arched optic ridges, "-As I was saying; you will be there and you will hold your glossa this time around him."
Eros gave him an impassive, almost humorous look. "I will make no such promise, father."
O
Jhiaxus was disturbed by what Eros told him about Pontus.
"This is troubling, Eros," he said, showing his fangs; it wasn't a gesture directed to her, but to the situation and its entirety, "That fool can become quite an issue. If you require, I can always make him disappear."
Eros looked stunned before she shook her head. "No, Jhiaxus; he's a fragger. He's not worth it," she told him, "He suspects something, but I don't think he has any crucial evidence to prove to anyone where I've been going."
Jhiaxus still seemed doubtful, but nodded his head. "Alright."
Eros took a sigh, but then her optics lit up briefly. "Oh! I brought you something." She reached behind her.
Jhiaxus looked interested. "You did?"
"Yeah. I made this for you," Eros said, pulling an object from her side compartment. She suddenly looked back at him. "No peeking." Jhiaxus arched his optic ridges at her and she laughed. "Just close your optics."
He finally gave in and closed his optics. Eros placed something into his hands and he stared down at it; it looked like a piece of jewelry or shoulder strap with a set of twin moons dangling from the end. The metal was red and twisted with blue. Jhiaxus looked at her and she gave a sheepish smile.
"It's for your shoulder. I added the moons in honor of our planet," she offered, taking it and fastening it to the tubes of his left shoulder, "I had originally made it before we..." She cut herself off and grimaced before shaking her head. "Well, I finished it today. I thought you'd enjoy this silly little thing I made."
Jhiaxus stared down at the gift and couldn't resist a smile. "Indeed. I adore it, Eros. I am honored to have something made from your own hands."
Eros' face plates heated and she laughed softly. "I hope it doesn't look too silly."
"Not at all," Jhiaxus said, smiling with pride, "I shall wear it always." Then, his pride deflated to a degree and he looked somewhat ashamed. "My only regret is that I have yet to give you a gift."
She chuckled and waved that off. "Don't worry about that."
Jhiaxus stood up and took her hands in his. She blinked in surprise and he looked dead serious now. "I will find something worthy of you, Eros."
Eros could only utter a murmur of amusement and leaned forward, sharing another kiss with him.
He doesn't know. He's already given me one...
