Magnia returned to Jazz's quarters the next morning to retrieve Ravenblade, her processor still reminiscing on her night with Bumblebee. He's such a good mech, she thought fondly, although maybe too gentle at times.

"Are you still going on about that?" Bee teased in her processor, "I'm sorry I wasn't as rough as you wanted me to be, but you know I don't like hurting you."

"That's the point of cop-prisoner role playing!" She complained, "You're supposed to be punishing me; ever heard of 'pain is pleasure' ?"

"Fine." Bee groaned, "Tomorrow, if we're not completely exhausted."

"Sounds good to me, you sexy cop you." Magnia taunted and he laughed

"I'll talk to you later gorgeous."

"Bye Bee." She felt him withdraw from her processor as she knocked on Jazz's door.

The saboteur answered the door quickly, an excited Ravenblade clinging to his neck and climbing over his helm, giggling.

"Hullo, Magnia!" He said cheerfully, "Don't mind the sparkling climbing all over me, she's been like this since the sun came up." He reached up and plucked her off of his shoulder, tickling her tummy and making her squeal.

"I'm sorry if she kept you up at all." Magnia said worriedly

"Naw" He waved her off, "She only bugged Prowler a bit, but he gets bugged by just about everythin'"

"Prowl's here?" She pushed open the door, revealing the tactician curled up in Jazz's sheets, "You two didn't-"

"No!" Jazz said quickly, "No, no, no, no, no, we didn't-I mean we did, but Ravenblade wasn't here."

"She wasn't here." Magnia repeated, trying not to lose her temper, "And where was my sparkling, if you were supposed to be watching her, Jazz?"

"It's not-" Jazz sighed, "Primus this looks terrible. When ya left, Ravenblade kept askin' me why I was so sad and where Prowl was, and then when I told her, she gave me a hug. At that point I just couldn't take it anymore, so I asked Chromia to watch her and I ran tah my room so no one would see what a mess I was. And then Prowl found me here, and we made up and bonded and Chromia brought Ravenblade by later when Prowl was asleep." He glanced at Magnia and added nervously, "We didn't scarr yer sparkling for life, I swear!"

Chromia walked by just then and Jazz sighed, relieved, " 'Mia'll tell ya. You watched Ravenblade last night fer me didntcha?"

"Yeah, why?" Chromia glanced between Magnia and Jazz.

"Nothin'." Jazz clapped her on the shoulder as she walked past him

As she walked away she could hear Magnia say doubtfully, "Well I guess as long as you didn't…."

Chromia kept walking, trying to get to the mess hall before it was swarmed with bots. She paused at a corner and then leapt around it, taking the bot that was pressed against wall down in a flash of blue and red.

"Whoa there Captain!" Firestar laughed beneath her, "It's just a prank, see?". She held up a tiny can labeled 'Silly String'

"Where did you get this?" Chromia asked, helping the red and orange femme up.

"I got it from Earth." Sunstreaker popped his helm around the corner behind Chromia, "Star's just helping me out with my daily pranks while Sides is at his 'job' doing Bumblebee's bidding. You can never have too many pranks!"

And with that he pulled a bottle of energon out of his subspace, squirted Chromia with it, and then sped off, shouting to Firestar, "Seeya later Star!"

"Auggh!" Chromia growled, wiping the energon off her faceplates, "Firestar, since when did you start hanging out with Thing Two?"

"Since you and Strongarm got jobs that take up all of your time." Firestar shrugged, "We don't have that many missions, so I'm bored like allllllll the time. And Sunny's not bad company. Plus," She added, a mischievous smile creeping to her faceplates, "This pranking stuff is kinda fun!"

Chromia shook her helm and kept walking with the femme towards the mess hall. As they waited in line for their energon they were joined by Strongarm, who was on lunch break.

"I heard…." Firestar started, "Oh, wait I already told you guys that. Well, Blaster's….dammit I told you that too. I'm running out of gossip!"

"I've got some, actually." Chromia said, surprised

"What is it?" Both femmes turned to her eagerly

Chromia said worriedly, "Firestar, promise you won't spread this around, alright?"

"I'll try my hardest." She saluted jauntily

"Okay, well…" Chromia sighed, "Jazz and Prowl are bonded."

"Shut up!" Firestar gasped and Strongarm's optics bulged, "No way!"

"I know, isn't it great?" Chromia smiled as they finally sat down at a table

"Chromia, I'm not gonna spread that around." Firestar raised an optic ridge, "They're my friends. Plus they have a hard enough time with bots talking about them anyways."

"Yeah…." Strongarm drummed her digits on the table, "I wonder…"

"What?" The other two femmes asked

Strongarm blushed a little, "Who do you think is on top?"

"Oh, obviously Jazz." Firestar sipped her energon, "He strikes me as the dominant one."

"No way." Chromia crossed her arms, "I think it's Prowl."

"I'm with Star on this one." Strongarm added, "It's totally Jazz."

"I will bet you femmes five credits!" Chromia smacked her servo on the table

"Deal!" They said in unison

"What are we betting on?" Prowl said from behind them suddenly and they all jumped guiltily

"Nothing." Firestar said hastily and the other two stared down at their energon

"Nothing?" Prowl flattened his servos on the table next to them, "I don't think so. Chromia?"

Chromia exhaled, "We were betting on...which one of you is on top."

"Hah." Prowl chuckled and the femmes relaxed slightly, "And what are the bets?"

Chromia crossed her arms, "These two morons are betting on Jazz, and I'm betting on you."

Prowl remained silent for a moment, a faint smile on his faceplates. Finally he said, "I'm quite flattered you were rooting for me, Chromia."

"And?" The femmes leaned forward eagerly

Prowl smirked, "I hate to dissapoint, but you're all wrong. Jazz and I take turns."

"Ahhhh!" All of the femmes laughed and hooted as Prowl sat down at their table.

"Congratulations by the way." Chromia said to Prowl

"Thank you." Prowl sighed, "I-we are very, very happy."

They talked for a while and soon Chromia left to get another energon cube. Ironhide was sitting at a table close to the line with a bunch of mechs. As she got her energon she discretely adjusted her audio receptors so she could hear their conversation.

"Ain't that femme Firestar somethin' though?" Blaster whistled

"Yeah, she's pretty hot." Smokescreen agreed

"Ya know who I don't like though." Blaster lowered his voice and the other two leaned closer, "That femme Chromia. She's so...brash ya know? Like she tries to be all tough like a mech. I dunno, 'Hide what do you think?"

"Ah." Ironhide rubbed his neck uncomfortably, "I mean yeah she's kinda-she's a little stiff."

Chromia's shoulders slumped against her wishes; why should she care what Ironhide said about her? She trailed dejectedly out of the mess hall, unaware that a pair of steel blue optics followed her out as Ironhide realized she had heard what he said.

Dammit femme, He thought unhappily and excused himself to the other two mechs, hurrying after her.

OooooooooooooooooooooooooO

He found Chromia on the roof of one of the buildings a few miles away, her back leaning against a pillar, her chin resting on her knees. Her sapphire optics started at the skyline, unfocused, not quite sad or angry but just...untouchable.

Chromia, he almost said but instead he said, "Femme. What're ya doing up here?"

He fully expected her to blow up at him, to demand to know why he had said something so mean about her. He almost would have preferred it to her saying tonelessly, "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Absolutely fragging nothing Ironhide." Chromia said in a voice so hollow and distant that Ironhide almost reached out to touch her, before remembering she didn't like being touched.

"Hey, I'm sorry about what I said in the mess hall." He said unhappily

"Why?"

He frowned, "Why did I say it?"

"No. Why are you sorry?" Chromia continued staring at the sky, her optics dark, "Everything you and Blaster said was true. I'm brash and I'm rude, and I try to be tough and as a result no one likes me."

I like you!, Ironhide practically screamed in his processor, but of course he couldn't say that, "There are plenty of bots that like you."

"Hah." Chromia said sullenly, "Good one."

"No, really.". When there was no response he sighed, "Well regardless of whether it's true or not, I'm sorry because I hurt your feelings."

She finally turned and looked right at him with that piercing sapphire gaze, "Like you give a damn about my feelings, Ironhide. Like I give a damn what anybot thinks."

Except you, She wanted to say, For some strange reason I give a damn what you think. She instead settled for getting up and storming past him.

"Chromia, wait." He said, reaching out and catching her servo.

They both froze as Chromia thought, He's holding my servo! Why the frag is he holding my servo? What is happening?, and Ironhide's processor was going, Shitshitshitshit! Why did I do that?! Bad idea, let go! Let go servo!

Unfortunately his form wasn't obeying him at the moment and they stood there frozen for almost a full minute, Chromia's optics wide. Finally Ironhide managed to stutter out, "Uhhhhhhh…."

Fortunately, a small Decepticon ship zoomed by and began firing on them before he could say something stupid and embarrassing.