The nurse leaned against the door frame, looking through the window with an expression of pity and sympathy. The doctor came in from behind, making her jump as he tapped her shoulder.

"My apology nurse. How are they doing?"

"Fine doctor from what I can tell. The mech fell asleep a few cycles ago. He refuses to leave her side." She looked down to the datapad that he carried "Are those the stats?"

"Indeed." He handed it over to the femme.

She scrolled through the charts; her expression did not change but worsened, reading on. "Are you sure this is correct?"

He nodded "Yes, we tested twice and both came up the same."

"I see, are you sure we should tell the mech? According to the records; they are not related nor have any family lines connecting to each other."

"Well from what we've read from her file, he was her guardian when she was a sparkling until she became of legal age and the only family she has."

"Parents?"

"Mother is deceased and no one's seen or even heard of the father. Nor is there anything about any other relatives."

"Oh dear," the nurse looked back into the window, starring at a sleeping Kup; sitting beside the berth, upper half laying over, and head deep in stasis in folded arms. "I don't think this will make things any easier. Such a horrible thing to happen to somebo-"

"Shhh!" the doctor muttered "What has happened to this femme has been asked to be kept as Classified by the Guard. Not one word gets out of this building."

The nurse nodded "Understood sir. Shall I wake him?"

"Not quite yet, he has been up most of the night watching her, give him a few more klicks of rest. He's going to need it….the both of them."

Everything was a dark shadowy blurr. A voice could be heard through the blackness but it was unclear.

Consciousness reviving the blurs begun to take shape and move, the voice becoming clearer but all that he could make out was "He's coming to."

Jetstorm blinked his optics under his visor, moaning from the sudden pulsing in his helm. Squinting did little help with his vision but eventually the blurs before him took form into familiar faces.

"There you are." The face that looked like Wheeljack said happily. Jetstorm still could not feel anything in his lip components to respond. "For a klick there we thought we lost you for good."

"Brother! Well are you? You being better?" Jetfire leaned in almost head-butting into Wheeljack.

"I…." he could feel his vocaliser re-booting slowly "am." Taking the chance he slowly rose from the birth, feeling the warmth of other's servos on his spinal strut helping him as he dragged his legs over to dangle over the side, hunched over. Looking down he saw that his frame had returned to its normal shade of navy blue and yellow. "Wh…what happen?" he rubbed his throbbing helm.

"We got most of the virus out and replaced your control chip to contain the rest of it. It should never bother you again." Wheeljack patted.

"You remember what happing last before turning into…er….badness bot brother?"

"I….I am thinking twas after arrested you were….and..and then I see Phoenix with hunter and then blackness was everywhere. Not thinking straight, could hear other voice in processor."

"That was when your condition became critical." Perceptor wrote down on a datapad.

"I….I suppose. I remember now nothing, I…I remember seeing brother and Phoenix an-…Phoenix!" he gasped, looking around franticly. "Where she?!"

"She…" Jetfire paused "She at hospital."

"Hospital!? She hurt?! How bad!? What bad doings did I made to her?!"

"Now just calm down Storm," Wheeljack held him back with a servo on his chest. "The last we heard she was doing…fine."

"Fine? Tiz all? I needing to see if she alright…I need to be seeing her ahhh!" he cringed trying to leap off the berth only to fall to his knees, realizing he had no feeling in them. Wheeljack and Jetfire quickly grabbed either side of his arms and helped him back onto the berth.

"Whoa brother! Not fully healed you aren't." Jetfire could feel his brother's spark rate pulsing at an alarming speed through his servo.

"He's right, your systems will needs a few more moments of recharge before they start to function properly again."

"But…Phoenix I…" Storm knew he was right and that his frame ached and felt very weak, but there was still that piece of motivation deep within him that kept nagging to 'Go! Go! Go!'

"We know Jetstorm…but you need to let yourself heal first. Plus…I don't think it's such a good idea for you to see her just now or…maybe… if you don't see her at all."

"But I….must apologize. I cannot go without saying so."

"I know, I know how you feel Jetstorm but-"

"Please." The mech tugged on Wheeljack's arm with a sorrowful expression.

Sighing, the scientist patted his shoulder, "If it means that much to you, we'll go to the hospital just too quickly check up on her."

Jetstorm nodded, "Thank you. I supposing we be sneaking in now everybody think I am freak monster."

"No, we did not allow any of this onto the press. The Elite has made certain that anyone involved in this case will be silence and not say a word about any past events." Perceptor finally looked up from his notes. "You will also not be trialed. Despite Sentinel Prime's disagreement, it understands that you were under a non-contagious decepticon coding virus that spread over your consciousness and had no choice but to follow it. It was one of the risks we had warned about when we first put the coding into you and your twin."

"But what about…." Jetfire stopped and looked at his brother, but Jetstorm knew what he wanted to ask.

"What about what I do to Phoenix?"

"Nothing can be said at this time for from what we last heard she is still in deep stasis and will remain so for a while."

"I think it be better if I see her now then soon." Landing pedes back to the ground he held the berth for balance.

"Why brother?" Jetfire clutched his arm, steading his twin.

"It better if I apologize to her when she not seeing me then having her see sorrys said by monster who put her in sate she in."

Neither one of the other mech's knew what to reply, only watched as Jetfire held tightly to Jetstorm as he slowly tried to regain control of his numb legs. He should be waiting for his frame to regain its strength naturally, but knowing what he had to do was all the adrenaline he needed to push forward.

Wheeljack watched with a blank expression but in his mind he was quite impressed with the young bots stamina. "Alright, let's go." He opened the doors for the others to exit. He should be telling them to stop and to rest before his suffers from any after pains from moving to early, but it would be nothing compared to what Jetstorm was going to feel later.

Kup grunted when there was a shake of his shoulder; the teal mech looked up from his arms seeing Phoenix asleep, bandaged and attached to wires on machines. Not exactly the first thing he wanted to see when he first woke up.

"Sir," he turned to the nurse standing beside with a clipboard. "I'm sorry to disturb you but I need to talk to you and seeing how you're her only known family member I think it's vitally important to tell you that."

"Yes, go on." The veteran rose from his seat.

"Well, we've finished all the tests and….who is that?" Kup looked at the nurse to see to where she was gazing. Through the large window their looking in was Wheeljack and Jetfire standing in the background and Jetstorm, standing front and center starring at Phoenix with a face of distraught. Kup felt his energon boiling in his circuits but kept silent.

"What are they doing here?" he muttered.

"I can have them escorted out if you wish sir." The nurse hugged her datapad.

"No need, I need to speak to one of 'em anyhow." Ignoring the nurse he marched causally past her and out the door. Jetstorm did not look away from the glass as the nurse followed. "Do I need to ask on why you're here?" Kup directed at Wheeljack.

"Only to check up on Phoenix and Jetstorm wanted to say-"

"I sorry" Jetstorm turned away, he couldn't stand the site anymore, seeing the femme wrapped in endless amount of gauze and bandages, her neck covered by a thick foam brace and a disturbing number of wires hooked up from her to the machines. What had he done? "I sorry for everything. I should be going to brig for I be doing. I just…wanted to be saying so so she don't have to see me."

"Well I won't disagree with the jail part…but…they told me about your lil' virus contamination problem so….I won't press any charges."

"Thank you. H…How bad are damages."

"You really wanna hear them kid?" Kup bit on his cy-gar.

Jetstorm nodded.

"Alright well besides the multiple bruising, and ripped ankle; which was not caused by you, she has a couple of dents here and there, rust spots, an injured stabilize-er wing, is very low in energon and her neck has almost been crushed in completely, among other things. Needless to say; she's in pretty bad shape."

"I….I" Jetstorm's lips froze…nothing could come out.

"Like I said, I won't press charges but….I think it's best if you leave."

"I understanding."

"No…I don't think you do."

"Sir?"

"Jetstorm," the elder mech looked gravely down on him, taking out the cy-gar between two digits, "If you love her, I think it would be best for both of you…if you never saw each other again."

Jetstorm looked back into the mechs faded blue optics, and then turned back to the window, putting a servo on the glass. "I will go then." Nodding Kup turned back to the nurse and Wheeljack put a servo on his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes." Gazing one last time, he turned on his pede Jetstorm walked silently away with Wheeljack and Jetfire following behind.

"Now what was it you wanted to tell me?" Kup asked.

"Well…sir like I said we did all the tests and well, there is something crucial that we should tell you."

"And?" Kup leaned in as the nurse quietly explained. When she was done he looked to her with shock, his legs buckled and he sat in the nearest chair "Are you sure?!" he looked back up to her.

"Yes, we did it twice. It's positive."

Kup rubbed his helm in his servos. "Thank you...nurse. That will be all. I'll…I'll be the one who tells her when she wakes up."

The nurse nodded with a pitiful face and turned away, her pedes echoing and left Kup alone, tossing his cy-gar to the side chair, staring blankly at the floor, slouching. 'Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse.' He thought. How in sweet Primus was he going to break this to Phoenix when she was already so broken? He rubbed his face into his palms sighing.

"Sir? Where you planning on telling her when she woke up correct?" he looked back up to the nurse, who apparently only went as far as the door to Phoenix's room.

"Yes?" he looked to her in confusion.

"Well…I'm not certain if right away is a good time but if that is your wish then…now's your chance."

Kup could not comply at first what the young femme was getting at until he stared into the glass wall behind him; the purple femme's frame twitched, and was showing signs of slow movement. Inhaling deeply, he removed himself from his chair and popped the cy-gar back between his lip components. His denta grinding against it as he entered the room. The nurse remained unnoticed as she gradually walked away. Taking the chair placed beside her berth he took her limp servo between his. It still felt cold, almost like touching an ice cube despite the room being heated.

Another one of her new 'treatments'. Once they found her; her frame was warm because of the supposing running she had done before but as soon as they brought the unconscious femme into the operation room it froze up like she was just inside a cooler.

The long lost basement they found back at the abandoned site where she was being held; must have been extremely cold and with nothing to produce warmth her circuits became stiff and slow. But that was the least of their worries compared to the other damage.

He felt her digits slightly wiggle under his palms, "Hang in there kid." He squeezed them gently.

"K….Kup?" came a small wheezy voice.

"I'm here." The mech rubbed her arm, watching her optics flutterer open.

"Are you…..is this.?.."

"Shhhh, take it easy. Your still a little dizzy from the meds." Primus how long has it been since he last talked to her? For a klick there he almost didn't recognize her voice. Or maybe that wasn't it; he raised the femme since she was a sparkling, he couldn't forget.

It has been years since the Great War but there are just something you cannot forget, and he knew the sound of a broken bot when he heard them. The usual chipper tone in her voice was gone, sounding more like an aged music-box; only carrying its usually happy tune for a few seconds before slowing down, only to hear the rusted gears inside grinding against each other, no longer able to make the beautiful music it once played.

"Where…where is.."

"Nowhere near here I promise you."

"He's not in prison is he?"

Kup was surprised by the unexpected question. She sounded…almost worried Why on Cybertron would she worry about where that mech was? After all this?

"U-uh…I…he." What answer was she looking for? He couldn't tell the wounded femme wanted to hear. She sounded worried when she asked but was that towards Jetstorm or toward her own safety?

"Not exactly. But don't worry; he won't be able to harm you again."

Phoenix only laid back further into her pillow and glanced up at the ceiling, having no sign that she heard him. There was no feeling left in her frame; she just felt…numb, unable to speak or to move. But the lack of feeling did not terrify her. This time it was in her terms.

He couldn't tell what the femme was thinking; lying silently in a coma state. Stroking her servo he looked back out to the window even though there was no one there. The news had to be told eventually just….how should to tell it? In fact, should he even tell her at all? The mech broke from his trance and looked to the still femme, "Phoenix I….I have to tell you something."

Her gaze slowly left the ceiling and into his own optics. They were so lifeless, voided by their usual bright and fun blue glow, so….broken. "Yes?"

His spark ached and pounded against his chest, optics held tightly shut. He should tell her. Just go a spit it out! But all he could do was just stare, his lips trembling to speak but no sound came out.

"Kup?"

He just couldn't do it. "Y-You'll be able to be outta here in a couple of weeks."

"Oh that's good." Her brow furrowed; seeing Kup quickly look the other way. "You sure...that's all?"

"Yes." He nodded. "That's all. While were on that matter I think it will be best if you stayed with me for the next little while. Just fo-"

"No."

The sudden refusal caught him off guard. "What?"

"If it's all the same to you; I want to be at my own place for a while."

"But-"

"Uncle Kup, please," Phoenix shivered, the cables in her neck burned as she cleared her throat. "I don't want to argue. I just…want to go home." Her helm rolled; facing the ceiling once again, denying any tears to show through.

The veteran sighed, "Alright…..alright. But if that's the case then I'm staying with you. Someone needs to keep an optic on you until your back on your pedes."

The femme didn't deny nor did she respond. If anything she re-closed her optics and seemed to drifting off into stasis.

Kup watched silently, patting her servo. His conscience chewing at his spark.

"Brother?" Jetfire knocked his knuckle on the bedroom door again. "Brother? Please be coming out. Work or sun seen not you have for weeks."

Still no answer came. Finally filled with impatiens, he swung the door wide.

He had come to terms that he could not possibly understand what his brother was going through but he did know when enough was enough. Jetstorm had avoided everyone; neither spoken to nor had completely refused to see anyone entirely. He was afraid; but of hurting Phoenix again? Or others? Jetfire wasn't sure but he was not about to let it take over his brother's life.

Jetstorm was seated on the end of his berth; knees hugged tightly against his chest and helm buried between his knees.

Nothing in the room looked like it had not been touched in ages, nothing was moved but on the orange jet;s side of the room. He never thought how unsettling it was to see ones room so clean…and seemingly inhabitant.

"Brother, slump breaking you must! Hiding is no answer or option! Outside you must be being. Friends are worried."

"Worrying I hurt them too…." Came a low, whispering sob.

"What? No! They worried of good being! They knowing if you are okie for dokie."

"No!" the blue mech bawled, lifting his hidden helm; revealing dried and fresh tear streaks down his cheekarches. "I not am! I needing to be in place for crazies!" he grabbed his wildly shaking helm. "Making then stop brother! Nightmares haunting thoughts of mine every night of hurtings I have done to Phoenix!"

Jetfire grew open optic at his twin's sudden seizure and ran to the berthside; hugging and pulling him tightly, closer to his chest. "Saying no such things brother! You no monster or crazy! You are being you! Virus is cause of all this troubling but is now gone!" He petted the sobbing mech's helm. "Can only be moving on. Nightmares will pass, you know Phoenix is now safe and sound. Please, resting, then we trying work tomorrow yes?"

"Primus….Phoenix work with us. I cannot go. I-it-"

"I be sure that she and you work different shift always. For good of both of you. Sound of good plan?"

Jetstorm remained unresponsive for a brief moment, shivering calmed and looking up into his brother's optics. He quickly nodded before lowering and pressing his helm deep against his brother's chest.

Work was harder to get back into then imagined. It wasn't because of the lag he felt; getting up so early that orn, or from being so out of sorts of his schedule but….just being surrounded by others. They weren't safe, he wasn't safe. He shouldn't be here or around anyone, he was a danger to them all. Spark exhilarating; he quickly looked around both ways for the nearest exit.

A servo landed on his shoulder. "Brother...are you being alright?"

"I….I um…"

"Jetstorm!" A too fimilar face emerged from behind a doorway. "I need you to run a few things for me."

"Um…yes Sentinel prime sir." He sighed as the large chinned mech dumped a pile of datapads into his arms. Since the incident; Sentinel had been edgy around Jetstorm when first coming through the doors, but within 2 cycles; already his obnoxious personality take over again. Acting as if the whole thing didn't happen.

Jetfire was glad for that, though it did cross his processor that he was possibly still steamed for his trashed office.

"Good. I need them by Friday."

Jetstorm slowly nodded and turned away back towards his office, flipping through the files; when one caught his attention. "Uh sir,"

"What is it?"

"This…this file it say-"

"Uh gimmie that!" Sentinel swiped the datapad from his servo. "It uh…must have gotten mixed up into that pile by accident. I'll make sure it goes to in the right one this time."

The blue jet watched blankly as the snowplough marched back down the hall.

"Brother? What wrong?" Jetfire cocked his helm.

"You suring that Phoenix work different shift?"

"Yes brother, why you asking?"

"That file, it…."

"Yes?"

"It say Phoenix quit."

Jetfire's mouth gaped for a moment. "I…I swear I am not knowing of this!"

"It..it ok." Storm gave his brother a small smile, "It for best I sure am." Without giving Fire a chance to speak he turned quickly on his pede and rushed into the shared office, closing the door. Taking in a deep sigh; he slumped into his chair not caring where the files landed as he slammed them down carelessly onto his desk.

It hurt so much. Everything hurt so much.

He gulped back tears, pinching the bridge of his oil sensor. After managing to clear his mind; he shifted through the data files that still remained in his desk, until his glance drifted in sights of the picture frame on the corner of his desk. The happy couple; that what was once his life, smiled at him, his spark wincing in pain. Taking their lying stares no longer he grabbed the top of the frame and smashed it down onto the desk top, causing bits of glass to fly through the backing and fall around the shattered frame.

A small shard flew; swiftly cutting his wrist on its way up. Jetstorm flinched back his arm and looked at the wound. It wasn't deep but it was enough that energon managed to seep through his plating. He stared…only stared; as a small drop ran down from the cut. It felt….so good. Almost as if part of his pain came out of his arm. Relieving almost.

He gazed at a large piece of shard that lay beside the face down frame, he picked up, looking it over.

The door lock clicked and opened to the empty apartment.

"Managed to do some repairs while you were away." Said Kup; helping the silent femme through the door with a gentle grasp of her arm. "Everything that's been broken has been either fixed or replaced. Now," he led and sat her onto the couch. "How about some nice oiled tea hmmm?"

Striding to the kitchen; he opened and peeked through each and every cupboard until he found a box of teabags. "Here we are." The mech placed the kettle on the stove, opened the fridge and took out a plate of strange looking mini wraps. He sniffed it; cringing at the foul odour that came through the plastic wrap. Whatever it was…or used to be it was beyond its expiry date and ended up being scraped into the garbage.

Dumping the plate in the sink, he scoured the fridge again for something for them for them to snack on but there was nothing even decent that looked even remotely edible or filling. Eventually he gave up on the icebox and moved back to the cupboards "Looks like we're gonna need to restore on some food too. I'll make sure to go down to the market as soon as-" he paused. Only now did he realized how eerily quiet it was. "Phoenix?" When there was no reply he crept to the living room. She was still sitting there, unmoved, staring into a picture frame. Of a couple. "You….you alright kid?"

"Yes," she replied bluntly, her sight not leaving the frame in her servos.

"I mean…do you 'think' you're going to be alright?" The teal mech sat beside her, reaching an arm around her shoulder. At first he retracted it, feeling her flinch at his touch for only a klick, but after that moment her shoulders calmed and allowed him to rest it.

"Yes," she finally looked up to him with a small pitiful smile. "I'll be fine. I just need to….try and get back into things." She placed the frame face down onto the glass table in front of them.

"You know when you were a sparkling, and I was looking after you?"

Phoenix cocked an optic ridge, "Yes?"

"And everytime I turned around; you would go off and hide somewhere? Half the time I would spend cycles trying to find you."

She gave a small giggle, looking at the ground.

"But no matter how many times or how long it took, I always found you. And each time; you would never throw a fit or yell but were always happy that I had."

"I remember, but what does that have to do with anyth-"

"And every time I did find you I would always say; 'No matter what, no matter how long, when there is a strong love that stays within either of our sparks; we will always find each other."

The femme didn't know what to say. Only to stare blankly into the smiling elderly mech's face.

"As long as there is even one mech or femme out there that loves ya kid. You'll always be found. Either if you're lost physically or…..even mentally; I'm always here for ya."

"I know." She leaned her helm against his shoulder, allowing his arms to wrap around her in a gentle hug. "Suppose I should be finding myself again….especially if I'm going back to work tomorrow."

"Um," he released her frame from his embrace, "Actually kid. I thought it best if you didn't work there anymore. So...I called up and said you quit."

"WHAT!?"

"Now now calm down slag it." Kup patted her servo, "I…just think it's best if you had some more time off. And….."

"And what?"

"Nugh…..nothing. Just don't judge me too hastily."

The purple femme sighed, "Of course I can't," she muttered. "I...I know you only do what is best for me."

Kup stared blankly into space, avoiding her stare. *Ahem* "Uh ya kid…so let's see what we got left to snack on at least."

She chuckled lightly, nodding, pulling her servo from his as he rose from the couch and into the kitchen. Looking into one of the last bottom cupboards he had yet to look into, there was a half full box of crackers. "Well, I think our fine dinner tonight will be peanut butter crackers. What do you say to that?"

"Hehe that sounds very exquisite!"

He chuckled, reaching into his sub-space for his knife to cut the package open. He paused when something felt as if it draped itself over his digits. Pulling out his servo he now saw that his digits had become entangled in the star necklace's velvet purple rope chain. The star charm was slightly dented and scratched.

" sir." Said the doctor.

"Yes?" Kup sat up straight in his seat in the hospital waiting room. Hoping of news.

"Here," she handed the mech a little plastic bag with a star charm necklace inside. "This is the only belonging we found of your nieces."

"From where they found her?"

"No sir, she was wearing it when we got her here. We had to take it off during surgery."

"I see…" he gazed at the trinket blankly.

"I'm sure she will want it back." The doctor smiled "It is a beautiful charm."

"Hmmmm."

"I'm sure she'll want to know that she has not lost your gift when she realizes it's gone."

"Yes…well…thank you doctor."

"Anything else I ca-"

"Thank you." He slumped back into his seat looking the necklace over. The nurse stood flabbergasted for only a short while before returning back down the hall to her duties.

A thumb traced over the edges of the star. He knew for a fact that he did not give her this…but he did have an idea of who did.

If she was ever to be well again; everything from her recent pass had to be hidden away or should she forever be haunted. But he knew; not everything could be covered. He still had no clue when or how he was going to tell her what the doctors had assured him. That time had to be soon….before she found out herself and should forever have her spark shattered more by another she loved. Primus he would never forgive himself. Ever. But how?

"Hey, has a scraplet eaten your leg or something?" came a taunt.

"Watch your glossa missy or I might put something' special' in your half of these blasted things!"

She chuckled.

It was nice to see her smile again, even if it was a little one. He would tell her, he WILL tell her. But for now, as he put the plate of peanut butter covered crackers on the table he just wanted to see her smile a little while longer.

"Thanks for staying with me." She munched.

"Anytime kiddo." He mumbled, hiding the necklace behind his backstruts, slipping it into the waste basket behind the arm of the couch.