Chapter 13

"Please?" Bluestreak pleaded.

"No."

"Please, please?"

"I said no, Blue. Don't ask again," Ironhide snapped back.

The young gunner was not giving up though. He continued following the weapons specialist into the command center, bouncing happily, a colored piece of paper in his hands he had ran off from the internet. It had been about a week since he had taken that Decepticon missile in the side and from being confined to the base until he was fully healed, the laptop in his quarters and himself had become really good friends.

"It won't be that hard! We have everything here already!" Bluestreak said enthusiastically.

"You know how tiny that thing is? You want to burn my optics out?" Ironhide replied.

"Wheeljack and Hound would do it," Bluestreak said defiantly.

"Look around you, Blue. Do you see them here? The answer is no."

Having got the attention of the other Autobots, including Optimus, Bluestreak looked back to Ironhide as the others looked on, curious to see what had the young gunner so above and beyond his normal giddy self this morning.

Getting thoughtful, Bluestreak gave Ironhide another one of his cheesy grins. "I'll do your duty cleanup around here for a whole earth week if you do it," Bluestreak offered hopefully.

Coming over to Bluestreak, Jazz asked, "Whaddya got there Blue?"

Bluestreak handed the printed paper over to the silver Autobot who looked it over with a knowing grin.

"I'm trying to get Ironhide to make this."

"It looks pretty simple, Hide," Jazz said. "Probably'll need a little light molding but other than that, it shouldn't be that hard."

"You don't need to be adding to this insanity, Jazz…you really don't," Ironhide snapped at him.

Passing the piece of paper around to Optimus, Ratchet, and Bumblebee, Bluestreak waited patiently.

"It's nice, Blue," Bumblebee said as he gave it to Ratchet.

"Yeah, Hide, that wouldn't take any time, I have a couple micro tools I brought from Cybertron that I used to work on the minibots, was gonna leave them back there but figured they might come in handy for something, " Ratchet chimed in, looking it over.

Shooting an offended, spiteful glance toward their commander who just stood with a grin, Ironhide snatched the piece of paper and turned in the direction of the workshop in the back of the base.

"I hope all of you know this was not in the job description," he said to everyone, almost crumpling the piece of paper in his hands.

Happy at his obvious victory, Bluestreak grinned from lip component to lip component.

Bluestreak didn't care where they went, so long as he got to spend some time with her, be around her, and listen to her even if she was just going on about what she had for dinner. And as of late, that time was practically every day much to Bluestreak's delight.

Sometimes they sat and talked in his quarters, Kate lying next to him, listening intently as he went on and on about what he thought about earth (he still couldn't understand the whole concept of seasons changing throughout the year in some parts of the earth and others staying the same temp no matter what ), living on the new human base instead of being on the Ark (which Kate had to have him explain was the Autobot's first earth bound ship), and whatever new transmissions he would get from his friends.

Sometimes, if it was late, they would sit out on the runway, alone, under the stars, talking about Cybertron's troubled history or about historic points in human history (who's ever turn it was) such as the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, slavery, and the invention of the automobile.

Their conversations never seemed to end and there always seemed to be one more thing to say, one more thing to learn from one another. Whenever Bluestreak talked, Kate always listened, excited to hear what rambling he had to say next. He never felt nervous with her. As much as he loved being around his friends, there were times when he felt he didn't fit in among them, but Kate always made it seem as if he could be himself so easily.

And while there was no denying how happy and giddy Bluestreak seemed, Kate always noticed two constant things when she was with him, how he always kept his distance from her physically and how whenever she asked him about his home city he had lived in, how guarded he became.

And as they sat one Sunday afternoon overlooking the canyons where they had first seen the sunset together, the sun shinning high above, Kate wondered if Bluestreak would ever show that side to him, the side that kept one's secrets locked deep, just as Kate wondered if she would ever be able to show hers as well.

Laying on her back on top of the Viper's hood, soaking up the sun's rays, her elbows propping her up slightly, Kate sighed to herself. How she wished she could stay out there for an eternity, away from work, away from stress, away from so much hurt she had been through.

"Hey Kate?" Bluestreak asked her suddenly.

"Yeah, Blue?"

"When we were riding over here, you were humming something, what was it? I never heard anything like that."

Humming something? Kate thought to herself. What the hell was I humming?

"I don't remember…it was probably something I heard when I was at work…oh! You know what? I do remember…it was just some song, that's all. A little tune," Kate said.

"Did it have words?"

"Yep."

"What were they?"

"I don't know…"

"Sing it."

"Blue…"

"Come on! It'll be fun!"

"For you," Kate told him laughing.

"There's no one out here. No one will hear. I won't laugh."

"Sure you won't."

"Hey, I wouldn't lie!"

"Are all you Autobots this persistent or was this something specifically granted to you, Blue?"

Bluestreak giggled back. "Just come on, Kate! Do it!"

Sighing again, Kate started to think of the words and then she began to sing them out loud, her voice melodious and full, a gentle lullaby being sung by an angel.

"When the dark wood fell before me
And all the paths were overgrown
When the priests of pride say there is no other way
I tilled the sorrows of stone

I did not believe because I could not see
Though you came to me in the night
When the dawn seemed forever lost
You showed me your love in the light of the stars"

"There! Happy?" Kate asked.

"Wow," Bluestreak said. "I mean wow. That was amazing!"

Hopping down, Kate crossed her arms as Bluestreak transformed and stood next to her.

From the way Bluestreak stood so silent, Kate could tell something was going through his mind. Whenever he looked at the ground and shifted his weight like that, Kate knew there was something bothering him.

"What is it, Blue?"

"That song was really nice. I was just wondering if…if…you've ever…"

"What?" Kate asked him patiently.

"…if you've ever loved anyone like the song says," Bluestreak finally got out, breathing a sigh of relief.

Kate smiled a little to herself. Drawing a sharp breath of air in, she exhaled slowly.

"I have loved, yes. I was married once. To a man I thought was my soul mate. I loved him more than anything on this earth. He always used to tell me we would be together in this lifetime and the next. But he ended up leaving me for someone else when I was pregnant. The baby…the baby ended up dying prematurely," Kate said softly and seeing Bluestreak pondering what she was telling him, asked, "Do you understand all that?"

"Yes," he replied, nodding, remembering a few conversations Hound and he had in the past when they were on earth before. "Being married means humans mate for life with that one being and then you produce offspring, right?"

Kate nodded, smiling at his simple telling of it. If only it were that simple…

"He hurt you?" Bluestreak said, more or less as a statement than as a question.

Kate nodded silently.

"I really thought I couldn't do it again, love so deep. Humans are funny, Blue. We love to love and love to hurt. I guess that's the only way to explain it because they go hand in hand. But I've met someone else who has changed my mind," Kate said.

Bluestreak looked down at the dirt below him. "The Captain?" he said softly.

"No, not the Captain," Kate said.

"Oh…okay," Bluestreak replied.

And then looking up directly at him, catching Bluestreak's hurtful glance, Kate uttered, "I'm standing next to him."

As she saw a huge silly grin come across him, one of the biggest grins she had ever seen, Kate said, "Now you…have you ever loved anyone?"

Bluestreak's grin faded then as Kate saw the wall being put up. Feeling horrible for hitting that spot again, she started opening her mouth to apologize but Bluestreak stopped her.

"Back on Cybertron, in my home city, I had so many friends, good friends. I wasn't always a gunner. I was a trader of goods there. I liked my job a lot. Met a lot of different bots. My life was a good one. One day, I went away to take care of some business in another city and when I came back…" Bluestreak said, his voice trailing off.

"When I got back, my home city had been burned to the ground, everything was in ashes. The Decepticons…they had attacked and killed everyone there. They found me, hiding, because I was so scared. They forced me to watch…watch them torture and kill any survivors that remained. And I couldn't do anything, for my friends, for anyone. Everyone I loved was destroyed and I watched it all. The Decepticons left me alive, laughing, saying they were doing it so I could tell everyone first hand what they were capable of and what they would do to win the war. And then shortly after that, Optimus, Prowl, and Jazz found me and took me in."

Kate had tears in her eyes from hearing Bluestreak's tale. She hurt all over for him. She wished she could just pull him close, hold him, and take all his pain away. She could save him and make sure he never saw another horrible memory. And for the first time, Kate realized what she had been through was probably nothing on the magnitude he had walked.

"Oh, Blue, I'm so, sorry. I'm so sorry," she told him tearfully.

He looked down at her, concerned.

"Don't cry, Kate. It's alright. It really is. That was a long time ago. A long, long time ago. I've met someone who's changed all that," Bluestreak grinned.

"Oh?"

He nodded. "I'm standing next to her."

Breaths deep, like heaven sent kisses on a rainy day. Hands searching, mouths touching. Bodies pressed together to explore and savor.

But as Mike went to give another kiss to Kate, her shirt halfway unbuttoned showing the pink lacey bra she had on underneath, he stopped.

"Is everything okay?" He asked. "You seem like your miles away right now."

"I'm sorry, Mike," Kate replied.

Getting up from laying on top of her, Mike sat on her couch as she sat up, fixing her shirt.

"Kate, I think we need to talk. You've been acting really distant for the past few weeks. Is there something I've done to make you feel that way?"

"No, why?" Kate replied airily.

"Well, for one, we hardly ever spend anytime together. I mean, I know I work a lot. Lord knows that job isn't an easy one, but you know, I will always set aside time for us," Mike said.

Kate bit her one nail on her finger nervously, fidgeting somewhat, wanting to avoid the subject.

"Kate, we need to be honest here. I know that's what you want from me and I am more than willing to give that to you, but you have to want to give me that as well."

"I have been honest with you, Mike," Kate said defensively.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"So if I ask if this has anything to do with a certain blue Autobot gunner, then you'll tell me the truth right?"

"What does Bluestreak have to do with us?" Kate asked sharply.

"Judging from how you much time you spend with him, I would say a lot."

"He's my friend," Kate replied.

Mike gave her a knowing look. He had spent enough time around that base and around all the Autobots, working with them, joking with them, and on one or two occasions, fighting next to them, to pick up on a few things. And it was no secret whatsoever to everyone working and living on that base, human or not, that the Autobot's good natured, talkative gunner had taken up quite a liking to Kate.

"Kate, they are wonderful beings. There's not a day that goes by that I am not amazed when I go to work. I never ever thought I would live to see something like this. They are special and I thank God everyday that they are here, risking everything to protect us. But they are still alien beings," Mike said.

"I really don't know where this is going," Kate replied.

Taking his hands, Mike put them up to her cheek, caressing softly. "I know what you went through with David was torture. But don't push me away because you're afraid of being hurt."

Kate sat, silent.

"Bluestreak is a tremendous creature, but he's not human, Kate. He would never be able to fully understand all the complex dynamics of a human relationship. I know you know this. I know you know what I'm saying is right," Mike said. "He would never be able to give you what you need, Kate," he added quietly.

"He already has," Kate replied stoically.

Getting to his feet, Mike heaved a sigh. Why that sorry son of a bitch attorney she had been married to ever left her, was beyond him. Mike could see exactly why the young Autobot was so infatuated with her. The same reason he was. She was passionate and strong. But as long as Kate had another who came first on her list, no matter who it was, Mike knew he couldn't compete.

Turning the knob to her front door, Mike turned to her, as she sat, her face expressionless.

"If you change your mind, you know where I'll be, Kate," Mike said and then opened her door and walked out.

Musical Credit/Reference:

"Dante's Prayer" Recorded and written by Loreena McKennitt