"Optimus sir, it's good to see you again," said Prowl as he stepped up to his leader.

"Likewise Prowl," said Optimus with a nod. "Bluestreak, Wheeljack, Perceptor, Red Alert, it's good to see you as well. I would like to introduce you all to some of our human allies. They have been a great help in the battles against the Decepticons." Optimus introduced Sam, Mikaela, Will, Epps, and Director Galloway to the mechs and Prowl greeted them politely.

"Optimus…" said Prowl after introductions were done. He had expected to be practically attacked by a certain mech already, and he was surprised that he hadn't seen the mech at all. Normally, he wouldn't be so rude as to ignore the Director as he tried to get their attention, but they had been separated for too long to be kept apart any longer. "Where's Jazz?" His door-wings raised slightly in apprehension when he noticed the flinches and tensed frames of his comrades.

"Prowl, we need to talk," said Smokescreen as he stepped forward.

"Smokescreen!" cried Bluestreak happily as he tackled his older brother in a hug. "I missed you so much! I really didn't want you to go, but I knew you had to, so I did my best not to feel too bad, but Prowl was with me and he kept an optic on me and made sure I never got too lonely, but I still missed you. It wasn't the same without you."

"I know Blue, I missed you too," said Smokescreen with a chuckle.

"I missed you as well Smokescreen. It really wasn't the same without you," said Prowl and Smokescreen gave him a small smile before his expression turned serious. "But where is Jazz?"

"That's what we need to talk about," said Smokescreen quietly. Bluestreak pulled away from Smokescreen and gave him a curious look. "We should go inside."

"…Smokescreen," said Prowl hesitantly.

"Prowl…I'm sorry. Jazz…died in battle," said Optimus softly. Prowl's optics widened in shock as his door-wings drooped as low as they could go.

"What?" asked Prowl in a tiny voice. "Jazz is…no…no, no he can't be…"

"I'm so sorry Prowl," whispered Smokescreen.

"Jazz can't be dead," said Prowl so quietly only those nearby heard him as he stumbled back. "He promised me. He can't be…" Prowl collapsed to his knees and keened with grief. Smokescreen and Bluestreak were immediately at his side, wrapping him in their arms. Prowl curled in on himself, holding his helm tightly as he felt a crash coming on, but he fought it back. "Jazz…Jazz, you promised…"

Nearby, Sam and Mikaela clung to each other, never having heard someone sound so terribly sad and broken. Mikaela felt she could kind of relate to what Prowl was feeling since for a few minutes, she had lost Sam, but he had come back. She didn't think the mech would feel very happy if he found out she had lost Sam only for him to come back when Jazz couldn't come back. Will and Epps looked at the ground. Both knew what it was like to lose a comrade and close friend. Galloway looked completely shocked at what was happening in front of him. He had never seen any of the Autobots show any kind of grief, yet this mech was openly grieving with two others holding him offering what comfort they could give him.

Prowl trembled visibly as he keened loudly, sobbing Jazz's name from time to time. He held his helm tightly, fighting back the pain of an impending crash, refusing to give in yet. He could barely register the feeling of his brothers' arms around him, holding him. It was almost like they weren't there and he was lost in a sea of grief. Wave after wave pounded his spark, making him feel like he would be crushed under the weight. Everything he had hoped for with Jazz was now unobtainable. He felt he'd never be happy again.

Ratchet noticed the signs that Prowl was going to crash and swiftly made his way over, pulling out a syringe while he moved. Bluestreak and Smokescreen stared at him in surprise as he stuck the needle in Prowl's neck and injected the sedative into his energon lines. It took a few moments, but the sedative kicked in and Prowl's frame began to relax. He whispered Jazz's name as he slipped into recharge. It was a special sedative Ratchet had made especially for Prowl so he'd be out for a while.

"Ratchet?" asked Bluestreak quietly.

"He was going to crash," said Ratchet softly. "You should get him to his quarters. He'll be out for a while, but at least he'll be somewhere comfortable. I think it'd be best if you didn't leave his side for a while." Bluestreak and Smokescreen nodded as Smokescreen picked up Prowl and carried him into the Ark with Bluestreak trotting worriedly behind him.

"I can't believe this," muttered Wheeljack as he stepped up to Optimus. "He was really looking forward to seeing Jazz again."

"Especially with what happened before you left," said Red Alert. "It's not fair."

"Not fair at all," said Perceptor sadly.

"We should all head inside," said Optimus quietly and the others nodded. Galloway was completely ignored as the mechs went back into the Ark followed by Sam, Mikaela, Will, and Epps. Most of the mechs headed to the rec room and sat in small groups talking quietly to each other. An air of sadness blanketed the room. Mikaela climbed onto one of the tables, Sam following slowly behind, until she sat down in front of the newest arrivals.

"Hi," said Mikaela and Sam sat down next to her, looking curious as to what Mikaela was up to. Perceptor and Wheeljack both smiled while Red Alert looked mildly suspicious. "You're Wheeljack, Perceptor, and Red Alert right?"

"Yes, and you're Mikaela and Sam?" asked Wheeljack. Mikaela nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. Organic races are always so fascinating." Mikaela giggled quietly.

"And you guys are fascinating to us," said Mikaela. "But…I wanted to ask…about Prowl. You can tell me if I'm being too nosy, but…he looked devastated when he heard about Jazz."

"Yes well…why do you care?" asked Red Alert.

"Don't mind Red, he's overly paranoid," said Wheeljack with a wave of his hand. Red Alert scowled, but sighed and stared into his energon.

"Not many mechs know much about Prowl, he's a very private mech. I mean, we've all known him for millions of years and we don't know a lot about him," said Perceptor.

"The only ones who really know Prowl are his brothers, Bluestreak and Smokescreen, and Jazz," said Wheeljack. "Smokescreen is the oldest and Bluestreak is the youngest. All we really know about them was that they lived in Praxus, one of the most beautiful cities on Cybertron. We also know Prowl used to play pranks when he was a youngling, but that was hard to believe considering we know him to be completely professional and serious."

"He's a tactical genius. No one can match his tactical abilities or even his processing power. He was rumored to be completely sparkless and emotionless and he stuck to protocol all the time, even to a fault. You know Sunny and Sides right? They constantly tried to prank Prowl, but none of their pranks ever worked. One time, he even snuck into a Decepticon base, rescued Jazz from the brig, snuck back out, and blew the whole place up. No one knows how he did it or even how he had the skills to do something like that," said Red Alert.

"He's also a master of three different styles of ancient martial arts, Diffusion, Metallikato, and Circuit Su," added Perceptor. "He was able to knock the twins on their afts in less than a second without a scratch." Mikaela and Sam gaped at him. They had seen Sideswipe fight and knew that Sunstreaker was just as good, so it was hard to imagine them getting beaten by a single mech that was smaller than them.

"Then Jazz arrived in Iacon to be our new Third in Command and Head of Special Ops. Prowl changed. He wasn't so emotionless, he wasn't so sparkless, he would smile, he'd tease Jazz, he'd tell very subtle jokes. It was almost like he was a completely different mech. That was when we learned that Prowl and Jazz new each other before the war over ten million years ago," said Wheeljack.

"Apparently, they had met in Praxus while Jazz worked as an undercover Enforcer, or police officer. For some reason, they were separated and the next time they saw each other was when Jazz came to Iacon," said Red Alert.

"It was obvious to everyone that they were best friends," said Sideswipe as he walked over, his twin following behind. "They did everything together. Where you saw one of them, the other would be there sooner or later. They argued good-naturedly, they'd tease each other, they looked out for each other."

"It reminded me of Sides and me," said Sunstreaker. "There was a betting pool on when they would finally get together."

"Get together?" asked Sam and Mikaela.

"You know, in a relationship?" asked Sunstreaker with a raised optic ridge.

"So…did they get together?" asked Mikaela, seemingly completely unfazed as Sam stared at Sunstreaker with wide eyes and mouth open.

"The night before Jazz left on the mission with Optimus," said Sideswipe softly and Mikaela felt a wave of sadness. No wonder the mech had been so devastated.

"We had all hoped that Jazz would be waiting when we got here. It's not fair that Jazz and Prowl were separated again, and now they're separated forever," said Sunstreaker.

"It still amazes me how similar you guys are to us," muttered Sam.

"What? You didn't think we'd get into relationships like you and Mikaela?" asked Sideswipe.

"Oh, I figured you would, but I've never seen you guys show any kind of…affection like that, so I'm having a hard time seeing it, that's all," said Sam calmly. It really didn't surprise him, he was just curious.

"Well, if you want details, ask Ratchet," said Sideswipe with a snicker.

"Not sure I want details now," said Sam and Sideswipe chuckled.

"From what we've seen between you two, our relationships are much like yours," said Sunstreaker. "Only we can connect on a deeper level than humans."

"I just hope Prowl will be okay," said Sideswipe quietly.

"I'm not sure he will," muttered Sunstreaker. "They may not have been bonded, but…they were really close."

"You think he might…?" asked Sideswipe with wide optics and Sunstreaker shrugged.

"I don't know him well enough on a personal level to know," said Sunstreaker. "The only ones who do are Bluestreak and Smokescreen." Sideswipe nodded in agreement.

It was the next day when Prowl's optics flickered online. During his sedative induced recharge, his grief continued to batter at his spark. There was absolutely no reprieve, and since he didn't crash earlier, he was able to completely feel the grief unlike the first time he had been told Jazz was dead. For a brief moment, he wondered if this time was the same as the last, but then he remembered the look on Optimus' face. There was no doubt that Jazz was dead. With a quiet keen, he curled up on his side, wrapping his arms around his chest and shoulders as if trying to protect himself from the grief.

"Prowl," said Smokescreen as he placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder, his spark aching with sadness seeing him so broken. "I'm so sorry Prowl." He got no response. Bluestreak stepped into Prowl's quarters with three cubes of energon. He noticed that Prowl was awake and rushed over, setting the cubes on the nightstand next to the berth.

"Oh Prowl," whispered Bluestreak as he rubbed his older brother's back between his door-wings in a comforting gesture, but the black and white mech's door-wings didn't even twitch. "This isn't fair." His voice hitched and Smokescreen nudged him gently. "Prowl, I brought you some energon, you need to refuel." Prowl didn't move, didn't say anything. His optics were dim as he stared at the wall in front of him. It was like they weren't even there. For the entire day, they tried to convince Prowl to refuel, but he never twitched or made any sign of recognition to their voices or touches. They tried to comfort him using their sibling bond, but he had blocked them so completely that they couldn't reach him. That night, Prowl also refused to recharge, instead remained staring at the wall curled up on his side.

"I'm going to go see Ratchet," said Smokescreen the next morning. He got up and left the room, leaving Bluestreak with Prowl. The diversionary tactician found Ratchet in the rec room sitting with Ironhide with Will and Epps sitting on the table. Bumblebee, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe were sitting nearby with Sam and Mikaela. Hound and Mirage were sitting at another table and looked up when Smokescreen stepped into the room.

"Smokescreen, how's Prowl?" asked Ratchet.

"Not good. He's completely unresponsive. He refuses to refuel or recharge," said Smokescreen worriedly. "It's like he doesn't hear us, or feel us touching him. He's even completely blocked our sibling bond. We can't get through to him at all." Ratchet cursed quietly.

"I'll get an energon drip so he'll at least be energized. I can try sedating him again, but…you need to find some way to reach him. I know you've tried a lot, but you have to keep trying," said Ratchet. Smokescreen merely nodded. Ratchet got to his feet and headed to the med bay while Smokescreen headed to Prowl's quarters. Bluestreak looked up at him hopefully as he stepped into the room.

"There's nothing Ratchet can do other than bring an energon drip and sedate him. This is something he has to get through…with our help," said Smokescreen and Bluestreak nodded. A few minutes later, Ratchet stepped into the room and paused when he saw Prowl. It was unnerving to see the normally calm and collected tactician look so devastated. He walked over and set up the energon drip. Prowl didn't even notice Ratchet doing it, and didn't even react in any way. His door-wings didn't even twitch.

"Do you want me to sedate him so he can rest?" asked Ratchet. The brothers glanced at each other and nodded. They needed to get some rest themselves and then they would try and get Prowl to respond to something. Ratchet pulled out a syringe and emptied it into the energon drip. Moments later, Prowl was in recharge, his body completely limp. "I hope you two get through to him. You know I can't do this forever." The two nodded sadly and watched as Ratchet left the room.

"What are we gonna do Smokey?" asked Bluestreak pitifully. "It's like he doesn't want to live anymore, but…we need him."

"I know Blue, I know," said Smokescreen as he wrapped an arm around his youngest brother's shoulders. "Get some recharge. I'm gonna go do something really quick and I'll be back." Bluestreak nodded and crawled onto the extra berth they had brought into Prowl's quarters. Smokescreen left the room and headed for Optimus' office and found the larger mech reading a report.

"Smokescreen, how's Prowl?" asked Optimus when he noticed the blue mech.

"Not good. He's unresponsive, and he refuses to refuel or recharge," said Smokescreen. "Ratchet has him on an energon drip and sedated him for tonight."

"I see," said Optimus sadly.

"I have a request," said Smokescreen and Optimus looked up curiously. "Can you let me into Jazz's room? I have an idea, not sure if it'll work or if Prowl will be mad at me if it works, but we have to try and get him to respond to something, to snap him out of it." Optimus nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'll let you into his room, but you'll have to be careful. You might want to ask Mirage to help you out as well," said Optimus and Smokescreen nodded, calling Mirage over the com-link.

"He'll meet us at Jazz's quarters," said Smokescreen. Optimus stood and led the way through the halls. Mirage was leaning against the wall next to Jazz's door when they arrived.

"What's this about?" asked Mirage.

"I have an idea that might snap Prowl out of his unresponsive state, but what I need is in Jazz's quarters," said Smokescreen. Mirage nodded and Optimus typed in the code to the door. Mirage slipped into the room and there was a crash before he called for Smokescreen to enter. There had been a trap for anyone who entered the room and Mirage had disabled it, allowing Smokescreen to enter. The diversionary tactician immediately headed over to Jazz's music collection.

"What are you doing with Jazz's music collection?" asked Mirage.

"Jazz used to be an Enforcer with me before the war. When he went undercover, he acted as a singer. It was Jazz's voice that caught Prowl's attention in the first place. If he hears a recording of Jazz singing, maybe he'll snap out of it. He'll probably be mad as Pit at me, but it'll be worth it," said Smokescreen.

"I didn't know Jazz could sing," said Mirage thoughtfully.

"I haven't heard him sing since he and Prowl were first separated before the war," said Smokescreen as he looked through Jazz's entire collection. "Ah-ha! Found it. Let's just hope Prowl doesn't hate me too much after I try this tomorrow." Smokescreen took the music files and headed back to Prowl's quarters so he could recharge on the couch to wait for Prowl to wake. The next morning, Smokescreen woke first and set up the music player. Bluestreak woke up then and looked up at him curiously.

"Smokey?"

"Don't worry Blue, I'm going to see if this will snap Prowl out of it. He might be mad, but it'll be worth it if it works." Both froze as they heard Prowl's systems power up from recharge to wakefulness. Smokescreen walked over and rested a hand on Prowl's shoulder. "Blue, come here." Bluestreak walked over and placed his hand next to Smokescreen's and rested his forehead on Prowl's audio.

"Prowl, wake up, please, we need you," whispered Bluestreak.

"Please Prowl," whispered Smokescreen. Neither got a response. "Try and reach him with our sparks again." Bluestreak nodded and they offlined their optics, reaching across the sibling bond they had towards Prowl. They were met with a solid wall, but Smokescreen wasn't about to give up. He pushed against the wall, as if he were knocking on a door, and Bluestreak mimicked him, but they still didn't get a response. Bluestreak was about to pull back when Smokescreen pounded harder, not wanting to give up. The received a twitching door-wing and Bluestreak smiled at the tiny response. It meant they were getting somewhere and he joined Smokescreen's banging on the barrier Prowl had put up in their bond.

Prowl's door-wings twitched erratically for a moment and he curled tighter before the block disappeared, flooding the bond with his grief and anger. Bluestreak and Smokescreen staggered back for a moment at the intensity of the emotions before rushing forward and wrapping Prowl in their arms. They sent him their love, comfort, and sadness. He still didn't respond much, though they could reach him through their bond, he still seemed listless. Smokescreen sent a wave of apology to Prowl before turning on the music player with a remote. Bluestreak looked surprised as the sound of Jazz's singing flowed through the room. Prowl stiffened as his door-wings lifted. His optics brightened, he lifted his head up and looked around frantically, searching for the source of the sound.

"Jazz…!" cried Prowl as he sat up. Smokescreen sent him another wave of apology before turning off the music. Prowl froze again, a pained look on his face at the loss of the sound. "Jazz?"

"I'm sorry Prowl, that was a recording," said Smokescreen. "I thought you might want to hear it. I think it was supposed to be a gift to you." He may have been lying a bit, but he wanted Prowl back.

"Prowl! I'm so sorry! It's not fair!" cried Bluestreak as he hugged Prowl. "We were so worried about you. You weren't responding to anything we did, you weren't refueling, you weren't recharging, and you completely blocked us out of your spark. I was so scared that we were going to lose you too!" Bluestreak sobbed into Prowl's shoulder as Prowl stared at him with wide optics. "I miss him too."

"We love you Prowl, don't leave us too," said Smokescreen softly as he hugged Prowl. Prowl wrapped his arms around his brothers and sobbed.