Disclaimer : I don't own it.

Note : I only know tiny tidbits here and there about Cybertron. I don't know if it has a sun, let alone three. I'm just making this up as I go.


(Normal POV)

The suns were bright. His body was reflecting the light, but the heat felt nice. It warmed him where he was otherwise cold. He stared up at the clear sky, before glancing at the three suns in the sky. His optics narrowed against the bright light, before he glanced down at the seemingly endless flat plain in front of him. He saw a few buildings here and there, and recognized them.

His frown deepened.

"How am I here?" He looked around, optics scanning as far as his sensors would reach. A pain stabbed up his chest, causing him to grunt and double over as he clutched at the area. Dead End. Optics widened and he glanced up again. Stalking forward, he looked around. "Where is everyone?"

Suddenly, despite the sun beating down on his form, he felt cold.

"Am I...in the Matrix?" He recalled a femme's scream, and his spark ached something fierce. "No... Primus, please. I'm not ready." I only just found her! He swallowed heavily, a lump forming in his throat cables as he stopped between two buildings.

Two doors.

"I can't... I can't leave. They need me. She needs me. I... I need her." He glanced at one door, plain on the metallic surface. Even as he watched, it seemed to darken. Then he glanced up, watching as the suns disappeared, leaving an endless sea of stars. Infinite stars, more than you could spot from any point on Earth's surface.

Once again he looked at both doors. They looked identical. Plain, empty, metallic and sitting in wide walls. Both were Autobot-sized, and both had seen better days. Both had blackened marks from blasters, but had withstood the blasts, like typical Cybertronian doors would. He swallowed again, clearing his throat as he stepped towards one door.

However, the closer he got, the colder and emptier he felt. As soon as he realized that, he paused in the action of reaching for the door knob. Instead, he turned and looked to the other door. Maybe, the other, first. He walked towards that one, feeling warmer and warmer.

He grunted as another pain shook his form. It was so severe, he had to pause, even as his legs gave out underneath him. He collapsed to his knees, bracing himself on one hand as he breathed harshly, his oxygen tanks straining. Primus, what's the matter with me? He knew something was wrong. He shouldn't have been in pain, if he was truly in the Matrix.

"I love you."

He jerked, the soft voice echoing around him. His head shot up, despite the pain still within him, trying to find the source of the voice. Shifting the arm he was leaning on, he felt something beneath his hand and looked down. "What...?"

"Please... Come back."

The soft, feminine voice was pleading softly, but he didn't understand. Even as his fingers curled around whatever he'd touched, he was glancing up and around. "Whose there?" He shakily got to his feet, feeling weak and cold. When he once again scanned the area around him, only to realize he was alone, he shook his head and stepped towards the door once more.

"I need you."

He froze. The voice was familiar, so familiar, but he couldn't place it. It was her, the one he needed to get back to, but who was she and how was she important to him? The voice was rough, torn, but soft and definitely without a doubt feminine. Was it...his femme? His femme... His femme? Frowning, he tilted his head, before glancing down at his hand. Turning, he kept his hand closed and looked at the other door. The cold, or the strange voice? Why couldn't he remember? He knew who was speaking, but he...he couldn't remember. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't comforted by the voice, felt a sense of pulling towards it. He stepped away from the door, towards the other, only hesitating because it felt like the wrong thing to do.

Shaking his head, he steeled himself. I need to find a way back. He stepped forward with purpose, but each step further he took from the warm door, he felt worse and worse. He was getting colder and heavier.

"RATCHET!"

He jumped, spinning in place. Me...? He stared at the warm door, the feeling of longing getting stronger and stronger. He found himself frozen between doors, looking back and forth and struggling to decide which one to investigate first. Clenching his hand tighter, he found himself inexplicably drawn to the door, the familiar voice. He growled a little and reached the door, reaching out for the door knob.

"Please! Don't leave me! I need you!"

The voice was intense, begging and pleading. It was even rougher, and if he listened hard enough, he could hear the shaking sobs. The warmth was comforting, pleasant, and he grasped the door knob, before his clenched hand tightened even more, reminding him of the object in his hand. Looking down, he opened his fingers and blinked in surprise.

True, when it came to relationships, Autobots weren't materialistic. They didn't need the money, the beautiful objects, the fancy vehicles. It helped Autobots could transform into 'fancy vehicles', but the point is, they weren't materialistic.

But they did have one thing in common with human beings.

In his hand, he held a crystal ring. It could be described as something quite similar to a wedding band, but also quite different. Unlike a wedding band, this was not a necessary piece, but a gift a mech could give his mate. It was only ever given to a sparkmate, and the quality of the ring varied, too. It didn't mean promise, or marriage. It was simply a gift from the spark. Because the materials for the rings -metals, crystals- were rare, and difficult to get to, they were considered more precious than most other gifts.

But he hadn't seen one since long before the war. Only Optimus had one, created of a Cybertronian metal which, in value, could be considered up there with platinum. It was a gift from Elita-one, and she had an identical one from him, made of blue crystal, which in value would be up with sapphires and rubies.

This one was a clear crystal, glimmering like thousands of stars were within it. It was one of the highest quality, and once his processor realized what he was holding, his fingers curled around it protectively, his processor spinning to Bella.

Bella...

His optics widened.

BELLA!

"Ratchet, please... I need you to wake up..."

"Bella!" Looking up sharply, he froze with his hand on the door. He recognized the voice now. It was Bella's, but it sounded aweful compared to what he was used to. Twisting the knob, he gave into the longing within his spark, and stalked forward, into the blackness beyond it. He had no idea what he was doing, but he did know one thing.

He had to find his mate!

(Bella's POV)

I was just...wandering down the halls. I didn't realize until several minutes after leaving Mikeala's room that I had no idea where the med bay was. In the end, I found myself walking in circles, and I only realized it when I passed the same drooling moron for the third time.

There was a snort, and I spun to find myself facing a police cruiser. I would have thought it Prowl, if it wasn't black and white, and if a chuckle hadn't issued forth from it's vocal processors. With a shake of my head, I stared for a moment, in disbelief. "Huh..." I frowned and raised an eyebrow. "I guess they actually believe you."

There was a flash, and a rather striking man appeared. He had short cropped hair and sharp features, and dark eyes that flashed as he raised an eyebrow. Oddly enough, he didn't resemble the 'Barricade' from the movies. No, this holographic form was younger, better looking, though still not my type. "Took two weeks in their pathetic version of a prison, and a memory file link with their boss bot to make sure I'm not lying." He snorted a little, before shaking his head. "So... I watched you pass by this juncture three times. Trying to find someone?"

"What makes you think that?" I folded my arms over my chest, feeling defensive.

He snorted again. "You have a mate in the med bay." I winced and he frowned, pausing. Looking past me, he sighed. "And if you continue to travel in circles, the Autobots'll have my aft for letting this fleshbag go into cardiac arrest."

"That's not..." I shook my head. "So what? You're here to point out I've been walking in circles? Mission accomplished."

He growled slightly before vanishing, and the passenger door opened. "Get in."

I hesitated. I knew we could trust him. I mean, the Autobots trusted him, so I did too. I just wasn't sure I was up to listening to him bitch and moan, or make fun of me. But then again, he was right. Every time I passed the 'drooling moron', he seemed to be drooling more. So with a shake of my head, I walked over and hopped into the car.

"I believe your mate might ban you from wearing leather products when he awakens." The tone was amused. "I don't see it, but every male that's seen you have all responded with varying levels of lust and desire." The engine seemed to stall and the vehicle shuddered. "Gross, but I'm certain your mate would...appreciate it." The car bean to drive.

I grunted a little, staring out the window silently, but pulling the button up shirt over my chest a little more. After all, it wasn't the human males I wanted to get with it. Biting my lip, I turned and stared out the front window, not even really sure what to say to a former Decepticon. He hadn't even shown up in the battle in the movie, so this was all new to me. Then, I remembered something.

"Thanks for saving Sunfire."

The roar of the engine seemed to quiet a moment. "She's a sparkling."

I knew he was being defensive. I also knew that Decepticons weren't that great at dealing with gratitude, considering who they worked for. "She's a living sparkling, thanks to you."

The engine almost seemed to..well...grunt, and the rest of the surprisingly short ride was spent in silence. It was admittedly embarrassing how close I was to the infirmary, but because I hadn't been paying attention, it seemed I kept taking the right turn, instead of the left. I couldn't fight the blush in my cheeks, and stuck my tongue out at the cruiser as he pulled to a stop in front of the giant doors.

"Very mature." He sneered darkly.

I smirked as I hopped out of the car. "Better than painting you a puke green that would make most army trucks proud, in your recharge." I quipped, sauntering off. It was outside the double doors to the med bay that I paused, my heart skipping several cycles. On the other side of that door was the mech I loved with all my being. A mech who was badly injured. A mech who...might never awaken again.

Hearing the sounds of transformation behind me, I glanced over my shoulder, only to yelp as I was grabbed in a black claw and lifted. Before I could even complain about it, the doors opened and Barricade walked through, holding me like a barbie doll in his hand. I actually contemplated telling him off for the move, but realized that as a Decepticon, he'd more than likely laugh at me, or drop me from my current height.

So instead, I began to actually plan out how I was going to get ahold of puke green paint, and paint him while in recharge. I even planned on asking Jolt to help me out with a sedative or something.

Then I saw Ratchet, and all thoughts of revenge fled my mind. I curled up a little, around the claw around my stomach, feeling my entire body clench in agony at the prone form. Jold had fixed the hole in his chest, and a vast majority of the damage, but it still looked so horrible to me. Then again, maybe it was because I couldn't get my mind off what it looked like before it had been fixed.

So imagine my surprise when I was set down, gently, on a part of his chest that hadn't been damaged. "Ratchet." I hated that my voice was weak and shaky, but I couldn't and wouldn't deny the pain I was in. Leaning down, I curled up against his chest, feeling the faint hum, and listening to the steady rotation of his spark. "I love you." I closed my eyes, just feeling the pleasant heat of his body radiating through my own body. The skin on metal was especially nice, like lying on a car that's been warmed by the sun, only slightly warmer.

"What's his status?" Barricade's tone was gruff, not giving anything away about his own personal feelings.

There was a sigh. "His spark keeps fluctuating, but I can't understand the pattern. All damage has been repaired or sealed, and the rest is waiting on his own personal repair systems. He is... He should be stabilized." There was annoyance in the usually quiet Jolt's tone.

I opened my eyes and stared at the brownish-silver metal, which had once been painted a bright yellow. "Please...come back." I wasn't sure if my whispers were reaching his audios, or that of the others. I was just...trying to get him to wake up. "I need you." We need you!

All of a sudden, I found myself air born. With a yell, I could feel the weightlessness of my body, even as I flew from Ratchet's chest. I barely registered hearing an oath behind me, and I was suddenly, almost painfully gripped in claws. By the time my awareness came back, I found myself staring in horror as Ratchet's body thrashed around on the berth in front of me, and Jolt was leaning over him.

No... I shook my head, breathing harshly in Barricade's claws. Ratchet... I looked up, my own heart very nearly stopping when I heard a steady tone from the machine overhead. I barely recognized the alien machine, but I did recognize the bot body shape, and the flat line under what appeared to be an image of a spark. It was a lot like a heart monitor, but I couldn't accept what I was seeing. What...

"We're losing him! Slag!"

I was sure part of the fact that he was speaking in English was supposed to be for my benefit, but at that very moment, I wished for nothing more than for him to have shouted that in Cybertronian instead. That was one bit of news I really don't think I would have minded not knowing.

Staring at his thrashing form, I didn't think. "RATCHET!" I struggled in Barricade's hold, transforming not really at the front of my mind as I tried to get to my mate. All I saw was his thrashing form. All I felt was agony so blinding, everything faded in a haze of white buzzing. All I could think was how badly I needed to get to him.

Nothing seemed to happen for a long moment. Jolt was whistling and clicking away, working quickly. The single tone haunted my ears, nearly drowning out the deafening buzzing in my ears. Then...something happened, and Jolt nearly leapt back from the form. His head turned to me, and I sobbed hard, clawing and scratching at Barricade's claws. "Let her go!" His voice was low, but his head turned away, up, towards the screen.

The single tone had changed. It pulsed, like a spark. Snapping out of my horror, I looked up, my own heart leaping into my throat. Ratchet! His spark was pumping again! I nearly tumbled out of Barricade's claws, slipping under the bars on his chest and climbing across the uneven surface. I almost crawled back to my original spot on his chest, over his heart, and curled back up.

"Please! Don't leave me!" I was still crying, begging him to come back, and I didn't give a damn who heard me! "I need you!"

The thrashing of the body seemed to slow, then stop. I froze, barely able to even hope. Listening carefully, I once again found the pulsing of the monitor, and I kept it in focus, before gently planting my lips against his chest armor. I shook, I couldn't help it. I leaned against him, feeling almost like a sparkling, even as I curled against ridges in his armor.

"Ratchet...please... I need you to wake up." I pleaded, breathing heavily. My eyes burned with the tears, and I could already see several drops on his armor, darkening and dampening the metal, where ever they landed. The thrashing stopped all together, and his chest heaved deeply, causing me to whimper as I clung to him. Please... Please... Come back! The body shuddered, a different feeling from it's earlier convulsions. I could hear his oxygen tanks struggling to breathe deeply, feel his body tensing. I can't lose him! Primus, please!

All of a sudden, I heard Jolt and Barricade sucking in sharp breaths. The body beneath me fell still, and the tension seemed to melt away. I couldn't bring myself to look, too afraid of what I'd see. Then... I heard his voice.

"...Bella...?"


Written : Feb 20, 2010

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Tenshi