It was quiet. Almost too quiet.

Bobbi was used to the silence. Often, she embraced it. She didn't need sound; at least, not usually. But this lack of… anything, was slowly crushing her. It was too empty. Or, maybe, it was filled to burst with things that needed said. Things she needed to get off of her chest. It was dire that she did so, lest she explode.

It was this thought that drove her to huffing and carefully detaching herself from all of the sensors and wires hook up to herself. Luckily, there was no IV to fight with; just basic pads that Ratchet had designed to monitor heart rate and such without piercing the skin and invading the human body. Something Bobbi was grateful for.

Once Bobbi was free of her restraints- she ignored the solid beep that echoed through the room softly, signalling the flatline of a heartbeat- and got to her feet carefully. Only to turn and find herself looking straight into Jolt's blank face.

"Excuse me, small human." He spoke slowly and deliberately, tilting his head slowly as he did so, "You seem to have forgotten that the medical equipment hooked up to you is important." his words drew a nervous, silent chuckle from Bobbi, who grinned uncertainly up at him and slowly took a step back away from him awkwardly.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jolt reached out and ever so lightly poked Bobbi in the chest, making it apparent that he wanted an answer, whether she liked it or not. The human took a deep breath, and focused on the blue Autobot medic trainee,

'Jolt.' Bobbi signed his name carefully, finding it strange feeling to do so, 'Please, I need to talk to Ratchet.'

"At… one in the morning?" Jolt squinted up at the clock on the wall before frowning at her directly again, trying to make his point. As much as he would love for the two to talk things out, he really doubted that now was the time. Especially since Bobbi was injured and needed her rest.

But the human was determined. Stalking forward two steps, she crouched down, mindful of her injured back, and retrieved her helmet. Then, cradling it in one hand, Bobbi stood back up, straight, and met Jolt's stare, looking him in the eye. They stayed like this for several moments, sizing one another up. Bobbi silently begged him, trying to convey just how vital this was to her. And, she knew, to Ratchet as well.

"Alright, alright." Jolt groaned, rubbing his forehead, "This is why I'll never make CMO…" he grumbled half-heartedly. Bobbi grinned and couldn't hold back a fist pump of victory. Her first hurdle of the night had been vanquished.

"Hey!" The blue Autobot huffed, pointing a finger in her face, quickly gaining Bobbi's attention back, "Make sure to get some rest tonight, okay? Your body heals best when you're sleeping." the concerned scowl on his face had Bobbi smiling, her lips quirked at the corners.

She nodded, accepting his terms.

"Alright, here, I'll help you to his door. Don't want you straining anything." Jolt put his hand down, flat with the palm up, against the berth's surface.

Trusting that he wouldn't drop her, Bobbi climbed carefully into his awaiting hand.

She settled in, putting both her hands onto the rounded top of his pointer and right finger, on either side of the middle on, and held on as Jolt made his way to Ratchet's door. It was only a few long steps, thanks to his height, and the blue Autobot set her down in front of the entrance. He gave her one last stern look- clearly telling her to take it easy- before knocking on the door carefully for her.

Bobbi shot him a bemused look. He was really taking this 'Don't strain yourself' thing seriously, wasn't he? Not even letting her knock for herself.

Finished, Jolt turned, ignoring her look, and made his way back to the other patients to check on them. Bobbi shook her head; it seemed that the trainee was taking his job seriously- nightly rounds, who did that?- since Ratchet had been down and out of commission.

"Bobbi?" The soft, startled rumble behind her had Bobbi whirling around on her heels. For a moment, she found her mouth dry and her chest tight. It was hard to breathe. Or, really, to think for that matter.

The Autobot in front of her looked like he hadn't had a wink of sleep since their fight. His optics almost looked sunken in, and if he were human, she was certain he would have a five o'clock shadow or something. He honestly looked like hell, and her heart clenched painfully for him. Clearly, this hadn't been easy for him either.

Did he regret their argument as much as she did? Bobbi wondered silently to herself.

"Well… here, come on, no use in standing outside where everyone can see. Bet the light is gonna wake someone up." Ratchet grumbled and knelt, holding a hand out to her, palm up. Now that he mention it- there was light spilling out from his bedroom. Bobbi mused as she awkwardly and carefully climbed up into his hand. Though they had had a major fight, she still trusted him not to drop her. At least, not on purpose. She still had infinite trust in the CMO.

As he turned and headed into his room, Bobbi took in everything about the medic that she could. She had missed him these last two days, and she was eager to soak up everything that she could about him.

Ratchet was nervous.

Bobbi had picked up on it the moment he had begun talking to her. Everything from his voice and the way he talked, to the way he kept glancing down at her when he thought she wasn't looking and looking anywhere but at her when she was looking at him just screamed it. Many wouldn't be able to pick up on it; Ratchet's shifts in mood were often subtle unless it was something dramatic. But Bobbi had known the medic long enough to pick up on the little clues and hints to his feelings and deeper held thoughts.

Seeming unaware of Bobbi's own thoughts, Ratchet settled onto his berth carefully with his precious cargo. He carefully arranged himself so that his back was propped up against the wall, and his long legs ran along the length of the berth. Once he was comfortable and certain he wasn't about to accidentally fall off and possibly injure his human, Ratchet carefully brought Bobbi up to his chest and let his palm lay there comfortably on part of his chassis, a piece that stuck out slightly. They sat there in that position for several long minutes; simply examining one another. Drinking each other in.

How had they managed being apart for so long? Granted two days wasn't terribly long; but right then, it felt as though it had been an eternity.

Bobbi took a deep breath and let it out slowly, getting ready to put her pride aside and sign. But, Ratchet surprised her and spoke first.

"It seems we have a lot to talk about." Ratchet spoke softly, slowly, "I want to start by apologizing. I let my spark, and my temper, run away with my head." he stopped for a moment, grimacing, "I should've been more mature."

Bobbi blinked at him in surprise, her eyebrows raised. She considered his words with thought, and gathered her courage, before extending her own apology.

'I'm sorry. I was foolish on the battlefield. I saw a younger soldier was about to be injured, and acted without thinking it through.' Her signing was soft and slow, taking time to form each of the words. It didn't matter that she could sign faster with ease, or that Ratchet could keep up with it just as easily. What mattered was getting her sincerity across.

"I suppose we both acted recklessly." Ratchet chuckled soft, shaking his head slowly, sadly. Though he had apologized, he continued to feel immensely guilty and awful. His spark would not forgive him, though perhaps Bobbi would. 'Sorry' just wasn't going to cut it. He would need to find a better way to apologize. Maybe Optimus's idea, a compromise, would fix it? The humans often told him that acting like a brick wall when it came to most things would only impede his own progress.

This was too important to him for the medic to be acting prideful- he was willing to try just about anything.

'I still should have been more careful.' Bobbi shook her head,

"And I shouldn't've yelled at you." Ratchet grumped, unable to help his wiry half grin. She smiled up at him, her relief apparent, and the CMO's passive scanners easily picked up on her body relaxing in his hand, whereas before it had been so tense she was trembling slightly. Ratchet reached out a finger and ran it down the back of her head and down her back; and Bobbi in turn curled up against his chest, sighing softly.

'I'm glad to be back, that was awful.'

"I don't enjoy arguing with you." Ratchet murmured slowly, softly, a twinge of sadness and exhaustion in his vocals.

They were quiet for a long moment, simply sapping up each other's presence.

'Ratchet?'

"Yes, Bobbi?" His optics were closed, enjoying the peace of the moment, but he 'listened' through his scanners,

'Will you tell me about Cybertronian's?'

"What do you mean?" Ratchet's brow furrowed in confusion, but his optics remained closed and relaxed,

'Ironhide mentioned something about coding and sparks…' Bobbi hedged hesitantly. The CMO's optics flicked open and abruptly focused on her intently. She froze under his scrutiny, and his scanners picked up on an increased heart rate.

'I'm sorry, you don't have-'

"Don't worry." Ratchet rumbled, "You just caught me by surprise is all." he sighed deeply. He should've known Ironhide would stick his olfactory sensor where it didn't belong. Then again, the big black mech was probably the reason Bobbi was even willing to talk to him so soon after their fight. He wondered if there was a possible way he could thank him...

Sensing he was about to launch into one of his lectures, Bobbi shifted upright and leaned against the far side of his palm so that she could watch his face so as not to miss a single word he said.

"Human have a 'moral code'. A part of the brain that tells right from wrong." Ratchet began slowly, thinking his words over carefully, "Cybertronian's have… coding. A Protective Code, so to speak." he shifted uncomfortably, frowning. Clearly, this was something personal.

Bobbi nodded slowly to show she was listening, awed by the amount of trust Ratchet was showing by letting her in on something so closely regarded.

"This coding isn't something that can be easily brushed off like a moral compass." The CMO tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling with a frown, "A moral compass might bug you once in awhile, make you second guess yourself; even make you feel horrible about your choices, or maybe even someone else's choices. But coding…" Ratchet looked back down at Bobbi, seeming to regain himself.

"Coding demands to be listened to. For example, there's coding to protect sparklings, which most femmes have. It overrides everything, demands that the sparkling come first and foremost. And Primus help anyone that lays a single finger on that child's head."

Bobbi nodded again, understanding what he was saying.

"There's also coding to protect the injured, and coding that most mechs have, to protect femmes at all costs." Ratchet stopped, trailing off, before picking his lecture back up again, "Our spark is something that's not so easily defined... " he trailed off, "it seems to have a mind of its own at times. Urging us towards or away from things. It's more primal, more basic, and yet endlessly complex." he shook his head, "That's about all I can tell you that will actually make sense."

Bobbi considered this for a moment before nodding, 'Thank you.' her simple signing had him half grinning at her and dismissing her thanks.

'So then… my getting injured?'

"A combination of a few lines of coding and my spark." Ratchet mumbled, averting his gaze, "I'm sorry."

'Don't be. I should be sorry. I should've asked more questions, known more, before snapping at you.' Bobbi shook her head in amusement. She was often stubborn and bullheaded, according to her mother; but she had never even considered her words until now.

Having come to a newfound understanding, the two sat in relative quiet; finding comfort in the fact that forgiveness, and knowledge that needed to, had come to light. It had been endlessly necessary, and both were grateful.

Understanding your partner was part of the secret to having a good, healthy relationship, after all.

"Bobbi…" Ratchet spoke slowly, softly, "How would you feel about a new position?"

The human shifted, tilting her head back up to look at him, and scowled fiercely, 'If you mean a desk job, I will seriously deck you in the face.' Bobbi never could stand to sit still. She had to be in motion; it was simply how she was wired. Ratchet understood this, as he was the same way- they were both workaholics of their own choice.

"No, not in the slightest." Ratchet chuckled, trying to imagine Bobbi behind a desk, and failing,

'Then what do you mean?' Face relaxing from its scowl, and now interested in what Ratchet had in mind, Bobbi focused on her lover.

"Optimus came up with the idea, and think it could help with the health of both Autobots and human soldiers." And with that, Ratchet launched into an explanation. When he had finished, Bobbi nodded slowly,

'I would be interested in trying that. As long as you don't mind teaching me.'

"Not in the slightest." Ratchet chuckled, "It means I get to spend time with you, after all." he half grinned at her, and she chuckled silently, rolling her eyes.

'Charmer.' Bobbi smiled widely at him in turn.

They stayed like that, talking until the wee hours of the morning, before falling asleep like that; drifting off without warning.

(AN: Apologizing and making up is easy; if you can push past your pride and feeling of 'I'm right, they're wrong'.

c: Whats this? Another chapter? And it DIDN'T take 3 months to finish?! Holy cheese balls, mothman! :D Its a miracle baby! Well, I'm feeling better darlings, and you better believe that I'm back in the game, head and all!

I predict 2 more chapter before this is finished. The ending chapter, where more truths come to light, and Bobbi settles into this new 'position'- whatever that may be- and then the Epilogue!

Leave me a review, da? :D The end nears soon, my darlings!)