Jazz had nearly no idea how long he had until his trial time with the pack was up. But he was going to use this time to his advantage. He had always been a curious bot so given the chance that he was being presented here, he was all too excited to watch the pack and learn exactly how beastformer pack's operated.

For starters, Jazz's observations pointed to the fact that the pack probably had some kind of bond in between them all. There had been times when Jazz had noticed that Bluestreak was upset and then, out of the blue, Smokescreen or Skids or Prowl would appear to comfort him. It led Jazz to believe that the pack had a bond of some kind in between their sparks.

The other thing Jazz noticed was how servos on the pack was with each other and had begun to be with him. They would touch each other on the arm plating, poke doorwings, pat each other on the back and sometimes press their entire bodies into each other. The fact that most of them had started to touch him in such a familiar way was indicative that most of them had begun to trust him. Well nearly all had except Barricade, who clearly still didn't trust him.

The black and purple beastformer still regarded him with mild hostility and narrowed nervous and hate filled optics.

There was only one conclusion Jazz could draw about the black and purple beastformer and that was that he didn't trust easily. Which was okay in Jazz's opinion. So, he had quickly decided to give Barricade space and not talk to him as much as the others.

That caused Barricade to sort of begin to relax a little around him although the distrust was still in his optics.

But besides Barricade, the rest of the pack had been rather welcoming to Jazz and seemed to like him, sorta.

There had been only one problem and that was Prowl was practically ignoring him. The alpha of the pack hadn't even looked at him since that nearly disastrous first meeting between Jazz and the pack where Bluestreak had blurted out that Prowl liked him.

Prowl ignoring him was making Jazz second guess what Bluestreak had told him about the alpha.

It hurt a little, especially since Jazz didn't know if he had done something wrong to make Prowl pull away from him.

The rest of pack had even started to get frustrated looks on their faceplates whenever Prowl was in the same room as Jazz and was pretending that Jazz wasn't even there. Jazz had spotted Smokescreen, Skids, Nightbeat, and Bluestreak putting their helms together and hiss about something several times while shooting frustrated looks in between Prowl and Jazz.

Barricade had been watching too, a sort of annoyed displeasure on his faceplate. He would shoot little annoyed glances at the group of four too. It was clear that Barricade wasn't happy with what was going on but wasn't planning on doing anything about it.

After the little pow-wows, as Jazz liked to call these four mech meetings, one of the four would come up behind Jazz and gently shove him into Prowl. Prowl though wouldn't ignore him then and would carefully push him back on his pedes and steady him.

Then he would shoot sharp glares at the four who would just smirk back at Prowl as if they hadn't done anything wrong.

Living with the beastformer pack was weird.

Jazz shook off his thoughts as he glanced around where he had settled down next to a giant window that showed off the big backyard of this house. He checked to be sure no one was around him before he carefully pressed a servo to the glass as he stared out at the outside.

Being indoors was about to drive him up the wall. Jazz had been trapped in this house for nearly two orns already and he was bored out of his processor even with the interesting observations he was making.

A sharp huff came from behind him and Jazz jumped slightly in alarm, helm spinning around to face whoever had made the noise.

Barricade was glowering at him, clear annoyance in his gaze as well as a bit frustration.

The black and purple beastformer ground out, "What the frag do you think you're doing?"

Jazz blinked in confusion, "What?"

Barricade gave a sharp roll of his optics and continued, "What are you going to do about Prowl?"

"Huh?" Jazz asked, feeling a bit confused as to why Barricade was talking to him about Prowl. "What ya mean? What 'bout Prowl?"

Barricade just stared at him in growing surprise, as he demanded, "Wait. . . you mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" Jazz asked beginning to feel even more confused the longer he talked to Barricade.

"I don't believe it!" the black and purple beastformer cried, his golden faceplates looking absolutely astonished. "I don't fragging believe it!"

"Still don' know what ya talkin' 'bout, mech," Jazz responded, beginning to feel a little bit annoyed.

Barricade just smirked dryly showing off his sharp dentals in an animalistic grin he was giving Jazz. He laughed, throwing back his helm in amusement, as he continued to speak between the guffaws of laughter, "Now this is hilarious! Smokey owes me forty credits! He was sure you knew!"

"Huh?" Jazz said again, hating that he was beginning to sound like a broken record. "Can' ya explain what the frag yer talkin' 'bout?"

"No," Barricade said, still amused and giving Jazz a smooth dry smirk. "I think I'll take care of the rest of it from now on. You just sit tight."

Then he turned around and left, leaving Jazz even more annoyed and confused than he was to begin with.

What the frag had that been about?

1111111111111111

Jazz found out what exactly Barricade was talking about a few joors later. He had been heading upstairs to find out if Smokescreen wanted to play Praxus Fold'Em to pass the time when he was grabbed from behind.

Jazz yelped as he was scooped up and carried through the upstairs hallway by a pair of black and purple arms before being dumped in a room he had never been in before. Jazz looked up at Barricade, a part of him beginning to panic at the devious smirk on the mech's faceplate.

Then the black and purple beastformer shut and locked the door of the room, locking Jazz into the unknown room.

Jazz stared at the door for a few moments in complete in utter confusion before he slowly began to look around the room, he had been locked in.

It was cleaner than any living quarters Jazz had ever been in. There were the usual things you'd find in a berthroom; a berth, a berthside table, and few tables. But there was also a rather large datapad shelf too and a desk that contained many different files that Jazz quickly recognized from his time in the Enforcers.

There was no question about it.

He was in the very private quarters of Prowl.

That information caused Jazz to begin to blush in embarrassment as he realized what exactly Barricade had thrown him into.

He rubbed at his cheeks as he tried to decide if he should make himself comfortable while he waited for whatever was going to happen.

His processor was beginning to race nervously.

What exactly was Barricade up to?

Did this have something to do with how the other four members of the pack had been acting?

Or the conversation Barricade had tried to have with him about Prowl?

Jazz just didn't know.

Slowly Jazz sat down on Prowl's berth, trying to take his processor off what was going on and where exactly he was. He attempted to ignore the rush of heat through his frame at the memory that he was on Prowl's berth.

As Jazz mentally struggled with what exactly he should do in this situation (perhaps he could hack his way through the door?) his servos worried at each other.

He nearly jumped when he heard the door unlock and stood to his pedes, tense and ready to bound out the door if he got the chance.

Jazz didn't get that chance because another black and white frame was shoved through the door before the door clicked shut and the lock clicked back.

Jazz blinked as the black and white doorwinged frame straightened himself and tried the door, before pounding on it and yelling out, sharply, "Barricade! What the frag do you think your doing?! Unlock this door immediately!"

"Sorry, Alpha!" Barricade's voice said, with a biting chuckle. "But you're not going anywhere until you get your helm out of your aft!"

That caused Prowl to pause in his assault on the door.

Then slowly the black and white Praxian-framed Enforcer turned around and met Jazz's visor with his ice-blue optics.

Immediately those beautiful ice-blue optics went wide with something other than shock, something Jazz would almost consider to be fear. Then Prowl was spinning back around and shouting through the door, "Barricade, you fragger!"

Jazz could feel himself become a little stunned. He had never once heard Prowl curse until now.

Behind the door Barricade just chuckled and said, "Come now, Alpha. You really need this. Just go ahead."

Prowl snarled at the door and smacked his fist against it so hard that the door rattled. Jazz could hear Barricade laugh a little and walk away from the door, leaving them both locked in the room.

Jazz turned his gaze from the door to Prowl who was still glaring at it darkly with such anger and fury that Jazz wouldn't have been surprised if the door melted under his angry gaze.

Jazz shifted minutely and almost instantly Prowl's helm was snapping around to stare at him. He tensed under Prowl's ice-blue gaze, his spark spinning nervously, because there was something else besides frustration and anger in that gaze.

It was almost like there was hunger in those icy-blue optics.

Jazz shuddered and subtly took a small step back as he tried to calm his racing spark a little.

Slowly the expression on Prowl's faceplate changed and he seemed to hesitate for a moment before he spoke.

"I apologize for Barricade's actions. I don't know what's gotten into him."

Jazz blinked his visor at that as he stared at Prowl's clearly uncomfortable expression.

He didn't really understand what had been up with Prowl lately but the mech seemed almost upset about something else besides whatever Barricade was up to. Jazz frowned as Prowl seemed to almost shift nervously under Jazz's gaze.

Jazz hesitated a short moment before he demanded, "What's been with ya lately, Prowler? Ya've been actin' weird 'round meh lately. Did Ah do somethin' wrong?"

"No!" Prowl cried out, sounding upset at the mere notion that Jazz had done something wrong.

"Then what's wrong?" Jazz asked, beginning to feel a little frustrated. "If Ah haven' done anythin' wrong, then why are ya bein' so weird 'round meh?"

Prowl stiffened nervously, his doorwings beginning to twitch, clearly stressed out. Jazz could feel something beginning to fill his spark, something he had only felt once before.

He shakily said, "Is it. . . is it that ya don' want meh around anymore?"

Prowl looked horrified, "No! I. . . I. . ."

Prowl sounded so nervous and frightened as he struggled to continue whatever he was saying.

Jazz crossed his arms over his chestplates and said quietly, "Jus' tell meh, Prowler. What's goin' on? Why did Barricade lock us in here? What does 'e want ya ta do?"

Prowl stiffened at those pointed questions. For the first time since Jazz had met the firm, strong, and quiet Enforcer he seemed almost unable to speak. He struggled for a few more minutes to say something before he almost seemed to give up.

Then he focused back on Jazz with his upset and fear-filled optics and took a step towards him. Jazz twitched at the step, uncertain what exactly Prowl was trying to achieve by moving closer to him.

It was almost as if the fact Jazz hadn't moved an inch when Prowl had stepped forward gave the white and black mech some confidence because a moment later Jazz was against the wall and Prowl was crowding him against it.

Prowl was bracketing Jazz's smaller frame with his arms, leaning firmly into his personal space as he stared down at him.

Jazz stared up at the other Enforcer, slightly confused and nervous about the sudden movement from the beastformer and his sudden impact against the wall.

Prowl slowly reached up with one servo, his digits slowly curling around Jazz's jaw and beginning to pet the side of his faceplate. Jazz leaned into the warm touch, enjoying the feeling of Prowl's warm servos touching him finally.

It was as if Jazz leaning into Prowl's touch was the catalyst because a moment later Jazz was gasping into the pressure of Prowl's mouth against his as the other, taller mech wrapped one servo around the back of Jazz's helm and the other around his waist.

Jazz was nearly frozen in surprise before he began to respond to the contact almost exuberantly.

It was certainly unexpected but not unwelcome.