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~Chapter 21~
The two vehicles traced the perimeter around the ranch for a third time. The Topkick kept a steady speed, while the smaller Saleen roared ahead, then circled back to pace the large truck for a few moments before taking off again.
The Decepticon had rarely gotten out of the Medbay, spending most of his time immobilized and hooked up to scans and sensors and feeder lines, fussed over by Ratchet when he grew lethargic and failed to take in enough fuel for the day's cycle.
Well, Ironhide had an answer for that.
The first time he had taken his charge out with him, the perimeter run had taken more than an hour and left Barricade ravenous for energon, trembling from bumper to bumper, frame shaking uncontrollably.
When the cubes and feeder line proved too slow, Ironhide hooked up his own large reserve tank and pumped in fuel as fast as Barricade could take it, not stopping until the Decepticon was moaning in relief, trembling eased, systems flushed and glowing with surplus energon.
Exercise, Ironhide decided, was good for Barricade. Took some of the restlessness out of him, helped him quiet down for recharge, kept the repair nanites well-fed and working efficiently. His systems were starting to smooth out, integrating with the new repairs, and Ratchet was happy with the sudden leap in his patient's progress.
When not running the perimeter, Ironhide helped him into root mode and put him to work in the back forty where Lennox had been using a winch and a small front loader to clear out the old trash pile.
Ironhide set the front loader carefully aside, then directed Barricade to help haul off rusting farm equipment, old fencing, and stacks of ancient lumber. Since that involved simply tossing it all across the property line, it wasn't long before Sarah came out and pointed to the growing pile.
"Ironhide, the whole point of Will clearing this trash pile was to Clear. The. Trash. Pile. Not just move it from one place to another."
The Guardian glanced at the pile, then down to Sarah, then back at the pile.
A silent order had Barricade's helm coming up. The mech slowly moved back at the sound of the cannon whir.
A single blast obliterated the pile completely, leaving only dust hanging in the air.
"Oh my god," Sarah said faintly, looking up just in time to see Ironhide's mouthplates twitch.
Was that a smirk?
Mouthplates twitched again, optics gleaming.
That was definitely a smirk.
Sarah chuckled, shaking her head as she walked back to the house. So much like Will. Boys and their toys.
In the evenings, out by Ironhide's favorite spot next to the barn, the Guardian helped Barricade through his still rough and unsteady transformation before sending him off for recharge. Usually the Saleen took itself a short distance and settled, lights dimming down into recharge. Sometimes it would pause first, and give a soft nudge to armor, the closest the Decepticon ever came to thanking the Guardian.
The gesture never failed to surprise Ironhide.
Now that the Guardian bond was well established, and Ironhide was reluctantly prepping for an anchor bond, he had begun to notice things about his Decepticon charge.
Barricade's field was never calm. Even in recharge it churned just below the surface, seething and restless. And so the mech himself was never truly at rest, something Ironhide had not realized.
Much of that could be put down to his injuries. Maybe.
Ironhide was more afraid that it pointed to a basic instability.
He scrubbed a hand roughly over faceplates. Worrying rarely solved anything. Time to get started. He flicked his field at the Saleen, just about to settle into recharge.
Barricade, a moment please. There is something I need to ask.
The Saleen approached, inquiry in ragged field and quiet hum, then turned suddenly to face the house. Sarah had appeared at the window.
Barricade hummed again.
You have one too, Guardian.
One what?
One of them. That little one is yours.
She is my charge, I protect her. I do not own her, Ironhide responded with a sharp glance at the Decepticon, his field swirling with layered meanings.
Most of which seemed lost on Barricade.
I protect mine also.
Ironhide grunted, field flicking a negative.
You cannot protect her.
Not yet, he added as Barricade's field started to bristle. And there it was, the opening he was looking for.
You are damaged still, the Guardian continued, and too weak. If you truly want to protect her, grant me deep access and I will help restore what you have lost.
The Saleen's engine growled. Show me what I have lost, Barricade demanded.
Ironhide inclined his helm and touched a finger to his holo emitter.
The form solidified and took a menacing step forward. The right hand transformed. The flail began a slow lazy spin, sharp spikes glinting, vicious and deadly. The image of Barricade snarled and leaped forward, lashing the flail. Ironhide's mouthplates tightened at the scream. Bumblebee had paid for that lapse in attention. The image dissolved into static as Bumblebee's systems rerouted for repairs.
He let the holo file run on a loop, scanning Barricade while the Decepticon studied the images. The restless field had slowed, deep undercurrents held curiosity, admiration, an intent focus on the weapon itself slowly morphing into hunger, need, and a battle lust Ironhide was all too familiar with.
If I do as you ask, then I can protect?
Ironhide hesitated. Restore Barricade, with weapons capability intact, would bring a far different problem to all of them.
Barricade's field prodded at him. Guardian? I protect?
Bind him. Bind him now, before he became a threat, to them and himself. A million calculations suddenly narrowed, to Mikaela's safety, to Ironhide's own charges.
Guardian…?
Ironhide knelt next to the Saleen, one large hand rested gently on the roof.
I will do this so that you can protect the little one, but only if you swear never to threaten my charges, and protect them as I would protect you.
The Decepticon hesitated, Ironhide could practically hear his processors churning, weighing advantages, calculating disadvantages. Finally Barricade flared out his field, accepting the offer.
They are bonded to Guardian, I am bonded to Guardian. Our interests align. I will comply.
'For now,' was unspoken but a clear undercurrent, and Ironhide gave a soft snort. So typical of a Decepticon. But there would be a distinct advantage to this alignment. Like his charges not being targeted.
No sooner had his field signaled acceptance of the bargain, than Ironhide found himself linked in deeply, their bond spreading and widening with each pulse of Barricade's field. Not just theirs, but Sarah's, Will's, even little Annabelle's. Barricade meshed with each bond, absorbing, learning, imprinting.
Ironhide remained motionless, letting Barricade take in every detail while Guardian protocols slowly shifted and finally locked into a new configuration.
It was several hours later when he sent Barricade off to recharge, and reluctantly acknowledged the result of their new bond. Barricade's agreement had been the catalyst, and Guardian protocols were nothing if not tidy. The fragile threads of individual bonds were gone, replaced by a single thick strand, braided and shimmering with a new-found strength. As it had ever been on Cybertron, safety lay in numbers, in individuals banded together within their Guardian's care.
It had been literal ages since Ironhide had been Guardian to a collective, let alone such a varied cohort, but now here he was again.
:: It's done, medic, anchor bond initiated. ::
:: Thank you .:: Ratchet's brief reply came flooded with glyphs of gratitude and relief.
Ironhide wearily acknowledged and initiated his recharge cycle. Against all of his better judgement, he had just opened the door further to the Decepticon. The anchor bond would deepen, they would gain a stronger sense of each other, and hopefully that would establish enough trust to begin eroding the block. In the meantime, Ironhide could direct the repair nanites and funnel energy into them more efficiently, strengthen Barricade's field, and knock down any reflex that threatened Mikaela or his charges. A faint hope to pin everything on, but all they had for now.
Speed everything up, get Barricade was on his feet again, then see how much a bond could rein in a Decepticon's natural instincts.
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Mikaela tossed and turned. The bed in the guest room was comfortable but sleep was simply not happening. She got up and moved to the window, looking out towards the barn. Barricade was hunkered down in his alt mode, a small smudge of dark near the larger bulk of the Topkick.
Even from here, she could feel a pull, a tugging sensation.
Or maybe it was just her own wishful thinking.
She sighed, debating about a glass of milk. That usually helped her sleep.
She tiptoed past Annabelle's room. Mikaela would get no thanks for waking the baby in the middle of the night. Poor Sarah had looked pale and tired when she finally said goodnight.
She was less successful at keeping quiet on the stairs. The Lennox ranch was immaculate but several generations old, the staircase practically booby-trapped with steps that creaked and groaned. The first time she had crept out to join Barricade, one of the steps had gone off like a gunshot. She froze at the sound, and at Sarah's voice, sleepily calling out.
"Just wanted some milk, Sarah, sorry I woke you," Mikaela had apologized, then felt guilty for bypassing the kitchen on her way out to Barricade.
She reached the bottom and paused to listen. No sounds, no one stirring, good.
She moved to the kitchen, the single nightlight spreading a soft glow over the counter next to the refrigerator. The small light over the breakfast nook table had been left on, shining directly down onto a plate of cookies and a little note propped next to it.
'Midnight snack and milk in the fridge, help yourself. ~S'
Aww, that is so sweet. Mikaela bit into a cookie, feeling a little more at ease and a little less like she'd intruded on Sarah's home and personal space for the last week. Thank you, Sarah.
Of course, it also meant that Sarah had noticed her restlessness, but that didn't bother her as much as she thought it might. It was nice, really nice, to have someone looking out for her for once. Mikaela poured a glass of milk and popped it in the microwave. The kitchen was large, with modern appliances and polished wood flooring, little homey touches in the knickknack shelves and dish towels, cheerful curtains at the window.
Warm and comfortable, it felt like a real home, and she would have given anything for that growing up.
Mikaela shook her head a little, shushing the thought. That time was long past. Just focus on here and now and the fact that she apparently had something weird going on with an alien cop car.
She sipped warm milk and nibbled her cookie. A connection, Ironhide had said. Not all that surprising, now that she'd had a little time to think about it, she'd been having so many odd feelings around Barricade.
The pull that had eased as she moved through the house returned, more urgent this time. The Saleen had moved; still some distance away but now facing directly into the kitchen window.
This pull, this connection…
Please, come… want…. need... only you….
He was calling to her.
Mikaela shivered, spreading her hands on the table and staring hard at them.
Ironhide had explained everything to her on the drive from the Base to Sarah's house. Barricade couldn't make her do anything she didn't want, he had promised. But he sure as hell could coax and suggest and try to influence her actions.
Left unspoken was just how much Mikaela wanted what Barricade was offering.
She cupped her hands around her glass of milk and frowned.
Well, what exactly was he offering?
Except for that one time, all the 'influence' had simply been about getting her closer.
Please…
It was more than that though, much more.
… want… need…
She shivered again, the pull a strong pulse through her entire body, and yet... She could ignore it, if she chose, even push back on it. Focus on something else, move away from him, and the connection would fade.
…only you…
Mikaela sighed and looked out the window to where Barricade was sitting, all the longing in the world wrapped up in his call.
She didn't want it to fade.
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The Base had been so much warmer at night, she kept forgetting how cold it was out here, and Barricade's call had not allowed for even a change of clothes. It tugged at her restlessly, almost painful in its urgency.
Sleep cami and boy shorts, long legs bare, she was lucky her boots were still on the porch. She picked her way in the dark through damp grass and pebbles, shivering as she clutched a thin jacket around herself.
Not until she was standing in front of him did the pull ease, and Mikaela leaned gratefully against the Saleen, thighs pressed to the warm grill.
She could feel his attention sharpen, and she laid a hand on the hood of the car. The Saleen was motionless but the sensation of something dark and wild and restless immediately gentled beneath her touch.
"Wow," Mikaela murmured. This could not be happening, and yet here they were.
She helped calm him, Ironhide told her. The connection ran both ways, she could influence him too.
…you… only you...
And what was Barricade offering her?
More than any of her jock boyfriends.
More than Sam.
More than Bumblebee.
Mikaela sighed. That still hurt.
Yet Barricade somehow managed to fill that ache deep inside her, soothe away all the hurt Bumblebee had left behind.
You can choose , Ironhide told her.
And in the end, it wasn't a hard choice to make at all.
Barricade needed her.
She could feel him, his attention focused solely on her. She leaned forward, across the hood, hands pressed to warm metal.
Barricade's rattling purr started up. The door of the Saleen swung open, creaking ominously, the interior of the car pitch black.
Ratchet had never allowed her inside the Saleen at all, but now here she was spending her nights with him. She listened to his purr, feeling the pull through their connection, and finally got in.
The heater was already blasting out warm air. She eased down on the surprisingly comfortable seat and slipped out of the jacket, looking around the interior.
The dim lights from the dash were just enough to illuminate seat belts twisted up and tangled into knots, and thin cables dangling from the ceiling. A few dark stains spotted the floor and upholstery.
The interior could use a good cleaning, she decided, and tomorrow she would oil that door. She stifled a yawn, tucking her legs up on the seat. He could use an all-over wash too, his panels were dusty from running the perimeter with Ironhide.
She shivered, feeling Barricade's attention settle on her.
….want… only you…
She hadn't told Ironhide about this, how powerful it was, here at the very center of this stunning attention.
…safe….warm…
The seat reclined slightly as she pillowed her head on her jacket, eyes beginning to slow blink. His purr drowned out every other sound, the rattling somehow less noticeable inside. She was warm and safe, basking in the glow of his attention.
…plates… armor….
His armor, polish his armor tomorrow , was her very last thought before falling asleep.
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One of his charges was deep into recharge, but the other would be up and out to him soon.
Ironhide vented softly, optics intent on the house. Sarah was good at staying busy during the day, keeping Annabelle to a routine and troubling thoughts at bay. It was the nights that were proving difficult, when all her fears crept in. At least now there was a connection, and a way for him to help.
His bond with Annabelle remained unchanged, as strong as it would be until she was much older. But his bond with Sarah had strengthened considerably, incredibly, over the last month; a development as completely unexpected as it was entirely welcome. Guardian protocols were working overtime, making adjustments, enlarging parameters, altering old coding and writing new to accommodate the changes.
He watched as a single light brightened the master bedroom, then the stairway light glimmered through the backdoor. The kitchen remained dim, but a figure appeared in the window, a silent question rippled faintly through the bond.
Are you awake?
He felt her clearly but could she sense him, feel him too? He usually blinked lights at her, letting her know, but now Ironhide responded with an inviting flicker through their bond.
Come.
The figure remained unmoving, her question fading, uncertain.
He tried again, a stronger pulse with an undercurrent of welcome.
Come, Sarah.
The backdoor opened. Sarah stepped out and crossed the yard to him.
He hummed a greeting, waiting for her to settle in his hand before lifting her up.
Blue eyes looked up to him, tired, a little sad.
"I'm worried about him."
Softly spoken, quiet pain, her field ached with it.
Ironhide touched a gentle fingerpad to her shoulder.
"You know he would be with you if he could."
She bowed her head, silky strands of hair brushing against the metal of his finger. "I know what it cost him to break that promise, Ironhide. I also know it has to be something really bad to make him do it."
"Then you know how hard he will fight to come home to you."
She did know. Ironhide could see it in the way her body loosened and her field relaxed, comforted by the knowledge. There were even intriguing flashes of Lennox himself, a deeper knowing somehow being relayed through this new bond they shared. Ironhide could feel it strengthen, adding layers, the stretch as it deepened.
That such a connection was possible in a mech bonding was well known, but with an organic? Truly remarkable.
Ironhide regretted that so many of their records were lost in the war. Somewhere, at some long ago time, there must have been a mech who decided to bond with an organic, and discovered some surprisingly similar advantages along the way.
His fingerpad stroked gently, his hum softened. Sarah was drowsing a little, leaning against his fingers, her biofield muted down but still tangled with his.
"Let me take you back to the house now," Ironhide suggested, but at the first hint of his field withdrawing, Sarah stiffened. Her biofield reached , radiating distress and clinging to him firmly.
"Impressive," Ironhide rumbled, surprise rippling through his field, then smoothing out into solid comfort and reassurance.
Sarah sighed and rested her head against warm metal, one hand curling over the edge of a large finger. "What's impressive?"
"When I began to pull away, you reached for my field and drew me back."
"Sorry?" Sarah tilted her head up at him, a slight frown creasing her brow. "I don't understand."
Ironhide pinned optics on her, intent now. "You did it before too, when I did not wish to talk about Barricade. I shut you out and you 'pushed' with your field to make me open up to you again. That was also most impressive."
"Pushed what? With what?" Sarah shook her head, then rested her cheek against warm metal again. "I don't understand, Ironhide."
Her field was still clinging to his but the undercurrent was weary and pained.
Let me rest here, with you.
As clear as if spoken aloud, and no idea she was doing it.
Ironhide hummed, field gathering Sarah's up in a comforting embrace.
"You are tired. I can explain another time. For now, let me help you sleep."
Sarah blinked up at him from under her brows. "…. Yes? Please."
No sooner said than done, and Sarah gasped a little when Ironhide's familiar form transformed, collapsing into moving parts that shifted slowly and deliberately around her. The Topkick's cab formed up with her inside, and the hand she was sitting on disappeared just as the Topkick's backseat moved up beneath her.
She looked around, a hand brushing over his seat and murmuring her thanks when the seat shifted back and lengthened. A soft sigh as she stretched out, an answering hum to his deeper one, and then Sarah sank gratefully into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Ironhide pondered while she slept, processors working over the two separate puzzles. Sarah was using her field and their bond without knowing or even realizing what she was doing. Mikaela was familiar with the mechanics of bond and field through Ratchet but lacked all practical application.
Ironhide wondered how Bumblebee had ever managed to form a connection with Mikaela. It would have been like fumbling around in a familiar place, completely in the dark.
The problem was essentially the same at least, but from different ends. One femme needed the knowledge, the other femme needed the practice and power, and he needed to bring both of them up to speed, and soon.
His AI sounded an alert.
The door to the porch swung open, then closed again.
Ironhide watched the slight form cross the yard and approach Barricade. The Saleen's engine gave a muted purr, the backdoor opened.
Mikaela climbed in and vanished in the dark interior.
The door swung shut, locks clicking ominously in the stillness.
Like a lamb to the slaughter.
His AI concurred.
Ironhide mentally scrubbed faceplates. He might be the only one who realized where the real threat was.
While Prime was eager to overlook differences, while Ratchet was too tied up with physical repairs to assess Barricade's mental state, Ironhide had already spent a thousand orns running calculations and scenarios and failsafes.
Barricade fully recovered and mentally intact meant a Decepticon who despised all things organic, one who would threaten them, and even kill them.
Or potentially worse, this Decepticon might just be inclined to accept a human slave, especially one already under his influence.
Ironhide pushed the disquieting thought aside. Tomorrow he would give her the tools she needed, the weapons to fight back.
When Barricade recovered fully, Mikaela would not be helpless.
Not if Ironhide had anything to say about it.
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"Focus!"
Mikaela jumped at the barked command and gave Ironhide a guilty look. "Sorry, I… he's…"
Ironhide scrubbed a hand over faceplates. "That is exactly why we are here, femme."
Optics narrowed, shifting from the femme over to the object of her fascination. The Saleen radiated pleased smugness.
You are not helping. Ironhide punctuated the admonishment with a deep rumbling growl. And I suppose you are responsible for the hours she spent polishing you this morning.
Mine. Barricade's typical answer came with a darker undertone this time. The little one was his, therefore it was entirely appropriate that the little one's focus be on him and him only. Barricade was the center, the bright focus, the entirety of the little one's universe.
Ironhide paused, optics pinning on the Saleen and then slowly shifting to Mikaela. A pointed sweep of those same optics had the young human blushing and clasping her hands, trying to hide the reddened skin, the broken nails. Muscles in arms and back flared red under his scanners, obviously painful from overuse, and still she could not stop looking at Barricade.
This needed to end, here and now.
"Mikaela," Ironhide began, a large forefinger pointing at her hands and brushing against an arm. She flinched from the contact, rubbing at sore and aching muscles, and Ironhide inclined his helm.
"You must be the one to set a boundary with him. He has no awareness of your discomfort, no reason to cease his demands on you. Believe me when I say, he will use you until you drop unless you draw a line and make him respect it."
"I don't know how!" It was all but a wail, and Ironhide was ready to call it quits for the day when Sarah suddenly spoke up from where she had been sitting quietly waiting for her lesson.
"Get angry, Mikaela. He's using you. You should be furious with him."
Ironhide's helm swiveled at the tone, hard and clear, her eyes flashing with that sudden flare of temper she had turned on him a time or two.
Mikaela stared at her, eyes wide, mouth rounding into an 'O' of dawning realization, then turned to Barricade.
"He will fight you," Ironhide warned as she approached the Saleen. If anything, that only seemed to make her more determined.
The Saleen shuddered and twitched as it encountered the little one's familiar field suddenly turned hard and hostile. Where was the welcome, the adoration, the eager compliance? It took a moment for Barricade to recover from the shock, then his engine snarled. The vehicle itself gave a sudden shift forward, startling Mikaela into jumping back.
The next moment she was snarling right back at him, thumping his hood with her fist. "No!"
The Saleen stilled, gathering itself. Ironhide's sensors pinged a warning as he watched Barricade's field swell to its full strength and engulf Mikaela.
Barricade purred, all but licking lips as his field swallowed the little one whole. Do not resist me, little one, you are MINE.
Mikaela gave one helpless look to Ironhide, then her eyelids flickered. She moaned, head dropping, trembling from head to foot.
This was bad, very bad. Barricade's connection to Mikaela was already considerably stronger than Ironhide had realized. He was just about to order Barricade to back off when a heavy surge of anger flooded field and bond. His helm whipped around, optics pinned in surprise.
"Hey, knock it off!" Sarah was on her feet, the light of battle in her eyes and outrage in every line of her body.
How…? It should have been impossible, but clearly Sarah had detected something. Her field was a fiery glow, and if she'd known how to direct that energy, Barricade might even have heeded her and backed off.
My charge, you are strong and courageous…
As it was, it was up to him to yank that aft-headed Pitspawn back into line.
"Easy, Sarah. I'll handle this." Ironhide sent a soothing pulse through her field and rose to his feet, heavy tread shaking the ground. Barricade and Mikaela were oblivious to his approach until one large fist landed on the hood of the car.
The Saleen's engine gave a startled roar. Mikaela staggered back as Barricade's field released her.
"Mikaela, now, before he tries again. Tell him 'No,' and be very very angry."
She nodded tears of rage streaming down her face. There was shock there too, and hurt, the sudden pained realization of exactly what Barricade had been doing to her.
The Saleen lurched forward, trying to reach Mikaela again, field gathering up like a coiling snake.
Mikaela felt it coming. She slammed her fist down on his hood again, a snarl in her throat. "I said NO!"
At the same moment, Ironhide's considerably stronger field delivered a solid blow. Anger and cold disapproval roiled through their bond.
You will respect the little one's wishes, Barricade, or she will leave you. As is her right.
NO NO NO NO NO! An avalanche of rage, defiance and fear came roaring back.
Ironhide deflected it easily and sent another blow through his field into Barricade.
She said 'No.' You will respect her wishes or She. Will. LEAVE.
The Saleen shuddered and backed off, sullen defiance coloring his field and surging through the bond.
Then he just- stopped.
Ironhide's helm tilted, field and bond casting for contact, but Barricade had simply blanked out.
::Ratchet, what do you make of this?:: Scans and visuals of the last few moments were pinged to the medic, and Ironhide linked him into scanners.
::Not sure. Nothing appears to be wrong but those processors are awfully busy.::
The vehicle itself was still, only the headlights flickering. His scanners detected the flurry of processor activity but nothing else.
Barricade jumped at the low laugh next to his audial. " I like this one, your new Guardian. Tough but willing to teach. Let him guide you, young one."
Barricade rubbed a hand over his audial; Ironhide's last blow had left it ringing. "He is taking what is MINE," Barricade replied sullenly. "The little one belongs to me, he has no right-"
"Did you ask?" his Guardian enquired, "Was there agreement? We do not take without asking, young one. You know that."
Barricade paused, processors searching, probing. He did know that. When had he forgotten?
"I could not ask. We cannot communicate."
"Then you cannot assume. There is no honor in taking, Barricade. Find a way to ask, and listen for the answer..."
A large hand was shaking him. Barricade's engine gave a startled rev.
Are you alright?
The Saleen twitched, then settled, engine humming smoothly. Yes .
The vehicle shifted, turning to face Mikaela. Tear-streaked face, swollen eyes. Sarah had arms wrapped around her, talking quietly.
Mikaela shivered when his attention returned, but it was different now. Not warm and welcoming, not wanting her, needing her. His focus was remote, coolly assessing and finally, dismissive.
She felt him withdraw, that warm feeling vanished completely, all contact severed.
No, please don't go, please!
Mikaela buried her head in Sarah's shoulder and sobbed.
The silent plea tore at him, but Barricade turned his back on it. Without an effective way to communicate, he would not initiate contact. The little one would have to come to him.
Ironhide tensed when the vehicle shifted, ready for the Decepticon to challenge him again, but the Saleen only moved off to its usual resting place and immediately sank into recharge, leaving the Guardian staring.
:: What… what just happened? :: Ratchet demanded.
::Wish the frag I knew:: Ironhide replied, scrubbing a hand over his faceplates.
tbc
A/N: A million thanks to you, lovely readers, for hanging in with this story. The kudos, likes, faves and follows are pure love! Many many thanks also to the constant support and encouragement of my beta, Quidamling, whose brain I am sadly turning to mush. I'm working on the next chapter already, I swear! ;p As always, so much love, hun, this would not get done without you. 3