Rhapsody in Blue
Chapter 2
"Well, my congrats, Kid." Ironhide drawled, slapping Jazz on the back, causing the saboteur to stumble forward.
"Indeed, Jazz. Congratulations." Prime said, his own optics shown brightly with his pride. Optimus had always been fond of the young officer and almost considered Jazz as his own son. Ever since Jazz was an adolescent, no more than Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's age, Prime had been there to look out for him. Which, included taking him off the streets of Iacon and giving him a place to stay.
Optimus gave a smile beneath his face plate, watching Ratchet congratulate Jazz. The saboteur had gown up a lot since those days. Back then, Jazz was every bit of a trouble maker like Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are now. In fact, he remembered when his old officers had contemplated just outright kicking Jazz out of the Autobots. After all, he wasn't just a trouble maker; he was also a bit of a back taker.
Jazz just out right wouldn't do anything the other officers had ordered. He only listened to Prime.
Prowl stood a way back from everyone, thinking as usual. This development was very disturbing to Prow indeed. How could the Ark support a sparking femme? Worse yet, how could the Ark keep a…for lack of better words…a child? This was a military base. It was most definitely not the place for a child to mature.
"Wheeljack and I will help you two with the shell if you'd like." Ratchet offered, a rare smile on his face.
"Thanks, man. Me an' Jynx were kinda hopin' ya would. We were kinda hopin' everyone could pitch in; with the designs and all. Figured since he'll be livin' with all o' us, he might as well have a lil piece o' everyone." Jazz hoisted himself on top of the table. Usually, the design was only made in the creators' likeness. For anyone to allow such an honor to their friends was an amazing gift and Ratchet, Ironhide and Prime beamed with pride.
Prowl on the other hand, watched silently. What he was thinking remained as silent as he. At least for the time being.
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"Hey Jynxy!" Sideswipe barreled into the room, followed by his twin lagging behind. "We just heard the news! Is it true?" Sideswipe asked, leaning over her countertop.
The femme flipped off the wielder with a kick of her foot and took off the face shield. "Word travels fast 'round here."
"Jazz travels fast and jabbers his mouth off." Sideswipe said with a grin.
Jynx chuckled, "He does at that." Calmly, she went back to the task at hand, putting a few metal pieces back in the recycle and looking about for another bigger scrap to wield on. Behind her, the twins were getting impatient with their unanswered question.
"So? Is it true?" Sunstreaker said irritably, sitting on the end of the desk.
The recycle scrap pile she had in the room was large. In fact it was hard to tell where the pile started and where the room began. Sunstreaker just assumed the room was the pile anymore. Looking about the walls Jynx's so called "art pieces" hung, suspended with odds and ends of scraps. Sunstreaker could make out a piece of Hound's shoulder strut on one piece so it was safe to assume the femme got some of the metal from repair bay. Of course they were pieces never used on any actual Autobot, just copies used for emergencies. Which would explain why Sunstreaker couldn't see any of his, nor his brother's pieces.
Ratchet could never keep their parts in supply long enough or fast enough for their demands.
Jynx finally emerged from the pile, some scraps dusting her shoulder and helm. She stumbled in the junk on her way back to the desk, her arms full with junk. "Is what true?" She said absent-mindedly, unceremoniously dropping the rubbish on the floor beside her.
"Are you sparking?"
"Didn't Jazz tell you that already?"
Twin looked at twin, then back to the repair tech, "Didn't we tell you that?"
"Well, if Jazz told you, why ask me?"
Sideswipe smacked his forehead and sighed. "Because we came to say congrats and that usually that's what people say when they want to say congrats."
Jynx just stared at him and picked up another piece of scrap. "I have no idea what you mean but thanks…I think."
Sunstreaker got up off the desk and started to walk out, "She is so strange."
Jynx shrugged it off and went back to work, too lost in her art to think of much else. Jazz had always said the femme was a little scatterbrained.
Sideswipe shrugged as his brother walked out. "So. Whatcha makin'?"
"Life," Jynx answered simply.
"Well, I know you're sparking but I meant-"
Jynx snickered and scooted the sculpture in front of the red warrior, "No, I mean that's the name of the piece. I call it life."
The twisted metal gleemed as Sideswipe tilted his head from side to side. "I don't get it. Why?"
"See," Jynx pointed to the longest piece in the center, "this is the beginning of life. All the pieces fanning out from that represent life as you grow. It takes you in all different directions but in the end, it all came from the beginning. Nothing could have happened without a beginning." The tech smiled with pride at the piece, running her fingers on the twisted metal.
"Is it a gift for the spark?" Sideswipe asked attentively.
Jynx nodded and repeated, "For my son."
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Back in the lounge, Brawn and Cliffjumper sat, nursing two cups of high grade, still sulking after their earlier encounter with Jazz and Jynx. Cliffjumper threw back another cup and kicked his feet up on the table. "If you ask me, that femme shouldn't be here in the first place. It is a military base and there's a reason only mechs are here."
Brawn nodded in agreement, staring at his empty cup. "Yeah and on top of that, she's sparking now. This place is gunna be over run soon. First a femme and now a spark-ling. What's the Autobots coming to now a days?"
"Got me. But if Prime knows what he's doin' he'll send her off to Cybertron. She's more likely to get all of us killed if she's sparking. It was bad enough before, but you know the 'Cons will take advantage of a weak link and she is definitely a weak link."
"You got that right," Brawn slammed his hand down on the table, neither 'Bot noticed the looming black and white figure behind them. "She's a liability. She can't defend herself and she can't help anyone here. That kid and Jynx are just trouble walking. Too weak to do anyone any good at all."
With a swift kick, the figure kicked out the chair beneath the minibot, causing Brawn to go crashing to the floor. Brawn immediately jumped back to his feet in a fit of rage to see who had knocked out of the chair.
Both were surprised to see Jazz, standing with his arms crossed over his chest, an ugly scowl on his face.
"Ya wanna say that again, short stuff?"
Brawn looked like a deer stuck between two headlights. Did Jazz just call him short stuff? Did Jazz just knock him off his chair? That was something he'd expect Sunstreaker to do, not Jazz.
Then again, it was Jazz's mate he and Cliffjumper had been insulting…
"I said your femme is a liability." Brawn snarled, not about to let the bigger Bot throw him around.
"Did you? Now see, I thought I told ya ta knock it off." Jazz said smoothly, although his body language screamed other wise.
"Why? Does the truth hurt?"
Jazz's visor darkened and his left hand reached down and picked the minibot up off the floor. Cliffjumper had wisely shut his mouth at this point and just sat quietly, watching the events unfold. Brawn on the other hand was struggling in the Porsche's grip. Not to say that Jazz was hurting him, but he didn't like the idea of being held in midair by the scuff of his armor.
"What the slag do you think you're doing! You're gunna get in trouble for this."
"I don't give a scrap." Jazz articulated each word clearly, taking his usual accent out. "Don't you ever. ever. Talk about Jynx or my son like that again. So help me, I'll see you out of the Ark before she goes. Got it?"
Brawn looked like he was about to argue but then looked over Jazz's arm to the long way down. "Fine."
"Good." Jazz set him back down gently, even going as far as to dust off Brawn's shoulder before walking out of the lounge. The two minibots just stared, neither speaking for a good five minutes afterward.
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Jazz returned to their shared quarters early from duty to check on his bondmate. After all, it wouldn't take very long for the spark to fully generate and each passing day Jynx would get weaker as it would take more energy to form the spark. Jynx was bound to be exhausted so Jazz expected his mate to be either half asleep, or completely comatose. The later was more likely.
Jazz wasn't disappointed. As soon as he opened the door he could see Jynx was already in the berth, snoozing peacefully. She was curled up on her side, her arms acting as a pillow and her knees drawn up close, kinda reminding Jazz of the way human children sleept when their parents finally kicked them out of their bed. A small lamp was light on the far side of the room, the soft bulb alighting her form. She looked so…at ease.
Jazz grinned and crept around the berth and headed for the other room. Since he didn't feel sleepy enough to join her and didn't want to wake her; that only left T.V. and some good energon to keep him company.
Settling down on the couch he flipped on the TV and got comfortable. The padded couch sunk under his weight fitting to the contours of his armored body and the energon felt good and warm after a long day. Despite his two encounters with the minibots, he had an amazing day. Everyone was supportive of the upcoming spark-ling, with two exceptions of course. Maybe three if you counted Prowl.
Then again, Prowl didn't seem angry about it, but he didn't say anything in support either. Jazz mentally shrugged it off, it wasn't like Prowl to show much emotion anyway.
A few hours passed quickly, as Jazz slept through his third episode of MASH. So it seemed the Porsche was more worn-out than he thought. It wasn't until he felt two small hands messaging his door wings from behind that he awoke. Drifting back on line, and knowing all too well who it was, Jazz dropped his head back and received an upside down kiss.
"Hey Sleepin' Beauty."
Jynx tenderly kissed his nose and wrapped her arms over his shoulders, "Hey."
Jazz placed his hands over the arms around his neck, "How ya feelin?"
"Fine. A little sleepy still but I wanted to see you before you went to sleep too." The tech hopped over the back of the couch and snuggled up along side Jazz, resting her head near his neck. Jazz reclined back, laying on his back, his feet hanging over the arm of the couch and Jynx curled up on top of him like a giant cat.
"Have ya been thinking' bout a name for the lil guy? Me an' the guys been thinking' up some on duty t'day."
Jynx sleepily nudged his cheek with her nose, her optics still offline. "Yeah? Like what?"
"Like ma'be Forte or Crescendo." Jazz said with zeal his hands coming to rest on her back, "Good strong names."
Jynx snickered, "They're also music names."
"Well, yeah. That way we'd match."
Jynx just shook her head, kissing his jaw line lovingly, "What 'bout my name?"
Jazz shrugged, "Well, Swipe came up with Rhapsody an' rhapsody can mean enthusiasm…"
"My name is Jynx, Jazz; not enthusiasm." She chuckled.
Jazz smirked, "We can't call him Hex or Bad Luck now can we?"
"Good point."
Silence emanated the room and Jynx started to feel her friend, the Sand Man, worm his way back into her head. Not only was it quiet, but it was dark, warm and Jazz was amazingly comfortable. Slowly her optics shuttered and her body grew lax.
And had Jazz not shifted his weight around five different times, she would have fallen back asleep.
"Hey, Love…" Jazz muttered
The femme grunted in sleepy irritability, "Yes, Love?"
Jazz idly played with her helm, tracing invisible shapes there. "Ya think he'll like me?"
"Of course."
"But what if-"
Jynx looked up, groggy faced. "Jazz, everyone likes you. There isn't any Autobot alive that doesn't like you."
Jazz shifted again, "But-"
"Go to sleep before I knock you offline, Love." She smiled sweetly, and kissed him once more before settling down on his chest.
It was cute that he was so excited and nervous about this, but right now, she wanted sleep. Lots and Lots of sleep. And she'd slag anyone who told her differently.
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Author's Notes: I'm just gunna write my notes this way for now on, since I really want to answer each comment. This seems to make the most sense ;) Yes, that's the Prowl in me. ;)
Special thanks to LadyJet for helping me write this chapter and well, EVERYTHING I write. Yer the best LJ ;) And thanks to you five for your reviews, I really appreciate it! J
MajesticBurn: Thank ye much! I just love Jazz all confused. Well…actually I love him all the time. O:)
Whirlwind: Heh, Yeah Jynx has a temper…she'll learn I'm sure. Either that or Jazz will pound anyone who tries anything with her. He's so cute protective like that. And yes, as you can now see, there are more chapters to come. Chapter three is now in the works. Thank you for the links too, I did enjoy the fics by Zero. J
Tiamat: But of course he'll make a pest of himself! As you can see by the last part there. And no, it don't matter the species, they're always dazed and confused. ;)
TruebornChaos: Hehe I figured Spazz fit Jazz pretty well ;) Thank ya for the comment!
Mariashadow: Thank ya for the complement! Confused Jazz Cuteness X)