Finding Home

Chapter 38

By Voodoo Queen

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Author's Note: Hello, Dear Readers! I hope you're all having a great day and that you had a fantastic holiday. I hope you're ready for something happy and fluffy because I certainly am. I need a breather. There may even be an awkward misunderstanding in here somewhere for you guys. Filler mostly but I promise that there is a method to my madness. We're building to something here, people! Thank you to those who've added this story to their alerts and follows and especially to my fantastic reviewers: SunnyandSidesFemme17, jgoss, 'Guests', shizzlethis1, Quickening, Assassin In Black 1783, jellybeanz513, monkeybaby, adelphe24, Malkah5967, KayleeChiara, xIliadx (thanks for catching my typo!), Deimoss, aquarius89, poppycakes, Leonixon (you're too kind!), Anonymous, HalfwayParanoid, shelby20125 (I'm not trying to troll you, I promise), Sweet Sprinks, BarricadesDemon216, and the everchanging.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, just my own original characters and plot.

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"I'm telling you," the marine told his buddy. "Me and Davis seen it with our own eyes."

The other marine looked unconvinced. "Stop bullshitting."

"I'm not," the first marine put his hands up in a defensive manner. "I swear. You can ask Davis if you don't believe me. It was definitely a hug."

"So what if he was hugging her?" The second man shrugged, "People hug all the time. Hell, you hugged me a couple days ago. I don't see what the big deal is."

"I'm just saying," the first man insisted, "they seemed pretty cozy, if you know what I mean."

"Man, shut your fucking mouth." The second marine admonished the first, "Don't be ridiculous. This is how rumors get started. He's a goddamn giant robot from another planet for Christ's sake. What in your twisted, little mind makes you think any of them could possibly look at a human like that? We're, like, made out of meat, dude. Even I find that creepy if I think about it too hard. Imagine how that must seem to them."

The first marine looked sheepish, "Well, when you put it that way...I...I guess you're right." The marine chuckled, "It does seem pretty ridiculous..."

Lennox had been passing through, minding his own business, when he'd caught the tail end of the marines' peculiar conversation. He had to agree, it was ridiculous, but he couldn't help but think of all the oddness he'd been privy to as of late. The Autobots pretty much policed themselves which made his job a whole hell of a lot easier but it had been an entire week since the lone human on their payroll had come to him nearly begging him to sign a transfer request and he'd heard nothing from her since other than the usual interactions for musters and reports and such. On those occasions she'd seemed perfectly professional and content. There was no sign of the distressed young woman from before. It was weird but not the only weirdness.

There was the question of her previously going missing for over an entire week under the guise of some sort of project Jazz had her working on. The mech, too, had been MIA for much of the same time. Lennox assumed they'd been together working somewhere on base. Anytime he'd inquired about their whereabouts he'd always gotten the same canned response no matter who he asked. They seemed to be treading very lightly where the pair were concerned and he couldn't to save his life figure out why. There was also the way Jazz had acted when he'd brought Doe's transfer request to his attention. He'd never seen the usually upbeat, jovial bot behave in such a distraught manner. Throw in Prowl's strange commentary about some sort of "domestic situation" and the word of an eyewitness who saw the pair in question getting "cozy" after the fact and, well, it made a man start to wonder.

Lennox's line of thought took him down avenues he wasn't sure he wanted to explore too deeply. He tried to stay out of his soldiers' personal lives to the greatest extent possible. There were certain situations, however, in which it was his duty to intervene so as to prevent any unforeseen consequences from jumping up and biting them in the ass later. They had rules against fraternization for a reason, after all. If something were transpiring between Petty Officer Doe and the Autobot's Third in Command, as improbable as it sounded to a rational human being, it could have far-reaching consequences, perhaps intergalactically for all he knew. That wasn't something he felt comfortable just leaving up to chance.

He glanced at his watch quickly, deciding that he had plenty of time before his scheduled noon vid call with General Moreshower to check in with the pair and hopefully put his own mind at ease. As he left the hangar and headed in the direction of the bunker, a shadow suddenly fell over him as he walked quickly along. He looked up to find Sideswipe slowly skating along beside him, a large crate tucked under one arm.

"Hey, Lennox," the mech greeted. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Uh, hey Sideswipe," Lennox returned. "Just heading over to the bunker to check in and see if I can catch Jazz."

"I'm headed that way, too. I'll walk with you." Sides patted the box he carried. "I have one last package to deliver."

Lennox eyed the crate, "Is that from the supply offload this morning? You and Sunstreaker knocked that out really fast."

"Yep," the mech grinned. "What can I say? We were highly motivated to finish early today."

"Yeah, I guess so..." Lennox trailed off. His earlier thoughts slowly creeping back in as they drew nearer to their destination. He glanced up at Sideswipe, "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," the mech amicably agreed. "Shoot."

Lennox asked, "You know Jazz pretty well, right?"

"Yeah." Sides nodded, "I'd say so. Why?"

"Would you say he and Petty Officer Doe are on good terms? That they're, uh...friendly?"

"Good terms?" Sideswipe chuckled, "I don't think friendly is really the right word for it. Have you seen them together? Those two adore one another. I think it's pretty obvious."

"Adore?" Lennox looked both slightly surprised and concerned. "You mean adore or, like...adore?"

Sides scrunched his face plates in confusion. "Is there a difference? You don't look like you think that's a good thing either way."

Lennox sighed. This was not a conversation he'd been planning to have when he got up this morning. "I mean, you don't think it's weird? You guys would actually be okay with something like that happening?"

"Uh," Sideswipe shook his head. "You lost me, Lennox. What are we talking about? Something like what?"

"Their, you know..." the Captain fidgeted uncomfortably. "Relationship."

"Ah," The mech nodded and shrugged, "Yeah, it's been a really great thing for both of them. Everyone thinks so. Jazz is more like his old self than he's been in vorns and Ames is happy. Everybody's a winner. Why wouldn't we be okay with it?"

"Right," Lennox grimaced as they finally arrived at the freight elevator. "Why wouldn't you be?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Amy hummed a catchy Cybertronian melody to herself, the tune to a song that Jazz had found deep within Teletraan's data archives and seemed to favor, as she did her midday walkthrough of the spaces she and Jazz were responsible for maintaining. She moved slowly between the banks of computers in the main room, carefully scrutinizing the monitor displays to make sure the uplinks to Teletraan were secure and the information being received accurate. She carried a data pad Prowl had provided her with that had been modified to accommodate her much smaller stature and allowed her to keep him updated on their system status in real time. She swiped through the checklist she was currently working on for the SIC, confirming everything was in order.

It had been a long, emotional week but Amy was feeling pretty good about it so far. She felt lighter somehow but also more aware of her own thoughts and feelings. It helped that she had, at the very least, three people that reminded her to take it easy and breathe when she felt her worries start to get the best of her. She wasn't going to lie and say it was easy. It wasn't. Twenty years of constantly being on her guard made it difficult to just stand back and let life happen to her. It left her feeling vulnerable and exposed and took a very concentrated effort on her part to not overthink and over analyze every little thing but she was really trying. The reward, she kept telling herself when she was feeling unsure, outweighed the risk and that was usually enough to "knock her aft into gear", as Sunstreaker would say.

Her relationship with Jazz had taken on a new dimension. The mech had more or less officially appointed himself as her guardian which no one seemed to take issue with or dispute. The other Autobots had accepted his declaration as easily as they accepted everything else, Prime even going so far as to make it a matter of official record. Admittedly, she wasn't as familiar with Cybertronian customs as she probably should have been given her circumstances. The way she understood it, guardianship was a pretty big commitment that came with a whole slew of responsibilities that weren't to be taken lightly. It was the closest thing to having a sparkling of your own in the sense that you became solely responsible for the well-being and welfare of the individual placed in your care. She wasn't sure on all the particulars but had learned it was considered to be both an honor and a privilege in their culture to even be considered for such a position and Jazz had approached it with a gusto and enthusiasm that had surprised even Prowl.

It was almost surreal, suddenly having someone there after all this time who genuinely cared and was invested in her welfare and well-being...mentally, physically, and emotionally. Not that he hadn't been there before but now their arrangement seemed to have a strange air of permanence that it hadn't had before. Jazz seemed to get just as much out of it as she did and had settled most comfortably into his new role. He was firm but fair when it came to his expectations but above all he was warm and affectionate. It was, at least in Amy's mind, how she'd always imagined having a parent would be, albeit, in this case her parent was actually a large, robotic guardian from another planet. The arrangement would take some getting used to but for the most part they'd each fell easily into their assigned roles.

Her relationship with the twins had undergone subtle changes, as well. It was harder for her to pinpoint exactly what was different but it brought a smile to her lips and a pleasant warmth to her chest whenever she thought of them. One thing she did notice was that Sideswipe seemed more...emboldened, she supposed was the right word. Though he hadn't surprised her with another spur of the moment kiss, he was more openly affectionate with her, especially in the presence of the other bots. This, of course, played into her self-consciousness but she really seemed to be the only one that minded. The others simply treated it as accepted and expected behavior. On some level it soothed her ragged nerves to know that he cared enough to let other people know he cared. Surprisingly, once she'd begun not to worry so much over what others might be thinking she found herself able to accept, even enjoy, some of his milder flirtations without feeling so scandalized.

Then, there was Sunstreaker. It was hard for her to believe that not so long ago she'd been absolutely terrified of him. Granted, the two of them had gotten off to a very rocky start. The more time she spent with him, though, the more she kind of understood what made him tick. They weren't so different, really. Sunstreaker, too, operated from a place of self preservation. Except, in his case, the barriers he threw up were cast wide enough to also encompass those closest to him within their protective walls as well, particularly his brother. He took his responsibility for those he cared about very seriously and, much to her surprise, she'd also somehow found herself under his vigilant watch as well. She'd discovered that there seemed to be two distinct facets to the mech's personality: the one everyone could see, and another strictly reserved for those quiet moments he spent with those who meant the most to him. Sunstreaker could be brutally honest, foul-mouthed, and moody at times but she was beginning to see the truth in Sideswipe's initial description of his twin. He was nothing if not loyal and devoted.

Life was still very much a work in progress. The foundation seemed strong. The framework was there. It was just going to take time to build up the structure. Time and a lot of patience.

Amy bit back a yawn and checked her watch. Though things seemed to be slowly improving in many aspects of her existence, sleep, unfortunately, still remained elusive. What time she did manage to rest continued to be plagued by a strange feeling of separation from herself, boundless darkness, and an alien, disembodied voice chattering words she couldn't even begin to understand. She would try to hold on to the sounds as she woke, hoping to remember enough to maybe ask Jazz or the twins what they meant but it seemed as soon as consciousness filled her the strange words fled. It was frustrating and she was exhausted but making do.

The sound of the elevator beginning to descend caught her attention. She watched expectantly, data pad tucked under one arm, figuring it was Jazz returning from his meeting with Prowl. When the doors rolled open and Sideswipe emerged, however, her heart did a peculiar little flip- something it seemed to be doing more and more often as of late- and she couldn't help the smile that brightened her previously tired countenance.

"Ames!" The mech greeted her happily with a grin of his own.

"Hey," she sat her data pad down and moved toward the mech, meeting him halfway. "I thought you guys were going to be tied up all day with supplies."

Sides shrugged, "We finished up early so...here I am."

Amy opened her mouth to say something else but the clearing of a throat interrupted her.

"Oh," Sideswipe chuckled. Seeing Amy, he'd completely forgotten about Lennox. "The Captain's looking for Jazz."

Amy blushed slightly, just noticing the man for the first time. He hung back about fifteen feet, hands clasped behind his back, surveying the clean, brightly lit data center with an impressed look on his face. Regaining her military bearing, she approached and greeted, "Captain Lennox, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"OS2," Lennox returned with a nod of his head. He couldn't help but look the woman over carefully, searching for anything that may be out of place. He tried to hone in on anything that could either confirm or deny his bizarre suspicions. He could find nothing out of sorts, however. She was professional and put together neatly, per usual.

Sideswipe frowned at the man's intense scrutiny.

Amy fidgeted uncomfortably, "Um, if you're looking for Jazz, he hasn't come back from his meeting with Prowl yet. I can call him, if you'd like?"

Lennox shook himself back to attention. "No, that's alright. I can get with him later. No big deal." He turned his attention back to room, trying to cover for the fact he'd been staring at the poor woman like she'd sprouted an extra head. "The last time I was down here this place looked like a dark, dank cave. It cleaned up really nice."

"Yeah," Amy relaxed slightly, smiling. "It all came together really well. The structure was sound so really most of the work was cosmetic."

"That's a lot of computers," the Captain absently commented.

"They're all linked to Teletraan," Amy supplied. "United Combatant Commands, Joint Forces Command, US Fleet Forces Command, DTSA, USCC, DISA, DIA, NGA, all DoD and military entities, NORAD, NASA, the whole alphabet basically...all the info they gather filters through here. Teletraan analyzes it and alerts us if anything seems fishy. It's pretty awesome, actually."

"Sounds like it." Lennox turned back to the woman and awkwardly changed the subject. "So, uh, I've been meaning to ask you, what ever came of your request to transfer? I haven't heard anything else about it."

"Oh," Amy shrugged, "it, uh, it ended up being denied."

"Denied?" Lennox crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Prime said there weren't any grounds to grant it but, it's okay. Everything got worked out anyway."

"Are you sure?" Lennox looked skeptical. "You seemed pretty adamant about getting out of here."

"You know how femmes are, Lennox," Sideswipe interjected, trying to ease the strange underlying tension Lennox had brought into the room with him. "Always changing their minds at a moment's notice..."

Amy turned to glare at the mech in mock anger.

Sides held his hands up in a gesture of surrender and grinned cheekily back at her.

Lennox ignored them both. "Do you need me to talk to Prime? Maybe I can change his mind."

"What?" Amy's eyes widened as she turned back to the Captain. "No, everything is fine, really. It was all just a big understanding. Bad communication."

"Are you sure?" Lennox eyed the woman carefully. "If there's anything going on you want to talk about..."

"No," she vehemently denied, "nothing's going on. Like I said, there was a big mixup but we were able to straighten it all out."

Lennox still looked uncertain.

Sideswipe's brow plates furrowed. Watching this whole exchange was making him increasingly uncomfortable and he got the distinct feeling that Lennox was dancing around something. It was making Amy anxious and he definitely didn't like that at all. He rumbled in a low, dangerous tone, "Drop it, Lennox. She said she's fine."

Surprised, Lennox looked at the mech for a long moment. Again, he got the feeling that something was amiss, not quite what it seemed. He briefly considered calling the mech out but thought better of it. Sideswipe wasn't the one he needed to be discussing this with anyway. He sighed, "Fine." He turned to Amy and said in a serious voice, "If you change your mind again, you know where to find me."

Looking slightly rattled, Amy nodded, "Yes, sir."

With that, Lennox turned on his heel and strode back toward the elevator. He pressed the call button harder than was necessary and cast a look back at the pair as the doors rolled open and he stepped inside. With a final nod of farewell, Lennox pressed the button that would take him back up to the surface. The doors rolled shut, and the elevator once again began its ascent.

"Primus," Sideswipe vented as the elevator doors finally shut. He turned to Amy and dropped into a crouch. "I thought he'd never leave."

Amy still stared at the elevator doors, gnawing on her bottom lip in a worried fashion. "That was very strange," she murmured.

"Humans are very strange," Sideswipe quipped with a raised brow, baiting the woman in hopes of distracting her from the odd atmosphere Lennox had left in his wake.

"Hey!" Amy laughed. Reaching out, she softly smacked the mech on the knee. "I resent that!"

Sideswipe chuckled. Mission accomplished. Honestly, it made him happy to see her in better spirits. He carefully caught her much smaller hand in his own and gave a gentle tug, pulling her closer. He drew her attention to the crate he still cradled beneath one arm. "Would it make you feel any better if I told you I brought you a present?"

"Mmm..." She pretended to consider for a moment. "It depends. What is it?"

"I'm not exactly sure," the mech admitted with a shrug as he placed the crate down in front of him. "I pulled it off the truck as an excuse to come see you." With a mischievous twinkle in his optics, he asked, " Wanna find out what's in it?"

"Sure," Amy nodded, blushing slightly. "Open her up." She stood back and watched as he easily accomplished in two seconds what would have taken her several agonizing minutes and a crowbar, popping the top off the crate as easily as tearing through a piece of tissue paper. She couldn't help but be a bit envious.

Sideswipe sat the lid of the crate aside and began to dig through the styrofoam packing peanuts inside. After a moment, he rocked back on his wheels and frowned. "Alright," he vented disappointedly. "So...not the best present ever."

Amy stepped forward and peered down into the crate. Bending down to brush some of the packing materials aside, she couldn't contain a soft snort of amusement at the boxes full of canisters of compressed gas Jazz had ordered a few days ago to help keep all the computers clean and dust-free. "Air in a can. Just what I always wanted."

"To be fair," the mech teased, "you did tell me that it was the thought that counts."

"So I did." Amy sighed, an amused smile pulled her lips. "Thank you, Sideswipe. I shall cherish them always..." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "Or at least until they're empty and I have to throw them away and order more."

"Smart aft," he chuckled as he rose from the floor. "Where do you want them, sweet spark?"

"You can put them in the hall storage closet," Amy instructed with a smile. She grabbed her data pad and followed the mech as he picked up the crate moved off into the direction she'd indicated. She keyed the blast door open for him and then stood aside as he helpfully unpacked everything, neatly stacking the boxes on a shelf inside of the large closet across the hall from the office. She leaned against the wall, simply watching him work, and felt her heart do that strange, little flip again.

"I have a confession to make," Sides stated as he slid the last box onto the shelf and closed the door. He turned to face the woman, gingerly lowering himself back down into a crouch. Tenderly, he reached out and ran his knuckles across her cheek. "I didn't come here just to deliver a box."

Amy felt her breath catch in her throat, "You didn't?"

"Nope." He smiled and opened his arms in invitation. "Come here."

Amy obliged, allowing Sideswipe to wrap her in a comforting embrace which she did her best to return. It was becoming easier, these displays of affection. The awkwardness seemed to be lessening slightly with time...and Amy knew that it should have been very, very awkward. Despite their sheer differences in scale, it worked, somehow. It was more than just size difference, though. Amy wouldn't say that she'd been starved for affection her whole life but she'd certainly come not to expect it and had learned to live without it. She wasn't sure how things like this were supposed to work and so had resigned herself to more or less following everyone else's lead. So far, it seemed to be working. More and more, she'd found herself enjoying Sideswipe's attentive touches, Sunstreaker's seeming fascination with her "squishiness", and Jazz's ruffling of her hair each time he'd pass by-even though it usually meant having to redo her hair each time he wandered by.

Amy made herself relax in the mech's hold, molding herself the best she could against his harder angles. She could feel the warmth his spark radiated against her cheek and hear its subtle hum from where it lay deep within his chest. It had its own unique rhythm and cadence, much different than what she'd come to associate with Jazz. She recognized it as being uniquely Sideswipe. She wondered absently if Sunstreaker's sounded similar, being split-sparked as they were. She hadn't been close enough to the mech lately to get a good listen but she supposed not. They may have been twins but they were certainly two very, very different people. She let the thought slide and focused solely on rhythmic pulsations of what she understood to be his very life force.

"It's been a hectic few days," Sideswipe admitted as he gently ran his fingertips up and down her back in a soothing gesture. "For all of us. Especially for you."

Amy hummed partially in agreement and partially because the soft, steady sounds beneath her ear threatened to lull her into much needed sleep.

"So," Sides continued, "I was thinking that it may be nice to get out of here for a bit. Get a little sunshine, you know?"

Amy nodded even as her eyes drifted shut. The reverberation of his voice through his frame only added to her feeling of coziness and she wanted him to keep talking. She could feel the promise of a deep, restful sleep tugging at her and it was hard to resist.

"It's a beautiful day," he stated as-a-matter-of factly. "And I'd like to take you out to lunch. What do you say, sweet spark? You up for it?"

Amy foggily realized that he was waiting for some kind of response. She forced her eyes back open and raised her head to looked up to the mech, "You want to drive me to the chow hall?"

"No," Sideswipe chuckled. "I said I wanted to take you out for lunch. I didn't say anything about the chow hall."

Amy raised a brow in curiosity. "So...?"

"So," he grinned. "Do you want to go or not? I promise to make it worth your while."

Though it would have been nice just to stand there and take a much needed nap, it was nearing lunch time. Plus, Sideswipe wasn't exaggerating when he said it'd been hectic. Wars, unfortunately, didn't stop just because your life was an emotional avalanche and you needed a breather. There was work that needed to be done. With the Allspark shard and the potential threat of Decepticons, there wasn't time to slack off or be lax. That meant personal time had become scarce and time spent together was at a premium. She couldn't let the opportunity pass her by since there was no telling when it would come around again.

"Yes," Amy nodded and smiled back up at the mech. "I'd love to. Just let me grab my cover out of the office and leave a note for Jazz."

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Lennox knew he probably should have followed Sideswipe's advice and dropped the whole thing. Morbid curiosity, however, spurred him on. He didn't have a clue what he'd even do about it should his suspicions bear any fruit. It was strange to say the least and certainly unnatural. He wasn't even sure how something like that would even work. What could they possibly even see in each other outside of friendly camaraderie? What could a giant robot and a human possibly have in common when it came to those matters? Honestly, he wasn't even sure if the bots did/could engage in those sorts of activities and he really didn't care to find out but it wasn't something he could ignore on the off chance that it caused problems later.

He checked his watch again. He still had time. He headed toward the hangar that housed Prowl's office- Jazz's last known whereabouts. Mirage greeted him as he entered. The bot seemed a bit high strung in his opinion but was friendly enough. Lennox waved back but didn't stop to engage the infiltrator in conversation. He glanced to the other side of the hangar, noting one absence in particular. It was strange not seeing Ironhide posted up in his usual spot cleaning his cannons and he reminded himself that he needed to swing by the med bay later to check on his friend.

The door to Prowl's office was slightly ajar as he approached and from his vantage point he could see the SIC sitting poised behind his desk. A couple steps closer and he could see Jazz lounging in a seat next to the desk seeming more relaxed and at ease than Lennox had ever seen given his condition. Jazz was doing most of the talking in that strange, alien language the bots spoke and gesturing articulately with his hands. Whatever he was saying must have been highly amusing because Prowl's normally stoic countenance cracked into an actual smile and Lennox could have sworn he heard a low chuckle emanating from deep within the mech's chassis. It was so unexpected from the always-serious mech that it threw him for a moment and he had to take a second to remember why he'd come here in the first place.

Gathering his wits about him, Lennox balled his fist and rapped on the doorframe with his knuckles. The action had the desired affect. An air of seriousness settled over the office as the mechs took notice of his presence. Prowl once more resumed the persona of the stony-faced SIC while Jazz sat up straighter giving the impression of being at full attention.

"Captain Lennox," Prowl greeted as the man moved into the room. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Hey, Prowl," Lennox returned. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, obviously uncomfortable. "I was actually hoping to speak with Jazz for a minute."

"I'm all audios," Jazz chimed. "What's on your mind, Will?"

"Uh," Lennox cleared his throat, his eyes cutting over to where Prowl sat, attentively watching the scene play out. "It's kind of private...I think..."

"Aw," Jazz chuckled. "Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Prowler. We've been friends long enough that he's gonna hear about whatever it is ya have to say anyway."

"Right..." Lennox shuffled his feet and tried to wrap his head around what he wanted to say. He supposed it was best to just do it and get it over with. "I, uh, I don't want you to think that this is in anyway personally against you. I think you're a great guy. I'm glad you're here and I've really enjoyed working with you. You're the best at what you do. You're an asset, not just to the Autobots, but my team as well. You really know how to boost morale and-"

"I'm flattered, Will," Jazz chuckled, cutting the man off. "But I know you're not here just to tell me how awesome I am...even if it is true."

Prowl, though trying to appear as if he was engrossed in the stack of data pads on his desk in order to give the pair an illusion of privacy, hummed in amusement.

"What's really crossing your wires? " Jazz asked the man. "Lay it on me. I'm a grown mech. I can handle it."

"Alright...I have some concerns," Lennox sighed. "Regarding your...affiliation with Petty Officer Doe."

Suddenly, it seemed as if all levity had been sucked out of the room. Jazz grew serious, almost frighteningly so. Prowl's head snapped up and he sat up straighter, if it were even possible. Data pads forgotten, the SIC's optics honed back in on the soldier as a look of worried concern creased his face plates. Lennox found himself wishing he could stuff the words back into his mouth and carry on as if nothing had ever happened. It was too late now, however. The damage was done.

Jazz's voice took on a timbre Lennox hadn't heard before. "What do you mean affiliation?"

"Your...relationship." Dammit, Lennox berated himself. Your a goddamn soldier...just get it over with. He lifted his chin. He could do this. "The nature of your relationship," he clarified.

Jazz raised a brow plate, "The nature of our relationship?"

"Look," Lennox raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. "I'm not trying to start any trouble. I'm just trying to ward off problems before they start and things get out of hand. I know you guys are far from home and that you've been fighting this damn war for God only knows how long. I can admit that Petty Officer Doe is a sweet, lovely, young woman and after everything you guys have been through I can completely understand the appeal. However, given the circumstances I'm sure we can all agree that this could aggravate an already delicate situation. I don't know how you guys handle these matters back on Cybertron but our military has rules against this sort of thing. Not to mention how it'd look to the higher ups to have a human service member and an Autobot engaged in, uh, intimate relations."

"Intimate relations..." Realization over what the man was getting at washed over the mech. Jazz laughed out loud. "Wait...hold on a klik, Will. Are you implying that the scraplet and I are involved romantically?"

"Oh, Primus," Prowl muttered, pinching the bridge of his nasal plates with his fingers.

Lennox looked back and forth between the mechs and felt his face grow hot, "Are you saying you're not? You two are practically joined at the hip. You disappeared together for an entire week. She get's all upset and wants to transfer out. Prowl's going on about a domestic disturbance. A little while later, a couple marines see you two getting friendly and suddenly she's not interested in leaving anymore. To top it off, right before I came over here Sideswipe was telling me all about how much you two adore each other and what a great thing it is that you're together."

"Sideswipe..." Prowl's left optic twitched, "And where is he now?"

"I left him down in the bunker with Petty Officer Doe," Lennox looked confusedly between the mechs. "He was dropping off supplies."

Jazz chuckled and shook his head. "He drops off a lot of supplies."

"I'm sure he does." Prowl cleared his vocal processor and gave his friend a warning look before asking Lennox, "Did you raise your concerns with the two of them?"

"Of course not," Lennox denied. "I didn't think it would have been appropriate to put her on the spot with Sideswipe standing right there."

"That's probably for the best," Prowl vented in relief. "The poor femme would have more than likely been absolutely mortified."

"Look, Will, I'm gonna be completely honest with you," Jazz leaned forward in his seat to better look the soldier in the eye, propping his elbows on his knees. "Sides is right, I do adore the kiddo. More than anythin'."

Lennox swallowed, "You do?"

"Absolutely," Jazz grinned and leaned back in his chair, once again at ease. "I couldn't love her any more if I'd sparked her myself. I adore her the same way you adore little Annabelle. Nothin' more, nothin' less."

"So," Lennox blinked as the mech's words sank in, "you two aren't...together?"

"Not in the way you're thinkin'," Jazz assured the man. "Believe me when I say that, as far as I'm concerned, that's somethin' ya don't have to worry about. She's like the sparkling I never knew I wanted. You have a little one. You know how it is. Sometimes they get upset and then ya have to comfort them. It's what creators do. We're...family."

"Family?" Will blinked up at the mech.

"Yep," Jazz confirmed. "Just hit a rough patch but we got it smoothed over. It's all good."

"Thank, God," Lennox nearly laughed with relief. "You had me worried there for a minute. I thought..." He shook his head. "I don't know what I thought to tell you the truth."

"Out of curiosity, Captain, would it have been so bad if they were involved?" Prowl pressed, "Are they not both legally consenting adults of sound mind and body with the right to engage in relationships with one another as they see fit? Do humans have other prerequisites for establishing intimate relations we're not aware of? We've done our best to familiarize ourselves with your customs via your internet to help us integrate into your culture but perhaps this is something that's escaped our understanding."

"Uh, well..." Lennox ran a hand through his hair. The relief he felt at having his suspicions dispelled was nearly a physical thing but was being dampened by this new line of questioning. "I mean, you're not wrong but...just because you can do something doesn't mean you should, you know? That..it would...it couldn't...it's not natural."

"Ah," Prowl nodded. "I believe I understand. Your species has a history of governing relationships between individuals based on trivial factors such as race, ethnicity, biology, social status and religion. This sort of arrangement would fall under that sort of scrutiny, correct?"

Lennox became slightly flustered. He didn't like the tangent this conversation had veered off on. In fact, there was nothing about this conversation that he did like. "With all due respect, I don't think that's a really fair comparison. Denying people the right to be together based on the color of their skin or their sexuality is wrong. We're talking about two different species here. One is small and organic and the other is huge and made out of machinery. You can't tell me you don't see something wrong, or at least really unsettling, about that."

"Perhaps that is where our species truly differ, Captain." Prowl pressed a hand to his chest plates. "We need only to retract a couple of panels in order to see past our own physical bodies to get a glimpse of what truly makes us who we are. Humans have no such luxury which I do find quite unsettling. Though, some of you do seem more adept at seeing beyond the confines of your flesh than others."

"I, uh," Lennox squirmed uncomfortably under the mech's intense gaze. "I didn't mean any offense."

"None taken." Prowl folded his hands atop his desk. "I was simply making an observation."

Lennox opened his mouth to say more but was stopped as his watch beeped. Cursing under his breath, he addressed the two mechs. "Look, I have an afternoon vid call with the General to get to. I do want to apologize, though...for the misunderstanding. Regulations and all that bullshit, you know? But," the soldier stressed, "I am sorry. No hard feelings?"

"We're cool, Will," Jazz assured the man. "No worries."

"Alright," Lennox sighed in relief. "Well, uh, I'll just be going then and again, I am sorry."

"Take it easy," Jazz bid the man farewell. "Say hi to the General for us."

"Will do," Lennox assured as he hustled his way back out the way he came, eager to be out of the awkward situation.

There was a long moment of silence, the seconds ticking by until both bots were sure the Captain was out of ear shot. Prowl rose from his seat, quickly coming around his desk to pull the office door shut.

"Cybertron below me," the SIC uttered. "This is not good, Jazz."

"You're tellin' me," the other mech shook his head. "Can ya believe he actually had the ballbearings to accuse me of messin' around with the scraplet?"

"I was referring to the fact that she is indeed involved with, not one, but two mechs," Prowl made his way back to his seat. "And brothers to be more exact."

"Aw, Prowler," Jazz grimaced. "It sounds so dirty when ya put it that way. Let's not make this into somethin' it isn't. They're twins. That's a completely different scenario."

"I know but I doubt our human counterparts would be able to grasp the difference." Prowl sighed, "In all seriousness, you may want to have a word with them, Jazz. Humans...they aren't as accepting as we are. The less who know about their relationship, the better off they'll be in the long run."

"Yeah," Jazz reluctantly agreed. "You're probably right. It's been rough but I think they've finally started off down the right track. I'd hate for anyone to come along and mess things up. I'll talk to 'em, make sure they stay under the radar."

"I'm not too worried about Sunstreaker, reserved as he is," Prowl added. "Miss Doe has a good head on her shoulders and is intelligent enough to understand that not everyone will look upon this relationship in a favorable light. Sideswipe, however..." Prowl shook his head. "That poor mech may as well be wandering around with his chest plates wide open."

"You can say that again," Jazz chuckled. "That mech has it real bad. Sunny, too, for that matter but he'd probably go without a buff for a month before he'd admit it. Amy..." a fond smile lifted the corners of his mouth, "I think she's still a little overwhelmed by it all but she's slowly comin' around. They just need some time. I think...I think they're gonna be okay. I just worry, is all."

"Get used to it, Jazz," Prowl smirked. "Worry comes with the territory."

Jazz flashed the mech a lopsided grin, "That's what everyone keeps tellin' me."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Uh uh, hands off, sweetspark," Sideswipe gently scolded the woman that sat in his driver's seat. "I said no peaking."

With a huff of resignation, Amy stopped tugging at the blindfold the mech had coaxed her into wearing and let her hands fall back down into her lap. "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes," the silver twin insisted, mirth coloring his voice. "I told you, it's a surprise."

"I hate surprises," Amy murmured under her breath.

"You'll love this one," Sides assured with a chuckle. "I promise."

She half-smiled as she relaxed back into the seat, "If you say so..." She been doing her best to keep up with all the twists and turns as they meandered their way across the base. She tried to plot their location using the map in her head but she was getting the distinct impression that the mech was doing his best to throw her off. At one point she was fairly certain that they'd been driving in literal circles. That said, she had absolutely no clue where they were.

They settled into a comfortable silence. The only sounds being that of the high performance engine that purred beneath Sideswipe's hood and the radio he had set to a modern rock station playing quietly in the background. Amy, far more interested in the mech than anything that could possible be broadcast over the air, focused on the former. Her fingers grasped loosely at the steering wheel. She may not have been able to see but she could certainly feel both the vibrations from the engine and the road beneath them as Sides drove, the wheel moving slightly beneath her fingertips as the mech made minute corrections to their course of wound their way across the base for about another ten minutes before the car finally began to slow, eventually rolling to a complete stop.

"Alright," Sideswipe happily chirped. "I've got the all clear. You are now free to exit the vehicle."

"Yay," Amy reached for the blindfold as the driver's side door popped courteously open for her.

"Nuh uh, Ames," Sides stopped her before she could tug it off. "Blindfold stays on."

Amy huffed, "Seriously?"

"As a spark attack," the mech teased. "And no pouting."

"I'm not pouting," Amy denied as she climbed gingerly from the car. She took a couple careful steps away, giving the mech room to revert back into his bipedal mode. "I just don't like not being able to see where I'm going."

"I've got you, sweetspark," Sideswipe chuckled as he completed his transformation. "I'm not going to let you march off a cliff. I promise."

Reluctantly, Amy nodded, "I know. I trust you."

"Good. That means I'm doing something right." He moved to kneel behind the woman, nuzzling the top of her head affectionately with his nasal plates before gently angling her in the direction he wanted her to go. "Now, you're going to walk straight ahead," he advised. "The ground is a little uneven in spots so take it slow. I'm going to be right behind you."

Amy reached her right arm up and back over her head until her fingertips grazed the side of the mech's face. She nodded, seemingly satisfied by the gesture, "Okay..."

She started off, both arms now stretched in front of herself to prevent plowing face first into any obstacles and her steps hesitant. She didn't like not being able to see but took comfort in the fact that she could feel Sideswipe's presence at her back. She could hear the ground crunch beneath his wheels as he rolled along with her. She could tell they were close to the ocean. She could smell the salt in the air and hear the rhythmic crash of waves in the distance. He'd brought her to the water...a nice reprieve after having been holed up under the ground all morning. A smile tugged at her lips.

"Careful here," Sides cautioned, "the pavement turns sand. Watch your step."

"Alright..." A couple hesitant steps and, true to the mech's word, Amy felt the hard concrete beneath her boots give way to the shifting of sand. "Am I good?"

"You're perfect," Sideswipe teased. "Now left, nine o'clock, then straight through."

Amy adjusted her direction the specified degrees and continued to pick her way carefully over the terrain.

"Almost there," Sideswipe encouraged. "So, so close, Ames. Getting warmer...warmer. You're burning up..."

Thunk.

Amy was bounced back a couple steps as she ran palms first into something hard and immovable.

Sides laughed, "You made it!"

Amused, Amy snorted and reached up to pull off the blindfold. She blinked rapidly as the darkness she'd been used to was replaced by the bright noon sunshine. As her vision adjusted and swam into focus, she found herself staring at a large, bright yellow leg. She slowly craned her head back to look up. She felt a blush color her cheeks.

Sunstreaker was standing, hands planted on his hips, looking down at her with clear amusement on his faceplates. "Hey, Squishie. Glad you could make it."

"Hey," Amy smiled up at the mech and felt her heart do it's odd, little dance in her chest. Slightly embarrassed, she looked away and tried to figure out exactly where it was they'd ended up. It wasn't too hard work out. The Harbor Control Tower loomed up next to the coastline. Though it was bright and sunny, the lighting mechanism at the top of the tower still turned. Amy couldn't help but remember the evening they'd spent here in one another's company simply talking about anything and everything. Her heart warmed at the thought. "So...what exactly are we doing here?"

"Lunch," Sunstreaker simply stated and moved aside, revealing the real reason for their little midday field trip.

They were indeed in the very same spot where'd they'd previously spent time together. Beyond the outcropping of smooth rocks she'd sat upon with the mechs to watch the sunset, a large tarp had been laid out over the sand. Upon the tarp, Amy could spy a couple cubes of what she now knew to be energon as well as a basket which she assumed contained something fit for human consumption. Flowers had been procured from somewhere, a large multicolored bouquet of what appeared to be snapdragons to the best of her botanical knowledge. Everything was arranged in a cozy way that looked out over the sparking waves that lapped at the shoreline.

Amy was a bit taken aback by the time and effort it must have taken, especially knowing how busy they'd both been this morning. Her feet automatically began moving her in the direction of the intimate-looking picnic. "Oh, wow...you guys did this?"

"Sunny took care of the actual setup," Sides informed as he rolled along with her. "I called in a favor to get us a nice lunch. One of the cooks over at the mess hall owed me one for explaining how to hack iTunes to get unlimited free music."

Amy cast an incredulous look over in the mech's direction, "Sideswipe..."

Sides grinned at her and threw his hands up in defense, "I only told him how to do it, Ames. What he chooses to do with that knowledge is all on him."

Amy sighed and shook her head. "I swear..."

Sunstreaker rumbled in amusement as he strolled along on her other side, "Come on, Squishie. You can lecture Sides later. The food's getting cold and we don't have a lot of time to enjoy it before we all have to report back."

"Right." Amy picked up her pace, following Sunstreaker as he led the rest of the way. Though Sideswipe's methods were questionable, she wasn't going to waste a perfectly pleasant afternoon arguing with him over the immorality of acquiring pirated media when she could be enjoying his and his brother's company instead. Rather, she focused on the lovely arrangement before her as she settled herself down onto the tarp.

"Alright, so," Sideswipe vented happily as he sank down next to her and made himself comfortable, "What do you think, sweetspark? Worth the trip?"

"Totally worth the trip," Amy admitted, turning to him with a smile. "It's certainly not what I expected when you offered to take me to lunch. Thank you both. This is really great."

"You might want to hold your thanks until you see how good the food is," Sunstreaker smirked as he bent and reached for a cube of energon while passing the other to his brother. "Make sure the culinary genius here actually had it cooked this time."

Sideswipe frowned as he broke the seal on his cube and took a swig, "I'm never gonna live that down, am I?"

"I still have that jar of popcorn," Amy laughed as she pulled the basket over to examine its contents, pulling out a sealed Tupperware container. "I haven't had a chance to make it yet. Is this...grilled salmon and veggies?"

"It was a learning experience," the mech insisted. "And yes, it is...fully cooked for your dining pleasure."

Amy couldn't help but chuckle as she took a tentative bite. "Mmm...it is really good. You definitely earned a thank you."

Sideswipe made a pleased noise, "I'm glad you like it."

"I fragging hate sand," Sunny grumbled, still trying his best brush what he could off of his pedes before finally lowering himself down to sit and opening his cube of energon. "Whoever designed your planet should be rounded up and shot."

"I'm sorry," Amy tried her her best not to laugh. "I really am."

"You should be," the mech groused but there was no real bite to his words. "You're lucky I like you. I wouldn't trudge around in this slag for just anyone."

"And that's the honest to Primus truth," Sideswipe chuckled.

Amy felt heat rise to her face and her heart pounded out an odd, little beat. She tried to play off the reaction to Sunstreaker's turn of phrase with a forcibly lighthearted, "Well...I'm truly honored."

One corner of Sunny's mouth rose subtly even as the rest of his face seemed to soften in its expression. In what was probably the closest thing to admitting what was really on his mind, he murmured, "Right back at you, Squishie."

"I'm glad we decided to do this," Sideswipe stretched, struts in his back popping. He made a contented sound. "We needed this."

"This is nice," Amy sighed in agreement. Better than nice, her brain chimed in. Aside from the soothing sound of the ocean, the warm sun on her face, and the fresh, salty breeze, the solid, comforting presence of both twins calmed her anxious nerves. "It's been so hectic lately."

"We've missed you, Ames," Sideswipe admitted. "We thought it would be different. You know, not having to go out in the field? But with the Allspark and the Decepticons..."

"The fragging security rotation and endless supply offloads." Sunstreaker frowned, "Prowl and the giant metal pole shoved up his aft..."

"Hey," Amy dissented, "Be nice. I like Prowl. He's good people."

"I never said he wasn't," Sunny shrugged. "But it doesn't change the fact that he's probably got enough scrap metal shoved up there to build a scale replica of the Ark."

Sides chuckled in amusement and shook his head, "Regardless of the reason, it doesn't really feel like we've gotten to spend any time together since we've got back. We just wanted to see you, Ames. That's all."

Amy nodded in agreement, "I've...I've missed you guys, too. I mean, I get it. I know we have to be vigilant and prepared but...it still sucks. Normally, I like to stay busy. The busier the better. It's weird. I've never really minded not having any time to myself before..." she trailed off.

"Believe me, " Sunny vented, "We know what you mean, Squishie."

"I guess..." Sideswipe wondered out loud, "I guess maybe it's different when you actually have someone to come home to..."

Sunstreaker stiffened, his brother's words sparking an idea. It was a horrible idea, one he probably would have knocked Sideswipe upside the head over had he come up with it. As it was, he wondered at the possibility of punching himself in the face if for no other reason than to try to knock some sense back into his processor. The whole 'Human Scenario' had finally made him snap, apparently. He'd very obviously lost his mind and was probably in need of professional help. Despite logical misgivings, his spark agreed with his to-be-proposed plan of action. Knowing that Sideswipe would back him up or, more likely, take the idea an run with it on his own thereby providing him with plausible deniability gave him the last nudge he needed to voice his thoughts.

"Hey, Squishie," Sunny drew the woman's attention, flashing her a roguish smirk. "I have a proposition for you..."

End of Chapter 38