Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers

"Bumblebee is dying?!" Optimus asked, his optics wide in alarm. "Ratchet how could you not tell me about this sooner?!"

"See? I told you he'd be more concerned about you dying than about Magnia," Ratchet told Bee.

Bee peeked through his digits at Optimus, who certainly didn't look angry, "You are…not mad…sir?"

"Bumblebee, why would I be mad?" Optimus looked confused. "You cannot help who your sparkmate is. And besides, I already suspected something was going on between you two."

"What?..." Bee yelped. "How….did you…know?"

"Ultra Magnus," Optimus blinked. "He jumped in to defend her when she and I met, in a not too friendly manner, in Darkmount. He confessed she had been helping with our efforts, and I remembered you had rescued her a little while back, so I had a feeling you had something to do with it."

Bee looked embarrassed as Optimus turned worriedly to Ratchet, "Are you sure there is no other cure? Besides him bonding with a Decepticon?"

"Bee's in love with a Decepticon?!" a small voice hollered and the three robots glanced down to find Raf.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Couldn't help but overhear."

Bee sighed and bent down to be more level with him. "Glad…you finally…know," he smiled at him. "Sorry…I didn't…tell you. Both…of you." He hastily added, glancing up at Optimus, who seemed lost in thought.

"Ratchet," Optimus said suddenly. "What would happen if one of them were offlined? Then their sparks would stop trying to bond, correct?"

Ratchet frowned, "I suppose. But what-" His optics widened with realization, "You're not suggesting-"

"If Bumblebee is to survive, we must offline Magnia," Optimus said grimly.

"What?!..." Bumblebee exclaimed. "You…can't!"

Optimus and Ratchet both frowned at him, "Why not?"

"Because…." Bee trailed off, realizing he had no rational reason; Optimus had forgiven him for being her sparkmate. However, he would not understand if Bee told him he was falling in love with her, which was why he couldn't offline her.

"Never… mind," Bee sighed.

"I'm not so sure it would work," Ratchet pondered. "Logically, it should but there have been very few instances of this disease, and so there are limited examples. Let me do some research, to be certain, before we offline the poor femme."

"Poor femme?" Optimus raised an optic ridge. "She is a Decepticon."

Prowl burst into the room just then, "Prime!"

"What is it, Prowl?" Optimus asked.

"Ironhide and Jazz have captured Soundwave nearby; It appears he followed Ratchet and Bumblebee here. They have restrained him in the Medbay."

Bee tossed his servos in the servos in the air, "How many…people are…spying on me….today? Ratchet…Raf…. And now…Soundwave?!"

Prowl ignored Bumblebee and said to Optimus, "He awaits your interrogation."

Ratchet and Optimus hurried to the Medbay while Bee escorted Raf to the safety of his quarters.

"Can't I come, Bee?" Raf asked.

Bee shook his helm, "Dangerous…wait…here…talk later?" He looked hopefully at Raf, who sighed.

"Fine," he said, "But you have a lot to tell me when you get back."

Bee nodded and rushed to the Medbay. He got there just in time to hear Ratchet exclaim, "He's deleting information!"

Bee saw they had restrained Soundwave to a medical berth with stasis cuffs. Once he had ceased deleting information, he uttered in a monotone voice, "Soundwave superior: Autobots inferior.", before going into lockdown.

Optimus sighed, "Well I suppose we won't be getting anything out of him. Keep him restrained until he reactivates."

"In my Medbay?!" Ratchet exclaimed. "Optimus, you can't be serious!"

"Where else do you suggest we put him?" Optimus raised an optic ridge. "I can think of no other place in the base that has berths with attached stasis cuffs."

Ratchet flushed slightly, remembering how much he had pestered Optimus to have those installed, in case he needed to sedate someone, or if the twins were trying to run from a checkup.

"Fine," he grumbled. "I'll let you know as soon as I complete that research." He shuffled unhappily towards his computer, glancing warily at Soundwave, and leaving just Optimus and Bumblebee. Prowl had excused himself earlier, saying he wanted to check and see how Jazz was (although Bee was pretty sure it was for another reason).

"Don't worry Bumblebee," Optimus put a comforting servo on Bee's shoulder. "Ratchet and I will figure this out, so you won't have to bond with that 'Con, and you will still survive."

"Right..." Bee laughed nervously, watching Optimus walk away, before racing back to his quarters.

"What…am I…going to…do?" Bee groaned, forgetting he had left Raf in his room.

"Do about what?" Raf asked and raised an eyebrow. "And this time tell me the truth."

Bee sighed, "Optimus…is going…to offline…Magnia."

"Problem solved, right?" Raf said, popping a jelly bean in his mouth.

"No not…solved," Bee sighed. "Can't…let him."

"Why not?" Raf looked confused. "She's a Decepticon, right?" Bumblebee looked at Raf, silently willing him to understand; he needed someone who understood.

"Oh!" Raf's eyes popped, "You-you like her?" Bee smiled and nodded, gesturing that it was much bigger than that.

Raf sat back in the spinning chair Bee kept in his room for him and thoughtfully chewed his jelly bean. "Well." Raf said slowly. "I suppose if you love her, she can't be that bad, right?"

Bee grinned happily and scooped Raf up into a big smushy robot hug, "Thanks…buddy."

Raf laughed, "No problem. Bee, you're kinda squishing me."

Bee put him back in the chair, "Sorry..."

"So why don't you tell Optimus, so he doesn't offline her?" Raf asked.

"He won't…understand," Bee sighed. "Hates…'Cons…thought…would have…spark attack….when…found out…just…sparkmates."

"Oh," Raf nodded and fell silent for a moment. "Bee?" he finally asked.

"Yeah…Raf?"

"Tell me about her?" Raf looked up at Bee with pleading eyes and Bee's spark warmed. I must have the best friend in the whole galaxy, he thought as he smiled and told Raf all about Magnia.

He talked for so long about her that he fell into recharge, snoring on his berth. Raf smiled as he struggled to pull Bee's large blanket over him. He had noticed that Bee had seemed sleepy lately, so he thought maybe if he got him to talk about her, he would relax enough to fall asleep. Plus, Raf got to learn about Magnia, and the way Bee talked about her, she sounded kinda nice.

Raf crept quietly out of Bee's quarters, and went to the Medbay to ask Ratchet if he would drive him home.

Raf walked through the Medbay doors and gasped. Ratchet's beloved Medbay was in ruins; medical files were strewn everywhere, berths were overturned, and Soundwave was missing.

Raf began searching for Ratchet in the mess, yelling for help, but as he searched it became clear.

Ratchet was gone.