Author's note: Okay this is weird for me. I'm doing MPreg…I've never done it before and I don't usually read it either, it fact I think I've only read…two MPreg fics. One that I think really sucked, because the guy was raped and when his attacker found out he was suddenly in love. The other was Veritas by Cyndi, which was actually very good. If you like mine read hers; if you don't like mine, read hers anyway because it is WAY better than this!

Warnings: Mentioned SLASH MegatronXOptimus, Mpreg as I mentioned above.

Disclaimer: Like it'll ever happen.

Secrets Chapter two

I'll Always Remember

Before time began there was the Cube, no one knows where it came from or what it's full potential was, only that it brought life. The inhabitants of the planet Cybertron, robotic life forms called "Transformers" were once solely created by this "Allspark" as they called it, but as their race became more sophisticated they were able to reproduce on their own. Through the combining of the mech spark and the femme spark, though it did not happen as often as human births, these transformers were able to bear children, "Sparklings".

Sometimes though, a femme can end up with the spark of a mech. And a mech can go through life with a femme spark.

Optimus had known he had a femme spark for many years before he met Megatron, and when they became lovers, he was too shy to tell him about it. Many times he had wanted to, but hadn't gotten up the nerve. His having a femme spark was a secret he wasn't about to let his world know, but it was not his most painful secret.

"Optimus, will you promise me something?"

"What?"

"Promise me that you'll always remember that I love you."

Those words haunted Optimus long after Megatron began the war, which he at first refused to believe had started. Denial is a natural emotion, one which all life forms feel in times of betrayal or loss, an emotion that now hung over Optimus Prime like a cloud of cold darkness. But that was not all that hung over him. Fear was there, accompanied by doubt, and a strange feeling as though there was something he needed to protect. Something more important than Cybertron and the Allspark.

He kept his feeling to himself. Denial and doubt slowly vanished as he gathered armies of Autobots who opposed the Decepticons, but fear remained, and the other feeling. He was glad that some of the autobots were old friends of his, one in particular.

Ratchet. The mech was a well known medic and one of his most trusted friends. Optimus was nervous at first, but finally he decided to talk to Ratchet about the strange feeling he'd been having.

The fear of losing his friend was greater than fear of losing his leader so the medic checked him out as soon as he could. Ratchet did many tests some of the over and over again as if confused by the results and it was days later that Optimus finally got an answer from him.

Ratchet locked them in his office, and made sure that no one was around to hear "Especially Sunstreaker and Sideswipe" he said, "If this ever gets out I don't know how anyone will take it…"

Optimus sat down in one of the chairs and laughed thinking that Ratchet was picking on the twins because of some immature prank they had pulled on the easily angered medic. His friend's serious features, however, caused him to silence.

"What is it?" he asked becoming worried.

Ratchet sighed and peeked around once again to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "You…you have a femme spark…" he said at last. Optimus stared at him for a moment, and Ratchet shifted a bit, "You…knew that already didn't you?"

Optimus nodded, "Almost my entire life, I-I'm a little shy about it though…"

Ratchet's face became more concerned, "If you knew, did you know the dangers of it?"

"Dangers?"

Ratchet shifted uncomfortable, "Well… dangers isn't the right word…'risks' is more like it."

"Ratchet, old friend, you're beginning to scare me…" Optimus said putting his hand to his chassis over his spark, and realizing that the heat radiating from it was warmer than usual. "What is it?" he asked again.

"Optimus…you're…" Ratchet said placing his own hand over Optimus' spark. "You're carrying another spark, a sparkling…"

Optimus let his jaw fall, "What?"

"The feeling of a need to protect something…is you mother's instinct. You'll probably always have it." he took his hand away, "Do you know who the…other father is?"

With a jerk of his hips Megatron sent tokens of his feeling to Optimus and he returned them. In a whisper he told Optimus to open his spark. At the same time their sparks were exposed and pressed together gently. They did not scream like they had done so many times before. They sang. Their voices blended into one note of pleasure that carried out longer than their screams ever had.

Finally Megatron pulled away and as he did so, Optimus made a strange noise that he'd never heard before.

"Optimus?" Ratchet shook him out of his memories, "Do you know?"

Optimus chose only to nod. It was their secret. He couldn't tell anyone, not even a friend as close as Ratchet.

"Optimus." Ratchet said sternly "I need to know who it is, parenthood is more complicated than just being a mother and a father. Whoever it is will have a father's instincts and I need to know who it is so I can help you both cope with this and the war."

Optimus stared and him for a moment. Fear rose up in him, if Ratchet knew about him and Megatron… he was afraid of losing his friend's trust.

"Optimus." Ratchet said again, "This sparkling was created before the war began, you don't have much time, before it's born, and I need to know for all three of you…"

Optimus sighed and finally admitted, "…Megatron…"

Ratchet's jaw dropped and Optimus looked away. "Optimus…I-I'm sorry."

"For what!?" Optimus demanded suddenly angry, "For the fact that I fell in love with a…a maniac!?!"

Ratchet grabbed him and Optimus wiggled violently trying to get away and demanding that the medic release him.

"Calm down Optimus!" Ratchet said Optimus only struggled more "Optimus please! That isn't what I meant!"

"What did you mean then!?!" Optimus cried. His anger had melted away into an aching despair that was just as violent as his earlier outburst. Momentarily though, he calmed down and stopped struggling.

Ratchet let him go, "Optimus," he said "are you going to be alright?" Optimus nodded slowly "Good…" He put his hand on Optimus' shoulder "You just had a mood swing; that comes with carrying a sparkling, among other things…"

"What kind of things?" Optimus asked.

"Well…" Ratchet paused for a moment "well you will start feeling very ill in the mornings…the closer you get to the birthing. And there's the pain of actually giving birth…and mother's instincts…then…the father's…" he trailed off and took his hand off Optimus.

There was silence for a moment. "What kind of instincts?" Optimus asked at last.

Ratchet looked up at him and looked into his optics sadly "This…" he said cheerlessly "This is why I apologized earlier…Both you and Megatron are going to have a parent's instinct to keep your sparkling safe no matter the cost, but…" he trailed off again and turned away from the autobot leader.

Optimus cast a worried glance around him "But…?" he asked, his voice was barely above a whisper now.

"I-it's Megatron…" Ratchet said after a few moments of silence "If he finds out about this sparkling I don't know what will happen to Megatron." Optimus whimpered at Megatron's name and the way Ratchet spoke filled him with worry over his former lover. "He's not in his right mind, being a father will only drive him insane…more insane than he already is… with the Allspark and such. I…I'm afraid he'll reject his role as a father and…kill you…you and the sparkling…"

Fear burned in Optimus, fear for his sparkling, his instinct as a mother already caring more about his child than himself. He placed his hand protectively over his spark and the precious life within. "No…" he said weakly, "No…that can't happen." Ratchet looked at the floor, trying to avoid his friend's gaze. "Ratchet!" he cried "There has to be something that can be done! Ratchet! Tell me there's something I can do!" had Optimus been human; tears would have been streaming down his face.

Ratchet continued to stare at the floor and didn't look up when he finally answered. "You only have two options…the first would be to terminate the sparkling before it's born…" Optimus shook his head, it was too late for that option, the sparkling was already more important than Cybertron and anyone on it.

"And the other?"

Ratchet looked up at him his optics were dark with regret for what he was about to say. "The other option would be to become…one of the Decepticons." If Ratchet had been human, this would have been when he would have started to cry. "If you're on his side of the war, Megatron's instincts would be to protect you and his child; which he would be able to do since he wouldn't be fighting against you…"

Optimus shook his head again "No!" he said "No, there has to be something else!"

"There is nothing else-"

"No!" Optimus buried his face in his hand and began to sob. He couldn't do this. He couldn't terminate his sparkling, and he couldn't turn his back on the Autobot cause. He couldn't do it…but what could he do? He thought about everything Ratchet had said, from the moment he'd said Optimus was carrying a sparkling. That's when it hit him.

"Ratchet?" he said with a gasp, "You said 'if' Megatron finds out…What if he doesn't?"

Ratchet looked surprised, he hadn't thought of that, but then again he'd never dealt with a situation like this before. He remained silent for several minutes as he considered what would happen.

"Ratchet?"

"I…I guess if he never knew, maybe then his paternal instincts won't kick in and he'd never have to reject his role and things would continue as normal…as normal as it can get with a sparkling that doesn't have a father in the middle of a war can get…It's not much of a plan, but maybe it'll work…"

Optimus looked up with hope shinning in his optics, "So I'll have the sparkling and so long that Megatron doesn't know it will be fine?"

Ratchet shook his head, "Not just Megatron, it would probably be better if you and I are the only ones who know. Not even the sparkling, because the child will have instincts too, it will try to find its father when it is old enough. I don't know how to stop that though…"

Optimus stood up, "I know." He said, "When the he's born we'll raise him saying that he was found as the sole survivor of a destroyed city. Then he'll think he doesn't have parents and that will stop his instinct to find his father." He explained, but then he paused. "Or his mother…" he added with dismay.

Ratchet nodded, "Good idea…" he stopped and gave Optimus a weird look. "You said 'he', what makes you think it will be a mech and not a femme?"

Optimus put a hand over his spark and answered, "I feel it… must be the mother in me."

Ratchet smiled, "I hope this plan works, because if it does I'm sure that the child will grow up to be just like you."

Optimus smiled too. "And the Megatron from before…"

Like human pregnancy, it was a while before the sparkling was fully developed and ready to be born, and like human pregnancy again, it happened at an inconvenient time.

There was a meeting in the Autobot army that Optimus was attending when the first pains of childbirth began. Optimus was in the middle of a sentence when he suddenly doubled over crying out in pain. Officers jumped to their feet and rushed over to him intending to help, but they all backed away again when Optimus began to vomit.

"What's wrong with him?" Someone cried.

"Perhaps the Decepticons did something to him…poison maybe?" another suggested.

Thankfully Ratchet had been at the meeting too. "Get out of the way!" he demanded hurrying toward his friend and leader knowing exactly what was really happening.

"Ratchet! What's happening?" Asked a femme who hadn't gotten out of his path yet, obviously the femme was too young to recognize the Cybertronian birthing process.

"MOVE IT!" He shouted instead of answering. The medic didn't know whether the femme had back off or if he'd blown her away. He didn't care; right now getting Optimus to a safe place to give birth was all that mattered. Though poison would be a perfect cover-up, he had to admit.

"R-ratchet…" Optimus gasped through vomit and pain "It h-hurts…"

"Don't try to talk." Ratchet told him "GET OUT OF THE SLAGGING WAY!" he shouted at the growing crowd of concerned Autobots.

"H-hurts…" Optimus said again, then his body went limp, for a moment Ratchet paused, Optimus had passed out from the pain. He dragged him out of the meeting room for the first time considering that maybe…maybe Optimus wouldn't survive bearing the sparkling.

Optimus woke up. Passed out, and awoke again. "R-ratchet…!" He cried the pain was unbearable, "I-is it h-h-happening!?" He couldn't see, it hurt too much for him to do anything, he vomited again. Even that hurt.

"Optimus hold on! You're almost ready for it!" The medic responded.

Optimus heard the words but was in too much pain to distinguish what they were, what they meant, he wasn't even sure who was saying them anymore! He couldn't see, hear or even feel what ever it was he was lying on. Was he even lying on something or was he still standing? He couldn't tell.

The pain intensified and for a brief moment he could see, hear, and feel a tiny bit; but the figure standing above him wasn't Ratchet. He could only make out the shape of the mech. Who was it? He knew that shape. Could it be…?

"Megatron?" He whispered trying to grasp his lover's hand but his reach only caught empty air. "Megatron!"

Then everything went black. There was nothing…not even pain.

Ratchet held on to the tiny sparkling that Optimus Prime had given birth to. It was so small and…cute…Every time he helped bring a new life into the world he realized he'd forgotten how frail and adorable they were. He cast a glance at Optimus who lay motionless on medical-berth he'd been placed on.

It seemed that what he had feared had become reality. The act of birth had been too much, and Optimus had not survived. The sparkling began to wail, Ratchet shifted him in his arms. Usually when a child began to cry he'd return it to its mother, but Optimus was no longer here to comfort his child.

Ratchet glanced done at Optimus again, finding him still motionless and was about to look away when his friends lips parted and a there was a groan. The medic heaved a sigh of relief, Optimus was alive, maybe not alright, but alive.

Optimus groaned again and slowly his optics began to flicker on. "Meg…a…tron…? Ratchet…" he croaked and slowly lifted his head; it took him a moment but he noticed the yellow sparkling the medic was holding. "…give him to me…" his voice was soft with admiration at his child.

Ratchet complied and handed the wailing sparkling to Optimus. Immediately the bitty-bot silenced and fell into recharge in the comfort of his parent's arms. Optimus dared not breath, "He's…so small…" he whispered.

The little transformer squirmed in his grasp. "Buhm…Bul…Bea" He murmured snuggling deeper into his mother's the embrace.

"Buhm-bul-bea…?" Optimus repeated. "Buhmbulbea…Bumblebee." He hugged his sparkling tightly "That's what I'll call you then…"

In his recharge the little 'Bumblebee' chirped as if approving of his name. Ratchet laughed and Optimus smiled. He thought of what Megatron had once asked of him.

"Optimus, will you promise me something?"

"What?"

"Promise me that you'll always remember that I love you."

He looked at his little Bumblebee again to find the sparkling's baby blue optics had opened again "Go back to recharge little one…" he said softly.

Bumblebee shrieked a short protest before leaning back into Optimus' chassis and falling into recharge once again.

Yes, Megatron, he thought fondly squeezing Bumblebee again. So long as I have this sparkling-- our sparkling-- I'll always remember…

Author's end note: Nayyawww 3! I finally got this chapter finished after thinking that I would never be able to write it! Thank you for reading! But wait; don't stop watching this story yet because there's one more secret… I can't say how much I enjoyed writing the last bit with BB so I'll just be all floaty instead. Floats away

V.E.: Ya know, I was kinda worried she wouldn't get it done too. You can imagine how annoying I was, looming over her shoulder all the time, like the "Vulture Editor" I am. Yes I know the next secret and no I'm not gonna tell ya… I'm not gonna give ya hints either, because I'm a cruel, sadistic, evil little monster (I AM the evil twin after all heh, heh, heh.)