Two weeks passed without any major incidents. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were put to work scrubbing the base from end to end because of the paint accident as punishment. Chloe continued to work with her three teachers during the day, and made sure to avoid falling asleep in Rec Room. Jazz was in a constant horrible mood though he didn't take it out on anyone, which most of the NEST soldiers were very thankful for. Seeing Optimus was lessened over the course of the weeks, often disappearing during most of the day only to attend meetings or get Energon from the Rec Room. And seeing Alexis was even less common. The Xyleon stayed to her quarters, Optimus' office, or her hanger. The weird actions of the two couples were beginning to arouse suspicion in the Autobots and soldiers around them.
So for Will to find Optimus and Alexis together in the Rec Room was extremely strange. His daughter's hand slipped from his as soon as Annabelle caught sight of the alien female. Alexis had about as much pull for the little girl as Ironhide did, and with Alexis' odd behaviour lately, Annabelle craved her blue friend's attention.
"Lexis!" Annabelle cried in excitement, running towards Alexis. The Xyleon was at one of the tables beside her sparkmate and turned at the sound of her name being called.
"There's my girl! Good morning Will, Annabelle," Alexis said. She laughed when Annabelle latched onto her ankle.
"Morn' Lexis!" Annabelle chirped happily, hugging Alexis' ankle and smiling brightly. Optimus offered a hand to the little girl with a soft chuckle, still amused by how quickly Alexis had become a magnet for the girl. The same could be said for Ironhide. Annabelle happily scrambled on, smiling widely as she was lifted up to eye level with the Prime and Xyleon.
"How are you both?" Alexis asked Annabelle and Will. She smiled and put her hand on the table. Annabelle instantly started to climb it. Lennox laughed slightly at his daughter's antics.
"We're both good thank you, what about you both?" Lennox asked politely, smiling at the Xyleon climbing frame.
"We're alright," Optimus said, wrapping an arm around Alexis. Lennox smiled and nodded.
"Good..." He said, noticing a small 'bump' beneath Alexis' shirt. She saw Lennox staring and blushed, tucking some of her hair behind her ear in nervousness.
"I... guess we need to tell you something," she mumbled quietly. Lennox nodded, taking a seat on the smaller table set upon the Autobot table.
"Indeed…"
Alexis nudged Optimus gently and looked away, the skin of her cheeks almost black from her embarrassment.
"Alexis is sparked," the Prime said quietly. Lennox blinked as his mind translated the phrase to an earthen one. Then he smiled.
"Congratulations," he said, happy for the couple, "Good luck too." Will directed to Optimus, a mischievous grin replacing the innocent smile as he remembered how tough it was to deal with both being a father and dealing with his wife's mood swings. Optimus just rolled his optics and held Alexis closer.
"We still have to tell everyone else," she said mostly to Optimus.
"I know..." Optimus replied, absently placing a hand on Alexis' bump.
"Question is when?" Lennox spoke up, picking Annabelle up after she'd fallen off Alexis' hand.
"My kind carries for around an Earth year... I'm two or three months in..." Alexis answered vaguely. She shrugged. Lennox's eyebrows rose.
"An Earth year?" He said in surprise, seeing as he knew so little about Xyleons. Alexis dipped her head as if she had said the wrong thing but nodded.
"That's what it works out to be, yes... You can ask Ratchet if you don't believe me," she said softly. Will nodded, amazed at how long Alexis would be carrying for. Sometimes it was hard to believe that Alexis wasn't human. She fit into the culture easily and was able to understand humanity better than the Autobots were. Besides a few obvious things like her skin and hair colour and general size, she looked human. So when something came up that really set her apart from humans, it was usually startling for those who knew her. The duration of her carrying was one of those things.
"I think the others should probably be told today," Alexis said, looking from Will up to Optimus. Optimus nodded.
"It would be the ideal option..."
"We can call a meeting," Will suggested. Optimus shook his helm.
"Perhaps nothing formal..." He said carefully. Will shrugged.
"It's up to you two," he responded. Optimus nodded, already thinking it over.
Keeping her eyes to the ground, Chloe wandered down the corridors looking for something to do and keeping to herself until she was met with the cold hard metal of Jazz's pede. He pulled away in surprise, having been going over certain reports with Prowl over his comm link. He kneeled down.
"You okay?" he asked, keeping his tone gentle and kind. The girl nodded slowly, standing and dusting herself down quietly, not speaking a word. "Look, I'm sorry Chloe. If ya still hate me, I can't change that," he said.
"I don't hate you..." She said quietly.
"Feels like ya do."
"But I don't..." Chloe replied, her voice wavering slightly as she spoke.
"I'm sorry for what I said," Jazz stated. He stood and stepped back so he wasn't invading Chloe's personal space.
"I... I'm s... sorry too..." The Brit replied, not looking up at Jazz for a second.
"We good then?"
Chloe nodded, staying silent as powerful memories of their argument attacked her mind, tears starting to gather in her eyes. He finally just sighed and stepped over her, continuing on his way back to his office. Slowly, Chloe started back to their shared quarters; memories continuing to haunt her as she approached, having not been there for a few weeks.
Part way to his office, Jazz realized he'd forgotten an important report he'd finished. He swore and started back to his quarters, unaware of the fact that that was where Chloe was. He opened the door to their shared quarters and froze in surprise at finding Chloe there.
The girl had been there, flicking back through numerous drawings Jazz had done of her a while ago, silent tears staining her cheeks.
"Chloe..." he called softly. She jumped, turning on her heel sharply after wiping away her tears. He didn't speak again, merely standing in the doorway and watching her.
"Somethin' you need? Just go 'head... I was jus'... lookin'..." Chloe said pathetically, throwing the sketchbook on the pile of others. Jazz winced as he moved inside, picking up the required datapad.
"Just my sparkmate," he mumbled. His mumble was just loud enough for Chloe to hear, sending fresh tears to her eyes. "I can move outta the room if you want it."
"W... What?! No!" Chloe cried, his suggestion hurting her more than anything else.
"I don't know what you want, Cazz, I just wanna make you happy," Jazz said, forgetting himself and calling her by the pet name he'd given her a long time ago.
"And moving out is really gonna help?"
"Well... no... but it's your room too. An' ya obviously had a reason to come back ta it."
"Memories... Guess I can't let go..." She mumbled.
"You don't have to..."
Chloe looked up, the tears in her eyes threatening to break free.
"You could move back in... You could come back... I won't force ya to continue with bein' tutored if it means having you back..."
"I'll keep on with the tutoring if it makes you happy... But I can't keep fighting with you..." Her voice faded to a broken whisper, "I can't..."
"I know... Neither can I," Jazz said. Chloe looked up, a spark of hope in her eyes. "I don't want to fight you. I love you, Cazz. Fightin' isn't somethin' I can handle. Not with you."
"I love you too Jazz... And I can't do it either..." Chloe said shakily.
"I gotta get this to Prime, but I really want ya to stay. I want ya back," Jazz stated. He moved to the door, but he stopped to look back at her. The girl looked up and nodded.
"I'll stay..."
Jazz sighed in relief before leaving. Chloe smiled truly for the first time in ages before happily flopping back down onto the berth.
~~~A Week Later~~~
The report that Jazz had given Optimus was about a Decepticon sighting somewhere in Canada. The two had been quick to leave to check into it, leaving their bondmates behind for the time being. Tutoring had fallen to Ratchet and Perceptor since Alexis was occupied elsewhere, monitoring the situation with the Decepticons. She and Optimus hadn't gotten a chance to tell the others which led to snarky comments and just general teasing being aimed at Alexis.
It was such a day where she'd been tormented by the Twins for over an hour straight when she decided to hide with Chloe to get away from it.
"So what other names do they call you? Cos I have ways of getting back at them..." Chloe asked, laying on her front while doodling.
"I'd rather not go there," Alexis replied. She was seated on the ground beside Chloe's door to be on level with her friend.
"Makes sense... But Imma kill them when they insult you again.." Chloe replied, rolling onto her back to give her arms a rest from propping her up for about an hour and a half now. Alexis sighed and let her head hit the wall in misery. She put her hand on her stomach.
"They're not going to let up. It would be a waste of time to try to kill them Chloe," she stated bitterly.
"Then maybe I can be super evil to them..." Chloe said, standing and pacing over to Alexis, "Maybe there's a way to reprogram one of them to make it seem like they've been sparked? OR on a Mating Cycle?"
"Probably... But I wouldn't wish carrying on anyone right now," she replied. She was beginning to feel shaky since she was unable to keep anything down. She'd skipped having Energon that morning for that very reason. "Ratchet would know better than I do. You don't want to get them stuck in whatever you do."
Chloe nodded, considering the possibilities of sweet revenge on the Twins for insulting her best friend.
"Ok... I'll have to see Ratchet about that... Mental note made too," Chloe said, seeing the look on her friend's face she added, "You feelin' ok? Not gonna be sick or nothin'?"
"Good luck with that. And to answer your question, I can't exactly get sick with nothing in my stomach, so no..." Alexis answered. The Brit nodded, understanding where Alexis was coming from despite never experiencing it. A thought struck her, making her feel lonelier despite the company. In a small voice, she spoke up.
"Um... Alexis?"
"Yes?"
"Um... W... When y... you're lookin' after... your... kid... D... Does that mean we... can't spend as much time... together...?"
"What?" Alexis questioned in surprise, moving slightly so she could actually see her friend. "I'll always have time to spend with you. I promise. I'll be busier, but I won't just cast you aside. I couldn't."
Chloe bit her lip, really hoping that her worst fears wouldn't come true.
"I... I know... I guess I'm just bein' stupid..."
"You're not..." Alexis carefully picked Chloe up. "I know how you feel... This won't break our friendship."
"I hope it doesn't..." Chloe said quietly, curling up against Alexis' thumb, "I really do... Cos I don't know what I'd do if it did..."
"It won't," Alexis said. She stroked Chloe's hair gently. A small smile formed on the girl's lips as she closed her optics, listening to the steady rhythm of the Xyleon's breathing, relief flooding her spark.
It was at that point that Alexis got a comm message from Ironhide and tensed at the contents. Feeling her friend tense, Chloe's eyes opened.
"What is it?"
"Ironhide commed me..." Alexis said, her throat tight. She carefully stood and left Chloe's quarter, Chloe in hand, and headed towards Medbay. "They're back. Jazz has to get his visor replaced... and Optimus is hurt."
"W... What?!" Chloe said, her eyes widening behind her own visor, "They're hurt?!" Panic instantly filled her spark, afraid for her bondmate's safety. Why hadn't she known? Was he hiding his pain from her?
"Chloe, calm down, please... Jazz isn't hurt. Optimus took the brunt of it. Your sparkmate is fine..." Alexis assured, her own emotions pushed down in her spark since Chloe was panicking. Chloe managed a slow nod, still frightened for both mechs.
"Please let them both be ok..." She pleaded, curling up slightly in Alexis' hand.
"Jazz is fine," Alexis choked out as she fought tears. She continued to Medbay and passed the Twins who were milling around in curiosity. No sooner than Sideswipe had opened his mouth Chloe snapped at him.
"KEEP YOUR TRAP SHUT OR I'LL WELD IT SHUT!" She all but screamed at him, unable to cope with so much happening at once. Sideswipe whimpered, all teasing comments lost to the wind, and ran for it, his yellow Twin following. Ironhide chuckled and clapped at Chloe's sudden shout.
"Now what Ironhide?" Chloe snarled, already in a foul mood thanks to the Twins. The mech raised his hands in surrender.
"Ah'm not here to tease Lexie, just ta escort ya both," he replied. Chloe bit her tongue in an effort to stay quiet, knowing that biting his head off wasn't the best of ideas. He approached and gently wrapped an arm around the shaking alien femme and led her forward, taking his role as bodyguard.
They entered Medbay without any further hassle from those interested in what was going on and were met with the sight of both their mechs laid on Autobot berths. Ironhide took Chloe from Alexis and headed over to Jazz's side while Alexis went to Optimus'.
Both girls were able to feel their bondmates' pain now they were closer. Almost instantaneously after Ironhide set her down Chloe broke into tears, unable to cope properly with Jazz being hurt.
"Hey, it's okay," Jazz said gently.
"N... Not... Please be ok..." Chloe cried into Jazz's shoulder plating, seeking comfort from the injured mech.
"I'm fine, Cazz. I'm alright," Jazz stated. He very carefully stroked her back with a finger, blinded by the loss of his visor and a shattered optic. Chloe held onto Jazz's finger, resting her cheek against the warm metal as she cried.
"B-But y-you're h-h-hurt... B-B-Badly..." She cried, seeing the damage the Decepticons did to her bondmate only making her cry more.
"Nah, I'm not. Hatchet can repair it," Jazz responded. He continued to stroke Chloe's back to reassure her. "Coulda been much worse." Chloe flinched at the thought of worse damage being done; more tears came streaking down her cheeks as a result.
"I c-c-can't lose y-you J-Jazz... N-Not a-again..."
"Hey ya won't... Prime had my back... I'm okay. Ya won't lose me," he said. She sniffed and nodded, slowly wiping away her tears as she calmed down and looked to where Alexis and Optimus were.
Alexis stood at the end of Optimus' berth as if afraid to approach him. His optics were flickering faintly as he tried hard to bring them online, his left shoulder sparking and his chest armour marred from Starscream's claws. The Prime's chest rose and fell slowly, venting at a slow yet even pace as he tried to stay online.
Slowly Alexis moved to his right side and gently took his hand, careful to stay out of Ratchet's way. She brought Optimus' hand up to her mouth and kissed the back of it. As if she'd breathed life into the battered mech, Optimus' optics slowly flickered open, a faint smile ghosting his faceplates. She didn't trust herself to speak for tears spilled down her cheeks. She was trembling as she stroked the metal of his face gently. Optimus managed a weak smile as he spoke, his voice weak and full of static.
"It's ok... I'm here..."
"You're hurt..." she managed to say. She kept his hand in hers, and her optics dimmed. She felt so weary, so tired from what she had been forced to endure lately. And now the love of her life was before her injured badly. It was more than she could handle with her body already out of balance from carrying. Optimus managed a nod, a smile growing on his faceplates.
"I am... But y... you're staying strong..." He said, exhaustion setting in, "You're strong... Very... strong..." She shook her head.
"I can't stay strong anymore... I told you to be careful... I told you..." her voice was thick from tears and she pressed her cheek against his hand to keep from breaking entirely.
"I'm trying... Alexis... Really I am..."
"I know... I know you are... But I need you Optimus... I can't do this anymore."
"I'm still here... I won't ever leave you... I promise..."
"I'll hold you to that," she said softly. She leaned over the berth and kissed Optimus for only a moment. "I couldn't survive without you."
Optimus laughed weakly.
"Likewise..."
"If you get yourself killed again I will never forgive you..." Alexis teased lightly, stroking his head gently with her free hand. She smiled through her tears. Optimus chuckled softly.
"Understood Princess..."
His sparkmate blushed and sighed, shaking her head.
"You'll live," she said. "But you need to recover... And if you leave me with a sparkling to raise on my own, I won't be happy."
"Now you know I won't ever do that..."
Alexis climbed onto the berth, earning an annoyed sound from Ratchet who was trying to repair Optimus, and settled beside her sparkmate. Optimus ignored the protests from the Medic and wrapped an arm around Alexis gently, pulling her in closer.
"I will never let you go..."
"And you're not shaking me," she said. She smiled. Optimus gave a weakened laugh at Alexis' statement.
"How could I? I'm bonded to you!"
"Get off," Ratchet snapped at Alexis before she could respond to Optimus. "Get off the berth, now!"
Optimus snarled weakly at the Medic, not in the best of moods to be trifled with.
"She stays, Ratchet," Optimus said darkly, "and that is final."
"She's in the way," Ratchet hissed.
"I don't care. You can work around her; you've done so in the past!" Optimus retorted. Alexis just sighed and buried her face in Optimus' arm.
"I don't want to hurt her, she has to move!"
Optimus growled, optics narrowing.
"She. Stays. I refuse to let her go." Optimus said, the stubborn side in him coming out to play.
"She's going to get hurt, Prime," Ratchet stated.
"She'll only get hurt if you do it on purpose, and you'll be in big trouble if you do!"
Ratchet winced and sighed, giving up. He continued to work, careful of sparks that could burn Alexis. The Xyleon gently placed a hand on Optimus' chest away from the injuries.
"Thank you and I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too..." Optimus said with a smile. Alexis' optics closed and she fought recharge, feeling weak from a lack of both that and Energon. Recharging had become impossible with Optimus away, as it always was. She clung to him and sighed contently at knowing that he was with her again.
The next morning all Pit had broken loose and it wasn't even 8AM. Ratchet had woken up from recharge in his Medbay to find Optimus disentangling himself from the scanners he was hooked into, Alexis helping him as his partner in crime, the Twins skulking around Medbay looking for trouble and Jazz and Chloe had gone. Needless to say, this day wasn't looking so good for the Autobot Medic.
"What are you doing?!" Ratchet demanded suddenly, making Alexis jump.
"Assisting me in untangling myself from this death trap you've cunningly set." Optimus said, almost falling off the berth. Alexis carefully steadied her sparkmate to make sure he wouldn't harm himself.
"It was set up to keep you there," Ratchet snapped. "You're not supposed to be up and about yet. And where is Jazz?"
"I'm fine Ratchet," Optimus tried to reassure the medic, "As for Jazz, I do not know..."
"You are not 'fine', and you are not leaving until I say so. I relented and allowed Alexis to stay with you, but I'm not allowing this," Ratchet hissed. He stormed over and gently grabbed Alexis' wrist, effectively stopping the femme. Optimus' optics narrowed as he forced his body to draw itself to its full height, effectively dwarfing the medic.
"Let Alexis go. Now." He said, a sharp edge to his voice that was bordering on furious.
"Optimus, calm down, please..." Alexis said. She put a hand on his arm and carefully freed her other from Ratchet's.
"I wouldn't hurt her, and you know that Prime. I'd never harm her," Ratchet stated.
"I know, but I do not appreciate you grabbing her wrist nor snapping at her." Optimus said calmly. Ratchet rolled his optics.
"You should be used to that by now."
"Perhaps, but I still dislike it greatly."
"Primus, mechs, please stop fighting. Ratchet, if it makes you feel any better he and I are just going to the Rec Room then our quarters anyways. And Optimus, he wasn't hurting me. He wouldn't. So please just relax," Alexis finally said in annoyance. She rubbed her optics tiredly and sighed. "There's no point in bickering like younglings."
Both mechs fell silent, feeling like a sparkling being told off. It was unnatural for things like this to happen, even when Alexis was annoyed. She went back to trying to free her sparkmate of the wires they'd missed, and Ratchet moved forward to help her since he didn't feel like actually getting her angry. Having both Optimus and Alexis angry at him didn't bode well for his survival.
When Optimus was finally free of the medical equipment, Ratchet helped him stand until Alexis took the Medic's place.
"Thank you Ratchet," she said softly. He just nodded, still uncomfortable with the idea of Optimus leaving Medbay so soon. The Prime needed to recover.
Optimus nodded his thanks to the medic, leaving Medbay with his bondmate to the Rec Room in silence. He still hadn't been told of the cruel behaviour those like the Twins had been showing Alexis. Noticing Alexis was abnormally quiet, Optimus decided to ask.
"Alexis? Is there something bothering you?" He said gently. She jumped slightly and looked up at Optimus, searching for an answer to his question. She just stayed quiet. "Alexis, you can tell me..." Optimus said, trying to reassure her.
"It doesn't matter," she responded, looking away.
"Yes it does Alexis..." Optimus said, followed by poking her over their bond.
~You can tell me...~
~There's nothing to tell you. I'm fine~
~Please Alexis... You're too quiet...~
~I'm quiet because I'm feeling worn down, that's all. I'm fine, I promise~
Optimus frowned slightly before reluctantly letting it drop, choosing to keep the peace between them. Alexis winced, knowing that Optimus would be watching her every action from then on to try and find any signs of why she was acting odd. It was hardly appealing. She had spent most of the night fighting off nightmares, and she was already feeling sick and miserable without being watched.
They reached the Rec Room quickly, and Alexis entered first. Optimus entered after and headed over to grab some Energon cubes. His sparkmate sighed in unease while she headed to an open table that was against the wall. Her optics remained on the door though, as it had begun to be a habit to watch in case someone like the Twins entered. She'd grown to be extremely self-conscious, something Optimus was bound to notice. Her bondmate soon joined her, setting down her cube beside her before sitting down himself.
"I could have gotten them," she said.
"It's fine. After all, I need the exercise," Optimus said with a smile.
"Says the one that just came back from a battle."
Optimus laughed softly.
"You have a point..." The Matrix-Bearer then noticed where Alexis had been looking the whole time and frowned.
"What are you staring at?"
Alexis jumped and looked over at Optimus.
"Sorry. I'm a little distracted, that's all," she said. Optimus nodded, a slight smile painting his faceplates. Alexis picked up the Energon cube and opened the seal but didn't drink from it.
"How are you feeling this morning?" she asked timidly.
"Tired but I am fine... How are you?" Optimus asked gently, opening his own Energon cube. She shrugged and avoided the question.
"I'm surprised Ratchet just let you leave..."
Optimus frowned slightly, nodding in agreement. She gently took his hand and smiled.
"You worried me..." she said softly. Optimus smiled.
"I worried myself too..."
Alexis looked back over to the door when someone silver walked in and tensed when she realized it was Sideswipe. Optimus instantly noticed the tense, frowning when he saw Sideswipe smirk slightly at Alexis. She pushed her cube away and sighed. Sideswipe walked over.
"Is there something we can help you with Sideswipe?" Optimus asked, sitting up to address the silver melee fighter.
"Nope. Just thought I'd come talk to our not so little Princess," Sideswipe replied. Alexis glared. Optimus' optics narrowed, instantly knowing why Alexis was acting the way she had been.
"Would you care to repeat that, Sideswipe? Or must I haul you to Prowl for indecent contexts of speech?" Optimus said, on the verge of glaring himself.
"No no, it's fine sir. You don't need to do that," Sideswipe said and took a single step back. His optics went to the full Energon cube in front of Alexis. Optimus stood, placing a hand on Alexis' shoulder.
"Certain? Because if I hear you make another comment with a meaning such as that, you will end up with a taste of your own medicine." He said firmly, "And the same goes for your brother, Sunstreaker."
"I was just joking!" Sideswipe yelped.
"And I do not take kindly to your 'joking'. Nor does Alexis." Optimus said darkly, "On your way, Sideswipe."
"What's goin' on with you anyways?" Sideswipe asked Alexis, well aware of the fact that he was asking to be killed. "I've never seen you gain weight so quickly before." Optimus growled, actually growled, at the melee fighter.
"You are asking for death, Sideswipe." Optimus said lowly, his optics narrowed.
"I'm just concerned!" Sideswipe stated.
"And I'm telling you to leave. You will be notified later."
Sideswipe left, deciding that keeping his spark intact was more important than finding out what was going on with the Prime and his sparkmate. With the absence of the melee warrior, Optimus was left in a foul mood.
"Maybe I should have let you come alone..." Alexis mumbled. Optimus shook his helm.
"No. Now I can stop them from making these comments because I know. Punishment for their comments next time will not be pleasant for them..."
"That's why I didn't tell you. They've been at it since you left," she said. "They won't stop."
"Then I'm making them stop. Today." Optimus said, slowly sitting down, "I'll need to see Chloe and Ratchet later today once Ratchet is in a better mood... I have an idea for a punishment for the Twins..." A mischievous smile spread across Optimus' faceplates as he made a mental note to see them both. Alexis groaned.
"Not you too... Chloe is already plotting their demise. I don't think they really deserve whatever you guys are going to do to them," she stated. She dipped a finger into her Energon then withdrew it, watching the liquid drip back into the cube from the end of her nail.
"They do." Optimus said, "And they've both been getting out of hand lately so a punishment is needed."
"So you're going to torture them through getting Chloe and Ratchet to assist you because they've been their normal obnoxious selves and been rude?"
"Yes, yes I am."
"Optimus..." Alexis groaned. She sighed and shook her head. "Just leave them alone... They're just immature and don't understand yet."
"I'm still going to give them a punishment for their insults that will scar them for life."
"I don't think you should. If they just knew they wouldn't have said anything."
"I know, but once we've told them, a punishment will be put in place if they insult you again."
"And they won't. They may tease me for a day or two afterwards, but it won't last."
"Then the punishment will be longer-lasting so both will understand."
"You really don't have to punish them," Alexis said with a sigh. She continued to play with her Energon absently. Optimus shook his helm, not backing down from his words. Alexis just gave up, accepting that Optimus wouldn't give in. "If you're finished we can head to our quarters."
"I am... Shall we go?" Optimus said, standing again. Alexis nodded and stood. "Come on then..." Optimus said, offering his arm and taking his still-full Cube. She picked hers up reluctantly before taking his arm. She smiled at him as they started back to their shared quarters.