Hey!!! This chapter has been revised!

My thanks to:

hermonine - Thanks, Hound is pretty excited that Jazz is back, also!

Stesuna the Dragon - Thanks! Yeah, I would love to have powers like that.

Elita One - Yeah, everyone except for those two!

dandyparakeet - Yeah, although I think Ratchet would be in a slight state of shock. Thanks!

Thanks for all of your reviews!!

Hey, vote on my new transformers poll!!! Please!

Chapter 8

The Decepticons Discover Nexia

Nexia awoke the next morning with a start, immediately sitting up as though the pillow and mattress were on fire. A blankness ran through her mind as her tiredness was swept away, bleary eyes staring into space. The winged girl blinked rapidly, trying to remember what had occurred the other day. The only thing she could really remember was singing that song and seeing Jazz's visor light up…wait a minute! wasn't Jazz revived yesterday?!

"Jazz!" Nexia gasped, ripping the covers from her still quivering body and swinging her legs over the side of the cot. She moved to stand up but almost collapsed when the world started spinning. The winged girl shook her head, almost instantly regretting it as it made her head start to ache. She stumbled even further, squeaking in alarm.

"Whoa, there! Take it easy, lil missy. You're still exhausted now, arenchya?" Hound's voice commented, catching her in his rather large green hand. His fingers carefully and smoothly curled around her as he steadied her still trembling frame. The forest green scout helped settle Nexia back on her designated cot and smiled widely at her, causing her to smile in return. Suddenly he picked her back up again and lifted her to his spark in a giant hug, carefully making sure that he didn't hug her too hard.

"You did it! He's back! Jazz is back!" the overly excited mech exclaimed, swinging her around in a small circle. She tilted her head back as pearls of laughter escaped her while her hair smoothly swished around her face. He continued twirling her for a while until the doors swished open and a recognizably angry voice caused them to freeze. Oh dear, the Hatchet was back.

"What do you think you're doing?! She should be resting!! You're interrupting her recovery process!" Ratchet growled, rushing over and demanding that the forest green scout hand over the Phoenix. The medic stood beside the duo, tapping his foot on the floor and wiggling his fingers impatiently; it was all Nexia could do to keep from snorting in another round of laughter.

Hound slowly let the tired winged girl slide into Ratchet's outstretched palm, winking when their optics - well eyes for Nexia - met. Ratchet flushed when Hound winked at him when the winged girl turned around; the Autobot medic subtly motioned with his free hand for him to quit. Nexia, however, was totally ignorant to the transaction going on above her. She turned, smiling slightly at the look on Ratchet's faceplates. It was adorable how his facial plates would crease between his optics whenever he was exasperated.

The forest green mech successfully escaped the horror of the Med Bay with a smirk on his face, high-fiving Jazz as he approached the silver mech - who was discreetly slouched against the wall of the hallway outside of the Medical Bay. The two mechs talked a bit before Hound attached himself to Jazz in a mech's version of a man-hug, patting Jazz's back and squeezing him to death. He had thought that Jazz was a goner and that he was never going to recover his spark. The man-hug lasted for several minutes before the smaller mech shoved the much taller one off. Both of them were coughing and pretending like it never happened. Such is the life of two manly men - or mechs in their case.

Ratchet looked at Nexia with a worried expression embedded into his creased facial plates, starting up a scan to see if all was well. Once he was finished he smiled, setting her back onto the cot. He activated his holoform and took a seat on a vacant chair next to her cot. He said nothing but stared at her until she looked up into his bright blue eyes.

"What?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow as she peered into the medic's bright eyes. It wasn't until then that she realized that his eyes had brightened a shade, becoming an overwhelming electric blue. They were mesmerizing; it was like they morphed into different shades of blue every few seconds and then eventually settling back into their original blue. In fact, his whole entire stance had seemed to be lightened, making him look thousands of years younger - or maybe a few years in his holoform.

The Autobot medic sat there, beaming at the young winged girl. She continued to stare at him with an eyebrow raised as he mused in his thoughts. Ratchet couldn't believe that someone as small as her was capable of something that he couldn't accomplish. It wasn't that he was jealous of her but he was simply stunned that something so small could contain such a large amount of power.

"You, my dear Phoenix, have brought back one of my most trusted comrades and dear friends. I shall never have anything worth repaying you with. You have my eternal gratitude." he said kindly, trying to resist the urge to pick her up and twirl her around, much like Hound was doing. He furiously resisted the urge since she was still in a delicate situation. He finally gave up his resistance and settled for picking her up and hugging her close to his holoform's warm body, sighing contently. He missed the softening of her eyes a the winged girl smiled contently as well.

"Am I interrupting anything, you two?" a soft scientific voice asked. Nobody else had that peculiar accent in the base so it wasn't hard to distinguish. The pair didn't have to turn to know that it was Wheeljack. The two hugging forms broke their contact as Nexia's face suddenly reddened, causing the white scientist to snicker slightly. Ratchet and Nexia recomposed themselves as they turned to face the white mech, each glaring at him for certain reasons.

"Yes, 'Jack? May I help you?" Ratchet said, irritation evident in his voice. Nexia turned and glared at the white scientist but he wasn't fazed - her glares hardly put a fight next to the Hatchet's deadly looks.

The irritable medic had just gotten to see his favorite femme, who was one of the people he could stand to be around for more than twenty minutes, and they were interrupted. It was one of the worst possible times to be interrupted, too. It was one of the rare moments that the battle worn medic would show emotions.

The white scientist raised his hands in surrender, not wanting to be the target of Ratchet's annoyance. He was actually a mech who valued his life…unlike some of the other mechs around the base. Although Wheeljack was one of the few Autobots who managed to NOT annoy the Autobot medic, most of the time, he still did not want to face the Hatchet's wrath. He didn't want his aft welded to the ceiling.

"Well…I…uh… Jazz wanted to take a spin with dear Nexia, here. Don't shoot me! I'm just the messenger!" Wheeljack managed to squeak through his nervousness. Man, was Ratchet's glare icy enough to freeze his circuits! He gulped nervously as his twin fins flashed a nervous kind of white before he was backtracking towards the door. Ratchet's look suggested that someone was going to die and he didn't want to be anywhere near it.

The white scientist quickly skirted out of the door, optics tracing the annoyed medic's movements. The mech was ready to sprint if he needed to. The door swooshed open as the white mech backed through it, feeling like a piece of meat under the neon mech's stare. Nexia laughed lightly, turning to face the fuming medic. Ratchet looked down at the little winged figure nestled in his hand, optics softening as he did. He looked her over, making sure that she wasn't injured in any way, shape, or form.

"Um…Ratchet? Do you have anything I can change into? I didn't bring anything today." The winged girl asked, trailing off in embarrassment once she realized her clothes were crumpled. She flushed as he looked her over, not quite sure what she was insinuating. Then finally the light bulb clicked on.

Ratchet's optics widened substantially once he realized what the winged girl in his possession was talking about, nodding his head quickly. He walked over to the table beside the cot she woke up in and picked up a bag, then made his way over to a human sized door. He set her down next to the door and gave her a little shove, smiling slightly. He gave her the bag and chuckled lightly at her confused expression, giving her another gentle push towards the door.

"Don't worry so much. I wouldn't send you to your doom, would I? It's a bathroom with a working shower. We built some around the base, along with a complete set of human sized living quarters, in case you guys wanted to stay here for a while." The neon green medic explained, chuckling softly again when her mouth shaped into a little 'o' shape. He felt satisfied when she nodded, turning back to work on some task that needed to be complete. Nexia, however, disappeared inside the bathroom, taking the bag of clothes that were offered to her.

Around twenty minutes later the winged girl emerged again, completely clean. She shook the water from her wings, sighing in content. She was now wearing a pair of low cut black jeans and an opened back blue tank top – there was enough space for her wings to stretch out. She wore the same boots she had been wearing her entire stay, much to the pleasure of the Autobot medic.

He fought back a small blush, enjoying the extensive view of the skin on her back; it was such a delicious temptation as she flexed her powerful wings. Soon she was in the air; the wind the air conditioner was making was drying her hair as she flew through the undisturbed air. She landed on Ratchet's shoulder armor as he turned, waiting for her to sit and get comfortable before walking out of the Medical Bay.

"Hey there, lil birdie! Wha's crackin'?" Jazz deep gangster voice exploded from the side. He was leaning against the wall next to the door that leads outside the Autbot base, obviously waiting for her and Ratchet. Usually she was always with the Autobot medic so if anybody wanted her they just went looking for Ratchet.

Nexia's face lightened when she saw the silver mech, her eyes began shining with anxiousness as she thought about their upcoming drive. She had wanted to go driving with the saboteur and watch his reaction when they were out in the open space. He was looking well; his paint had been buffed and he was shining even better than yesterday.

Ratchet let Nexia jump onto his outstretched hand, gazing at her happily as she flared out her wings for balance. If he could he would have melted into a puddle of goo at the sight of it. He set her down on the ground as Jazz transformed, making Nexia whistle in appreciation for his alternative mode.

The winged girl walked over and ran her hands over the silver Pontiac Solstice; it was obviously an enjoyable sensation for the mech because he was starting to purr. Nexia giggled, not noticing the extremely jealous look Ratchet was sending at Jazz, the silver mech shivering violently at the look of murder in the neon mech's optics. The door popped open, inviting the young phoenix in for a ride. She complied, vanishing her wings in order to sit in the front seat comfortably.

The old battle hardened medic sighed as he watched Nexia drive away with Jazz, one of his best friends. Sure, he was ecstatic that Jazz was functioning again but he was jealous due to the fact that the winged girl was with him. He was jealous of all the attention that Nexia was giving the newly revived silver mech.

Ratchet had also finally come to terms with his feelings about her: he loved her. He loved everything about her, especially her kind and caring personality. He would tell her about the new and strange feelings but he believed that he didn't deserve her. She wouldn't want to be in a relationship with someone like him.

Ratchet sighed, looking down at the floor and cursing lightly before heading back towards the Medical Bay. He was about to get back to work but something shiny caught his optic. He turned toward the light and cursed when he realized it was her katana with the tracking device! He didn't know if Jazz's com unit was working! Oh she better be all right… if anything happened to the winged girl he didn't know if he could ever recover.

The exited winged girl laughed out loud as Jazz sped down the open roadway, blasting rap through his speakers; his base was on full blast and was vibrating the interior of the silver car. Nexia looked over the soft interior, seemingly satisfied by the shiny black leather. She absently traced circles on the top of the seat she was sitting on, causing the mech to start purring again. The Phoenix grinned mischievously, continuing to trace little circles on his upholstery.

"Ooh…don' stop…tha' feels goo'" he moaned, speeding up with little bursts of energy but then slowing down when she started twirling her fingers around again. Nexia giggled; she knew she was teasing the mech but it had been a while since he had had a massage…or something remotely close to one.

The now wingless girl bent down to the armrests and gently slid two of her fingers up and down, barely touching the piece of material. He shuddered, nearly swerving off the road they were traveling on and moaned loudly, causing her to nearly burst out laughing. She stopped, letting Jazz come back into control of his actions. They were both silent, each content with just the other's presence.

The unusual pair continued down the road, driving around aimlessly for hours upon hours; eventually the duo of unusual beings came to a small cliff looking over the town of Tranquility. Nexia climbed out of the Solstice, albeit a bit hesitant, to look at the scenery laid out in front of her.

The city looked beautiful in the evening sunlight but Nexia was still uncomfortable about being in the middle of an open area…next to a small cliff. Bad memories flashed through her mind but all she had to do was think about the incredible new friends she had made. The thought of them, including the wonderful feeling Ratchet invoked from her, chased away her demons.

The now wingless girl was still a tiny bit afraid of cliffs since the last time she had fallen down one. She hesitantly stood at the top of the cliff, muscles tense, but she soon relaxed as Jazz drove up behind her. The silver mech always had her back. That was the way of the Autobots. She heard the familiar sound of gears shifting so she turned around, smiling when she saw the blue glow of Jazz's visor.

The Cybertronian Phoenix and the silver Autobot enjoyed each other's company, watching the evening sun start to set. It was still light outside so they just sat there in almost complete silence; neither had to say anything for the feeling of absolute friendship to waft through the air. Jazz was still pumping out some jamming tunes, occasionally bobbing his head to the beat.

Nexia smiled and bobbed her head in time to the music as well, sighing in contentment as she watched a couple of birds fly through the air. She was happiest when there was peace around her, not fighting, but she would fight if was required of her.

The wingless girl closed her eyes, enjoying the wind waving her hair across her face; she was thinking about what had been going on the past couple of days. She had come across a conclusion concerning the neon medic: she was in love with him. It was almost impossible for an organic and an Autobot to have a relationship, however, there was no denying the fact that she was in love with him. She wanted to admit it to a confidant but she didn't know anything about love! What if she was wrong? It was so confusing!

Nexia was about to initiate a conversation but the sound of thrusters could be heard whizzing through the air. It was a startling sound and it was coming from behind the duo. The wingless girl was about to look up but heard the familiar sound of gears transforming through the air. She turned and jumped up as soon as a heavy mech landed in front of them.

She stood stunned; Jazz had jumped up and moved in front of her smaller form to protect her. The silver saboteur stood staring, or more like glaring, at the rather large mech. He was unappealing in a grayish color and had two large wings protruding from the sides of his back. If he transformed he would look like a modern day fighter pilot - maybe an F-18 at the most. She gasped, recognizing the purple Decepticon logo on his cockpit.

"What're you doin' here, Decepti-creep!?" Jazz yelled, taking another protective step in front of Nexia. He tried to be discreet but the giant evil ball of slime noticed, grinning in an evil way of satisfaction. Nexia cursed, trying to back out of the line of the Decepticon's sight. It was useless; the Decepticon must have analyzed her energy structure as that of a Cybertronian.

"Oh? What do we have here? A runaway saboteur and a human…or are you an alien, like us? You have a distinct energy signature. Nevertheless…enough about that. How should I kill you?" the Decepti-creep hissed, slowly walking toward the pair.

Suddenly, the Decepticon charged his photon cannon, shooting a rather large energy blast toward the pair. The white-hot energy was sizzling and melted any rock that stood in its way. Jazz was lucky and jumped out of the way but Nexia wasn't as lucky as the silver mech. The ball of energy exploded at her feet, causing her to fly backwards off the cliff. About halfway down, she brought out her wings, soaring high into the sky, and out of the reach of the battle.

Jazz took this time to activate his com unit, desperately trying to contact anyone in the Autobot base. It was a long shot…and he didn't know if his communicators were working yet.

Jazz t' Autobot Base!! Come in!! Nex an' I are bein' attacked by Decepticons! It's Starscream and I have Barricade on mah scanners! Come in!! Jazz cried desperately as Nexia tried to distract Starscream with her Phoenix Flames.

She hit the back of Starscream's helm with one of her fireballs but gasped when he deflected it back towards her. She charged up another attack, but he flicked her away. She went flying into the sky in a heap of fire, righting herself with a flap of her wings. Finally, the crackle of Jazz com came to life.

Autobot Jazz, this is Optimus Prime responding to your call! Autobots Ratchet and Ironhide are coming to your aid. Estimated time arrival: 20 minutes! Can you hold out? Answered the strong voice of his commander. Jazz sighed in relief as he readied his own photon cannon, nodding to himself in satisfaction. He shot at the Decepticon, distracting him from furthering his advancement on the winged girl.

Sure thing, Optimus. Jazz out. he said, closing his short ranged Communications System, and pointing his cannon at Starscream's head. Nexia noticed Jazz taking aim and flitted to the side, allowing the small saboteur to shoot.

The blue-white energy sizzled as it flew through the air but Starscream was expecting he shot, dodging it and laughing when it finally hit the ground. The stray shot exploded, creating a rather large crater in the earth. Nexia gasped, eyes widening, and flew higher in the air. She didn't notice Starscream's evil grin as a siren filled the air.

Nexia flew down to the ground, landing softly, as she thought the siren was Ratchet's. The siren brought a sense of security…but something seemed a little off. She folded her wings against her back and turned back to watch the battle, shaking off her unusual feeling. She stood for a few minutes before something hit her…the siren actually sounded like a police siren. Ratchet wasn't a police car - he was a Search and Rescue hummer!

The winged girl turned, only to be tackled down by a small silver robot. The little robot was only half her size She screamed, trying to kick the small mini-bot off of her, scratching herself up quite a bit and drawing a small amount of blood. She finally managed to kick the small pain-in-the-butt off of her but had to duck as it shot off multiple shuriken like objects at her. She managed to dodge all of them, laughing as the small mech cursed in Cybertronian.

"F-frag!! F-f-frenzy kill annoy-ying P-Phoenix!!" he sputtered out, sprouting little claws on his hands. Or, more accurately, his claws replaced his fingers. He launched forward but missed as she nimbly dodged to the side. Nexia laughed at him again, flapping her wings, and taking off in the air. The little silver bot yelled, shooting off more shurikens at her. The winged girl dodged expertly but, as she was distracted, she didn't notice the police car had transformed; the evil bot had come up behind her when she was distracted.

The Phoenix girl flew higher yet, turning on her back to face the spazzing mech; she wasn't watching where she was going and crashed into a solid force as she flew. Nexia stopped in mid air, turning to face a horrible sight - the face of a black and white Decepticon. Nexia screamed, her voice quickly getting cut off as the hand of the giant mech came up around her. She squeaked as the giant hand squeezed, cutting off the air supply to her lungs. The Decepticon only laughed, revealing a row if incredibly sharp teeth.

"Nex!!! No…let her go, foo'!! You'll regret what you've dun!" Jazz yelled, away to the side of the black and white Saleen. The Decepticon only laughed, shaking his head as he squeezed his hand harder. He grinned at the sound of cracking bones.

Jazz couldn't attack since the Decepticon had a hold on the winged girl. If he did attack he could end up injuring her…and he would never be able to live with himself. The small silver mech quickly activated his short ranged Communication Systems again, letting the other Autobots know about their situation.

Jazz to Ratchet! You betta get hea' fast! Barricade's got Nex! He's crushin' her! he shouted over the link, not waiting for a reply. Looking at the pained face of the Phoenix he decided that now was the time to make a move. Jazz jumped on Barricade's back, clawing at the giant mech's face, however, the attack had no effect. The Decepticon just laughed, swiping the good natured Autobot away with one hand.

The sound of transforming vehicles caused the three already transformed mechs to turn around. Jazz sighed in relief as the other two cursed, backing up to defend themselves better in a group. The mini-bot had been knocked out by Jazz's photon cannon shots just minutes before the cavalry arrived. Now the wouldn't have to worry about the little annoyance.

A clenched neon fist came out of nowhere and punched the black and white mech in the face; the punch caught the offender off guard, causing the Decepticon to let go of the winged girl. Jazz dove, catching the Phoenix in his claws. He mentally cheered and jumped away to hide behind Ironhide. Jazz handed the battle over to the other two mechs, enjoying the fact that Starscream and Barricade were getting their afts handed to them on a silver platter.

The normally calm medic unleashed his powerful saw, charging up the rotator; he was wearing a cruel look on his faceplates and was enjoying the look of fear on Barricade's face. The medic grabbed hold of anything that was loose on the black and white mech's body and began hacking away at his vital parts. It was probably a good thing to be a medic since he actually knew where the vitals were.

Barricade became desperate, finally kicking Ratchet's legs out from underneath him. The black and white Decepticon transformed, using his ugly holoform to pick up the mini-bot and throw him in his backseat. Starscream was soon to follow as they ran away with their tail between their legs.

Nexia smiled as she cheered them on, fluttering her wings happily as she rose in the air to meet her saviors. Ratchet put away his saw as he rushed over to the Phoenix, a worried look in his bright blue optics. He scanned her over, sighing in relief when he found no major injuries on her form.

"Are you alright, Nex?" he asked, somewhat out of breath. She laughed, nodding her head. He visibly relaxed, smiling back at her, causing her smile to widen. Neither of them noticed the other two mechs transforming and leaving them together. Nexia lowered herself on Ratchet's shoulder as he sat himself down next to the cliff. They were happy with one another, however, they were still unaware of each other's feelings towards one another.

The winged girl leaned herself against his Search and Rescue lights as she relaxed, hanging one of her legs down over the edge of his armor. She quickly leaned over and gave him a long kiss on the cheek, whispering words of thanks in his audio receptor. She giggled softly to herself as she noticed the slight change in temperature of his armor. Nexia leaned back in her original position and sighed as they watched the sunset together, enjoying each others company. They had never been happier and they only hoped that they could finally confess their feelings for one another.