Alright!! I'm graduating high school in two weeks!! Awesomeness! Guys, please vote on my poll. *pout* It's still tied and I don't know what to do! I could do a threesome I guess…

-Kitsune

Thanks to these who reviewed to the last chapter!

hermonine - I'm glad you think the last chapter was good!

Stesuna the Dragon - I'm hoping to put more romance in it soon

Elita One - Yup! When she feels comfortable she can be quite outgoing!

Thanks again guys!

Chapter 9

Ratchet's Feelings

The medic sighed as he brought a neon hand to his tired faceplates, cradling his sore processor. Over the past two weeks he had done so much thinking on his predicament. He was in love with the beautiful winged girl, much to the CMO's distress. It was not that he didn't want to love her it was the fact that she could be harmed for loving an Autobot. The Decepticons could find out about her and use her for their own personal gain.

He was not good enough for the beautiful girl and that singular thought was constantly running through his processor. Why wouldn't it since it was true? In the past two weeks he had done some outrageous things to get her attention, although he knew he didn't deserve it. He even went so far as to help Wheeljack make a sparring partner, human sized, named Peter-tron. The small life form helped her powers grow tremendously as her flames can now scorch their metal. They can also harm their pain receptors; instead of feeling like a little prick they felt like burning stabs of pain!

The battle hardened medic shook his head, snapping himself out of his dazed stupor. Ratchet's processor had been wandering again; it had been happening increasingly lately. He smiled to himself; he finally decided that he wished to speak with Optimus ad Sam on the matter. They were his two closest friends and respected their opinion. The Autobot medic was to meet them in his room a little bit later but was in no rush since he had already given them the codes to his room. He was going to change the password a little later, after Optimus and Sam had left his quarters.

"Hey Ratch? Sorry to bother you…but do you have any human sized bandages?" she asked him, blinking up at him with those innocent eyes. The Autobot medic could get lost in those glowing irises forever.

The Autobot's Commanding Medical Officer reached out one of his hand for her to land on, taking away her strain of having to hover in midair. He nodded but looked back at her sharply when he processed what she had said. What did she need human sized bandages for? Was she injured? He wanted to fix it. He could fix it! However, in order to fix the problem he needed to know what happened first.

"Why would you need some?" he asked her, a hint of worry laced in his voice. He scanned her lightly but could find no anomaly in her ordinary functions. The winged Phoenix flexed her wings, smiling sheepishly. She was trying incredibly hard to force down the blush crawling across her face but with his keen optics Ratchet saw the faint hue of red. Nexia smiled nervously as she raised her finger for him to see.

"You'll think it's stupid but I somehow managed to get a paper cut. It's bleeding and I don't want it to get infected." Nexia said calmly, watching the small trail of blood making its way slowly down her finger.

The medic's optics zoomed in and focused on the small trail as well, calming down when he noticed that it brought no harm to the small life form in front of him. It was painful, maybe, but was a threat to her life. Ratchet sighed quietly in relief, telling her where the bandages were and quietly left the Medical Bay. The large mech didn't want Nexia knowing where he was off to; it was a conversation partially about her after all.

The Autobot medic sauntered out the doors once he knew that the winged girl was safely in the air; she was flapping her wings vigorously to gain altitude. Nexia turned to ask him a question but shrugged when she realized that he was no longer in the room. Oh well, she'd just use any bandages that she found. He had plenty of them, after all.

Ratchet nervously entered the extensive combination to his quarters, having to enter it twice because of his shaking fingers. You couldn't blame the mech for his nervousness. He was about to reveal something that he would never admit to anyone else. He was about to confess his deepest secret to his leader and a human boy; it was a big feat but they were some of the greatest friends that he could ever ask for. They would understand…Ratchet was sure of it.

He took a deep intake of oxygen to calm his fluttering spark and entered the room, bracing himself against the curious looks he no doubt would receive. It was now or he would never admit this secret to anyone whether they were a friend or the object of his infatuation. Ratchet looked around the extensively bare room, locating Optimus seated on the chair next to his desk. Sam was seated on the desk itself; the char compared to his friend was enormous, making him look like a mini-bot.

The great blue and red flamed mech motioned for him to sit on the berth, smiling softly at the medic's embarrassing misfortune. The medic was always the one to give Optimus the best advice about everything and now it was his time to give some back his old friend.

Ratchet steeled himself though he knew that he could trust his friends. They were the ones who stood by him through one of the most difficult battles any of them had ever faced. If they could face Megatron together then they could easily solve this little problem…or was it really such a problem?

The troubled medic sat upon the berth, facing the table where Optimus and Sam were sitting. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he began speaking. Even while he was self-conscious he drew all the attention to himself…not that it was a bad thing.

"This…is hard for me to say. It hardly ever comes to this but I am in need of some advice." the medic paused, looking the other two beings square in the optics/eyes.

"I have come to the two of you because you are both wise, kind, and would not ridicule me for my problem." he continued a bit hesitantly, looking at his leader and Sam in turn. They were both looking back at him intently, both wanting to know what exactly the problem was; they would help their friend in any way they could. It was not often that the wise medic needed help.

"I have found myself…severely attracted to a certain striking female with wings. In other words I have fallen in love with Nexia. I can't really explain my feelings towards her…but she makes me feel like I have a purpose." he continued, watching as the information sunk in his friend's minds. It was true; Ratchet had been in a deep depression for the past thousand years. He felt like he had no purpose…but that feeling was no more.

Ratchet's friends' facial expressions changed from stoic to shocked; they finally settled to extreme happiness when the information finally sunk into their minds.

Optimus grinned at the nervous medic, standing from his sitting position, and strutting happily over to his friend. He clapped his massive blue hand on the medic's shoulder, practically shouting words of praise. It had been years since he had seen Ratchet this close to utter happiness. Now they needed to devise a way for him to confess his feelings for the winged girl.

Sam, however, was muttering to himself and dancing in small circles on the corner of the chair. If he wasn't careful he would fall to his untimely demise. This small action caused the large Autobot medic to loose his nervousness as he cracked a large smile. Ratchet's audio receptors could pick up a couple of words from his ranting and translated it into 'It was about time the giant lug nut finally admitted it'.

Ratchet smiled back at them, optics lighting up a couple of shades. It was a habit that his optic color would brighten and dim with his moods, the lighter they were the happier he was and the darker the more depressed he became. More often than late Optimus would see that his optics had darkened to the point of almost being black…but now they were the bright blue an Autobot's optics were supposed to be.

The ecstatic medic's spark soared once he got the confession off his chassis. He leaned forward, motioning the other two to come forward as well. Sam climbed on Optimus' shoulder, hanging onto the enormous mech's smokestack in order to stay on board, as he leaned in. Both beings were eager for the medic to continue.

"I would like to tell her my newfound feelings…but I do not know if I should. I can't help but think that she doesn't feel the same way." the medic confessed, eyes darkening again as he looked towards his hands.

"I do not even know how to confess my feelings to her if I was going to tell her at all. I am not used to this sort of situation." he finished, slumping forward and putting his neon helm in his hands. He sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that day before he heard Optimus' deep voice echo through his room. The tone that the Autobot leader held also caught Ratchet's attention; it was almost wistful, making the medic look up from his brooding position.

"I believe that you should never turn your back on love. You should confront your problems head on or they will eventually eat away at your spark." he said, his deep voice reverberating through Ratchet's processor. Ratchet remembered when he had a crush on Moonracer. He never confessed his feelings…but then again that feeling could never compare the fiery rush of love running through his energon lines.

Sam agreed with everything Optimus said, nodding his head as his once again frizzed hair bounced up and down. Ratchet's optics lightened once again, showing that his friends' words were bringing up his spirit.

Once the pair of friends left the room Ratchet flopped back on the berth, thinking over his choices. He could choose either to withdraw his emotions and live a lonely, bitter life or he could express his emotions and be happy. His processor was whirring overtime, thinking about the one thing, or particularly person, who had been plaguing him ever since he had helped rescue her. She was always on his processor…her presence was embedded into his very spark.

The Autobot medic focused his mind on her physical attributes, detailing all of her beautiful features, then focusing on her wonderful personality. He remembered the day that Jazz was awakened and the jealousy he felt when Nexia had went out with him. The fear he felt when she was in the arms of that despicable Starscream was enormous; it felt like his very spark was being cracked into separate pieces. It was worse than when Moonracer died.

Ratchet made up his mind - he was going to tell Nexia how he felt. He was going to tell her exactly how his spark shuttered in awe whenever she was near him. His spark soared with nervousness, hoping to Primus that Nexia wouldn't reject him.

He would be shattered but would still keep his promise to protect her to his or her dying day. He was adamant about her safety, struggling to keep her from hurting herself with her carefree ways. Nexia didn't seem to care; she was always getting herself into unique situations. Ratchet slid from the berth and stood, exiting the room while wandering around the Autobot base. It wouldn't be long until he would find the wonderful Phoenix and then he would admit his feelings.

Meanwhile, Nexia was flying through the base, trying to find the only other female companion, Mikaela. It was wonderful that she had so many friends…but sometimes the winged girl needed another female to talk to about…certain things. Nexia needed a sisterly figure to talk to and the dark haired girl would be just the person to help her figure out her feelings. She was unsure about the sporadic twinges that her heart would feel whenever her thoughts turned to a certain Search and Rescue Hummer.

The winged girl flapped her large wings, gaining a bit of altitude so she could spot the female human at a better distance. Finally she spotted the female, who was with Sam of course, and landed silently behind her. Ironhide, who was stationed at the one of the base's computers, winked at her and grinned. He knew what was going to happen but stayed quiet for his part in the prank. Nexia crept up behind the brunette, positioning her face right next to the female human's ear.

"Mikaela! May I speak with you?" Nexia hissed, causing the young female before her to jump. The winged girl snickered as Mikaela whirled around; the brunette had a hand clutched over her heart to try and steady it.

"Sure, Nex. Just…don't sneak up on me next time!" the brunette whispered playfully. Mikaela told Sam that she would be back later, pecking him on the cheek as he nodded. The two females made their way outside the Autobot base, camping down underneath a large square of shadow. It was moderately cool but it was still morning. There was no need to sit in the sun if they were going to be in the open for a long time. Once they were settled Nexia turned to the other female, ready to spill her heart out.

"Ok…Mikaela. I have this problem and I need your help." she said, hanging her head. She looked back, looking into the other girl's eyes. The other girl smiled encouragingly as they sat cross-legged across from each other.

"First I want to ask you a question before I spill my heart out. Mikaela, how would you describe the emotion called love?" she asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity. She was still considered young by Cybertronian standards so she had never experienced that particular emotion before. Mikaela looked shocked for a moment before she smiled softly, placing a hand on the other girl's shoulder.

"Nex…I really can't explain it but I'll try. Love is complicated; It's when your heart beats harder next to that special person and you never want to leave their side. You feel protected and you want to make them happy, even at the cost of your own happiness. You are content just sitting there with them and will feel the urge to be with them through the rest of time." she explained, watching Nexia's eyes glaze over as she seemed to be in deep thought.

Mikaela waited for the winged girl to snap out of her thoughts; she thought of Nexia as a younger sister. The brunette would do almost anything if she thought it would help.

The winged girl thought about her problem and suddenly her thoughts shifted to a certain Search and Rescue Hummer. She thought about the kiss she gave him while they watched the sunset together; and how her cheeks were stained with red after the fact.

Nexia thought about how she would sit on the Autobot medic's desk in the Medical Bay for hours, just watching him work. She enjoyed the fact that she was one of the only beings who could carry out a descent conversation with him. He would never get frustrated with her and he would never snap at her. She sighed, resigning to the fact that she had fallen in love with the battle hardened medic.

Suddenly, a hand startled the winged girl out of her thoughts; she looked up at the sly, smirking girl in front of her as her face flushed. Nexia's face automatically heated up to the point of a tomato as Mikaela's grin widened.

"You're in love with someone, aren't you!?" the brunette squealed, jumping forward and wrapping her arms around Nexia's neck. The Phoenix gasped in surprise as the other girl tackled her in a hug. She smiled slightly at the other girl's happiness; maybe it wouldn't be so bad talking to the brunette after all.

"So…who is the lucky mech?" Mikaela asked, eyes practically sparkling in excitement. She leaned forward so that her face was inches from the winged girl's own face; Nexia's skin flushed red with embarrassment.

"Ratchet. He's just so…amazing." Nexia admitted, watching the other girl's smile grow even wider if possible. Mikaela restrained herself from jumping up and dancing but instead settling on another bone crushing hug. She wrapped her arms around the winged girl, careful of her wings, as both of them giggled like little girls.

"You've got to tell him! I know for a fact that he likes you too. Just think about it!" Mikaela said, suddenly jumping up and tugging on Nexia's hand. She pulled her to her feet but Nexia only shook her head, refusing to move any further. She couldn't think of any way that the Autobot medic treated her differently.

"What if…he doesn't love me back?" Nexia questioned, softly voicing her fears as she lowered her eyes. She buried her head into her arms as she envisioned the horrible outcome of the confrontation; the very thought was sending shivers down her spine.

Mikaela looked down at her friend, eyes full of sympathy; suddenly, her eyes brightened as an idea came to her head. She was sure that if she got the medic in question the winged girl wouldn't be able to deny her feelings. The brunette told Nexia to sit where she was and that she was going to come back in a couple of minutes with a surprise. Nexia only shook her head, a small smile upon her face as she watched her friend disappear into the stronghold.

About an hour later the door to the base opened again but Nexia realized that it was not her female friend. For one thing the person's footsteps were much to heavy to be even human. The winged girl closed her eyes as she waited for the figure to settle down beside her.

Nexia found herself smiling softly as a neon green mech sat down next to her. The two beings turned to each other and locked eyes to optics for a few moments before the medic gently picked the Phoenix up. He carefully set her down on one of his giant legs as they sat together in silence. She was surprised at first but soon relaxed back onto his armored abdomen. The silence lasted for about ten minutes before Ratchet started to speak.

"Mikaela said that you wished to speak with me, but before you speak I wish to tell you something. It is something I have wanted to tell you for a while now." he said nervously, waiting for her to interrupt. When she only looked up at him curiously he figured that it was alright for him to continue speaking.

"Some time now I have been feeling very closely attached to you. I can't get you off my processor no matter how hard I try. What I am trying to say, Nex, is that I-" he said, rudely cut off by a somewhat large explosion a mile or so from the base. It shocked the two beings that were in front of the Autobot base.

Ratchet escaped the debris unscathed but Nexia was forced to take to the air in order to dodge the shrapnel of trees. Her spark necklace was ripped from her neck as the chain was shattered, causing her to cry out. Ratchet dove for it, cradling it with care before it hit the ground, but he was too late.

A medium sized crack had worked its way across the glowing surface; it was almost impossible to see if it was affecting the winged girl through the smoke. Nexia began to loose her strength as she sunk to the ground; her wings were becoming unable to support her. She became pale and dizzy as an evil laughter boomed through the air.

"Starscream." Ratchet hissed, gently but hastily grabbing a hold of Nexia and holding her close to his spark for protection. He used his Communication Systems for backup and then turned his attention to the girl in his clutches. She was paler than before and was trembling slightly but she had a glow of burning determination in her eyes. She shook her head and took to the air against Ratchet's wishes. He wanted to protect her but she was determined to protect herself.

"Where is Starscream?" the winged girl asked, looking around as she hovered in the air. All it took was a moment of distraction for everything to go horribly wrong.

It all happened in slow motion; Starscream appeared out of nowhere and attacked Nexia with his large claws. The claws tore through her skin with a sickening precision, blood spraying through the sky.

The winged girl's scream echoed as she went careening through the air; she hit the metal wall of the base with another sickening thud. Ratchet's fluids ran cold as she slumped motionless to the ground under the cackling jet's gaze. The Autobot medic hoped that she would get up, but his processor flew on the edge of pure panic when her breathing started to slow.

Nexia felt cold and she couldn't move…no matter how hard she tried she couldn't move any of her limbs. She was in severe pain and wished that Ratchet was there to take the pain away from her, even if it meant her death. It was searing through her spine; it was either fractured or broken. The winged girl moved her head slowly, as it was about the only thing that she could do, and was about to call for the neon medic. She wanted him by her side; was that one request so selfish?

The inured girl opened her lips and tried to call out but found that she couldn't speak! Instead blood dribbled through her bloodstained lips as she coughed out the ruby liquid that invaded her lungs.

Starscream raised his clawed hand and was about to crush the inured winged girl but a loud revving sound caught his attention. The jet turned his head when, suddenly, Ratchet came into view, slicing at Starscream's outstretched hand with his energy saw. Nexia wished that she could cheer but she was still immobile. She could, however, smile softly as small black dots started to swim through her vision.

Starscream was about to attack Ratchet with his heat-seeking missals but Ironhide came to the rescue. The large black mech shot at them with his photon cannons, shouting words of reassurance to the medic. Nexia wished that she could understand what the Weapons Specialist was saying but her hearing was beginning to fade. Her head was beginning to pound and black spots were appearing more frequently in her vision. She felt herself being lifted; an immense pain filling her entire being. Then, suddenly, the world faded into black.

Ratchet was frantic as he let Ironhide, Jazz, and Bumblebee take care of the Decepticon as he raced to the Medical Bay. He was running scan over scan on her lifeless body, trying to figure out what had been broken in that devastating impact with the wall. Blood was still oozing from between her parted lips, signaling that she had some internal bleeding.

The Autobot medic ran faster after he realized that she had passed out, probably due to the pain she was experiencing. Her body was so small and fragile…so easy to be broken. Ratchet quickly placed her on one of the human sized medical berths, then transformed into his Search and Rescue hummer mode.

The medic was becoming more frantic as he turned on his holoform, scrambling to hook up machines to the girl. He was about to administer an IV but her eyes fluttered open as she coughed up a small amount of blood. He cursed to himself, the blood confirming the fact she had some sort of internal bleeding. She whimpered at the needle in his hand and twitched, causing the medic to believe that she was trying to shy away.

She coughed up more blood as he quickly injected the needle, causing him to wince at the sight. The Autobot medic cooed quietly to the injured girl, trying to get her to calm down but her eyes closed again as another pained whimper escaped her lips.

Ratchet remembered the cracked spark that he had caught when Starscream attacked the two of them, materializing it from his subspace pocket. He climbed up behind Nexia on the berth and cradled her head against his humanoid chest, adjusting her wings so that they could not be uncomfortable for her. He kissed her forehead as she mumbled incoherently in her unaware state.

The injured winged girl's eyes fluttered as she smiled softly, causing small tears to gather in the medic's holoform eyes. He slipped the spark into one of her hands as he curled his own flesh one around it, squeezing it gently. She smiled again as her eyes slid closed. Her breathing slowed, as did her heartbeat, as she relaxed into a deep sleep. Ratchet watched her and promised himself that he would never leave her side as long as she was injured…and hopefully she would accept him by her side for the rest of eternity.