Chapter 14:

Nicole POV

I felt a poke in my side.

Groaning, I slapped at the thing poking me. "Go away. I'm still asleep."

"Sorry, Nicki, gotta get up. Docbot's orders. Says yer gonna tell Prime an' everyone else 'bout the bond."

"Jazz….." I muttered. "Of course. Ratchet picks the most annoying bot that I like. Five more minutes?"

Jazz snorted. "I understand ya musta been sleepin' pretty good, right by yer sparkmate, but if ya don't get up Ratchet's gonna beat me and yer aft both. So I'd get up."

I groaned again and opened my eyes. The lights were so damn bright….Jazz's visor blocked my view of the Med Bay. He was grinning. "Wakey, wakey."

I scowled at him. "I swear, if I was standing up right now, Jazz, I would throw my shoe at you."

Jazz snorted. "If ya didn't notice, yer still missin' one." He reached down to the floor and picked something up. Then my left shoe that I threw at Sideswipe was dropped on my head.

I glared at him, sitting up. "Fine, I'm getting up. Where's Prowl?"

For a moment, Jazz's smile disappeared and a frown replaced it. "Sneaky fragger. This mornin' I woke up an' he was gone. Afta a night like last night, ya'd think he could stand bein' late once."

I face palmed. "Sideswipe was right….I so did not need to know that." I muttered.

"Wha'?"

"Nothing, Jazz. Nothing. At. All."

A few minutes later, I had brushed my teeth, redressed in white skinny jeans and a black t-shirt, and grabbed an orange. As I sat on Jazz's shoulder eating my orange, he filled me in on what Ratchet had told him was going to happen at the meeting. Instead of the meeting being in the usual meeting room, it would be in the main hangar so that all of the Autobots would be able to fit in the room. The usual routine of a meeting would go through, with announcements and reports on the 'Cons. They would welcome Jazz back into the position of Third In Command. Ironhide, who had been given the position after Jazz died, willingly stepped down, saying that it was too much datapad work(and not enough time for target practice). Then Optimus would explain about me being the Host of the AllSpark(man, I really hated that name; I was no Host). And then would come the time for Ratchet and I to tell about the bond that Barricade and I shared.

Jazz also told me to behave because there would be human government officials there to listen and question me. Oh, joy.

Jazz and I got there just as the meeting began. There were mechs at the back of the room standing in front of a mixed group of human soldiers and Autobots. To the left side were humans sitting in fold up chairs. To the right were Autobots sitting in fold up chairs. How the frag did they make those, I wondered.

There was a stage also in the back of the room, which had three microphones on it. There were also a few fold up chairs on it, all of which were occupied except for one. Mine, apparently.

Jazz set me down on the stage and I looked at the humans. There was a blonde woman who looked like she had had too much plastic surgery, General Morshower, the new Secretary of Defense(who Jazz told me was named Derek Lansing), two men standing behind…..Oh my fragging Primus.

I turned to glare at the silver saboteur. "You didn't tell me the damn President would be here!" I hissed at him.

He shrugged. "I didn't know eitha." Then he left me to join the others at the back of the room, which included Optimus, Prowl, Ironhide, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Red Alert, Perceptor, and Wheeljack.

I glared at him for a few more second before turning and sitting in the only chair left, beside the blonde plastic surgery woman. She turned and looked at me with cold gray eyes, distaste written clearly on her face. I returned the expression.

Then the meeting began. I hardly listened to what was going on. Rubbing the warm AllSpark shard around my throat, I thought about exactly how I would tell everyone about the bond. I really hoped no one would freak out, but…with me and my luck, you couldn't tell.

I looked at the Autobots who were at the back of the room. Perceptor was rambling on about some new discovery he made having to do with an anti-gravity that Wheeljack and he had designed and built(and it hadn't exploded….yet). I almost snorted out loud as I saw Ratchet roll his optics and Ironhide sigh deeply. Optimus, apparently seeing this, said gently, "Perceptor, what is the reason you have brought the anti-gravity generator up in this meeting?"

Perceptor stopped and blinked. "Oh, yes, um….I need something to test it on. But it will have to be small."

To me, this sounded like an invitation with my name written on it. I raised my hand and stood up. "Optimus, I'll do it."

Pretty much every optic and eye looked at me.

Optimus hesitated before asking Perceptor, "Would it be safe?"

Perceptor thought about it before saying, "Yes, it should be."

Well, that sealed the deal.

As I sat back down again, the blonde woman turned and glared at me again. I half expected her to whip out a ruler and smack the back of my head saying, "Don't slouch. Or breathe. Or blink."

Wow, I really almost didn't hold in the laughter that time. Instead I settled for a goofy grin.

After a few minutes of more reports, Optimus finally got to the point I had been dreading. Explaining about me being the Host.

Optimus first started by telling the legend for those who had not heard of it. After that was done, he said, "You are probably wondering why I brought this up. Some of you might remember Sam and Mikaela Witwicky, who were…..killed, by the Decepticons." At the mention of the 'Cons, several occupants tensed up visibly and I even heard a few Autobots power up their weapons system.

"They're daughter, Nicole Witwicky, is here today." 'No, duh. Like I didn't just stand up and offer to be Perceptor's guinea pig.' Again, everyone looked at me. Even the President. Thanks so much, Optimus.

The Autobot Commander looked at me. "Would you like to explain, Nicole?"

I thought about it for a second, then nodded. Optimus smiled as I stood up and walked up to the microphone. I tapped it. A loud thumping sound came out of the speakers under the stage. I smiled and clasped my hands together. "Okey-dokey, where to start?"

In truth, I had never been a speaker or even given a speech. In high school, I had just skipped the days when we were scheduled to give speeches. At my school, whenever graduation came, they decided that every single student got to give a speech. Which meant everyone that graduated. And, by some miracle, I was included in those students. So whenever I got up to the podium, I said, "Well, teachers, it been a great time making you all have nervous break downs, but I'm outta here. Oh, and Mrs. Lancaster? Remember that time you found all of the dead frogs we were going to dissect in your car? That was me. Thank you, and goodbye suckers."

Then I had walked off stage. That was the closest thing to a speech I had ever done.

So, standing here in front of who knows how many Autobots and humans and the President, I didn't know what to say.

/What are you worrying about? Just tell them the truth./

My smile just got bigger. /Thanks, Barricade./

/Someone's gotta be there to kick your aft back into place./

So, I did as he said. I told them the whole fragging truth.

After I was done, which a whole ten minutes, there was silence. And more silence. And more.

Then everything went to hell.

Several Autobots stood up shouting, followed by human soldiers. They all either looked shocked, angry, or skeptical. I stood there and watched Optimus try to control them, but it seemed whatever inkling of self-control they all had had jumped out the window. Some of the things they said made me angry. Many were protesting about having Barricade in the Med Bay, some were saying it was impossible for me, a human, to be the Host, and others were saying we had made a mistake.

I put my fingers in my mouth and whistled into the microphone as loud as I could. Which was pretty loud.

That made them stop.

I glared at them. "Sit. Down." I growled.

They sat.

I gave them all the death stare. "You want proof that I'm the…Host? Fine." I transwarped to the floor, then to Jazz's shoulder, then beside Lennox and Epps in the human side, then on the shoulder of Smokescreen on the Autobot side. Then I reappeared on the stage, grabbed a microphone, and transwarping to Ratchet's shoulder. "Now, if that's not enough proof, just look at that mech right there. You tell me that I'm not the Host." I pointed at Jazz, and (thank you, Jazz) he stepped forward.

There was a few moments of silence. Then Cliffjumper stood up from his seat. "How do we know if you just used the AllSpark shard? After all, it brought Megatron back."

My jaw dropped at that. But before I could defend myself, Jazz stepped forward even further, and he looked like one fragged off saboteur. "Were ya optics shut when she jus' transwarped every where 'round the room, Cliffjumper? Did ya not listen ta her story? Do ya really think we'd make something like this up?" His accent was thickening as he kept going. "Cliff, I like ta think of ya as a close friend, but sometimes ya don't know when ta keep yer mouth shut. If ya weren't so narrow-minded maybe ya'd actually believe us. I'm not asking ya to change, but try ta actually consider it. 'Cause I could count the bots and humans in this room that believe us jus' by lookin' at their faceplates."

Jazz's glare swept over the crowd. He is one scary fragger when he wants to be. "And this goes for all of ya who think tha' a human ain't the right choice ta be the Host of the AllSpark. Primus does everythin' for a reason. I know 'cause I met the fragger." He pointed to me. "An' he wanted tha' girl right there ta be the Host. The slaggin' AllSpark did. Otherwise, she wouldn't be wearin' the shard 'round her neck. Otherwise, the fraggin' 'Cons wouldn't be afta her. Otherwise, her creators would be here. I fer one know tha' she is, 'cause she brought me back from the Matrix. So any of ya who want ta argue tha' she ain't the Host will gotta come ta me first."

There was a stunned silence over the whole room. I was probably the most shocked. Jazz cared about me, that much I knew, but he was acting like I was his own youngling. And….it was nice. It actually made me tear up.

But after another moment of dazed silence, I finally gathered up my resolve and said into the microphone, "Thank you, Jazz."

He turned and smiled at me. "Yer welcome, Nicki."

I blinked again, before looking back at the audience. "I…..hope that you will accept the fact that I'm the Host. You don't have to like it. Trust me, I wouldn't believe it if it weren't for the fact that, yes, this is real. I am the Host. And I'm glad to have such a wonderful family behind me to help me through it." Seeing the look on the bots faceplates, I said, "Yes, family. Humans and Autobots alike."

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly, hoping no one had seen it. "Dammit, I'm crying." I muttered, momentarily forgetting that I was still holding the microphone. Several people and bots laughed. Even Barricade laughed, and he was still in recharge in the Med Bay.

/Oh, shut up./ I told him.

While the laughing died down, Ratchet whispered to me, "Nicole, this may seem like a bad time to do this, but we still have to tell them about the bond."

Well, frag, I thought.

When the laughter finally did die down, I took a deep breath. "Wow, this is going to be hard." I muttered, this time away from the microphone.

Once again steeling my nerves, I said into the microphone. "That's not the only thing, guys. There's….something else I have to tell everyone here. Something that only a few bots know." I leaned forward and looked a Bumblebee and Jazz. "Help explaining this would be appreciated." They all nodded, while every other oblivious person in the room looked confused.

I took another deep breath, this time feeling light headed and sick. "Ratch, is it good or bad that I'm feeling sick about telling this?"

"Good, because that means that you have a good excuse to leave immediately after you spit it out. Because it's going to get ten times crazier than it was a few minutes ago."

I rolled my eyes. "That's Ratchet, always looking on the bright side of things."

So I decided to just get it over with. "Listen up, people." They all looked at me. I scrunched my eyes shut. "A few days ago I touched Barricade and there was this shock thing and then we suddenly shared a spark bond and so now Barricade's my sparkmate."

I opened one eye. Everyone's jaws had dropped. I winced again and close my eyes. "Can I leave now?"

"Yes." Ratchet said.

I transwarped to the Med Bay.

Immediately, I locked both the human and Transformers-sized door. Surely they wouldn't try to blast the door down, would they? Well, maybe Ironhide would. I winced. Oh, Ironhide would be fragged off.

So, with my stomach churning nervously, I sat beside and Barricade and leaned on his side and began to wait.

It had been approximately 7 minutes since I broke the news. (yes, I had been that nervous)

So far, I had heard a bunch of shouting, what sounded like cannon fire, and the thundering steps of some Autobots.

I was surprised they hadn't checked the Med Bay.

I nearly had a heart attack when the door nearly broke from a fierce pounding on the other side. "NICOLE WITWICKY, GET YOUR DAMN AFT OUT HERE OR WE'LL BREAK THE SLAGGIN' DOOR DOWN!"

Oooh, Ironhide sounded really, really pissed.

Then a small voice in my head said, 'Be quiet and maybe they'll go away.'

So I did as it said and hunched down behind Barricade's still form like they could see me through the door.

"Nicole, we know you're in there. Red Alert can see you on the video camera." Came Prowl's scarily calm voice. A calm Prowl is a furious Prowl.

I turned around and glared at the video camera that was pointed at me. I flipped it off. "Screw you, Red Alert!" I shouted it. Then, peeking over Barricade's chasis at the door, I shouted, "I'll open the door when you promise not to kill Barricade!"

"Are you kidding? I'm gonna decapitate that fragger!"

I glared at the door. "Then you can forget me opening it, Ironhide."

"Why you-"

"Ironhide, that is enough." Prowl interrupted him. Then I heard him mutter, "This is why I suggested we have sliding, code-entry doors rather than these stupid things." Then in a stronger voice, "If that's how you want to act, Nicole, we will wait. Sooner or later you're going to have to come out to eat and you're going to have to sleep."

I just scowled and sat back down against Barricade. If they wanted to play that game, then so be it. Two could play at it.

Nine hours later, my oh-so-strong resolve was slowly, steadily breaking.

I was starving, I was tired, I had to go to the bathroom, and my head was beginning to hurt again. Bad. I hadn't meditated in a long time, and it was beginning to take it's toll on me. I honestly tried to meditate, but there was so much commotion outside that I couldn't concentrate.

Obviously Red Alert reported this. At five hours in, Prowl said through the door, "Nicole, I know your head is hurting. You need to meditate somewhere quiet."

"Are you still mad? And don't lie, Prowl."

There was silence.

I smiled grimly and shook my head. "Forget it, Prowl."

After awhile I began to think of random things. Like, really, really random things. Example: pie. For a while I began to think I was loosing my mind when a sudden beeping brought me out of my thoughts.

I looked at one of the monitors beside Barricade. There were flashing lights and an Energon drip hanging from it. Worried, I called through the door, "Ratchet? Jazz? Prowl?"

There was some shuffling outside and then I heard Jazz. "Somethin' wrong, baby girl?"

"Yeah, this monitor hooked up to Barricade is flashing and the Energon bag hanging from it looks empty."

There was a pause outside, then I heard Jazz curse. "Fraggit. Where's Ratchet?"

Someone said something I couldn't here and there was more shuffling and footsteps. Then I heard cursing as someone pushed their way to the door. "Nicole? Did you say that the Energon bag looks empty?"

"Yes."

Ratchet cursed again. "Let me in right now, Nicole. We cant afford to have air getting in his Energon tubes."

After a moment of hesitation, I transwarped to the door and unlocked it. I stepped back. " 'Kay, it's open now." I said quietly.

Ratchet was the first to come in. Then he was followed by Jazz, then Prowl, Bumblebee, and last was one still fragged off Ironhide.

Jazz knelt down to me, smiling softly. "Primus, Nicki, that was a long stakeout. Ya were really stuck on keeping' tha' door shut, weren't ya?"

I nodded. "I guess."

The saboteur frowned. "Somethin' wrong?"

I gave a half-hearted shrug. "Tired, I guess. I feel like I lost."

Jazz smiled and shook his helm. Then he held out his servo. "Come on, the Bossbot wants ta talk ta ya." When I stepped on, he said, "And Nicki?"

"Yes, Jazz?"

"Ya didn't lose. By lettin' us in fer yer spark mate ya won in the end."

I sat down heavily on Optimus' desk.

Jazz had taken me to Optimus' office. Prowl, Bumblebee had followed us after being kicked out by an irate Ratchet. We had had to wait for Optimus because he had to get some things straightened out with the government official that had been here. And I was willing to bet against Smokescreen that they still were.

And you had to be pretty sure or pretty stupid to do that. Which I was a little bit of both.

Optimus didn't act as if he was mad or like he thought it was a bad idea to have a bond with Barricade. Hell, he could've been overjoyed and I wouldn't have noticed because I was too tired and my head was hurting.

The Autobot Commander gazed at me curiously. "Youngling, how do you feel about having a bond Barricade?"

That was not the question I was expecting, but it was the question I had been hoping for.

I turned and looked at Prowl and Ironhide accusingly. "That was the question you should've asked me. Not if I was going to let you kill him off."

Prowl didn't say anything, but he really didn't have to. His door wings were in a stiff V-shape position that told me just what he thought. Ironhide on the other hand…..

"What were you thinking? Bonding to a Decepticon, of all mechs!"

Something in me snapped.

I stood up angrily, my fist clenched by my sides. "He's not a Decepticon anymore! And I didn't exactly mean to bond with him! All I did was fragging touch him! But you know what? I'm glad that I have a bond with Barricade! I know how he really feels about me! Do you think that I wouldn't have been able to read his feelings and tell if he really did love me? Do you think I'm that stupid?"

Then I turned to Prowl. "Least of all, Prowl, I would've expected this from you! Considering what Pit you went through with Jazz dying and all, I would have thought you understood. But, no, I was wrong again!" Then I growled, glaring at the ground. "It seems like the whole damn universe is against me. Jeez, when I told Bumblebee about the bond, he didn't overreact the way everyone else did. Neither did Ratchet, and neither of them are bonded. That makes absolutely no fragging sense! What's so wrong with me loving Barricade?"

Ironhide opened his mouth, but I put my hands up. "It. Was. Rhetorical!"

He glared and shut his mouth.

I looked at them both. "But all I have to say in the end is…if you have a problem with Barricade, you have a problem with me, then. Since I was pulled in this war, things have been about factions and sides. Well, if you're on my side, then you're siding with Barricade also."

And suddenly I felt like crying again. "I really meant what I said about you being my family. All those years ago, after my parents died, I thought I had no family left. But I realize I was wrong. I had a huge, loving family who watched out for me with out letting me know," I said, looking distinctly at Prowl. He looked away, seemingly unable to meet my gaze.

Swallowing, I looked at the ground. "You're making me choose between my family or Barricade. Don't make me do that. Please."

Then, crying, I transwarped.

First to Prowl's office. I pulled the credit card out and set it on his keyboard where it would be noticed and not lost.

Second, to Taylor's room, which she had told me was a vacant room in the section where the human soldiers slept in. Taylor was sitting on here bed reading a magazine in gray sweats and an overly large t-shirt.

She looked at me in surprise. When she noticed I was crying, she immediately got up and hugged me, asking what was wrong. I didn't say anything. Instead I sobbed like I had at my parents' grave.

I had been hurting so bad on the inside, and now it was hitting me all at once.

When Willow walked in Taylor's room, she sure hadn't expected to see a crying Nicole.

She had just gotten done talking to Sideswipe. The mech was probably her favorite Autobot yet. He acted like her, thought like her, even said things that she would say. His presence was the most relaxed of the Autobots it seemed, because they either didn't know what to say to her or just were uncomfortable in her presence. Sideswipe had told her about pranks he had already pulled, and for the first time in a long time, Willow wasn't bored with some else's conversation.

But back to walking into Taylor's room.

When she walked in, she had been planning on getting a really late lunch with the blonde. But seeing Nicole laying on Taylor's bed, sobbing with her head in Taylor's lap and said blonde stroking and shushing the black haired girl, made her stop in shock.

After a moment of assessing the situation, Willow went and sat on the end of the bed by Nicole's feet without saying anything. Nicole didn't even notice. She was talking on and on choosing between her family and Barricade.

But after another half hour, Nicole finally fell asleep. But Taylor didn't get up. Instead she stayed, brushing through Nicole's hair like Jennifer had done with Willow when she was upset. It showed her just how close these two girls were.

Willow wondered just what had upset the black haired girl so much. Sure, Willow had been at the meeting. She had seen and heard all of it. After Nicole revealed her bond with Barricade, there had been chaos in the room. When it had all settled down, she had heard that Nicole was doing a stake out in the Med Bay. But she hadn't heard anything about her coming out of the room. So what had happened between then and now?

Apparently a lot, she thought as she looked at Nicole's face.

Earlier, Nicole had cried tears of happiness. Theses were tears of pain.

Jazz sighed irritably. "Babe, she's jus' upset with everythin' tha' went on today."

"I know, Jazzy, but…..I made her cry."

The saboteur shook his head at the look on Prowl's faceplates. "Prowler, the girl's got a lot goin' on right now. She jus' found out tha' she's 'posed ta die 'cause of some stupid legend, her spark mate's in the Med Bay, an' the AllSpark's knowledge is wreakin' havoc on her mind right now. I think's she's gonna cry some."

"But I made her cry."

Jazz sighed and shook his head again. They were in their quarters now, both of them laying on the berth. Jazz was on his side facing Prowl, and Prowl was on his side facing Jazz. The silver Pontiac put one servo on the side of his lover's faceplates. "I love ya ta death, Prowler, but yer startin' ta sound like a broken record. What's that beautiful processor of yers tellin' ya?"

"That my feelings and actions towards her bond with Barricade upset her."

Jazz, who had retracted his visor, resisted the urge to roll his optics. "Not yer battle computer, Prowl." Seeing the look on the tactician's faceplates, he reached up and kissed Prowl's chevron.

"Okay, look at it this way, Prowler. Nicole jus' wants ya ta get along wit' Barricade. Plain and simple, she loves him like I love ya. She'd do anythin' for him. If wha' she says is true 'bout bein' able ta tell if he loves 'er, then maybe the bond ain't such a bad thing. At a time like this, Nicki's gonna need someone ta comfort 'er and someone ta confide in, someone ta be there ta hold 'er and tell 'er they love 'er with all their spark. Ya see wha' I mean? So it wasn't yer fault tha' she's upset. And the bond is actually a pretty good thin'. For Nicole, it's a symbol of hope, I guess."

Prowl was silent as he stared at Jazz, with a blank but brooding look on his faceplates. After a few more moments, he sighed. "I guess you're right, Jazz."

"Babe, I am right. I was in the girl's head. Some of the thin's in there were pretty messed up. But I know how she thinks."

Prowl smiled. "If her mind is really that messed up, Jazz, then I'm a little worried about her being the Host."

Jazz grinned. "There's my Prowler and his dry humor."

The two mechs just enjoyed the silence for a little longer, while they actually had it. When they finally did break the silence, it was Jazz who spoke first.

"I'm actually kinda jealous of the human femme."

Prowl frowned. "Why?"

" 'Cause she got bonded 'fore I did." Jazz said with a grin.

Prowl smirked and leaned down to kiss Jazz. "We could change that."

Jazz stared at him in surprise after he pulled away. "I thought ya wanted ta do it traditionally?"

The tactician snorted. "Jazzy, it seems that everyone has thrown tradition out of the window lately. And frankly, I don't think I can wait any longer."

"The world must be endin'. Prowl, the rule-book-loving, supposedly has a stick up his aft, no nonsense, killjoy-"

"I think I get the point, Jazz."

"-tactician, has said to Pit with the rules."

Prowl's helm tilted to the second for a moment, as if he was running that through his processor. Then, after a few seconds, he looked at Jazz and smiled.

"Yes. I think that would be about right."

Barricade POV

Slowly, ever so slowly, I rebooted my systems and onlined my optics.

Every part of me ached. Literally. Not moving for a while can do that to a mech's frame, I had been told. And now I was experiencing it. But I guess it was better than being dead.

I tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down on the berth roughly. "Hold still, you fragger. And welcome back to the land of the functioning, Barricade. Even in a forced recharge you caused Pit in this base."

I glared at Ratchet. "Where's Nicole?"

The medic huffed and rolled his optics, studying a monitor hooked up to me. "Of course. Typical bonded bot. 'Where's my spark mate?'" He mimicked in a high voice. "Not even a fraggin' 'Thank you, Ratchet, for bringing me back from deactivation'. One of these days I wont be here to piece you idiots back together."

"Thank you, Ratchet." I said as best as I could without sounding sarcastic.

"Mute it, Barricade. I'm not done."

I waited for a few more minutes before he told me to try and stand up. I managed on the first try. When I finally was standing up, I only then noticed Jazz standing there.

Before any of them could say anything, Ratchet stuck an Energon cube in my faceplates. "Drink it. Slowly." I did as he said, and, finally, after more scans, the medic finally deemed me functional and able to leave the Med Bay as long as I rested and refueled.

Then he kicked us out.

"Where is Nicole?" Was the first question I asked when we were alone in the hallway.

Jazz grinned cheerfully. The mech seemed happier than usual "I think she's havin' a lil' sleep over wit' Taylor an' Willow."

"Willow?"

"A human femme tha' was there when the 'Cons attacked. She was caught in the cross fire. Now she's staying on base."

"Hmm." Was all I said.

Then Jazz started walking in one direction, apparently wanting me to follow. It didn't take me long to catch up with the smaller mech. "Where are we going?"

"Ta Prowler's office. He wants ta say somethin' ta ya before Nicki finds ya an' drags ya back ta yer quarters."

I didn't say anything. What did the SIC of the Autobots have to say to me? After a few more minutes of walking, we finally reached the office. Jazz entered without knocking, and no one yelled at him to get out, so I followed him in.

The tactician was sitting at his desk writing a data file. He looked up when we came in. Prowl smiled at Jazz as the saboteur walked behind his desk and leaned against the wall behind him. "Well, Prowler, I brought 'im like ya asked."

"Thank you, Jazz. Barricade, have a seat." He said coolly. Once I had, he clasped his servos on the desk. He opened his mouth, then shut it, then opened it again, then shut it again. Prowl repeated this several times before rubbing his servos over his faceplates with a sigh. "I cant believe I'm doing this…"

Behind him, Jazz chuckled. "Wha' Prowler's tryin' ta say is tha' he's sorry."

I tilted my helm to the side in confusion. "Sorry?"

Jazz nodded, still grinning brightly while Prowl looked up. "I….overreacted to your bond with Nicole."

I tensed up. Then, after another few tense moments, I asked, "How did you find out?"

"Nicole told us during a meeting."

I frowned. I guess I should've known that, since I had talked to her right before she explained how she was the Host. But sometime while she was talking, I had faded out into an actual recharge again.

Then another thought struck me, one that made actually fear for my life.

"How did everyone else react?"

Prowl looked grim while Jazz snorted. "Well, most of'em sorts started a riot, I guess ya could say. Hmm. No, not a riot, but certainly an uproar 'bout the whole thing. Lotsa shouting an' protestin' an' jumpin' around. Ya shoulda seen Ironhide's faceplates."

I groaned and buried my faceplates in my servos. "Great. Now if I set foot outside I'll most likely get shot at."

"Naw, nobody's gonna shoot at ya since yer bonded ta Nicki."

That didn't make me feel much better.

Prowl sighed. "Barricade, I will make sure no one tries to harm you while you're here at the base. I owe you that much for overreacting the way I did."

I gazed at him curiously. "What did you exactly do?"

When Prowl didn't answer, Jazz sighed. "Nicole holed up in the Med Bay with ya an' locked the doors. Basically had a stakeout outside the Med Bay. Finally opened the doors after nine hours."

"What made her open the doors?"

"One of those monitors the doc bot had hooked up ta ya started beepin' 'cause the Energon drip was runnin' out. Ratch couldn't afford ta have air gettin' in yer Energon lines, so she had ta open the door."

I nodded, still half-amazed at the things Nicole did for me. The femme was stubborn and didn't like to be beaten. I almost snorted. The things we do for love. Then again, I couldn't say anything since I went all the way to fragging Canada just to make sure the Autobots or Decepticons didn't find us. "How long ago was this?" I asked absently.

Prowl's optics dimmed as he checked his internal chronometer. "Six and a half hours. I think Nicole is still asleep in Taylor's quarters. You should be able to find her through the bond."

I nodded to him, then to Jazz, and got up to leave. But just as I opened the door to leave, Prowl called me back.

He held out his servo to me. Not really sure what this meant, I opened my own. The tactician dropped a small credit card in my servo. "Give this to Nicole. Tell her I'm sorry that I upset her."

Taylor and Willow had left just to get something to eat. That's all. They were only gone for twenty five minutes.

But apparently that was enough time for the twins to sneak into Taylor's room and find the beauty products.

Sideswipe slid the credit card back in his hologram's pocket. "Remind me to thank Epps for letting me borrow his credit card."

"You didn't borrow it. You stole it out of his wallet that he left in the Rec room." Sunny said dryly.

"In my dictionary it's called borrowing with out the person knowing, Sunny."

"That's still called stealing."

"No it's not…But let's not tell Epps anyway, okay?"

Sunny snorted as his twin opened the door to Taylor's room. "Just why are we doing this anyway?"

"Because Willow and Taylor left to go get lunch, leaving Nicole in here, asleep. It's the perfect opportunity to pull a prank on her."

"With what?"

"Have you noticed that Nicole doesn't wear make up like Taylor? Wait, of course you have. You have the universe's biggest crush on her. You've practically been stalking her."

Sunstreaker aimed a swipe at Sideswipe's head. "I have been stalking her. And what about you and Willow?"

"We're just friends."

"If I had a cube of high grade for every time I've caught you staring at her, I could open a bar here on Earth."

"Like you haven't done the same to Taylor." Came the sharp remark from where Sideswipe was digging through a bag laying beside the door. "This is Willow's bag…" He muttered.

Sunny settled for a glare instead of saying something back and began looking around the room. The room was still neat except for some magazines and some clothes strewn around the room. There were some make up products and a glittery pink cell phone on the desk. On the bed was Nicole, still asleep.

"Are you sure we should do this, Sides? I mean, come on. She looks so peaceful."

"Oh my Primus, the apocalypse has finally come. Sunny's getting soft. Have you forgotten how painful it was to be sent into stasis lock forcefully?" Before Sunstreaker could reply, he stood up with a small box in his hand. He smiled and shook it. "You know what this is?"

"A portable processor for you?"

"It's human hair dye. Hot pink."

"So?"

"So, it just happens to have instructions on the back and Nicole just happens to be asleep. Now go into the bathroom and get a towel and turn on the hot water in the sink. I'm going to go get a bowl…"

Taylor and Willow were just throwing away their trash when the twins came running into the Rec room, both of them smiling like idiots. They watched suspiciously as the twins sat on the couch and turned on the TV. The other mechs and femmes in the room were also suspicious.

Jazz had just walked in with Prowl when suddenly there was a scream of rage that echoed across the base. All of them tensed up. But suddenly the TV screen changed to show the Communications room and one fragged off looking Nicole in front of the screen.

"TWINS, I AM SO GOING TO MURDER YOU!" She shouted at the screen before looking behind her. "And someone get Ratchet or First Aid here. I think I made Red Alert glitch."

Then the screen went blank.

Ratchet, who had been in the room at the time, cursed colorfully as he stood up with his cube. "I'll be back in a few minutes." He muttered.

Then Jazz and several others burst out laughing. Prowl glared at the twins. "Why was her hair pink?"

Taylor looked bewildered. "Was she wearing make up?"

Willow was glaring at the twins. "Why'd you have to use that color? I liked that one!"

Sunny smack Sideswipe on the back of the helm. "I told you that was a bad idea."

"No you didn't."

"Well, I was thinking it."

Sides optics were still wide. "I didn't think humans could look that mad…."

And thus the prank war was started.

Hey guys! Guess what?

WE REACHED 100 REVIEWS! YES!

Thank you so much to those who have read and reviewed, favorited, and alerted! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Im so happy im crying! *sniffles*

Wow, just for this, I will do the first date one-shot with Barricade and Nicole. I don't know when it'll be up, but it should be soon. Look out for it. It will be called 'The First Date'.

Wow. I'm still crying.

But anyways, I'm not really happy with the Barricade part of this chap. No, not that much. The rest of it is pretty much okay.

Forever Dreaming Grace: Congrats, you ARE the 100th review!

Estar: my knowledge of Transformers comes from reading the stories and watching the movies every week. I've only been reading Transformers since last June. This story was published towards the end of July, I think.

Next Chapter: MORE NICOLE AND BARRICADE FLUFF! AND NICOLE PLOTS AGAINST THE TWINS.