Prompt: "Loving someone deeply gives you strength; being loved deeply by someone gives you courage".

What happens after "The Beginning" from Prowl's POV.

I stared at the mech who had changed the rhythm of my spark. He stammered out a greeting , and I could tell that this was an uncommon occurrence, because the Prime gave him an odd look.

Forcibly, I turned my attention away from this mech, this magnet to my spark, and placed it where it properly belonged, on the new Prime, my new commander.

I voiced my concern that I was not fit for my post, given Sentinel's death. The Prime reassured me and we continued going over the army's standing. His lieutenant didn't say much, but when he did comment, it was precise and pithy. Jazz had a knack for seeing flaws and holes, and my respect for him rose throughout the meeting.

Then came the difficult portion of the meeting. Jazz was the new Prime's second; I was the old Prime's second. We both couldn't be second. I resigned myself to a demotion, but was surprised.

"Nah, I think it would be better if you kept Prowl. It would reassure the army, and probably help smooth the transition. I'd rather be somewhere that I can really help." Jazz said as soon as the topic was raised and the Prime indicated that Jazz should be the second-in-command.

I spoke up, "Our head of operations was also killed with Sentinel Prime, and he was the third-in-command."

The Prime asked, "What does a head of operations do?"

"He was in charge of supplies, making sure the equipment necessary was on hand when it was needed, he was the head of the Special Operations division, and on the whole, kept the army running."

Optimus Prime quirked an optic ridge and looked at Jazz. "Sounds like just your thing, Jazz."

Jazz was looking calculating. "I'll make it my thing, Optimus."

He then asked me, "What is Special Operations?"

I was uneasy, but explained, "They are the division that is in charge of spying, sabotage, assassinations, infiltration, and other…behind the scenes work."

"You mean the dirty work of making sure the Decepticons aren't as ready as they want to be." Jazz said.

"Yes." I agreed.

Both Jazz and the Prime spoke at the same time. "Perfect."

I was taken aback by their easy acceptance of the dirty underside of fighting a war, but they had already started to discuss ways and means of increasing the Special Operations portion of the operations division. I listened, since their ideas would directly affect my own division of tactics and strategic planning.

Jazz and the Prime seemed to have an easy working relationship, as they left things unsaid but agreed with each other. I had always had such a formal relationship with Sentinel Prime, and this easy back-and-forth was foreign to me. I admired it, however, and vowed to learn from watching them work together.

They wrapped up their discussion and returned their attention to me, the Prime offering me an apology, which I waved off, and then an explanation.

"Jazz and I have been friends for a long time, and I have relied on his knowledge of what's been happening to formulate many of my own actions. I hope you will be able to be a part of our team, Prowl, and help us."

I bowed slightly. "I will do my best, Prime, and do my utmost to keep you and Jazz informed."

Jazz chuckled and told the Prime, "I'll work on him, Optimus."

"Don't break him, Jazz. I'm pretty sure we're going to need him." The Prime rose and clapped a hand on Jazz's shoulder. "I'm going to find my quarters. Prowl, please call a staff meeting for the next cycle. We need to get moving forward, not backward, and I want input from everyone on what they think the next step should be for us."

"Yes, Prime." I stood and bowed as the Prime left.

Jazz watched from his seat until I had reseated myself.

I waited for him to speak, but it took a bit of time. Finally, he roused himself and leaned forward, reaching carefully for my arm. He wrapped his hand around my forearm and held on.

Once again, my spark surged in my chest, almost as if it were reaching for something. Jazz must have felt something similar, because he pulled on my arm as he stood. I went along with his coaxing, standing myself and maneuvering around the desk until we were standing in front of each other. Jazz released my arm and moved his hands to my shoulders. My hands naturally fell to his hips. He moved another step forward, until our chests touched.

My spark was leaning in its chamber, striving to reach its match, so close and yet…

Jazz's chestplates began to transform, shifting and moving along his torso so he could move closer to me. I watched, having never seen this before, until he had only a thin sheet of armour over his protoform. I mimicked him, signaling my own armour and banished another barrier between us.

Our sparks thrummed between us, their mutual rhythm soothing and exciting at the same time. I was trembling, overwhelmed by the sensations bombarding my processor. I gave passing thought to my logic circuits, which should have been overheating by now, but they were quiescent. This was beyond logic.

We stood like that for a breem. I enjoyed the sensations of my spark, and holding Jazz close to me was not unpleasant. Finally, he gathered his courage and spoke.

"I've never heard of love at first touch, but, Prowl, it happened to me. It's not fair. We have this war going on, and I think it's going to take a lot longer to fight than the Council does, and so I can't just see what happens between us. But I love you, and I want to be with you." Jazz leaned his head forward, tucking it between my shoulder and neck, his exhalations puffing against the sensitive cords of my neck.

I pulled him minutely closer and tried to match his courage with my own. "Jazz. If we are meant to be, it will work out. Let's…take our time and see where this goes, alright?"

His head nodded against my body, and I succumbed to temptation, brushing a kiss against his cheekplate.

His visor surged on-line and he raised his head, looking at me closely. Then he smiled, and the light of a thousand stars shot through me. He was my sun, the center of my universe, the person who gave me strength to keep going, and I was helpless before his brilliance.

He touched my cheek with his fingers, and I leaned into the touch. He smiled again and said, "Yeah. I can do this, as long as you're here."

I nodded. Against all that was logical, this emotional connection was my lifeline and Jazz was on the other end, keeping me strong and focused.

We stepped away from each other, our armour shifting back to cover us, and returned to the personas the rest of the world saw. Only together like this would we reveal our true selves.

To be continued…