Windblazer Prime, who owns Shadow Marina Striker/Windblazer Prime/Jean Marina Darby, asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy!

Transformers Prime belongs to Hasbro. I own nothing.

A/N: This story takes place at the end of the episode "Stronger, Faster" and has some spoilers for that episode.

The Patience Of Love

Optimus and Ratchet had just finished speaking about what happened and the kind leader had told the medic to rest and recuperate from the injections of Synthetic Energon. "But, who will work the monitors while I rest, Prime?" He asked.

"I will," said Windblazer Prime immediately. "I'll also take care of you, Ratchet."

Optimus nodded in agreement and he and the other Autobots discreetly left the two alone, knowing they needed some time after the awful events of the battle that day.

Windblazer let her mind wander back to when she and Ratchet had first met as sparklings and how they had always had a strong, deep, powerful and unbreakable bond and friendship, including love, and were inseparable and always straight forward with each other. She hoped that would always be the same, especially right now.

Ratchet saw the turmoil on her face and took a deep breath. He had said some awful things to her after he had taken the Synthetic Energon and gone out to fight the 'Cons. He had turned to Windblazer, blaming her for leaving Cybertron and staying on Earth for thousands of years, having never given a reason for why she had left. He winced as the painful memory played in his mind.

Flashback:

"You left me sparkbroken, alone, and lovesick!" Ratchet yelled at her angrily. "And when where you going to finally reveal your true feelings?! Or did you decide to be a coward instead?!"

The others were quite shocked as they knew what Ratchet meant. The war had left many femmes afraid to confess their feelings to the mechs they loved for fear that they'd lose them. Now, they saw the tears in Windblazer's eyes as Ratchet was still glaring at her.

"I was madly in love with you and I know you felt the same way for me!" He said. "Or was that conversation between you and the kids that I overheard the other day without you all knowing just for show?!"

Windblazer looked at the mech she loved, more tears running down her face now as Ratchet took off, leaving them behind.

End Flashback

Ratchet actually felt a few tears come to his eyes. "Windy," he said softly.

Windblazer was at his side in a moment. "Are you okay, Ratchet?" She asked worriedly, thinking he was in pain.

"Windy," he said a bit more clearly.

She stopped. Ratchet had only used that nickname when they were alone and he had something he needed her to hear. He went to sit up and she helped him before sitting down beside him. "Ratch?" She said softly.

He looked deep into her eyes. "Windy, I'm so sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry for all those terrible things I said to you earlier. I didn't mean it."

She began stroking his forehead, a habit she had from before to help him clam down. "I know you didn't mean it," she said softly. "It was the Synthetic Energon's doing, not you."

"But…,"

She put a finger gently on his mouth and he stopped talking, looking up at her and seeing the tears fall down her face. He wordlessly held his arms out to her and she fell into his embrace as she began crying a little. "You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened," she said. "You just weren't yourself."

She then rested her head on his chest, hearing his sparkbeat, which made her cling to him more. "I blamed myself for leaving Cybertron all those years ago," she said in confession. "And I've lost count of how many time I wished I hadn't made that decision to leave, as I knew full well I'd be leaving you sparkbroken, alone, and lovesick."

Ratchet instinctively began rubbing her back gently, hoping to help her stop crying and to get through this confession. She then looked up at him. "Every night after I left, I would cry in my sleep and call out for you, apologizing for leaving you. I still do," she said as her tears fell a bit faster now and she hugged him. "Oh, Ratchet. I should have never made that decision to leave."

His arms tightened around her as she cried harder now, clinging to him as he held onto her, letting her cry until all her guilt and sadness was out of her system. They lay in silence until she lifted her head up and looked at him again. "Even though you didn't mean the part of me being a coward and all, did you at least really mean what you said about your love confession?" She asked.

"You are not a coward, Windy," Ratchet said immediately, gently brushing her face with the back of his fingers. "If you felt you had to leave Cybertron, you no doubt had a good reason for doing so."

She was about to say something when placed a finger on her mouth to gently quiet her. "And yes, I meant every word of my love confession to you," he said. "Because I fell in love with you pretty hard."

He then sighed, looking troubled. "Ratch? What is it?" She asked gently, sensing he was upset over something.

The medic's arms tightened around her again in a protective, yet gentle, hold. "Nightingale," he said acidly before taking a deep breath. "Whenever he shows up, I become both protective and possessive of you, Windy."

She smiled a little but sense there was more. "Did…Did he show up?" She asked hesitantly.

He nodded. "In the mine," he said. "He began taunting me of my romantic feelings towards you and said he was aware of our romantic feelings for each other. He even said that was why he wanted you, Windy. To take you away from me and have you be at his side as his sparkmate."

Windblazer shuddered and hugged him. "I'd never become that murderer's sparkmate," she growled angrily before calming down as Ratchet stroked her head gently for a bit before she looked up at him again. "However, I felt the same way too after you fell in love with me."

Ratchet smiled at her. "I love you so much, Windy," he said honestly. "I…I…wish."

"Wish what?" She asked gently.

He held her closer to him. "Windblazer Prime, be my sparkmate, please?" He asked her. "I need you and want to protect you from that murderer."

She smiled at him. "Yes, Ratchet," she said. "I'll be your mate."

A few moments later, the sparkbond was complete and Windblazer lay beside Ratchet, her head resting on his chest as she smiled. "Now, Gale can never bond with me," she said.

Ratchet looked worried. "He could break our bond," he said.

She looked at him and shook her head, showing him something that made his eyes widen in shock. "Being what we are and because of our bond, I now have a tremendous immunity to the Dark Energon, Red Energon, and the Synthetic Energon that flows in Nightingale," she said.

Ratchet then saw something else. "Our bond has also made you stronger," he said and checked the stats, his eyes widening again. "Windy, according to this, you are now the most powerful, intimidating, toughest, menacing Autobot in the history of Cybertron. I've never seen anyone with these recorded statistics before."

She grinned again. "Which means he can never take me away from you," she said. "Then again, I've got a feeling you won't let me get away either."

With a smirk, Ratchet gently pinned her beneath him, surprising her. "I've been patient this long to bond with you and say I love you," he said. "I'm never letting you go again."

"Nor will I ever let go of you again," she promised him as she leaned her head up a bit and kissed him. He returned the kiss and deepened it, holding her close.

They were finally together, inseparable now and forever.

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