Disclaimer: Don't own TF: Prime, just a love for big trucks.

Review please? Oh, and from this point on it's basically AU, not going to keep with the Season Three Beast Hunter episodes...little hard to convert if Prime is "off active duty" in my fic versus the show...

Chapter Eight

Let it Go

xxx

Ultra Magnus had to physically wake Optimus the next morning, a medical grade energon cube in his servo for his commander.

Prime slowly sat up, a servo to his helm in mild discomfort before Magnus helped him stand, the commander of the Wreckers seemed uncomfortable as Prime rested a servo over the small abdominal swell.

"Thank you Magnus."

"Of course sir, Ratchet requested to see you at 1400 hours."

Optimus nodded as he headed to his desk, picking up the data pads Ironhide had been reading the night before and seeing that Kate's belongings were packed and gone.

The blue and orange mech was leaving when Optimus' voice stopped him.

"Sir?"

"Magnus...what happened between..."

"Between? What sir?"

The prime sighed heavily, shaking his helm and waving for Magnus to leave.

It hurt more that the mech seemed more eager to do so than to know the cause for Prime's hesitation.

xxx

Optimus rolled a shoulder idly as he trekked to the main area of the hangar, finding Miko sketching the ground bridge array.

"Sup Boss bot?"

Prime nodded to her before typing his codes into the monitors.

"Stephanie and Kate left with Hot Rod and that other mech-"

"Prowl?"

"Yeah him, they left this morning, said they had to go take care of something before Prowl would come back and they'd be in touch. Ratchet's put them under radio silence so I can't even call Stephanie just to chat, I don't know whose more upset me or Wheeljack, he really seemed to like her."

Optimus allowed a small slip of a grin before the base echoed with a huge bang.

"Miko? Dare I ask?"

"That would be Ironhide, Ratchet gave him an exam after the others left and then he decided to test 'Bee and Smokescreen on the firing range."

Optimus winced internally, Bumblebee would pass inspection just fine, Ironhide had helped raise the youngling since his discovery in the demolished Youth Sectors. Smokescreen...

"Ya lil fragger! How in the Pit did Trion ever let ya pass?! Ya glitched piece of drone slag!"

:Optimus.:

:Yes Ratchet?:

:Do you want to break this up or shall I? Magnus is on patrol with Agent Fowler do speak with his superiors.:

:I will.:

Miko chuckled as Prime sighed, walking towards the sounds of a rather nasty fight.

...

Prime was having second thoughts as he stepped onto the firing range, Bumblebee was rolling on the ground buzzing with laughter while Bulkhead and Wheeljack were both nursing dents in their helms and light blasts on their armor. Arcee was snarling as she tuned her left gun, glancing at the towering black mech who had all but cornered Smokescreen and was yelling to beat even Megatron's rage.

"Bumblebee...compose yourself..."

The scout was venting harshly but stood readily, optics bright and laughing as he bounced on his pedes.

"Ironhide! Enough!"

The weapon specialist growled one last time before shoving the rookie away from him, "Hit the racks, then go take Mags' place on patrol, I want ya outta my sight for the next couple hours."

"You can't tell me what to do!"

Prime growled at that, catching Smokescreen's attention, "Move it soldier!"

For once, Prime didn't receive any snark as the young mech all but fled the range, transforming at a run and intercepting Magnus' return.

"Arcee, join him, you can finish here later."

The femme nodded, heading into the hangar to pick up Jack before leaving as well.

"Wasn't done with her."

"Yes you were."

Ironhide chuckled, patting Bumblebee's shoulder affectionately, "Get outta here youngling, yer through...send Heatwave and Chase in here, might as well see where they're at."

Bumblebee's door wings dropped with a disgruntled hum but he did as told, jogging away with more spirit than Optimus had seen in awhile.

"Wreckers-"

"See Ratchet then monitor duty and reports, we now the drill Boss."

Optimus nodded as Bulkhead dragged Wheeljack out, the white and black wrecker probably itching to get in conversation with Ironhide over modifications. The Prime would had to remember to keep them apart if possible.

Ironhide moved to the bench Arcee had been sitting on, releasing the seals and dropping one of his cannons to fine tune it while he had the time.

"Alright spill Prahm, what's botherin' ya."

"Hide-"

"Don't 'Hide' me Orion, ya an' I both know somethin's not right here."

Optimus sighed, shaking his held before initiating his own weapon protocols, his main blaster sliding into place with ease as he leveled it with the nearest target.

It was sheared in half with one shot, destroyed with two after Optimus tweaked his sights. Ironhide came to stand next to him, grunting in approval as the next target was gone with a single shot.

"Adjust yer blast range, those shots are off centered."

Prime lowered his blaster slightly, opening the control panel to check the wires as his processor accessed the programming, with a satisfied nod he raised the weapon, adjusting his footing and firing at the second to last target.

And was nearly blown on his back plates.

Ironhide laughed outright as he braced Prime, keeping him on his pedes, "That's not what I meant Prahm."

Optimus managed a grin as he straightened, "I believe the kickback mechanism is one of the systems Ratchet deemed as 'back-up'."

"I'm gonna slug him."

xxx

At Prime's allowance, Ironhide stood in during Optimus' exam, watching Ratchet scan their leader before turn to his monitors to decipher the results.

Lying on his back plates on the medical berth, the distended abdominal plating looked bigger that it did when Prime was seated or standing, probably the sparkling stretching as much as possible.

"Aha, gotcha you little bitlet!"

"Ratchet!"

Ironhide chuckled as the medic pulled up a live feed of the sparkling, currently sucking a digit as it curled into a small ball and then stretched, Optimus shifted in time as the sparkling pressed out on the gestation chamber, turning his helm he watched the video as Ratchet adjusted the scanner camera he'd attached to Prime's plating.

"Little one wouldn't turn so I could get the proper angle, cheeky little glitch."

Ironhide grabbed Prime's flexing servo before it could swing at the medic, his dark sapphire optics locking with Ratchet's, "Careful Doc, ya should know not ta insult while near a carryin' bot."

Ratchet shrugged idly, optics light as he glanced at Optimus, but their leader was locked on the video as the sparkling wriggled, kicking out once with a sharp resulting clang before settling half curled in its chamber.

"Oh no you don't, wake up little one, I'm not done yet." The medic wasn't obeyed, the sparkling didn't seem interested in moving anytime soon. "Sorry Prime but I'm going to have to raise the berth, I need the sparkling to move a bit more."

Optimus shifted with the berth, now half sitting up as he bent one leg, slightly compressing the gestation chamber and making the sparkling flex and stretch again.

The medic adjusted the scanner, the live feed was lost after a couple seconds as Ratchet mumbled about fault Earth technology before tuning his own systems.

"And there...thought so..."

"What is it?"

"I was trying to determine the gender, your armor is too dense for a normal scan Prime so I had to wait for the sparkling to move just right, the spark chamber won't be properly sealed until a few days before the emergence. So if in the right position, the scanner can pick up the spark coloring and reveal the gender."

"Ya were able to see it weren't ya Doc?"

The medic nodded, a soft grin on his face plates as he set the scanner back to live feed, the sparkling was curled back up now, relaxed as the tips of Optimus' digits lightly rubbed the plating covering the parts and chamber.

"I know what the sparkling is, the question is do you want to know Optimus?"

The mech didn't reply right away, watching the monitor before sighing slightly, "Not at this time."

Ratchet nodded, letting Prime watch for a few more moments before turning off the scanner. "At this time, I expect you're halfway to your due date, by what Knock Out was able to tell me of your approximate conceiving...I'd say your about four months out. Prowl is going to send me the medical records that were on board the Ark when they landed, with those I can give you a closer estimate."

Optimus nodded, letting Ironhide help him up and out as his leg struts throbbed slightly, "Get some rest Prime! I don't want to hear you've been out on the range again!"

The black mech beside Prime snorted, comming Ratchet with a rather rude retort judging by how fast a wrench was thrown.

Ironhide laughed as he ducked the first, swearing loudly as the second connected with a solid clank. Optimus merely shook his helm, chuckling at the two as his EM field relaxed for the first time in several weeks. The only other times he'd truly been able to relax were the so few times he and Knock Out had been able to meet, now listening to two old friends bicker over basically nothing as they had centuries ago, even during this war...Optimus knew things were looking up.

The Ark may have been permanently out of commission, but aboard that ship was supplies, energon, and several autobots with much needed firepower. And upon arrival, four highly dangerous decepticons were taken out by the ship's crash landing. Optimus couldn't be happier...okay maybe a little...Megatron could be offlined and the war ended, but considering the circumstances things were looking up.

"Oh yeah? Well then Doc, ya get ta argue with Teletran-1 on that!"

"What?! It took you three days to mention that the computer is still functioning?!"

Optimus winced as another tool went flying and hit Ironhide, though Prime was pretty sure Prowl had already mentioned the AI computer still aboard the submerged Ark. While never able to fly again, most of the hull and chambers were still intact and sealed tight.

Stephanie and her friend Carly were trying to build an environmentally controlled hub for the massive computer to be moved to for ease of access, so far they weren't succeeding with being able to provide enough power.

Prime returned to his quarters, for once agreeing with Ratchet and succumbing to recharge.

xxx

xx

xxx

Ultra Magnus stood outside the hangar late that night, watching the trio pairs of headlights roam the black top of the little used military base. Optimus had gone out for a drive and Ironhide had followed with Bumblebee, the sports car was hitting speeds of close to 150 mph on the straightaways, easily weaving in and out of the Topkick truck and military vehicle that was Ironhide and Prime.

In one such maneuver the black truck began to speed up, pulling ahead of Prime as he chased Bumblebee, quickly losing the scout but racing anyway. Ironhide came to a stop with his engines roaring, nearly overheated as Bumblebee spun in circles, radio buzzing in laughter.

Optimus slowed to a stop a good distance from them, transforming and walking back to the hangar.

Ironhide had glanced up as he transformed when Prime did, before turning to the bouncing black and yellow scout in front of him.

For months afterwards he would always regret turning his back on Prime, even just for a moment.

For a military base, it wasn't uncommon for jets to fly over, Fowler was known to use one often as well as the few brave soldiers who knew of the Bots existence thanks to General Bryce.

None of them thought the Lockheed C-5 Glaxay was out of place above them, engines roaring as it glided in low, probably prepping to land.

At least until the jet shot Prime.

The single bullet seared through his abdominal armor, and judging by how fast Prime went down to his knees, Magnus was sure it went straight through.

He and Ironhide unleashed fire back at the aircraft, the weapon specialist roaring in anger as Megatron laughed, hovering just out of range.

"Tell your fleshy pets thanks for the new ammunition!"

Magnus commed Ratchet and Bulkhead, the wrecker for security measures, the medic for Prime as Ironhide tried to help the mech up and Optimus screamed in pain, clutching his abdomen.

"The bullet..."

"Gone Prahm, went right through yer armor."

"No...hit...hit..."

Prime shuddered in pain, roaring out as every circuit and wire tensed. Ratchet and Chase were by his side a moment later, the CMO wide opticed as eh ducked his head.

"Frag you Megatron..."

"Doc what's wrong?"

"He hit the gestation chamber, may have even hit the sparkling as well, Prime's miscarrying I can't stop it."

"What are ya sayin'?"

"Not now!"

Magnus moved to help Heatwave lift Prime, Ironhide taking the mech's shoulders, all three had to pause as Optimus tensed again, venting harshly as he struggled to intake enough air into his systems as his frame relaxed.

"Pit-spawn sonuva-Get him in the med bay now!"

xxx

Ironhide had gone days without sleep before, hell he'd gone close to an earth month without even a breem of recharge, but the 34.7 hours from the time Chase all but shoved everyone else out of the med bay on Ratchet's orders to when June Darby stumbled out with tears running down her cheeks were the longest in Hide's life. Prime had been in critical condition before, but never this bad, never when his survival also hinged on another spark as well.

Jack was there when his mom crumbled, sobbing as she hugged him tightly. Ratchet soon followed, white and orange arms and front plates coated in energon and transfluid.

"Prime's stable, at least as stable as he's going to get...the bullet burned right through his armor, hitting his carburetor and the gestation chamber. The sparkling wasn't hit, the membrane wasn't even breached...but the chamber is irreparable, Prime will most likely lose the sparkling within the next 48 hours."

Collectively, the mood dropped, the humans had all been informed after everyone's return from Maine, and for once Miko wasn't speaking, she hadn't spoke since Optimus had been moved to the med bay.

Ratchet let the news settle before speaking again, looking to Ironhide and Magnus, "He asked for you."

Ironhide stood immediately, optics narrowing when Ratchet shook his helm, "He asked for his brother."

Magnus stiffened, but stepped past the medic and the exiting Chase, ignoring the monitors blaring for a ground bridge request from Prowl and Stephanie.

Optimus was hooked up to several scanners and monitors, a cable and sensor belt was stretched over his abdominal plating to monitor the sparkling, the live feed showed a sluggish and barely moving sparkling.

The IV in Optimus' energon line was nearly empty as Magnus stood by the mech's side, he changed it for a fresh one, the faint movement of the needle amde Optimus stir from his medically induced slumber.

"Mag...nus..."

The mech sighed softly, sitting next to his leader...his brother...

"I'm here...brother..."

Optimus seemed to relax at that, sighing softly as his optics closed, he was silent for a moment before tensing, this time not as badly as when Magnus had carried him in, but enough to be uncomfortable.

Ratchet ducked back in, checking a monitor before leaving once more, "His systems are forcing contractions, an internal battle on whether or not to lose the sparkling."

Ultra Magnus took Prime's servo when he moved enough, gripping lightly as Prime just breathed, vents straining lightly as Optimus began to slip into recharge. The wrecker commander stood to leave, stopped by Prime's grip on his servo.

"Please...stay...I can't...please...don't leave...me alone..."

With a sigh Magnus returned to his seat, "I won't Optimus, get some rest, I'll stay."

Prime went under soon after that, frame going limp with exhaustion, any further contractions not waking him.

xxx

Ironhide and Ratchet stood around Wheeljack as he examined the charred remains of the bullet, "It's confirmed, military grade sabot round...this one is melted from several of them, all previously used."

Stephanie groaned from her place on Ironhide's shoulder, "And that's why we don't let Rachel and Hannah have guns, they use the sabots...Megatron melts the remains, and then returns them!"

Ratchet growled, "Just what we needed...Megatron with yet another way to get past our defenses, and he knows our location outright."

"Prowl is with the others, he's gonna have all of us move to his location, it's safer and more discreet."

"Very well, I'll be with Optimus...somebot come get me if I'm needed."

Ironhide followed him out, leaving Stephanie with Wheeljack as the mech sighed heavily.

"What's wrong?"

"Prime's gonna lose the sparkling...and there's nothing anybot can do..."

Review?