Please note that these characters belong to their original creators as do any songs used in this fiction, not me, this is just my take on what might happen enjoy and let me know what you think.

also i am still trying to fix any mistakes that i might have missed in past chapters (i.e spelling, grammar and so on)

Neither Bee or Sam had an answer for Ratchet, both were sure that they had done nothing that could transfer energon between their bodes. "I swear ratchet we haven't had any kind of contact like that, my spark chamber is still locked and it's not like I've given bee an energon transfusion" said Sam. The Med-bot looked Sam straight in the optics for a few seconds, then he said "all right I believe you, but there has to be some expiation as to how your energon got into bumblebee's body". Ratchet went back to scanning Bumblebee's back looking for any kind of evidence as to how this happened, it was only when he performed a fully body scan that Ratchet at last had what looked like an answer. "I think I know what happened here" said Ratchet "the two of you had physical contact after you were both injured didn't you" "yes" replied Bumblebee. "at a guess I'd say that a small amount of sam's energon was transferred into you wound at some point and it started converting your energon to match his more closely, my scans show that the highest concentration is in your back area, while the rest of your body has a much lower amount" explained Ratchet. The ill tempered Med-bot looked over the scans once more then said "as far as I can tell your bodies will reabsorb the energon and convert it back to a liquid state once the damage to your circulation systems had been healed, so that just leaves me with patching up some servos and armour plating here and there, but I'm telling you both now that neither of you are to engage in any fighting until your fully healed regardless of what ever you might have been able to do after past repairs, this means you BUMBLEBEE".

It was the better part of an hour before Ratchet had finished the repairs to both young Autobots and during that time he had re-enforce his statement that neither of them should risk going into battle until their wounds had fully healed and the crystallized energon he been reabsorbed into their systems. As Sam left the Med bay he was still sore in places that he didn't think had been hit that badly, places that Ratchet insisted on repairing fully despite protests to the opposite. Bumblebee came out a few seconds later after arguing with Ratchet about how he needed to fight in order to protect Sam from danger, to which Ratchet replied "there are other bots here in autobot city bumblebee, the both of your are to take a long rest and let your bodies heal fully and if you don't I'll put the both of you in long term stasis until you are healed". Sam just grinned as Bee replied to Ratchet's reply with a human hand gesture that he had learned while out on the road. "it seems your med-bot cares a lot about the bots under his charge" said Apache as he walked over to the Med bay "yeh, ratchet cares a lot, but he can take it a little to far some time's" said Sam. Apache laughed slightly and said "it's better that than being no good at his job, I was once stationed with a med-bot who couldn't hold a laser the right way round, at the time we thought he'd been sent by the decepticons as some kind of double agent". "you won't get that here apache" said Sam "you should go see him and get your self checked over, just watch out for the wrench if you make him angry for some reason" "or disagree with him, or think that you don't need to rest as much as he says you do, or try and do something he's told you not to do, or..." "I think he gets it bee" said Sam interrupting Bumblebee's ever growing list of things that would cause Ratchets wrench O'doom to go flying through the air.

Apache started laughing like Sam had never seen before, it was as if the aerial Autobot had not laughed like this in a long time and now he had a chance to release stored up emotions. "I haven't had a unit for a long time sir, it feels good to have someone to talk and laugh with again, if that's all right that is" said Apache now slightly worried that he had stepped out side the bounds of rank. Sam just smiled at Apache and said "so long as you have good jokes apache your welcome to share them and laugh with us any time you want to and your always free to talk about anything that's on your mind". Sam had no idea that his words had touched Apache with feelings that he had not known in along time or that the aerial Autobot had now made a decision about his future. Sam put his hand on Apache's shoulder and said "take care of your self apache and welcome home" before he left to find Optimus prime for a long overdue talk about about unspoken things.

It was almost as if he was guided by instinct, Sam navigated his way through the finished parts of Autobot city to a building that looked like many others, but he knew that inside Optimus was waiting for him. Sam reached out to open the door but paused as he turned to Bumblebee and said "I know that you respect optimus bee, he's been your friend for a long time but some things may come out here that you don't want to hear are you sure you don't want to leave while I talk this through?". Sam knew that he had wasted his time with the question but he still had to say it for Bee's sake, he didn't want his lover to feel that he had no other option in all this. "I'm staying by your side sam, I still believe that all this will work out for the best between you two" said Bee gently as he took hold of Sam's hand. Once more Sam reached out and this time he opened the door, it swung open and revealed a room that looked like someone's living area. Neither moved from where they were standing until Optimus appeared in the door way and said "I've been expecting you, please come in". The young Autobots followed Optimus inside and found that three Autobot sized chairs had been set out for them, one on it's own and the other two sat close together.

Optimus closed and locked the door as both Sam and Bee took their seats, there was a deliberate slow feel to Optimus movements like he was not in any mood to rush things at the moment. As if weighed by some terrible burden the leader of the Autobots took his seat opposite Sam and Bee and faced them ready to answer all that was put to him. For a few minutes they sat there in silence no-one knowing how to start the conversation, then Optimus spoke "it's strange, no matter what we do some things are far beyond our control" "like keeping the truth from people?" asked Sam. "yes" answered Optimus with a deep sadness in his voice "I had hoped that we would not have to speak of this for many years, years in which you could have had a normal life free from the responsibility's and duties of a prime". Optimus looked filled with a great sadness about that fact as he continued "you are so young, even amongst your own species, I hoped that by keeping this from you your life would be one of your own choosing at least for a time, a life in which you could know peace with bumblebee far from the war". "why would telling me change that?" asked Sam more gently than the last time he spoke, "as I said there are many responsibility's that a prime must bear, while you did not know the truth I would have carried them alone until you were ready to accept the full duties of a leader" replied Optimus. Sam felt angered by the last comment, "until I was ready, I've saved the world and him" though Sam.

Optimus continued "leadership leaves little time for anything else sam, such burdens should not be placed on one so young, they have a habit of crushing your dreams". Optimus fell silent for a moment as long forgotten memories came back to him "I've seen what has happened to bots who were to young for the weight of command sam, I did not want you to suffer the same fate, it would be cruel to both of you it that were to happen". The look on Optimus face instantly killed any lingering anger that Sam felt, Optimus Prime had been frightened that something bad would happen. Sam found it hard to imagine Optimus frightened by anything, but here it was, he was afraid that all this would have caused harm to his brother. "we are the last primes sam, I feared that if you knew and tried to fulfil your role as prime it would destroy you; long before the war on cybertron young primes spent centuries of your time learning and growing with out the burden of command and only after they had proved them selves ready were they given the duties of a prime" explained Optimus. "but when the war started the younger primes were rushed into battle, many were killed by their own inexperience, while others could not deal with pressure and the growing carnage, almost all were lost quickly" Optimus voice trailed off as the memories became to painful for him to recall. Sam at last was starting to fully understand why Optimus had kept the truth from him, he wanted to keep Sam safe from something he had seen destroy many young primes in the past, their very nature of being a prime.

"it's ok optimus, I know that your were just trying to protect me, but I'm not one of those primes, I'm something new and besides I have you here to teach me what it means to be a prime and how to handle the responsibility that goes with it" said Sam gently. Optimus smiled briefly then said "there is more to it than that my brother, normally this is something you have to grow into over the course of many centuries, there are some things I can not teach you and there are little means of protecting you should the worst happen". "I know that optimus, but I feel that what you can teach me about being a prime will help me learn the things you can't teach" said Sam with a strange distant tone in his voice. "if you feel that you can trust me sam then I will share with you all that I have learned about command and I promise you that I will keep nothing from you from now on" replied Optimus. Sam just looked at the bot that he could now call brother and said "I trust you optimus, my brother". Once more Optimus smiled as he extended his hand to Sam, the young Prime took it and gripped tightly as they shook hands the bond between them now as strong as any between Autobot brothers.

Bumblebee who had remained silent through the whole conversation now spoke "you don't have to worry optimus, if things get to hard for sam I'll take the weight of his shoulders and carry him if he needs me to, he's not going to be alone in this". Sam smiled warmly at Bee and hugged him tightly as he said "thanks bee, I know that I can always count on you". Optimus watched the embrace and thought "perhaps with bumblebee by his side he will be strong enough to take on the role of prime, but if he can not I will carry the weight for us both". Sam slowly and reluctantly broke the embrace and faced Optimus once more as he asked "so where do we start with prime boot camp?", Optimus chuckled lightly and answered "we have all the time we need after you have healed from your injury's, ratchet was most insistent about you getting as much rest as possible". Sam scowled a little before he said "at least when everyone knows I'm a prime ratchet won't be giving me orders about my health" "ratchet has known about you being a prime for as long as I have, such a thing could not be hidden from his scanners and even if he had not known the news would make little difference to him, that's what makes him such a good med-bot" replied Optimus. "great" thought Sam, "do I at least get to argue with him without him reaching for his trusted wrench?" asked Sam "after you've known him for a few hundred years maybe" said Optimus smiling a little "but even I get the occasional threat if he's in a bad mood and I disagree with his views on my health".

Now that things had relaxed between them the conversation changed to how Sam was feeling about the Decepticon attack "I'm sorry that we didn't see the decepticons coming sam, we should have been able to warn you before they even got to earth" said Optimus. "there was no way for you to track them at that time optimus, they have a spy hacking satellites in orbit, we destroyed the one he was using to watch us but I'm willing to bet that he's grappled onto another one by now" replied Sam. Optimus looked worried as he said "that means we have a a larger problem than we thought, if the decepticons have a spy in orbit then planetary security has been compromised on a scale we never thought possible". Sam instantly understood what Optimus was saying, they had no way of detecting any incoming decepticons if the satellite detection net had been sabotaged by the decepticon in orbit. "so how do we get this guy, the only flyer we have is apache and satellites are way out of his range no matter how high he flies" said Sam. Optimus like Sam had no instant answer to the problem "the best we can for he moment is to bring all autobots and any human that the decepticons would consider a target to autobot city, it's the only place we can protect them without risking causalities to the general public" said Optimus.

The three talked long into the night about how things were going to move on from this point, little did they know that trouble was being born on swift wings ready to greet them in the morning.