Forgive how short this chapter is but the next one will make up for it, I promise. Lots of stuff going on in this chapter. A rift in friendships, old habits surface, new secrets revealed~ All this in chapter 13!

We have some special bots arriving from Cybertron this chapter~

To my reviewers and all of you who have favorited/alerted, I love you all! You make me want to keep writing! And keep me sane lol

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, it belongs to HasTak. I claim only Aquafire, her trine, Skyblitz, Wildfire, and Lightning Bolt.

Remember to review everyone! Can you guess as to what Aquafire will do?

Over the next few weeks, Aquafire got into quite a few fights with the twins over her safety and the reasons why they should protect her. Sunstreaker was even starting to fight back, getting into her face and snarling at her as they argued. More than once, Prowl and Bolt had to stop a fist fight from breaking out between the three of them though the younger Datsun was horribly confused about why his mother was fighting with the twins.

"Sideswipe, get the frag away from me!" The red twin stumbled away from the enraged Seeker, a startled expression on his faceplates. "I don't need you or your brothers help! I'm not a dainty little femme who needs protecting! I am a warrior just the same as the others!" He heard the sound of her null-ray powering up and scrambled back.

"Quit the tough act femme!" Sunstreaker grabbed her arm, optics darkened with poorly hidden anger. The femme looked at him and openly cringed. This was the side of the golden mech that scared her. She knew about his being a former gladiator but she'd never known about the darker persona that hid just beneath his arrogant and narcissistic front. Aquafire pushed the fear aside and swung at the vain frontliner, catching him by surprise.

That one action sent the entire situation into a downward spiral. Sunstreaker, forgetting himself, struck the femme, slapping her harshly. Aquafire stared at him, stunned but then snarled and lunged. The three quickly started fighting, two attempting to force the third into submission.

"What the frag is going on?" Chromia marched into the room, servos on her hips as she watched the fight. "Hide!" The great red mech came lumbering in, a sour look on his faceplates.

"Break it up!" Ironhide grabbed Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, tearing them off of Aquafire who was pulled away by Chromia. "Mia, yah take care a her, Ah'll deal wit' these two," He growled and the twins snarled. Sunstreaker, not one to give up, started struggling against the bigger mech, howling and screeching with rage. Ironhide was forced to release Sideswipe in order to subdue the golden warrior and called in Jazz to subdue Sideswipe when he attempted to attack Aquafire and Chromia.

The twins were hauled off to the brig while Aquafire was taken to the med bay.

"Mind telling me what that was all about?" Chromia frowned at her fellow femme warrior.

"They've been bothering me for a while and I just snapped," She rumbled. "Fraggers deserved it."

"That's my girl," The other femme smirked, nodding approvingly. "Bout time they got put in their place." Aquafire smirked and yelped when Ratchet whacked her over the helm with a wrench.

"What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?" He scowled at her.

"For the record, the twins started it," She snapped. "Giving me that slag about being a normal femme again and trying to protect me when I didn't need it. Oh and our resident daffodil slapped me," Chromia and Ratchet gave her a horrified look. "Whatever small friendship I had with the twins is now gone, for good!"

Ratchet shook his helm and started repairing her frame, muttering the entire time.

"This time, make sure the repairs last more than a few weeks or days," He frowned at her.

"Whatever you say, Ratchet," She hopped off the berth and walked out with Chromia.

"So, what exactly happened between the three of you?" The blue femme prompted as they walked through the halls of the Ark. The other femmes had arrived not even a day ago, so they were still getting used to things on Earth and there were still some things they did not know.

"While I was in stasis, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe took it upon themselves to guard my room and apparently my honor." She explained, wings twitching slightly. "When I woke up and was released, they started following me, acting like my guards still. I kept telling them I didn't need their help and they kept insisting I did so you can imagine how it came to this."

"I'm fairly certain they'll leave you alone now," She smirked.

"Aunt Chromia!" The two were interrupted by an excited voice. Chromia braced herself and stumbled when Bolt's frame collided with hers and laughed happily as she hugged the young mech.

"Bolt! Is that really you?" She held him at arms length and examined him.

"I got my upgrade," He gave her a lopsided grin.

"You're getting so tall. When I last saw you, you were barely at my knees!" The mech felt his cheeks heat up and he smiled as he hugged the femme. "Where have you been hiding, brat? I've been here all of two days, I was starting to worry."

"Sorry," He smiled sheepishly. "I've been training with Jazz," Chromia looked at Aquafire then.

"Jazz and Prowl want him to be in Special Ops." She chuckled and shook her head.

"Wait, since when do they have a say in what he does?" The other femme narrowed her optics.

"This will come as a surprise to you, just as it did for me, but Prowl is actually Bolt's uncle." The look on the femmes faceplates was priceless.

"That... that stick in the mud is Bolt's uncle?" She chocked out.

"Ratchet is still looking into it," Aquafire shrugged. "Prowl and I have come to some agreements that allow him to have some say in Bolt's upbringing and training."

"Gah! Speaking of Prowl, I have to go to his office!" Bolt yelped, panic in his optics. "See ya, mom!" He moved out of Chromia's grasp and took off for Prowl's office.

"He's teaching Bolt how to be a master tactician as well," Aquafire said when Chromia cast her a confused look.

"That is... rather disturbing," Chromia grimaced.

"You get used to it," The other chuckled.

"So, Aquafire, any mechs catching your optic?" Chromia turned her gaze to the femme as they made their way to the rec room.

"Not recently, no," She snorted. "Could use a good frag though, haven't had one in a while."

"Then go get one," The other blue femme smirked. "You're a smart femme and an attractive one as well. I'm sure you can get one of these mechs in your berth."

"I could but I don't want to at the moment," Aquafire smirked back.

"Bull slag!" Chromia smacked her arm with a scowl. "Don't give me that. When we get to the rec room, you'd better work your Seeker aft and get a mech before you go crazy."

"Whatever you say, Chromia," She laughed. The two femmes slowly relaxed and laughed as they made their way into the rec room where Chromia got a few cubes of high-grade for them.

"To getting a good frag," Chromia smirked. Aquafire nodded and downed her first cube, shuddering as the potent mix hit her systems.

"Oh how I've missed this," She hummed. The two chatted and drank until they were slightly overcharged. At this point, mechs and femmes alike were dancing as music pulsed through the room. Aquafire, optics blazing with lust and mischief, got up and started dancing on her table, Chromia shouting encouragingly as she continued. More than one mech turned her way and watched her, obviously liking what they saw of the Seeker as they grinned.

"Have fun now~" Chromia giggled as a mech stepped up to their table, a grin on his face. Aquafire squealed when the mech reached up, snagged her around her waist, and pulled her off the table, holding her close to his own frame. The Seeker giggled and kissed the unnamed mech, who groaned appreciatively as he kissed back.

Chromia smirked as she watched the mech practically carry the Seeker femme away and turned back to her energon, whining when it was snatched from her servos.

"Wha' are yah up ta, femme?" A deep, masculine voice rumbled. She looked up and smiled at her mate innocently.

"Nothing you need to worry bout, 'Hide," She grinned. Ironhide sincerely doubted this but knew better than to say anything as he knew it would get him nowhere. He scooped the femme up and sat down before settling her in his lap. "How are the twins?"

"Royally slagged off," He smirked against her shoulder. "Ah know they'll be fine once they git out."

"Slaggers bounce back pretty quick," She muttered. Chromia snagged her cube of energon back and downed it with a hum.

"Yep," He rumbled. "Yah, mah femme, owe meh," Ironhide grinned at his bonded.

"Is that so?" Chromia challenged with a grin. Ironhide growled down at her and lifted her into his arms before hurrying to his quarters.

-X-X-X-

Aquafire hummed softly as she snuggled into the warmth of the mech who currently had his arms wrapped around her.

"Thanks for the good time, hun, but I gotta run." The femme wiggled out of his arms, smiled at his sleepy protest and leaned down to kiss him one last time. "Maybe another time," She purred. The mech muttered something unintelligible before Aquafire slipped out into the hall way. She rubbed her helm lightly and grumbled as she trudged back to her quarters. Slagging hang over...

"Have fun?" Aquafire turned to see Chromia grinning at her, leaning against the door frame of Ironhide's quarters.

"If you want me to thank you then I will," She smirked. "Thank you, Chromia, I needed it."

"Everyone needs to get overcharged and fragged at some point," She laughed softly. "You were tense and on edge, I know the signs when I see 'em. We'll have to do that again sometime soon."

"If it means having a good 'face, then count me in." Aquafire nodded to her and wandered off again. Once she was in her quarters, she flopped onto her berth and sighed softly, willing the throb in her processor to disappear as she offlined her optics. She vaguely noticed that Bolt was gone and reasoned that he was probably still training with Jazz and Prowl.

:Aquafire.:

The femme jolted when that harsh voice echoed in her processor.

:Ramjet?: She proceeded cautiously. :How did you get this frequency?:

:It's the same restricted band we used to use back in Vos idiot.:

Now she felt embarrassed.

:Why are you contacting me?:

:I'd been debating it for some time as I wanted to make sure you were okay. Contacting the Autobots directly would have been extremely risky and dangerous.:

:I'm fine, Ramjet, I've been out of stasis for almost a month. Just some minor complications with a few mechs but nothing big.:

:Back to your old ways, huh?: She could hear the teasing tone, even across the link. :We want you back, Aquafire, my trine and I that is. I want you where I can watch over you, I swore to your Creators I would protect you.:

:... What?: When... had this happened?

:Just before the bombing in Vos, I visited your home and spoke with your Creators. They asked that I protect you at any cost and so far I have failed in doing so once already.:

:Ramjet, I swore my loyalty to the Autobots... I can't just abandon them. It's treason! And I have Bolt to worry about as well, do you know how badly that kind of betrayal would hurt him?:

:All of this time with the Autobots has made you weak. You need to come back.:

:Ramjet, I cannot. Get it out of your processor.:

:We will get you back, make no mistake.: The link cut out.

Aquafire sat up on her berth numbly, optics wide.

"Mom?" Bolt looked at his mother worriedly and slowly crept closer. "Mom, what's wrong?" He touched her shoulder and jumped back when she jolted.

"Bolt?" She shuttered her optics a few times. "Oh, nothings wrong," She assured with a soft smile. "I was just thinking is all."

"You sure? You looked sorta... scared," His optics dimmed with concern. Aquafire bit her lip component softly and motioned for him to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around his shoulders once he did so.

"I just got a comm. link that worried me a little, that's all," She murmured. "Now, why don't we get some rest? I'm sure Jazz and Prowl worked you hard today."

"Yeah, they did," He smiled tiredly. Aquafire shifted and laid out on the berth, holding Bolt close once he laid down and curled up. The Seeker vented softly and fell into a restless recharge.