Well hi there! Sorry I took so long in uploading this chapter. I've had loads going on at the moment with Uni. Ah, gotta love being a second year. Lol!

Anyway, just a quick recap-

In the last chapter, Lyn and the twins were attacked. The twins are badly injured, and Lyn has fainted. Again.

Lyn: why do I always have to faint?

Ratchet: because you're the, what is it you humans call it? Damsel in Distress?

Lyn: (glowers at Ratchet) What did you call me?

Ratchet: Erm… gotta go! (Shoots through the door, Lyn hot on his tail)

Lyn: You get back here!

Corona: (shakes her head) anyway- I don't own Transformers. Only my OCs. Wanna use them? Ask permission, and I'm sure that they'll be happy to work with you.

Warning- a bit of angst making its way into the chapter.

"Speaking"

Thinking

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Lyn didn't know what was going on. She remembered being out in a clearing with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, she remembered the Autobots coming to help them and how the Twins were badly damaged. Lyn opened her eyes, feeling her surroundings rumbling. She was lying on an all too familiar stretcher bed in what looked like a vehicle. She slowly sat up.

"How are you feeling Lyn?" a familiar voice asked. It seemed to be all around her.

"Ratchet? Where are you?" she asked. She heard him chuckle.

"Where do you think?" Lyn smacked her head. Of course, he was the vehicle. There was silence for a moment, only the sound of Ratchet's engine and the rumble of his frame as he drove over a particularly uneven surface.

"You didn't answer my question," the CMO stated after a while.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine. No need to worry about me." She smiled innocently.

"I always worry about you, Lyn." The paramedic froze slightly. She felt the heat inside the vehicle increase slightly and giggled. Perhaps this was his way of blushing?

Ratchet could not for the life of him believe that he had just said that out loud. Not now Ratchet. You have casualties to attend to, he reprimanded himself. The sooner they got back to the base, the better. He felt the female shifting around slightly.

"Everything ok back there?" he asked, performing a scan anyway.

"Yeah. I'm good. It's just weird being in the treating area of an ambulance on my own. I'm used to only being back here with a casualty or a member of my team." Ratchet chuckled.

"Do you want to sit in the front?" he asked

"That's ok. I wouldn't want to get in the way." Ratchet couldn't help but notice the slight resignation in her voice.

"Lyn? Are you well? You're stress levels have increased." Lyn sighed.

"I'm fine, Ratchet. Really. It's just… I'm worried about the Twins." She sighed again.

"What, about those pain-in-the-afts? They'll be fine. They've been through worse than this. It's what comes with being frontline fighters, and reckless slaggers." Lyn smiled.

"You really don't like them, do you?" It was more of a statement than a question. It was Ratchet's turn to sigh.

"It's not that I don't like them. It's just, they get hurt by doing the stupidest of things and one of these days they're…going to do more damage to themselves than I'm going to be able to fix." From Lyn's point of view, Ratchet seemed to sag on wheels.

"You worry about them," she conceded.

"I worry about all of them. But especially those two. I keep hoping that I'll knock some sense into them, but it never works. They're ignorant slaggers, especially Sideswipe. He just loves throwing himself, literally as a matter of fact, into the midst of a battle, no regard for his own safety. His brother at least has a little more sense, even if it is to protect his 'beloved paintjob'." Lyn laughed. Ratchet had never heard her laugh before. He'd heard her giggle, but never actually laugh. In fact, he couldn't help himself laughing. It had been a long time since he'd done that. He smiled to himself. Lyn allowed him to laugh.

The ride back to the base had seemed to be a lot shorter than both medics would have liked. They had been thoroughly enjoying themselves. But now, duty called. It had been two Earth hours since both Lamborghinis had been taken into the med bay. They had been able to drive themselves back, but, once they'd transformed, had collapsed in the doorway. It was then that Lyn realised just how damaged they were. She walked around the base, hoping to find something to do to take her mind off the worry. She hated worrying. She never coped well with worry. So caught up in her thoughts was she that she didn't see the teenagers approach. She jumped when they suddenly appeared beside her.

"Oh, hey guys. You startled me."

"Hi Lyn. You looked lonesome, so we thought…ow! Ok, Mikaela thought we should come keep you company." Sam rubbed his ribs were his girlfriend had nudged him with her elbow.

"Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Oh, and I'll apologise now if I'm not very good company." Mikaela cocked an eyebrow.

"Why, what's up?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Let's just say that I don't deal with worry all that well." Mikaela smiled at Sam.

"You're worried about the twins, aren't you?" she asked.

"I worry about all my casualties, but yeah, I'm worried about the Twins."

"Ah, I wouldn't worry about those idiots." The humans turned around, only to find Ironhide behind them. "Ol' Ratch has pieced them back together before now. They're in the best hands." Lyn smiled slightly as they watched the Weapons Expert lumber away, probably to the still standing training room. Mikaela nudged Sam, a little more gently this time, nodding with her head towards the faraway look in Lyn's eyes. Sam smiled slightly, shaking his head at the same time. He knew that look in his girlfriend's eyes all too well. She had had the same look when she planned a surprise birthday party for his mother. She frowned at him slightly before turning to the paramedic.

"Hey, Lyn? Wanna come and see how the twins are?"

"That's ok. Ratchet won't be allowing anyone in. Believe me, I know what surgeons can be like if they're working on something. They hate interruptions."

"Ah, come on, Lyn. Ratch'll let you in. I mean, you're a medic, too. He'll probably welcome your company." Especially after work she thought to herself with a slight giggle.

"I don't know."

"Ah, c'mon, Lyn. Mikaela's right. It's not like you're a soldier or anything like Ironhide or some of the others. You're a medic, so he'll know that you won't go barging in, putting him off what he's doing." Lyn blushed slightly before finally giving in.

"Alright, alright. Let's go see them." The teenagers smiled to each other.

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All around, the sounds of repairs rang through the base. The Autobots were pretty fast workers; most of the base's more important areas had already been rebuilt. Lyn smiled slightly. The Decepticons certainly were destructive. She sighed. It was still going to take months before they got it all back up and running. And she probably wouldn't be around to see it fully repaired. I have to start back at work again soon, before I lose my job for real.

The journey to the Med bay seemed to take less time than she really would have liked. Lyn was actually surprised to find a couple of the Autobots waiting outside. But, then again, they were Hot Rod and Bluestreak who, as far as she could tell, were great friends with the Twins.

"Hey guys. How're you holding?" Sam asked as they got nearer. Hot Rod shrugged.

"Ah, you know the Twins, Roddy. They're always getting themselves into trouble." Bluestreak stated, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, but never more than they can handle together. Not like this."

"Well, Ratch said that they would come down to Earth with a crash. Get it? Huh? Anyone?"

"That's not funny, Blue," Hot Rod stated, shaking his head at the silver and grey mech. Bluestreak sighed, leaning against the wall opposite the red and orange mech. Lyn looked to the two teenagers and shrugged, walking past the glum Autobots.

"Hey, guys? I'm going in to see if Ratchet wants any help. I'll let you know how they're doing, ok?"

"Yeah, we'd appreciate that, Lynx," Hot Rod smiled. Lyn sighed. Ever since Will had used her nickname in front of the mechs, that's all she had been called. Not that she minded, of course. They'd soon know if she did.

"Oh, Lynx? I'd be careful in there. Ol' Hatchet's not in the best of moods."

"Ok, Bluestreak. I'll bear it in mind." Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all, she thought, looking at the enormous door in front of her. With a sigh, she pushed her way through the opening.

The door wouldn't close properly due to the damage, but it kept the other 'Bots out. In front of her, she could see both Ratchet and Wheeljack working on Sideswipe. Sunstreaker had already been repaired, and now lay on the birth next to his brother, out cold. She tried to speak, but the words seemed to stick in her throat. With the whirring of the laser scalpels to contend with, she wondered if they would hear her anyway. She cleared her throat and tried again.

"Ratch?" The CMO didn't seem to hear her, and neither did the scientist, for that matter. Instead, she decided to bite the metaphorical bullet and made her way over, unaware of the small patch of mech fluid on the floor. Until she stepped on it. With a cry, she slipped backwards, grabbing hold of the first thing she could, which happened to be a cloth on a human-sized table, upon which sat Mikaela's tools. They crashed to the ground with her, startling the scientist and the medic.

"Lyn!" Ratchet yelled, spinning round on the human. Lyn just looked at them, dazed and blushing.

"S-sorry, Ratch. I'll get it tidied up…"

"You should know better than coming in here, putting us off our work!"

"Hey, c'mon Ratch. No real damage done," Wheeljack said, trying to calm the already fuming medic before he did something he would regret.

"I said I was sorry, Ratchet!" Lyn replied; her own voice rising in volume.

"Sorry's not good enough, not when lives are at stake! You should know that, what with your line of work!"

"Ratchet, c'mon now…"

"No, I won't 'C'mon now', Wheeljack! If she comes barging in here when we're working, what is she like at the hospital?"

"Hey! I resent that! And for your information, I did NOT come 'barging in here', as you so lightly put it! I came in here to see if you wanted any help! I came in to see you! But, no, don't worry about me, Chief! I'm ok! I'm not injured, even if I did slip on a spill that YOU failed to NOTICE!" There was a heavy, icy atmosphere in the med bay, one which Wheeljack didn't like. They were nearly finished fixing Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker was already in recharge. If they could keep their heads, they'd have the red Lamborghini fixed up in no time. He decided to keep working on the fallen warrior, but he couldn't help but notice how the two medics were having a heated staring match.

"Just get out." Both Wheeljack and Lyn jumped at the sheer amount of anger and icy coldness in that one suddenly uttered sentence. Wheeljack looked to Lyn, his spark aching for her when he saw the pain in her eyes.

"But, Ratch, I…"

"I said, get OUT!" Without thinking, the CMO picked up a nearby wrench and threw it at the wall above Lyn. She only just jumped out of the way when it crashed to the ground, and fled the room.

"Ratchet! Was that really necessary?" the scientist reprimanded him, hands on hips.

"Just shut up and carry on with the job."

"No, Ratchet! Sideswipe will be fine for the moment. But you need to listen!" Ratchet wasn't, causing his long time friend to do something that was completely out of character. He rounded the berth, grabbing the medic by the shoulders and hit him across the faceplate- hard. Out of shock of the inventor's actions, the medic fell backwards, staring at his long time friend with wide optics.

"Now, you are going to listen to me, Ratchet! You didn't see that poor young lady, but I did! What you have just done is unforgivable!" The anger in Wheeljack's optics was something that the medic was not used to seeing, and if he hadn't been in his own mood, he was sure he would have wilted under that scrutinising stare.

"She needed to be told," the CMO growled, pulling himself up off the floor.

"You threw a slagging wrench at her!" Wheeljack shouted, pointing at the small dent in the wall where the wrench had hit. Ratchet looked at the spot that Lyn had just vacated, spotting the wrench lying only a few inches away. It had been a very close call.

"What would you have done if it had actually made contact with her, hmm? She's not a Cybertronian! You would have done some serious damage! And I mean, serious! You probably already have!" At that, Ratchet froze.

Oh, what have I done? He thought, the energon in his fuel lines turning to ice.

"Wheeljack, finish up here. I'm going to find Lyn." He didn't wait for a reply, barging through the door after the human.

"Primus help you if you don't find her in time," Wheeljack stated, turning back to the mech on the berth.

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Lyn didn't stop to talk to the mechs or the humans outside the Med bay, even when they shouted her name. She just ran. Ran for all she was worth. She knew it had been a bad idea to disturb the medic. But she'd never have thought him capable of such anger. He had scared, no, TERRIFIED her, and when he threw that wrench at her, it took all her energy not to scream! She ran, blindly, out of the base, ran past working Autobots; ran until she came to the foothills. And she still didn't slow her pace. She wasn't thinking. Not clearly, at any rate. She ran as fast as she could, unshed tears burning her eyes. She ran on and on, using her anger, her anguish, her pain, her distress to power herself forward until she was running faster than she ever thought possible. Her body was screaming at her to slow down before she did herself some serious damage, her lungs burning in her chest, her heart pounding as if it was about to explode, but she ignored them. She just ran as fast as she could away from the base. She ran until she could run no more, until she was exhausted. Coming to a stop in the mountainous ridges surrounding the Dam, she did something that she hadn't done in a long, long time. She screamed. She screamed out to the heavens. She felt like a human pressure cooker, filled to the point of exploding. She screamed out all of her anguish, her pain, everything, those unshed tears now falling freely in streams down her face. She hadn't cried properly in years. She screamed for all she was worth, crying for the casualties that she couldn't save, for colleagues who had lost their lives in accidents or while on-call. She screamed for her loved ones, people she had lost, her mother, her father, everyone she loved, people she missed with all her heart. And now Ratchet. She clutched her head, falling to her knees and ploughing her fists into the ground again and again and again. She screamed until her throat was red raw. She cried until she was physically and mentally exhausted. Panting, she collapsed to the ground.

Night was beginning to fall. Nocturnal animals were already beginning to make their presences known. The heat of the day slowly but surely ebbed away. And still, Lyn didn't move. She couldn't. So tired was she that she simply didn't have the energy to move. She shivered, weakly pulling her knees up to her chest and folding her arms around them, trying to find some heat on the cold hard rock. Her tears still fell, but she was simply too exhausted to wipe them away. Her throat was burning, the sides of her hands were raw and grazed. Her knuckles were bleeding where the skin had scraped against the ground, but she was too exhausted to care. Her eyelids were growing heavy, and as much as she tried to fight it, Lyn knew that her body was shutting down, crying out for sleep. And all that went round in her mind was the look, not only on Ratchet's faceplates, but also in his optics. There was just so much anger and his optics were so icy cold, that it made her shiver. He hated her. He must have done by now. No one was looking for her. She couldn't hear anything over the cold wind, and the distant rumble of thunder as a storm threatened to set in. She pulled the jacket she'd borrowed off Mikaela around her now freezing body. If only she hadn't disturbed him. If only she'd listened to herself. But now, here she was, in the cold windy mountains surrounding the concealed Autobot base, completely alone and completely lost. Slowly but surely, she lost the fight to stay awake, finally allowing sleep to overcome her. And before darkness consumed her, she simply prayed that she would be able to last the night.

So, what did y'all think? Sorry for the really angsty bit at the end. The plot bunnies bit me and they wouldn't go away.

So, what will happen to Lyn now? Will she make it through the night? Will Ratchet find her in time? And will she ever forgive him? Find out in the next chapter.