Well, here's the next chapter! Sorry I took so long to post it. Been busy finishing second year of Uni. All done now! (Happy cheer!) Which means I can concentrate a little more on this story.

Also, I'm not including Cliffjumper apologising to the Twins in this story. I'll probably write a one shot for that. Just so y'all don't get to angry at me for not including it.

Anyway, without any further a due- here's chapter 18!

Disclaimer- I no own! Why you always asking me?

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The med bay was not as busy as what Lyn imagined it would be. The Twins were there, of course, chattering loudly about how the 'fun' they had had beating into the two 'Cons. Ironhide was looking quite content in himself, leaning casually against one of the berths while Wheeljack cleaned what looked like energon off one of the Weapons expert's mighty cannons. But there was something, or someone, missing. She looked towards Cliffjumper, who was eyeing the Twins warily. It was going to take a lot of courage for the red warrior to bat down his pride and apologise to the main subjects of his verbal lashings. Winking at him, she smiled and walked over to the engineer.

"Jack? Where's Ratchet?" she asked. The Lancia looked up from his work, looking pointedly at a door on the far side of the med bay.

"He said he was working on something and he didn't want to be disturbed, although I personally believe that he's just moping around." Lyn fought hard to fight the smile.

"He'll see me, I know he will." She winked at the engineer, whose head fins flushed a magenta colour. With one last glance over at the twins and Cliffjumper (Sunstreaker seemed to be burning the red Ferrari's optics out) she sauntered over to the door the engineer had directed her to. With a heavy sigh, she pushed the additional, human sized door open.

The room was well lit, as was the rest of the base, and quite large. Lyn wondered how she'd never noticed it before. The sound of a wrench turning brought her attention to a bench nearer the end wall. Ratchet was working on something, and from the look on his faceplate he had been working on it for a while. Remembering their last encounter when the CMO had been busy, Lyn was cautious as she made her way over.

"Ratch?" The H2 Hummer visibly stiffened and then relaxed when he saw the paramedic approach.

"Oh, hello Lyn. I guess Wheeljack told you I was in here?" She nodded. "Thought as much."

"He said that you were working on something, I'll come back later if you're busy." She turned to leave, only to be pulled back by a pair of strong arms.

"I don't want you to go." Lyn felt the blood rush to her face at the huskiness of the medic's voice. Turning in his arms, she threw her arms around the neck of his holoform. He brushed a stray hair from her cheek. She felt herself melt into his touch. He rested his forehead against hers.

"I was worried about you. After that attack earlier on, I knew that I would be no good to you with the damage I had received. If we had been attacked again, I…I wouldn't have been able to fend them off, and that scared me. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you now." The pure emotion and truth that shone through his eyes was enough to draw tears from hers.

"Oh, Ratch." She pressed herself further into him, as he tightened his embrace. They stood like that for five minutes, neither of them wanting to break the moment. However, a question plagued Lyn's mind. Pulling her head from Ratchet's chest, she looked up at him.

"Ratch?" He looked down at her questioningly. "If you don't mind me asking, what were you working on?" The mech sighed, his holoform disappearing. Reaching his hand down to her, he lifted her onto the table. The sight was not something she was completely prepared for.

"Let's just say it's an old friend of ours."

"Who…? How did this happen?" Lyn walked along beside the silver mech. Fresh weld marks signalled that he (she supposed the 'Bot was a mech) had recently been reunited with his legs. Ratchet seemed forlorn, making the paramedic almost wish she had never brought it up.

"I don't know if you know anything about the battle in Mission City, but it was there that it happened."

"Yeah, I saw a little of what happened. I was called out with the others to get the wounded from the area." Ratchet nodded in understanding.

"Well, we were fighting the Decepticons, when their leader showed up. Megatron." He looked at Lyn when she frowned in confusion. "Lyn?"

"I think…I think I saw him. I think I heard Optimus say his name."

"Are you sure?" The medic cocked an optic ridge.

"Yeah. I remember hearing Prime say his name and I looked up at the building he was standing on. I have to say, I wouldn't like to meet him on a dark night." Ratchet chuckled.

"Not many would. Who else did you see?" The CMO was intrigued now.

"Only him, I think. Well, I may have caught a glimpse of one or two of the others, but I mainly saw him." She shivered as she remembered that growled voice. "I saw him throw something. Come to think of it, it looked like…no. no way! It wasn't…" She looked pointedly to the silver mech lying on the table. Ratchet's silence was all the answer she needed. "That's awful!"

"I know. I managed to get him back together, but there's still a lot of work to do. And I've yet to figure out how to bring him back." Lyn looked up at the medic, determination burning in her eyes.

"I want to help you." If he was honest with himself, Ratchet was taken aback by the paramedic's request.

"I don't know, Lyn. No offence but, I don't think you can help. There are a lot of parts that you won't have come across before." Not that it stopped her looking at the diagnostics. A frown fell over her face.

"Lyn, I..."

"I don't believe it." Ratchet sighed. It was like talking to a brick wall, talking to females.

"I told you…"

"I don't believe how close to the human anatomy it is!" The medic was shocked into silence. "This main fuel line travelling from that (is it a pump of some sort?) and down the full length of his body looks like the human aorta. In fact all the fuel lines look like human blood vessels!" Her expression changed to one of determination. "I want to help, Ratch. Please, let me help?" Ratchet thought it through. She seemed to know more about this than he thought, even if it was only a small amount. Maybe she could help him? At least with the jobs that he couldn't reach. Seeing as he couldn't work on the fallen lieutenant in his holoform. He finally relented.

"Alright, Lynx, I'll let you help. On one condition."

"What's that?"

"If it gets too much for you, you stop. No arguments." Lyn smiled a little, before throwing the CMO a mock salute.

"Yes sir! Don't worry Ratch; you'll be the first to know." Ratchet nodded and smiled, checking his internal chronometer.

"By Primus, it's late. C'mon, we can start working on him tomorrow after you've finished. If you feel up to it, of course." Lyn nodded, stretching and allowing herself to be picked up.

The med bay was quiet when they left the room. Clearly Wheeljack had managed to kick the unruly lot (the Twins and Ironhide) out, and the rest had followed. Said mech was now wiping down the berths. Lyn broke the silence.

"Jack?" Startled, the engineer dropped the cleaning rag, clutching his chest above his spark.

"Slag it, you scared me. I didn't even hear you two come out." Regaining control, he leaned against the berth he was cleaning.

"You were too consumed in your work. I've never seen you this determined to get an area cleaned. What's wrong?" Ratchet teased. Wheeljack shook his head.

"I'm a little worried about Cliffjumper."

"Why?" The medic raised an optic ridge. Lyn stifled a knowing giggle.

"Well, something must be wrong with him. He, he actually apologised to the Twins." If this had been a cartoon, Lyn was sure she would have seen Ratchet's jaw hit the floor.

"You cannot be serious."

"He is, Ratch. And don't worry, 'Jack, I had a word with him about it. Seems I managed to talk him round to it." The two mechs looked at each other. Inside, Ratchet's pride was swelling. This paramedic, no, HIS paramedic had managed to do the impossible. Was there anything that she couldn't do? Shaking his head, he smiled at her. She smiled back at him. A sheepish cough brought them round.

"Not while there are others in the room, please?" he asked, though the grin was evident in his voice. Ratchet glowered at him playfully.

"Ok, ok, I get the hint. I'll leave you two to it. I've finished in here anyway. Got some tinkering to do in my lab."

"Just don't blow half the base up this time. Or yourself. I'm not picking up every part of your arm like I did last time." Wheeljack shrugged.

"Can't make any promises, I'm afraid. You know what science is like."

"I know what you're like, never mind the science." The engineer chuckled.

"Alright, alright, I'll try, but like I said, I'm not making promises. G'night, guys."

"Night, 'Jack." With that he left. Ratchet turned his attention back to the human.

"So, you made Cliffjumper apologise, hmm?"

"Well, I wouldn't say I made him par se." The CMO chuckled and shook his head.

"Do you know how long we've all tried to find out what the problem was between those two? A very long time. And you go and do it in a couple of weeks. You astound me, you really do. Its official, you are a femme after my own spark." Lyn blushed.

"I just hope it went well." And then she went silent. Ratchet looked down to the medic in his hand. He didn't have to perform a scan to know something was bothering her.

"Lyn? Is everything alright?" She sighed.

"Not really, Ratch. I'm a little worried about my team."

"Shannon and Jack? Why? They weren't harmed were they?"

"Oh, no, it's not that. It's just…" she sighed again. Ratchet frowned. Something must be very wrong if she was this uneasy.

"It's just…?" he urged. Lyn looked up to her giant robotic lover.

"They have more or less told me that, in no uncertain terms, if I don't tell them what's going on, they won't trust me. I'm a little lost at the moment. I don't want to tell them about all of you for the sake secrecy. I mean, after all, it's not like you travel in disguise for no reason. But I really don't want to lose their friendship. And, in any case, a team like ours cannot function if there's no trust between us. I really don't know what to do." She looked back down at his palm, letting the motion of his walking soothe her. He hummed, weighing their options.

"I think your best bet is to talk to Optimus about this. He is the leader, after all. Only he can decide whether or not they should know." Lyn nodded. It made sense.

"Alright. I'll see Optimus tomorrow morning. I'm not on shift until the afternoon, anyway." Entering his quarters, Lyn found herself hoping that Prime would allow her to tell her teammates and best friends the biggest secret she had ever kept from them in the entire time she had known them.

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Phew! That took a while. Sorry, guys. I was suffering a little writer's block. I couldn't get this to go forward. Hope you enjoyed it.

Next chapter- will Optimus allow her teammates into their lives? Also, Lyn and Ratchet begin working on a certain fallen comrade.