I hope everyone liked the last chapter. I know I start every chapter with this remark but it helps when my readers tell me what they like and don't like as long as they don't do any flames on it. It is not always easy to post what someone writes and I do appreciate the reviews.

The last chapter surprised me a little. I was hit by inspiration and I hope everyone likes the outcome. I have never written anything that may twist and turn so I hope that I do okay with the outcome of the fiction.

Please take a moment to review. I really love them and I read them over and over. I also start sending personal updates for anyone interested in my stories. Enjoy!

Earlier before the explosion….

"Waverly, you are going to need to relax if you want this test to turn out correctly." Doc said. She had taken over most of Waverly's checkups since Ratchet wasn't comfortable doing them. He was Cliffjumper's medic and he noticed that Waverly instantly tensed whenever he was near. It angered him that she didn't seem to trust anyone other than Doc and a handful of femmes that tried to stay near. Ratchet felt that if he could get Cliffjumper alone he would twist his helm off for being so insensitive to Waverly but it would not do any good since Cliffjumper only saw his point of view. The femme was in obvious distress over her situation and Doc was worried about the sparkling that she was carrying. Already the spark pulse was erratic and unstable at times. Ratchet was very concerned and he would talk to Doc about approaching Optimus about intervening for the couple.

"Waverly, I want you to stay overnight if you don't mind. We will run this test again in an hour." Doc said. She stood up and walked over to Ratchet.

"Doc, is everything alright?" Waverly asked. She looked expectantly at Doc and Doc turned back with Ratchet following her.

"Waverly, the sparkling seems fine but I am very concerned about your energon intake, the stress that your body is under, and the pressure and spark palpitations. Your spark is showing signs of severe stress." Doc told her and Waverly Winced at her tone. "You need to relax and I want to observe you overnight. If you are better in the morning then I will release you on the condition that you check in with me daily until you come due."

"But Doc…" Waverly started to protest.

"No buts, you are not healthy for the condition that you are in and I am very concerned that you won't make it through labor and delivery." Doc all but yelled. She calmed a bit. "Waverly, do you need help?" Doc asked her softly. Doc immediately observed the defensive gestures in Waverly's body, and the mutinous look she gave her.

"I am fine." Waverly countered defensively.

"No you are not. You may be able to fool everyone else but I am your doctor and I know better." Doc said softly but firmly. Ratchet came up beside Doc as they both looked at the scared femme. "Is he hurting you Waverly?" Doc persisted. Waverly squirmed a bit.

"No, we hardly interact at all." She said quietly with her eyes down cast and he fingers playing with the hem of her shirt. It was a nervous gesture and one that Doc immediately picked up on.

"Waverly, you need the interaction. It is both good for you and the sparkling." Doc said as she sat down next to the femme. "It is why it is better to have sparklings within a bond."

"But I don't' want to be with him anymore. He won't let me do anything, go anywhere, or see my friends. I thought I could do this but Cliffjumper is always there and I don't get any alone time. I had to lie to him just to come to you today." Waverly cried softly and Doc reached out and took her in her arms as the little femme dried against her shoulder. Doc had known that this couple would not have an easy time but now Doc was alarmed at Waverly's distress.

"Waverly you will stay here tonight. Ratchet," Doc turned toward her mate. "I want you to run interference. Cliffjumper will not come in here and order me around and that's final.

Yes, my love, I understand." Ratchet smirked at his mate as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Waverly, I have to tell Prime about this." Doc said gently.

"No, I don't want anyone to know." Waverly became agitated and Doc held her hands to her.

"Waverly, you and Cliffjumper are bonded. It can't be broken once it takes even if it is a weak one. You need counseling and both of you need help." Doc told her. "You have a sparkling coming and it will sense the discord between you."

"I know and we have discussed counseling but it is so embarrassing that I don't know if I can talk about it." Waverly said as she sniffed and tried to get control of herself.

"Embarrassing or not, you need help, both of you do because this is affecting your health." Doc said. "You will stay here tonight and I will continue to monitor your spark and the sparkling's pulses rate. The outcome of tonight will determine whether I place you in high risk or not."

"What happens if I am high risk?" Waverly asked in a dead voice which scared Doc.

"You will be monitored around the clock and I will have Cliffjumper bringing you in the infirmary two to three times a day to have your spark tested along with the sparkling's." Doc informed her.

"Waverly, a lot of this can be overcome but you have to keep a positive outlook." Ratchet said quietly. "You also have to let Cliffjumper help you."

"No! He rules over me enough and I want out!" Waverly cried as fresh tears started to fall from her eyes.

Ratchet had had enough and Doc could feel it. "Waverly, you can't get out of the bond and I am sorry but you are not going to blame your problems on Optimus or Megatron. I was there when you chose to bond and I will remind you that you did have a choice."

"I know but I didn't think he would be so controlling." She cried.

"Then stand up to the slagging jerk!" Ratchet roared and Waverly jumped.

"Ratchet, stop it. It won't solve their problems." Doc admonished.

"Yes it will! I know Cliffjumper. I have been with him for several vorns and I am telling you that if you stand up to him instead of being this sniveling mess he will listen to you. He smothers you because you are acting like a clingy femme and he doesn't know how to take it so he over compensates. Just tell him what you are feeling and demand that he listen. He will. Why do you think he respects Ironhide? It's not because he can't make his mind up!" Ratchet expelled air from his vents as he looked at the mess in front of him. "If that doesn't work just come and tell me and I will put him in his place but you will still have to deal with him sooner or later and running doesn't solve your problems and ignoring your bond is only hurting your health and your sparkling." Ratchet huffed at her again and then turned to go back to the office.

"Well you heard the mech. Go tell your mate off and then take care of your bond." Doc said. "Just make sure that you remember that you are staying the night in the infirmary or I will hunt you down and you will regret it when I find you!"

Waverly looked at where Ratchet had stood while she mulled over his words. She then looked at Doc and Doc was happy to see fire in her eyes instead of the dead look that had been there for the last few weeks.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ironhide, I don't know what to do anymore. She won't let me touch her and I can feel the tension in what little there is of our bond." Cliffjumper said achingly. Ironhide felt for the minibot but he had seen how controlling Cliffjumper had been at the beach and didn't know how to give advice.

"She asked to be let out of the bond." Cliffjumper said quietly.

"There is no way to get out of a bond." Ironhide countered.

"I know but I don't have the spark to tell her that." Cliffjumper looked at the weapon in his hand. He and Ironhide had been on the range practicing with Barricade until they had gone through the entire course. Now he and Ironhide were the only ones left and he needed to talk to someone who had been bonded for a long time.

"Cliff, you need to let her breathe." Ironhide said hesitantly. He wanted to help the mech but he wasn't sure how Cliffjumper would take it.

"I let her breathe." Cliffjumper insisted.

"No, you don't. You are constantly pampering her…"

"She's carrying my sparkling. I need to be there for her." Cliffjumper interrupted insisting on defending his actions. Ironhide growled softly and tried again.

"Cliff let me talk and don't interrupt." Ironhide sat down on the cargo crates that they had stacked as a barrier between the target range and the tarmac. "You are a wonderful mate, don't get me wrong, but sometimes femmes need to be with other femmes. Waverly is a sociable type of femme. She has many friends and she needs them to thrive. Mia doesn't even come around anymore because she says you are always in their way with trying to make sure that Waverly drinks her energon and gets her rest. You need to give her space. There is an old earth saying that I have always liked. 'If you love something, set it free. If it comes back then it will belong to you, but if it doesn't it was never yours to begin.'" Ironhide looked pointedly at Cliffjumper. "If you love her you have to trust her to come to you. You can't stand over her like you did on the beach; it is not healthy for either of you. You need to loosen up. Let her take the lead even if she is carrying and needs protecting. Let her show you her world; don't force her to stand in yours." Ironhide hoped that his words would seep into that stubborn CPU that Cliffjumper possessed. If not then only Primus would be able to get through to the steel sparked mech.

Cliffjumper looked at Ironhide thoughtfully. Nothing had worked and he was desperate but could he let her go? Would he be willing to let her lead once in a while or would he be slagged to stay in a hurtful and painful bond? His way had yielded nothing but pain and depression for Waverly but he didn't know how to go about loving her. He had taken his previous bond for granted and lost everything.

"Should I go to Prime and ask him to help me?" Cliffjumper wondered aloud.

"It wouldn't hurt. Mia and I had been apart for a long time and she was extremely nervous about rebonding. We went to Allie and Prime and it help us until Mia was comfortable. Cliff, you have to remember that the oracle has transformed them into something else entirely. They are still Cybertronian but they have also evolved into something that gives them a different sort of ability. They may have lost the transformation of a vehicle mode but they have gained a sort of biologic part that allows them into the inner most circles that we have always been denied. I guess that I am saying this wrong, I have never been a mech of great intelligence, but being with Mia I do see a certain advantage that their looks give them."

"I have never thought of it like that. You are saying that these femmes have evolved into something more than just metal and protoform. I see that but how does that correlate with us being bonded?" Cliffjumper put his weapon down as he saw Waverly in the distance. She was looking more animated and excited and he wondered what was going on. Did she have a bad checkup? He knew that she had been going to see Doc but she cried when he suggested that he come. Cliffjumper had decided to drop her off instead so that she could talk to Doc without him even though it bugged him not knowing what she would tell the medic.

"You have to let her be her. She has been here for a long time and all she has ever had was her friends. Don't deny her what she knows and loves and she will share it with you." Ironhide told him softly as he saw Waverly walk around to stand in front of them.

"Cliffjumper, would you escort me to our quarters please?" She asked softly but firmly which was different from the previous weeks and Cliffjumper again wondered what was in store for him.

"Go ahead Cliffjumper, I will clean up here." Ironhide said as he turned back to clean and store the weapons.

"Waverly, I trust that you had a good checkup?" Cliffjumper asked.

"Not really and I have to return to the infirmary soon but Doc wanted me to talk to you first. Let's do that in our quarters please." She said firmly.

Cliffjumper started to say something about her tone but kept quiet as he remembered Ironhide's advice. He slowly crossed over the range's threshold to her side. She let him take her elbow and turn her and they walked back across the tarmac. Cliffjumper noticed the funny looks they were receiving but still he kept quiet. Even Waverly looked at him strangely as if she sensed the change in him. She could also feel their bond calling to her and it pained her to be so close when they had not been intimate. It gave her mixed feelings, feelings of hurt and rage, and yet if she was honest with herself she could also still feel the desire and the yearning to be loved by him.

"Did Ironhide say something to you?" She asked when they entered the hallways that would lead to their quarters.

"No, I took your advice and talked to him. Waverly, we can't run from this bond." He said it quietly so that no one would over hear and spread unnecessary gossip.

"I know. Doc talked to me as well." She said back to him. They walked on before Cliffjumper stopped to give the code to open the door to their quarters. He allowed her to enter first and then followed as she walked to the center of the living area before turning to face him.

"Doc said the spark beat of the sparkling was not steady." She informed him and Cliffjumper felt his spark sink to his tank.

"What's wrong with it?" He demanded and Waverly instantly tensed from his tone. She turned away from him and Cliffjumper's shoulders slumped downward. Once again he had hurt her without even trying. "Waverly, I'm sorry. I really am trying to reign in my temper for you."

"I thank you for trying." She said as she turned back. "Doc wants me to stay in the infirmary tonight for observation." Waverly looked down as Cliffjumper slowly approached her.

"What do you want from me?" Cliffjumper said as he stood in front of her tilted her head up from his fingers on her chin. Her eyes swam with tears and Cliffjumper spark ached to hold her but Ironhide warned him to let her come to him.

"I don't know. I am so scared of losing the sparkling Jumper." She whispered as the tears slid down her face and Cliffjumper pulled her slowly to him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Waverly, I do love you." He whispered into her ear as she trembled as she cried out softly in reaction to his words. "I just don't know how to love you."

"Just hold me. Let me feel your spark against mine." She whispered back as her arms slowly circled him. They stood there for the longest time before Cliffjumper picked her up and carried her to their berth. For the first time since that first moment that they had been attracted to each other they just held each other and talked about all the little things that crossed their CPU's until Waverly slipped into recharge against him.