I was very pleased with the comments and thank you so much. I really love them. I am glad that everyone likes how I am writing Mirage. He was one of my favorite mechs from the G1 series. I also laughed when I read the comments about the abrupt change in Allie. I will put in some Allie/Optimus loving. I promise.

Please take a moment to leave a review because I love to read them. Enjoy!

Everything seemed so fuzzy and her spark ached with intense longing for something that she couldn't put into words or reason. Raven slowly turned her head as her face turned into a harsh grimace while trying to curb the vile taste in her mouth as she slowly opened her eyes after such a long sleep. The light hurt and Raven quickly shut them turning her head away from the pain and she groaned but it did not sound like her.

Raven tried again to open her eyes and this time a shadow fell over her form as she lay on the medical berth. She slowly looked up to see Doc smiling down at her and Ratchet hovering close by.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Ratchet said dryly and Raven started to shake uncontrollably. Doc immediately took her vitals and injected a serum into her systems to calm her but Raven cried out as Ratchet held her down to keep her from hurting herself. Mirage quickly came over to Raven's other side and gently but firmly held her to the berth by her shoulder as Ratchet held the other until the serum took effect and Raven calmed though her systems still were venting at maximum capacity.

Raven took in great gulps of air though she could feel a numbing sensation flood her body. She looked over to see Allie and Optimus standing clear of the medics as Doc rechecked her vitals and Ratchet scanned her systems for any damage. A tear escaped her left eye as she suddenly looked up into the blue face plates of the mech above her. Mirage still had not let go of her as he watched the pain and suffering wash over her face. He tenderly touched her cheek but Raven turned her head away. She still feared any touch the pain and torture still too fresh from her nightmares and Mirage ached in sympathy to her fears.

"It's okay…" he said to her softly. He switched to Cybertronian, the language that his carrier used to use to settle him after a bad flux or emotionally disturbing day dealing with other tower's mechs. Raven looked at him fearfully but her shivering stopped. Mirage could see a calm come over her as she listened to the beautiful sounds of his voice soothing away her fears. Allie watched closely and concluded that she had made the right choice in trusting the proper mech with the smooth rich voice. "We are not going to let anything happen to you. Ratchet and Doc are here to take care of you and Allie and Optimus are standing near."

"Why…why am I here?" Raven whispered the question her throat burning from lack of fluid.

"You have been in stasis for a week." Doc gently said as she nudged Mirage back and took over as she checked Raven' eyes and then tenderly massaged the feeling back into her arms. "I will have Mirage work you over so that you regain the feeling. I apologize for the sedative but I didn't want you to hurt yourself."

"Why was I placed in stasis?" Raven whispered the question though she looked over Doc's shoulder to watch Mirage. The mech watched her back as Doc hit the switch for the berth to shift Raven so she was sitting up. Allie walked forward and smiled at her.

"It is good to have you back." She didn't answer Raven's question and the femme frown at her.

"Why was I placed in stasis?" Raven asked again and Allie looked at Doc who looked at Ratchet who looked uncomfortable.

"You were placed in stasis so that we could bring justice to Shockwave." It was Optimus who answered her question and Raven looked over as he quietly approached. For a large mech Optimus could use stealth when he chose to. "We did not want you to feel undue pain because of his actions and I assure you that he will never harm you again."

"But he is my bond mate and I can't go against his wishes." Raven hoarsely told them. She became agitated with Optimus' revelation and Allie quickly held her to keep her from pulling out the I.V. and other instruments used to monitor Raven's vitals.

"Allie, where is he?" She asked her pleadingly.

"He has been placed in permanent stasis and his shell destroyed so that there is no chance of his spark being placed back into his body. It was the only way to protect you and I am so sorry if it upsets you." Allie told her as she hugged the femme close to her.

"But he was my bond mate." Raven said brokenly still in shock and not acknowledging that Shockwave had brutalized her.

"Ratchet, what is happening?" Megatron asked quietly as he watched the exchange between the two femmes.

"It seems that she may be blocking out the attack. It can sometimes happen to victims. You have to remember that she is also suffering from spark ache and that may be having an effect on her." Ratchet replied quietly so that the femmes could not hear their conversation.

"She admitted to the attack and Shockwave verified it when I talked to him. You have evidence from repairing her!" Megatron snarled softly.

"I know but she has been in stasis for a week and with the repairs it will feel more like a flux whether good or bad to her. The good sign is that she does not seem to want to kill herself but it is still early yet and I am not sure whether it is good that she has ignored the fact that Shockwave is in stasis."

"You seem to think that she is in denial?" Megatron asked. He looked over to the femme sitting up talking to Allie and caught Allie's sudden glance at him and Optimus. She looked worried but then she turned and hugged Raven again whispering something to her before getting up and walking towards him.

"She's not in denial but she is trying to fit everything into place so that she can move on. Does she know about the sparkling?" Allie directed to Ratchet since Doc had taken over at Raven's side.

"No, we were waiting to tell her today." Ratchet stated in a low tone so as not to be heard.

"She needs to know now and why Mirage is here. Megatron, let's collect Optimus and wait outside. I think that Mirage needs to be here though she may panic but I think his Cybertronian lullaby helped her when she first woke up and I also think that he will be good for her." Allie informed them as she shooed them to the door.

"Allie, she is comfortable with you too." Optimus said as he looked over his shoulder at his mate.

"Yes, but this needs to be between her and Doc. Even Ratchet is retreating to the office." Allie murmured as she pushed them out the door and made sure that it was shut and locked so that no one would interrupt.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hound walked up the sidewalk toward the school that Cassie had directed him to. It was a small school in the outskirts of the city not far from the Hall so he wouldn't have to relocate and Cassie assured him that he would see her and Frenzy since Frenzy was their computer expert as well as interning so that he could teach. Hound, amazed that Frenzy could tolerate sparklings and younglings, still had not completely adjusted to the fact that cons liked to teach. He turned left toward the administrative office and entrance to the main academic building to see Cassie standing there waiting for him.

"Hey, you are early so I have time to show you around the school." She informed him smiling. "Let's go and get you signed in so that we may start." She turned and Hound followed her inside through the small waiting area and into the office. "We keep our office small and our admin overhead tight so that all monies go into the students. We also keep security tight. Parents have to have an appointment of they are not allowed into the classrooms."

"Why?" Hound asked curious.

"We have incurred problems in the past that have put students in danger so now we only have adults that have strict permission to go into the classrooms. I would not have asked you to take this position if you were not trusted." Cassie walked him past the office into a long hallway with doors on each side. Hound counted six doors in all. "These six classrooms and hallway is the elementary wing. One class is a pre-class for sparklings that show great aptitude and advancement." Cassie walked down the corridor and then came to a set of stairs that were split. She smiled at Hound as she started down and he followed. When they came to the split Hound found that there was a single classroom in the middle of the landing as he came around to the second set of stairs. "This is the computer lab and as you can see Frenzy is already at work." Hound looked in and saw Frenzy flourishing at a terminal as a youngling looked over his shoulder.

"Hound if you will come this way you will see our second lower wing that has six classrooms. Two are science labs with tables and fully equipped supplies for analyzing and dissecting. Two classrooms are devoted to history and social economics and the last two on the end are devoted to languages and religion." Cassie informed him. "If you choose to take the job then you will share a classroom with our other local scientist and teacher, Perceptor."

"Perceptor? I knew he taught but he is here?" Hound asked her.

"Yes he is. He suggested you for the younger classes which meet two days a week. They days that you will teach will start with all the students coming together in the temple which I will show you later. We have temple two days a week where we come together with praise and worship of Primus. I hope that you don't have a problem because you will have a class that you will be in charge of even though you are not teaching religion." Cassie stated.

"That will be no problem. My creators made me go to temple even though we were not part of the main group that was allowed into the inner area of the temple in Iacon." Hound told her and Cassie smiled.

"We don't have a caste system here. Everyone is welcome to temple. It is one of the lessons learned well from the war." Cassie stated softly. "We also have incorporated music into our worship. That may seem strange since the priests did not allow it on Cybertron but it works well with the younglings. It is something we have picked up from the humans. We even have a femme that teaches music. She teaches on the same days that you will be here if you choose to take the job."

"I am very interested and please it is an honor to be considered but why me?" Hound was baffled that Cassie would ask him to teach. He had no experience as a teacher and he had never once thought of it as a profession.

"I asked you because the war is over and Perceptor said you would make an excellent Botany and Physical Science teacher. He says your understanding of nature would be just what the younglings need in a teacher. Perceptor enjoys biology and micro engineering that he teaches but he teaches all the honor sciences as well as two advanced calculus classes. You will teach on his math days so that neither of you will be in each other's way. The science lab if fully equipped and we have a nature trail with a spring fed creek that can be used to take samples from. There are also tanks and habitats in storage if you would like for students to create or replicate a habitat to study and there are plenty of microscopes so that each student will not have to wait for long periods for a turn. Our school is small but parents and creators have invested time and money into it so that the students are able to compete in the real world when they are ready to choose to." Cassie said smiling softly. Hound could tell that she was proud of the work they had accomplished and Hound decided that he wanted the job.

"I have not had a chance to talk to Optimus but I want the job." Hound said. "I do warn you that I have never done this before."

"That's okay. We will start you as an apprentice and bring you in after the fall break. It will give you time to learn about lesson plans, and curriculums; as well as teaching you basic classroom management." Cassie told him with a smile. "I am acting as principal until we find a replacement and Soundwave likes that I have an office where he can find me so you may also see a lot of us while you are here. Soundwave wants me to step down and be just a principal because he wants another sparkling but I am keeping him on his peds by being mysterious about my intentions."

"I find that hilarious since your sparklings and younglings are always in the middle of the social activities." Hound dryly stated and Cassie laughed.

"Yes they are a handful but they are well loved and Soundwave and I try hard to bring stability since everyone is adjusting to peace." Cassie laughed again and held her hand out to Hound. "I know that Optimus will approve this since he suggested I come to you. Welcome to our school."

Hound shook her hand smiling widely. This would be the first adventure since he enlisted with the Autobots that he had taken on his own.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o 0

"Raven sweetie, we need to talk to you." Doc said quietly. Ratchet had gone to his office but then felt Doc's panic and came back out to support her as she told the femme the news about the sparkling.

"What is it? Is there something wrong?" Raven asked starting to panic. Mirage was standing against the wall trying not to be in the way but he could feel her agitation from where he stood.

"No, you're sparked." Doc said. There was no way except to just say it. Raven looked at her in shock and then glanced at Ratchet to confirm what Doc said.

"It's true." Ratchet gruffly stated. He couldn't look her in the eyes.

"What does this mean? How am I going to care for it when…?" Raven couldn't finish her sentence as the tears took over. Mirage growled possessively as he reached her side and gathered her up. "No, you are not my mate." Raven struggled against him but he would not let her go. "Please let me go."

"No, you are too distraught and I am afraid you will harm yourself or upset the sparkling." Mirage told her as he softly hummed in her ear to keep her calm.

"You are not my mate. I don't even know you." She cried into his chest plates as he hands pushed against him but Mirage would not let her go. He kept soothing her with his soft lullabies until she stopped struggling. Ratchet and Doc waited patiently as they watched Mirage do his magic on the femme. After a while Ratchet walked to the double doors and unlocked the medbay so that Allie and the others could come in.

"Why are you here?" Raven finally asked Mirage as he slowly loosened his grip so that she could look up at his face.

"I was asked to stand in as a donor for your sparkling." He said quietly. "I hope that you will accept me in place of your bond mate." Mirage looked at her with tenderness and Raven softly cried as she hesitantly touched the plates of his face. He could see the fear and hesitation and knew that she was remembering what Shockwave had done to her but he also knew that he would not let her go. He wanted her with every circuit of his being. Just holding her made the energon run faster through his systems. His spark pulsed fiercely with her nearness and Mirage was determined to make this work.

"You are not him!" She whispered fearfully and once again tried to get out of his hold.

"Mirage, you can let her go." Ratchet stated as he heard the door open and the others coming back in. Mirage looked at Ratchet but he did not let Raven go. Allie took one look and knew that Mirage was deeply committed even if he had many hurdles to overcome with Raven.

"It's okay Ratchet. He is just being over protective." Allie stated as she took in Raven's defensive posture and Mirage's protective one.

"Allie, please tell him to let me go." Raven whimpered as she tried to push out of his arms. Allie walked closer and caressed Raven's head.

"Sweetie, he is here to protect you." Allie said to her softly where only Mirage and Raven could hear.

"You have asked him to be my donor mech." Raven accused Allie the hurt clearly evident in her face.

"So Doc told you about the sparkling. Do you want it?" Allie asked her. "Doc will not abort it. She doesn't believe in it but I know that when a femme doesn't want to carry one she can still cause it to die." Allie steely held Raven's gaze as she waited for her answer.

"I am upset that it has happened but I could never willingly want to lose it." Raven shakily told her.

"Then Mirage has been appointed to be the adopted sire since Shockwave is incapacitated…" Allie started to finish but Raven cut her off.

"I was never asked about how I felt about Shockwave!" She fiercely cried. "I know that he hurt me but the bond still took. I should have been asked about his punishment since I was the one he violated."

"Enough! I will not tolerate you disrespecting Allie!" Megatron commanded and everyone froze as he came forward to reprimand the femme. "You are still under my authority. Allie has not returned to her duties and I will not have you talk to her in that tone. It was my choice that my most loyal officer be placed in permanent stasis and it is my choice that Mirage be the donor and your protector." Megatron glared fiercely at the femme and she trembled back as she looked up at him in shame and fear. "You have a serious issue with those around you wanting to help. This is not a choice! You are carrying a sparkling and with so little of our race left you will care for that sparkling and do what the medics tell you to do." Megatron turned in disgust and strode out. No one said anything else as they stared at the closing door.

Ratchet cleared the chords that contained his vocals and slowly everyone shook themselves from their stupor. "Well the Lord High Protector has spoken and I am in complete agreement with him." Ratchet stated as he looked expectantly at the femme. "Are you going to give us trouble?"

"No, I will agree to whatever you recommend." Raven whispered quietly.

"Good. We need to cover some ground rules on how this is going to work." Ratchet stated and he pushed the stool toward Doc as she sat down. "One, are we doing this with needles?" Ratchet saw the panicked look on her face and quickly said, "If you don't like needles then we can do this the old fashioned way but I am trusting you to give Mirage a chance. That means you will stay with Mirage so that he can bond with the sparkling as well as you allowing him to interface with you so that your sparkling can receive the nutrients and the CNA for its coding." Ratchet glared at her and Raven trembled in Mirage's arms. "Two, you will do exactly what I, Doc, or Knockout says. I will not have you jeopardizing that sparkling's life; and three, if you try to lie to me I will know."

"I am not going to lie to you." Raven cried as she looked at Allie and then at Doc. Mirage hummed in her ear and she looked at him suddenly trembling as she took in the blue paint of his armor and the white hues. He was a very attractive mech and Raven shivered as she thought about him being the adopted sire for her sparkling.

"Good then we will get along." Ratchet said and he turned to Doc. "Do you have anything to add?"

"No I think you covered it all." Doc said with warmth and affection for her mate.

"Mirage, why don't you take Raven to her new quarters? She will need time to adjust." Ratchet stated.

"Raven, you will know when the sparkling will need its sire. Your systems will heat hotter than normal your gestational chamber will emit a signal that will alert your body of its need. You are still in the early stages but you have also been in stasis so the need may start earlier than normal. Don't fight it or it will cause pain as well as cause stress for the sparkling." Doc informed her very seriously. "You need to communicate your need no matter how embarrassing it may seem."

"I think I understand but how will I know to tell him?" Raven asked looking scared.

"You will know because you will not be able to recharge among other things." Doc replied.

"Mirage, do you have any questions?" Ratchet asked.

"Will my CAN change the sparkling?" He asked.

"The initial spark which came from Shockwave so the sparkling will have many of his characteristics or it may show more of its carrier characteristics but the sparkling may also pick up some of yours from the coding that it will need. No one knows exactly why or how. It is one of the mysteries that Primus has never given us knowledge about." Doc informed him. "Once the sparkling bonds with you your paternal protocols should kick in as well as feeding protocols and protective instincts."

"I think his protective instincts are already kicking in." Ratchet said Optimus smirked beneath his mask.

"If there are no more questions then get out of here." Ratchet yelled and everyone jumped before quickly clearing out.