Three and a half years later...

"Your spark….IT'S BLACK!" Spectra muttered in shock, as she watched the black mass of energy pulsing inside his chamber.

"I know," Ironhide replied, with a shrug like it was a normal thing.

The femme Decepticon was afraid and for a pretty good reason. If this was what she thought it was, then Primus help them all because no one will be able to stop him; she needed to be one hundred percent sure, she had to examine it more carefully.

"Let me see," she said, as she carefully approached him raising her right servo to touch it.

Sensing what she wants to do Ironhide's spark gave a deep and threatening rumble.

"NO!" he suddenly growled, closing his spark chamber in front of her.

"You need to let me feel your spark so I….we would know with what we're dealing with," she tried to explain.

"And why should I trust you?" he asked, his blue optics becoming darker with each passing nanoclick as he watched her with such intensity that she felt a shiver run up her spine, but she tried not to show it. She carefully observed him; his blue optics were now black, burning from uncontrollable lust and desire; his voice deeper than usual.

All the symptoms are there but I have to be sure, she thought to herself before she spoke.

"The same reason I have to trust you. Now please let me help you," she said, trying to sound calm though she was terrified.

His optics soften a little at her pleads.

"Alright, I will let you. But if you try anything as Primus is my witness, I will offline you on the spot."

"I won't trust me."

"I hope, for your sake" he said, opening his chamber again.

Approaching him, she gently placed her servo on his spark; closing her optics, she allowed herself to feel its energy.

There was nothing sexual about it, the medics back on Cybertron were doing this all the time.

The spark's energy crackled between her claws as she touched it; she could feel the sparks confusion. It was so close to its mate, and yet the right to bond with her, to pleasure her was denied from him; instead some other mech took its place and his mate. The spark was burning with a fatal mixture of love, hurt, possessiveness, lust, desire, fury and jealousy. The spark pulsed violently under her claws. No one takes what is rightfully his, it will have his mate one way or another and it will destroy anyone standing in its way. Spectra pulled her servo away, her fears were confirmed.

Ironhide breathed heavily; his optics closed. He clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth together; he seemed like he was in agony.

"Your spark it hurts. Right?" she said, looking at him.

"Sometimes," he admitted, opening his optics to look at her.

"Look Ironhide, I'll be honest with you," Spectra started, as she walked up and down before she turned to him. "It's worse than I thought,"she said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your spark is reverting to its primal instincts, and it's beginning to take control over your body and mind. You need to tell the truth to Sandra before it's too late."

"Are you out of your circuits? If I tell her the truth, I will lose her forever."

"I do not think you understand how serious this is," she said in a serious voice. "The little lie you made up… Derek…. your spark sees Derek as a threat; a mech who took his mate away."

"That's ridiculous. I'm Derek."

"I know that, you know that, but your spark doesn't. It only knows his mate is showing affection toward other mech; loving him and pleasuring him, and it's burning from jealousy. You're just one step away from reverting to your primal instincts and when it happens you will become a danger to everyone around you and especially to her."

"I would never hurt her."

"We both know when Cybertronian revert to its primitive instincts logic is gone; there is only an instinct for survival. Now I can help you stop the process, but you need to let me go."

"NO!"

Spectra sighed.

"Listen to, me we need to stop the process. You need to bond with her as soon as possible."

Now those were the last words she expected to say, and to him.

"You trusted me enough to let me touch the most vulnerable part of your body. I need you to trust me on this too. Can you trust me?"

Ironhide thought about it; she was right. If he wanted to stop the process, he will have to trust her. There was no other way.

"Alright," he reluctantly agreed.