Author's Notes: Hi guys! Sorry this chapter took so long. This one is most a segue into the rest of the fic to come. There's a lot of character moments and fluff in this chapter, but these things are necessary to establish the tone of future chapters. Thank you to everyone who is reading and supporting this story. Please review, favorite, and follow :)

Chapter 5

Bonding

The Present…

Bulkhead didn't recharge that night. He just layed on his berth and looked up at the ceiling; lost in thought. He had a son. Enamel had given him the sparkling he always wanted, and he wasn't even there to see it. Bulkhead wondered if his son had died, or if the Decepticons had taken him prisoner the way they did Enamel. He wondered what his little boy had looked like, and what he would look like now. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice at first that someone was softly knocking on his door.

"Huh?" Bulkhead grunted after a minute or two of the knocking, "Oh, uh, come on in!"

Enamel opened the door carrying a cube of light blue energon and a buffer. She wore a tired and glum expression; far different from the playful smirk she wore in her youth.

"Bulkhead, you didn't show up for your morning energon ration," Enamel said wearily.

"It's morning?" Bulkhead asked obliviously.

"Ugh, honestly! Bumblebee's room has a window. You should insist to the Prime that you be given a room with a window as well," Enamel harrumphed, "I can't believe the way they treat you sometimes. You're their best frontliner, and certainly the strongest. I have half a processor to give the Prime a real talking to."

"They treat me fine," Bulkhead stuck up for his friends, "Just give me the fragging cube, Enamel."

"Of course, dear," Enamel used the affectionate term as if it were second nature, and Bulkhead found himself distracted by that for a moment, "So, would you like any additives in your energon today? I don't have much available, but I think I have some cobalt powder and a sprig of europium."

"That's okay, I like it plain," Bulkhead replied before he took a swig of the cube.

"I'm sorry I don't have zinc and copper. I know you like that combination," Enamel said in a conversational way; hesitant to leave, "Bulkhead? Um, I couldn't help but notice the scuff marks on your back struts and the dirt in your tires. Would you like for me to polish you?"

"What?" Bulkhead choked on his energon in surprise.

"Well, I used to buff and polish you after you had a rough day, and I can tell last night was very rough for you," Enamel explained, "I just want to help you feel better."

"You used to do that when we were newly bonded," Bulkhead pointed out skeptically, "By the time I left you didn't care if I was dirty unless I was tracking it across the floor."

Enamel turned away and looked at the door, and Bulkhead couldn't see her face plate. He could tell though, she was taking his words as a personal rejection. He felt bad for questioning her motives after she had made an earnest effort, and sighed deeply and shook his helm in defeat.

"Alright Enamel, if it'll make you feel better you can clean the crud off my back," Bulkhead grumbled like a kid being forced to bathe.

Bulkhead quickly downed the rest of his energon and then layed on his chassis on the berth. Enamel started by using the buffer on Bulkhead's back, and then took out a thin tipped brush for the tires. Bulkhead sighed contentedly, remembering for the first time in vorns how good this felt. Enamel occasionally hummed a Cybertronian tune as she worked on him, and Bulkhead found himself drifting off into recharge.

Enamel stopped when she heard him snoring, and chuckled a little at the sight of him recharging like a sparkling. This was exactly what he used to do back when they were first bonded. It had been so long since she had seen him that it felt like she was getting to know him again.

"Pleasant dreams, wrecking ball," Enamel whispered before she tiptoed out of the room with buffer in hand.

As she backed away from the room she bumped into Ratchet, who had been walking to his own quarters.

"Oh! My apologies, Doctor," Enamel exclaimed in embarrassment, "I just didn't want to wake up Bulkhead."

"He's still in recharge?" Ratchet asked in exasperation, "He's got duties to attend to!"

"Shh! Ratchet, please lower your vocalizer," Enamel hissed, "Bulkhead didn't recharge last night, and he needs to stay offline for at least a joor."

Ratchet sighed in irritation but ultimately granted Enamel's request for Bulkhead to continue to sleep. He got a data pad out of his quarters and went back to the medical bay, where he saw Enamel was already sterilizing his instruments.

"It'll be nice to have some help around here," Ratchet stated, "I just hope you're not as clumsy as your ex-bondmate."

"I'm not," Enamel assured him, "I do know what you mean, however. Bulkhead's design doesn't lend itself to delicate work. He means well of course, but if I were a medic I wouldn't hire him as my assistant."

"Well, up until now I haven't had much choice," Ratchet groused, "Alright, first of all I want you to catalogue our various chemical samples. I haven't had time to get to it. Be sure to be thorough. I want to know exactly what we have available."

"Of course, Doctor," Enamel nodded sagely.

Enamel felt a little offended at the condescending way Ratchet spoke to her. She had, after all, once had her own medical practice. Then again, she also knew he was under a lot of stress from being a field medic on the losing side of the war and therefore didn't want to judge him too harshly. She knew the best thing for the team was for her to just shut up and do her new job...even if it was degrading and tedious.

Later that day, Bulkhead awoke to one of his favorite sounds in the world: Miko's guitar solo. He sang along with the out of tune instrumental as he got up and walked to the main room where she was playing. He saw that almost everyone else was occupied, and that Miko was left to her own devices while the boys played video games.

"Hey Miko, great song!" Bulkhead shouted enthusiastically; though he was probably the only one who thought that.

"Hey Bulk! Where've you been? I've been here for over two hours!" Miko huffed as she put a hand on her hip.

"Sorry Miko, it was a rough night. I just needed a little extra recharge," Bulkhead replied apologetically.

"Yeah, your cherry girlfriend told me that, before she pushed me out of the medbay," Miko pouted.

"Enamel isn't my girlfriend," Bulkhead corrected her, "She's my ex wife. Actually, that's worse now that I think about it."

"What's her deal, anyway?" Miko asked, "Sometimes I think she's nice, but then she starts acting like she's better than me or something. I can't figure out if she's a jerk or not."

"Me neither," Bulkhead smirked, "That being said, she was pretty nice to me this morning. She served me breakfast in berth, and then cleaned up my tires. It was weird. It almost felt like we were dating again. I'm surprised she'd ever wanna talk to me again after what she told me last night."

"What? You mean about the popcorn?" Miko asked obliviously.

"No, she said I had a son," Bulkhead replied in a low tone of voice that betrayed how unsettling he found this situation, "Miko, when I left she was carrying my sparkling. She had to raise my son without me. She should hate me, so why is she being so nice to me?"

"I dunno. Maybe she wants to get back together with you," Miko shrugged.

"Nah, that can't be it," Bulkhead shook his helm, "All we do is argue. She stopped loving me vorns ago. I stopped loving her vorns ago, too. At least, I think I did. Did I? Aw, it's so confusing!"

"Then just ask her," Miko reasoned.

"I can't just ask her!" Bulkhead exclaimed anxiously, "She'll think I want her back."

"Do you want her back?" Miko asked point blank.

"I...I don't think so," Bulkhead replied uncertainly, "At least, I thought I didn't. When I look at her now though...I mean, she buffed my back for frag's sake. She kept everyone away so I could recharge in peace. She looked out for me just like she used to. 400 vorns of marriage and a son I never met. Why did I throw it all away? Just because I thought she was cheating on me? We could've worked through that. We could've made it work if I just hadn't run off like a coward!"

"I don't think so, Bulk," Miko remarked, "I mean, I'm not saying you couldn't get back together, but I've heard the way you two talk to each other. You've both got a lot of baggage, and you'll need to work through it if you're even going to be able to stand working together. Don't rush things. If you two are meant to be, it'll happen. In the meantime, you and me got some off-roading to do!""

"Heh heh, you always know how to cheer me up, Miko," Bulkhead said with a smile, "Hey Ratchet, can we get a ground bridge? I'm taking Miko to Nebraska!"

"What the pit is in Nebraska?" Ratchet asked skeptically.

"Nothing, that's the whole point!" Bulkhead replied gamely.

"Yeah, just me, Bulk, and the open range! Whoohoo!" Miko cheered.

"Just comm us if you run into trouble," Ratchet insisted.

"Yes, and don't stay out too late," Enamel added from her position beside a tray full of tools.

"Yes, mommy," Bulkhead replied mockingly.

Enamel scoffed and waved a servo to shoo them away. "Just come back in one piece you two. Have fun."

The ground bridge opened, and Bulkhead and Miko were off to do some stunt driving. Bulkhead still had a lot of questions in his processor, but at least for the moment he could put them to rest and have a good time with his best friend.

The Past…

Bulkhead sat on the floor of his small apartment and watched a gladiatorial match on the broadcast screen. He was so hungry. The energon famine was getting worse, and the elite class, rather than helping the lower caste mechs starving in the streets, doubled down and pushed for laws that would make them richer while the masses suffered. Bulkhead tried to put these thoughts out of his helm and watch the match, but his tanks continued to hurt and demand energon.

There was a knock on the door, and Bulkhead could tell from the delicate wrapping that it was Enamel. He smiled and got up to see his beautiful femme.

When he opened the door he saw that she had streaks on her face plate from where she had been crying. Bulkhead knew that she had to have cried recently, because there was no way she would go out in public without washing any imperfections off herself first.

"Enamel, what's wrong baby?" Bulkhead asked as he opened his arms and engulfed her in a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Bulkhead," Enamel said softly; her voice sounding both tired and desperate at the same time, "May I come in?"

"Sure," Bulkhead stepped aside to let her pass, "I don't have any energon to offer you, but you can watch the broadcasts with me."

"I'll buy us some energon once I calm down," Enamel sighed, "Bulkhead...I don't know quite how to ask you this, but I need a favor from you."

"Anything, sweet spark," Bulkhead replied as he took her servos in his, "Just name it."

Enamel closed her optics and looked like she was about to cry again, but the coolant never came. When she looked up at Bulkhead, however, her black and yellow optics were dimmed in a way that seemed downright pathetic on such a young and pretty face.

"My love," Enamel said the term in an almost pleading fashion, "I need a place to stay for a few orns. Just until I can raise enough money to get my own apartment."

"What are you talking about?" Bulkhead asked in concern and confusion.

"Oh, Bulkhead! My father found out about us!" Enamel wailed before pressing her face into Bulkhead's armor, "My parents know what we've been doing, and I have been disowned by them! They insisted I leave you and marry Crossroads, but I told them I wouldn't do it. That was when father kicked me out of the tower and said I was no longer welcome in his house! I've lost everything! I cannot go home, and I've been cut from the will! The building where I run my practice is owned by my father, and now that's gone too. I'll have to find a way to earn enough money to rent a new office, and get a new place to live. I don't want to impose on you darling, but I have nowhere else to go. Please may I stay here Bulkhead? Just until I find another solution?"

Enamel continued to cry for a few more seconds, and Bulkhead gently rubbed the tires on her back.

"Actually, I might already have another solution," Bulkhead told her; a smile forming on his face, "If you bond with me, then you'll never have to leave."

"Bond with you?" Enamel gasped, "Wait a klik, are you proposing to me?"

"Yeah. You wanna do it?" Bulkhead asked with a lighthearted shrug.

"You're a hopeless romantic, wrecking ball," Enamel deadpanned, "Oh, why not? We've been dating for vorns now. With the energon crisis and the riots, who in their right processor would care or even notice a mixed caste bonded pair?"

"That's the spirit, sweet spark," Bulkhead said affectionately.

Bulkhead then lifted up Enamel's chin and kissed her lip components. She melted into it; allowing herself to forget for a moment all the scrap that had happened that orn. Everything was going to be alright. She knew she made the right choice. Her parents only loved her when she lived up to their expectations. Bulkhead, however, loved her for the femme she really was. They would bond, and they would build a life together. In that moment she felt safer than she could ever remember.