DISCLAIMER: I had to post this chapter twice because there was a glitch with how it appeared on the website. Hopefully, this resolved it.

HOLY SHIT! I GOT HIT WITH AN IDEA!

Because of how long it's been, I'm doing a general review reply to everyone. Thanks for the love, guys. Hopefully, this new (heavily delayed) chapter doesn't disappoint.

Nearly did Bad Case of Loving You by Robert Palmer; particularly because of the line, "Doctor, doctor! Give me the news!" Because I ultimately decided to do Ratchet this chapter. Again, my parents are Baby Boomers. I grew up with a lot of old music, movies, and TV shows. (I mean, come on. My all-time favourite movie is The Wizard of Oz and my all-time favourite TV show is Thunderbirds.)

But, fortunately, I didn't (no matter how funny it would've been, in a way). Tossed up with Sheryl Crow's version of The First Cut is the Deepest, but I wasn't sure it fit this chapter. I might use it later. I don't know. I did see the video someone did on YouTube of Ratchet to the song I'll Make a Man Out of You (I seriously applaud that video's creator).

Then, I shifted themes because I remembered what my idea was. (Which might be good or incredibly stupid.) Then, I kind of started focusing more on love and distance because I kind of wanted to also establish Jack and Talida's relationship. (Because I think, by now, it's kind of obvious they'll get together in the end; the Jack/OC in the summary's kind of a dead giveaway.) I almost went Chasing Cars (I will admit I looked at the songs I used in my old Talida Prime stories). Then, I got into a Big Time Rush marathon (because they reunited) and Confetti Falling wouldn't get out of my head. Then, I heard Someone to Dance With by Nick Lachey and that's what I ended up with.

I actually almost had a title for the sequel: In the Darkness, but then I remembered I already had a story with that title in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fandom. DAMN IT! (Which reminds me. I really need to update that one.)

Obviously, I don't own anything besides any original characters I use and any original plotlines I come up with.

ENJOY!

…or not. You know the drill by now. And yes. This takes place immediately after the end of the last chapter. That plot bunny would not leave me alone.

Jack suddenly let out a cry of pain as he knelt down, clutching his leg. It was strange. It felt like someone had taken a hammer to his leg and continued to hammer on it until the bone shattered.

Cliffjumper watched in concern as Arcee experienced the same pain in her leg. Immediately, he knew what it meant. With Cybertronians, they have bonds with not just their spouses, but their parents. Granted, the strength of the respective bonds differed for each individual, but one thing he quickly learned about Optimus, Arcee, and Talida is that the three of them had a significantly strong bond, even with Talida's techno-organic status not making her a full Cybertronian.

He also knew that if they were feeling Talida's pain, it meant that Talida was finally letting down a barrier that all Cybertronians are able to put up. This was a skill every Cybertronian was born with, and something they made use of during the war. Cliffjumper recalled one soldier who did that so his spark mate didn't have the feel the pain of him being tortured to death, putting more energy into doing that than fighting off his inevitable death, but even that didn't stop the inevitable pain of her spark breaking when he did die.

But Cliffjumper had one serious question. Why was Jack able to feel it?

Regardless, they went down to see Ratchet, who was previously talking to Optimus. The look on Optimus's face told Cliffjumper all he needed to know. He felt it too.

"Does this mean…?" Ratchet began asking worriedly.

"She finally let her guard down," Arcee nodded sadly.

"The question is: did she do it deliberately, or did she lose the energy to maintain it?" Optimus rumbled.

"Ratch, can you scan Jack?" Cliffjumper requested, "He started feeling the pain the same time Arcee did."

"That shouldn't be possible," Ratchet muttered as he scooped Jack up to take him to his exam area, "Optimus and Arcee feeling that is because of their bond. But there's no reason why you should be feeling it."

"Something I've learned is that you guys don't know a lot about her human side!" Jack snapped, before clutching his leg as another wave of pain hit him.

What were they doing to her?

"You're probably experiencing leg cramps due to dehydration," Ratchet grumbled as he scanned him.

Jack watched as the green beam ran over his body, turning red at his collar bone before returning to its green colour as Ratchet continued to run it over his torso and down to his legs. Frowning, Ratchet brought the scanner back to his collar bone as it turned red again.

"Remove your shirt," Ratchet ordered.

Knowing better than to argue with the grouchy old medic, Jack removed his shirt, gasping in surprise when the claddagh symbol appeared on his collar bone.

"What's that?" Rachet inquired.

"It's a claddagh symbol," Jack clarified.

"A what?" Ratchet stammered in confusion.

"It's a human symbol," Jack told him, "There's a story behind it."

Something that Jack learned very quickly about Ratchet was that he despised humans. Not just the humans themselves, but everything associated with them. Their history. Their legends. But what got Ratchet to listen was the promise of fully understanding what the symbol meant for his human patient, so he gestured for Jack to tell the story begrudgingly.

"It's a three-hundred-year-old legend that comes out of Ireland. There was a fishing village called Claddagh that was just outside the walls of the city of Galway," Jack offered a background before telling the story,

"Legend has it that before he was due to be married, a fisherman named Richard Joyce was captured at sea by pirates and sold into slavery in Algeria. He became the property of a rich Moorish goldsmith, who, sensing his potential, began to train him in his craft. In time, Richard Joyce became a fully proficient master craftsman and with thoughts of the girl he had left behind close to his heart, he fashioned the first Claddagh Ring. The heart symbolizing love, the pair of hands representing friendship, and the crown for loyalty and fidelity. In 1689, after an agreement with King William III to release all his subjects held in slavery, Richard Joyce found himself once more a free man. His master, who had by now grown very fond of him, offered his only daughter in marriage and half his wealth if he would remain in Algiers, but Joyce declined and returned home to Galway. There, he found that his sweetheart had waited for his return and, presenting her with the Claddagh Ring, they were married."

"Doesn't sound like something they teach in schools," Ratchet grumbled.

"Lida loves the story," Jack admitted, "She enjoys romances in general, but she especially loves it when they originate from history."

"She has a great affection for this planet," Ratchet admitted begrudgingly, "Though, I have yet to see its appeal. If she had actually been born on Cyberton, I believe she would see things differently. At least, she wouldn't go as far as to bond with a human."

"I'm sorry. What?" Jack stammered.

"When did that mark first appear?" Ratchet demanded, as though he didn't say that last statement.

"About two years ago after I got out of the hospital," Jack answered, confusion laced in his voice, "It's been appearing and disappearing since then."

"Because your bond is still fragile. Neither of you have taken the steps to make the commitment," Ratchet clarified.

"Wait. Are you saying that Jack and Talida unwittingly started the bonding process?" Arcee cut in.

It was only then that Jack realized that Optimus and Arcee were still present. Just silent as they tried to take in their latest development.

And Jack suddenly developed a weariness of being around Optimus. One thing he heard: he was an overprotective father.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Ratchet proclaimed.

"Well, it means you love her," Cliffjumper bragged, "And I get to rub it in Tally's face when we get her back."

"Tally doesn't even know about bonding. Optimus and I didn't want to tell her until she was older. She's still a sparkling!" Arcee argued.

It was at that moment that Ratchet started grimacing. When he felt the harsh gaze of the smaller Autobot on him, Ratchet felt he had no choice but to come clean.

Begin flashback

Ratchet walked into the command centre to see Talida by the GroundBridge controls, having "drawn the short straw" of GroundBridge duty when the majority of the Autobots went out for patrols. Ratchet was the designated babysitter that particular day, given Talida's tendencies for sneaking out.

He noticed that the young techno-organic was doing research into Cybertronian traditions and history. He couldn't help but admire her curiosity for her home. (Although, if he dared to refer to Cybertron as her home, she would fire back a retort about how Earth was her home.)

"Anything I can help you with?" Ratchet asked, "I have plenty of stories about our home."

"Your home," Talida responded automatically before admitting, "I want to know about bonding."

"Your parents have decided you're too young," Ratchet immediately objected to her request, "I know that you are almost an adult by human standards, but by Cybertronian standards, you're still a sparkling. A baby."

"Yeah. A baby with a great destiny on her shoulders who wades into an intergalactic war on a daily basis," Talida grumbled, bitterness laced in her voice, "Don't you think I should know so I don't, you know, unwittingly start the bonding process with a human?"

"It shouldn't be possible," Ratchet reassured her, "Bonding only works on Cybertronians – or those with Cybertronian ancestry, in your case – and it is never one-sided. Two people can only bond if they share the same feelings."

"So, both people have to be in love?" Talida smirked.

That caused Ratchet to face palm and let out a sigh in frustration. She tricked him again. Since she started school, Talida had this habit of tricking the other Autobots into telling her things her parents had decided she didn't want them to know by letting something slip about a particular forbidden subject; then leave them with no choice but to tell her more.

Ratchet had managed to remain steadfast until this point.

Well, he supposed it had to happen eventually. Talida enjoyed using his fondness for Cybertron against him.

"Yes, both parties have to be in love and it has to be a mutual affection. You cannot force a bond with someone who does not return your affections," Ratchet explained, "You notice your parents share a mark?"

Talida nodded, "They share the Cybertronian word for hope on their arm. That's where my middle name comes from, isn't it?"

"Yes," Ratchet nodded, "Many people don't notice that the bonding process has started until the mark comes up. It has to be the exact same mark on the exact same spot on their bodies. It's different for everyone. It will have a special meaning to the specific couple. You will never see two Cybertronian couples with the same mark."

"How do they not know until the mark comes up?" Talida queried.

"The mark comes and goes at first, when the bond is at its most fragile. Different events trigger the mark for different couples. It could be something as simple as a word, a gesture, an event," Ratchet rambled.

"Can you stop it once it starts? Can you bond with more than one person in your lifetime?" Talida asked.

"Typically, you can't stop it once it starts. The only way that happens is if, tragically, one half of the couple dies before the bonding process can be completed. As to if you can bond with more than one person in your lifetime, yes. You are bonded with your parents. You are bonded with Bumblebee," Ratchet answered before noticing the look on Talida's face, "Ah. You mean romantically. There have been some cases of a Cybertronian having more than one romantic spark bond. But typically, Cyobertronians are what you may call 'one and done'. They only bond with one person for the rest of their life. Once their spark mate dies… Admittedly, some don't live very long afterwards."

"Broken spark syndrome?" Talida guessed.

"For some Cybertronians – particularly spark mates who have been together for several cycles – the pain is too much," Ratchet sighed sadly.

"Can you control it? Like, can you choose who you bond with and if it happens?" Talida asked, turning away from her computer console.

"You can't. No matter how much your father loves your mother, if he had the choice, he never would've bonded with anyone, given the responsibilities he carries as the last Prime. You always say you can't control who you love, so it's safe to assume that Cybertronians can't control who they bond with," Ratchet stated bluntly, "It made things awkward during the war when Autobots and Decepticons bonded with each other after meeting on the battlefield. Did help Optimus sway some Decepticons to the cause, but also caused some Autobots to abandon the cause."

"So, what's the actual process? You mentioned the mark comes and goes at first and different events trigger the appearance of the mark," Talida recalled.

"It is very similar to this planet's courting rituals. You don't merge sparks straightaway. You spend time nurturing the bond, making it stronger. Merging sparks prematurely can backfire, as we also found out during the war. Both sides have to be ready. One is usually ready when the mark stops fading. Couples then go through something like a wedding ceremony. They say the same vows. In the Golden Age, they used to exchange rings, but that was a practice stopped during the War for Cybertron because of theft."

"Let me guess," Talida noticed Ratchet's hesitation, "Materials that were typically used to make wedding rings were diverted towards making weapons when the war heated up."

"Yes," Ratchet hesitantly admitted, "You mentioned that in history, couples often… consummated their marriage by having sex on their wedding night. Well, merging sparks is a similar practice."

"They don't have witnesses, do they?" Talida inquired with a wince. At Ratchet's confused look, Talida clarified, "It's called the bedding ceremony. It differs based on culture and traditions, but the original purpose was to establish the marriage was consummated. That way, the marriage couldn't be annulled."

"No. It is extremely private and intimate," Ratchet immediately shook his head, "But all the same, everyone knows when a merge has taken place. It is hard to explain how they know. They just do."

"I will never get to experience that, will I?" Talida sighed sadly.

"You will to an extent," Ratchet revealed, "You won't get to merge sparks because you can't expose your spark the way we can. But you will experience a permanent romantic bond like your parents. You may end up consummating the bond in the human way than Cybertronian."

"That'll cause dad to glitch," Talida laughed.

"Good thing the patrol's taking longer than expected," Ratchet mused before finally asking, "Why do you want to know?"

"No reason," Talida mused, "In history today, we were talking about different cultures and traditions involving marriages. Looking at some of the greatest love stories in history made me curious about Cybertron's traditions of love. I don't understand why mum and dad wanted to wait until I was older to tell me."

"Probably because of the significance of bonding. I simplified a lot of it, Talida. The truth is… it cannot be put into words," Ratchet stated, "You will understand when you experience bonding. Hopefully, when you're older."

"Well, you did say you can't control when it happens," Talida pointed out.

Ratchet froze in concern at Talida's remark. Then, he began to suspect why Talida truly expressed an interest in Cybertronian romance.

"Have you started the bonding process with someone?" Ratchet demanded.

"No!" Talida answered quickly – a little too quickly in Ratchet's opinion, "Like I said, curious."

Ratchet would've pressed further, but he knew he would get nowhere with Talida and he did not want to unwittingly trigger her disease, so he stayed silent.

The final words they said on the matter before Optimus called for a GroundBridge was a promise to never speak of what they just discussed until Talida was told of bonding by her parents or the bonding process came from her.

Whichever comes first.

End flashback

"Hold up!" Cliffjumper cut in, "You gave me so much scrap for letting Talida trick me! And yet, you fold quicker than I ever did?!"

"I told you I didn't want her knowing until she's older!" Arcee started lecturing Ratchet.

"She had to know, Arcee," Ratchet argued, "Considering what we just found out, it's a good thing I told her. She needed to understand what was happening."

Jack was about to ask, if their suspicions about Talida knowing what was happening was true, why she never told him. But then he remembered. For her to tell him, she would've had to tell him the truth about her family, which she wasn't ready to do yet.

Okay. He was a lot more understanding of all the secrets Talida kept from him. How would you explain something like this anyway?

Then, he heard a thud. Looking around, he saw Optimus was now lying on the floor. Initially, he was worried, but then he saw the somewhat amused looks on the faces of the remaining Autobots.

Then, he also recalled Talida mentioned about her father "glitching", fainting in shock (or coming close to it) when he hears something that he can't handle – like how his little girl's growing up. Considering how uncharacteristic it was of the Prime, it amused the rest of the Autobots. And Jack, based on the stories he had heard.

Ratchet knew that this was a remnant from when Optimus Prime was Orion Pax, a humble clerk in the Iacon Hall of Records. He had a similar reaction when he found out he had a brother in the gladiatorial arenas.

"He'll be fine," Ratchet waved dismissively, "Honestly, I was waiting for it to happen. Not even a Prime can withstand the stress of your child being in danger."

"There's something I want to know, though," Cliffjumper began, "How can Jack be exhibiting signs of a Cybertronian ritual? As far as we know, he doesn't have Cybertronian ancestry."

Wincing as he felt another pain in his leg (what the hell were those bastards doing to his best friend?), Jack recalled, "When Lida and I were doing a family tree assignment a couple months ago, she was helping me collect some material on my ancestors. She got a weird look on her face when I found some ancestors. Michaela Beckett and Samuel Darby."

Bumblebee started beeping excitedly at the mention of the names. But Jack couldn't understand what he was saying. He could tell by the tones of the beeps what the young scout was feeling, but he couldn't understand what he was saying.

Jack figured that, unless Talida found some way to break down that communication barrier when they rescued her, that was as close as he was ever going to get to communicating with her brother.

But Ratchet understood and started typing in commands at the computer console, gasping when he saw what Bumblebee was trying to tell him.

"Jack does have Cybertronian ancestry!" Ratchet gasped.

"Whoa, whoa, what?!" Jack stammered in shock, crying out in pain as the pain in his leg intensified, "How can I have Cybertronian ancestry?!"

"Cybertronians have been on this planet for several centuries, Jack. Two years ago, Talida decided she wanted to know exactly how many techno-organics there have ever been since the first Cybertronian arrived on Earth. She wanted to know how possible it was for Cybertronians to mate with humans," Ratchet began explaining, shuddering in repulsion at the last sentence, "It didn't always work, though. She found quite a few that didn't survive long after birth."

"Samuel Darby and Michaela Beckett were on her registry?" Jack asked in surprise.

"What degree are their relation to you?" Ratchet demanded, not bothering to confirm what was already implied.

"Michaela Beckett is my mother's maternal grandmother and Samuel Darby is my paternal grandfather," Jack explained, "I never got to meet him. He died when my dad was in high school."

"Explains how you were able to start bonding with Talida," Ratchet proclaimed, "While you are entirely human, you have a close enough Cybertronian ancestry to still inherit some traits. If a techno-organic continues mating with humans, the Cybertronian traits begins to dilute. Within a few generations, even if there is Cybertronian ancestry, they will not inherit any traits specific to Cybertronians."

"Just out of curiosity," Jack began nervously, "Did she say who…?"

"She never found out more about their Cybertronian ancestry," Cliffjumper shook his head, "But once she found out they were related to you, she stopped looking. She already had to lie to you about a lot of things. She didn't want to lie to you about things that directly impacted you. She found out enough to determine the impact being a techno-organic had on their life, but beyond that, she didn't dig much further."

Jack was about to make a remark about asking her to find out when they got her back, but then he let out a scream, clutching his leg. Optimus, who had come to in time to find out the revelation about Jack's Cybertronian ancestry, watched in horror as he knew what it meant.

For one thing, he felt the pain. So did Arcee.

"Jack, breathe," Arcee coached him gently, "Believe me. I know how much it hurts. But bonds go both ways. Just as you are feeling Talida's pain, she's feeling your distress. You need to calm down."

Jack took a few deep breaths, keeping in mind what Arcee just revealed about the bond. Maybe if he calmed down, he could comfort his best friend. Albeit from a distance, but comfort nonetheless.

Then, he felt the sharp pain. The sharp pain of someone carelessly hacking at his leg.

The next sensation, he couldn't describe into words. Looking at Optimus and Arcee, he knew he didn't need to describe it to them. Because they felt the same pain.

Only Cliffjumper, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Bulkhead (when did he come in?) looked confused.

"What did they do to her?!" Ratchet demanded, uncharacteristically terrified.

It was Arcee who found her voice first, "They were hammering at her leg. Shattering the bone. And then…"

But even then, Arcee couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. So, Optimus did.

"They cut off Talida's leg."

Talida cried as she looked at her mangled leg before her. It took them a long time to break her leg beyond repair before Malita used a laser from the ship's med bay to slice off her leg just below the knee. Without giving the wound the chance to heal, she immediately attached what Talida couldn't even bring herself to call a prosthetic limb.

It looked like a human shin and a human foot made entirely out of Cybertronian metal. It connected to the muscles, tendons and bones in Talida's leg almost seamlessly almost immediately. But it was another form of torture. Something that would continue long after Starscream and Malita left her cell for the day.

Anytime she moved, shooting pain would travel up her entire body.

The pain was beyond anything Talida could describe. She had long since made her lip bleed from how hard she was biting it so she couldn't give Starscream and Malita the satisfaction of hearing her scream. But eventually, she gave up.

Once they heard her screams, they left her alone, leaving her leg and the scrap of Jack's shirt in front of her just out of reach. They knew Talida would never reach for her leg – they just left it there as a reminder of them beginning to strip at the humanity she so valued – but they knew she would reach for the scrap.

And they knew reaching for the scrap would cause her immeasurable pain. So, they wanted to know if she would fight through the pain for what she held most dear.

Her voice now hoarse from the screams and the crying, Talida barely made a sound as she made herself move closer – just enough for the scrap to be in reach. Once she grabbed hold of it, she flipped onto her back, tears continuing to flow down her face.

Even if moving her arm caused her the same pain, she reached for her collarbone, where her own mark was.

Ratchet was right. Talida had started to figure out that she had started the bonding process. The fact that Ratchet said the feelings had to be reciprocated for the bond to start helped give her hope that he loved her back, but she still refused to believe.

Even with what happened right before she asked Ratchet about bonding.

Begin flashback

"You don't know how to dance with a girl?" Talida repeated Jack's declaration in confusion and disbelief.

"You know I've never been much of a dancer," Jack pointed out, "And you also know I don't exactly have girls lining up to date me."

"What? And you think I have guys lining up to ask me out?" Talida scoffed.

Jack didn't know why – not knowing the true extent of his feelings back then – but he was relieved that guys weren't lining up to ask Talida out. Don't get him wrong. He wondered what kind of defect they had to not realise how amazing Talida really was.

But the thought of seeing her with another guy – a guy who wasn't him – made his blood boil.

He never showed it, though. Whatever made his best friend happy was what he wanted.

"What kind of dance are you talking about anyway? Slow dancing?" Talida inquired.

"Yeah," Jack nodded, frowning in confusion at Talida's next actions, "What are you doing?"

"If you're going to learn to slow dance, we need the right music," Talida defended herself as she went to get a song up on Jack's computer.

"You know how to slow dance?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Dad and I spent a lot of time waltzing around our living room," Talida shrugged, "It's almost the same principle. Except I won't be standing on your feet."

Jack caught the smile Talida had on her face as she recalled the fond memories involving her family. Little did he know that the reason she treasured them was because of how hard her family tried to give her a normal existence despite the arguably extraordinary circumstances she was born into.

"Come on. Hop up," Talida ordered as she hit play on a song.

When Jack heard the opening intro, he winced. He had been meaning to delete that song. He didn't even know why he downloaded it in the first place.

Leave it to Talida to find the song he was most ashamed to have.

"Really?" Jack whined as he stood up regardless, "This song?"

"It suits," Talida defended herself before smirking, "I could go and put it on repeat. Or put on that secret Disney playlist you have."

"Don't you dare!" Jack glared at her.

"Okay. First of all, this distance," Talida began as she gestured to the wide gap between the two of them, "will not work. Well, it may work for the girl's dad. But in reality, nope."

"How close do we have to be?" Jack asked nervously.

"Depends," Talida shrugged as she took a step forward, "Sometimes, you can be right pressed up on the girl. Other times, there will be a little bit of a distance. Close, but not too close."

Talida grabbed Jack's wrist and pulled him forward slightly to close the gap a bit more. She wasn't about to do all the work, thank you very much. Talida didn't mean to pull Jack hard, but regardless, Jack almost stumbled at the force. He would've fallen over if it weren't for Talida's steady grip and her quick reflexes.

Seeing how close they are, Talida took a small step back, explaining, "Typically, when first starting out, you leave a foot or two between you. When you're dancing with someone you're friendly with, you can stand a bit closer."

"Okay," Jack nodded, brows furrowed in confusion, "Do we just stand and sway?"

"Nope," Talida shook her head, laughing slightly at Jack's cluelessness, "Give me your hands."

Deciding to trust his best friend, Jack held his hands out to her. Taking his right hand, Talida showed him a few different places to place it.

"Now, this, depends on the girl and both of your comfort levels. You could place her right hand on her hip," Talida explained as she placed his hand on her hip to prove her point before moving his hand up to her mid-back, "Or here. Or…," Talida trailed off as he moved her hand up to her shoulder blade, "Here. Here makes it a bit easier to lead. I'll show you another option for arm placement later, but let's just start with this."

"There's more options?" Jack squeaked out.

"I told you I'll show you when we get the basics down," Talida chided lightly, "So, where do you want to put your hand?"

Jack thought for a minute. He felt a bit uncomfortable placing his hand on her hip. That felt a bit too low for him, even if it's someone he's known since childhood. So, he ended up sliding his hand down to about her mid-back. A happy medium. He had a feeling his arm would hurt if he kept it up at her shoulder blade for too long.

"Okay. I place my left hand on your shoulder," Talida continued explaining as she placed her hand on his shoulder, "We hold hands about here."

To demonstrate, Talida grabbed Jack's hand and held it up and to the side with her own, making sure his elbow was slightly bent.

To this day, Jack couldn't tell you why, but when Talida mentioned that there was the option of lacing your fingers together, that was the first thing he did. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, suddenly noticing just how close his best friend really was.

"Typically, you look your partner in the eye when you're dancing, but when you're first starting out, it's okay to look down at your feet," Talida reassured him, "You can work out placement and distance. Trust me. Nothing's worse than stepping on your partner's foot. But once you got the hang of it, it's nicer if you actually look at your partner's face."

"Wait," Jack cut in, "Who leads?"

"Typically, the man. But for the moment, I'll lead and you can take over when you get the hang of it a bit more," Talida reassured him before stating, "Okay. You can start by just moving in a straight line across. So, you step with your left foot."

Jack did, but Talida let go of his hand to tap on his leg slightly, telling him to move it in. Realizing he stepped out too wide, Jack adjusted. Talida followed and told him to bring his right foot to his left. He did and Talida followed. He was amazed at how naturally it was coming to him.

Who knew slow dancing could be so easy?

"The secret is to not put too much thought into it," Talida stated, sensing his thoughts, "Okay, we can go the opposite way. So, step out with your right foot."

This worked. Now, here comes the part Jack was nervous about. Going forward and backwards.

"I'll move backwards and you follow me. So, step forward with your left foot and I'll move back," Talida instructed.

"Who knew dancing with a girl could be so complicated?" Jack remarked as he followed her.

"Well, there is the hug and sway," Talida mused with a slight smirk.

"Now you tell me?!" Jack demanded in disbelief.

"Some girls want more," Talida defended herself, "Better to know now than to fumble if you get the opportunity to dance with a girl that's not your mother or best friend."

Some days, Jack is filled with the overwhelming desire to kill his best friend.

They continued going over the steps several times. To Jack's surprise, he only ends up stepping on Talida's foot five times. That's one-fifth the number he imagined.

But then again, he spent almost the entire time looking at his feet.

They spent the remainder of the song going through the basics, Talida leading the whole way. Just as Jack was starting to get comfortable, Talida broke their hold, moving to the computer to pick a different song. For reasons he did not understand back then, he missed having her near him.

"Now, I want you to try to lead me," Talida requested, adding a final instruction as she stood before him, "Don't look at your feet this time."

Nodding to himself, Jack took a small step closer to Talida. Holding her hand where she told him to, he settled his free hand in the curve of her waist as she placed her own free hand on his shoulder. Filled with a confidence he didn't even know he had, he took the first step, leading his best friend around the bedroom in a slow dance.

The next few moments passed as though they were in a dream. A fantasy. Jack couldn't tell you when he moved his hand from the curve of her waist to the middle of her back to hold her against him. Talida couldn't tell you when she let go of his hand in favour of wrapping her arms around his neck. Jack couldn't tell you when he stopped leading Talida through proper dance steps and just started the "hug and sway" as she dubbed it before. Talida couldn't tell you why her breath suddenly hitched when Jack tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, something he had done numerous times before when he helped her with her numerous projects.

Neither one of them could tell you why they kissed. Neither one of them could tell you who made the first move. Neither one of them could tell you about the moments leading up to the kiss with a clear recollection.

But just like there were several things they couldn't tell you, there were several things they could. They could tell you that the kiss started lightly. So light that they both almost didn't believe they were actually kissing.

Jack could tell you that when Talida went to pull away, he was overcome with a sense of urgency; he suddenly didn't want the moment to end. He could tell you that his hands immediately moved up to cup her face and pull her back in. He could tell you that he deepened the kiss.

Talida could tell you that she inhaled sharply through her nose when Jack deepened the kiss. She could tell you that they stopped swaying in the middle of his bedroom when the kiss deepened. She could tell you that she raised herself slightly to meet Jack's height, mentally cursing the fact that he was rapidly growing taller than her.

Sensing what his best friend was trying to do, he wrapped his arms around her waist and helped boost her up that ever so slightly. It also had the added benefit of pulling her close; an unintended, but not unwelcome, side effect.

End flashback

Talida could remember the strange events that happened when they pulled away. It wasn't a moment where they regained their senses, realized what happened and pulled away with shock and horror, trying to come up with some excuse as to why it happened. They got swept up in the moment. They thought it was something that could potentially happen when slow dancing.

(For one thing, the freakout happened when they were eight years old and some kids at their school were talking about their first kisses. They did a quick peck under a tree in the playground to see what everyone was talking about and were promptly grossed out at the thought of kissing, declaring it would be a secret they would take to their graves.)

But rather, they pulled away because the kiss had reached its natural conclusion. They stood in the middle of his bedroom for several moments, resting their foreheads against each other as they regained their bearings.

Both of them knew at that moment their relationship had changed, but they weren't ready to talk about it yet. In the meantime, they would continue as normal and see if anymore incidents happened "naturally".

Aside from a few interrupted moments, nothing happened.

But their conversation couldn't be put off much longer. Talida had a feeling that they would've talked about their relationship that night before her kidnapping.

Talida also had the feeling that Jack now knew the truth about her. Her family. Her true origins. Her role in a secret intergalactic war.

Something told her that, if she got out of this alive, she was going to have a more extensive conversation with Jack.

Here we go. I did an extra long chapter for you guys. Life really got in the way here.

Like I said at the beginning, hopefully, the errors fixed itself. Sorry about that, folks. It's been a while since I updated fanfictions on this website. I have to get the hang of it again.

See you on the other side.