Note: this chapter contains mpreg.

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"You are expecting a pup."

No one believes Khyber.

This is impossible.

There is no way that Steeljaw can be carrying.

"Congratulations! You're pregnant!"

Until they go for an ultrasound and receive visual confirmation.

All of these problems – physical, mental, emotional? Pregnancy.

His sudden weight gain? A result of the life growing within him.

While conflict and conversation ensue, Steeljaw remains silent, as he is deep in thought.

A pup.

I am expecting a pup.

How did this happen?

Ramulus and I bonded, yes, but I don't think either of us would have expected this!

I certainly didn't!

What am I supposed to do?

Ramulus isn't here.

Phantomjaw isn't here.

By the Allspark, I'd even take Thunderhoof!

At least he'd keep me distracted with arguments!

I can't deal with this right now!

Not alone…

But I'm not alone.

Great, I can't believe I'm taking comfort in the Lieutenant's presence.

And it's not just him.

However, as much as I like Moonracer, and tolerate the other two, they just aren't enough.

I need my pack.

My home.

Most importantly, I need Ramulus.

Correction: we need Ramulus.

Primus, I can only imagine the look on his face when I tell him the news.

I just hope everything goes well.

Hopefully, nothing happens to us.

I hate to admit it, but I need to listen to them.

I need to take it easy.

They need to protect me…

So that I can protect you.

We will make it back home.

I won't let anything happen to us.

To you.

I promise.

The plan remained unchanged, except for Steeljaw's part. He has been placed under house arrest, first at Plumber's headquarters, then Ben's house. While the former is deemed safer, it was argued that the latter is better for Steeljaw's overall health. More homey than business.

It's been a few days since the housing switch, and being stuck with little to nothing to do is driving Steeljaw insane. He rises to his paws with an aggravated huff and pads around the house.

SANDRA: "Shouldn't you be resting?"

Steeljaw casts the human female a pointed look, one that says Don't start with me. Still, it would be inappropriate not to answer.

SJ: "That's all I've been doing, and suffice to say that constant sleep gets boring after a while."

SANDRA: "If you say so. Still, you need to be careful."

She points to the wolf's small yet noticeable baby bump.

Steeljaw knows this human means no harm, but ever since he learned that he's expectant, parental instinct has just invited itself in to stay.

He raises a clawed hand and gently places it upon the bump.

SANDRA: "I know this is a lot to take in, and I feel like this isn't something you and your team are used to."

SJ: "No, it isn't."

He starts rubbing circles around the bump, careful not to press too hard or go too fast.

SJ: "Cybertronians don't give birth, but are rather created. Most climb out of the Well of Allsparks, and some are constructed from scratch. Don't ask me to explain, because knowledge and research on this topic is few and far between."

SANDRA: "I figured that may be the case, or at least part of it. Please, continue."

SJ: "The ways I listed are the traditional means for the majority of Cybertronians. Other similar species – Cybertronians who broke away from our home planet and formed colonies on other planets, thus evolving and developing new systems and protocols in order to survive – are created quite a bit differently. Conceived through a spark merge between mates, a sparkling starts out as a tiny bead of light, rotating around the carrier's spark. I don't need to explain the terminology, do I?"

SANDRA: "It all sounds pretty self-explanatory to me."

Steeljaw smiled and relaxed a bit, relieved that the discussion won't prolong any further than he intended it to.

SJ: "Adding on to that, certain environmental anomalies or whatever you'd prefer to call it can challenge a sparkling's growth. After a certain amount of time, though, the sparkling grows to the point where it is no longer necessary to stay attached to the carrier's spark. It detaches and travels to the gestation tank, where it starts to form an actual body."

In his current organic state, Steeljaw has to take periodic breaks to catch his breath, literally.

SJ: "Depending on the species, the sparkling will either emerge as a soft, extremely vulnerable protoform, whose plating forms within – in your human terms – 24 hours. Or, as an egg."

SANDRA: "An egg?"

SJ: "Yes."

SANDRA: "Like, a bird's egg?"

SJ: "Except much larger, with a nigh impenetrable shell."

SANDRA: "Makes sense. So, how do the babies get out?"

Steeljaw mulled over the question. It's not that he didn't have the answer; he just wanted to go about saying it a different way.

What comparison can he use so that the human will understand?

SJ: "Think of a C-Section."

Steeljaw succeeds in getting the point across.

The look on Sandra's face spoke volumes.

SANDRA: "Oh. Well, I was expecting another way, but I guess in hindsight, our abilities to reproduce wouldn't be the same."

SJ: "Similar in some regards, yes, but different in many others."

SANDRA: "How do you think your little one is going to come out?"

SJ: "As a protoform, no doubt about that."

Suddenly, Steeljaw slammed the floor with his claws.

SJ: "Ah, clones! I completely forgot about the clones!"

Sandra shook herself out of her startled state.

SANDRA: "Another way to create more of you?"

Steeljaw dismissed the wording and chuckled.

SJ: "Yes, another way to boost numbers, although it's more of a hassle than you'd think."

Before Sandra can ask for further information, there's a knock at the door.

SANDRA: "Hm? Wonder who that could be?"

As the woman moves to open the door, a cold sense of dread overcomes Steeljaw, and not just because there's possibly a stranger on the other side, one he might have to protect himself, his unborn child, and maybe even Sandra from.

SJ: "Stay away from that door! Don't open it!"

SANDRA: "Why not?"

SJ: "I don't know. I just have a bad feeling, and my senses are rarely ever wrong."

Sandra hesitates.

Whoever is outside isn't one for patience. They bust through in an explosion of splinters. A large, heavily-armored creature, sporting spikes all over their shell and wrecking ball-like tail looms over what used to be the front of the house, red eyes staring down at their two victims.

Steeljaw unfurls himself from his protective ball and shakily gets to his paws. He looks over at his companion. Sandra is recovering from the blowback, but at least she appears unscathed.

"Ben Tennyson. I will admit that it shouldn't have taken me this long to find you, but whatever. I hope you don't mind if I let myself in."

Steeljaw recalled the first morning with Ben's parents, and what they said about Ben accidentally bringing enemies to their house and destroying it to some extent. He didn't expect it to actually happen, and now with the pregnancy…

SJ: "Scrap."

The creature took a thunderous step forward. Steeljaw immediately backed away a few feet, keeping low to the ground. Sandra scooted behind him. The creature analyzed the human and the wolf before him, his brows furrowing as something didn't sit right with him.

"Hold on, you're not Ben! Who are you? And where is Tennyson?"

Sandra panicked and blurted out…

SANDRA: "What do you want with my son?"

Steeljaw stiffened.

Dammit, he isn't in any condition to deal with this!

The creature cocks their head, a devious grin pulling at their maw.

ALBEDO: "The name is Albedo, and I have a personal score to settle with your son. Might as well cooperate if you want to live."

Normally, Sandra wouldn't think twice about standing up to any enemy of Ben's if it meant she could do something – anything – to protect him. However, this time, she had someone else to worry about. Her wide-eyed gaze shifted to Steeljaw.

SANDRA: "I… I can't."

Steeljaw feared what would happen next. Sure, this woman has been more than kind and accepting of him and his team-mates, welcoming them into her home with open arms, but…

Without thinking, he returned his claws to his abdomen, tightly yet carefully cradling his baby bump, reminding himself why he can't intervene.

Unfortunately, Albedo is keen, and quickly takes note of the strange behavior.

ALBEDO: "Ah, I see. Suppose you need a little more motivation?"

Albedo lightly shoves Sandra out of the way to make room for himself. Using his sheer size, he encircles Steeljaw and traps him in place. Steeljaw wants to attack more than anything, but can't. Instead, he further curls in on himself, determined to protect his unborn child, even if it means every other part of his body is about to be slagged.

ALBEDO: "You can't possibly be that scared! I see that look in your eyes. You're certainly not as scared as your body is trying to pass it off as!"

Steeljaw doesn't respond, but he sure as hell wishes the others were here.

Maybe they could do something since they aren't, you know, pregnant!

A moment of distraction is all the time Albedo needs. With surprising speed, an arm shoots out and grabs Steeljaw, who stifles a cry of pain as he's lifted off the ground and into the air by the scruff of his neck. His claws automatically reach for his captor's hand, while his tail wraps around his abdomen.

ALBEDO: "My, my, what do we have here?"

Two fingers grab Steeljaw's tail and pull it away. Another blocks his hind legs from attempting to kick. The remaining free finger grazes the baby bump.

Steeljaw ceases his struggles, afraid of making things worse. He wants to get free, but not at the risk of harming his unborn child. He shifts a little, as this form of contact under these circumstances makes him extremely uncomfortable, but he no longer twists and writhes in an attempt to escape.

ALBEDO: "Interesting. Tell me, when are you due?"

Steeljaw lets his silent glare do the talking for him. He doesn't have to answer the question, and besides, it's not like he knows.

One thing's for certain, though: he was sparked before they departed Nova Terra.

SANDRA: "Put him down! This has nothing to do with him!"

That surprised Albedo.

ALBEDO: "Him?"

Steeljaw couldn't keep quiet any longer.

SJ: "Yes, him, and I will gouge out your eyes the second I'm free!"

ALBEDO: "Well, you certainly sound like a male, and one with an attitude to boot. Since you're speaking now, care to tell me what your connection to Tennyson is?"

SJ: "None of your business!"

Steeljaw expected Albedo to react with violence. His eyes narrowed and grip tightened, but that's it. The lack of a reaction unsettles both Steeljaw and Sandra.

Then, Albedo laughs.

ALBEDO: "Change of plans. You're obviously important to Tennyson and his group, or else you wouldn't be here. The why will have to be discovered later. For now…"

He turns to look down at Sandra.

ALBEDO: "I am leaving you to pass along a message to Ben. Tell him to meet me in Los Soledad. I don't expect him to come alone, so I will allow his friends to attend, but no one else, and I expect them to arrive by midnight. After that…"

Albedo removes his mostly free hand from Steeljaw's lower half and morphs it into its weapon mode. He builds up a charge, careful not to shoot, and presses it against his captive.

ALBEDO: "Well, it isn't hard to guess."