Mazikeen left Optimus's alt-mode as soon as they got to the base. She glanced at him with a short look,
"For what it's worth...I'm sorry you feel that we failed you."
She was immediately hugged by Alexandra,
"Maze! I was so fucking worried! Are you okay?"
Mazikeen smiled and ruffled her hair,
"I will be after I see Ratch. Why don't you go get some rest?"
Alexandra rolled her eyes,
"Nice try. Sophie already turned in after hearing you were safe from Sides and Sunstreaker, I wanted to make sure you were okay,"
Mazikeen smiled and hugged her,
"Don't worry about me, Alexa, go rest,"
Alexandra sighed and glanced at Optimus,
"I will soon,"
Mazikeen smiled softly at her and patted her shoulder,
"He's in a pretty sour mood, so don't take anything personally,"
Alexandra shrugged and walked over to him. Mazikeen sighed softly, she took a small detour before walking over to the new Medical Bay,
"Oh, Ratch!"
Ratchet immediately grabbed her softly in his servo and put her down on the table,
"Are you alright? Jolt reported that you were stabbed again,"
Mazikeen sighed,
"Yeah...I was...among other things,"
Ratchet frowned and quickly locked the door and turned on his holo-form to sit next to her,
"What?"
Mazikeen sighed and looked down at her hands,
"I...well...I got electrocuted a shit ton...few punches, probably a broken rib somewhere...gashes...and um...before Cade got to me...one of the soldiers, well...he um.-"
"Hey, take your time. If you don't want to talk about it, don't,"
Mazikeen sighed, and Ratchet wrapped his arms softly around her,
"Maze, I am here for you,"
"He raped me when I was unconscious,"
Ratchet's eyes widened, and he felt anger course through him before hugging her tightly,
"He will have bad karma, as you say. I wish we found you sooner,"
Mazikeen smiled softly and shrugged,
"It's fine...you guys did find me...how did you find me?"
Ratchet sighed,
"Prowl told us someone gave him coordinates, and then Will was told about the hidden warehouse from a leader in Ukraine who wanted to speak to him and Commander Morshower,"
Mazikeen chuckled,
"Barricade told Prowl. He musta gotten scared by the security,"
Ratchet sighed,
"There is something else. How did you know Barricade defected?"
Mazikeen smiled nervously at him,
"Well, he told me on my birthday that he left the Decepticons. I gave him a device so that if I called, he would come find me. And boom! I called, and he came,"
Ratchet narrowed his eyes at her,
"And why don't we have one?!"
Mazikeen blushed,
"Well...I keep forgetting to make one to give to you,"
Ratchet sighed in exasperation,
"Just take off your layers so I can wrap your torso,"
Mazikeen nodded, and she slowly took off her shirt. Ratchet frowned in confusion when he spotted a mark on her collarbone,
"Mazikeen,"
"Yes?"
Ratchet touched the mark, and she winced,
"Ow! What was that for?"
"I barely touched it! When the frag did you get this?"
Mazikeen looked down and frowned in confusion,
"What the fuck is that?"
Ratchet frowned,
"This is Prowl's symbol...but also Barricade's old symbol,"
Mazikeen's eyes widened in shock,
"Oh, that cheeky son of a sky. Oh, I got some words for you!"
Mazikeen looked up at the ceiling, imagining Primus's face. Ratchet frowned,
"Maze, what else happened?"
Mazikeen blushed,
"Well...uh...you see...when we got out...Primus told Barricade and I we are bonded-"
"YOU ARE WHAT?!!!!!!!"
Mazikeen winced at the sheer volume of his voice,
"Ratch! Keep your voice down!"
There was a knock on the door,
"Ratchet? Is everything alright? Everyone could hear your scream,"
Mazikeen winced at Sideswipe's voice, and Ratchet narrowed his eyes at her as his holo-form then disappeared, and he opened the door briefly,
"Yes, go get Prowl. Thanks,"
He shut the door on Sideswipe's face and walked back to Mazikeen,
"You! Have a frag ton of scrap to tell me,"
Mazikeen winced,
"Yes, yes, I know I do-"
"How the frag did you become a sparkmate of Barricade's?!"
Mazikeen's eyes widened, and she gagged,
"EW! That's nasty!"
Ratchet frowned,
"What?"
"Cade and I are not sparkmates! Primus explained that it was like we are platonic soulmates. We are Amica Endurae-"
Ratchet gasped,
"Impossible,"
"Why?"
Ratchet shook his head,
"Amica Endura is a bond that was thought to be a story, a myth. There has not been an Amica Endura bond in centuries, Maze. Did Barricade also see Primus?"
Mazikeen frowned and nodded,
"Yeah. We were both there. But that doesn't make any sense. How come you guys don't have a best friend?"
Ratchet sighed,
"We do have brothers-in-arms, as you say. We have not bonded with others in a long time because of the pain that happens when another is in pain. That is why having a twin is so difficult. We were all shocked when Sunstreaker and Sideswipe told us that you three bonded. Sure, it is not as strong as a split-spark bond, but the simple fact that you three can feel each other's pain and emotions is unknown to us as you are not the same species."
Mazikeen frowned,
"So...you don't know what will happen?"
Ratchet sighed and nodded,
"I am afraid so. I do not know enough about this bond,"
They heard a knock on the door and Prowl's voice,
"Ratchet, you requested my presence?"
Ratchet glanced at Mazikeen, and she nodded. Ratchet opened the door, and Prowl came in and stopped when he saw Mazikeen,
"The mark,"
Mazikeen sighed,
"Yeahhh,"
Prowl frowned as he knelt down to her eye level,
"Mazikeen, how do you have my mark on your shoulder? Is it a human tattoo?"
Mazikeen blushed and shook her head,
"Sooo...funny story...you are so going to laugh,"
Prowl narrowed his optics at her,
"I'm listening,"
"So...Barricade and I are bonded-"
"WHAT?!"
Mazikeen winced as he stood up abruptly,
"How the frag are you two bonded?! How did I not feel anything?!"
Mazikeen blushed, and Ratchet immediately put a servo on Prowl's chassis,
"Prowl! It's not a sparkmate bond, they are Amica Endurae,"
Prowl immediately stopped and stared at Ratchet in confusion,
"Amica Endura bonds are stories,"
Mazikeen pouted,
"Hey! I find that offensive for both Cade and myself. It's obviously not a myth if we are living examples of it,"
Prowl sighed and put his servo down for Mazikeen to climb onto it,
"Mazikeen. You are aware that Barricade and I are twins-"
"Yes. I know. But you two have a strained bond. I felt it when I woke up. You both suppressed the bond somehow after Cade turned over to the Decepticons. You can't tell me that earlier you didn't feel pissed off."
Prowl sighed,
"I did...but for reasons that evade me,"
Mazikeen smiled at him,
"It's because Cade was furious. Hell, his optics changed to red again. Which, by the way, I had no idea you guys could change your optic color,"
Ratchet sighed,
"Only in extreme emotions,"
Mazikeen nodded,
"Well, Cade and I are Amica Endurae, so best get used to me, buddy!"
Prowl sighed,
"Are you telling anyone else?"
Mazikeen shrugged,
"My brothers and most likely Jazz since he's my guardian...but is he still mad?"
Prowl sighed as he thought back to his talk with Jazz.
Pʀᴏᴡʟ's Mᴇᴍᴏʀʏ
"Jazz, what happened out there?"
Jazz glanced at Prowl,
"What do you mean?"
Prowl crossed his arms,
"You growled when Barricade and Maze disappeared,"
Jazz crossed his arms,
"We didn't know where Barricade took her,"
Prowl rolled his optics at him,
"And when she got into Prime's alt-mode, you looked like you wanted to off-line Barricade,"
Jazz grumbled,
"He's a decepticon, why wouldn't I?"
"He is a neutral now. You saw his gray eyes. I think you were jealous,"
Jazz growled and glared at Prowl,
"I ain' jealous! I just don't trust em', there's a difference!"
Prowl smirked and patted his shoulder,
"Just by your accent coming back, I know what is true and what is false. Just don't let your emotions cloud your judgment,"
"I would never!"
Prowl sighed,
"You just might,"
Pʀᴇsᴇɴᴛ
"Jazz...has a lot on his mind...but I can assure you that he will never remain mad, especially with you,"
Mazikeen sighed,
"I just don't know what happened earlier. I have only ever seen him so mad like once before...but okay, maybe I should talk t-"
"Oh, you are NOT leaving this room until I finish dealing with your cuts!"
Mazikeen winced,
"Oh, yeah,"
Prowl chuckled and set her down,
"You just focus on healing. When you are finished, Jazz will be waiting...along with your sparkling Tex,"
Mazikeen's eyes widened,
"You know about Tex?"
Prowl laughed,
"Mazikeen, we always knew that Tex was your sparkling, even before we learned that you were the holder of the AllSpark's energy. Tex always gravitated to you as a sparkling would his carrier. We simply never asked,"
Mazikeen smiled softly at him,
"Thanks, Prowl,"
Prowl nodded,
"You are our friend, Maze, and you always will be,"
He left, and Ratchet quickly set her back down and took care of her injuries. He pointed a wrench at her,
"I swear to Primus, if you get injured tomorrow, I will offline you,"
Mazikeen laughed and hugged his servo,
"You won't,"
Ratchet rolled his optics and set her down on the floor,
"Just go, you have much to do,"
Mazikeen nodded,
"I assume you learned that I sent Aura away with Bluestreak?"
Ratchet chuckled,
"Bluestreak contacted me as he left."
Mazikeen smiled,
"They will be fine. I know it...I just had a bad feeling, and it told me to get them out. Cade will follow them too,"
Ratchet chuckled,
"You sure know your way,"
Mazikeen nodded,
"Yes, I do. Bye, Ratch, I'll check in here with Amy tomorrow,"
Ratchet nodded,
"Good,"
She left and immediately saw Jazz's alt-mode,
"Hey, Jazz,"
Jazz's holo-form immediately appeared and hugged her tightly. Mazikeen chuckled and hugged him back,
"I'm okay,"
"Doesn't stop the fear,"
Mazikeen frowned and pulled out of the hug,
"Fear?"
Jazz refused to look her in the eyes, and he looked down,
"Yes,"
Mazikeen grabbed his hand and tugged on it to his alt-mode,
"Let's go to my room to talk, yeah?"
Jazz nodded, and they silently drove to right outside the door. She dragged him out of his alt-mode and into her room,
"Wait, where is Tex?"
Jazz blushed,
"Well, he is currently with Arcee and her sisters. They wanted some time with him,"
Mazikeen nodded,
"Okay, good. Now. What's wrong?"
Jazz sighed and sat down on her bed as she sat next to him,
"Lil M...you just...you were gone...and we didn't know where the frag you were. Then, all of a sudden, Prowl gets a message, and then we are off. Then! We got to the building and were immediately in a battle against humans. I just...I felt so powerless at that moment...Then, to find out that Barricade was there to save you...Lil M, what kind of guardian am I if I can't save or protect you?"
Mazikeen frowned and looked at him. Jazz refused to look at her, and she sighed,
"Jazz?"
He grunted,
"Look at me,"
Jazz finally looked at her, and she lifted up his goggles from his face. She put both of her hands on his shoulders,
"Jazz, you are the best guardian I could ever ask for. I don't care if you feel like you failed, you will never fail me. I know you won't because I trust you. Hell! I trust you with our son...and I know you damn well don't feel like you helped me out or anything like that. But you have stuck by my side ever since Mission City. You are not only my guardian, but you are important to me. Don't beat yourself up,"
Jazz stared at her,
"Our son?"
Mazikeen immediately let go of his shoulders in horror,
"Frag,"
Jazz smirked and nudged her,
"What happened to Tex not having a sire?"
Mazikeen rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder,
"Shut up, cheeky asshole. We were having a moment!"
Jazz chuckled and smiled at her,
"So, we aren't going to talk about it?"
Mazikeen rolled her eyes and sighed,
"Fine. I don't know...it just slipped out without me thinking about it...but it's true, isn't it? Tex looks up to many of you guys, but I see how he acts around you the most. He idolizes you like I did my own father when I was younger. Jazz, you may not be Tex's biological father, or however that scrap works...but you are his father, and I am fucking happy it's you,"
Jazz's eyes widened in complete shock,
"Y-You...you want me to be his father?"
Mazikeen chuckled and nudged him,
"Jazz, you ARE his father, you look after him,"
Jazz smiled,
"I guess I am,"
Mazikeen chuckled and wrapped an arm around his shoulder,
"You are,"
She kissed his cheek gently and Jazz's eyes widened in shock at the feeling, his spark was pulling at him the hardest he has ever felt.
"Moooommmmmmmm!"
They broke apart immediately at seeing Tex running in and jumping onto Mazikeen,
"I MISSED YOU!"
Mazikeen laughed as she hugged him tightly,
"Oh, Tex, I missed you too,"
Tex felt coolant running down his cheek,
"You blocked off our bonds, and when I woke up, I couldn't feel you anymore. I was scared, but Jazz told me that you wouldn't leave me,"
Mazikeen smiled softly and wiped his optics,
"Sweetheart, I would never leave you. Now, we have something to tell you,"
Tex's optics brightened,
"What is it?"
Mazikeen smirked and glanced at Jazz, and he nodded,
"I know you have no true sire. But. I do know that you have one in mind,"
Tex's optics widened in shock,
"You do?"
Mazikeen laughed and sent amusement to him through their bond,
"Of course I do. You are my son-"
Tex immediately jumped out of Mazikeen's arms and onto Jazz's torso,
"Yay! You are my dad!"
Jazz's eyes widened, and he immediately wrapped his arms around the small Autobot. He chuckled and smiled at him,
"It appears so,"
Tex immediately looked at Mazikeen,
"Something else is different. I sensed it when Dad called me to say you were okay,"
Jazz's eyes softened at the title. Mazikeen smiled nervously and sighed,
"Okay, yeah...so don't freak out. Either of you, okay? Prowl and Ratch both screamed bloody murder when I told them,"
Jazz and Tex narrowed their eyes/optics at her. Mazikeen sighed and tugged down her shirt collar to show the new mark on her body. Jazz's eyes immediately flashed a brief red, and only Tex noticed. Mazikeen sighed,
"You see, Cade and I apparently formed a bond-"
"Maybe I should leave,"
Mazikeen immediately frowned and grabbed Jazz's hand,
"What? Why?"
Jazz pulled down his goggles and shook his head,
"If you bonded with Barricade, especially if you have his marking...then I should not be here, and Tex is his s-"
"What are you talking about? Cade and I are just friends!"
"You said you are bonded, Maze, being bonded to us is not just friendship, it's something else,"
Tex watched hopelessly as Mazikeen tightened her grip on his shoulder,
"Jazz, just let me finish!"
Jazz struggled and shook his head,
"I have to g-"
"No! Don't you dare leave!"
Jazz looked at her as a pain erupted in his spark,
"Lil M-"
"Let me finish talking!"
Jazz sighed and glanced at Tex, but he nodded,
"Okay."
Mazikeen let out a sigh of relief,
"Okay, good! Now! I was about to say we are Amica Endurae-"
Jazz gasped,
"What? That's impossible,"
Mazikeen rolled her eyes,
"You all say that. But it's not impossible. When we passed out after escaping, Primus summoned us and explained to us what that bond was. So, it's not a myth or anything like that. Don't worry though, this will never change anything for us. Especially with Tex, Cade is only bonded with me. Prowl can't feel my bond through him, so Sun and Sides won't. If they did, they would have said something already,"
Jazz slowly nodded,
"Okay, but why do you have his mark?"
Mazikeen shrugged,
"I have no clue. Ratch doesn't either...but our knowledge is pretty iffy on this, so yeah!"
Jazz sighed and felt the pain slowly die down in his spark,
"Okay, as long as he doesn't do anything to you,"
Mazikeen smiled at him,
"Don't worry! I'll be fine, let's just go sleep,"
Jazz sighed but nodded,
"Okay, aren't you going to change?"
Mazikeen groaned,
"Frag, yeah...just close your eyes,"
Jazz did so and felt Mazikeen brush past him. He heard the drawers open and close. He waited very 'patiently' for her to finish and ignored the tugging at his spark to open his eyes. Mazikeen laid down and sighed in relief,
"Okay! You can open them now,"
Jazz did so and felt his processor malfunction at seeing Mazikeen in shorts and a tank top that barely covered anything. His eyes briefly scanned over her as he took in the stitches on her arms, a cut on her throat, and the bandages covering her torso. His eyes stayed on the raw skin of her wrists from the cuffs. Mazikeen patted the spot next to her,
"Come on, it's sleeping time!"
Jazz laid down next to her and traced his fingers around the marks on her wrists. Mazikeen shivered a little, and Jazz frowned,
"Are you okay?"
Mazikeen sighed and nodded,
"Yeah...just felt a little cold,"
Jazz frowned,
"Are you sure you are okay? I can see all the marks,"
Mazikeen sighed and lifted up the wrist he was gently holding,
"Yeah...I just want to stop thinking about it all,"
Jazz nodded and wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her closer to him,
"I swear to you, Mazikeen. No one will ever touch you again,"
Mazikeen blushed and turned around to look at him in the face,
"You know you shouldn't be making promises you can't keep,"
Jazz felt his spark strain as an instinct filled him. He could sense his engines revving up,
"I intend to keep this one. No one gets to touch you ever again,"
Mazikeen chuckled and moved closer to him again as she laid her head against his chest,
"I know you intend to, but anything is possible,"
Jazz let out a low growl, and Mazikeen looked at him in surprise,
"No one will hurt you, I won't let them,"
Mazikeen lifted up her hand to hold his cheek,
"Jazz, it's okay. I promise, relax and go to sleep,"
Jazz sighed and nuzzled her hand,
"Okay,"
He kissed the top of her head and held her against him as he felt his spark lighten up. Mazikeen smiled softly and felt her heart warm as she felt Tex climb on top of them to recharge. She felt content with their familiar family dynamic.