"What is Love?"

Leona wasn't sure if this was a good idea. She would rather be at the Autobot base than be in Agent Fowler's rather secluded home.

"It's not much," Fowler had said when they arrived. The house looked more like a large cabin that was surrounded by a massive forest - it took them over an hour to get there - like one from a fairytale.

Leona's brown eyes had taken in the sight, a small smile growing on her lips, "It's perfect," she told the Agent.

Fowler's cheeks reddened slightly, but he easily recovered, "Ratchet wants you back at base tomorrow for a check up, but for tonight," he grabbed the suitcase that the government had supplied with clothes for the teenager, "I’ll show you your room."

Leona nodded, following Fowler into the lovely, homely cabin in the woods.

❀

"Ergh! What is taking so long!?!?!?"

Ratchet rolled his optics at the black mech who was pacing back and forth across the Autobot base. Starting to wear a track in the floor.

"They should've been back by now!"

No, they shouldn't have. Not after Ratchet had specifically told Fowler not to bring Leona back for at least a day.

The orange and white medic wanted to see how Leona's absence affected Ironhide, even after they had only been reunited for a few hours(3 hours).

So far, it wasn't so good.

Ironhide had quickly gone back to his grumpy, inpatient persona that he had held when Team Prime managed to find his frame in one of M.E.C.H.'s warehouses and bring him online.

The three hours that he had spent with Leona(unconscious or not), he had become a complete different 'bot. He’d become kinder, and more careful around the humans. His depressed state gone while the human girl was near.

Ratchet couldn't wrap his helm around it. The closest thing he could compare the reaction that Ironhide was having to losing Leona(well, he didn't lose her, more like he let her go(even if he hadn't wanted her to).) again was an incomplete spark bond.

But that was impossible! Leona was human(well, he wasn't quite sure of that because of the girl's shifting ability), and Ironhide was Cybertronian. She had a heart and he had a spark. There was no way in a million vorns would it be possible.

But…. he couldn't find anything else that was similar to this.

"How long does it take to get a few details!?" Ironhide groaned, glaring at everything, and anything.

Ratchet scowled, "Would you please be quiet!?!?" He snapped at the weapons specialist, "Some of us have actual things to do!"

Ironhide glared at Ratchet, about to open his intake to snap back at the medic-

"Perhaps you should take a drive, Ironhide," Optimus interrupted, placing a servo on his emotional friends' shoulder, almost seemingly appearing out of nowhere, "You need a bit of fresh air."

Ironhide looked up at the Prime before venting, "Alright," he said in acceptance, "But comm me if Leona gets back."

"We will," Optimus nodded in agreement(he totally wasn’t saying it just to get the emotional mech out of the base for a while).

Ironhide vented, then transformed into his altmode, ironically it was the same vehicle that he had once hated, a Topkick pickup truck. The very same one that M.E.C.H. had forced him to use while he was stuck in his holoform(except, you know, it being his alt-mode instead of a human vehicle).

Ratchet let out a relieved vent as he watched the black mech drive away, "Thank you, Optimus."

The red and royal blue Prime looked down at his friend, "I am not unaware that you told Agent Fowler to keep Leona away," he told the medic.

Ratchet vented once more, "I just needed to see how immediately her absence would affect Ironhide," he waved his servo in dismissal, "And what it would mean."

Optimus raised an optical ridge in a silent question towards him.

"The closest "illness" I can compare it to is an incomplete spark bond," Ratchet explained, shaking his helm, "But it's not possible-!"

Optimus held up a servo to stop the medic's words, a tired look crossing his faceplates.

Of course, it was possible. It was incomplete because Leona was human, and she had a heart instead of a spark.

And, Ironhide would slowly kill himself for the bond that had formed between him and the Lioness.

Here's Chapter Five!

This is a little short, but it does clear up why Ratchet wanted Fowler to keep Leona away for a while.

I have no idea where this is going, so, Yay!(#liar!)
Poor 'hide. This book is only going to get worse.

Hope you enjoyed!
Feedback?