"Woah," Miko said, her eyes wide. 

           "Wh- How- What?" Jack stammered. 

           "How has that never come up before?" Raf demanded, stunned.

           "How is that not immensely awkward?" Jack added. "You guys seem so chill with each other. I never would have imagined you had that kind of past!" Ratchet was speechless. He fumbled with a project he was working on. He couldn't believe the kind of history Bumblebee and Arcee had to be working at the efficiency they did. He shared the amazement of Jack. He wasn't sure how they did it. 

           Arcee seemed likely to continue, but at that moment Optimus could be heard over the coms. 

           "Ratchet, we need a ground bridge." Ratchet opened the groundbridge quickly, half grateful for the distraction and half dissapointed he wouldn't get to hear the end of the story. The groundbridge opened and the rest of the autobots came through. 

           "We received new coordinates to investigate," Optimus informed Rachet as he came through the groundbridge. "Arcee, would you like to get out in the field?" The human children exchanged glances with her, pleading with her non-verbally to stay behind and finish the story. 

           "Actually," she said, resisiting the strong urge she had to sigh. "I think I'd be happy to stay behind for today." Bulkhead and Bumblebee exchanged looks. Bee beeped a bit, speaking to Arcee, and all the kids jumped. Arcee glared at them out of the corner of her eye, but thankfully none of the rest of the autobots besides Ratchet noticed. 

           "Yes, I'm feeling fine, Bee. I've just been enjoying myself with the kids this afternoon. Why, you anxious to get away? Can't take the heat?" she teased. Bee rolled his optics. 

           "Very well," Optimus said. "Bee, Smokescreen, Bulkhead, I think you can handle this on you own. I feel it is best that I stay behind this time." Bulkhead nodded, advocating for the rest of them. Ratchet opened the groundbridge and the three bots went through. The kids sighed, believing that since Optimus had stayed behind, they would not get to hear the rest of the story. The base was silent for a few minutes. 

           "Arcee," Optimus said, looking up from his work curiously. "Did you not say that you and the kids were enjoying yourselves? Do not stop on my account." Ratchet inhaled sharply, which no one noticed. 

           "Yeah, Arcee," Miko agreed. "Just continue your story."

           "Story?" Optimus questioned. 

           "I was telling them about the academy back on Cybertron," Arcee explained. "About how I met Bee." Optimus lifted his head, curious. 

            " By all means, continue," he said. "I have always wondered what the academy was like." 

           "Well, there isn't much left to tell," Arcee admitted. "Bee and I worked together still for the last month of that year, and after that I saw a lot less of him. We had seperate classes and he began hanging around a different crowd, which was probably best. He became more popular and I continued to be anything but. Neither of us dated anymore. In fact, no one did. Our second year we were strongly discouraged from forming any relationships during the duration of the war. Dating was frowned upon and love was all but discontinued. I'm afraid a lot of us lost hope that such a thing was possible in a time as bleak as was the war on Cybertron. Either way, our instructors deemed both a distraction and a hinderance to the Autobot mission." Optimus looked up, clearly troubled by this.

           "I wish I had known," he professed. "I disagree strongly with their decision to discourage relationships. That it just the kind of system of beliefs that causes us to give up hope and despair in a time of crisis," he declared. "I prided the Autobots on thriving in the wake of such relations and community." He looked down. "Now, I am not so sure I knew what I was leading." Ratchet lay a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. 

           " If it helps," Arcee spoke up, with a bitter tinge in her voice. "From someone who knows, love during the war inflicted only pain and regret." Optimus studied the warrior. He could see how broken the loss of her partners had left her. 

           "Arcee," he said gently. "Tailgate and Cliffjumper, they were more than partners to you, weren't they?" Arcee looked down. "I had long suspected," he confessed, taking her silence as confirmation. "Their sparks were brave, and their legacies live on," he assured her. "Their deaths were not in vain." Arcee wiped away a tear. The human children watched her, unsure what to do. 

           "You may continue," Ratchet said to her, which was what she needed. Who knew Ratchet was intuitive in such matters?

           "Bee and I continued to hold the best marks the academy ever saw, I'm glad to report and after graduation we were immediately recruited. We were assigned to seperate squadrons, which was where I met Tailgate and we became partners. It was a year or two before the incident with Arachnid. I can't exactly remember. Most of the war is a blur to me." Ratchet and Optimus shared a glance which said they understood the feeling. 

           "Bee and Cliffjumper, who had become partners, save me from Arachnid and not long after that, the Decepticons turned the tide and the war took a turn for the worse."