This bunny wouldn't STOP chewing on me. I've read several AU stories where Prowl has Jazz as a slave or servant and in all of them he seems to accept it, as its usually part of the culture he's brought up in. Then the bunny jumped me and got me thinking...what if Prowl had Jazz as a slave and Prowl didn't want a slave...what if he didn't accept slavery as ok but had to deal with it anyway? And that were this monster came from.

Crack Plot Bunny to work with :

Prowl is assigned as an ambassador to a foreign territory. Unlike Praxus or Iacon, this territory still practices slavery. This practice disturbs Prowl even though the slaves seem very happy. Being ambassador, Prowl is required to live in the territory to help push a truce and ease communication concerns. As he is settling in, the Emperor shows up at his door with yet another gift, a slave just for him. Prowl reluctantly accepts the gift slave, unsure of how to deal with this situation as he's not about to use a slave.

Jazz (said gift slave) is thrilled with his new master, who is handsome, exotic, kind, and soft spoken. He's more than eager to show his appreciation. However, Prowl won't let him do everything like he should and whats more frustrating, Prowl seems determined to keep something between them at all times, usually furniture. But Jazz is just as determined to please his master in every way possible.

Warnings:AU, total Crackverse, Mech on mech, slavery

Breem = about a min.

Chapter One:

The gift

Prowl slowly came to a stop once more in front of the vast picture window. He looked out at the unquestionably beautiful view. The crystal gardens, a recreation of those found in Praxus, were gorgeous as were the beautifully sculpted statues and below them ornately carved benches. Perfect for reading. Once he finished unpacking, he might have to indulge some and read a book file in the garden. Soak in the quiet serenity.

Prowl frowned. It really was too much, he wasn't use to such extravagance. A simple flat in the inner city would have sufficed. But the Emperor had insisted the Ambassador take residence in one of his many more picturesque estates, particularly this one given its Praxian décor. And Prowl had reluctantly agreed, not wanting to seem ungrateful. The Emperor took offense easy.

He still couldn't believe he had been assigned to this…to this…to this crazy arrangement. He was an Enforcer, NOT an Ambassador. Just because he was friends with several Senators and could calmly deal with huffy and hostile elites, generally getting all parties to find a common ground to agree on, did not make him suitable for inter-territorial relations. Especially THIS territory.

Prowl would like to call this territory primitive but their technology was just as advanced as Iacon's. It was the many cultural differences that really stood out. The main one being this territory, unlike Iacon and much of Cybertron, had not done away with slavery. In fact, it seemed almost all households here had at least one slave.

It disturbed Prowl. It went against his solid belief of independence and freewill, of being in control of one's own destiny. And seeing that the slaves here seemed….happy with their positions in life, did little to settle his mind.

A chime from the front entrance roused Prowl from his inner musings. Someone was at the front door. Setting the box he held down, he had to cross through three rooms just to reach the front door. Prowl shook his head.

Primus, this is too much space!

Upon opening the door, he was surprised to see the Emperor with a small entourage behind him which included Mirage, who spoke with Prowl often to explain the local customs and ways of the land.

Prowl gave a bow, opening the door wide. "Emperor, it is a pleasant surprise to see you again so soon. Please, come in."

The Emperor stepped in, his entourage staying behind, remaining just outside the front entrance.

The grand mech looked around at the boxes and crates that were stacked along various walls of the room. Prowl followed his gaze. "My apologies for the state of things -"

But the Emperor waved his apology away. "Not at all. But do tell me, Prowl, how like you your accommodations?"

"This estate is gorgeous. I can not thank you enough for allowing me to reside here for the duration of my stay. You are very generous, Sir."

The Emperor grinned at the praise. "I'm glad everything is to your liking, Ambassador Prowl. However, should that change or should you grow bored with these surroundings, you are to tell me immediately. I have a number of estates you can indulge in."

The Emperor turned to face Prowl completely, a delighted smile played on his lips. "Now, the purpose for my being here. I come bearing a gift for you, Ambassador."

That...was a surprise.

"A...a gift? I think allowing me to reside here is more than enough."

The Emperors smile widened. "Ah, but I am generous. You said so yourself. Now, I have brought with me, Ambassador Prowl, a gift beholden to one of your title and status here. A personal slave. Just for you."

Prowl almost choked on air.

Oh, no no no no no..

He hesitated a moment, thoughts scrambling in his mind to reason a way out of this situation gracefully.

He had nothing.

"...Emperor, please, with your indulgence, would you be so kind as to excuse me for one moment?"

The Emperor smiled and nodded. "Certainly."

"Yes, thank you…I'll be right…back." Prowl looked toward the door. "Mirage? May I speak with you in private, please?"

Mirage looked to his Emperor, who gave a nod, before following Prowl to a private study off the main entrance. Once the door was securely closed Prowl turned to Mirage. "What is the meaning of this!"

Mirage actually looked genuinely confused at his question. "What?"

"Why is the Emperor gifting me a slave!"

A slight shrug from the noble. "It is customary that most households, especially one of this magnitude, have slaves. Also taking into consideration your status, it would most certainly be expected you have a personal slave who can attend to you."

"This is not my house. I am not a citizen of this territory. And furthermore, I don't need attending to. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Still…"

Prowl sighed, "I can't have a slave, Mirage, it goes against everything I… I can't have a slave. Now, please, I don't want to offend the Emperor, so tell me how do I go about telling him 'Thank you but no'?"

"You don't."

"But-"

The noble stepped closer, voice dropping. "Listen, and listen to me well. Ambassador or not, you don't reject a gift from the Emperor. No one rejects a gift from the Emperor. No matter what. It's not done."

Prowl took in the seriousness of the tone. "Why not?"

"To tell the Emperor you refuse his gift is like….like…one our Ambassadors walking up to one of your Senators and slapping him in the face. It's a serious insult." Mirage hesitated, glancing at the door before speaking in a near whisper. "And if the Emperor so pleases, there can be consequences…very unpleasant consequences."

He looked at Mirage in disbelief. "So I have to accept a slave, even though I don't want one, or risk the Emperor's...wrath?"

"Yes."

Prowl shook his head and rubbed his forehead and Mirage sighed. "It's not so bad. You'll have someone to clean for you and bring you energon or whatever you like. Organize things…"

"I can do all that myself. I don't want a slave."

Mirage thought for a moment. "Well, you could always order the slave out of the room and pretend you don't have one."

Prowl groaned and rubbed the side of his head, warding off that familiar ache. Mirage held up his hands and tried to placate the distressed ambassador. "Ok, ok, look, just...treat him like you would a guest then. That's ok, right?"

Rubbing a hand over his face, Prowl let out a sigh. "No, not really, but I can't think of a way to avoid this without problems. It'll have to do for now."

Sighing again, Prowl started toward for the door, dreading. "Lets get this over with."

Smoothing his face into a neutral expression, Prowl, followed by Mirage, rejoined the Emperor by the main entrance. Prowl gave the Emperor a small bow. "Thank you again, Sir, for your indulgence. And I…..thank you for your generous gift as well. I'm honored."

The Emperor positively beamed at Prowl then gave a call to his entourage, waving his hand in a 'come here' manner. A mech previously standing in the back swiftly made his way to the front, stepping inside the house, quickly coming to kneel at his Emperor's feet, issuing a soft, "My Lord." as he bowed his head, gazing at the floor.

The Emperor looked at Prowl as a hand come to rest on the kneeling mech's black helm. "My gift to you, Prowl. Hand selected from my personal collection. He's been thoroughly trained to see to his Masters every desire. I believe he will serve and compliment you nicely."

The Emperor then turned his gaze down to the slave at his feet, his hand tilting the black helm up. The slave looked up at the Emperor, smiling. The blue visor that covered his optics shown bright. The Emperor's hand shifting to cup the mech's chin, looking straight into that glowing visor. "You are to serve your Master well. Serve him as you would your Emperor. Do not disappoint me."

The kneeling mech smiled. "Yes, My Emperor."

And when the Emperor released his chin, the slave turned an eager gaze to his new Master...one very uncomfortable Prowl.

Now Prowl was no stranger to uncomfortable situations. He'd experienced plenty of them, probably more than his fair share. However, being left alone in a house that wasn't his, in a territory he didn't belong to, being shoved into a position he didn't feel qualified for, with a slave he didn't want but now apparently 'owned', had to be the most uncomfortable situation he'd experienced to date.

As he looked at the slave left to his keeping, Prowl felt disturbed. The situation already taking on a surreal feeling. He didn't know what to do or say. The slave stood a small distance away, smiling eagerly and warmly at him. His head tilted ever so slightly to the side as he awaited Prowl's orders.

Prowl glanced around the room, wishing for something other than the slave to focus on. But there wasn't much and his gaze eventually settled back on the other black and white mech standing across from him. The slave continued to smile pleasantly at him and Prowl couldn't help but notice the slave looked hopeful, as if he couldn't wait for Prowl to issue his first order.

White fingers fidgeted, doorwings gave minute twitches. He opened his mouth to address the slave only to close it again, look around, and sigh.

He didn't know what to say!

He repeated these actions for a good breem.

Finally, he mustered up everything inside him, looked the slave square in the visor and took a deep breath.

"I'm going to go finish unpacking."

An awkward silence descended between them. The slave's smile never wavered but he looked a touch confused. Prowl looked at him for a moment longer before stiffly turning and walking back through the rooms leading to the back room, fully intending to resume the unpacking he'd been doing prior to the Emperor's arrival.

He opened a box and began sifting through it, breaking it down into two other boxes. One destined for the library and the other for his office, since here the rooms were separate. Back home they'd been one.

He gathered up several items placing them in the office box. Lifting a couple book files, he went to place them in the box for the library only to jerk back when he saw the slave holding the box out to him, an eager expression on his face.

Prowl stared at the slave. "What are you doing?"

The slave held out the box eagerly to Prowl. "I wish to help, Master. If it pleases Master, I can take these book files to the library and -"

Prowl cringed inside at the word 'Master' then shook his head. "No, no, no! You don't have to do that. It...that won't be necessary. I…" He quickly retrieved the box from the slave's hands. "I can take care of this."

The slave smiled warmly, black hands clasped in front of him. "How would Master like me to be of service?"

Looking at the mech a moment, Prowl's mind raced. Trying to grasp for something to say before remembering Mirage's comment about treating the slave like a guest. Prowl nodding toward the sofa. "Why don't you have a seat on the sofa."

"Yes, Master." The slave quickly walked over and sat down on the sofa, shifting so he was looking at Prowl.

Unnerved, Prowl backed up. "I'll…I'll be right back."

Turning on his heel, Prowl quickly walked down the hall to the library. As he turned to walk through the door he snuck a glance at the slave out of the corner of his optic. The slave remained exactly where Prowl had left him, on the sofa, smiling, eagerly watching Prowl's every move.

Once in the library, Prowl set the half empty box on a shelf and flopped into a chair.

He couldn't take this.

He was bound to glitch after long. The only positive he could see in that would be if he glitched badly enough, they'd have to send him back to Iacon….far, far away from all this madness.

Prowl rested his head on the back of the plush chair. He need to set up a room for the slave...better yet, he could have the slave set it up himself. It wasn't really 'slave' work to set up one's own room and it would keep him busy.

That was a good idea.

Prowl suddenly frowned. He didn't know the mech's name. Then he was hit by a horrid thought. Did slaves even have names? Or were they simply referred to as 'slave' or 'servant' or 'you there!'?

He had to find out.

Coming to stand in the hallway, just outside the library, his hand still on the door frame, he addressed the mech on the sofa. "I apologize for not asking this sooner, I should have, but what is your name?"

Prowl tensed, his grip on the door frame tightened as he braced himself, not sure if he'd like the answer the slave would give.

"Please, no apologies, Master."

The mech stood and bowed deeply to him, "My name is Jazz." Then the slave straighten and looked at Prowl, that warm smile still playing on his lips. "Of course if my name is not to Master's liking, I'd be honored if Master changed it."

Prowl held up a hand as he shook his head. "No, no! Jazz is a good name. I like it, it's perfect."

Prowl couldn't help but feel a little sick at the smile that bloomed on the slave's face. Prowl could clearly see the mech felt proud, happy, and honored that his 'Master' had approved of his name. His name!

Prowl had never cared if anyone liked or disliked his name. Never gave it any thought because it was his name. It was given to him at creation and he owned it. No one could take it from him or change it, he was Prowl. And before him stood a mech who didn't even have control or ownership over his own name.

Prowl swallowed the lump in his throat as he tried not to look horrified at how the slave, Jazz, beamed happily at him. Prowl cleared his throat. "Jazz, why don't you fix up a room for yourself?"

Jazz have a nod. "Yes, Master. And where would Master like me situated?"

Prowl gave a small shrug and pointed toward the elaborate staircase. "This place has to have 10 - 12 rooms, you're free to chose whichever room you like."

Prowl knew it wasn't much but it was some small form of freedom, a small opportunity for Jazz to pick something for himself without a Master directing his every move. Jazz seemed to hesitate a moment, his smile faltering a touch before he regained his footing.

"Yes, Master, I will do my best to please you."

Prowl fought back a frown, this wasn't about him. He had wanted Jazz to think of himself first, not him! Maybe if he could put them on the same level...

"And Jazz…"

Jazz looked at him eagerly. "Yes, Master?"

"You don't have to call me Master. You can call me by my name. You can call me Prowl."

Prowl watched that warm, eager smile slide right off Jazz's face. The slave took on a grave seriousness as he shook his head. "No, Master, I would never show you that kind of disrespect."

The gravity in Jazz's voice spoke volumes, stunning Prowl. The mech was serious.

Prowl took a breath and sighed.

Well, slag, that hadn't worked.

"Ok…..alright….Um, why don't you go and start preparing your room then."

Jazz immediately went back to beaming that happy smile at Prowl. "Yes, Master, right away." Jazz gave a bow and quickly went upstairs to fulfill the task before him.

Prowl leaned against the wall, releasing a long sigh. This was a situation he never imagined himself being in. And as he looked up and down the vast, empty hall with boxes dotting the floor here and there, he suddenly felt….lonely….and, Primus help him, he missed his brothers...even Smokescreen.

Author's notes

Anyone got a stick I can use to beat the stupid plot bunnies away with? I promise to return it. Plot bunnies won't leave me be! I want to work on Black Mail or Should Have Known Better but NOOOO those bunnies won't come, instead I get some weird bunny that bites and won't let go...how for this, this has been in my notebook for AGES. For some reason the bunny reared its head and demanded attention. Of course its going to be PXJ but we'll also have some BlueXSunny sprinkled in there in a few for read! Reviews are always appreciated and loved! :)