Title: Twists & Turns

Pairings: Arcee/Cliffjumper ; Hints of Starscream/OC [Nova]

Summary: Arcee never expected to lose Cliffjumper. She never expected to be a single mother. She never expected to be trapped in a cave, and she certainly never expected to befriend a Decepticon. :: Arcee leaves for an early patrol, not yet ready to share her news with the Autobots. A bit of unstable energon and two femmes in the wrong place at the right time lands Arcee in a cave with a Decepticon without a name. She expected a fight, and instead found a shoulder to lean on, and someone in serious need of a little girl talk.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, save for obvious OCs.

Arcee was running out of excuses. She didn't have anything left to say, no more reasons for going to recharge so early or sneaking an extra energon cube in the middle of the night, not for herself or the others. She'd blamed grief, at first. They all had. It made sense, after all. Cliffjumper had been her partner, her friend, her lover. The light of her spark. Losing him had been hard on her, and it brought back the grief she felt for Tailgate. She hadn't been able to save him, either, and it hurt to know she'd lost her two dearest friends and she couldn't do a damn thing about it.

The thing about grief, though, is that you could only be at rock bottom for so long, and once she'd moved past that - because she had to, her family needed her - she didn't have anything to blame her odd behavior on anymore. She ran through the symptoms in her head, hoping beyond hope that she was wrong, that she'd misinterpreted them, because she was strong but she didn't think she could be that strong, could be ready for this now. It was futile, though, and she knew it. Fatigue. Increased intake in nutrients. Mood swings. Nausea. Soreness in the chest plates. There was really only one thing it could be - unless it was two, but she didn't even want to consider that possibility.

Arcee took a deep intake of cool air, tightening her grip on the edge of her berth. She could do this. It was just one little scan. One simple little thing. She had taken on the deadliest of Decepticons, survived a war that engulfed a planet, crash landed in the middle of an alien civilization and lived to befriend it's children. She could do this. Arcee carefully began her self scan. It wouldn't be as accurate as a medic's scan, she could even screw it up, but she wasn't ready to go to Ratchet. That would make it too real, too soon. She had to do this herself.

She thought she'd braced herself for the results, but she supposed nothing ever really prepared you for something like this. She checked them again, just to be sure. And then she tripled checked. They were the same every time. Arcee laid down on the berth, curled up as tightly as she could manage. There was no changing reality. Cliffjumper was dead. They were at war on an alien planet. And she was carrying a sparkling. Arcee closed her eyes, and wondered if her world would ever stop crashing down around her.

So, A Perfect Mix was liked well enough, and I've decided to roll with my sparkling stories idea. Twists & Turns will focus mostly on Arcee carrying Cloudjumper, but will also act as in introduction for Nova, an OC. The intended sequel, Catching A Nova, will focus on Starscream, Nova, and their sparkling. I don't have any other pairings set in stone yet, (though Optimus/Ratchet miiight happen), so I'm open to suggestions on that.

The prologue is a little sad, because Arcee is in a stressful position, not don't worry, it gets sweet!