Author's note. I decided to write a little sequel to the one shot Helpless which was written by Prowlsgirl but posted by me. Hope it's okay, the original was fantastic and I hope this lives up to it.

Suggestions are very welcome.

Enjoy and please review.

Ironhide stood and watched from a safe distance as Ratchet carefully started work on the prone Seeker currently lying on a medical berth. Starscream had remained unconscious during the whole trip back to base but now he was sleeping with a sedative in his systems. Ratchet had said it would be better this way; the Seeker needed a calm sleep as it would help both his mental and physical state.

His body was dusty from his time in the desert, and covered in scraps and dents. Ironhide knew that the worst injuries would be out of sight and he felt sick as he thought about them. Starscream was not someone you'd instantly identify as being a victim; he was loud, arrogant, sly, violent and only seemed to look after himself. And yet he was a victim of one of the worst crimes imaginable, rape.

Ironhide himself had witnessed Starscream being attacked by his own leader but had been utterly unable to do anything. And since that incident, Starscream had been raped again at least once but Ironhide did not know if there had been other attacks. That was one reason he was nervous about Ratchet's examination and treatment of the Seeker, he was worried about what might be discovered.

"Ironhide," came a voice from behind him and as a hand laid its self on his shoulder, he turned his head to see his leader standing there.

"How are you holding up?" Optimus asked with concern as he offered the red Mech a cube of what smelled suspiciously like High Grade.

"Alright," Ironhide replied with a shrug, taking the cube from his Prime and taking a large gulp.

Optimus regarded him sadly; Ironhide truly hadn't been the same since his imprisonment in the Nemesis. Except now he knew the reason why his friend was so dour and miserable. Ironhide prided himself on being a tough warrior who could deal with most situations and above all, protect those in his charge. And it seemed he had considered Starscream to be in his charge.

"How did it happen?" Optimus asked quietly. "Was there a reason Megatron did this?"

"Ah don't really know how it started," Ironhide said with a heavy sigh, taking another swig of his cube. Apparently, he was so depressed; he wasn't even trying to evade the awkward questioning.

"Ah was in the brig, naturally and then Starscream got chucked in with me," he continued. "He'd been beat real bad and ah decided to patch him up a little. He eventually woke and got agitated; saying he only got put there to be beaten again. That's when Megatron showed up."

Ironhide twitched slightly, the only sign of how disturbed he was by what happened next.

"He was hopping mad about something and Screamer was terrified but...ah, yah know what he's like. He couldn't show he was scared, he had tah act all arrogant. It pissed off Megatron big time and that's when he..."

Now Ironhide paused, it still gave him nightmares during recharge.

"That's when he decided tah rape Screamer, to force obedience in him. Ah tried tah stop him but he broke ma arm. Ah fought him but he was just too strong..."

"You did everything you could," Optimus said gently, knowing his friend would have fought tooth and nail to protect the Seeker.

"Prime's right," Ratchet suddenly spoke up sharply as Ironhide's shoulders slumped. "You know there's virtually no one that can take Megatron on in a straight fight, apart from Prime. You did make a difference Ironhide."

"What difference?" Ironhide asked mulishly. "Starscream still ended up raped and Megatron had no problem doing it again."

"Because Starscream trusts you," Ratchet said simply. "You didn't just stand aside and let Megatron get on with it, you tried to do something about it."

"But ah...," Ironhide started to say but Ratchet overrode him.

"Starscream fell asleep in your arms, Ironhide. He told you what had happened to him and he trusted you to look after him. That will make all the difference in his recovery."

"Ratchet's right," Optimus said softly. "From what you've said, Megatron was going to rape Starscream whether or not you were there. I know it would have been beyond devastating but you have a chance to help Starscream. Without you there as a witness, he would have been alone to suffer and continue suffering as Megatron abused him. You know the Deceptucon culture; he would have had to suffer all by himself with no help from anyone."

"Because if he did ask...he'd be viewed as weak," Ratchet said gruffly as he carefully attended to the outer injuries Starscream had.

Ironhide was silent, he knew their words made sense but it was hard to shift the guilt that still weighed him down. However, his conviction to protect Starscream and ensure he never suffered that way again was still as strong as ever. No matter his feelings towards the Seeker from before, the haunted look in Starscream's optics had shattered that.

"Are you willing to form a bond with him?" Optimus asked softly. "I doubt he will grant us the same trust he gives you, this will be a lot of work and effort on your part. You must help him recover and renounce his Decepticon ways. If he stays here, Megatron will never allow him back but he cannot be a Decepticon here. Do you understand?"

"Ah understand, Prime," Ironhide said with a nod. "But ah have tah do it, no matter what it takes."

He paused and then said ruefully.

"Ah know the others won't take so kindly tah him being here."

"I will talk to Prowl and Jazz," Optimus promised. "If Prowl can see the logic behind converting the Decepticon Second in Command to at least a Neutral, he will with Jazz's help, be able to persuade the others to accept this."

"So, you think Jazz will accept this?" Ratchet asked with a slight smile, they all knew Jazz was extremely easy going and as long as Starscream didn't pose a threat, would support Optimus's decision.

"I believe so," Optimus said with a nod before looking back at Ironhide.

"I think it would be best if you moved into new quarters for now, ones that will be big enough for you and Starscream. And away from the main domestic wing, Starscream will need privacy while he recovers."

This made the red Mech pause, he hadn't thought of this but his leader was right. The Autobots would need time to adjust to the idea of the former Decepticon SIC but Starscream also needed to be left in peace. The Seeker could not interact with any Autobots unless he was comfortable with doing so and then, only with friendly bots. Ironhide wasn't even sure if Starscream would be okay with Optimus and Ratchet, he had yet to see them.

When they'd found him in the desert, Starscream had already been asleep and had remained that way ever since. Ironhide had seen him at his lowest so Starscream had no inhibitions with him. Chances were, it didn't extend to the other Autobots and Ironhide would have to be careful who Starscream was introduced to.

"Ah'll do that, thanks Prime," Ironhide said gratefully as Ratchet started to fill out a data pad.

"Has...has he been raped more than twice?" Ironhide asked as this thought suddenly occurred to him.

"It's hard to tell at the moment," the Medic replied softly. "Apart from the rape he's just suffered from, it doesn't look like he was raped recently. But I can't rule it out that he's been attacked more than twice in the last few weeks."

Ironhide shuttered his optics before looking hard at Starscream's prone body. It was impossible for him to tell but he wouldn't put it past that slagger Megatron to have raped Starscream more than twice. He knew this would be something he'd need to discuss with Starscream although he knew this wouldn't be easy.

"Ah'll leave ya in peace, Ratchet," he now said softly, he didn't want to watch as Starscream was more thoroughly examined. "Ah'll git ma stuff into the new room and sort it out."

"I'll give you a hand," Optimus offered and Ironhide nodded.

"Call meh if he starts tah wake up, ah wanna be there," Ironhide told Ratchet who nodded.

"I will, don't worry," Ratchet promised as he brought out some more tools to work on the Seeker.

Sometime later

Ironhide surveyed his new quarters he'd be sharing with Starscream with a sigh. It had been designed with couples in mind and happened to be one of the newer construction projects of the Ark. Since they'd awoken to find their ship firmly buried in the volcano side, the Autobots had worked on expanding it into a proper base. It meant that things were a lot less cramped and that if other bots joined them, they'd have room for them.

There was also more room for storage, the Rec Room had been expanded and there were some extra offices about. Grapple and Hoist were even talking about expanding the wash room to include a proper bath and maybe even a movie room. They were currently working on a suitable area for Skyfire and the Airelbots to inhabit, their fliers had to live in a makeshift hanger at the moment.

Speaking of Skyfire, Ironhide knew the Shuttler and Skyfire had once been partners until Skyfire's untimely burial in the Arctic. Starscream had been the one to find Skyfire but the Shuttle had been unable to adapt to the Decepticon way of life and had ended up joining the Autobots. Starscream had been furious and Skyfire disappointed but oddly enough, their encounters had been relatively cool. Everyone, including probably the Decepticons had expected things to be a lot more heated between the two but not even hot headed Starscream had started anything.

Ironhide could sort of understand Skyfire's feelings, from his point of view, things had changed overnight and he was a pacifist. Starting an argument with, until recently, a friend was just not in his nature. Starscream however...it was exactly in his nature and personality to start fights with anyone who crossed him. Did Starscream realise that Skyfire's defection to the Autobot side was nothing personal? That it was impossible for him, a gentle being, to become a Dcepticons and do things every Con was expected to do?

The red Mech had no idea but it made him hopeful that maybe there was another bot Starscream would be willing to spend time with. Of course, he was going to talk to Starscream about it and see if he was willing, he wouldn't force the two together. But he definitely wanted to find suitable Autobots that Starscream could interact with.

Speaking of the Seeker, Ironhide was going to head back to the Med Bay and collect Starscream. Ratchet had called to say that he was finished for now and asking if Ironhide wanted to take his charge to their new quarters. The Medic figured Starscream might be a little calmer waking up there rather than the Med Bay. Ironhide agreed with this, the Med Bay could easily inspire panic in the poor Seeker and Ironhide wanted to avoid this.

He hoped the Seeker would like the new quarters, they were spacey and had a lot of potential. Ironhide had moved his possessions here but there weren't that many. They filled a few shelves in his half of the quarters and a couple of built in cabinets, while leaving loads of space for more possessions to be gathered. There was definitely more than enough for Starscream to fill.

"Ratchet," he called, activating his comm. "Ah'm coming over, everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Ratchet replied bracingly. "You've got enough time to get him back to your quarters, although he should wake up soon after that. Make sure you've got some Energon, he'll be hungry."

"Ah've stocked up, don't worry," Ironhide assured him before switching off the comm.

He sighed, once Starscream was awake, he was truly accepting this difficult task. Never had he ever thought that he might be tasked with looking after and converting a Decepticon but he was. Being a tough guy wasn't going to help in this situation, he was now a caregiver and it definitely felt strange.

But by Primus, he would succeed at this and Starscream would never be hurt by that slagger again, Ironhide was not going to be left helpless ever again.

Author's note. Hope you all like it, remember, suggestions are welcome.