Zephyr sat up and blinked her optics, something that children could do when they're young but soon lose it at adolescence. The little femme looked at him and said, "When is Mommy gonna live with us again?" Magnus stiffened slightly at the mention of his estranged mate, who was now staying with Springer and his family. It had been six months since they had spoken civil to each other, even longer since they spent quality time with Zephyr. They had mainly switched around, Magnus taking her when Phoenix was on duty, and vice versa. Magnus looked at Zephyr and gave her a small smile. "I don't know, honey, but Mommy and I need to be apart for a while, so we can think about things. You still get to see her, though, along with your Uncle Spring and Optima." Zephyr looked down at her hands and said, "But I miss the things we all did. Visiting all the Earth places together while you and Mommy held hands." The two year old suddenly looked up and said, "Is it something I did?"

Magnus sighed sadly and walked over to her, sitting down on the bed and stroking her cheek. "No, honey, it had nothing to do with you. Mommy and I just need some space for a while." Zephyr looked down again, and Magnus's chest ached for her. There wasn't a thing in the universe he wouldn't do for her, but if that meant talking with Phoenix or having some kind of long talk with her, then Magnus would have preferred strolling through Vilnacron naked in broad daylight. Still.....Zephyr needed both of her parents, not just being shuttled around every day while Magnus and Phoenix gave each other acid glares. No, this couldn't continue like this, not if they both wanted Zephyr to be happy. Magnus lifted her tiny head with his finger and gave her a big smile. "Tell you what, Zeph. While you and Optima are out with Arcee, Mommy and I are gonna have a talk, and we'll see if we can sort everything out, okay?"

Zephyr gave him a huge grin and nodded, hugging him as best she could. Magnus patted her on the back and smiled again. "Now, time for recharge, okay?" The little femme nodded and laid down, Magnus giving her a tiny kiss before getting up and walking out, switching the light off and partially closing the door as he left. He walked into the living room and collapsed on the couch, several thoughts racing through his CPU. Was it possible that he could forgive her for all her affairs? Was it conceivable that she could forgive him? All for the sake of a two year old girl? 'Well,' he thought, sighing softly as he rested his head on his hands, 'Stranger things have happened.' He glanced over at the table that stood near the sofa, holding various vid-mags and paperwork, not to mention the laptop he used to type up reports and such for Prime. Beside the laptop was a picture frame, holding a photo of Springer, Arcee, Phoenix, and himself along with Zephyr and a small green bundle named Optima. Magnus picked up the photo and gazed into it, tracing the lines of Phoenix's face as he shook his head.

"Where did we go wrong, Nix?" he asked, gazing mournfully into the frozen smile of his mate. "What happened to us that would tear us apart like this? When did things change?" The photo said nothing, as he knew it would. He set the photo back on to the table, then placed it face down, not wishing to look at it anymore. With a frustrated sigh, he grabbed his laptop and began working on various reports, trying desperately to put his pain aside.

With a frustrated sigh, Phoenix sat up and got out of bed, slipping her breastplate on and walking out to the living room, trudging over to the energon dispenser and getting a glass of energon. She grabbed the glass when it appeared and walked over to the viewport, idly sipping the energon as she watched Iacon bustle with quiet activity during the night hours. Springer's was one of the few quarters with a viewport; they both often stood here and talked, or just merely watched the activity as the hours passed, both troubled about certain things. She didn't even look up as she heard another door open and soft footsteps make their way over towards her. She took another sip of energon as she watched Springer's reflection move towards her. "Hi, Spring," she uttered, gazing out the viewport as the large green triple changer stood beside her with a tired smile.

"Hello, stranger," he rasped, his voice tinged with still lingering recharge as he leaned against the windowsill. "We need to stop meeting like this," he said, the corners of his mouth lifting into a bigger smile. Phoenix smiled as well, sipping at the energon as Springer rubbed his optics. "So," he asked, "what's keepin' you up tonight?" Phoenix sighed, her optics dimming at the memories rising up in her mind, the pain rising up as well. "Old troubles," she whispered, turning around and leaning against the windowsill as Springer nodded. "I see," he said, looking down as Phoenix drained the rest of the glass. "You're still thinking about Magnus, aren't you." It was a statement, not a question, one which Phoenix couldn't deny. She simply nodded and Springer cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Why don't you talk to him, Nix? I'm sure he feels the same way you do."

"Exactly why I shouldn't talk with him. If we both feel the same, then it would be hurt and angry, something which I can't really ignore." Phoenix stood up and faced him, her optics burning bright with pain and bitter anger as she said, "He hurt me, Spring! He slept with other femmes behind my back and covered it up, explaining it away as a 'long day at the office'. That hurt more than anything, and I'm not just going back there and say, 'Gee, let's get back together and pretend nothing happened'. I'm not that good an actress." Springer calmly folded his arms over his chest and said, "You hurt him too, Nix. Don't forget, you did the same to him as he did to you. You're both guilty of that." Phoenix stared at him with an acid glare. "Do you think I'm proud of what I've done? That I'm walking around with my head in the air playing the innocent femme? No, I screwed up too, and I'm going to hate myself for the rest of my life for doing that, because I threw away the best thing that e

ver happened to me!"

Phoenix whirled around and leaned against the wall, sliding down to the floor and covering her face with her hands. The last thing she wanted was to cry in front of her best friend, something she's done countless times before. She heard some rustling next to her and then felt a hand on her shoulder. She dropped her hands and gazed painfully into her friend's blue optics, which glowed softly in the dark room. "I'm not trying to explain away his actions, nor am I condemning you for yours. We all screw up occasionally, doing things that later on seem like the dumbest things in the galaxy. All I'm trying to do is get you to think about all this. Zephyr is in the middle of all this, and she is getting the rough end of it. She deserves a happy family, one that will support and love her throughout the years. Primus knows I'm not the biggest saint, but I've settled my past with 'Cee, and she's settled hers with me. Now its time for you and Mags to do the same, before it's too late."

Phoenix smiled and shook her head. She chuckled a bit, causing Springer to frown in confusion. "What?" he asked, and Phoenix looked up at him. "How can you be so wonderful to me? What did I do to deserve a friend like you?" Springer grinned. "Just luck, I suppose. That, and a few circuits missing. You had to have been nuts to befriend me all those years ago." They both laughed softly as the chronometer hit 5 a.m. Springer glanced at it and cursed. "Damn, I have to be in the command center in half an hour. 'Cee has to get up and take Zeph and Optima to Earth for that trip." He glanced back over to Phoenix, whose smile had vanished. "You think you can talk with Mags while we're gone? You're both off-duty today." Phoenix shrugged. "I'll try, but I don't know if he'll want to talk. We haven't said a civil word to each other in months." Springer stood up and offered his hand to her, which she took and he pulled her up with no effort. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to try, now would it?" Phoe

nix smiled. "No, it wouldn't. He's coming by to drop Zeph off with Arcee, so we'll talk then, okay?" Springer nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Now, try to keep the violence down a notch? 'Cee and I just got done refitting our bedroom after the P-A-R-T-Y incident." Phoenix giggled at the memory of a cake-drenched Optima and a totally thrashed bedroom. The look on Springer and Arcee's face had been burned into her memory circuits as they walked in for a 'private' conversation. Springer smiled as well. "See you later, I have stuff to do before I report to the command center. Later, and good luck!" Springer grabbed his laptop from the table and headed out the door, calling his good-bye to a sleepy Arcee as she walked out of the bedroom. Phoenix walked over to the dispenser and set the glass in there, walking over to Arcee to help wake Optima.

"Hi, Mags!" she sang cheerily, anchoring to his leg with a strength that astounded the larger Autobot. 'Must be from Springer's side,' he mused, giving Optima a small hug as he untangled her from his leg. Arcee walked over and picked the small femme up, smiling at Magnus as she wrestled with Optima. "Hi, Mags. Springer is in the command center for the day, so Optima and I are going to Earth for the day. Zephyr can come, right?" Magnus nodded. "Sure, that's all right. Thanks for taking her, she's been bugging me to go for weeks now." Arcee chuckled. "No problem, this one's been haunting both of us as well. Come on, Op, we've got a shuttle to catch." Arcee took Zephyr's hand as the two year old waved to her parents. "Bye, Mommy, bye Daddy! See you later!" Arcee left with the two toddlers in tow, Optima crying out as they left the room. The doors shut with a hiss, and soon the two estranged mates were alone, the silence in the room almost deafening.

Phoenix turned to face Magnus, who was still staring at the closed doors with a hint of a smile on his lips. Phoenix gazed at him as he turned to face her, his smile replaced with an angry sneer. "So, why'd you ask me to stay? I thought you were holing yourself up here to keep from seeing me. Have a change of heart all of a sudden?" Magnus's words cut deep, sending a stab of pain through her chest and she quickly covered it with her own angry frown. "At least Springer knows how to treat those he cares about. He doesn't run around and sleep with the first femme he lays optics on." Magnus crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Oh, not unlike you do, eh?" Phoenix growled low in her throat. "Bastard," she spat, her hands clenching into fists as they shook with pent up rage. "You wouldn't know a kind word if it slapped you in the face."

Magnus snorted. "And you must thing monogamy is some kind of wood. Maybe your audios malfunctioned when Prime got to the part, 'To honor and protect'." 

"And maybe *your* audios malfunctioned when Prime got to the part of 'to love and cherish'! And don't think I didn't notice you gaping at all the other femmes there! How many did you take to bed that night; three, five, ten! Or maybe it was so many that you lost count!"

Magnus's arms were firmly at his side, his entire body shaking with rage as Phoenix stood much the same way, her optics burning with pure rage as her wings unfolded from her back. Magnus sneered as he said, "And how many males did you take to bed when I was away on a mission? Maybe even Springer benefited from your affections!" Phoenix sprang forward and slapped him across the face, the sound echoing throughout the room as her body trembled with rage. Magnus shook his head and massaged his cheek, glaring at Phoenix with a cold stare. "Hit a nerve, did I?" he said, ice dripping from every word as he continued to glare at her. Phoenix shook her head and turned away from him, her optics brimming with angry tears as she tried to control herself. After a few moments and some deep breaths, she turned to face Magnus again, whose right cheek was dented with her handprint. "I didn't ask you here to argue, Mags. I wanted to discuss a possible reconciliation."

Magnus shook his head and looked at a wall, his scowl still etched on his face. Phoenix took another deep breath and said, "I want to work through this Mags, for Zephyr's sake if not for our own. She needs us, and maybe.....I need you too." Her words sent ripples of shock through the Autobot second, causing him to whirl his head around and stare right at her. "Do you mean that?" he asked, a note of hope in his voice as he bored straight into her optics. Phoenix smiled tightly and nodded. "Yes, I do. Zephyr deserves so much more than this; she deserves a mother and a father who love each other and who will love her as well. We both have love for her, Mags; now it's time we had love for each other." Magnus walked over to her slowly, his optics narrowing warily and his mouth slightly parted. He gently reached up with one hand and stroked her face, his gaze looking deep into her own. "I never stopped loving you, Nix," he murmured, his voice tight with emotion as Phoenix placed her ha

nd over his. "Neither did I," she said, her optics brimming with tears as she continued to gaze into his blue optics.

Magnus slowly leaned over and kissed her, her lips parting as he brushed them with his soft lips, his hand cupping her face as he deepened the kiss. Phoenix pulled away, a smile on her lips and her optics glistening with tears. "Can you forgive me?" she whispered, the hope in her voice as well as her gaze. Magnus traced her jawline with one finger and said, "Yes, I can." Phoenix shut her optics as a torrent of tears flowed down her face, relief and joy written on her face as she hugged him fiercely. Magnus rested his head on her shoulder and said softly, "Can you forgive me?" Phoenix buried her head in his neck and said, "Of course I can." The two held each other close, hope filling their processors at what the future held for them, as well as for their daughter. And so, their anger ends, and their love begins anew.