Authors' notes:

I'm speaking for the both of us since Syntia has just fallen on her face and won't get up again for some time. Making last minute updates the day before the deadline does that to you. Being the better author of the two does that to you too. *Bows deeply to Syntia*

So, this is the joined effort of two people convinced they CANNOT write romance to write exactly that. Trying something new is a fantastic experience, especially when you're sharing it with a friend :D. We tried not to make it very soppy and keep Astera from becoming TOO MUCH of a Mary-Sue. We would be REALLY happy if you would share your opinion with us! :DDDDDDD

Oh, and watch out for two very soppy Dinobot oriented (but not including Dinobot) deleted scenes after the fic ends. They're from the special DVD edition ;PPPPPPPPPPPPP

Thanks goes to:

Sapphire and Miss Special for setting up the challenge in the first place.

My friend Nadya for being really supportive trough all of my whining, reminding me what my name was when I got too confused to remember it and helping me think.

The characters. For not running away from the things we did to them. ;P.

Anyone who decides to read this 3.

And, of course, each other (that means Syntia and Rainynight) for having so much fun with this thing.

Well, without further ado…

Of Mice and Preds

By:Rainynight and Syntia13

There are no sounds in space, and therefore the two missiles that were to tore them apart were just a deceptively silent traces on the "Stardancer's" radar. Two pairs of optics watched them in silent horror. The third pair of optics was locked on energy readings, one of the bot's hands dancing over the controls, trying to hasten the launch procedure, the other gripping the warp engine lever.
"Flint..." the voice was strained, and it had the right to be. The beeps on the screen were almost in the center now, and the speaker had more than one spark to worry about.

--TRANSWARP SYSTEM READY--

flashed the message, the same moment the alarms went off.
"Shouldn't have taken the job," the pilot hissed, jerking the lever all the way back.
The roar of engines and the bang of exploding missiles were only heard on the small ship, and when it disappeared, the space was silent again.

______________________________

The CR chamber hissed open and a very disoriented female robot took a hesitant step forward. Immediately, something big and black fluttered across the room and hit her chest.

"Mom! Are you all right?"

Astera stared down at the creature. A pair of huge black eyes, situated beneath twice as huge black ears stared back at her. After a nano of stunned silence its brow furrowed.

"Mom, it's me!"

Her optics widened.

"Speedster?"

"Yeah. This is my new best mode!"

"It's called 'BEAST mode'." someone corrected.

Astera looked up startled. The words belonged to a huge green robot.

She must have had a really bewildered expression on her face, because he smiled apologetically and stepped towards the exit.

"Don't panic, now. My name is Rhinox, nice to meet you. And I think I'll leave the two of you alone for a little while. I'll tell the others you're awake."

When he was gone, Speedster let go of her chest plate and dropped to the floor.

"Beast mode, best mode, who cares? The point is, it's pretty cool! You have one too, Mom, but yours is different than mine. I'm a bat, and you're a weasel."

"I'm a weasel?"

"Yah. Come on, try transforming. Say 'beast mode'."

"Well... beast mode."

A moment later the weasel stared at her organic paws.

"Right. I'm a weasel. What the Pit has happened to us? Where are we?"

"On Prehistoric Earth."

"What?"

"Well, remember when they fired at us just as Flint was trying to make a transwarp jump?"

"Yes. Speaking of which, where IS Flint?"

The bat's big ears flattened.

"He didn't make it."

"Oh..."

They were silent for a little while. They hadn't known their pilot well, but his death was still a tragedy.

"So", Speedster continued eventually, "just as the Maximals hit us we fell trough some kind of time anomaly and crashed here. But you know what? We found them! This is the Axalon! They battled the 'bots who stole the Golden Disk, and both ships were damaged, and they all ended up here."

"We... We found them? And Speedway?"

"Well... He's here all right. But I haven't seen him ever since I told him who I was. And he's not called Speedway anymore. Now he's known as..."

He was interrupted by a loud argument in the corridor outside.

"Rattrap, stop! Give her some time to..." a voice said.

The door opened and a metallic rat on wheels zoomed into the room, followed by the big green robot and several others. He skidded to a halt in front of Astera.

"I dunno who ya are an' where ya came from but what ya've been tellin' this kid is pure slag! I ain't nobody's daddy!"

She drew away at this outburst, then took a closer look. He looked really different from what she remembered...

"Speedway?"

"No, it's Rattrap now. An' I'd like to know YER name!"

"Astera."

"Never heard it."

"No. You know me as Vortex. It was my... artistic pseudonym."

Realization flickered across his optics.

"Ye're a... dancer or somethin'? That would explain how we might've met. But it still doesn't explain why ya're after me."

"I told you." Speedster's rather bored voice sounded from the ceiling where he was currently hanging upside down. "You're my father."

"You got it wrong, kid!"

"No, he hasn't got it wrong! Rattle your rusty memory banks, will you? I was a dancer at Carabine's place. One night after my performance you offered to buy me a drink. You looked like crap so I took pity on you and accepted.

"What's wrong, Hon? Broken spark? Your girlfriend dumped you?"

"Neah. It ain't love. Never had a problem with dat."

"What is it then?"

"Life. One of my buddies was shot tonight."

"Sorry."

"Yeah. He was a good guy but we both got ourselves into some ugly business. He just wasn' lucky tonight. Might be me next time. The way things are goin', we're all gonna die."

"Optimistic, aren't you? Don't worry, it's gonna look better in the morning. It's just street life, that's how it goes."

He leaned forward and looked her in the optics.

"Listen, I've been here a while and I'm tellin' ya, the street ain't no good ta live on. You get used but it ain't no good.

So tomorrow's the day this 'bot begins a new life. Ya be smart and do the same. Don't forget what I said."

"I only intended to give you five nanos, and we ended up talking the whole night. Well, er, most of it anyway. And I didn't forget. How could I, especially since you left me a reminder?" She nodded towards the ceiling. "And I DID get off the streets. As did you, I see. So how's the new life, Speedway?"

Rattrap gulped.

"I think we need ta talk somewhere more private."

_____________________________________________________

"Dey shot at ya just because ya wanted ta leave da planet? Dat's crazy!"

"Yes. Things are not going well on Cybertron. My ex-partner, the 'bot Speedster used to know as his father, was recently killed by policebots. They said he was involved in some Predacon conspiracy."

"Was he?"

"I don't know. We've been separated for a long time. But I don't think so. The truth is, Cybertron is on the verge of a civil war. I'm a Predacon, I was scared. No one trusts Predacons these days. And I was mostly worried about my son. I thought... Well, it sounds stupid now but I thought if I managed to find you, maybe you could protect him."

Even as she said that she knew that she actually wanted to say 'us'. In the past stellar cycles the need not to feel alone had constantly tried to win over her common sense. She hadn't allowed it to so far, but she was starting to get tired of being a strong independent Predacon femme. Why the Pit shouldn't she get a little help for a change?

Short silence followed. He glanced at her sideways.

"Ye're sure he's mine?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't ya tell me earlier then?"

"I... Well, it was just one night in a bar. Didn't think you'd care."

Rattrap's eyes narrowed in anger.

"Didn't think I'd care. Right. An' what made ya think I'd care now, huh?"

She shrugged.

"I don't have anyone else to turn to. You seemed like a nice guy. I didn't think you'd refuse to help if I really needed it. And you didn't seem prejudiced against Predacons."

"Eh... Sure." he shifted. "All dat's irrelevant now. Sorry ta be da one ta tell ya but you've jumped from one war right into the middle of another. An' I... I need some time ta deal with all dis."

He quickly got up and exited Astera's new quarters, leaving her to stare indignantly after him.

In the corridor he bumped into someone.

"Watch it, vermin!"

He looked up.

"Oh, just what I needed! Yet another Pred! Dis base is fillin' with dem! Can't decide which is worse. I don' have a kid from you I don' know of, right? But den again, she hasn' given any Golden disks to Megatron yet. So I really donno which of you is worse."

Dinobot growled. Rattrap ignored him and disappeared behind the corner. The raptor turned at the sound of a door quietly closing up the corridor the rat had come from.

___________________________________________

"I should have learned by now." Astera sighed, closing the door.

___________________________________________