Disclaimer: Transformers are the trademarked property of Hasbro and their licensed agents. Ellie, Livewire, Gladys, Stormy, Aurora and Amora are original characters and the intellectual property of the author, so unauthorized use of the original characters is prohibited (i.e. If you want to use them, ask first.) No infringement is implied or intended. No financial gain has been received.
A/N: This is a section of an, as of yet, unwritten story in the EllieWorld(Children of Megatron) plot line. It takes place about 15 years after Children of Megatron. Rated K+ for safety sake. Sequel to "Queens Mark."
P.S.: Family connections are as follows: Soundwave is the biological donor (father) of Gladys, Thundercracker is the biological donor of Stormy and Alpha Quatrus is the biological donor of Amora and Aurora (mono-zygotic/identical twins.) Amora was named after Megatron's unified, Armora, as he confessed to Ellie during Children of Megatron. Tracy
A Grandfather's Special Time
Optimus heard the roar of Thundercracker's engines as he landed on the special balcony outside his daughter's room. Not that he would admit it, but he always worried about his sparkette when she was away from the house.
He knew, of course, that her collective would never let her come to any harm, but still, they weren't her father.
Leaving his quarters, he opened the door to his eldest granddaughter's room and checked on her. Gladys was a light sleeper and would sometimes wake early when she heard Thundercracker coming or going. Thankfully, she seemed to have slept through his latest arrival. Closing the door as soundlessly as he could, he didn't bother to latch the Cybertronian lock to ensure she remained asleep.
Turning around, he poked his head into the nursery where his youngest three granddaughters slept. As was typical, he found Stormy standing in her crib and watching the door for his arrival while her sisters slept.
"Gan-pa!" she excitedly waved her teething ring at him.
Smiling, he slipped into the room and sat down on the Cybertronian sized chair. He manifested his holo-image and sent his body into stasis so he could take care of her. She laughed when his image appeared in front of her as she reached for him.
"Shush sweetling. Let grandpa take care of you," he said as he picked her out of her crib and brought her to the changing table. Quickly, he loosened the tabs on the disposable diaper, and then held it in place when she finally released her lubricants.
"You're not getting me again you little rascal," he teased good naturedly. He had found out the hard way she was holding her bladder throughout the night, only to release it when her diaper was first off. "Ratchet may have been thoroughly amused about the reason he had to dry out my circuits, but I can assure you it was not a pleasant experience for me."
Expertly changing her diaper, he changed her onesie into a lighter fabric and fished a bottle of cereal out of the small refrigerator for her. Eagerly, she latched onto the nipple and sucked down the nourishment. He held her close to his chest plates as she ate, allowing his natural body heat to lull her back to sleep. As soon as he was certain she was recharging soundly and released her vapor lock, he took the bottle from her slackened mouth and put her back into her crib.
Hearing the door open between the nursery and Urielle's room, Optimus quickly looked up and identified the newcomer.
"Thundercracker," he greeted.
"Dad," he replied. He had taken to referring to Optimus as dad when he learned it was customary to refer to the male procreator of your unified as a father-in-law.
"Just wanted to make sure I didn't wake them up. Did I?" he was curious. He rarely saw Optimus in his daughter's nursery.
"Hard to tell. Stormy always gets up early and stands in her crib until someone comes to check on her. Between you and me, I think it is because she has to release her lubricants and doesn't like a wet diaper.
"I found out the hard way."
"How is the hard way?" he wanted to know as he walked across the room to check on the other two infants.
"I checked on her and she was standing as I told you. Assuming she required maintenance, I took her to the changing table and proceeded to change her. When the whole ordeal was over, she was not the only one who required maintenance."
"She lubricated on you too?" he asked gleefully.
"That was about the same reaction Ratchet had," Optimus confessed.
"Yeah, I think she got all of us at one time or another. Ellie says it means she will most likely be easy to potty train. She is just hesitant to do it now for fear she will get discouraged when she has accidents. Livewire confirmed her lubricant muscles are not yet developed enough to try.
"Speaking of lubricating, I believe Amora and Aurora are waking up for their turns."
"I will take Aurora," Optimus volunteered.
"That leaves Amora for me," he said as he took another chair and manifested his holo-image.
"So, why did you get the new brand?" Optimus asked idly as he deftly changed his second granddaughter of the day.
"What new brand?" Thundercracker asked distractedly as he wrestled with the infant.
"The one on your chest plate beside your canopy. It looks painful."
"I didn't know I got one," he confessed as he glanced back at his mech form. "Must've happened last night."
Quickly, he scanned the mark again. It was the same as Urielle's birthmark. It almost looked like a queen's mark, but that was impossible. His daughter was human.
"Yeah, after we finally caught up to her, she released the most powerful spark energy I've ever felt. It was so bright with all of the energy arcing between us, I had to offline my optics just to keep from being blinded. In fact, my surface systems were squawking at me about excessive heat the last few moments."
Quickly and efficiently, Optimus changed Aurora and gave her a bottle. "Let's go check on mommy," he told the little girl.
"Dad?" Thundercracker asked in confusion as he spared a glance back at the connecting door. His attention was quickly brought back to the task at hand when Amora got hold of the baby powder and began to shake it like a rattle.
"Looks like you're getting a bath," he addressed the little girl as he cycled air through his vents to clear them of the powder.