AN: Omg, I didn't think I'd get such a good response. Thank you for the wonderful reviews, but as I said before, a ton of the credit goes to Karategal and MoonlessNight.
JML, thank you for pointing out that error to me. Considering that I've started with it though, I might as well keep it. Forgive me my minor goof, and I am keeping a better eye on my spelling.
Aftermath
It had possibly been the greatest party ever recorded in Autobot lore. Everyone including Prowl and Sunstreaker had been all smiles, the Energon had been top of the line and following freely…even their human counterparts had gotten in on the fun, Jazz's processors could dimly remember a drunken Epps belting out 'Trapped in the Closet' with Sam, and at some point there had been a drinking game. To what the First Lieutenant could not remember, but apparently some high-ranking official in the U.S. government had been giving a speech on the television inside the bar, five breems later it had been hooked up to the Autobot-sized screen, and then the game had taken off.
Megacyles later, he'd been hitching a ride on Prime's back…how in the Pit had his friend avoided getting drunk was beyond his CPU processing, even Prowl had been staggering. Hound and Bluestreak had kept trying to transform back into the alt modes but failing miserably, Sunstreaker and Sidewipe had been going on about energon cubes on the wall…and at another point, he remembered telling Ratchet 'Pit of a party man, Pit of a party…'
Then Prime had suddenly dropped him and ran off someplace…and there'd been an explosion. A strangled electronic groan came from Jazz's voice capacitor as his systems snapped back online, every chip in his body hurt.
"arargggghhh…" The light was too bright, too brutal…not even his visor could deflect it. In a desperate attempt to get away from the brightness and to nurse his wounded….whatever, the silver Autobot fell off the recharge bed, gladly crawling into the darkness underneath. "Ahh…" Much better. Jazz purred, halfway into recharge as he curled up. Just a megacycle or two and he'd be all set to go…
However, his bliss was soon interrupted by four bright-as-daylight-itself halogen lamps at full blast into his hiding space. Jazz jerked, and slammed his head directly into the underside of the recharge bed.
"MOTH-!"
Ratchet sighed, pushing himself up with his hands on his knees from his position next to the recharge bed.
"Get up, you." He barked, aiming a foot at a silver aft that had decided to poke itself out on the side, and ignoring the vile profanities about his creation that resulted. "I don't have the time to deal with your hangovers. Out of my bay!"
"BOOTLEG!"
"Aren't we all? OUT."
"Frag you!" This had Ratchet raising his eye ridges.
"Frag me?" He repeated, going for the big guns, the blades on his right arm starting to activate as he knelt back down and took aim at a silver leg. "Frag you!"
"AAAH! I'M OUT, I'M OUT! SON OF A GLITCH!"
"Same to you too." Ratchet growled. Primus, he wasn't in the mood for any pranks today. Thanks to the events of last night, he'd gotten at least one megacycle of recharge, no, he'd had to deal with Ironhide going on the fritz after Sunstreaker had made that unfortunate comment about Nightfire, with Sunstreaker getting the living slag pounded out of him, Sideswipe jumping into the fight to defend his brother, Hound had tried to be helpful with his holograms but that had only earned him one Pit of a blast upside his cranium, Bluestreak had almost off-lined laughing, Prowl had only plopped down on his aft and watched the show, Jazz had been crackling something about 'lugnuts getting removed' when he'd come back to check on him and Prime…
Unable to stop the three-way Great War going on between the Twins and Ironhide…Prime had gone ballistic. And of course, Nightfire had gotten upset and kept crying throughout the whole mess.
The end result?
Ironhide, Sunstreaker and Sidewipe in the brig. With Ironhide ultimately having to be offlined by Ratchet and Prime combined, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe sleeping off all the Energon they'd consumed…after Sunstreaker had seen fit to expel the contents of his tanks all over the medbay.
Prime? Deep in recharge after all the energy expanded on going ballistic on his friend and the Twins. Talk about a fight for Autobot legends…
And Ratchet? Stuck banging out dents, cleaning up Energon, reliving a distressed Chromia for 'sparkling-soothing' duty and assuring her that everything would be alright, trying to get an even more upset Nightfire back into recharge…cleaning up even more Energon when the sparkling's systems caved to the stress and she ejected the contents of own tank.
Primus help him, when he'd finally, finally, finally been able to slip into recharge...it hadn't been long enough. He was awoken by the surprised yelps of Red Alert and Perceptor over the destroyed main hall, the number of Autobots in the med bay…and oh yes, the Twins and Ironhide in the brig.
At least Nightfire had finally slipped into recharge, and was happily snoozing away with her exhausted 'mother'.
"Primus, grant me the strength to deal with stupid-aft 'bots…"
Ironhide had stuck his hands underneath his head, idly looking up at the ceiling. His armor sported some champion-size dents, but it wasn't every orn that one got to hand Sunstreaker his aft on a silver platter, and the old mech took a great deal of pride in his work. Let alone showing the second Pit-spawned Twin who was who as well…
"Ow…" Blue optics narrowed, and Ironhide slammed one massive hand against the wall. "Gaahh!! My CPU!"
"Shut it, punk." The black mech rumbled. "Bad enough you insulted my sparkling." On the other side, Sunstreaker who was about to retort, stopped dead.
"…Wha?" Sideswipe who was in the cell across from his twin, sat up.
"Sparkling? I thought those didn't exist anymore."
"They do now." Ironhide grunted in reply, sitting up. "Fragger there insulted Nightfire."
"Who the FRAG is Nightfire?" Sunstreaker sat up, snarling at the dents in his yellow armor. "And you Pit-fraggin son of a glitch, you've wrecked my paintjob!"
"Ain't gonna be the only thing I wreck when I'm done with you!" Ironhide snarled, now sitting back up and scanning the wall.
Sunny, chill! Trilled Sideswipe's voice in his twin's mind. He's madder than Pit right now!
Like Pit I will! I- Sunstreaker trailed off at the sound of footsteps, and then Chromia appeared with a tiny bundle of dark-blue in her arms.
"Ironhide?" She called softly. "'Hide?"
"Chromia!" The weapons specialist exclaimed, making sure to keep his voice down. "Did something happen?"
"No, no, everything's fine…finally." The silver-blue mech responded. She gently shifted the sleeping sparkling in her arms. "I just wanted to see you and bring you anything if you needed."
"I know what I need right here." Ironhide responded, reaching out though the energy bars and gently stroking the top of Nightfire's head with one finger. "Aww, all tuckered out."
"She's had quite the night." Chromia replied with a smile in her voice. "And…oh!" She giggled at the twins, Sunstreaker's jaw was hanging open and Sideswipe was staring at the sparkling as if it had grown two heads. "What? You two are acting like you've never seen a sparkling before."
"Gah…gah…gah…"
"The Pit is that?!"
"This," Ironhide corrected, his voice full of pride, "is Nightfire. Chromia and I created her." To this the twins, for the first time, had no intelligent or smart-aft reply.
He normally tried to keep his temper on a leash. He honestly did try. But considering the events of last night, Prime mused as he held a staring match with his morning Energon, overreaction…well…
A sparkling. He couldn't get the mental image out of his mind, Ironhide gently cradling a wailing bundle of dark-blue and crooning softly to it. Primus, where did that come from? As the humans were fond of saying, talk about something coming at you out of left field… Why didn't he come to me about this? I wouldn't have said no. He took a sip of the light-colored liquid. Granted, it was probably an automatic conclusion…he and Chromia did sparkbond before we had to launch the Allspark off-planet and if things had quieted down, they most certainly would have started a family unit. The Autobot leader couldn't isolate what was bothering him the most, the fact that Ironhide hadn't trusted him enough to speak about his plans, or the sudden ray of hope that had blasted into the current situation with Nightfire's presence. Their species could rebuild now, in their adopted home, more and more Autobots were being found, searching his memory banks he knew there had been more couples other than Ironhide and Chromia in their ranks.
Elita. At this Optimus forced himself to down his Energon in one go, crushing the can it was in. Thinking about his own sparkmate…though they hadn't made it official, always brought back a wave of pain at their separation, being unable to tell if she was alive or dead… He was snapped out of his gloom by the sound of footfalls, and then a yellow head crashing into the bar surface next to him.
"Uuhhhhgggghhh." Prime bit back a chuckle at the CMO. Knowing that he wouldn't get anything coherent out of his friend unless he was fueled, the Autobot leader got up and went behind the bar, going for a cube and filling it straight up with vintage High-Grade.
"Here you go." He pushed the cube towards Ratchet, who sat up, gripped the glass, and proceeded to chug down the liquid in one go like he was back in medical school. The red and blue mech watched with amusement.
"Need another hit?"
"I'm good." Was the response. Optics blinked, and then locked with another pair of blue orbs. "Don't think he hid it from you. Chromia surprised me with her request for a chassis three orns ago. I think he was just afraid of being embarrassed. And you know those two enjoy their privacy."
"Yes." Optimus rumbled. "They do…it's just that…it seems…" He searched for a word. "Unsettling. This presents a new…situation." Ratchet nodded in reply.
"True. But we just have to handle it one breem at a time." He held out the cube, and Optimus obliged by filling it up again. "For now, we have much to thank Primus for. A new little sparkling…and a chance to get Ironhide back?" He started to guzzle the liquid again as Prime snorted.
"…A femme bot." His shoulders shook from the chuckles he was holding back. "Oh, when the Twins forgive him and get over their shock, they'll never let him live it down. And Jazz will have a field day…"
"I almost thought you four were going to destroy the Ark." Ratchet muttered, shooting his friend a dark glare. Optimus flinched and shrugged.
"Sorry. I'll help in the repairs." The doors hissed open and closed, Chromia entering. "Ah, it's our new little mother."
"Sir…" The femme started, embarrassed. "We're sorry that we didn't-"
"No, it's alright." The Autobot leader said, holding up a hand. "Regardless of what's happened, it's a wonderful surprise you and Ironhide have given us all. Speaking of which…where is the little bundle of joy?"
"With Ironhide." Chromia replied. "I have the codes for the gates, and well…" She fidgeted. "I needed to bring him and the Twins some energon."
"That's fine. They'll be out in another two cycles anyway…granted that your sparkmate decides to not go crazy on Sunstreaker again." The femme nodded, and headed to the back to get some energy for her mate and the spark-twins. "As for you…" Blue optics scanned Ratchet quickly. "Go and recharge, that's an order. Leave Red Alert in charge, and we'll discuss on how to handle things with our new little friend tomorrow."
Not to mention also alerting Bumblebee and the others…this is going to be very interesting.