AN: Sorry it's been a while. Just a few days ago I came back from vacation, but if any of you has been reading my other stories that I have not added more chapters to, I am still working on them, I just get plot bunnies. A LOT.

Enjoy!

Firework sighed, gazing tiredly at the scanner in her hands.

"Bulkhead, we've been at this for hours. Can't we stop now?"

Bulkhead smiled softly and glanced at his sparkmate, slowly shaking his help.

"'Fraid not. Ratchet asked us to look for anything that could help the Autobots."

Firework groaned and shot a glare at him. She looked at the scanner again, optics widening in surprise at the same time a loud squeal echoed across the desert. Bulkhead jumped.

"That sounded like a sparkling!"

Firework frowned at the scanner. There was a small dot on the "map" not far from where they were.

"The energy signature is really weak."

Bulkhead activated his wrecking ball, just in case there were enemies about. His optics narrowed.

"Come on, we have to find it before it is too late."

They raced forward, following the rapidly fading energy signature on the scanner. They came across a cave, its mouth gaping and filled with stalactites that looked like jagged teeth.

"It's in there." Firework whispered, gazing up at the dangerous spikes that could fall at any moment. Bulkhead narrowed his optics and walked forward.

"Well, it certainly can't stay in there."

Together they entered the dark cave, searching for what very well could be a Decepticon trap. Firework activated her lights, keeping them dim but bright enough to see. Quiet sobbing reached their audios, and they followed the sound.

Firework gasped in shock.

"Bulkhead, look."

A tiny, dark blue sparkling was hiding in the cave, trying to melt into the wall behind it. Wide, terrified yellow optics gazed at Firework, brimming with tears, Energon pooled on the floor, dripping from a gash in its midplates. Bulkhead knelt to pick it up, but he growled instead.

"It's a con, Firework. Those disgusting creeps bred."

Firework wasn't listening. Her attention was focused on the sparkling.

"It's hurt. We need to get it back to Ratchet."

Bulkhead shook his helm.

"It is a Decepticon. It can only bring harm. What about our sparklings? What would it do to them?"

Firework whirled on her sparkmate, optics blazing.

"Do not use that excuse! This is a sparkling, Bulkhead, not a monster. Our sparklings will be perfectly safe! So get over yourself and let me help this innocent child."

Bulkhead blinked in surprise. Firework had gotten right up in his face, and she was fragged.

"Fine," he said. The sparkling whimpered quietly, optics growing dim. Firework gently scooped it up, cradling it like it was her own. Bulkhead narrowed his optics in dislike but he didn't say anything.

Firework and Bulkhead walked through the groundbridge.

"Hello, Bulkhead and Fir- oh my goodness."

Ratchet paused as he saw the tiny sparkling.

"You found a sparkling?" he asked.

Brightspark and Skyhigh bounced in, and caught sight of their creators. They caught a glimpse of what Firework was holding and became curious.

"Mommy! Mommy!" they yelled, "What's that?"

The sparkling tried to squirm out of Fireworks grip, her optics still wide with fear. "Hey, hey," Firework whispered, "relax, it's ok."

The sparkling whimpered as the barely healed wounds reopened, and new wounds tore through the sparkling's thin armor. Ratchet gently tried to grab the sparkling, but she wouldn't relax seeing the new pair of arms reaching for her. Terrified screams rang through the base.

Smokescreen, who was just returning from patrol, screeched to a halt and transformed.

"What's going on?"

Ratchet finally succeeded in taking the sparkling from Firework and rushed into the med bay. Firework sighed.

"We found a Decepticon sparkling abandoned in a cave."

Smokescreen blinked in surprise before glancing at Bulkhead. The Wrecker made a beeline toward the washracks, determined to get as far from the noise as possible.

"What's wrong with him?"

Firework winced.

"He doesn't like the idea of having a con in the base, even if it is just a sparkling."

Smokescreen stared after the Wrecker for a while, contemplating possible reasons why. Perhaps it was because of Starscream. Bulkhead really didn't like the silver Seeker. But was that all?

Knockout groaned and clutched his midplates. What was this sudden pain? Was Breakdown still alive? He couldn't be, not after what Arachnid did to him.

Ratchet worked carefully on the squirming sparkling. The sparkling was barely two weeks old earth time. She had probably been abandoned in the cave by whoever was taking care of her. She had damaged her arm, and her leg was twisted from obviously trying to walk, but one thing that Ratchet didn't want to tell anyone was who the parents were. Breakdown and Knockout. The CNA scans confirmed that the two were her creators. They must have left the small femme there for protection, but why hadn't they come back? Gently when he was done, he attempted to feed the sparkling some low grade energon. The sparkling refused violently. Moonlight watched curiously as energon went everywhere except the sparkling's mouth. Ratchet looked at her, light irritation on his faceplates.

"Moonlight, can you get Firework for me?" he asked.

Moonlight nodded, and ran to get her aunt. Within twenty seconds Firework rushed into the room.

"Yeah?"

"I'm having some troubles, the sparkling refuses to eat."

"Maybe it senses that you aren't its creators, that happened to Skylight, the twins were furious when they realized that they weren't in the right arms, and getting the right energon."

Ratchet chuckled, he remembered that when Fireworks sparklings were crying and didn't stop till Firework gave them the right energon.

"Maybe I should try," Firework said.

She gently scooped the sparkling into her arms but it still tried to escape the unfamiliar grip. But calmed when Firework placed the sparkling near her spark. It obviously wasn't the right spark, but this spark had a soothing beat. The sparkling stared at the femme. Scared, but not in as much panic anymore. Gently, Firework gave the sparkling a feeding tube. The sparkling sucked contently, her optics half closing.

"How…"

"I've taken care of sparklings before. I know that they like a soothing beat, and that calms the sparkling down."

The sparkling let go, and yawned. It closed its optics, and fell into a deep sleep. "Where will the sparkling sleep tonight?" Ratchet asked.

"I still have the girls' crib; she can sleep in the girls' room tonight."