Disclaimer: Transformers © Hasbro
Warnings: minor TF cursing and Skyfire's assessment of a Hatchet/Screamer romance.
Notes: At long last, I've delved back into this story! I have to apologize for the loooooooooong hiatus on it, I just... somehow wandered off to other stories. But this has been nipping at me here of late, so I decided to go for it. This is another exposition-style chapter; Ratchet and Starscream aren't ready to have their argument as yet, but it is coming!

Skyfire wasn't terribly surprised to note that both Prowl and Red Alert were waiting in Optimus Prime's office when he arrived. The Autobot commander had commed him only a few moments before, and given the events of the previous day he had a good idea of just why the Prime had contacted him. Adding in the rumours of Ratchet kicking his apprentices out of the repair bay and the Dinobots damaging every camera in the science wing, he would have been surprised if the head of security hadn't been present.

Still, he opted to maintain a bit of formality, giving the bonded pair a slight nod before addressing Optimus. "You needed to see me, sir?"

Unsurprisingly, it was Prowl who answered the question. "Yes. We were actually, ah, advised to bring our inquiry to you. I'm sure you've heard more than a few rumours by now regarding our... guests."

"There's been talk," Skyfire replied, wondering absently if he could drop by and check in on his friends later in the cycle.

"Skyfire." This time it was Optimus who spoke, sounding both mildly amused and just a little wary. "Are you aware of any reason why my CMO would breech protocol in order to house an enemy soldier in his own quarters?"

"Do you want the long version or just the highlights?"

Red Alert and Prowl exchanged a look (and probably a private comm call from the slight dimming of their optics) before turning to face the shuttle again. "Whichever would best explain the situation, if you please," the SIC stated firmly.

Skyfire nodded and took a seat in one of the few oversized chairs in the Prime's office. "You might want to sit down. Even the shorter version will take a while." He waited until the two officers were seated, taking the opportunity to review the facts as he had received them before he spoke again:

"First off, I should apologize for withholding information. While I never knew most of you until recently, I met Ratchet about a millennium before the war ever began. Granted, we barely crossed paths for a few dozen vorns in spite of both working out of the same facility, and even then I didn't make his acquaintance until later."

Red Alert frowned, clearly wanting to ask about the significance of the disclosure, but instead settled on asking, "And Starscream was already your partner at that point, correct?"

Skyfire nodded. "He was. And he was actually the first of us to interact with Ratchet. I believe his exact description at the time was annoying, old, stubborn, miss-clocked old mech with the audacity to treat me like a wayward sparkling, and did I mention old?" An amused grin crossed his dermaplating as he added, "Obviously, Star wasn't terribly impressed with him at first."

"Obviously," Prowl replied dryly. "It sounds as if not much has changed regarding our chief medic's temperament."

"It took a good astral cycle or two before I ever actually knew Ratchet's name," Skyfire continued, still looking amused. "And even then there were a few old mechs and annoying slaggers thrown in. Eventually those dropped away, but the mech still came up in conversations. From what I could tell at the time, apparently they'd decided to take their mutual aggravation with one another away from the work place and began to conduct their arguments elsewhere.

"I think I realized what, exactly, had shifted in their interactions when I asked Star when they were just going to stop messing around and get bonded. I intended it to be a joke, but he actually stopped mid-rant, stared at me for about a micron, then replied that they hadn't really thought about that just yet."

There was a faint buzz and snap as Prowl's logic processor chose that moment to reboot. Red Alert glanced between his bondmate and the shuttle, obviously trying to find words and failing miserably. Optimus honestly couldn't blame either of them for the reaction, as he was stunned as well, but his mask helped to keep his own shock hidden.

Skyfire, not surprisingly, looked amused. "Yes, I reacted pretty much the same way when I found out," he remarked casually as he waited politely for Prowl to finish booting up. "When you think about it, though, it starts to make sense. Star's never been truly happy unless he has someone to verbally spar with, and there were very few individuals that we knew back then who were able to keep up once he got started. I'm convinced that he realized arguing with Ratchet was fun, and things progressed from there."

"I... suppose it makes some sort of sense," Prowl managed after a moment (apparently he'd opted to switch off his logic processor until the conversation was finished for his own sanity's sake). "Our resident medic does tend to start arguments for argument's sake at times, and everyone around here backs down quickly once they realize they'll lose anyway. Still, being able to tear into one another verbally doesn't seem to be the basis of a stable relationship."

Red Alert's optics widened as a thought abruptly crossed through his processor. "Please – lie to me if you must – tell me that they didn't fight just so they could make up afterwards."

"They never argued just so they could make up later," Skyfire deadpanned, his tone making it obvious that the words were false. "And Star never told me more than I ever wanted to know about it."

Optimus actually found himself choking back a laugh. As much as he didn't want to know about any of his officers' private lives, he found it very believable that the CMO would view a good argument as a form of foreplay, especially if Skyfire's insinuations were to be believed. Still, he didn't feel that the shuttle was giving them all the facts that he knew, and the Prime decided to press for more information.

"It seems to me that you're implying that they did, eventually, do more than just think about bonding," Optimus said, phrasing his indirect question carefully.

"I stood as one of their witnesses," Skyfire replied with a nod, confirming the Prime's suspicions. "The other was a friend of Ratchet's that remained a neutral and was offlined early in the war."

Red Alert was frowning again, attempting to make sense of the information he'd heard. "But it makes no sense," he said after a moment. "Prowl and I bonded shortly before things started taking a turn for the worse, and the very thought of being on opposing sides is incomprehensible."

Prowl nodded, seeing where his mate was going with his thoughts and sending a brief wave of agreement/affection/curiosity across the bond. "So, why would Starscream – an individual that you've said time and again is a different mech than the one you knew – willingly separate from his own bondmate to join the Decepticons?"

The head of security stiffened abruptly, a flash of realization/shock/empathy flitting to his mate. "Yet if he wasn't willing, his behaviour during that period I glitched so badly makes a lot more sense." Noting the looks send his way by Optimus and Skyfire along with the thread of query/comfort/confusion from Prowl, Red Alert continued, "Starscream had the opportunity, at any time, to ensure that I permanently offlined, and yet he took no actions to place me in any more danger than he would be willing to face."

"And there have been other times in the past that the Decepticons could have easily won a battle only for something to go wrong at the last minute," Prowl said slowly. "The only common thread between them is that Starscream was present at some point during or prior to the problem arising."

Optimus hummed thoughtfully, settling back in his chair to review the facts. "It might be best to leave any interrogation, as it were, to Ratchet in this case," he finally said. "This is beginning to sound very much like Starscream was coerced into his role and took the first available opportunity to strike back."

Skyfire sighed and rubbed at one optic, suddenly feeling drained and really wanting to check in on his friends sooner rather than later. "I know that humans claim revenge is a dish best served cold, but this..."

Red Alert nodded in agreement. "In this case, I'd say that it had been served up over ice."