Later that afternoon, Prime and StarChaser were both in the med lab recuperating from the earlier incident with the heat missile. Optimus was sitting on the berth half crouched over as Ratchet worked on repairing his shoulder. StarChaser on the other hand was wrapped in a large blanket on the floor and was in between Bumblebee and Sari. Ratchet had finished repairing Optimus' shoulder when he stepped back to look at it.

"How does that feel Prime?" He looked at Optimus but only saw the side of his face. Prime's vision was more directed to the sparkling on the floor, and the look he had was not good. Ratchet could tell right away the Optimus was upset…very upset.

"Better Ratchet, thank you." He didn't even look at Ratchet, instead he kept the same expression on his face, that, and he kept his optics on StarChaser.

There was a long pause before Optimus finally looked at Ratchet. "Ratchet, do you think you could Sari and Bumblebee out of here, I need to talk to StarChaser…alone."

Immediately StarChaser ducked down behind Bumblebee causing Sari to look at her. She knew she was in trouble. Ratchet turned from looking at StarChaser cowering behind Bumblebee. "Yeah Prime I can do that."

Ratchet began to walk out of the room when he stopped in front of the three on the floor.

"Bumblebee, Sari…lets go."

Bumblebee and Sari both took one last glance at StarChaser before getting up to leave the room.

StarChaser immediately got up to fallow but Ratchet stopped her shaking his head. "You have to stay here little one, it's you he wants to talk to…not us."

Ratchet stood back up and shut the door on his way out leaving StarChaser alone with a very unhappy Prime.

"StarChaser…" His voice echoed through the whole room like thunder. She slowly turned around to see Optimus still crouched over on the berth but looking up at her signaling her to come over to him. "…come…here."

StarChaser didn't want to anger him any more so she did as she was told. She was only a few feet from him when he stood up. Even though Optimus was naturally taller than StarChaser, something about the situation made it seem to StarChaser that Optimus was bigger now than he ever was before. He towered over her like a very dark ominous cloud. He crossed his arms and looked down with one of the coldest stares she's ever seen. Just the way he looked at her made her circuits freeze. She couldn't help but look down at the floor embarrassed…but mostly afraid.

Optimus gets down on his knees not changing his cold stare. "You know you're in trouble, right?" StarChaser nods and only nods. Optimus sighs but then anger becomes more intense. "I am very disappointed in you." She tries to look up but ends up looking away. "I know…"

Optimus gets even more angry. "You disobeyed me, purposely disobeyed an order! And what's worse is that by you being you could have jeopardized the mission!"

StarChaser looked down at her stabilizing servos and started to cry. "I just wanted to see what a real Decepticon was really like."

Optimus throws his hands up in the air angrily and raises his voice. "Yeah, you'll know what they're like after they've put you off-line!"

StarChaser looks up at him angry as well as hurt and starts to argue. "Well maybe if you'd take the time to tell me these things more often, then maybe I wouldn't be so compelled to go look for myself!"

Optimus glares down at her and starts shouting. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THE DECEPTICONS ARE ACTUALLY LIKE?"

StarChaser stood there for a long time just staring at Optimus who stared angrily in return. She could feel the anger, pain and confusion boiling up violently through her fuel lines. But to her credit she held it in. Instead she turned around, away from Prime and proceeded to storm out the door.

Optimus stormed out of the med bay in pursuit, still yelling. "DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME YOUNG LADY, WE'RE NOT FINISHED!"

StarChaser turned to argue something back but said nothing. Instead, she just turned back around and kept walking.

Optimus was greatly upset by this action, mostly because he wasn't getting the response he wanted. Optimus practically growled then yelled after her. "YOU HAVE TO BE ONE OF THE MOST IGNORANT AND STUBBORN SAPARKLINGS I'VE EVER MET!"

StarChaser just kept walking and our dear Optimus just kept on yelling…loud. "HAVE YOU EVEN HEARD A WORD I'VE SAID?"

Just then Optimus lurched forward and grabbed StarChaser by the arm right under her shoulder. "DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND A WORD I'M TELLING YOU? DO YOU WANT TO BE KILLED?"

StarChaser clawed frantically at Optimus' hand but judging from his grip, he wasn't going to let go. She looked away from him trying to hide the tears but Optimus got in her face and yelled even louder.

"ANSWER ME!"

StarChaser turns to him and finally yells back. "NO!"

Optimus looked at her and now spoke in somewhat of a calm yet stern tone. "No, you don't understand?"

StarChaser tries to pull away but is no match for the large mech's strength. "NO!"

Optimus again questions her. "No, you don't want to be killed?"

StarChaser almost screaming while still trying to pull away. "NO!"

Optimus almost screams back. "NO WHAT?"

With just one more attempt she tries to pull herself away but fails miserably. In a whiney tone she cries out. "NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Then all at once she threw herself to the floor face down. She then started to mumble something into the pavement that Optimus wasn't able to catch at first. Optimus leaned down to try to hear what she was saying but couldn't. He sat up annoyed with her because he couldn't understand what she was saying. He sat against the wall in annoyance and started to rub his optics.

"Why do you insist on being so difficult? You're a royal pain in my aft, you know that?"

StarChaser gets up leaving Optimus still on the floor and turns to him angrily. "Then why don't you sell me for a case for axel grease!"

Optimus strikes the ground with his fist. "AT LEAST IT WOULD LISTEN BETTER THAN YOU!"

StarChaser tries to counter Optimus. "Yeah, and you'd like it better too because its sparkles like you!"

Optimus looks up at StarChaser…fuming. "What did you say to me?"

With only an expression of extreme anger, StarChaser tried to leave quietly towards her room. But Optimus gets up abruptly, more mad than ever.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME?"

StarChaser tried to ignore him as well as the tears building up behind her optics.

Optimus puts up a fist. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? I SAID WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

StarChaser stopped abruptly and turned around with tears streaming down her face plate and almost screamed as loud as her vocalizers could go.

"I WANT MY MOTHER!"

She turned and ran as fast as she could into her room thus slamming the doors behind her.

Optimus stood there shocked and in a sense a little hurt. He just stood there dumbfounded for the longest time before he finally gathered the courage to approach the door.

He knocked very gently on Starchaser's door and almost whispered. "StarChaser,…open the door."

There was a long silence. Optimus rested his forehead against the door and whispered gently.

"StarChaser…please…open the door."

Again there is a long silence that seemed like eternity. With his fore head still against the wall, he started pleading.

"StarChaser, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. It's just that…I don't want to lose you…because you're the only piece of your mother that I have left, and I couldn't live with myself if something were to happen to you."

After a minute or two of silence, Optimus heard the sound of small stabilizing servos coming towards the door. Then he heard the door being unlocked, then stabilizing servos running back and jumping on the berth in the room.

Slowly he opened the door and looked inside to see StarChaser turned away from him obviously crying. He slowly walked in and seated himself next to StarChaser.

He sighed as he looked upon the child. "I'm sorry I yelled at you like that, it wasn't fair of me to do that."

StarChaser rolled over to look at Optimus. "No, I should be sorry; I should have never been there in the first place."

There's a long silence between the two before Optimus worked up the nerve to talk again.

"I'm sorry I called you ignorant and stubborn." Optimus looks up sheepishly and smiles then playfully asks. "So, do you still like me?"

StarChaser looks up wiping away the tears. "Of course I still like you."

There is a short pause as StarChaser places her head on her knees. "And you still like me better than a case of axel grease, right?"

Optimus sits closer to StarChaser and takes her into his arms. "Oh StarChaser, of course I do."

Again there is a long silence were StarChaser just sat quiet in Optimus arms but then looked up at him curiously. He looks down realizing he's being watched.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow to her.

She placed her hand on his chest plate and smiled shyly. "Optimus, do you love me?"

Optimus paused for a moment and just looked at the ceiling before smiling to himself and looking down. "I don't know, do you love me?"

StarChaser laughed before looking back up at him. "I asked you first."

Optimus looked down smiling and then put his face right next to hers. "Well, I may not have planned on being a father so soon in my life, but I have to say that…"

Just then the alarms went off and Ratchet ran through the hallway. "Prime, where are you! We have a situation!" Ratchet ran right past StarChaser's door. Optimus yelled shortly after he passed. "Ratchet we're in here!"

Ratchet could be heard turning around and coming back towards the room. He opened the door and saw Optimus and StarChaser. Optimus looks at Ratchet curiously. "What's the matter Ratchet?" Ratchet looked down at the ground and shook his head. "I've got one word for you…Nanosec."