Sideswipe walked towards medbay plans of bothering Ratchet in mind, it still hurt a little to see the twins with both their parents but he reasoned he would get over it.

He peaked around the door finding Ratchet back on staring at something in his hand, Sideswipe being the way he is crept over and snatched it "What you got there Ratchet?"

Ratchet jumped up trying to grab it back "No! Sideswipe give that back!"

Sideswipe jumped out of his reach "Well now I'm curious lets see what has you so-"

Sideswipe's grin fell right off his face as he stared at the picture.

Ratchet winced "Sideswipe?"

Sideswipe ran a finger over the picture afraid it would disappear. Looking back at him a younger version of himself grinning proudly looking down at Sunstreaker from his perch on Ratchet's shoulders, the medic smiled at the camera an arm wrapped around Solarstrike standing at their side smiling softly with a pouting Sunstreaker in her arms shunning his twin. Vocaliser choked Sideswipe whispered "What is this?"

Ratchet returned softly "A picture."

Sideswipe didn't turn around "Why are you in it?"

Ratchet "I was your doctor."

Sideswipe spun around optics glassy "DON'T YOU DARE! DON'T YOU DARE LIE!"

Ratchet recoiled a little at the viciousness "I'm not."

Sideswipe yelled again "SURE YOUR NOT! THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE AN ARM AROUND MY MUM'S WAIST HUH?"

Sunstreaker skidded into the medbay worried for his twin since the bond opened up releasing a waterfall of emotions, looking between the two he immediately spun on Ratchet seeing as Sideswipe was bordering on tears "What did you do?"

Sideswipe wordlessly handed Sunstreaker the picture, Sunstreaker looked at it nearly dropping it in shock. "You?..."

Ratchet remained impassive looking off to the side "I don't know what you're getting at."

Hurt and bitter Sideswipe sent an all mighty spike of upset across the family bond making Ratchet stumble in shock, repressing sobs Sideswipe said "Sure you don't. Was Sunstreaker and I not good enough for you? Was Solarstrike not enough? Is that why you left? Is that why you shut us out!" Sunstreaker was in shock not knowing what to say.

Ratchet sighed "It.." he continued softly "It wasn't like that."

Sunstreaker snarled "Care to enlighten us Creator?"

Which was spat out almost mockingly, Ratchet sighed "I told Solarstrike I was going to join the Autobots to keep you all safe and she was dead set against it. She wanted us to remain neutrals but I knew that the Decepticon rebels wouldn't leave neutrals alone no matter what they said. We fought, the last thing she said was 'If you walk out that door you'll never see us again!' I thought she was being stubborn so I joined up, when I returned that evening you were all gone. I tried to find you but after a few vorns I thought you'd be safer that the Decepticons didn't know who you were so you wouldn't be harmed because of me. One day I felt Solarstrike's part of the bond disappear and I was so consumed with grief I shut you out for so long.

Too long.

By the time I realised that it was too late, you'd both be all grown up and no longer needed me. When we met on the Arc project I nearly had spark attack when I realised who you were, I thought about telling you but I never found the right moment."

The twins stared at him Sunstreaker thoughtful and Sideswipe said brokenly "Sounds like you were never going to."

Then he ran out of the medbay, Sunstreaker shook his head at Ratchet then stormed out the opposite direction. Ratchet sat down feeling like someone dumped a heavy weight on his struts.

Wheeljack popped in "So you told them huh?"

Ratchet sighed "You heard?"

Wheeljack shrugged "I got a bit concerned when I heard Sideswipe yelling."

He smiled at the picture in Ratchet's hands "I remember when I took that photo."

Ratchet smiled sadly "Yeah you were the famous 'Uncle Jack.'"

Wheeljack sat by him "That I was."

They remained in silence before Wheeljack commented "Sideswipe seems pretty upset."

"I know."

"Shouldn't you go talk to him and sort this out?"

Ratchet looked at him as if to say 'Are you sure those explosions haven't messed up your processor?'

"Jack I'm the last person he wants to see right now. For either of them."

Wheeljack swung his legs "Well maybe it's time you fixed that."

"Your not gonna give up are you?"

"Not a chance."

"If they tear me apart I will haunt you."

"Fair enough." Ratchet handed the picture over to Wheeljack and headed after the red lambo,

Wheeljack sighed looking at the picture from so long ago. "Good luck."

Sideswipe sprinted off blocking his spark from Sunstreaker and now Ratchet "How could he do this to us? Why didn't he tell us?"

The same mantra repeated in his processor even as he entered the old storage closet crawling to the back hiding behind some boxes his knees to his chest as he whimpered a bit, "Why?" was all it took before he cried quietly in the darkness.

Sunstreaker wandered to his room keeping his bound open for Sideswipe but shut on Ratchet, "Of all the things I imagined, I never imagined this." He flipped through some of his old paintings of Cybertron from Iacon to Praxus, to the Crystal city, to Solarstrike gazing at the stars to a view from his old home window. Picking up a paintbrush he started on a new piece to keep his hands busy.

Prowl sat down glaring a little at the datapads before him he now understood why Jazz and Prime declared 'The evils of paperwork!' even though it was still light duty he'd much rather skip these altogether and resume spending time with the sparklings. Still muttering and mumbling he dutifully started filling them out "Sooner I get these done the sooner I can get back to the sparklings."

Jazz leaned over his shoulder "Hey Prowler I'm gonna take the sparkling's for a walk 'K?"

Prowl nodded "Just don't take them to far they're still only two days old and Swiftsong won't be able to walk on his own for to long."

Jazz beamed "'K back soon!"

He placed Staticstep on his shoulders taking eager Swiftsong by the hand and walking out down the hall.

The little mech whistled an assortment of highs and lows that Staticstep would occasionally answer with a "Yep." Or "Nope."

Jazz smiled then fake pouted "Aw don't you guys wanna talk to me?"

Staticstep patted his helm in sympathy whilst Swiftsong giggled. Swiftsong stopped as they came in front of a storage closet, Jazz looked down "What's a matter?"

Swiftsong wolf whistled then continued the first part of Oh my darling Clementine. Staticstep wriggled wanting down, so Jazz sat her next to her brother "Yep."

He whistled again a tad more complex this time and she frowned "Nope."

He frowned this time whistling a fast pace march theme, she sighed "Yep."

She looked at Jazz and pointed to the door, "Ya want me ta open it?"

She nodded, amused at their request he did so "There's nothin in there sweetsparks."

Swiftsong shook his head and wolf whistled again, Jazz tilted his head "Sideswipe?"

His doorwings fluttered and he crouched down letting Staticstep piggyback him, Jazz started "Ah should you be doin' that? Ya might hurt yaselves."

He reached to stop them as Swiftsong moved into the closet but the determination in Staticstep's optics and strong "Nope." stopped him.

"All right but if ya ain't out in five minutes I'm comin' ta get ya."

Staticstep took that as satisfactory and urged Swiftsong to move forward.

Sideswipe sighed feeling drained as he leaned against the wall having cried his spark out "And more." he thought but he couldn't be asked to wipe away the tell tale signs of tears yet just wanting to wallow in his misery a bit longer. The sound of light footsteps drew his attention to the right "Who's there?"

The footsteps continued "If this is a joke Sunny it's not funny!"

Instead if the brightly coloured twin of his he'd expected, another pair of twins came into to view. "Swiftsong? Staticstep?"

Swiftsong wolf whistled at him whilst Staticstep popped her head up mindful of her brother's doorwings "Yep."

Sideswipe smiled picking them up bringing them onto his lap "What are you two doing here?"

Swiftsong made an assortment of whistles waving his arms dramatically, whilst Staticstep nodded at points saying "Yep."

At the end Sideswipe laughed "OK forget I asked."

Staticstep patted his faceplates where the tear stains where most prominent, "Huh? Oh I was sad but I feel better now."

She stared directly into his optics "Nope."

Sideswipe smiled faintly "No really I'm fine just had to have a good cry you know."

They both looked at him as if to say 'Yeah we believe you. Not.' So he relented and sagged back against the wall "OK maybe I'm not fine."

Their encouraging smiles made him continue "It's just I've been looking for our Creator for so long with Sunny hoping to find him and when I finally do it turns out he's been lying to me for years and it hurts."

Swiftsong whistled lowly "Yeah little bud it sucks."

Staticstep studied him then said "S-safe."

Sideswipe's optics widened "What did you just say?"

Clearer she said again "Yep safe."

Sideswipe smiled "You think he did it to keep us safe?"

At their nods and Swiftsongs doorwings fluttering happily he blinked away more unwanted tears "Maybe he did."

And hugged the sparklings close.

Ratchet bit his denta walking forward blindly "Great when I actually keep my side of the bond open they shut me out. Then again I deserve it."

He encountered Jazz leaning against a storage closet door "Jazz? What are you doing?"

Jazz waved a bit "Oh hey Ratch the twins said Sideswipe was in there so they went ta fetch him."

Ratchet glanced at the door "Really?"

Jazz nodded "Yep. Now their times up I'm gonna fetch 'em. Wanna help?"

Resisting the urge to walk away he nodded "Sure."

They entered the storage closet, Jazz called "Swiftsong, Staticstep times up kiddo's."

A whistle brought his attention to the left where they were walking towards him, well Swiftsong was, Staticstep was getting a ride again. Jazz scooped them up a sparkling on each arm, Swiftsong patted Ratchet's arm and whistled pointing towards the back of the room understanding he nodded. The sparklings smiled as Jazz left with a "Later Ratch." leaving the CMO heading to where the sparklings pointed.

Summoning up his courage he headed towards the spot looking around the corner finding Sideswipe sitting hugging his knees to his chest against the wall, Ratchet winced at the signs indicating Sideswipe had cried. Kneeling in front if him he said gently "I really am sorry, I never realised you'd missed me this much and if you'll let me I'll make it up anyway I-"

Sideswipe raised a hand stopping the medics apology "Just hug me all ready."

Ratchet still unsure placed a arm around Sideswipe's shoulder unprepared as the lambo launched himself at the CMO in a tight grip. He buried his face in Ratchet's neck cables "Don't ever leave us again... dad."

Ratchet hugged him back "I won't."

Sunstreaker set down his work tracking down Sideswipe since he'd reopened his bond overflowing with happiness, naturally curious Sunstreaker wanted to know what caused such a thing. The sight in the closet was not one he'd been expecting. Ratchet carefully rocked Sideswipe back and forth gently humming a lullaby that Sunstreaker had almost forgotten. Ratchet looked up at his arrival optics questioning, Sunstreaker opened his bond but his face reflected the unspoken question 'Not quite ready to forgive yet.' And that Ratchet understood, Sunstreaker nodded then left leaving his brother to finally have a bit longer of the moment he'd always desired.

It would take longer for Sunstreaker to reconcile with the CMO, and when he did he would hug him as well.