A/N: I'm using Starscream's G1 design for this fanfic, but every other character will be in their TFP design. Therefore, Thundercracker and Skywarp will be with their G1 designs as well. I need this for the plot, so no hate, please! Don't like, don't read. RR and Enjoy!

It was a quiet afternoon on the Nemesis. Soundwave was on his console, working like always, going through reports, checking firewalls, decoding. Suddenly, two signals appeared on the screen. They were moving faster than mere human aircraft and had Cybertronian signatures... but it was not certain if they are Autobots or Decepticons.

Megatron, who was on the bridge all along, gave Soundwave a questioning look. The silent mech shook his head, answering the unspoken question. He had no idea who those Cybertronians are, yet. The Warlord narrowed his optics and reached for his comm. He comm-ed his second-in-command, dismissed Soundwave to continue with his work, and walked out of the bridge.

A few minutes later, Megatron and Starscream were at the flight deck. The two aircraft were flying large, slow circles on long distances around the warship, yet to be seen by someone.

Starscream was feeling odd since earlier that day, and now with the arrival of the two new Cybertronians, this feeling kept growing. And it wasn't a bad feeling either

It was warm and welcoming, and familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

The seeker and the Decepticon leader took flight and followed the signal Soundwave was giving them. Not long after, two Cybertronian based jets appeared in view.

Starscream immediately recognizer them: Thundercracker and Skywarp. But...they are dead! Soundwave himself had reported it! If the tri-colored seeker were in his robot-form, he would be staring open-mouthed and wide-opticted

Megatron was the first to speak since Starscream was overcome by his shock.

"Thundercracker, Skywarp follow," it was a simple enough order. The others obliged. Soon the four Cybertronians were back at the Nemesis. They transformed in 'bot-form, Starscream being the last. Sheer shock and disbelieve on his face.

Megatron spoke again, his voice held a dark undertone, it was like an almost restrained growl, "It is good to have you back. But I must ask, how did you survive? Soundwave reported to me you couldn't make it out on time. We thought you were deceased." The Decepticon leader had a frown on his face. It looked like he was displeased with the seekers. But why? They just came back! They've done nothing wrong. And more soldiers meant better chances of winning the war. Everyone knew how powerful a seeker trine is! Starscream couldn't help but wonder. And his trine mates had similar looks as the Decepticon leader on their faces. The small seeker now had the feeling that something was going on and he was the only one that didn't know about it.

Thundercracker was the one to answer, startling his trine leader out from his thoughts, "We were badly wounded and low on Energon, but we found a safe place to hide. We managed to repair ourselves and found enough Energon to survive," TC paused and shared a glance with Skywarp. The purple seeker nodded before the blue one continued. "We received a signal not so long ago, coming from the Nemesis, and decided to investigate. We were trying for a long time to get a Decepticon signal," with that the two fliers received a nod and a low hum of approval from the warlord.

After a short moment of silence, Megatron ordered, "Starscream," said mech flinched slightly and glanced at the gray mech, "show the seekers around the Nemesis and take them to their quarters," and with a dismissive wave of his servo, Megatron headed back to the control bridge.

The three fliers stayed in awkward silence for a long time. No one daring to be the first one to speak. The slightly larger two new-comers looked at their trine leader who was looking at everything and anything else but his trine.

Finally, Starscream dipped his helm and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered barely loud enough for the other two to hear. They frowned questioningly before the other continued, "I should've gone looking for you instead of listening to Soundwave... I might've got into trouble, but you were going to be safe. And the bond...it wasn't broken... Weaker, yes, but...there! And now you most definitely hate me for abandoning you!"

"Starscream."

Said seeker shot his helm up and looked at...the two amused faces of his brothers, "Yes...?" he asked confused.

"You talk too much."

And after Thundercracker's comment, Skywarp burst into laughter. Starscream looked away in embarrassment. Another awkward silence flew between them. This time Skywarp spoke.

"So..um, you gonna show us to our quarters..?"

"Oh, ugh...they are the same as before... I didn't let them throw away your stuff."

The two seekers looked surprised. Starscream really did that for them?

"And the Nemesis didn't change while you were...gone... Only the passcodes... And we now have a new medic and his assistant."

Another silence. Slag! Why was it so hard for them to talk to one another?!

The purple seeker cough awkwardly and asked, "And...what we gonna do now?"

"We can go for a flight. I have to do a patrol later with the Eradicons, but I might do it now and leave them to do it on their own later. Or dismiss them," shrugged the smaller as he finished, "Might as well have some training and see how rusty we are after millennia of separation," he added with a smirk, but not a malicious one, a challenging one. The other two gave one of their own and acceptance, challenge and smugness flew through the bond.

The bond.

Starscream didn't even notice when he opened it on his side. It felt so natural, so right, so familiar, he almost forgot about it. He instinctively put a hand over his spark and sank in the familiarity of his brothers' sparks against his own. A small genuine smile pulled on his lips.

The three seekers swiftly transformed and flew out at full speed.

Meanwhile, at the bridge, Megatron ordered everyone out, except Soundwave.

"How did this happen?! How did they survive?! I thought you said nothing could have survive the explosion?!" yelled the warlord. This shouldn't have happened. The seekers were thought to be dead and they should have stayed that way! Without his brothers, Megatron and Soundwave noticed Starscream wasn't as brave as when they were with him. And two more dead soldiers in the face of the cause was nothing. Starscream was acting like himself even after the 'death' of his brothers, but was also more cowardice and than before, cowering in fear in front of Megatron, easily submissive.

Soundwave stayed silent, like always, and waited for his Lord to finish. When Megatron calmed down a little, he looked at the monitors. The trine was nowhere to be seen in the Nemesis. Maybe they were at their quarters and Megatron didn't see them entering. But to be certain, because he was skeptical - everyone would've been with Starscream around - he asked Soundwave, "Where are they?"

"We can go for a flight," Soundwave played Starscream's answer from a few minutes ago.

Megatron growled, "Send Laserbeak to follow them. I want you to spy on them all of the time. Who knows what Starscream will be up to now that the three are back together."

Soundwave nodded and moments later Laserbeak detached, made a few circles, and flew out of the bridge.

The three seekers flew high above the earth at impossible for human aircraft speeds. They made barrel rolls, loops, sharp turns, formations, and even chased each other. They spent hours in the air. And they were happy. For the first time in a long time, they were together and didn't fear what would happen. The two newcomers - now with human jet alt forms - lowered themselves under the clouds. The third jet slowed down, confused... Where did they go? Then, out of nowhere, the blue jet zoomed in front of him. The red jet shrieked and tried to stop so they won't crash into one another. The two transformed similarly and the blue one caught the smaller one, chuckling. They hovered in the air.

Starscream rolled his optics, "Ha, ha, very funny..." the sarcasm was dripping out of his voice.

"You should've heard yourself, Screamer," Thundercracker replied earning himself a glare. But before his trine leader could say something, TC continued, "Come. 'Warp is waiting for us down there," he gestured with his helm towards the place where Skywarp was waiting.

The two took down in front of the purple flier. They were in a forest and behind Skywarp was a big lake with a small waterfall on the opposite side. The sun was setting behind the mounting from which the faterfall was falling. The two slightly larger jets stared at the waterfall, with completely blank faces.

Starscream frowned, "What is it?"

He knew his brothers well and now the feeling from earlier was back. Something was going on. His frown deepened at the lack of response. They were thinking, thinking about how to tell him. He knew it. Even after so much time, he could read his trine mates flawlessly. So could they.

"Star," Thundercracker started, face still blank and locked on the waterfall, "What did they tell you?"

"Huh...?" this time the red seeker had a frown of confusion on his face, "What do you mean?" Starscream was growing impatient, but the confusion was stronger.

"After our supposed death," TC looked at him in the optics, "What did they tell you?"

Starscream's optics widened a little, "Uhh..." he looked away, then he, too, stared at the waterfall. He continued a bit quieter, "...Soundwave showed me the explosion...I felt the shockwave afterward... 'Nothing could have survived' said Megatron. I thought... ...I knew he was wrong, so I searched the bond...again and again and again...but your sparks were so weak...almost like they didn't exist. I wanted to go and look for you, but they said it was pointless...they weren't going to use resources on something most likely to fail... Then, I gave up...I couldn't feel you and they kept saying you were no more... Even Laserbeak showed 'proof' of that. We departed shortly after the explosion..." with this, he finished, optics a bit wet, and he caught his trine mates' reactions

Thundercracker nodded, thoughtful. Skywarp remained where he stood, gaze turned to his trine mates, brows furrowed with disgust. Starscream could feel his spark. Something was wrong. Maybe 'Warp was mad at him and TC too, but didn't show it. The red jet remained where he stood and kept staring at the waterfall. The silence was heavy.

Finally, Skywarp talked, for the first time since they landed, "He lied to you," he said with so much hidden tension, "He knew we were alive but thought of us a danger."

"He was paranoid even though he knew we wouldn't try anything against him back then," TC continued, calmer than Skywarp, "He was scared..."

"So he decided to get rid of us, seeing you as more valuable at that time," the purple jet finished.

To be honest, Starscream hadn't known that Skywarp could sound so mature, given his personality and everything. But how he hadn't noticed since now? How had he been so blind? Megatron's behavior, why soundwave wanted his - especially him - watch the video, the denial of the mission to recover the bodies. It explained everything now! Well, most of it. There was one more thing.

"How did you find out?" Starscream asked. It wasn't accusing, it was mere curiosity.

Thundercracker answered, "We suspected it back then. The way Megatron had looked at us, why he had sent us on the mission alone. We had caught transmission proving our theory...even now when we came back. He knows how powerful we are."

Rage started bubbling up in Starscream. Everything he'd done! Everything he fought for! Everything he gave up! And for what? For nothing! The Decepticons aren't what they originally were, and he was fully aware of this. He could change them under his rule. But could they change? He was long gone and he knew it. It all started with Megatron coming into his life. And with that, he changed. His brothers' departure didn't help the matter. Neither his attempts on the warlord's life. But now more than ever he wanted to take his revenge! This mech took too much from him.

He screamed.

"I'll kill him! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!"

After he calmed down his brothers moved. Their faces were softer and sympathetic. Either moved to one wing and started caressing it. They might've felt the same when they found out.

Thundercracker spoke lowly, soothingly, "It's not worth it..."

Starscream whipped his helm towards the blue jet, and glared hard, "What do you mean it's not worth it?!" screeched the red one, "Don't you want to take your revenge?"

"I do... But he is not worth the effort."

"Yeah, let Prime finish him!" piped in Skywarp.

"But then who's going to lead the Decepticons?" questioned the red seeker.

"No one. The war will be over," answered TC.

"Wh-what...?" Starscream's optics widened.

"Mhmm! What you heard! Don't you like it, Screamer?" asked Skywarp with that 'innocent' voice of his.

"Well, yes, but...but all I worked to accomplish, everything I gave up-"

"Do you really want to keep fighting? Are you really going to tell me you want this madness to continue?" Thundercracker looked his trine leader in the optics and questioned him firmly.

"...I-" Starscream looked away, and whispered, "No..."

"Than, let's stop it," the blue continued, "Let's leave them, all of them. We don't have to risk our lives for this pointless war anymore."

"And then, we can be ourselves again. You can be yourself..." Skywarp whispered against his audio receptor.

At that, Starscream lit up. This sounded appealing. No more war, fighting, fear, only him and his trine, out of harm's way. He hugged them and smiled, for the first time in a long time, a genuine smile.

He closed his optics, whispering one last thing, "I love you, brothers."

"We love you too, sister."

Cliffhanger! Because why not. And now a little info. In this AU no one knows that Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp are siblings. Nor do they know that Star is actually a she. And, yes, I made Starscream a girl! Any objections? I just like the idea, plus there aren't enough femme! Starscream fanfics out there, so I wrote one myself. I intended to add Megs' reaction in this, but I'll do it in the next chapter. Also, I know there is a lot of OOC-ness, but I'll try harder to get them in character. This will follow its own timeline and this chapter is somewhere between "Operation Breakdown" and "Rock bottom".

'Til next time!