The battle was over, the Decepticons scattered in defeat. It hadn't been a long fight, but it had been intense. Skyfire waited patiently for Ratchet to finish up repairing a superficial injury on Sideswipe, the only injury earned in the confrontation.

Ratchet gave Sideswipe a quick slap on the arm as he closed up the last panel and, as the red Lamborghini got to his feet, Prowl did a quick headcount. Sideswipe did the same thing, his optics finding his brother quickly. Their optics met and then continued to scan for another but not finding him.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe spun on Prowl and demanded, "Where's Bluestreak?"

Prowl, noticing the gunner's absence at the same time, shouted across the milling Autobots, "Where's Bluestreak?"

The 'bots quieted and glanced around. "Haven't seen 'm for a while," Brawn shouted from the back.

"How long ago?" Prowl asked.

There were more mutterings and Ironhide drawled, "Ah told him ta find a likely spot ta snipe from but ah didn't see where he went."

Prowl nodded and said, "He'd go..."

"Up," the twins finished the thought and glanced towards the skyscrapers of the city they'd been protecting in the distance.

"He'd be back if he could," Sideswipe said and ran towards Skyfire, Sunstreaker at his heels.

"Transform," Sideswipe told the jet.

Skyfire complied without a word and opened his hatch to allow the twins to board. They ignored the opening, however, and leaped up onto Skyfire's back, positioning themselves between his rear stabilizers. He nearly asked them what in Primus' name they thought they were doing but was neatly distracted by Ratchet running up the ramp and pounding on a bulkhead.

"Get the slaggin' lead out and go!" Ratchet shouted.

Skyfire shut his hatch and launched himself into the air wincing internally when Sideswipe and Sunstreaker gripped his sensitive wing surfaces tightly as they held on.

He climbed carefully to give the two mechs a stable platform but they commed::Just go, we'll hold on and keep your optical sensors online. The quicker we find him, the better.: With that, he accelerated quickly, heading towards the city they'd just driven the Decepticons from.

As he neared, he could feel the twins shifting and moving on his back turning him from his course. When he straightened out, though, one of them squeezed his stabilizer hard and leaned into it sending him off course again. He realized that they were directing the search, telling him where to go.

In seconds, he was among the buildings and Sideswipe commed him again. :Higher. We need to see the tops of all the buildings.:

Skyfire obeyed, climbing quickly to break free of the city. :But what if he's not on the roof? Can't he shoot from a wndow:

:Sure, but he won't. He needs the open sky above him even if he finds a hiding place. If the sky is above him, the building won't fall on him.: There was a pause. :Don't tell him we told you that.:

:Understood...You think he's injured: Skyfire asked.

:Of course. He'd have come back if he could. Since he didn't, he can't so he's injured. He's probably in a bad way...: Sideswipe's voice faded.

:See anything: Ratchet commed.

:Not yet...No, wait...There: Sunstreaker replied and the twins leaned hard into the right stabilizer forcing Skyfire to turn sharply towards an area that showed heavy damage. Skyfire remembered it had been a quick, vicious skirmish with the Autobots driving the 'Cons away quickly.

He spotted what they were pointing at and, in seconds, was hovering above the missing mech. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker leaped from his back and dashed full speed across the rooftop to Bluestreak's side. Skyfire opened his hatch, but Ratchet didn't wait for him to lower the ramp, preferring to jump. He landed in a crouch and then straightened and ran after the twins. Skyfire settled a short distance away without transforming. He'd be ready the instant they were.

He watched Sideswipe squat down next to Bluestreak, indifferent to the mech fluid on the ground, and take the gunner's hand. His other hand gently touched Bluestreak's head and he bent close to whisper something that Skyfire couldn't hear. Sunstreaker stood off to the side scowling darkly.

"Of all the fraggin'...I don't know how you get yourself into these positions, Blue," Ratchet muttered and crouched down on the other side of the injured mech. Skyfire noticed that Ratchet didn't say a word to Sideswipe or push him out of the way, merely bending to his work and letting the red mech comfort his...friend? No, more than friends. Skyfire sighed. I'm so clueless sometimes, he thought.

Skyfire continued to watch Ratchet work. He removed Bluestreak's torn and shattered doorwings and repaired the ruptured fuel lines in his back. It looked to Skyfire as if the young mech had been taken by surprise, shot in the back. Sideswipe continued to whisper to Bluestreak and when the Datsun nodded his head slightly, Skyfire realized the gunner was awake.

:What's your status: Prowl's comm startled Skyfire.

:Uh...We've found him. He's alive but appears to be severely damaged.: He saw Ratchet straightened and wave to the twins to pick up Bluestreak. :They're ready to load him up now.:

:Return to the Ark. We're heading out now.:

:Yes, sir: Skyfire acknowledged and opened his hatch to allow the mechs to board. The twins secured Bluestreak to Skyfire's deck while Ratchet held an energon drip aloft. He handed it off to Sunstreaker and went back to work sealing off lines that were leaking fluids onto Skyfire's deck. Sideswipe sat down and supported Bluestreak's head in his lap. Now, Skyfire could hear Sideswipe as the red mech gave a running commentary of what was going on.

:Everybody secure: Skyfire commed but didn't wait for the response to launch himself into the air and return to the Ark.

When Skyfire landed at the Ark, First Aid was waiting with a gurney. Bluestreak was offloaded with a minimum of fuss and everybody disappeared into the Ark without a word to Skyfire.

He sat silently on the landing strip for a time, contemplating the difficult job of cleaning his interior not that he begrudge Bluestreak or any of the injured he had carried. After a while, he transformed and made his way to the Ark intending to check up on Bluestreak and then go to the wash rack.

At the entrance, just under the Ark's huge rockets, his way was blocked, though. He halted and eyed the twins as they stood side by side eyeing him right back.

"Um, so..." Skyfire said, breaking the silence. "How's Bluestreak?"

"He's going to be fine...Thanks to you," Sideswipe responded.

"Me? I only did what you asked."

Sunstreaker spoke up. "Exactly. If you'd given us attitude," he smirked at that, "hesitated or anything, Blue might not have made it."

"Well, you are welcome, then," Skyfire said and tried to move past them.

The twins neatly blocked his way. "We're not done. We want to thank you properly."

The jet stepped backwards in surprise. He eyed the brothers warily. "I'm sure that's not necessary. Really."

"Pfft," Sideswipe responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. "We saw what Blue left behind inside of you. And we know how hard it is to clean our interior. We figured it would be pretty impossible for you to do it alone. So." He put his arm around Sunstreaker's shoulder. "We want to help. Isn't that right, bro?"

Sunstreaker grunted something unintelligible but nodded his head.

"And there's nothing I can say to discourage you, I suppose?"

"Nope."

"Fine then. Lead the way."

The twins did just that, straight to the wash racks. Once there, Skyfire lead the way to the back where an extra-large wash area had been blasted out of the volcano to accomodate the extra large Autobots who might need it. Even Omega Supreme could get a good cleaning there. He stood for a moment waiting to see what the Lambos would do next.

What they did was produce an enormous pile of cleaning supplies. "Inside first," Sideswipe said. "Transform."

Skyfire did as instructed, his sleek but large jet mode filling the area, and opened his hatch. The brothers entered with their cleaning supplies and set to work.

The scrubbing felt good. Too good, Skyfire thought. It's been too long since he'd been able to get a good cleaning inside. It did take another mech to get in there and clean but he'd not really been that sociable and hadn't made any close enough friends whom he could ask to do it for him. So, it was a good bet that he was pretty grungy in there. Actually, he was surprised nobody had complained. It was just unfortunate and sad that it took Bluestreak bleeding to get some help.

He sighed in pleasure as the twins worked, not just scrubbing the area where Bluestreak had been but working their way through his entire cabin. They were also very thorough, getting into cracks and crevasses that his inadequate attempts at cleaning always missed. It felt wonderful. He tried to remember the last time he'd been subjected to this treatment. Though it had been a very long time ago, the memory surfaced quickly and he shivered with pleasure.

The quiet voices of the twins, of which he had been somewhat aware of, stopped as did their cleaning. Skyfire groaned to himself. Had he been that obvious? He was about ready to speak up when the twins seemed to get back to work. After a minute, the jet became aware that they weren't just cleaning anymore. Their hands were suddenly exploring places that didn't fall into the "this needs to be cleaned" category. And it felt wonderful. But he really couldn't allow it to continue. He was about to speak up when one of them, he wasn't sure who, found a spot so exquisitely sensitive that his vocalizer froze. He tried to suppress the shudder that followed but was unsuccessful and he knew at that point there was nothing to hide from the pair. And at this point, he couldn't even be angry at them for putting him in this position. Maybe later.

When later came, he still wasn't angry, embarrassed, frustrated, restless maybe but not angry. And possessed by a longing and a need he'd tried hard to bury and forget. Skyfire stood at the entrance to the Ark and gazed thoughtfully out into the night. To the east the sky glowed silver as the full moon made its way over the mountains. He knew without looking that to the west the sky was glowing with the last light of the setting sun. Overhead, a few stars managed to twinkle despite the bright horizons. He watched the moon and remembered a whispered conversation from years ago. "Here, when the moon is full." He'd never gone back and he knew the one who'd whispered those words many years ago had not returned either.

Suddenly, he felt the need to go there even if the other wouldn't be there. Stepping out of the Ark, and without a word to anyone, he launched himself into the air, transforming smoothly and firing his thrusters. He put the moon to his back and headed for the coast.

It was a small cove by Skyfire's standards but probably huge by human reckoning. His feet crunched in the sand as he landed. Rocky cliffs surrounded the beach, denying access to those on foot. He turned and surveyed the area in the dark. The moon was practically overhead now, it's silvery light reflecting on the tumbling waves that rolled up nearly to his feet. He watched the water retreat and then roll in again for several minutes before moving in toward the cliff. Except for the waves and the sand crunching under his feet it was quiet and he was alone. Even though he'd hoped to have company, he was not surprised or disappointed that he didn't.

He sat down, his back against a low rock to support his jet pack and his head and shut off his optics, focussing all his attention on the sounds around him.

Some miles away, three jets, visible only by their shapes against the stars, were making their way home. As they approached the cove, one called out, "Hey, I'm getting an Autobot signature."

"How many?" the lead jet demanded.

"Just one. Heh, it's your friend, Screamer."

But Starscream already knew that. He wouldn't depend on Skywarp for anything and had directed his scans to the beach. Frowning to himself, perfectly aware of the full moon and which beach they were passing over, he deciding quickly and announced, "Go on ahead, I'll check this out and catch up."

There was snickering from the third jet. "And what should we tell Megatron if he asks where you are?"

"Whatever you want," he sneered and dropped out of the formation to circle back towards the cove.

OoOoO

Sand trickling on Skyfire's faceplace woke him from recharge but the sound of feet shifting in the sand near his audio receptor held him still and warned him not to online his optics too quickly. Then, faster than most believed he was capable of, his hand flashed out and grabbed a leg. He yanked, causing the other mech to lose his balance and topple to the sand. He rolled and pinned the mech under his large body.

Skyfire gazed into the smouldering red optics of his prisoner, puzzled yet pleased. "You came," he said stating the obvious but questioning as well.

"Get off," Starscream growled. "I'm merely investigating an Autobot signal. You are the one who came, I was merely passing over."

Skyfire lifted his weight off the smaller jet but didn't release him, enjoying the feel of Starscream under his hands. "Investigating alone? That's not like you," he teased then he sighed and sat back, releasing the Seeker. He wanted him and he wanted him now but not if Starscream didn't feel the same way.

Starscream didn't move when Skyfire let him go. His hard expression softened and he reached up to his former lover and ran a finger along his face and jaw. "I didn't want an audience," he hissed softly.