AN: So another quick update. I'm off to school in like 20 minutes x_x I wanted to write this quickly cuz I'm more focused on what's coming after then this. Just a short bit advancing the story line.

thanks to everyone who reviewed! I don't have time to go through you all and reply like I usually do in an update, so I apologize. (THANKS TO: I love cute things, The Result of Squffie, Noella50881, Holen-Snape, BookwormGal, Fk306 animelover, Rockubyebaby, bumblebee girl, writergurl616)

VORN: About 83 years

Chapter 24
Skids and Mudflap

"Ronald, Bob, I do believe I might be in love with your wives." Ratchet said as he sat down at the picnic table, a grin on the holoform's face.

Ron Witwicky and Bob Lancaster just stared at him in shocked silence. In fact, they weren't the only ones to do so. Sam, Miles, Will, Epps, Glen, Fig, Barricade, and Bumblebee sat at the same picnic table as Ron, Bob, and now Ratchet.

Once Miles had actually gotten permission to tell his parents about the big government secret Judy, Sam's mom, and Elizabeth, Miles', proceeded to brow beat their sons until they got permission to come over. It didn't take long before they had permission to stay for the weekend before Thanksgiving break would start.

Currently they were all outside, several picnic tables shoved roughly in one area. Most of the NEST base organic members would be leaving the base to go home for Thanksgiving, and this would count as the small one for the whole base. For those who were staying they would participate in the Cybertronians first ever Thanksgiving, and they couldn't wait.

Miles turned to Sam, "Dude. We'd be like half brothers or some shit if both my mom and your mom got with the Hatchet. And we'd have a Cybertronian in the family. How slagging cool would that be?"

That effectively broke the silence, Epps and Sam laughing. Ron and Bob turned to glare at Miles, Ron grumbling something along the lines of 'traitor'.

"I believe it's time for another beer, Bob." Ron said, grabbing two and handing one of. He looked at Ratchet. "Do I want to know why you're declaring your love for my wife, or should I not even ask?"

Ratchet smirked, "Judy took on Prowl and Elizabeth took on Optimus. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life. I've never seen Optimus shamed into recharging before. Not even I'm that good. Judy read Prowl a bedtime story. Well, to be more clear, she read to him from a science book so he wouldn't glitch or spend time thinking over illogical things. I'm not sure if he sent himself to recharge or was actually put to recharge, but both Optimus and Prowl are currently fast asleep."

"Ah, that's the mother in them. I personally know for Lizzie it don't matter if you're her son or not. She'll still bend you over her knee if you're bad, fatten you up, give you a ear to talk to, or just give you a warm hug." Bob grinned, tapping cans with Ron as they popped the lids. "Judy, I've found out, happens to at least be somewhat the same."

"Sarah will be here in a few days with Annabelle. Maybe they can converge together to become the mother's of the NEST." Epps suggested, causing Will to snort.

"Sarah will be more then overjoyed to have other mother's to talk to. Most of the girls here either aren't moms, too busy to be moms, or won't be here whenever she is." Will replied. "Sam, Miles, tell Judy and Liz to bring out the baby pictures."

Sam groaned, but Bumblebee perked up, smirking at his charge. Miles shot Bumblebee a questioning glance, prompting the Autobot scout to reply. "Judy felt it necessary to show me the baby pictures of Sam once she found out I was alive. I have to say, a naked Sam with chocolate cake all over him is my favorite. Especially when he has some on his cute little aft."

There was a moment of silence before the occupants of the table thoroughly enjoyed Sam's embarrassment as he proceeded to yell at Bumblebee for bringing said baby pictures up. Epps, Miles, and Glen guffawed, Will and Fig snickered, Ratchet and Barricade looked highly amused, Bumblebee smirked, and Ron and Bob smiled, shaking their heads in amusement. They tapped their cans of beer together again.

"To them being in diapers seeming not that long ago, damn it." Ron said, grinning.

Bob nodded, "Makes you feel old, doesn't it?"

"Dad, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you were old before I ever arrived on the scene." Miles smirked, causing Bob to smack him lightly over the back of the head.

"Not so old that I felt like yelling at crazy whippersnappers to get off my lawn." Bob replied, then smirked. "Except this time it was crazy aliens."

Barricade glared, "Your beast was attempting to assert it's dominance over me."

"Wait… what?" Sam asked, he and Bumblebee having left with Epps to go meet up with Optimus at the Look Out. Bob, Barricade, Miles, and Lizzie hadn't appeared for over an hour, and when they did they didn't explain why they were held up. Bumblebee sat up straighter, eyes locking on to Miles. Epps and Sam did the same thing, silently demanding the story.

Miles smirked, "Mason got a little… friendly with Barry's leg. Barry freaked out and tried to run, but Mason thought he was playing. Apparently our favorite little 'con was glitching that day, because he let Mason chase him throughout the house for about a half hour. Then he glitched some more and left the house, leaving the door wide open, and Mason chased him around outside for about fifteen or so more minutes." Miles was apparently impervious to the death glare, because Barricade was trying extremely hard to kill him right there and then. The teen continued, not phased in the slightest. "And there I was, mom telling me to go save him, having to chase the both of them around, while yelling at Barry to take a moment and think about dissolving his holoform or whatever the hell they do."

Another pause before the whole table erupted in guffaws, except for Miles and Ron. They had laughed hard enough while it was actually happening, now the amusement was just toned down.

"I was not glitched, I just didn't want to scare your parents." Barricade growled, trying to defend himself.

That backfired spectacularly, Miles grinning. "Personally, I think you just wanted Mason to catch you."

Shocked and amused silence as they waited to see what Barricade would come up with. The 'con just growled, apparently having nothing he deemed appropriate to come back with. That just happened to be a mistake concerning Miles.

"Ohhh, I made the big bad 'con go silent." Miles teased, wearing a shit eating grin.

Epps snickered, "I think a cat has his tongue!"

"That was good, mah bruder!" Glen high-fived Epps, purposefully sounding stupid just to egg everyone on more.

"Well, I'm not surprised. I always thought 'Cade here was a bit glitched." Ratchet smirked.

"You and me both, Ratch. Figured he'd at least be as smart as a human's computer." Bumblebee added. "Guess I was wrong."

"A computer?" Sam asked, snorting. "He's not even up to par with Mason. Let alone a computer."

Miles laughed, "In a few hundred vorns maybe!"

Everyone soon found out that Barricade had had enough of being the butt of everyone's jokes when he stood up, rounded the table to Miles, then proceeded to fling the teen over his shoulder. Miles squeaked.

"Nice manly squeak there, Miles." Fig snickered. "Where you taking him, Barricade?"

Barricade growled, "To the Pit."

"What? Put me down!" Miles whined. "Someone help me!"

Bob waved, "Goodbye son. It was nice raising you."

"Traitors, traitors all of you!" Miles cried as he squirmed and wiggled in the 'cons grasp. He couldn't even escape when Barricade was holding him in place with one hand, and found himself hating the holoform's strength at that moment.

Everyone watched as Barricade and Miles disappeared from view with varying degrees of amusement.

"I'm going to put this on my fan fiction acount." Epps said, grinning.

Will looked at him like he had gone insane. "Why?"

"Do you know how many people here will have a field day over what 'Cadey does to Miles?" Epps asked, his grin turning into a smirk.

"You are a devious man, Epps." Ron chuckled. "I wholly approve you being around my son." Bob nodded in agreement.

"I bet someone will write that Barricade humped Miles in retaliation or asserted his dominance of Miles or some crap." Glen said, grinning. The look quickly disappeared when Bob sent him a look. "Sorry, . It's just so weird having a parent here that I forgot."

Bob snorted, "Tell me about it. I'm drinking a beer, and while Sam and Ron being here, with my son and wife in the general vicinity aren't that odd, there are two aliens sitting at the same table, looking like perfect humans, and three military men. And whatever you are."

"I think I'm still in shock, and I knew about two weeks after Mission City." Ron commented, once more tapping his can against Bob's. It was their way to toast something, or to agree to something.

"Please, I knew about it a few days before Mission City, and I'm still in shock." Will replied, grinning.

"Then I think you have been bumped up to the ranks of us beer drinkers, young man." Bob grinned, handing Will a beer can.

"What about me?" Epps whined.

"You enjoy me son being in perversions. I should kick your ass." Bob replied.

They all laughed, Epps and Fig taking a beer while Glen decided not to. They talked in a companionable way, Ratchet talking to Ron, Bob, and Will while Bumblebee talked to Sam, Epps, and Glen. They'd trade off with Fig. Eventually Jazz walked up to the edge of the picnic area, activated his holoform, and walked over to them. He pushed Glen out of the seat next to Epps.

"Your femmes are wicked scary." Jazz said as he sat down, ignoring Glen's indignant sputtering.

Ratchet smirked, "Tried to wake either Optimus or Prowl? What for?"

"Blaster got a couple a' signals comin' in." Jazz replied, holding Epps down when he got up to help Glen up.

"We brudahs gotta stay together, Jazzy baby." Epps grinned, he did enjoy saying 'brudahs'. "Good signals or bad?"

Jazz snorted, "Brudahs in arms and color before brudahs in color, Robbie. And that depends. The two closest are a toss up."

"A toss up?" Sam asked. Next to him Bumblebee sat up a little straighter, and Ratchet looked at Jazz with disbelief.

"No." Was all the medic said.

"Yes." Was the simple reply.

"Frag." The Scout cursed.

The three then dissolved into Cybertronian. Epps and Sam frowned, looked at each other, and then nodded. They did rock, paper, scissors three times, Epps finally losing. He made angry gestures at Sam, who just smirked in reply. Finally the Sergeant started to count down on his fingers, before proceeding to whack Jazz over the head. There was a stunned silence as Ratchet stopped talking, seeing what Epps did.

"Hello, we stupid humans. We no speak advanced alien robotic shit. Translate." Epps glared.

Jazz rubbed the back of his head, looking at Epps with a betrayed expression. He was the head of Special Ops for a reason, and could usually melt anyone's spark, or heart, if he tried hard enough. Epps, however, wasn't having any of it. He continued to glare at all of them. Jazz sighed, "The closest signals are the twins."

"¿Los gemelos?" Fig asked, confusion evident as Glen moved beside him. Glen hesitated a second when he spoke in Spanish, but as it was fairly evident as to what he said, he decided he was safe and sat next to the man after all.

"Yes. The second, younger, pair of twins. Skids and Mudflap are their designations." Bumblebee explained.

Will raised an eyebrow, "Okay, so what's the big deal?"

"Yeah, do the o-twins and y-twins not get along or something?" Sam asked, quickly shortening it and making it easier to define each set. He was a teenager after all. O for older, and y for younger. Simple. Easy.

"Ya coul' say that, Sammy." Jazz replied, glancing at Ratchet and Bumblebee. "There ain't nothing' real wrong with Skids and Mud, they're just a bit… intense. Ah'd strongly suggest not bein' under their peds, at all. They fight a lot, prank a lot, and generally make a mess outta their presences. An' that's fightin' with each other. Not even countin' the twin wars going on between the older and younger sets."

"I think we can handle them. They sound like overgrown sparklings." Will replied, rolling his eyes when Ratchet snorted and said 'that's about right'. "You said they were the closest signal. What about the others?"

"Ah, righ'!" Jazz exclaimed, expression turning grim. "One of 'em is definitely 'con. The other Ah ain't so sure, Ah think it's Neutral, buh Ah'd need Prowler to 'ave a look at it. 'owever, he's recharging, and so is Prime."

As he talked his eyes turned elsewhere, and several turned to see Barricade was walking back. No Miles in sight.

"Decepticon?" Fig asked, but it was more of a oh god damnit question then an actual question. It was followed by a groan. "Those things have been laying low for awhile."

Barricade sat down, "Starscream ran off awhile ago. We knew Soundwave was here, though."

"Starscream's the new leader, ain't he? Wouldn't he have to be here to order Soundwave around?" Epps asked.

"No." Barricade replied simply. "Soundwave was loyal to Megatron, like I was. I believe Soundwave was working on his own regarding trying to get the Allspark fragment from us."

Bumblebee sighed, "Do you think he's trying to get new Decepticon recruits?"

"It's possible." Barricade took a moment to think. "There were very few of us around here, and I know there are several others who hate Seekers. No way will they listen to Starscream."

"Ya'r certainly bein' more helpful than Ah ever thought ya would be, Barricade." Jazz said softly, examining Barricade. It was fairly evident even through the sunglasses he was wearing.

Barricade sneered, "I'm loyal to Megatron, not that half wit Seeker."

"You're more of a Lancaster then a Decepticon Neutral." Bumblebee grinned.

"I'd still kill you in a heart beat, if that's what you mean, insect." Barricade growled.

Bob snorted, "Lizzie will love that. The Lancaster faction, thing. Another son for her to fuss over. Speaking of sons, where's mine?"

"I gave him to the twins." Barricade smirked.

"Yeah, you took him to the pit alright." Ratchet grumbled. Everyone laughed.