Starscream's First Christmas.
A/N: Bond-partners, in this story, does not necessarily equal slash. I believe that bond-partners can be close friends, soul-mates, lovers, or some combination of any of the three: Cybertronians can also have more than one bond–partner.
Also, Starscream is acting very OOC, but I need him to for the story, and hope I have explained well enough why.
Chapter Two.
"Mikaela, run!" Sam said, knowing that he could not hold the Seeker off for even a second, but willing to try and give her that second. However, the Seeker took two steps backwards and said "No need, you are reprieved for now."
Sam and Mikaela stared at the Seeker, his words and actions temporarily stunning the both of them into immobility.
What Sam did not know was that Starscream had listened in on his conversation with Mikaela, had seen them snuggle, and had heard Sam explaining about the similarities between the AllSpark Festival and Christmas.
Starscream was somewhat older than Bumblebee, although younger than Optimus Prime and about the same age as Ratchet, and he could recall more than one AllSpark Festival. All had been enjoyable, all were associated with only good memories, but it was his first one that he had enjoyed the most, for he had gone with his mentor, Skyfire.
Starscream had not has a sparklinghood as such, Seeker-sparks tended to go straight into adult Seeker bodies, their need to fly making learning the long way around virtually impossible. Starscream had been Sparked shortly after one AllSpark festival, and by the time the next had come around, he was apprenticed to Skyfire as a junior scientist. Even when Skyfire had disappeared and Starscream's apprenticeship was transferred to another, he had not changed his colours or stripe – patterning to reflect this, and had still kept them when he had qualified out of respect and love for his first mentor, and his first bond-partner.
Hearing Sam talk about it to Mikaela had brought various memories back, and Starscream suddenly found that he didn't want to ruin things for what would be their first AllSpark Festival. After all, he could wait a few weeks, surely, surely someone who has as long a lifespan as his could wait that long. Starscream's memories of festivals he had been to only accentuated his own loneliness, reminded him of his – abandonment by first Skyfire – although Starscream knew whatever had happened to Skyfire was not deliberate – and now by Barricade. He no longer felt the need for revenge anymore, more a desire for company, but of course, that was not something he could have, So Starscream turned away and walked towards the road, ready to fling himself into the sky and perhaps fly into a storm in an attempt to lose this feeling of loneliness.
The sound of an engine was heard, just as Bumblebee purred into the road, transforming with his battle mask down and his cannon out.
"No, there's no need for that, Autobot, I do not intend to fight tonight. Enjoy your festival, you and your friends." He stepped as if to go around Bumblebee, but Bumblebee shifted to bar his path. Sam could not understand Bumblebee's actions, but Mikaela could, because she could sense that something about Starscream was not right. She had recently spent enough time around the Autobots to recognise that his body language was off: Starscream was not standing quite straight, neither was he being as arrogant as she had expected. It was Mikaela who voiced a question.
"What's wrong, Starscream?" she asked.
It was, however, Bumblebee who responded.
"I intercepted a transmission from Barricade: it seems he has left the planet." Bumblebee said.
"You mean – Starscream is alone?" she asked.
"There have been no new Decepticon landings." Bumblebee stated. "The others who came are dead, except for Skorponok, and as far as we know, he is somewhere in the deserts of Qatar." Bumblebee answered.
"No-one should be alone at Christmas!" Mikaela said. "He can come to the party!" She turned to Bumblebee with wide eyes. "Pleeeease?"
Sam spluttered: sometimes Mikaela could be a bit too forgiving. However, Bumblebee too was nodding.
"The hangar is big enough for Starscream to stand up in, there is enough fuel, I think it could be done."
"That's ridiculous. I'm a Decepticon and I'm supposed to celebrate with Autobots?" he asked. His voice, however, sounded unconvincing even to Sam's ears: there was no haughty arrogance, it was almost as of he wanted to be contradicted. Once again, it was Mikaela who spoke next.
"As I recall, Ratchet once told me that Decepticons don't despise freedom as everyone seems to think, but believe in their own brand of freedom – the freedom to do as they please." She stated. "Is that true?"
"Yes." Stated Starscream, puzzled and wondering where this was going.
"You're not just any Decepticon though, are you: Megatron's death opens a power vacuum I'm told you are eager to fill. Currently, that makes you the next Decepticon leader, right?"
"Yes." Confirmed Starscream, still puzzled.
"Then you have the authority to call a temporary ceasefire." Said Mikaela. Bumblebee gave a strange squeak of surprise, but quickly recovered himself.
"And then you would be able to come to our Base under Protocol Six of the treaty of Iacon." Bumblebee stated. "No hostilities on either side – and the Decepticons signed up to Protocol Six if nothing else." Bumblebee said.
Starscream appeared to consider this, and then said "Yes. You are correct. I shall call a ceasefire, as Decepticon Leader, I have the authority. I shall not, however, explain my reasoning."
"Of course not, Leader Starscream." Said Mikaela, with a polite incline of the head. Sam stared at her: had Ratchet been teaching her diplomacy and negotiation alongside the medic – mechanic training he knew of?
Whether she had learned it or knew it instinctively, it had the desired effect: Starscream straightened up and started "I propose a ceasefire between the Autobots and the Decepticons: I propose that it last for an initial orn, reviewable if need be."
Bumblebee inclined his head: Mikaela had given Starscream a way to accept without losing face, particularly as he made the first announcement and not the
Autobots. It gave the impression that he was in control as he was suggesting it, rather than the Autobots.
"Then we should leave: if we have been seen, it will probably be thought a hallucination resulting from over-consumption of ethanol-based substances, but we should not, as the humans put it, 'push our luck.' I have contacted Leader Prime and he has agreed to the ceasefire. If you wish to fly to our Base you will find our gates open and someone will guide you to the hangar where the party is being held." Bumblebee informed him.
"No, I shall enjoy some more flight, and then I shall join you." Starscream stated, and then took off, quickly disappearing into the dark sky.
Sam looked at Mikaela, shrugged, and she smiled at him. Bumblebee flicked his doors open and they clambered in.
"What's an orn?" asked Sam.
"A Cybertronian time unit that is about thirteen of your human days long." Bumblebee responded.
He purred off down the road to take them to the Autobot base.
oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo
Bumblebee drove them straight there, and confirmed with Ironhide that the weapons specialist was aware of the ceasefire. He was, and Bumblebee took Sam and Mikaela straight into the hangar, let them out, and then transformed himself.
They were not the only humans there: Will Lennox and Epps were there, and so was Maggie. They were led over to where a human-sized set of table and chairs were set out, and were plied with food and even alcohol. When Sam stated they were underage, Will smiled and said "Well, I don't think anyone here will be telling." Sam didn't push the matter further and sipped from a can of beer.
Starscream made his entrance ten minutes later, just as the Cybertronians were about to pull the giant crackers Ironhide, Ratchet and Jazz had helped assemble: the humans were warned to stand back. Once Starscream had been welcomed, the crackers were pulled and the different-sized hats Mikaela and Ratchet had made were a success: they even found one to fit Starscream's head and he even consented to wearing it after a few large buckets of Ratchet's specially-brewed high-grade energon.
Then it was time to give out the presents: Sam apologised that he didn't have one for Starscream, but Starscream said he wasn't bothered anyway. The Autobots seemed happy with their presents (car sponges and shampoo from Sam, bottles of wax and chamois leathers from Mikaela) and then Epps and Will roped Mikaela and Sam in to singing some carols. The Autobots only needed to hear the carols through once to pick them up and sing them the second time around.
Once the humans decided they had sung enough, Bumblebee' s optics briefly dimmed and then he spoke.
"As this is an AllSpark Festival celebration as well as a Christmas celebration, Optimus Prime and I are going to sing the songs we used to communicate any needs and our thanks to the AllSpark. Not all Cybertronians can do this, but Optimus Prime and I are both "sensitives", we were able to communicate with the intelligent part of the AllSpark essence. Of course, these songs are obsolete now, our ability has no more purpose, but we hope you will enjoy them."
Bumblebee and Optimus looked at each other and both began to hum.
Bumblebee's rich tenor rose in harmony with Optimus' rich bass note,
the two tones combining into one beautiful piece of music. Everybody
was stunned by the simple but lovely tune the two created.
It was Mikaela who caught motion at the corner of her eye, and turned
to see Sam's eyes roll back into his head as he collapsed limply to the
floor.