Author's note. With thanks to ZabuzasGirl for her suggestions.

Suggestions are welcome.

Enjoy and please review.

Optimus's Pov

Optimus was busy fighting Thrust and most of his men were similarly occupied. Earlier in the day he and his team had picked up a Minicon signal in a deserted area of Iraq surrounded by ruins. Everyone had gone, even the kids.

Optimus as usual wasn't too happy about bringing the kids along. But he, like the others, knew that if they didn't bring them then Sideways would find some way to lure them out like the last time. So he had no choice but to bring the kids with them. Optimus knew that the kids were getting better every single day with their fighting skills. Watching their practice sessions at the base certainly proved that.

Wildracer and Radical weren't too far away from him, fighting Cyclonus. Even though those two were practically grounded with not much experience they were holding their own against the flyer.

Celeste on the other hand was another matter entirely. During the entire fight he had been trying to keep her in his sights but some time during the fight he had completely lost sight of her. He knew that she was going after the Minicon while everyone else was occupied. He wanted to follow her but he had his hands full at the moment.

During that time Optimus had been fighting Megatron. He got very worried when at the same time he had seen Celeste sneak off time find the Minicon that Megatron had noticed too. Right at that moment Megatron shoved Optimus back and punched him straight in the gut. Optimus had doubled over in pain and before he could even get back up onto his feet, Megatron was off.

Before Optimus could even stop Megatron, Thrust had jumped in to take over where his leader had left off. This left Optimus unable to go after the Decepticon leader.

Optimus knew that Celeste was more than capable of taking care of herself but she was still an unclaimed femme and he didn't know Megatron's view on her. He was still worried that Megatron would try to claim her. But right now he had to push such thoughts back from his mind and focus on the fight.

Little did he know that his nightmare had already become a reality and was just about to get even worse.

Celeste's POV

"You seem a little surprised to see me," Megatron said evenly as he grinned at her, even as she tensed up at the sight of him.

"Of maybe you were hoping I'd run into you?"

She gaped at him, how dare he imply such a thing. That was the last thing she wanted, at this point, she'd rather run into that slime ball Thrust. Well, almost, she didn't relish the thought of him trying to touch her any more than Megatron.

"I don't think so," she said coldly, determined not to give him an opening to attack her again.

"What do you want this time Megatron," she now demanded.

"I just wanted a little chat with you," he said calmly, smiling

"Rather than finding the Minicon?" she said in disbelief.

"I'm flattered."

Megatron chuckled lightly, taking a step closer though she held her ground. There was still enough space between them that she could jump out of the way if he came at her. But he didn't give any indication that was what he was planning.

"Most Femmes would be," he now said conversationally.

"If an older, powerful Mech took an interest in them, especially if he had a lot to offer them."

"Well, I'm not most Femmes," Celeste said with narrowed optics.

"I don't care about power, I'm not attracted to guys old enough to be my father nor do you have anything I'd be interested."

But instead of being offended by her words, he merely laughed.

"Oh, my dear, you are a sharp one," he said, his optics gleaming and she didn't like that at all.

She didn't say anything to this, just glared at him.

"Tell me, how's your training going?" he suddenly asked.

"It's going well," she said cautiously.

"We've got good teachers."

"You do," he agreed, causing her to frown.

Just what was Megatron up to, was he trying to get her to lower her guard?

"Scavenger taught Optimus when he was young," Megatron now said.

"So naturally, you'll be learning a lot from him."

"We are," she said, not seeing any reason to deny this.

He smiled at her before changing the subject.

"Optimus didn't seem very upset when I saw him," he said, watching her closely.

"I would have thought he'd be cursing me for what happened."

Celeste stiffened.

"I didn't tell him," she said coldly. "Though I'm sure that's what you wanted."

Megatron laughed loudly at this, causing her to roll her optics while still watching him closely.

"My dear, you're braver than I thought," he now complimented.

"I'll admit I expected you to go running to Prime and yet you haven't. I wonder why that is?"

"There's no need for him to know," she said flatly. "He's enough to worry about, with Sideways and all, I didn't want to add to that."

"Very noble of you," Megatron said with a smile, looking at her with a lot more interest.

"Please don't look at me like that," she couldn't help but say.

It was so unnerving, didn't Megatron know that.

"Forgive me," he said softly and she was shocked at his apology.

"You're a very interesting Femme, did you know that? I don't think I've ever met anyone like you."

"Uh, thank you," she answered, not knowing what else to say.

She stared into his face, not noticing that he had taken a step forward.

"Not only are you very brave, you grow more beautiful every time I see you," he said quietly, coming just a little bit closer.

"I...," she started to say but he held up a hand.

"When you first became a transformer, I saw you as only a child and that's what you were," he said softly.

"But you've grown since then, you're becoming more of a Femme every day. Just like your friends are turning into Mechs."

"I...I don't feel any different," she whispered softly as he came close enough to look down at her.

He shook his head slightly.

"It's difficult to see what others see in you but I assure you it's true. Ask Prime if you've changed and I think his answer will be yes."

She was so entranced by what he was saying, that she didn't react when he cupped her chin gently.

"If you could see other Femmes, what a child and an adult looks like, you would be able to see this for yourself. But I know a better way for you to know if you're an adult."

"What is it?" she asked and he smiled gently.

"This," he said softly and he leaned down to press his lips against hers.

For a moment, she was going to struggle but he didn't ram his mouth against hers in brutal fashion. Nor did he grip her so she couldn't get away, he just held her chin as he almost lovingly kissed her.

It felt...nice, so much better than the last kiss he'd given her. She stood frozen in surprise at this, she couldn't believe this at all. She didn't feel crowded or scared, it felt like she had a choice. And yet she didn't pull away from him.

He ended it and pulled away from her, smiling knowingly down at her.

"Did you enjoy that?" he questioned.

"Y-yes," she said in wonderment. "It was...alright."

He sighed heavily.

"I could feel how surprised you were," he said softly, with a touch of regret.

"You stiffened with I first touch you but then relaxed. You thought I'd be rough?"

"Well...," she said, but he spoke before she could continue.

"I shouldn't have done that, I let my temper get the best of me. I'm sorry Celestial."

"Oh," she said, completely shocked.

She never would have expected Megatron of all Mechs to say he was sorry. He just...didn't seem like the type, she was sure he always thought he was right. He smiled sadly at her expression.

"Will you give me a chance?" he asked softly. "To kiss you again without fear of hurting you?"

"I...," she said, not sure what she should do.

But a part of her wondered what it would be like to be kissed properly, and this part overruled her common sense. She forgot that he was the enemy and that this might be some sort of trick. So she cleared her throat and said one small word.

"Alright."

He smiled widely but not in his usual nasty way.

"Thank you," he said gently, lightly wrapping his arms around her and drawing her close.

Celeste felt nervous but at the same time excited. She'd never really dated before so this was all new to her.

Megatron now leaned down again, pressing his lips against hers. She felt her optics close as this happened, her mouth parting slightly. Megatron's optics gleamed but he carried on in a gentle fashion.

He began moving his lips against hers, kissing her properly. To his delight, she responded, kissing him back without closing her mouth. So he took the opportunity and slipped his glossia into her mouth, gently running it along the inside. He heard Celeste moan slightly and felt her melt into his arms.

He pressed further, running his hands down her sides, causing her to tremble. He then brought them back up to start teasing wires in her wings and this really made her cry out.

"Ah,"

"Is that alright?" he whispered, letting go of her lips for a moment.

She nodded almost drunkenly.

"Feels...good," she admitted breathlessly and he nodded knowingly.

"That's how it should feel," he said before asking slyly.

"Do you want more?"

"Yes," she said and he smiled before swooping upon her.

He kissed her much more passionately, triumphantly listening to the way she moaned and writhed in his grip. He aimed for sensitive areas that were usually found of Seekers and it worked perfectly. Finally, what he was doing became too much for her young, inexperienced body and she fainted in his arms.

This didn't bother him though, he was very satisfied with what had happened. He scooped her into his arms and activated the Warp Gate. In another moment, both he and Celeste were gone and heading for his base. Once there, he stepped out of it and walked straight for his quarters.

Once there, he laid Celeste gently on the berth before laying down beside her. He paused, admiring her beautiful sleeping form before kissing her gently on the cheek. He then pulled her into his arms and fell asleep.

Sideways Pov

Unnoticed by either Megatron or Celeste a familiar figure had been watching their encounter deep in the shadows.

As Megatron warped the two of them back to the base, Sideways chuckled, an evil grin behind his faceplate.

"Oh, Optimus is just gonna love this," he said, wickedly.

He couldn't wait to see the look on the Autobot leader's face when he heard what had happened. Or rather, when he saw what had happened. For Sideways had been doing a lot more than simply watching the exchange.

A lot more indeed.

Optimus Pov

While all of that had been going on, the battle had continued. Until finally there was a cry of victory.

"I've got the Minicon," shouted a cackling Cyclonus.

All attention on the battle field was turned towards him. The maniac wasn't lying, Optimus could clearly see in Cyclonus's hand.

A smirk appeared on Thrust's face. He aimed a kick at Jetfire that knocked the Autobot straight to the ground.

"Decepticons pull back," said Thrust.

No sooner had Thrust given the order that all of the Decepticons warped out of there and back to their base. The Autobots were unable to stop them.

Once the Decepticons were gone the Autobots righted themselves.

"Frag it," said Hotshot, punching a boulder. The thing split into pieces on impact.

"Calm down Hotshot," said Optimus. He went over to Hotshot and put a calming hand on his shoulder. "We'll get them next time."

Hotshot looked to his commander. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Unfortunately he wasn't given enough time to cool off.

"Optimus!"

He turned to find Radical and WildRacer rushing over to them, panic in their optics. He stared at them for a moment, before calling.

"What's happened?"

A cold feeling settled over him and he asked urgently

"Where is Celeste?"

"That's what we came to tell you," Radical said breathlessly.

"We can't find her at all, we've been looking."

"All we found was her knife," WildRacer said grimly, holding it out.

"And it was on a stretch of ground that looked a bit trampled."

Optimus was frozen in horror for a moment at the implications before snapping out orders.

"We need to search this area, she may have been injured and is lying somewhere near."

He didn't believe it but he had to be sure.

"Autobots, spread out."

They obeyed his command, some heading in the direction where the boys had found the knife, the rest in the other direction. Optimus stood, briefly praying to Primus that his worst fears would not be confirmed. And then he hurried after his men.

But they couldn't find her anywhere and were forced to head back to their base. WildRacer and Radical asked if they could wait outside, just in case Celeste appeared and Optimus agreed with a heavy sigh.

But as Hotshot tried to comfort him, Sideswipe suddenly came running up.

"Optimus sir, we're getting an incoming call."

Optimus looked up hopefully though a part of him was afraid it would be Megatron, calling to gloat. Nevertheless, he headed straight there.

"Patch it up, Sideswipe," he ordered and the young Mech did as asked.

But it wasn't Megatron on appeared on the screen, it was the masked form of Sideways.

"Greeting, Optimus Prime," he said in his low voice.

"What do you want, Sideways?" Optimus asked with a growl.

"I have something that I think will interest you," Sideways said simply but with a touch of smugness.

"It would be worth your time to watch it."

"And just what is it you think will interest us?" Scavenger asked with narrowed optics, standing to one side of his leader.

Sideways didn't answer, his optics glinted and he suddenly disappeared. In his place was a file, waiting to be opened.

"We can't trust anything Sideways sends us," Hotshot said hotly as they all stared at the screen.

"It is risky," Blurr agreed.

"But what if it's something about Celeste?" Hoist pointed out.

"I think we better risk it," Optimus said and he reached forward to press the button that would open it.

But what they all saw was something that none of them was expecting.

Celeste's POV

Celeste yawned as she slowly came awake. She felt warm but there seemed to be something beside her. Her half awake mind wondered why this was so, it was not the norm. As she neared consciousness, she realised that a pair of arms were holding her close, causing her to frown.

She finally opened her optics and glanced around the room she was in. And she had to stop herself from screaming out loud.

She was in a dark, gloomy looking room that had a view of a grey landscape. But what was worse than the scenery was the fact she wasn't alone. Looking down, she saw to her horror that she was in Megatron's arms. He was snoring while wearing a very smug expression on his face.

Trembling, she slipped his arms off of her, got off the berth and started to back away. Megatron grunted slightly but didn't wake up. Still shaking, she looked down at her body, terrified he'd done something to her while she'd been asleep.

But to her relief, she couldn't detect anything wrong. It seemed he'd just brought her back to his base and fallen asleep with her. But she had no doubt about him letting her go. This meant she had to get out of there, now!

Carefully, she made her way to the door, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Megatron wasn't about to wake up. When he carried on snoring, she opened the door and slipped out into the corridor. As she made her way along it, tears started to prick at her optics.

He'd used her, he'd used her again and like a fool, she'd let him.

She started to run, no idea where she was going but not caring. All she wanted was to be as far away from Megatron as possible. She didn't meet anyone, not even a Minicon but somehow she managed to run right into the Warp Room.

With shaking hands, she managed to type in the coordinates that would take her into the area near the base. And then she leapt onto the platform, waiting for the Warp Gate to activate. And then she was whisked away in whirl of bright light.

The next moment, she found herself falling through the sky, her tears whipped away by the rushing air. With a sob, she transformed and headed back to base, hoping Optimus could forgive her for what happened.

To her relief as she approached the base, she saw Radical and WildRacer jumping up and down, waving madly to her. She headed straight for them, transforming so she could land in front of them.

"Celeste, what happened to you?" WildRacer cried as they rushed over to her.

"M-Megatron captured me," she said shakily.

"Rad...Racer...,"

"Come here," Radical said firmly, drawing her into a tight hug with his brother.

"What did he do," WildRacer growled.

"Uh, kissed me," Celeste gasped. "I...damn it, I can't believe what happened."

"Don't worry," Radical soothed as they began to lead her back into the base.

"It'll be..."

He stopped as he saw the Autobots standing there. They stared as Optimus said grimly.

"Celestial, we need to have a talk."

Sometime later

Optimus was slumped in his seat, feeling utterly defeated. He just felt so helpless over the whole situation with Celeste. He'd failed as her father to protect her from someone like Megatron who had totally taken advantage of a young Femme.

That damn video Sideways had sent, he felt like ripping something apart after watching it. Unfortunately, Celeste had returned not long after he'd watched it so his temper had reined when he'd given her a scolding.

She finally run away in tears and he knew he'd be going into her room later to comfort her. But right now, he had to calm himself down, he didn't want to be angry at her. But he knew who he wanted to be angry at.

With a snarl, he typed in some commands into the computer and wanted for a response.

His temper was not improved when he was greeted by Megatron's sneering face.

"Prime, what a pleasant surprise," Megatron said with a smirk.

"Is something the matter?"

"I'll tell you what the matter is," Optimus snarled.

"You stay away from my daughter Megatron, if I see you molesting her again, I will tear your arms off."

Megatron laughed at Optimus angry tone.

"Why Prime, I don't think I've seen you this worked up since I taught that little yellow nuisance a lesson."

Optimus's optics flashed at the mention of Bumblebee but he wasn't to be deterred.

"I mean it Megatron...you took advantage of her."

"She didn't seem to think so," Megatron said slyly.

"You fragger..." Optimus nearly roared as Megatron sneered.

"I suppose it would be a little hasty of me," Megatron now said. "But don't worry Prime, things will be done properly now."

"What do you mean?" Optimus said, feeling dread well up within.

Megatron's smirk widened.

"I intend to offer my hand to Celestial, I want her to become my Bonded."

To be continued

Author's note. What's going to happen now that Megatron is offering his hand? Can the Autobots do anything and can they protect Celeste? Find out next time, until then.