A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys, I hope you like this one too…
By the way, optimusprime007, I will put up a chapter with Optimus as the next one. He and Harmony get some one-on-one time.
Family is forever – Chapter 6 – Purge Part 2
Jazz felt his faceplate hurting.
Because he was smiling so much.
And why?
He was in the middle of the rec-room, sitting on a table and proudly showing off his sparkling. Harmony was deep in recharge – like Prowl was in their quarters – unaware that her carrier was showing her off.
"Wow, look at her little winglet nubs! She's going to have doorwings like Prowl, isn't that cute? Wow wow wow, a sparkling right here on the ARK!" Bluestreak jabbered excitedly, leaning over Jazz's shoulder to look at the little bundle. Jazz chuckled at Bluestreak's enthusiasm, knowing that none of them had seen a sparkling for a long time, and some of the mech on the Ark had forgotten what a sparkling looked like.
"Pay up Huffer, I knew she was going to be more white!" Smokescreen crowed, getting his credits from a scowling Huffer.
Red Alert was looking on, torn between fear and between curiosity. He had not ever seen a sparkling, being secluded for most of his life before becoming an Autobot before the start of the war. Inferno was behind him, patting him on the shoulder reassuringly, knowing that his lover was worried.
"Um…will she bite?" the security mech asked softly.
Jazz turned and gave the other mech a reassuring smile and replied, "Nah. Right now she's 'chargin', but even then her denta aren't strong enough yet. She's pretty safe Red. Wanna hold her?"
Red Alert stiffened, looking at Inferno for reassurance one more, finding it and carefully inching forward to take the little white femme in his arms. Jazz, being the ever watchful parent, adjusted Red Alert's arms so they fit around his sparkling and cradled her. Harmony frowned in her recharge, sensing that her carrier was further away, but then relaxed. Red Alert let out a heavy sigh, optics riveted to the small being in his arms.
"You must be proud," he said softly to Jazz.
"Ah am. She's a little sweetheart really."
Red Alert nodded, keeping still as Inferno bent over his shoulder to examine the white sparkling. The larger mech ran a blunt fingertip over a little pede, making Harmony shift and let out a soft beep.
"Aw, she's jus' adorable," Inferno agreed, watching with soft optics as Jazz took his sparkling back into his arms. Jazz took that moment to look up and see Ironhide walk in with the twins. He grinned at them, seeing the older warrior stride forward confidently, while the Lamborghini twins hung back uncertainly at the sight of the recharging sparkling held in the saboteur's arms. Ironhide pushed his way through the little knot of mechs around Jazz and plonked himself into a seat.
"Lemme see 'er Jazz," Ironhide said, smirking.
Jazz happily handed his sparkling over to the old mech, knowing that for all his gruffness, Ironhide knew how to handle sparklings right. The red mech took Harmony and cradled her, chuckling as she frowned, "She looks 'xactly like Prowl like that. Where is 'e anyways?"
"Rechargin'. He stayed up all night doing reports and making sure Harmony was ok, she had a little tank upset yesterday and Prowl stayed awake to make sure. It's really adorable that he's such a good creator and a total turn on too," replied Jazz.
Sideswipe teased, "Jazz, we do not know the old mech crap you and Prowl get up to."
"Pfft, old mechs? Us? Ya're glitchin' Siders, ya know me 'n' Prowler aren't that much older than you two hellions," Jazz bantered back. However, he noticed the intense look that Sunstreaker was giving Harmony. Tilting his helm to the side, he asked, "What's up Sunny?"
The bright yellow mech ignored the use of his nickname and replied, "She's so small. Harmony's also very proportionate. But how do you know that we won't accidentally hurt her or something?"
'Oh, so that's what he's worried about. Let's just butter up the butter ball then,' the TIC thought to himself, before taking Harmony from Ironhide and saying, "Like this." He then grabbed Sunstreaker's arms and placed his daughter in them before Sunstreaker could protest or do anything to the contrary other than holding Harmony. The golden mech sputtered, trying to give her back, but Jazz danced away, giggling at the look on Sunstreaker's face. The uncomfortable look turned to one of abject horror as, with a warble and a few clicks, Harmony came online.
"Beep? Chirr, chirr," Harmony said in her sparkling talk, looking up at the big mech with the pretty yellow head things who was definitely not her creator or carrier.
"Uh, Jazz's she's awake…" Sunstreaker said, worried tone in his voice while his twin snickered at him.
"Yeah? Well unless she start's screamin', just hold her."
Sunstreaker wanted to curse at his superior, but found himself gazing at the little white body of the sparkling. She was really quite cute, and Sunstreaker found that white frame to be quite beautiful. He had not seen a Cybertronian who had been all white for such a long time and had forgotten how ethereal the colour was if on the right frame. In fact, if he had been the whimsical kind of mech, he would have called the sparkling angel like. Without knowing it, he cradled Harmony closer, making low cooing noises to her, and she warbled and clicked happily back, waving a small fist in the air.
Jazz grinned as most of the mechs looked on in a state of surprise at the toughliner handling something so fragile as a newsparked sparkling so carefully. The black and white took a photocapture and knew he couldn't wait to show his bondmate later.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you aren't screeching about getting her little grubby fingers all over you, Sunny," Tracks sneered from his table, shattering the moment.
Sunstreaker seemed to come out of his trance-like state, and he growled softly, "Don't call me Sunny."
Tracks ignored this, saying, "You brute, holding a sparkling is nothing special. Anyone can do it, watch!" He ignored the sound of protest by Sunstreaker, getting up and taking Harmony from the golden mech, who reflexively reached out for her.
Jazz stepped forward to yell at the Corvette, but was prevented by the audial shattering screech as Harmony, not liking that she was taken from strong, warm arms, teared up, beeping unhappily, before screaming at the top of her vocaliser.
"AAAHHHHHH!" she screamed, also not liking that she was being held under the armpits by cold hands, her little pedes dangling.
Jazz had an anguished look on his face and was rooted to the spot by the emotions he felt through the carrier-creation bond. Harmony was frightened. She had liked the big yellow mech, he had been warm, but this orange and blue mech was cold and holding her out. Jazz tried to stumble over to get his poor baby girl in his arms, but found his progress slow and sluggish because of the onslaught of emotions.
"Hey! How do you turn it off?" Tracks yelled, swinging the little body from side to side, looking desperately at Sunstreaker who had his hands on his audials. Of course, the swinging only made her cries worse, coolant tears dripping off her scrunched up faceplates.
"You glitch!" yelled Sunstreaker at Tracks, and reached out for the dangling white body, pulling her back gently and holding her with one arm under her legs and little aft, and the other wrapped around her torso so her back was so his warm chest. Her cries subsided, and she whimpered, snuggling into Sunstreaker's arms.
"Well, at least that's a-" Tracks began, but halted.
Harmony had been facing directly at him, and since Sunstreaker and Tracks were standing so close, she was within range. With a frantic little warble she lurched forward…
…and purged half-digested energon all over the flames on Track's hood.
She then let out a little warble like giggle, obviously feeling better.
Tracks looked down at the putrid smelling energon and whined, "My paint! My beautiful, glorious paint! You- OUCH!"
Jazz crossed his arms, stony faced, and growled, "That punch is for takin' Harmony offa Sunny without askin' me. And cos you made my lil' darlin' cry and purge, ya get to clean the washracks with nothin' more than a bottle of cleanser and a human toothbrush. Get out!" He jabbed his finger to the door of the rec-room, and Tracks scrambled to get out. Jazz's glare even through his visor was murderous.
Sighing, Jazz turned back to his sparkling, ready to comfort her, but saw that the golden twin was doing a great job already.
Sunstreaker had her cradled again, and was gently stroking her sensory horns, making low noises at her and occasionally revving his engine. Harmony, meanwhile, was clicking and cooing, tears gone from her optics. Letting his anger dissipate, Jazz walked towards the two and said, "Ya were pretty great Sunny. Maybe Ah'll let ya sparklin' sit her sometime. Ya have any requests? A reward of some kind?"
Handing Harmony over, Sunstreaker thought for a moment and murmured quietly, "I would really like to have some time off to go to France. I would like to go to the Louvre. In holo-form, of course."
Settling his happily warbling sparkling in the crook of his arm, relieved, Jazz smiled and replied, "No prob. Shouldn't be a biggie."
Sunstreaker's optics were uncommonly soft as he nodded his helm and looked to Harmony. Bending down slightly, and with a tiny smile, the golden mech smiled, "I'll see you later Harmony. Besides, any sparkling that purges on Tracks is all right by me."
A/N: Soooo…what did you think? Too OOC? Or just right?