Author's note. Sorry for not updating in so long, I got caught up with other stuff.

Suggestions are welcome.

Enjoy and please review.

"That's great," Elita exclaimed as Optimus finished telling her how Starscream had been out with the Airelbots earlier.

"Yes, he enjoyed it a lot and I think our young fliers learned a lot," Optimus agreed with a smile behind his mask. "He's currently having a nap, he's very worn out."

"How has he been?" Megatron asked pointedly and Optimus knew what he was really asking. Had Starscream suffered any more flashbacks from his past?

"He's been great, he slept through the night," Optimus said positively, indicating that Starscream really was fine.

Megatron relaxed his posture ever so slightly but Elita did notice it. Maybe he did really care about his Second in Command. She wondered what difficulties he'd suffered in his past but knew better than to ask. Although she was very curious about it all, she didn't want to upset Starscream when he was having such a great time. Speaking of Starscream...

"Can we all meet up soon?" Elita piped up, shooting both Megatron and Optimus very hopeful looks. "Starscream needs other Sparklings to play with..."

"Does he, indeed?" Megatron said dryly, knowing what Elita was trying to do.

"Yeah," she said earnestly before suddenly freezing as her empty tanks gurgled.

"I'm hungry," she said plaintively. "Can we have breakfast soon?"

Optimus chuckled at the way her focus changed, just like a real Sparkling. Megatron now said.

"I will take you back to Skywarp when we're done here, he'll give you Energon."

"Okay," she said with a sigh.

"We will all see each other soon," her mate quickly assured her. "I know Starscream would enjoy seeing you all."

She beamed at him as Megatron said gruffly.

"We'll see."

As she pouted, he added.

"I'll be looking for good behaviour from all of you, no more naughtiness."

She looked suitably chastised as he smirked down at her. Ruefully giving her aft a quick rub for it was still sore, she mumbled.

"I won't be naughty again."

"You better not be," Megatron said warningly while giving her aft a warning swat which made her jump and Optimus glare.

"I won't, I swear," Elita protested, rubbing her stinging bottom furiously. "And I'll tell the others too."

"Good, that's what I like to hear," the grey Mech said with a smirk before turning back to Optimus. "If they do behave, we can arrange another cycle for them all."

"Alright, call me when it's decided," Optimus said with a nod. "I know Starscream would enjoy seeing you all again. He's been very well behaved but it would do him some good to have playmates his own age."

"As I said Prime, we'll see," Megatron stated but he wasn't being hostile.

Optimus inclined his head before turning to Elita, a smile in his optics.

"Enjoy yourself today my dear; I will see you very soon."

"You will," Elita said confidently. "Look after Starscream."

"I shall, goodbye, my beloved," he said with a slight purr which made her giggle before Megatron cut the connection.

"Aww," she groaned as Megatron scooped her up. "I wanted to talk longer."

"I'm sure but now I am hungry," Megatron declared, standing up with her and nodding to Soundwave who'd remained completely silent throughout. His TIC nodded back and turned back to his computer, typing away.

Elita grumbled as she snuggled against him but she was rather hungry herself. Her poor bottom was still sore and all she wanted was to get hugs and kisses from her daddy. She also wanted to tell all her friends about her adventure, they'd be sure to love it. These things were always funnier when you retold your adventures to friends.

"Why'd you smack me?" she complained as Megatron strode along the corridor.

"I was ensuring you didn't forget your lesson," Megatron said silkily. "And you better tell your little friends what will happen if they get the urge to get up to mischief."

"We won't," Elita said indignantly. "You know I don't normally do that sort of thing and anyway, I was going to clean up afterwards."

The Decepticon leader snorted as he entered a lift.

"You'd never have managed to clean that up all on your own, Elita. And if anyone had come along and slipped while you were still there, not only might they have fallen on you but they might have been furious with you. Then you would have had a stinging aft for the rest of the cycle and night, not just a slightly sore one."

Elita's optics widened in horror as she realised Megatron was right. She knew that if he'd come out of his room and slipped, he would have blistered her aft good and proper. As for some of his men, they definitely would have clobbered her. The little Femme suddenly felt very grateful for how her punishment had turned out, it easily could have been a lot worse.

She cuddled against her temporary guardian's armour, feeling a little tired now as well as hungry. The Sparkling hoped that Skywarp wouldn't be too disappointed in her; it had only meant to be a bit of fun. So she tentatively asked Megatron.

"Do you think he'll be very mad?"

"Hmm, Skywarp? Perhaps, although no doubt he will have been more worried than angry."

Elita bit her lip; she didn't like the idea of worrying him. Could she do anything to make up for what she'd done? What a shame she was a Sparkling, there wasn't much she could do in this form. At least, not as much as she'd been able to do as an adult, she couldn't' really buy or make Skywarp a gift.

She was worrying over this so much, she didn't realise they'd arrived at Skywarp's quarters until Megatron knocked on the door. It was opened a few moments later by Skywarps who yelped at the sight of Elita and immediately grabbed her.

"Elita, my baby, where have you been? Why did you sneak away like that?"

"I'm sorry daddy," she said unhappily, hugging him back. "I was bored...and...I'm sorry."

"We'll talk about it inside," Skywarp said soothing as he turned to Megatron with a bow. "Thank you sir, for finding her and bringing her back safe."

"Be sure to keep and the others in line," Megatron said gruffly. "I've already punished Elita but if there's a repeat of mischief, you will be the one spanking them."

Skywarp blanched but slowly nodded. Megatron gave him a stern look and then strode away, leaving Skywarp to step back into his room, closing the door. Almost at once, he was surrounded by yelling Sparklings, all crying.

"Elita...Elita...Elita...you're back!"

"Hi guys," Elita giggled, smiling down at them as Skywarp walked over to his berth, his Sparklings closely following.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," she begged as he sat down.

"Here's a cube for you, darling," Skywarp said with a smile, bringing it from sub space and handing it to her.

As she eagerly gulped it down, he said softly.

"Elita, why did you leave my room?"

All the Sparklings were quiet now, they wanted to hear Elita's story.

"I'm sorry daddy," Elita said, between sips of sweet Energon. "I woke up early this morning and I couldn't get back to recharge. I didn't want to wake anyone up but I was really bored. So I thought it would be fun to go exploring the base so I...took your key."

She looked very ashamed at this as Skywarp said.

"Elita, you know that was bad. You can't go sneaking out of my room...any of you."

He gave the other Sparklings serious looks and they quickly assured him that they wouldn't go.

"You can all get into serious trouble if you go wondering about on your own. Remember Mia when you ran into those Insecticons? It's not just running into other Cons you need to worry about, there's also dangerous equipment. Not to mention, you could easily get trapped in any of the rooms and I wouldn't know where you guys were."

Now all the Sparklings had wide optics as they were starting to understand why their daddy didn't want them going anywhere without supervision. Skywarp sighed before saying.

"Okay Elita, what happened next?"

"I...I got the idea to create a wax slide, I thought it would be a lot of fun," she said softly. "I was going to clean it up and everything but I really wanted to do it. So I went to that bit of the ship that slopes downwards so it would be loads of fun."

Ironhide was smiling slightly; he liked the sound of that. Skywarp shook his head, a slight smile on his lips.

"Why did you pick Megatron's quarters to do that?"

"I didn't know he lived there," Elita mumbled softly. "I'd finished setting it up and I took a run and went down my slide."

She added this part with pride before saying sheepishly.

"But I was screaming cause I was having some fun and then Megatron opened his door."

"Bet you gave him a real shock," giggled Chromia and Elita nodded with a grin.

"Yeah, you should have seen his face," Elita agreed before grimacing. "But because of the slide, I couldn't get away from him and when I stopped, he grabbed me."

"Did he spank you?" Skyfire asked with wide optics.

Elita nodded unhappily.

"My aft's still sore, he really whacked me."

"Baby, I hate you getting punished but...you did deserve it," Skywarp said gently. "You broke a lot of rules."

"I know," Elita said sadly. "Megatron said I could have gotten hurt worse if someone had come along and fallen on me."

"And they might have gotten really mad," Ratchet said shrewdly, knowing that if such a prank happened to his adult self, he would not be happy.

"That's what Megatron said," Elita said with a nod. "And they might have whacked me worse."

"He's right," Skywarp said sagely. "You would have been in massive trouble."

"What happened then?" Ironhide asked eagerly.

"He took me for a wash," she replied, she could still barely believe it. "He said I was forgiven as long as I wasn't that naughty again."

"That was very kind of him," Skywarp said with a smile, lightly stroking her head. "You see, he's not so bad after all."

Ironhide and Chromia wrinkled their noses; they still remembered when they'd been badly punished by both Megatron and Soundwave. They couldn't really imagine him being nice but at least Elita wasn't in tears. They were however, shocked at her next statement.

"Once we'd had a nap, he then took me to call Optimus."

"He did?" Ironhide exclaimed in shock. "Ah can't believe that!"

"Believe it," Elita said with a grin. "And if we all behave, he'll let us go out and see Starscream."

"Oh, I'd love that," Skyfire sighed happily. Not only did he want to see his friend again, but he missed being out in the open air.

"Hear that, my darlings?" Skywarp said with a wide smile. "If you're all good and don't play any more tricks, we can all have a day out together."

All the Sparklings beamed, they'd loved their last day out and were very eager for another. Elita finished gulping down her Energon with a sigh of content, she really needed that. She was in a really good mood, apart from the spanking, her morning had been wonderful. The slide had been brilliant fun, she'd gotten to see Optimus and now she'd just been fed.

The pink Sparkling snuggled against her daddy and said.

"I really am sorry daddy. I don't normally do stuff like that, honest."

"I know you don't," Skywarp cooed, lifting her up and giving her a hug. "Just wake me up next time and if you're bored, we can do something together."

"Okay daddy," Elita said dutifully as Skywarp now said.

"Alright my dears, I've got work to do but Thundercracker has part of the cycle off and he has agreed to watch over you guys."

"Can we explore the base?" Ratchet asked excitedly, he didn't fancy hanging about the playpen all day.

"If TC's okay with that," Skywarp said with a nod. "But make sure you stay with him, no wandering off or anything like that."

"We won't," the Sparklings chorused as Skywarp smiled.

His kids could be naughty but he wouldn't change them for the world.

Author's note. What do the Sparklings get up to with Thundercracker? What about Starscream? Find out next time, until then.