Here's the interlude! I finished it much faster than I had anticipated! Sweet! A couple of things to note. Ratchet's daughter is mentioned briefly here. She will get some time later, you'll get to see her with daddy. Also, Rox and Firestar's alt forms will be revealed in a later chapter.

Again, I want to thank everyone for their reviews and for reading about Kacey's adventures. I hope you enjoy the new story arc as much as you've enjoyed the others. Thank you.

Optimus

Primus Almighty! How time flies. Five years and my sparklings are no longer sparklings! They're younglings at six and eight years of age. I kind of miss them as sparklings; especially little Leo climbing all over me like a monkey or the fits he used to throw when Orion took his toys from him.

Orion still teases him. And Leo is still significantly smaller than his brother. But Leo, though smaller, is strong! Primus is he strong! He can take down Orion when they wrestle. I've even seen him take down Sidewinder, Ironhide's brute of a mech and at least more than twice the weight of Leo.

It is quite clear to both Elita and I that Leo is going to be a fighter for our cause when he's fully matured. He already exhibits many of the same characteristics Kacey did at his age. Determined, resourceful, and quite intelligent. He definitely knows how to use his size to his advantage. And he has been very vocal about wanting to fight Decepticons along side Kacey.

Orion, though he loves wrestling with Leo, is not a fighter. He uses a lot of big words that Alpha Trion teaches him. He's the kind of mech who can diffuse a volatile situation with words and not fists, I know, I've seen him do it. Ratchet commented that Orion reminded him of my real father, who was a skilled diplomat and negotiator on the High Council. Regardless of what path Orion chooses, I will support him as I will support each of my younglings.

Yes, each of them, including the path my Ariel obviously has chosen. Elita said it was a phase Ariel and Galen would grow out of. I'm beginning to think that's never going to happen. If anything as they've gotten older their friendship has only deepened. The two are often sitting together talking about how they're going to be medics, even practicing on Galen's little sister, Kayla.

But one couldn't say that Ariel was going to be some dainty femme. Primus no! She has her mother's beauty and temper. She never hesitates to let her brothers or even Galen know when she's mad at them. Sweet and beautiful but you never mess around with else you'll find your arms ripped off or worse, those are my femmes! How I love them so.

In five years Kacey has grown more beautiful than I could have possibly imagined. It actually frightens me to think that she's now eighteen and entering the final stage of her younglinghood. I have noticed how the youngling mechs Kacey has grown up with are showing more of an interest in her, not as friends.

I have to laugh. I remember being their age and being very curious about the opposite sex and about my own interface functions even though they hadn't come online yet. I was very self-conscious. Would a femme like me and not be so intimidated by my size because I was so tall, would I be able to please them the way they desire to be.

Primus, I was so young back then.

Kacey is just as young now. And she's a femme! Femmes think so differently from us mechs at any age. I wonder if she even notices how these young mechs gawk at her when she walks by. If she does, she wisely ignores them. If she doesn't I think it's time Elita have a femme to femme talk with our daughter. I'm even wondering if we should get Kacey some training in how to defend herself from mechs with overheated interface systems!

Ever since Kacey recovered from her kidnapping and torture ordeal, she hasn't had any kind of training whatsoever. Not even target practice with Nitro or Ironhide. Nor has had any meetings with Keller, unless it was a friendly visit. In fact, Kacey has had little contact with the humans except via her website and she almost never strays too far from the base anymore.

Elita and I decided Kacey needed to just be our daughter and enjoy her younglinghood. No pressures of any kind. We just wanted her to enjoy life as any youngling should. So, she has had nothing to do with our cause against the Decepticons or the protection of the humans.

Besides, all those things would come back to Kacey when the time was right, when she was mature enough to join our ranks once again.

At first, it was a struggle for Kacey to conform to our wishes. She understood we only had her best interests in mind and made a concerted effort. However, from time to time I'd find my eldest child in tears. The desire within her was so strong that she couldn't entirely suppress it.

Still, over the five years Kacey, despite the bouts of depression every so often, has done remarkably well. Emotionally, her maturity is astounding. Honestly, there are times my friends or I forget we're talking to a youngling. And yet, she still will act young when around her brothers and sister. She loves to play with them and they with her.

I lost track of how many snowballs I've been pelted with when I made the mistake of heading outside to collect my younglings while they were in the middle of a snowball war. Four against one wasn't fair odds, considering Kacey and Leo were deadly accurate with their snowballs. But it was fun nonetheless.

Elita and I were happy. Our family was happy. The Autobots were growing in numbers with more arriving on Earth each year. Even the Decepticons had been quiet for five years. Everything was going smoothly.

At least until two months ago.

Rox, twenty-five almost twenty-six years old, and Firestar, now twenty-four, two good friends of Kacey, had their transformation systems come online. It is perhaps the biggest event in a young transformers life. And Kacey, the good friend she was, was their when they picked their alt forms and transformed for the first time.

I was there too.

I felt the yearning from my daughter within my spark and I could see the desire in Kacey's optics. Primus that smirk that I missed so much, and haven't seen since the day her transformation abilities were taken from her, was even there on her face as she watched. She missed transforming, racing, and flying. I think flying most of all because on a number of occasions I found her watching the birds in the sky as they flew by.

But ever since Rox and Firestar joined the ranks, it's been much more difficult for Kacey. That yearning has been more prominent than ever. Prowl even mentioned how he's seen her lurking around the command center even though all younglings are forbidden from the area now. Ironhide told me he saw her on the target range only last week. Apparently, Nitro, her best friend in the universe, allowed her to use his rifle because Ironhide couldn't find any weapons missing from the armory.

It's obvious something needs to be done. Elita and I had a long discussion about it last night and have reached a decision. Kacey was growing up, much faster than either of us wanted. But as her father I cannot inhibit her in anyway. I can only guide her.

"You are not going to believe what I just saw!"

"Ironhide, don't you knock?" I growled, turning my office chair around to sit properly at my desk.

"What for? I knew you were alone and not fragging your femme."

"Must you be so crude?"

"Shut up, lugnut. Guess what I saw?"

"What?" I asked in resignation.

"I saw Nitro kiss Kacey!"

Primus, here we go again. Ironhide has been saying it for years now how Nitro and Kacey were going to be sparkmates. Elita, Chromia, and I usually ignore him when he gets that way.

"Their friends, I'm sure…"

"No, this was not a peck on the cheek!" he exclaimed. "Full lip contact! Not sure if there was any tongue action, I was too far away."

"Ironhide! That is the last image I need in my processor! Show some tact, you fraggin aft!"

"Grow up you whiny sparkling. It's only natural for them to be curious at this age. I seem to recall you asking me a hundred millions questions about femmes, what to do, how to use your int…"

"Shut up!" I growled. A dark thought suddenly came to mind and a slow wicked grinned emerged on my face making my friend step back. "You just better make sure your son keeps his tuck away or else. I have no problems defending my daughter against wanton groping, interface seeking mechs even if that mech is your son!"

"You wouldn't dare?" he questioned in disbelief.

To prove my point, I stood up, allowing my weapon to form on my back. Once it was primed I reached for it. Ironhide backed up and bolted out the door shouting for his son. Just to scare him I fired a shot at his aft, at minimum setting of course. It'd leave a good scorch mark, nothing else.

I sighed, returning my weapon and taking my seat. Ironhide did make a good point, one that I'm fully aware of. Younglings at Kacey's age are very curious and needed guidance…and protection.

"Kacey, can you come to my office please?"

"Of course, dad. On my way."

Her voice sounded so happy through my internal communicator. I smiled, feeling Kacey's love and joy resonating deep within my spark. That has been one constant over the past five years. My daughter's love is such an unwavering, strong presence within. It brings me so much joy when I can feel her wherever I'm at on this planet. She no longer shields her spark from me even when she's afraid I'll worry about her. She knows I worry for her regardless.

Upon seeing her lovely face smiling at me as she entered my office, neither of us realized that our bond, the strength of our love was going to be put through its toughest challenge. Nor could we possibly imagine that the Autobots themselves were to face one of their darkest moments.