Well, surprise, surprise the twins are happy. Barricade and Chelsea are happy, who else have I not written about. I hope that you are enjoying the story. Sorry I can't post two chapters a day on my off days but my husband is home and I have to split my time between family and writing. Let's move on a bit more and write some more about the plot and that means Sentinel (yeah) but really he is my least favorite transformer. Please take a moment to write a review because I love them. Enjoy!
Starscream onlined optics feeling a warm body snuggled on top of his. The night before came back to him and he smiled as he wrapped his arms around Kiki. She had come back asking for a second chance and they had interfaced and he had spark bonded to her and now he could feel the warmth and care that emanated through the bond. Starscream reviewed the memories that he had picked up from the bonding. He now understood the intense fear that came from her because what he had seen would have made even the best soldiers off line. They had torture her not once but several times to near death because of a war lord's desire to get to her commander.
Starscream had been impressed that through it all she had never caved in or given information to the enemy. He didn't know if he could have been that strong. There had been many times that he had begged Megatron to stop torturing him and he would have willingly sold his spark to get him to stop. She certainly had suffered for it has they had raped and tortured her repeatedly. He felt her stir against him and he waited for her to wake from recharge.
"Good morning." He said as he smiled at her, his fingers threading through her hair.
"Good morning, what time is it?" She asked, her voice rough from recharge and her eyes puffy from a late night. She was beautiful with her hair all tousled and her hands curled into the sides of his waist.
"It's still early." Starscream said.
"How early? I need to know because Shalon will kill me if I am late for patrol."
"Sweet spark, you were taking off patrol, remember?" He said gently as not to hurt her feelings.
"Oh, I forgot." She said as she remembered yesterday and just waking from stasis. She laid her head back down and snuggled into his chassis. Starscream continued to pet her hair and rub her shoulders and back as he felt her go back into recharge. He was surprised that she hadn't said anything to him about last night, but then his little femme was practical and he knew that she felt secure in his arms and that all that mattered. Security would mean safety and she would never want to leave him.
0o0o0o0o0o0
"Can I help you, my lord?" Skywarp had been roaming through the hallways and found a corridor that winded downward, deeper into the hall. A pretty femme with light blonde hair had stopped him before he could find where the corridor had ended.
"Oh…no… I was just wondering." He said lamely. He felt foolish for being caught. "I was wondering where this led, that's all."
"That's okay. This is another entrance that goes into the temple." She told him. "If you are curious then you need to ask the Leata about the temple."
"Leata?" He questioned.
"It's a title that we use for our commander. I'm surprised that you haven't heard one of the others call her that." She said.
Skywarp had heard the title but at the time hadn't paid attention to the word. He looked at the femme. She was small but not quite as small as Shalon or Kiki. She must be a support person because Skywarp had figured that the small petite ones were their flyers while others were support for the flyers.
"I will escort you back to the hall if you wish." She said to him.
"What is your name?" Skywarp countered. She smiled at him.
"My name is Spitfire. I served your master on the rescue mission." She said as they began to walk back to the hall.
"Oh," Skywarp tried to remember her and then it hit him. She had been one of the crew that had been assigned to Megatron's gun. "I remember now. You were assisting loading the gun."
"Yes, did you hear that we have been invited to a picnic? Are you planning to go?" She asked him. Skywarp looked down as she smiled at him.
"Yes, I heard two people talking in the main area this morning. Why?" He asked her.
"Well I like picnic and I was wondering if you would want to be my partner." She said. There was some hesitation in her voice as if she was afraid to ask him. Skywarp smiled at her. She was really cute and it would be nice if he had someone to share it with.
"Sure, that would be nice." He said and Spitfire gave him a blinding smile. They had made it back to the main area and Skywarp saw that there were more people milling about waiting for Allie to make an appearance.
"I have to get back to my duties, but thank you, I mean, for accepting my proposal. I'll get back with you later once I have all the details." She waved as she smiled and then Skywarp saw her disappear before he even had a chance to say good bye himself.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Aura was recharging peacefully in the berth as Thundercracker was showering and getting ready to meet the rest of the members of his trine. He had commed Starscream earlier but Starscream's only reply was he would com him later. He then commed Skywarp and Warp's reply was that Starscream had company. Thundercracker thought that the little femme that Starscream was so interested in must have finally caved and gave in to his wooing. Thundercracker was glad that Starscream finally had a femme of his very own and that now they could finally be a family again and get past their own insecurities.
Thundercracker sat down on the berth and Aura stirred against his hip. He reached over and kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Hey Thunder, what time is it?" She asked him still sleepy from recharge.
"It is mid-morning Aura. I let you sleep in." He said and smiled as she grimaced.
"You are spoiling me, Thunder. I will never want to go to work again." She rolled over and Thunder could see the slight swell of her abdomen, the sparkling not quite a bump yet. Today they would go to Doc to confirm that the sparkling had moved to the carrying chamber and Doc wanted to run some more scans on Aura. Thundercracker worried about his precious mate. Her spirit and personality had become his life and he would move Primus or Unicrom to ensure that nothing would happen to her.
"You are so easy to spoil my love." He murmured as he kissed her hair as he placed his hand on her stomach. She smiled and pulled his helm toward her as she licked at his lips and then kissed him but soon she shoved him back as she rolled over and pushed herself up into a sitting position. He helped her to steady her equilibrium as she clung to his arm.
"Carrying sure messes with your body." She smiled at Thundercracker as he rubbed his nose plate against hers.
"I need for you to get ready so we can go see Doc together." Thundercracker said. "Do you need my help?" Concern suddenly crossed his features as Aura smiled.
"I don't think so but I will holler if I need you." She said. Aura stood up as Thundercracker help her elbow to make sure she was steady. He walked with her as she entered the wash racks.
"I think I might need a shower too. Mind if I join you?" Thundercracker asked. He ran his hands over her body as he nuzzled her neck and Aura shivered. He helped her undress and they stepped into the showers as he assisted Aura. Together they cuddled as they soaped each other down. Aura moaned as her mate washed every inch of her slowly and very thoroughly. Aura was on fire as her body desperately wanted her mate. Thundercracker could feel the urgency between them and he eased up for fear of hurting her. Aura whimpered and moaned as his touched went from inflaming her to soothing her.
"I hate you sometimes." She cried.
"Oh, really?" He answered her.
"Yes, you're such a tease." She stated and he laughed as he pulled her closer.
"I just don't want to risk your life or the life of our sparkling." Thundercracker said suddenly very serious. He knelt down to kiss her abdomen and hug her gently around the waist. Aura sighed deeply. It had seemed as if they had been together forever and yet it had only been a few months if that, and here she was going to be a mother. If she thought about it too long her hands would begin to shake but Thundercracker kept her strong and focused. She was concerned about the pain but today was the first day that she had felt fine, though a bit nauseous, but that was normal. Soon they would know how their sparkling was doing now that it had travelled to her carrying chamber and she was excited, if a bit nervous, to see her sparkling on an ultrasound for the first time. The scans of her spark had always been that, just scans but now they would be able to see it without her spark in the way. The pain she had been having was not normal unless something was wrong with the sparkling and Aura knew that Thundercracker was concerned for her.
I'll be alright and we will soon see our sparkling so if Primus is merciful it will be healthy and happy as we are." She said softly to her mate as she looked down into his ruby optics so clearly displaying love and devotion to her. "I need to dress so that we can go see Doc. I think Hook will be with her today." Aura said as she pulled away from Thundercracker to get out and dry herself and then air dry her hair.
Thundercracker rose and followed after her as she quickly threw on some grey pants and a white button down shirt. Aura quickly pulled her hair back and secured it in a ponytail and then flipped it under so it wouldn't pull tight. Thundercracker marveled at her simplicity as she grabbed a sweater and then smiled at him.
"I'm ready to go. Doc is already waiting for us along with Hook." She said as Thundercracker took her elbow and guided her out of their quarters. He had only been her a week and already he thought of her home as his. He just wished that he could convince Lord Megatron to stay here as well.
The corridor where their quarters were on the same level as the infirmary so they didn't have go down the grand stairway so they kept going until they came to the end of the hallway where double doors met them. Thundercracker opened one of the doors and escorted his mate in. From there they walked down three steps where Doc was waiting for them.
Thundercracker was impressed that infirmary was stocked with the latest equipment that Doc had collected from visits to different planets as well as trekking back to Cybertron and scavenging through rubble to collect broken equipment and she and Wheeljack working together to fix it. Doc had turned an primitive sparse room in the hall into an intricate work of medical art and to any mech that meant she had established an excellent facility for saving lives.
She had taken the large sparse room and made medical berth rooms where in an open area it gave patients some privacy and Aura was glad this time because she liked having her privacy for this type of checkup.
"Good morning Doc, Hook." Aura said even though it was midmorning. She smiled shyly at Hook still not completely comfortable in his presence. Thundercracker led her over to where doc motioned and Aura sat down.
"I am going to need you to lie back and relax against the medical berth, Aura. Thundercracker why don't you pull the chair up next to her and hold her hand. Hook, you mind hooking up the monitor for me? Thank you." Hook plugged in the ultrasound monitor and handed her the gel. Aura gasped because she thought the gel would be cool and instead it was warm. "I always have a warmer, see? I like my patients to be comfortable." She smiled at Aura and Aura could tell that sparklings held a special place in her spark.
"Not only do the sparklings hold a place in my spark but their parents do too." She said as she took the scanner and placed it in the gel. Aura and Thundercracker immediately heard their sparkling's spark pulse but Aura detected something slightly different.
"Doc what is making that echo sound?" Aura asked with concern. Thundercracker leaned closer as he too heard the echo.
"Let's not panic yet until we have a picture of your sparkling." Doc said she moved the scanner to all sides of Aura's abdomen checking organs and vitals as well as looking for the sparkling.
"Hook, do you see that?" Doc asked him as he leaned in close. They both smiled big and Aura and Thundercracker began to get anxious because neither medic was telling them anything about what was going on. Doc began taking pictures with the monitor as Hook scribble down measurements on the data pad.
"Doc, is everything alright?" Thundercracker asked with concern. He could feel Aura's spark and that she was starting to feel panicked. He held her hand comfortingly to keep her from leaping off the berth.
"Well, I know why you were having some spark pain." She said to the couple. She put the scanner down and looked directly at them. "The sparkling split early near your spark." She said matter of factly.
"You mean?" Thundercracker said as he looked at his mate.
"Yes, you are going to have twins. It would also explain what you thought was an echo. You were hearing two spark pulses." Doc said smiling at the couple.
"Oh Primus!" Aura said. "Thunder is you go back to earth what am I going to do? I don't have any one to help me like Cassie does!" Aura cried panicked by the thought of having two instead of one.
"Aura, it's okay. We are your family and we don't know what is in store for the mechs or what Megatron will ultimately decide. I know that he, Optimus, and Allie have been talking but please, carrying is a wonderful experience, but carrying two places a lot more stress on your body so you cannot panic. Thundercracker, see that she gets plenty of rest, and I will be sending you the extra nutrients so that your body can begin to build to basic protoform that the sparklings will need."
"Congratulations, Thundercracker. Do you need me to notify Lord Megatron?" Hook asked the blue seeker.
"Thank you, I think that I will let you if you don't mind. Besides I know you always send a report to him concerning all medical." Thundercracker said as he squeezed Aura's hand and then lifted it to his lips to bestow a kiss. She smiled at her mate and he could see the love shining through her eyes and feel the warmth though a little shaky at moments. He sent back his love and support and her face beamed as she received his gift of strength through their bond.
"Hey, Aura, Thundercracker, do you want to ask anything concerning your relationship? Both sparklings are very healthy and now that we know why you were having pain that will stop now that the sparks have moved to the carrying chamber. As long as Thundercracker is gentle with you," She looked at him very pointedly, "then I see no reason to resume interface relations besides, it would be healthy for the sparklings and it will help bring the two of you closer as their forms take more permanent shape. I also have had several couples use interface to lull them to sleep. It really works, and if they become extremely active, have Thundercracker take you for walks in the atrium, but don't overdo it because I don't want you to end up on permanent bed rest."
Aura smiled at her mate as he helped her to get off the berth. "I will take heed of everything you have told me. Also, if you see Chelsea make sure that you tell her that the spark pains ended up being something good. I don't want her to worry about her sparkling." She said as she hugged Doc. It was rare that Doc allowed but as she said, she held expecting couples in a special place in her spark. She shook Thundercracker's hand and he leaned over and bestowed a chaste kiss on her cheek.
"Thank you Doc. I can see why you are held in high esteem. Hook, thank you so much for your help." Thundercracker sincerely told him.
"It was a pleasure. As Doc said, this was a special checkup and was worth seeing the happiness that you two show." He said. "It is nice not to have to patch up mechs from battle." He softly told the seeker as they shared a smile.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Megatron had taken to early mornings since Allie started her day so early. He found that she liked to get all the reports before joining her crew at breakfast each day. She had mentioned that if a peace treaty could be achieved then she had wanted to share her responsibilities with him and so he had made an effort to learn everything he could while he was here. Optimus usually started the day with them, but Allie had him learning the political sides of the Realm so that when they sat down to negotiate then Prime would handle peace for all Cybertronians and he would be negotiating to keep his mechs from handling all responsibility of the war.
Allie wanted what was fare for all but Megatron could feel the tension emanating from her as she had to deal with Sentinel Prime. He had not told her about the deal that he had negotiated with Sentinel, but he had a feeling that she had read him and knew about it, but was just bidding her time until Optimus realized just what Sentinel was. Had he had found his way to earth, then Megatron did not know if they would have ever executed the plan. Allie surprise arrival on earth had altered event not just for the Aurtobots, but for the Decepticons as well. With the Allspark gone Allie and her team of femmes greatly shifted the power from the bots and the cons to the femmes. Through the grace of Primus they had the means to help deliver the next generation of Cybertronians, though mechs carrying were not unheard of, it was far more dangerous because their bodies did not have the equipment to ensure the survival of a spark. It's only chance came from the mech's spark and with a war going on no mech was going to place themselves in danger just to conceive and carry a sparkling.
He was walking back to his and Shalon's quarters. Shalon had the morning off since she had late duty the day before. She had come to berth jumping on it forcing him to wake quickly. Of course she had paid for her actions and enjoyed every moment of it. He smiled as he thought of his spark mate. She never ceased to amaze him with her energy and rambunctiousness. She was truly a work of Primus and no other would have been molded even remotely like her. He would have to be a little more creative with her since she was coming to know his moods so well.
He walked into their quarters and saw Optimus coming out from his and Allie's room as he looked up from the data pad and recognized Megatron.
"Has Allie crashed your CPU yet?" Optimus said jokingly.
"No, but she has managed a twelve hour day into six very early hours." Megatron stated dead panned. Optimus laughed as he sat down on the couch.
"I am trying to study Realm history before the picnic tomorrow. Allie said it would help with understanding politics and why the Merridians are so important to the femmes. Did Allie ever tell you that they are called Ancient Ones here in the realm and that it comes from the original ones that the oracle had placed to protect these planets?" Optimus asked Megatron.
"No, she never mentioned it." Megatron replied.
"It seems that there was a civil war. The war was over the power that the oracle had given to the Ancients. In their lust to gain more, they destroyed each other leaving the innocent villagers vulnerable and unprotected." Optimus said as he glanced back through what he had highlighted on his data pad. "It seems that we are not the only ones who had destroyed their planet." Both looked at each other meaningfully before Optimus continued. "They destroyed this planet long ago and that is why the sun doesn't shine in this part of the Realm. The energon that the power converter generates comes from below the temple. We are sitting on an active fault. When there are surges the power generator converts the excess surges to the converter and they store it as energon. They have a smooth operation here Megatron." Optimus paused a moment. "Have you thought about your part in the peace talks?"
Megatron thought over his question very carefully before answering his brother. "I have. My mechs want peace, Prime. They want homes and security to raise their families. They have served me well. They have died for the Decepticon and now I will honor them by attempting peace. I will not let them be the escaped goats for the neutrals or for Autobots that will try to place all blame. I know that I have been a bit aggressive about achieving power but I see now that there can be a possibility of peace and I will try to make an effort to achieve it." Megatron stated to Prime.
"I know that we have the picnic tomorrow followed by the concert the following evening and then Allie hopes to start negotiations the next morning." Optimus said as he rubbed the bridge between his nose plates.
"Allie has given me a tentative schedule and I plan to have everyone she has listed to be there with me. Megatron said as he walked closer to his door.
"Good. Magnus and Sentinel have been helping me with our end." Optimus said. The mention of Sentinel put Megatron on edge but this was not the time to pursue the subject of the god complex mech but then Megatron thought better of it.
"Optimus, you need to be careful where Sentinel is concerned. He is not what he makes out to be, and he makes me look like small power hungry mech compared to him." Megatron said very softly.
"I know. I am picking up feelings from Allie and they are not good." Optimus countered.
"I need to check on Shalon so I will see you later." Megatron said as he headed to his berth room food.
