The Guardian's Guild: All Roads Lead Home

by J.M.Spellbound

Part three: There are ghost among the shadows that haunt young Bumblebee and no matter the light that shines in his spark there is a darkness from which he came. A darkness that is searching for him. A darkness that will lead him into the past and many others home. A darkness that Ironhide and Optimus Prime may not be able to best alone.

30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. The plot and OCs are mine though.

Thanks again you amazing people for the reviews.

And lets just pretend its still Sunday, okay?

Okay.

---

Chapter 30

The cold polar air drifting up from what was left of the fields of stone and metal that had once been the fortress of Kaon chilled even gladiator hardened armor down to the protoform underneath. The night always had seemed a little darker in Kaon. A little colder, a little harsher, a little meaner. Maybe that was why from the dust of Kaon came the strongest and most resilient of this race.

The weak did not survive in Kaon.

They never had.

But it wasn't the polar air that had the towering silver-grey mech standing there shivering on a slab of stone looking out with tired optics to the dark night around him.

No. It was not the cold. It was something else internally.

A roll of something long buried flashed through Megatron—as it had been doing for a few orns now keeping the massive mech from recharge and from violence both of which he did not tolerate well—leaving him growling to the shadows around him as a hand lifted to claw at the area of thick armor over his spark chamber.

This was nonsense. Complete and utter nonsense!

He was the fraggin' warlord of Cybertron. The ruthless tyrant that controlled the Deceptions. Yet here he stood in the middle of a wasteland having flown from his fortress to hide these . . . tears.

An angry snort left him as he swiped at the coolant that had leaked from the rim of his optics. A nasty shake of his head and a building snarl came next as he glared out at the star filled sky above him. A clear sky was rare in Kaon, he'd not seen many in his time, and the sight seemed to be even more of a mockery to him tonight. His spark, burning with emotions he hadn't felt in vorns, wailed in pain leaving him a hissing mess as his optics narrowed into fire filled slits.

"This was your fault." He snapped to the darkness, even if there would never be a reply to the remark. "All of it."

Blaming the dead for dying had never gotten the once upon a time prince anywhere though, and with a harsh slam of a fist to his chest he forced the glitch emotions back behind the wall of cold and darkness he'd allowed to seep in long ago to erase them. They shouldn't have resurfaced at all. This broken part of his spark was supposed to be gone, but they were there still.

And the warlord didn't know why.

He didn't like it either.

It was almost as if the darkness he'd let in wasn't focused on tainting him at the moment. What it was focused on Megatron had no idea, but it was frustrating as all get out. It was harder to hate and destroy everything around him when tears built in his optics for the carrier he'd lost. Even if he had done all of what he had for her in the first place.

---

Long dawn painted arms stretched lazily over a delicately sculpted network of helm fins that almost seemed to crown the Lady Prime's head. It wasn't those long strong arms that were the focus of the powerful mech that was stretched out there on the push berth beside her. It was those brilliantly bright blue optics that smiled up at him while she yawned. Wiggling around until that thin frame of hers was comfortably draped across his chest over his steady beating spark. Once where she thought best Elita reached back for the thick mesh covers and pulled them over the pair of them before letting her chin rest back down on the strong red and blue flamed armor that made up her powerful mate.

He smiled back at her with warm optics the two of them still relishing the feeling of simply being able to be near each other again. But there was something off in the Prime's older than his vorns optics and the femme that knew him to the depth of his very spark knew it the moment it flashed across those orbs. Her smile fell slightly while her arms worked up among their pile of limbs and covers to link her fingers around his thick arms while they rested against her back holding her to him. Lifting and optic ridge she tilted her head.

"What is it?" She asked quietly.

Optimus kept up his smile to try and play it off even if his spark pulsed painfully in his chest. "Nothing. I'm just worried about this plan of Prowl's."

Elita frowned, pushing herself to a seated position beside him. "Don't you lie to me, Optimus Prime. You're not very good at it."

A fond grin, but it didn't hold the emotion it normally did when he was gazing at his sparkmate. "There are many things I would change if I could go back and change them, 'Lita. Sometimes they just surface in my processor with a little more force than is healthy. It can be hard to brush them away as done with others when I still see the pain they cause every orn."

Elita straightened. "Is this about Fire and Mirage? Optimus, you know neither of them blame you."

"I know." He shrugged. "And partly yes it is, but there are more than just those two younglings that I have wronged in his life, Elita."

Her optics narrowed. "Now what are you talking about?"

Those ever bright optics of his darkened when he looked away.

She knew.

For there were no ways for secrets to exist between bots who shared sparks, but that didn't mean it was easy for the huge mech to talk about even with her. This secret wasn't one of the Prime's proudest moments. Even if he'd only done what he did to keep the bright young mech safe.

That didn't make it right, or fair.

Huffing out a breath through his vents Optimus rubbed a hand down his faceplate. "Roddy."

With that it was Elita's turn to sigh. "Oh."

"He's not handling this bounty hunter business well, and I don't know what do to about it."

"Well you could start with trying to talk to him."

"He doesn't want to talk to me. Not seriously. Not about . . . that."

"Do you really blame him?" The smaller femme questioned almost in a whisper as her optics saddened and held those of her mate as his hand fell away from his face and he stared at her.

"No."

"Maybe you should try it anyway. He never has had the best responses to things that upset him, taking to him might make things better though."

"If it is business, if it concerns this war, the crews, the ships, or anything else he's his normal cheeky self. But the nano I try and talk about that he bolts. Pursuing him only makes it worse."

"When was the last time you tried?"

Head thudding back against the pillows behind him Optimus glared to the ceiling. "I honestly don't remember."

With a scolding note in her voice Elita narrowed her optics. "Optimus,"

"How the pit am I supposed to talk to him about something we can't talk about? There is a reason no bot knows, Elita."

"Yes," She countered. "But I know."

"I told you because we bonded and there are no secrets now. Not because it was good for anybot. Roddy doesn't even know you know. I mean I'm sure he assumes you know, but we've never talked about it. We haven't really done much talking about it sense Sentinel died."

"Don't you think its about time you changed th—"

The sudden crackle of a comm into Optimus' audios pulled his focus from Elita, the switch of conscious showing in his optics leaving the femme to stop abruptly as the Prime's processor was suddenly filled with a tone he'd never heard before.

"Optimus," Magnus' low pitched voice was a kind of forced calm that quickly had Optimus bolting upright.

"Magnus? What's wrong?"

"You," The other commander paused. Not something he ever did. When Magnus spoke it was with purpose. He always knew what he was going to say before he ever opened his mouth. Having his friend hesitate had the Prime's processor reeling trying to figure out why. "You need to come down here to Hot Rod's quarters. Now."

And with that the red, white, and blue commander cut the line leaving the Prime sitting in his berth with his spark whirling faster than it should.

---

Roddy was fidgeting around his room trying to pretend that Magnus wasn't brooding and silent across the dark quarters staring out the window with his hands clasped behind his back. His massive shoulders were tenser then the younger mech thought he'd ever seen them. His fingers strangling each other. His reflection stern and frowning in the dark with night glass letting Roddy see him even though the bigger mech wouldn't face him since he pushed himself to his feet and stalked away from him when the secret the red mech was never supposed to let out slid off his tongue.

Not that Roddy needed the mech's reflection to see just how tense he was.

Magnus' usually calm yet welcoming EM field was plastered so tight to his frame trying to keep his emotions secret that it was actually creating another field of violent energy cackling around some of his armor seams. The whole demeanor was wrong. This was the mech that had come to be a steady point in Roddy's life. The ever present safe place in the rust storm that raged all around. The last line of sense that the younger could cling to in a world that had long since lost its mind.

Even if he'd never told the other mech such.

Expressive wasn't really a word any would use to describe Ultra Magnus and he didn't tend to really have much use from it from anybot else. Which meant Hot Rod had no fraggin' idea how to go about thanking the mech for not taking one look at the overexcited, screw up, shoved off of a just grown youngling that got dumped in his lap and walking the other way. Magnus had never once thought he wasn't more than capable of the place he'd found himself shoved so that an optic could be kept on him and yet it not look like the Prime had some special reason to keep him underfoot of sorts.

He'd never once doubted his youth or his fire.

He'd also let Roddy make his share of mistakes, let him live and learn, but was always there to help him pick up the pieces when he needed help to get out of the mess he'd found himself in.

Which was more than Optimus or his damn sire had ever done for him.

The bright tri colored mech lowered his neon bright optics, slipping around his small table and chairs to place himself at one of his tall chairs. His long limbs tucked into a neat—almost sparkling like ball—as he folded himself up and stared to the strong panels that made up the older mech's back. He wasn't sure what was supposed to happen now. His head was still dizzy from the highgrade.

Not near dizzy enough, but he wasn't really all that coordinated at present. He also wasn't all that coherent.

So when the door to his room swished open to the even taller red and blue form of Optimus the youngest commander of the Autobots straightened like somebot slapped him in the shock of the sound and for the mech that appeared.

"Optimus?" He questioned, optics widening in panic as they flew to Magnus' form as the other mech tensed up even more but didn't turn around.

Roddy felt his spark contract in its chamber with dread.

He called Optimus.

He told him that he told.

Oh frag.

The Prime's optics—the ones that when one looked close enough were not all that different from Roddy's—quickly took in the room as the door slid and locked into place behind him as he carefully stepped into the room that smelt of highgrade. The stench wrinkled his noseplate drawing his optics to the younger, brighter mech that was perched in a chair leaning just a bit too far sideways to be sober. Those optics of his narrowed while Roddy's turned away.

"What's going on?" The Prime questioned, moving further into the room. Keeping an optic on his second commander while he went to physically make sure the other was alright, but Hot Rod narrowed his optics and shook his head hard at him stopping the other in his tracks. Optic ridges lifting Optimus stopped. "Roddy?"

"Go pretend to care to somebot else." The other snapped.

It was that comment that had Magnus turning form the window, optics cold and pale, to pin his friend where he stood in the middle of the chambers. Optimus' backstrut straightened, his shoulders rolling back, and his mask itching to slide into place out of sheer instinct to the fight brewing in one of his oldest friends optics. He'd never pull the mask up in the presence of friends.

His spark wouldn't let him.

The look in Magnus' optics and the slump in Roddy's postures had every instinct in his war hardened life came spinning to the forefront of his processor. He forced the weapons protocols to shift back to the recesses of his processor so that he could keep his optics and his voice steady when Magnus opened his mouth.

"What the fragging pit does he mean Sentinel was his sire?"

Shock bloomed across the Prime's features leaving him standing there looking far less Prime like and far more like an overburdened young mech that had never wanted the responsibilities that had been thrust upon his shoulders. A burden he'd been struggling to manage most of his life. A burden who's particulars he so often had not agreed with, but had done as was expected of him. As his carrier would have wanted of him. Even if he could barely remember what she looked like. Even if what he was told she wanted was only as Sentinel had said. Even if now, all these vorns later, Optimus still wondered how his great sire could have really done some of the darker things he had done over his life time.

Wiping the Tribes off the face of the planet, keeping the classes divided by force when need be, burying his mistakes under the blame of others . . . taking this young red mech that showed up in their lives and hiding him away under hush credits.

Shame dimmed Optimus' optics, not because Magnus was standing there glaring at him like he wanted to yank his spark out, but because of the way Hot Rod sank low in his chair trying to disappear into the floor. As if the younger mech ever had anything to fear from him.

"I asked you a question, Prime."

Gaze snapping away from the smaller mech Optimus found himself standing noseplate to noseplate with one of the few mechs that could stand toe to toe to him and look him dead in the optics. The Prime felt his plating tighten in response to those angry orbs shining back at him. Lifting his chin he swallowed hard, staring back into those bright optics while his spark warred in his chest.

"He means just what he said." Optimus sighed.

"How the frag can he mean what he said?" There had never been many times in the long time that Optimus had known Ultra Magnus that the towering mech had ever been one for curses and growls. It wasn't really the strict mech's style. He had never been one that saw the point or the need behind vulgar language. Not unless he'd been pushed to the point where his high class breeding left him with nothing to fall back on but what war had hardened into fallback responses when diplomacy failed.

It was failing now.

It left Magnus grasping for straws as he tried to reign back this boiling anger that had settled in the bottom of his tanks. An anger he wasn't completely sure where was coming from or what truly spawned it. Being lied too? Being unaware? Sitting there on the ground and having the mech he'd been instructed to watch over all this time tell him that he was a pawned off child of the Primes?

Somehow it all pooled together into this twisting knot of pain and rage that had the tri colored commander wanting to punch his friend dead center of the faceplate. He wouldn't be Ultra Magnus though if his temper was allowed to control him. So it was with a steady vent that he yanked back his flaring field that had been warring against the Prime's and glared a little bit harder as he waited for the answer.

If it didn't suit him . . . well if there was two mechs in this world that knew just what Magnus was capable of when he was pissed off it was his fellow commanders. They shouldn't be surprised.

"It's true." Optimus answered, optics guarded and lips pressed into a thin line. "He is Sentinel's son. He's my half-brother."

Magnus stared.

A billion thoughts slamming to the forefront of his processor as his jaw worked but his vocal processor couldn't come up with a sound. That is until his hands balled into fist and he stood there growling before his Prime.

"And why in all of Primus forsaken pit did you never bother to tell me this!? Tell anybot this!?"

"It was for his safety."

"HIS SAFETY!" Magnus screamed. "HE'S YOUR DAMN BROTHER!"

"And you both really need to stop talking about him like he's not sitting right here." The low rumble of a snarl had the two towering mechs that were now glaring into each others optics springing apart like they'd been shoved, both turning to find Roddy still sitting there in his chair. Only now he was glowering hard enough at the two of them that they both seemed to shrink into their armor in shame.

Hot Rod didn't really care.

He just wanted to the two of them to shut up.

"Stop," His glare faded out into a sad bow of his head as he studied the little round table before him. "Just stop. I should never had said anything. I'm sorry I did. So can everybot just go back to not knowing and leave me to my highgrade please?"

Optimus' spark stung while Magnus went back to glaring.

"I'm not doing anything until you tell me what the frag is going on." The second commander hissed. "What the frag have you been hiding? From me. From everybot, Optimus! Why!?"

"I told you why." The Prime left his optics on the slouched young red mech not even bothering to look Magnus' way. "I did it to protect him."

But to that Roddy only scoffed. "Protect me? Yeah right. Sentinel did it because I was a political nightmare. An embarrassment."

Optimus' optics flared, frown deepening as he turned fully to stare down at the shorter mech with burning optics. "You are not an embarrassment."

"Oh but aren't I?" Shoving himself from his chair Hot Rod growled. "I'm a little gutter scrap-rat that happened on accident. Sentinel was screwing around in a place he didn't belong—a place he condemned—and left behind a little bit more than he thought he did with a femme that was already mated! I was a crippling blow to his perfect plan for Cybertron should what I really was come to light. He already had his perfect prince and in naming you heir instead of Megatron he caused enough problems. If anybot found out that he had some bastard sparkling from Hive City it would have been a political uproar. The council would have torn him apart. Prime or not. They all wanted to be the one in charge. They were all looking for ways to take Sentinel down for allowing you to keep your little tribal friends. Don't you dare try and tell me I am anything other than what I am, Optimus Prime. I know just what I am. I'm the mistake that got swept under the rug. Allowed to go to school, get a shot at the Elite, rise to the rank of commander in half the time anybot else would have because of hush credits from our sire and your guilt!"

A ragged breath cycled through Roddy's vents as he stood there before the mech that was his Prime, but was also supposed to be his older brother. Not that anyone bothered to care about that little detail. Not even the only mech still alive that knew it.

Roddy was no fool.

He knew the reasons behind the secret. He knew them very well.

He'd never had any doubt why his existence was such a scandal. He knew why it was better to hide behind a web of fabricated lies than to allow others to know who he really was or what he really should have been. After all there was a reason not even Megatron knew about what Hot Rod truly was to the royal family.

Because Megatron would have used it.

They hadn't know the vengeful prince was out for energon back when Hot Rod came stumbling into their lives—or maybe Sentinel had, who knew—but for whatever reason the reining Prime had kept Hot Rod a secret even from his eldest son. Then when the war broke out and Sentinel got his dumb aft murdered Optimus did everything in his power to keep Roddy a secret and yet also keep him where he could try and protect him.

Not that Roddy could see that.

All the youngest mech among the commanders saw of all of this fragged up mess was that Optimus was just as ashamed of his half brother as Sentinel had been of his bastard son. So he pawned him off on Magnus to teach him how to survive the war while also being able to keep an optic on him to make sure he didn't say anything he shouldn't.

Like he just did.

Field pulling back from where it had flared, and spark hurting from bottled emotions as it begged for a connection he couldn't have in more ways than one, Roddy let his growl go as his optics drifted to the floor. He'd finally spoken his mind, but that didn't make it right.

It didn't make Optimus wrong.

It only made Roddy's processor hurt a little worse.

He wanted more highgrade.

Turning away with a shake of his head he went for the cabinet where he kept his stash of highgrade only to have a hand snake out and latch hold of his shoulder pulling him back. He was spun back toward the others with a twirl that left his dizzy processor a little more dizzy that had him stumbling a bit before Magnus caught him from the Prime's yank and steadied him, leaving a large white hand on his upper arm.

The first flare of emotion that danced through Roddy was to jerk out of the strong grip and sneer at the both of them but the glow in Magnus' optics stopped him. Some of the anger simmered out of the shorter mech's gaze leaving his puffed up plating to deflate along with the rest of him as he found himself allowing the mech that was probably the closest friend he'd ever had keep a steady grip on him. Maybe to hold him up, maybe to ease the turmoil that glowed in the larger bot's optics.

Whichever reason Roddy couldn't make himself walk away this time to bury his emotions behind something he knew would never help him. Only aid in his denial.

Highgrade had its shining charm on long nights when catching recharge was like catching smoke, but Roddy knew well it was no way to put his anger to berth. He knew he had nothing to be angry over. Deep down he knew.

Really he did.

He should count himself lucky.

Because he was lucky.

Lucky he wasn't dead.

He would be if it weren't for Optimus. If it hadn't of been for Optimus being the one to feel the connection between them that orn in Iacon. If it hadn't been Optimus that took him by the collar and drug him before his sire and demanded an explanation it was a very real truth that him coming to light would have gone very differently. Had Sentinel learned of him without Optimus standing there beside him there was no doubt in his processor he'd have ended up in some back alley somewhere with a blaster shot between his optics.

Forgotten.

Disposed of.

All because he was inconvenient.

Because that was how Sentinel always did to inconvenient things. He eliminated them. He'd done it to one son that was recognized by the council. He'd cast Megatron out on his aft because he looked more like his carrier then he did the Prime who sired him. All because his optics glowed like red fire rather than the Prime's bright blue. Because he couldn't have an heir that looked like the very image he was trying to exiguous from Cybertron.

That was just bad for business.

So what was he going to do when he found out that some back alley scrap-rat had stumbled upon a truth that left him spinning in confusion only to end up stumbling into Optimus' world? He would have disposed of him. That was the simple truth.

A truth even Optimus knew.

Even back then.

Which was why he brought the young mech before his sire himself.

It was why he kept the secret even to this orn. While his Sire was gone from this life and he had taken the Prime's place that didn't mean the threats to Roddy's safety died with him. If Megatron found out . . . that was not something he was ever going to be okay even considering.

Roddy sagged in Magnus' hold keeping his optics low while Optimus sighed hard through his vents.

"You're right, Hot Rod." He whispered. "You're right about all of it, except one thing. My guilt. You don't have any idea about that. You think I like this? You think I enjoy lying about you? Lying to you? I don't, Roddy? I never have. It was the connection in sparks that is supposed to burn between us that let me figure you out in the first place. You think I like bottling it up and locking it away so that no bot else can feel what should be? You're my damn brother Roddy. Whether Karma was your carrier or not. I have never been ashamed of that. Ever. I didn't lie because I was ashamed. I lied because I was trying to protect you."

"As you've said." The red, yellow, and orange mech glared at the floor.

Optimus straightened. "You don't believe me."

To that though Roddy lifted his head, optics burning bright with suppressed emotions. "Never once in my life have I ever doubted you were trying to do the right thing. Damn, Optimus. Look at you. You're . . . you! You're fraggin' Optimus Prime. Everything you've ever done has been trying to help others. Trying to fix the mistakes of others. You're as damn selfless as a mech can be on this planet. You're a Prime. I am not!"

Optimus all but fell backward a step, even Magnus let go of the younger commander.

"What?" The crowned prince squeaked.

"I'm not like you." Roddy shrugged. "I'm not selfless. I'm not heroic. I'm a bastard scrap-rat that lied his way to where he ended up. All of this," Throwing his arms up to gesture to the ship in general around them. His room. His possessions. "It's all a lie. All of it. I'm one big fat lie. I didn't earn any of this. I damn well tried! I've always tried. But I didn't Optimus! It got handed to me. My ship, my crew, my rank, my training, my credits, my life. It was all so I wouldn't talk. So I wouldn't tell what would ruin Sentinel. And then it was so you could keep an optic on me to make sure I didn't do anything stupid. I'm a lie, Optimus, and you know it. Because you're a part of it."

Optimus optics hardened. His frame tensing as he stared down at the shorter mech. "You earned everything that has come to you sense Sentinel died, Roddy. I didn't give you anything. The only thing I gave was a teacher that I knew yes would look after you, but would allow you to become all I knew you could be. How many times have you said it? How many times have you proved it? That you earned what you have now. You are not commander of a third of my fraggin army in the middle of a war because I'm guilty of my Sire's damn pride. I put you where you are because I knew you were more than capable of rising to the challenge! Of being everything I knew you could be. I've never gone easy on you Hot Rod. If anything I've made everything twice as hard. Because I knew you could handle it. But I'm sorry . . . my brother . . . I'm so sorry for ever making you feel like you were nothing but a lie."

The sheer amount of pain shimmering in those bright blue orbs made the youngest commander take pause. Made him stop and look. Really look. While his processor rolled.

He . . . didn't know what to say.

Let alone what to do.

Partly because of all he said . . . but mostly because Optimus said brother.

He called him brother.

He'd . . . never done that before.

Ever.

"But you did lie, Optimus." Magnus' finally spoke up again. Optics leaving Hot Rod to take in the Prime. "You lied to all of us."

"No." Optimus shook his head. "I just withheld portions of the truth."

"A lie by omission is still a lie, my friend."

Optimus looked away. "I had too. You of all bots must realize that."

"I realize it." Magnus nodded solemnly. "It's the only reason I haven't punched you in the teeth yet."

Roddy couldn't help but crack a smile.

Good old Magnus. He never once let the speedster down.

Optimus chuckled as well. "Well in that case if it will make you feel better go ahead."

"It won't make me feel better. It won't make him feel any better either. The only thing that is going to make him feel better is for you to stop lying."

"You're talking about me like I'm not standing here again." Hot Rod crossed his arms over his chest. "Stop it. I'm not some sparkling who's fate you can decide without his consent. I didn't tell you because I wanted you to jump to arms and demand it to change, Mags."

"Then why did you tell me?"

Roddy opened his mouth and then paused. Umm.

Sighing he shrugged. "I was angry. It wasn't really thought through."

"You've been angry a long time." Magnus glanced between the pair before his optics rested on the smaller once again. "I couldn't figure out why and I didn't know how to ask. Guess I know now."

Roddy shrugged again.

Optimus waited.

"One of you is going to tell me what really happened."

"Hot Rod is clever. That's what happened." Optimus shifted his weight, leaning onto one foot. "Clever enough to get out of Hive City. Clever enough to make it to Iacon."

"Clever enough to get a job in a shipping yard and then drop a barrel of paint remover off a bridge onto the eldest prince's head. Yeah. That was so clever." Roddy rolled his optics. "Clever enough to go to Iacon looking for a future because I remembered some off hand comment the mech that wasn't even my real sire made about where I belonged. Clever enough to fall into your lap and have no idea what you were doing when you went to using that damn Gift of yours and started digging around in my spark after you convinced Megatron not to kill me."

"I call most of that pretty clever." Optimus pressed.

"It's not clever you idiot!" The other snapped. "It's stupid dumb luck. Dumb luck that—"

"Got you here?" Optimus lifted an optic ridge. "Maybe it was Roddy, but luck or not it was you. It's always been you."

"Yeah well maybe it is." He huffed. "But I'm still one great big lie. I always will be. And I . . . I don't want to be a lie anymore Optimus. That's . . . that's why I told. I guess."

A sharp barb of guilt through his spark had the might Prime cringing before he nodded. He didn't really know how it was going to work, but he didn't want to lie anymore either.

---

Scout was right.

They really did need their own theme music.

Giggling to himself Bee toddled along between the two ever growing forms of his black shadows as they slipped their way through the quiet halls of Magnus' ship.

Things had been really weird around here lately.

Well . . . weirder than his awesome life normally was.

Everything felt so tense around him. He didn't like it. Their family had just gotten even more awesome and now bots were walking around like they were in a fog or something.

So. Bee decided he was going to do something about it. First however, he had to gather some supplies0
and since swiping things from Ratchet never really worked out that well for any parties involved the little yellow mechling figured he'd try his luck sneaking around under Aid's and Fire's noses.

Tiny antennas and doorwings flicking Bumblebee peaked around the end of the hall that lead to the pair's medical bay. Scout popped his head out around the corner above him just as Echo wiggled her way down and peaked out below him. Two sets of tall black audios twitching and flickering to match the pair of antennas. Black optics narrowing in contemplation Scout's tail swished behind them, knocking against the wall behind him almost in a silly beat that Jazz would have been proud of his pup for. Bee reached back blindly behind him to pet at the jagged edges of the hound's plating as they schemed.

"Like beat?" Scout rumbled out a purring note at the petting.

Bee snickered. "Gonna get caught if keep up."

The flicking of his tail stopped.

Echo let out a note like a giggle that had her older brother snarling down at her from around Bumblebee's tiny head leaving her to look back up and huff back at him before Bee shoved a hand onto both their noses and snickered.

"Time get to work."

With that Bee tucked his wings with as much stealth as he could muster as of yet in his development and wiggled his itty bitty little self down the hallway with two bickering pups padding on along behind him.

Getting into the medical bay wasn't going to be the hard part. Bee had long since master how to work around the motion sensors on the public doors in the ships. The added bonus of Scout and Echo adding to the small things to jump around and be noticed was also a plus. It didn't take more than a few hops for the sensor over the tall grey door to blink a light and swish the door open. It was the sticking his little head in there and making sure no bot was home that was the hard part. For if there was somebot in there then he was going to have to explain why he'd ditched his sparkling-sitters this afternoon. Not that Wheeljack or Preceptor were going to look up and notice he was gone from his playing with their newly made vid-games any time soon. They were far too busy playing with whatever thingy they were messing with now.

They wouldn't notice he was gone until Jazz showed up to pick him up for dinner and he and his pups weren't there. Then of course bots were going to freak out and Mia was most likely going to hurt somebot again, but hopefully he'd be done with his little project by then. That way they'd all get over this weird tension that was floating around.

At least that was the way Bee was hoping it was going to go.

There was a possibility he'd only make it worse.

But he was gonna go on being optimistic about life and hope it all worked out. Maybe if he could get them all laughing again than things would go back to being how happy they had been for the last decacycle. Or at least maybe they'd tell him what was going on.

That would work too.

Scout and Echo popped in around him again and three sets of optics went to scanning the bright bay right, and then left, and then back again before the trio grinned a shared slightly evil smirk as they turned to smile at each other.

Then they went to work.

Bolting together—Scout scooping Bee up by his scruff bar in his jaws—they hurried themselves to the back corner of the medical bay to the far more organized than he was use to shelves. Sliding the last few feet across the squeaky clean floors the pair of hounds looked up to the towering grey wall of open shelves full of things none of them really understood what was. Except the sparkling cans of paint that were about halfway up.

Bee grinned as he dangled from his pup's jaws.

"Target seen." He said.

"Long way up." Echo flicked her tall audios back as she hopped up, leaning her front paws against the wall of shelves, balancing on her back legs as her tail swayed behind her in amusement.

"Yep." Bee agreed.

"How gonna get up?" Scout rumbled lowly. "Then get big stuff back down?"

"Me gonna climb." Bee shrugged. "Then me gonna push it down and you two is gonna catch."

"Catch?" Echo turned back to stare at him while Scout huffed in argument.

"Yeah. Catch." Bee nodded.

"That not gonna work." The mech pup snorted.

Bee wiggled around in his grip glaring up around the thick black muzzle that had hold of him trying to get a glimpse of his optics. It wasn't working so well.

"Will too work."

"Will not." Scout growled around the scruff bar. "Gonna drop it on our heads."

"Will not!"

"Will too."

"Oh hush." Echo rolled those big black optics of hers, her white tinted edges shining against the rest of her black plating under the bright lights of the medical bay. "If says can do it than Bee can."

"Thank you." Bee chirped.

Scout snorted. He argued no more though, and bounced up like his sister. Reaching as far as he could he allowed Bee to latch hold of one of the supports that stood along the shelves. Once he had a tight hold Scout released him leaning away and falling back to his paws as Echo did the same. The two of them watching with big optics while Bee started climbing. His four sensory panels flared out than tucked tight to his back on instinct to try and keep from falling backward like he'd been doing a lot of lately. Considering the floor of the medical bay was hard and Scout would only gloat if he fell he had no plans on falling. So he kept his little fingers clenched in a tight grip as he carefully scaled up until he hauled himself over the edge of the paint shelf. Legs kicking and scrambling as he clutched at the sleek smooth shelf until he was able to hook his short digits around the far edge and got himself the rest of the way up.

Once over the edge he felt the tension slide out of the bonds with his pups. He let out a soft laugh as he popped back up and peaked over the edge. Waving down at the siblings he received a soft purr from Echo and an audio twitch from Scout before he disappeared again. Rolling up to his skidplate Bee took a moment to assess the assortment of cans of paint that were about as big as he was.

Now he just had to figure out how to get them down without making a mess.

Pushing himself to his knees Bumblebee twisted one of the cans around until he could get a look at the characters scribbled over the side in curly script that must have been written by First Aid—because there was no way in slag that Quickfire's handwriting was that pretty—that read 'blue'.

With a grin Bee started tugging and wiggling until he had the large can balanced precariously on the edge of the shelf peaking around to see that Scout and Echo had backed a few paces away staring up at him with two very different expressions. Echo was simply smiling sweetly up at him with a wag in her tail while Scout looked like he'd rather be held down by Ironhide again to have his booster shots given to him.

Bee just laughed at them.

He pulsed out a sense of awareness to them that had them both nodding before he pushed the can the rest the way off the shelf. It feel with a swoosh only to have Scout leap up off the ground, snag it in his jaws by the thin metal handle, and land back on the floor with a bounce.

A bark of triumph left the mech pup as the can swished back and forth in his jaws.

"Got it." He huffed a laugh.

With a snicker Bee went for the next one.

---

Half a bream later found three cans of paint swinging from both the pups' jaws as Echo put a little more effort behind keeping her head up than her brother did while they padded along on both sides of Bumblebee. Short, stubby arms and fingers wrapped around as much as he could manage of the big can he was more scooting than carrying in front of him. The thing was twice his size and three times his weight but that mattered little to Bee in his grand scheme of things. They were on a mission, and no little thing such as his pathetically tiny size was going to stop him in this mission.

He might be about as tall as the ankles as most bots around here, but that did not mean he couldn't pitch in. Because he could. He really could.

The trembling in his arms might tell a little bit of a different story though if they didn't get where they were going soon. Because the thing really was heavy.

Toddling down the halls now that they'd slipped their way back to their own ship was a little harder than he figured it would be. Sneaking with seven cans of paint was a bit harder then sneaking out empty handed had been. Bee never actually realized just how many bots were in his family until he was trying to avoid them all. It wasn't an easy task. Even if he was the master of hide and seek.

Huffing out short breaths as he peered over the top of the paint can Bee was relying more on his spark and his pups to know who was around them opposed to his own optics since they weren't seeing much more than the top of the can. However, Scout and Echo were doing well to keep him upright in his toddling as he swayed from side to side while they all wiggled along. A slight nudge from one side or the other every few steps or so was made by both pups so that he didn't teeter over and fall on his aft. The idea of trying to pick him back up while he held onto that can—for both pups knew very well he'd refuse to let go—was not very high on either Scout's or Echo's list of things to do this orn.

So they did what they could to keep him upright for all of their sakes. Not that it was easy.

They had made it to the back of the first level of the Eternity heading toward one of the empty cargo hangers that Wheeljack and Sludge were in the process of turning into another rec room—for what purpose Bee had no idea—he just knew it would be a big enough space for his plan and if he was lucky enough no bot would be in there. They were all so busy feeding the tension in the air he was betting on the empty hanger. What he wasn't betting on however, was the voice that rose up when he and his pups went waddling through the last big cross section of halls before they got to the hanger.

"So whatcha doing, Half Pint?" Sideswipe chuckled.

Bee jumped what had to be a foot off the ground, even with the weight of the paint can, letting out a startled squeak before his wings over balanced him and he crashed back onto the floor with a hard thud. Scout whirled around with the cans still handing from their handles in his jaws while Echo turned—stunned—to peer down at the tiny form of Bumblebee blinking up at the ceiling as he pushed the can off himself.

Sides and Sunny chuckled another shared deep sound ignoring the growl that rose up from the mech pup that was now glaring up at them with his tall audios pinned back and his long jagged tail lashing behind him in a motion that was anything but a wag. Bee popped back up off his back at that moment even if his little aft was still stinging slightly from the fall. Twisting around in his seated position he turned those big baby blue optics of his up to find the towering forms of his two very favorite frontliners leaned against one wall each from the east hall staring down at him with mirror smirks.

A nervous giggle left the little yellow mechling as Echo set down her cans of paint before her leaning forward, snatching him up by his scruff bar, and placing him carefully back on his feet.

"Hi Sides." He chirped. "Hi Sunny."

"Hello, Half Pint." Sunstreaker's smooth voice echoed down at him while the huge warrior mech lifted an optic ridge to the whole scene unfolding before them. "Mind telling us just what you're up to?"

Bright youngling optics danced between the forms of his two pups, the many cans of paint, the hanger that was so close and yet so far, and then to the two powerful mechs staring down at him. Pulling out his brightest grin Bee decided he'd just go for it. After all, this was the terror twins for Primus sake. If there were any mechs on this ship that would be willing to be in on this little scheme of his it was these two.

"Me gonna paint giant version of dot game that Scoop made all over hanger floor then throw party so no bot be unhappy no more."

For a moment the pair of mechs stood there blinking down at him in silence before a wily grin spread itself over Sideswipe's handsome features. That half smirk of Sunstreaker's—the one that tugged at the right corner of his mouth that was a sure sign the mech was hiding the honest smile that wanted out—danced at the corner of his lips as well. Vibrant, dark blue optics drifted to their mirror match for a klick sharing something between them that not even Bee's spark was powerful enough to understand. He was only able to watch as something he was quite familiar with came to life in those dark optics as they swung back to him.

Mischief.

Pure mischief, and genuine happiness.

Bee's bright grin got a little bit brighter.

In a surge of highly polished armor blurred into rapid motions of red and gold Bee suddenly found himself plucked from the floor and rested against the thick armor of Sunstreaker's chest while Sideswipe scooped up the cans of paint that he and Echo had dropped—he let Scout keep his considering the pup took a swipe at his throat with those rapidly growing claws of his—than they went strutting off toward the hanger as Sideswipe practically giggled.

"Well by all means, count us in."

---

Both hands soaked in bright green paint Bumblebee bent at his waist, planted his palms on the floor, smacked his feet side by side, and then proceeded to giggle like made as he twirled around in a circle creating a fairly large green dot on the not so pristine grey hanger floor. It was the sixteenth in the line that now stretch a good portion of the room. By Bee's figuring Grimlock could stand about center on the almost complete seven rows of dots—he may or may not have decided he was going to improve Swoop's game just a little bit, and by improving that meant adding way more dots, way more colors, and way more room—that he had painted in the center of the huge hanger and reach the last ones if he bent over.

Just as Bee planned.

Sorta.

Echo was purring in that quiet static-hound way of hers as she held the slightly swinging back and forth can of paint by its handle while she sat beside him between the row of purple and yellow dots. Her tail wagged happily behind her as she sat there listening to her younger brother giggle.

Her older brother was at the middle of the rows of dots with his whole front half covered in red, white, and pink as he smeared his own section of dots onto this last row they were all working on. The dots in that row had become something of a bonus one might call it. Every color they had collected was found in that row forming a rather random collection of sixteen dots. Bee had decided that that was another one of his improvements. A way to make it more feasible for some of the not so gigantic bots in his family to have a chance of reaching the colors that were spun on the large canvas type spinning board that Sunstreaker was in the process of making for him.

The golden warrior was seated—with just enough distance away from the paint flinging that was going on between Scout bouncing around with joy at getting to be messy added on to the fact that Bee was pretty much doing much of the same thing so that the frontliner wouldn't get paint splattered—cross legged on the floor half his attention on the brush that was in his hand that was creating this bit of the game and the other half on the trio of paint covered younglings that had started this whole mess. Not that Sunstreaker was truly complaining.

No.

He was actually enjoying the ability to breathe that came with drinking in the joy that bubbled from Bumblebee as easy as the air that cycled through his vents. After all that had happened over this last decacycle the ease that came from Bee was something the warrior was more than happy to relish in. He was still having a hard time making sense of what he felt about what the Prime had stood there in that conference room with Hot Rod slouched in a chair beside him and told the truth about.

A truth that had crashed Prowl for an orn and a half, sending Ratchet on a tirade—many tools were thrown and for once it wasn't at Sunstreaker or his twin—that lasted for three whole orns, Ironhide had shot, literally, he blew the door out of the conference room before he stormed out followed by a harshly glaring Chromia and a mumbling under his breath Hammerdown.

Jazz had stared.

Just stared.

For a really long time.

He'd just stood there and blinked at Optimus before he turned to help Arcee and Ratchet pick Prowl up off the floor. But he never said anything. Not for another two orns after Prowl woke up. They'd both gone and talked to Optimus than—Sunstreaker had no idea what had been said—but if possible they left looking angrier than when they'd gone in.

The twins hadn't known what to think.

They still didn't truly get just why they'd been in that room standing there watching Magnus glare with crossed arms, Roddy pout, and Optimus look like some turbo-pup that got into the trash compactor and spread scrap all over the house and then got caught.

Considering he'd come clean to the bots that made up his family that he'd been lying to them since before the war started that Roddy wasn't just some young mech that fell into their lives my accident.

He was actually a young mech that fell into their lives on accident that was actually his younger half brother not even his sire knew about before he showed up. Or that he'd been in hiding since the Prime figured it out. That they'd both been lying for . . . a really long time.

For a good reason sure.

Because Megatron really would kill the smaller mech—it surprised them all a little bit that Sentinel hadn't—if he ever found out.

It wasn't a matter of why he did it. Everybot that had found out—which wasn't supposed to be anybot besides the inner circle so of course the whole faction knew by now—had kind of been a sort of stunned at first. It wasn't that they didn't understand. They got that Optimus was trying to protect Hot Rod.

But . . . he lied.

Optimus Prime.

Lied.

Even the twins were having a hard time wrapping their processors around that fact. That was the reason they were a little fragged off now. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe weren't all that fond of being lied too.

Neither were most of the faction it seemed.

Since they were all walking around switching between glaring and snapping, and they'd done a pretty poor job of hiding it from Bumblebee. Not that hiding things from Bumblebee ever worked well. It was hard to convince a spark of something when that spark could take a peak and know walls were up, but not just the walls that were up. More often than not, he could feel the emotions that were hidden behind them.

That wasn't always a good thing when it came to raising a mechling in the middle of a war where a faction had become a family. A family that switched between acting like a family—with all the love and bickering that went along with it—and a whole bunch of soldiers packed together on relatively small ships fighting for their lives each and every orn. There were things that it was just better that Bee didn't know. Not that he agreed with that.

Another round of giggles broke Sunstreaker from his negative train of thought leaving him to glance up again to find Echo sprawled out on her back, tail wagging against the ground as Bee straddled her chest painting swirls and little dots all over the hound in the green left over on his finger tips. The golden mech smiled.

For it was too hard to frown when that little yellow pest was around.

A sudden crash from across the hanger though had all of them snapping their gazes to the right to find Sideswipe dangling by a handful of sparking wires and one foot balanced dangerously close to the edge of the chair he'd been perched on. Free arm wind milling and other leg flailing out comically behind him as he yelped and struggled to not fall off the chair and land flat on his face.

Another mech might have jumped and scrambled to the obviously struggling other's aid, Sunstreaker was not most mechs though. And frankly no matter that he could feel every stupid thing Sideswipe hurt himself doing sometimes it was just better to let his younger twin fall on his faceplate. He was still reserving hope that maybe one orn he'd learn to stop acting like an idiot.

Bee wasn't fond of this opinion though.

Those big baby blue optics sliced over to Sunstreaker before a hand shot up and he pointed with a pout over to the scrambling over mid air crimson warrior. The look screamed a simple 'help him'. So with a roll of his optics Sunny pushed himself to his feet and sulked over to stop his brother from crashing to the floor.

A simple shove to the middle of his chest righted Sides in his flailing and it left him laughing a little under his breath as he smirked down at his brother and pulsed appreciation over their twin bond, but Sunny just rolled his optics again. It didn't mean anything though. Sides felt the pulse of love and amusement that came back to him.

"Are you done with that?" The elder twin questioned as he gazed up at the mess of wires that was hanging from the ceiling. It didn't look done. It looked like his foolish brother getting electrocuted at any moment. However, one could never truly know what Sideswipe was up too. Not even his twin. Sunstreaker could pretend sure, but there were more than a few things Sides did that he had no fraggin' idea what to make of.

That cheeky grin the red mech had trademarked vorns ago spread across his features in a brilliant flash before he went back to fiddling with wires. "Just about."

"Sides," Bee chirped happily from where he was sprawled out on Echo's chest watching the brothers as the pup did the same from her upside-down place on the floor. Scout—as usual—was ignoring the twins. He was having too much playing the paint that was all over him.

"What's up, Half Pint?"

"Gonna be cool? Like you said?"

"You bet." Sides chuckled splicing together a few more wires than he grinned even wider in triumph. "That should about do it."

"This isn't going to be one of those times where you say something is going to work and I end up hauling your aft to Ratchet is it?' Sunstreaker asked staring up at the mess his brother called a rewiring job.

"No!" Sides barked over his shoulder at him only to pause half a nano after the words came out to snicker and look back to his wiring. "Well. Most likely no anyway."

"You do realize that if you blow up a room while Half Pint's in it we won't have to worry about how thoroughly scorched you get both of us. Because Mia will string us up by our toes, hand the Dinobots a pole, and tell them to have fun."

Bee giggled.

"She probably will yeah." Sides nodded. "She's way more terrifying than Hide ever was."

Sunny glared. "You better know what you're doing."

"When do I ever know what I'm doing?" Sides snorted than flipped his switch. The bright white glow of hanger lights did nothing for a few nanos and Bee's grin was just about to fall into a pout before all the lights went to flickering slowly, than quickly, than they all changed colors—reds, blues, greens, and yellows—and took up a flashing pattern that each row matched and then suddenly changed from the row next to it. It was a explosion all right. But an explosion of colorful strobe lights.

Bee went to snickering like mad. "It works! It works!"

Jumping down from his perch on the chair Sides snorted. "Well of course it works. Did you seriously doubt me?"

"Yes." Sunstreaker said.

Sides burned a glare his way.

"Now just need music. Come on Echo, Scout!" Bee bounced excitedly around the floor not at all minding that he was covered from head to toe in almost every color in the rainbow. He whirled around on his little feet and made a beeline for the door only to have both twins startle and bolt forward to catch him in a flash. "Hey!"

"Hey nothing." Sides said as he plucked the youngling up and brought his multicolored self up to rest in the crook of his arm. "Just where do you think you're going?"

Well Bee thought it was rather obvious. "Music. Need music. Gonna go get Jazzy. And maybe Blaster. Yeah. Probably Blaster too."

"Bumblebee," Sunstreaker fought back his building laugh as he gazed down at the little mechling in his brother's arms. "Look at yourself."

Bee paused, confusion written all over his face for a moment until he glanced down and took in his paint splattered form seemingly for the first time.

Oh. He thought. Well this could be a problem.

"Just how far do you think you're going to get looking like that before somebot snatches you up and demands to know why?" Sunstreaker lifted an optic ridge at him.

Bee huffed, tilting his tiny chin up at Sunstreaker. "Got all the way to Aid and Fire's bay and not got noticed. Got almost all the way to hanger with big things of paint and not got noticed. Me very good at disappearing."

Sides started cackling.

Sunstreaker let out his own huff with a shake of his head. "Alright. So you're right there. Who's supposed to be watching you anyway?"

"Jacky and Percy."

"Ah." The gold mech nodded. "Got their noses buried in something scientific again don't they?"

"Uh huh." He nodded quickly.

"Figures." Sides sighed through his laughter. "Who lets them watch you anyway?"

Bee smirked. "Same bots that let you watch me."

The two frontliners paused, blinked, tried to figure out if they should be insulted, and then just started laughing again.

"Primus you spend too much time with us." Sides howled.

"Yep." Bee nodded as he leaned into the warm feeling of Sideswipe's spark humming happily with laughter. He was content to just lean there for a while as the pair laughed but he really did need to get this mission over with before somebot actually did realize he was gone. Because Jazz was due to start looking for him just about any time now. He needed to get to Jazz first before the mech alerted the whole ship that the science nerds lost the mechling.

The problem was the twins were right.

So how was he going to pull that off now?

"How about this?" Sides finally reined in his laughter again. "Sunny and me could always comm him and asked if he wanted to help with this little project of yours. I doubt he'll say no."

That'll work!

Faceplate lighting back up as he smiled Bee bounced in Sideswipe's arms. "Yeah! Yeah! Comm him, please!"

Chuckling under his breath Sunstreaker turned his focus inside as Sides pet at the mechling's flicking antennas while Echo circled their feet and Scout kept playing with his paint.

Calling up a private channel he pinged the mech's comm. "Jazz?"

There was a few moments of static before a curious reply. "Sunstreaker? What's wrong, mech?"

"Nothing." He assured him. "Just got a question for you."

"Shoot."

"You wanna come join the latest mischief Bumblebee's up to? He's requesting your presence."

"Latest . . . ?" Jazz mumbled before his voice hardened. "What have you two done now? Isn't he supposed to be with Jack and Percy?"

"Yes, but he's been gone I know for a fact more than the joor he's been with us and they still haven't noticed. I was just going to leave that lecture dishing out to Prowl frankly."

"Over a joor . . . damn."

"Yeah."

"Imagine what he's gonna be like after I actually start teaching him slag."

"I'd rather not."

"Yeah. I think I'm gonna set myself up for spark attacks with all this. Anyway, what are you talking about? He slipped off and you found him?"

"Yep."

"And you didn't comm anyone because?"

That was when Sideswipe decided to oh so helpfully chip in—because Sunstreaker as usual had even his private comm open to his brother via their spark so he could hear just as well as if he'd been the one on the comm with him—with what he thought. "Because we're far too proud of his mischief to turn him in."

"Sounds about right." They both knew the silver mech well enough to there was a smile blooming on his lips. One that hadn't been there in quite a few orns. Which was what Bumblebee was after in the first place. "Alright, I'll bite. What's this mischief he's up too? And am I gonna have to pick Prowl up from glitching again when everybot else finds out?"

"Nah I don't think this is glitch worthy." Sides assured him. "You remember that flexibility game Swoop made? The one with the dots."

"Yeah, I was gonna kick your afts at it if Ravage hadn't fell out of the ceiling."

"You were not!" Sunstreaker hissed.

"Was too."

"Not the point." Sides rolled his optics, as he kept Bee busy by absently poking and tickling the little mech letting him play with his fingers.

"Than what is the point?"

"Point is Bee made a new one and painted it all over the floor of the empty hanger Sludge is turning into a rec room all the Dinobots might actually be able to move around normally in. We found the little trouble maker almost here with seven cans of stolen paint from Aid and Fire. He is planning on throwing a party so everybot will stop being mad."

Sideswipe could almost feel Jazz tense up and then sag with shame over the line. So he went on.

"He isn't happy about how we're all acting apparently. So he's trying the only way he knows how to make it stop since we're all not telling him what's really going on."

"That's Optimus' deception not mine." Jazz growled over the line, not all the anger in his voice coming from having to lie to Bee.

"Yeah well were not really doing much to contest it now are we?" Sunstreaker grumbled.

He was answered by a long stretch of silence. He too decided to just keep on talking then.

"So anyway, we decided to help him out with it instead of turning him in to his guardians. Now we're almost done with it and he wants your help."

"He wants my help?"

"Asked for you specifically. Was going to go get you until we stopped him." Sunstreaker explained.

"My help with what?"

"He's throwing a party mech!" Sides laughed. "We need music."

Jazz's smirk came through the comm line. "I'll be there in a klick."

---

If there as one thing the silver saboteur knew very well, it was that many things in this life were contagious. Fear, pain, and anger among the most potent. They were all burning emotions that could sweep like wildfire among sparks. Spreading from one to another with no way to stop it. Such was the way with powerful emotions.

But—and this had taken Jazz a while to learn—it wasn't just negative emotions that behaved this way. Joy, happiness, and hope. They could run wild with even more raw power than one might think.

That was why Jazz kept that lazy smirk on his lips as often as he could. It was why he was the ever present optimist around here even if he really just wanted to shoot or punch everything around him sometimes. Because long ago the silver mech had learned the power of a smile.

He'd be the first to admit though.

His was nothing compared to Bumblebee's.

He was nothing compared to all of Bumblebee.

Just like there was no way for him to fully express just how much it warmed him watching the little mechling roll around on the floor with his pups giggling up a storm as they finished up the rather massive dot game he'd painted all over the floor.

And his laughter was as fraggin' contagious as all the rest of him was.

That was what Jazz was going to blame the upturn of his mood on at least. He and Sides were almost done with the sound system he'd thrown together in half a breem and Sunstreaker had finished the spin dial for the mechling's game so he was lounged back on the floor letting Bee scamper all around him. Not seeming to mind the paint that was being smeared here and there against his precious wax job.

Well, okay, he minded.

He was just pretended he didn't because he was grinning more than Sunstreaker ever normally did thanks to the laughter bubbling out of Bee.

"So how much longer do you think we've got until Ironhide shoots something and starts bellowing?" Sides mumbled in an offhand kind of way with a mouthful of screws that he and Jazz were using to set the stereos in place.

"Probably not much longer." Jazz shrugged as they finished with the last stereo.

"If everybot didn't have their heads so far up their afts they would have noticed before now." Sunstreaker growled from the floor, his voice not at all matching up with the nuzzling he was doing to a little ball of yellow protoform that had scaled his chest and was in the process of burrowing into his neck cables.

Jazz paused mid step his spark burning guiltily before he pushed himself back up right and strolled over to the pile of frontliner, mechling, and pups on the floor. Sideswipe—after he tossed most of his tools back into subspace—followed, but it was Jazz that the hounds suddenly found very interesting. Not the red mech that plopped down next to his brother under the flashing, colorful lights and draped himself over both the other mech and the mechling before he went to tickling.

Bumblebee's purring turned back to laughter as he struggled weakly against the strong fingers and blowing breaths against his soft form. Echo wasn't too worried with him. The white tipped hound cast a glance over her shoulder his way before letting it be in favor of curling up in Jazz's lap. The femme pup had been very fond of Jazz ever since they came to be here—she knew it was because of him they had this home and little brother—and she saw no reason to not show affection to the mech.

Scout on the other hand was a different story.

He sat—tail lashing angrily behind him—with his audios pinned to his head and his platting flared up so that every jagged edge about him was razor sharp and dangerous. He wasn't glaring at the tickling mercy match that was going on between the frontliners—he wasn't fond of them but he knew they wouldn't hurt Bee—and his littlest brother. No it was his traitorous sister purring like some robo-kitten in that silver mech's lap that really fragged him off.

Didn't she had any respect for the propriety to the pack and to the only mech they were supposed to be loyal too?

She leaned into the audio rubbing the mech was doing.

Scout glared.

Apparently she did not.

Spinning away with a snarl and a good amount of stomping the mech pup went to pout beside Sunstreaker and wait for Bee to pay him some attention again.

Bee could feel the unhappiness in Scout's spark just as well as Echo could but they both knew the hound was being piety and needed to get over it. So Bee ignored him too.

Honestly though, it really was hard to focus on anything other than the twins when they turned to tickling. The tickling and nuzzling didn't last much longer though for all three mechs stopped dead in what they were doing when a cold snarl worked its way over the comms.

"Alright you glitches," Ironhide's tone only ever grew that even and cool when he was meticulously planning how to murder somebot. "You've all got three nanos to tell me where my mechling is before I hang all your grey frames on the bow of the ship."

"You mean he's gone again!?" Hound's voice rose up.

"Hey! We didn't lose him this time. Yes!"

"Shut up, Trailbreaker, before you get us both killed." Hound responded.

"Where is he?" Optimus rumbled over the lines.

"You stay out of this!" Hide hissed explosively.

"Ironhide," The Prime warned.

"Oh will you all just mute it." Arcee's exasperated voice came next. "Stop bickering and notice three very distinct voices that haven't pitches in yet. I'll bet you you'll find him then."

The frontliners and the saboteur flinched.

"Damn femme." Jazz muttered.

Sides and Sunny snarled at him out of reflex.

Bee sat confused on Sunny's chest.

"Jazz?" Prowl called out over the line. "Sideswipe? Sunstreaker?"

Jazz decided he was the best one the fast the firing squad. "Yes Prowler?" He sing-songed.

"Are you the reason Bee isn't in Percy's lab?"

"No." It wasn't really a lie.

"Do you know where he is?" Now that was Chromia, and she didn't sound happy. Jazz knew better than to skate the truth with that femme.

"Yes."

"The twins took him then." Ironhide growled.

"No we didn't!" Sunstreaker snarled right back. "Don't you dare start accusing me you over grown weapons vault."

"Why you pompous prettied up little—"

"Stop it!" Elita shouted over the air ways and the whole faction seemed a shrink into their armor at the sound of it. For that femme never yelled. Ever.

Mia was the sister that yelled, and every now and again Arcee could be pushed far enough in a medical standpoint that she'd start dishing out reprimands in a tone that had mech's three times her size tucking their heads and slinking off like kick hounds.

But not 'Lita.

She was a fighter, sure. A damn good one too. She hadn't survived at Optimus side so long just because she was a gifted speaker. She survived because she could throw a punch and aim a gun. But Elita was not a yeller.

Maybe it was the elder sister in her coding.

The sister that had played more carrier than sister to her younger siblings for most of her life after their creators died. She did not scold in raised tones or harsh words. She was smooth. Level headed. Collected.

Arcee was much the same.

Chromia . . . was not.

But her tolerance level for things was far higher than that of her sisters. One had to work very hard to get Elita mad enough to be willing to yell.

Maybe the last cycle on these ships had been just enough to push her that far.

"You will stop this sparkling like behavior this instant." She bit over the lines. "All of you. What kind of example are you all setting walking around glaring at each other? Now I don't give a damn who's mad at who, who feels betrayed, or who thinks they're right. If you would all stop pouting for one klick at being left out of the loop you know very well none of this was done to hurt anybot. It was done only to try and protect one. Well now the truth has came out and we will all just have to deal with it. And we will deal with it like the fraggin' family you all know to be or so help me Primus I will kick all of your sorry afts!"

Silence answered her back for a long few klicks before a chorus of 'yes 'Lita', and 'yes Lady Prime' went up over the comms from the entire faction and then they all settled into quiet, well and thoroughly put in their place.

It was quiet for a good bit longer before she finally relented, voice calm and silky again. "Well alright then. Now let's move on. How about we start with what Bumblebee is up to and why he isn't where he and his pups are supposed to be this time?"

"We found him sneaking in the halls." Sides answered her softly.

"And you decided to not tell because?"

"Because he was trying to throw a party for all of us so we'd all stop being weird."

Even Elita paused at that answer before she murmured. "Oh."

"Yeah." Sides snorted. "So if we're all done being afts how about you'll all come down to the hanger Sludge has been working on and see what Bee's cooked up. It is kind of fraggin' cool if I do say so myself."

"He is a clever little rascal." Jazz added.

"Alright." Optimus sighed over the comm.

"One more thing though Boss Bot." Jazz cut back in before the comm fell silent. "Just who is planning on telling Bee about all this?"

The pause was answer enough.

Jazz went on. "He's gonna figure it out eventually if you and Roddy really are opening up the sibling link, and if he finds out that you didn't tell him about it . . . well I doubt he'll be planning anymore secret parties to make everybot feel better for a while."

"I know." The powerful Prime whispered.

---

Ironhide walked through the sliding grey doors of the empty south hanger with Mia at his side and Hammer trailing after them only to stop short when his optics were assaulted by a flare of flashing bright—yet oddly appealing—lights and a bass beat that fit more along the lines of something Hammer would enjoy than himself. But somehow all of it seemed just about perfect when a happy squeal echoed through the noise and he found himself looking down at a stumbling, rushing little blur of yellow that was suddenly attached to his ankle.

The hardened warrior melted like a pile of goo.

"Surprise!" Bee beeped loudly through his giggling as he clutched tight to his guardian's armor, tiny head tilted up, and big optics shining brightly while he gazed up the massive mech's frame to the dark blue optics above. Hide couldn't help but grin, neither could Mia as she bent to scoop the little mechling from her mate's plating and bring him to rest against her chest as Hammer moved around them, knuckled the tiny thing between his antennas, and went to join the already growing mass of bots that were breaking out the mid-grade. Because there was no highgrade allowed anywhere near the youngling and that was on rule none of this ship dare break. Not just because it was a bad influence on his young processor, but because I he ever got his hands on any of it and drank some out of the curiosity they all knew burned in side him, it would most likely kill him.

"What have you been up to now you little troublemaker?" Mia purred loudly, nuzzling at the soft protoform that made him up.

"Made party!" Bee purred right back. "See?" And with that he twisted pointing to the room around him as he wiggled in the femme's grip and beamed between both her and Hide as she leaned against her big mate when his arm wrapped around her bringing the pair of them into his strong chest. None of them the least bit concerned with the growing gathering around them. These bots valued their lives—and their time with Bee—far too much to make a jab at either of the war ready bots going soft.

"Yes," Hide rumbled low in his chest so it vibrated soothingly through both of the two he held most dear. "We do."

Bee burrowed his way deeper so that he could be clinging to both the femme that had become his Carrier and the mech that had become his Sire. "Stop being unhappy now?"

A deep breath cycled through both powerful bots before they nodded together and Mia sighed. "Yes, Bee. We'll stop being unhappy now."

And just like that he popped back up with more happy beeping and clicking. "Yay! Worked! Sunny! Sides! It worked!"

Both the big warriors cast the little yellow youngling a glance and a smile before a nod went between the chosen creators and the chosen brothers. They all understood. None of it needed to be said. The thanks was in each of their gazes.

The heavy hanger door swished open again to admit the Dinobots—the six of them they numbered now—and a squeal much like the one Bee had let out not long ago left Swoop as he bolted for the multitude of dots that now covered the floor. Bumblebee grinned like a tiny sun at the flier's happy babbling as it started up again, and the chuckle that rumbled through Grimlock as the massive mech strolled past gifting Bee with a smile and a nod as he and his bots made their way to inspect this party. Scorn had fallen into place among the brothers. As if she'd been there all along, and while she wasn't a part of their sibling connection that made them as formidable as it did, she had found a place among their hierarchy. After all, there were not many that could knock Grimlock down a few pride pegs.

"What's this game you've made that has Swoop so bouncy?" Ironhide questioned softly, lifting a hand to pet at his son's antennas.

"Do 'member game Swoop made?" Bee asked.

Ironhide nodded.

"Me just make it bigger, and add more colorful dots. Tried make where more can play. Thought if had some fun again bots not be so grumpy no more."

"Well you are our clever little thing aren't you?" Mia praised softly while the room filled with more of this unconventional family flowing in. Safe in the tunnels under Tyger Pax it was a bit easier to loosen tension cables, let armor relax, and allow weapons protocols to wind down to standby in the back of one's processor. It was easier to slip off guard posts and slip inside to smile for a while when the mechling offered up the chance to share his bubbly spirit.

Not that Red Alert often left his monitor room—only when Inferno dragged him out—and Prowl was a bit harder than the rest of the inner circle of this family to convince to come share laughs sometimes. It seemed that Elita's scolding and Bee's desperate attempt to help was enough to drag even them from their datapads and monitors. The little mechling's grin kept right on getting bigger and bigger and bigger as Red Alert past him with Inferno in tow a smile shot his way from both of them—Mia and Hide doubted even Inferno could convince the anxious security director to stay long, but it was good to see him here—and Prowl slipped in with an affection rich pet to the mechling's head before he resigned himself to watching the other bots that were already checking out the game Bee and his pups had put together.

Bee figured that was good enough.

When the door swished open again though it was to the towering presence of arguably the most powerful mech on this planet, the red and blue flamed Prime swept his optics around the growing crowd and the mischief Bumblebee had been up to this time before he found the little creature snug in his adopted creators' arms. Elita appeared at her mate's side with Roddy hanging back in the hallway. Bright optics taking the room in, noting that Magnus was already in there talking with Jumpwire and Ratchet as Arcee milled her way to her sister and the youngling.

He had no wish to go in just yet. That in itself proved just how still un-Roddy like he was acting. He didn't want to play. He didn't want to goof off with his family and his friends. He wanted to be alone to process this weird connection growing in his spark.

He still wasn't sure if he even liked it.

And now he was going to have to stand there and have Optimus explain it to Bumblebee. He was so not looking forward to that. He also had no plans of doing it while in the middle of that crowd.

Nope.

If Bee wanted to know what was going on than they were going to explain it out here.

Hide looked up from the two femmes that were tickling the mechling that had wormed his way into the Weapons Specialist's grip trying to be free of the touches to find the Prime that was his best friend that he'd been actively avoiding for the last cycle. His dark optics clouded— with guilt, with pain, with apology—he really wasn't sure which, but whatever it was Optimus' dimmed with as well while the taller mech nodded and was gifted a nod in return.

Elita was right.

It was time to grow up, get over it, and start acting like the brothers they all knew they were.

Bee chose that moment to pop back up out of the thick protection of Hide's arms and beam brightly up at Optimus.

"Hi Opti!' He whirled.

Optimus smiled. "Hello little one."

"Like?" He asked looking around the laughter going on.

"Yes I do." Optimus assured him before reaching out a hand. "Bee, will you come with me for a moment?"

The pair of antennas atop his head flicked with interest, the sensors on his back flapping slightly as well, before he shrugged and nodded. "Okay. Can play after though right? Me wanna beat Jazzy and twins at twisting game."

"Yes you can play after." Optimus assured him, hopping deep down in his spark that the mechling still was in the mood to play after he found out they'd been lying to him. Bumblebee didn't like being lied too. They all knew that very well.

With the mechling in hand Optimus turned back to the hallway leaving his mate to laugh with her sisters. The door hissed shut behind him and the hall fell into a dim darkness wrapped in a tense silence compared to the lights and music that were going on back in there.

Bee deflated a little with it too. Wings sagging against his back and antennas falling back into their grooves as he looked between the bright form of Roddy who was looking more at the floor than at either of them and Optimus who was watching the younger mech closely. The Prime reached inside with his spark, tweaking at the growing bond between himself and his half brother. The flinch in the shorter mech's shoulder told him he felt it and for a long moment nothing happened leaving Optimus ready to sigh and look away again, because this was never going to work if Roddy kept on thinking this was all just because he got overcharged and angry saying things he shouldn't have.

This wasn't because of that.

Optimus opened the bond because it was the right thing to do. A thing he should have done vorns ago. And because he wanted the bright and vibrant commander he was not so secretly so proud of back. He didn't like this timid Hot Rod. It wasn't right.

He was trying to fix it.

Nothing was going to be fixed though if Roddy refused to try back.

All of a sudden however, a slight pulse was returned to him over the slowly lighting pathway between their sparks. Optimus' optics brightened, his head snapping up, and his optic ridged lifting before a smile played up his lips again when he found Roddy's shrugging and pulling a smirk up his lips as he stared.

That was when Bumblebee straightened up in Optimus' hand his little self swirling around until he was staring hard at the planes of armor that separated him from the pulsing orb in the Prime's chest. His optics narrowed, lips tightening into a frown, while he stared at the strong chest before him.

What the slag was that?

His spark narrowed in to focus on the powerful one he knew so well. The immense burning force of life that was the only one that Bee truly new that burned in a way his did. At least similar to the way his did anyway. It was as bright as it normally was when Bee went to investigating, but it wasn't the spark's brightens that had him focusing in.

No.

It was this knew connection he could feel coming to light in there. A connection he knew for a fact hadn't been there before. A two-way connection.

A two-way connection with . . . Roddy.

Bee spun around in Optimus' hand, optics still narrow, and pinned them on Roddy.

Then they narrowed even further. Because what the slag was that?

It was with that look taking over his little face that Roddy and Optimus' smile came to an end. Thin arms crossed over a thin frame and for a moment Bee glanced between both mechs, optics fixed on their chest, while his own spark went to digging. Shifting through bonds, feelings, emotions, connections. All things he knew like the back of his hand that he never really bothered with observing because they just sort of came to him as nature as breathing.

The way the other bots thought he could feel all those around him was becoming more of an awareness than a real sense. Because Bee could do more than just feel. He could see—in a way—the sparks, the emotions, the bonds, the connections, the life in those around him. And he didn't even really know he did it. He didn't know it was all that strange.

He just did it.

He did it and he was getting better at it.

It was the getting better at it part that he'd kept quiet though. Because while he didn't know what he did wasn't normal he did know that when he started bringing things up along the lines of what he saw and what he felt his family tended to look at him weird. They used it sure, like when he felt the femmes and Scorn, or when he could feel those he knew even when they were a long way away from him. But Bumblebee still knew that it wasn't all that normal per say. There was a little bit too much surprise that always followed what he would do, ask, or say for it to be normal.

But it was normal in his book. It came naturally.

It wasn't a gift in his optics.

It did come in handy though. It made his pathetic size a little more of a trade off if he could do more with his spark that his frame wouldn't allow him too.

It allowed him to sit there and sift even without having to force his way into anything and feel as if he was snooping where he didn't belong. It allowed him to find the building connection and trace it back both ways to both spark and compare it to all those that he knew very well and find the one that would match what was coming to life between the two mechs he knew.

It was new.

Very new.

And it felt a whole lot like the bond that flowed between him and his chosen brothers. Like the bonds that flowed between many around here that considered themselves family. But it also felt different.

It felt a whole lot less picked and a whole lot more natural. Which Bee wasn't really sure if was a good way to look at it. He wasn't sure how to compare it or what to really call it. Because Roddy and Optimus had always had a connection he'd been aware of. They were friends so of course their sparks related in feelings, but this was different.

Tilting his head to the side—frown fully set on his lips—Bee reached out and poked Optimus square in the chest. Leaving his finger there as he looked up to the optics far above him. Then he clicked. "What's that?"

Optimus should have known it wouldn't take him long to notice with no other distractions around. Swallowing hard the Prime braced himself for whatever reaction Bumblebee deemed fit to dish out.

"You know a bond when you feel one, Bumblebee." The Prime told him softly.

Lifting an optic ridge Bee stared. "Duh."

Roddy snorted.

"Mean what bond? Why there? New. Wasn't there before. What is it?" He didn't know how to classify it and he didn't like that. He wanted to know what was going on.

"Well uh," Roddy's usual smooth tongue failed him—as it had been doing a lot these last few orns—and he shifted uneasily in the dim hall. He had no idea how to explain this to the mechling. The last thing in the world he wanted was for Bee to get as mad as some around here had.

Like Hammerdown.

The mech still hadn't talked to him. He was hoping that Elita's little scolding was going to change that, but he still wasn't sure.

He wasn't sure what he'd do if Bumblebee suddenly wouldn't talk to him either.

He was rather fond of the little mech after all.

"You see Bee there is . . . ." Something we didn't tell anybot because it wasn't a good idea and they all only found out because I was overcharged.

Yeah.

Somehow he didn't figure that was going to be the best thing to say.

"Bumblebee," Optimus drew the youngling's attention back to him. "Do you understand that there are some things about this war that you are just too young to know?"

Bee's bottom lip rolled out in a pout. "Me get stuff." More stuff than they thought he did. He knew that for a fact. "Not stupid."

"No," Optimus quickly assured him. "I know you're not stupid, Bee. That's not what I'm saying at all."

Then what was he saying? Because Bee wasn't sure.

"It's just . . . complicated."

Bee huffed before he mumbled rather clearly. "Not so complicated as you all seem to think."

They all still thought that Megs-whoever was evil down to his very core. Bumblebee knew better. He had no idea how to explain it, but it was true. He knew what he felt. And he'd never forgotten.

He never talked about it though. He didn't have to wonder very long over the fact that what he knew about what was inside the mean mech that took him would be one of those things everybot would look at him weird for.

Optimus sighed. "Yes it is, Bee."

The mechling snorted, rolled his optics, but shrugged all the same. If they wanted to think it was complicated fine. It wasn't like they'd' believe him if he said he didn't think the bad mech actually had that much control over all that he did.

"This not got nothin' do with weird bond." Bee informed him. "Me wanna know what up with bond."

"It's complicated." Optimus repeated slowly.

Bee just looked at him.

Shaking his head the Prime let out a harsh breath through his vents wafting a wave of hot air over the mechling before he just came out with it. "Bumblebee you know that my Sire was Sentinel Prime, correct?"

The mech who's statue he'd seen when the twins took him on his first field trip. Yeah, he remembered. He didn't like the name. That was another thing he didn't tell anybot though.

"Yeah,"

"Well has anybot ever told you that the femme he was mated to, my carrier Karma, that she died when I was half a vorn old?"

Bee paused, his pout softening. "No."

"Well she did."

Bee's little head bowed down and he went to playing with his fingers. "Me sorry Optimus." He knew what it felt like to lose a carrier. He didn't wish it on anybot else.

The Prime gave a half shrug. "Honestly Bumblebee I don't really remember her. Not even what she looked like. I was very young. It hurt to lose her but I never knew what it was like to truly have her. It's a hard thing to really feel cheated out of something you never knew."

Well that was just as sad as losing a carrier if anybot asked Bumblebee, but no bot asked Bumblebee so he decided to keep him mouth shut and nod a bit instead.

"It was against the council's laws though for my Sire to take another sparkmate, not that many often do after losing one, but there are cases when some do. He was crowned Prime though, and he already had an heir. He had no need for another mate in the council's optics. So it wasn't allowed." Optimus went on. "But . . . ."

Oh how to explain this?

"Just because Karma was dead Bee, didn't . . . ." The mechling was too young to understand anything about how or what makes sparklings. And frankly Optimus was in no hurry for him to find out. That meant he had no way to explain to the mechling how it was Hot Rod was his brother but that they had to hide it. Not in any way he thought Bumblebee would comprehend that is.

"Optimus," Hot Rod spoke up. "Can I give it a go?"

"If you think you can make him understand, sure." Optimus shrugged.

Bee twisted around to look at the brighter painted commander with the flame detail not all that different from Optimus' paint. He tilted his head and waited.

"Bumblebee the simplest way to explain it is to just tell you and if you don't understand you ask questions, alright?" Roddy asked him softly as he stepped forward into the other mech's space and bent just a bit so that he was faceplate to faceplate with the tiny bundle in Optimus' hands.

Bee chirped a positive.

"Okay," Roddy nodded, stealing himself as Optimus did the same. "Bee . . . Optimus is my actual brother. My half brother. "

A tiny yellow jaw dropped open.

Hot Rod wasn't all that sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing so the tall mech decided just to do what he did best. When in doubt keep talking and plow right on through.

"You see Sentinel was my sire too, but Karma wasn't my carrier. You know I'm about half Optimus' age right?"

Bee just stared blankly at him with his tiny mouth hanging open.

Roddy swallowed. "Well Sentinel didn't know about me. No bot did. I didn't even know he was my sire until Optimus sensed the connection between us when we met in Iacon. You see Sentinel didn't . . . mean for me to happen. And when Optimus figured out why he could sense me the way he could he took me to Sentinel and we had a CNA test done. It proved he really was my sire. But I wasn't a recognized heir by the council and it was dangerous for bots to know the truth. Do you understand why that would be?"

Bee slowly shook his head back and forth.

"There were a lot of bots in the council that were looking for a reason to throw Sentinel and the house of Prime's out of control. They were looking for any reason to out him they could find and a son he didn't claim or come from his crowned mate would have been enough reason to do that. So I was kept a secret. It was better or everybot that way. No bot knew besides me, Optimus, and Sentinel who I really was. Not even . . . well the rest of this nutty family we have. And . . . I kind of accidentally told Magnus the truth. Then because of that we ended up telling everybot else and they . . . didn't take it well."

Roddy trailed off then. Keeping his bright optics on the pair of baby blue ones that stared back at him with open confusion before Bumblebee leaned away, his optics narrowing.

"Didn't tell me." He said in an empty tone that didn't fit his nature.

The pair of commanders gulped.

"We're telling you now." Optimus tried to explain to him.

Bee was having none of it though. Swinging his narrowed optics up to the Prime he glared. "That why everybot been mad? 'Cuz found out Roddy really your brother? Why mad about that!?"

"No." Optimus shook his head quickly. "That's not why they were upset. They were upset that I never told them. Even long after Sentinel died."

"Well why didn't you? Why couldn't bots know Roddy your brother?" That glare was getting hotter. Anger bubbling up in those bright optics.

"Bumblebee, I was trying to protect him. From those that would use that."

"But you lied!" Bee hissed, antennas pinned tight while his doorwings and winglets flared out in anger before pinning high in tight behind his back in an instinctual reaction of a fight. To keep the delicate appendages as far away from possible harm as they could get while not backing down from a challenge. It was a look, a reaction, which in Optimus' optics Bee was far too young for. As was the anger.

"It wasn't a lie mechling I just—"

"You just nothing!" Bee yelled.

"Bee," Roddy reached but Bee flinched away from him, bumping into Optimus' chest then he flinched back away from the Prime's chest.

"Why you lie!?" He growled. "What wrong with Roddy being brother? Him awesome mech! Why matter that not have same carrier!? No bad inside. Me can feel it! Why it matter? Why?"

"I wasn't ashamed he was my brother Bee it just was dangerous—"

"Dangerous 'cuz what?!" Those bright optics narrowed even further, his spark flaring hotly. It wasn't just flaring between the two before him though. The anger and confusion about why in the world Optimus would lie about something like that was leaking out into his other bonds turning attentions toward him. Namely his pups. For Scout's barking could suddenly be heard from the other side of the door.

And Bee wasn't about to tell him to hush. In fact, he wanted his pup. Both of them. He wouldn't be all that opposed to them chewing on somebot's plating right now. Not really.

"Because somebot might have targeted him because of it." Telling Bee that Sentinel might have been a danger to Roddy as much as Megatron or others would have been wasn't an option now. No matter how much he wanted to sink shamefully into the floor under that burning glare and throw up every excuse he had to explain why he'd done it. He couldn't though.

He wasn't ready to explain to the mechling just how corrupted his house had been—how right Trickster was—and how much of all this carnage really was his fault.

"Might have?" Bee huffed. "You lie to family because of might have?"

Well when it was put that way he really did sound like a fraggin' bastard. Head hanging like a scolded pup Optimus nodded slowly. "Yes, Bumblebee, I did."

The anger in his chest swirled just a bit tighter for a moment, burning hot and painfully, as he glared up at the regal mech that held him, but then the little yellow mechling paused and actually looked. Focusing in on the shame and sorrow burning in those deep blue optics. Emotions that left the little mechling's wings sagging behind his back. The stiffness of his back strut leaving him so that he slouched in defeat while his antennas lifted from their pinned position. They didn't flicker up, but they weren't so tightly held now as he stared up.

A sigh heaved through his tiny vents as the anger slid away into this mix of slight frustration and something that might be a little like disappointment. However, it was a far cooler emotion than what had been building in his chest. He liked it better than the anger so he let it settle while he tried to figure out what he thought of this.

"Not gonna hide it no more though right?" He asked.

Both Roddy and Optimus looked up.

The Prime picked himself up a bit in his slouch. Fixing his optics on Bee's now that the mechling wasn't really glaring so much anymore. "Not from our family, no. They all know."

Bee rolled his optics. "Me didn't think was gonna tell mean bots."

Roddy cracked a smile. "We didn't think you did."

The doorwings along his back twitched as he shifted around in Optimus' hand, crossing his arms, and wiggling his toes. "So everybot was upset because you didn't tell before?"

Optimus nodded again.

"Well me not like that you lied about it but it not worth being mad over. Me not like being mad."

"No," Optimus agreed. "I have no love for anger either, my young one."

"Not happy that didn't tell but me don't be mad. Put too much work into party to get mad now."

Roddy snickered, light and spirit flowing back into the bright mech. "It is a pretty cool lookin' party, Bee."

The youngling huffed. "Me know that."

Both mechs started laughing while the barking from behind the door died away. Bee wasn't done yet though. He fixed his optics up on Optimus' and went on.

"Family don't lie to each other." He said. "Secrets not worth hurting others. No more secrets okay?"

The truth of those words struck through the massive Prime leaving him standing there a bit humbled over the honest, innocently simple, understanding Bumblebee had of the world around him. Young or not, that spark of his sure did understand the difference between right and wrong. Far better than any of them did at times. It warmed the mech leaving him smiling softly down at his most precious gift.

"Alright Bumblebee," He agreed, a part of him wondering just how long he could keep his world to the little mystery that sat in his hand. "No more secrets."

---

When the two royal brothers strolled back into the life of party they both were walking a little lighter only to stop short when a squeal and a yelp echoed over the music and they both found themselves springing apart when Blurr went flying through the air between them spinning the whole way as he flew though the open doorway and crashed into the wall out in the hall.

"What in—" Optimus barked only to be cut off when Grimlock roared.

"NO CHEATING SLAGGIN' SCRAP HEAP!"

Roddy keeled over laughing then as they all turned to find Grimlock leaning over the tangle of mechs on the floor over the dot game. All of which were trying really hard not to die of laughter as well, but it didn't work all that well and the twist of Jazz, Mirage, Sideswipe, Blaster, Swoop, and Inferno soon found itself crashing to the floor in a roar of laughter.

Bee squeaked happily at the sight of his game being used and in a flash he was wiggling and bouncing around until Optimus let him down to the floor. Then he was off in a bright yellow blur of movement that tripped just about every other step having more than few bots flinching forward to snag him out of reflex before he crashed to the floor. He righted himself each time though and soon his pups were there bouncing around him as they found their way right into the big middle of the tangle. It broke apart with even more laughter and Bee found himself swung up and cradled against Jazz's chest as the silver mech lay there on his back in the middle of the game nuzzling the bundle of wires while he laughed.

"Lil' Bee," He purred through his laughter. "You gotta tell us how to play this game before Grimlock skins somebot."

"Yeah it different from what me Swoop made." The flying Dinobot chirped as he twisted himself back up right as he kicked Sideswipe off his legs and into Mirage. The two tone noble bred mech didn't much appreciate that though and flung the frontliner away with a shove and a hushed curse that lead to the red mech jumping back at him and the two of them ended up in a playfully brawling match in the middle of the game until Grimlock pulled them apart and tossed them across the room as well.

Bee fell over laughing on Jazz's chest as Echo and Scout tussled around the game, hopping from colorful dot to colorful dot as the bots pushed themselves to their feet.

"Just added more colors." Bee giggled as he looked around at the game. "No different. What spinner lands on gotta do what says."

"Yeah," Sideswipe appeared again, swinging his arm around Jazz's shoulders so that he could peer down at the tiny mechling. "But the whole things big enough for Grimlock over here to sprawl across."

Said Dinobot snarled.

"How exactly are we supposed to touch one color on one end and the other one that's all the way across? Or really how are you?"

"Oh me got a plan." Bee assured him with a smirk before he pointed to the center row of dots. "And that what middle row of all colors is for. Besides, not supposed to be easy."

"I still don't think it's gonna work." Sides shook his head.

"What's the matter, Sideswipe?" Chromia's voice drifted over the music. "Not up to the challenge a youngling has put before you?"

The red warrior straightened, optics flashed, as he turned to the deep blue and white highlighted femme. "Let's play."

---

Once again Bee couldn't stop his giggling if his life depended on it. He had his bottom lip pinned between his teeth but his grin was still about ready to burst as he stood dead center of a bright red dot looking up to the bulk of Sideswipe precariously balanced over him with his right arm on the red dot in front of the mechling, his left one stretched three rows over the random purple dot in the middle he was trying to share with his brother's hand even if Sunstreaker was snarling at him loudly over the bond for scuffing his paint, his right foot was on the red dot behind Bee but his left one was three rows over the other way toward the yellow. Chromia was balanced between the two brothers looking far more balanced than they were.

It was the ease in which Mia was thoroughly kicking the twin's afts at this game that really had Bee laughing. That and the image of Arcee and Jazz shoving each other playfully when they thought he wasn't watching. Blaster and Swoop were arguing over space as well while Roddy tried to hold himself aloft over the twisted form of Blaster while Swoop went about shoving him with a clawed foot every two nanos. Fire and Aid were also in the tangle of limbs. The two medics had somehow ended up nearly over the awkward backward way Hammerdown was holding himself up with Jolt shaking from the weird way he had his arm snaked around Hammer's foot reaching for the purple dot in the middle row.

Mirage was smirking dangerously from his spot on one of the chairs surrounding the game with the spinning board in his lap watching with amused optics as he lightly flicked the spinner again watching it swirl until it landed. His smirk only grew.

"Right hand pink." His optics flashed while his rich, silk like voice purred over the music.

A collective groan rose up through most of the tangle of bots while the watching circle laughed—apart from Ratchet because he was too busy planning how he was going to twist them all even worse when they broken themselves—watching as Bee chirped and took off from his red dot, twisting through the mess of limbs that held as still as they possibly could so they couldn't crush him when they fell. Bee wasn't making it very easy though. He had Ironhide, Optimus, Elita, Ratchet, Magnus, and especially the bots in the game tangle cringing as he scampered under Hammer, climbed up Jolt's quivering arm, slid over Sides' sprawled fingers, skipped between Cee and Jazz, crawled over the back of Sunstreaker's sprawled out right leg, and ended up bouncing to stand in the center of one of the pink dots that just happened to be rather close to Mia so he grinned up at her while he plopped down to his little skid plate and slapped his right palm down on the circle

See it didn't take the other bots long to figure out that Bee was planning on playing the game simply by running around to the dots he needed to be on since he had no hope of sprawling out and being long enough to reach more than one at a time with how big he'd made the game. He also seemed to be rather content taking whatever path was going to be the most hazardous with tons upon tons of armor and protoform balanced over him at harsh bends and awkward angles. They let him have his fun though. None in this tangle were going to allow him to get hurt in any way and he really was sort of adorable as he giggled and scrambled around.

So they let him play.

They enjoyed simply laughing with him.

Chromia found herself smiling fondly down at the little mechling that was now directly under her faceplate as she bent backward, her back arching up and her hydraulics hissing from the stress of the angle in which she was stretching her arm to get it on the dot Bee was on. He smirked and scooted to share space with up her and gaze up with though big love filled optics of his. Well that is they were staring at each other until a crash rang out behind them and Bee snapped his attention behind the femme's legs to find Jolt yelping under Hammer as they both crashed down to the ground taking Roddy with them.

"Ah frag!" The red commander hissed.

"You did that on purpose." Jolt grumbled as Hammer tried to de-tangle himself from the other blue mech that was shoving Roddy's legs off of him and ended up taking out Aid and almost Fire had she not flung herself up and out of the way as both mechs when crashing the other way.

"Why you slaggin—"

"It wasn't my fault!" Roddy yelped when Aid smacked him over the head as they both got snatched up by the ankles by Sludge and pulled from the tangle of bots before the knocked any others over. Arcee was laughing lightly under her breath as was Mia as Bee peaked around her arm and watched the two mechs—one a commander and one a medic—swat each other like robo-cats as they yelled and yelped while the towering Dinobot held them just far enough apart so they could do any serious damage yet still seem to amuse him. Hammerdown had a little bit harder time getting his bulk out of the tangle without knocking anybot else over, and it didn't help that the closer he had to slide around Sunstreaker the more the golden mech glared and growled. He managed to slip out without taking anymore players out of the game and Jolt—since he was a whole pit of a lot smaller than Hammer—managed to slide out between Jazz and the ground while the silver mech cackled at him.

Once free of the tangle Hammer shoved himself to his feet, swinging half-sparked at Fire when she laughed at him from where she'd placed herself in Mirage's lap now that she was out, before he walked over rolling his aching shoulders the whole way to go and lean against one of the tables. He placed himself beside Ironhide, the older mech handing him a cube of energon he took with a quiet thanks even if all the while the ebony mech's optics never left the forms of his mate and his youngling laughing quietly and playing as Mirage kept on spinning while the game went on.

The femmes that were playing somehow all ended up in a rather tight circle with Bee still sliding around under their arms and legs, giggling, and bouncing while the twins and Jazz went back to trying to knock each other out of the game not so secretly.

As they watched Hammer sipped at his energon, dark optics glowing warmly with the content that swelled in his spark. He found himself leaning a bit further than he had in a long time into Hide's field space. The slightly bigger mech glanced his way, the fond smile on his lips to the antics of his family still there when those dark orbs of his rested on Hammer.

"What is it?" He rumbled lowly, drawing both Optimus' and Ratchet's attention since they were leaning against the table beside him.

Hammer give a half-sparked shrug. Cube resting against his lips for a long moment before he took another sip and puts it down as he watched Bee laugh while he wound himself around Arcee's arm swaying back and forth with a goofy smile before Mirage called another color and he bolted off to share a dot with Sunstreaker who was suddenly growling a little less about somebot touching his paint.

"We're happy." The dark blue mech finally said in a quiet tone as he turned his optics to the three who had took him in and brought him up.

All three of them straightened a bit at the words.

Hammer went on. "Despite everything. All our own stupidity and mistakes. This damn war. Despite all of it . . . we're still happy. We're still a family. And that is rather impressive to me I suppose."

The other three were quiet for another long stretch of klicks. Sips being taken, thoughts being mulled over, all while their optics returned to the playful little ball of life and brightness.

The smile on Ironhide's lips grew ever so slightly as he tipped his own cube back than set it down. "It's because of him."

"Yes," Hammer nodded his own smile growing as the game played on through the music, and the lights, and youngling's giggles. "Yes it is."

---

This was all someone's fault and they know who they are.

Well I had so much fun with this chapter, and it took me way too long to finish. Here it is though. I'm looking forward to seeing what you all thought as always.

Bee is just so freaking cute. There is just no other way to put it.

Anyway, I've got a question for you guys if you don't mind giving me some feedback. I've had this notion in my head now for a while and I'm wondering if you all would be interested in it. I've been thinking about making a sort of ask blog on tumblr for Guardian's Guild. A sort of interactive thing where people can ask the characters and me questions about the story or anything really. I would probably post story progress there, maybe even some little fic-lets for GG I play with that are never going to make it onto this site because I deem them too short to be a story and they don't really fit in with the overall progress of the story. I'd probably be doing a lot of just playing with the characters as well.

I don't know what it would all have yet, you all know I make stuff up as I go, I just think it might be a fun thing to try. So I wanted to know if you guys would like something like that. After all it is all you wonderful readers who keep this story going.

So tell me what you think, please.

-Jaycee