Disclaimer: We do not own Transformers Prime or its canon characters; Hasbro and the Hub do. We do however own our OCs. Blondie-moyashi owns the lovely Skye Shelsher, Plasmarift and Silverblaze, and Dream'sRealm owns Darkstorm, Skybreak, Emusa, Starlight, Drift, Shiv, Jolt, Blackout, Air Raid, Caliber, Speedway, and Jetfire.
Theme Song: Dare You to Move by Switchfoot
Knock Out and Ratchet had finally managed to work through the end of the delivery. The twins had finally entered the world. One was a mech with wings, a Seeker, with kind optics just like his carrier, though his were blue. The other was a grounder femme with doorwings who shared her sire's likeness but her facial plating still held her carrier's gentleness.
Coolant welled up in both Bumblebee and Darkstorm's optics. They were beautiful.
Bumblebee kissed the top of her helm. He felt like the luckiest mech in the world.
Knock Out stared at the new life in his arms. For as long as he could remember he'd been modifying existing frames or salvaging them, and on occasion taking life. But there was something so . . . so incredible about witnessing new life. It could change one's life if they let it.
He stared into the young femme's optics, wide and curious as she stared at his facial plating. Her doorwings flapped slightly as she reached for his servo, latching onto one of his digits with all of her own. She was so fragile, and yet that innocence it seemed had the power to bring down even the strongest of mechs. Or the most vain.
The medic approached Darkstorm, still staring at the sparkling while offering her to her carrier. "I think you should take her, or I may never let her go."
Darkstorm smiled warmly at the medic. "Why don't you hold her just a little bit longer? I-" she took her son from Ratchet. "-have my servos full."
"What will their designations be?" Ratchet asked with a smile.
"Hmm," Darkstorm mused with a digit on her lip components before breaking out into a grin as if she had known it all along. "Skyquake for the little mech. Fitting for such a handsome Seeker." Skyquake smiled and leaned into his carrier's embrace.
Coolant filled in Dreadwing's optics as Moonracer held onto his servo. "I… It is an honor, Dar'sain. My beloved twin would be pleased if he were present with us."
Skybreak smiled wildly. "He's beautiful, Sister." Slipstream shared his expression.
Darkstorm beamed before gazing at the femmeling, laughing now as she reached for Knock Out's facial plating. "Dawnbringer. Such a bright and happy sparkling can have no other designation."
The medic's optics went back to the sparkling. "Fits her perfectly." He snuck a smirk at the parents. "I'm not kidding though, I think she may have to stay in the med bay with me indefinitely. For morale reasons."
Bumblebee and Darkstorm chuckled. "Why? You thinking about stealing her?" Bumblebee asked.
"Me? Stealing a sparkling? You wound me. It's hardly 'stealing' if she's there for her own good. I mean, who will teach her to love and care for her finish? It isn't something you learn overnight, you know."
This time the pair outright laughed. "Very well, Knock Out," Darkstorm giggled. "You can teach her about caring for her finish all you wish." She paused before grinning and winking at the medic. "And you can steal her whenever you wish, as well."
"Ah, but that takes all the fun out of it." He held a digit above the femme's helm and smiled as she reached for it again, flapping her doorwings harder as though trying to use them to push herself up to reach. "But I think I'll take you up on it, nonetheless."
"I never knew you had such a way with sparklings," a smile tugged on Ratchet's lips.
"Truthfully, I didn't either." He quickly smiled at the elder medic. "I haven't exactly interacted with them before."
"Aw, but you seem like a natural, slick," Emusa smirked before kissing his buccal plating. She then turned her attention back to the sparkling, smiling as the femmeling laughed when she tickled her neck.
"That or she's just attracted to the overt shininess of your paint," Bumblebee joked.
"If that's the case, she already has fine tastes." He smiled at the mech before offering the sparkling to him.
Bumblebee smiled and took the femme. She fidgeted slightly, a small frown forming on her facial plating as she reached back for Knock Out. Darkstorm giggled as she saw Bumblebee's deadpan expression.
Knock Out laughed. "You'd better watch out. Looks like you have some competition, Bumblebee."
Bumblebee's expression became even more so as little Dawnbringer began to tear up, still reaching for the crimson medic. He grumbled. "Here." He handed her over to Knock Out.
Said medic accepted her with a smile and resumed playfully poking at her abdomen and sides. The little femme squealed in delight.
Darkstorm watched the scene with a wide grin before turning to see Sunstorm in a corner, seeming like he was afraid to approach. His frame was stiff, tense even, and his optics darted around the room like that of a caged animal. The femme's gaze softened as she beckoned him to come forward. Sunstorm's optics filled with fright but he reluctantly obeyed.
Panicking, he realized that she was offering him her son. "Gently now," she whispered as she maneuvered Skyquake into his arms.
Many in the room tensed, as if waiting for him to harm the sparkling, but they were surprised when streams of coolant escaped his optics. He stared into Skyquake's wide, innocent blue optics and all he could see was joy, without a trace of fear or disgust. His tears renewed as the sparkling instinctively buried his helm into his chassis at the source of warmth.
Was this what acceptance felt like?
Clearing the emotions from his throat, he offered the child back to his mother.
Darkstorm offered him a kind smile before passing the child to Starlight, the femme cooing over the child. Though Megatron was invited to attend, he politely declined. Him being in a large room filled with Autobots would only cause more trouble than it was worth, he said.
Skyquake smiled up at Starlight before snuggling into her chassis and yawning. "Now, you are just too cute," Bumblebee chuckled.
Knock Out hugged Dawnbringer to his chassis. "Mine's cuter."
"No, Skyquake is obviously cuter," Bumblebee retorted.
"You're just jealous that Dawnbringer picked me over her sire."
"She did not pick you!" Bumblebee's doorwings raised defensively. "I'm telling you, you're hypnotizing her with that shiny wax."
"I'll have you know I haven't applied a new layer of my 'shiny wax' in several cycles. Face it, she picked me fair and square."
"You know what, Knock Out-?" Bumblebee's optics narrowed.
"Boys!" Darkstorm yelled irritatedly but quietly enough so as not to upset her sparklings. "I know that I am not sitting back here listening to you two bicker over whom my daughter 'picked.'"
"He started it!" Bumblebee pointed at Knock Out.
"Ooohhhh, really now?" The medic glared at Bumblebee.
Darkstorm glared at the two mechs dangerously. "I don't care who fragging started it, I'll finish it!"
Bumblebee gulped and nodded his helm. "Yes, 'Storm… I'm sorry."
"Now, I believe I could use some rest. I did just deliver two sparklings, after all," Darkstorm waved them out. "Take your problems to Skybreak in my absence and let me rest, for goodness' sake!"
As the sparklings were handed back to their carrier and Ratchet began to prepare the low grade energon in which to feed them, everyone else slowly filed out of the room to let the tired femme get some rest.
Sunstorm however, paused at the threshold. He took one last look at the beautiful femme and the two miracles that lay against her chassis.
He prayed to this God that he could be as fortunate as the Praxian one day.
With one last broken smile, he turned and left, rejoining his sister and Skybreak outside as they prepared to leave again for Vos.
Several hours later, after all the excitement died down and the new family got a chance to rest, a quiet knock came to the door. Everyone looked up as Silverblaze and Plasmarift stepped around the corner, each with one arm around the other.
"Got room for two more?"
Darkstorm nodded with a bright expression. "Of course."
The snipers looked to each other before stepping closer to the Seeker. Silverblaze seemed fine, but Plasma seemed very nervous as she walked forward with a distant expression.
Darkstorm's expression softened as she tentatively asked, "Would you… like to hold one of them, M'athair?"
The femme stopped in her tracks and stared at Darkstorm as though she'd just told her to shoot one of them rather than hold. "Wh-what? I-I can't."
Silverblaze looked to Plasma briefly before turning his gaze on Darkstorm. The little mechling in her arm caught his optic, and he tilted his helm at the young one with an amused smile. "Well aren't you something?" He vented as he glanced at the mechling's carrier. "May I?"
Darkstorm chuckled lightly before nodding and handing him the tiny mech Seeker. "This is Skyquake." She gestured with her helm to the femmeling still in her arms. "And this is Dawnbringer."
Silverblaze's smile grew as he looked at the mechling in his arms. "Well hi, Skyquake. Such a big name. You'll grow into it too, won't you?" He looked at Plasma, but his smile faltered as he saw that she'd stepped away from him as though her mere presence would harm the innocent. Through their bond he felt her fear and guilt, and it about broke his spark.
After a moment he looked back to Skyquake, who again put a smile on his facial plating. "Congrats, you two. This . . . this is really great."
"I know," Bumblebee too smiled. "I feel like the luckiest mech in the world."
"Of course you would. You didn't have to carry them," Darkstorm quipped jokingly.
"Nah, he just gets late-night-feeding-duty for a while, doesn't he?" Silverblaze laughed as he spoke, though was careful to do so as not to disturb Skyquake.
"Just until I can rest enough to function," Darkstorm smirked at the scout whose doorwings were already drooping at the thought.
"Mech… are sparklings supposed to be this much work?"
Blaze shook his helm, still smiling. "Slag if I know, mech. Guess you'll have to let the rest of us know, eh? Warn us before we get ourselves into something too deep?"
Bumblebee laughed. "Lucky me."
Darkstorm's too chuckled before she saw that Dawnbringer slowly onlined her crystal blue optics. She stared at the two new visitors curiously before turning to Plasmarift, giggling as she curiously stretched out her tiny arms.
Plasma saw the motion and slid one pedde back as she stared at Dawnbringer with wide optics. She looked back and forth between the femmeling and Blaze, as though asking him what to do, before he lightly nodded towards Darkstorm and the sparkling. Plasma took a deep breath as she looked at the young femme before sliding forward again, though she was still clearly hesitant.
Darkstorm gave her an encouraging look. "It's a sparkling, Plasma, not a Decepticon." She carefully held out Dawnbringer to her.
"N-no I know I just-" Plasma froze as her optics locked on the femmeling being held out to her. She again hesitated, but slowly reached towards her. She stopped just short of touching her. "H-how do I . . ?"
"Like this," Darkstorm placed the femmeling in her arms carefully. "Make sure you support her helm."
Plasma adjusted her arms to accommodate Dawnbringer, still visibly tense. She froze, however, once she realized just how easily the femmeling fit into her arms, and how natural it felt to be holding one so young. Coolant rushed to her optics at the feeling.
Before any coolant could fall Plasma gently hugged the little one to her chassis and bowed her helm, though the motion didn't fool anyone. Her shaking shoulders gave her away.
Silverblaze braced Skyquake in one arm as he gently rubbed his sparkmate's back with his other servo. "You're okay, Plasma."
She took a deep, shaky breath, still holding Dawnbringer to her chassis. "This just feels so natural." She wiped at her optics. "So right."
Darkstorm visibly hesitated before whispering, "You'll… You'll have another of your own one day. I have faith that you will."
The sniper femme looked at Darkstorm with something akin to a hopeful expression. After a few seconds she bowed her helm again, attention turned back to Dawnbringer. "I think I would like that . . ." She coughed as her voice cut out from emotion. "I think I'd love that."
Silverblaze turned to her, surprised by her words but even moreso by the fact that he felt she meant it. Amongst that pain and guilt was a distinct feeling of longing, and it was very good to feel it from her. "Really?"
She turned her helm towards him and offered a small smile, coolant streaming down her facial plating. With emotion still cutting her voice off, she simply nodded.
Silverblaze gently handed Skyquake back to Darkstorm before carefully wrapping Plasmarift and Dawnbringer in a hug from the side.
Darkstorm gently rocked the Seeker mechling back to sleep as she said, "Anything is possible, if you believe." She smiled warmly. "God granted you your sparkmate. Do you not believe He can grant you another sparkling?"
"Last time lo . . . losing Ravenstar almost physically destroyed me. I'm not . . . I don't know if my frame can handle it." Plasma's optics shifted to Dawnbringer. "But maybe I can be forgiven, given a second chance so to speak."
"Darling, you were forgiven the moment Jesus died for you," Darkstorm whispered lovingly.
"I know." Plasma vented. "I'm just not certain I've ever forgiven myself. Or allowed for the possibility of . . . this." Her optics quickly moved to the femmeling in her arms then back to her carrier to make her point before her voice was choked off again.
"Everyone deserves a second chance and a bright future, especially you." Darkstorm's smile widened as she saw the sparkling attempting to climb up her shoulder to play with her helm. "And it seems like she thinks so, as well."
Plasma smiled at Dawnbringer, even as the coolant still flowed down her facial plating. Some of said coolant dripped onto the sparkling's helm and Plasma gently wiped it off. "So it seems."
Dawnbringer's facial plating scrunched up at the moisture before she turned back to her carrier. Darkstorm chuckled before taking her back. The femme settled contently in her arms before her optics offlined contently.
"Why don't you two get some rest?" Darkstorm asked them with a smile. "You can go back to helping me keep these two mechlings in line in the morning."
"I take offense to that," Bumblebee playfully pouted.
Silverblaze laughed as he wrapped an arm around Plasma's shoulders. "Alright, 'Storm. You get sleep while you can too, eh?" He nodded to the sparklings. "Something tells me you'll need all you can get."
Plasma stepped forward and gripped Darkstorm's nearest servo with both of her own. "Thank you, Darkstorm. Really."
"Anything for you, M'athair," was her gentle response.
The sniper nodded. "Likewise, 'Storm."
Blaze stepped forward and motioned to Darkstorm and Bumblebee. "You two don't hesitate to call if you need anything. I'm eager to help." He looked to his sparkmate with a small smile, "And something tells me Plasma feels the same."
"Thanks, buddy," Bumblebee grinned as he wrapped an arm around the other mech's shoulders. "We really do appreciate it."
"Don't mention it, 'Bee. I'd just prefer no late-night calls. That's your job; I just get to be fun Uncle Blaze."
"I'll remember that when you have a sparkling, 'Blaze," he smirked. "You ain't gettin' no help from me."
"Mech, I'll be able to handle it. I did have my own squad back on Cybertron; it was like being the sire of three, only mine were old enough to get their servos on high grade. Plus you 'lucked out' with two sparklings at once. No way I'm stepping into that fiasco on two hours of recharge, nooo thank you."
"Pfft, we'll see," he replied though he held a slight pout at the legitimacy of Silverblaze's defense.
The sniper laughed. "Indeed we will." He vented as he replaced his arm on Plasma's shoulders and steered her towards the door. "See you two later. And again, congrats. This is great-not just for you, but something tells me everyone will come to love those anklebit-ehh little angels."
"I heard that and I am usually the medic you come to for aide. I would be cautious," Darkstorm called out.
Laughter was his only response.
After the couple had left, Darkstorm smiled softly as Bumblebee kissed her forehelm. "Have I ever told you how lucky I am to have you?" he asked.
"Several times," Darkstorm chuckled lightly. "I just… never thought I could have all of this. It seems like only yesterday I was trapped in the Decepticon warship and now," she turned to look at him with emotion filled optics. "I have you and a family. Dreadwing and my brother are back in my life and I have two beautiful sparklings…. God certainly has been good to me."
"Amen," Bumblebee smiled warmly. "I never thought I'd get my voice back let alone have a family or sparkmate as wonderful as you… I thank God every day for all of it."
"As do I," Darkstorm whispered before her lip components met his.
Plasmarift's mind was on anything but sleep as she and Silverblaze made their way back to their quarters. How could she think about rest? She'd gone in wanting to turn and run away as fast as possible and left with the realization that she wanted to be a carrier.
Admittedly it wasn't something that only came up that night; she'd been thinking about it for a long time. But first it was after she and Blaze had been separated, so she wrote the idea off until she found him. Then after they rescued him it was "he needs to recover first" or "there's so much going on here already". Or the most convincing line of thought: "what, and lose it again like Ravenstar?"
She wasn't one to say it out loud, but she had been terrified of becoming sparked again. Not for the nausea and restlessness and all the other 'joys' of early carrierhood, but for more "practical" reasons. She knew that she'd sustained severe internal damage at Tyger Pax, and it was said internal damage that resulted in the loss of her sparkling. Add to that the fact that the loss of Ravenstar nearly physically destroyed her own spark, and in her processor she had every reason to fear what she always thought wouldn't happen anyway.
Travelling solo through space, it had been easy enough to not think about it. For one she was still focused on finding her sparkmate, but she also didn't spend a lot of time with carriers-to-be, or carriers at all for that matter. But here it was a totally different story, because not only was Elita sparked since before Plasma even returned to Cybertron, but the sniper also knew Darkstorm since before anyone knew she was going to have sparklings. Here, Plasma got a vivid reminder of the life she could've had but had wrenched from her servos.
"Lost in thought, Plasma?"
She looked up at Silverblaze, yanked out of her train of thought. She turned her focus back to the hall, "Yeah . . ."
She saw him nod out of the corner of her optic but didn't immediately speak.
After a moment he vented. "So you think we're ready?"
There wasn't a doubt in her processor that Silverblaze was ready, if his immediate fondness of the twins just then was any indication. No, Plasma's real concern lay with herself.
"I don't know if it's something you just decide you're ready for, but . . . well this isn't the first time I've thought about it." She vented, "This is just the first time I haven't been scared scrapless by the idea."
"I admit I've been curious about what it might be like, but I never wanted to push you into anything." He smiled down at the Iaconian femme, "If you decide you want to wait or go for it or whatever other options there might be, know that I'm behind you completely."
She wrapped her arms around his midsection in a sideways hug as they continued walking. "Thank you. Though, I imagine it might be some time before we have our own 'ankle-biter'."
He lightly laughed and returned the gesture. "That's fine."
Even so, she could feel his excitement through their bond, a feeling she hadn't read from him or experienced herself in voors. And with that feeling, she couldn't help but be excited herself.
"Awww! They're so cute!" Miko squealed.
Darkstorm chuckled softly before placing a digit to her lip components. "Shh, I just got them to sleep."
"Sorry," Miko lowered her voice, if just a tad. "But seriously, you and 'Bee made the cutest babies!"
Raf smiled up at Bumblebee. "What are their names?"
"Skyquake for the mech and Dawnbringer for the femme," he answered with a soft, content smile.
The children collectively looked at each other upon hearing the name choices, knowing full well why she chose Skyquake. Jack grimaced, remembering his death back on earth, before saying, "They're fitting, 'Storm. Couldn't have picked better ones myself."
Skye looked between the two young ones, a look of wonder on her face. "They're beautiful, Dar'sain."
"Thank you," Darkstorm beamed before adding mischievously, "But I bet yours will be even more so."
The young woman turned her head away and coughed lightly. A hand raised to partially hide her face, "W-we're not talking about me here, Darkstorm."
"Don't mind her, 'Storm. She's just embarrassed because she knows you're right," Miko smirked and remarked.
The Brit groaned and glared at Miko. "Someday, Miko. Someday you'll get what's coming to you."
Miko shot her a slag-eating grin. "That's what 'Spray says too but it's never happened. So, I win."
Skye groaned again. "For now."
D/N: Well, here it is. The long awaited birthing of the twins! We hope y'all enjoyed it.
To Bluefeather4299: ^^ Me too. They are seriously one of my favorite pairings on here. No joke.
To Sparksaver: "Well, Cybertron is fortunate to have you," she smiled cordially. "And may God bless you and your day as well, my friend."
To Mindwipe: "As am I. I wish him, and you, only the best," Darkstorm replied.
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ.
—2 Corinthians 3:2–3
I want to thank all of you again for all of your love, care, and support. It means more to us than you know. I thank God continually for you all. May God bless you and your days, lovelies!
B/N: I know you guys have been wondering when this chap would happen, and I have to say I'm very glad to finally be sharing these feels with you~ gotta say, this is another of my favorite chapters for pretty much all the characters here. Hope y'all enjoy et :3