A loud whine that didn't seem possible to make until she made it escaped Lightswipe the moment she woke from recharge, and she pulled herself to stare over the edge of crib at the door, as she wailed for her sire and carrier desperately. Another long, dragged out shriek followed, piercing the peaceful silence of the night. Finally, just as her vocalizer started to give, the door swung open, and an agitated looking Ratchet stepped in, grumbling and blinking drowsiness from his optics. Lightswipe squealed and reached out for him, chittering excitedly.

"Hush," Ratchet scolded lightly, "You'll wake your Sire with that racket." He walked over and scooped her up, cradling her until she quieted down. "You have quite the vocals, little one."

Lightswipe cooed, staring up at him with huge, bright optics. A smile came to Ratchet's lips, and his agitation faded immediately. "Gahoodd..." She mumbled unintelligible and nonexistent words.

"If I bring you to me and Optimus's room, will you stay quiet?" Ratchet asked softly, his optics shining with an affectionate glitter. A shrill of excitement escaped the sparkling.

"Op-mis!" She squealed. "Op-mis!" She excitedly waved her servos about, squirming in her carrier's grip.

"Shhhh, hush." Ratchet hissed quietly, as he left the room and carried her down the hall, and towards his room. "You have to be quiet if your going to recharge with your Sire and I."

Lightswipe stuffed her fist in her mouth and gnawed on it slightly, still making small chirps of happiness, muffled by her servo. Ratchet rolled his optics and gently nudged her servo out of her mouth.

"Parts of your frame are not items to consume, Light," he opened the door and entered his berthroom. Optimus lay snuggled up in blankets on the berth, subconsciously reaching out a servo to Ratchet's side of the berth for the medic, and giving a complaining whine when he didn't feel his mate beside him.

Ratchet laid down, settling Lightswipe in between them, and pulling the blankets over the both of them. When the small femling squealed happily and yawned, Optimus stirred slightly, reaching out for Ratchet again in his recharge. Ratchet sighed and touched his mate's servo, reassuring the slumbering Prime of his presence. Optimus was surprisingly cuddly during the night, and was always subconsciously snuggling his mate without realizing it. Ratchet didn't mind... he had missed that when the chip was lodged in his spark.

"Ratch?" Lightswipe reached for her carrier.

"Yes, little one?" Ratchet replied softly, given her a servo, for her to grab.

"I love you!" She cooed, hugging his servo, and cuddling close to him. Ratchet smiled, and allowed her to snuggled him to his chestplating.

"I love you too, Light."

Optimus growled, half asleep. "I'm very touched, and I love you both, but I am trying to recharge..." He mumbled, wrapping an arm around his mate and sparkling and pulling them close. Lightswipe yawned, and closed her optics, snuggling up in between her carrier and sire.

"Alright, Optimus. We love you too." Ratchet smiled, and relaxed in his mate's arm, and hugged Lightswipe close.

~~

A loud crash woke Optimus and Ratchet that morning, startling them both to consciousness, and earning a gasp of shock from both.

"What was that?" Ratchet exclaimed, sitting up and sending Optimus a worried look. The Prime opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when a shrill giggle cut him off. Optimus stood, his gaze drifting to the toppled shelf in the corner, one that held energon cubes. Energon was spilled all over the floor, splattered on the wall, and all over Lightswipe as she sat and played in the thick substance. She giggled again, beaming up at her carrier and sire.

"She toppled the shelf." Ratchet said in disbelief, sighing. "Should've known she'd get into something..." He stood and approached the femling, scooping her up, groaning when she squealed and squirmed, sending droplets of energon all over him. "She's filthy!"

"I'll take her to the washracks in the ship." Optimus smiled in amusement and took her in his arms. "She could use an oil bath." Lightswipe squealed again and hugged him, spreading energon across his chest. He sighed, and shook his helm slowly. "I don't know where she gets the mischief from..."

"I do." Ratchet rolled his optics, shifting closer to peck Optimus's cheek. "If I remember correctly, Orion was quite the mischievous little fragger." He teased, nuzzling his mate affectionately.

Optimus huffed playfully and opened the door. "I'm going to the ship to give her a bath. When I get back I'll clean up the mess." He glanced down at the toppled shelf and the spilled cubes.

His mate waved a servo dismissively. "I'll clean it up, Optimus. You take Lightswipe."

"Squeee!" Lightswipe exclaimed, as Optimus opened the door to leave, kicking her little legs happily and clinging to her sire, continuing to make happy chirps.

"I'll be back, Sweetspark." The Prime smiled, affection flowing rapidly across the bond as he gazed down at the happy sparkling. She reached up towards him and giggled. Optimus nuzzled her and carried her down the hall, a loving smile remaining on his lips. As he came into the main hangar, he was greeted by many looks of amusement and admiration, as the others caught sight of the squirming femling.

::She's adorable,:: Bumblebee whirred and beeped, his large blue optics locking onto the femling.

"Glad I won't be the only femme on the team." Padding over, Arcee said with a smile, observing Lightswipe closely. "She's got such pretty optics..."

Optimus beamed slightly, a reminder he was once Orion Pax, and nodded. "She has quite the optics."

"She sure is filthy though." Cliffjumper chuckled, approaching as well and looking over her energon covered frame. "What did she do?" He glanced up at her sire.

"Tipped a shelf." Optimus replied, continuing to the door, smiling at the other bots. "I need to give her a bath... Ratchet's got his memory back. If someone could assist him in cleaning up the mess Lightswipe made, it would be much appreciated." He opened the door, and stepped outside, heading to the ship they had arrived on Earth in. They would need to install washracks to the base in the future...

A bird flew overhead and squawked.

"Sqwua!" Lightswipe imitated, flapping her arms like wings, watching the bird as it flew away, giggling in delight. "Sqwua!" She repeated, impersonating the bird the best she could. "Sqwwuaaaa!"

Optimus entered the ship as she continued to repeat the new sound she had learned, and quickly located the washracks. He turned on the faucet, and twisted the nozel until the right temperature oil poured out, and set Lightswipe in the shallow tub.

"Sqwwuaaaa!" She shrieked happily, splashing in the oil and rolling in it happily, sending a great deal out of the tub and onto Optimus, earning an unamused sigh.

"Light, oil stays in the tub," he muttered, wiping some of the thick substance off his face.

Lightswipe continued to tumble, splash and play in the bath, loud noises of content and happiness echoing through the washracks, for a good half an hour. Optimus decided bathtime was over, however, when the femling began to attempt to consume the oil, and lifted her out of the tub. He dried her off with a large cloth and wrapped her in it, chuckling in amusement as she made the bird noise she'd learned the entire time.

"You sure like making that sound," he observed as he carried the bundled femling out of the washracks. "Ratchet may not like the extra loud noise, little one."

"Sqwua!" Lightswipe exclaimed, not listening at all, and squirming around in the bundle like a caterpillar.

"Thought so." Optimus rolled his optics and reentered the base, to find his mate standing with the rest of the Autobots, conversing happily. He unwrapped Lightswipe and set her down, allowing her to roam free for a bit.

"SQWWUAAAA!" She squeaked, crawling as fast as she could across the floor.

"New word?" Arcee teased as Optimus strode over. "Could've taught her a less obnoxious one, you know."

"She learns on her own." Optimus smiled, watching her crash into Cliffjumper's legs at a fast crawl, giggling in delight. The red mech smiled as she laid across his peds, staring up at him with a huge grin.

Ratchet gave a proud chuckle. "She's a smart little femme." His gaze softened affectionately as Lightswipe crawled over to him, opening her arms for him to pick her up. He scooped her up in his arms, holding her out, smiling. "Aren't you, Light?" He cooed.

"Sqwua!!!" She chirped excitedly.

Optimus strode over to stand beside his mate, and wrapped his arms around the medic's waist from behind him. "You gave us a fine sparkling, Ratchet." He said warmly, hugging his mate lovingly.

"Will there be any more where that came from?" Cliffjumper asked with a coy smirk, and a mischievous grin. Ratchet blushed, and Optimus nudged him playfully.

"We'll see," the medic replied, setting Lightswipe down.

The sparkling giggled and crawled away.

Optimus hugged Ratchet tighter now that he wasn't holding a sparkling, burying his faceplate in the medic's neck cabling, engines humming with content. If only he could hold him like this forever...

But Megatron did indeed have something planned, something they hadn't expected.

And nothing they could do could've helped them predict what would happen.