The minute Wheeljack saw her, he knew something was off. Well, not off. Just...familiar. Her black hair and pink pigtails, her spunky attitude and the way she observed him with open curiosity and amazement. It all seemed way too familiar.

But he also saw how she stuck close to the other humans, and how they all looked out for each other. No matter how many times he tried to shake it off, he could not get rid of the feeling that he knew this human from somewhere, somehow. Which was ridiculous, as he had never come to this planet before and there was no way that Miko could have gotten to Cybertron considering their short lifespan and inability to survive in space.

At that moment, Miko let out a squeal of surprise when Bulkhead picked her up. She laughed when her guardian placed her on his shoulder, her smile bright and energetic.

Wheeljack blinked, a memory tugging at his mind. Where had he heard that sound before? Why was it standing out to him all of the sudden?

A long lost memory came back, one of him entering the lab to see Shockwave rubbing at his one optic, moaning and snarling about the little 'vermin' infesting the place. At first, Wheeljack had just laughed at his companion's predicament, especially since they couldn't find the 'vermin' that had damaged Shockwave's optic anywhere.

But a few human weeks later, two mechs came in with three of the 'vermin' Shockwave had insisted were responsible for his temporary blindness. Wheeljack had taken one glance at the sparklings before a wide smile had spread across his features. To think these harmless creatures had attacked Shockwave, the most intimidating and silent mech around.

Thinking about the Con brought a scowl to Wheeljack's face as he was pulled back to the present. As far as he was concerned, the Decepticon scientist could rot for all he cared. The past was history and not worth remembering about what he once had back home. A dead home.

"Are you alright, Wheeljack?" Optimus Prime asked, coming to stand beside the Wrecker.

Wheeljack glanced over at the leader. "Yeah, I'm good. The humans though," he nodded to the three children. "They're tough. Makeshift was one dangerous Con and these kids brushed it off as if it was nothing." Indeed, after Makeshift was dealt with, the boys went back to their weird dancing with Bumblebee while Miko played on her guitar. They seemed perfectly fine despite that one of them had been held hostage by a Decepticon.

Optimus nodded. "They are resilient, as I have come to learn. They have been through much."

Wheeljack finally looked at the leader with a small frown. He could not help but feel like there was something unsaid going on. But he was never good with riddles, and Prime was out of luck if he was trying to get something across to the Wrecker.

He went back to observing the children, Miko especially. Despite being a fragile human, he saw the spark in her, in all of them. A true Wrecker, he couldn't help but think.

When he had first arrived on this planet, he had been shocked to see the creatures that so resembled his sparklings. He had been stunned into silence, as old memories came rushing back and his spark had started to pulse rather frantically. He had reached out in hope, searching for the bond, despite the pain and ache he was feeling. But just as before, he had felt nothing.

But he couldn't help but hope. It was that hope that he resented. Why did he dare to hope, when he knew it was all for nothing? They were gone. They were not coming back. Alpha Trion himself had said he had not known where he had sent them, only that the odds of ever meeting up with them again was slim.

Yet, he could not help himself, and he kept searching.

It was where he found himself now, his new semi truck form just driving down the empty roads. His treacherous spark was still searching, reaching out, and he could do nothing to dull the aching pain.

"This planet is small," a familiar voice commented. Optimus said nothing as Ratchet drove alongside him. The roads were empty, and they didn't need to worry about disturbing anyone. "Smaller than Cybertron," Ratchet commented.

"Indeed," Optimus said. The hidden message was there, however. The planet was smaller than Cybertron, which should make it somewhat easier to search for what was lost. He pulled up into a deserted part of the road, transforming as he did so. He looked around him, watching the setting sun over the mountains. "But it also holds a new kind of beauty."

Ratchet transformed as well, coming to stand next to him. "Dusty," he grunted. "And a bit fragile. But nice in some ways." He glanced at Optimus, and it was a look the Prime knew well.

"I am fine, Ratchet," he said quickly.

Ratchet frowned. "Are you so sure about that?"

"This planet is new, and it would do us some good to observe it, see what we can learn," he said.

"So you decided to do that by yourself?"

"I needed some time to gather and collect my thoughts," Optimus replied. "The team that answered the call, it was not what I had hoped. We are so few in numbers with no way to contact others that may be out there."

"This is not the smallest team you led," Ratchet pointed out. "Remember that time in Kaon with Blur and Ironhide? The strongest and the fastest there was. You pulled through." He paused. "Of course, this is new territory. But nothing is ever the same, no situation ever is."

Optimus could not help but smile at the memory of him and his teammates during that specific time in Kaon. Yes, desperate times had called for desperate measures, and it was one that Ironhide had never wanted to repeat ever again. To be honest, Optimus thought the weapons specialist was being dramatic. Blur had been a bit...too eager though.

"Hope is what carries us through," he found himself saying and wishing he hadn't. He could still see their faces, their tiny little faces. Sometimes, he could hear their voices squeaking for his attention. At night, he could have sworn that he could feel them resting near his spark. But as the war had dragged on, memories faded until there was nothing else to focus on but the next fight. It was only when he was caught off guard that a familiar sight or sound would remind him of what he had lost, of what he was supposed to protect.

"Keep holding on to that hope, Optimus," Ratchet said. "It's what pulls us all through."

When he had heard them, heard their excited chatter, his spark had nearly stopped. No, it couldn't be. His mind was playing another cruel trick on him. But there they were, the three sparklings-children, standing in his base, looking around with wide eyes.

He stepped forward, noting how Lechnie-Jack, stepped forward in front of the two younger ones. Questions were burning in Optimus's mind. What happened to them? Where they alright? How had they met? Did they know him? He watched for a sign that they knew who he was, that they remembered him. But all three of them stayed silent, waiting for him to explain why they were here.

Pain and disappointment shot up at his spark. They did not remember him. They did not know him. The revelation was just as painful as any wound he could have ever received in battle. His spark tentatively reached out, trying to feel for the bond, only to be met with emptiness.

A flicker of hurt came across his features before he quickly collected himself. Now was not the time to let his emotions get the best of him. The sparklings...the children wanted answers, and he would give it to them to the best of his ability.

The base was silent as the children were out with their guardians. Their laughter as they accompanied his Autobots filled his spark with warmth. It was so familiar, yet so different. Despite not knowing who they were to him, who they had been, he found comfort in their presence.

"You're still up?" Ratchet grumbled as he entered the room.

Optimus glanced over at his friend. "I am just finishing up a few things, Ratchet."

Ratchet grunted. "Sure you are." The room fell into silence once again, the only sound was from Optimus's rapid typing.

"Will you be alright?" Ratchet asked suddenly, his tone soft.

Optimus's servos froze for a small moment before continuing his typing. "I will be."

"They're just as annoying as I remember."

Optimus smiled. "Only you would find them as such."

"I never thought they would be this loud," Ratchet complained. "And Miko with her noise making weapon she calls music, bah!"

Optimus closed his optics. "Raf is a very intelligent young one," he commented foundly, his voice soft.

"That he is," Ratchet agreed. It had been decided that the youngest of the children was Ratchet's favorite. He was quiet, polite and had a thirst for knowledge. Not to say the others weren't so, but Raf had a different approach on how he handled things.

But it wasn't enough. Despite the fact that he had found them, Optimus still wanted them to remember. He wanted them to know who he had been, to realize just how much of an impact they had had on his life so long ago. But when they looked at him, it was not with any realization, and it hurt just a little more each time.

He opened his optics once again. He supposed he could not have it all. They were with him, he had found them. It was enough for now.

"Where are my sparklings?"

That had been the first thing Ariel had asked when she had emerged from stasis, the Matrix of Leadership had worked on healing and rebuilding her just as it had done to him. Her question had been met with pained glances, and a distraught mech she barely recognized. His body and armor was built different, ready for battle, as was hers. But she knew those optics, she knew that voice.

"Orion," she asked, panic building up inside her. "What happened? Where are they?"

He looked up, his optics filled with loss and pain. "Ariel," he said, his voice cracking. "I'm sorry." He could not even form the words to tell her what had happened.

Ariel scrambled off of the berth, ripping the cords out of her body that connected her to the machines that had been stabilizing her. She fell to her knees, not used to her new form as she knelt next to Orion. She took his servos in hers as they clung to each other. She could feel the void, the emptiness where the bond used to be; that special little place the sparklings had kept. It was nothing like when she had lost her creators when they had perished. This void was different, like nothing she had ever felt before.

"They're gone," he choked out. And her world came to a halt.

The war had hardened her spark. Both of theirs. They learned to avoid attachments, and to carry on as the battles around them raged on. But nothing could ever dull the emptiness that once connected them to their sparklings.

So it came as no surprise, when thousands of years later, on an unknown planet, that when Optimus Prime ran into the room to find Ratchet on his knees, staring at the smoking ground bridge, that he had asked the very same thing. The room was empty, save for the medic.

Empty. Wait, where were the children? They were supposed to be with Ratchet!

"Ratchet," he said, his voice grave and demanding answers. "Where are my sparklings?"

Moments later, they would get a call from June.

"T'o't!" Miko shrieked, racing towards him. Her hair was down, and her oversized shirt could have been a tunic on her slim body. In that moment, she looked older than ever before. Her tiny body slammed into his holoform as she wrapped her arms around him desperately.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, clinging to him. "I'm so sorry."

He could not figure out for the life of him why she would feel as if she needed to apologize to him. He ran his holoform hands through her long hair. "Sh," he soothed. "It will be alright Nelchie."

Raf ran over as fast as his small legs could carry them. It was so easy for Optimus to gather the boy in his arms. He loved using his holoform, as it allowed him to touch and hold the children. He looked up to see Jack, standing by. Conflicted emotions flashed across the older boy's face. Doubt, hurt, joy. There was sadness lurking underneath as well. His eyes were hollow and his face was pale. He looked as if he would unravel at the seams any moment.

He reached out for the boy, eager to take him in his arms. He had waited so long for this, for them. "Jack," he said softly.

It was like a barrier had broke as Jack collapsed into Optimus arms, holding onto him as he cried. Optimus just held him, he held them all as they clung to him like a lifeline. His spark slowly reached out, hesitantly feeling for the bond. To his joy, he felt them reach back, flooding him with emotions of relief and...guilt?

Why would they feel guilty? That was something he would have to get to the bottom of.

"You the father?" a man asked. Optimus looked up and only saw kindness in the man's eyes. He was eyeing Optimus warily, yet with openness.

"Yes," Optimus answered without a second of hesitation. "I am. And I thank you for taking care of my children."

And he was. He truly was. Everything was right with the universe. He had his sparklings back, they were safe and they remembered him. Those years of lost hope and mourning were all worth it now that he had them in his arms once again.

Ratchet would never forget the day when Orion and Ariel had rushed into his med bay, demanding that he help them figure out how to take care of the so called 'sparklings.' While he was always available to assist his companions, he was stumped on how to deal with these squishy beings.

Though he would never admit it, they had grown on him. They were sort of cute, and the way Orion would light up whenever he saw them made Ratchet smile. Orion always had a soft spark, so it was no wonder that the sparklings had become so special to the clerk.

But he would never forget the anguish in Orion's optics when the sparklings just...vanished. It would be years before the new Prime would confide in him that the sparklings were not dead, but had rather, returned home.

It took all of Ratchet's will power not to strangle Alpha Trion. Optimus and Elita were still haunted by the loss, their sparks aching for the empty bond that had once tied them to the three innocent lives.

Though, at the moment, Ratchet doubted that they were as 'innocent' as he had once thought. When Optimus had arrived at base with the children, and Miko had been the first one to jump out, she looked up at the medic with wide eyes. "Hey Dude," she said with a grin.

He frowned, not knowing what it meant, but he decided that he did not like it. Not one bit.

"Do you feel them?" Ratchet had asked once. It had been a time when the children were still relatively new to the Autobots lives, but Ratchet understood who they were to Optimus. He always had.

Pain flickered through Optimus's expression, before he straightened up and Ratchet regretted asking the question.

"No," he answered softly.

Ratchet nodded to himself, holding back his reply. Soon, he thought. Hopefully it will all change.

But of course now that the children remembered their connection and were chatting among themselves excitedly and to their guardians about all they had seen, Ratchet could see the change in them all. He would notice how they would all grow silent and stare off into space. Miko and Jack would smile for no reason, Raf would giggle, and Optimus would pause in his work to give the children a look.

Yes, the bond was useful as it allowed Optimus to stay alert to what the children were doing. But at times, Ratchet would swear the children were corrupting the Prime. He had hoped the bond would keep them out of trouble. But, he was in for a disappointment.

Such as the incident when a hamster got loose in the base. Ratchet had shouted and sputtered both in Cybertronian and the many other earth languages he had learned. Matters were made worse when the oversized rat had left little dirty deposits for Ratchet to step in.

"Did you know that Miko brought this little...this beast in here?" Ratchet growled, glaring up at the Prime who had just entered the room. At the moment, Ratchet was holding his dirty pede up while glaring at Miko who was holding the hamster in her arms. She had explained that she was watching the...thing for a friend and didn't want to leave it home alone. So she came up with the idea to bring it to base.

Optimus just cocked his helm as he glanced at Miko. Something passed between the two of them, and it set Ratchet on alert. "Are you in need of assistance?" the Prime had asked instead.

Ratchet just grumbled. Yes the, the bond was useful, and at times, it was not. "You knew," he growled, glaring at Optimus who actually did not look bothered by the accusation. He just blinked oh so innocently.

Innocent his now dirty pede.

Finally, when days had passed and Ratchet had finally managed to cool down from the incident, he had glanced at Optimus thoughtfully. "Can you still feel them?" he asked Optimus once more when the children had returned.

The smile on his Prime's face was well worth it all. "Yes," he said softly. "Yes I can."

The base was quiet, as the children's guardians were out on patrol and Ratchet was in the back room. Optimus was working on one of the large computers, the archivist in him springing forth. The children were all conversing quietly, their hushed tones like a comforting breeze in the still base.

Optimus looked up, a long awaited thought coming to him. He turned to the children with a knowing look. Sensing him, they all stopped to look at him eagerly.

"T'o't?" Jack asked, cocking his head.

Optimus just smiled. "I want to show you something."

Elita-One strolled down the empty and quiet ship, the halls dark as most of her troops settled down for recharge. Space stretched on in front of them, dark and vast as always. She would have most certainly stayed up to complete her work, had it not been for Chromia threatening to drag her to the berth room and force her to recharge. It was made worse when the blue femme had called in Red Alert, who had pointed out that the pink femme was running low on fuel and had to recharge, or risk a shutdown.

With the two head strong femmes ganging up on her, and her own body protesting how tired she really was, Elita had relented and headed for her berth room. As she laid down in the small berth, she tried to go into recharge, but her mind was swarming with too much information.

She sighed, staring up at the ceiling. She went through battle regulations and strategies as well as the reports she had received about the ongoing siege. She let out a groan, rubbing a servo over her helm. Maybe she should check the ship's mainframe one more time.

"You should get some rest," a voice said, amusement in his tone.

Elita grinned at her sparkmate's voice, sitting up in her berth. "So should you," she replied.

"It is not yet time to recharge," he said. "This planet's time runs a little differently."

She hummed. "Excuses, excuses." She could feel Optimus's amusement increase, as well as...excitement? What was he excited about?

"I miss you," he said. He was avoiding the silent question. He could feel her curiosity, yet he was trying to avoid it for a moment longer.

She smiled. "I miss you too. Now what is it that you are hiding?"

She felt his amusement grow. "Just a little surprise for you. They also are quite eager to see you again," he said suddenly.

She frowned. "They?" She stopped when she felt the small bond reach out, but it was not Optimus's and it was not her sisters. It was familiar, and one she thought she had lost. But the bond was joined by another, and then one more until three small beings were trying to communicate with her.

"Melchnie?" she gasped out loud, jumping from her berth suddenly. She clenched her servos as she felt their excited presence fill her, all three of the sparklings chattering excitedly. She could feel Optimus step back, watching the reunion.

"You found them!" she exclaimed.

She could feel Optimus smile. "Of course I did."

"My sparklings," she choked out, happiness filling her once more as she reached out, wrapping them in a warm, mental embrace. "My sparklings."

All three of them were speaking over each other, all three excited to finally form a connection with her. She realized with a jolt that she could understand them. Nelchie's voice was loud and confident, while Melchnie's was soft, yet open. Lechnie also sounded soft, yet firm. But they were all happy and eager, as was she.

She settled back into her berth, closing her optics as she let the presence of her loved ones fill her. Suddenly, this war became slightly more bearable.

Megatron strolled down the halls of the Nemesis, his gaze stoic as he made his way into his private chambers. He had given clear instructions that he was not to be disturbed. His gaze wandered around the room as he reached for the secure compartment nearby. Pulling the object within out into the open, he studied it with a thoughtful expression.

He looked back at the datapad he was holding, staring at the simple image. The Autobot pets stared right back at him through the screen, their expressions frozen in shock and terror. Well, the boys expressions were, the girl looked excited and startled as she took a picture. The image Soundwave had managed to capture was simple and held no further meaning to anyone. The children could be used as nothing more than a leverage against Optimus Prime. Humans, after all, were always the weak link.

But, to a select few, this image was something more. It was why Soundwave had immediately delivered the image he had taken to Megatron. No reasons or explanation was needed. Both Decepticons knew what this meant. It changed everything, yet nothing at all.

The object he had pulled from the hidden compartment called for his attention. It was simple, sealed in a firm substance to keep it from decaying anymore. He knew that the pages inside would be brittle and crumble into dust, the precious images lost forever if they were taken out of the substance that protected them. The drawing of two mechs locked in combat stared back at Megatron, a drawing of two mechs he knew well.

One was of him, and the other of his most hated foe.

The other images foretold of things that had happened when the artist should not have been able to predict such things. Yet, it had happened. The picture of Cybertron, dead and void of life was true. The image of the blue and green planet with the ground bridge was enough to give one a moment of pause. However it had happened, the artist had known the future, enough to make it a work of art.

Megatron glanced back at the image of the three children, an unreadable look crossing his features. Jack, Raf and Miko, whatever they were called now, he knew them by different names. He put away the object in his hidden compartment, safe from prying eyes.

It was time to get back to work. He quickly shut off the datapad, the image of the children turning black. "Soundwave," he said through a comm link. "They have returned home."

Author's Note: So, in Timeframe, I cannot believe you guys would think I'd forget to write about Ariel/Elita reuniting with the kids ;)

Anyway, so the alternate story where the kids actually do change the future is up and running. It's called Framed Time. Thanks for your support throughout this story!