Title: Finders, Keepers (Epilogue 2)

Rating: Teen (this part, M overall)

Pairing/Characters: Scavenger, Constructicons

Disclaimer: Not mine, Hasbro's and other people.

Universe: G1

Warning: Implied non-con,

Summary: Scavenger found a half-dead minibot (Gears) and decided to adopted him as his pet. Scavenger's epilogue!

Author's Note: Okay, I lied. This is the final part! Scavenger gets to have a last scene too!

Those meddling Autobots! How did they find his secret hide-out? Why were they taking Gears away? He didn't want to be part of the war anymore. He wished for peace and the chance to build cute devices with his bot. They had no right to force him back to the front lines. It was cruel. He was wounded too, his legs didn't work anymore.

"Let him go!" Scavenger screamed at them. A blasted forcefield was preventing him from rescuing his lover. Another mech, one of those psychotic anti-air twins, joined the green mech. He was dangerous! "Get away! Leave him alone!" Scavenger pulled out his blaster and shot at the red front liner. Scavenger howled as it bounced off the forcefield. He shot again and again but the result was always the same. He stopped when Gears disappeared from his visual range. "No! Bring him back!"

He pounded the forcefield with his fists, but to no avail. He tried to out-run it, but it seemed to follow his movements.

"Constructicon Scavenger, surrender now," said the black and white bot standing in front of him, weapon raised. Scavenger recognised him as the second in command of the Autobots.

"Surrender! Why would I? You should surrender and bring Gears back!"

"Constructicon Scavenger, you are currently surrounded and outnumbered. Surrender now and come peacefully. Otherwise we will be forced to incapacitate you."

"Where are you taking Gears? Don't hurt him." Scavenger's last request perplexed Prowl. Why would a Decepticon believe that they would hurt one of their own? Why would a Decepticon even care? He glanced toward Trailbreaker for a possible explanation. The black mech simply gave him a shrug. Prowl decided to humour the Constructicon. He figured he'd be less aggressive that way.

"Gears is returning to the Ark."

"Why? He's okay here. I take really good care of him!"

"He needs medical care," Prowl replied curtly. Scavenger seemed to reflect over the answer.

"Oh...I guess that's true... Can I- I mean, can I come with you guys then? I'll be there when he wakes up? He likes when I'm there." Again Prowl glanced at Trailbreaker to see if the other mech could decode the deceit. Trailbreaker gave him a puzzled look. Taking a chance, Prowl ordered Scavenger to lay down his weapon, and empty his subspace pockets. Without a fight, Scavenger complied.

"Now, raise your hands above your head and stay where you are." The Constructicon respectfully did as he was told. Once Prowl was satisfied he nodded to Trailbreaker to remove the forcefield. Trailbreaker sighed in relief and shook his head to dispel the dizziness that plagued him when he concentrated too long on maintaining a forcefield. Sunstreaker doubled his guard, seeing as the truck was currently at less than optimal capacity.

Prowl carefully approached Scavenger with Sunstreaker shadowing him, ready to take action at the merest indication of a threat. The former enforcer slipped the stasis cuffs on the Decepticon. At the moment he was going to lock them in place, his comm came to life with Bluestreak's voice.

"Prowl, watch out!" Instinct pushed Sunstreaker to roll Prowl out of the way. A laser beam narrowly missed them and shattered a boulder. Scavenger merely stood confused and looked behind him. There stood Scrapper, rifle smoking.

"The Constructicons are here," buzzed Bluesteak on the comm. "Two are down, but they busted my sniper. I know I should've brought a second one, but I didn't think I would need a second. So I brought an assault rifle instead. It saved my plating, it did. Because if I hadn't had it, I wouldn't have been able to defend myself you know." Bluestreak's ramblings went on, but Prowl ignored him. Sunstreaker was already exchanging fire against Scrapper. Behind him, Trailbreaker was holding off against Hook.

Scavenger stood baffled amidst the fight. He was wondering what he should do when Bonecrusher dragged him by the arm to cover.

"You dolt. Can't believe you surrendered without a fight." He pulled at the stasis cuffs and stared when they came off easily. "They weren't even locked? Why the frag were you just standing there, you limp wheel?"

"They were goin-"

"Aw, shut up." He called to his leader on the comm link, "Scrapper, I got the idiot. Can we ditch this joint?"

"Affirmative. Team, time to punch out." No-one argued and they moved away from the danger zone. Bonecrusher grabbed hold of Scavenger, forcing him to follow.

"Y'know, I miss your tail. It was a great handle to get your aft moving," he told his reluctant brother. Scavenger ignored the jab and kept looking back. He hoped to miraculously see his lover rush to his side. He sighed. He was too far away. But the Autobots were his friends. They should be telling the truth about taking care of him. Once he got fixed up, they could arrange secret meetings.

His team ignored Scavenger's mood on the return journey to the Nemesis. Bonecrusher teased Long Haul for getting sent out of the fight so early on by the young Praxian. Meanwhile, Hook mocked Mixmaster for getting his barrel shattered and stuck to the ground by the hardened cement. Scrapper let them banter as they wished, keeping a keen optic on the unusually silent Scavenger.

When they entered their common room, Scrapper dismissed all of them except Scavenger. Bonecrusher and Long Haul chuckled at the knowledge that Scavenger was in trouble. Mixmaster was kind enough to offer a sympathetic 'Good luck', but Hook felt above the order and stayed. He busied himself at his worktable, seemingly ignoring the conversation.

Scrapper paced in front of Scavenger as the cheerless mech sat on one of the recharge bunks.

"I'm at wit's end with you, Scavenger." There was disappointment laced with frustration in the tone. "I reasoned with you, I gave you warnings, I applied disciplinary actions, and yet you act out. Why? Are you dissatisfied with your work load? If you want something changed you know you have to file a complaint."

"...,"

"If you're having a dispute with someone from the team, or another Decepticon for that matter, you have to inform me, you understand that right?"

Scavenger nodded.

"Good. Now I want to know what the frag is going on!"

"Y-you won't like it." piped Scavenger.

"I'm already not liking it. You've been an embarrassment to us. What if Lord Megatron doesn't trust us anymore? Where would we get our contracts? We need the work."

Scavenger always found it weird when Scrapper talked like that. How could they get fired from the army, he wondered. But Hook always told him to shut up if Scrapper spoke like that.

"I'm sorry...I didn't want anything bad to happen. I was just happy." Scrapper stood, arms crossed. His glare bored into Scavenger waiting for him to elaborate on his nonsense.

"So it's true what Swindle was babbling about to Soundwave? That you found something priceless?"

Scavenger nodded. "I didn't want you to take it away. I wanted to show, but you guys didn't want me to."

"So it's out of spite?"

"Yeah, well, no. At the beginning yeah... because you were mean and called it scrap. He's not and I love him."

Scrapper stood shellshocked. "He?"

Scavenger nodded, and a dopey smile crept onto his lips as he thought about his lover. "He's great. And funny too. He likes my collection." Seeing Scrapper had stopped talking, Scavenger saw it as an opportunity to described Gears some more. However, Hook's fits of laughter in the background annoyed him.

"Oh ho, that's priceless!"

The sound snapped Scrapper from his shock. "Hook, silence!" Instead of heeding his leader's order, he came closer, chuckling.

"Really Scrapper, you should have realised it by now!"

"Realised what?" Hook said nothing, patiently waiting for Scrapper to put all the pieces in place. "To the pit with everything," he muttered what he figured it out. "If you knew about it, why didn't you mention it?"

"And let our poor little Scavenger be all tore up because he lost his new toy so quickly? Bonecrusher and Long Haul would have broken the dear. Was this one still living when the Autobots got him?"

"Of course he was!" replied Scavenger, outraged by the implication. "I took good care of him!" Hook gave a condescending smile. "I did!"

Scrapper felt his processors clogging up and rubbed his forehead. He didn't want to go through another vorn with a moping Scavenger. Maybe he could promise the return of his Autobot if he behaved. One look from Hook told him the medic had the same idea. They'd better make sure that Scavenger's adventure was covered up. He'd probably have to talk with Soundwave to keep things quiet. Better to have to deal with some blackmail from the third in command than Megatron's wrath.

"Get yourself cleaned up and ready for surgery. We're going to reinstall your scanner. But believe me; if you embarrass us again I'm really giving it to Hook for dissection."

Scavenger nodded, and eagerly stood up.

"And," continued Scrapper, "if you prove yourself to be exemplary, we'll let you visit your, uh," Scrapper searched for the proper word.

"Treasure," supplied Hook, crooked smile on his lips.

"Really?"

"Yes. You'll do your best for us? And for the Decepticons?"

Again, Scavenger nodded vigorously. "Thanks guys!" He jumped and hugged both of them. Part of him felt bad for having shut his brother out of his new life with Gears. He shouldn't have worried so much. They were supportive after all. Everything would be perfect from now on.

This was the last part :) Feel free to leave reviews!