Okay, yeah, I haven't posted a fic in forever! This has kinda sat on the shelf all summer. It's an idea I just kinda wanted to play around with, that Bayverse Optimus is the little brother of Bayverse Megatron, and Bayverse Sentinel is their father. A friend of mine, TheDoctorCT-21-0408, requested a story to go with this idea. And thus, before you is the result of said request.

I do not own Sentinel, Optimus, or Megatron, nor do I own Decepticons and Vehicons.

Also not mine is the artwork I used for the cover, which can be viewed in full here: (copy link into browser search bar and remove spaces)

www. deviantart art /The-most- adorable-drawing- ever-DarkLordSauron -374614969

Fear. That was all I felt. From the moment Alnai called me to come meet her behind the house, I knew something wasn't right. There was a cold, ominous feeling in the air as I walked past Optimus and Megatron's shared room. I paused a moment to look in on them. The children were completely oblivious to my presence there. Yet I couldn't shake the feeling that the little ones were in some sort of danger. I smiled at the sound of Optimus' joyful, childish laughter as Megatron wrapped him in a hug, only to start tickling him vigorously. How I wished they could just stay this little and innocent forever.

I continued out the back door and saw Alnai waiting in the backyard, where some of the sparklings' toys were still scattered. She stood with her back to me as she acknowledged my presence.

"Sentinel." she said, as if saying it for the first time, "Sentinel Amhriel Prime." She shook her head, "Of all mechs, I never thought you would become a fool."

"What?" I raised an eyebrow ridge. She shook her head again and continued.

"You used to be so secretive about your strategies and the Autobots' greatest secrets, entrusted to you in that Matrix of yours." I felt the Matrix of Leadership, the object that marked me as a Prime, pulsing inside my chestplates where it was united with my spark.

"Since I've been with you, you've become quite...slackjawed...about such matters. And wasn't it you who always said such things must be guarded with your life?"

"Aye, I did say that." I didn't like where this was going.

"Well, then the one who delivered those secrets to a Decepticon spy should PAY with his life." She spun around, her blaster aimed at my spark. Decepticon symbols glittered on her shoulders. My optics widened in shock as the forms of a troop of Vehicons emerged from the shadows behind her. Two grabbed me roughly by my arms, their blasters in my back as they pushed me forward. Defenseless, I complied, until I heard a scream from the house.

Some powerful beast within me awoke then as I kicked one Vehicon's leg and broke it, spinning around to catch the other in his jaw with my fist. I turned and sprinted back inside, just in time to see a Vehicon holding Optimus by his neck and aiming a blaster at him. His little face leaked waterfalls of tears down his cheekplates.

"Nasutn'on!(1)" he cried. I ran forward and kicked the Vehicon in his side, catching him by surprise. Optimus slid down the wall and into my waiting arms. I ran down the hall, stopping only to grab a crate of energon cubes and a few blankets.

"MEGATRON!" I yelled. The older sparkling quickly appeared at my side. I threw my long black traveling cloak around my shoulders before snatching Megatron up in one arm. I raced forward, slamming into Vehicons too dumb to get out of my way. Once outside, I sped up, running blindly into the darkness, not caring where I went. My only concern was putting as much distance between the babies and the Cons as possible. Optimus was hugging my neck and crying as we ran. I soon felt the road fade away under my pedes, but I didn't stop. I kept going. There was only one place my sons would be safe from the Cons. I ran, one child in each arm, into the depths of the inky black, wilderness.

I don't know how long I ran, or how far, before I felt it was safe enough to stop. I handed Megatron a blanket and an energon cube, since the older sparkling could feed himself. I sat down on the ground with Optimus in my lap. The baby shivered as he leaned against my chestplates, feeling the welcome warmth of my spark against his faceplate. I wrapped a blanket around Optimus and pulled out an energon cube for him. Bless his little spark, he was terrified. It was evident in the constant flow of tears down his face even as I held the cube to his lip plates and he drank vigorously. When he finished, he leaned against my chestplates again. I looked over to see that Megatron had finished his energon and had fallen asleep, his blanket and another one wrapped around him. I felt Optimus's tears against my armor and looked down at my littlest son.

"I'm scared, Da." he sniffed. I put my arms around him and hugged him close.

"I know, Optimus." I said quietly, stroking his little helm gently, "I know you're scared. But I'm right here, Da won't let anything happen to you."

"Pwomise?" I couldn't help but smile as I gave him a kiss on the forehelm.

"I promise, little one." I closed my optics as I held my child tight, knowing he was still scared to death from the Cons' invading our house. Optimus clung tightly to my armor, reluctant to even think of leaving the safety of my arms. I could feel his tiny body shaking against me and I wrapped my cloak around the two of us. The baby whimpered softly as a cold wind hit his face.

"Don't worry, Optimus. Everything's going to be okay, I promise." I laid down beside Megatron, holding Optimus against me. He yawned and hugged my neck.

"Wuv you, Da." he said, his little optics already half shut. I smiled, my optics misty.

"And I love you, Optimus. So much." The baby made no reply, as he was already asleep. I kissed his helm again before I shut my own optics and went to sleep.

I woke the next morning and nearly had a spark attack. Megatron's face wasn't three inches from mine. But before my optics registered that, I felt one of my eyebrow ridges spring back into place from being pulled down. My first reaction, considering our situation, was panic mode.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH HHHHH!" I jumped up screaming, my voice a much higher pitch than I liked. My head snapped left and right, optics scanning for intruders, my aroma sensors flaring, my audials on high alert for any sound of oncoming attack. But all I heard was the sound of happy children's giggling and laughing. I looked over and saw Optimus and Megatron rolling on the ground laughing. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard, the sound of my children's joy. After last night's flood of tears, this was a welcome change.

"Oh, so that's how you want to play, is it? Well, that's just fine!" I attacked both under their arms with my fingers, tickling the sensitive parts of their sparkling armor. Optimus squealed happily and laughed harder, his little arms and legs flailing. Megatron was trying and failing to fight off my hand. After a moment, I took my hands away and let them up. They sat there catching their intakes. I smiled at them as I took out two energon cubes. I gave one to Megatron and fed the other to Optimus.

"Da, forgot you!" Megatron cried. I wiggled his little horns.

"Don't worry, I'll have some later. Now, I need to find some helpers so I can get all our mess cleaned up." Of course, one volunteered immediately.

"Ooh! Ooh! Da! Da!" Optimus chirped excitedly, waving a hand above his head. He was always ready to help a mech or femme in need.

"Okay, there's one." Megatron's hand soon followed, "And there's two. Great!" In no time at all the three of us had cleaned up and erased any sign that we had ever even been there. I wore the crate of energon on my back, along with most of the blankets. I had some wire with me, and I used it to make Megatron's blanket into a little hooded cloak for him. Optimus, I merely wrapped up in his and carried, since he couldn't walk yet. Megatron didn't mind having to walk alongside me as we set out from our makeshift campsite. Still, I made sure to keep my pace slow for him. Optimus easily fell asleep in my arms, his little face pressed against my spark. I wasn't surprised. Most children his age slept more than anything. After a while, even Megatron got tired, so I decided it was a good time to stop. We were surrounded by bronze trees that soared high above our heads. Silver-green cycads grew from the ground. What I still found remarkable was that it was all metal. Living metal, something found only on Cybertron, a great work of Primus the Lifegiver himself. Robotic animals wandered the forest, birds calling overhead.

"Pwetty." Optimus said listening to them. Megatron looked at him and nodded in agreement.

"Want to see something?" I asked. They nodded. I looked up to where the nearest bird sound was coming from. Amidst the birds' random calling, I sang a short string of notes. Optimus and Megatron looked puzzled at first, but their faces lit up in wonder as the bird echoed my song with its whistle-like call. A few seconds later, it was heard again, but from a different location. It continued on this way, the song getting more distant as it was passed along, until we couldn't hear it anymore.

"Wowwww." Optimus gasped.

"How Da do dat?" Megatron asked. I pointed into the treetops.

"Kairáne(2)." I answered. "The guide birds. It is said that if you are ever lost, simply sing a tune, as I did, and when the birds echo it, the song will lead you to safety.

"Can dey get us 'way fwom mean bots, Da?" Optimus asked.

"I don't know, son, I've never actually followed a song before. I tell you what. After your brother and I rest a bit, we'll do that. Okay?"

"Otay, Da!" Optimus chirped excitedly as I fetched him an energon cube and gave one to Megatron.

True to my word, when we were refueled and rested, I raised my head to the trees and sang again. We waited for a moment until we heard the whistling echo.

"Here we go, Optimus." He shook excitedly as he sat on my shoulders. I didn't need to see him to know he had an excited smile on his face. Megatron smiled up at him from my side as we started off, my audials flicking about to track the sound of the birds. Every now and then I would sing again, so we wouldn't lose the trail. I just hoped the old legends were correct about the song leading us to safety. I didn't want to think about the alternative.

Canis led his patrol into the forest surrounding the base. Ever since he'd seen the Decepticon ship fly over last night, he had been restless, patrolling nonstop, putting the base on the highest security level, and keeping a constant watch for anything unusual that might signal Decepticon activity.

So, of course, the Kairáne song echoing along caught his attention.

"Halt!" he called to his patrol, "Listen!" They all paused, audials pricked in the direction the song came from. When they heard a bot's approaching pedesteps, they all moved silently until they were hidden from sight. There, they waited, as the pedesteps grew closer.

"Da? Mean bots find us in forest?" Megatron asked.

"Not easily." I answered, "They'd have to use patrols on foot. Their ships are too big."

"Ships big 'n' scary, Da." Optimus whimpered. I hugged him close as I sang into the trees again.

"I know, I know. Don't worry, Optimus, you're safe. I promise."

"Yeah. Mean bots no get Oppy!" Megatron growled, balling his fists and trying his best to look big and intimidating. Optimus stared at him, then started giggling and clapping his little hands.

"Megs silly!" he laughed. Megatron pouted that he hadn't looked scary, but brightened up when he saw his little brother laughing. He held his arms up to me, and I knew what he wanted. I bent down and gently laid Optimus in his brother's waiting arms. Immediately, Optimus' arms went around Megatron's neck. Megatron smiled and held him against his chest as we continued on. I lagged a step behind them so I could watch them. Megatron pointed things out to Optimus, who followed his gaze starry-eyed with awe. I smiled at them. So young and innocent they were. They had no idea we were in a war. They didn't know lives were lost every day. All they knew was that there were mean, scary monsters called Cons who would hurt them if they caught them. I found myself wishing again that they could stay that way forever. Both their sparks were still untouched by the war, and both their optics still shone with the light joys of childhood.

So engrossed in my thoughts was I that I failed to notice the scents in the trees...until the mechs jumped out pointing guns at us. Optimus shrieked and hid his face against Megatron's shoulder.

"Sparklings!" one mech yelled. Another had his gun to my chin. He gasped when he saw my face.

"It's Prime!" he called, "It's Sentinel Prime! They're friendlies!" Then their weapons were lowered and the commander of the group came forward. I smiled when I saw him.

"Canis!" I cried.

"Sentinel! You old rascal, where have you been? Good to see you, old friend."

"And you as well, Canis. I see you haven't changed a bit since last we met." The mech laugh as he answered

"Nay, not a bit. So what brings you out here, Prime? And with the little ones too! But...wait a minute, where is Alnai?" I stiffened when he said her name. I hadn't quite adjusted to the fact that the femme I had loved more than anything in existence was a Decepticon spy. But if there was any mech I could talk to about it, I knew it was my old friend Canis. I could trust him to keep quiet about the matter until I was ready to make it public.

"Not now, Canis." I answered darkly, "Not in front of the little ones." He nodded, understanding immediately.

"All right, men, let's get these three back to base for some rest and recharge!" I nodded my thanks to Canis as he passed, headed back to the front of the group. Megatron handed Optimus back to me as a soldier picked him up. Optimus wrapped his arms around my neck, a smile on his little faceplates.

"Da story was right, Da!" he squeaked happily.

"Oh? And how do you know?" I asked.

" 'Cause da birds lead to other nice bots like Da. Lead us to safe'y." I smiled and hugged him tight.

"Yes they did, Optimus. The Kairáne led us to the other Autobots." He merely grinned and laid his head on my shoulder for the entire walk back to Canis' base. As we passed through the trees, for just a moment, I could still faintly hear the Kairáne echoing my song far off in the distance, and I sent a silent thanks to Primus for bringing us to them, and in doing so, saving my children's lives.

1. Nasutn'on - Cybertronian for "father"

2. Kairáne - "Guide birds", derived from the Ancient Cybertronian/Language of the Primes "K'aaran" which meant "leader of the lost"

I'm debating whether I should keep this as a oneshot or make it a multichapter fix. How about you guys review and tell me what you'd like to see me do with this. Thank you in advance!