Author's note: This story follows the fanfic timeline beginning in "Family Ties", created by Phantom, a fellow tf fanfic writer. Her fanfics can be found here My thanks to her for the initial stamp of approval and allowing me the use of her character, Andromeda.  Nova is my character.

This story is rated 'R' for language and certain conversation. You have been warned!

Onto the story!

* * * *

Chapter 6

"Father?" Rodimus asked.

"Oh dear Primus." Magnus could only moan.

By this time, Rodimus would have been in full teasing mode, but under the circumstances, he didn't feel like it. They'd all receded to a back room, Rodimus managed to grab Nova before the media surged up as one living being, demanding an explanation and begging for interviews.

"Nova, are you absolutely sure?" Rodimus asked.

Magnus didn't wait for an answer, but jumped out of the chair he'd collapsed into and approached Nova.

"Listen you, I don't know where you get off pulling these stunts -"

"Keep threatening me, Dad, and I go out there -" Nova hitched a thumb over her shoulder, "and I tell those animals that you've been an absentee father for 3 million stellar cycles!"

Optimus turned to Magnus. "You want to explain this?"

"Prime, she's obviously mistaken. There's no way. . ." Ultra Magnus didn't like the grin on Nova's face.

"Nova?" Prime asked.

"Optimus Prime, sir." Nova acknowledged him as she pushed herself back into a sitting position on top of the table she'd been leaning against. "I'm sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances."

"Agreed."

Basically, First Aid told me. He was running some tests and my genetic makeup automatically came up as a match for Ultra Magnus. I think he assumed I knew, because he asked me when Ultra Magnus was coming by to visit me."

Ultra Magnus looked like he'd been shot.

"Well, Magnus, you want to explain this?" Optimus asked again.

Magnus was shaking and he had to sit down again. "I was on Lithone almost 3 million years ago. I fell in love with a beautiful young female named Star."

"My mother."

"I was called away on business to Cybertron and we had a fight right before I left. We never saw or spoke to each other again."

Nova was already crying. "You let your fight get in the way of your love. Oh how stupid!"

"So you never knew Star was pregnant?" Rodimus asked.

Magnus shook his head. "Had she contacted me, I would have gone right back to Lithone. You have no idea how many times I wanted to make up with her and start over again. I'm so sorry, Nova."

"That's coming a little late now." Nova said bitterly. "You're a coward, you couldn't get the courage to even be *friends* with her again!"

Magnus looked truly crushed. "I am."

"You did this for a reason, Nova. Why?" Optimus asked gently.

Nova wiped away the last of her tears. "For two reasons. One was to throw the press's attention off the trial, the other was to remind Magnus that he isn't as perfect as he thinks he is."

"Valid points." Rodimus murmured. "Did your mother ever try to contact Ultra Magnus, Nova?"

Nova nodded. "Whoever was wrong didn't matter anymore to her after a few months. She loved him too much to bother with the minute details of a fight. Every time she did though she'd get some error message that Magnus's email didn't exist or he was unavailable for a certain amount of time. She finally gave up..."

Magnus sighed. "I suppose it's too late now. Bet she met someone a lot nicer than me and moved on."

Nova shook her head, to the surprise of everyone in the room. "She was too heartbroken over you. She never even bothered to look for another guy, I guess she might have been afraid another one would leave her. So it was just the two of us and we moved to Tronus before the Decepticons ravaged it. Then they came and the planet died. The Tronians tried to defend our planet and our villages but several innocents were killed in some of the battles. Including Mom."

Magnus looked like HE was going to cry now. "I had no idea." he whispered.

"Magnus, you can't blame yourself for her death."

"He bloody well can!" Nova said loudly. "If he hadn't fought with my mom in the first place, she wouldn't be dead!"

"Nova." Magnus made a move toward her, but she snarled and pulled her stun gun from subspace. "Don't come any closer or I put this thing on it's highest level and you won't wake from your coma for a very long time."

Magnus put his hands up. "What do you want Nova?"

"First you drop this entire case. Rodimus's made up for his mistake, and you're going to stop acting like a jackass over it. He tried to stop me from committing suicide, he saved my worthless life, for chrissake. Just drop it and move on."

Magnus looked indecisive, but Optimus nodded to him. "Done." Magnus said.

"Second, you're going to leave me alone. None of this, 'I want to get to know my daughter after 3 million years.' I've suffered enough, I don't need to be around a jackass like you all the time for more of the same."

Whoo, was all Rodimus could think. NO ONE had the courage to talk to Ultra Magnus like that.

"But..." Magnus started and Nova only clutched the stun gun tighter. "Ok, ok. I guess."

"Very good, *Dad*." Nova put the stun gun back into her subspace pocket, and jumped off the desk. She grabbed Rodimus by the hand. "We'll be going now."

Rodimus didn't want to leave (this was HIS trial after all!), but Nova was dragging him out the back door too fast - this gal has some strength! With a final wave, he left with Nova.

For a moment, Optimus and Magnus just stared at the back door. Then they looked at each other.

"I'll go tell the mob that the trial's been...dismissed." Optimus Prime said after some time.

* * * *

"Where are we going?" Rodimus asked Nova after they'd transformed into their car modes, and were now racing down the street.

"Back to my shuttle. We're going to Earth for a bit."

"Oh, woah woah!" Rodimus skidded to a stop and transformed again. "Backup, I've got work to do here. Forget it."

"Oh God, I don't believe it. I actually thought you knew better than that after three weeks."

"Like how?"

"For one thing I thought you liked to race."

"I DO like to race, but I also have responsibilities!"

"Jeez, you just got out of your own trial, are you NOT going to give yourself some down time before going back to work?"

She did have a point. Sort of.

"Come ON, Rodimus!"

Reluctantly, Rodimus followed Nova into the ship.

* * * *

"So where's a good place to race?" Nova asked as they taxied into Metroplex again.

"You mean you don't know?"

Nova shrugged. "I've found a couple of good places, but not great."

"Then you haven't raced." Rodimus winked.

Several hours later they'd reached Rodimus's favorite spot. Nevada's own Route 375, also known as The Extraterrestrial Highway.

"Man, it's been a while since I've been back here." Rodimus transformed into his robot mode. He looked around. "Nothing much has changed though."

"Wow," Nova replied in awe. Nothing around except cacti, sand, and miles of open road. "So are you gonna walk, or are you gonna ride?"

Rodimus smiled down at her. "Ride." he transformed back into his car mode. "One...two..."

"THREE!" With a screech of her tires, Nova was shooting down the road at 110 miles an hour in under sixty seconds. Startled, Rodimus watched her race away, but when he realized she'd left, he pulled out all the stops and sped after her.

"WHOO! You'll never catch up to me, Rodimus Prime! Nyah!"

"How dare you speak to the leader of the Autobots like that!"

"Ohhh, he's pulling his big ole rank on me, I'm so scared!!!"

"You want to make a bet on who makes it to Las Vegas first?"

"Well I'll obviously win that bet because I'm a lot faster!"

"Why you!!!"

"Nyah! Rodimus Prime can't touch me!!! Nyah!!!" 

With that, both Autobots sped onward to their goal.

* * * *

Ultra Magnus was...well, to put bluntly, sulking. After escaping the media, he retreated to Earth again, back to his quarters.

Prime had warned him not to go on a crusade over this, but Magnus had to push for it, didn't he? He'd just been so sick of Rodimus' antics! Sure he was a friend but...He'd gotten into mischief before, but not in front of the new troops, making a mockery of what he stood for as a leader of the Autobots! Then chasing one of them off! That was the first real kicker for Magnus. Then he chased after her trying to get her to come back! Oh the whole thing had snowballed into one big catastrophe, including today's incident! God, HIS daughter! HIS! Magnus could not even begin to comprehend that idea. The very idea that he also had no responsibilities toward her, as she'd demanded, was also very shocking. How could he be a father when she didn't want him?

He idly played around with his console, and finally drew up a folder he thought he would never open again. He read some of the files within, and then skipped to the last.

"My Dearest Magnus,

I have been attempting to contact you for several months now with no success. I am heavy with child. Your child. I only wish to let you know that you will be a father. I do not expect any sort of support from you, as I feel I can manage on my own. I am sorry for what I said to you before you left. I suppose it really is my fault for not understanding your responsibilities to Optimus Prime. But I did not have any desire to leave Lithone, or my family. I hope you can understand why I did not want to come to Cybertron. Please forgive me for all my faults. I love you very much, and I hope you find someone nice to spend your life with.

All my love,

Star"

The face that read those words was already streaked with tears. "I only hope you can forgive me too, Star." Ultra Magnus whispered.

* * * *

Nova lay flat on her back breathing hard, intaking the sweet oxygen her filters craved. She'd done it! She'd beaten Rodimus by about five minutes to the top of a hill in Las Vegas!

Rodimus was now racing up behind her, almost furious. He couldn't believe she'd beaten him!

"Come on Slowpoke!" she sat up shakily and called. "I can't wait for you all day!"

"SLOWPOKE?!"

"You heard me!"

Forgetting he had to be on all four wheels to even qualify for second, Rodimus transformed into robot mode, and jumped on Nova. She squealed as he began tickling her without remorse.

"Uncle! UNCLE!" she begged.

"Not until you apologize for calling your leader all those names!"

"S-S-top!" she screamed.

"Uh uh. Not gonna do it."

"Al-" she screamed with laughter. "ALL RIGHT! I'm SORRY! NOW STOP!" She managed to gather her strength and push him away.

"Humph, that's better." Rodimus stood above her with his arms crossed. Nova was still breathing hard, but she was also smiling.

"Blah." she said and stuck her tongue out at him.

Rodimus grinned as stepped over her and sat down next to her heaving body. "You're just glad I didn't tickle you to death."

"Would have died smiling." she shot back immediately with her own grin. She inhaled deeply one last time before sitting up again. "God, what a rush. We gotta race back to Autobot City like that."

"Oh no, I've had enough racing today! I'll be lucky if I don't fall asleep on the way home."

"If you do, I'll call a tow truck and have you impounded."

"Try that and I'll haul you in..." Rodimus thought a minute, and decided he couldn't find a decent charge for her. "For something. I don't know what yet, but I'll find it."

Nova laughed. These were the times she craved, when she forgot she was sick, when the world around her didn't act like she was a delicate flower. These times were so far and few between...
She sat up suddenly. The lights of Las Vegas were beginning to really glow now as the moon began to rise in the sky. "Right. When you find a good charge, let me know, 'k?" she sighed. "This is so pretty. I wonder if Cybertron would have looked this during it's Golden Age before the War?"

"I don't know. It might have, because the planet wasn't out of energy then."

"Mhm. I wonder..." she leaned against Rodimus's arm and yawned. "Maybe one day we'll find out."

Rodimus looked down at her and smiled. Carefully, he moved his arm around her and held her close against him as she started to fall asleep. "Maybe." he answered softly as he watched Las Vegas's night life begin to wake.

<-- Chapter 5

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