A/N: Let me start off by saying it has been a fantastic journey these last five and a half years writing these incredible stories about these mostly miraculous people... with the exception of few. I say people because these "characters" are like family to me now, bonded over the years through personal struggle, self-sacrifice and determination to do what I love rather then what I was "programmed" for, even if the end result may not be completely in my favor, to keep going and writing from my heart the intersperse of pain and joy I have experienced and still do writing what I love. I've moved forward, but I have also – hopefully – not forgotten my and my family's past. These are hopes and desires, dreams and wishes, life and love that are lessons not just for my own personal being, but hopefully for all who reads and appreciates my writings and the book, play and movie that inspired it all. Thank you, happy holidays.
I.
New Years Eve...
The bulbs still glistened from the tree that had yet to be put back. Nine-year-old Hogarth concentrated on one in particular – it was the most beautiful one of all; hard, heavy and slate gray. The boy smiled when he thought of Dean giving it to him before he left his room to go back and check on the salvage yard Christmas Eve night. It weighed the branch down considerably, and it didn't sparkle, but it was the one Hogarth admired the most. His mother came up beside him and wrapped a gentle arm around him.
Annie's smile made Hogarth's turn more thoughtful before he looked down wistfully.
"Buck sent this," She handed him a red letter, then kissed his temple. "You remember your cousin...?"
"Mom," The boy placed it aside before looking up, "I want to try to get on with my life... playing with that kid Billy and his friends," he looked down in deep guilt, swallowed hard and looked back up, "I-I just wanna know that it's the right choice, and that he knows I'm not trying to find someone else to take his place." Tears welled up in his eyes and he fought them back. "That I still love him, no matter what."
His mother considered what he said carefully before answering, "Hogarth, I've said all along that you need friends your own age. I waited nearly a whole month before pressing the issue again and, honey, this last week has been so promising," As she said this, and as she hugged him, Hogarth didn't know if what he said was his words or his mother's; he remained silent as she pulled back, smiling, "As far as finances go, things are better then what they have been in two years. Isn't that at least wonderful son?"
Hogarth shrugged.
"As far as everything else..." His mother wiped the bangs out of his face. "You know what I expect."
The boy nodded listlessly.
"Hogarth," He looked up. "You know the best way to deal with emotion is to move on. The Giant... the robot, he was a great friend for you. But he's gone. We honor those we love by remembering them and carrying on as we normally would." Hogarth wasn't so sure, but how could he not believe his mother?
"Hogarth," The door suddenly opened and the one person Hogarth had counted on to really understand what he was going through came inside. "I know we've already agreed to take decorations down but..."
"Dean," Annie popped up and strode over to him. "Please, I just got my son over this hump. No more sneaking espresso shots at midnight, no more humoring him with potential Giant-return stakeouts, no more..." She suddenly whirled around and saw her son standing there, looking up at her with wide eyes.
"No more being a kid?" He admitted quietly.
"He needs fun in his life, Annie. You're still working crazy hours over at the diner and it's still '57."
"Dean, look at him." The woman gestured over at her son. "He's not the same boy he was three months ago, the last thing he needs is temptation to hang on to the delusion that...that..." she couldn't speak it.
"Come on, kid." Dean moved over and guided Hogarth to the door. "I was just gonna show you... and your mom," he smiled as he held out his hand for her. She took it tentatively. "That it's snowing again."
"No thanks." Hogarth backed away from his touch. "I wanna look at the tree a little longer."
"Late Christmas gift," The man grabbed him up and plopped him on his shoulders.
"You should know I only ride on someone's shoulders willingly." Hogarth slipped off Dean.
The man caught him sliding forward and flipped him backwards.
"Well, I don't want you falling off and getting hurt."
"Well, he would never let me get hurt."
Dean marched for the door, holding Hogarth in place.
"Well, he would never mean for you to get hurt."
"Well, he wouldn't let me fall off his shoulder and even if I did he would catch me."
"Well," Dean caught the doorknob with one hand and held Hogarth in place with the other.
"Well, he wouldn't nail my window shut."
"He could've just eaten them off if he'd had the mind, but instead someone else undid them for you."
They were glaring at each other at this point. Hogarth breathed out slowly, his mood was calmer.
"Well, he wouldn't choose to make me do what I didn't want to do."
Dean lost his edge then and granted the boy a return to the floor.
"I'm sorry guys, I know I'm not an emotional wreck like before but I'm not quite ready to let go yet."
"Hogarth, Dean and I have been nothing but supportive these last three months."
"Right, we haven't hardly brought him up once to upset you."
The boy raised a brow. When Dean looked up his girlfriend had the same look as she crossed her arms.
"Oh, no? Remember Halloween?"
…
October 31st...
Hogarth looked at himself in the mirror. He wasn't sure what he wanted to be, but he knew it wouldn't have anything to do with space, army or robots. Sighing and looking away, as steering clear from any signs of festivity was his single goal, Hogarth flopped onto his bed and buried his face in his pillow.
"Maybe I could be a cowboy," he peered out slightly with a wry smile.
"Hey, kid." Dean entered his room without asking, just yesterday he had finally gotten Hogarth to take the nails out of his window and open it up. "I got something that might cheer you up." he stood straight up like a statue and placed his hands on his hips. "I mean, maybe it'll help take your mind off things..."
Hogarth sat up and put on a tight-lipped smile. "Okay, Dean." he said softly, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. "Let's see." The man nodded gladly and then produced a costume with three silver - colored boxes glued together. Four black tubes ran out on top and on bottom on the sides, while poorly drawn dials stood out on the breast and a corny rectangle mouth with square eyes were cut out on top to complete what was very obviously a robot costume. Hogarth gaped, Dean held no sense of deterrence.
"So, kiddo... that's okay that I call you kiddo now right, since I'm dating your mom? What'd ya think?"
The boy was still stunned into silence.
Dean was confused but he continued trying to sell Hogarth on the idea. "I-I thought it would be kind of symbolic, kiddo. It's like you're the soul in the robot, like your soul is looking out of his eyes and your soul is his soul in a way. The ghost in the machine... heh. Remember? Cause you said IG had a soul."
IG was said in place of The Iron Giant, which Hogarth had penned after his twenty-four-hour runaway.
He didn't say anything for a moment as he continued staring, then his eyes got bigger and tears welled up in them.. "Ehhhh... AHHHHHHHHH!" He collapsed on his pillow and started bawling with force.
"Whoa, kid! I'm sorry, I'm SORRY."
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
…
Presently...
"And Thanksgiving." Annie said.
…
The spread before them was enough to make the portrait of Norman Rockwell look like a burger joint.
Dean and Hogarth forked their mashed potatoes and raised their utensils up at the same time.
"Will you say Grace please?" Annie eyed Dean.
The man eyed Hogarth who smiled with humor; he was no longer required to say the prayers.
"Every time." He said smugly.
Dean placed his fork down with a groan, laced his fingers together and glared at Hogarth.
"I'm more into Eastern religions, remember?"
"For Hogarth's sake," Annie persisted gently.
Suddenly an idea came to her boyfriend. "Hey kid, remember you told me you said that silly prayer to divert your mom's attention so you could get IG's hand out of the...?" Hogarth dropped his fork as his eyes grew to the size of saucers. Dean's face dropped as well. "Oh, I..." Annie shot daggers at the man.
"Ehhh... AHHHHHHHHHH!" Hogarth threw his fork and napkin down, running out of the room.
"Kid, I didn't mean it!"
…
By now Dean was covering his face.
"Kid, I..."
"And Christmas!" Hogarth cut him off.
…
Presents were stacked to a fair amount around the base of the tree.
"Thank you, Mom!" Hogarth exclaimed as he pulled out a model fire truck.
Dean and Annie sat on the couch and exchanged appropriate parental smiles. Two warm cups of spiced Java didn't hurt either. The thirty-year-old mother giggled as Dean wet one of the white dinner clothes he had gotten her and tried to rub some whip cream off her lip. Hogarth cleared his throat impatiently.
"Sorry," Annie said, remembering his averse to her flirting.
"Ya know kiddo, it's not gonna be too much longer before you're pickin' up girls too," he folded his leg.
Hogarth rolled his eyes in protest.
"Hey, what's this one?"
He tugged a shadow-hidden blue present with a big red bow over towards himself.
Annie screwed her face up. "I didn't get him that, did you?"
Dean tugged one side of his mouth down and shrugged.
Hogarth curiously pulled at the end of the bow until it turned into just a plain ribbon and tossed it to the side, he tilted his head a little as he lifted the lid and slid his hands down inside the box to uncover what could only be another toy. The boy grinned eagerly as he revealed what turned out to be only one thing.
It was Robbie the Robot.
Hogarth's entire face drooped to a sag.
Annie peered around slowly from her place behind the couch and met Dean's speechlessness.
"I-I swear to God..."
"How could you?"
"Annie, I swear to God! I found the package out on the-,"
"Dean, how could you be so insensitive?! Three holidays in a row! On this day, Christmas of all days."
"On the porch Annetta, the goddamn package was on the fucking porch, by the door and-,"
"Don't you dare, dare use that kind of language around my son!"
"Your son? And what am I, hired help? I've been like a father to that boy for months now!"
"Forbidden Planet might be his favorite film, but still!"
"It's not even Robbie the Robot, dear, it's Mechanized Robot! All the way from GD Japan!"
The resulting argument would lead to Dean almost walking out.
Hogarth, meanwhile, had his head buried in the empty box.
…
"Merry Christmas, Hogarth." Kent smiled wickedly from within his jail cell, lounging on his chain cot.
"Mansley, you have a visitor! A mister... Sergeant DeMaypo, sounds like he's from Slovakia."
"Send him back in five minutes."
…
Dean was the picture of confidence.
"You gonna trust me or not?" He folded his arms.
Hogarth was motionless only for a moment before he smiled at his friend.
"I'm gonna trust you a lot," He told him.
Dean smiled only a little and led the oddly complying Hogarth outside.
"Hey," His eyes drifted to the side of the porch. "I thought you said it was snowing again."
"Yeah, I lied." The thirty-one-year-old pointed forward. "Take a gander."
Hogarth turned and his jaw nearly dropped down.
The head of his best friend, the name he had given him: The Iron Giant, was molded from metal in a type of bust waiting for him in the front yard on his wagon. Hogarth moved across the porch and then made his way down the stairs, all the time he only semi-consciously reached behind him for some sort of support. Dean just followed after him with a wide, prideful smile, enjoying this for several reasons.
"Dean..." Hogarth could barely get his name out louder then a whisper.
The Giant's head was exact, so life-like that Hogarth covered his mouth as his eyes glistened with tears at the face of his fallen friend. Annie repeated his name but this time it was with similar awe. She took her boyfriend's shoulders and pecked him on the cheek. Dean turned to her lovingly and held her close.
"Happy New Years, beautiful girl." They exchanged a deep kiss. "Beautiful woman."
He took a moment and then Hogarth turned to Dean with a look of devout appreciation.
"You don't have to say it, kid." The man told him. "I loved the big guy, too. He was a hero."
"You are too, sweetie." Annie shook his shoulder and hugged him close. "I love you."
"Love you, Dean." Hogarth said sincerely. His friend knelt down and Hogarth went into his arms.
"Love you too, kid." He hugged him back. "But this isn't a finished project yet." Dean rose up and held Annie in one arm while placing his free hand on Hogarth's head. "Since the water tower and the other few town essentials had to be restored first, this commission is only now underway for a me- for well."
"For a memory statue." Hogarth said in place of what he knew Dean had meant to say, smiling.
"Or a homecoming, just in case." He said with hope.
Annie just smiled. She didn't say whether she believed it was possible or not or whether she agreed.
"But," Dean turned to her.
"Oh, Dean." The woman grew partially exasperated with him.
"Miss Hughes."
"I'm a dowager."
Dean smiled. "I know." he moved across the yard that didn't belong to him, took something that Annie only now realized Hogarth would have seen gleaming and returned to her. She titled her head past his.
The left eye was still sparking after Dean had made his brief transaction and returned to her promptly.
In front of Hogarth, in front of the soul of the Giant and in front of God, Dean knelt down on the grass he didn't care if he ever owned or not. He held up a small twisted band of slate gray that had a visible, plain cross on it if only you looked hard enough. Annie's eyes widened. Hogarth was as still as a statue.
"Annetta Curtis-Hughes, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met and your beauty and grace are the only diamonds that need to be shown." He smiled humbly, engaging her reaction patiently. "All three of us have been through so much so shortly, and I have come to see that there's more to a person through your wonderful boy and his best friend. But more importantly," Dean kissed her hand. "You."
Annie didn't look at Hogarth; her eyes were only for Dean.
There was little time for doubt as there was none.
"I will marry you." She said certainly.
Hogarth watched as they kissed their private, public kiss and wondered briefly if his friendship with IG (with the Giant) was sort of like that, a personal yet accessible thing. Maybe that was all he would ever have left of the Giant; his beautiful, wonderful soul, if even just in memory. Hogarth gazed into his best friend's eyes and saw the glimmer again. Curious, he wandered up to the bust and stood on his tiptoes.
There, in the back of his eye hollow, was a small diamond that sparkled with the promise of tomorrow.
The End.