A/N: So, I wanted to do a one-shot set in the future of "A Matter of Fate" and something for Christmas at the same time. I didn't think I'd get to the chapter of Bumblebee's Boy focusing on Christmas done in time, I instead decided to write this since "AMOF" is done. And here we have it, a little glimpse into the future of Mark, Hound, and the others. As well as a look on some other characters we didn't meet. ;) I hope you enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any recognizable characters. Only Mark, Alexis, and their kids belong to me. :D
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A FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS
A "A MATTER OF FATE" One-Shot
Approximately 20 years after "A Matter of Fate"...
Five year old Jameson "James" or, alternatively, "Jamie" Hound Savoy was most definitely the most excited child in the world. Of course, this was nothing new for thirty-five year old Mark Savoy, as the red-headed, freckle-faced, and blue eyed boy always got that way when he knew they were going to Texas to visit "Grandpa". And to be fair, Mark himself was always excited as well, and got so every time they were returning to the place where he grew up. It had only been a few years since Alexis's job had taken them to New York, where he himself had managed to find a great job as a cartoonist, just as he had dreamed of being. But he missed the Autobots that raised him every day, even if he always had his guardian, Sideswipe, and his wife's guardian, Mirage around given their positions.
At the moment, however, the small family of five were on the road, and nearing the NEST Base very quickly. The fifth member, of course, being Mark and Alexis's nine year old foster son, Ian. It had been Mark's idea to take a foster kid, even if it didn't take much to convince Alexis given she knew that he himself had been adopted and saved from the system. They'd immediately looked at older children, whether they be just older, pre-teens, or teenagers that met their guidelines, and Ian had come to them a little over three months ago.
The plan was to adopt him before summer the next year, a fact which had Mark excited. Even if the boy still appeared hesitant around both him and Alexis. As he understood, the boy was horrifically abused by his father, and all but ignored by his meth addict mother. Thus, the boy seemed to detach himself a bit from them when he could, spending much of his time in his room. Even now, as Mark looked through the rearview mirror, he could see the blond haired boy wearily, and barely, stealing a glance at him with his auburn eyes before returning to playing with a toy.
Alexis turned to her husband from Sideswipe's passengers seat, and nudged him. The man looked back to her, his own blue eyes meeting her green ones, and quickly noticing she was giving him one of her "looks". "I'm just checking on them," Mark muttered quietly. "Ian's barely said a word today, I think he's nervous," He explained. "Maybe this was too soon, we should have had dad come to our place this year."
"Are you kidding me?" Alexis questioned. "Your family is half the reason he's coming. You know them, if anyone can break him out of his shell it's Hound," Mark sighed a bit. "Just relax, Hound wants to meet him, and so do the others," She then nodded. "Either way there's no turning back now, we're here."
Mark was surprised to find Alexis was right, he had zoned so much he'd barely realized how far out of the main town they'd gotten. He sighed, grinning as he noticed that Hound himself was already waiting outside. Behind him, Jamie bounced up and down wildly, clapping a bit. "Ian! That's grandpa!" Ian looked up only slightly. "Come on, uncle Sides! Faster! Faster!"
"I'm going as fast as I can without hurtin' you, little man," Sideswipe chuckled. "I can pick up the pace a little, I suppose."
Sideswipe took it up a notch, much to the delight of Jamie. As soon as the front-liner came to a stop, the boy was trying to get out of his car seat. Mark laughed, getting out of Sideswipe's driver's seat quickly, knowing his son had little patience for these things. "Hold your horses, little man," Mark told him as he opened the door and began to unbuckle his son."Just give me a second.
He'd finally gotten him out, and on the ground when, without warning, the five year old bolted. It was a whole two feet to the giant mech he knew as "grandpa" but he didn't care. "GRANDPA!" Jamie shouted loudly, and the large green mech's bright smile could be seen by all. "Grandpa! Grandpa!" He continued to shout.
"There's my little piston!" Hound crouched low, his hand outstretched as the small child reached him. "Oh, Primus! Look at you!" He stated, scooping up the child into the palm of his hand. "You're growing bigger by the second! You have to have grown at least five inches since last time we saw you," He added, bringing Jamie close. "I'm so glad you finally got here! I've been beside myself waiting for you and your parents," He then added. "Not to mention this new brother of yours."
Jamie curled up happily in his grandfather's palm, grinning from ear-to-ear. It was a sentiment that Mark reflected on his own face, enjoying the sight of Hound and his son together again. He turned as Ian carefully stepped out of the car, keeping his hands in his pockets and looking between him and Alexis nervously. Mark knew that feeling of uncertainty when going to meet new people, even if it now seemed like a silly fear. "Come on, Ian," Mark grinned, moving over and pulling an arm around the boy. "Don't you want to meet your new grandpa?"
Ian looked up at the man, twiddling his thumbs slightly. "I don't know, Mark," Ian finally spoke up. "I've never had a grandpa before. What if he doesn't like me? A lot of people don't like me," Mark frowned at that, shaking his head.
"My dad's a really nice mech, Ian," Mark replied. "And he's been excited as all pit to meet you too."
He looked over at Alexis for help, which she quickly gave, brushing her bangs to the side. "He's right, y'know," Alexis put her hands on her hips. "Hound is an absolute sweetheart, and he keeps asking to meet his new grandson," She explained. "I think you'd actually be disappointing him if you didn't go and see him," He added.
Ian looked nervously down at the ground, unsure of anything. But slowly, he allowed Mark to walk him towards Hound. Mark shot a look over his shoulder, mouthing a "wish me luck" before turning. "Hey dad," Mark waved as Hound beamed down at him. "You're not forgetting me, are you?" He questioned.
"Of course not, m'boy!" Hound crouched, setting Jamie on his feet, then reaching out to Mark. "Come here you little runt, I've missed the slag out of you," He added, allowing Mark to hug his finger, as he curled it around in a hug as well. "You all need to visit more often, no more of this job crap. I bet you could get out of it," Mark laughed as the mech allowed Jamie to do the same, and slowly turned his attention to Ian. "Well, hello there."
Ian barely looked up at the giant robot, feeling somewhat out of place. He didn't know much about his foster family yet, and yet here he was, before an actual Autobot. A part of him felt like geeking out, while the other only felt the fear of meeting yet another new "family member", if this latest adoption attempt even went through. "H-H-Hi," Ian stammered out. "I'm-."
"I know who ye are, Ian," Hound replied warmly. "And might I say, it's an honor to finally get to meet you. I'm sure you've already figured it out, but I'm Hound," He slowly motioned the boy forward, but found the young human barely moved a muscle. "Well? Don't be shy, you're my grandson. You can get in on this group hug if ye want."
Ian shifted, unsure of how to respond. Mark sighed, knowing this was a tactic he'd been trying, and failing at. He hadn't tried to do anything to force it on him though, knowing full well that, in time, he would learn to trust them. Just as it had taken him time to fully trust Hound, and the other Autobots. Recognizing his nervousness, Hound allowed his son and grandson to detach themselves and simply stood. "Well, ye don't have to, that's okay too." Ian looked surprised at how kindly the mech said that. "One step at a time I suppose," He looked over at Alexis, who had Sideswipe and Mirage trailing behind her. "Sides, Mirage, good to see you," He then looked down. "Oh slag, I'd nearly forgotten your hug Alexis!"
"Can you give it to me inside?" Alexis replied with a chuckle. "I'm tired, and cold out here. But I'm more than willing to give you a hug inside."
Hound laughed at that, convinced that his daughter-in-law hadn't changed a bit since they last saw each other. He nodded his head rapidly, putting his hands on his hips. "Fine by me, but you're getting one!" He added rather calmly. "Alright then, let's get you all inside and settled. Then I've got a few surprises for the two pipsqueaks here," He hummed slightly.
Mark sighed, Hound was a known spoiler when it came to Jamie. And now that he had Ian too, he had a good feeling that that spoiling would now move over to Ian as well. "Dadddddd," Hound smirked as Mark began. "Please tell me you haven't gone too overboard this time. Because I know Christmas is going to be a spoil-fest as it is."
Hound only continued to hum innocently. "I promise nothing," Hound replied. "Now quit yer bellyaching, and let me get you all inside. I'll spoil my grandcreations however I want to," He added.
Mark only rolled his eyes, as he and Alexis lead the two boys inside the base.
...
The first few days on base went by somewhat-smoothly for Ian. The Autobots were an interesting brood to say the least, most of them being rather upbeat and fun, while others (like Crosshairs) being on the grumpier side. He tried his best to fit in among the festivities, but mostly did his best to keep closer to Mark and Alexis during his time there. That all came crashing down when Mark and Alexis decided to take a "date night" on the night before Christmas Eve, leaving Ian and Jamie with the source of his nervousness: Hound.
Ian had never had a grandfather, or at least one that his parents had any relationship with. And while Mark and Alexis seemed kind, he wasn't sure that the mech who raised Mark would be just as kind. But even so, here they were, hanging out in the "rec room" with him watching a cartoon show, and Jamie on Hound's lap, as the mech read him a story. Ian barely looked up, watching as Hound interacted with his grandson happily, reading from "The Night Before Christmas". "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!" Hound finished loudly and dramatically.
"Again, grandpa! Again!" Jamie clapped.
"That would be the fourth time," Ian groaned. "Can't we read something else?"
Hound raised an optic ridge at the boy, who seemed a little jealous. He could understand that, but not why the boy continued to reject his attempts to get him in on the action. He had offered him a seat on him as well, and to read to him the same story, but both times he had rejected it. Perhaps, he guessed, the young boy was ultimately confused at what he wanted. Primus knew if the boy had even ever experienced a real Christmas in his life. "Perhaps it's Ian's turn to chose a story," Hound noted, as he knew the boy was still quite young. "Is there a story you quite enjoy, Ian? My database can look up the texts of any story you might enjoy."
Ian looked up at Hound, not at all surprised about the offer. He always was asked to help pick the bedtime story he and his foster brother were read at night. But there was a problem: Ian couldn't read. And what's more, he'd never been read to until he'd come to live in the Savoy's home. He only knew the stories his foster parents had read him, and even then, he mostly only liked Dr. Seuss. "You can pick a story," Ian replied. "I don't know a lot."
"At your age?" Hound shifted a bit.
"Yeah," Ian nodded. "You can read The Grinch or something... I like The Grinch."
Hound nodded his head a bit, putting a hand down for Ian. The boy stared at him for a moment, then back at the cartoon, chewing his lip timidly. He slowly pulled himself to his feet, and made his way over. What was the worst that could happen? If he were crushed, at least it would be quick. The ride up was scariest, but once he was seated on Hound's left leg, he found it was not so bad. "So, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, then?" Hound questioned. "You know something Ian, of all the stories I tell Jamie, that's a favorite of mine," Ian gave a somewhat smile at that, as the mech began to read.
Ian listened to the mech calmly, enjoying the story for what it was worth. The mech said it with gusto, and Ian liked that, even if he didn't know he could totally trust the mech. "See Ian!" Jamie noted as Hound finished. "Isn't grandpa the best at telling stories? Don't tell mommy or daddy I said that, but he's better," He added.
"Yeah," Ian nodded. "He's pretty good," He rubbed his knees. "Well, are we gonna keep up with story hour? I mean, you know more stories than I do, James," He explained, watching as the boy looked thoughtfully at him. "If you're getting uncomfortable or something, I can get down," He added to Hound, shifting a little bit.
But he quickly found a giant hand blocking his path, and cupping him slightly. Hound smiled, and ran a finger along the child's back gently. "Hey, you don't get to skip out on bonding time with your grandsire," Hound told him gently. "Where you come from, this might not have been important," He then put a finger on Jamie's back. "But to me, family is everything, and you sir, are now my family," He explained.
"Not by blood," Ian replied, staring down at the ground.
Hound shifted a little himself, a look in his optics as he stared between his grandson's. A comment like that reminded him of another foster child, one that he had known a long time ago: Mark. "You know boys, I have a story that my latest grandcreation needs to hear," Hound noted, looking at Ian. "One about another boy who felt "displaced" around Christmastime. A child very near and dear to my spark," He added, patting his spark chamber.
"Who, grandpa?" Jamie asked innocently.
"Your dear old daddy, actually," Hound winked at his youngest grandson. "You see, what Ian's going through right now isn't odd. In fact, a lot of kids go through it," He then added. "Mark was even set to be adopted a month after Christmas, he had some trouble with his first official Christmas with us," Both boys stared at each other in surprise.
Ian shook his head, in disbelief about that, especially from such a strong man as Mark. The man seemed about as fearless as they came, and had even shared with him some of his adventures with the Autobots as further proof. "You must be lying," Ian shook his head. "Mark is way too strong to be worried about anything," He added.
"You're worried?" Jamie asked.
Ian froze up, nervousness in his eyes. "N-N-... Well, yeah," Ian lowered his head. "I don't belong here, not with you guys. I'm just the foster kid, no one takes me anywhere," He shifted a bit as Hound's optics softened a bit. "Not your grandcreation, not your brother, not their son..."
"Now, that's not true," Hound shook his head. "Mark and Alexis love you very much," He explained. "So much so that they're adopting you."
"And you're my brother!" Jamie replied. "My big brother! You're so cool, and... And..." Ian looked at the boy in surprise, shifting a bit. "Mommy and daddy won't like you sad. I don't like you sad," He frowned at him.
Hound sighed a bit, now certain he had gotten to the root of Ian's problem. Hound turned his head towards Jamie. "Jamie, my boy," Hound noted. "Would you mind watching a little TV while your brother and I had a little chat?" Ian tensed, expecting a beating.
Jamie shook his head, shooting Ian a sad look before Hound lowered him to the ground. Ian trembled slightly, waiting at any moment for the alien robot to smack him, but instead, found fingers running along his spine. "You miss your parents," Ian looked up at him in surprise. "Don't get me wrong, they abused you, what they did was wrong. But you miss them," He then explained. "You came to live with our family so close to the holidays, and you've only been in the system a year. It must feel very strange," He explained.
"So what if I do?" Ian asked. "No one cares. I'm just supposed to move on," He replied. "They were mean anyway, mean and cold," Hound noticed how emotional the child seemed to get as they spoke about this. "I don't miss them now, okay? I just... I've never done this," He explained. "The tree, the presents, the family," He added.
"You've never had a Christmas?" Hound asked quietly.
"Or a Thanksgiving, or a Halloween," Ian shook his head. "But I've been to it all! Mark and Alexis took me to Thanksgiving, and trick-or-treating," Hound's optics softened. "And it makes me... It makes me mad," He whispered. "Why did my mommy and daddy never do that for me? Why do they want to do it for me?" He stood a bit, trying to move up the leg. "Why do you even care?"
Hound helped the boy before he could fall, a frown on his face. And herein lied the problem, as far as he could see. "I care because my son and his wife love you," Ian rubbed his nose with the sleeve of his pajamas. "You are here after two months of getting to know the family, and three of living with them. You think that you are NOT worthy of love, but you are. You think you shouldn't celebrate holidays, but you should," Ian looked up. "It sounds to me like you only push them away because you're not used to being loved."
"You don't-."
"I know, Ian," Hound asserted. "And that's okay for a while. But look at us now, look at how happy you were when I was reading to you," Ian's arms slacked at his sides, allowing the giant to rub his back. "Whether you believe it or not, Ian. This is your new family, and we're here for you, and what's more, we're here to stay," Ian blushed, looking away. "Maybe it's time you stop focusing on what you didn't have then and more on what you have now."
The words hit Ian hard, and for a moment, he wanted to argue, but he was silent. Before Hound could speak however, a loud yawn from Jamie grabbed the mech's attention, and Hound chuckled. "Well then, if that isn't the universal sign of bedtime, I don't know what is," Both boys groaned loudly at that. "Ah, none of that. It's already eight, you've been up well past your bedtime," He added.
Ian didn't argue much, too deep in thought as he and Jamie were carried off towards their shared room on base. Jamie continued to babble off to Hound, who grinned, nodded, and chuckled before entering Mark's old bedroom, which now had two beds inside. "Alright, you little rascals," Hound commented. "Time for bed," As he set them down, Jamie immediately sprinted for the bed, climbing inside and ready to be tucked in.
Ian was slower, dragging himself towards his bed and collapsing. He didn't pay much attention as Hound tucked Jamie in, and bid him goodnight, as he turned on his side. But he was clearly alert the moment the holoform fizzled over to run a hand through his hair. The boy tensed a bit as the mech carefully brought the covers over his body, and leaned down. "Think about what I said," Hound noted. "You'll be glad you did," He then added. "Sweet dreams, Ian."
And then he did something Ian had not seen coming, he gently kissed the top of his head. As the holoform then disappeared, and Hound left with one last goodnight, Ian could only lay there, stunned, and mulling over all that had been said.
...
Christmas Day was utter chaos on NEST Base, to say the least. With a dozen or so Autobots, several soldiers, Mark, Alexis, and their kids gunning for the Christmas tree that had been set up. Most people say that their family Christmas is chaos, but for Mark, his were always even moreso. With himself, Hound, and Alexis all hovering over the kids with anticipation as they tore open one present after another. Jamie was the most excited, excited to find a new handheld game system, and a dozen games from Hound under the tree. As well as a ton of candy, several movies, and a brand new set of "GI JOE" action figures for his growing collection between his parents and Santa.
Ian was less enthused, but still opened each of his presents. His attention especially going out to his brand new bike (as Hound had learned he had never had one), handheld gaming system, and a dozen video games from Hound. But also paying very close mind to the candy, skateboard (as he also liked riding skateboards), and guitar (as he had always wanted to learn) between Santa, Mark, and Alexis. It was only after all these were opened, however, that Ian found a final gift under the tree for him.
To his surprise, the gift read "FROM ALL OF US", which caused him to raise an eyebrow. They had already given him more gifts than he'd ever received, so he could only wonder what else they could possibly give them. "Well, bud?" Mark leaned over to his oldest son. "Are you going to open it? I think you'll like what's inside," He explained.
"Come on!" Jamie bounced up and down beside him. "Open it!"
Ian looked tentatively over at Alexis and Hound, who were both very quiet. But finally, began to tear at the paper nervously, wondering what would be inside. At first, he was slightly disappointed to find a necklace inside, but as he took it from the box, he noticed the meaning behind it. It was a locket, shaped like an Autobot shield, and as he clicked it open, inside read a small inscription:
"TO IAN MICHAEL SAVOY, ON HIS FIRST CHRISTMAS IN OUR HOME. MAY WE SHARE MANY MORE."
To the side, a picture with Mark, Alexis, Hound, Ian, and Jamie, on their first day there, all together, even Ian somewhat-smiling in the picture. Ian smiled a bit at the name: "IAN MICHAEL SAVOY", no one had ever thought about that. In the past year, no one had ever tried to include him in their family, or giving him another name. He'd always been the foster son, the unwanted child. But now, he was beginning to think perhaps that Hound was right, maybe it was time for him to realize what he had here was different. What he had here was the family he'd longed for since he was little.
Even so, it took Mark a moment to register the arms wrapping around his and Alexis's necks. Both looked at each other in surprise, had Ian just hugged them? He hardly went near them, let alone hugged him. But here he was, hugging them tightly and letting tears slowly roll down his cheeks. "Thanks Mark, Alexis..." He murmured, then looked at Jamie. "And... Jamie..."
"Group hug!" Jamie shouted, wrapping his arms around his mother's waist for emphasis.
"Merry Christmas you guys," Ian managed.
"Merry Christmas," The three replied, though Mark and Alexis still looked somewhat confused.
Hound let out a smile as the small family hugged, optics filling with pride. Perhaps the talk with Ian he had had would indeed help him, or at least, help nudge him along in his new family. It was a fact that was confirmed as the boy ran up, and hugged his foot next, an action which also surprised him. "Thanks Hound," Ian replied. "For everything. I think you're right, maybe I can... Maybe I can get to like it here." He then added a soft. "Merry Christmas."
This time, when Hound scooped him up, Ian did not fight him. Instead, he allowed Hound to hold him to his chest in a gentle hug. "I'm glad to hear that, kiddo," Hound told him gently. "It'll be a pleasure to have you in the family." He then added his own soft. "Merry Christmas, kiddo."
After a moment, the mech carefully lowered him to the ground beside Jamie. Slowly, Ian put his locket around his neck carefully, and let it drape over his pajamas. At this point, Alexis clapped her hands together, and looked between her two sons. "So, I hear they have a huge pancake breakfast in the mess hall!" Alexis stated. "You boys think you're ready for that? You can get into your stuff later." She added.
Jamie looked to his older brother a moment, grinning. "Race ya!"
For once, Ian managed a slight grin back. "Alright! Last one there is a rotten egg!"
Before Alexis could remind them that they barely knew their way around, the children were off. Alexis sighed, blowing a bang of her red hair away from her face. "Well, I think we got him out of his shell, at least," She sighed. "I don't know how I'll keep up with two of them," She added with a roll of her eyes. "Boys, slow down! You're going the wrong way!"
And then, Alexis was off herself, leaving father and son standing there alone. "So, it looked like you two must have talked at some point," Mark told his father with a chuckle. "What did you say to him?" He questioned.
"Only what he needed to hear," Hound replied proudly. "I'll fill you in later."
Mark smiled, shrugging his shoulders, as they followed after him. After all, it was good enough to know that for now, they were starting to become the family he'd hoped for. And for Ian, he'd finally have what he wanted most of all: a family, and who could ask for anything more?
...
A/N: Whew, that took a while to write! I hope you guys enjoyed this little peek into the future. :D Happy Holidays to everyone! :D