Title: Father's Day
Genre: Family
Rating: G
Short Summary:
It's Father's Day. A time to celebrate to fathers and their existence. However there are two certain teens who are in a slump because they have no fathers. So they find the best alternatives.

Quick Note:
This takes place only a few weeks after Graduation Day and several months before The Day That Never Comes.

The day started out very well. It was a beautiful, sun shiny day. Nothing could go wrong at all.

Until it was discovered what day it was.

It was June 17th. A day to celebrate one of the greatest people that ever lived. The one person that made everyone's lives worth living. The one person who took great lengths to be a part of their lives and raise their child to be who they are.

It was Father's Day.

There was really only one of them that knew about this day, due to him being around his 'family' on the day. So he knew what to expect when he saw his human partner walking into the hangar with a large folded piece of paper covered in dried glue, glitter, hand prints and rhinestones and a big grin on his face as he held it up proudly for Ironhide to see.

"Look what Anna did!" Will Lennox said proudly.

Ironhide grinned down at Will, nodding his approval as he studied it. "She will definitely be a great artist in the future!" He beamed back.

"What the frag is that?"

Both turned to see who was asking and found the twins there with both Dawn and Maggie sitting in their palms. The two young women were smiling as they saw the card in Will's hands, though Dawn's was faint. She actually had a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"What, this?" Will asked with a grin as he lift the card. "It's a Father's Day card."

Both twins frowned in bewilderment while Ironhide chuckled. Even a few other of Autobots who entered the hangar were frowning in confusion to hear the term.

"Father's Day card? What is that?" Hound asked tilting his head curiously.

"Father's Day cards are a special way of telling a father of how much a child appreciates and loves their creator. The day itself is a day for Fathers or creators." Maggie tried to explain, grinning.

The Autobots looked very interested about hearing more about this strange holiday. Though, Dawn suddenly started blushing ad looking timidly away when Optimus approached the group, carefully holding up a large poster board folded up into a card.

"Hmm. Father's Day? Is that why I found this in my office?" The Autobot Commander asked, showing the makeshift card.

Everyone frowned in astonishment but did look interested.

"Wow, Optimus. You got a Father's Day card? Who is it from?" Will asked with a smile.

Optimus shook his head as he looked at the card. "I am not sure. There is no name. Though I don't understand why I have received one. I am not a creator." He said.

"You're not the only one, Optimus. I have one too and I'm not sure who left it on my desk." Ratchet said as he walked over, holding up the large folded poster board card.

"Who sent you those, I wonder?" Prowl remarked curiously.

No one knew what to say. But only one noticed that a certain someone looked away, a slight blush on her face. But out of respect for her, he didn't say anything. He only let the others wonder.

This was the day that he had not been looking forward to. It was the day he would have woken up early to make his father breakfast and coffee with his mother. But now he couldn't do that.

Because his father was dead.

With a heavy sigh, Rex wandered into the hangar where he found the majority of everyone asking about this particular day and was explaining about it. He heard what the others said about two unknown Father's Day cards that had been found but he didn't say anything.

Instead, he frowned when he saw his older friend looking away in embarrassment and he figured it out that it had been her who had given the Autobot Leader and the CMO the cards. He smiled faintly, recalling that she was in the same predicament that he was in. She didn't have a father, due to him abandoning her. He couldn't think of who had it worse. Him, whose father had died or her, whose father had selfishly abandoned her to a life without a true father.

From what he had heard, the only father she knew had been her mother's ex-husband, who wasn't even much of a father as it was. He had been cruel to her behind her mother's back, treating her like some twisted Cinderella story. It just reminded him of that dumb Hilary Duff movie. Only without a lost cell phone and some jock prince, who had been embarrassed by her when he found out who she was.

Dawn's story had been a whole lot more interesting. Her prince was an awesome alien robot warrior.

Smiling, Rex had to admit it. He would have loved to been there when she found out her best friend was from a whole another planet. He had heard that she had an interesting reaction to the news. But she took it a lot better than he had when he first met Ultra Magnus.

A light bulb clicked on in his head.

Ultra Magnus.

Other than his foster father, Epps, the Autobot Commander was more a father to him since he didn't have one.

Glancing over at Dawn, Rex had an idea. He knew who to recruit to help him too. He knew if he just asked, she would help him. It was the only idea he had right now.

"Hey, Dawn!" Rex greeted her once she finally got away from everyone else.

Dawn looked over at him, halting from heading to her room. She had been somewhat thinking about Optimus and Ratchet's reaction to her cards. She wasn't disappointed by their reaction. She was just disappointed in herself for not speaking up when they asked about who had given the cards to them.

As of now, both of the two were now searching for who made the Father's Day cards.

Smiling at Rex, Dawn gave a short wave. "Hi, Rex. What's up?" She asked him, folding her arms behind her back.

Rex bit his lip, wondering how he could talk her into helping him with a Father's Day present for Magnus. He wondered if she would be willing. Then again, she was the kind of person who would help anyone.

So with a shrug, he dove right into it.

"I need help doing something for Ultra Magnus. You know, for Father's Day. Can you help me?" Rex blurted out.

Dawn blinked at him, puzzled at first before she tilted her head. "Father's Day for Magnus? He isn't your dad though. I thought Epps was your temporarily dad." She stated frowning.

Rex huffed. "He is. I did give him a card and I helped Monique make breakfast for him. But I think of Ultra Magnus as more of my dad than Epps. The only difference is that stupid Galloway guy wouldn't allow him to be my legal guardian. All because he is from a different world." He then smiled slyly and folded his arms. "Besides, Optimus and Ratchet isn't your dads and you still gave them cards." He pointed out.

Dawn winced a slight blush on her face but she laughed sheepishly anyway. "Oh, you caught on, did you?" She asked with embarrassment. "So...are you going to tell them?"

Rex shook his head. "No. I won't. You should. They should know that you think of them like that. They would be honored to know that. But that is your business. Not mine. It's just you gave the idea of doing something for my Autobot father figure. I was just wondering if you would help me." He said making a face.

For a moment, Dawn thought about it before smiling. She didn't see the harm in it at all. So she nodded. "What do you have in mind?" She asked smiling.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? What if he wakes up?" Dawn asked, carrying the bucket full of supplies.

Rex, who was carrying his own, waved her off. "Yeah, it will be fine. Magnus is a heavy recharger, when there's no Decepticons around." He said in a quiet voice. He edged closer to their target, taking a deep breath. He lightly tapped his guardian's side just to make sure.

There was no response.

Nodding, Rex looked at Dawn. "He is way out. Let's do this." he told her.

Dawn shrugged, guessing it wasn't going to hurt. She knew that Rex mist have been right. He knew Ultra Magnus more than she did.

So without a word, she put the bucket down and grabbed the soapy sponge, squeezing some water out. "Okay. But if he wakes up and gets a little edgy, I'm blaming you." She told him jokingly.

Rex laughed softly before he began washing down the large red semi truck.

"Hello, Judy, Eliza."

Both ladies looked up from pulling supplies out of their car trunks to see both Optimus and Ratchet approaching them. They were planning on making a huge dinner for all of the fathers on the base. Of course they weren't doing it alone. Maggie, Mikaela, Anya, Elena, Monique Epps and even Sarah Lennox, who had all of the ladies already working on several pots of potatoes getting ready. Even the Arcee sisters, Flare-Up, and Elita One were helping in their holoforms. They were all fascinated with the idea of cooking for humans.

It was going to be a big dinner.

"Oh, hello, Optimus." Judy greeted the two with a wave.

Eliza pulled out several bags, making it rather tough to carry it all but smiled at the two Autobots. She only looked too relieved when both offered their hands to help out in carrying everything to the kitchen. So she began piling some of the groceries onto Ratchet's offered hand. "How are you today?" She asked just to be polite.

Optimus inclined his head to her as he allowed Judy to do the same. "We are well. Though, there is a purpose for our visit." He told them.

"You mean you didn't come to help us?" Eliza asked in a teasing shocked way before laughing with Judy.

Optimus chuckled, already used to the way humans joked and teased. "I am afraid not. Though I don't see why we can't assist you while we are inquiring some information." He told the two human mothers. He then used his free hand to reveal that it wasn't so free. He had the large card in it. "Perhaps you can help Ratchet and myself discover a mystery. We both found these...cards in our offices but we are not sure who has given them to us."

"Hmm?" Eliza asked before reaching up and taking the card to look at. "Oh, you received Father's Day cards. How sweet." She then paused as if surprised as she eyed the hand writing. "...from..." she looked up at Optimus. "You don't know who these are from?" She asked curiously.

Optimus and Ratchet shook their heads. "We are not sure. If you can enlighten us, that would be excellent." He told her.

Nodding thoughtfully, Eliza handed the card back to him. She bit her lip before smiling. "Do you know what the purpose of Father's Day?" She asked carefully.

Optimus and Ratchet looked thoughtful, their eyes flickering, something that everyone knew that they were looking it up on the web. But after a moment, they nodded.

"It is a day to respect and appreciate one' s creator. To show their admiration for such. But I do not understand. Neither Optimus or I are creators." The CMO stated.

Eliza nodded slowly before folding her arms. "True. But it also a day for one who are father figures to kids or younglings. Whoever gave you those cards thinks high of you enough to wish you were their fathers or such. Or they think you as a father. It's just how most of the young Autobots see you." She explained before flicking her finger towards the cards. "That's how who gave you those cards sees you. And it is all because her own father didn't care about her and abandoned her. And then her stepfather treated her very poorly. So she has never had a good figure until you both showed up in her life."

There was a pause as Optimus and Ratchet took it all in before their optics lit up as it dawned on them.

"You mean..." Ratchet was saying.

Eliza smiled faintly as she nodded. "Yes. That hand writing is Dawn's. She adores both of you. I know it because I have seen her with you guys. And I do support her for it. As long as you don't care as it is."

Optimus paused for a moment before his optics softened. He merely glanced at Ratchet and saw the same look. He knew that his CMO felt the same way. Both of them were honored that Dawn felt so strongly about them like that.

It was then Optimus saw Ultra Magnus walked in, humming a strange tune. He frowned as he looked his older brother over for a moment before his optics lit up.

"Ultra Magnus, there is something new about you. Did you actually get washed?" The Autobot Commander asked curiously, making all look at him.

Huffing for a second, Magnus grinned in his own way before nodding and throwing his hand over shoulder. "Yup! Both Rex and Dawn did it, actually. They thought I was in recharge and gave me a good scrub down. It feels good to have some dirt out of my grill. They did it for something called a Father's Day gift. Apparently, Rex sees me as a creator figure and wanted to give me a good cleaning. I thought it was funny trying to watch those two wash the top of my hood. They actually had to get a ladder to get all of me."

Optimus chuckled and shook his head. It was amusing of how much they had touched the lives of their human allies. He was not surprised to learn of Rex's fondness of his older brother like this. The two were close enough to each other for such a thing. Now that he thought about it, in a way, it was the same for Dawn.

It was only natural for them to think highly of them. Both Dawn and Rex didn't have their fathers in their lives like the rest of the teens did. So they looked to the closest to them.

In truth, it honored Optimus and he knew Ratchet and Ultra Magnus felt the same. It made his spark feel extremely warm to know that the two teens felt so strongly about them.

"Well," Ratchet remarked with a warm smile. "I think I will go find Dawn then and thank her."

Optimus looked to his CMO and nodded an agreement. He would have to do the same. He was sure she meant the cards to them were meant to be a secret from them but now that the secret was out, he and Ratchet would need to acknowledge the idea of how honored they were. He even saw Magnus doing the same.

"Oh, don't do that! Not yet!" Eliza quickly said, waving her hands.

All three Autobots looked down at her in surprise. They weren't sure why not.

But Eliza smiled, shaking her head. "You should do it at dinner. Make it like an honorary speech or something. But don't actually point out Dawn. She probably made those cards in secret because she thinks you wouldn't agree or would be annoyed. Plus it might embarrass her out right, because a few might give her a hard time." She grimaced at the thought before scratching her head. "That actually doesn't make any sense. The thing is, she didn't put her name on them to hide the fact that she sees you two as her father figures. Yet, she is afraid of your reactions. Or perhaps Elita One's reaction. Or anyone's really. She isn't embarrassed by you, of course. I would think more of herself. Rex, too, actually." She stated looking at Magnus.

Judy nodded with a gentle smile. "You can probably thank him out right. Everyone knows of how close you are to each other. But do it in a special way. For both kids. It will show them of how much you appreciate their feelings." She offered her suggestion.

Smiling, the Autobot Commanders and the CMO nodded as they understood where the two women were getting at. They could definitely come up with their own ideas.

"I think I do have a good way of doing such." Optimus said warmly.

Dinner that night was more like a party for all of the fathers. Or a big barbeque fest. There were tables set up everywhere for the families and many grills going on. A huge table full of food was set up with a large banner that read HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! on it. There was even some good music playing while people were talking. It was a good way of celebrating fathers.

Dawn was sitting the table with her family, listening and watching as Nik fed Delia. She smiled sadly but was happy enough to celebrate this day with her stepfather. Still...

"Hey, everyone! Can I have everyone's attention?"

The music slowly died down as all eyes went up to the small stage where Judy was the one who interrupted all of the talking. She was smiling brightly as if she did have something totally up her sleeves.

Out of respect to the well known bat wielding mother, everyone quieted down.

"Hey, everyone. I hope everyone is enjoying their selves." Judy said and earned some cheers from everyone to prove that. She nodded in satisfaction with a big smile on her face. She lift her head, looking around at everyone. "All right. Now we have a big surprise for all of those dads out there. It was brought to me by a pair of father figures that it would be a good idea for all of those daughters to ask their fathers to dance the father daughter dance. So we would like to see those daughters to drag their fathers out onto the dance floor. As for those without kids, I want to see wives drag their hubbies on the dance floor." She said before waving everyone to get to it.

And music began blasting out of the large speakers, with courtesy of Blaster and Jazz. They were

There were cheers as daughters and wives dragged men onto the dance floor. It was cute watching as Will carried his three year old daughter, Annabelle onto the floor, as did Nik with Delia. A lot of people laughed or awed at the sight.

Nearly everyone was on the dance floor. Everyone but the male teenagers, though they didn't mind. They were enjoying just watching daughters dragging a few protesting but laughing fathers onto the floor. It was funny, however, to watch Epps and Monique drag Rex onto the floor and made him laugh.

Even though there was a smile on her face, Dawn watched from her table as fathers danced with their daughters, a deep longing to do the same. She was happy that all of her friends had their fathers for this event.

But it just could have been better if she had someone to dance with.

The song was energetic and everyone was having a good time dancing and enjoying their time. But as the song ended, a new one came on. A slow one and the dancing kept going. Dawn's spirit fell even more, making her ,more depressed than ever.

Until a pair of hands fell onto her shoulders, making her jump and look up to see two gentle smiles aimed at her.

"Dawn Jade Adams." Ratchet said softly before offering his hand to her.

Optimus nodded as he offered his own hand to her. "May we have this father daughter dance?" He requested gently.

Dawn blinked a few times in surprise before her heart began to rise in happiness. She couldn't believe this. "But...I'm not..." she was saying.

Optimus shook his head with a smile. "Ratchet and I both see you as a daughter, Dawn. Just as you see us," he paused as he and Ratchet reached down and held up the poster board cards she had made for them. "As fathers. We both love as such and we would be honored if you could grant this dance to each of us."

A slight blush appeared on Dawn's face bit she smiled with tears in her eyes. She was happy enough to know that she didn't have a father.

She had two father figures who accepted her as such.

So smiling with happy tears, Dawn took Optimus and Ratchet's hands and allowed them to pull her onto the dance floor among all of the fathers and daughters, as well s husbands and wives.

And for the rest of the Fathers Day party, she danced with both of her fathers and even with her third father, Nik Boyd.

The End

Author's Note:

Happy Fathers Day to all of those fathers out there. And to the kids who have fathers, enjoy them forever. Because some people just don't have fathers, the people who love them and would do anything for them no matter what.

I meant to get this out on Father's Day but I completely forgot about it until now. I hope you all enjoyed this one. Let me know what you think.