Title: Watching
Rating: General
Summary: Because Bay doesn't know how to handle grief.
Warning: None, save for religious references?
Author's Note: I've always hated how Bay ignores Will's side of the story after teasing us with glimpses of his family in the first film.
Waiting
Will Lennox grasped the hand of his comrade, shaking it and thanking him for the ride back home. The door shut, the driver took off and Will swallowed hard. For the first time since all of this had started, so many years ago with Mission City, he was afraid to go home. He was afraid to tell his family the fate of their guardian and friend.
He turned towards the house and forced each step. Sarah came out to the front porch and stopped. Will met her gaze and he knew the look was enough to say what he was afraid to speak. To even acknowledge.
"Daddy!"
The unmistakable cry of his daughter met his ears and he surprised himself by managing a smile as he knelt down and held his arms open. Annabelle jumped into his embrace, her small arms encircling him tight.
"Hey, sweetie," he choked out, glancing up at his wife as Sarah approached them.
"Welcome home, Will," she whispered.
Will stood, holding Annabelle on one side as he pulled Sarah against him. He held them both tight, thanking God that the war was over and that his precious ladies were safe from it all.
"Daddy…where's Uncle Hide?" Annabelle asked.
He knew Sarah felt him flinch slightly before he pulled back. He looked at his daughter, willing himself to speak but his throat closed up tight and he had to put her back on the ground as his knees went weak.
She called him 'uncle' and Will realized that he'd lost more than a friend. He'd lost a family member.
"Baby…Uncle Hide isn't coming home," he rasped finally, fighting back his own tears.
He would fall apart in Sarah's arms later, but he couldn't in front of his little girl.
Annabelle, for as young as she was, was only just grasping the meaning of death. She gave Will a funny look, and he realized she didn't understand.
"Come here," he whispered, pulling her into his arms again where he knelt. "Sweetie…Ironhide, he's…"
How could he say it? How could he even begin?
Annabelle pulled back and gave him a hard look.
"Is Uncle Hide with Jesus?" she asked quietly.
Will gave a choked sound, aiming for laughter, but it came out more like a sob.
"Yeah, Baby, he's with Jesus," he rasped out.
He saw her eyes glisten, then, but she wrapped her arms around him, tighter than before.
"It's okay to cry, daddy," she whispered, her own voice full of emotion now. "We can't see Uncle Hide anymore…but he can see us and we should let him know that we miss him."
Another choked back sob and Will found himself falling apart. Another pair of arms wrapped around him, holding him and holding each other. He let the tears fall even as he marveled at the wisdom of his little girl.
He thanked God again, for keeping them safe and, for a moment, hoped that wherever Autobot heaven was, that Ironhide was there giving them a run for their money.