Both Ironhide and the baby were asleep when Ratchet entered the room; he smiled and quickly checked on the child. She snorted and looked up at him.
"how are you?" Ratchet whispered, leaning down to get a better look at the baby.
"gaaruge" the baby replied
"is that so" Ratchet picked her up and began to cradle her in his giant hand. Ironhide noticed the babies lack of presence in his hand and awoke. When he saw Ratchet he immediately relaxed. Ratchet looked at him "morning"
Ironhide smiled "seems that you have a soft spot for the child"
Ratchet smiled back at him "so do you" it took Ironhide a moment realize that what he said was true.
"guess so" Ironhide shifted over so that he could look at the baby. "you know what I don't get" He said after a moment. "is why some human would want to give away this baby, she's done nothing wrong"
Ratchet shrugged "its like what Sam said, humans cant handle them some times, which reminds me, this one needs a diaper change" he was about to hand Ironhide the baby but she wasn't accepted.
"your turn" Ironhide smiled at him. Ratchet began to grumble but when to do the task any ways.
"she needs some food" Ratchet told Ironhide. Ironhide began to shift throughout the many bags.
After all of the changing and feeding was done, both bots sat back.
"I think we should keep it" Ratchet said after a moment.
"what? Why?" Ironhide looked at him sharply.
"well since the humans don't seem to want her, we should take care of her"
"they don't deserve to have her, if they left her out in a field" Ironhide agreed.
"we can do it, you and me, it shouldn't be so hard" Ratchet smiled at the self entertained girl on the table, she was once again trying to get her foot and stuff it in her mouth.
"alright" Ironhide said, "we will take care of this human child"
Sam happened to be walking at Ironhide's words. "really, that's so cool. You gotta give her a name"
Both bots turned to look at Sam "name?" they asked.
"sure come on, name her"
The two thought for a moment, they came up with nothing. Sam shook his head. "I think we need to ask permission from Optimus first, to keep the child" Ratchet said. Ironhide nodded. He scooped up the child and both of them marched out to find Optimus.
"you want to WHAT?" Optimus asked obviously surprised, he would have never suspected something like this to happen, this was totally out of his element.
"we wish to keep the child" Ratchet said.
"we'll take good care of it we promise." Ironhide filled in.
Optimus didn't know what to say "I-I suppose" he looked at the happy baby in Ratchets hand "she seems happy with you" after a moment he made up his mind "alright you may keep the child, but both of you are guardians for her" the bots nodded and thanked him, then headed out of the office.
"well" Ironhide said "I suppose we have to name her now"
Ratchet nodded "what name?" he asked. Both stopped their walking and sat down to asses this difficult situation. Names were shouted out, neither liked them. Sam came and sat with them, he was naming every girl he had a crush on, and none of them had a good name.
"argh this naming thing is hard" Ironhide said after a moment.
"we've been at this a good hour" Ratchet said playing softly with the baby in his hand. He kept poking her softly in the side and then pulling away, she would giggle hysterically and try to grab his finger.
"how about Alana " Optimus' voice came from behind them. Every one turned to look at him.
Ratchet looked down at the baby "do you like that name" she laughed, it was settled, from now on she was Alana.
Ratchet had taken a test of Alana's DNA, he had told every one that she was less than one. At his words Sam shook his head.
"some people are just stupid."
"I agree" said Bumblebee, he held Sam and nodded. From that moment on Alana was accepted into the group of the Autobots.
Alana and grew until she was one, of course she couldn't stand or anything like that but her first words were ones that Ironhide and Ratchet would never forget- it still mortified them to the day.
Alana was sitting in her little booster seat, watching Ratchet trying to find his wrench, something had fallen apart, and the wrench he needed just happened to be missing. She watched with great amusement as he searched through cupboards' and boxes. He opened one cupboard.
"slag it" a hammer fell on his head, Alana laughed. Ratchet turned to look at her "that's not funny, it hurt" she had the gall to laugh at him again. Ratchet shook his head and went about his usual business. He opened another cupboard and a tool box fell on him this time. "slag it" he kicked the tool box and felt a pain go up his foot "slag it"
All of a sudden from behind him Alana shouted "SLAG IT" she laughed and said it again "Slag it"
Ratchet stiffened. you didn't just sa-"
"slag it" she interrupted him with another blasphemy.
Ratchet looked at her "no don't say that" Ironhide came in.
"don't say what?" he asked
Ratchet didn't have to answer Alana did "SLAG IT" she screamed it from the top of her lungs.
Ironhide narrowed his optics and turned to Ratchet "what did you do?"
Ratchet stalked up towards him finger high, pointing in his face "it wasn't my fault"
"sure as hell looks like it"
"HELL" Alana liked choosing all of the wrong words.
Ratchet punched Ironhide "look what you made her say"
"it was your fault"
"wasn't"
"was"
"no"
"yes"
"no" Ironhide and Ratchet were so close to pummeling each other. When all of a sudden Alana shouted again.
"NO, no, no, no, no, no" she smiled happily and went on to say her new found word, it was easier to say and much more fun. Both bots turned to look at her.
Ironhide crossed his arms happily "see I converted her" he gestured toward the screaming child.
"oh yah great job" muttered Ratchet. He went over to her and knelt down. "Alana …" she couldn't hear him over her own screaming, she went right on saying her new word.
"no no no no no" she was laughing during her screams.
Sam suddenly ran in the room, hands over his ears "what the HELL is that noise?" he shouted. Alana stopped screaming to look at Sam, her head was tilted.
Ratchet shouted "no"
And Ironhide shook his head "here we go again"
Alana opened her mouth and screamed "hell!" Sam blinked a few times.
"oh crap sorry, I didn't mean to do that" Alana stopped screaming once more. Ironhide stood in front of Alana .
"please don't say it" he begged.
Alana disobeyed him "Crap" she said to him very calmly.
Ratchet slumped his shoulders "how does she know?" he asked.
"nononocraphellslagit" Alana said altogether, she was very proud of her new words.
Sam walked up to Alana and knelt down before her "how do we teach her good words"
"that doesn't seem possible" Ratchet called out. Alana grabbed Sam's arm with her small one.
"no" she told him.
"is that so" Sam sat down next to her. "why is that"
"no" she said again.
"no, is the best we got, I suppose" Ironhide said.
"that is true" Sam said patting Alana on the head.
"I think we need a new rule" Ironhide said "no more bad words around Alana"
"that would seem to be the best idea" Ratchet said with a nod. He then went back to looking for the wrench he was looking for.
Alana, was a good girl, her favorite word happened to be no, she had to remind every one of it every day though.
"no" she shouted as Ratchet tried to give her some food as she sat in her booster seat.
"not hungry?" Ratchet asked.
She proceeded to tell him no and a bunch of other things. She seemed to have developed her own language and liked using it a lot. Ratchet sighed, he let her out of her booster seat. Alana was three and had developed her knee caps. She had learned to walk with relative ease. She ran to her little dump truck that Sam had bought for her third birthday. It was red and yellow and it was able to hold her weight as she sat in the back.
Once she was sitting nicely, Ratchet picked up the little truck and placed it down on the ground, he then gave it a good push and Alana was sent flying. She laughed as her truck went careening all over. Since it had been an Autobot pushing the small truck, it could go on forever. It took a good ten minutes for the truck to finally slow down again. Alana giggled and held onto the truck for support, then with out getting up she pushed it over to Ratchet.
"agwain" she called
Ratchet looked down at her "what did you say?" he asked surprised.
"agwain, agwain" she laughed up at him, her eyes twinkling.
"ok" Ratchet said, he silently called over Ironhide- who came bursting through the door.
"what is it?" he asked.
"Alana," Ratchet said leaning down over the girl.
"What did you want?"
"to gwo fast" she said, to show what she meant she pushed the truck and made engine noises. "like you" she said pointing up at the both of them.
Ironhide sat down "she just talked with out saying a bad word" he said pointing out the obvious. "doesn't that take a long time? To convert her I mean?" he asked looking up at Ratchet.
"I guess not" Ratchet said smiling. Alana got in her truck and waited for some one to push her.
"you can do the honors" Ratchet stepped aside so that Ironhide could give the girl a push. Alana was given another good push, she began to laugh as the bots sat back to look at their girl with a smile.
Ironhide was brought out of recharge by a loud scream, he turned to see Alana in his room, she was chewing on a trigger of a very sensitive gun.
"oh dang" Ironhide said as he got up and took the child of the gun. "Alana what were you doing that for?"
Alana pointed to her mouth, next to her front teeth was blood "hurts" she said, crying. Ironhide sat down and tried to look closer at her mouth. Alana was a late bloomer, not all of her teeth had grown in at her age. One tooth just refused to come out but it seemed that it was now. "make it stop" she pleaded him.
"I'll try" Ironhide stood up and walked over to Ratchet's med lab, where to bot was sure to be.
Ironhide pushed the door open loudly causing Ratchet to start. "slag it" he shouted.
Alana giggled and opened her mouth "SLA-" Ironhide's finger stopped her.
"no Alana" he said.
"what is it now" Ratchet asked walking over to Alana.
She pointed to her mouth "hurts" she said.
Ratchet took Alana and asked her to open her mouth wide. "ok your final tooth is coming in, I cant do anything, sorry Alana" Ratchet said looking down at her sadly.
"what about ice?" Ironhide suggested.
Ratchet gave him a look that suggested im-the-doctor-I-know-what-is-best-so-why-don't-you-shut-up. "the ice would stop the tooth from coming in and therefore slow the whole process entirely" Ironhide and Alana oh'd in unison. "sorry" Ratchet said handing Alana back to Ironhide. Alana looked up at him and shrugged.
"it don't hurt so bad" she said.
Ratchet smiled "you're a brave girl"
"thank wyou" Alana said, Ironhide put her down and she ran toward her dump truck. The bots then went back to their tasks, they had a normal day ahead. One filled of repairing weapons and having numerous tools falling on ones head.