Disclaimer: All Transformers characters belong to Hasbro. Any made up characters were created by me.

Summery: (Post 2007 Movie verse) While watching his charges one winter, a new Autobot arrived on Earth and some surprisingly information was known about the old Weapon Specialist, Ironhide.

"blah" – Normal human speck
"blah" – Cybertronian speck
'blah' – Comm. Specking
blah – thinking
Blah - flashback

The Iron Giant
By Yami-Yugi

Chapter 6

At the Lennoxes, Ironhide, Wheeljack, Bumblebee, and Prowl were hard at work on the shed. Chromia was playing with Aurora in the back yard. Will and Sarah watched Annabelle play with them. "Isn't that cute Will?" Sarah asked with a smile.

"Yeah..." he agreed.

"Tag, 'Rora!" The little sparkling clicked happily. She stood and chased after Annabelle.

"Hey Ironhide, I think you need a bigger berth now for you and Chromia." Prowl said.

Ironhide stopped working on the energon dispenser he was hooking up to the wall. "Yeah, one that's closer to the size of the one back at base. I think Wheeljack's working on that. Right now, he's putting a crib and play area together."

"I just hope it don't explode on him."

"Prowl... You need to give him more credit. He's older and wiser than you. Just because some of his experiments tend to go wrong, doesn't mean everything he touches will explode into disaster."

"Yes I know." Prowl said.

Ironhide smiled a bit and went back to work. "Yeah, put it down right there, Bumblebee," said Wheeljack. The gold youngling put the new desk in the designated corner. "Okay, Ironhide. Come check out the crib and play area. I want to make sure they're to your liking." The black weapon's master finished the last few connections to the dispenser and came over. Wheeljack smiled. "What you think?"

Ironhide prodded the forcefield on the playpen. "Good job. There's no way she can get out of it. See if you can make the forcefield walls a foot higher. She's already showing curiosity. I don't want her to climb out."

"Okay. What about the crib?"

"Perfect. It's comfortable enough and the forcefield around the frame is the right height and strength."

"Great." Wheeljack moved the crib and playpen to a temporary storage corner. Ironhide went over to where his office area would be and started organizing the work space and the new desk. Wheeljack gave Bumblebee the job of childproofing things in the shed. Aurora chased Annabelle inside the shed, still trying to catch her from before. Chromia, Sarah, and Will were running after. The loud noises and hustle and bustle caught their attention. The game of tag was forgotten for the moment. They saw the bigger mechs working inside said shed. Aurora giggled happily when she saw her father. She started running right over to him. Annabelle watched the mechs work and decided Wheeljack was the most interesting. Will went after her. Chromia chased after Aurora.

"Come back Anne." Will said.

"Jackie! Whatcha workin on? Can I see? Can I see? Can I see?" Annabelle asked energetically. She started to climb up his leg, startling him. He dropped the pen he was using to write berth plans on a data pad. Aurora kept Ironhide in sight. She clicked and whirred, rushing towards the boxes of stuff and the desk.

"Aurora, come back here." Chromia called out to her daughter.

She did not hear her mother, her senses focused on one thing. Ironhide looked up from his work and noticed Aurora coming towards him. He stood tall and still. He looked right at his running daughter. "Aurora! Stop!" he called with a stern yell. Answering the order of her sire, she stopped running with her foot forward. Because she hadn't learned to come to a complete balanced stop, the force threw her onto her aft. She skidded right up to his foot. Annabelle looked on from Wheeljack's hand, as did everyone else. Aurora only stared up at her father. Ironhide stared back, hands on his hips. Aurora blinked. She clicked up at him. He bent down and picked her up by the scruff of her neck. He held her little face up to his and rapped her hard on the nose with his finger. "You do NOT run away from your mother. And you do NOT bother me when I'm busy." Aurora clicked sadly. "Don't be like that with me. You're in trouble." He carried her over to the storage corner. He put her in the empty play pen and walked away. Aurora started to click a bit upset.

Ironhide ignored her, going back over to his new office area and getting back to work. Chromia sighed. "It was only a matter of time before she got herself into trouble." Her spark sank a bit to see and feel Aurora sobbing. Sarah patted her leg. "First Time Outs are always hard." Annabelle looked upset as well. Her head was hung low as Wheeljack set her down on the ground. She trudged over to an empty chair in a corner and sat in it. Sarah came over with a smile.

"Me sorry." Annabelle said.

"Sorry for what?" Sarah asked sternly.

"For running from daddy... And for not listening..." Sarah patted her on the head and kissed her.

"That's a good girl. Now, go play outside and STAY OUT OF TROUBLE."

"Yes mommy," she said with a small smile. Sarah watched as Annabelle went over to her swing Will had built for her. She went over and watched her. Will joined her. Chromia watched the other mechs work and kept looking towards Aurora. Her cries had quieted to whimpers.

"I remember my first time out." Prowl said.

"You had a time out?" Bumblebee asked.

"What? You think I started out this way as a sparkling? All sparklings don't start out proper you know." Prowl said.

"...Oh... I just thought..."

"We're all taught right from wrong, even if it comes a bit naturally." Bumblebee giggled a bit. "It wasn't funny when it happened, Bee."

"So what did happen?" Ironhide chuckled at the conversation.

"I thought I could fly so I climbed up a shelf."

"Oh slag! Where you okay?"

Ironhide laughed outright. "The worst thing that was hurt was his pride. You were adorable, sulking on the floor." Bumblebee laughed outright.

"...I-Ironhide...you...you just said adorable!"

"Your father would have been proud if he could have seen you."

"What, proud that I though I could fly like him?" Prowl said.

Ironhide nodded. "You bet. He would have loved to see you try. It would have made him happy that you looked up to him so much."

"Wait, your father could fly?" Will asked.

"Yes. Hard to tell since I'm a ground type." Prowl said.

"His father was a cybertronian fighter jet," said Ironhide.

"...Wow... So...how come we haven't met him? He hiding somewhere at base?"

Prowl looked sadly away. "My father had been missing since I was a sparkling."

"I didn't know. I'm sorry... I know what it's like to have someone MIA."

Sarah came up with a sleeping Annabelle. "I think that's enough fun for one day. It's getting late."

"Yeah I believe so." Will said.

Wheeljack and Bumblebee helped clean up. Ironhide got Aurora out of the playpen. She looked at him sadly. "Don't look at me like that. You were in trouble. Running from your mother is bad, very bad. Bothering me when I'm working is dangerous." She whimpered. He smiled and tickled her stomach plating. Chromia came over with a smile.

"Well, you handled her nicely, Dad," she said as she nuzzled against Ironhide. He smiled down at her. He hugged Aurora against his chest, letting her nuzzle against him.

"See? I still love you," he spoke softly to her. Aurora clicked softly.

Ironhide smiled at her, kissing her helm. Annabelle cuddled against Sarah. Will kissed her on her head. "Sweet dreams, little Anne." Prowl watched both of them sadly.

"Prowl? What's wrong?" Bumblebee asked.

"...Father..." he spoke mostly to himself.

Wheeljack took hold of Aurora as Chromia, Will, Sarah, and Annabelle climbed into a transformed Ironhide. He gave Chromia the now asleep Aurora as she sat in the driver's seat. "Have a safe trip back. I'll lock up." Bumblebee went forward to give Prowl a hug, but Prowl transformed and drove off instead. "Bee, Prowl alright?" Wheeljack asked curiously.

"I don't think so..." he said worriedly. "I think he really misses his dad."

Wheeljack sighed sadly. He put a hand on Bumblebee's shoulder. "He was orphaned very young. His father is all he has. Go on after him, Bee. He could use a close friend right now."

"Sure thing Wheeljack." He smiled as Bumblebee drove off.

Once everyone was back at base, Aurora and Annabelle were being put to bed for the night. Bumblebee roamed the halls, looking for Prowl. He found him in the command center, typing madly at the computers. Occasionally, a red window with flashing letters "NO SIGNAL FOUND" would pop up. Prowl would growl and type again. "Prowl?" Bumblebee asked calmly as he walked up.

"What?" he almost spat.

Bumblebee nearly jump out of his armor but calmed himself down. "You okay?"

Prowl turned to look at Bumblebee. "Bee...I...I'm sorry I snapped. You can come sit next to me if you want." Bumblebee nodded as he came over and sat in a chair next to him.

"You're looking for him...aren't you?" he asked solemnly. "NO SIGNAL FOUND" flashed on the monitors again.

"Yes..." Prowl said sadly.

Bumblebee scooted the chair closer and hugged him. "He's out there somewhere...I know he is."

"I hope so Bee..." Prowl said "I wonder if he will recognized me if he saw me."

"Of course he will," Bumblebee smiled. "Progenitors never forget their sparklings, no matter how old they get or how they change."

"I hope so..."

Bumblebee hugged him tighter. "Don't lose that. I'm sure he's been trying to get to you all this time. At least you know he's alive. You would have felt it if he died." Prowl just nodded. Bumblebee let go and typed in his own coordinates. Prowl slowly smiled at him. Bumblebee smiled back. They both soon watched the screen. "NO SIGNAL FOUND" Prowl sighed sadly. "Don't worry. We'll just keep looking, okay?"

"Thanks Bee..."

"No problem. I'll stay here all night if I have to." Prowl smiled at him again. Bumblebee just smiled back.

The next morning, Ironhide and Wheeljack went looking for their two helpers. They found them fast asleep in the command center. "Well...didn't see that coming..." Ironhide smiled.

"I wonder what they were doing here all night."

"I'll give you a hint," smiled Ironhide.

"Oh..." Wheeljack said, finally getting it with a smile of his own.

"Bee... He takes friendship seriously..." Ironhide sighed happily as he went over to Prowl.

"Yeah... That was so nice of him. He took my advice and it helped." He carefully picked Bumblebee up out of the chair and into his arms. "We should let them sleep in a little while."

"I totally agree," Ironhide smiled, doing the same with Prowl. They carried the two sleeping mechs out of the room and down the hall. Each were placed in their respective berths in their quarters.

"I guess we have to find new helpers today." Wheeljack said.

"No... Don't worry about it. Most of the work was done yesterday. You and I can manage on our own. I can do a lot."

"Okay if you say so." Wheeljack said.

"I do. I'll go tell Chromia that I can't spend time with Aurora today."

"I'm sure she will understand." Wheeljack said. Ironhide nodded. Wheeljack separated from him, going to the Rec Room to get some morning energon. Ironhide headed towards his quarters where Chromia was with their sparkling. He walked in just as Chromia was giving Aurora her morning bottle.

"Hey there's my two lovely ladies."

"Hello, dad," Chromia smiled.

"I can't hang with our sparkling today, Mia." Ironhide said "Me and Wheeljack need to finish up the shed."

"Oh I see." Chromia said "Prowl and Bumblebee not helping today?"

"Apparently they were up all night trying to find him."

"...Poor Prowl..."

"Yeah I guess with me being a father now Prowl is getting desperate."

"I wouldn't say that. He just misses him more. He knows you still care about him. He wouldn't have gotten through the loss of his mother if it weren't for you." Aurora hiccupped and reached out her hands to her sire with a happy click. Ironhide couldn't help but smile as he took her into his arms.

"I can't imagine our little femme all alone like that. I hope he finds him soon. It's not like Stalker to be gone all this time."

"He must have a reason for being gone so long."

"I just hope it isn't a bad one." Aurora clicked worriedly up at her father. "Your dad's just worried about an old friend," he cooed. She chirped and nuzzled against him. He smiled and kissed her helm. He gave her back to Chromia at her dismay. "I'm sorry, Aurora. I have big mech things to do. You'll have to stay with your mother today."

Aurora clicked sadly. "Let's see if your new little human friend is up." Chromia said with a smile. The trick didn't work as her clicks turned into whimpers. "The sooner you father is done the sooner you can be with him."

She let out a sob. Ironhide sighed heavily and took her back into his arms. He rubbed her helm and brought her face to look at him. "I have to go. When I'm done, you and your mother will come to live with me and Annabelle." She still cried. He gently wiped the tears from her optics. "It's just for the day. I'll be back. I need you to be strong for me. Be good for your mother, okay?" Aurora started to sniffle. "Come on, be a big femme for me. It would be very boring for you. I know you'd rather stay here and play with Annabelle." Aurora nuzzled into him. Ironhide hugged her close and then locked optics with her. "I have to give you to your mother now. You be a good, strong femme and don't cry." He handed her over. "Be good," he said with a kiss to her helm. Aurora clicked a bit at him. "I'll come back, I promise," he said as he pat her on the head. Aurora waved and watched him go, holding him to his promise.

While Ironhide and Wheeljack worked on finishing up the shed, Prowl slowly woke up. He noticed he wasn't in the command room anymore but his room. He looked around a bit confused, but then guessed that Ironhide or Optimus had carried him there. "Ironhide!" He practically jumped off the berth, rushing out of his room and down the hall. He saw Optimus on his way through the Recreation Room. "Prime, where's Ironhide?" He asked as he ran up to his leader.

"Ironhide and Wheeljack already headed out. They've been working for three earth hours."

"Three Earth... I have to go..."

"Prowl, Ironhide said he and Wheeljack will be fine finishing up."

"They said that?"

"Yes, they said that. They aren't angry with you. You can still go if you wish to, but I'm not making you."

"Thank you, sir." Prowl left the room. Instead of racing over the Lennoxes to apologize and help, he went back to his room. In his room, he used his own personal computer to look for Stalker again. The dreaded "Signal Not Found" came up a couple of times again. Prowl sighed. "...I wish I knew where you were..." Prowl was just about to turn from the screen and go to the Lennoxes until his computer made a beeping sound. "Targeting Signal" flashed on the screen. Prowl's optics widened in shock as he saw the words flash. "OPTIMUS!" he shouted as he ran out of his room and down the hall.

Later on, Ironhide and Wheeljack returned to base after finishing off fixing the shed. 'Ironhide, Wheeljack. Return to base, even if you aren't finished. A new arrival is coming.'

'We're heading there right now. Who is coming anyways?' Wheeljack asked.

'Ask Ironhide,' Optimus radioed with a smile. 'He'll know.'

Wheeljack looked over at the weapon specialist a bit confused. "I'll explain on the way Wheeljack." He just shrugged.

Bumblebee rushed to get Sam and Mikeala when Prowl told him the news. He was very happy for his best friend. A lot of other Autobots were being radioed in as well. The two teens were waiting for him when he got to Sam's house. "So, what's all the excitement about Bee?" Sam asked.

"A new arrival's coming." Bumblebee said happily.

"Oh. You seem really happy about it," said Mikeala. "Someone you know?"

"No," Bumblebee almost squeaked. "Prowl found his father!"

"I didn't even know he had a father..." said Sam.

"He does." Bumblebee said "He was just been missing."

"Well, that's good then."

"I'm happy for him," smiled Mikeala, thinking of her own father.

Bumblebee openes his door for them. "Come on. I want to get back to the base in time." Mikeala just smiled and both got inside. Bumblebee practically raced off.

Wheeljack and Ironhide smiled happily as they pulled up to a mass of Autobots outside the base. "Quite a welcoming party," smiled Wheeljack.

"You bet," replied Ironhide. Aurora started to click happily when she saw her father. Ironhide came over and took her into his arms. "Missed me huh?" She cuddled into him. He smiled as he hugged Chromia with a free arm.

All the Autobots and humans stood outside of the base. They were all unsure about the huge Boing-747 that was nearing them. Prowl stare at bit, his doorwings held high. Once the plane touched down and started to transformed Prowl held a hand out before anyone took out their weapons. He recognized the feeling in his spark, a familiar feeling he haven't felt in a long time. The transformer's frame was covered with very old battle scars, more then Ironhide was sporting. Once the Cybertronian finished transforming, he stood very tall, higher then Optimus stood. He also sported a very familiar face. His face looked a bit like Prowl's, even sported a red chevron. Everyone stare at the newcomer. Ironhide then smiled hugely. "Well I'll be a tubofox's uncle." He said with a laugh.

"You know him Ironhide?" Will asked.

"Yeah he's an old friend of me."

Prowl slowly came up to the flyer that stood before them. The old mech smiled down at him. "Hello Prowl." He said.

Prowl looked like he was going to cry. The mech held his arms out and Prowl suddenly came into his waiting arms. "F-Father..."

"It's okay Prowl." The mech spoke gently. He then looked over at the other Autobots and the humans with a smile. "Bahh weep graanaa weep nini bong." The humans gave confused looks at their Autobot friends.

"Their species is a bit young to know the universal greeting." Ironhide said with a laugh.

The flyer smiled at him. "Ironhide, how you been old friend."

"Been doing fine. We were a bit worried when you disappeared all those vorns ago, Stalker." Ironhide said "What happened to you?"

"It's a long story."

"I think we have time to hear it."

"Later." Ratchet said as he came up "I would like check on his systems and see if some of those wounds can be fixed up."

"Ratchet? You had just graduated from the Academy when I left," Stalker replied.

"I've learned a lot since then. Some I wish I hadn't." Stalker smiled at him.

"Come on, son. We can catch up on the way inside." Prowl only nodded, still trying not to cry in front of the others. Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Wheeljack tried to follow. Optimus stopped them with a raise of his hand.

"I understand," smiled Ironhide. "Prowl needs some time alone." Optimus just smiled at him. Bumblebee smiled sadly. Wheeljack just shrugged and went over to the humans. They needed to understand who the new arrival was. Optimus went back inside to figure out important things concerning Stalker. Ironhide smiled and took his sparkling into his arms. He carried her over towards the humans so she could play outside. Chromia followed.

In Medical Bay, Prowl cried into Stalker's chest as he sat next to him on a berth. Ratchet left them alone for a bit, locking Medical Bay for family privacy. Stalker held him close, rubbing his door wings like he did when Prowl was little. "I've been away much too long. I should have been there for you. I'm glad you've welcomed me back so readily. I would have thought you would hate me."

"…H-how…could I…hate you…?"

"I left you and your mother alone like that for years. I…I wasn't there to protect you both. She would still be here if I hadn't left."

"…I-it…wasn't your fault… You were…following orders…"

"I'm sorry, Prowl. I'm sorry I left you all alone."

"…D-don't be… I-Ironhide…l-looked after me…"

"I'm glad for that. I'm glad he was able to help you and raise you. I couldn't live with myself if you had been left truly alone."

"Y-You're…h-here now… Th-that's all…I care about…"

"I'm not going anywhere, anymore. I won't ever leave you again. I've missed out on so much already. It's time to be the father I was supposed to be."

"…-sob-…"

"…I'm so proud of you, son. You've grown into more than I could ever wish for you. There wasn't one day that went by, that I didn't worry about you. When I felt…felt Moonshine go… I worried so much for you. I wondered who would raise you, who would guide you. I hoped you didn't hate me for leaving you alone with no one to talk to. I spent three long vorns trying to find you. I almost found Ironhide and the young Optimus Prime, but my next mission went wrong. I've spent the last twenty-five vorns as a Prisoner of War. All I could do was think of you more and more. All I could do was try to figure a way out. You kept my hope alive, Prowl."

"…I… I was…l-looking…for you…too… And now…n-now…you're here…" He nuzzled into him, his sobs muffled by the scarred armor.

"…It's alright, son. It's alright," Stalker spoke gently. A tear fell from his optic. He was so overjoyed to be home and reunited with his son, but it pained him to know that he had hurt him so deeply. "…I'm so sorry, Prowl…" he practically whispered to him as he held him close. "…I love you…"

"...F-Father..."

Stalker cleared his throat and wiped the tears from his optics. "Well...I'm sure you have stories to tell me. Why don't you give me an update on what I missed?" Prowl nods and slowly started to tell his father everything. Stalker laughed. "Now son, there is a difference between wings and doors. You took after your mother, being a ground type."

"I know that now..." Prowl said.

"Some things are best learned on our own, even something simple like that. I would have loved to see the look on Ironhide's face. ...Or to have seen you myself..."

"I know..."

"So, have you made any friends? I have a feeling most of those 'Bots out there were there for you." Prowl nodded but then looked saddened. "What is it?"

"...I-I did have a best friend..."

"Did?" Prowl nods sadly. "I'm sorry you lost your only friend, son. Did he die honorably?"

"...Y-Yes..."

"That's good. I'm glad you had someone. Though, I had hoped you would make more friends. Out of all the Autobots, you were only close with one?" he asked more out of concern than curiosity.

"...There are others...but Jazz was the closet..."

"It's a shame I don't get to meet him."

"...He...he would have loved you..."

"Bumblebee! Not yet!" Ratchet was heard from the door way. The golden youngling had managed to push past Ratchet when he opened the doors to talk to him. Prowl quickly tried to wipe the tears in his optics. "Bumblebee!" Ratchet scolded as he ran away from the medic over to where Prowl and Stalker were.

"Prowl! I was worried when you left and didn't come back."

"...It's okay Bee..." Prowl said.

"...You were crying... Are you sure you're okay?"

"Who might you be young one?" Bumblebee then looked up at Stalker.

He looked at him for a moment before bowing his head. "Nice to meet you, Prowl's dad. I'm Bumblebee. He's my best friend."

"Oh?" Stalker said with a smile.

"Yes sir."

"Please, just call me Stalker."

"Yes sir...uh I mean, Stalker."

Stalker chuckled. "Your friend has good manners, son. You're very kind, Bumblebee." He nodded a bit in thanks before looking at Prowl. He was still trying to get the traces of tears off.

"Are you sure you're okay Prowl?" Bumblebee asked.

"...Yeah...fine..."

"You must have really missed Stalker, I can tell. You can't hide your emotions from me Prowl. I know you too well."

Stalker smiled and looked at Prowl. "You shouldn't be afraid to be yourself, especially among your friends. Young Bumblebee cares very much for you."

"I know..."

"It's easy to say that. Just keep your friends close, Prowl. You never know when you might need them."

"I understand, father."

"Forgive me for giving you speeches you've already heard from when you were a sparkling. I haven't seen you since then and I'm just trying to pick up where I left off."

"It's okay father."

Stalker smiled. "Why don't you go with Bumblebee. I believe I have an appointment with your medic. We can catch up more once I'm done."

"Okay..." Prowl said as he hug him one more time.

Stalker smiled, hugging him back. "Go on now." Prowl nods and follows Bumblebee out of the room. "Bumblebee's closer than you think, son," he spoke to himself. Ratchet came over.

"By the looks of these scars you went through a lot." Ratchet said as he started to check him over.

"We had a fine medic under Sentinal. She made sure everyone was in good health. All of my injuries are due to being a Prisoner of War."

"I can tell." Ratchet said. Stalker barely flinched as he was carefully poked and prodded. "Primus! Some of these are practically all the way through!"

"Unfortunately I've gotten used them. They don't hardly hurt anymore."

"I'm surprised you haven't off lined with some of them infected as they are."

"Oh my..."

"Just how long were you there?"

Stalker winced painfully as an old wing injury was examined. "I was in a prison camp on a foriegn planet. It was one of the few Decepticon secret bases used for particularly useful or stubborn underlings. There were a few Autobots the 'Cons had managed to take there as well. They had very small energon rations. The aliens they had working for them used an uncommon language. Lucky for me I could understand it. They kept us alive as needed. There was no real care there." Ratchet almost purged his tanks in disgust. He cursed under his breath as he finished examining Stalker. There was an angry tinge to his optics as he ran internal scans. "Is something wrong?" Stalker asked.

"I've seen worse...but not much worse... Slaggin' merciless 'Cons..."

"It is an unfortunate reality of war. I knew things and could compile top notch strategies. They tried everything to get that out of me."

"You're systems are running much lower than even a sick mech's should. There's connections where there shouldn't be from self preservation."

"As long as it can be fixed. Please, don't tell Prowl about this. It would devastate him to learn that I've been suffering for eighteen vorns."

"Are you sure?" Ratchet said.

"I'm sure. All he needs to know is that I was a P.O.W and now I'm safely home. It's hard enough that I left him for two vorns only to be stalled another eighteen in a cruel state. It's too much for him to bear. When he asks, I will tell him myself."

"If that is what you want."

Stalker smiled. "You've grown a lot since I last saw you. Optimus is blessed to have such a great medic and a great friend."

"I try my best." Ratchet said.

"You do more than try. There's a genuine kindness and concern. You also have the strength to live for others and exhaust your spark if need be. Some medics don't have that strength, especially the young ones. Others, it takes almost an entire lifestream to gain that strength."

"Thanks." Ratchet said.

"I'm only speaking the truth from what I know. Lightening almost broke once. She had her first death followed by a patient with a life threatening injury. If it weren't for her friends sticking by and few kind words of advice from me, her patient would have died. She would have given up being a medic or worse, offlined herself."

"She was one of my teachers." Ratchet said.

"So, she took a break from work to teach. That's good. She needed a less stressful environment for a while. She's one of the best to learn from. She wasn't called Lightening for nothing," Stalker smiled.

Ratchet smiled too. "Well…that's enough story telling for now. I need to do my job. It will be easier and less stress if you were offline."

"A long rest sounds good. I haven't had proper sleep in a long time." Stalker closed his optics. He smiled as he remembered Prowl as a sparkling. His old, tired body gladly gave in to a deep sleep. Ratchet gave him a small dose of sedative to be sure he would stay asleep. He also connected him to a small energon line to reenergize his deprived body and keep him alive during his work. He sighed heavily. This was going to take a LONG time, but Stalker deserved every bit of it. The first thing he did once Stalker was safely asleep was go into the supply closet in his office. He would need a lot of spare parts and spare metal.

"Say, Ironhide can you tell me more about Prowl's father?" Will asked as they watched their children play together.

"Sure, what you want to know?"

"Anything and everything. Like for starters, what was that weird thing he said when he got here?"

"Oh that. That's the universal greeting."

"Never heard of it."

"Your species is too young to know of it. You see one of Stalker's jobs was an interpreter. He knows lots of alien languages and the greeting is what all species in the universe know. Since your species didn't know of other life in your solar system you didn't know the greeting."

"Oh I see."

"Anything else you want to know?"

"Yeah. If he's so big why isn't Prowl that tall?"

"Because of his mother. She was about the same size as Chromia so Prowl's not as tall as his father. But he got the wing trait from him even though he's a ground type like his mother."

"That makes sense," said Sarah. "Sometimes family traits do that."

Ironhide nodded. "When Stalker went missing it worried Moonshine a lot but she hardly had showed it with Prowl around."

"She was a good, strong mother," Sarah smiled.

"Yes she was. She always make sure Prowl was taken care of first." Chromia smiled. Ironhide looked down when he felt something on his leg. Aurora was trying to climb up into his lap. A smile appeared on his face. He reached down to help her but, she clicked in protest and batted his hands away. "I see...you want to do it yourself huh?" he said, smiling proudly to see her struggle. Annabelle and the others watched.

She clicked and chirped with determination, continuing the climb. "That's my girl, you can do it," smiled Chromia. "You're strong." She got to his knee and clicked loudly as she fought to pull herself up onto his thigh. Ironhide just smiled watching her. She reached one hand to give herself a big push up, but lost her grip. She fell back, grasping the air in an attempt to right herself. Her legs let go of Ironhide's leg, having lost their upper body leverage. She would have tumblebed down his leg and hit his foot hard if a strong hand hadn't caught her. She looked up to see who had rescued her.

She pouted in frustration to see her father looking at her, his hand holding her there. He set her down next to his foot. "Go on and try again. You can do it." Aurora clicked again and started to try it again. Everyone watched intently as she got up to his knee again. This time, she scooted up and landed sprawled out on his thigh. Ironhide smiled. He picked her up and sat her more gracefully in his lap. He rubbed her helm. "I knew you could do it." Annabelle clapped happily.

Chromia bent over and kissed her on the helm. "That's my strong little femme." Aurora clicked and whirred happily, nuzzling against Ironhide.

She pouted all the sudden. "What? You did it all by yourself. I didn't help," Ironhide said, trying to figure out what was wrong. She started to whimper. Chromia smiled and subspaced a bottle.

"I think somebody's hungry," she cooed. "And you used up so much energy to climb all by yourself." Aurora's optics brightened as she reached for the bottle. Aurora grabbed it tightly with her little hands, resting comfortably against her sire.

"You make one good father, Ironhide." Will said with a smile.

"I do my best," he smiled back.

"I always knew deep down he was a sweet spark," Chromia smirked.

"I second that," smiled Sarah.

"Daddy!" Annabelle exclaimed with delight as she jumped up into his lap.

"Hey Annie." Will said with a smile. She hugged him and sat happily in his lap.

Aurora hiccuped cutely. Ironhide smiled, rubbing her back to help the fine grade digest a little. "Oh, 'Mia...I have good news."

"Oh?"

"Jack and I finished my shed today."

"Yea! I'onhide stay! Miss Chwomia and 'Rora come live with us!"

"Yes Annabelle." Will said with a smile. She smiled. Bumblebee walked in with Prowl.

"Hello," smiled Bumblebee as he saw both families sitting in the Rec Room. "Awww, Aurora's so cute."

"Yes she is." Ironhide said with a smile.

Her little optics watched Bumblebee curiously as he sat next to Chromia. She dropped her finished bottle and crawled over Ironhide's other leg. She sat in her mother's lap and stared at Bumblebee with curiosity. "Hey there little one." Bumblebee said with a smile.

She studied him for a moment before reaching out little hands. "Oh, you want your uncle Bee now?" Chromia asked. She just whined, reaching out her arms. Bumblebee took her into his arms.

She clicked and whired up at him as he happily held her. She explored his headlights a bit before reaching up and pulling on his chest armor. She started to pull hard, exploring what it could do. "...Hey...quit that..." Bumblebee winced a bit, trying to pull her hand away.

"Aurora..." Ironhide scolded. "Be nice to your Uncle Bumblebee."

She pouted up at Bumblebee's pained smile and let go. She gently pat his chest and chirped an apology. He pat her on the head. "It's okay." She clicked happily. He smiled down at her and tickled her stomach plating. Prowl smiled a bit at this.

Aurora giggled happily. "Bee...you might want to stop," Chromia warned. "She did just eat."

"Good idea," he said, stopping. "She wouldn't be happy if she got sick." Aurora wondered why Bumblebee stopped a moment, but a hiccup told her why. She clicked and nuzzled against him. She chirped happily, a yawn sneaking its way out.

"It's someone's nap time," smiled Chromia. Another yawn and Aurora was fast asleep in her uncle's arms.

"I think it's someone else's too," smiled Sarah as Annabelle was fast asleep in Will's lap. Prowl smiled at the scene and went towards Medical Bay to see his own father.

When he got there he notices the doors were closed and he got a bit worried. He knocked on the door. "Give me a minute!" was the muffled reply. Prowl waited a bit anxiously until Ratchet finally opened the doors.

"Ratchet..." Prowl started.

"He's fine, Prowl. It's taking me a long time, but he's fine. There's a lot of old war injuries."

"Are you sure?"

He put a hand on his shoulder with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about him. He's going to be fine."

"But I can't help it..." Prowl said.

"I know. You haven't seen him for most of your lifestream and you just got reunited with him. I'd be a little worried too. Just let me do my job and I promise you'll have your father back in one piece."

Prowl nods a bit. "T-Thanks Ratchet..."

He smiled. "Go get some rest. You had a long night last night and an exciting day today."

"Okay..." Ratchet smiled as he walked away. He waited until Prowl was out of sight before going back in. He sighed heavily, knowing he wasn't quite halfway done yet. It would be a long night and he hadn't had one in awhile. He walked back over to where Stalker laid.

He took a deep breath. "Primus guide me and give me strength," he sighed before getting back to re wiring connections and repairing old lines.