This chapter is dedicated to Englishrose2011 as she helped me with my c request. This is set one year after the first Transformers movie and is centered around Lennox and Ironhide. I finally saw the GI episode with the female autobots so now I know what people are talking about! Also do not read this and listen to Iridescent by Linkin Park at the same time because it made me so sad for a little bit because the song fits the mood perfectly.

Challenges

"That's it! I'm out of here!" Captain William Lennox shouted in frustration.

"You've always done that before." His wife Sarah snapped at him as he stomped out the door, when he heard his baby girl crying as he left with slamming the door. Lennox paced back and forth in his front yard. It had been a long year for both of them with raising the baby and it didn't help that Lennox happened to be on military team that were made up of soldiers and transformers. He must have been pacing for some time before heard a honk in the background. He looked up to see a familiar GMC black truck pulling up to him. He let out a sigh as the truck pulled up and the door opened for him.

He got in with grumbled breath and looked out the tainted window in silence as Ironhide drove up to a secluded area in the forest with the sunset starting. Lennox got out of the truck and watched as the truck transformed into his fellow solider Ironhide. Watching him transform and hearing the sounds just never got old for him. It just fascinated Lennox as to how the gears and metal pieces could shift and fall into place like that.

"Have you been spying on me?" Lennox asked curiously.

"Not spying, it's like a guardian type thing that Bumblebee does with Sam." Ironhide answered with his deep British voice.

"So now you're my guardian hmmmmm?" Lennox asked highly amused. Ironhide had to chuckle at that. Even in a normal stance he looked very threatening. Lennox could never get use to all his cannons that looked huge! In a peace treaty act, the autobots willingly gave all information on themselves and the decepticons and their history to the humans, but the one thing they refused to do was hand over their advancements in weaponry. Their leader, Optimus Prime, knew of the human's capacity for war, so he refused on that one account. Lennox couldn't blame the guy for making that decision. Personally, Lennox thought it would be a disaster if just one of Ironhide's cannons were handed over to the government not to mention that he is the weapon specialist.

"Rough night?" Ironhide asked, breaking his thoughts.

"Hmmm, oh yeah. Just another argument." Lennox grumbled as he sat down on the ground to watch the orange sky. "I wish I could tell Sarah about you, but I'm under order." Lennox grumbled again.

"I understand." Ironhide said respectfully. "How's the baby?" He asked. Lennox looked up at him confused. Why would he care about Molly?

"She's great. She's just fully of energy so thankfully we get a few hours of sleep when she goes to bed because she crashes right away." He laughed.

"That's wonderful." Ironhide said a little sad.

"You ok?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" Ironhide asked.

"You look like now you just got into an argument with someone." Lennox joked.

"Nobody argues with me." Ironhide said sternly.

"Except for the twins." Lennox added making Ironhide groan. Optimus Prime had sent a message out into space to tell other autobots of their location. Two annoying twins, Mudflap and Skids, were among them. They stared out into the horizon as the sky started to turn pink with the fading sun. They just stared at it for a while, unsure of what to say next. Ironhide had great respect for Lennox, as he certainly had earned it and his trust over the past year as they worked together. It took them awhile to finally get used to the other outside of the missions, but on the field they were the best team there was.

"They would like you." Lennox said suddenly this time breaking Ironhide's thoughts.

"Who?"

"Sarah and Molly. They would like you." Lennox said again.

"As would I." Ironhide said quietly.

"Can I ask you something?" Lennox asked quietly this time.

"Shoot."

"Why would you care about my family?" Lennox asked. Ironhide looked at him for a moment, amazed by the question. He thought with the friendship they had Lennox would know that, but apparently not. True, he watched over Lennox and his family and he was he friend for a long time now to the point where Ironhide almost thought of him as a brother, but he wouldn't understand the true reason unless Ironhide said it.

"You should cherish every moment that you have with your family." Ironhide said steadily.

"I know that and I do." Lennox insisted. "You just don't understand." Lennox said quietly almost shamefully to say that to his friend.

"I understand perfectly Will." Lennox blinked in surprise when he heard his Ironhide say his name because he hardly ever said it.

"How?"

Ironhide finally sat down to Lennox who just kept staring at him in awe.

"Like you, I'm a solider. I've seen war. I've seen my brothers die and wounded. I've seen the people who grieve for them, but for the longest time I thought it would never be me." Ironhide said quietly. He stared into the sky as he thought of his world and the family he left behind. "We can't return to Cybertron because it has been ravaged by war for so many centuries as neither side gave into the other."

"That's not the only thing you left behind is it Ironhide?" Lennox asked respectfully as Ironhide returned his gaze to the human.

"Her name was Chromia. She was my bonded and she was carrying my sparkling when I lost her." Ironhide said barely above a whisper.

"She was your wife and you were going to have a baby." Lennox asked carefully as he didn't understand the words Ironhide used.

"Exactly right."

Ironhide could see her now in his optics. He could see her bright blue optics that were always full of worry and concern. He could feel the warmth of her spark as she gave into his own when he had bonded with her. He had been so happy and thanked Primus himself for the gift of his family. He had been so happy that he was blind from his own ignorance. He forgot in war that not only soldiers could be hurt and killed, but civilians as well.

"Her safe house had been attacked by the decepticons and they left no surviors."

Ironhide could see her now in his optics. He could see the blue energon that flowed out of her body and onto the ground. He could see her lifeless optics filled with the cold blackness. He could feel the coldness in his spark as he would never feel her's again. He cradled her body in his arms for hours and he cried into the heavens, cursing Primus himself for taking away his life. She was stabbed in the spark with a fatal blow and the sparkling was terminated instantly as it had yet to leave her spark chamber.

Lennox took a few deep breaths as the realization hit him. Robots with emotions. Robots that can get hurt. Robots that can die. He couldn't even imagine what Ironhide must have felt like to have lost everything in a single blow. All he could do was stare into the sky as the stars started to twinkle with their light. They were equals now on so many more levels.

"I'm so sorry Ironhide." Lennox whispered.

"Don't waste time arguing about nonsense. Just be thankful that you are blessed with a woman that loves you and a daughter that will grow up to call you father." Ironhide said with tears in his optics. Lennox got up and place his hand over Ironhide's larger one. He could see the tears coming out of him and he knew how much Ironhide meant those words.

"Thank you brother." Lennox whispered. Ironhide could only nod as he stood up and wiped his tears away. Once he regained his composure Ironhide transformed and took Lennox home. He returned to his post in the woods to watch as Lennox stood in the doorway anxiously. He could only smile to himself as his wife came out and they kissed each other in love and apology.

Hope you readers liked it. Now onto the D's which will have one funny story for now. Please read and review. I do not own Transformers as they are owned by Hasbro. Also, I did put some Transformers Prime quotes in here because I thought they fit the mood of the story.