Author A/N:

Hey again everyone! Here's chapter 4 AKA Family Reunion pt 1 :D

SunlightOnTheWater: Isn't she just, she has Ironhide wrapped around her little finger and everyone knows it XD

Cybela: I only wish they would show more of it in the movies ... they had way to much air time for Sam (don't get me wrong he is a good character, but he wasn't the only one -.-) I hope you enjoy this!

GavinDarklighter: I had the same image as I wrote it, I sat there giggling the whole time XD Ah yes, there will be some humerous results to that little 'arrangement' laer in the fic heheheheh ...

Mieschers: Yeah, I think a dog is a good fit for him XD

keacdragon: I want a German shepherd too ... they're sure amazing animals!

sunkissedvampire: Yey for Ironhide indeed! It broke my heart when they killed him :(

Chocokoko: I love Annabelle and Ironhide moments ... they are so cute!

Silver Mirror: Ironhide is the kind of character I can see taking anything and everything in stride ... I'm glad you're enjoying this :D

Thanks again to everyone who read/reviewed/favourited!

And thanks again to Vivienne Grainger for the edit!

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership over the Transformer franchise, this is meant to be strictly for entertainment purposes.

Ironhide watched the growing crowd with a sense of dread. He wasn't sure what to expect when Sarah said most of her family was coming in, but this was ridiculous. People had been arriving steadily since 11 o'clock this morning, and showed no signs of stopping.

Sarah's parents, and step brother, had arrived first. Followed by her aunt Astrid and her family, then numerous other cousins, second cousins, and just about every other family member you could name. Will had sat in the kitchen with Ironhide as the family reunited, the look on his face matching what Ironhide was feeling. The dog sniggered quietly and sent him a text.

'You fight Decepticons on a regular basis, and yet you're afraid of a few family members?'

Will narrowed his eyes and aimed a gentle kick at the dog under the table.

"I'm not afraid of them!" he hissed.

"Afraid of who?"

Will jumped slightly as a well-aged man walked into the room, Ironhide just lifted his head in mild interest.

"Hey, Grampa Ollie," Will greeted while turning to face the man. Ironhide made a quick cross-reference between the man and the information Sarah had been giving him all morning. Numerous photo albums had been opened in attempt to give Ironhide names to match the many faces that would be staying in the house for the weekend. This was her grandfather, on her mother's side, Corporal Oliver Looke; vetern of the Vietnam War, and only other military member of the family. For that reason, he was one of the few family members that actually seemed to like Will.

"Been a while, m'boy," Ollie met him with a hearty handshake and a warm smile, "you still givin'em hell on the field?"

"Always."

"That's m'boy!" Ollie laughed as Will helped him sit on one of the kitchen chairs. "Now what's this being afraid of someone, need me to beat'em up for ya?"

Nah, nothing like that," Will laughed, "I was just talking to the dog."

"You guys got a dog?" Ollie frowned, tilting his body to look under the table where Will pointed in reply. He whistled in approval as Ironhide came out from under the table to sit in front of him. "Now that's a dog. When did you get him?"

"We're just minding him for a few days for a friend of mine; he was injured a couple weeks ago during one of their operations."

"'Operations?' He's a military dog?" Ollie asked as he gently stroked Ironhide's head.

"Search and rescue, his name's Hyde."

"Hyde, eh? We had a dog like this during the war ..." Ollie trailed off as though caught in a memory, fond smile on his face as he continued his caress. Ironhide decided he liked this family member, anyone who could find a reason to smile after such a war earned his respect.

"Will?" Sarah poked her head in the room at that moment. She smiled softly at the image before her as he addressed her husband, "Can you help us put that tent up now?"

Will had shot Ironhide a suffering look as he got up to follow Sarah out the backdoor. Ollie watched them leave with a knowing smirk on his face.

"They make a good couple, even if she does have him whipped."

'Human, you have no idea.'

It wasn't long after the tent was up before everyone moved outside. Ironhide followed, settling comfortably on the porch, a spot where he could watch everyone without having to be involved.

"What did you say the dog's name was again?" Valerie, Sarah's adopted cousin, asked from her spot sitting beside Sarah in the shade of a tree. Her nine-month old baby, Rosalie, was laying on a large blanket between them, but had her undivided attention on the figure on the porch.

"His name is Hyde," Sarah said with a smile, gently offering Rosalie one of her baby toys. The little girl fiddled with it for a few seconds before her attention was drawn back to Ironhide. The little girl had a fine dusting of auburn hair on her head, the same color as her mother's. It was one of the defining features that told of Valerie's adoption, since Sarah's family had blonde hair and blue eyes almost exclusively.

"He's very well behaved."

"Well, he is a military dog," Sarah smiled as Annabelle ran by with a gang of cousins in tow. The little blonde was absolutely delighted to have more children to play with, and from what Sarah could hear, they were planning a game of hide'n'seek.

While her mother and aunt were distracted, little Rosalie had pulled herself up to her hands and knees and started crawling speedily towards the house. Walking was still uncertain for her, but she had mastered this art of locomotion. She had just made it to the edge of the blanket when uncle Will grabbed her.

"Hey squirt, where do you think you're going?"

Rosalie looked up at him, still trying to remember his face, but she soon settled for whining her disapproval for the interruption of her quest.

"You wanna meet Hyde, kiddo?" The question was aimed at the squirming baby in his arms, but he looked over at Valerie for persmission. The redhead bit her lip nervously, but nodded her consent. Will smiled and placed the baby in her mother's arms before plopping down beside them both and whistling.

"Hyde, come'ere buddy!"

Ironhide had spend a good portion of the night studying dog behaviour and etiquette. He wanted to make sure this weekend went off without a hitch, and after spending the last seven years on earth he had no excuse for screwing anything up. However, that didn't mean he had to like it. Lennox owed him a wash and wax for this.

He stood up and moved off the porch slowly, glaring at his charge best he could. Will just gave him an innocent smile and rubbed his shoulder as the dog sat down beside him. Rosalie was bouncing on her mother's lap in exictment, stubby arms reaching for the large furry mass that was seperated from her by her "uncle".

Iornhide, from years of dealing with Bumblebee as a sparkling, and with Annabelle when she was this age, slowly leaned over to sniff at her hand. He kept an eye on the little girl's mother, ready to move back if the woman got too nervous.

Rosalie rubbed her hands over Hyde's muzzle with intense concentration. Her movements were awkward and jerky, as most movements for someone her age were, but Ironhide sat quietly through the process. He only moved when the little girl did the other thing children her age were known for, testing things by putting them in her mouth. He pulled back with a snort, wincing at the feel of drool on his nose. More than one person laughed; many family members watching the scene as it played out. Will, thankfully, wiped the drool off his guardian's nose while Sarah laughed and took Rosalie onto her lap.

"No, baby girl, you need to be gentle with the puppy," she cooed in a baby voice, it took almost all Ironhide's self-restraint not to growl at the woman, "see? Gentle." She took one of the baby's pudgy hands in her own and reached over to stoke the back of Ironhide's neck. Rosalie giggled happily at the feel of fur under her hand, Ironhide just huffed quietly and layed his head down on his paws.

A sudden ping from his internal communication system had him perking up.

::Optimus to Ironhide, how are things going?::

::Could be worse I suppose:: Ironhide answered as he eyed Rosalie. The little girl had crawled off Sarah's lap and was now leaned against his shoulder.

::How many humans are there now?::

::42 so far, but Sarah's uncle and his family aren't here yet::

::I see. Sideswipe and Bumblebee are on standby if you require backup::

::Understood, but I doubt it will come to tha-OW!::

::What? What happened?::

::And how long will it take me to repair it?:: Ratchet suddenly joined in.

::What the-have you been listening in this whole time?:: Ironhide snorted as Sarah gently pried Rosalie's hand from its grip on his ear. The little girl just grinned happily as she cuddled back against his side.

::Everything's fine, just a human sparkling with a bit too much enthusiasm::

::You're awfully good with dealing with that age group...:: Ironhide narrowed his eyes at Ratchet's comment, he could practically see the smirk on the medic's face.

::All right, all right, settle down, you two. I just wanted to check in and let you know we have clearance to return to the Arc:: Optimus said, causing Ironhide to perk up.

::Who's going?::

::Myself, and Ratchet. We'll be going on Monday and I hope to return quickly::

::How long is it going to take to rebuild me?::

::Depends on what materials we find:: Ratchet said ::We won't know for sure until we get there::

::Goodie:: Ironhide rolled his eyes with a sigh.

::I'm being called, just wanted to make sure everything was all clear, keep us informed::

::Yes sir::

::We'll be checking in later.:: There was a silence, and then Ratchet commed Ratchet-style, ::Have fun, 'Hide::

::Oh, go shove it up your exhaust, Ratch:: Ironhide grumbled as the communication was closed. He sighed deeply as he scanned the property for threats. A sudden commotion at the side of the house caught his attention, but an excited squeal from Sarah had him relaxing. She got up and ran over to the four people that had joined the crowd. A quick scan revealed this to be the family that had been in Chicago at the time of the attack. It seemed they were going to be the center of attention for the weekend.

Annabelle suddenly came over and plopped down beside Ironhide.

"I got caught," she smiled, "Jackie's really good at this game." Valerie laughed and ruffled her hair.

"Can you keep an eye on Rosalie for a minute, sweetie? I want to go say hi to your uncle Tom."

Annabelle looked down at the little baby leaning against Ironhide as though he was a pillow. She had her pacifier in her mouth and her eyes were almost closed, the perfect picture of contentment. Annabelle just narrowed her eyes at the little girl cuddled up to her guardian, but agreed. Ironhide smiled in amusement, making a note to talk to her later, as he nudged her knee. Annabelle smiled shyly at him as Sarah came back over with two more children in tow.

"Annabelle, sweetie, can you take Timmy and Allison to play with the others?"

"M'kay mommy." She got up and motioned for the two to follow her. "Come on, we're playing hide'n'seek!"

"Don't worry," Sarah said to her uncle who had come up behind her, with a protective look on his face as he watched his children run off, "they'll be fine."

The hours passed remarkably fast for Ironhide. He passed his time by scanning the property and listening to the war stories Will and Grandpa Ollie were telling. The old man reminded him of a lot of an old friend of his, Kup. The old Autobot always had a story to tell, how many of them were true was always open to debate, he was always entertaining.

The children were still playing hide'n'seek, as they had been all afternoon, but the barbeque had been fired up, and the parents were calling them in. Most of them had already been caught and came eagerly to their parents' calls. Those that were still hiding came out quickly and joined the main group. Ironhide frowned slightly when his scan revealed two of them still missing, Annabelle and Allison. Will and Tom had apparently noticed too as Ironhide got up and went over to them.

"ANNABELLE! ALLISON! GAME'S OVER, IT'S TIME FOR SUPPER!" Will called, with Tom standing anxiously beside him.

"Where could they be?" He asked, chewing on his bottem lip.

"I'm sure they're on their way," Will said reassuringly, as his eyes scanned they shadows. The property was surrounded by fields and bush, either of which Annabelle was not allowed without an adult.

"But what if they're hurt? What if they're lost? Will, I can't lose my baby girl!"

"Thomas, get ahold of yourself!" Grandpa Ollie snapped as he came up beside them. Will shared a meaningful look with the dog before turing back to the crowd that had gathered.

"He's right, they couldn't have gone far," Will reasoned, "plus, we have a secret weapon."

Tom followed Will's look to Ironhdie, realization crossing his face as his eyes settled on the dog.

"Search and rescue right?" Tom breathed as his wife grabbed Allison's sweater from her chair.

"Best there is," Will assured as he crouched in front of Ironhide. As he "sniffed" the garment he shot a pointed look towards the thick bush, his sensitive scans already located the two missing children. Will nodded as he clipped a leash to Ironhide's collar.

"Alright buddy, find'em."

Ironhide shot towards the dense trees, careful to keep his nose to the ground to appear he was following the scent as he dragged Will forward. Tom, Sarah's father, and a few of the older cousins followed closely, eager to help anyway they could. He tried to find the clearest, and quickest, path for them to follow as they moved through the trees. The sun was starting to set, making the risk for predators or falling and injury grow as the shadows grew.

::Ratchet to Ironhide, how goes the babysitting?::

::Not now Ratchet, Annabelle and one of the other younglings in missing::

::Missing? As in Decepticon missing or-::

::No, I mean hide'n'go seek missing::

::...come again?::

::They were playing a game and got lost in the bush::

::Are they okay?::

::As far as I can tell, I'll let you know once we reach them::

He kept his sensors trained on the two figures waiting for them. At least Annabelle remembered the first rule of getting lost; stay in one place.

It didn't take long to find them, huddled together under a tree, with tears in Allison's eyes. Annabelle looked a little more confident as she scanned the bush around her, she knew Ironhide would find her. The group burst into the clearing quickly, causing the two little girls to jump in surprise.

"DADDY!" Allison sobbed as she got up and ran to her father. Tom pulled her up into his arms and held her tightly as the little girl cried. Annabelle got up and walked to her father with her head down.

"M'sorry daddy, we were just trying to find a hiding place, and we weren't going to go in that far, but then we got lost, and, and, I'm sorry." Annabelle mumbled quietly as Will knelt down and hugged her tight.

"We'll talk about it later, okay, kiddo," he said in his best parent voice. Ironhide just snorted and nudged his youngest charge.

"Thank you, Hyde, I knew you'd find me," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Ironhide cuddled her back for a moment before Tom came over with Allison in his arms. He knelt down infront of Ironhide and reached over to pet his head.

"Thank you," he said quielty, graditude shining in his eyes as Will picked Annabelle up. Ironhide shuffled forward and nudged Allison's arm gently. The little girl looked at him shyly before following her father's example and reaching for him. Ironhide licked her hand, earning a smile and a shy giggle as she brrowed back into her father's shoulder.

::Ironhide to Ratchet, we got them::

::Condition?::

::A little chilled, and a few scratches, but they'll be fine::

"Alright, everyone," Will said with a tender smile on his face as he grabbed Ironhide's leash again, "let's head back and get something to eat. I think this was enough exictment for one day."

A/N: Next chapter should be up soon enough! Decepticons will be making they're first appearance soon! See ya'll later! :D