CHAPTER 36
A Family Affair

Ironhide was still pushing on, he hadn't even stopped for a breath since the revelation had hit him. He hadn't decided yet whether he hated himself, or Jason more. How could he be so unaware Tony had existed? He'd treated him like crap the first stretch of his time at the home, and now it ended up he'd been being cruel to his son. His own flesh, his own Energon, yet again, he nearly swerved off the road while distracted in his mental chastising of himself. If anything, how could it not have been obvious when the bond had happened? No human had ever made one with an Autobot, it had been strange, but now that he knew the truth it was completely obvious.

Ironhide sunk onto his wheels, he had never thought that a child could even be conceived by the woman's intercorse with his holoform. It was very likely Tony was the only one of his kind, a rare and unique being. It only caused him to worry more, Tony would be worth a large fortune if that were true, and if Jason caught onto that... He shook off the thought of it silently he was going to find him, he was going to find him, and he was going to be okay. "Ironhide." Ironhide realized he had stopped, likely mid-way in thought, only after Optimus's voice echoed "It's getting very late, we should stop." He noted.

"No, I-I can't stop." Ironhide told him quietly "When I stopped looking for Strikefast, I brought her home in pieces." Ironhide was quiet.

Optimus transformed slowly, Ironhide did the same, but turned his back to him. "Strikefast was a sparkling, Ironhide. Anthony is fifteen, he's smart, and strong. And believe me, from what I have seen, he definitely inherited his Father's stubbornness." Ironhide turned to Optimus, confused "Ratchet has already informed me of your encounter with his Mother... And how you are his Father." He noted.

"Then you know why I have to keep going. I've failed him for the past fifteen years." Ironhide spun around, his optics locking with Optimus's "I know that both you and Elita were childless, Optimus. But please, understand. He's my youngest, my baby boy." He felt a small leak in his optics, but brushed the tears away "If I had just stayed, I might have been able to help her, Prime. I could have been there for him. I could have raised him." He looked down "I missed the only other child I've ever had's ENTIRE life." He added.

"He still has a lot of life to live." Optimus reassured him.

"I missed his first words, I missed his first steps." Ironhide looked at Optimus in his optics "I missed wishing him luck on his first day of school. Primus, I missed changing his diapers, Prime." He looked down, Optimus noted how upset he was "On top of this, I treated him so HORRIBLY when he first came to the farm. I treated him like he was an INTRUDER." He shook his head "Pretend for a moment, you were a Father at some point." He stated "How would you feel, Prime?" He asked, quietly.

Optimus put his hands on the mech's shoulders. Ironhide had never gotten this emotional, not in his presence, at least. But he understood, even without his own children, Optimus knew how it felt to be this helpless. To feel as though you'd failed someone dear to your spark. "There's still his first day of High School." Optimus tried to relax Ironhide "His Graduation, his first day of college... The birth of your grandchildren." Ironhide looked down "You're going to see all of those things, Ironhide." He noted.

"Not if Jason takes him away from me." Ironhide replied, darkly.

Optimus sighed a bit, he looked to the stars silently. He was worried about Tony as well, he didn't know Tony all that well. But from his limited interaction with the boy, he could without a doubt say that the boy did not deserve the horrible hand he'd been dealt. Him being the son of one of his closest and only friends, let alone the biological son of them, only added to this. "Ironhide, you forget that he's your son. You're a very crafty mech when you choose to be." Optimus stated, Ironhide looked at him "I have no doubt any child of yours knows what he's doing." He added.

"How do you know?" Ironhide asked "He's been too afraid to talk to me through our bond, and believe me, I've tried." He explained.

"Would you not be afraid too, if you were in his position?" Optimus asked, Ironhide paused, but slowly nodded his head "But you're no good to yourself-"

"What the frag?" Ironhide felt his spark surge "He's nearby. I can feel it, a mile maybe less."

Optimus stared at Ironhide, then began a scan of the area. "There's a motel, a mile down the road." Optimus stated, transforming down "I'll get hold of Michael, you go on ahead." He noted.

Ironhide didn't need to be told twice, flooring the gas, Ironhide took off down the road. He was not about to risk Jason getting away with Tony, not by a long-shot.

...

Tony leaned back quietly against the bed, he'd tried to sleep all night. Of course, he'd faked it to make Jason happy, but so far, he had been failing miserably and given up. He'd slowly sat up around eight, Jason was awake and peering out the window. Tony watched him for a moment, standing up. "Where are you going?" Tony turned his head at Jason's cold statement "Well? Speak up!" He added.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Tony stated hoarsely.

"Fine, you have two minutes though. We leave in five minutes." Jason stated.

Tony nodded, made his way into the small, cramped bathroom, and closed the door. If there was one thing he'd learned from Prowl and from Ironhide, it was what to do in these situations. If you were abducted, play along with the killer as much as you could. Then, wait for the perfect moment to get out of there. With two minutes, he wasn't sure it was the best time but it was worth a shot. He quickly noticed the one and only window, just big enough to fit him. "Just one shot... One shot."He muttered as he moved to pull open the window.

That's when he heard the engine. Tony stopped, he knew that engine well, it was Ironhide. BANG. Tony jumped, rushing to the bathroom door, and throwing it open. Jason stood there, shaking his head. "Your stupid robot just WON'T go away." Jason snarled, grabbing hold of his neck, and pressing the gun to his temple "Come on, we're leaving." He noted.

"If Ironhide's out there, you're a DEAD man." Tony noted.

"Not with this I'm not, if he cares so much about you." Jason cocked the gun, and moved out of the motel room, he stared forward as the Topkick approached "Don't you DARE." Jason shouted "If you make another move Ironhide, I'll shoot him in the head, understood?" Ironhide stopped in his tracks, his holoform quickly appeared "Oh, nice parlor trick, if you were real, I might shoot you." He added.

"Let my son go, Jason." Ironhide stated coldly "And I may spare your life."

"YOUR son?" Jason grimaced "He's MY son. I-"

"No he isn't Jason, we did a paternity test. I'm his Father." Ironhide stated, Tony's eyes widened, his heart beating at a thousand miles per hour "Meaning you have NO right to him, Jason. Custodial rights with him? Rightfully belong with me." He knew that with the gun to Tony's head he had to try to talk this out with the man "What you're doing here is a felony, it's kidnapping." He noted.

"My wife... Slept with a MACHINE?" Jason stated, horrified.

"She never knew, if she had, I doubt she would have." Ironhide stated, trying to talk him down "Listen to me Jason, I don't want to hurt you." He lied through his teeth, in an attempt to get him to let Tony go "But if you don't let Tony go, I will hurt you. Do you understand me?" He shook his head "You don't want to bring harm to yourself, and I know you don't want to hurt HIM." He added.

He could see the hesitation put forth by Jason, the man was insane. But he was doing all of this under the belief he could get his 'son' back and thus, didn't want Tony to be hurt. The hesitation lasted all of five seconds before the gun was back at Tony's head. "You have no rights to him, you had no idea he EXISTED. I'm the one who raised him as my own, however short it was." Jason stated "You? You're the one that walked out on her before she even woke up." He added.

"Dad, please... Don't let him-" He began.

"SHUT UP!" Jason screamed at Tony, who quickly fell silent "Now listen here, Ironhide. If you so much as take a single step further, I'll shoot him. I'll shoot him and you'll never see the only child you have again." Ironhide looked about ready to fire off cannons, but knew any shot he made would take Tony with him "Now, we're going to leave. And if we're followed? I can promise you, it'll be the last mistake you EVER make." He added.

Ironhide glared, harder and angrier than he ever had at any individual. "I hope you know this... You will not always be able to hide behind Tony. I will find you, whether it takes me years, or hours." His eyes flashed a little, anger obvious in them "And I swear to you, I am going to blow that cocky little grin clean off your face." He then added "Along with the rest of your head." He noted.

"I'd like to see you try." Jason chuckled.

Ironhide slid a tiny device onto the hood of what he knew to be Jason's car, from seeing it from afar quietly. "This isn't over, Jason, not by a longshot." He noted as Jason led Tony at gunpoint into the car "Not by a longshot." He added.

As Jason got in an drove off, Ironhide smirked, sometimes, it was too easy. Especially when it involved complete idiots such as Jason, he noted. "Tracker attached, you're on Prime." He stated over the comm.

Jason was about to find out what happened when you messed with one of the Autobots own. And he was about to learn it the hard way.