A/N: Thanks to my awesome beta, TFPKOFANGIRL, for her awesome work on this chapter!

...

CHAPTER 16
The First Christmas

Christmas had always been a tense time for Dylan, so it didn't help him that it was coming around so soon.

Ratchet had been unusually cheery, and it actually seemed a little odd to Dylan, in all honesty. And then came the house, which Ratchet and First Aid had been decorating for Christmas. Dylan didn't understand why really, he'd never had a real Christmas in his entire life. But all the same his new "family" seemed keen on giving him an authentic, "real" Christmas. Dylan tried to hide the fact that he didn't even know what that meant, but he had a feeling they already knew.

All the same, it was nice to see a bright and cheerful Christmas look in a place like this. In other places, it always felt empty to him, since no one really gave him much on Christmas. It was all mostly for the biological kids, or at least in his mind it was. But here, there were none, and Dylan felt a little glimmer of hope at that. Yet at the same time, he knew that Ratchet might have been a little out of his element. Sure, he had been around for plenty of Christmas's, but did he really celebrate, at least until now?

Yet there he was that morning, putting the finishing touches on the house. Namely, stockings, even though he should have known Santa Claus was not something Dylan believed in. He still seemed to insist that they would do the Santa Claus traditions too. Dylan sighed quietly, stepping over to him, and looking up at the stockings quietly. "Hey Ratchet," He called up, trying to be friendly about it. "How's it coming?"

"Tedious," Ratchet admitted. "But I think it looks fine."

Dylan had to admit, all of the decorations didn't look too bad for two people having their first Christmas. In fact, it looked cozy, despite how awkward this all felt. He sighed quietly, putting his hands in his pockets. "It looks nice, Ratchet," He finally spoke. "But still, you don't have to do all of this. I've never-."

"Had a "real" Christmas, I know," Ratchet grunted. "And that's not fragging right. Just like you never having a "real" creation day isn't," He looked at Dylan. "We're fixing that while you're here."

Dylan supposed he had to stop fighting it. Clearly, Ratchet was going to do whatever it took to see that he got what he'd been missing out on. Birthdays, Christmas, he'd already gone through Thanksgiving, as small an affair as that had been... Dylan wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the fact he was so sure he now "loved" Dylan. "Alright, I won't fight you," Dylan grunted. "Mostly because I know it's useless."

Ratchet smirked slightly at that, the boy was certainly starting to learn things like that. The mech approached his foster son, crouching down and inclining his head. It was his symbol that he wanted to touch him, something that they had worked out since their relationship had grown more affectionate. Dylan nodded in return, and Ratchet hoisted him onto his shoulder with his hand.

Dylan was getting better used to the feeling of the height now. And what's more, he definitely felt less scared of the touch, though there were still times he felt some fear. He supposed that week when he was sick really had changed things for the better. He hated to say it, he hated to feel it, but he felt something around Ratchet that he'd never felt before. He felt like he belonged, and like he could actually rely upon this mech in ways he never thought he could rely upon anyone else.

And that, at the end of the day, was why he let Ratchet do this for him. "So, we're gonna get that tree decorated tonight, right? First Aid's coming?" Ratchet nodded his head in response, and Dylan smirked. "Alright, but I hope I do okay. I mean, all I know is what I've seen in movies."

Ratchet snorted, looking over at Dylan with a chuckle. "I only know what I've been taught myself. But those ornaments shouldn't be too hard to get up there," He explained. "Then I'll have some place to put the gifts I got you," He explained.

Dylan's eyes shot up, Ratchet actually had gotten him gifts? That was a great surprise to him, and one that was a good thing. He put his hands on his knees, taking a deep breath, and resting his head against the crook of his neck. "You really didn't have to get me anything y'know," He explained. "Just knowing I'm spending Christmas in a home where I don't feel like a burden is a nice enough gift."

Ratchet smiled, it was good to hear things like that out of him. He shook his head slightly putting his hands on his hips, he took a deep breath. "I know the feeling. We had holidays on Cybertron too. And I felt the same way my first one with Siren," He explained. "But, I digress, I'm still going to spoil you rotten this Christmas, like it or not," He snorted. "It's my first Christmas with my son after all."

Dylan tried to push away the negative connotations that came with that word. They were all still there at times, but again, getting better by the day. He was getting better by the day, he realized. Though he had fought it, he could slowly realize things were getting easier for him. "Yeah, I get you. I guess it's kind of my first Christmas with some actual semblance of a family too," Dylan nodded. "So, want to start opening up the ornaments at least? I want to see what the stuff we got looks like."

Ratchet grinned, and then turned to go and find the objects. "I believe that is a good idea."

...

As the days passed Ratchet worked hard to make sure that this Christmas was perfect. The stress of it was odd to him, as he had never really thought much of the Holiday before. Sure, he and First Aid spent it together, and the Autobots got together Christmas night to exchange gifts and celebrate together. But for the first time, he was now working on making Christmas Eve/Day itself something festive and wonderful. Which meant searching high and low for the perfect gifts to put under the tree, the right stocking stuffers, and most of all securing the fact he was absolutely not to be called in on Christmas Eve or Day.

Dylan helped when he could, but Ratchet also had to do some things by himself. Such as figuring out what gifts to get him, which he was doing now. It was a bit of predicament really, given Dylan didn't really specify what he wanted. If nothing else, the boy was humble, not wanting to ask for expensive gifts, but none-the-less, Ratchet had already spent a good deal of money on what he knew Dylan would like, but dared not ask for. The video game console he'd been eyeing for weeks, and a few of the latest "hot" (as the sales associate had put it) games that were "making waves" on the market, whatever that meant.

He'd gotten some new paints that he knew he'd like too, and a couple of films. And while he knew he wasn't quite done, having only covered a few stores in the mall, he'd hoped he'd made headway as he collapsed onto a chair in the food court. He'd been mid-way through an Energon cube when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, and a hand placed itself on his shoulder. "Odd to see you around this place at Christmastime."

Ratchet stood to his feet slowly, and turned to greet the figure with a firm, warm handshake. Honestly, he couldn't be sure what Prowl was doing there, but it had been a while since he'd seen him. In fact, he'd ironically realized that the last time he'd seen him had been the day he'd taken Dylan in for the graffiti. "Yeah, well, I have quite the amount of shopping to do," Ratchet explained. "Shopping for the family? I heard Bluestreak's having a sparkling with his bondmate."

Prowl showed the faintest of smiles, nodding his head, and taking a seat in front of Ratchet. "That's accurate. Little one's due in January. So I figured I'd get some "sparkling shopping" done," Ratchet nodded, knowing that had to be fun, though he'd never known such joys. "Shopping for First Aid?"

"No, I got his present already," Ratchet replied honestly. "I'm shopping for the other part of my family."

"The other part? Did First Aid get bonded too?"

Ratchet crinkled his nose a bit, surprised that Prowl wasn't wondering where his young troublemaker had been. Then again, with people like the twins out there, he supposed he had plenty of them to think about. "No. You know an odd thing happened after that day you convinced me to let Dylan Logan off easy," Prowl nodded his head, though he didn't seem to be totally following. "He ended up taking residence in my home before his first month with the group was done."

Prowl looked as though he'd been floored by the statement. And no doubt he had been, as Ratchet would not be surprised to find out that he knew about Dylan's history. "Well, that was unexpected!" Prowl told him after a moment of silence. "I thought when you got that foster-to-adopt license you were going to go for a younger age. But going from sparklingless to an almost fifteen year old..."

"I know, but it wasn't as hard a decision as you'd think," Ratchet told him honestly. "Once you get to know him, he's such a bright young man. And the way he was being treated by his foster family was unacceptable," He shrugged his shoulders, leaning back. "Didn't take long for me to fall in love with the kid either. He's got his fair share of troubles. But since he's been with me, he's stopped tagging, improved his grades, made friends..."

Prowl shook his head, looking even more dumbfounded now. "Well, I'm happy for you. I always thought Dylan was a bright kid who needed some straightening out," Ratchet nodded, that sounded about right. "So, shopping for him, huh? That must be tough only knowing him for a few months."

Ratchet chuckled, his thoughts exactly. Yet he also knew that Dylan probably would have been happy with even just a couple of new pieces of clothes. "He didn't even want me to bother. Refused to give me a list," Ratchet explained. "But this is apparently his first... Christmas that he's getting more than one gift," He explained. "Apparently his foster families weren't very giving. And his father, well..."

"So you found out about that, eh?" Prowl asked, his optics meeting his friend's. "Well, at least he's getting a Christmas now. Logic dictates every child should have fond memories of these times of year. Of family, happiness, the joy of waking up to find Santa visited," He explained. "Though it's a little late for Santa."

"Very," Ratchet agreed. "Now if only teenagers weren't so hard to figure out gifts for."

Prowl shrugged his shoulders, looking off in the distance for a moment. He looked at Ratchet with a smile that spoke volumes, and gave Ratchet the impression he could help. "I've learned it's not so hard since Jazz has been back on Earth. He's basically an overgrown teenager, and we're practically brothers, so I have to shop for him every year. I'm sure I could help a little."

Ratchet wasn't able to hold back his chuckling. After all, Prowl wasn't exactly known for being the number one fun mech around. In fact, at this point, he was starting to wish he had thought about calling Jazz or Bumblebee and having them help. "Nah, go and shop for your niece or nephew, Prowl," Ratchet told him. "I've got Dylan covered, I just need some things that can feel sentimental. Something to remember our first Christmas together."

"Good luck finding something sentimental for an adolescent."

Ratchet couldn't help himself from chuckling again as he stood to his feet, and Prowl did as well. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna need it," He replied honestly, putting his hands on his hips. "And good luck to your sparkling shopping. Since of all mech's in the world I think would struggle with it, it'd be you," He added playfully.

"Maybe so," Prowl laughed a little himself, as Ratchet started away. "But if you ask me. A kid like Dylan doesn't need anything flashy or expensive," He added. "Sentimental doesn't always mean that."

Ratchet nodded, taking a walk away from Prowl as he thought over what he'd just said. Maybe he was right, he was here looking for something sentimental and "cool" to buy. But really, Ratchet had already bought him a treasure trove of those, maybe now it was time for him to start looking for the truly meaningful gifts that wouldn't break his bank. A thought he let sink in as he continued down the rows of shops.

Hopefully he would figure it out.

...

Christmas morning made all the stress of the holiday worth it, at least for Ratchet. The look on Dylan's face when he got downstairs to see a stuffed stocking on top of his gifts was magical in and of itself. Coupling that with the pile of First Aid's presents that he had brought over, and Dylan had to be assured that most of the gifts were for him. Given he had never had anyone go through so much trouble, nor had he seen so many presents that didn't belong to someone else, before.

Watching Dylan was almost like watching a baby take his first steps. Every time he got a new present, he'd look over at Ratchet as if for confirmation it was okay. Watching his face light up at the barrage of Ratchet's gifts brought the biggest smile to Ratchet's face that he'd had in a while. It felt good to know that he could put the big smile on Dylan's face that he had, to make him feel like he was worth spending money like this on.

First Aid's gifts were like a barrage of it too, as he wasted no time in spoiling Dylan. The boy found a collection of all the films that they'd watched, and he'd loved. A flashy, brand new cell phone that Ratchet had approved of as Dylan had been holding on to an old, cracked, beat up one. And finally, a brand new skateboard that Dylan had practically danced around about, given it was top of the line, and straight from the collection of some skater that Ratchet had already forgotten the name of.

Ratchet and First Aid exchanged gifts as well. Ratchet had gotten some new books to read, which First Aid had picked out from the "data pad books" section that consisted of some his favorite authors works. While Ratchet had gotten First Aid the new, top-of-the-line medical tools he had put off buying to get the gifts for Dylan and he knew it. But what surprised Ratchet the most was when Dylan reached behind his remaining gift from Ratchet, and pulled out two, crudely wrapped packages.

Both mech's moved forward to help Dylan as they were rather large. But Ratchet could only look at First Aid with surprise as he noticed that they were for them. The older medic stared down at his foster son with a look of surprise, and a knowing twinkle. "Dylan, you didn't have to buy me anything," Ratchet told him. "I-."

"I didn't," Dylan replied. "I uh... I painted it."

Ratchet was very curious, but activated his holoform and quietly tore off the wrapping paper to uncover a piece of artwork indeed. It was a portrait of Ratchet himself, and the mech now had a feeling that First Aid's had been one of him. And though Ratchet's eyes only faintly betrayed it, he felt warmth at the fact that Dylan had taken the time to paint it. He'd noticed that as he expected, Dylan was getting great with painting, given it could've passed for someone older than he was.

And though First Aid had a bright smile on his face, Dylan still spoke up nervously, his voice cracking. "I know it isn't that great," He told them. "But you guys have been so kind to me. And I just... I never really thank you enough. So I wanted to do something for you on Christmas," He explained. "If you want I could take them back and-."

Ratchet wrapped his arm around the boy and held him close. Hugging him tightly, and giving a gentle kiss to the top of his head. "I love it, Dylan," Ratchet told him honestly. "It's a striking likeness, and I'll treasure it forever," He explained.

Dylan felt a bit nervous, but nodded his head. Surprised to find that First Aid had joined in, pulling his arms around his brother and foster nephew. "You fragging kidding me!? We got Picasso in your house over here! First thing tomorrow I'm finding a place to put this up," First Aid encouraged when they'd let go. "Kid, you've got insane levels of talent."

Dylan grinned widely, blushing a little bit at the outburst. He hadn't expected such a reaction to his gifts, but he was still very thankful for them. Ratchet however, crossed over to grab his last gift, carefully setting it into Dylan's hands. "Don't forget the last one," Ratchet told him. "This one's really important, so I wanted to save it for last."

Dylan looked at Ratchet, but carefully began to rip open the wrapping paper. Something important for him? What more could the medic have possibly given him that he hadn't already? Inside, however, he was greatly surprised at what he saw, though the grin on his face spoke volumes. It was a sketchbook, but it wasn't just any sketchbook, Ratchet had had it made special for him it appeared. It was bound in leather and had a metal Autobot shield on the cover, along with the words "DYLAN" embroidered on the front.

Inside, a small inscription read: "To the future artist. May you continue to make art that makes your old man proud. - Ratchet"

Dylan looked at Ratchet, and stepped forward, hesitating, but hugging him after a long moment. A fact which seemed to relax Ratchet, who now knew he had made the right choice. "Thanks old man," Dylan teased. "This is the most beautiful sketch book I think I've ever seen."

"Well, shucks," Ratchet rubbed the back of his head. "It's just a sketch book. I just wanted something really meaningful to give you. That isn't video games, or movies."

First Aid grinned from audio receptor to audio receptor as he watched the two. Though he couldn't push away the terminology that Dylan had used. As they broke off, he looked at Dylan with a look in his optics. "Did you really just call Ratchet your "old man"?" He asked. "Hey bro, I think he finally called you his dad."

Dylan felt his face go red, as he looked away. Sure, it had been written in the engraving, but still. Saying it had felt right, or at least more right than referring to his biological father as such. Dylan stared at Ratchet, his old man, the thought actually gave him some hope that things were progressing the way that, though he'd never admit it, he wanted them to. "Not there quite yet," Dylan told him. "Maybe someday though."

Ratchet gave him a small pat on the back, making it clear that he was just fine with waiting. But still, the three of them were becoming a family in all senses of the word. "Merry Christmas you guys," Dylan replied. "And thanks, y'know. For doing all of this, you really didn't have to."

"No, but we wanted to," Ratchet replied honestly. "Merry Christmas though, youngling."

"Yeah, merry Christmas!" First Aid chimed in. "Hey, now that we're done opening gifts. What do you say we head over to Ironhide's house? Even though his party's not until tonight, I bet he'd like to get together early like last year," He added. "I'll comm him."

Ratchet was about to answer, but First Aid was already off to comm him in the other room. Not that Ratchet minded much, he was always willing to spend holidays like this with his closest friend. "Well then, if that's the case. Let me see if I can get that scrambled eggs thing down this time," He explained. "Make you an actually nice Christmas breakfast?"

"Sounds good." Dylan replied.

Ratchet noticed that Dylan was carrying the sketchbook as he followed, and smiled. This would definitely be a Christmas to remember.

...

At the party, Dylan was surprised to find himself having a better time than he expected. For the first time, he found that he wasn't as nervous around people as he thought he would be. Rather, he was welcomed back into the foray with open arms yet again, and was soon chatting away with Shawn, Scarlet, and their parents. Maybe it was the effect that Christmas had on him, but either way, it was again, a noticeable change and one the Autobots were absolutely welcoming.

The "party" was really a sight to see for all who didn't know what the Auotbots were like behind closed doors. Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Ironhide exchanged their gifts with each other, While Scarlet played the piano (which Dylan learned she'd been playing since she was young), singing Christmas Carols that though the Autobots didn't join in with, a few other human friends in attendance did, as their Autobot friends seemed to watch on in amusement.

Dylan himself mostly indulged in the candy (namely candy canes), listened to the singing, and stuck around his two friends. Though eventually, he did regroup with Ratchet, who put him on his shoulder, as they watched the scene. "You know, this reminds me of the parties my d... Gene used to throw," Dylan told him. "They'd have ham, sing carol's, everyone in our town practically used to come."

Ratchet had a feeling that Dylan had never been invited to such parties. But he didn't bring it up, rather, it was Dylan who spoke up again, and confirmed it. "I always wondered what they were like," Dylan explained. "And this... This is really fun," He leaned into Ratchet again. "Thanks for making my first Christmas memorable, Ratch."

Ratchet looked at Dylan, surely he didn't need to thank him. But none-the-less it was nice to hear that his efforts had, undoubtedly succeeded. "You're welcome, I rather enjoyed making it happen, actually," He replied finally with a nod. "And now hopefully after our first crazy run-through. Next years will be smoother." He added.

Dylan thought about remarking that they didn't even know if he'd be with Ratchet then. But for the first time, Dylan honestly felt like he didn't want to think that way. For the first time, he wanted to look forward to what the next year would bring, Christmas and otherwise. "Yeah, I bet next Christmas will be even better," He explained. "Maybe by then..."

Dylan stopped himself, no that was too much of wishful thinking. Ratchet was already doing so much for him, and he wasn't sure he even wanted to be adopted yet. So no, he had to push that out of his thoughts for now, to think of more realistic goals. Or for now, just enjoy the Christmas that they were having. "What was that?" Ratchet asked, curious as to the unfinished question.

"Nothing," Dylan replied. "Merry Christmas, Ratchet."

"Merry Christmas, Dylan."

Inside, however, Ratchet knew it wasn't nothing. But that was a subject for another time.

...

A/N: I know I said I'd do this around Xmas but the chapter idea was just there and came out of me. So oh well, a little early into December but no biggie.