Transformers: Where You Belong

Epilogue

Ben felt like a monkey that day, needless to say. He was wearing a suit, he never wore a suit, not even to Sadie's. But Ratchet had insisted he looked his best for their court date. The Autobots had made themselves look pretty good, spending the last few weeks getting the kids back. They'd taken over the orphanage that Dexter had run, and with the help of NEST, were now running it, in a much safer, less condemned area. But all that had really gotten them was a pat on the back, and a move-up of the date of his and Dave's adoption hearing.

Why in the world they were doing them both at once was a good question he figured he'd never have an answer to. But between the two of them, all that they knew was that court was a long and boring process. They'd heard about a hundred different sides to their case, witness testimonies on the grounds of how good of parents Optimus and Ratchet both were. Dave had fallen asleep at the desk, only awakened when Ben jabbed him lightly in the ribs. "Alright then." The judge spoke up "I suppose all that is left is to speak tot he boys themselves." His eyes fell on Dave "David Conner Blaze, please take the stand." He noted.

Dave felt his throat go dry, of course it was him first, it always was him who had the absolute rotten luck. A hand went onto his shoulder, and Optimus looked at him, simply nodding with a comforting smile. Dave took a deep breath, stood up, and walked up to the front of the courtroom, sitting down where he was instructed to. "Now son, I don't need to question you on more than a few things. After all, you are old enough to know what is taking place..." The Judge spoke calmly.

The rest of it was a blur for Dave, word after word, question after question. Finally the Judge simply smiled at him, and nodded his head. "Then this court hereby grants custody of David Conner Blaze, to Optimus Prime. He henceforth will be legally known as David Conner Pax." He stamped a large "ACCEPTED" onto the adoption papers "Congratulations." Dave smiled, and rushed towards Optimus who hugged him more tightly than ever before "Can we have Benjamin Tobius Tracker please come forward now, as well." He noted.

Ben stood slowly, eyeing Ratchet slowly, Ratchet did the same as Optimus had. Ben simply walked to where David and sat down, and seated himself. "You have... Had QUITE the life, haven't you, Ben?" The Judge spoke "We for a very long time, did not believe this day would come. Yet here we all are." He leaned forward, and smiled "Tell me, Benjamin. What makes this home so much different from the other Foster Homes?" He asked.

Ben knew this would be harder for him, as he had been in the orphanage for so long. He stared back at Optimus, at Dave, and at Ratchet, then back at the Judge, who eyed him, eyes filled with curiosity. "Family." Ben told him, the Judge stared at him, confused "Dave would tell you the same thing, your honor. In the Autobots, there's a sense of family a lot of humans can't provide. No matter where I am, or... Who I'm with. I feel safe." He turned to Ratchet "And Ratchet... He makes me feel loved like I've never felt since my parents died." He noted.

"And you would willingly leave the safe confines of the newly built orphanage to live with him?" The Judge asked, he'd asked Dave the same thing, except about leaving the system.

"Yes sir, I have no doubt that I'm at home with Ratchet. He's my Dad. I love him, he loves me." Ben smiled, and then added "After all, I mean, come on, he might throw wrenches. And he might not be well, the most CONVENTIONAL Dad, like Optimus or a human parent." He looked down a bit, then stared up, with a smile of confidence "But he's my parent, and I love him flaws and all." He then added "Just as much as he loves ME, flaws and all. No one's perfect, but to me, my family is. In their own way." He then added "Or at least perfect for ME." He added.

The Judge stared at Ben for a long, hard moment. Not for the first time in MANY months, Ben felt his stomach twist into large knots. "I've never heard a better stated way of putting it." The Judge said, calmly, smiling widely "This court grants custody of Benjamin Tobius Tracker to Ratchet. And he is henceforth to be known legally as Benjamin Tobius Hatchet." He smiled at Ben "I'm still not quite sure of either placement. But I think you've said more than enough." He noted.

Ben watched slowly as he stamped "ACCEPTED" onto Ben's own adoption papers. Slowly he signed both sets, rose and nodded to all in attendance. "This meeting is adjourned. Congratulations to you both." He noted.

As Ben made his way towards Ratchet, and the medic gently took him into his arms, he could do nothing more than smile. Happy, more than happy in fact, he was ecstatic. And as Ratchet gently put his arm around him, and gently led him away, Optimus and Dave bringing up the rear. It was the first time, after so long, that he truly felt that he was going home for the first time.