A week or two after Ironhide returns home from his recovery...
From the driveway below Ironhide could see the light in Annabelle's room was still on. Sara's silhouette was clearly visible as she was sitting on the side of the bed reading Annabelle her bedtime story—an interesting human ritual very akin to the Cybertronian custom of retelling old stories of their history. It was one of the few cultural traits they shared. However, the human stories were often far-fetched and downright ludicrous.
Talking pigs who could build houses only to have them blown down by an evil wolf? A kitten named Frieda Fuzzypaws who refused to eat her vegetables? Boa constrictors devouring laundry?
Ironhide just didn't understand how humans came up with such ridiculous plots and characters. But, whatever their reasoning, Annabelle was enthralled by these stories and it seemed the more preposterous they were the more she liked them. Every night Ironhide would listen from the driveway to the stories Sara and Will read to their daughter. Tonight's story was something called, "Cinderella".
"...Cinderella and her handsome prince were married and they lived happily ever after. The end." Sara concluded, "Ok Annie, time to sleep."
"Another, Mommy. Another." Annabelle requested.
Sara shook her head, "No Annie. It's late. I'll read you another one tomorrow before naptime, ok?"
"K." the girl relented in a quiet voice.
The woman kissed her child on the forehead and was about to turn off the light when—
"Wait, Mommy!" Annabelle cried.
"What, baby?"
"Check."
Sara sighed, "Annie there are NO Decepticons under your bed or in your closet."
Ironhide tensed upon hearing those words. He'd only been back from his recovery on the Autobot base for about a week and had no idea Annabelle was having these fears. Of course...he should've expected it. Annie and Sara both had survived a terrifying ordeal at the hands of the Decepticons, how couldn't she still wonder if they would come back? It was a fear he faced almost every day. But what disturbed him even more was that Annabelle feared their presence now even with him in the driveway.
Had Annabelle subtly lost faith in him and his protecting abilities?
The bitter sting of his failure still haunted him. He'd promised to protect her from the Decepticons, but he failed and she was captured. It was a miracle she wasn't harmed but it didn't change the fact that he failed her, pure and simple. Now, he had to earn back her faith in him and he would do whatever it took to achieve that.
"Check." Annabelle whimpered.
Just as Sara was about to grant her request, Ironhide transformed and stood up.
"I will check to make sure there are no Decepticons." he announced, peering in the second-story window.
His optics flashed brightly, bathing the room in blue light as he scanned every inch of the house. Annabelle and Sara waited until his optics dimmed.
"Everything is secure. There are no Decepticons." he assured.
Sara gestured to the window, "See, Annie? Ironhide is here and he'd know if there were any Decepticons. Now, go to sleep."
"K." Annabelle agreed snuggling down into her pillow. "G'nite mommy."
"Good night, sweetheart."
"G'nite, Ironhide."
"Good night, Annabelle."
Ironhide transformed back into his truck mode and waited for the Lennoxes to fall asleep before he himself went into recharge.
...
It was about two in the morning when Ironhide was startled out of recharge by a small, warm body leaning against his front bumper.
"Wha—?" he grunted.
Annabelle, in her blue pajamas and bare feet, was hugging his bumper with desperation. Hot tears streamed down her face and plopped onto his chrome.
"Ironhide!" Annabelle sobbed.
"Annabelle? What is wrong? Are you injured?" the big truck asked.
The little girl gripped his bumper crying, "Don't leave! Don't go away Ironhide!"
"Leave?" the old Autobot was puzzled, "I'm not going anywhere Annabelle."
"They take you away! They hurt you!" the child continued her fearful tirade.
"Who?"
She sniffed, "The Decep-er-cons. They hurt you and take you away."
Ironhide at first couldn't fathom where she would get such a wild idea, but then realized the child must've had a holographic flux...or a "dream" as the humans called it. It appeared from her distraught state to have been a bad dream.
"Don't worry Annabelle I'm here and no Decepticon is going to take me away." he reassured her.
She sniffled and nuzzled her cheek into his metal crying in a high pitched voice, "They take you away..."
"Oh, Annabelle. Don't cry." he implored in a soft voice, "You'll rust my bumper with those tears."
Annabelle pulled away from his metal and walked over to his driver's side door, "I sleep with you?"
"Huh? But...you have a bed in the house. I could put you in there."
She shook her head adamantly, "No. Sleep with you."
It took some personal convincing to accept her request but Ironhide opened his door. He lowered his running board down low enough for the child to step on it and climb inside. Annabelle curled up in the front seat. Her vitals were lowering to a normal state as she calmed down.
"Are you comfortable?" Ironhide inquired.
"Uh huh." she snuggled against his black leather, "Tell me a story."
"A...story?"
Annabelle nodded, "Yeah."
"Um...I don't know any human stories." he admitted.
"Tell me an Autobot story." she requested. "Please?"
Ironhide's processor whirled, trying to figure out a story to tell her that wouldn't frighten her or confuse her. He was pretty good at telling the stories of his battles with his comrades, whether they wanted to hear them or not.
"Well...uh...I guess...hmm." the Topkick mumbled as he tried to think of something.
The wet blue eyes watched the lights of his dashboard expectantly.
Ironhide growled with frustration, "I...I don't know what story to tell."
"Tell me a story 'bout a princess."
"A...princess?"
The blonde nodded.
Ironhide did a very fast scan of "princess-type" stories and out of the blue a story occurred to him; one he hadn't told before.
"All right. Umm...Many thousands of years ago, on a far away planet called Cybertron, there lived a princess." he began slowly.
"That where you from!" Annabelle exclaimed.
"Yes." Ironhide confirmed.
"What she look like? Was she pretty?"
Ironhide's voice became deeply passionate, "Oh, yes."
A holographic projector extended from the CD player and an image of a blue and silver femme with sharp antennae and lean figure appeared.
"She was the most beautiful femme...er... 'princess' in all the world." he explained as Annabelle tried to touch the hologram.
"What her name?"
Ironhide paused but allowed the personally sacred name to roll through his deep vocalizer, "Chromia."
There was a long silence until Annabelle frowned impatiently, "Yeah?"
"Oh...uh...Princess Chromia wasn't your typical princess. She was a warrior too. If there was ever an innocent citizen who needed protected she would always come to the rescue. If there was a battle to be fought she was always there in the thick of it." he explained.
"She marry a prince like Cinderella?" the child asked.
The Topkick's leather seats seemed to slacken, "Well...he wasn't a prince, but there was a dark knight she fell in love with. Though, she didn't make it easy for him."
"What happen?"
"Well one day while Princess Chromia was helping move a shipment of energy for her people, she collided with this handsome dark knight."
Annabelle smiled, "They kiss?"
"Uh...no. Actually, she punched the dark knight and told him to watch where he was going." he sounded embarrassed. "...Even though the dark knight apologized profusely."
The girl giggled, "Then what happen?"
"The dark knight had never seen such a beautiful princess and wanted to know who she was. But...she was gone before he could ask." he explained, "It wasn't until much later that the dark knight saw Princess Chromia again at the firing range, honing her weapon skills. The dark knight tried to impress her with his shooting skills and weapons, but she didn't seem to notice. He tried to talk to her but he just couldn't get the words out."
"He shy?" Annabelle asked.
"Well...not usually. But Princess Chromia was so beautiful he just didn't know what to say." Ironhide explained sheepishly. "He didn't want to sound stupid."
"She talk to him?"
"Not at first, but then Princess Chromia's friend Elita One appeared. Elita One knew the dark knight because she was bonded to the dark knight's best friend. She introduced them and from then on they developed a special bond."
"Did Princess Chromia marry the dark knight?" Annabelle inquired.
Ironhide thought but decided, "Umm...yes. In a way..."
"They have any kids?"
The whole truck fell silent and tense. Innocent the question was, but the answer was the tenderest spot in the weapons specialist's Spark.
"No..." was the sad reply.
"Why not?"
"It just... never happened." Ironhide said with a far off sadness.
He'd never spoken of it to anyone, but Ironhide had always wanted Sparklings...bunches of them. No one would have ever guessed it from his coarse, reserved demeanor but he wanted to help create Chromia's Sparklings. But the war prevented any of those fond desires to come true. Neither he, nor Chromia had wanted to subject a Sparkling to the horrors brought to Cybertron from their war.
"They live happily ever after?" Annabelle interrupted his thought.
Ironhide knew the answer but frankly, he didn't want to continue with the story. The unexpected pain it brought was more than he wanted to bear.
"Yes. Yes they did." he lied. "Now, how about you go to sleep?"
The driver's seat tilted all the way back forming a nice flat bed for her.
Annabelle curled up and then asked, "Sing me a song."
"Umm...Autobots can't sing."
"Please?"
Ironhide certainly couldn't sing and there was no way in the Pit he was going to attempt it. However, being blessed with a radio that captured every channel he knew he could "recruit" a song for the request. He scanned the airwaves for something gentle, something to lull the child to sleep. At last he found something even with the exact title Lullaby. He warmed the seat and filled his speakers with the gentle acapella.
Hush now baby don't you cry
Rest your wings my butterfly
Peace will come to you in time
And I will sing this lullaby
Know though I must leave, my child
That I would stay here by your side
And if you wake before I'm gone
Remember this sweet lullaby
And all love through darkness
Don't you ever stop believing
With love forlorn
With love you'll find your way
My love
The world has turned the day to dark
I leave this night with heavy heart
When I return to dry your eyes
I will sing this lullaby
Yes I will sing this lullaby©
As the song ended gently, Ironhide could feel the slowing gentle pulse of Annabelle's heart against his seat. She was still awake but fading gradually into dreamland. He kept silent, knowing she'd drift off. It was strange feeling the small pulsation of the warm tiny body inside him.
"Love you, Ironhide." she yawned.
The lights of his dashboard dimmed. Annabelle trusted him absolutely, no matter what had happened before. It was such a reassurance to him that his earlier sadness was quelled. He'd never had Sparklings and he wasn't sure if he ever would or if he would ever see his Spark mate again. Yet this tiny human child seemed to bandage that gaping void long torn into his Spark. The peace it brought slowly lulled him into recharge.
A/N: The song is called "Lullaby" by Josh Groban, one of the most gorgeous male voices in all music. I just love the sound of it and thought it fit well for the scene.