Disclaimer: I don't own Planes or the canon characters.

Starting a New Life

Dipper and Dusty settled into their room at the Fusel Lodge. The place was as beautiful as they remembered, and their room was first rate. As they settled on their landing gear to watch a movie together, Dusty couldn't help but reflect on the wedding.

It was the happiest day of his life. Everything turned out better than he and Dipper imagined it would. His friends back in his hometown had really come through. After they exchanged vows, and were pronounced husband and wife, Dusty looked over at his friends. He wasn't surprised to see most of them crying, but he was surprised to see Cabbie, Skipper, and Blade crying. He privately hoped, for their sakes, that Maru didn't see them, or they would never hear the end of it.

"...Hear what I just said?," Dipper interrupted his thoughts. "Sorry," Dusty said, "I was lost in thought. Could you repeat that?" Dipper just sighed. "I said 'I'm glad we let Jammer talk us into staying here for a couple nights.'" Dusty smiled at his wife. "Agreed," he said, "this place is wonderful." At that, they turned their attention back to the movie. Later that night, they joined Jammer, Rake, and Pulaski for a can of oil. Jammer smiled at the two aircraft and said, "a toast to the newlyweds. May you have many happy years together!" At that, they all said "cheers!," and drank their oil.

Soon enough, they returned to Piston Peak Air Attack and settled into their new life. Their arrival back at base was noisy and culminated in a party so loud, Jammer himself came up from the lodge to see what the racket was. The next few weeks were mostly uneventful, save for the day Drip, Blackout, and Avalanche decided to prank Cabbie, which resulted in both Dynamite and Blade having to stop Cabbie from flattening the three jumpers, and Dusty truly felt as if he'd made the right decisions in life. Than one morning, Dusty woke to Dippers' prodding. "What's wrong?," he asked, worriedly. "I, I don't know," Dipper softly said, "I feel like something's wrong with me." At that, Dustys' instincts, sharpened by his training and careers as a racer and firefighter took over. "Come on," he said urgently, as he opened the hanger doors, let's get over to Marus' hanger." Dipper didn't protest as Dusty helped her across the base.

Maru was just starting to stir when Dusty helped Dipper into his hanger. "What's going on?," he asked, instantly alert. "Something's wrong with Dipper," Dusty said, anxiety clear in his voice, and on his face. Maru didn't waste any time. "Help her into the middle of the hanger," he barked, all business. "As for you," he said to Dusty, "you'll have to wait outside." While Maru began questioning Dipper, Dusty rolled outside. Unable to contain his anxiety, he began pacing in tight circles just outside the entrance to the hanger.

Blade knew something was wrong when he left his hanger that morning. The very first thing he saw was Dusty pacing in circles just outside Marus' hanger. He rushed over to the younger plane and asked him what was wrong. Dusty stopped pacing and looked at his boss, alarmed. "Something's wrong with Dipper!," he exclaimed in a rush, "I don't know what's going on! Maru hasn't said anything yet!" Blade gave Dusty his most level look. "Calm down," he said, gently. "Maru will come let you know what's going on soon enough." At that moment, the mechanic rolled out of his hanger headed towards Dusty and Blade.

Maru wasn't sure how to break the news as he stopped in front of the former racer and the chief. To Maru, Blades' presence was a pro and a con. On the one hand, Blade could keep Dusty calm, but, on the other hand, his being there made the upcoming conversation awkward for Maru, who would've preferred having this discussion with Dusty in private. Before he could say anything, Dusty blurted out "how is she?" Maru cleared his throat and said, "Physically, Dipper's fine. However, I do have some news for you." He looked Dusty right in the eye and said, "congratulations Dusty, you're gonna be a father."

Dusty was shocked speechless. He felt as if all the air had disappeared. Blade was saying something, but it sounded like he was far away. He was going to be a father? How would he handle this new responsibility? Dusty briefly thought about his own father, who he barely remembered. For much of his childhood, Dustys' father had barely been there for him. All Dusty knew was that his father was a sky writer who traveled a lot, and was rarely home with his wife and son. Then one day, he didn't return from a job. Rumor had it, he'd run out on his family. Unable to afford the house they were living in on her own, Dustys' mother had been forced to sell the house, and move in with relatives in Propwash Junction, along with Dusty. Now, Dusty would have to figure this out on his own. He didn't know the first thing about being a father, not having a good role model growing up. Dusty thought he heard someone call his name before everything went dark.

Blade was both surprised and pleased by the news Maru gave Dusty. He thought Dusty and Dipper would make good parents, and he said so to Dusty. When he got no response, he looked over at him and gasped. Dusty didn't look good at all. Maru also took notice, and called Dustys' name, trying to get a response. Blade also tried to get Dusty to respond, but the small plane just passed out. "Push him into the hanger!," Maru snapped. While Blade didn't like being ordered around, he'd let it slide this time. In short order, Blade and Maru got Dusty into the hanger, where Dipper was parked, looking happier than Blade had seen her since the wedding. Although her happiness turned to alarm when she saw Dusty. Before she could say anything, Maru said, "he just fainted. He'll be ok in a few." With that, he went to grab a bottle of his strongest high-grade to pass under the single props' nose, for the purpose of reviving him.

By that time, the rest of the crew were coming out of their hangers, getting on with their day. Avalanche happened to be passing by Marus' hanger when he heard Blade tell Dipper, "congratulations. You'll both make good parents." At that, Avalanche stopped and turned to look at Dipper and Dusty. "YOU'RE GONNA BE PARENTS?! CONGRATULATIONS!" Everyone else rushed over upon hearing Avalanches' yell, and Dusty started coming to.

The next thing Dusty knew, he was in Marus' hanger and everyone was talking excitedly to Dipper about the news. While the prospect of being a father was exciting, it was also scary for him. After a few minutes of everyone congratulating the couple, everyone went their own ways, including Dipper, who was parked just outside the hanger her and Dusty now shared, with Dynamite, Pinecone, and Patch. Dusty couldn't hear what the girls were talking about, but the others on base were giving them space. Before Dusty could leave the hanger, Maru blocked him and said, "you ok now, kid?" "Yeah, I'm fine," Dusty replied. Satisfied, Maru moved out of the SEATs' way, but before he made it a foot out of the hanger, Blade got in his way. "Ok, Dusty," he said, "you and I need to talk." Before Dusty could respond, Blade turned and rolled towards the end of the runway, motioning Dusty to follow him.

Blade stopped near the end of the runway, and turned to look Dusty in the eye. "So," he said, "you seem nervous about becoming a father. Why?" Dusty swallowed and said, "I don't know if I'll be a good father. I didn't exactly have the best role model." Dusty paused, unsure whether or not to go on. Blade nodded encouragingly, "go on," he said. Dusty sighed and said, "my own father was working out of town most of the time. When he was home, he was usually out with his friends. He paid very little attention to me or mom. Then, one day when I was ten, he left for a job and never returned. That was a hard time for both of us. Rumors about my father spread quickly. Everywhere I went, I heard people talking about what my father'd been up to. Having to hear everyone spreading rumors was hard on me and mom. After a few months, mom sold our house and we moved in with relatives in Propwash Junction. When I turned sixteen, I started working for Leadbottom. At eighteen, I got my own place. I worked as a crop duster for four years, but I always wanted to do more with my life. I never wanted to be like my father: a deadbeat skywriter who ran out on his family. I wanted to be somebody, to make a difference."

Blade sat there quietly while Dusty talked about his childhood. He was quite surprised. He never would've guessed that the young plane had such a difficult time as a kid. He gave Dusty his most level look and said, "you have done something with your life. You've made a difference to more people than you probably know. Both as a racer and a firefighter. The choices your father made were his choices. You don't have to repeat them, and you don't have to go through this alone. Everyone here will support you, and I'm sure your friends in Propwash Junction will too. Just do the best you can for your family, and you'll have done better than your father."

Dusty stared at his boss for a few seconds. "Thanks," he said, "speaking of my friends in Propwash Junction, I should contact them and let them know the good news." With that, he turned and headed towards Marus' hanger which had the closest radio. As Blade watched from a distance, Dusty and Maru had a brief discussion before Maru rolled out of the hanger and turned towards Blade. "I wonder why Dusty advised me to leave the hanger while he shares the news with his friends," Maru said when he reached Blade. Seconds later, a chorus of screams and cries came from the hanger. "That's why," Blade deadpanned, earning a quick laugh from Maru.

If it was possible, Dustys' friends screamed even louder at his news of becoming a father than they did when he announced his engagement. "Be sure to tell Dipper we all said congratulations," Skipper said. All of them insisted on visiting the new parents when their offspring arrived. Dusty promised he'd clear it with Blade, and that he'd let them know when the happy event occurred. After a short conversation about names and how exciting the news was, Dusty said good bye and headed over to Dipper to pass the congratulatory message on to her.

To Dusty, the next several months went by too fast. Dusty made arrangements with Blade and Jammer for his friends to visit for a few days when it was time. Maru promised that he'd make the call when the time came, so Dusty could spend time with his family. Dusty was grateful for Maru and everyone else on the base. Jammer visited several times, checking up on how everything was going, and offering encouragement to Dusty and Dipper. Blade contacted the county about borrowing a tanker for fire season, as Maru had grounded Dipper for the time being.

When fire season came, it was thankfully mild. At first. There were a few fairly small isolated fires, but nothing like the previous season. County sent a tanker to Piston Peak at the start of the season, just in case, which turned out to be one of the best moves they'd made since the fire that nearly destroyed the park. Near the end of the season, a group of cars were camping, just having a good time, when a stray ember from their campfire landed on and ignited a nearby bush. Because of the dry conditions, the fire spread quickly. Realizing the danger, the cars dumped water on their campfire and rushed towards the lodge to alert them.

When the call came, Dusty was visiting Dipper in Marus' hanger. Seeing as how it was close to time, Maru had insisted Dipper move into his hanger so he could keep an eye on her. They were finalizing name choices when Patch announced the fire. Dusty said good bye to Dipper and rushed out to load up with the others. When they got to the fire, it had spread considerably. They immediately got to work trying to get the fire contained. By that night, they had the fire forty percent contained, and Blade was hopeful they'd get it out the next day. Upon returning to the base, Dusty headed straight for Dipper. He ended up staying with her that night, despite what Maru might say. The next morning, the team was out fighting the fire again. Luck was on their side in that there was no wind that day, and by late afternoon, the fire was out and everyone was headed back to base. Blade told the visiting tanker, he could stay that night and head back to his own base the next morning, so he wouldn't have to fly over the mountain range at night. Later that evening, Blade was in his hanger when he got a call from Dusty. It was time, he'd said. Blade left his hanger and went to tell everyone the news.

Later, every member of the team was gathered around Marus' hanger, cooing over the new arrivals. Dusty and Dipper had twins. One, a boy, looked just like Dipper, except he was mostly white, with two orange bars wrapped around his body, one near his tail, one just behind his eyes, and the other twin, a girl, looked just like Dusty, except she was yellow, with black racing stripes running down the sides of her body. Blade melted as he looked at the two newborn planes. He was vaguely aware of a few offhand comments about his "soft underside," and he knew that his reputation was totally wrecked, but he didn't care.

While everyone was adoring Dusty and Dippers' kids, Maru rolled over to his radio and contacted Propwash Junction. Dustys' friends were overjoyed by the news, and they quickly made arrangements to fly out the next morning. After awhile, almost everyone went back to their hangers, giving the new parents time to themselves. Blade, however, stayed to help Dipper back to her hanger, while Maru and Dusty gently towed the kids. Once the family was settled in their hanger, Blade went to his own hanger for the night.

Later that night, Drip was prowling through the base, up to no good. He hadn't played a good prank in some time, so that night seemed like the perfect time. Before he could choose his victim, however, he heard the sound of an approaching helicopter. Quickly darting into the shadows, he saw a unfamiliar helicopter lower a small crate near Blades' hanger. They then landed nearby and pushed the crate onto the helipad just in front of Blades' doors, and rolled away, taking off near the end of the runway. Looking back at the crate, Drip could see a set of tiny rotors sticking out over the top. He was about to head over to Cabbies' hanger (why not, the old warplane hadn't been pranked in so long, he probably thought everyone had given up on pranking him), when the tiny helicopter started crying. Drip backed further into the shadows and watched.

Blade was shocked awake by the sound of crying. What the? He slowly rolled over to his hanger doors, and opened them. What he saw caused him to stop short, shocked: there was a small crate containing a newborn helicopter that looked like a miniature version of him as "Blazin' Blade." Along with a note that read: 'This is your son. Because of my work, I can't take care of him, so I brought him to you. He doesn't have a name yet, I decided to leave that up to you.' After a few seconds, Blade contacted Maru. He didn't know how to deal with this situation. Thankfully, Maru quickly showed up, carrying a small can of specially formulated oil. Maru set the can down, lifted the chopper out of the crate, and followed Blade into his hanger with the newborn, before returning for the oil.

Drip watched all of this from the shadows. He realized this would make for a good story to tell everyone. He was just about to roll away when Maru rolled out of Blades' hanger. From the shadows, he heard Maru say, "so, I guess he's your son. Good luck. Call me if you need anything." Drip waited until Maru was back in his hanger before slipping quietly over to Cabbies' hanger. He planned to tell everyone about this, and he figured Cabbie would be the best plane to start with.