Title: The Start of Something New

Summary: After an intense battle, with casualties on either side, the last thing Will Lennox expected was to form a new partnership on the way home to his family – but that's exactly what happens and from an alien machine that would become a trusted ally and friend from that point onward.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything owned by Hasbro or Michael Bay (et al) only own my muse and the story idea which I hope anyone who reads likes. Thanks!

The battle was over. Battle…it was a battle that he'd never forget; men and machines working together, fighting each other and in the end those on the same side, emerging victorious. At least…somewhat. Both sides had suffered personal losses and both leaders had felt it, slightly mourned in public and then went off in private to offer a few more silent sentiments.

He rubs Patrick Donnelly's dog tags in his fingers as he stands and silently stares at the aftermath of the carnage in the heart of what was the financial district of Mission City. They had been a close knit unit for a few years, escaping near miss after near miss but always emerging unscathed; a tight brotherhood. The ride back home on any vehicle was always filled with a very short mission de-brief and then some good natured ribbing. Only this time there would be no good natured ribbing. There would be one less Bostonian accent tossing lame-ass jokes their way and one less brother in the fold.

Lennox hears some odd rustling and then looks up to see the front few inches of Ironhide's Topkick poking out from around what's left of the demolished brick building and offers the transformed Autobot a small frown before he looks down at the dog tags in his palm and closes his fingers tightly around them.

"Yeah…time to go home," he whispers as he hears his radio starting to crackle to life and pulls it in haste; wishing it was his beloved wife Sarah, but shaking his head when he hears the familiar voice and knows his trip will be a bit further delayed.

He walks past the silent machine, tossing it a somewhat furtive glance as he walks past, eyeing the remainder of his team in the distance; but not in too much of a hurry to catch up. However, a few meters later, Lennox stops and notices the Topkick has pulled into step a few meters behind him – once again remaining silent.

"I'm not much for conversation…with strangers," Lennox briefly chirps. However, a few seconds later he hears the distinct sound of the large machine transforming and turns to watch – his imagination fascinated how it turns from a truck into something that looks down at him with eerily human-like eyes. "Right."

He wasn't as comfortable transforming and just conversing with a human one on one as much as say Bumblebee; not that he'd ever admit it openly, but something about the battle weary, army leader draws him to want to draw closer? Ironhide tries to toss aside the emotional notion as completely Ludacris but when they hear a strange sound, something inside Ironhide just forces him to react.

"WHOA!" Lennox shouts as Ironhide's canons come to the fore and instantly point at a very surprised NYPD officer who had appeared literally out of nowhere. "Ironhide, it's okay…he's not a hostile," Lennox states in haste as the officer looks up in fright; his knees instantly shaking. "You're not right?"

"Uh no…no…I uh…was just….looking for Captain….Ch-Chan," the ruddy-faced officer stammers as he looks from Lennox's less than amused expression to the large mechanical face a few meters up. "Is he…y-yours? Your…bodyguard or something?"

"He's…" Lennox starts and then stops. Friend?...Autobot? would this guy even get that? "He's a battle weary solider, like me and he's going to stand down…when you leave."

"Right. Okay. Well…he's cool," the officer grins eagerly before he turns and hurries around the corner that he came from.

"Just showing him your canons?" Lennox offers the large Autobot offhandedly.

"Reflex…" Ironhide replies; sound a bit perplexed at his actions. "Thought you were in trouble."

"Can handle myself," Lennox retorts. But his lips automatically purse when he observes what he thinks is a frown? A look of disappointment? Hurt feelings? Is that possible? However, something inside him compels him to want to set things straight. "But your relex's are pretty fast. And…your canons are cool," he adds with a small smile as Ironhide seems to offer him a small smile of satisfaction in return. "So…what happens to you now?"

"Me?"

"Yeah…Bumblebee goes to Sam's and it seems Optimus has a few things but…well was just wondering."

"I will…hang out…as you earthlings put it."

"Right."

"And what are your plans?" The large machine asks somewhat mechanically, still learning how to get the hang of conversing with the human male he's growing oddly fond of and being in the same company as.

"Final mission debrief with Keller," Lennox starts, referring to the Secretary of Defense as he stuffs Donnelly's tags into his pocket, the action not lost on the being beside him. "And then home to see my baby girl."

"Understood," Ironhide replies somberly; inwardly envious that the brave human had a family to go home to, people he loved and cared about. He...he had nothing to go back to and was now stuck on an unfamiliar planet - virtually alone.

Lennox hears the veiled sorrow in Ironhide's thick voice and feels his heart sink. Do I ask if he had family? How about that scar over his eye? What about…"Do you want to come with…ah no so…what do you do after battle to…you know unwind?"

"Shoot…something. On Cybertron it was…I suppose the equivalent of a shooting range on earth?" Ironhide punctuates the end of his sentence with a question instead of a statement.

"Makes sense," Lennox shrugs as they near the others.

"How do you…unwind?"

"Shoot rocks…when the range is full."

"Rocks," Ironhide repeats as Lennox can image his mechanical brain – of sorts, trying to process or figure out if shooting rocks was literal or a human metaphor for something else.

"They don't shoot back."

"Understood."

"Well…" Lennox starts as they reach their convoy and Lennox nods to Epps that he'll be with them in a few minutes. He turns to Ironhide who looks down with a somewhat uncertain expression. "Thanks for all the help today. Couldn't have done it without you."

"You also fought…admirably."

Never one to be big on goodbye's Lennox offers Ironhide a nod and then turns his back to get into the waiting Humvee. Within seconds he hears the distinct sounds of gears shifting and turns back to see the Topkick standing in silence once again; Ironhide now in Alt-mode and ready for vehicular transport.

"That's…cool," Lennox whispers as he gets into the backseat and then looks at Epps who casts him a sympathetic glance. "What? He doesn't belong to me."

"Looks kinda sad…standing there."

"Just drive," Lennox orders as he turns and looks back at the Topkick standing resolute but all alone. Just go…somewhere, Lennox inwardly urges. But where…Lennox's brain counters, his home was destroyed, so was his family. He has nowhere else to go…no family to belong to now.

For a split second he ponders what would happen if he were to take the Autobot home. Sarah would…his mind starts, ready to have his wife on the defensive. But after what he had seen and fighting side by side with the Autobots, he couldn't just dismiss them as if this were a blip and they'd never see them again. They were here to stay – nowhere else to go. But could he really bring home a machine…a living machine, one with impressive weapons capabilities but with a personality that he's sure would grow on her as it has now on him?

"Don't you just wanna take it home?"

Lennox looks up at Epps and shakes his head. "Annabelle would…it's not safe. Let's just get this over with so I can go home to see my baby girl. Put this behind me. All of it."

"Gonna be kinda hard with that mess," Epps comments dryly as they leave the ruins of what was downtown Mission City.

Lennox looks back one last time, Topkick almost out of view before he turns back and faces the front, telling himself it was better off this way. They were worlds apart and now it was time to return to his. It's over…

XXXXXXXX

A few hours later, after the debrief was over, he had showered, changed into his regular uniform and headed for the exit, calling out to his men that he'd see them soon; but not too soon, I hope, he inwardly prays. Wanting to spend more than a few hours or even just a few days with his two girls.

However, that plan was very quickly going to be rendered moot. As soon as Lennox steps outside into the afternoon sun he stops short and looks at the last thing he expected to see in the parking lot – the Topkick. "Ironhide," Lennox gently hisses as he slings his bag over his shoulder and walks toward the transformed Autobot.

Just as he turns to walk past, the passenger door opens and Lennox can only look into the empty, black leather interior with a small huff. Lennox takes a step and Ironhide counters by moving ahead a few feet to counter his actions, making Lennox stop and offer the black truck an amused smile.

"Hitchin' a ride's never been my thing but maybe I'll make an exception," Lennox mutters as he steps up into the brand new interior and settles into the passenger seat; Epps exiting the building just as he sees Lennox toss him a smile before he's encased in black tinted windows.

"Hope I won't have to talk to myself for the next few hours."

Silence.

"So…you don't talk when you're driving?" Lennox tries once more.

Silence.

"Ok-ay…" Lennox huffs as he pulls his phone and texts Sarah, telling his wife that he's on his way home.

About half hour later, Lennox is slightly jerked awake, his eyes fluttering open as he quickly looks around; thinking he might be home already. "Where…are we?" He asks softly as the Topkick comes to a sudden stop and the passenger door opens. "Here? Really? You can't just…" Lennox tries, getting only a revved up engine in return. "Okay…taking the hint."

He gets out and within seconds Ironhide transforms back into the large warrior that had fought alongside him a few hours earlier.

"We don't normally talk when we're…in vehicle form."

"Got it. Ever?"

"This is all new for us…talking…with humans or in your language."

"Just gonna be a hell of a boring few hours talking to myself or you listening to me snore."

"Snore?"

"Yeah…snore," Lennox snickers as he picks up a rock and tosses it into the air with a bit of force. Ironhide's canon's zoom in on the inanimate object and within seconds blasts it into tiny bits of powdery shards. "Nice shot!" Lennox praises; Ironhide's mechanical lips offering a proud smile as he nods to the human do toss another into the air.

Once again it's blasted to smithereens and for the next half hour, both of them are able to bond over blasting rocks – calling it stress release and forming a comradery that would be hard to explain if you didn't survive what they both did.

"Time to go…see your family."

Lennox watches Ironhide transform back into the Topkick and then climbs back into the passenger seat. "The dog tags…tell me about them."

The voice has the same husk to it that defines Ironhide in Autobot mode but in alt-mode it's a bit more 'scratchy' as it comes through the radio. But Lennox finds some comfort in the fact that for the next few hours he wouldn't have to talk to himself.

"Okay. I'll tell you about the dog tags…tell you about Patrick Donnelly if you tell me about the scar over your right eye."

"Observant."

"Battle scars aren't foreign to me," Lennox adds softly as he looks at the small scar on the top of his left hand; his fist flexing as he recalls the moment it happened. Lennox settles back into the plush seat and starts to tell his…mine? My Autobot?...Ironhide about recruiting Donnelly and the recently deceased Bostonian's wry sense of humor.

"One day…we'll hafta compare."

By the time he reaches home, Lennox feels a special bond with the giant alien he's safely tucked inside of. It was odd and he'd have the damndest time trying to explain to his beloved wife the newest member of their…family? Ironhide didn't have a family or world to go back to and he admired the weapons tech more than he might ever admit to himself.

Ironhide on the other hand, had already started to form an attachment to the human he had carried home and didn't want to just turn and go seek solitude elsewhere. But something inside had also started to grow besides a fond kindship; it was a feeling of protection and ownership. Lennox was his…his to look after and protect for as long as they were together and he had a feeling inside the adventures for the two of them were just getting started.

Lennox gets out of the truck and then stops; spying his wife and daughter on the front porch waiting for him. He pauses just after a few meters and then turns back to Ironhide and smiles. "Come on…this is home now. For both of us."

He could have sworn a smile appeared on the GMC grill but settles for the fact that since Ironhide didn't drive away that he had acknowledged the request. Their friendship was unexpected but unwanted and now it was the start of something new – for both of them. It would be an adjustment but one that would be welcomed on both sides. A new friendship; forever bonded.

And as he pulls Sarah into his arms and holds her close, hoisting Annabelle into the air before clutching her to his chest and kissing her on the cheek, a sense of contentment falls upon him.

"Will…is that truck…staying? Should we invite the driver in?"

"Sarah…we have a lot to talk about," Lennox tells her as he takes her hand and leads her toward his Autobot – Ironhide; his darling daughter nestled in his right arm. "I'd like you to meet another member of our family. Ironhide."

Sarah's expression turns to shock when Ironhide instantly transforms; Annabelle watching in quiet fascination as the alien machine looms over them; canon's tucked away – as best as he could imagine. Ironhide looks down and only one thought comes to mind as he listens to Lennox trying to explain what she was looking at – my family. He was home. They both were.

THE END!

A/N: First story in a new fandom is always a bit unnerving so hope it was okay and at least a bit in character. I don't think any Autobots talked when in 'alt-mode' (did Bumblbee hmm?) but I wanted Ironhide and Lennox to bond on the trip home so hope that wasn't too distracting. If you'd like to review before you go that would be so much appreciated so I'll know what you thought and if liked at least a little and thanks so much!