Just a cute little bit of fluff between Ironhide and Annabelle.

'Ties That Bind' is still going very slowly, partly because I decided to make some major changes, including removing a huge and unnecessary part of the plot. This means, however, that I will have to rewrite a lot of what I already have done. So here's a little, teeny-tiny story to read while that's happening. I may come up with others - I'm afraid you're in for an even longer wait than you were before - focusing on different Autobots and their human charges. I'm also changing the name of the series to 'Guardianship', because it fits the series as a whole, which is better than being named after the fic that still won't be out for another couple of years.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Transformers or any of its characters. I also don't own the Great Wall of China (duh).

WORD COUNT: 982

"Can you see China?"

Ironhide stared down at his young charge in surprise and confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Can you see China?" Annabelle repeated, "When Daddy puts me on his shoulders, I can see things a lot farther away than what I can see what I'm on the ground. But you're waaaaaaay taller than Daddy. Are you tall enough to see all the way to China?"

Human sparklings – children could have such wild imaginations, the capability to believe that illogical and downright impossible things were not only possible, but expected. They had not yet received their full education on the rules of reality that governed the universe, that there was no monster under the bed, that no unicorns would ever visit their home, that the money left by the Tooth Fairy was really the work of their mother or father.

Still, Annabelle's question was rooted in some logic, the observation that she could see farther into the distance when she was at a greater height. But it seemed she'd underestimated the sheer size of her home planet.

"No, Annabelle, I am afraid I cannot see things as far away as China. But I do believe I caught a glimpse of the Great Wall when I was just about to arrive on Earth."

The Great Wall of China was something that impressed Ironhide. The idea that such tiny, organic creatures could construct something large enough that a Cybertronian could view it from the planet's orbit was not something he had expected when he'd first encountered humans. Even if it had taken them over eighteen hundred years to do so, a very long stretch of time covering many human lifespans.

Annabelle's eyes widened. "I saw a video about the Great Wall of China in school today! That's why I asked you about China! Did you know that it's more than a hundred years old?"

And of course, their view of time differed from that of their adult counterparts as well. Ironhide recalled Annabelle once declaring that her grandparents must be thirty years of age, because thirty was really old. Her parents, both over the age of thirty, had been mostly amused, if a little offended by the idea that they were already 'old'. It was one thing for an adult human to say that the age of one hundred Earth years (a Cybertronian of that age would still be considered a sparkling) was 'old', because most humans simply did not live that long. But for a youth of that exact same species to have a completely different idea of what was to be considered 'old'…

"I did hear that, Annabelle. What else did you learn?"

Ironhide could simply research facts about the historic wall on the World Wide Web, and even teach Annabelle more than that video ever could, but human brains could only process so much information at once, especially young ones, and Annabelle took great joy in telling him what she learned in school. Also, repetition was supposed to be beneficial for memory retention, so Ironhide was willing to sit and listen to her (often over-simplified) explanations if it made her happy and aided her in the learning process.

"I learned it's more than thirteen thousand miles long. How long do you think it would take you to drive from one end to the other?"

"Well, Annabelle, it's a very old Wall, and I don't think it would be a good idea to drive on it, especially if there are parts of it that are so old, they could fall apart. But at thirty miles an hour, like how I drive in this neighbourhood, it would take me more than eighteen days."

Ironhide could use the exact distance of the Great Wall to calculate travel time down to the second, but 'more than eighteen days' would suffice for Annabelle's comprehension level.

"WOW! That's really, really, really long! What if you go fast like when we're on the highway?"

Ironhide quickly calculated the answer and gave her the simplified answer, and again when she asked if he went as fast as he possibly could. Then she asked things like how long would it take a cheetah to run that distance, how long would it take her Daddy to run that distance, and how long it would take her. And Ironhide patiently calculated and answered each one. It was worth it to see her enthusiastic reactions to each answer.

"Could we go to China some day?" Annabeth asked once she ran out of questions about how long it would take someone or something to traverse the Great Wall of China.

"I don't believe that is my decision to make, Annabelle," Ironhide admitted, "That is something that your mother and father would have to decide. And it costs a lot of money to go to China; it's not as easy as a weekend trip to visit your grandparents." Ironhide had driven out with the Lennox family on such trips, and while he had been glad to see Annabelle getting to spend time with her other family members, and Sarah getting to be with her own parents, it was often rather boring for Ironhide. He couldn't transform around Sarah's parents, couldn't even move without Will or Sarah pretending to drive.

Annabelle's expression turned downcast, her lower lip trembling. "But it looked like a really nice place."

Ironhide hated seeing Annabelle so upset. "Perhaps, Annabelle, you could bring it up to your parents. But it will take time to save up the money, so they may need your help."

Annabelle brightened. "I could save all my allowance. And when I'm old enough, I can do babysitting like Aisha does and make more money with that!"

Ironhide grinned at her. "That's the spirit."

THE END

Wikipedia says it's actually quite difficult to see the Wall from low Earth orbit with the naked eye, but Cybertronians can probably see it.

As I said in the notes up top, there will probably be a few smaller fics regarding different Autobot/human friendships. 'Ties That Bind' is, thankfully, going to be shorter than it originally was as well, now that I've cut out so much unnecessary crap.