It an old toy, stuffed at the very bottom of the box. Its plush covering had been worn away, but the bright black eyes shown clearly. It was well taken care of- every stitch had been lovingly made, and every tear mended perfectly. It was completely innocuous, completely normal.

That didn't explain why he froze up when first seeing it. It was just a tiger, a ordinary stuffed tiger. A toy that was supposed to be handed out on this trip to an orphanage, but had somehow been left behind.

"Hey, how was your day?"

He whirled as the soft, growling voice filled with amusement spoke. It wasn't a threatening voice- somehow he knew that. But the air behind him was empty except for the giggling, shrieking kids that were rapidly running back inside of the building.

Disappointment filled him for some reason, as he turned back to the stuffed tiger. For some odd reason, he had been expecting something more. Something… orange? Yes, orange…

He stared at the tiger for a moment more, wondering idly how on earth the tiger seemed to be smirking up at him- or why he felt such joy at finding this old toy. He had just been at a charity event to hand out toys, and this one toy was left.

It was a shame really. He hesitantly pulled the toy out, eyebrows rising at the unexpected heft to the toy.

A bright orange streak jumped through the air, a sharp contrast to the blue sky. He screamed in fright as he was tackled and they went rolling-

He shook his head. "Hey dear."

"Hi Carly."

"Whatchya got there? A stuffed tiger?"

Words burst through his throat before he had a chance to consider them. "He's not stuffed, and his name is Hobbes."

He blinked, staring down at the stuffed toy, before shaking his head. "How- How did I know that?" His voice had an odd catch to it.

"C'mon Hobbes! We're off to Yukon Ho! We'll get mom to make us Tuna Fish sandwiches for you, and then Peanut Butter sandwiches for me! Don't forget to pack all of the comic books!"

"Dear? Spike!" A hand shook his shoulder, snapping him out of his daydreaming. He looked up startled into his wife's concerned face. Beyond that he could see the giant yellow Autobot crouch down nearby. Startled blue optics stared at him in worry.

"I am sorry Spike- it was on sale at a garage sale where a family was moving out. I bought it because it looked like something a child would like…" The yellow Autobot trailed off hesitantly.

Spike shook his head. "It's alright Bumblebee. I just feel like I should know it from somewhere."

"Let's play Calvinball!"

"It's nothing to worry about." Spike insisted. "It's just a dumb ole' stuffed toy-"

"What! Calvin! I don't see how you playing with that dumb old tiger is any different from playing with Bun-Buns!"

Carly ran a hand down the side of his face, before pulling back. "Well, I'm pretty certain that Daniel would love to have the toy. He's getting to the age where he constantly wants something to hold onto."

For some reason, Spikes agreement died in his throat.

The soft pop and crackle of a warm fire and the feel of soft fur lulled him to sleep. Beneath his head he could feel the gentle rise and fall of a chest, unthreatening and familiar.

"Honey- Spike!" Spike shook his head automatically at his wife's near shout. "Spike, what's wrong? You normally don't drift off like this…"

"I don't know Carly, somehow it just seems familiar." Bumblebee crouched closer to Spike as he held up the tiger. "It's like I know it from somewhere."

"Well, that can't be possible unless you have a secret childhood that you've never told me about!" Carly laughed slightly, before realizing that she was laughing by herself. She looked hard at Spike, noticing his distant look. "Spike?"

"I- I never really told you Carly, but I can't remember a time before I was ten- Sparkplug always insisted that he was my dad, but…"

Carly wrapped an arm around her husbands shoulders, gold band winking in the light. "Don't you worry about it dear." Her eyes rose up desperately to Bumblebee. "It's time for us to go home now…"

Spike nodded, and climbed to his feet, carrying the tiger tucked under one arm. It was the link, he was certain of it.

He leaned over the edge of the bed, holding the shoe in one hand. He let it drop, and jumped in fright as a clawed hand snatched it out from midair. Instantly his good buddy began to tie sheets together. "C'mon Calvin, we'll have to go out the window!"

Bumblebee willingly folded down into his compact form, and his door popped open. "Shall we go?"

The car ride was noticeably silent as Spike struggled to remember. Time and time again he was thwarted by the dark mist settled across the time like an ominous black cloud. By the time they reached the house, he was beginning to develop a headache.

"A penny for your thoughts."

"That'll be twenty-five cents for you."

"What! Fine, here's your twenty-five cents. Now, what were you just thinking?"

"A fool and his money are soon parted-" The boy launched himself at the tiger, face scrunched up into a snarl.

Spike stumbled on the stairs, not quite certain how he had managed to reach them. He shook his head before turning to look around. Carly was already in Daniels room, checking to make certain that her child was safe and sound. Spike glanced into the room, before looking back down at the toy in his arms.

Carly straightened up from her ministrations, smiling at him. He smiled back, and his grip on the tiger loosened. "Honey, I'm going to go to the bathroom, do you want to check up on Daniel?"

He guessed she wanted him to put away the stuffed toy- there was going to be a fight if he went to bed with it, but he got the feeling that there was something begging him not to stuff the tiger away to be forgotten. So-

His eyes turned to Daniel, and he blinked as he could've sworn he saw an orange figure jumping up and down in glee, clapping his paws together in barely contained glee- after all, nothing was better then having a best friend to play with.

He bit back a smile, and walked forward to tuck the tiger beneath his son's arm. Daniel stirred slightly, "Da?"

"Shh- I just brought you someone to guard you from the monster beneath your bed." Spike whispered softly. Daniels sleepy eyes opened to look at the tiger. "His name is Hobbes."

Daniel smiled as he snuggled close, holding it tight. Spike stood, arms feeling achingly empty for a moment, before once again he could've sworn he saw an orange flash disappear into the bed, as a soft creak of the mattress being shifted echoed loud in his ears.

He waited for a little longer, wondering if he'd see those fuzzy ears, but all there was were two black button eyes glinting at him in a mixture of amusement and pity- he was too old now. That door was closed. He turned around, walked out, and fell into bed.

Within moments he was asleep.

The ephemeral white snow stretched before him, broken only by the small boy and his tiger. The tiger carried a toboggan under an arm, and the boys' eyes sparkled with delight as he spoke. "Wow, it really snowed last night! Isn't it wonderful?"

"Everything familiar has disappeared! The world looks brand-new!"

"A new year… a fresh, clean start!"

"It's like having a big white sheet of paper to draw on!"

"A day full of possibilities!" The boy agreed. The tiger set the toboggan down gently as the boy continued, "It's a magical world Hobbes, ol' buddy… Let's go exploring!"

a/n: Erm… yeah, I just severely mangled one of the most beloved comic strips of all time, and to top it off, I managed to keep it to a K level! First offering in a long time, but I have to say that this little piece has been stewing in the back of my mind for a long time.

All of the italicized paragraphs are as nearly direct quotes as I could remember. The very last snippet is actually written word for word, the last comic strip that was drawn of the duo- I thought it would be a good ending. Read and review please?