Chapter 3. Patrol

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Ironhide leaned on his alt-mode. The way he was looking at Maggie gave her the chills, but in a good way. 'You look beautiful today, sassy queen. Hop in.' He opened the driver's door. 'Ironhide, I told you to stop calling me sassy queen,' she scolded. 'I will name you however I want.' She buckled up. 'Are you free tonight?'
'I would almost say you want to take me on a date,' she mocked as he drove off. 'It is, actually.' She snapped her head back towards him. 'Nothing wrong with grabbing a bite in downtown Washington DC, right?' he asked. 'I guess not, but aren't there rules or something? You are an alien.' Ironhide shrugged. 'Uhm, well... Yes, but we are having dinner. I have dinner with Lennox and his wife all the time. Come on.' Maggie snickered, shaking her head. 'You aren't on a date with Will and Sarah. You're asking me explicitly for a date.' He shrugged, smirking. 'Alright, why not.' He glanced at me.

'Tell me... how did you end up being their guardian?' I asked. 'Well, they were a target for the Decepticons. Megatron has seen Lennox and he was the one who ordered airstrikes, so Optimus wanted them to be protected and since I am the best.' Maggie snorted. 'The best? Who's sassy now, huh?' Ironhide stopped. 'I like you...' he trailed off. 'I know you do, otherwise you wouldn't ask me for a date.' She looked out of the window. 'My life is pretty basic. I wake up at a smelly farm every morning, surrounded by cows. If I have luck and it doesn't rain, I can drive to the base without getting mud in places I don't want it to be, give training sessions, yell at rookies, make them spill their coffee... have lunch, repeat the training session, test some weapons, check them and then, take Will home only to repeat the cycle, over and over again at the point it becomes so boring I almost wish for the Decepticons to show up.'

Maggie turned her gaze. 'I know that feeling, that's why I moved to Washington DC.' Ironhide sighed. 'I just want to do something fun, you know? I like you and you are struggling to fit in and get rid of all the questions about your famous grandsire, so... maybe we can cheer each other up. Maybe others don't see you struggle, but I do. I have seen it a lot back home, many mechs and femmes... Optimus was one of them at some point when it became clear he was going to be the next Prime.' Maggie appreciated his words. It was the first time someone actually understood her feelings. 'Thank you... I appreciate the effort and you're right... I am struggling and grieving.'

'I know... you don't have to explain yourself.' He flashed her a smile. She froze as he laid his hand on hers for a moment. She looked at it. No one had ever done that before. Sure, she had dated a few guys, but none of them made her feel the way Ironhide did. She shook it off, he's an alien, she's not supposed to start dating one. It will have a bad outcome anyway. There are rules, and they're made for a reason. 'You're okay?' She snapped back to reality and quickly nodded. 'I am fine, just thinking...' she replied. 'Want to share it?'
'Oh, I was just thinking about your words,' she murmured without glancing at him. 'I bet you were.' She snapped her head back towards him. 'Excuse me?' He smirked. 'You were thinking about my words or me?' he asked. 'Isn't that the same?' She shrugged and slumped back in the seat. 'No, it's not.' Maggie snorted. He really enjoyed pushing her to her boundaries, but she couldn't hate it. She liked the way he challenged her. In a good way for once.

Maggie sucked in a breath, staring outside, watching other cars pass. She had been living in her grandfather's shadow for so long and she came here for a fresh start. She thought she would get a fresh start, but everyone was only interested in her grandfather, not the missions she did. Maybe Ironhide could give her the fresh start she wanted so badly.

The patrol took an hour to complete. She felt disappointment when he rolled into the base and cut his engine. 'It was fun... we should do it more often,' Maggie said, smiling widely. 'Yes, definitely.' Ironhide reached for her face, brushing some strands behind her ear. 'Do I see you tonight at 7?' Maggie nodded. 'Yes, I will be there.' She flashed him a smile before hopping out. She had still half an hour left before her shift would start.
'Mags?' Lennox took a sprint. 'Hey, I saw you coming in with Ironhide...' he trailed off. 'Oh, yeah... he wanted to show me the city a little bit. I hope you don't mind. He's nice by the way.' Lennox snorted. 'Ironhide is gruff and ornery, he prefers actions to words, and dislikes talk for talk's sake but though he may be rough around the edges, he's still optimistic and upbeat. He hasn't been in a good mood lately and he likes you, so I am glad you make my friend a little happier.'

Maggie smiled wryly. 'Anyway, do you want to have dinner with me and Sarah tonight? She asked for you,' Lennox replied. 'I would love to, but maybe tomorrow? Ironhide just asked me to have dinner with them today.' Lennox eyed her closely. It gave Maggie an unsettling feeling. 'Uhm, sure... yeah, tomorrow is fine too,' he replied. 'What? Not good?' Maggie cocked her head to the side. 'No, it's great... I was just surprised. He hates dinners usually because he has to talk, but if he asked you then I guess he's really into you already. Good for you.' He gave her arm a firm pat before walking off. Maggie uttered a grunt, rubbing her arm before walking off.

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