A/N: Wow, it's a long time since I've been here... *looks at Transformers fandom*

This was born out of me missing the Transformers fandom after a fic battle with my friend Kimmieh-chan, as we both used to compete for word count and reviews. She seemed to love my Leo/Alice pairing and suddenly the bunnies attacked me because life wouldn't be all sunshine and rainbows for them, considering that she was a robot from outer space and he was a human.

Summary: Companion piece to my Sam/Will trilogy for Valentine's Day with a focus on Leo and Alice as they ponder on their relationship and the direction in which it is headed. Strongly advisable to have read "One Last Time", "One More Time" and "One Final Time" beforehand. Leo/Alice, fluffy angst.

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers

Restless Heart Syndrome

Alice slammed the tray down on the kitchen counter with her back turned to Leo. "You can stop pretending!"

"Pretending what?" Leo asked, startled by his wife's sudden outburst. He was trying to stop himself from commenting on the irony – she was telling him to stop pretending. Her purpose ever since she had been created was to pretend to be something she wasn't, in this case, a human.

"That everything's okay!" Alice replied, turning to face him. "I saw you earlier when you were talking on the phone to Mikaela. I know you want to see your daughter – I know you want us to have a child of our own. I can't give you a child, Leo – I'm a freaking robot! We can't have a human child, and we can't have a sparkling – we're... why did you marry me?"

Not this again. Leo thought with a sigh, closing his eyes. "Alice, I married you because I love you. I know you're a robot and we won't ever be able to have children. You don't have to remind me. It's not like I didn't consider any of this before I married you."

"You know I try to make you happy, right?" Alice asked, turning her attention back to the tray of dirty plates.

"Baby, you don't need to try." Leo said, standing up from his chair. He walked over to where Alice was standing in front of the sink and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him as she began to wash the dishes. "You do make me happy – you're the best thing that happened to me, Alice. Even all of the money and stuff I had before – including the good looks – this is better. Even though I still am good looking, even with these burn scars..."

Humour. That was the way Leo always tried to avoid confrontation – by making fun of himself. Alice placed the plate down in the warm water, and turned around to face the human she had come to love more than anything – he was perfect in every way. He understood her and he loved her for who she was – the feelings she returned to him. "The more times you say it, the harder it becomes to believe. I just... sometimes I feel like you keep me around because you have to, or because you're scared of what I'm capable of."

"Alice, you know I don't feel that way towards you." Leo said, brushing her dark gold hair away from her face. "I know that you would never do anything to put me in danger – you've changed. Unlike the rest of the Decepticons you actually think and feel. Sometimes I think you're more human than the people I know – especially the NEST officials who wanted to experiment on you..."

"Simmons sorted all of that out, didn't he?" Alice asked, concerned. She was sure that they wouldn't be living on Diego Garcia if that wasn't the case, but she wanted to make sure that they weren't there for another reason, and it was likely that they would have to pack up and run in an instant – she was looking forward to the idea of packing their bags and running.

"Yes, he did." Leo smiled, placing his hands on her shoulders. "As far as the government is concerned, we're going to be left alone – it's safe for us to live and work here. I don't know how Simmons managed to call it all off... he probably started blackmailing someone. That man never fails to astound me."

Alice lightly brushed Leo's hands away. "It was easier when we were on the run. We didn't have time to stop and think about things like this – it was just you and me, wondering where we were going to end up next. We were free. I don't like... I don't like this. I don't like being stuck in one place for too long..."

"What do you want me to do, Alice?" Leo asked. "I have a job here. We have friends here. Do you want to just give all of that up and leave?"

"I was never supposed to be around people, Leo." Alice said sadly. "I was never supposed to fall in love – I wasn't supposed to be loved. I was supposed to destroy, Leo. I'm a Decepticon – I was never meant to feel anything."

"Alice..."

"I think..." Alice turned away, her hair covering her face. "I think that we should spend a few days away from each other, to see if this is what we really want."

Leo rested his forehead against Alice's. "I already know what I want."

"It's only going to be a week."

"A week is too long."

xXx

"Alice is just – ugh, I don't know." Leo sighed, leaning against the water cooler. "She doesn't seem to realise that I love her no matter what. I didn't marry her because I wanted the dream life of a cottage with a white picket fence and three kids called Sally, Rosie and Joshua! I married her because I wanted to be with her... she just keeps brooding over how we're not like other couples. She breeds over how different we are and that we can't have kids!"

"Leo – can you quieten down?" Simmons scowled from across the office. "People are trying to work and all they can hear is you yapping."

"Sorry Simmons!"

"Basically, you and Alice are having problems adjusting." Epps said, refilling his plastic cup with water.

"If you can call it that..."

"So have you two broken up?"

"No..." Leo sighed. "We're just having a few days away... and we're reuniting on Valentine's Day."

"How do you feel about all of this?"

"I just told you I'm frustrated, didn't I?"

Epps sighed, thinking of a way to simplify his question. "How do you really feel about not being able to have kids?"

"I guess I'm kinda upset..." Leo confessed. "But it's not the end of the world. Having kids would just add some more complications to our relationship..."

"How does Alice feel about the kid issue?"

"She talks about it a lot – how on Cybertron she would've settled down with a mech and had sparklings eventually, if she wasn't still fighting in the Autobot-Decepticon war." Leo answered. "I want to make her happy, Epps. I just don't know how I can do it."

"I have an idea." Epps said. "It's not exactly a child, but it might help solve your problem. It's what me and Monique did before we had kids..."

xXx

"I'm sorry to bother you – I just didn't know who else to turn to." Alice said. She was sitting at the kitchen table in the Epps's household. Monique Epps was standing at the sink, washing up some plates from lunch. "Everyone on this island still seems to be wary of me even after everything... they look at me like I'm going to transform and kill them."

"Less of that talk here." Monique scowled, wringing out the dishcloth. "I don't want my kids picking up bad habits... no offense."

"Erm... none taken." Alice raised an eyebrow. "Monique, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What's Valentine's Day?"

"Valentine's Day?" Monique asked, drying her hands on a tea-towel. "Well, it's a day where people show each other how much they love each other... it's a bit silly really, but it's just a tradition really. I get Bobby something every year, and he always gets me something. I guess it's just something we always do."

"What do you and your husband get each other?"

Monique was silent in thought for a few minutes. "We usually buy each other cards, maybe flowers and chocolates, and then we'll go out for dinner. Last year he brought me a big bottle of wine – that's always a winner."

Alice thought for a minute and rested her elbows on the table. "Well... I want to get something special for Leo – I want to show him how much I love him. I just don't know what."

"What does he really want?"

"A family." Alice sighed. "I can't give him what he wants, Monique – it isn't possible. I'm a robot and he's a human."

"By a family, do you mean having children and all that jazz?"

"Isn't jazz a type of music?" Alice frowned.

"Geez, you guys really need to get up to date on human phrases."

xXx

She had better like this. Leo thought to himself, running his fingers through his hair in front of the mirror. He hadn't seen Alice in a week, and he had missed her. He had missed her more than he had missed anything. He had missed her so much it had hurt.

The knock on the door was short and sharp, and it startled Leo.

He walked over to the door and opened it, revealing Alice standing on the doorstep smiling, holding a bundle of pink cloth in her arms.

"Wha-what?" Leo stammered.

"This is Sophie." Alice said, peeling back the pink blanket to reveal the face of a baby he could guess was only around a few months old. "She's two months old. She was orphaned when her mother was killed in a house fire a month ago. She has no relatives to take care of her."

Leo was lost for words.

"It seems that the government are prepared to do anything to make sure we stay quiet about Diego Garcia and the top secret Autobot-Decepticon war." Alice said, smiling up at Leo. "I know how much you want a family, and I know that I can't give you one... Monique gave me the idea of adopting..."

"We... we have a baby?"

"Erm..." Alice smiled shyly and held the bundle out to Leo. "I can take her back if you want..."

"No, no, no..." Leo said, taking Sophie into his arms. He didn't laugh at Alice's comment – sometimes she became upset when he laughed at her for not understanding human concepts. One day he would tell her that you couldn't just return adopted babies. "No. It's fine. I just wish... I wish I could've got you something else."

"What did you get me?"

"A puppy."

"Well... it looks like we have our family." Alice smiled.

"And all in one day." Leo grinned, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day, baby."

"Happy Valentine's Day."

I can't believe it... I actually managed fluff, and usually I'm terrible at fluff! Now I can finally get on with my other fics that are in need of updating...

Any comments or feedback are appreciated!