A/N: I've written quite a few Transformers comedies, so it's a nice change to have a go at something serious and heartfelt.

A large pool of liquid on the floor of the base distracted Alexis from returning to her laptop and resuming the Mini-Con hunt with Sureshock. The pair had spent the entire morning doing so, whilst the Autobots were on the other side of the world. After needing a break, she had ventured into the human world for several hours, buying yet more groceries (which would, more than likely, fuel Rad and Carlos' excessive midnight fridge raids); it left her unaware of her robotic comrades' return.

The brunette would have thought her discovery a mere oil spill, had it not been for the intermingling glow she recognised as Energon – in other words, Transformer fluid. The logical portion of her mind surmised that one of them was wounded. Whatever her friends thought, the Autobots weren't infallible.

Her breathing restricted at the thought of how serious the injury could be, and the first place she thought to search was the medical bay. Her legs picked up speed faster than she thought herself capable.

Reaching the area in record time, the automatic doors slid apart and she rushed inside. Initially unable to see anyone, she explored every inch – after all, there weren't many places for a giant robot to hide. Then her eyes suddenly fell upon a mech, huddled against one of the walls, and she almost screamed.

Slumped at a haphazard angle, fighting to breath and finding some difficulty in repairing himself, was Red Alert. Fluid flowed freely from a deep puncture in his chestplate, dangerously close to his spark.

Alexis had seen the automatons wounded before, but only in the form of dents and scratches in their armour. To observe the medical officer…well, bleeding, for lack of a better word, deeply affected her. Tears pricked her eyes, but she blinked them back.

Attention focused on fumbling with a strange pump fixed to his midriff, he apparently hadn't even noticed her presence, until her shaken tenor filtered through his audio receptors. His head lifted and he stared at her, but her expression caused his typical stoic manner to falter. It surprised him to see a twelve year old, who was usually the most level-headed and logical of the human trio, to practically crumble in his injured presence. The mech tried to keep his injuries hidden from the children whenever possible, and cursed himself for slipping up now.

"Wh-what happened?" Alexis weakly enquired, failing miserably in the fight to keep her voice level.

Red Alert froze; the details of his battle would surely frighten her further. "You should leave."

"But-"

"Go."

The girl flinched at his tone, which had emerged a tad sharper than intended, and he cursed himself a second time. But she didn't move from her spot, just staring at him with those wide eyes. Slowly, allowing the shock in her system to numb, she advanced with several tentative steps towards him. Ideally, he would have backed away, but his frame already rested against a wall – not to mention his lack of energy prevented him from moving, anyway.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she then tilted her head to look up at him, bravery replacing the fear in her optics. "Help." It was one word, but the intention perfectly clear. There had to be some way to assist in repairs.

The medical officer silently stared at her, still astounded by the bravery of humans, but more by her dedication to the Autobot cause…and his health. When was the last time someone showed concern for him? He usually did so for others.

At his hesitation, her voice became more desperate. "Please?"

"Alright," he responded, still somewhat reluctant, and pointed at several wires attached to an electronic unit at his side. "I need you to place these on specific points of my arm."

Alexis took the large wires into her arms, and watched the casing of his left arm rise to reveal its inner workings, then flawlessly followed his instructions. Considering her intelligence and skills, he wouldn't have been surprised if she grew up to become a first-rate surgeon.

"What will it do?" she enquired, breaking through his thoughts. Momentarily confused, he realised what she meant. Still worried, he noted.

"Provide me with the Energon I require to recuperate," he elucidated. The 'bleeding' had been staunched and his spark was stable; all he had to do now was rest and let the machine do its work. Then he would be good as new. He glanced down at his left arm. Almost.

Relieved at seeing the mech on the road to recovery, the brunette sat on the floor, next to his knee joint, and watched her feet. Red Alert drowsily studied the subtle change of expression, and wondered what thoughts tumbled around in her head.

"Alexis…" he said softly. Said girl raised her head, and was met by a soft smile. "Thank you."

She responded with an involuntary yawn, then gave her head a shake. "Sorry. Guess I'm kinda wrung-out."

"You should get some rest," he lightly admonished. When she didn't move, afraid to leave him alone, he cocked his head and chuckled. "Come here…"

Without hesitation, Alexis crawled onto the palm of his servo, which he then raised towards his midriff and cupped into a makeshift bed. She settled against him in a foetal position, finding the strangely warm metal of his armour comforting. Or maybe it's him…

Glad to finally see the girl relaxed, Red Alert allowed himself to do the same, resting his head back against the wall, and let the Energon circulating his system to do its work.

The End