As the days passed after their confessions Natalia only got worse and worse.

She was now confined to her bed with Alpha always present beside her, guarding her against this strange monster that he couldn't see or bite. Alfred worked like a maniac on her heart late into the night, barely sleeping and barely eating, only stopping to visit Natalia and talk with her and try to get her to take her medication which she refused. He couldn't let another person he loved die. He just couldn't.

Arthurs POV

Arthur sighs walking up to the lab with a tray of food. He lets himself in not even bothering to knock anymore and sets the tray down by Alfred's hunched over form. He was welding some metal pieces together and didn't even seem to acknowledge his presence. Arthur glances over at the other tray of untouched food and frowns looking over at Alfred.

"Alfred…."

There was no response as Alfred wielded away.

"Alfred."

Still no response.

"ALFRED F JONES ACKOWLEDGE ME THIS INSTANST!"
Alfred snaps his head up and looks at him wildly. His eyes had dark rings under them and he honestly looked terrible.
"Alfred when was the last time you ate? Or slept? Or even bathed?"

Alfred blinks and shrugs tiredly looking like a member of the undead. Arthur scans him over and sighs as he reads the health effects that his maniac working was doing on him. He was sleep deprived, malnourished and dehydrated.

"Alright this has gone on long enough! For heaven's sake I can see you Alfred! Don't think I don't notice that you're barely able to sit up straight!"

Alfred looks up at him tiredly attempting to give him a grin.

"What do you mean? I'm fine!"

Arthur folds his arms and gives him an incredulous look.

"Alfred I just read your health stats. You need sleep; you need food and for the love of all that is good take a shower!"

Alfred looks up at him guarding Natalia's heart like a child about to get his toy taken away before bedtime.

"Arthur Natalia is dying! I can't sleep now! Did you see her today? Her heart is beating fast and she was panting just from sitting up!"

He turned back to his heart only to have Arthur push him off of the chair and drag him down the hall.

"This is for your own good Alfred! You're not going to do her any good by ending up in the hospital from starvation! You will sleep and then you will eat. You know that Natalia would want this for you!"

Alfred sighs, not even putting up a fight anymore. His head was falling down as he starts to fall asleep even as he was dragged down the hall and to his room. Arthur sighs grumbling to himself as he drags Alfred to his bed and flops him down onto it.

"There you ninny."

Arthur took the heart out of Alfred's hands with some effort since Alfred's fingers were curled around it protectively. When Arthur finally wrenched it out he covers him with a blanket, sets the heart in the lab and goes to check on Natalia. The last time he had seen her she was watching the blimps as usual.

"Natalia?"

Hearing no response his brow furred and start to be concerned. She usually gave him a polite "come in", or she would at least send Alpha over to open the door. He goes inside wearily and stands still in horror at the empty bed, with the goggles placed neatly beside it on the table. His gears clicked and a panicked steam rose out of him. She was gone.

Arthur raced all over the house as fast as his sticking gears would allow him. She wasn't anywhere to be found and just as his panic was increasing he noticed the open door out of the corner of his eyes and a furious Alpha racing towards the door, only to be hit by the electrical field that kept him confined to the house each time. Arthur having no such issue raced out the door ignoring the cats howls of contempt.

He ran down the streets heading to where he knew she would be. She would be heading to the Air Station, and quickly if something had caught her eye enough to make her leave the bed. He scanned the streets close to the house and his worry increased the further he got without finding her heat signature in the crowd. Surely she couldn't have made it this far without collapsing.

And he was right.

After long minutes of racing down the streets he finally found her in an alleyway nearly halfway to the Air Station. She was on the pavement her pale face sickly with perspiration on her brow. Her breathing was ragged and racked by coughs. As Arthur rushed over and scanned her he could see her heart beating rapidly, nearly two hundred beats per minute. It was a wonder she had made it this far without her heart just giving up. Then again she was the most stubborn woman he knew.

"Don't worry love we'll get you back to the apartment."

Natalia looks up at him clutching her dress above her heart, and as Alfred scanned her other body functions he saw the other tell-tale signs of a heart attack starting.

"Take me back to Alfred….. Tell him… My family is here…"

Arthur nods and picks her up quickly rushing back to the apartment. He ignored people looks although he knew what they were thinking. Why was a doll carrying away a beautiful woman? Shaking these thoughts out of his head he raced through the streets going as fast as his gears would allow him. He ran up through the still open door of the apartment startling Alpha who bounded after him right on his heels. He ran into Natalia's room and placed her down gently on the bed allowing Alpha to sit beside her on the bed before running to Alfred's room as fast as he could.

"Alfred wake up!"

Alfred slept on obliviously as he hugged a pillow tightly to him. Arthur walks over and yanks him out of bed.

"ALFRED WAKE UP NATALIA IS DYING."

Alfred's POV

Alfred jolted out of bed and immediately sprang to action running up the stairs his feet making a heavy thud sound that rang through the otherwise quiet house. He ran to Natalia's bedside and quickly grips her hand staring into her eyes. They were dimming and she didn't even talk.

"NAT! D-don't go! D-don't leave me here! N-not again!"

He looked around frantically and runs a panicked hand through his hair making it wild.

"What do I do? O-oh!"

He began to push on her chest right above her heart trying to get blood moving normally. As he pushes Natalia's skins got paler and her lips turned blue. Alfred's eyes widen and he pushes faster before tilting her head up carefully and breaths through her mouth. He pulls away and stands to catch his breath and watches in despair as her breathing stops altogether.

"IGGY HELP!"

Arthur ran up the steps carrying his communicator that he was using to call the hospital.

"I'm calling the hospital no-"

'NO! I-I we need to get her to my lab…. NOW!"

Arthur nods looking into his desperate eyes. They both knew that she wouldn't make it to the hospital.

"Ok… Let's hurry."

Alfred nods scooping her up in his arms and with the help of Arthur made it up to the lab and sets her down on the lab table. He turns to Arthur.

"Please leave…. I need to be alone. And I need your communicator."

Arthur blinks at this strange request and nods handing him the device before scooping up Alpha in his arms and going to the kitchen with him.

Alfred sighs and turns off the communicator before putting his gloves on determinedly and beginning his work.

Arthurs POV

Arthur watches the clock as it slowly ticked by. The hours seemed to drag by and by the time the sun began to rise there was no sound coming from upstairs. Arthur was naturally alarmed by this, having heard mechanical whirling all night. He stands up and along with Alpha he walked cautiously up the stairs and lightly knocked on the lab door. After hearing no response he walked in and sees Alfred in a pitiful stance. He was sobbing and burying his face in his hands as he stands over Natalia's body. She was covered with a sheet but Arthur could see the bumps and rises of screws, bolts and gears.

"I've failed Iggy… I'm missing the wind up mechanism… And if I don't put it in her soon then she will be past the point of no return… I don't know what to do…"

Alpha looks up and walks over rubbing against Alfred's leg until he looked down at him. The cat sat down on its hind end and holds its own mechanism up for Alfred to accept. Alfred smiles a weak watery smile and picks the cat up rubbing his bronze ears mournfully.

"Thanks buddy but yours won't work. It's too small; I need one that's a doll size, for a human."

Arthur looks at the sight of Alfred hugging a metal cat and knew that he would always be like this without Natalia. He would always be the crazy inventor that worked alone in his labs for days on end.

"You really love her don't you?"

Alfred looks up at him and nods mournfully as he hugs the cat to him tightly.

"More than any other woman I have ever meet before. I think she is…. Was…. The one."

Arthur nods calmly and walks over to Alfred turning his back to him exposing his wind up mechanism.

"Well then what are you waiting for you love-struck ninny? Go ahead and be quick about it, Natalia's heart is on the line here."

Alfred stares at the back of Arthurs head stunned.

"W-what?"

Arthur sighs and turns around impatiently. They didn't have much time.

"Did I not make myself clear? Take my wind up mechanism!"

"But…. You'll…."

"I'll stop working? Yes indeed I will."

Alfred stares at him slowly shaking his head.

"I-I can't do it Iggy! I need you too!"

Arthur sighs rolling his glowing eyes as his love mechanism finally clicked in. Of course now it would, his world was built on irony. A British butler who's never even been to Britain, a doll supposed to serve a boy who dies too soon, and a doll who finally knew a protective love just moments before he was to die. He stared at the young inventor and felt a deep longing to protect him and help him, as if he was his little brother perhaps.

"Listen you just need me to wake you up in the morning and make sure you wear clean clothes. You don't really need me Alfred, but you do need Natalia. I might just be gears but I know love when I see it. Now take my wind up quickly before I change my mind."

Alfred stares at him and shakes his head stubbornly.

"But… You're my friend…"

Arthur sighs looking at him and giving him a weak smile.

"I'm your butler, she is your lover. You need her more than a cranky old doll."

Alfred looks at him and sighs, obviously trying to think through this difficult decision with his logic.

"You do know that… I can't rebuild you after a certain time…. At least you wouldn't be the same; you wouldn't have the same memories. "

"I know that."

Alfred looks up at him sadly.

"Are you sure about this?

"Yes."

Alfred nods as Arthur turns around.

"Oh and Alfred?"

Alfred tilts his head up listening intently to the last words of his friend.

"Yeah Iggy?"

"Clean up in here, it looks like a pigsty. "