Note: Okay! Here's more Portal!AU! Also, there's a short story I've been wanting to get down to about that involves Mattie, Alfred, and Cuba (Ismael). I hope you look forward to that!

I own nothing!

"Mattie? Are you still awake?"

"Yes, Alfred. I don't sleep, remember?"

"Yeah…" Alfred turned over in bed, facing the blue ball next to him. "What do you do at night, Mattie?"

"I think."

"About what?"

"There is a whole universe of things I could think about."

"Do you ever think about what you were before?"

"No."

"Why?"

"How could I? My data bank was wiped."

"Yeah…"

"Al?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you dream about?"

"About before."

"Could you tell me about before?"

"What do you want to know?"

"How did you know me?"

Alfred stared at the blue eye that whirred and flexed, spinning around occasionally. He felt a tear drip down over his nose and fall onto the pillow under his cheek.

"Tears equate to sadness, yes? Why are you sad?"

"I just missed you, Mattie."

"Why?"

"Because…"

"Because why?"

Another tear fell and Alfred wiped it away before it fell off his nose. He reached over to touch the cold machine, feeling the smooth metal material it was composed of.

"You were very dear to me before."

"Am I dear to you now?"

"Always, Mattie." He leaned over and placed a kiss above the whirring eye.

"What was that?"

"A kiss."

"What does it mean?"

"It means that I love you very much."

"I am incapable of love, Alfred."

"That's okay. I still love you anyway."

"Would that not make you sad, though?"

"Maybe a little. But I know deep down, somewhere, you love me too, just like before."

"Tell me more about before."

"You were a scientist for Aperture. You were the one who came up with the formula for the reactive paint."

"I remember that."

"You do!"

"The formula is fairly simple."

"Oh."

"I was once human?"

"Yes, just like me."

"I could walk on legs and breathe and eat?"

Alfred nodded.

"Did I laugh?"

The blond gave a sorrowful laugh. "All the time, Mattie. Every day."

"What did I laugh about?"

"You laughed at me. I love your laugh. I would make jokes or act dumb to get a giggle out of you. You always were worried about your job, though."

"Is not research important?"

"Yes, but you were human. You needed to do other things. Laugh, love, live."

"Why did you love me?"

"Because you were you. You still are you, kinda. You still get shy. You were beautiful and clumsy sometimes. Your laugh was pretty and light and you ate like a bird and that always made me laugh. When Mr. Beilschmidt gave you a project, you would get so caught up in it you would forget to eat or take a break. I loved you for you. I still love you for you."

"You cannot love a machine, Alfred."

"I know, Mattie. But, please, just pretend for me for a while."