Chapter Text
Petrified, glued to the easy chair where her new husband had set her after he carried her into the honeymoon suite, Marie found her thoughts wandering. She appreciated the distraction.
She’d once told David Walter that her mother hadn’t raised her to be “that kind of girl.” The fact was, her mother hadn’t had the chance to raise her at all. She’d been raised by her sister Louise, ten years her senior, after their father died. And for a brief time, when she was away from her sister’s guidance, Marie had been that kind of girl.
She’d gone to college to become a schoolteacher. There was a war on, and she met her share of soldiers on their way to be part of it. But it was one flyer, a boy named Will, that made her heart throb. She had been in love, and had seen no reason to hold anything back. They were going to be together forever.
And then he was sent to war, and she found out she was pregnant.
She sent him a letter and he sent one back, and they were engaged. He asked for leave to come back and marry her, but it was delayed. Meanwhile, Marie vomited. Every day for two months. But she remembered it was normal to feel sick, and was happy, even as the rumors began because of it.
And then, all of a sudden, the morning sickness stopped. She was delighted… until she found out why.
She spent a week in the hospital, infected because of the miscarriage. She was told there was damage from the infection, and that it would be dangerous to have children of her own after that. Crushed, she’d sent a letter to Will, offering to let him back out of their engagement. She never got his answer. Hard on the heels of the death of his child, the flier was shot down over Midway.
Marie kept on. She’d loved him, she’d wanted the baby. She could have given up and died. But she and her sister were all that was left of their family. She had to live for someone. She would live for Louise, for now.
She’d waded through the continuing rumors, earned her degree, and taken a job as far north as she could afford. It wasn’t far, but she found a small town when no one knew of her past. She had a little house, acquaintances, even suitors, though they all went away rejected. She was in no hurry to get wrapped up in a romance again.
And then, one day, she’d had a craving for a crawfish boil, and saw David Walter fast asleep inside of a hot car. It took one look to bring to life feelings she had thought were dead. She realized it had happen when he smiled. She knew she had to see him again when he kissed her hand.
And then he was gone.
Her sister had said she was crazy when she insisted on visiting him during her trip to Los Angeles. Marie wondered whether she was. But she had learned her lesson the first time; she would not make the same mistakes.
Now, as she sat in the honeymoon suite of a very nice hotel in Los Angeles, she wondered whether she’d found a fresh set of mistakes and made them instead.
For the first time since she’d kissed David in the sultry glow of a summer sunset, she had doubts. It had seemed so clear then. That kiss, that moment, had made her feel as if all the pieces of her life had come together, that he possessed all that had been missing from her soul. Even Will hadn’t made her feel like that.
But Will had been human. David… The Spine… wasn’t.
She didn’t hold it against him, of course… she’d learned who he was inside before she’d learned he was a mechanical man. Well, mostly. At the time, due to his brother’s power core being stolen and tampered with, he had been turned into a human. Yet he had put the core back, saved his brother’s life. It had meant losing his humanity, and he’d thought that it meant he would lose her, too. He’d showed her the kind of man he was. She had stayed and not looked back, until now.
It hadn’t been bad, by any means, this past year. His brothers were darlings, as was his human family. They were the ones who had made it possible for them to get married, making arrangements and calling in favors until The Spine had a fake citizenship status as David Walter, and a marriage license ready to be signed.
Until then, with all the turmoil in the home, she’d been able to help, which made her happy. She’d also been able to be around The Spine every day, which made her happier. He was metal, but gentle and vulnerable, afraid he’d hurt her every time he held her in his arms. Sometimes she thought it would be worth it to see him show his feelings.
Of course, in Walter Manor, there were other people around, robots with excellent hearing, a thousand distractions. There was only so much affection he’d show around others, at least, now. When he was human, he’d had far less control. She missed that part of his humanity. It had been endearing. But she was grateful at least to have seen it. She knew how he felt about her.
And even if she didn’t, this was the perfect opportunity to get a reminder. She blushed and rubbed her hands nervously.
The water had stopped running in the bathroom, where The Spine had gone to clean off his travel makeup. His hat, jacket, vest and tie lay on the bed. There was a breathless silence. Then the water came on again.
She realized she’d been holding her breath and inhaled quickly.
So many people had been worried about their honeymoon. The two of them had quickly dismissed all concerns, but the fact was, they just didn’t want to discuss it with other people. Neither of them had the slightest idea how a robot man and a human woman… honeymooned.
Well, that wasn’t exactly right. Marie had found out some surprising things and had some ideas, but she didn’t know whether he’d be willing to try them. Her face felt like it was on fire just thinking about it.
What was The Spine thinking now? What did a robot consider an intimate moment? They’d been dancing, that was nice. But they wouldn’t be doing that tonight…
The water stopped again. The door opened. His hair and makeup were off, his shirt unbuttoned and damp at the collar.
She stood as he approached, and embraced him.
“Are you hungry?” he murmured, gently putting his arms around her.
She shook her head. “I… I couldn’t eat a thing.”
She heard a strange sound, like a bubble rising in a water cooler.
“Sorry…” he said. “I’m a little… nervous…”
She giggled. “I was wondering what that sound was…”
“Mm-hm.”
It was a small, casual sound, but it made her feel warm all over. He always spoke so precisely with other people. Only with Marie did he allow himself to speak this way, sounding really human. He didn’t realize it, she knew, but his careful way of speaking to others only made him sound more like a robot.
“Marie… I’m sorry…”
“What ever for, love?”
“Tonight… this past year… everything.”
She wasn’t terribly surprised. “Why?” she asked.
“You should be here with a human being, not a machine… My father never… he was worried about other people accusing us of violent and inhuman behaviors. He said he’d considered making us fully human in shape…” His boiler hiccupped again. “There’s just no way to say this gracefully…” he moaned.
“No, there isn’t. Don’t say it.”
“It’s just that… I was once accused of it…”
She looked up. “Really? Of… what?”
“Rape.” He bit the word out. “They wanted him to turn me over to them to be dismantled. Some poor girl had seen our show and been attacked later… went out of her mind and said it was me.”
Marie was speechless.
“It was… humiliating. The only way to prove it wasn’t me was…” He stopped.
“No…”
“He showed them… well, he proved it wasn’t possible. I almost wish he had just let them shut me down instead,” he said bitterly. “After that, he was afraid to make us any more human, even if it meant… He thought he was making sure we would never be suspected again.
“The others didn’t care, but… This is… I don’t want to say any more about it.” He released her and turned away. “I should never have brought you here. I’ve been playing house, that’s all. It isn’t even a legal union…”
“David….”
“That’s not my name!” he cried sharply, turning toward her again. Oily tears streaked his face. “I’m not a man! Why did you stay with me, Marie?”
“That’s enough!” she cried, nerves frayed to breaking. “I didn’t stay because I thought you were a human! I certainly didn’t stay with you for sex! You know it very well so stop treating me like a fool!”
His eyes were wide. He looked down.
“Then why…” he whispered.
“You know why. Don’t you? I’ve gone out my way to tell you as often as I could.”
She slowly stepped forward and put her arms around him again. He didn’t return the embrace.
“What?” she asked, still clinging to him.
“I’m too upset… I… might hurt you…”
“As you like. I’ll hold you, at least.”
He raised one trembling hand and stroked her hair as carefully as he could manage. She could hear his insides still burbling with his agitation, but she wasn’t letting go… not of his body or of him. Slowly, he grew calm and slipped his arms around her back.
“I love you, Spine. That’s why I’m here.”
“I know… I love you… that’s why I brought you.”
“Don’t forget it again. We’ll figure this out together. Got it? Everything, together.”
“Of course…” He sighed. “Marie?”
“Hm?”
“There is one thing I decided without you…”
“What? You ordered champagne?”
“Did you want that?”
She laughed tremulously. “No…”
“Good.”
He pushed her away gently and slipped out of his shirt, letting it slide smoothly down his arms to the floor. His gleaming silvery chassis was beautiful, sculpted into the shape of a man’s body, though tiny cracks of access panels could be seen across it, along with a pinpoint of blue in the center of his chest. Peter A Walter had outdone himself with his second robotic son.
He tapped the blue spot on his chest and a panel recessed and slid open. Inside was an ornate metal ring, the center of which glowed blinding blue. His power core, the thing that made him what he was, like a combination of brain and heart.
“It’s amazing,” she murmured.
“It’s all I have to give that you don’t already have of me. I wanted to show you what I am. If this is what you want, a metal man with a Blue Matter heart...”
“I thought I’d told you that already, Spine. You’re what I want. Do I need to write it down?”
He smiled. “Thank you…” He started to close the panel.
“Wait…” she said. “You’re not the only one who’s made some decisions alone. We’d better get it all out in the open now.”
She reached toward his chest cavity. He caught her wrist.
“Do you trust me, love?” she asked.
“I do…”
“Then let go.”
“I’m afraid! If you touch it…”
“I won’t. Please. I know what I’m doing.”
“How? What are you doing?”
She looked at him. He sighed and let go. Marie slipped one small hand into his chest. He held very still.
Where was it? She reached carefully around behind the blue matter chamber and found what she was looking for.
“Marie…” he whimpered. The sound cut her to the heart, but she didn’t dare rush this.
“Got it,” she said, and turned the first knob five steps to the left. She jerked her hand out as he sagged forward. He quickly straightened up, eyes wide with fear.
“What did you do?” he cried, grabbing her wrist as she reached one more for his chest opening. She gasped in surprise and he let go.
“I’m sorry!” he cried. “Are you alright?”
She smiled and held up her arm. He looked shocked.
“I grabbed you so hard… how are you not hurt?”
“Just one more adjustment, love.”
“You reduced my strength? How?”
“Yes, I did. And I’m not done. Ready?”
He stood still as she slid her little hand in once more. She found the second dial and turned it three steps to the right. Then she slid her fingers down his arm. He sighed.
“Well?” she asked.
“How did you do that?”
“How did I do what, exactly?”
He laughed softly. “It… almost tickled.”
“Not nearly enough,” she murmured and reached in, ruthlessly turning the knob four more steps.
She stroked his arm again. He gasped sharply.
“That’s not possible!”
“Obviously it is,” she responded, grinning. She tried to close his chest panel, but he kept squirming away and giggling.
“Stop it! It… tickles…”
“You do it, then!” she laughed. Ticklish Spine was just about the most adorable thing she’d ever seen.
He carefully closed it and said, “Tell me! What on Earth did you do?”
“Well, we found your instruction manual, love. Rabbit and Wanda, anyway. They gave it to me.”
“I have one? What am I, a toaster?”
“I don’t know from toasters, but I figure I’m lucky. Every husband should come with a manual. Now let’s just see how well I followed your instructions…”
She put her arms around him and he gasped again. “Marie,” he choked. “It’s amazing. It feels just like… like when I was human.”
“I was hoping it would! I found out you have a set of controls behind your blue matter to decrease strength and increase sensory input. It was the last entry in the book.”
“I don’t understand…”
“You father must have put them in right before he died. There was a letter, addressed to you…”
She found her purse and pulled out the letter, giving it to him. He held it for a moment, smiling as he rubbed the paper between now sensitive fingertips. Then he opened it and read it through.
“He… He did his best…” he whispered.
“Hm?”
“You were right. He did put them in not long before he died. He knew I’d want this someday. The letter is sort of an apology… for not being able to make me all I wanted to be.” He sighed. “Thank you, Colonel…" He smiled. "Pappy.” He closed the letter.
She took it and put it aside and wrapped her arms around him again. He giggled and held her, too softly at first. Remembering the strength adjustment, he squeezed her tighter.
“That’s not too tight, is it?” he asked uneasily.
“It’s perfect.” It did remind her of when he was human.
He sighed happily. “I’ve never gotten to hold you this tightly before. Well, not since last year. It’s wonderful…”
“You feel better now, sweet?”
“Better. But is it enough for you?”
She giggled nervously. “It’s a start. Let’s see…” She tipped her head up and kissed his neck. He giggled and shivered, and looked faintly embarrassed. She stroked his back, and he sighed happily.
“Ah. Yes,” she said, feeling rather tingly. “I do believe I can work with this.”
Back in Walter Manor, Wanda settled in for a long evening. The Jon and Rabbit had some of the “lesser robots” gathered for a movie with Pappy’s old film projector. Rabbit had suggested Pinocchio, and The Jon, completely missing Rabbit’s joke, had agreed. Rabbit set up the projector and snuggled on the loveseat next to Honeybee.
Wanda knew Rabbit was actually a bundle of copper nerves… all from worry about his brother. Rabbit had no first-hand experience with human women, of course, but he had served with soldiers in two world wars… he knew a thing or two about sex, if only through hearsay. He was the one who had insisted on finding The Spine’s manual… saying he hoped Pappy had anticipated The Spine’s interest in human women eventually bringing him to this ridiculous situation.
And it turned out he had. Wanda had been astonished, but relieved.
It wasn’t much… just a couple of last-minute adjustments, dials to bring him closer to humanity for a little while, too inconvenient to use all the time, put in a place that would not only shield them from tampering hands but would only be accessible to dainty human fingers… the hands of a woman. It struck Wanda as being strangely meaningful that only Marie could make the adjustments. It was a sort of robotic intimacy, and yet the sort of trust that a husband and wife should have.
She let the tears fall as they came, thinking back to her brief marriage to Guy. It had surprised her how much she had wanted the marriage of The Spine and Marie to come off after hers had ended. It made her feel as if life was going on as it should, that people still fell in love, and still had a chance at happiness. Spine had always been a strong presence in Walter Manor. Just having him around had made her feel safe. He often carried her to her room if she got too tired as a kid, singing to her with the beautiful voice his Pappy had given him, as he tucked her in. Yet there was always that melancholy as he went off to his room, alone.
Marie had that same air of strength, for all she was a small, frail human being. Wanda couldn’t have imagined a woman existed with such potential to give him the humanity he craved. Marie was special; she could handle this, she could make him happy.
Goodness knows he’d earned some happiness.
She looked over at Rabbit. He and Honeybee had gone into stasis, propped against one another, like the robots they were content to be. Just as well; Rabbit had kept checking the time and it was getting on her nerves. The lesser robots… not really lesser but simpler, and never called either where they could hear it… were clustered around The Jon like a group of kindergarteners, watching the movie.
Wanda dozed, smiling, in her easy chair.
The Spine felt sleepy. He couldn’t explain it, but he couldn’t explain anything that had gone on that evening… he only knew that Marie was more amazing than he had known, and that he had never dreamed it possible that he would have been able to experience what he had with her. But he had experienced it… and he was sleepy, and he loved it!
Marie, already asleep, lay beside him. He reached for her face, hesitated, remembered her careful adjustments, and allowed himself to lightly stroke her cheek. She smiled in her sleep. He sighed, put his hand over hers where it lay on the bed, and drifted into stasis.