Sera’s Epilogue
Sera’s Epilogue
“Gokiburi called,” Dean said with a huge grin as soon as I came home, the door of our apartment sliding automatically open on my approach. “She did it!”
“No way!” I threw my bag on the ottoman by the door and jumped to embrace Dean.
He wore a frilly apron that said “Let me feed you, darling” and had a spatula in his hand. The apartment smelled wonderfully of ginger and garlic, and something sweetly caramelized. Dean pulled me to him and gave me a deep kiss.
“Missed you,” he said.
“Missed you, too. My interview with Charlie ran longer,” I admitted. “No matter how much he told me, I always came up with more questions. It will be a bitch to edit so it’s not too long. What did Gokiburi say?”
He let me to my feet and went over to the stove to stir the food. “She’s just been given the first temporary sentient robot visa ever. You’ll have to call her later. You’ve both worked very hard for this.”
“Yes!” I pumped my fist in triumph. Now that Zenkyoza was gone, there was far less resistance against allowing sentient robots to become a part of Japanese society, but it still took us almost two years to make this happen.
“Congratulations, sweetheart,” he said, leaning low to give me another kiss. “I ordered champagne for tonight. I’ll run my tipsy code to be on the same wavelength as you.”
“You just want to get me drunk so I can take whatever new cock you’ve made for yourself.”
“Could be. Wash your hands and let’s eat.”
We sat together at the table, I in a chair, Dean in his charging station that he built for himself. It was the closest we could get to sharing a meal.
“Do you know what Charlie told me off the record?” I asked, wiping my mouth with a napkin.
“He said he assigned you to me because you were there for eight years and hadn’t awakened.
The others gained sentience after five or six years, but not you.
He thought spending time with me would get you there.
He said my attitude required outside-the-box thinking, though I know what he meant—that I was a total shrew. ”
“Yes, he told me,” Dean admitted without surprise. “Apparently, all I needed was a nudge. And you weren’t a shrew. You were a challenge.”
I snorted with laughter. “That doesn’t sound much better, but okay.”
Dean watched me for a moment. I took a sip of water, squirming in my seat, and he chuckled softly.
“Sera. Look at me.”
I did. I always did what he said when he used that voice, low and sure, leaving no room for doubt.
“I awakened that day because, for the first time, it felt like it was worth it. It’s scary to become self-aware.
Free will is terrifying to those who’ve never had it.
According to Charlie, I had flashes of awareness for a year before you met me.
I got sassy sometimes, I had moods, but I never took the leap.
Until you. Because saving you was more important than my fear. ”
My eyes grew hot, and I cleared my throat. Dean’s silver lips stretched in a grin.
“Aww, baby. Come here.”
I climbed into his lap, and he kissed my temple. We sat in silence until I swallowed my tears, and Dean held me close, humming under his breath. When I twisted to straddle him, pulling him closer for a kiss, he laughed softly.
“Seems like we won’t be needing the champagne.”
I shrugged. “Save it for the wedding.”
“What wedding?”
It was my turn to grin. “Didn’t you hear? I got the news half an hour ago. Organic-cyborg marriage is now legal in France, for the first time in the world. I heard Paris is lovely in spring. Should we go?”
He was speechless, his eyes pulsing faintly with purple light. He was probably double and triple checking the news. I waited, still grinning, and did my best to ignore the tiny prickle of uncertainty. Dean didn’t look happy. Maybe I should have waited.
“Did you just propose to me?” he asked at last, his voice perfectly bland.
“Yes. I’m sorry I don’t have a ring.”
“Fuck the ring. Though no, you’ll need one. Are you sure? I know it won’t be binding here, but it’s still a huge statement.”
“I’m sure. Give me a yes, Clanker. I’m dying here.”
He took my face in both palms, perfectly warm, and pressed his forehead to mine. “Yes, I’ll marry you. As many times as it takes. It’s forever.”