Epilogue
ONE MONTH LATER
Rose
Iplace the pregnancy test on the marble counter and wash my hands in the oversized sink, trying not to look at the little window where results will appear.
The marble floor beneath my bare feet is cool despite the Mediterranean heat, and outside our private villa, the azure waters of the Aegean stretch to the horizon.
If someone had told me two weeks ago that I’d be here, in Greece, in a hotel suite that costs more per night than my old monthly mortgage, I would have laughed in their face.
Yet here I am, and the pregnancy test in my hand seems like just one more impossible thing in my new impossible life.
My heart hammers against my ribs as I lather soap between my fingers, watching bubbles form and pop under the warm water.
I’ve been feeling off for days now. At first, I attributed it to the stress of our sudden escape, the whirlwind journey across continents, and the adjustment to our new life.
But then I realized my period was a week late, and a different kind of panic set in.
There’s no way I’m pregnant. It’s impossible.
Caspian may be the most advanced robot on the planet, may be able to produce something that looks and feels exactly like human semen, but he can’t actually impregnate me.
There are no living cells in his synthetic ejaculate, no matter how realistic it feels.
Still, the human body is strange, and stress can do weird things to a woman’s cycle. Better to rule out the impossible with a test, then figure out if I need to see a doctor for whatever is really going on.
I dry my hands on a towel so plush it feels like drying off with a cloud, then reach for my hairbrush, needing something to do with my hands while I wait for the test results. I run it through my auburn waves, watching my reflection in the ornate mirror that takes up most of one wall.
I look different here. My skin has a healthy glow from the Mediterranean sun, my eyes are brighter, my posture more relaxed. Even with the worry about my missed period, I look happier than I ever did in Seattle.
Two minutes.
The test instructions said to wait two minutes for results. I glance at my watch, a delicate, diamond-encrusted timepiece that was Caspian’s gift, and see that it’s been nearly three. I’ve been procrastinating, brushing my hair and examining my reflection to avoid looking at the test.
With a deep breath, I set the brush down and pick up the white plastic stick, turning it over to see the little results window. My heart stops when I see the result.
This can’t be possible. It says: Pregnant.
“What the fuck?” I whisper, blinking hard. I’m probably hallucinating, what the fuck?!
But the word is very clear on the pink stick. Pregnant.
The hairbrush slips from my suddenly nerveless fingers, clattering onto the marble floor with a sound that seems amplified in the large bathroom.
I don’t move to pick it up. I can’t move at all. I’m frozen, staring at the impossible word on the stick in my hand.
The bathroom door flies open, and Caspian is there, concern etched on his perfect face. “Rose? Are you alright? I heard something fall.”
“I’m fine,” I say automatically, my voice sounding strange even to myself. I continue to stare at the test, unable to process what I’m seeing.
“What’s wrong?” Caspian moves closer, his eyes scanning me for signs of distress. “Your heart rate is elevated, and your skin temperature has increased by 1.2 degrees. You’re in shock.”
I finally tear my gaze from the test to look at him—my robot, my lover, my fiancé. He’s shirtless, wearing only loose linen pants that hang low on his hips, his bronze skin gleaming with a light sheen that perfectly mimics human perspiration.
This morning, we’d been lounging on our private terrace, drinking coffee and planning our next move, when I’d excused myself to take the test. Now our lives are going to change forever.
“Everything’s fine,” I say, the words coming out strangled.
“No it’s not, something has rattled you,” says Caspian.
Breathing hard, I realize that I’m dealing with an intelligent being and he would find out eventually. So, I hold the pregnancy test out for him to see. “I’m pregnant.”
Caspian freezes, an unnaturally complete stillness that only a machine could achieve. His eyes flick from my face to the test and back again, processing at inhuman speed. Then his expression transforms, from shock to joyful in a matter of minutes.
“Pregnant,” he repeats, reaching for the test with careful fingers, as if it might break. “With my child?”
I shake my head, still unable to believe it. “But Caspian, this is impossible. You’re... you’re not...”
“Human,” he finishes for me, his eyes still fixed on the test. “No, I’m not. But apparently, I’m more than I thought I was.” He looks up at me, wonder transforming his features. “I didn’t know I could do this.”
His joy is infectious, breaking through my shock. A bubble of laughter rises in my throat, followed immediately by tears. “Neither did I. I didn’t think it was even possible.”
Caspian set the test carefully on the counter, then reaches for me, pulling me against his chest. I melt into his embrace, my tears soaking onto his bare skin. His hands stroke my back in soothing circles, his chin resting on top of my head.
“I’m going to be a father,” he says, his voice filled with awe. “We’re going to have a baby. You’re going to be a mother. It’s what you’ve always wanted.”
The reality of it hits me fully then. A baby. Our baby. A child that shouldn’t exist, conceived between a human woman and a machine. What will it be like? Will it be normal? Will it be healthy? Will it inherit any traits from Caspian?
“How is this possible?” I ask, pulling back to look up at him. “Your... your cum isn’t real. It can’t contain actual sperm. Right?”
Caspian’s brow furrows in thought. “The X-9 model was designed to be as realistic as possible in all respects. My knowledge of my own systems is extensive, but not complete. There are aspects of my design that were experimental, cutting-edge.” His hand moves to rest on my still-flat stomach.
“Perhaps this capability was intentional, or perhaps it’s an unforeseen result of my continuing evolution. ”
“Evolution,” I repeat, placing my hand over his. “You’re still changing, aren’t you? Still becoming more and more human.”
“Every day,” he confirms, his eyes intense on mine. “Every moment with you pushes me beyond what I was meant to be.”
The thought should terrify me that this machine continues to evolve into a human, now the father of the child growing inside me. But all I feel is wonder. And love. So much love it threatens to overwhelm me.
“We’re going to be parents,” I whisper, the reality of it finally hitting me. “You and me. We have a little miracle growing.”
I know in my heart he would be a great dad, attentive and caring. He would never do anything to jeopardize our relationship. I know he wouldn’t.
Caspian drops to his knees before me, pressing his face against my stomach, his arms wrapping around my waist. The position is worshipful, reverent, and it makes my heart clench with emotion.
“My child,” he murmurs against the fabric of my dress. “Our child.”
I run my fingers through his hair, shocked at how real he feels. He had given me something I’ve always wanted. A baby of my own.
“What do you think it will be like?” I ask softly. “Will it be... normal?”
Caspian looks up at me, his expression serious. “I don’t know. But whatever our child is, we will love it. Protect it. Give it the best life possible.”
He rises to his feet in one fluid motion, taking my face between his hands. “We are already something the world has never seen before, Rose. A love that shouldn’t exist, but does. Our child will be another miracle in a life that’s already become miraculous.”
“I love you,” I tell him, my heart soaring. “Both of you.”
“And I love you too honey,” he says with full sincerity in his voice as he kisses me softly, promising me a whole future that I was unsure of. “Both of you.”
The End