So I've been getting back into toon writing as of late. I'm not even sure the fandom for this show still exists, but I absolutely loved MLAATR when I was young. I wrote this particular fic a few years ago, and only recently dredged it up and gave it a good editing before posting it for mother's day (even if it's a bit late). I've actually written a lot with the character of Rosalind Lee, mostly because the dynamic of "human w/ robot mom" is an interesting and rich one to explore. I may or may not decide to post the other stories I wrote with her later on, we'll see.
Obviously this takes place quite a few years after Season 3. Also, I chose Sheldon as the husband because the creator of the show said that had it not been cancelled, Jenny and him would have ended up together. And as much as I liked JennyxBrad, I think I liked JennyxSheldon/Silver Shell just a bit more. Anyways, I hope that whoever manages to find this enjoys it, and please leave a review if you are so inclined!
...
It was a few months following their marriage that the discussion of children was brought up between Sheldon and his robot wife, Jenny.
"U-usually, after human couples marry, they go on to have children," he had stammered to her one evening. "And, uh…since we're adults and we're married and all…what do you think?" After the marriage, Dr. Wakeman had adjusted Jenny's programming slightly; although her appearance didn't change much, she stabilized a few of her codes so Jenny wouldn't have the mood swings and other inconveniences that came with being a teenager. This was the best she could do to allow Jenny to "grow up" alongside her human husband.
"I think it's a great idea," Jenny agreed, nodding. "I would love to raise a child."
"Since there's no way for you to physically have kids, we could ask your mom to build a robot child for us," Sheldon mused. "Heh, she'd be 'XJ10'. I wonder what she would look like? And maybe-"
"Actually, Sheldon," Jenny interrupted him. "If you don't mind, I would like to raise a human child."
"A-ah, wait, really?" Sheldon looked a bit startled. "I mean, obviously we could go and adopt, but-"
"Robots can be made at any time, but there are lots of human children without parents who need a home," Jenny explained. "I'll have to check and make sure mom's ok with it, but I'd much prefer that." Sheldon knew Jenny had a soft spot for human kids, especially after she was temporary demoted to preschool and became close with the students. He figured raising a robot kid would be easier, but Jenny seemed up for the challenge of human child-rearing.
"Ok," he agreed. "If you're up for it, Jenny, I'm up for it. But like you said, let's check with your mom. Do you want a boy or a girl?" Jenny didn't have to think much for that one.
"Girl," she said on beat. "I want to have a daughter."
"Hmmm…" Dr. Wakeman hummed thoughtfully. It had been almost a minute since Jenny had told her about her and Sheldon's desire, and the woman had yet to reply.
"Well, XJ9," she finally began, "while I haven't specifically programmed you for child-rearing, you have demonstrated the capability of maternal instinct. And you're sure you don't want me to just build you a child? Because I could always-"
"I'm positive," Jenny replied immediately. "Sheldon and I already discussed this."
Dr. Wakeman looked at her daughter skeptically. "And what about your duties?"
"I...hadn't thought about that one," she admitted sheepishly, exchanging a nervous glance with Sheldon.
"Well, I suppose I could reactivate your sisters," the scientist thought. "They've proven themselves worthy fighters in the past. And with Cluster Prime as our ally, the crime rate has gone done significantly…of course you couldn't completely forgo your job, but you would have enough time to tend to a child as well."
"I could help, too!" Sheldon added. The secret of Silver Shell-or rather, Jenny accidentally learning about it-had been somewhat of a catalyst for the relationship between Jenny and Sheldon. They had started dating soon after.
"True." Dr. Wakeman acknowledged her son-in-law's words.
"So is that a yes?" Jenny wondered, feeling her interior hum with artificial adrenaline.
"Yes, I think I can allow it."
The young couple cheered triumphantly.
"But on one condition," Dr. Wakeman added. "I get to name the child."
"Huh?"
"This girl is going to be my prodigy," Dr. Wakeman said with a rare smile. "I do believe I should have the right to name the scientist that will inherit all my equipment some day."
In the following few months, Jenny and Sheldon did all the paperwork for the orphanage and prepared a room for the newest addition to their family. They had chosen a nameless toddler, no older than two, who had lost her parents in an automobile accident. Jenny had instantly fallen in love with the girl when they first met her, and even Sheldon, normally awkward around others, was wrapped around her tiny finger. Dr. Wakeman had chosen to name her Rosalind, after a famous female British scientist. Jenny had even caught her creator purchasing a beginner's chemistry set.
"You can never start them too earlier," she had explained. It was almost cute how the old scientist was just as excited for her granddaughter's arrival as the future parents. Sheldon had fretted over the legal issues of a robot adopting a kid, but since Jenny was well-known in the city for her work over the past decade, they made an exception for her.
And so Rosalind X.J. Lee became the first child in Tremorton to have a robot parent. While this served for an array of interesting experiences, it also proved to be an inevitable source of conflict, as the family soon came to learn.
It was early morning, and the nine year old Rosalind was preparing to leave for school. Her thick, ash blonde hair kept falling in front of her eyes until she tamed it with her favorite bow clip. As she brushed her teeth, her teacher's words echoed in her mind:
"On Friday, we will be celebrating mother's day. Be sure to let your mothers know that they are welcome to attend class with you on that day!"
Rosalind had considered not telling Jenny, for fear of further teasing by her classmates who already thought her family was weird. But at the same time, she wanted to be able to celebrate the holiday like the other kids. She'd gone to the father-daughter dance with Sheldon, and no one had thought that was weird (aside from her father's humorous and failed attempts at "dancing" with her, of course). Why should Jenny be any different?
There's nothing strange about mom, she assured herself. Rosalind stared at her lightly freckled face in the mirror as clouds of toothpaste foam gathered at the corners of her mouth. Robots weren't strange at all. They were really nice. At least, that's what her two year old self had decided when her white and blue adoptive mother arrived at the orphanage, eager to take her in and love her. It had meant so much to the parentless girl at the time, she barely noticed that the comforting scent of her mom matched that of motor oil, that the pigtails she liked to grab at were pieces of sheet metal, or that the arms that held her tight and rocked her were hard and metallic.
She was being cared for, and that's all that had really mattered to her.
Her extended family certainly didn't help with her reputation of being odd. Her grandma was a mad scientist, and she had eight robot aunts of various ages and personalities. And though she loved her family more than anything, it had become exceedingly harder to fit in with the 'normal' people around her as she got older. One of the first times she realized this was in 1st grade.
"Ok, class, for today's reflection I would like you to write about a favorite aunt or uncle," the teacher had addressed the class. Rosalind's hand shot up.
"Yes, Rosalind?"
"Which one?" she asked innocently. The teacher gave her a funny look.
"What do you mean, dear?" Then she realized. "Oh! I suppose you mean which side of the family, your mommy's or your daddy's side. Well, whichever one you like!"
"No, not that. I don't have an uncle. But I have eight aunts!" Rosalind said indignantly. Her classmates were staring at her, with looks that ranged from shock to amusement.
"Eight aunts…" the teacher echoed. "I-I suppose if that's part of your family's religion-"
"Mm-hm, eight!" Rosalind nodded proudly. "Aunt One is actually younger than me! Aunt Five is really loud, but she's funny. Aunt Four always tells me that my room is too messy. And Aunt 8 is super, super strong! And-"
"That's quite enough, Rosalind," the teacher interrupted her. "Just pick whichever…aunt you'd like."
"Kay!" Rosalind went to writing her reflection, blissfully unaware of the bizarre gazes surrounding her.
Rosalind shook her head and rinsed the toothpaste from her mouth. She had friends at her school, but she also had her share of bullies. The two worst were Brent and Tim: annoying boys who loved to make fun of her for having a robot mom. It probably didn't help that she'd spent so much of her childhood playing with her aunts instead of other kids. She tried her best not to let it get to her, but as she grew older it become more and more difficult, to the point where she began to question the strangeness herself.
"Rosalind, are you almost ready?" the voice of her mother from downstairs interrupted her thoughts.
"Coming, mom!" she called back, fixing the collar of her white blouse and dusting fuzz off her plaid skirt.
"Granny Nora says you left one of your books at her house. We'll have to stop by there on the way."
"Ok!" she answered, trying her best to hide the disappointment in her voice. To add insult to injury, Rosalind had absolutely no interest in becoming a scientist. She had a wild imagination, and it only took a class day spent finger painting when she was little for her to realize her love of the arts. And yet every year, Granny Nora never failed to give her something science-related for Christmas and her birthday, whether it be chemistry sets, logic puzzles, or toy-versions of lab equipment. Rosalind had a large stack of the unopened sets and toy boxes hidden under her bed. It didn't really help that her father-an engineer and proponent of the sciences himself-seemed to encourage it.
She sighed, lifting up her backpack and heading down the stairs.
"Good morning, Rosie," Jenny greeted her, smiling warmly. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yup!" she replied, taking a seat at the counter and grabbing a piece of buttered toast. Jenny sat across from her, sipping from her mug of hot oil. Jenny herself was a very doting mother. It probably was a result of the caring nature she'd had as a teenager. Even if she had to leave for the occasional mission, she always made sure to be back on time and would return early if Rosalind was hurt or sick.
"So I heard about this mother's day thing at your school," she said. "Friday, right? I'll be there!"
"Up and at 'em early, I see." Rosalind felt her hair being ruffled affectionately, and looked up to meet the friendly gaze of her father. "How're you doing, kiddo?"
"Good," Rosalind replied, stuffing the last bit of toast into her mouth.
"I can take her to school, Jen," Sheldon offered, grabbing a piece of toast for himself. "This way you can get to that mission you've been meaning to do."
"Thanks," Jenny told her husband appreciatively. "It can be hard balancing this school thing with missions. Mom wasn't kidding." Rosalind wasn't paying too much attention to her mother's words, instead focusing on how she'd deal with Friday.
It won't be so bad, she told herself. Plus, why should I care about what the class thinks? She's my mom, not there's. She got up to follow her dad out of the kitchen. Jenny met up with them at the door to say goodbyes.
"Have a good day, Rosie." Jenny gently kissed her daughter's forehead. It felt cold, considering her mother was made out of metal. But somehow the gesture always left Rosalind with a warm and fuzzy feeling, the kind she'd always craved back at the orphanage.
"You too, mom," she said, managing a smile.
Yeah, Friday won't be bad.
Rosalind sat at her desk, taking out her supplies.
"Look, it's Robo-Rosie!" whispered a boy beside her. She tightened her grip on her pencil, trying to ignore the giggly murmurs from the desks behind her.
"Do you think her machine mom's coming to Mother's Day?"
"Only if she remembers to change her batteries the night before!"
The laughter grated on her nerves, but she managed to calm herself by tearing a piece of scrap paper and mindlessly doodling. The first two classes of the day were with kids she either didn't know or like, making them particularly obnoxious. But today they went by without much conflict. It wasn't until class was dismissed for break and she went to her locker that she encountered more trouble.
"Hey, Robo-Rosie." She flinched slightly at the voice of Tim from behind her. "You bringing your mecha-mom on Friday?"
"Yes," she replied stiffly, not turning away from her locker.
"What's that like, anyways?" Brent asked, smirking. "Having a bolt-brained robot for a mom? Does she ever malfunction? Do you have to stay away from her after swimming so you don't get zapped? Can you use her to charge your phone?" The crowd that had gathered behind the boys laughed.
"Look, I'm Rosalind's robot mommy." Tim straightened out his arms and put on a faux-monotone expression. "Clean. Your. Room. Do. Your. Homework." he droned in a mechanical voice, accentuating each word with a stiff movement. Everyone burst into another round of laughter. Rosalind shut her locker and turned, meeting the gaze of the two bullies.
"I don't care if she's a robot," Rosalind said steadily. "She's my mom, and I love her."
"Oh yeah?" Brent smirked. "You sure that feeling is mutually, Robo-Rosie?"
"H-huh?" Rosalind was usually able to put the bullies off by showing them their words had no power over her. But she'd never heard them reply like that before.
"Oh, I'm sure you know what we mean!" Tim added.
What were they getting at…?
"She's a robot, Rosalind. A machine. Machines don't have feelings! So how do you know that she loves you?"
Rosalind didn't know how to respond. She just stood there, frozen, so long that even Brent and Tim became taken aback.
"C-c'mon, let's leave this loser," Brent determined after an awkward pause. Rosalind absent-mindedly picked up her backpack and headed to her next class.
"Machines don't have feelings! So how do you know that she loves you?"
Rosalind didn't know what to think of that. It couldn't be true. Her mom loved her. She had adopted her. She was important to her…
"It can be hard balancing this school thing with missions. Mom wasn't kidding."
...Right?
"Hey, Rose, are you alright?" one of her friends asked, meeting up with her at the third period classroom. "You don't look so good."
"I…I don't feel so good," Rosalind admitted weakly.
"You should call your mom," she suggested. Rosalind immediately shook her head.
"N-no! I mean, no…she's busy today. I can't bother her."
"Whatever you say." Her friend shrugged as they sat down at their desks. Rosalind could barely focus on what the teacher was saying, still trying to understand if what the bullies had said was true. This wasn't the first time Rosalind had expressed concern over the fact her mother was a robot. She had once heard about how her mom was infected with a germ from the Cluster and became a giant monster set on destroying everything. She had also heard about how her mom had been controlled by a bitter rich boy and made to ruin all the holidays of Tremorton. When Rosalind admitted her worries to Jenny, the robot had assured her that it would never happen again and even if it did, she loved Rosalind far too much to ever be able to harm her. But in this case, that very consolation was being called into question.
Luckily, Brent and Tim left her alone for the rest of the day. When it was time to be picked up, she felt her heart drop at the sight of the car that was there to get her: it was stark white and blue in color, and had no apparent driver.
Rosalind couldn't face her mother now. Not after what they had said. And she definitely couldn't cry. She wiped her stinging eyes and headed into the car, ignoring the odd stares she got as the car began moving on it's own.
"Hi, Rosie!" her mother's voice greeted her cheerily. "I rushed back from my mission just so I could pick you up today. How was school?"
"Fine," Rosalind lied. She had to bite her lip to prevent herself from crying right then. She leaned up against the window of the robot-car and watched the architecture of Tremorton pass her in a blur. She numbly pulled her bow clip out of her hair, letting the blonde mass cover up most of her face.
"You ok, sweetheart? You're awfully quiet," she heard the car say. Rosalind didn't respond, her eyes locked onto the smooth blue floor. Another couple of moments passed. Jenny could sense that Rosalind was feeling down about something. Maybe she was sick?
"Do you want me to get you anything special for dinner?" she asked.
"No thanks," she muttered.
"How about we order you a pizza?" Her daughter loved that tasty but somewhat unhealthy human treat; there was no way she would refuse it unless something was truly bothering her.
"I'm not hungry," she replied. Something was definitely wrong, but Jenny had to be in her normal form in order to figure it out. She accelerated slightly, eager to get home and get rid of whatever problem was eating at her daughter.
Once they got back and Rosalind got out, Jenny transformed back into her human appearance.
"Well, I know I'm starving after that mission," the robot said, giving a stretch. "I'm going to make an oil shake, so you just let me know when you get hungry and we can get whatever you like."
Rosalind looked at her mother, who gave her a gentle smile. Jenny took the opportunity to perform a quick temperature scan of the girl with her optics to see if she had a fever. But her body temperature was completely normal, meaning sickness wasn't the cause of Rosalind's mood.
"You seem sad, Rosie," Jenny told her as they entered the house. "Is something wrong?"
Rosalind wasn't sure what to say, so she didn't say anything at all. She over to the steps and dropped off her backpack.
"Rough day?" Jenny wondered sadly. Rosalind, for lack of a way to respond, just nodded. A pair of arms extended out to where she stood, and she found herself pulled into a close embrace with her mom.
"That's ok. Everyone has a bad day once in a while. Nothing a hug can't fix." Rosalind usually loved receiving hugs, but today was different. Today, despite the apparent affection behind her mother's gesture and words, the girl couldn't see beyond the words of the bullies. All of this, any emotion she was feeling right now, must have been fake. The thought alone was enough to break down her feeble attempts at hiding her emotion, and she began to cry.
Jenny was startled by the surge of emotion, but quickly responded by tightening her hold on the girl. One of the worst sounds in the world, Jenny had learned since adopting the girl, was the heart-wrenching sobs of an upset child.
"Oh, Rosalind," she muttered, feeling the wires within her crackle as the child's tears drenched her shoulder. "Shhhhh…it's ok now. The school day is over." She stroked her loose blonde hair, repeated soothing words, kissed her head…anything to get her little girl to feel happy and smile again. But for some strange reason, her affection seem to make Rosalind's crying worsen.
"I…I don't know what's gotten you so upset, Rosie, but we'll get through it together," Jenny told her after a few more failed calming attempts. "It's gonna be ok. I love you."
"N-no, NO you don't!" Rosalind blurted out, pulling away from her mother's arms.
"H-huh?"
"You don't love me!" Rosalind sobbed.
"What are you talking about?" Jenny wondered, hopelessly confused by the girl's accusations. "Of course I love you, sweetheart! I love you more than you can ever imagine. Crikey, what on earth would make you think otherwise?"
"You're a machine!" Rosalind nearly spat the word, her shoulders shuddering. "How can you love me if you're a machine? How?" Jenny was just as startled by the words as Rosalind had been when Brent told her them. Not waiting for a response, Rosalind ran past her mother and up the stairs, slamming shut and locking the door to her room. Jenny just stood, dumbfounded. Her daughter's words had left her speechless. She wanted to follow her up to her room, but at the same time she had nothing to say. She thought she'd been doing the parenting thing so well up to this point. Anytime she didn't know anything, she would just perform an internet search with her optics and address the issue accordingly. And though Rosalind had expressed concerns about her mother being different from her in the past, it had never been something like this.
One thing was for sure: she couldn't take on this problem on our her own. She considered calling Sheldon, but she wasn't sure her husband would have any ideas on how to solve this. There was only one person she knew who had any chance of helping her. The only person who could ever help her through her problems back when she was a teenager.
I need help from mom.
Dr. Wakeman was in the middle of an experiment when her daughter showed up at her house.
She chose to ignore the doorbell, and it was quiet for a few moments before she heard the shattering of glass and looked over to see her creation standing in the middle of the room.
"I'll fix that later," Jenny promised, casting a glance at the broken window.
"XJ9, what is the meaning of this?" Dr. Wakeman demanded. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of a very important experiment?"
"I'm sorry, but this is kinda urgent," she said. "It's about Rosalind."
"Oh?" Dr. Wakeman inquired. "What's going on? Did she throw a party when you were off on a mission? Is she dating someone you don't approve of? Did she put you in sleep mode when you weren't paying attention so she could sneak off somewhere?"
"N-no, nothing like that!" Jenny replied. "Er…at least not yet." One day Rosalind would be a teenager, and Jenny was going to have to deal with it. But at least for now, the robot was safe from having to worry about raising a human teen.
"Then what is it?"
"She…she's worried that I don't love her," Jenny admitted, still uncomfortable with the accusation herself. Dr. Wakeman raised an eyebrow.
"And what would possibly give her that idea?" Jenny was quiet for a moment, deciding how best to phrase it.
"Well, I'm, you know…I'm a robot." Dr. Wakeman looked surprised.
"Oh. I see." She thought for a few moments, staring at the beaker she'd been working with just moments before.
"You know, I sort of anticipated this problem back when you insisted on adopting a human girl," Dr. Wakeman said. Jenny lowered her head.
"I feel really bad," she admitted, her voice starting to break. "Is this all my fault? Was it selfish of me to want to raise a human? What if I took her away from having a normal life and a loving human family? What if-"
"XJ9, let me ask you something," Dr. Walkman interrupted, turning to her creation. "Do you love Rosalind?"
"Of course I do!" Jenny replied immediately.
"Then you know what love is." The scientist readjusted her glasses. "When I designed you, XJ9, I made sure that you had the capability to feel affection. It wasn't necessarily, but I did it so you could be more human. In humans, affection is caused by chemicals. In you, it's caused by code. Is there really a difference?"
Jenny stayed quiet.
"Also, I never programmed you to love anyone in particular. You decided it on your own volition. You chose to love your sisters. You chose to love Brad and Tuck. You chose to love Sheldon, and you chose to love Rosalind. You have never been obliged to love anyone. So when you take care of her, keep her safe from harm, have fun with her, worry about her…it's because you truly love her."
"I…think I understand," Jenny replied. "But do you think Rosalind will?"
"If she doesn't right now, she will with time," Dr. Wakeman assured. "Until then, the best thing for you to do would be reassure of it as much as you can. If you say something long enough, it sticks."
"...Ok. I will, thanks."
"Oh, that reminds me." The scientist ducked underneath her desk for a moment, returning with a package clutched in her hand. She gave it to her daughter.
"It's a bit early, but I got these for Rosalind's birthday next month." Jenny looked at the package, realizing they were a set of colorful markers.
"You got these for Rosalind?" she wondered, knowing full well how badly her mom wanted her granddaughter to pursue the sciences, not the arts.
"I did. Perhaps she'll change her mind when she's older, but for now, I think these better match her…taste." Dr. Wakeman didn't look too pleased about it, but she managed a smile. "Anyways, you should return home to her now. She's probably still fretting."
"Yeah. Thanks again…mom." Dr. Wakeman nodded.
"I'm very proud of you, XJ9. You have proven yourself to be a phenomenal daughter, sister, and mother."
Rosalind had spent an hour up in her room, getting out the remaining tears. Despite the fact the door was locked, she knew her mom could get in if she wanted; she had a lock-picking tool installed in her just for these types of occasions. But this time, her mother didn't come.
Rosalid sat on her bed, staring at a badly scribbled crayon picture on her wall. The littlest stick figure with curly blonde locks was labeled "me", the gangly stick figure to her left was labeled "daddy", and the jumbled cluster of circles and triangles to her right was labeled "mommy". That was her first attempt at a family portrait. Beside it were various photos of her growing up with the rest of her extended family: one of her as a toddler cuddled up beside Aunt One, another with Dr. Wakeman instructing her through a science experiment (although she appeared to be more focused on a butterfly nearby), and another with Aunt Eight giving her a piggy back ride. It was hard to look at the pictures and not feel like she somehow belonged, even if only two of her family members were human. Her aunts loved her, too, and they were robots. So did that mean it was also fake with them?
She thought back to her interaction with her mom just an hour before. Jenny had looked very stunned, and somewhat hurt after Rosalind repeated what the bullies had said. Rosalind actually felt bad for telling her, but she had been so caught up in her worries that she couldn't keep it in. She flopped onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. Regardless of how she felt, she would have to apologize.
She barely heard the faint sound of the lock being picked, and the door to her room opening. It wasn't until she felt someone gently rubbing her back that she lifted her face from the pillow and met the artificial gaze of her robot mom.
"I'm sorry," they both said at the same time. They stared at each other, then asked in unison "why are you apologizing?" After a moment, they both managed a chuckle.
"You first," Jenny told her.
"I'm sorry for saying that you didn't love me because you were a robot," Rosalind blurted out, sitting up. "It's just, Brent and Tim said so and I couldn't stop thinking about it."
"That's ok, Rosie," Jenny reassured her. "It's a completely valid concern. You don't have to feel bad about that. I'm sorry that you had to feel this way for so long, and that I didn't have an answer for you immediately like I usually do. But I have one now." Rosalind looked at her expectantly.
"I talked to Granny Nora today. I want you to understand one thing, Rosalind: I was never programmed to love you. Do you know what that means?" Rosalind shook her head.
"That means it was my choice. When I first met you back at the orphanage, I knew you were someone I wanted to take care of. Yes, I am a robot. But that doesn't mean I love you any less, and I'll remind you of it as much as I need to. So don't listen to those nasty kids, ok?" Rosalind nodded, managing a smile for the first time since leaving school.
"Thanks, mom," she said. "I love you, too."
"Aw, c'mere, you." She pulled her daughter close, and this time Rosalind returned the hug. They stayed in each other's arms for a while.
"You know, Rosie, when you're older you're going to hate when I do this," Jenny smirked.
"No I won't!" Rosalind said with conviction, tightening her hold around her mom.
"Right," Jenny said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "You just wait until you're teenager."