Penny didn't go home the next weekend. She apologized on the phone, citing lab projects, term papers, upcoming finals. Her uncle's voice sounded forcefully cheerful when he said of course, he understood, and she shouldn't feel obligated to check in with him so often. She felt guilty, especially when Brain growled at her one night. He'd had an especially tiring day, having to throw on disguises as a meat-packing-plant worker, a dock hand, and a truck driver in the course of a few hours while Uncle Gadget was investigating reports of a kidnapped salmon-cannery heiress. Penny could only apologize again, this time to her faithful dog.

"Brain, I'm so sorry. Are you all right?" Brain grumbled, but nodded. "And Uncle Gadget is okay?" More grumbling. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Sometimes I wish he'd go ahead and retire." Brain gruffly reminded her that her cyborg uncle had been refurbished and upgraded this past summer. She didn't know exactly what they'd done to him other than replace any worn parts; she'd been busy working an internship at a lab, building a better supercomputer. At the time, she'd just been relieved it meant her uncle was out of commission while they tinkered with him, and therefore safe from M.A.D. or other assorted trouble for a month. His own reports to her had been blithely upbeat, giving her the impression he was perfectly fine with having his gadgets repaired or replaced. She'd not even thought much about what that would entail for him. Now it occurred to her that perhaps the Metro City powers that be intended for the Inspector to keep serving law enforcement indefinitely.

She rubbed her left temple, where a dull headache had been plaguing her for two days. "Do you need me to come home?"

The dog's response, a low growl, was plain enough to her: You better had soon. I can't deal with this alone much longer.

She checked her calendar, startled to find the coming weekend was Thanksgiving. This semester had zoomed by. "Okay...I'll be there Thursday. Hold the fort, Brain." She paused. "I miss you. Both of you."

"Woof," said Brain, giving her a smart nod before he ended the connection. Penny turned off her watch-communicator and sat down on her dorm room bed, feeling weary and unsure what to say.

For the past ten days, her few chats with Uncle Gadget had been deliberately casual, sticking to the topics of her classes and his cases. This wasn't new, but she sensed that even he was at a loss. He wasn't making jokes like he usually did, and he sounded choked up a couple of times when he ended his call, as always, "Love you." Bracing herself for yet another strained conversation, Penny dialed her phone.

"Hello? –Brain, get out of the pantry! Yes, I know it's your dinnertime! Just hold on a second! –Sorry about that. Inspector Gadget here!"

"Hi, Uncle Gadget..."

"Penny!" The joy in his voice swiftly faded. "Ah. Is everything all right?"

"Yes, yes, everything's fine. It's great." Stalling, she offered, "I got an A on my differential equations test today."

"That's wonderful! I knew you'd settle right in to college life and do well."

They both fell silent. Penny twisted the cord of the old phone nervously. Just as she spoke again, so did he. "I was wondering—"

"You know, this weekend is—"

He chuckled; she could picture him shaking his head. "Sorry, you were saying?"

"Um, well, I was just wondering...if...if you had any plans for Thanksgiving?"

He paused. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

Relieved, she hurried on. "Would it be okay if I came down this weekend?"

"Okay? Of course it would! Why, that'd be better than okay, that would be marvelous! I'll get a turkey, and we'll make stuffing, and cranberry sauce..."

The last time her uncle had tried to roast a turkey flashed in her mind, along with red and blue lights and sirens. "Um. Sure...but Uncle...isn't it Brain's turn to cook this year?"

"Is it?" He sounded confused. "I thought that was last year..."

"No, I cooked last year."

"Oh. Well, didn't he also, the year before –"

"No, Uncle." Penny and Brain had been trading off ever since her uncle's maple-bourbon glaze had caught the oven on fire and nearly taken half the north side of the house with it. They'd maintained the fiction that it would be his turn "next year"...for five years running, now. "Um...we sure could use some help with the mashed potatoes, though."

"Of course! I can use my new Gadget Masher!" She could sense his smile. "So...can you stay the whole weekend?"

She wanted to say no, but then thought of Brain...poor, long-suffering Brain, who might actually go up in arms this time if she didn't take over the duty of watching after her uncle for a few days. "I...I think I can. Yes."

"Wonderful! Let me see...goodness, that's only two days away! I'll have to get the house clean!"

"Uncle Gadget, you don't have to go all-out for..."

"Nonsense! Not go all-out for my favorite niece? Wowsers, there's a lot to do...will you arrive tomorrow night or Thursday morning?"

Startled, she looked at her calendar again. She hadn't even thought about the date in such immediate terms. "Uhh...maybe late tomorrow night...depending on whether my Chinese history class gets out early or not. The prof's kind of a stickler for schedules, but since it is a holiday, maybe she'll let us go after one hour instead of two." As soon as she said it, Penny winced. She hadn't really considered facing her uncle again so soon. He sounds really happy, though...maybe he's over what happened. Maybe we can just get back to normal again. Relaxing somewhat, she added, "I've missed you, Uncle Gadget."

Warmth suffused his voice. "I've missed you too, Penny." Both of them stopped, unsure what to say next. Her uncle, ever the gentleman, jumped into the breach. "Well! I have a lot to get ready, then...better start now! I'm sure you have things to keep you busy, too. Anything special you'd like me to pick up from the bakery?"

She was able to smile at that. He knew how much she loved the cupcakes at the local Italian bakery. "Sure...how about some pumpkin cupcakes? Do they have those yet?"

"Do they! Brain ate three of them last time!" He chuckled. "I may have sampled one or seven myself." He quieted. "I'm really glad you can come home for the weekend, Penny. I'll make sure everything is...is restful for you. I remember how stressful college can be, and wowsers, you're taking so many classes. I'm...I'm really proud of you, you know."

She had to swallow down a tightness in her throat. "Thanks, Uncle Gadget."

"Be proud of yourself," he ordered. "You've earned it." He paused. "So...see you tomorrow night. Love you, Penny."

"Love you," she replied softly. She hung up. She made herself focus on her breathing. Good. See? All back to normal. Now if I can just keep him from running off on a case in the middle of dinner. Everything's back how it should be...and as long as he doesn't know we're not really family, we can pretend we are. Just like we always have.

She opened her book about the influence of the Tsong Dynasty on the ancient world, and engrossed herself in the unfamiliar names and dates until it was past time to shut her eyes and sleep. Her dreams were murky, but fortunately her eight a.m. class demanded all her attention and cleared her head of all else for a few hours.

It drizzled rain intermittently all day Thursday. Penny felt much more relaxed. They'd settled easily into customary traditions: watching the parade on TV while munching from a large bowl of salted cashews together. Making stuffing from scratch, with the obligatory bread-crumb fight in the kitchen. (Brain especially enjoyed the herb-tossed – and floor-tossed – remnants from that.) Arguing over how many marshmallows actually constituted too many atop the sweet-potato casserole. Uncle Gadget insisting Penny ought to eat more Brussels sprouts. (Her taste buds had matured into appreciating their bitterness a year ago, but it was reassuring to hear him lecture her about their nutritional content again.) And finally, the three of them sitting down around the table, candles lit, food fragrant and abundant, holding hands and paws.

"Why don't you start, Brain?" Gadget asked.

Brain thought about it, then said, "Bow wow. Ruff rayffah bow wow roff."

Gadget looked at Penny. "He says he's thankful for me being home," she translated, and her uncle nodded. Penny wasn't sure why she'd always been better able to understand the dog than Uncle Gadget could; perhaps it was an effect of having grown up with the pup at her side. Her uncle kept smiling at her, so she offered, "I'm thankful that some things never change. It's really nice to have the same rituals to come home to, in the same house."

"Continuity is often the best anchor in a sea of troubles," Uncle Gadget agreed. He paused, then said in a quieter voice, "I'm thankful that we're together as a family again, and I'm savoring this moment fully, because everything changes." His expression seemed almost shy, then swiftly changed to a stern look at her. "As it should! We never really grow and learn until we're forced to change our approach."

"That's...very wise, Uncle Gadget," Penny said, and wondered how his thought processes had actually changed since she'd started college. He does seem to be giving things more consideration than he ever did. That's good, right?

"Thank you, Penny. Now...let's eat!"

Her uncle's seemingly sudden maturity troubled her thoughts for hours. Rain pattered steadily on the roof tiles and gurgled in the gutterspouts. They lit a fire in the living room hearth, and Brain curled up on a chair close to it and fell asleep. Uncle Gadget gazed drowsily at the old movies running on TV, comfortably sprawled in his trenchcoat on one end of the sofa, and Penny sat with her feet tucked up in the cushions opposite, pensive.

Everything seems so normal. Maybe this is normal. Maybe it doesn't matter whether we're related or not. She looked over at her uncle. Seeing him wearing his coat and hat indoors was so utterly typical...yet she remembered her school friends questioning it, when she'd had sleepovers. It had felt extremely awkward to have to explain that her uncle always wore the same attire, even at home, when she didn't really know the reason why herself. He'd told her once that it was because he was always on duty and never knew when he'd have to jump up and run out on a case, but as she matured, she decided there must be more to it. The only times she'd ever seen him expose more of his skin was when it was just the three of them. She suspected Uncle Gadget was self-conscious about his body. The seams in his artificial skin weren't obvious from a distance, but anyone within six or seven feet of him would definitely have noticed how his arms showed no veins or muscle definition, how the flesh of his neck and chest abruptly terminated in molded metal plating, how he never took his gloves off because there were no longer human hands underneath the soft leather. She'd never cared about any of that. She wondered suddenly whether that issue was the real reason why he'd never so much as dated anyone. Maybe he's always been afraid he'd be rejected, that he's too much machine to appeal to any girl. The thought drew a fierce, flashing anger through her chest. But he's better than most of the men out there! He's always a gentleman, his manners are perfect, he's caring and loyal and...

She stopped. Does he really think people are so shallow, that they'd only judge him by his appearance? Oh, Uncle. However, she uneasily admitted, based on the behavior she'd observed of students on campus, the awkward-looking "nice guys" never seemed to have girlfriends. Girls, even some of the brains whom she thought should've known better, flocked around the football team, the swim team, the tennis players...and at best ignored, at worst mocked the bashful, unfashionably dressed, less-than-studly boys. Uncle Gadget definitely fit into the latter category. His looks weren't the sort to ever wind up on a magazine cover...except for the one time the Metro City Police Bulletin had featured his gadgets in a story about technological advances in crime-fighting. Even then, the photos had emphasized the Gadget Copter, the Gadget Laser, and a rather silly and literal demonstration of the "long arm" of the law...not his face.

But it's not an ugly face, Penny thought. Okay, not conventionally handsome, but certainly not hideous. She studied him, attempting to view him as a stranger or potential girlfriend might. Well, his nose is kind of long. His whole face is sort of...melancholy. That's a good word for it. His ears stuck out on the sides (thank goodness they're not any bigger or he'd look like Prince Charles) and his chin and jawline had the firmly-set appearance people tended to associate with stubbornness. He can be obstinate sometimes...but he can just as easily be very sweet and giving. He had strikingly dark eyelashes and deep-set eyes, which only added to the somewhat thoughtful look his face had in repose. He never could get his nearly-black waves of hair to do anything except sweep back from his face and curl up behind his ears, which somehow detracted from the serious demeanor he tried so hard to project while working a case. All the same, he was always cleanshaven and perfectly neat in his attire, and his smile came easily and encouraged everyone around him to relax. Who wouldn't want that? He's so easy to be around.

This line of thought, however, was making her uncomfortable. She'd never thought in so much detail about her uncle's looks before. She glanced over at him again, and saw him gazing back, his eyes dark under the fedora, a somewhat wistful smile just teasing the corners of his mouth. She felt herself blush, caught staring. "What's on your mind, Penny?" he asked. His tone was gentle, and she stopped the dismissive reply on her tongue. Maybe this is a good time to feel him out on the DNA issue.

"Um...I was just thinking about...what you said at dinner, about being thankful for our family..."

"Yes?"

"Well, it reminded me," she began slowly, inventing on the spot. "I have a friend in one of my classes who just recently discovered she was adopted..."

"I can imagine that might come as a shock, at her age," Uncle Gadget said. He folded his hands in his lap, attentive.

"Yeah...she's, um, she told me she's not sure how to approach her parents about it. And of course she's curious about her birth family."

"Naturally."

"I just wondered how she was dealing with Thanksgiving at home," Penny said, shooting him a shy smile.

His gaze was steady, soft but unblinking. "Perhaps you should tell your friend that blood doesn't make a family. Love does. She may never find out the answers to her questions about her past, but that doesn't lessen the bond between her and her family now." He paused, studying her with more serious calm than she'd ever seen him exhibit. "Love isn't about whether you share the same chromosomes, or hair color, or Roman nose. It's about caring for someone wholeheartedly...even if you can't keep up with their amazingly brilliant ideas."

Uneasily, Penny reminded him, "I'm talking about my friend, Uncle."

He still didn't blink, and his smile faded. "I understand exactly what we're talking about, Penny."

"Y-you do?"

She fully expected him to reply with some off-the-wall remark which indicated his usual cluelessness. Instead he said, "I saw the return address on the envelope."

Shocked speechless, she stared at him. The fire crackled. Brain sighed in his sleep and half-turned, warming his belly. Penny reached for her glass of cranberry punch and took a long drink; her throat seemed parched. She couldn't look at Uncle Gadget. He remained silent, watching her. "How long...have you known?" she asked.

He sighed, his fingers twisting slowly over one another. "When you were placed in my care, I was worried because I couldn't remember your parents," he said quietly. Penny curled into her corner of the couch, feeling small and anxious. "I couldn't remember much of anything from Before. Still can't. But I asked the Chief then which of your folks I was related to. He told me not to worry about it; that it was a secret, that you might be in terrible danger if anyone found out you'd survived. I nearly panicked, of course. What did I know about raising a little girl?" He smiled briefly, and Penny tried, but failed, to respond in kind. "And then...well...it was strange to suddenly feel so needed. It was scary at first, but then I grew to enjoy it. And you and I settled into being a family, and to be honest, with everything else going on I kind of forgot about that problem. I guess I assumed that as you grew up, I'd notice things about you that would jog my memory." He sighed again. "And then you turned thirteen."

Penny cast her mind back; what had been so special about thirteen? Oh. Seeing her turning pink, he blushed as well, and nodded. "You started...er...filling out, and the older you became, the more I was convinced something was missing from my memory log. You didn't even have the Gadget nose!"

She managed a weak chuckle at that. She knew his nose was not only distinctive (patrician was putting it kindly) but inherited, a family trait going generations back. "So," Uncle Gadget continued, "I went back to Chief Quimby and demanded to see your files. I thought, if you weren't related to me at all, you'd certainly want to know about your birth parents, and I wanted to be able to answer your questions when that day came." He frowned. "The Chief blew up at me...worse than that time I accidentally electrocuted him in that tree costume in the pond. He told me I was sticking my big nose where it didn't belong, and that if I wanted you safe I'd shut up and never ask these kind of questions again. He actually threatened to erase my memory."

"He wouldn't!" Penny cried, but the dark look in her uncle's eyes silenced her again.

"If I was putting you in danger...I wouldn't blame him for doing so," Uncle Gadget muttered. "My most important mission has always been to keep you safe, Penny. Always." He looked down at his hands, threading the fingers together to stop their fidgeting. "I need you to promise me you won't pursue this."

"I..." Penny gulped, her thoughts swirling wildly. "But..."

"No. No but Uncle. No maybe my computer book can help. No, Penny." His eyes flashed cold and metallic for an instant, but then softened again. "Please...please promise me you won't go investigating this. I love you very much, and it would kill me if something bad happened to you."

The expression on his face was so pleading, so worried, that she gave in immediately. She moved over on the sofa and hugged him. "I promise, Uncle Gadget."

His arms went around her, and she felt him heave a deep breath. He smelled, as he always did, of copper pennies and soap. The combination was an odd one, but to her it had always meant safe. She felt him gently kiss the top of her head. "I'm sorry. I only realized after you'd talked me into that DNA test that of course you'd see both results and draw conclusions! I asked to have my results destroyed or misplaced, but apparently the folks at the Human Genome Project have never heard of the famous Inspector Gadget." He pulled back, looking down into her eyes. "Your old Uncle isn't as well-known as he used to be, it seems."

"It's okay, Uncle Gadget," Penny murmured, curling against his chest as she used to when she was small. His arms rested over her shoulders; she felt him tease her hair with one hand, but she didn't mind. Among all the questions vying for prominence in her head, she picked one that seemed least scary. "Do you...should I still call you Uncle?"

"Penny, you can call me whatever you feel comfortable with. You're still my niece, as far as I'm concerned."

"Okay," she said, relieved. "Good." They sat quietly for some time. The rain drummed steadily on the roof. A log in the fireplace crunched and crumbled, sending a tiny billow of sparks upward. He kept playing idly with her hair, and she breathed in his scent, listening to the cogs and servos whirring in his chest. "Uncle Gadget?"

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you ever marry?"

He shifted a little, and his fingers stilled. "Too busy, Penny. I'm given to understand a wife wouldn't be amenable to her husband always running off on another case. I know I haven't given you much of a home life, as it was."

"It never bothered me, Uncle. Your work is important." She felt him sigh. "But weren't you ever interested in anyone?"

"I...I think so. Before." She felt him squirming more, uncomfortable, and she drew back, arms curled around her knees, to give him space. He swallowed hard, then gave her his standard I'm perfectly fine smile. "Water under the bridge, eh?"

She shook her head. "I don't want you to be lonely."

He seemed startled. "Me, lonely? Nonsense! Why, just the other day I found a fan club for me on that Interweb thing! Thousands of people know me! How could I ever be lonely with that sort of attention?"

She wasn't about to let him escape into his usual blithe nonchalance. Oh no you don't. Not when you're finally being serious and lucid! The more she thought about this, the angrier she became. Has he always been more conscious of everything than he pretended to be? Has this been a game all along? "Just because a million people know your name doesn't mean you're not spending day after day alone! Don't tell me that doesn't bother you!" When he frowned and opened his mouth to object, she said, "I can hear it in your voice every time we talk on the phone, Uncle! You can't tell me you don't feel lonely – you're just as human as everyone else, so don't pretend that you don't need—"

Angrily, he sat up, raising his shoulders, eyes darkening. "No, Penny, I am far from human, and part of the cost of having all these wonderful gadgets is that I will always be alone!"

Surprised by the vehemence in his voice, she blinked at him a moment, then rallied herself and fought back, for his sake. "I know you, Uncle Gadget, and I know you feel things as deeply as everyone else – maybe more so! And I'm sorry I walked in on you but that only underscores my point: you need someone in your life who loves you, and I want you to find her and be happy! You deserve some—"

Shocked, Gadget exclaimed, "Penny!"

She knew she was beet-red by now, but plowed on stubbornly. "You deserve to be loved, Uncle Gadget!"

He stood, his expression turning cold. Brain raised his head sluggishly, disturbed by the loud voices. "This is not up for discussion, Penny!"

She stood as well, her mounting frustration emboldening her. "Oh, so that's how you're going to deal with it? By cutting me off like you did so many times when I was younger? Well deal with this, Uncle: I'm not a child any more, and I'm tired of having to go behind your back just because you won't accept help from me or anyone!" He gaped at her, completely floored. She pleaded, "Can you just listen to me for once? Can you just for once admit that you can't take on the world by yourself?" Tears heated her eyes, but she wouldn't cry. Her uncle had turned completely pale, frozen, eyes wide and fixed on her. "Can you for once see that I love you and all I do is worry about you?"

His mouth moved, but it took a second for any sound to come out. "Penny..."

Brain was at her side, pressing against her leg, gazing up in concern. She put one hand on his head, his warmth lending her strength. Uncle Gadget swallowed dryly again, and his voice was low, hurt. "Penny...you don't understand..."

She wiped her face with the back of her hand, glaring at him. "Try me."

"I know you're...you're a young lady now, but you haven't experienced much yet." He grimaced at her immediate scowl. "Please, hear me out. You may have had crushes and casual boyfriends, but there's a lot you still have to learn about that kind of relationship." He spoke slowly, as though he was forcibly dragging every word from some untapped reservoir hidden within the machinery of his heart. "I have to be alone, Penny. I realized this a long time ago and I made my peace with it. My life is too dangerous to share it with anyone else, at any rate."

But I've shared it for years! she wanted to shout at him. Struggling to keep calm, she argued instead, "But Uncle, I know you want more! Will you at least-"

"No!" he snapped, cutting his hand through the air between them. "Penny, that's enough. Stop this."

"You have thousands of admirers!" she returned, feeling somehow desperate to win this argument. Of all the times her uncle had cut her off when she'd had a good idea, been unwilling to listen because his ego couldn't take being wrong, of all the times she'd had to press forward with a plan for his sake, despite him, this one seemed the most important. She didn't know why, but it was. "I'll bet you've had more than a few ladies sending you their pictures, or asking for dates! How hard can it be? Pick one, and see what happens!"

"Love isn't like that!" he shouted, looking as furious as she'd ever seen; she cowered inside, but made her feet stay put. Brain whimpered. "Why are we even discussing this?"

"Why didn't you tell me you weren't my real uncle?"

"Because I love you and I was trying to keep you safe!"

"Exactly!" she yelled back. They were both breathing hard, glaring at one another, almost eye-to-eye. Her uncle wasn't a tall man, and her last growth spurt had put her within a few inches of his height. She hadn't really noticed that before, but now, abruptly seeing him in the heady clarity of her anger, she realized that he was just as surprised as she was. They'd never had a nose-to-nose confrontation like this, and her stature and exasperation opposite his made them seem more blood-related, alike in stubborn love.

He leaned back first, finally blinking, which she knew he only did when truly overcome or bewildered, the emotional trigger stronger than any biomechanical need to clean his eyes. "Penny...I...I appreciate your concern for my welfare, but it's pointless for you to worry. I'm fine on my own. I'm used to it."

She shook her head, sorrow washing out the anger. "Uncle Gadget, that's just an excuse."

He gazed at her with narrowed eyes. "Is this sudden campaign of yours all because of...because of what you saw two weeks ago?" His cheeks were reddening, but he managed to stammer out the question.

She blushed again as well. "I should've knocked, I know that! I thought...I thought you were having a nightmare..."

"No more so than usual."

Her confusion must have been evident, because his voice turned gentle again. "Penny...no...it's my fault. I should've locked the door. Or simply waited until you were back at school." She didn't know what to say to that, ashamed. She didn't know what to think. Up until a fortnight ago, she hadn't even considered her uncle might have those kinds of needs. "I don't... Look, I'm touched that you think I need a girlfriend. That's very sweet of you, Penny. But it's just not something I'll ever have, and I'd rather we didn't talk about this again. Okay?" His look was forgiving as well as apologetic, begging her to drop it and promising never to revisit it himself.

She almost gave in, then recalled in embarrassing vividness the scene she'd walked into. Fighting past the clear memory of that moment, the longing in his voice and the desire plain in that melancholy face that night, she took a deep breath and controlled her voice. "You're right, I'm not very experienced yet." His obvious relief at that statement swiftly vanished as she continued, "But I'm pretty good at drawing conclusions, Uncle, and I think all these excuses are because you're afraid."

Affronted, he barked, "What? Penny!"

She stepped closer; he shrank back, and she knew she'd hit home. "You're afraid no one will ever love you, because of your gadgets, right?"

He stammered, retreating, actually bringing his hands up as though to ward her off. "P-penny! Stop this! Just drop this right here!"

"There is nothing wrong with you! You're a good man, and someone will—"

"Penny, why are you doing this?" He sounded and appeared so pained that she hesitated. "You don't understand!"

"What don't I understand? Uncle Gadget, my IQ is over 150 on a bad day! I know a lot more than you think I do, and I'm tired of you treating me like an ignorant child! I might not have first-hand experience with – with love or sex or romance or whatever you want to call it, but I do know that if you continue living alone, with me gone, you are going to be miserable and I can't stand the thought of it!"

He gaped at her. Brain was staring as well. His Gadget Hand emerged from his hat and gently shook his shoulder to bring him out of his stunned daze. Penny was starting to wonder just why she was pushing this; she felt pretty damned miserable herself. "Uncle Gadget, look...I'm sorry...I'm sorry I yelled. I love you...and I'm positive there's someone out there who'll feel the same. Someone for you. I just don't want you to be alone." The thought dawned on her that it wasn't just because she was concerned for his safety on assignment; he needs more than someone to watch his back. He needs someone at his side. She felt oddly pained that she'd been there, right in the maelstrom with him, all these years, and he didn't even know...couldn't know. The shock to his ego would be disastrous if he ever discovered she and Brain had done more to solve every one of his cases than he had.

Tears glinted in his eyes. "No."

"But you..."

"Penny...I think the world of you. I'm sorry if I...if you ever thought, if I ever gave you reason to think I didn't respect your insight, but in this instance, you are wrong." His voice sounded thick, choked, and she regretted ever opening her mouth tonight. She stepped toward him again, but he held up one hand between them. "No. No woman is ever going to want me. I know you think I'm blind to what goes on around me," (she flinched) "but I have seen every look of disgust, or of fear, or of outright horror that's been directed at me. I'm a freak, Penny. It's all right." He shook his head, straightening his shoulders, projecting whatever pride he had left. "As I said, I made my peace with this existence a long time ago. The last time they upgraded me, I made a very foolish request, and they pitied me enough to grant it. I shouldn't have bothered. All it's done is remind me what I can't have, and brought about this argument tonight. This is all my fault, and I'm sorry."

As what he'd said sunk in, Penny felt even worse. "You're...you're not a freak, Uncle Gadget."

He gave her a weary smile. "Penny, even my name is a joke. I'm less a man than I am a collection of high-tech toys."

She could tell she was on the verge of crying again. "I think you're a great man. I think your big heart is your best trait, and even if those shallow, petty people out there can't see that, I see it, and it makes you a better man than most of them."

A tear slipped down his cheek, and he shook his head helplessly. "Penny, you were a child when you met me! You accepted me with the innocence of a child. Grateful though I am for that, no one else is ever going to look at me that way."

"I'm not a child anymore," she muttered, locking eyes with him. Why can't he see how good he is? Why can't he see I love him?

"Penny—" he began, but she moved deliberately, impulsively, swiftly taking the last step toward him and lunging on tiptoe, throwing her arms around him and planting her lips on his. Startled, he jerked back, but she wouldn't let go, again pressing her mouth against his. Gadget gave a small, low-pitched moan, his arms went around her waist, and he kissed her hard. Penny gasped, muffled by his mouth on hers, his tongue thrusting between her lips. She couldn't move, couldn't think. Heat swept over her, and dizziness threatened to tumble her. As suddenly as she'd begun this, he ended it; his arms dropped, he stepped back, and a look of utter panic possessed him.

"I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. He stepped back again, jumping when he hit an armchair. "I need...I think I need some air." He clapped his hat on tighter, as though trying to hold himself inside it, and fled. She heard the front door slam.

Penny trembled, staring after him. Brain whined at her. She reached behind her for a chair, certain she was about to topple. The dog shoved a footstool under her as she sank. He stared at her with wide, frightened eyes. Eventually Penny remembered to breathe, and found her voice. "Oh my God, Brain, what have I done?"

Brain whimpered. The fire popped fitfully, the last log almost down to embers. Outside, the deluge sounded like all the rain which had preceded it had only been a warm-up. Penny's lips tingled. She could taste copper. Oh God. What just happened?

Her mind couldn't focus on anything. One concept surfaced above the roiling confusion: He's not my uncle anymore. I just changed everything.