Authors Note: The following is a collaborative fic that I wrote with a guy on devientart. His handle is MWSeraph.

"Okay... I know I've said this multiple times since you learned about this Beatrice. But this... this is a terrible idea." Phineas said as he and his step-brother stood behind the camera like Molecular Separator. A device they had previously built a little around twenty years ago during the summer. But after an incident where Candace was split, they agreed to destroy the device. Only breaking that agreement when she had inexplicably been combined at the waste with Jeremy... and when both brothers had also been inexplicably combined into one horrifying abomination.

"I heard you the first time," Beatrice said, standing still before the Molecular Separator. "And I'm not passing up this chance to become fully Human! Not when an obvious solution is at hand!"

Phineas and Ferb looked at each other in concern, remembering the chaos they had to deal with the last time. "Don't say we didn't warn you," Ferb said as he activated the Molecular Separator.

In an instant, Beatrice was separated into two individuals. One purely Human, the other purely robot. "Well... it was painless at least," Phineas noted.

The Human Beatrice cautiously looked over herself, her skin was now fair colored but her hair remained blue, her face went to a look of ecstatic joy and she began to scream. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" She shrieked as she hugged both her uncles with joy.

"I'm glad you're happy," Phineas said, as despite this fully Human Beatrice hugging her father and uncle around the neck. Neither of them had any problems breathing, when usually before her hugs could crack Human bones.

"Would it be inappropriate to bring up the elephant in the room?" Ferb said, they then looked at the purely robotic Beatrice. While it looked identical to the Beatrice that everyone had come to know and love. Its face was completely devoid of emotion as it stood completely still.

"Is... is she alive?" Beatrice asked.

"Negative." The robot Beatrice answered. "Life is a biological function. A robot is incapable of such a phenomenon." It said with a distinctly mechanical monotone.

"Well... that's kind of creepy," Beatrice commented. "But no matter, I'm Human! And for the first time, I feel alive!"

‐‐-

The newly human Beatrice was very eager to start her new life as a normal human being. Her parents, still a little anxious and concerned over their daughter's transition, wasted no time in teaching her the nuances of human existence. One such instance included...

"Beatrice," Isabella yelled out, "breakfast time!" She tapped her foot impatiently as she called out for the third time this morning. Ever since her daughter became human, her tardiness became a major annoyance these past few mornings. Normally, the smell of well-made bacon and eggs would be enough to trigger Beatrice's olfactory sensors, but now her senses were only as good as most average humans.

Isabella huffed in frustration. 'Seriously,' she thought, 'the least she could do is to learn that humans need alarm clocks!' It was then that her husband walked into the kitchen. "Phineas Flynn," she said, "you could do your part in helping with our lazy daughter of ours!"

Phineas looked to his wife. "It's only been two days since the separation," he replied, "she needs time to adjust."

Isabella crossed her arms, positively indignant. "Don't start with me, Phineas," she rebuked, "I'm not going to let any standards degrade around this house on my watch. She needs to be more disciplined than that." She pointed in the direction of Beatrice's room. "Go and get her butt out of bed this instant!"

Phineas sighed. His wife was right, though; they needed to correct this. He walked towards Beatrice's room down the hall and knocked on the door. "Bea, breakfast is ready. Get up." He waited ten seconds before rapping on the door again. "Bea," he warned, "your mom is already mad. You better get up before she starts pounding on the door." His spine tingled at the sound of light footsteps tapping on the floor. To his dread, he turned to see Isabella storming towards the door.

"This has gone on long enough," Isabella raised her voice as she opened the door and barged in. "Beatrice Flynn, wake up!" She stormed up to the bed. Beatrice slept as soundly as a rock, her blue hair in a mess. Unamused with her daughter, Isabella tore the bedsheets off of her. Beatrice was hugging her stuffed tapir and snoring as loudly as a backfiring steam engine. "Beatrice!" Isabella went to lightly slap on her daughter's cheek. The snoring stopped as Beatrice groaned from her mother's stern tapping. She opened her blue and very human eyes to see her angry mother and her apologetic and exasperated father looking at her.

"Oh... I did it again, didn't I..." the now human girl groaned.

"Bea," Isabella commanded, "make your bed, change your clothes, brush your teeth, breakfast, NOW."

‐‐-

Beatrice tried to enjoy her favorite breakfast, but her tummy felt hollow under the tense presence of her disapproving mother. Her father looked between them both, silently but making sure that he was ready to be the adult diplomat in the room. The Flynn teenager struggled along with her breakfast, not wanting to upset the whirlwind that was her dissatisfied mom. However, Isabella's mom sense told her that there was something Beatrice was not telling her.

As soon as the family finished breakfast in silence, Isabella made her move. "Spill it out, Bea," she prompted, surprising the young girl.

"Hehe... what?" Bea tried to pretend ignorance.

"Don't start," Isabella replied, "I know something is on your mind. Go ahead and speak."

Beatrice sighed, knowing that there was no way out of this. "I had a dream last night..." she admitted.

"Okay?" Isabella's tone softened a little as she listened.

"I don't know how and why..." the girl went on, "but I was a butterfly... a butterfly girl of sorts, working in a restaurant that we all owned. While I was a butterfly... everyone else, including you and Dad, were still normal people."

Phineas quirked his eyebrow, a little curious now.

"It was otherwise a nice and normal day," Beatrice recalled. It was then that she showed hints of a smile. "Then... a bumblebee flew in..." she continued, "and it was the strangest thing in the world. When he and I made eye contact... it was as though a spark lit between us..."

Phineas could then see that Beatrice was blushing. He felt a twinge of his fatherly protectiveness when it came to the subject of boys. Of all the mornings, Bea had to have such a dream.

"I don't know how to explain it," Beatrice said, "but it was as though we were meant to be. He was the sweetest and most courteous towards me..." Her cheeks just became rosier.

Isabella felt the temptation to feel all dreamy over the descriptions, but then remembered why she was talking with her daughter. Composing herself, the Flynn matriarch began, "sounds like a very wonderful dream, but I think it is about time we discussed some important issues. First, you have been waking up and coming to breakfast late two mornings in a row."

"Not to mention," Phineas added, "falling behind in your chores and studies." He then pulled out a quiz that was showing Bea to be scoring a C plus, a major downgrade from her As and A minuses. "Ever since you separated from your robot self," the engineer sighed, "you've been sliding in your academics and daily routines. Your disrupted sleep routines are just the tip of the iceberg."

Beatrice now found herself on the spot. Unable to deny the recent difficulties regarding her human existence, she resignedly exhaled. "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad."

Isabella just shook her head. "Just because you are going through a transition of being human does not mean that you can afford to slack off. The world will not cut you slack, and you shouldn't allow yourself to fall into a transitional slump."

Beatrice looked down at her lap. 'Maybe I did not think this whole human existence through enough,' she thought. She then looked up at her parents again. "What can I do," she asked, "it's not like I have an internal clock or WiFi access to keep me in the loop twenty-four-seven."

"Well," Phineas spoke up, "if you want to know a similarity between humans and sentient robots, it's that we are both creatures of habit."

"Hm?" Beatrice was a bit befuddled.

Phineas chuckled a bit before continuing. "What I mean is that we humans are like robots in a way," he explained, "while we don't function along the lines of digital programming, our upbringing and the habits we similarly nurture, not to mention human instincts. You see, my mother and I would love to sleep in on many days, even when we should not. We sometimes have to train and resist some of those urges, because we know that if we start, it can morph into a consistent pattern that can negatively affect our efficiency during the daytime."

Beatrice stared for a few seconds. It was then that a lightbulb lit up in her head. "So basically," she said, "I have to train to 'program' my human brain to wake up earlier."

Phineas smiled. "Correct," he affirmed.

Isabella herself began smiling. Leave it to Phineas to make a lesson out of robot-human analogies. "Your dad is right, Bea," she agreed, "just because you are human does not mean you cannot start training and 'reprogramming' your habits into more positive ones."

It took a little longer than Bea liked to comprehend their words; a few seconds as a human when she used to process in microseconds, but it made sense. She had been neglecting her 'maintenance' of sorts because she took her life as a robot for granted. Now as a human, she had even greater responsibilities for her self-discipline and well-being.

"I see..." she said, "in that sense, I must relearn what it is that I did well as a robot to function as a human."

Phineas laughed, "now that's the spirit!" He was about to link the discussion to Bea's studies and chores, but his phone began buzzing wildly. The three looked in annoyance at the offending device on the table. The Flynn patriarch went to pick it up. As soon as he saw the notification, he frowned.

"Ugh," he groaned, "it seems that the Silver Automaton nearly got herself in trouble again..."

"What?" Beatrice perked up at this.

Phineas rubbed his orange hair in exasperation. "She went and used her weaponry to stop a petty theft at a gas station by a group of teenagers; fired her autocannon, destroying their car, and injuring the driver. Police are not too happy about the use of excessive force."

Human Beatrice also felt exasperated. If she was still the Silver Automaton, she would have simply told the teens to stand down, warning that she had weapons. Her onboard (and quite legal) arsenal, along with her superhero reputation, was often enough for most petty criminals to drop their weapons and surrender. The police came to appreciate her role in de-escalating many otherwise violent situations that could have resulted in police and civilian injuries or worse. As a good Samaritan and deputized member of the community, the Silver Automaton always made sure to keep good standing with both the citizens and law enforcement of the Tristate Area, as well as throughout the surrounding states of Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. These sorts of incidents and complaints from the men in blue were starting to turn the completely robotic Silver Automaton into a controversy. If this kept continuing, the superhero's reputation and the Flynn family's could be in jeopardy.

"Where is she now?" Beatrice was now concerned over her robotic counterpart.

Phineas was typing on his phone. "I'm in contact with her," he said, "she's now in flight over the town. I'm just giving her prompts to return to the lab quietly and temporarily cease her crime-fighting protocols." He then stood up from his seat. "I suppose she's going to need more work to function right."

Beatrice also stood up. "Dad," she said, "she's coming back here... right? Maybe I should be present."

"Hmm?" Phineas raised an eyebrow.

"She still used to be a part of me, right," Beatrice reasoned, "maybe if someone can try and talk some sense into her, it should be me."

"Are you sure?" Isabella was uncertain, "you and your dad told me that she is incapable of human emotion."

"True, Mom, " Beatrice said, "but she does understand logic and, having been her once, I'm sure there is a way for me to reach her." She looked back at her father. "Isn't that right, Dad," she asked in a hopeful tone.

Phineas scratched the back of his head as he chuckled nervously. "Only one way to find out."

‐‐-

Human Beatrice stood with her father inside the basement lab as they awaited for the Silver Automaton to return. She was anxious to see her back, and yet it all felt surreal at the same time, talking to a robot who used to be her.

"Ah," Phineas said, "she's back." The main shutter to the lab opened up. As it lifted, Beatrice was greeted with the sight of herself, or rather her completely robotic self. She was all metal, with her skin a shiny metal grey. Even the hair and eyes reflected her nature, being all silvery grey, giving no one any illusions about her lack of humanity. Her facial expression was completely blank as she stared ahead.

"BEA-Droid Alpha," the robot announced, "reporting for maintenance." Phineas gestured towards the maintenance table. "Lie down on the table."

"Acknowledged, Creator." BEA-Droid smoothly, yet rigidly walked over to the table and laid herself flat on it. The cables and interfaces automatically lowered and set themselves in place around the female robot. As this happened, several panels opened up on BEA-Droid's body. Her limbs, torso, and even parts of her face opened to reveal interfaces, servos, and wires underneath. The plugs on the maintenance arms were inserted into her as other arms with sensors scanned her exterior shell. The lab computer screens shifted towards showing BEA-Droid's body diagram with diagnostic readings.

Human Beatrice shuddered. Even though she had gone through this before during her previous life, there was something about this now that made her skin crawl and twist her stomach into knots. 'Why do I feel like this,' she thought, especially looking at BEA-Droid's open abdomen as she was wired to the computer through there, with sensor arms probing the servos inside. She had no logical explanation for feeling this creeped out, given that she used to be the android. It was then that she remembered what her father told her one time.

"Humans have an innate discomfort of something that resembles them and imitates life, yet is not human. Some people are scared of the Silver Automaton simply because they cannot get over that fear."

'Is this how some people feel about me?' It was then that Beatrice began to understand that sort of fear of the unknown. She had taken being an android for granted for so long, and now to see her image, separate from her person and being worked on was surreal. Yet, as a robot, the Robo-Beatrice showed no hint of discomfort whatsoever. Her optics flashed as ones and zeroes streamed across.

Taking a deep swallow, Beatrice worked up the courage to talk to her robotic counterpart as her father did his work. "Robo-Bea? Can you hear me?"

"Affirmative, Beatrice Flynn," the robot answered in her monotone, "this unit's designation is BEA-Droid Alpha."

Beatrice chuckled rather awkwardly. "A bit mouthy, don't you think," she asked.

"It is this unit's designation," Bea's robotic counterpart reiterated.

Beatrice stopped for a moment. Maybe if she referred to her as something else instead of being her robot doppelganger, it would be a little less awkward. However, 'BEA-Droid Alpha' was too robotic and wordy. Unless...

"BEA-Droid," Beatrice said, "are you able to accept alternative names or designations?"

"Negative," BEA-Droid responded, "creator or administrator account approval required for designation changes."

Beatrice sighed at hearing that. "Well I'm you, so logically I must have administrator approval," she surmised.

It was then that one of the computer screens next to Beatrice changed to a password log-in window. There was the choice of a text password or voice authentication.

"Please enter password," BEA-Droid prompted.

Beatrice wagered a guess, "ah... platypus?"

"Access granted." The computer laptop showed Beatrice's admin profile as well as BEA-Droid's information and statistics.

Beatrice then changed her robotic double's designation from BEA-Droid Alpha to Galatea. "Alternative designation, 'Galatea' confirmed," BEA-Droid accepted, "this unit will now respond to the designation of 'Galatea'." Beatrice then started skimming through Galatea's other settings. Upon seeing the tab for memories, the Flynn girl clicked on it. Beatrice then found that Galatea's memories only began where they separated.

While somewhat disappointed by this, she accessed the memory of the incident with the gas station robbery. She watched the whole thing play out in real-time from Galatea's perspective, including the shooting of the vehicle. It was then that she saw Galatea facing the officer questioning her over the use of force. "Suspects were underage and found in illegal possession of firearms," Galatea reasoned to the officer, "based on analysis of intoxication and hostile behavior, a display of force was necessary to disable their escape vehicle." The Silver Automaton then took off into the skies, essentially running from the scene. Unable to watch anymore, Beatrice stopped the footage.

Beatrice turned and looked at her robotic counterpart exasperatedly. "Really? So the answer to robbery, is anti-tank weaponry? Because unless I'm wrong, fifty to one-hundred dollars in the registry, and whatever else they sold, does not warrant the auto-cannon! At the very least, it would warrant a twenty-second warning to stop whatever they were doing. And at most, skipping that and going straight to the non-lethal weaponry... like the taser hand or the stun gun."

"Detecting disapproval from Administrator regarding unit response," Galatea followed up, "requesting feedback."

Beatrice sighed, "Look... just use basic logic and common sense to determine the severity of criminal activity... and it just occurred to me you might not understand that. Here, let me fiddle with your autonomy. That might help... somehow."

"Affirmative," Galatea said as Beatrice looked to her father for permission.

Giving his human daughter a loving smile, Phineas went over to her to look at Galatea's parameters. "Okay..." Beatrice murmured, "what will happen if I put your autonomy to maximum?"

"Never did, think of that one..." Phineas said, his interest piqued. He did wonder what would happen with BEA-Droid, now Galatea, if she started developing a separate personality. "Let's find out." Beatrice then turned Galatea's autonomy setting to maximum.

Galatea then blinked and stirred in a very Human-like manner, and marvels at her newfound emotions. "W-what happened?" For whatever reason, Galatea felt very confused. She was experiencing a flow of inputs that were previously not present in her systems.

"Easy Galatea..." Phineas advised, "that's just your emotions kicking in. You'll get used to them."

Galatea looked to Beatrice, then herself. She was already aware of how both of them used to be a single individual, but that knowledge now felt like something more metaphysical to Galatea.

"Okay..." Beatrice exhaled, "let me look into your anxiety levels."

"It's alright," Galatea said as she began to calm down, "I'm stabilizing..."

Beatrice smiled for a bit, then refocused on what happened with her double. "Okay... to recap. Dad and I don't want you to use lethal weaponry on petty criminals. Do you understand Galatea?... can I also call you Gal for short? Or do I have to reset your designation again?"

"Negative... no," Galatea responded, "you've activated my self-writing protocols, so I can adapt to external inputs more easily." She then looked Beatrice in the eyes, "but I don't get it. I'm the Silver Automaton, and I have powers to fight crime. Why can't I use them?"

"We're not saying you can't use your powers to fight crime," Beatrice reasoned, "what we're saying, is that you shouldn't use potentially lethal force to deal with relatively minor crimes. Because it's generally speaking, we don't want the police upset with use through using excessive force. Again... you injured someone with your autocannon and destroyed a car at a gas station robbery. Remember, START, with just trying to get them to stand down, or incapacitate them. And if those aren't viable options. THEN you can use the more dangerous weapons. Does that make sense?"

Galatea looked a bit disappointed, with herself and the suggestion. Still, she relented, "I understand, Beatrice..."

"That's a good girl," Beatrice cooed, "don't be so hard on yourself, your basically a newborn. You've still got a lot to learn kiddo. Still, I remember when I was born... so many things I didn't understand. I knew things but didn't understand what they were... helped somewhat by consistently going to therapy my whole life regarding my insecurities about being a robot in the first place."

"But you're human now," Galatea pointed out, "and I am now free to explore the life I want as a robot."

"Yes, you are..." Beatrice chuckled at that, "but seriously though. If something like this happens again. Dad and I MIGHT have to take drastic action... maybe... Dad can she be grounded for this?"

Phineas nodded. "I'd disable her FCS for live weaponry, as well imposing flight restrictions on her protocols," he affirmed, "after all the drama she's been having with the law, I just might have to keep those options in mind."

He looked at Galatea, his now-separate robot daughter. "I'll have to go down to the police precinct to cover for you," he said, "you did after all fly off on a police officer questioning you." This made Galatea a bit embarrassed and concerned.

"Works for me," Beatrice concurred.

Galatea nodded apologetically as the systems showed that her maintenance was finished, and she was in the green. "All systems nominal," she reported, "I'm ready to go."

"Good," Beatrice said as she logged off, "now, I'm going to my room. Look up some tips on how not to oversleep."

Galatea smiled at her counterpart. "And I shall resolve to be a better Silver Automaton," she said, "the kind of hero you can be proud to call sister."

Beatrice giggled, suddenly enjoying this part of Galatea, "we'll see, just keep your nose clean Gal."

"Sure thing, Bea!" As the arms withdrew, the robot girl stood up and hugged her human counterpart and sister. "Oomph," Beatrice gasped, "Gal! Not so tight!"

Phineas stood off to the side and smiled. While he still had to straighten things out with the police, he was glad that Beatrice was getting somewhere with her other-self.

‐‐-

Before Beatrice knew it, Monday had already come around, marking the second week of school as a human. As per her parent's scolding and coaching, she was setting a new routine for herself in the morning and evenings to be more effective in her time management, especially with homework. "Okay," she murmured to herself, "week two as a human is starting. Just gotta keep my grades up, and everything will go swimmingly for me... hopefully." Beatrice walked into school, smiling to try and hide the nervousness underneath.

"Okay... so far so good... nobodies staring, nobodies gawking. Just have to focus and not- WHOA!" Beatrice bumped into someone. She backed off only to trip backward onto her backpack. "Ugh..."

"Hey, you okay?"

Beatrice groaned as she rubbed her head, "yeah... I was just distracted and wasn't... paying... attention."

"Here, let me help you," the person offered his hand. As Beatrice looked up, she then got a look at him.

Beatrice's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the boy from her dreams. This boy didn't look especially handsome, but what caught her attention was the black and yellow striped sweater he was wearing. "Why thank you," she greeted, "what is your name?"

"Nathan," the boy introduced himself, "Nathan Vance."

"I'm Beatrice," she introduced herself, "Beatrice Flynn. I used to be a robot... dang it!"

"Huh?" Nathan was confused.

Beatrice felt flustered as she rambled on, "alright... I think your cute and while I'm being honest. I used, to be an honest to goodness robot."

"Really?" Nathan did not know what to make of that.

"Yes really..." Beatrice said as her face flushed, "to me thinking you're cute, or the robot thing?"

"Hehe, actually both," Nathan laughed to diffuse the awkwardness.

"And you probably think I'm weird for saying those things upfront aren't you?" Beatrice tried to smile, while mentally berating herself for being so silly.

To Beatrice's surprise, Nathan just laughed in a friendly manner. "That probably makes you the most upfront girl I've ever met!"

"Okay..." she replied, "but what about the robot thing?"

"Heh," Nathan composed himself, "sorry, but I moved here not too long ago, and I'm still trying to come to terms with this town."

Beatrice shrugged. "Oh... well, believe me, this town can get pretty weird some days. I'm not even joking, now and again a giant floating baby head just... floats by for no rhyme or reason."

"Heh," Nathan chuckled, "and I thought Florida was crazy."

Beatrice giggled. It was then that she decided to make her first move with a boy, "so... want to talk more at lunch? I'm sorry, but I'm trying to keep better time management mow that I'm fully human."

"You're on," Nathan winked as he went for his classes. Beatrice also went on her way, at the same time thinking of what she had gotten herself into.

At around twelve, Beatrice and Nathan met up for lunch. They sat together at a small table, with just each other as company.

"So," Beatrice began, "why not tell me a little about yourself?"

"How about you tell me first," Nathan proposed as he set his tray down, "ladies first."

Beatrice smiled as she fidgeted with her tray. "Well, my father is an inventor. The exact circumstances are irrelevant, but he created me as a robot."

"Who is he?" Nathan's curiosity was piqued.

"Phineas Flynn," Beatrice answered.

"Flynn..." Nathan realized, "no wonder why that name sounded familiar." Just about everyone knew who Phineas was.

"Yeah, he's kind of a big deal," the girl said with some pride, "him and my Step-Uncle Ferb Fletcher. Between those two they brought Humanity and Earth into a Golden Age!"

"Interesting, given how everyone around here keeps telling me what sort of antics they used to get into," Nathan quipped.

"Yeah," Beatrice laughed, "I didn't give much thought to those when I was younger... then a few weeks ago I learned about the Molecular Separator. And I was hooked on being separated into a human."

"Hmm..." Nathan mused, "I think I listened in to one of your dad's lectures on radiation-induced molecular bonding and separation... Strange, yet fascinating."

Beatrice smiled. "Yeah, I think that's how it worked. I was more interested in my life long dream of becoming a human than the science behind it."

"What draws you to being human?" Nathan shrugged, "if I may, it's usually the other way round."

Beatrice sighed, "Oh... well that's kind of a personal story there, and your not my therapist. Suffice it to say, I wanted to be human to be closer to my parents. I mean... when I first came into being I thought I was human, then dad outright told me what I was. And the apparent contradiction in values. Me being a robot AND a member of their family drove me up the wall. I mean... my extended family loves me... but I could never shake the feeling that I didn't belong."

"Oh..." Nathan realized that he came across as insensitive, "sorry about that."

Beatrice smiled forgivingly. It's alright..." she reassured him, "though there are things I'll miss as a robot."

"Yeah," Nathan asked, "like what?"

"For example," Beatrice cited, "I could directly enter the internet!... not as cool as it sounds. You constantly have to keep your guard up for rogue bots, and spam. Not kidding there, it felt like walking through spam. And I could detach my limbs and even my head, and all the gadgets I had up my sleeves-... and I just realized we've only been talking about me. Sorry! Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?"

"Well, as I stated before," Nathan began, "I just moved from Florida. My folks figured that they wanted to settle down somewhere more temperate and less crowded."

"Well, Danville's a pretty good place to live..." Beatrice said, "I've only ever lived here but I've done enough research back in the day that I can say with confidence that you'll come to love the place." She then leaned in and whispered cheekily, "and despite what I said before about the floating baby head, this place is normal compared to Florida."

"Yeah," Nathan scratched the back of his head, "and I like the outdoors and scenery of the Rockies and Great Plains. I mean, there is so much to do without always worrying about people coming to harp on you. Not to mention the hurricane season sending our insurance rates rocketing!"

The Flynn girl was a bit stunted. "I was referring more to the antics of Florida Man," she pointed out, "but yeah, those are all good things too."

"And yeah, the people from Tallahassee did drive me crazy," Nathan admitted, "I came from the Panhandle, and they were just weird!"

Beatrice sweatdropped at that. "I can imagine..." she mustered, "so..."

"I do like Danville though," Nathan said, "the town is interesting, but the people are very nice."

"Well," Beatrice recovered with hope in her eyes, "well here's to you!"

She raised a juice bottle to Nathan as they both dig into lunch. Admittedly, it was an awkward first meeting, but not a bad one altogether.

It had been two years since Beatrice Flynn had met her bumblebee-shirt man from her dreams. As bumbling as their first meeting, and even their first dates were, they came to like each other greatly.

Nathan put on his tuxedo as he anxiously and excitedly prepared for this night out with Beatrice Flynn. He and Bea had many happy moments, and not-so-great moments together. It took a while for him to warm up to Bea's dad, Phineas and his eccentricities, and her robotic sister, Galatea. It was a little more than unusual to think that Beatrice and Galatea used to be the same person, but now we're quite distinct individuals. While Beatrice was now appreciating her 'normal' human existence with a mix of innocent wonder and growing maturity, Galatea was her logical opposite as a robot crimefighter. While Gal amazingly had understanding and expressions of human emotion in autonomous mode, she desired to be the Silver Automaton that Bea never quite wanted to be. However, Beatrice being human instead of the superhero that her robotic sister did not stop Nathan from seeing the amazing young woman and the ordinary hero that he had come to admire in Bea. Beatrice lacked her original powers, but it never stopped her from being helpful, kind, and funny with the people she cared for and loved.

Nathan pondered over the soft case in his hand for a moment before putting it into his pocket. 'This is it,' he resolved, 'I'm going to do it.' He then went down the stairs, and after telling his parents goodbye, he got into his car and drove off. As he neared the Flynn residence, Nathan took a deep breath and got out, walking to the front door. With a spring to his steps and a bright smile on his face, Nathan rang the doorbell.

The door opened to reveal Isabella, who was happy to see him. "Hi Nathan," she greeted, "Bea's been waiting for you!" Between her and Phineas, she was the most receptive and open towards her daughter's relationship with Nathan. Phineas took a while to come to terms with Beatrice's choice of romance with Nathan, but was now supportive, albeit constantly warning them both to steer clear of any naughtiness.

Phineas showed up to the door, his eyes scanning over Nathan and his garb. Silently nodding in approval, he then asked, "you ready for this?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Nathan smirked in confidence to reassure the protective dad. Seeing that the young man was determined, Phineas turned back into the house. "Beatrice," he called. Nathan could hear the light tapping of Mary Jane shoes from inside the house.

As Beatrice Flynn walked up to the front door, Nathan got a good look at his date. Beatrice was as beautiful as ever in her light blue sleeveless dress that matched her blue hair and eyes. The dress hugged her figure perfectly, yet was modest enough to leave the rest to the imagination. Her shy, yet happy smile topped off her beauty.

"Hey beauty," Nathan beamed.

"Nathan!" Beatrice hugged him suddenly. Her touch was gentle, but Nathan could tell that she was also very eager. He reciprocated with his gentle hug, rubbing her back in a soothing manner at the same time. Beatrice hummed in the comfort of her boyfriend's presence.

Phineas coughed a little, causing the couple to suddenly become self-conscious and back off from each other a little. While Phineas knew where Nathan was going with the night, the scientist dad would still rather that the two of them kept things vanilla until the big day. "I entrust her to you, Nathan," Phineas said, "and as always, have fun, but be safe."

"Yessiree," Nathan said as he gestured and winked.

"Very good," Phineas said just as another set of footsteps were heard from inside, this being more mechanical. It was then that Galatea showed up. She still resembled a mechanical version of Beatrice in her appearance, but to fit in more with her Silver Automaton role and distinguish herself from her 'sister' she had her eyes and hair colored silver like the rest of her body and dress.

"Bye, Bea," Gal smiled and waved, "have fun tonight!"

"We will, Gal," Bea assured as Nathan held out his hand, which she accepted. With both of them smiling at each other, the couple walked towards the car.

As Nathan cruised downtown, Beatrice asked, "so this place we're going to any good?"

Nathan glanced at her and winked. "You'll see."

Trusting her boyfriend, Beatrice occupied herself with scanning the businesses just out the window. "So where are we eating tonight? Something exciting I hope!"

"I heard from some friends of a Polish restaurant being a recent favorite around town," Nathan revealed, "I did go there with them to check it out, and I can say that it's great."

Beatrice blinked. "Polish?... well I haven't had that before."

"Well," Nathan shrugged in his collar, "I'll admit that I'm half-Pole from my mother's side."

Beatrice's eyes widened. "Really? Well, I'm Mexican-Jewish on my mother's side... yeah I know that sounds weird."

Nathan laughed. "What's so weird? I think you're fine as you are."

Beatrice smiled and closed her eyes. "Thanks, Nathan." She looked out of the windscreen. "So... are we there yet?"

"Just a little while longer babe..." Nathan assured. Soon enough, he pulled into a parking space just outside of the restaurant. "Here we are."

Nathan helped Beatrice out of the car. Taking her hand with a smile, he led her into the restaurant. Passing through the front door, Beatrice was greeted with the sight of two familiar African-American women with blue eyes. One had short hair, the other long hair. "Sally? Selene? What are you two doing here?"

The shorter-haired girl, Sally, turned her head and saw Bea. "Oh, hey girl!"

Selene, the other girl waved. "Welcome both of you!"

Beatrice nodded. "It's great to see you... you both work here?"

Selene just chuckled. "Well, duh!"

Nathan just smiled. He then stepped forward. "Reservation for one table for two under my name, Sally."

"Got you right here, Nathan," Sally answered. She and Selene each grabbed a menu. "Follow us," they both spoke simultaneously. They led the couple towards their reserved table, walking in perfect sync, being android sisters, and all. "Your table," they said, "we will be serving you tonight."

As the two sisters walked away, Nathan felt his phone vibrate. Discreetly taking it out under the table, he read the text message from the sister androids. 'Let us know when you need help popping the question.'

'Sure thing,' Nathan thought to himself. He had enlisted their help in making Bea's night a very special one.

Beatrice then took her time browsing the menu. "So many choices, so little time... and too little stomach space. I tell ya, another thing I miss about being a robot. Is being able to eat as much as I wanted without getting full... there were still problems there. But still." She looked at Nathan. "So what looks good to you?"

"How about Polish dumpling soup," Nathan suggested, "it's a good starter for newcomers."

Beatrice hummed as she mused over it. "Maybe... what about the kielbasa?" She pointed at the picture of the sausage dish. "I just don't want to overeat."

"That's also a good choice," Nathan said, "it's a simple, yet tasty dish that I find helps people ease into Polish cuisine."

"Sounds like a good idea," Beatrice consented. Nathan smiled at that. Beatrice then put down the menu, and reflected, "I'm fairly certain it's the first anniversary of when we started officially dating. So you'd have to have planned more than just having Polish food, am I right?"

"More than you realize," Nathan teased. The young man reached into his pocket, but it felt empty. He tried to feel around for the pouch, but there was nothing. The air suddenly felt a bit chiller as it dawned on him what could have happened.

"Nathan?" Beatrice now wondered as Nathan's smile faded from his face.

Coming up with an excuse quick, Nathan pulled out his phone. "Sorry, I'm getting a personal call from my parents. I just need to take it quickly." Rising out of his seat before Beatrice could reply, Nathan quickly texted the Samuel sisters, letting them know that he was going to find the ring, and needed them to distract Bea.

The response was quick, 'we'll be there shortly to keep her occupied.'

"Nathan?" Beatrice was about to get up from her seat, but Sally and Selene showed up.

"Hey girl," Selene greeted.

"I'm sure he won't take long," Sally assured as the two android sisters sat with Bea. This confused the former android. "Aren't you two working?"

"We got a break," Sally made it up, though the boss was in on the whole proposal and gave leeway to the sisters to help.

Selene pretended to stretch and flex her limbs. "All this waitressing wears on my servos!"

Beatrice sighed. "You're both lucky. At my first job, I didn't get breaks... at all. And that wasn't even the worst thing about it! I was a department store mannequin for goodness sake!... I can still remember feeling completely immobile, except for fifteen-minute intervals where I changed poses."

Sally and Selene looked at her with concern and sympathy in their eyes.

Beatrice looked apologetic. "I'm sorry for complaining", she sighed, "but I was being paid below minimum wage for that thankless job! I tell you when I finally quit it was one of the happiest days of my life." She then paused and smiled. "Still... the one good thing that came out of the whole ordeal was that I met you guys. Remember how we met?"

Sally and Selene smiled. "How could we forget," Sally said.

Bea laughed, "yeah... that was a fun outing. You were both still human, I was still a robot... good times."

"Yeah, rather ironic isn't it," Sally remarked, "now you're the human, and Selene and I are the robots."

"Yeah... I'm sorry I couldn't keep both of you from losing your humanity." The Flynn daughter rubbed her head over that.

"Hey," Selene touched Bea's hand, "no hard feelings, girl."

"We like being androids," Sally reminded, "we've got one Yobbyte long list of the pro's of being androids, Bea."

Beatrice was still dumbfounded over the sisters' choice. "I will never find that normal. I mean... why? I mean... my dad could easily make both of you human again! Why not take it?"

Sally looked at Beatrice surprised for a bit, but then shrugged. "We could have, but why would we?"

Selene followed with, "besides, how else can we assist the old man in his lab stuff?"

Beatrice blinked. "My dad or yours?"

Selene laughed. "Of course our dad, silly!"

"Your dad has Gal to help," Sally pointed out.

Beatrice slumped back in her seat. "Fair enough... so... have either you done anything fun lately? Anything interesting?"

Sally and Selene smiled.

"There was the VR gaming convention in Colorado," Sally told Bea, "you should have been there!"

Beatrice sighed, "oh I would have been there back then... but I can't stand those visors."

Selene rubbed her forehead in disbelief and exasperation. "I do feel for you, Bea. You're missing out on some cool stuff."

"Perhaps..." Bea said with reluctance, "but I'm not trading my humanity for anything... where is Nathan, and what is taking him so long?"

It was then that the Samuel sisters got the text on their HUD. 'I finally got the ring. I don't even know how it got inside the seat, but I'm coming back in.'

Seeing that Nathan found the ring, the twin gynoids rose together. "We're sorry but our break is over," they both spoke in stereo.

Beatrice almost fell over. "Okay... but can you please stop talking in unison like that? It's more than a little creepy to me."

Sally and Selene just laughed. "Hey, we're just giving you a hard time!" The sisters smiled just as Nathan walked back in.

"Sorry I was gone for so long," Nathan apologized to Bea. She looked at him weirdly but seeing him flash his charming smile, whatever question she had faded from her mind.

It was then that Nathan said, "you know what would be a great appetizer? The pitted prunes. Care to try?"

Beatrice looked again at the menu. Seeing that it was quite cheap and low calorie, she hummed in agreement. "Why not?"

"Then it's settled," Nathan followed up, "I'm going to be having the kielbasa. You?"

"What you're having," Beatrice pointed out, "I trust your judgment in this matter mon amour."

"Alright." Nathan smiled as he waved Sally over. "Two Kielbasas with pitted prunes for an appetizer."

Sally nodded. "Of course, I'll bring your order to you shortly." With that, she went towards the kitchen.

Looking at Sally, then her sister, Selene, Nathan remarked, "you know, it still amazes me that Sally and Selene are both androids, and used to be human. How did that happen anyway?"

Beatrice looked at Selene, who was working on another order and sighed. "It's a long story... but to put it simply. There was a freak accident at their father's lab. I managed to contain the outbreak of nanobots... but it was too late to keep either of them from becoming human-like robots. And before you bring it up. I'm more than aware of the irony. I just talked with the sisters while you were out."

Nathan thought to himself, 'thanks, both of you two.'

Beatrice continued to look on with a saddened expression. "I still don't get how they can be so happy about it. I mean... as humans they had childhoods. When my dad built me I was a teenager in body AND mind. If I could have a second chance at life, I'd certainly have that. The chance to be a kid... I'd do almost anything to make that a reality... I'm sorry for being morose. I just can't help but think about it from time to time."

"Hey," Nathan stopped her, "it's alright babe. It's just a part of being human. No one can blame you for the circumstances of your birth or life, but it's within your power to make good of it."

The Flynn girl closed her eyes and smiled at those words. "Perhaps... thanks, Nathan. You, are hands down the best thing that happened to me since I became human."

The young man silently beamed back at his girlfriend, before reaching across the table and taking her hand into his own. "And you are the best person to ever be in my life..."

The girl smiled, but then a thought occurred to her. "Say..." she asked, "would you still love me if I became a robot again? Not that I would turn myself back..."

Nathan touched his girlfriend's hand. "Bea, I love you no matter what, whether human or robot. After everything we have had together, I could not ask for a better woman to be with."

Beatrice closed her eyes in contentment. Her boyfriend did seem to know the kind of things to make her feel warm inside.

It was then that Sally came up with their meals. "Dinner is served," she cheered.

The couple received the dishes with gratitude.

"Thank you, Sally," Nathan said.

"Right on, Sal," Bea expressed.

Minutes passed as the couple happily ate and conversed. Beatrice was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. "Man, that's good."

Seeing that she was having a good time, Nathan reached into his pocket. He felt positive upon feeling the pouch. "I'm glad you liked it, and I've got something else special for you."

"Oh?" Now Beatrice was hooked. "Whatever might it be Mr. Vance?"

It was then that Nathan got out of his seat and knelt beside Bea. He then drew the pouch out of his pocket. Holding it in both hands, he opened it to reveal a silver ring with a light blue gem in the middle. This made the girl gasp.

"Beatrice Flynn," Nathan finally proposed, "will you marry me?"

"Nathan Vance... of course, I would!" Beatrice was beaming with happiness. Seeing this, Nathan smiled as he took the ring out and put it on her finger.

"Nathan, it's beautiful!"

"Not as beautiful as you."

As the two gently kissed, the other patrons in the restaurant clapped happily for them.

It was not long after Nathan proposed to Beatrice that Galatea had found a partner in crime-fighting. Overtime, Beatrice noticed her robot sister becoming more girly and excitable after meeting this male robot. Before anyone knew it, Galatea came home one day to Nathan and Bea, saying that she and this partner were now girlfriend and boyfriend.

"Oh, I can't wait for you guys to meet him!" Galatea was struggling to keep her excitement from overloading her processor.

Beatrice was amused. For Gal's desires to be a robot hero, she had her very girlish tendencies. "Never did think you were that interested in boys," she remarked with a smile. Nathan was also at her side, hugging her around the waist.

The superheroine robot just giggled. "I'm as surprised as you are. Oh, here he comes!" A heavy clanking sound was heard just beside the porch. Nathan and Bea turned to see a robot T-Rex walking towards the house.

Beatrice was flabbergasted. "Wait, that's him?"

Galatea was happy and beaming. "Yep, that's my boyfriend."

Beatrice watched as the mechanical T-Rex suddenly changed into a humanoid, shrinking down to around their size. "Me am Metalasaur!"

"Hey there!" Galatea rushed forward to meet Metalasaur in a hug.

Metalasaur gave a good-hearted chuckle which came out a little rough. "Me am happy to see you Galatea! Who are meat things, and why does female meat thing look like you?"

"Hm?" Gal was confused for a bit as she looked back at Bea. It was then that she remembered. "Oh! She's my counterpart from when we used to be one. Her name's Beatrice."

Metalasaur perked up in recognition. "Ah! Now me remember. What of other meat thing?"

Beatrice pouted at the dinosaur-themed robot humanoid. "This 'meat thing' here is my boyfriend. He's my meat!"

Galatea laughed nervously. "Yeah, and I thought told you calling organics 'meat things' was rude. Sorry about that, Metalsaur is... not the brightest."

Rather than being miffed, though, Nathan was more amazed and flabbergasted at Metalasaur. "Where the heck do you even find a robot dinosaur?"

"Long story short," Gal answered quickly, "there was an alien spaceship on the dark side of the moon. And inside of it was some kind of... protoform? Yes, a protoform. I brought it to Earth. Intending to give it to a museum, thinking it was inert. But when we went through the dinosaur exhibit. It scanned a T-Rex, and it turned into a robot T-Rex. Then... he helped me with some criminals, one thing led to another and... well he's my boyfriend."

Beatrice was surprised for a moment before she smiled and squealed. "That is adorable!"

Nathan whistled in amusement. "Would never have called that."

Galatea hugged her boyfriend with a pout. "Better call it Nathan, because he's my partner in love and battle!"

"Me love Galatea," Metalasaur said happily, "and she love me Metalasaur!"

"Do you, Nathan Vance. Take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The priest asked that direct question to Nathan as he and Beatrice stood together in front of the church altar as groom and bride. They had waited and prepared long and hard for this day, and so far, nothing could ruin it. Friends and family were in attendance, with Metalasaur, Galatea, Phineas, and Isabella particularly happy and eager for Beatrice.

"I do," Nathan answered with a smile.

The priest then turned to Beatrice. "And do you, Beatrice Flynn. Take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," Beatrice said happily behind her veil.

Seeing the couple consent, the priest smiled and said, "by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

With that, Nathan scooped Beatrice into his arms and kissed her passionately. The entire church erupted in celebratory clapping and cheers.

‐-‐-

Years later, both Beatrice and Nathan would have children of their own. Beatrice became pregnant with twins, one boy, and one girl, whom she and her husband named Perry and Rachel, respectively. They even had a robot son, named Talos, whom both Beatrice and Nathan took delight in designing and building together.

Years passed as the new Flynn children were raised and influenced by Beatrice, Nathan, and even their grandpa, Phineas. They chose robotics as their major going into college, and with their keen intellect and encouragement from their parents and grandpa, the three proudly stood on stage with their robotics degrees on graduation day. Both Beatrice and Nathan looked on with pride as the audience applauded. Metalasaur and Galatea were likewise beside them, cheering on their nephews and niece. Not too long after Bea and Nathan married, the two robotic superheroes also decided to tie the knot.

Galatea chuckled, " I know who my hubby and I are going to commission."

"Oh," Beatrice wondered, "And who is that?"

"Well..." Gal tapped her fingers together rather shyly, "your kids of course. Dad is getting old and Metalasur and I want kids of our own."

"Me Metalasaur, really want to be daddy!"

"Well," Nathan scratched the back of his head. "You two can't quite... 'do it' like us humans... so any ideas?"

"Well, twins like you and Bea had," Galatea meekly told him, "...we ask your kids to build ones for us. I mean they made Talos when they were little using only our old design schematics for a base."

Beatrice shook her head excitedly as she gushed, "that is so sweet."

Nathan smirked. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind. I can also pitch in."

Beatrice then took Gal's hand and kept smiling. "Believe me from experience. I'm just glad they made Talos start as a baby... I don't think I would have taken a repeat of my robotic existence from someone else."

"Yeah," Nathan agreed, "and it gives us more time and bandwidth to cope."

It was then that Nathan and Bea's grown children came down from the stage to hug them.

"We made it," Rachel sighed.

"Thanks for the help, Mom and Dad." Perry looked between his parents.

"Don't mention it," Nathan cheered.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad," Talos beamed.

Beatrice laughed happily. "How's my robot son feeling about being a college man?"

Talos breathed a sigh of relief. "Relieved... my siblings and I have our degrees. And hopefully, we can put them to good use soon."

Talos' dad nodded as he looked towards his robotic sister-in-law and her husband. "Good news for you son," Nathan told Talos, "there's someone now who can use you and your siblings' help."

"Aunt Gal," Rachel turned to look at her robot aunt.

"Your Uncle Metalasaur and I need to talk to you about something," Galatea began.

"We're here to help," Perry said, holding up his diploma for emphasis.

"We want babies," Galatea gushed, "your grandfather is getting too old for that kind of work. And we want bouncing baby bots."

Metalasaur clapped his metal hands excitedly. "Me Metalasaur will pay handsomely to be daddy."

Rachel giggled. "No need to pay us, silly Uncle! Of course, we'll help!"

Perry snapped his fingers. "Aunt Gal, you and Uncle Metal put your lives on the line every day for us all. Helping you both with your kids is the least we can do!"

Talos chimed in, "that's what family is for!"

Nathan and Beatrice hugged each other as the three children agreed to help. They smiled in happiness, seeing how they were ready to put their skills to use for the good of those around them.

"And that was how it all happened," Beatrice Flynn, now an elderly woman, related her life story to her grandchildren gathered around her.

One of the grandchildren raised her hand. "Do you think you could go back to being a robot girl?"

"Yeah, Grand-Aunt Galatea is cool!" The second grandchild, a boy was beaming.

Beatrice laughed softly. "I could, but then I'd be competing with my sister."

"But then we'd have a super grandma kicking butt alongside grand-aunt," the third grandchild, also a boy put it bluntly.

Beatrice chuckled in amusement. "I'm too old to undergo the reverse process now, even if I wanted to. Besides, the life of a robot superhero is really dangerous." It was then that her expression turned serious as she recalled, "I mean, in one of my first adventures. I was nearly killed... if my father hadn't transferred my consciousness into a supercomputer when he did, I'd have been dead."

"That's terrible," the second grandchild said.

"Superheroes are cool," the first grandchild followed up with a sad tone, "but we don't want you to die either, Grandma."

"Yeah..." the third grandchild was now humbled, "sorry..."

"Exactly..." Beatrice said, before she smiled, "so enough about that. Who wants some cookies?"

"Me!" All three children exclaimed to the elder Beatrice's delight. She could not have asked for a better life than this...

In the Real World...

Then Beatrice came to, breathing in shock and surprise. As the Orb landed on the floor and broke.

"That... that felt so real!" Beatrice said ecstatically. "I became Human! I spent the rest of my life as a Human! None of the drawbacks I had from before... I lived a full life, raised a family... and grew old!" She then cried for joy as she hugged the Errant Traveler.

"And you spilled my egg cream." The Errant Traveler said in pain as his egg cream soda spilled. "And I think you're cracking my ribs! Please stop, because I'm running low on rejuvenations!"

Beatrice then stopped hugging and rocketed away back to Earth with a smile on her face, and a new sense of purpose in life and self-worth.