Badass II
Chapter Six
"Enough, you two, I'm about to have some very weird thoughts in my head," Jane objected.
"I don't know, Frost, having a cyborg for a child might be interesting," Frankie grinned. Jane tried to backhand him with her free hand but missed as Frankie dodged the blow.
"Now, now, Frankie, let's not get Jane all riled up. She's had a tough enough night."
Frost worked a couple more minutes then nodded at Jane. "How is Maura's temperature?"
"She's cooling down quite a bit, Frost, thank you."
"Wait before you thank me, Jane, she's not up and running." Frost worked a couple more moments then asked Jane to shut Maura's wire box and remove the chilling blanket.
"One, two, three," Frost whispered out loud. Maura's circuits started up again. After a moment she blinked her eyes and looked straight at Jane.
"Marry me, Jane?" she asked.
"Oh, so that's it," Frankie teased. Jane sat back on her heels, surprised at Maura's question. This time she flung out her hand and slapped Frankie's arm.
"Enough."
"What a proposal," Frost teased.
"Did I do something wrong, Jane?" Maura asked in a hurt tone of voice. Jane sighed.
"No, sweetie, we have two immature children with us, that's all."
"Oh did we reproduce? Who do they look like?" Frost and Frankie burst out laughing.
"No, Maura, I was being sarcastic about Frankie and Frost and their immature childish comments."
"I thought you at least held out for dinner," Frankie said to Jane.
"Not always, Frankie, uh uh," Frost replied and grinned. Jane wanted to kill them both.
"Help me get her off the floor will you?" Jane asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Let me check something," Maura said and dropped her head onto her chest. She ran through her files and thirty seconds later stood on her own.
"Looks like I've been reprogrammed, Jane. Thank you for your help, Frost. Shall we go, Frankie?" Maura held out her arm to Frankie.
"Wait a minute, Maura, where are you going?" Jane asked.
"Frankie and I are going back to his place. With any luck we might have some small cyborgs running around her in a short period of time. Did you know cyborgs reproduce in a shorter period of time than humans? We only take three months to conceive and deliver our offspring," Maura said in an arrogant tone of voice.
"Frost what did you do?" Jane yelled.
"I don't know, Jane. I didn't reprogram her, I only wanted to keep her from short circuiting," Frost was confused. Frankie took Maura's hand.
"Maura, you and Jane are a couple, not you and me," he said gently. Maura looked confused.
"How can that be, Frankie? Jane's a woman."
"FROST! Do something!" Jane screamed.
"I'm trying to think, Jane. I'm a little rattled." Frost sat and stared at Maura.
"Maura you woke up asking me to marry you," Jane explained.
"Oh, yes, same sex marriage was granted to Massachusetts couples several years ago. Let me check my memory." Once again Maura dropped her head on her chest. Jane breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Now Maura would have a chance to check her memories and remember how much she loved Jane.
Thirty seconds later Maura's head came back up. She focused her eyes on Frost. Lifting the hem of her skirt she hiked it up a little.
"Come with me, big boy," she said seductively.
"FROST!" both Jane and Frankie screamed.
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" he yelled back. Jane dropped her head in her hands.
"No, Maura, I want you to search your memory bank for our memories," Jane said. Maura dropped her head on her chest.
"I have it! I crossed two of her wires by accident," Frost said. "Maura lie back down on the floor."
"Ya think?" Frankie said.
Maura stretched out on the carpet and closed her eyes. Jane re-opened the circuitry box on Maura's chest and Frost examined the wiring.
"Yes I think I did," he said and worked on two of the wires in front. After a quick moment Maura came to again.
"When do you want to get married, Jane?" she asked as she became fully operational again.
"You have feelings for me, Maura?" Jane asked skeptically.
"You know I do, Jane, why do you ask?" Maura's face looked like a kicked puppy. Jane leaned forward.
"I was checking to make sure you're okay, Maura. You had a wiring problem for a minute."
Maura leaned forward and kissed Jane. "Yes," Jane said happily. "You do remember." Without looking at the boys she helped Maura to her feet and they walked to the door.
"Thanks for your help, Frost. I'm taking Maura home."
"You're welcome but Jane—take it easy tonight. Maura shouldn't overheat."
"We'll just cuddle on the sofa, Frost."
"Okay, Jane. Good night."
Jane closed the door behind them.
Two hours later Jane shifted on the sofa and resettled Maura's body against her. The medical examiner was extremely tired by the time they returned to Jane's home. She explained that could happen sometimes when the circuitry shorted out.
"I want to hold you, Maura. Stretch out here beside me and we'll go to sleep."
"When can we make love, Jane?"
"Maybe tomorrow night, Maura; I need to make sure you don't overheat."
"Yes, melted wires might cause a problem."
"I also don't want you burning down my apartment either."
The two women drifted off to sleep together but now Jane was fully awake. Did she want to marry Maura? Yes, she did. She wanted the two of them to remain together, legally bound, for the rest of their lives. But what did that mean?
Jane thought of her family first. She had to tell her mother about her relationship with Maura and she didn't know how Angela might react. Angela expected Jane to marry a man, not a piece of machinery. And with that thought Jane knew of the lewd comments and cracks she was liable to experience from some of her Neanderthal colleagues. Crow, especially, liked to make fun of Jane. She could take his comments but didn't want Maura to have to put up with any of Crow's bull.
Next on Jane's list was Dr. Ross. How would she feel about one of her cyborgs marrying a human? Was Maura considered a possession since she seemed like a human? What if Dr. Ross hated the idea and ordered Maura back to the Institute to be dismantled? The thought brought a piercing pain through Jane's chest. She needed to broach the subject carefully. If possible she wanted to find out Dr. Ross' feelings without giving the doctor any hint about Maura marrying Jane.
"Go back to sleep, Jane," a bleary-eyed Maura said. Jane looked down at Maura.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too, Jane," Maura said and kissed Jane. "Now go back to sleep for awhile."
Jane shut her eyes, determined to talk to Frost the next day and see if he could do some digging around Dr. Ross' files for her.
TBC