Hamegg laughed out loud and slapped his knees. "Oh, your expressions! I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Really. But let's face it, you are giving yourselves to each other." He stood up and raised his hands. "I say we could really use a party right now, and this makes as good an excuse as any. What does everyone else think?"

They all cheered their approval.

Astro, still annoyed at Hamegg's joke, hastily stood up. "Thanks, I guess, as long as you remember that Luna and I are kids, not grownups."

"Relax, Astro," said Cora. "Like Hamegg says, all we want is a party after what's happened. Luna tells me you've been play acting; so play along, okay?"

"Uh, sure, but do you think you can find a way to do it that's us? Definitely nothing like a wedding. You know, something ..." He waved his hands helplessly.

"Something that reflects who we are as kid androids," said Luna with a grin, joining Astro and taking his hand.

"Yeah, like that," said Astro.

"Of course," said Tenma. "That makes perfect sense, but it may take a little time to come up with something."

"Hi, Marv," Astro said to the young patient as he entered the hospital room.

"Astro!" said Marv weakly. "I'm getting better."

"I'm glad. I'm awfully sorry about this."

"That's okay. I'm still alive, ain't I?"

"No thanks to me."

"How come?"

"I freaked out when Metro City crashed, and almost lost the train car with you guys in it."

"Yeah, but it's okay, really. They said you've had it pretty rough too."

"Uh-huh, but that doesn't help you any. The doctors say when you're getting out yet?"

Marv sighed. "Nope. They want to make sure everything's healing properly first."

"Sam'll be disappointed. He misses you." Astro lifted up a bag. "We all got you this."

"Thank you!" He grabbed the bag and peeked inside.

Astro turned to go. "I'll be back tomorrow to see how you're doing, okay?"

"You bet!"

As he entered the elevator, Astro sighed. There had been a few injuries from his crash landing. Thankfully, Marv was the only one hospitalized.

"Whe#e are y##, A##ro?"

"On top of the train car." Sitting, hugging his knees, staring at the ruin.

"Agai#?"

A minute later, Luna sat down beside him. "Why do you keep coming here? Not to go on another guilt trip, I hope."

"Nope. I had a long talk with Dad yesterday about that kind of stuff, and I think I've got it sorted out. I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

He took a moment to organize his thoughts. "About what I've done: killed a human; made a mistake that cost many thousands of human lives. About what I am: a weapon. About what I might be if I'm ever faced with having to kill on purpose some day."

"Gee, pleasant thoughts."

"I know. Sorry."

"You killed a human? When?"

"You've heard about my battle with the red-core Peacekeeper, right?" She nodded. "President Stone was inside that robot—absorbed by it."

"That wasn't your fault."

"I know, and as far as I can tell, he deserved it. But it bothers me anyway."

"That might not be a bad thing. It'll keep you honest."

"That's right; it will. As long as I remember, I'll always be very careful about what battles I join."

Luna scooted over and leaned against him back to back. "And mistakes happen," she said.

"They do. And they keep me honest too." He noticed her hand and gently took it.

"So you're over the disaster?"

"Pretty much, but I think it'll always hurt when I think of everybody that's over there, gone."

"Yeah." She leaned her head back against his. "I'm a weapon too, you know."

"Your martial arts? You've been practising."

"M-hm. It's seriously different doing it with this kind of power. I mean, I can cover a lot of ground now. I've had to adjust everything to the android reality." She fell silent for a moment. "Do you think you could kill if you faced the right enemy?"

"I suppose it depends, you know, on what's happening. Without the red core around, I'm pretty tough to kill, so I wouldn't be afraid of that most of the time. I guess it depends on what I'm defending."

She giggled. "I wouldn't want to see you really mad after what you did to me for just attacking James. I was shocked."

"Well, I knew I could be pretty rough without hurting you, and I had to get you away from it in a hurry."

"My turn to apologize. I've learned something about picking my fights from that myself."

"Do you think you could teach me some of your martial arts?"

"What? Aren't the rockets and the arm cannons ...?"

"And the machine-guns in my butt."

She snorted, then burst out laughing. "No way."

"Way. One of Dad's crazier ideas. But they're helpful sometimes."

"I suppose."

"I want to have more options. I mean, blasting with my cannons is kind of final. If I can disable rather than destroy, I want to go that way."

"Of course. How about right now?"

"Sure!"

Astro saw Sludge, Sam, and some other boys playing basketball, using a hoop Hamegg had welded together, as he and Luna entered Hamegg's courtyard.

Sludge broke away and stared at him. "Whoa! What happened to you?"

He pointed a thumb at Luna. "She's teaching me martial arts."

"You sure she isn't just beating you up?"

Luna glanced at Astro and giggled.

"I'm sure," said Astro, grinning.

Cora came out into the courtyard and said, "Astro, I thought I heard your voice here ..." Her eyes widened as she got a clear look at him, and she groaned. "Not now, of all times. Please, get cleaned up, then go see your father." She turned to Luna and took her arm. "Come on, let's get you ready."

"Oh, is it time?" asked Luna.

"That's right. We need to make you pretty."

Astro ran in and took a quick shower, then pulled on a clean change of clothes and dashed up to where Zane said his father was: Hamegg's workshop.

Tenma and Hamegg were going over a robot schematic on the work bench. "Hi there, Astro," said Hamegg. "Would you be so kind as to put that on?" He pointed to a chair in the corner.

Over it was draped Astro's clown costume. Astro chuckled as he got into it.

"Hey Astro," radioed Luna. "You think I should colour my hair bubble-gum pink?"

"Is there time for that?" he replied.

"I can change it through my processor. You should be able to too."

"Whatever. Bubble-gum pink sounds good. Go for it."

"But you've got to do yours in baby blue."

"Baby blue hair?"

"Please, for me."

He sighed. "Baby blue. Got it. Can we change skin colours as well?"

"Of course, but only shades of tan, I think. Why?"

"Just a sec. I want to try something." He hunted around for a mirror, but could only find the shiny surface of a robot torso that Hamegg had trussed up in the welding station. Then he put in a user request to his processor to change his skin colour. Checking the result, he was satisfied to see his face a chalk white. Cool. "Hey," he radioed. "You can make doing make-up easier: tell it to make your skin white."

A couple of moments later, she responded. "Gah! Is that ever freaky! ... You lazy bum! I'll bet you did that so I wouldn't use so much make-up on you."

He grinned. "Bingo! And you can make your cheeks bright red."

"Whatever. I'll be up there in a minute to put the final touches to your make-up."

When she came into the room, Tenma and Hamegg glanced around to see who had entered, then froze.

Tenma was the first to say something. "Ah, I see you two have figured out that feature."

"Why on earth would you make them able to change skin and hair colours?" Hamegg asked.

"I found it too difficult to get the colours right at the manufacturing stage. This way, if I guessed wrong, I could fine-tune it afterwards."

Hamegg frowned. "But pink? And blue?"

Shrugging, Tenma said, "They are kids, after all. Why not?"

"I've been right all along," muttered Hamegg. "You're crazy."

"Oh come on, Hank. Loosen up."

Once Luna was done with Astro's face, Tenma led them downstairs. "Alright," he said. "Two android clowns, handstands on the pool table, now!"

Luna leapt onto the pool table and took her position easily, but Astro, trying to imitate her, crashed onto the floor on the other side.

"Toby never did like gym class, did he?" said Tenma as he helped him up.

"No sir, he didn't," said Astro. He had to smile though: this was definitely nothing like a wedding.

"Jerry, Zane," Hamegg barked. "Let's help poor Astro out here."

Once Astro was in position, Tenma stood on the floor in front of them. "Astro," he said. "You wish to make Luna your master?"

"Uh-huh."

"Master request: Master equals Luna Harrington. Complete." Turning to Luna, he went on, "You wish to make Astro your master?"

"I do."

"Since your previous master is deceased, I must fill in. So, Administrator override: Master equals Astro Tenma. There. Done." He rubbed his hands together. "Let the celebration begin!"

Luna quickly got upright as Zane and Jerry helped Astro to get down. Cora dashed into the kitchen and reappeared carrying a slab cake iced in white, with two toy robots standing side by side in the centre.

Luna turned expectantly to Astro, who smiled and shrugged, and they embraced, to the rousing cheers of all present.

As Hamegg shepherded his kids off to bed later, Cora came over to Astro and Luna, who had taken off their clown costumes. "So, where are you going to spend your honeymoon?" she asked.

"Honeymoon?" said Astro. "But we didn't get married ..."

"Of course honeymoon," Luna said with a mischievous grin. "But where can we go? Do you know of any place?"

Cora thought for a moment. "I can't think of anything off hand that'd be available on this kind of notice. Maybe we can ask Hamegg."

"Hold it!" Astro glared at Luna. "How can we have a honeymoon?"

She looked at him for a moment with an expression he couldn't read, then stared at the floor. "Please, Astro," she radioed. "I, uh ... With everything that's happened, I ... you ..."

Astro stared. With her outgoing, energetic personality, it had never entered his mind that she might also have suffered at the destruction of Metro City. As her grief flooded his mind, he grabbed her hand and said, "Let's find Hamegg."

A couple of minutes later, the man came down from the sleeping area. "That's easy," he said after they told him their problem. "The old RRF hideout. I've deactivated those three robots, so it's not being used right now. It may be pretty shabby for a honeymoon—no bed and all that—but it is nice and far away from everything."

"We don't need a bed," said Luna. "After all, we can sleep standing up if we have to."

Cora tried to suppress a giggle. "That's not the point of a bed here."

"Our first night alone together," Luna said in the dimly lit shack as they held each other in a loose hug. "Thanks."

"Yeah. I wonder what we'll do with each other starting tomorrow."

"Let's leave that for tomorrow." She pulled away gently and took off her top, then removed his as well. "We've had too much of worry. Right now, please ..." She gave a deep sigh. "... hold me close."

He wrapped his arms around her, seeing how she needed him in her grief, but the warmth of direct contact unexpectedly seeped into his own heart, and he trembled.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He laughed and lifted her off the floor. "You love me! That's what."

"Yes! And you love me!" She hugged him enthusiastically. "And I can squish you as hard as I want!"

"Yeah!"

No longer terribly alone.