Author Note: Almost Human is back! Finally! I got this idea after seeing the "Life in a bottle" promo pic on the A.H. fan page, because my mind thought, "Baby Dorian?" I couldn't resist, and I hope this story doesn't turn out weird...er than it already sounds. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't Almost Human, its characters, etc.

Chapter One: We're Proud to Announce...

"Dorian. Dorian, wake up! Or, start up, whatever! Dorian!"

The DRN was unresponsive. He was still strapped to the gurney, and the monitor next to him had been smashed in. John looked over at Paul, who was busy ordering his MX to fall in with the others. "Richard, help me out here!"

"What's wrong with him?" Paul walked over, holstering his gun. "Is he...?"

"I don't know," John snapped in irritation. It had been a long night, and he'd already been worried about that. "Let's just get him out of this, and out of here."

Paul threw him a look. "How do we do that? Look at these cuffs - do you have a laser?"

John sighed, looking over his shoulder. "Hey, MX, over here!" One of the models recognized the command and joined them. "Can you get this off of him?"

The MX analyzed. "Stand aside, Detective." In one quick moment, the android had taken the metal and shattered it. Then he did the same with the other three, then looked at John. "Shall I assist you in carrying him out?" He asked.

John shook his head. "We got it. Just secure the perimeter." He reached out to take Dorian's arm. Suddenly, it was like someone had hit the on switch; Dorian opened his eyes, gasped, and took John's hand in a strong grip. "Ah, Dorian - "

"You're here," Dorian replied. He looked up at him with immense relief, and smiled. "John, how long has it been?"

"I'll tell you if you'd let go of my hand," John grunted. Dorian realized the problem and did as asked. "Let's just go. Can you walk?"

Dorian nodded. He sat up, blinked a couple of times, then stood. One of the suspects was in custody now, so the team headed out of the lab to sort everything out. Outside, the medical team was waiting for Dorian. Rudy was there, and even he couldn't keep the smile from his face. He hurried over to the DRN, looking tempted to hug him.

"Dorian, are you all right?"

"Fine, Doctor Lom. As far as I can tell, my internal system hasn't been tampered with, and I'm all in one piece."

"You're sure? I mean, you don't think they...did anything, do you?"

Dorian only shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'll have someone check me out when we get back. For now, I need to recharge at the lab."

Rudy nodded fervently, patted Dorian's shoulder, and let the matter drop for now. He would be observing the examination, one way or another - if Maldonado denied him that, he'd fight it. This case had been too important not to look into, and if the consequences had hit with his roommate, he wanted to know about it.

John was in the same boat. As they drove back to the precinct, his eyes kept moving cautiously over to his partner. Dorian noticed and asked him about it. "Were you worried, John?" He asked, a smile in his voice.

John shifted. "Sure. You're my partner, why would I not be? Don't make a big deal, got it?"

"I won't, though it is tempting."

"...You're sure you're all right? I mean, the idea of these experiments...it's not natural."

Dorian considered it. "No, but not unrealistic. People were finding alternatives way before this technology was developed."

"It doesn't make it right," John insisted. "Using people as surrogates like this is messed up, and doing it to androids - DRNs and MXs alike - is...I don't even want to know."

Dorian almost responded, but he thought better of it. John was set in his ways, and the both of them were too tired to argue now. It had taken almost a month to track down the suspects, to find Dorian. At least they had a lead now, but Dorian wasn't sure on how compliant he would be.

At the station, John left Dorian at the stairs, giving him a final, concerned look. Dorian insisted he was fine, and that John get home to get some rest. He turned and headed in, where Maldonado was waiting for him. She extended her hand, which he took, and she placed her other one over his. "You're all right," she said.

"I'm fine, Captain," he agreed with a smile. "When will the suspect be questioned?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"I'd like to be there, if you'll allow it."

Sandra hesitated, then sighed. "I suppose it won't do anyone harm. I just hope we'll have an answer to all of this."

Noah looked up at the female police officer, and smiled. "Really, anything you've heard on the news will tell you what you need to know."

She stared at him tersely. "I want to hear it from your mouth. You're obviously not the head of this operation, and you don't seem too upset in being here. Tell me more about the experiments."

Noah sighed. "Fine. We are a highly-professional, highly-discreet organization in alternatives to parenting." He said it in a scripted fashion, like an ad would give when promoting their product. "We believe in no questions asked, no prerequisites, other than the pure desire in raising a child and giving him or her a chance at life. Yada, yada, yada," he finished, and the woman shook her head. He peered up at her. "Are you with anyone now, ma'am? You look like the perfect - "

"That's enough," she barked. She glanced at the other man in the room, the DRN, before continuing. "What was the process in doing this? What supplies did you need?"

Noah looked at her like the answer was obvious. "Black Market supplies, of course. Where else could you get willing donors and participants? The process is simple from there, especially for a woman. Since her biology is already perfect how it is, it's no different than an artificial insemination."

"We received reports of men involving themselves," the officer reminded him, "as well as synthetic models. What's the story behind that? You have either males or asexual carriers of a child at that point."

Noah smiled. "That was the harder part - for the androids, at least. A pouch was made, placed on the abdomen, and for the male humans, the transfer of nutrients is simple. The pouch is biological, so through a surgical process, it holds the child and keeps them alive, growing. For the MXs, and our friend here, it would be much more complicated."

The woman held up her hand, then pointed at the DRN. "Are you saying that he's had the pouch put on?"

"I didn't say that, no. I said the process would be more difficult. You see, with a human, the pouch adapts externally, creating that 'baby bump', with the androids, it had to be done internally. Parts are removed, rearranged, and it doesn't make a difference. As the baby grows, the skin may extend a little, but it depends on how big the baby is. The carrier injects the necessary foods into the pouch, where the infant receives it through the umbilical cord."

The woman was quiet for a moment, taking in all of the information. She finally looked at him again and said, "What about your partners? Where would they have gone?"

Again, Noah shrugged. "You were smart enough to find our secret hideout - the big one - so I'm sure you'll have them in no time. Just follow the sounds of little, pattering feet." He laughed at the last comment, pleased with his wit. The cops both shook their heads, and the female instructed the MX officers to escort him back into his cell for now.

Dorian, meanwhile, remained quiet. His hand rested on his stomach, and memories of being in the lab ran through his files. As it turned out, his memories had been a little tampered with, so he had little to work with. He'd spent all of his time on the operation table, too, so he never was sure of his surroundings. Sandra placed a hand on his shoulder. "You okay, Dorian?"

He smiled. "Yes, just thinking. It looks like we've made progress; he told us more than I thought he would."

Sandra frowned. "That's what worries me. He seemed so happy to confess, like he'd been expecting us to find him."

"Perhaps they just weren't worried about the consequences. They just wanted to see how long this would run before someone found out."

The Captain didn't know what to say. The department now faced apprehending the other criminals, but dealing with all of the pregnancies and parties involved was out of their hands. The legal battles would be a nightmare, to say the least. Sandra opened the door and walked out to the lobby with Dorian. "So, you're all checked out? Nothing was found?"

Dorian shook his head. "Not at the moment. If anything develops, I'll let you know."

"You're okay to work?"

Dorian glanced over at John, who was sitting at his desk and watching something. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting back out there. I'm thankful everyone was so diligent in finding me."

Sandra smiled, following his gaze. "He was the most diligent, just so you know. Don't tell him I said that, but it's true."

The two parted ways there, and Dorian quietly walked over to John. On the screen before him was the news report about the experiments. The camera showed a picture of Noah as the reporter spoke:

"Police brought into custody Noah Burnham, one of the alleged members of the recently developed L.I.F.E organization. To recap, these men were soliciting an opportunity for both females and males to give birth to a child, or be a surrogate for another. Reports have been gathered in saying that synthetics have also been victimized in this manner, though not much more information has been given at this time. Mr. Burnham is being questioned, and the search for his colleagues continues."

"John, are you ready to go?"

John had a deep frown on his face as he deactivated the screen. He stood and shook his head, obviously disgusted. "Yeah, let's go."

Two month later...

"Initiating start-up."

Dorian twitched to life, spending a moment to enjoy the silence the lab offered. Living with Rudy Lom had been a decent choice, and much better than having the MXs wandering around him. He stepped away from his charging station, and walked into the next room. Rudy was already awake, and noticed Dorian's presence immediately. "Morning, good sir. How are we doing today?"

Dorian paused, then made a thoughtful face. "I'm going to tell them today."

For a moment, Rudy was confused. When he noticed Dorian had his hand over his stomach, the light bulb turned on. "Oh. A-Are you sure? I mean, there's no rush; no one's noticed - "

"Still, it's only fair. Things seem stable now, and the baby is growing at a healthy rate. Don't worry about being in trouble, by the way," Dorian added at Rudy's uncertain expression, "we can say it was a miscalculation."

"Yeah, but what about all of the scheduled injections for the fetus? I'll tell you, it wasn't easy getting what I needed under Maldonado's nose."

"Oh, Dorian replied. "Perhaps it's best to tell the truth, then."

Rudy grimaced. "I dunno, mate. We've already planned everything after the delivery, so no one knows about it..." He trailed off, and looked at Dorian's stomach again. "I suppose there's no talking you out of it. You're as stubborn as John is. I'm sure this baby will be just like you, too, Dorian."

Dorian smiled at the humor. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I take full responsibility, since I kept this from even you in the beginning. I appreciate you keeping my cover for now."

"You have a lot of compassion, friend. That's what makes your series so great, but I know that each of you has your own personality. You're just being you." Rudy smiled, and patted the DRN's shoulder. "Want me to go up with you?"

"No, I'll be fine, thank you. John will be here soon, so I'll inform the Captain, just for practice. I'm sure John will react...accordingly."

Dorian left Rudy shaking his head. Upstairs, Sandra was in her office, filing over reports and talking on the phone. He waved to her, and she buzzed him in and invited him to sit. Her conversation seemed to be with an upset man, who was yelling on the other end. All Sandra could do was apologize and kindly ask him to call in the afternoon. When she managed to hang up, she heaved a sigh and closed her eyes. "Morning, Dorian. What can I do for you?"

"You seem stressed. Should I come back another time?"

"No, no, it's fine. We've been getting understandably hostile calls from parents of young girls who've signed onto the L.I.F.E. program. I'd just love to hear good news right about now."

Dorian hesitated. "...I see. Perhaps another time would be perfect." He stood, but Sandra waved her hand.

"It was just a figure of speech, Dorian. If you have a problem, you need to tell me."

The DRN carefully sat back down. "Very well. See, I have good news, but also, bad news. Which would you like first?"

Sandra scrunched her nose. This was not going to be a good day. "The good news?"

Dorian nodded. "Well, when I told you, concerning the experiment I underwent, that nothing had developed, I wasn't lying...at the time."

Sandra stared at him. "What do you mean?"

Dorian looked down, and finally lifted a little of his grey shirt. Sandra leaned forward, and immediately saw a slight, protruding bump. "Dorian," she replied warningly.

"Since then, nine weeks have passed. There's a baby, which I've been providing nutrition to from the beginning. I didn't wish to inform you because many of the babies put into MX models have died. However, this one has maintained rather well."

"Oh, Dorian!" Sandra moaned. "What's the bad news?!"

"...Your reaction. I want to carry it to full term, and give it a good home, but I feared telling you."

"So you're two months along? I can't believe I'm asking you this." She rested a hand over her eyes.

"Yes, plus one week."

"Okay, well, one step at a time. We have to contact the donor. Most people donated anonymously, but I'm sure you've already scanned the DNA." Dorian nodded, but didn't reply. So, Sandra pressed him. "Who's the father?"

Suddenly there was a knock on the glass. John was there, coffee in hand without fail. The two of them looked at him, then Dorian turned back to Sandra and let his eyes give his answer.

"You've got to be kidding me."

I was really, really, ridiculously tempted to make John the one with the baby. However, I wondered if realistically John would have accepted it. Dorian is more compassionate, and openly adorable with that. So, we'll see what chaos ensues since John is, uh, the generous donor :) Anyways, thanks for reading!