Disclaimer: See initial chapter.
A/N: I did mention this was AU right, and not completely sane, and that it isn't based on exact science, but than an expert was consulted? Not an expert in aliens, or male pregnancy, though. My poor science friend. She endures a lot of weird questions from me, and patiently tells me how I can tweak things to make them somewhat feasible from a scientific point of view. I also mentioned that I'm experimenting with point-of-view as well, right?
"But, men can't get pregnant," Steve said, and it wasn't for the first time. At this point it was getting to be beyond redundant.
He'd been repeating the phrase, sometimes beneath his breath, almost always with bewilderment in his voice, for the past hour and a half after Dr. Max Bergman diagnosed what was 'wrong' with Chin and Danny. What their significantly distended bellies purportedly held.
Danny and Chin had finally conceded to undergoing an examination, as long as it wasn't at a hospital. Both Danny and Chin had been adamant about not going to the hospital, and no amount of coaxing from Steve and Kono could convince them otherwise.
"While technically that may be correct," Max cut Steve off in the middle of another whispered exclamation about the impossibility of male pregnancy. "There has been a documented case of a male bearing a child."
"But wasn't he a..."
"He was a transgender male, yes," Max said. "He gave birth, successfully, to three children."
"But..." Steve turned from Max and looked from Danny to Chin, peering closely at both men and narrowing his eyes. Danny felt like he'd been placed under a microscope. It was an uncomfortable, and wholly unpleasant feeling.
"You're not...?" Steve trailed off, his eyes wide as he looked at Danny.
"No, I am not a transgender male, Steven," Danny said, rolling his eyes and throwing up his hands.
"Neither am I," Chin added, quirking an eyebrow as though daring Steve to insinuate otherwise.
"Hmm," Max said. "Very puzzling. From my examination of both males, it would appear that -"
"Danny and Chin, Max," Steve said. "They're not a couple of John Does, Max."
"Yes, of course," Max conceded. "As I was saying, my examination of Danny and Chin revealed that both men are carrying fetuses that are approximately twenty four weeks along in the gestation period." He pointed to images that were on a screen on the wall opposite them.
Steve stood next to Danny, and Danny reached for his hand. He knew, from watching Grace develop in Rachel's body, that fetuses often looked like something from Star Wars. But, seeing the almost alien-looking beings that were apparently growing inside of him and Chin triggered a memory that he couldn't quite recall in its entirety, and he gripped Steve's hand tightly.
"They are being housed in what appear to be artificial uteri." Max showed another picture, presumably of one of the artificial uteri.
"Additionally, both men, Danny and Chin," Max said, looking toward Steve, as though afraid of the man's response, "seem to be producing hormones which are necessary for them to carry a child to full term. I believe that these hormones are somehow being distributed via this tube," Max leaned in close to his screen and pointed at the tube in question, "which is located near their thyroid glands."
He seemed fascinated, excited, and Danny felt sick. According to Steve and Kono, he and Chin had only been missing for half a day. Somehow, and he didn't know how, it felt like months had passed rather than a day and a half.
And, according to Kono and Steve this was the second time that they'd gone missing. The first time had been six months prior to this, and, apparently, though Danny and Chin had no recollection of it, they'd both been, "Hornier than a couple of sailors on shore leave." Steve's words, not Kono's, though hers had been equally colorful.
The thought of it made Danny blush, and foggy memories pushed at his mind. Memories of purple clouds and spongy skin, of a loss of control that wasn't wholly unwelcome. It was followed by a much better, clearer memory of his first time with Steve.
"It's really rather extraordinary," Max said, jarring Danny from his thoughts. "If you think about it in purely scientific terms."
"Extraordinary isn't exactly how I'd put it," Chin said, voice soft. He was gripping Kono's hand as tight as Danny was gripping Steve's.
"Extraterrestrial," Kono whispered. "Could it be...I mean, I don't know, but, you saw it, too, didn't you Steve? The bright lights and the object hovering in the air?"
"You think that Chin and I got knocked up by a couple of aliens?" Danny laughed, but his gut twisted, and he exchanged a look with Chin.
Kono scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's possible."
"The existence of alien beings has been widely documented," Max said slowly, peering closely at the images, and then at Danny and Chin in turn. "It's not something that can be ruled out."
Danny gripped Steve's hand tighter and turned away from the images. He wanted to get out of Max's office, and go home. He was dizzy, and what Max was showing them just wasn't possible. He wasn't pregnant with some alien's love child, or worse. He wasn't.
"I believe that, whatever the case," Max said, no doubt sensing Danny and Chin's unease. "Danny and Chin's bodies are being used as incubators, of sorts. Perhaps," Max held a hand up to forestall any protests when all of them opened their mouths to speak. "Perhaps an alien species is dying out, and -"
"So, they pick Danny and I off the beach to act as incubators for their offspring?" Chin asked. He pushed himself off of the exam table and walked toward the door. "Why not choose a woman? Surely an alien species would know how procreation works on planet Earth."
"Not necessarily," Max said, shaking his head. "They might've chosen the two of you, because you were convenient. They might have chosen you for another reason altogether. Maybe they thought that you'd be strong vessels, stronger than the female of our species."
Kono grunted and Max held his hands out in a gesture of peace.
"Or," Steve said, looking at Danny in a way that made Danny's face heat up. "Maybe they'd studied you and knew what a loving father you are, Danno. Maybe it wasn't random, maybe they wanted someone they knew would protect the offspring at whatever cost to himself."
"I can't believe that you're on board with the whole alien conspiracy theory, Steven," Danny said, pulling his hand away from Steve.
"If aliens didn't do it," Steve countered. "Then who did? You and Chin were missing for eleven hours and thirty seven minutes. The first time it was only for six hours, fifteen minutes and twenty-six seconds. That's not enough time for a mad scientist to get his hands on you and do all of this." Steve gestured at the images still on the screen and at Danny and Chin who had considerably larger bellies than they'd had when they were taken.
"Fine," Danny said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Let's say that I do buy into this whole idea that an alien race is in danger of dying out so they come to Earth and choose people to incubate with their offspring, what does that mean for Chin and me? Does that mean that, in six month's time, maybe less, an alien is going to pop out of our chests or -"
"Actually, Danny," Max held his finger up, and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "I believe that the genetic makeup of this alien species must be very similar to our own. I do not believe that they would have entrusted the fate of their offspring to a vessel that would be unable to support it."
"You people are insane," Danny said, raising his voice, and looking at each of them in turn. "Chin and I are not alien incubators."
No matter what our bellies look like right now, he thought, ignoring the odd sensation that something was fluttering in his stomach. Just butterflies, he reasoned. And, many, many trips to the gym to work out all of these pesky butterflies. Lots of running, surfing, swimming. Hell, maybe I'll take up some yoga.
Danny jumped off the exam table and pushed past Steve and Max. He and Chin walked out of the door, without exchanging a word. Danny wondered if Chin felt as terrified as he did.