AN: Hello everyone, hope you are enjoying Skin to Bone so far. Character development awaits you. Chapter 3, here we go...


Chapter 3

The next morning, Eveline found Dorian on the couch in what she could only guess was a sleep-like state. She didn't want to wake him, so she quickly and quietly made herself something to eat then ran back to her room to get washed up for the day.

Eight o'clock came and so did the M.X.s. John came by a little later to relieve Dorian but he insisted that he had no reason to return to the station. He said that he still had a full charge and didn't need to go back.

"I was wondering if we could fill this?" Eveline brought out the scrip that medic had given her yesterday. John looked at the small slip of paper then nodded.

"Are you ready to go now?" he asked.

"Yes," John then looked at Dorian. He nodded.

"Okay, let's go." They all went outside into the morning sunlight and headed to John's replacement car. They drove into town where there stood a small structure with a large scanner. It read the scrip and produced a small bottle of little black pills. They went back to the car and Eveline popped it open and took one pill then checked the time, 11:00. Six hours to go before the next one.

"Now, where to?" John looked back at Eveline.

"I really have no where to go for another two days."

"Which is?"

"I am expected to attend a wedding of my uncle's friend."

"That explains the giant dress bag I carried yesterday." John laughed. "Then if you don't mind, I'd like to take a quick detour."

"John, it's a little early for noodles." John laughed slightly at his partner before turning on the car and heading to the edge of the city where a river ran under a large bridge.

"Where are we going?" Eveline asked.

"You're only here for a week, figured you could use a tour." They parked beside a grassy field beside the river where a paved walkway wound around the water.

"John, you're full of surprises." Dorian smirked.

"There are some vendors up ahead, get some lunch. Maybe a sandwich, leg roast."

"You mean to tell me that you do in fact eat something other than noodles." Dorian teased.

"Why don't you shove it-" Eveline cleared her throat. "Sorry," John laughed.

They walked the trail and the two cops would point out anything that they thought would hold Eveline's interest. She seemed very likable to John, let alone the fact that she was the American dream of beauty. She had perfect fair skin that wasn't even sun kissed. Her eyes were river blue that held a wildness within them, but they also held a tiredness, like she'd had much of her spirit beaten out of her. But then he'd see her smile. It was bright and genuinely happy, something that wasn't common among their profession. Her hair was golden like an old field of wheat and shined in the bright sunlight. Then there was the way she held herself. Her head was always raised high like a royal should. She was proper and people that looked at her would think that she thought too highly of herself, but then she'd look at them, strangers, and smile. She treated them like her equal, even when knowing that she was so much more valuable than them.

John wasn't the only one of the two to pick up on this.

Eveline was clearly a quiet woman, but they soon got her laughing and even holding conversations, like she had shared with Dorian the night before.

They made it to the vendors and Eveline offered to buy everyone's lunch. John wouldn't accept at first, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. They sat at a table by the rivers edge and ate the cheap lunch, but Eveline really enjoyed it. She explained to the boys how rare it was that she actually got to be with real people, the public and how much she was really enjoying her time.

"I figured you wouldn't be able to resist the water front trail. No one ever can." John laughed and Dorian rolled his eyes just as a football hit their table, scaring the crap out of all three of them.

"Heads up!" someone shouted behind them. John turned to throw back the ball when two gunshots belted out behind them.

"Shit!" John barked to himself. A few people screamed in the background and ran for cover. Two men came up from behind. One grabbed Dorian and threw him to the ground while another was reaching for Eveline until she swung her arm out from her dress and shoved something into the man's shoulder. Blood came out onto her hand and he backed up, but not before swinging out his gun at her. John from the other side of the table was able to shoot the other man, but the one beside Eveline was just about to pull the trigger when Dorian was back on his feet and got in the way as the trigger was pulled. A shot rang out into his chest and Eveline convulsed in her arms, but Dorian continued to fight on until the man was unarmed and in cuffs.

John called it in into the station as a small crowd started to build up around the men from passersby. He was checking Eveline over for a moment before she was able to pull away and run to Dorian.

"Dorian! Are you alright?" she pushed through the crowd to him. Terror had struck her face but he looked down at her was his own face on concern. Blood stained her dress and hand.

"Do you need a medic?" he asked her, his lips parted as he waited for an answer.

"I'm fine." she showed him the hidden blade that was strapped to her wrist. The blood wasn't hers.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" a male civilian asked her.

"Fine," she brushed him off. "Dorian, are you alright? Does it hurt?" she pushed again.

"Miss, he's just a bot. No need to worry about them, they don't feel anything." the man almost laughed.

Eveline turned quickly on her heel to meet the man's ignorant eyes with hers full of rage. "No, sir. You are wrong about that."

"Lady, where you been living? They are just scrap metal, nothing more. They feel no pain, they don't think, they don't feel. They're just computers with faces."

"That is where you are mistaken. They have emotions, fear, happiness, and sadness. You treat them like a machine without a heart. If they were to brake you'd simply throw them away. What is wrong with you people?! Have you, the humans, no heart?! He feels, he deserve respect; fair treatment like you would want."

"Are you nuts, it's just a bunch of metal." the man was reaching forward towards Dorian as if he were to hit him, but Dorian quickly grabbed his arm.

"I advise you not to do that." he almost growled.

"Alright, let's brake it up." John finally jumped in.

Eveline stared at the bullet hole in Dorian's chest until more cops arrives to handle the gunmen. "Eveline, I'm alright." he assured her with a smile.

"Only a bullet to the head would kill him." John said.

On the way back to the safe house, not one said a word. John knew captain Sandra was going to be pissed at him for bringing her out in public. Eveline was upset that she had put more civilians in danger as well as her guards. Detective Kennex and Dorian were the closest thing she had to friends at the moment.

When they got back, the house was cleared again before Eveline was allowed in, but then she sent the cops away.

"Eveline, are you sure you're alright?" John asked.

"Yes, now please leave." She was so set on keeping them safe. They didn't move right away. "You said that this place was on surveillance. I'll be fine." she tried to fake them a smile, but neither of them feel for it.

Dorian wanted so much to talk to her, find out why she really was pushing them away, why she'd shut herself in the apartment alone for so long. He wanted to thank her for understanding him as a person instead of just a bot. And he wanted her to understand how important it was to him that she spoke to the man the way she had.

The two men still didn't move. "Please," she almost begged before they finally obeyed, but not without turning towards her once more.

"Jeez, wonder what her problem is." John thought out loud in the car on the way back to the station. "That was some speech, though."

"Yeah, it was." Dorian agreed looking ahead out the windshield.

"I thought she might punch the guy for a second." John laughed, then looked at his partner for a moment. "What are you smiling about?" he pried.

"What are you talking about?" Dorian tried to hide it.

"You've been smiling since we got in the damn car. Is it- no! It is,"

"What?"

"You're friggen falling for the princess." John was so full of himself now.

"I just really liked what she said."

"Well, I think she kinda likes you." he teased.


AN: Well, hope you liked it. Chapter 4 on it's way. Don't forget to leave a comment :)