AN: Hello everyone, after the hanger I left you last time, I couldn't help but post this chapter right away...

Chapter 7

Two full months had passed since Eveline's death and Dorian started to go back to normal. He was calm and in control again.

John and Dorian had just finished a case when a group of detectives were over at Paul's desk to celebrate. Dorian sat down at John's desk to finish a small amount of paperwork while they took a quick drink. He was shuffling through files when one crashed onto the floor and a few papers spilled out. As he bent down to retrieve them, a wave of remembrance surged through him. He flipped over the file and on the front page sat a photo of the princess sitting on a bench smiling down at a flower, a white lily. The photo was clearly taken by surprise as she looked to have no knowledge of the photographer being near her. Her smile was too genuine to be planned.

Dorian let his eyes linger on the picture for a few seconds before his fingers unconsciously traced the outline of her face on the paper. A corner of his lips curved up into a half smile until a loud clapping startled him. He looked up quickly, closing the file and hiding it under the pile on the desk.

Captain Maldonado came into the room clapping loudly, something very out of character for her, as a few other small members of the office joined in with her. Kennex, Paul, Dorian and a few others looked at her with confused faces as Sandra lead detective Stahl in. She was smiling to herself then looked at the captain who gave her a nod.

"What the hells going on?" John whispered as he scooted over to his partner.

"I-I don't know, man." he shrugged.

Detective Stahl scanned around the room for a seconds before reaching under the collar of her coat and suddenly her face started to pixelate then faded away. Dorian stood then and there at the sight of what was under the transmission, his knees getting shaky under him and his mouth opened.

Bright eyes looked around until they settled upon him then soft foot beats padded on the floor as she ran to him. Pairs of hands clapping all around her as she ran into his arms. He pulled her to him with his mouth still open with shock and confusion then looked at John who's eye brows were knitted together. He was just as surprised as Dorian.

"How are-?"

"How is she-?" John tried to finish for Dorian, but his works fell as short as his partner's. She pulled away slightly from the android and slammed her lips into his. He held her tight to him, starting to quickly constrict her of any air. When she gasped, he released her, but she came right back to him.

Sandra was standing beside her office door with a large smile on her face as the real detective Stahl came in.

"She was dead, how the hell-?" Paul also tried.

"Staged death." the captain put simply. "She needed to vanish."

"Eveline, we thought you were dead." John murmured.

"That was the point." she laughed slightly.

"We saw you buried."

"Face changers are a hell of a thing." the captain laughed behind them.

"I couldn't have done it without you." Eveline looked at everyone in the station. "Thank you all for giving me a freedom I've never known."

"I wish I'd known." Dorian said.

"You couldn't know. Most of you couldn't or it wouldn't have worked." Dorian pushed hair out of her face as she spoke.

"What now?" John asked the captain.

"Now, Eveline will continue to live in protective custody with an undercover guard. We have a new safe place set aside for her close by."

"I volunteer to take the job of guarding her." Dorian stated.

"We figured that." the captain smiled. "You will be living with her in. A charging station is already in place there."

"I thought he was city property and had to be under supervision at all times." John brought up, jokingly.

"With all the money Eveline donated, we were able to supply her with a small set of training." Eveline showed her badge to them. She was the lowest officer in the room, but she now had a job, and a reason to have Dorian around.

"That's part of the reason it took so long." Eveline admitted.

"Everything is set up, but you'll have to let Rudy know."

"Know what?" John asked.

"That he'll be having another room mate." the captain said gently before heading into her office.

Dorian and Eveline went to get her things out of the car and move them into Rudy's, after asking. He said they didn't need to ask. He was more than happy to have someone else around. He was clearly a lonely man who wasn't good with women, and a new friend was exactly what he needed.

He set aside a room for her and they moved in a bed and a few other things. When the big stuff was moved, Eveline was left to put away her clothes.

"Eveline, I need to talk to you." Dorian said, leaning in from a hall.

"Let me finish here and we can talk." She had changed into a blue dress with another lily in her hair behind her ear.

"It can't wait any longer." Eveline put down the shirt she was folding and looked at him.

"Go ahead." she offered. He came into the room and stood beside her.

"When you were gone- when I thought you were dead, it was the most emotional time I've ever gone through. I was angry at everyone. I was angry at everyone who'd ever hurt you, at everyone one who couldn't save you."

"It was all just a set up. None of it was real."

"I didn't know that. I was angry at myself. For the first time, I hated what I'd done. I hated that I wasn't able to protect you. Then I was sad that you were gone. For a long time I hurt."

"I told you to let me die." Eveline said almost sweetly.

"That was it. I couldn't. I couldn't let you die. Eveline, I loved you too much to let you go." his eyes swept over her face as he spoke.

"Dorian- I- I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." he sighed, figuring it would end this way. "I'm an android. You're human." he backed up.

"Dorian, that's not it." she grabbed his hand. "I don't think that because we are what we are that we can't- Dorian, I will die someday, and you'll be all alone. I never even thought of it." Her eyes widened at the thought and her stomach sank. "I can't do that to you. I love you too much to do that to you. I can't hurt you again." she whispered.

"Eveline-" he put his head down to hers.

Eveline sighed and stepped back. "I should have stayed hidden from you. I should have let you move on with your job."

"No,"

"I should have saved you from seeing me grow old and decay before you."

He grabbed her arms and held her in front of him, "Eveline, I'd rather see you old and alive than know that you were killed in cold blood. I'd rather you leave me now, now that I know you'll have a life." Her glassy eyes looked at him then she rushed into his chest and he held her, the side of his face glowing bright like the blue moon.

"I won't leave you. I love you, Dorian." She pushed up to his lips and they fell back onto the bed. They finally shared something that should have been shared months ago.

Eveline fell into Dorian and their lips pulled apart. She stayed in his arms on the bed and simply enjoyed his strangely human touch.

Dorian had never felt anything like this. Eveline's skin stuck to his. It was warm and soft and he wanted nothing more than to caress it. He could stay like this for all eternity. He loved this woman more than anything.

He reached for her hand and held the palm to his cheek so that he could hear her pulse.

"Dorian?"

"Mhm?" his eyes were closed as he listened carefully, while his face continued to light up. Eveline didn't say anything, she just sat up and pulled from him. "What?" he asked, afraid that he'd done something wrong. He sat up with her and looked her face over, trying to read her. He relaxed some when she smiled softly at him and he could feel his lips curve up into a half smile. He met her eyes finally and she shied away before he leaned forward and rubbed her nose with his then kissed her gently.

Eveline smiled then put her hands around his head and laid down, bringing him with her. She leaned back against the pillows and settled with his head against her breasts, his ear between them and flush against the crest of her rib cage. He was a bit confused at first but then he could hear the thumping of her heartbeat so much clearer. He closed his eyes and listened as he took in her scent.

She was so human that when he laid with her, it was like he was too.

Eveline laid there with his face on her chest for awhile before she finally took noticed of his hands that had been traveling around her skin. His fingers drifted over her hands, arms, neck, anywhere that skin was visible, but only there. She knew he was hungry for more and slowly took hold of one hand and guided it under the hem of her dress so that he could feel her ribs, her hips, and then-

"Ouch," she jerked.

"What's the matter?" he sat up, worried as to how he'd hurt her. She sat up slightly beside him and lifted the bottom of the dress to inspect her stomach. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it just gets sore sometimes." Dorian tried to see what she was looking at, and then in the dim light, he saw it. A scared over wound on her stomach was what had caused her discomfort.

"What happened?"

"I was trying to save the man I loved." she smiled up at him, softly.

"I thought you said that was all a set up?"

"Only my death was." That was when he realized what she'd sacrificed for him. Eveline had really taken a bullet for him, an android, and was willing to die for him. He then pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around all of her. He wished he had a heartbeat for her to hear. He wanted her to understand what she'd meant to him. He wanted her to understand that he would no longer be able to go on without her.

He wanted to protect her at any cost to himself. He would rather die than let anything happen to her ever again. She was too pure and loving for him to ever allow any evil to touch her.

"Dorian?" He shook his head a opened his eyes. He was back at John's desk in the station with Eveline's file in his hands. He looked at the picture on the page and almost shook with sorrow. It had been a dream or a fantasy, something he created in his own mind.

He was about to punch the computer in front of him but then remembered that someone was standing behind him, the person who'd called him from his dream. He turned in the chair to see a woman behind him. "Yes, detective Stahl?" he answered with a breath through his nose.

She didn't say anything, but then his eyes took notice of something. Her hands cradled something. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He looked up quickly at her when he saw that in her hands was none other than a simple white lily.

"You should have let me die."

AN: And that concludes Skin to Bone. I hope you all enjoyed this shorter Almost Human fanfiction. I had a lot of fun writing it and I am planning on doing a few add-ons already. We'll see how fast they get done. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this and please feel free to leave me any feedback that you have. Any and all comments and questions are welcome :)