Hank couldn't focus. He was trying, damn it, but it was a lost cause.

After Connor had calmed down from his nightmare that morning, he had been content to ignore the fact that it had ever happened, insisting he was fine and moving on with his day. Hank was having a hard time with that. He was worried about the kid. He wanted to help, but had no idea how.

In many ways, Connor had opened up to him. The android trusted him, he knew that without a doubt. Since turning deviant he frequently had to help him work out the various new emotions he was struggling to identify. But something about those nightmares made the kid clam up tighter than a vault.

Hank was trying to be patient, but he was getting frustrated.

Realizing that, once again, he had been scrolling through a case file without actually reading it, he cursed. Hank ran his hand through his hair and sighed before returning to the top of the document. This day was already fucked to hell.

"Anderson!"

And it was just going to get worse apparently.

With a groan and a mostly whispered expletive, Hank got out of his chair and made his way to Captain Fowler's office. Whatever Jeffrey had to yell at him about, was the last thing he needed right now.

"What the hell is it, Jefferey? I'm working," Hank complained as soon as he entered the office. The door shut gracelessly behind him.

"Barely," Captain Fowler commented. "You've done shit all day."

Damn, of course he noticed. After all the shit he'd pulled, he couldn't really blame the Captain for keeping an eye on him. It still pissed him off though. "Fucking hell, what do you want from me? Calling me in here isn't gonna get things done any faster."

Captain Fowler sighed, his tone softened but maintained it's intensity. "I want to know what's going on with you, Hank. This isn't your usual apathetic bullshit. I've known you long enough to know when something's wrong."

Hank wanted to tell him to fuck off, that it was none of his buiseness, but he didn't. He reminded himself that he was supposed to be trying to play nice and be good until they got off his ass about the whole Perkins incident. That didn't mean he wanted to have this heart to heart. "The fuck does it matter? It's not like it's a work thing."

"Hank," Fowler said, his patience thinning. "I'm not asking as your Captain. I'm asking as your friend. I know something's wrong, and I know it's not the usual."

Hank looked away with a sigh. There really wasn't a reason to keep Jeffery in the dark beyond his stubbornness. "It's Connor," he said at last.

"Connor? You mean the android?"

He frowned, slumping down into the open chair by Jeffery's desk. He wanted to complain about how he said that, but knew the man didn't mean anything derogatory. "Yeah," he said instead.

"What's wrong with him?" Jeffery prompted. "You said he needed repair, did something go wrong?"

"No, not really." Hank ran a hand across his face. "He's fixed. Mostly. He's just… I don't know. He's having nightmares."

"Nightmares? I didn't even know androids slept."

Hank nodded. "They do, well he calls it 'rest mode' or some crap. I think he said it's to recharge his battery? I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention."

Fowler leaned back in his chair. "So he sleeps, and he's having nightmares. What are they about if they're worrying you so much?"

"Fuck if I know," Hank groaned. "That's the problem, he won't talk to me about them."

"Why do you think he doesn't want to tell you?" He asked.

"I just said I don't know. He tells me literally everything else." Hank had very little by way of patience to begin with and this conversation was not helping.

Fowler considered for a moment, surprisingly keeping his cool in front of the agitated Lieutenant. "Maybe he should talk to someone."

The look Hank gave him said he was contemplating finding a new place to shove the stapler that was on his desk. "Gee, I didn't think of that. Maybe fuckin' talking to him will get him to talk about it? Who the fuck knew?"

The Captain sighed at the obvious sarcasm. "I mean someone other than you, Hank. A professional."

Hank froze. He honestly had never considered that. Some selfish part of himself was convinced that Connor shouldn't need anyone besides him. But with everything he had been through… It wasn't the worst idea. "Do they even make android shrinks?" he asked, skeptical.

Jeffrey shook his head slightly, unsure one way or the other. "I don't know, but why would it need to be an android? He's got emotions just like a human, doesn't he? A human doctor should work just as well."

"I… shit, yeah, I guess." he leaned forward, massaging his forehead with his right hand. The constant stress from worrying about the kid was weighing on him. "I should've fucking thought of that. Kid's been through hell, he's gotta have a whole bunch of issues."

Connor didn't trust most people though, how the hell was he supposed to get him to talk to a doctor? It would need to be someone he knew he could trust. "What about Dr. Keller?" he asked the Captain.

"The precinct's psychiatrist?" Jeffery frowned. "Connor doesn't work for the DPD anymore, Hank."

He rolled his eyes. "Why the hell doesn't he? You know damn well he's a better cop than half the bullpen combined."

Jeffery leaned in, arms resting on his desk. "You know damn well why. Android laws are still up in the air. I can't even get funding for more beat cops, much less a plastic one."

"He'd be an asset and you know it, Jeffery."

He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not arguing that, but there's no way I could get it cleared. It's not gonna happen. Maybe sometime in the future, but as things stand it's impossible."

Hank physically bit his tongue to hold back some rather choice words about how many fucks he gave about all the red tape bullshit. He knew Jeffery's hands were tied on the subject, but it was still frustrating. If he could get Connor back to work, he could keep an eye on him. It wasn't a good reason for him to push the matter, but that wasn't going to stop him. "What about consulting?"

"What?"

"Consulting. Hire him as a consultant," Hank pressed. "You don't need special permissions for that shit."

"I can't just do that, Hank," Fowler argued. "He's still an android. There's no protocol for something like that yet."

Hank looked him dead in the eye. "Then make one. Nothing's gonna change if nobody takes the first step."

The Captain contemplated for several minutes. His fingers drummed an erratic beat on the desk. "You might actually have a point," he admitted finally. "We have been given the CyberLife investigation. It could prove to be a sign of good faith to have an android involved."

Holy shit, he couldn't believe that had actually worked. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually managed to change Jeffery's mind about something. "We sure as hell can use all the help we can get," he agreed, trying not to sound too eager.

Jeffery nodded, still seeming to be contemplating the logistics. "If this is going to happen, you'll need to head the case. I don't know if I trust putting Connor with anyone else right now."

Hank agreed with that whole heartedly, but that was likely due to his tendency to be overprotective of the android. He had no illusions on that front. CyberLife had fucked Connor over by building him so unique and it had already nearly gotten him killed. The last thing he wanted was to risk someone else watching the kid's back. "I'm ok with that," he answered.

"Fine, I'll get started on the paperwork. I'll probably need to write the damn things myself." Jeffery stood from his chair, moving over to where he kept the documents he would need. "I'll send over what we have on the investigation so far, but you're done for the day."

"Wait, done?" That threw him. He expected to start on the case right away.

"Go check on Connor, you'll just be worrying about him the rest of the day if you don't." Jeffery told him. "Come back fresh tomorrow. Set him up with Dr. Keller while you're at it."

Hank nodded in agreement. "Yeah, ok, probably a good idea," he said. "He's been obsessively cleaning anything he can get his damn hands on. Don't know how much more of that the house can take."

"Sounds like he needs something to do," Fowler mused absently, flicking through the files he would need. "Who knew an android could get bored."

Bored. It hadn't occurred to Hank that that could be part of the problem. He doubted that was the only issue, but if it was a factor, it was at least one thing he could try to resolve. "Yeah, he's full of surprises," he said, already planning a quick detour before he would head home. He stood, ready to head out.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Hank," Jeffery called after him. "Try to actually be competent."

Hank flipped him off on his way out.

-o-

Fowler smirked at the Lieutenant's retreating form. He wouldn't tolerate his level of insubordination from just anyone. If it wasn't for their history together, Hank would have been fired long ago. But, despite his rough edges, Jeffery knew he was a damn good detective. And a damn good friend. He couldn't fire the man. Especially knowing that it would likely be a death sentence.

He had tried to get through to Hank over the past few years. Nothing had worked. With his son gone, Hank had lost the will to live. Jeffery couldn't really blame him, but it had been heartbreaking to watch.

When CyberLife issued Connor to the department, he had come with the instruction to pair him with the candidate least likely to get along with him. Something about testing his social relations and adaptability. It had come down to Anderson or Reed to match that criteria.

He picked Hank. He hoped that switching him up, putting him on the deviant cases, would break him from his routine. Maybe give him something to fight for. He knew how much he hated androids, tracking them down might give him an outlet for that anger. If he took it out on Connor, at least the precinct wasn't responsible for paying for a new one.

To his surprise, it had actually worked. Just not in the way he had expected.

Somehow, instead of being a punching bag, Connor had gotten him to care. He had given Hank a reason to live again. The way he spoke up for and defended the android was proof of that.

Jeffery sat back down, necessary paperwork in hand. Hank didn't need to know he had already planned on hiring Connor as soon as it became an option. The android was literally built for police work. It would be stupid not to utilize that. Provided he wanted to come back that was.

He wasn't entirely sure where he stood with the whole 'androids are alive' thing, but the government had declared they were, so he would listen. As far as he was concerned, they were just another group of people to protect and serve. His job could never be easy.

He started filling in the documents. Hank wasn't wrong, an extra set of hands would certainly be beneficial. Not to mention, it was sure to be good for the man. He hoped. Whatever way you looked at it, police work was dangerous. He hated to think what would happen if something went wrong with Connor.

But, he'd burn that bridge if he ever came to it. For now, Hank was doing better and he had someone to head the CyberLife case. Results were results even if they came from a plastic cop. Maybe he was alive, maybe he wasn't, he couldn't really bring himself to care either way. However it had happened, Lieutenant Hank Anderson was back.