Life had moved on from the red ice issue, Brooke and Connor moved in together, Hank became acquainted with retirement and the new Lieutenant of the DPD was being celebrated by all. Connor was offered the position just a month after Hank left, it was a big step for the android, but an exciting one. Even Gavin was happy for him.
Summer was starting to come to an end with September rolling in, Brooke had been working away from Connor for most of their summertime, due to android violence being rumoured to have been happening in Ohio. She spent two weeks there and helped bring the crime rates down.
It was now the 29th of August, the morning of her twenty-third birthday. Brooke was awoken to an empty bed, she rolled over to check the time, it was a Saturday so that meant there was no work for her or Connor.
Getting out of bed to relieve herself, she then made her way to the kitchen where she found her shirtless android boyfriend cooking her favourite food: pancakes. "Morning babe," she said, getting his attention.
Connor turned halfway, still keeping good control of the pancake batter in his hand. "Morning, my love," he replies with a chipper smile. She sat at the table, bringing the warm cup of coffee to her lips, the taste danced along with her tongue, she sighed heavily.
Connor finished her pancakes and poured on a generous amount of syrup with strawberries as toppings, he placed the food in front of her before catching a kiss as he stood back up. "By the way, happy birthday," he whispered as he nibbled her ear. Brooke giggled like a schoolgirl as she brushed her head into her shoulder.
Connor sat down across from her, watching the smile spread as she took her first bite. He hadn't planned much for her birthday, except for one gift she was going to get later into the day. She had mentioned wanting to see Hank, but nothing else has been mentioned for her birthday. "What did you want to do today?" he asked as she wiped the smeared syrup off her top lip.
"Hmmm," she thought as she cut another piece of pancake into her fork. "I would like to go shopping, I need new clothes," Connor smirked at her, she had taken over his closet already with the amount she had.
"I will need to buy another closet if you do that," he replied. Brooke furrowed her brows at him.
"I don't have THAT many clothes," she lightly chuckled. Connor raised a brow at her and leant his head forward. "Alright, I have lots of clothes," she laughed. "How about I get some together to donate after today?" Brooke did want to go through her clothes, there were many she didn't wear anymore and they just got in the way. Donating them would be a good way for her to give some kindness to this not so kind world.
"Good idea," he replied. Nala had finally awoken and did her new usual routine of annoying Connor until he fed her. He got up from the chair as he petted her head and went to fill her bowl and give her some freshwater.
Brooke watched him as he went through the cupboards and worked his way through the dog food to find Nala's favourite chicken flavour. Brooke could feel the pit of her stomach drop as she thought about herself ageing and Connor staying young forever.
"I'm one year closer to being the same age as you," she randomly blurted. Connor quickly looked up at her as he placed Nalas bowl down, the Husky wasted no time chomping her food down.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, somewhat annoyed at her comment. Brooke looked down at her half-eaten food, quickly losing her appetite.
"Nevermind," she said, pushing the food away and gulping down the rest of her coffee. Connor walked over to her, pulling the cup from her lips and slamming it down on the table.
"We have been over this, Brooke. You are not to talk about this on your birthday. You are only twenty-three, I am twenty-nine." Brooke stood up and turned away from him, she walked several feet away as she hugged herself tightly.
"You are twenty-nine for the next one hundred and seventy-three years. I will be lucky to live to ninety." She heard him sigh heavily from behind her, and his feet moved across the hard marble floor.
"Please," he whispered as he turned her around to face him. "I hate when you talk or think about this. We have time, Brooke. I will always love you and I have come to accept I may only have a certain amount of time with you."
Brooke could barely look up at him, she wanted to cry. He pulled her chin up for their eyes to meet, she looked into his grey, cold eyes and saw the love he had for her. "I'm sorry, I just can't see you loving me when I'm old and wrinkly. People will think you're either my grandson or carer."
"No, they won't because I will tell them you are the love of my life." Brooke chuckled, she placed her hand on his chest, feeling his Thirium pump thump like a beating heart.
"I think RK900 makes you into soppy shit," she laughed. Connor closed his eyes and shook his head with an exaggerated breath. "Alright, I'll stop talking about it now. Let's get ready and go shopping," she said as she dragged him to the bedroom.
Brooke decided to go to the local mall, it was small but had many different stores to choose from. Connor didn't even understand the concept of men getting so bored with their partners going shopping, but after going into their fourth shop, he finally got it.
Brooke constantly changed her mind on what she wanted to buy and kept asking for advice on what he thought suited her. To him, all of them looked great on her, and she wasn't happy to hear this with every piece of clothing tried on. "Brooke, how much longer will this take?" Connor asked as he sat down in the waiting room chairs of the changing room, he sat uncomfortably with eleven bags surrounding his legs.
"I'm nearly done, I just wanted to try this jacket on," she shouted in reply. Connor wasn't sure where they were going to put all these clothes, she had already spent over fifteen hundred dollars in four different stores.
Brooke walked out with a leather jacket that had a fake fur scar attached to it. "What do you think?" she asked as she spun herself around with it on. Connor for once could say he actually hated something on her. The leather was too tight and made her breast pop and the fur looked like she was eating most of it.
"I hate it," he blurted out. He sat up and waved his hand to try and retract himself, "I mean... it's nice, but I don't like it on you, that scarf looks very irritating." Brooke narrowed her eyes at him but finally gave in with an agreeing nod.
"I agree, it's fucking annoying. Come on, I'll put this back and we can go to Hank's." Connor sighed with happiness to know it was finally over. He never was one to be impatient unless it was related to work, but it was so close to dragging Brooke out and going home. He watched as another guy sitting close to him had fallen asleep, bags also surrounded him. He smiled with some empathy towards the human.
Hank answered the door to see Brooke stood in front of what looked like an exhausted Connor as he held multiple bags in each hand. "Well, looks like you two have been busy," he said as he moved to the side to let them both in.
"I offered to help carry them, but he wouldn't let me," Brooke argued as Connor dropped all the bags and then threw himself onto the sofa with a huff of breath. "For someone who doesn't get tired, you look very tired," she said as she sat next to him.
Connor moved over to sit properly, his hooded eyes judged her hard. "Today has been the longest day of my life," he shouted at her with a laugh at the end. Brooke chuckled as she rubbed his knee. In the past few months Connor has been showing more and more emotions, he would express himself all the time and pick up on social cues in a split second.
Hank stopped at his desk by the front door and rummaged through the drawer to dig out an envelope. He walked past Brooke and dropped it on her lap before sitting down in his usual chair. "Happy birthday," he grumbled.
"Thanks, Hank," she said as she started to open the envelope, inside was a birthday card. She opened it and a photo dropped out of it, she placed the card down and looked at the picture. She remembered that day behind the picture, it was a day out she went on as a kid with her dad, Hank and Cole, they all stopped for a picture behind the fountain. Cole and Brooke hugged each other tightly with their cheeks squashed together. Connor leant in to analyze the photo.
"I remember that day, it was the last time I ever saw him," she whispered. She had wanted to find a picture of her and Cole for a long time, but her dad said multiple times that he never had one. "Thank you so much, Hank," she said, pushing the photo into Connor and running over to hug the man.
"Your welcome," he grumbled as he awkwardly patterned her back. Connor looked at the photo, it was an old digital photo, he could not scan it for a date or name. But he smiled when he saw the big smile all of them held as the picture was taken. He decided it was time for Brooke to have her gift from him, he put the photo on the coffee table and went towards Hank's spare room.
Brooke sat back down and read the card before going back to looking at the picture, she wished Cole was still around. He was her best friend growing up, but she knew she could at least rely on her memories to remember him.
Connor returned with two envelopes, he passed the smaller one to her. It was another birthday card, it was digitally edited to add a photo of them both together. Inside wrote:
To Brooke,
Happy birthday, I hope you enjoy your day and get everything you could want.
I love you, my love,
Connor.
Brooke smiled as she read it and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as thanks. Connor smiled and then passed her the other envelope, she opened it to find two plane tickets. It was for a seven-day stay in Vancouver. She looked at him with a raised brow as to why he wanted to go there. "I know you have missed your dad, we are leaving tomorrow to visit him."
Brooke could bounce off the walls. She was that excited, she threw herself into him, laughing with happiness. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she said, like a broken record. The realisation then hit her, Brooke quickly pulled herself back and looked at Connor with guilt. "He doesn't know," she muttered.
"Doesn't know what?" Connor asked. Brooke looked at Hank as she bit her bottom lip.
"He doesn't know you are an android," she said. Connor looked at Hank as well. He knew Brooke hadn't told her dad, but he thought the man might have already figured it out with the news reports about what they did in London.
"What about what happened in the UK? Surely he would know?" Brooke shook her head as she looked at the floor.
"He doesn't listen or read the news, he tends to live a more free life than that," she said. Hank couldn't help but nod in agreement, her dad had always been like that. He barely read the news reports unless it was something so life-changing, which an android revolution should be. But Brooke had not heard anything from her dad asking who Connor actually is.
"Well, we will go and tell him," Connor said with confidence. Brooke looked at the floor again, she knew her dad would not be so easily won over. "What's wrong?" Connor asked as he scanned her raising blood pressure.
"So... My dad never hated or abused androids. He is more on the side that they should have never been created, he always thought that androids would be the downfall in humanity," she said slowly. Connor clicked his tongue in annoyance. Nearly all the hate from humans had gone since the red ice issue was fixed.
"You should have told him sooner," he said in annoyance. Brooke stood up, walked around and stood in front of the TV.
"What am I meant to say? Oh hey dad, how are you? By the way, I'm banging an android." Hank snorted in amusement but zipped it when Connor narrowed his eyes at him. "Look, we will just go and I will tell him... somehow."
"I don't think I should go," Connor depressingly said. Brooke quickly walked over to him and pulled him up.
"You are going, if he doesn't accept you then he will lose me as his daughter. He doesn't interfere with my life when I am an adult, and I can see who I like." Connor didn't seem so convinced. He didn't want to drive a wedge between Brooke and her dad, she barely spoke of any other family other than him. Connor could only hope they could find some way for him to be accepted by more than just some plastic or a robot.