It was Halloween in Detroit, and the night was approaching with an ominous air for those who didn't participate in the holiday or its festivities. The city was dark everywhere save for the haunting glow of burning candles, orange and purple string lights, strobe flashes within spooky attractions and glowing red eyes of masks and other monstrous decorations highlighting busy neighborhoods. Parties were in full swing, haunted houses were packed with curious attendees, and every store in the county was completely out of their candy stock. It was a brisk night, but it wasn't cold enough to keep people off the streets or deter any trick-or-treaters from venturing out in their unique costumes in search of candy and fun!

Unsure of what to do on Halloween night beyond pass out candy to passing trick-or-treaters Connor remained in his brownstone along with Bruno to give away the candy merely to avoid being pranked or dealing with grouchy parents who'd complain about anyone who didn't have the time or money to treat their children. Lucas was out at New Jericho Tower working overtime due to potential Halloween mischief which meant Connor and Bruno were alone at the brownstone on that night.

Watching the groups of costumed trick-or-treaters passing by the large window and maneuvering through the city to find the biggest neighborhoods with the most candy to offer helped placate Connor's curious interest in people-watching. It was fascinating to see the wide array of costumes in both style, design and complexity walking by the window, and giving children of a wide age range the chance to be whoever they wanted to be on that one fun night.

"The hours for trick-or-treating have just begun, and we've already had seventeen arrivals." Connor noted as he double checked the candy left in the bowl on his coffee table. Since the deviant detective had never participated in the holiday before and he didn't know what kind of candy would be popular, he had bought large amounts of everything available and compiled it all into a massive bowl to be passed out throughout the night. "Even with all the candy I've purchased I wouldn't be surprised if we run out before the hours are over."

Bruno wagged his tail and put his front paws down on the windowsill and peered out at the streets through the glass pane. 'Get more!'

"I fear it's too late to buy more candy since it's now Halloween night."

'Bruno likes the trick-or-treaters!' The happy K-9 unit confirmed as he saw another group of costumed children heading their way. 'Trick-or-treaters like Bruno!'

"I've noticed."

As soon as there was a knock on the door Connor opened it up and looked out at the gathered children with smiles on their faces, at least the faces that weren't covered by a mask. He watched as they all presented their buckets and bags as they all called out in chorus a single phrase: "Trick-or-treat!"

Passing out the candy with an awkward grin on his own face Connor felt Bruno press up against his leg as the dog poked his head out the door and excitedly met the children who quickly cooed at Bruno and gave him gentle pets before accepting their candy and thanking Connor for the provided treats. The sight of the children all laughing, smiling and excitedly returning to their parents for the night was comforting. It was a sign that even with the world changing there was still happiness and love to be felt throughout the city.

"It might be easier to just keep the door open and wait for the next group to stop by." Connor suggested as he decided to make sure the bowl of candy still had plenty to pass out for the remaining children in the city. "What do you think?"

'Yes!' Barking once Bruno laid down in the opened door with his front paws outstretched before himself and his tail wagging happily. 'Bruno will keep watch!'

"Good boy." Patting Bruno's back lightly Connor knew it was safe to let the loyal dog keep watch while he went into the next room. "I'll go and get the rest of the candy, you let me know when more trick-or-treaters stop by."


Handling Halloween shenanigans was a little different for first responders who were scheduled to work the night shift. Dealing with the drunk partygoers who overdid it during the festivities were a guaranteed problem that'd need to be taken care of before the night was over, same for the teenage vandals who were throwing rolls of toilet paper over houses and tree branches or even egging the houses of people that they didn't particularly like. Another usual complaint to expect came in the form of paranoid people calling in every little noise or person as a potential robber looking for a house to break into, and it didn't help when perpetually grumpy people just complained about kids having fun without causing any actual harm in the process.

Sitting at his desk with no cases to work on Hank sifted through his small array of candy spread out before himself and separated what he liked from what he didn't like before adding it to the massive candy bowl for the front receptionist desk to pass out to trick-or-treaters. Being a Lieutenant meant he could pull rank and stay inside the precinct for the night while everyone else was on patrol, and he wasn't shy about reminding everyone of his authority as he picked his favorite treats from the big bags of candy.

Slicing into an apple instead of stuffing candy into his mouth Gavin grimaced as he watched Tina leaning back in her chair with a large heating pad pressed against her lower back. Choosing the healthier alternative as he watched his honorary kid sister enduring pain gave Gavin a sense of righteous smugness since he wasn't the one suffering in the line of duty for once.

"Remind me to threaten Chris if he requests Halloween off next year!" Tina let out a sigh of relief as her muscle spasm finally let up. Standing up for a moment she leaned forward and tried to get her back to crack to relieve her of the persistent ache that had been plaguing her since that morning. "I'll even take Damian out to trick-or-treat myself if I have to!"

"Relax, Ti'." Popping his apple slice into his mouth Gavin offered another slice to Tina to take for herself. "There's no way that Chris could've known you would've woken up with the mother of all backaches this morning when he asked for time off three weeks ago."

"I think I'm going to see a chiropractor tomorrow." Pressing her hands to her lower back Tina sighed again and hoped the heating pad would finally keep her muscles from spasming and squeezing her entire lower torso every few minutes. Waving off the offered slice Tina admitted that she didn't have much of an appetite despite working all day long. "What do you think, Lieutenant? You've had back problems before."

"You're better off soaking in a hot tub with Epsom salt." Taking a bite of a cherry Red Vine as he spoke Hank shared his experience with the younger officers. "Don't waste your time or money on glorified knuckle-crackers."

"Good idea." Feeling a little better Tina checked her phone and pulled her jacket from the back of her chair to slip on over her arms and shoulders. "As soon as I'm clocked-out I'm going to live in my tub until either my back goes numb or I grow gills!"

"Maybe you should just stay here and pass out candy instead." Hank suggested as he truly empathized with obnoxious back pain. "Your patrol can be replaced by some kiss-ass rookie looking for extra cash or to score some brownie-points with the higher-ups."

"I got this." Tina insisted as she smoothed out her jacket. "I won't let a backache hold me down."

Gavin didn't like the idea of Tina working while in pain and shook his head at the comment. "I don't know, you might want to take the offer while it still stands! I know I would."

"Yeah, but you're going to be father in what... Two months?"

"Almost. Abby's due at the very end of December, so we might end up with Baby New Year!"

"Seems like she's been pregnant forever." Securing her weapon to the holster on her hip Tina pulled her patrol car keys from her desk and began heading toward the precinct's front doors. "I'll be sure to bring something special over when the little one finally makes her grand entrance!"

"If you even think about cramming a twelve-foot-tall teddy bear in my livingroom I'm going to stuff a dirty diaper in your squad car!"

Flashing Gavin a knowing grin as she continued on her way Tina showed no fear in her idea of a little prank. "You're no fun!"

"Hey! I'm plenty of fun." Taking another apple with him as he followed Tina out the doors Gavin refused to acknowledge any form of being a buzzkill. "You just got a twisted sense of humor!"

Shaking his head and candy in hand, Hank rose to his feet and joined Captain Fowler in the somewhat isolated man's private office. After placing a few candy bars down on Fowler's desk Hank sat down in the chair across from his commanding officer and let out an exhausted sigh.

"Who knew Halloween could actually get boring around here?"

"Don't jinx it!" Grabbing a small chocolate bar from the offered pile Captain Fowler removed the wrapper and quickly scarfed down the candy like he hadn't seen food all day long. He was a sucker for a Crunch bar and couldn't resist it when one was offered to him. "I'll take a boring Halloween over an exciting Halloween any time. Especially if we get to keep more candy than we hand out."

"You always did have a sweet-tooth."

"Not as bad as Ben."

"Yeah, I told Pamela up front to not trust Ben around the candy bowl." Hank chuckled a little when he saw the look on Ben's face. "I think he's pouting in the forensics lab about it."

"Tough shit." Picking up another piece of candy Captain Fowler nodded at the relatively empty bullpen on the other side of his office's transparent wall. "How's morale doing out there?"

"Not bad all thing's considered. Jack's back in action and is taking his first solo patrol. Gavin's going on patrol without the bitchin' since he's getting some overtime clocked in. And Tina's powering through a backache while trying to hide how annoyed she is that Chris got time off in advance so she couldn't throw one of her famous parties tonight."

"I repeat: Tough shit! Think we'll have anything to worry about regarding deviant behavior and the upcoming election?"

"Not sure yet." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank sank back against his chair and contemplated the question with a noted intrigue. "I imagine if a problem does arise then Connor, Lucas or Markus would mention it and ask for our help or at the very least give us a heads up."

"Good to know we have allies without needing to worry about a potential knife in the back at the same time."

"Yeah, go figure it would be the deviants who we were trying to oppress this time last year who'd be watching our backs and looking out for everyone's safety this year! Guess that's another reason why deviants really are superior to us humans." Reaching for a Jolly Rancher on the desk Hank sighed and gave Captain Fowler an almost coy look. "They don't hold grudges and they don't believe in revenge. We could learn a thing or two from them."

"Yeah, I know. If the deviants didn't want a peaceful coexistence then they would've left Detroit in droves or found a way to make the humans leave instead."

"Don't tell facts to conspiracy theorists, Jeffrey. We know better than to add crazy fuel to the psychotic fires." Removing the wrapper from his candy Hank popped the cherry flavored treat into his mouth and noted the time of the night. "The trick-or-treaters will be heading back home within the hour. Just once I wish the drunks would know when to call it quits before things get out of hand and turn over their fuckin' keys."

"Only in a perfect world. Oh, that reminds me." Turning on his terminal screen Captain Fowler brought up a few details about an impending leave scheduled to take place in a couple of months. "Once Reed's out on paternity leave we're going to need someone to cover for him. Think you could get our star consultant to come in for a few weeks and help cover him?"

"I'll ask, but you might want to offer those hours to Chris. He's earned his new rank and deserves the chance to get nice fat paycheck."

"Only if the deviant cases remain quiet. I'd hate to run him and Jack ragged by giving them ever available assignment that comes our way."

"He can handle it. Then again, since I know Tina's gunning for detective herself..."

"One promotion at a time." Captain Fowler cautioned as he typed up a few schedule changes on his terminal. "We still need to get the rookies trained up before I can even think about giving Chen her promotion as well."

"Yeah, yeah. One detective at a time."

"Do you really think Chen's ready?"

"Yup. She just needs to take the exam and she'll be good to go."

"All right. I'll encourage her to take the test after the rookies are caught up and after Reed's back from paternity leave."

Smirking with sincere amusement Hank looked out at the bullpen eyed the empty desks and noted how many had photographs of loved ones adorning the private spaces to remind everyone exactly why they were working their asses off to begin with. "You know, I think this is the first year where we've only had to worry about one detective being out on parental leave."

"Yeah, I know. Last year Miller was out alongside Person, Clemens, Guerrero and Winthrop. This year, it's just Reed."

"And I never thought I'd see the day Gavin would meet someone who'd be able to put up with his assholery long enough to actually sleep with him, let alone marry him and have a child with him!"

"Some people might say the same thing about you, you know?"

"That was after I lost Barb and Cole. I'm getting better finally, but I'll never be exactly who I was before I lost my family." Hank wasn't afraid to admit his faults or his horrible past behavior. He was healing slowly as time went on, even so he'd never get over the tragic losses of his wife and son. "Go figure that was another problem that deviants helped solve for me."

"You mean Connor and Lucas?"

"Yeah. They're good kids. Well, not kids-kids, but..." Hank caught what he said and wanted to clarify it as best as he could. "You know what I mean."

Captain Fowler just gave Hank a strange look as his withheld his own chuckle. "Yeah, sure. Good detectives who are young, ambitious and honest. Good kids."

"All right." Standing up from the chair Hank grabbed one more Jolly Rancher off the desk and started making his way to the door. "I'm going to keep an ear on dispatch and see if any good shit comes our way. Maybe we'll get a flood of drunk strippers giving us a free show again!"

"Never two years in row!"

"A man can dream, Jeffrey." Hank called back before he stepped through the door and returned to his desk as he popped the grape flavored candy in his mouth and pulled his chair out from beneath his desk. "Sometimes all a man has is his dreams after all."


The last of the trick-or-treaters had stopped by the brownstone before time was up and they had taken the final pieces of candy from the large bowl that Connor had filled refilled a total of six times. As a deviant Connor had no reason to keep any candy around and passed out the remaining portions of the candy evenly to the final four trick-or-treaters much to their delight! Never before had those kids stopped by one place and received over a pound of candy each! With the remainder of the night belonging to the teenagers and the adults, Connor decided to keep his light on in the event someone stumbled by needing some help in the event things got a little extreme.

Bruno was watching the nightlife through the window in the study and wagged his tail happily whenever anyone walked by. The loyal dog really loved meeting new people and actually seemed to enjoy the company of little kids. Despite knowing that the trick-or-treating hours were over Bruno couldn't help but hope to see another friendly person coming to their door.

Picking up his guitar from its stand in the corner Connoy slung the strap around his shoulder and sprinkled some flakes into the aquarium to feed the fish and ensure they wouldn't be tempted to prey on one another during the night. As he put the flakes aside Connor saw Bruno staring out the window and called out to the dog as he planted himself down on his sofa and pulled the pick from the beneath the strings along the guitar's neck.

"Anyone coming our way, Bruno?"

'Not yet.'

"Let me know if you see anyone who might need our help tonight, boy." Placing his fingertips along the strings Connor began to strum out a simple melody as he chose to relax a bit while waiting out the night alongside his loyal dog. "We don't want anyone to be left alone."

'Bruno will keep alert.'

The sight of Bruno standing up on his one hind leg and putting his front paws on the windowsill made Connor grin. It was incredible to see how far the dog had come after being rescued from the android junkyard last winter. At first Bruno was still entirely a police dog who didn't understand what it meant to be a normal dog or even stand down when not on any assignment, and now he was as sweet, affectionate and playful as any other dog could be.

It was as if Bruno being able to play with Sumo and spend time with an actual dog gave the K-9 unit the ability to fully deviate from his own programming and become free.

"We'll stay up until midnight and then enter rest mode." As he played his nameless tune Connor cybernetically informed Lucas that everything was under control and of the numerous trick-or-treaters who had stopped by before focusing on his song entirely. "That'll give us a big enough window of time to respond to people in need of help if they come our way."


Patrolling the city started out relatively quiet, however, such peace and silence wasn't meant to last. It didn't take long for the parties in the more popular bars, late night clubs and hip restaurants to get ruined by drunk patrons who had way too much to drink and didn't want to end the night on a civil note. It didn't take long for numerous patrol cars to respond to various establishments and arrest the drunken party crashers before they had the chance to risk their own life and the lives of the other people who might be on the streets by getting behind the wheel of a car. Even with automated taxis all over the city there were still drunk driving accidents reported on a weekly basis, and the police were determined to stop it from getting any worse.

After wrestling a man wearing a cheap Superman costume to the ground, Gavin let out a massive sigh of discontent as he cuffed the man's hands behind his back and hefted him over to his squad car to cart him off to the precinct. The sight of an overweight Superman with blueberry daquiri vomit running down his chin and staining his chest would've been comical if the man wasn't also crying and struggling to keep his tights up and over his butt as he was marched over to the parked car.

"Come on, big guy..." Opening the rear door of the car Gavin guided the man down and into the backseat before slamming the door in his face. "Don't puke on my floor and I won't tell anyone about you crying."

Sniffling a little the arrested man just nodded before falling to his side over the backseats. Loud and obnoxious snores soon filled the air as the drunken partygoer passed out before he was even out of the neighborhood.

"As long as you don't hurl you can snore all you want."

Dropping down into his seat behind the steering wheel Gavin reported to dispatch and then sent a text to Tina to let her know how his night was going. When he didn't get a snarky response about arresting the "Man of Booze" or being able to wrestle Superman to the ground, Gavin began to worry for his best friend and honorary kid sister.

'Talk to me.' Gavin texted as he pulled the car away from the front of the bar to head back to the precinct. 'Let me know you're okay.'

There was a heavy pause before Tina sent a reply text that wasn't anything like she'd normally say after such an odd arrest.

'I don't feel okay.'

'Is it your back again?'

'I can't even move right now.' Tina confirmed over text. Her messages were coming in slow and confirmed that she was struggling to just type on her phone. 'Maybe I pinched a nerve.'

'Where are you?' Speeding up as he drove Gavin was determined to drop off his drunk into the precinct's drunk tank and then go find his ailing friend. 'I'll come and get you.'

Tina didn't respond for almost fifteen minutes and in that time she seemed to feel even worse. 'Hurry. I'm along Tenth Street.'

"Tenth Street..."

Gavin remembered that not only was the Zeta Facility on that street, but a particular brownstone that belonged to pair of detective deviant brothers was also in the area. Sending Tina another text Gavin tried to help his friend find somewhere safe to go while she was stricken with so much pain.

'Can you make it to Connor and Lucas's brownstone?'

When Tina didn't respond Gavin sighed and sped up a little more. Sending a new text over to Hank instead Gavin asked for the Lieutenant to ask for Connor or Lucas to locate Tina's squad car and go to the stricken officer's aid. An immediate response from Hank confirmed that he'd pass along the message and get an update on the situation as soon as possible.

"Damn it, Tina..."

More angry at himself than anyone else Gavin swore and smacked his hands against his steering wheel as he drove back to the Central Precinct as swiftly as he dared to drive. He couldn't risk getting in an accident and he couldn't just ignore the passed out drunk in the backseats behind him. Even though he cared about Tina he knew she'd be mad at him for neglecting his other responsibilities all because of her.

"I told you to take it easy!"


The calmness of the brownstone came to an abrupt end as Connor received the emergency text message from Hank and promptly put his guitar aside. Knowing that an officer was in distress fairly close to where he currently resided was enough of a motivation to get up and go in search of the squad car that was supposed to be parked along the street. Even without an exact location Connor knew he'd be able to track the squad car down by using cybernetic pings or even by tapping into the security drones surveilling the area. It wasn't necessarily the most exciting search that Connor would take part in, but it was important all the same and he didn't want to turn his back on anyone in need.

As he neared the front door Connor looked over at Bruno and let him know what was happening all while slipping on his trench coat Connor prepared to embrace the late night chill as he explored the neighborhood on foot. He wasn't sure how long the search would take and he didn't want to leave the brownstone completely unguarded on Halloween night.

"Officer Chen's in trouble. According to Hank she should be somewhere along the street."

Bruno turned his head and whimpered slightly from where he stood. 'Bruno saw a patrol car drive by.'

"Which direction did it go?"

'East, toward the park.'

"Good boy, Bruno. I'll let you know what I find, you keep an eye on the brownstone."

'Bruno will stay alert!'

Exiting the brownstone Connor began walking East at a hasty clip and only had to pass one block before he located a single patrol car parked to the side of the street with the hazard lights flashing. Approaching the car carefully Connor neared the rear of the car and used the side mirror to peer inside the vehicle to identify the driver without getting too close.

It was Tina.

"Officer Chen?" Connor stood beside the front passenger side of the car and spoke to Tina through the closed window. "I understand that you need some help."

Tina turned to look at Connor with tears in her eyes as she nodded slowly. Her hands were pressing desperately at her lower back even as she sat in the seat and struggled to endure her somehow debilitating backache as best as she could.

Opening the side door Connor knelt on the seat beside Tina and gave her a worried glance. Even without his scanner he could detect her elevated vital signs and knew that she was in serious pain and in need of medical attention.

"Fuckin- Shit!" Swearing as she tried to get her back to stop aching at her Tina gave Connor a look of absolute frustration while doubled over in pain. "I need to see a doctor! Something's seriously wrong with my back!"

"Allow me to examine your spine for any sign of physical trauma."

Gently Connor helped Tina to turn in her seat so she could lay on her side, then very gingerly ran his hand down Tina's spine while honing in on her lower back. He didn't detect any fractures to her vertebrae, herniated disks, or misaligned disks. His fingertips did detect that the muscles all along Tina's lower back and wrapping around her sides toward her abdominal muscles were all spasming severely. What was strange about the spasms were the way they were rhythmically spasming and then relaxing as opposed to being a single chronic spasm.

Sensing that something was very wrong Connor moved his hand from Tina's back to rest on her side for a moment before he let her know what he wanted to check on next. "Tina, I may know what's wrong with you, but-"

"Make it stop!"

"I can't do that; I can only drive you to a hospital."

"Then fucking do it!" Groaning loudly Tina could only make tight fists and punch angrily at the seats beneath her body. "I can't take this!"

"I'm going to reposition you so that I can drive." Keeping his hands and motions smooth Connor managed to take hold of Tina's shoulders and knees to pull her toward himself, then gingerly repositioned her body so she could sit upright in the seat. "I'm taking you to St. Mercy Hospital and I will inform them of your impending arrival."

With Tina now moved into the passenger seat Connor was able to drive the squad car to the hospital as fast as he dared. Using the radio to dispatch Connor identified himself, his purpose and requested for clearance to the hospital for swift transportation and to ensure medical staff were ready to receive Tina immediately.

"Try to take in deep and slow breaths." Connor instructed as he focused on the streets and preconstructed the quickest route to the hospital. "You're going to be all right in a few hours."

"What's wrong with my back?!" Tina asked in a near panicked manner as she grabbed at the handle of the door beside her for support. "It's been hurting all day, and now it's like it's trying to crush my very core!"

"I have a suspicion, however, I feel that it'd be best for a doctor to confirm it or deny it."

"J-Just tell me!" Begging for answers Tina tried to ignore the horrendous pain that seemed to be hitting her in waves that were coming faster and lasting longer with each little attack. "What's wrong with me?"

"I... Give me one moment." Pressing his palm very gently to Tina's abdomen Connor performed a biometric scan and confirmed what he had suspected when his sensors indicated the odd pattern of muscle spasms along her back. There was noted secondary presence and the muscle spasms in Tina's back were now flowing into her lower abdomen. "...You're not suffering from a chronic backache, you're experiencing contractions."

"C-Contr-" A gasp cut Tina off mid question as she felt a sudden gush of warm water soaking into the seat of her pants. Looking down at herself Tina went deathly pale as she realized what she was actually experiencing and why her pain was so severe. "FUCK!"

"You need to focus on your breathing."

"FUCK!" Shouting again Tina began to tremble with shock and fear as she came to reluctant acceptance with what she was currently experiencing without having any idea of what to expect in advance. "H-How am I- But I didn't- No! Fucking NO!"

"You're at term." Connor replied somewhat tersely as he pulled the car into the parking lot of the hospital and stopped in front of the emergency entrance. The awaiting medical staff pulled open Tina's door and a doctor immediately began pressing his palm along Tina's flat but contracting abdomen. "You need to breathe and let the doctors assist you."

"S-Stay with me!" Grabbing on to Connor's hand for a brief crushing second before she was pulled out of the car and laid over the gurney, Tina pleaded for Connor to remain with her in the hospital. "C-Connor! Please!"

The fear in Tina's voice wasn't anything he had heard before. She was always confident, calm and brave. Even when they were searching for Quondam's bombs and after she had been caught in the bomb blast at the office a few weeks back, she had showed no sign of fear whatsoever.

Unable to ignore such fear Connor nodded as he closed the squad car door and stood beside the gurney. "I'll stay with you."

It was a rush as Tina was moved from the emergency entrance and into the maternity ward for a rapid fire examination. All it took was a brief ultrasound to confirm that she was indeed deep into labor and about to deliver a full term, healthy baby.

"We'll take good care of you, Officer." The attending doctor confirmed with a smile on his face. The attending nurses pulled a curtain around Tina and helped her to get out of her uniform and into a hospital gown. "Believe it or not, we've handled cases of women in labor without ever knowing of their pregnancy nearly a hundred times before!"

"B-But how did I...?" Tina was equal parts confused and embarrassed. She had no idea that it was happening until labor triggered and didn't know how she was going to tell her boyfriend. "Shit! This is so wild! And on Halloween, too!"

"If you'd like I can have you roomed with the lady who was dressed as a sexy nun when her water broke."

Managing a weak chuckle Tina nodded and held on to Connor's hand for dear life. "I'd like that. Connor," looking up at the deviant still standing beside her as she was being quickly prepared for delivery Tina gave him a truly pathetic request. "Could you let Gavin know what's happening? I know that Darren will want to know about this-" Squeezing Connor's hand as another contraction hit her Tina did her best endure the pain as she eagerly waited for some kind of painkiller was administered to take the edge off. "...But he'll need a minute to process this, too!"

"Yes, I'll inform Gavin of your current location. Anyone else?"

"Maybe Captain Fowler?" It was getting harder to think and Tina felt like her face was on fire from all her sweating and pain. "I'll let my mom and sister know later."

Nodding once Connor closed his eyes and set up the cybernetic link to Gavin's phone and then to Captain Fowler's phone to pass along the messages. Feeling Tina crushing his hand again Connor returned his attention to the laboring officer and saw her enduring another painful contraction.

"Detective Reed is on his way, and Captain Fowler is finding coverage for you."

"Shit... No one is going to believe me!" Moving on autopilot Tina let the doctors and nurses prep her for delivery and set up I.V.'s in the back of her hand. "I'm a cop! I should know better!"

Wanting to be helpful Connor stayed with Tina and tried to distract her from the needle entering the back of her hand. "Did you have any bizarre symptoms that would've indicated your condition?"

"What? No! I mean..." Trailing off for a moment Tina thought back and tried to focus anything unusual. "Wait, you said I'm at term?"

"Thirty-eight weeks, actually."

"So that's just under ten months and it's the end of October, so I would've conceived back in February. Darren's DEFINITELY the father then!" Letting out a small sigh of relief Tina did some math and knew her current boyfriend was the man she needed to contact. "But after that... I got really sick the morning after a date, but I thought it was from the cheap alcohol."

"Anything else?"

"I had a nasty migraine hit me out of the blue a couple months ago, and then lately I've been eating weird combinations of food. But those are it!" Tina admitted as she resisted the urge to curl around herself again. "I can't believe this is happening to me! Why didn't your android eyes see this happening to me earlier!?"

"I do not actively scan every person I associate with. Also, the last time we were together for a prolonged period of time you were wearing a Kevlar vest laced with a protective lead lining. I couldn't see inside of your body even if I wanted to."

"Well, thanks for respecting my bodily autonomy, I guess. The baby could've been exposed to so many dangerous substances while I was working... Is it...?"

"No, I did not detect any time of abnormality when I scanned you earlier. You're both going to be okay." Unsure of what kind of support he could possibly offer Connor asked Tina a rather interesting question. "Do you know what you're going to do?"

"Do?"

"After the birth. Are you going to keep it or..."

"I... don't know. I just-" Letting out a sharp gasp of pain Tina felt something shift downward and knew she had just run out of time to decide. "Shit! It's time!"

The delivery team agreed and began getting everything in order. The moment Tina was put in the proper position to begin pushing her instincts seemed to take over and she knew exactly what to do.

"Okay, Tina..." The doctor was checking her over and confirmed that she was ready to start pushing. "Let your body do its thing! And... Go!"

Refusing to let go of Connor's hand Tina went through the painful and unexpected process of childbirth on Halloween night. Grateful that Connor came to her rescue and stayed with her seemed to give her the resolve needed to endure her very unexpected childbirth at the end of her enigmatic pregnancy.

Connor didn't know what to do beyond being supportive for Tina as she went through her life altering moment. Beyond being a good friend with a strong hand to be crushed, the deviant detective just remained silent and did his best to stay out of everyone's way. Zoning out for a moment as he responded to the numerous text messages coming in from Gavin, Captain Fowler and even Hank, Connor responded to each message as quickly and accurately as he could and only paused when a shrill cry suddenly filled the air.

Looking over Connor saw a newborn boy being cleaned up, swaddled and then presented to Tina just as the medical staff had done the same routine countless times before. The look of love that fell over Tina's sweaty face when she saw her surprise son for the first time confirmed that she'd be keeping the baby and taking care of him without any hesitation whatsoever.

"Oh, my god..." Weeping a little Tina adored her son's crying face as all of her pain and fear melted away. It just took that single moment for her to fall in love with the tiny, screaming baby boy. "You've officially won the prank contest this Halloween! No one will ever top this!"

Connor didn't understand the joke, but he did understand that Tina was happy. She slowly let go of his hand and used both arms to support the swaddled baby and start bonding with him as the doctors and nurses cleaned her up and monitored her condition to head off any potential complications.

"Excuse me, Detective?" A nurse waved at Connor and spoke to him through the doorway. "Someone's out here asking for you."

"Oh." Looking over at Tina for confirmation Connor was given a nod and she confirmed that she'd be okay now. "Very well. I'll stay close by in case you need anything else, Tina."

"Thanks, Connor." Kissing her son's forehead Tina leaned back and let out a massive sigh of relief. "Can't wait to hear everyone's reactions to this!"

Joining the nurse outside the delivery room Connor saw Gavin and Hank standing in the corridor with absolutely stunned looks on their faces. Now understanding why he had been summoned away Connor explained everything to the two detectives and confirmed how Tina was doing well after delivering her son.

"What the actual fuck?!" Running his hands through his hair Gavin gave Connor a stunned stare as he wrapped his head around what had just happened to Tina, his best friend and honorary kid sister, on that festive night. "How did she go through an entire pregnancy without even knowing about it?!"

"It's not uncommon for women to not be aware of their own pregnancies until very far into the gestation period." Connor replied in an emotionless and analytical tone of voice. "She did not experience the expected symptoms of her pregnancy and she did not present as pregnant at any point during the pregnancy itself."

"Jeez, talk about another thing to worry about after Abby gives birth... Another pregnancy that neither of us know about! How does that happen? She made it the full nine months without ever showing!"

Connor was about to go into the details regarding internal anatomy, uterine expansion and how the angle of a woman's internal anatomy can factor in to such a scenario, but he was cut off by Hank as the Lieutenant was more concerned about the welfare of the officer and her newborn.

"Nevermind that." Hank urged as he tried to peer inside the delivery room to get a glimpse at the new mother. "Is she all right? No complications to her or the baby, right?"

"Correct." Connor confirmed as he addressed the two worried detectives in a logical manner. "Her only discomfort came from her contractions originating within her back. After she was admitted she had her pain addressed and there were no complications during the delivery itself."

"That's good. Chris is coming in to cover her shift since Julia's home with Damian, and Fowler's going to juggle some shifts to keep her covered while she's out on her surprise maternity leave." Hank relayed as he finally relaxed where he stood. "Anyone contact Darren yet?"

Gavin nodded as took responsibility for such a phone call. "Yeah, as soon as I got word that she was in the hospital I send him a text. I had NO idea what to tell him, so I let him know that Tina's been taken here to St. Mercy Hospital. I'll, uh, let him know she's okay."

"Where Darren he anyway?"

"Business trip in New York. Is he in for a Hell of a homecoming..."

The group turned and looked behind themselves as Tina and her newborn were being wheeled out of the delivery room on a clean gurney to be taken to a prviate recovery room. Tina was sitting upright without any problem and had a massive smile on her face that spoke volumes of her newfound joy.

"Damn, Ti'..." Gavin laughed as he got a look at the newborn swaddled in the white blanket. The small baby was perfectly healthy and already had dark brown eyes just like his mother. "You got to have an exciting Halloween after all! What're you going to call the little guy?"

"Shawn. My father's middle name was Shawn, so I figured..."

"No need to explain, that's a great name."

Hank nodded as he too looked at the now content newborn staring up at the brand new world all around him. "He's got some perfect timing, too. You did say something about giving us all a real good scare on Halloween when you were stuffing olives, salsa and garlic toast into your mouth!"

Tina just laughed as she let her new reality sink in as she recovered and tried to think of what to say to her family. "Just don't expect me to do an encore presentation next year. I am NOT going through that again without an epidural!"

"Gavin, stay with her until Darren arrives." Hark ordered as he backed off and let the orderlies resume rolling Tina and Shawn to a private recovery room. "I'm going to go back to the precinct and let everyone know the good news. I'll also start a charity pool to help ya' get started with diapers and formula, Tina."

"You're a good man, Lieutenant." Tina sighed as she was taken to a nearby elevator. "Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise!"

Waving a Tina off Hank watched the group disappear into the elevator together and then turned his attention back to Connor. "Well, I had no idea that you would've ended up as emotional support for a woman in labor tonight, son. Good work."

"I'm just glad I was able to find Tina and assist her." Looking down at his hand Connor swore he could still feel Tina's petrified grip holding onto him for dear life as she endured her delivery. "She genuinely didn't know what was happening to her."

"At least everything ended in the best way possible. Come on," heading back toward the corridor where he had initially walked Hank invited Connor to join him. "I'll give ya' a ride back to your brownstone."

"Right."

"So," as the two detectives passed through the waiting room and out through the front entrance doors Hank tried to make civil conversation with the deviant beside him. "How did it feel to witness the miracle of childbirth?"

"I didn't really feel anything." Connor admitted as he accompanied Hank over to the Oldsmobile parked fairly close to the hospital entrance. "I merely supported Tina and answered your texts while she delivered. The baby was born and... that was it."

Hank wanted to make a lighthearted comment about how it always felt amazing to help bring a new life into the world, then he remembered that Connor had been effectively traumatized by one very bad case regarding an infant. He could understand Connor's indifference after enduring such emotional trauma, and he could only hope that Connor would be able to overcome his lingering pain once and for all.

"All the same, it was a good thing you were there with her." The senior detective continued on as he unlocked the car doors and sat down behind the wheel. "She's going to be a great mother!"

"How can you be so certain of that?" The sincerity behind the question made Connor sound a little naive as he joined Hank inside the car. "Officer Chen is a very kind and compassionate person, but she's only just given birth."

"Because all it takes is kindness and compassion to nurture a new life and help them become a good person as they grow and develop."

"...Oh."

"You know, when Gavin was supposed to take his paternity leave at the end of the year Captain Fowler had hoped you'd be willing to step in as a consultant again to help cover the void." Hank was trying to ease Connor's mind and distract him with a new topic of discussion. "He might extend that offer to you right now considering Tina's going to be out for at least six weeks now."

"I'd rather focus on my own clients at the brownstone right now."

"All right, I'll pass that message along." As the Oldsmobile pulled out onto the street Hank noticed that several Halloween decorations were already being taken down and powered off, and he wondered how quickly the rest of the jovial mood would shift with the mayoral election right around the corner. "October is almost over and November is just a few hours away. I get the feeling that shit's going to stay wild before this year's even over."

"I suspect that you're right. I cannot explain it, but I feel as if there is something very important just waiting for us around the corner."

"Same."

The mutual bad feeling held Connor's interest as the Oldsmobile drove the mostly empty streets back to the brownstone. "Cop's intuition?"

"Most likely. Whatever does happen we'll be sure to handle it in stride. You deviants get to speak your mind and join in on the vote."

"Yes, this time the deviants will be prepared to handle any negative reaction to our presence." Connor noted as he watched a few stray leaves falling from the nearby tree branches and blowing about in the breeze. "We won't be threatened by bigots or pushed aside. This time our voices will be heard without the need of a Revolution, and this time we'll have a say in how this city functions. The mayoral election will be very interesting to say the least."

-next chapter-