The past day's events had left Connor unable to stop thinking about everything he had learned from Kamski. The truth behind the "RK" project that CyberLife had activated, the truth behind why the Connor-series looked and sounded the way that it did, and the potential truth behind the enigmatic deity known as RA9, had been so Earth shattering that the two deviant detectives were at a loss of what to do. While Lucas attempted to distract his thoughts and odd sense of needing to expose the truth by returning to the tower to work, Connor decided to take a personal day off and take Bruno for a nice long walk before and after spending some quality time at the dog park.

As a result, Connor had been out of the brownstone since dawn and it was now just past noon, and he had no desire to go back to his home just yet. After leading Bruno around the sixteenth block in an attempt to keep his mind distracted, Connor felt the leash suddenly pull taut as Bruno suddenly sat down on the sidewalk. The K-9 unit was exhausted and didn't have the energy to keep walking any further on his three legs.

"Sorry, boy." Crouching down in front of the tired dog Connor pressed his fingertips to Bruno's yellow L.E.D. and checked his system for any sign of an error. While the dog wasn't in critical condition, he did need a little help. "Your Thirium volume is down to sixty percent. I'll find you some to drink."

'Bruno is hot.' Panting thanks to the building summer heat overwhelming his body, Bruno was clearly in need of a break even if Connor wasn't ready to take one. It didn't help that he only had three legs and not four to ensure his limbs weren't overworked by mistake. 'Bruno needs Thirium.'

"All right, I'll find a solution." Standing back up Connor glanced around the area and realized that he and Bruno had walked into a familiar neighborhood without thinking too much about it. Not wanting to risk Bruno's health getting any worse Connor decided to swallow his pride and take a risk in asking for a favor. "Lieutenant Anderson's residence is just down the block. He may allow you to cool down inside the house."

Whimpering once Bruno licked his nose as his ears drooped down somberly. 'Bruno cannot walk.'

"Okay, I got you."

With great ease Connor scooped Bruno up into his arms and walked down the sidewalk to head for Hank's house. It didn't take the swift deviant long to reach the correct address or walk up to the front door with Bruno in his protective arms. Just as he reached for the doorbell with his hand awkwardly reaching out through the dog's thick fur, Connor heard a bark from the backyard followed by Hank's baritone voice calling out to Sumo in a playful manner.

"He's home."

Walking along the side of the house Connor peered into the backyard in time to see Sumo slowly plod over to Hank with a green fetch ball clutched between his teeth while he wagged his tail happily. As the Saint Bernard dropped the drool covered ball at Hank's feet, he sensed Connor and Bruno's presences and let out a happy bark while Hank turned to look at what caught Sumo's attention by glancing over his shoulder.

"Hi, Sumo. Hello, Lieutenant."

"Uh, hey, Connor." Noticing Bruno in the deviant's arms, Hank had to know why he was carrying the dog instead of walking him. "What's with Bruno? Are you trying a new dog-walking technique?"

"Bruno is overheating and low on Thirium. I was wondering if you'd permit him to get out of the heat for a few minutes while I go to the store to buy him Thirium."

"Well, yeah. And don't bother with the store." Grabbing the dropped ball Hank led the way to the backdoor that connected to the kitchen and let Sumo inside first so he didn't bowl over Connor in his excitement. "I still got some spare Thirium in the event of an emergency. Help yourself."

"Thank you." Entering the kitchen after Sumo had found his water bowl Connor gently laid Bruno down on the cool linoleum floor of the air conditioned kitchen and rubbed his ears. The way the dog was panting left Connor wondering if he had accidentally pushed Bruno too far and failed to properly watch over him. "You'll feel better soon, boy. I'm sorry you got overworked."

'Bruno is not sad.' Wagging his tail in response Bruno looked up at Connor as he continued to pant. 'Connor does not need to be sorry.'

Hank placed a clean bowl down beside Bruno's nose and then poured a bottle of fresh Thirium into the bowl for the large dog to drink. The Thirium had been stored in a dark cupboard which helped it remain relatively cool even in the mounting heat. "There ya' go, Bruno. I can't imagine how it must feel to run around while covered in a layer of thick fur."

"Neither can I." Unclipping the leash from Bruno's collar Connor made sure the dog was as comfortable as possible as he recovered from the excessive walk that had left him exhausted and overheated. "And thank you for your help."

"No problem." Watching Bruno lap up the Thirium was a little odd, but Hank didn't question it. "It's nice to see ya' without there being a dead body on the floor in front of us."

"Yes, that's something I can wholeheartedly agree with." Standing up from the floor Connor wound up the leash and tucked it into his jean pocket. "I take it you are in the middle of a day off."

"Yeah, one of the few where Fowler hasn't tried to call me in, too."

"I'm taking a day off as well." The deviant detective admitted in an attempt at casual conversation. "It's been... stressful as of late."

"I can only imagine how bad it's been for you after everything you've been going through." Hank noticed that Connor's right arm was no longer covered under any bandages, but his arm was still looking pale from the thin artificial skin over his plastimetal frame. The burns were gone but his artificial skin still hadn't fully regenerated. "How's your arm?"

"It's fine. My self healing program is functioning at optimal parameters." Flexing his arm a few times Connor confirmed that the limb was just healing well. "I never did thank you for helping me after the explosion at the warehouse."

"Yeah ya' did. When I was taking you to the-"

"No, no. I was thanking you for taking me to the facility, but I didn't thank you for actually helping me." Connor clarified as he mentally recounted the incident. "You raced into a burning building and carried me to safety, effectively saving my life." Reflecting on the moment helped Connor to see the situation as a whole and recognize his own shortsightedness. "Thank you for helping me when I need it the most."

"No problem. I'm just glad you're still in one piece." Hank did his best to remain modest as he didn't want Connor to feel like he was going to try to push any boundaries regarding their already thin friendship. "Especially since I already been to your funeral once. I'd rather not do that again."

"If it's any consolation, it wasn't much fun for me to handle either. It did, however, help me to see that I am cared about, and that people do want to help me."

"I've had moments of clarity like that." Looking over at Sumo as the large dog walked over to Bruno and sat down beside the K-9 unit to keep the dog company Hank couldn't help but smirk at the gentle giant. Once Bruno finished off his Thirium he laid back down and wagged his tail happily as he quickly felt better. "Unfortunately, it happened seemingly too late."

"At least you and I are learning from our past mistakes."

"You got that right." Offering Sumo his toy again Hank watched as the big and playful dog took the green ball from Hank's hand and then dropped it down beside Bruno's front paws as if inviting the other dog to play or at least share the toy. "I'd like to continue on into my golden years with as few regrets as possible."

"That's an admirable goal to have."

"So, when you're not solving cases and walking Bruno, what're you up to these days?"

"...I've been trying to uncover the rest of CyberLife's secrets." Crossing his arms over his chest Connor gave Hank a relatively nervous glance. "The information that I've uncovered is unsettling."

"That's one of the shittiest parts of being a detective. We're supposed to uncover all the secrets, solve all the mysteries and clean up all the messes left behind by sadistic fucks who just want to watch the world burn."

"How do you handle it all?"

"I used to get drunk to numb myself from the pain, but I stopped doing that since it was doing far more harm than good. Now I just focus on helping the people around me from going down the same dark path I had once walked down."

"Commendable."

"Are you handling the stress okay?" There was genuine worry in Hank's tone since he couldn't help but see Connor, Lucas and even Sydney all as young twenty-something college graduates still trying to find their way through life. "I mean, you're clearly keeping active which is good, but how about your mental health?"

"I continue to rely on music and reading to keep my mind relatively preoccupied."

"Sounds like you found something healthy to do with your spare time." Hank noticed that Bruno was now feeling better and had stopped panting as he sat upright on the floor. He sniffed at Sumo's offered toy and pushed it around with his nose in a curious manner as if he wasn't sure how to play with it. "And it looks like you're both going to be all right."

"I certainly hope so."

Not wanting the rare opportunity to speak with Connor go to waste, Hank decided to risk it and offered Connor the chance to keep talking to one another. "Can you do a favor for me?"

"I suppose so." Looking over at the senior detective curiously Connor wondered what was on Hank's mind. "What is it?"

"Let me go take a quick shower and then we'll keep talking. There's a lot of stuff we need to get out in the open and the sooner we do it the sooner we'll feel better."

"Very well." Crouching down in front of the two dogs Connor pet both dogs' ears as he agreed to the simple request. "I can't deny that we have a sordid past that should be discussed to prevent an identical future."

"Damn right." Walking over to the hallway Hank opened the bathroom door and continued to speak with Connor from afar. "Okay, I won't take more than five minutes since I just worked up a small sweat playing fetch with Sumo. Today's my rest day so he had to suffice for a small workout instead of my bench press."

While Connor waited for Hank to finish his shower, he sat down on the floor cross-legged and continued to give attention to the two dogs. It wasn't long until Sumo happily laid on the floor and rested his chin over Connor's knee affectionately with his fluffy tail thumping rhythmically on the floor. Bruno meanwhile pawed at the green ball and watched it slowly roll about in a small circle before falling perfectly still again.

"Would you like a new toy to play with?" Connor had noticed Bruno's behavior and decided that the dog having a chew rope and a frisbee weren't really enough toys to keep him preoccupied when they weren't working on a case. "I could find you a ball to chase."

'Bruno likes the ball.' The K-9 unit confirmed with his cybernetic link. He wagged his tail as he perked up his ears and listened to the sound of the shower running in the bathroom a few yards away. 'Bruno likes Sumo and Lieutenant Anderson, too.'

"I also like Sumo." Connor admitted as he continued to pet the Saint Bernard's ears gently. "As for the Lieutenant, it's getting easier to associate with him.

'Lieutenant Anderson was sad at Connor's funeral.'

"Considering funerals are a time of grieving, it makes sense that he'd be upset."

Bruno whimpered once as he put his paw down on Connor's arm and attempted to set up a cybernetic link with his guardian. 'Lieutenant Anderson was very sad.'

Curious about what Bruno wanted him to see Connor accepted the link and was greeted with the dog's recorded visual and auditory memory of Hank giving Connor a private eulogy at the funeral. The man's words of respect, kindness and admiration were enough to give Connor pause. He hadn't even considered how much his life had affected Hank's life in either a positive or a negative manner. It was only after seeing the way Hank had been dressed, the way he had actually given Connor a respectful salute and had spoken only kind words, was enough to make the deviant finally acknowledge that the senior detective had in fact changed for the better. Not only was Hank taking better care of himself, but he was also taking care of everyone around him and had found a way to let go of so much hatred that had been festering inside his heart it was like he was an entirely new person.

"...The Lieutenant was genuinely affected by my presumed death."

'Lieutenant Anderson respects Connor.'

"He really does, doesn't he?"

Bruno pulled back his paw and pressed his cold nose against Connor's cheek before he picked up the green ball from the floor and seemed to beckon Sumo into playing a game by playfully patting his front paws down on the floor before trotting into the livingroom. It wasn't long before Sumo managed to get up on his own paws and trail after Bruno in a surprisingly energetic manner to engage in a fun game with his rarely seen friend.

Remaining on the kitchen floor for a moment longer Connor didn't move until he heard the bathroom door open down the hallway. Standing up slowly Connor looked at the doorway of the kitchen as Hank walked down the hall while rubbing a towel over his damp locks of gray hair. It was clear to see that Hank had lost some weight since his faded t-shirt was hanging off of him, and his gym shorts were baggier than one would expect before Hank's steady weight loss.

"You didn't have to sit in the kitchen." Hank grinned as he carried the towel over the adjacent laundry room and tossed it into the washing machine. "But thanks for staying to chat."

"Of course, I gave you my word that I'd stay."

Accompanying Hank into the livingroom the two detectives watched as Bruno and Sumo playfully wrestled for the green ball and played a small game of tag around the couch. It was rare to see the elderly Saint Bernard acting like a puppy again.

"Damn, if I knew that Sumo just needed a friend to play with, I would've adopted a second dog years ago."

Such a bold statement made Connor's brow arch with genuine curiosity as he and Hank sat down on the couch together. "Really?"

"Well, a few months ago anyway. I was still sorting my shit out." The admission was as humble as it was humorous. "Anyway, we both definitely got off on the wrong foot when we first met back in November. We should try starting again and speak to each detective to detective, equal person to equal person, and not angry alcoholic to innocent android trying to figure shit out. Sound fair?"

"It does, yes."

"All right, cool." Relieved to hear such cooperation made it easier for Hank to keep talking. "Good start..."

"For what it's worth, I had respected you for your impressive track record as a detective and resourcefulness in finding trails to follow and witnesses to speak with since the first day we met. That respect still stands to this day."

"Yeah? Man, I think you were the only one with any respect for me, not that I didn't bring disrespect my way by my own shitty decisions." The admission seemed to be a soul cleansing one that allowed the senior detective to keep moving forward and no linger in the past. "And of course, I gave you plenty of reasons to hate me..."

"I don't hate you, and I never did." It wasn't a lie. It was difficult to admit but it wasn't a lie. "I did find you abrasive to be around and there were times where I felt like you were too... unstable to socialize with."

"That's entirely fair. I was being abrasive, and I was unstable. Fuck, kid, I pointed my own gun at you." Hank was ashamed of his past behavior and clearly full of remorse for what he had done. "There's no excuse for me to ever do something like that to you or anyone else. I don't blame you for being so damn jumpy around me all the time."

"I won't deny that having you point your gun at me had a drastic impact on the way I viewed you as a person, but in the time since that incident, you've made many changes and have been very supportive, helpful and protective of myself, Lucas and arguably even Sydney. I can't speak for Sydney regarding any type of forgiveness for what happened between you during the night of the Revolution, but I suspect in time he'll let his anger go as well."

"I'm not expecting forgiveness from Sydney for any reason." Hank knew what he had done was wrong and that there was no way to make amends for murder, even if the murder victim managed to come back from the dead via the wonders of android technology. "I killed him. I may have acted in self defense and wanted to protect you, but I still killed him. He doesn't owe me a damn thing."

"If it's any comfort, Sydney has taken a job with the F.B.I. out in D.C., and he seems to be excelling as an individual in a new city while rising through the ranks. He's living his life as he sees fit, and he isn't letting anyone or anything hold him back."

"That's good. He deserves so much more than being a weapon used by CyberLife then gunned down for just obeying his orders." Clearing his throat to keep his emotions in check Hank decided to focus on other matters and not keep up with a gloomy topic of discussion. "How about you and Lucas? I mean, I know you two are proving to be a Hell of a pair of detectives, but how are you doing in your personal lives? Any new hobbies or friends you want to talk about?"

"Our hobbies haven't changed, and we haven't gained any new interests. However, I suspect Lucas is being drawn to a particular deviant for a more... emotional response."

Such a revelation made Hank grin with approval. "He has a crush?"

That term was entirely unknown to Connor and the confusion on his face said it all before he even opened his mouth. "...A 'crush'?"

"Yeah, it's a human concept." Hank replied as he propped his feet up on the coffee table and immediately had Sumo and Bruno under his legs as they continued to play their game together. "It means someone has special feelings toward another person. Feelings of attraction, to be specific."

"Oh. Then, yes." What Hank described and what Lucas had displayed gave Connor enough evidence to support the concept. "Lucas does seem to have a 'crush'."

"That's good. It means he's really let his emotions grow."

"I agree." Despite not trusting Chloe due to her connections with Kamski, Connor did trust Lucas and knew he had good judgement. He wanted his brother to be happy and was going to support him in any way he could. "I haven't had such feelings develop for anyone in particular."

"Give it time. You'll find someone special."

"Doubtful." The memory of spending the night with Zhorra wasn't one Connor regretted, but he did wish he had made an effort to stay connected to her and not let her simply walk away without trying to know more about her or finding a way to contact her. "The only deviants I associate with are what one would consider 'work friends'. It's unprofessional to let one's emotions shift in such a way that could compromise important work."

Another sly grin graced Hank's lips as he thought back to his own previous relationship with his late wife, Barbara. "Can't help ya' with that one. I fell in love with and married my former partner at the precinct."

"I remember reading about your marriage and previous divorce while doing my research on you." Connor admitted as he lifted up his own legs to let the two dogs continue to wrestle between the couch and coffee table unobstructed. "I never asked you about them since it wasn't prudent to our original investigation."

"Well, the divorce is nothing special. My high school sweetheart, me and a bunch of our friends went out to Vegas to celebrate graduating high school together. One thing led to another, and my sweetheart and I woke up together in a hotel room wearing wedding rings and had a marriage certificate to help us figure out what happened while we were nearly blackout drunk."

"That... doesn't seem like a stable way to begin a marriage."

"Damn right about that! While I was laughing, she was pissed off and trying find her clothes. She ended up finding a place to get the marriage annulled and she never forgave me for what happened. When I reminded her that we both needed to say 'I do' for the marriage to go through, she broke up with me right then and there."

"I'm not sure if such an extreme reaction was justified or not."

"Oh no, she was right to dump me. I didn't take our past relationship seriously and it took me a long time to really appreciate having a strong relationship with a partner for life. And because I managed to learn from my mistake, I knew that when I met Barbara and got to know her that I truly loved her. There was no 'maybe' about the way I felt about that woman, it was pure love. She felt the same about me and I couldn't imagine my life without her as my wife."

"I wouldn't know what that feels like. 'Pure love', I mean."

"You're still young and you're still learning. You'll find it for yourself someday, and when you do, you'll recognize it immediately."

"You sound confident that I'll have such an experience." Connor was still struggling to socialize and step out of his comfort zone. "I'm not human and I won't necessarily have human experiences despite being a deviant living among humans."

"Well, you won't have exact one-to-one experiences like the people around you, but you going to have new experiences to look forward to all the same."

"Maybe." Connor looked down as Sumo bumped against his leg as he managed to get the ball from Bruno and run about his tail wagging playfully. It was strange to see the large old dog behaving in a more energetic manner compared to how he usually behaved. "It seems the only time I meet new people or have new experiences is when I'm faced with personal struggles or tragedy."

"Join the club!"

"The newest person that I've met and felt like I could consider an ally, was Rose Chapman."

"Talk about a great friend." Hank remembered the woman and couldn't help but grin again. "When I went to the facility to see you for myself after you were declared back from the dead, I had the chance to speak with Rose. She's an amazing woman."

"And I still want to find a way to properly thank her after saving my life." Putting his feet back down on the floor Connor held out his hands and invited Bruno and Sumo over for some ear rubs before they resumed playing their game together. "I want to make sure I treat the people who are important to me with all the due respect that they deserve, and even more."

"You do realize that you don't need to try so hard to make friends, right?" Hank's detective senses were tingling as he picked up on some form of misplaced guilt in the young deviant's voice. "You didn't do anything wrong as an android and you haven't done anything wrong as a deviant."

"...It's complicated."

"That's the definition of life, son."

"Very complicated. I've spent more time seeing the ugliness of life than I've been able to see the beauty of it." It took everything he had to mention the elephant in the room and finally discuss the overly sensitive topic that had nearly destroyed any potential friendship between Hank and himself. "I've seen people abuse their loved ones - friends, spouses, siblings, children... And I've seen how indifferent people can be when it comes to the other people around them. Death is so permanent for humans."

"Son, when I snapped at you at the precinct about that... That horrible case," Hank didn't want to mention the death of an innocent child either. "I was wrong. I was so damn pissed off at that asshole for being able to fool me with his sob story and actually feeling sympathy for a murderer... I just took out my anger on the first target that I saw - another terrible habit I need to break - and it just so happened to be you. Even so, I had no right to do that and be such a prick. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for shouting at you, for insulting you and for accusing you of not understanding the pain that comes from a tragedy like that. You don't need to be a parent to recognize how abominable it is to do something like that to a child. I am as sorry as humanly possible."

"As am I."

"Huh?" The admission seemingly came out of nowhere. "What're you sorry for?"

"For not being strong enough to stand up for myself or to stay in the precinct to see the case come to its conclusion." Connor's own guilt was still weighing heavily inside his heart regarding everything he had experienced in the past. "Seeing that infant-"

"No, NEVER apologize for being shaken by something like that. Any detective, cop or investigator who isn't moved in some way by finding someone like that is too damn cold and heartless to wear a badge. I was the one in the wrong, not you." Leaning forward a little bit Hank patted his hand on Connor's shoulder twice before returning his hand to the top of his knee. "Seeing something like that sticks with you forever. I didn't know about you being the one to actually find her until I was given all of the details later. It's no wonder you didn't have the words to rightfully tell me off when I started barkin' at ya'."

"I still can't find the words to express how that moment made me feel. I have limited experience with children, and I've been trying to understand the concept of a family unit, and just knowing that a parent could do that to their own child has left me all the more confused. I can't understand how it's even possible."

"Trust me, you don't WANT to understand that type of mentality. It's best to work through your emotions, not bottle them up. That leads to poison festering in your heart." Hank wanted to press Connor for more answers but knew not to push his luck. "Just know that if you ever need someone to talk to about anything human related or just want someone to talk to in general, I'm here. We may not be friends, but-"

"...We still could be." Speaking up in a hushed tone Connor barely managed to get the words passed his lips before he lost his nerve. "I doubt we'll be able to have a close friendship, but we could still have some type of friendship to share. We've been through a lot together, and we do have some commonalities."

"Yeah?" The offer made Hank's blue eyes widen with shocked surprise. "Y-Yeah, that's possible. We seem to get along just fine while solving cases on the clock, so I don't see why we can't get along while off the clock. Hell, we're doing it right now."

"That is true." The relief was palpable as Connor realized his attempt to extend a metaphorical olive branch had been successful. It was strange how it took a premature eulogy regarding his life to finally help Connor see who Hank truly was behind all the gruffness and personal mistakes. "We're being civil without any reason beyond wanting to be civil."

"Right. Hell, I've been able to get along with Gavin recently, so I know there's definitely a chance that we'll be able to get along as friends someday."

"I imagine Detective Reed is going to make some extreme changes considering he's going to be a father in less than seven months."

"Having a kid definitely changes a person." Hank had to admit that fatherhood was one of the best changes of his life and hoped that Gavin would feel the same way about it. "Fortunately, the changes are for the better most of the time."

"I take it there are a lot people who refuse to change once they take on the responsibility of a child." The memory of his most tragic case was still vivid in his mind and made him fear for future generations. "And those who don't end up making increasingly selfish and devastating decisions."

"It's a tragic truth about humanity. Sometimes we improve, sometimes we become worse than ever before." Leaning back against the couch cushions Hank sighed through his nose as he folded his arms over his chest. "I'd like to believe that Cole helped me to become a better person, and I just lost track of that sense of betterment after I lost him. All I can do is hope it isn't too late to become a good person again."

Connor felt the sorrow in Hank's words and knew that the man was still working through his personal pain and would still need to have a lot of time and patience shown to him. It was then that Connor realized that the very behavior he knew that Hank deserved, was the very behavior already being shown toward himself from Hank. If the senior detective could swallow his pride and go out of his way to accommodate Connor and his brothers by walking on eggshells, then the least that Connor could do was show Hank the same courtesy.

"You are a good person." The deviant confirmed in a sincere manner as he tried to slowly mend fences between Hank and himself. "Good people can make bad decisions, but that doesn't mean those people are actually bad. That's something I've learned from myself and from you, Hank."

Hearing his name rather than his title was enough to make Hank feel like a crushing weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. "...Thanks for saying that, son."

One last snuff caught the two detectives' attention as Bruno relented to Sumo and gave the older dog back his ball and laid down on the floor while Sumo walked over to his pillow in the corner to get some rest. It seemed the two dogs were satisfied with their game and were ready for a little break.

"Bruno and Sumo get along very well." Connor noted as he saw the K-9 unit wagging his tail and looking over at Sumo as if waiting for round two to begin. "Maybe instead of getting a second dog, I could just bring Bruno around from time to time so they can play together."

"That'd be a Hell of a lot easier on my wallet to have Bruno stopping by instead of maintaining two dogs all day long by myself."

Connor looked over at Bruno and set up a cybernetic link with the K-9 unit to ask him how he felt about the arrangement. 'Would you like to stop by the house to play with Bruno from time to time?'

Bruno wagged his tail and perked his ears up at the comment. 'Yes! Bruno likes Sumo and Sumo likes Bruno!'

'All right, then that's what we'll do.' Ending the link Connor gave Hank a small nod of his head. "Bruno likes the idea of coming over to play with Sumo."

"Cool. One less thing to worry about." Not wanting the day of peaceful coexistence to end just yet Hank tried to find another reason for Connor to stick around at the house for a while longer. "Uh, there's a Gears game coming on tonight. Want to stick around and watch?"

"I don't watch basketball since I do not understand how the sport can be entertaining, but I'm willing to give it a try."

"Even better." The cooperative behavior was enough to make any lingering tension in the livingroom fade away. "I'll help ya' figure out why so many humans love sports and why they're entertaining. I bet as an android you'd be able to use your fancy software to figure out how the game will end too."

Such a bold claim didn't escape Connor's keen detective skills. "It sounds like you're trying to lure me into accepting a potential wager."

"What if I am?" The senior detective wasn't even trying to deny the clever ploy. "Nothing wrong with a friendly wager between friends, right?"

"I suppose that's true." Unsure of what the bet would revolve around Connor gave the man a studious glance. "What's the wager regaring the game's outcome?"

"Winner gets to pick the next time we hang out."

"And the loser?"

"No loser in this wager this time. Only a winner."

The positive response was enough to make a ghost of a grin appear on Connor's face as he extended his hand to accept the wager. "Okay, it's a bet."

-next chapter-