Hank wasn't sure if it was the smell of something burning, or the screech of the fire alarm that woke him up first. Either way, he was out of bed in record time.

He rushed to the kitchen, coughing through the smoke that filled the air. "Connor?!" He called.

"Everything is under control, Lieutenant!" Connor's tiny voice called back, but there was an edge of panic to it.

Realizing that there were no open flames, Hank made his way to the windows, throwing them open in hopes that the smoke would dissipate. Fresh air, streaming in, he turned to Connor. "You ok?" he asked, squinting at him through the haze.

"Yes, I'm alright," he could barely be heard over the blaring alarm.

"Good. Stay there," Hank ordered. He went to the fire alarm, struggling to remove the batteries when it refused to shut off. Once blissful silence returned to the room, he made his way back to the disaster of an android he had left in the kitchen.

"Wanna tell me what the fuck you were doing?" Hank asked him.

Connor, looking suitably chided, sheepishly held up a blackened frying pan. "I was attempting to make breakfast," he explained.

Hank rolled his eyes, taking the pan and what he hoped were once eggs from the tiny android. "You can barely cook on a good day, Connor. Why the hell would you try that when you can't even reach the stove?"

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," Connor countered. "And when I don't make it for you, you have the tendency to indulge in less than optimal alternatives to a healthy meal."

Hank sighed, putting the burnt pan in the sink to deal with later. "Healthy stuff tastes like shit," he said by way of argument.

"But Hank, at your age-"

"Hey," he cut him off. "At my age I can make my own damn decisions."

"But-"

"And you," he went on, ignoring Connor's protest. "You aren't touching the kitchen until you're big again."

"Hank!"

"Nope, not hearing it." Hank shook his head. "You can wait until you're an adult before you burn my fucking house down."

"I'm sorry, Hank." Connor's voice was so timid it made Hank's heart ache. The kid had no right to look so small and innocent.

Hank sighed again. "Come here," he gestured for Connor to move closer, pulling him into a tight hug when the android complied. "I'm not mad, ok?" He told him. "I'm just worried. What if something happened? What if you got hurt?"

"I'm ok, Hank. Honest," his voice was muffled by Hank's shirt. He only held him tighter.

"I know, kid. This time. But what about next time?" He ran a hand up and down his back, reassuring himself that Connor was, in fact, ok. "Look, for my peace of mind, please just leave the cooking to me. An early morning heart attack will do me in a hell of a lot faster than a shitty breakfast."

"Ok," Connor conceded reluctantly. He turned his face so he could be heard better. "But can you at least try to eat better? For my peace of mind?"

"Alright, deal," Hank chuckled, planting a kiss on the top of the kid's head before letting the hug end. He stood up, back and knees both protesting to the crouched position he had been in. "How about this," he said, grabbing his tablet from where he had left it on the table. "I'll pick up breakfast on the way to the precinct. You can pick what I get. That sound fair?"

Connor took the tablet as it was handed to him with a smile. "I believe that is acceptable." He smiled and damn if that wasn't an adorable sight.

"Good," Hank nodded. "Just pick somewhere I can get a decent cup of coffee. No way I'm getting through today without caffeine."

"Right," Connor said, accepting the parameter. He began sifting through options on the tablet locating what Hank had no doubt would be a nutritionally balanced breakfast.

"I'm gonna go get ready," he said, ruffling Connor's hair as he went. Hank headed back to his room, pleased that the smoke had dissipated somewhat. He glanced to the corner where Sumo still slept, undisturbed by the morning's commotion. He muttered about the lazy dog before slipping into the bathroom. He had a feeling there was no way to really get ready for a day that involved a six-year-old Connor.

-o-

After the morning's excitement, Hank was almost eager to go to work, if only to see how the precinct would react to Connor.

They walked out of the house, Hank taking a moment to lock the door behind him while Connor made his way to the car. The quick but small steps from the tiny android gave him an eager, almost giddy disposition. It resulted in him looking more like he was heading to his first day of school than a police precinct.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hank asked as Connor rounded the car and made ready to open the passenger side door.

His face scrunched in confusion as he looked up at him. "To... work? We discussed this already, Hank."

He smirked, shaking his head in amusement as he joined Connor by the car. "Yeah, but you aren't sitting there."

Connor's head cocked to the side. "But, this is where I usually sit. I don't recommend I drive in my current state."

"Oh, there is no way in hell you're driving," he said, both appalled and amused by the mention. "But you aren't riding shotgun either."

Connor's confusion melted into horror as Hank opened the rear passenger door revealing a child seat awaiting him. "Hank!" he protested. "That isn't funny."

Hank couldn't stop himself from grinning. "Oh, it's fuckin hilarious," he corrected him. "But it's also not a joke."

"You can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious," Hank insisted. "Size and weight laws say you gotta be in a car seat."

"But I'm an android," Connor insisted.

"You're still small, kid. Come on, hop in."

"I'm not riding in a child seat, Hank," Connor stated. He turned to the front passenger door and tried opening it, only to find it locked. Frustrated, he tried the door a couple more times.

"Yeah, you are. It's the law kiddo, you're always such a stickler about that." Hank tried holding in his laughter for Connor's sake, but it was damn hard. He was glad he had gotten it in the car while the kid was napping the day before, it made the whole reveal a lot more amusing.

"I'll call a cab," he huffed, ignoring Hank's reasoning and clearly annoyed that the door wouldn't budge.

Hank rolled his eyes. "How do you plan on doing that? You don't have a phone and you said you can't call anyone from your head in that body."

Connor turned to look at him fully, arms crossed in frustration. "I'll walk."

He shook his head. "What, and get there tomorrow?" He reached down, grabbing him under each arm, he easily lifted the small android. Ignoring the indigent yelp, he hoisted him into the car seat. Connor was powerless to stop him. "Just suck it up, Connor. It's not that bad." he told him as he buckled him in.

The look on Connor's face argued that it was, in fact, that bad, but he refrained from saying anything else now that he had no more say in the argument. Hank ruffled his hair affectionately. "Let's just get to work, ok?"

"Fine," Connor relented, still miffed.

Hank was still smiling as he closed the door, rounded to the other side of the car, and got into the driver's seat. He adjusted the rearview mirror, giving him an excellent view of Connor's petulant face. "No need to throw a tantrum, we'll be there before you know it."

"I am not throwing a tantrum, Lieutenant," Connor fussed.

Whether the use of his title was due to Connor getting into 'work mode' or being upset, he wasn't sure. Either way, it was funny as hell. "Sure, sure," he told him as he pulled out of the driveway. Jeffery was going to love this.