With a heavy sigh on his lips and a focused stare in his blue eyes, Hank watched as Connor - the only deviant in all of Detroit to risk their dignity for the sake of an animal, climbed up a towering oak tree to rescue a stranded kitten. The keen eyed deviant noted the distressed kitten crying for help during their drive back to the precinct after handling a case out in the field, and of course Connor wanted to help despite Hank insisting that the kitten would be able to climb back down on its own when it was ready.

Standing at the base of the tree Hank watched Connor slowly and carefully maneuver through the various tree branches to reach the crying kitten without causing a branch or limb to snap off under his weight. It was more interesting to see the deviant try to conquer his fear of heights for the sake of the stray animal and Hank contemplated preemptively calling in help from the fire department in case Connor got stuck in the tree, too.

"Almost there." Connor muttered as he inched along the branch on top of his stomach. He was focused on the tiny kitten cowering up against the tree at the far end of the branch and was moving slowly to keep the kitten from panicking and trying to climb higher. "Good kitty..."

"You know, when I made a comment about you rescuing a cat from a tree last week," Hank called out to Connor as he reminisced about the deviant's last animal rescue. "I was joking!"

"I'm aware..." Pushing himself upright Connor sat on the branch with his legs hanging over either side of the branch now that he was just within arm's reach of the kitten. With a quick biometric scan Connor was able to confirm that the kitten was five-weeks-olds, too young to be away from its mother and was showing signs of malnourishment. "But this kitten truly needs my help."

"If it can climb up the tree, then it can climb down the tree."

"Not at the moment. The kitten is malnourished, dehydrated and mildly hypothermic."

"Ah, jeez... Fine! We'll drop it off at the vet!"

"That is acceptable." Moving with a gentle motion Connor managed to reach out his hand toward the shivering kitten and lightly rubbed the kitten's chin to show the frightened animal that he wasn't going to hurt it. When the kitten's widened black eyes began to shrink down in size Connor knew he was slowly gaining the kitten's trust. "Don't worry. I'll get you back down the tree and get you some help."

Hank heard Connor muttering up in the tree and shouted to him in a confused manner. "Are you talking to the cat?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"To earn its trust."

"It's a cat, not a person."

"Sumo is not a person and you talk to him."

"Yeah, but that's... Whatever!" Hank sighed again and walked away from the tree a few paces. "Just get down here."

"I am about to do so."

Lightly Connor plucked the black and white kitten up from the where it was perched and held the kitten close to his chest. Wrapping his gray blazer around himself Connor tucked the kitten inside the interior pocket under his right lapel and then buttoned the garment to ensure the kitten was safe inside the pocket.

"This won't take long."

Hank looked up at Connor again and shook his head. "Uh-huh. Just get down here before someone sees you!"

Being careful and slow with his movements Connor climbed back down the tree branch by branch, then dropped the last four feet to the ground and landed on his feet with a hearty 'thump'. Opening his blazer Connor took the kitten from his pocket and held it with both hands against his chest to help the little critter keep warm.

"Finally." Hank saw the kitten and saw the way Connor was cuddling it. "Let's get it to the vet before you get too attached to it."

"She'll need some food, fluids and will need to be kept warm."

Hank led the way back to the Oldsmobile and watched as Connor sat down in the passenger seat with the kitten still in his hands. "Which the vet will do."

"She'll then need a home."

"Or she can be reunited with her mother." Hank suggested as he sat down behind the steering wheel and turned over the car's engine. "The mother has to be around here somewhere."

"We cannot take that risk. And based on the kitten's current vital signs I can confirm that she has been away from her mother for approximately forty-eight hours. I suspect the mother has either abandoned her or the mother is not in the area."

"Connor, no."

"'No' what?"

"You can't keep her!"

Connor continued to gently rub the kitten's chin and was rewarded with a soft purr and then gentle crying mews as the kitten begged for food. "Someone needs to take care of her."

"Remember how we're going to the vet?"

"The vet will ensure she is healthy but the vet cannot ensure she will find a loving home."

"Look, I know you have a soft spot for animals, but-"

"Please?" Sounding less like a detective and more like a pleading child, Connor tried to get Hank to listen to reason. "I've never had a pet of my own and I'd like the chance to give this kitten a safe home just as you had given to Sumo."

"Kid, taking on a pet is a huge change. You'll need to get her food, toys, a litter box, get her all the necessary shots, get her spayed... That's a lot!"

"I can handle it."

"Well, it's my house and my rules."

"I have enough funds saved to move into my own apartment. Problem solved."

"You'd seriously move out just to keep a kitten?"

"I'd seriously find an adequate shelter to ensure an innocent animal is safe, yes."

Hank sighed through his nose as he looked over at the purring, crying kitten and tried to put his foot down. "Connor. No. We're taking her to the vet and we're dropping her off. End of story!"

"No it isn't." Defying Hank and expressing himself as a free individual, Connor refused to let the matter drop. "I'm going to give her a home whether you like the idea or not. She needs me!"

"Yeah?" Hank challenged as they pulled into the parking lot of the veterinary clinic. "We'll see about that!"


The day came to an end and Connor was happily feeding the kitten with a bottle to ensure she was well nourished as she adjusted to her new home. In spite of Hank's protests Connor had won and had taken full charge over the kitten's care with the veterinarian's support. Paying for the kitten's vet bill, her new food, special kitten-formula, a bottle and some toys was just the beginning as Connor set about his new role as a pet owner.

Too small to wear a collar just yet, the small kitten had to settle for her name being painted on the side of her new food bowl and getting used to Connor calling her by her name. She was adjusting very quickly and found herself right at home.

"I think Briar will be happy here." Connor gloated as the kitten finished her formula and tolerated Connor wiping the excess food from her chin. "Sumo likes her, too."

"Briar?" Hank didn't understand the name and just sat in his recliner as he watched Connor fussing over the kitten. "Where'd that come from?"

"It means 'small tree'. She's small and I found her in a tree."

"Oh... Okay."

With Briar cleaned up Connor let her crawl off his lap and watched as she walked over to where Sumo was laying on his pillow and curled up against the large dog's warm side and cuddled into his thick fur. Sumo responded by wagging his tail and laying his chin down beside the kitten as he did his best to cuddle up with Briar in return without his big body accidentally smothering her.

"Thank you, Hank. I know you didn't want the kitten coming here, but-"

"It's fine, kid." Admitting defeat Hank knew that trying to argue with the stubborn deviant would always be a fruitless endeavor. "Just don't turn this house into a zoo!"

"I assure you that I won't attempt to take on such a massive responsibility." Connor grinned as he watched the kitten and large dog bonding together. "There'd be no place for the elephants to roam in the livingroom if I tried such a thing."

"Smartass..."

-End of Story-