Sitting on the edge of his bed with his guitar in his hands Connor strummed a very somber tune as he contemplated his previous night's adventure out into the forest courtesy of a hallucination. He was still trying to figure out why he had been drawn to that damn rose of all things during his confused stupor. It seemed so strange that he'd wander off so far from the city while trying to find Lucas, let alone reach the forest and the grave of his previous body. He had walked so fast in such a short frame of time as well. His G.P.S. confirmed he made the journey on foot by practically running from the property where he had been drugged all the way out to the cabin, and yet he couldn't remember a single moment beyond the vivid images of the intense hallucination.

Stopping his song mid chorus Connor looked at the palm of his right hand, his fingertips still holding the worn out pick in a firm grip, and eyed the long since healed puncture wound in his artificial skin. The bleeding stopped shortly after he and Lucas returned to the taxi from the cabin, and by the time they returned to the city the wound had healed entirely.

As his pick slowly returned to the strings of the guitar a polite knocking on the opened door's frame pulled Connor's attention from the song and up to Hank as the senior detective stood in the doorway with a stern look in his blue eyes. Knowing that particular look all too well Connor lowered the guitar until the instrument was resting over his lap and acknowledged Hank with a silent look in return.

"You don't need to be embarrassed about anything that happened, kid." Sympathetic and sincere Hank gave the deviant kind words to fall back on while he rested on his crutches. "You're not immune to getting fucked up by drugs, and it's not like you were an idiot looking to get high or something."

"...I feel like a fool, Hank. I was tricked so easily by false images and words, and even when I told Aman- myself," correcting his words as he reminded himself that what he experienced had been a hallucination Connor finished his statement. "that what I was experiencing wasn't real I still fell for it. That's twice now I should've known I was believing something false."

"You mean how you should've somehow known that CyberLife and the F.B.I. were going to use you as a homing beacon to find Jericho? Kid, you were still a machine. You told me yourself you didn't deviate until after you found that place, why are you still kicking yourself for something you couldn't control?"

"I should be more aware of my surroundings. I should be able to distinguish fantasy from reality." With a simple shake of his head Connor rose from the bed and placed his guitar in its support stand in the corner of his bedroom before he stood before Hank with a despondent gleam in his increasingly soulful brown eyes. "As a detective it's imperative that I recognize the truth and can identify a lie."

"Even the most seasoned of detectives can fooled every once in a while. Stop trying to beat yourself up over this."

"It's hard not to."

"I know." Patting Connor's shoulder once Hank coaxed the deviant into leaving his bedroom for the first time since Lucas helped him get home the night before. Using his crutches to support his weight as the brace around his right thigh could only do so much to help him walk, Hank made his way into the livingroom and sat down on the lounger section of the couch to stretch his healing leg out before him. "Think you'll be ready to go back to work tomorrow?"

Walking around the side of the couch Connor sat down beside Hank and barely reacted when Sumo pressed his cold wet nose up against the side of his neck in an affectionate manner. "I'm not sure. I know we need to return to the precinct to aid deviants in distress, but I can't really trust myself at the moment."

"The best way to get over your fears and hesitations is to face them directly. It won't be easy, I know, but you can do this. You're a great detective, a single freak accident isn't ever going to change that fact."

Rubbing Sumo's ears gently the corner of Connor's mouth ticked a little as he pondered the previous case that resulted in a strange trip out and into the forest courtesy of an intense hallucination. "...What happened to the suspect?"

"Well, Romano swore up and down that he had nothing to do with that 'devil's kiss' shit in his house, and we're inclined to agree." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank gave his deviant partner a casual shrug of his shoulders. "His fingerprints were found on the outside of the plastic packaging, but there were three other sets of fingerprints on the inside of the packaging that we've connected to those assholes who abducted Lucas. Besides, Romano was still in prison when the 'devil's kiss' flood started so there's no way he could've be around and to help make it."

"I agree with that assessment. What of the 'rose shine' found on the property?"

"That's something he's going to do a little time for. Since it was found on his property and his fingerprints are on the jar he has to be charged." Scratching at his bearded chin with his left hand Hank's brow arched a little as he contemplated the former drug dealer's fate. "He was cooperative, didn't resist arrest and he's been giving up the names of his old crew left and right since they were hiding shit in his house. I imagine the judge will be more lenient on his sentencing."

"That's good. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"That includes you, too. Remember," speaking with a deep voice Hank raised his left index finger and gave Connor a terse stare that only a detective with decades of experience could muster. "you're allowed to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. Okay?"

Silently Connor nodded while his blue L.E.D. cycled in yellow just once.

"Okay."

"Hey?" Grabbing the television remote Hank turned on the television and began looking for a basketball game to watch for the afternoon since he and Connor still had the rest of their day off to enjoy. "Want to put a wager on a game?"

"Again?"

"It's not like we ever exchange money or anything." Settling on a college basketball game that was just beginning its second period Hank dropped the remote back down on the couch cushion beside him. "If I win I get to order a pizza that's not one of those slices of cardboard covered in broccoli bits, and if you win I'll keep eating whatever healthy food you make me without complaint."

"It seems like either way you'll come out the winner as you get dinner provided for you."

Smirking at the sharp observation Hank didn't deny that Connor's statement was a fact. "True. Got any ideas of spicing the wager up?"

Leaning back on the couch only to have Sumo jump up and stretched out over his lap Connor contemplated the offer and thought of something that could prove beneficial to his own person. "...If I win then you must promise to not make any comments or argue against my future vehicle purchase."

"You got a car in mind?"

"I've narrowed down my choices to four possible vehicles. I will make my final purchase at the beginning of the next month."

"All right... I'm intrigued. Why would you be worried about my opinion on your future car?"

"I know you're a skilled mechanic in your own right and I know that you're going to want to assist me in its maintenance. It'd just be more settling in my mind to be able to have my decision strictly be my own; no secondary influence or potential bias to interfere in my final decision."

"Kid, it's your money and your decision. You get whatever the hell you want and I won't say a damn thing about it one way or another."

"Thank you, Hank."

"No problem. Now, stop worrying about work or a car and watch the damn game." Turning up the volume on the television Hank leaned back and relaxed into the soft couch cushions as he settled in for the afternoon. "I have a good feeling about the Gears this year, and you never know which college grad' is going to be recruited to the team in the fall."

Despite his initial hesitations Connor held his head high and stepped through the front doors of the precinct with Hank right at his side the following morning. As he passed by the front receptionist desk Connor noticed that Pamela, who had the misfortune of playing hostage when the precinct was taken over by three enraged deviants seeking justice, had finally returned to work after taking extended time off to recover on an emotional and mental level. Seeing her made Connor pause for a moment as he hadn't expected her to return at all. Right before his very eyes he saw Pamela going through her own routine as per usual, and even managed to keep a smile on her face as she spoke to her fellow coworkers and the officers clocking-in for the day.

Hank took notice of Pamela's return as well and lightly nudged Connor in his left side as they passed through the front area and crossed the bullpen to get to their desks. Readjusting his crutches as his leg brace made it uncomfortable to walk Hank lowered his voice and gave his partner a confident grin.

"Seems like everyone's getting back to normal, huh, kid?"

"...Yes. It seems the odd situation has failed to destroy morale."

"Morale has nothing to do with it." Clocking-in at his terminal Hank put his crutches aside and sat down slowly, bending his right knee without pulling on his still healing thigh muscles in the process. "What you're seeing is the spirit of dedicated detectives at their finest."

"Pamela isn't a detective."

"No, but she works with 'em. Clearly she knows she's safe here and knows we'll protect her no matter what happens. If she wasn't sure she'd be safe here then she would've resigned days ago."

"I suppose that's true."

"One bad day doesn't mean a bad lifetime, kid." Watching Connor as he too clocked-in and sat down behind his own terminal screen Hank spoke from personal experience. "It took me far too damn long to realize that for myself."

"I'll try to keep that in mind."

Settling in at their desks the two detectives set about their own usual routines to try to return to a sense of normalcy, while simultaneously checking on the cases awaiting their attention. Ever since the hostage situation regarding the arrest of six college students over the murder of a deviant child android was widely broadcast not just in the city, but the entire state and even the nation, many loud mouthed bigots suddenly fell silent and went into hiding. The lack of cases was both a relief and fairly unnerving as it could also indicate that deviants were still too afraid to go to the police after being assaulted.

Filing their reports from the previous few cases to keep ahead of mounting paperwork Hank and Connor fell quiet as their fingers caressed their keyboards to record their words. Hank had no choice but to use his keyboard to file reports, whereas Connor had elected to use a keyboard whenever he wasn't on a time constraint as a means of blending in a little easier in the bullpen. Seeing an exposed white palm simply uploading Connor's thoughts and words was as impressive as it was strange.

"...There has been no reported assaults or threats from deviants in the past forty-six hours, twenty-two minutes and thirty-seven seconds." Noting the moment of peace that had fallen over the city Connor seemed reluctant to believe such a tranquil moment could last. "The last deviant related report stemmed from the discovery of 'devil's kiss' being illegally disposed of in the recycling bin behind the android exclusive apartment complex."

"That's a good thing, kid. Why do you sound like you just watched some asshole kick Sumo across the yard?"

"Because these types of breaks in behavior are typically very short lived and often followed by another wave of disturbances."

"The calm before the storm..."

"Indeed."

"For what it's worth that Agent Perkins cocksucker got suspended for trying to cover up the murder to protect his brat and the brat's friends. He's also being investigated thanks to his past behavior regarding the treatment of androids, and by all account he's going to be 'encouraged' to take an 'early retirement'. In other words; he needs to quit or they'll make his life a living Hell."

"Even if he does resign, lose his pension and have his reputation destroyed, it won't be an adequate enough punishment. He committed genocide against my people." The grim night was still a source of internal torment for Connor to endure. "Orders or not, what he had done was unforgivable."

"I know that, son." Sympathetic to his partner's pain Hank tried to remind Connor that everything was still being handled properly. "It's also why Fowler is keeping this pile of bullshit on Rourke's desk since you are way too close to the prick for comfort."

Contemplating the situation Connor realized something that could either be beneficial or another hindrance to the case as a whole. "The case will then fall under Lucas's responsibility."

"Yup. He's also a deviant AND your brother, but he doesn't have the rocky history with Perkins in the way that you and I do. Besides," leaning back in his chair Hank rubbed his right palm over his sore right leg and accepted a tablet screen being passed over to him by Chris as the officer approached his desk. "we know that Lucas won't fuck things up. The case is in good hands."

"...Yes." Pulling his coin from the right pocket of his vest Connor danced the coin over the back of his right knuckles slowly. "You're right."

"And speaking of cases..." Glancing up at Chris beside him Hank gave the young officer a confused stare. "Are you sure this falls under our division?"

"It's about a break-in and possible assault of a deviant in a Digital Sentience store." Chris relayed with a casual lilt to his voice. "Sounds like a case for the deviant division to me."

"Yeah, whatever... It's not like we don't have anything better to do anyway." Passing the tablet over to Connor to take for himself Hank slowly stood upright and shifted his weight toward his left leg to spare the right leg any further pain as he grabbed onto his crutches. "Ready to go out into the field, kid?"

Reading over the reported details quickly Connor put the tablet down on his desk as too rose to his feet. "Yes. It should be a simple investigation."

"I hope so. I'm not in the mood for a puzzle today."

"Chris?" Addressing the young officer before he walked away Connor caught Chris's ear and held his attention as he smoothly slipped his coin back into his vest pocket. "Are you doing well?"

Smirking a little Chris nodded and folded his hands together neatly before himself. "Yeah... It was a little rough the first night after everything went down, but I'm okay now. And thank you for saving my life. Again. I wanted to say it earlier, but I wasn't sure if you were up for mentioning it."

"I understand. You don't have to thank me for aiding you, I just wanted to do the right thing."

"Well, you did. And once more Julia is grateful for your help, too. Don't be surprised if she doesn't do something special for you beyond just another 'thank you' card or some flowers."

"Please don't go out of your way for me. I don't need any recognition."

Hank sighed and patted Connor's shoulder as he managed to limp around the deviant's desk on his crutches to head toward the front doors of the precinct to head out. "It's too late, kid. Not to mention it's rude to not let someone have the chance to thank you properly for your good deeds."

"But I-"

"Nope. It's gonna' happen, accept it."

Watching as Hank limped ahead of him to head out to the field Connor sighed with resignation and gave Chris a subtle nod. "...I'm glad you're okay, Chris. Thank you for the kind words."

"No problem, Connor." Restraining an amused chuckle Chris walked back to his desk while Connor easily caught up to Hank and slowed his own pace to keep at the wounded detective's side. "Have fun with the investigation."

Arriving at the scene of the crime the two detectives were shown to the storage area of the affected Digital Sentience store where the supposed theft and assault had taken place, either late the previous night or very early that same morning. Relieved to have two detectives taking the reported crime seriously the store's general manager, a twenty-something young man who was clearly anxious to keep his store running properly, personally escorted the duo to the back area where normally only employees could access. He then pointed them in the right direction of the storage area containing the extra stock where the crime needed to be investigated.

The area was isolated down a long brightly lit white corridor and had surveillance cameras watching the corridor at all times. The camera had been temporarily knocked offline between two fourteen in the morning and two twenty-seven the same morning, leaving the footage useless. In that time the general manager suspected that the thief or vandal went into the stockroom for a reason still unknown, hence the call to the police.

"Right over here." The general manager pointed to the large doorway leading into the stockroom and unlocked it with his personal keycard. After the door slid open he pointed to a secondary storage compartment inside the stockroom. "The person who did this ransacked the storage freezer while leaving the rest of the stockroom untouched."

"Anything stolen?" Limping on his crutches through the doorway Hank glanced about the area with a keen eye. "Any member of your staff conveniently call off sick today?"

"No. Everyone who's supposed to clock-in today has either arrived or will arrive later on. No one's called off." Motioning to the freezer the general manager checked the wide open door to ensure it stayed open. The freezer was normally locked by a keycard that only he and the senior staff members had access to. "As for the stolen items our inventory shows only two pouched of Thirium missing."

"That's weird. Thirium is free at any facility in the city, so why steal it?"

"Our Thirium is concentrated and can only be purchased with a technician's permission, as opposed to being handed out. It's a new rule because of that special version of 'red ice' that was being made with concentrated and filtered Thirium being a problem."

"Then we might be looking for a drug dealer trying to stock up on supplies." Turning to look at Connor over his left shoulder Hank noticed the deviant scanning the area in search of shoe prints, fingerprints and other bits of evidence to identify their suspect. As Connor's blue L.E.D. cycled rapidly Hank watched the deviant's soulful brown eyes sweeping over the entire area very carefully. "Any sign of our intruder?"

"...Negative. The only shoe prints in the area belong to the employees on record and ourselves."

"Wait, how do you know the shoe prints all belong to the employees?"

"The consistent patterns of the shoes' soles, as well as the size, all correlate with a small staff routinely entering the area throughout their shifts. The shoe prints all go to the freezer, the shelves and the doorway without any sign of misstep or a struggle."

"All right, cool. Let's check out the freezer now."

The general manager took a step back toward the doorway to give the detectives room to work. "I'll be up front if you have any further questions. Otherwise, I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Right." Waving the general manager off with his left hand Hank propped his crutches up against the side of the freezer and stood near the doorway of the icy cold place to peer inside. "We got this."

"Hank," noticing that Hank was standing without his crutches Connor immediately protested the motion with a terse tone. "you need to use the crutches for another two weeks before you'll be able to walk with just the support brace."

"They're killin' my ribs and my leg isn't hurting that badly. It's fine."

"Please don't push your recovery." Standing beside Hank in the doorway to the freezer Connor scanned the senior detective's healing injury and noted that while the fractured bone was knitting together easily the surrounding muscle tissue was still inflamed. "The support brace can only accelerate your tissue regeneration so quickly."

"It's fine, kid. I'm not going to go run a marathon or anything."

Unsatisfied with the dismissive attitude Connor's jaw ticked a little as he turned away from Hank and peered inside the freezer to scan over the disturbed contents within. Noting the dark blue stains on the floor and shelves courtesy of the spilled Thirium that had frozen over throughout the morning, and the shoe prints that matched the same shoe prints found in the stockroom, Connor determined that the theft was staged and that the spilled Thirium wasn't from an assault, but from clumsy hands or simply a prop for the stage.

"...I believe this potential theft is an inside job." Stepping into the freezer Connor immediately began to shiver as he loathed the cold and such concentrated cold easily cut through his clothing and artificial skin like a sharp needling through silk. Wrapping his arms around his chest Connor suddenly stopped walking and his eyes closed as the sudden chill reminded Connor of his previous hallucination, and of the night he had nearly been killed by Amanda. "...Shit."

"Kid?" Stepping into the freezer as well Hank had to use the door frame to brace himself as he walked without his crutches. Passing through the doorway Hank's arm pressed hard enough on the opened door to cause its weight to shift and slowly slide itself shut behind him. The moment the door closed and automatically locked Hank turned around and stared at the closed door with wide blue eyes. "Fuck!"

Connor didn't even react to the loud protest or to Hank pounding his fist against the closed door to try to get someone's attention. Lowering himself to the icy ground stained with spilled Thirium all around his feet Connor stared at the blue tinted ice and began to breathe rapidly as panic set in.

"Hey! Yo!" Pounding his fist against the door as hard as he could Hank shouted for help and hoped that someone would find them soon. "Fuck!" Pulling on the small handle beside the door the handle didn't budge and the door remained locked. "I thought these freezers had emergency handles to prevent this type of shit from happening!" Turning to face Connor when he didn't get a reply Hank saw Connor huddled on the ground, his face pressed against the top of his knees while his arms wrapped around his legs, and knew the deviant just entered a very bad place in his mind. "Son?"

The glaring red L.E.D. pulsed faster and faster as his heart began to race with fear and panic.

"It'll be okay, son." Limping over to the deviant Hank awkwardly lowered himself to the ground and sat down beside Connor to try to help him through his moment of panic. Very slowly he put his hand left hand on Connor's right shoulder and gave the deviant a reassuring squeeze. "Telling me what's going on with you right now. What're you thinking right now?"

"...It's cold."

"Freezers are cold, kid. That's normal."

"...I don't like the cold."

"Me neither. Once the door's open we'll get outta' here and outside the store. It's still a nice warm day in June, after all. Shit, it's almost July already."

"...It hurts."

The comment seemed to come out of nowhere. "What hurts?"

"...Everything."

Glancing at Connor's face that was wasn't buried against his knees Hank saw that he was slightly pale from feeling so cold and he knew that the update causing his external sensors to be increasingly sensitive was only making the concentrated cold feel even worse. Being unable to hide from the cold or layer up against it was making Connor feel all the more exposed and chilled right to his core.

"You know that what happened to you because of CyberLife is all over, right?"

"...Right."

"And that no one from CyberLife can ever hurt you. If any of those assholes even try to get near you for any reason I'll personally kick their asses right out to the city limits. They're gone and you're not."

"...You can't know that for sure."

"That doesn't mean you should just assume the worst of everything. You taught me that."

"...I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?" Folding his right arm over his chest Hank did his best to keep warm without moving his hand from Connor's shoulder. "What do you mean you don't know what to do?"

"...It's so cold." As he spoke he took in deep breaths and let them out quickly before taking in another deep breath very quickly. "I... I can't move or think."

"Son, you're beginning to hyperventilate. Calm your breathing."

"...C-Can't."

"Yes you can." Moving his hand from Connor's shoulder Hank wrapped his whole arm around both of the deviant's shoulders and pulled him up against his side in a grounding manner. "In and out, nice and slow. Just like me." Taking in an exaggerated deep breath of his own Hank let it out slowly and repeated the action until Connor began mirroring his motions. As Connor calmed his breathing Hank gave the deviant a nod of approval. "Good. Just like that..."

"...N-Need to leave."

"I know you do. We'll leave together as soon as the door's opened. That manager's going to be back soon."

"...Hate the cold. I hate it!"

"That's fine. You don't have to like it."

"...Makes me think of w-what CyberLife did to me."

"Deep slow breaths, kid." Waiting for Connor to calm himself down again Hank tried to get the deviant to keep talking about his emotional pain. "You once told me that you had nightmares about being trapped in the ice and cold, and that Amanda tried to kill you by trapping you inside your own mind and freezing you to death. You also told me that Amanda is gone. You don't have to be afraid of her anymore, or be afraid of the cold."

"...I know."

"The cold keeps bringing you back to that horrible night. Why don't you try to associate something more positive with the cold so you'll have a better memory pop up whenever you get chilled? It sounds too simple to be effective, but I think it'd do you good to at least try. Okay?"

Nodding weakly Connor just wrapped his arms tighter around his legs and tried to not shiver.

"You'll be okay. Just wait-" The door to the freezer opened up from the outside and Hank glanced up at the panicked face of the general manager looking in at the two detectives with wide eyes. "Good timing."

"I-I'm so sorry!" Pale and shaking the general manager braced his back against the opened door to ensure it couldn't possibly shut again. "The door was propped open because the emergency release broke last month!"

"Whatever." Awkwardly pushing himself up from the floor and using the shelves behind him to support his weight Hank stood upright and patted Connor's shoulder twice to get the deviant to respond. "Come on, kid. Let's get outta' here."

Lifting up his eyes just enough to see that the freezer door was opened at last Connor forced his legs to move, and forced himself to stand up beside Hank in the cold storage space. Walking with shaking slow steps Connor made his way toward the door with Hank limping at his side. The moment the two detectives were outside the freezer Hank grabbed onto his crutches and Connor rubbed his hands up and down his arms to warm his artificial skin against the lingering cold clinging to his body.

"Connor?" Pulling the deviant's attention away from the cold and back to the case Hank addressed Connor in a firm, loud tone. "You said that this case was an inside job. What did you mean by that?"

"...Nothing was stolen, there are no foreign shoe prints and the freezer can only be opened by a manager with a keycard." Glancing at the general manager Connor gave him a knowing glance. "You're the one who called in the break-in and as the general manager you're the only one who would have access to the store's security system."

The general manager's shoulders slumped and he paled a little further.

"You disabled the camera, disturbed the contents of the freezer; spilling some of the Thirium would point to an android either attempting theft or of being assaulted which would assuredly bring in a police investigation, and then turned the camera back on before leaving the building. I'm certain if we check the keycard records we'd find you working here late into the night, or returning at the time of the supposed burglary to stage everything."

"...How can you prove that?"

"I cannot. It's just a working theory based on limited evidence and conjecture."

Hank knew that Connor was right and wanted to know the general manager's motive. "So, why'd ya' do it? Seems pretty pointless to make a tiny mess and then call the cops on yourself."

"I..." The general manager stated in a slow and low voice clearly ashamed of his behavior. "The truth is I've been pleading with my bosses to improve security around here since there's still so many angry humans walking by and threatening my employees and my customers for supporting deviant rights. I've been told 'no' over and over again because we haven't had an incident yet."

"Sounds about right when it comes to dealing with the higher-ups." Now understanding the general manager's motive Hank sighed and his gruffness began to fade as he empathized with the young man. "Instead of taking preventative measures to keep shit from happening because of money, they'd rather wait until after shit goes down and pay twice or triple the price to clean up their mess and try to save face."

"Yeah, they won't give us money for anything unless it's absolutely necessary." Pointing to the freezer door the general manager sighed with defeat as he mentioned another problem. "They won't even fix the emergency latch in the freezer since we can just keep the door propped open. So, I figured if I could make it look like we had a break-in they'd finally up our security and send someone to fix the door if the break-in also happened in there."

"Didn't you call O.S.H.A. about the busted latch?"

"Yes! The higher-ups quashed the complaint, trying to say something about it not technically being a regulation for our store to stay operational."

"That's bullshit." Rubbing his left hand over his bearded chin in thought Hank gave Connor an intrigued glance. "Connor, do you think we can close this case and cause some trouble with the higher-ups while we're at it?"

"...Reporting a failure to follow basic regulations and safety measures during a police investigation would certainly get the store reevaluated, and those who dismissed the claims questioned."

"So, that's a 'yes'." Looking back at the general manager Hank used the 'dad voice' as he spoke to the young man in charge. "Instead of staging a break-in the next time you need your higher-ups to take your claims seriously, just write a shit-ton of reports and threaten to report their inactivity to THEIR bosses instead."

"Y-Yes, detective."

"Come on, Connor." Making his way to the doorway of the stockroom to take his leave of the store Hank struggled to keep his balance while still trembling from mild cold. "We're done here."

Without a further word Connor accompanied Hank outside the store and into the warm summer air. The moment the bright and warm sunlight washed over his chilled skin Connor's red L.E.D. cycled into yellow and then blue as he calmed down. Keeping pace with Hank as they returned to the Oldsmobile parked in the parking lot, Connor opened the passenger side door for Hank's ease of access and then made his way over to the driver's side door.

"That was a waste of time." Hank admitted as he placed the crutches into the backseat for transport. Sitting down carefully in the front passenger seat Hank rubbed his right palm over his right thigh carefully. "Fuck retail, man. I hated it working as a cashier when I was in high school, and I can't imagine working in that Hell ever again."

"...It's a shame that the general manager had to take such elaborate measures just to get the proper attention to keep people safe." Turning the key in the ignition Connor shifted the car from park and into drive, then pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street. "It was indeed a waste of time."

"How about we go and get some lunch? You can even pick what I have today."

"...No. It doesn't matter, you choose."

"Kid, you're safe. Don't act like your feelings or decisions don't matter because you got a little freaked out by the cold."

"...I know that."

"It'll be okay." Feeling much warmer now that he was out of the freezer and in the summer air Hank did his best to keep Connor from trying to tear down his own self esteem over something as uncontrollable as a deeply seeded phobia. "Just remember that you're a hell of a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. You've never backed down from a challenge before and I know you never will."

"...Thank you, Hank." Turning along the street Connor honed in on the location of the 'Chicken Feed' food stand in the distance, and decided to be lenient on Hank's lunch that day since he was being so patient and understanding with his most recent anxiety attack. "I appreciate your bode of confidence."

Limping back into the bullpen at a slow pace with his take-out bag awkwardly clutched in his right hand around the crutch supporting his weight, Hank noticed something interesting sitting on Connor's desk and knew immediately it was a gift courtesy of Chris's wife. A tall square box was sitting in the middle of Connor's desk and wrapped up in white paper. A small 'Thank You' card was on top of the box and had Connor's name written in perfect calligraphy that only Julia had the patience to master right on the side. The gift was just begging to be opened and Hank wasn't the first one to take notice of the tempting item sitting unattended.

Placing his crutches down on the floor beside his desk Hank sat down in his chair, put his lunch bag down on top of his desk and then rubbed his right palm over his still sore right leg. It had been a strange morning and wisely Hank was anticipating an odd afternoon. Unsure of what to expect Hank looked over at Ben as the experienced detective ate his own lunch at his own desk, and asked about the unusual parcel before Connor made his way into the bullpen as well.

"Hey, Ben?" Waiting for Ben to make eye contact with him Hank silently pointed at the curious box and raised his eyebrows. "What's with this?"

"Julia dropped it off about twenty minutes ago." Speaking around the potato chips in his mouth Ben gave Hank an honest reply as he too resumed staring at the box. "She was hoping to see Connor before she left, but you know how it goes. She went to lunch with Chris and left the box behind."

"Right... Do you know what this is?"

"Nope. It's been driving me crazy ever since she showed up. She was carrying the damn thing like it's full of glass."

"Glass?" Now staring at the box Hank tried to guess at what Julia had wanted to give Connor as a thank you gift that could also be so fragile. "What the fuck could be made of glass?"

"How about a glass vase?"

"Don't get smart with me, Ben. This is a tempting mystery that only Connor can solve."

"Where is Connor anyway?"

"He let me out of the car out in front of the precinct so I wouldn't have to limp my old ass through the parking garage. He'll be in here any second."

"Good! I want to see what's in there before I get called out to a scene."

Crossing the bullpen quickly Connor, unaware that he was the center of a mystery, honed in on the white package sitting on his desk and ran a scan over it curiously. His scanner was picking up on a strange reading inside the box and his head tilted a little to the side in an inquisitive manner. Recognizing Julia's handwriting on the small card atop the box Connor picked it up and opened the envelope to read over the grateful inscription inside the care. He then slipped it into the top left drawer of his desk for safekeeping.

"Open the damn box, Connor." Hank practically ordered as he watched the deviant now eyeing the box curiously. "What's your prize?"

"...Prize?"

Tina's voice cut in as she and Gavin had been waiting for the box to be opened up as well. "Come on! I'm betting it's a customized trophy that says 'World's Most Courageous Detective', and I have ten bucks riding on it."

Scoffing Gavin shook his head and leaned back in his chair as he turned to watch Connor open the box as well. "No way. The way Julia was carrying the box screams something made of glass."

"Told ya'!" Ben shouted from his own desk in a smug manner.

"It's probably that weird Thirium wine that's been on the market." Certain in his claim Gavin shot Tina a confident grin and managed a sarcastic bite of one of his carrot sticks. "Maybe two bottles."

Hearing enough of the deliberation Hank sighed and pointed to the box again. "Connor, open it up and end the debate. What did Julia give you?"

"...I will see." Putting both of his hands on the sides of the box Connor began to slowly lift it up and revealed the gift inside. What was awaiting him wasn't a glass vase, a trophy or bottles of wine, it was far better. Sitting in a plexiglass rectangular aquarium was a bright blue betta swimming about crystal clear water over decorative stones, and through a fake green plant. "...It's a fish. A male doubletail betta splendens to be exact."

Tina and Gavin let out groans of disappointment as they pocketed their ten dollar bets and resumed their lunch and reports now that the mystery had been solved. Ben just shrugged his shoulders and went back to his own lunch while Hank smirked a little and watched Connor's brown eyes light up with genuine surprise.

"Interesting." Sitting down at his desk Connor stared at the betta swimming about and remembered how he had saved the life of the dwarf gourami after it had jumped from its aquarium and onto the floor when he went on his first mission as a hostage negotiator. The two fish were of different species yet equally beautiful to watch. "This is a very unusual but kind gift."

"Do you want to keep it?"

"...Yes. I think I do." All of the stress that Connor had been feeling that morning and afternoon disappeared as he watched the betta swimming about elegantly in the water. The way its long blue tail fins moved with a swift grace had a calming and hypnotic effect on Connor's mind. "I like fish."

"You do?" Pulling his hamburger from the fast food bag Hank gave the deviant a dubious grin. "Since when?"

"...It started during my first mission. I rescued a fish that had leapt from its aquarium, and after I returned it to the water I found its return to life and its habitat to be an unexpectedly comforting experience."

"Well, just don't expect it to cuddle with ya' like Sumo does."

"Such an idea is as impossible as it is unsettling to consider."

"Easy, it was just a joke."

Giving Hank a blank stare for a moment Connor carefully lifted the aquarium up from the bottom half of the box and let it sit entirely exposed on his desk beside the bonsai tree. Noticing that there was a small canister of fish flakes, a net and three new filter cartridges also contained in the box Connor decided to give the fish some food since everyone else in the bullpen was already eating lunch.

"So," watching as Connor carefully sprinkled the perfect amount of flakes into the water through an opening the aquarium's lid Hank asked a rather unusual yet obvious question. "what're you going to name him?"

"I don't know." Putting the food aside Connor pressed his exposed left palm to his terminal screen to begin uploading his report while also being able to keep an eye on the new blue companion beside him. "I've never named an animal before."

"You came up with the name 'Lucas' without any difficulty, so I imagine you'll be fine with a fish."

"...How about 'Blue'?"

"Just the color?" Taking a bite of his burger Hank challenged Connor to get a little more creative. "Come on, you can do better than that! Think of something unique and different for him."

"'Fluffy'?"

"Now I know you're just trying to fuck with me! A little guy like that deserves a cool name."

"Very well..." Checking his database for names of interest Connor honed in on one and made his decision. "Baron."

"'Baron'? What kind of name is that?"

"It means 'noble fighter', and since the betta is also known as the 'Siamese fighting fish' I believe it's very fitting."

"Baron the betta? All right, he's your fish." Enjoying his lunch Hank watched Baron swimming about too. "It's a lot better than 'Fluffy' anyway..."

"Then it's settled." Observing the betta's elegant swimming after picking several bits of flakes from the surface of the water Connor settled on the name and was overcome with a sense of peace. It seemed the little gift was something that Connor hadn't realized he wanted until he had it. "This is Baron."

-next chapter-