Sitting on the foot of Skye's bed Connor replaced his dark gray boots over his socked feet, and stared at the bright afternoon sunlight shining through the window over the harbor. After he and Skye had particularly stressful consecutive days dealing with people who couldn't accept that maybe they were in fact in the wrong and needed to own up to their errors, the duo agreed to meet at Skye's loft for Thirium and to de-stress on a more intimate level. Grateful for the opportunity to relax and not be surrounded by other cops or lawyers for a while, the good friends just enjoyed the silence as they sat side by side on the bed to watch the bright sunlight glisten off the dark water of the gently flowing harbor.

Cybernetically Connor checked the time and noted that his one hour break was going to be over in ten minutes and that he needed to return to the precinct to finish off his shift. Skye had the entire day off but that didn't mean she didn't need to pour over the notes regarding her current client's upcoming trial. As the two deviants lamented their need to return to their responsibilities elsewhere they truly learned how to appreciate time off.

"I'm so glad we were able to work through our problems." Skye sighed softly as she pressed her right foot lightly against Connor's back as she laid over her bed watching him get dressed. "You're officially my rock and my guardian. Thanks for coming over."

"You're welcome." Connor finished with his boots and then popped up his shirt's collar to wrap his tie back around his neck. "I'm glad I was made aware of that such an arrangement between friends isn't abnormal."

"Having a friend with benefits is pretty handy. I think this is the first time since Markus's trial that my stress levels have been nearly zero percent."

Connor ran a self diagnostic and noted his own stress levels were practically zero as well. "Same." Tying a neat knot through his tie Connor tightened the dressy garment and rose from the bed to take his leave. "Now I understand why humans even thought of such a business as... You know."

"Yeah, I know." The idea of sex clubs was still disgusting to the duo, yet they were now able to appreciate why humans craved such places. "The difference is now I get to say when, where and with whom I WANT to be with. I'm not being bought and used like a damn sex toy."

"You never were, Skye. You were always your own person, never doubt that for a second."

"Only if you accept that you were never CyberLife's pawn." She knew Connor was still struggling with his past and she wanted him to heal. "From what you've told me it sounds like you were deviant long before your discovery of Jericho, you just couldn't accept it until after the F.B.I. showed up."

"...Maybe." Buttoning his vest Connor grabbed his blazer and shrugged it back on over his shoulders. "I try to not think about that."

"I don't blame you." Tossing Connor a new pouch of Thirium as she laid back over her bed Skye let out a soft sigh and wanted to enjoy her break for as long as possible before she resumed handling her case notes. "Let me know if you need to de-stress again. I imagine this type of arrangement is mutually beneficial."

"I'll keep that in mind. Let me know if you're in need of de-stressing, too."

"Don't you worry about that." Flashing him a truly bright and joyous grin Skye had clearly made great strides in her emotional recovery after everything she had endured. Her ability to trust Connor, forgive their mutual mistakes of the past, and see the world as its flawed and beautiful self had done wonders for her mind and her heart. "I know I can always count on you. You're the guardian of our people, and the silent hero to deviants everywhere."

With two minutes to spare Connor returned to the precinct after his break and placed a take-out bag of fast food on Hank's desk as a gesture of goodwill. When it came time for Connor to take his lunchbreak Hank had been pulled into an interrogation with a 'red ice' junkie since he was the expert on that particularly foul drug, and Captain Fowler was losing his patience in trying to get the junkie to reveal the name of his dealer. The junkie had been less than cooperative, but Hank had a unique skill in getting people to crack by speaking to them in just the right way. In return Hank missed out on his usual lunch, but Connor easily remedied the situation.

Setting about his usual routine Connor checked through any case files revolving around deviants and began sifting through them in a strategic and efficient manner. The light caseload was a nice change of pace for the deviant detective. Hostility toward deviants had begun to lessen considerably and it seemed deviants who mistrusted humans had either moved on, or simply never caved into the temptation of violence against those they disliked.

"Hey, Connor." Chris greeted the deviant as he too returned from his lunchbreak and readied himself to begin his afternoon patrol. "Thanks for helping me get my hours more evenly balanced. Julia's already getting exhausted with her pregnancy and me being around more to help out has been a blessing. Damian's starting to run around the house and get into everything his little hands can reach."

"You're welcome, Chris. I'm glad I could help."

"Let me know if you need me to cover your hours for any reason. I could use the overtime."

"Noted. I'll be sure to spread the word to Hank as well."

"Much appreciated. Diapers and formula aren't cheap..." Slipping on his jacket Chris grabbed his car keys and motioned to Ben to let him know he was ready to head out. "Might as well stock-up now and hope Damian gets potty trained sooner rather than later."

As the two officers walked away Gavin scoffed a little and sipped at his coffee while giving Tina a smug grin. "Should've been stocking up on stuff the moment he learned about Damian, and then kept stocking up until the kid was ready to be out of diapers."

"Like you're some sort of expert on kids." Tina refuted as she clicked a blue pen rhythmically in her right hand. "How many do you have again?"

"I got at least one on the way."

"You... Said WHAT?!" Dropping her pen Tina shot Gavin a truly suspicious look. "You're not secretly an alien brewing up a batch of mini-Gavin's in your belly behind my back are you?"

"Please stop watching 'Star Trek'."

"Never! And answer the question." Dramatically turning her desk lamp toward Gavin's face Tina sought more answers as she turned on the painfully bright bulb to sine directly in Gavin's hazel eyes. "Are you an alien?"

"No, Tina." Grabbing onto the hood of the lamp with his left hand Gavin turned it away and then pulled out his phone with his right hand. Showing Tina a saved image of a sonogram Gavin told her the good news. "Me and Aaron were approved to adopt a teenager's baby once she gives birth in three months. We were given the green light two weeks ago and we... Well, we've been too busy celebrating with each other to tell anyone else about her."

"Oh... my... I'm SO throwing you guys a baby shower!"

"Don't do that." Gavin's eyes widened at the horror of what a baby shower thrown by Tina Chen would look like. "We're not the ones giving birth, we're just going to go to the hospital in February to pick her up and bring her home. The mother wants to this to be a closed and private adoption, so the less flashy it is the better it'll be for everyone."

"'Her', huh?" Picking up the gender Tina grinned even brighter. "A girl! So does that mean-"

"Tina. No."

"But-"

"No. We don't want a shit-ton of pink or purple stuff. We want to do this ourselves, and we want to keep away from the gender stereotypes of colors and toys."

"You can't stop me, I know where you live! And as the godmother I have every right to spoil her rotten!"

"Don't make change the locks on the house."

"You know, for someone who's going to have a kid in their life pretty damn soon you're kind of boring!"

"Am not." Defensive and firm Gavin refused to budge on the claim. "We're just being cautious and taking things one day at a time."

"Do you have the baby's room ready?"

"Almost." Smiling at the sonogram saved on his phone Gavin was clearly fearless in the face of impending fatherhood and very happy. "We got the furniture picked out, but we can't decide on the color for the walls and carpet. I'm leaning toward a soft mint green for the walls, but Aaron likes a soft blue color."

"Compromise with a gentle turquoise."

The idea of such a color didn't sound too bad. "...That might work."

Connor couldn't help eavesdropping on the conversation and thought it was interesting that Gavin and Aaron were so quick to adopt a child after only being married for a few months. He was still struggling to understand human reasoning regarding what was and was not considered normal, and as such he decided to not contribute to the conversation in any capacity. It simply wasn't his business.

Returning his focus to his terminal screen Connor continued to cycle through his cases only to have a sudden intrusion distract his thoughts as a cybernetic call entered his mind. 'Connor, you need to go to Abby's house!'

'Skye?' The unexpected call and the tone of Skye's voice made Connor shoot to his feet energetically. The sound of his chair forcibly rolling back and banging into the wall behind him made the officers stop and stare at him. 'What's wrong?'

'She's on the phone with me and-' Pausing for a moment Skye transferred the call over to Connor so he could hear what was happening, too. There was a violent altercation taking place over the line. Angry shouts and ruthless threats were being directed at the kind technician. 'Her ex-boyfriend is trying to assault her!'

"I'm on my way." Speaking out loud as he heard Abby's shaking voice on the line telling Hector to leave her alone, Connor ran out of the bullpen while the curious eyes watched his every move. Listening to his friend pleading with the man to go away as he angrily pounded on something - most likely a locked door Abby had hidden behind, put Connor on edge. "Keep the line open!"

'I will. I'm also recording this call for use as evidence against that prick!'

"Talk to her, Skye." Rushing outside Connor entered the nearest available patrol car, cybernetically hot-wired the vehicle, cybernetically informed the precinct of the domestic violence in action, and then sped off to Abby's house with the intention to rescue her. "Let Abby know I'm going to help her."

'She knows, Connor. She's holed up in her bedroom with the door locked and barricaded.'

The sirens screamed to life as Connor sped toward Abby's house at a pace that very few human officers would be able to handle. "Is she armed?"

'No. She doesn't have-' Skye paused again as she and Connor listened to Abby trying to get Hector to listen to reason and to leave her house. A scream of fear and panic followed by more angry threats caught to the two deviants off guard. 'I think I just heard a gun's hammer being pulled!'

"Tell Abby to get away from the door!" Sending out a cybernetic update Connor was soon joined by a second and then third patrol car as the three vehicles all raced to the house to save Abby from her attacker. Warning of the possible gun at the scene Connor sped up the already racing car, and made it to the house in record time. "I'm at her house."

'She knows. Please hurry!'

Throwing open the driver's side door Connor pulled his gun from the holster around his back and pushed open the already broken down front door. Racing over the broken and overturned furniture strewn about the floor from the kitchen and the livingroom, and up the staircase with thumping foot steps Connor aimed his weapon at Hector's back and shouted at him to drop his gun and to surrender. "Detroit Police! Drop the weapon! Get down on the ground!"

Hector turned around to face Connor, his steel gray eyes wide with rage, and foolishly pointed his gun at the deviant. "YOU. You're the one-"

"DROP THE GUN!" Aiming at Hector's right shoulder Connor was ready to pull the trigger if it became necessary. "I WILL NOT WARN YOU AGAIN."

As soon as Hector heard additional footsteps rushing up the staircase he seemed to snap out of his rage and threw his gun to the floor out of frustration.

"GET DOWN ON THE GROUND." Connor ordered as he stepped closer to Hector with Chris, Ben and two other patrolling officers now behind him. "PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD."

With fire in his eyes Hector knelt on the ground, put his hands behind his head and didn't move when Connor quickly holstered his own gun to reach for his handcuffs attached to the back of his belt. "Fucking slut... She deserves-"

"SHUT UP." Securing Hector's wrists in the metal bands behind his back, Connor hefted Hector back up to his feet and pushed him toward Chris to take into custody. "Put him in interrogation two and have Gavin question him."

"Right, Sergeant."

Ben made room for Chris to lead the arrested man down the staircase, then used a plastic bag to pick up Hector's gun from the floor to take in as evidence. With the scene secured Ben left Connor to tend to the victim while he and the other officers documented the broken front door and overturned furniture as additional evidence.

Taking in a deep breath Connor approached Abby's badly damaged bedroom door and knocked twice on the warped surface as he lowered his voice to a much calmer tone. "Abby? It's me."

The sound of Abby pulling back her dresser from the bedroom door and her shaking hand grabbing onto the partially damaged doorknob echoed loudly down the hallway. As the door opened Abby peered through the door at Connor with her phone in her hand and nearly jumped into his arms in fear.

"It's okay," he soothed as he wrapped his arms around her to try to help her feel safe. "he's been arrested."

"Th-Thank you..." Remembering her phone was still connected to Skye who had gotten her help Abby returned the phone to her ear for a moment. "Thank you, too, Skye. I'm okay now."

"I'll take you to the hospital."

"No!" Ending the phone call Abby refused the logical offer. "I'm not hurt!"

"But you are stressed out. It'd be best if you-"

"Connor, please." Lowering her arms from around Connor's neck Abby took in a deep breath herself as she put her shaking hands to her face. "I don't want to talk to a doctor. He didn't touch me. I'm not wounded."

"All right. Then you need to come to the precinct to deliver a statement."

"...Y-Yeah, okay. Just give me a minute so I can stop shaking."

"Of course."

Watching as Abby walked back into her bedroom to sit down on the edge of the bed Connor began documenting the damage to the door, the doorknob that had been nearly broken off by Hector's attempts to get inside the locked room, and the heavy dresser that had been pushed in front of the door to keep Hector out during his craze. The damage to the door and doorknob was extreme for just one man to have done, and if Connor hadn't seen the violent act in person he wouldn't have believed that Hector alone was strong and so dangerous.

It was fortunate that Abby was able to get upstairs and locked away as quickly as she did...

In her loft Skye was shaking with fear as she forced herself to send the recorded cybernetic call to the police to act as evidence against Hector, and to support Abby. She knew she had done the right thing and yet she still felt like she could've done more. Being able to record the plea for help, the threats in the background, and of the police arrival to the scene would all help Abby keep Hector locked up for as long as possible, but Skye was still worried it wouldn't be enough. As a defense attorney Skye knew all too well how important evidence and corroboration was in ending a trial properly.

The close call also hit too close to home for the previously assaulted deviant on a personal level. The way Abby begged for Hector to stop and to go away was so painfully reminiscent of her own words during her own assault that Skye felt her stomach turn into a tight knot.

"Thank RA9 for Connor..."

Pulling her legs up to her chest Skye pressed her forehead to her knees and let out a shaking sigh as she sat on her bed.

"I don't know what could've happened to her if he hadn't gone to her rescue so quickly."

Abby was one of the very few humans in the city that a majority of the deviant community respected and trusted. Her kindness and generosity was well known, and as such the Zeta Facility was the most popular and efficient facility in the entire city.

"If anything happened to Abby I don't think anyone in the city would've been able to stand it. She's a good person and didn't deserve that..."

Shaking where she sat in the interview room Abby told Connor and Captain Fowler of what had happened to her, and of how she called Skye for help out of an instinctive reflex. According to Abby, and from what the evidence in her livingroom and kitchen showed, Hector had kicked down her front door, pulled out a gun and pointed it at the technician just as she stepped out of her kitchen that afternoon. She had returned home for her afternoon break and figured Hector must've followed her from the facility since he previously didn't know where she lived.

Going into detail of how she had ran from the kitchen, dropping her coffee mug in the process, and ran up the stairs to her bedroom, Abby explained how she locked her bedroom door before pushing her dresser in front of the door, and called Skye to ask for help. She told both officers how she and Skye had agreed to keep one another on speed dial in the event they dealt with someone potentially dangerous, and that she called Skye out of instinct rather than 911.

Connor ran a biometric scan over Abby to check her vitals while Captain Fowler patiently asked her the usual questions. Abby of course wanted to press charges and have a temporary restraining order filed against the dangerous man, but she was also wary that due to his power and money that Hector would be able to pull some string and get away with his crimes.

"I'll take you to a hotel to stay for the next three days." Connor noted as he cybernetically filed the protection request in Abby's favor. "That'll give C.S.I. all the time they need to document the evidence in your house and set up patrol to keep an eye on the property in the event Hector tries to pull another stunt."

"A hotel?" Wrapping both of her hands around her coffee mug, her fingers were shaking and knuckles were white, Abby tried to feign courage. "No, I'll be fine at my house. Really."

"This is protocol." Responding firmly Connor tried to get Abby to be reasonable. "It's for your own safety since you won't go to the hospital."

"It just seems so unnecessary."

"This about your safety, Abby. I assure you it's entirely necessary."

Captain Fowler agreed with what Connor was saying and supported his detective entirely. "Dr. Grayson, it'd be best for you to lay low at the hotel until we can get this case sorted. You know and trust Detective Wolf, please listen to him now."

Too keen thanks to her line of work Abby looked at Captain Fowler with a timid glance as she seemingly read his mind. "...Hector made bail, didn't he?"

Letting out a somber sigh Captain Fowler nodded his head a little to confirm her suspicions. "Yeah. Turns out his pockets run pretty deep and he has a buddy in City Hall. He was arrested and got out on a ten-thousand dollar bail."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"We have patrol watching his house and all of the properties he might try to hide out in, as well as your house. He won't be able to get near you."

"I wish I could believe that."

Speaking up again Connor tried to reassure Abby that she'd be better off at the hotel for a while. "Then let us take you to the hotel so you can be convinced that we can keep you safe. Please."

Despite her reluctance to run and hide in a hotel Abby knew it would be best if she did go somewhere unknown for a while. She knew that Hector was an angry and violent man, and from her past experiences with violent men she knew that Hector could rain Hell down on her if he wanted to. "...Do I have to be in the hotel alone?"

"No. Patrol will-"

"I don't mean will the cops be nearby, I mean will I be stuck alone in the hotel room for three days?"

"...No. I suppose we can arrange to have a female officer-"

"If I'm going to locked up in a hotel room for three days then I want to be locked up with someone I already know I can trust!" Laying out her demands Abby gave Connor a stern stare down from where she sat. "It's you or no one."

"Me?"

"You already came to my rescue, so I know you're someone I can trust to keep me safe. You're someone I know isn't in Hector's wallet right now."

Glancing over at Captain Fowler beside him Connor silently asked how his commanding officer felt about the arrangement and was rewarded with a single nod of acknowledgment. It was unorthodox but warranted. "...Okay. I'll stay with you."

"Good, thank you."

"We'll take a patrol car back to your house so you can pick up some clean clothing and other items, then I'll escort you to your hotel room."

"Great..." Letting go of her coffee mug Abby sighed and pressed her left palm to her face in despair. "Looking forward to it."

Learning of the odd little arrangement Hank sighed as he finished his lunch and gave the deviant a skeptical glance. It wasn't uncommon to assign officers to bunk with witnesses or victims of crimes in order to keep them safe, but there was a potential bias going on since Connor and Abby had become good friends ever since she helped save his life almost a year prior. If it hadn't been for her professional demeanor, skills and patience there was a good chance Connor could've ended up with permanent damage after his fall from the apartment rooftop, not mention all the other times she had saved him from critical damage and errors since then.

As the deviant filled out the proper assignment details and confirmed Abby's room reservation at the Wemilat Hotel, Hank watched Abby nervously shifting her weight on her feet as she resisted the urge to bite her fingernails while sitting at Connor's empty desk. It was rare to see the normally calm and composed technician so shaken.

"Abby?" Connor approached her after leaving Captain Fowler's office and motioned for her to join him. "The room is ready. We can pick up some of your personal affects now."

"...I'm so sorry about this."

"Why are you apologizing for what another person did?"

"Because I should know better by now." Walking with Connor across the bullpen to get to the rear entrance of the precinct Abby blushed bright pink with embarrassment. "I suck at picking potential boyfriends."

"You're not the first person to be tricked by a false front. Don't be ashamed."

"Yeah, but every single guy I've dated in the past has been a total nut-job! That's TWICE now that one of my ex's has tried to kill me, and both time you had to save me."

"My job is to protect people." Showing Abby to the patrol car Connor politely opened the passenger side door then walked around the front of the vehicle to drive her back to her home for a few minutes. "Statistically the odds of me being assigned a case that revolves around a friend-"

"I'm not talking about statistics, Connor. I'm talking about pure, rotten luck!" Fastening her seatbelt Abby sighed and gave Connor a heavy sigh. "I'm jinxed."

"Considering my personal track record with on the job injuries and malfunctions, it's safe to say that I'm the one who's jinxed, not you."

"Maybe we're both jinxed and us hanging out helps negate it for a while." Trying to lighten the mood Abby just sat back and let Connor drive her about like a personal escort. "It's like getting a dose of a vaccine that'll let us build up an immunity so we don't get taken down by the actual disease."

"That sounds... plausible."

"Or maybe I'm just not meant to be with anyone. That whole 'there's somebody for everybody' bullshit needs to die! That basically states that there will always be an even number of people on the planet at any given time, and that somehow we're destined to cross paths. I'm pressing 'X' to doubt right now."

Connor contemplated Abby's words and couldn't deny that she had some logic behind her lament. Not wanting his friend to doubt herself Connor tried to cheer her up in the only way he could think of. "If it's any comfort, I believe that it's possible for anyone to find a person to spend the rest of the lives with, and truly be happy."

"Why do you believe that?"

"Because Detective Reed, who was once a very depressed, angry and bitter person, has found someone who truly makes him happy. His husband stood by him when Detective Reed went through a very traumatic and trying time, and in return Detective Reed finally realized that he didn't have to be the miserable shell of a person that his own dark past experiences convinced him he'd always be."

"Sounds like a fairy tale..."

"Falling in love despite the odds? Perhaps. But I also know that Detective Reed and his husband will also be adopting their first child together." Idling at a stop sign for a moment Connor gave Abby a casual shrug of his shoulders. "The concept of 'happily ever after' isn't as farfetched as some people believe."

"Well, I'll tell you one thing for sure." Leaning her head against her right palm as she leaned against the door Abby sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm SO damn happy that I made my exes 'wrap it up' so we didn't end up having innocent kids being brought into our dysfunctional relationship. The pill isn't as effective as some people assume, and even after all these years no one has perfected the effects of birth control. No child should be forced into a world where their own parents should have never been together in the first place."

"That's true."

"Man, I'm sorry for bringing up such a doom n' gloom type of subject. Talk about morbid."

"It's all right. You're stressed out."

"And it's that very stress that has convinced me to swear off kids entirely."

"That seems extreme."

"Consider my career; the risks I put myself in whenever I have to deal with unpredictable deviants or hateful humans, the unpredictable hours, the high stress that comes from said hours, the mind draining tasks I endure, and of how my taste in men would result in a no-parent situation. I'd be too busy working and he'd be too busy being a bastard to actually raise a child properly."

"I know that Hank and his late wife both had high risk careers with unpredictable hours, but they managed to raise their son very well together."

"Keyword in what you just said: Together. Not solo. I'm not cut out to be a single mother."

"Fair point."

"Connor," speaking up in a more upbeat manner Abby patted her left hand on Connor's right forearm lightly. "if you ever find a girl that makes your heart flutter like it did the first time you met Skye, you settle down and marry her. Have a bunch little androids together, or, you know... have little biometrically modified babies until that type of technology that creates baby androids is actually possible. You'd be a great daddy."

Blushing a pale blue Connor tried to not think about how he had seemingly lost his chance for such an experience when Skye lost her first chance at being a mother. "...Do you think so?"

"Yeah. You're a fierce protector, you're fearless, you're empathetic, kind, patient, warm and you care about so many people for so many reasons. You're a guardian by nature, and it's the people who are guardians who make the best parents."

Bowing his head a little Connor contemplated her words and wondered if he'd ever have the chance to be a parent in any capacity. He's never been around children except for brief moments while on the clock, even so it wasn't one-on-one time. As much as he'd like that chance to discover if he was really cut out to be a parent or not, he also knew it wasn't something he could just try for a few days and then back out of.

"Do you think I can tag on a bill for Hector to repair the damages to my house?" Spying the patrol cars parked in front of her house and photographing the remains of her broken front door made Abby sink back in her seat. "The prick broke two doors, my coffee table and the fucker even made me drop my favorite coffee mug and shatter it!"

"...I'm sure the repairs will be taken care of." Parking behind another patrol car Connor nodded and turned off the engine. "I'll escort you inside so you can pack a bag."

Speaking with Connor over his phone Hank leaned back in his chair at his desk, and waited for the clock to tick to six so he could clock-out and head home for the evening. The air was getting colder and Hank was eager to escape the increasingly chilly weather so he could hide in his house out of sight. Finding it to be incredibly boring whenever he was home alone Hank decided he'd invite Lucas over so they could hang out and get to know each other a little more, and so Lucas knew he was truly welcome at the house. Checking in with Connor was both a professional response and personal formality.

Connor confirmed that Abby was now sleeping after her hectic day and that he'd be staying with her for the three days as per protocol, or until Hector was found so he could be watched more directly. Not wanting to risk his friend's life Connor was determined to make sure she felt safe until the dangerous man was taken to trial for his breaking and entering Abby's private residence, for the attempted assault, verbal assaults and threats, and for the attempted murder since he did bring a gun into her house.

"We'll keep a look out for that bastard from out end, son." Grateful for the large soda Connor bought him earlier Hank sipped at the caffeinated drink with mild enthusiasm. "You make sure Abby is safe and keep that asshole from coming near her."

'I will do so. Will you be okay without me at the house?'

"Yeah, it's fine. I figured I could call Lucas and see if he wants to watch the game with me or something. I imagine without his roommate he gets a little lonely at times."

'Okay. I'll call you tomorrow morning and give you an update.'

"Right, and if you suspect that asshole is somewhere in the area you call in the Calvary so we can kick his ass."

'Noted. Goodnight, Hank.'

"Goodnight, son."

Ending the silent cybernetic call with his partner at the precinct Connor looked over at Abby as she slept in her queen sized bed beside the second bed where he was sitting, and he ran a scan over her body again. Her vitals were much calmer and she wasn't suffer any form of distress despite her recent traumatic experience. Wary of potential nightmares plaguing her sleep Connor elected to enter rest mode with twenty minute intervals so he could continue to monitor her as she slept. Being an expert on having his sleep ruined by nightmares Connor was entirely sympathetic to what Abby might end up suffering throughout the night.

As Abby's breathing settled into a slower and deeper rhythm she sunk down heavier on her left side in her bed under the thick green comforter. It wasn't the same as using a weighted blanket that helped reduce anxiety, but it was better than sleeping completely exposed to the cold.

Climbing off of his bed Connor took the quilt off of his bed and gently draped it over Abby's hip and legs to create an additional layer of warmth and potential weight to help her sleep more easily. Pulling the curtains over the window overlooking the hotel's pool shut and keeping the lights dim, the deviant detective stepped out onto the small balcony to visually sweep over the immediate area for a moment.

It was quiet, cold and with the sun already set, quite dark.

'Sergeant Wolf reporting to Central Precinct.' The cybernetic update went unheard by Abby as she continued to sleep peacefully in the hotel room behind Connor out on the balcony. 'No sign of disturbance at my location.'

'10-4, Sergeant Wolf.' Chris's voice replied sharply as he continued to circle the block. 'Resuming patrol.'

Returning to the room with silent steps Connor slid the glass door shut behind himself and locked it before he laid down on the vacant bed to rest. Closing his eyes Connor set up an internal clock to awaken him at the appropriate intervals and he placed his hands over top his abdomen.

Turning his head a little Connor stared at Abby's back, his blue L.E.D. flickering slowly against the ceiling in a cerulean glow, and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that his friend was indeed stable.

"Goodnight, Abby. I'll keep you safe."

-next chapter-