The new year arrived with a raucous celebration as 2040 graced the city with an ambience of loud music, joyful singing, laughing, cheering and loud party favors being sounded off on every city block. As the fresh snow fell over Detroit thousands of couples all around the city exchanged kisses to celebrate their love in the dawn of a new year, all of the negative feelings of the past were being forgotten in favor of only letting positivity wash over them. This particular holiday was one of the few that humans and deviants mutually celebrated, as both types of people truly appreciated the symbolism of be able to begin their lives anew and letting go of old grievances.

During the celebration a certain deviant detective and technician just sat side by side on the exam table of the treatment room in heavy silence. With a simple blood test one smothering problem vanished, while a new one settled in where the first one had been.

Connor stared blankly at the floor and focused on the red numbers in his visual processors confirming the embryo's biological parents being Abby and himself. Meanwhile Abby just contemplated her decision knowing that her child wasn't the spawn of a horrible man, but the offspring of one of her dearest friends.

"...I..." Connor tried to speak up but his voice failed him as quickly as he found it.

"It's okay, Connor." Whispering gently Abby showed no sign of ill will toward the deviant. "I'm shocked, too."

"...The timeline fits." Closing his eyes Connor could still see the red digital numbers, but now they were displayed against a black background instead of the gray tile floor. "Conception and egg implantation can happen within three minutes to fifteen days after initial-" It was all still so much to think about. "It makes sense as to why you and I just assumed that it was Hector's child."

"Like I said. I'm shocked, but not surprised that you're the father. After all, I was on the pill when I slept with Hector and even though his condoms were tampered with it didn't guarantee it'd be enough to knock me up." Wiping emotional tears from her eyes Abby let out a small laugh as she continued to speak. "You were the only man I've ever slept with that I didn't ask to 'wrap it up', and I was so frazzled by everything with Hector that I stopped taking the pill as I should've been. And... We did have that wonderful day of just pure passion. I'll never regret that."

"...It's my fault you're-"

"No!" Grabbing onto Connor's right arm as she sat beside him Abby leaned against his right side and rested her cheek against his shoulder. "Connor, you said so yourself that it takes two parents to create a child, this isn't your fault. I should've shown more self control, especially since I knew of the special update you received, and I knew that you were capable of..." Pressing her right palm to the surface of her belly for the first time since she learned of her pregnancy Abby closed her eyes and let out a soft breath. "This."

"This wasn't planned. This wasn't expected." Performing another biometric scan Connor noted the embryo, his child, thriving beside him in Abby's body. "I don't want to call this an accident, but what else can we say?"

"That we're both to blame, but it isn't either of our faults. We're both well educated adults who know better, we just had one day of a total lapse in judgement thanks to the sexual tension that started building between us." Taking in a calming breath Abby began rubbing her right palm up and down Connor's right arm in a comforting manner. "Honestly, three times in one day shouldn't have surprised either of us now that we now you're the father."

Bowing his head a little as if ashamed Connor was at a total loss. "What do we do?"

"Well, I already decided that if it's healthy I'd go through with it. But I also said that I can't be a single parent raising a child alone."

"I know. And I promised I'd help you throughout the entire ordeal regardless of what you chose to do." Lifting his head back up Connor felt a twinge of guilt enter his thundering heart. "So why am I... Why do I feel so confused?"

"Because it's easier to think about something like this when you have no connection to it. Now that you know it's a piece of you and a piece of me together, you're conflicted."

"...I intend to keep my promise and help you. If you keep the baby-" Realizing what he just said Connor felt his heart skip a beat as his breath hitched in his chest. "I... I..."

"It's okay. Just breathe." She could feel him tensing up at her side and wanted him to stay calm. "You have a say in this."

"I-I do?"

"Yes! You're the father, I trust you and I know that you're true to your word. If you promise that you'll stand by me and help, then I believe you."

"I... I don't know what to say. I don't know what to even think, let alone what to do!"

"You're going to do what I did." Abby sounded so focused and sure of herself in that very concerning moment. "Take the time to think and weigh your options."

Turning to face Abby at last Connor flashed her a truly confused look as his glistening brown eyes remained wide. "...My options?"

"Connor, since I know that this child won't be a horrible little monster I'm going to go through with it. I'm going to carry it to term and give birth. But... I don't want to be a single parent. Now listen," pressing her right palm to his left cheek Abby looked into his eyes as she spoke truthfully. "I'm not saying you have to step up and marry me or anything like that, but I am letting you know that I'd rather give the baby up for adoption to someone we mutually trust rather than have us struggle with the responsibilities of being parents."

Falling silent again Connor just closed his eyes as he tried to understand what his future could entail.

"Connor, look at me." Waiting for the soulful brown irises to return Abby smiled and gave him a small kiss to reassure him. "It'll be okay, no matter what happens. Just take the time to think, I mean really think, and then talk to me when you're ready. You don't owe me anything and you have no reason to be afraid of the future. Just go home and try to sleep. We'll talk again in the morning."

"...I don't want you to be alone right now."

"I'm not alone. I have your child with me now," the way she spoke was so warm and confident. "and a good friend at my house awaiting my return."

"...Skye." Realizing that Skye was the only other person who knew of Abby being pregnant Connor's L.E.D. flashed in an alarmed red. "...Please, don't tell her that I'm the father!"

"Why not?"

"We... We've slept together a few times and I don't want her to think that I was-"

"Easy, easy. I get it. She went through something horrible and you promised to help her, and now you're worried that she might think you were only going to help her because you wanted to have offspring, right?"

"...That's what it may look like. That's horrible to think I was manipulating the emotions of my friends for a personal gain."

"No, you're not that type of person. You were willing to stand up and be the fathers of our children because you saw your friends in trouble and wanted to help. You had no selfish intentions whatsoever."

"I feel like I'm-"

"Shh..." Pressing her right index fingertip to his lips Abby 'shushed' the deviant as he began to panic. "You've done nothing wrong." Taking notice of the celebration still happening around them Abby slid off the exam table and pulled on Connor's right hand to get him to join her by the door. "You gave me all the time I needed to think and come to my decision, and I want you to have the same courtesy. Even if that means you still need to think well up until I'm pushing, then so be it." Holding both of Connor's hands in her own Abby gave him a surprisingly confident grin. "We'll figure this out together. It'll be okay."

Out in the facility's relatively empty and quite waiting room Hank was holding Connor's jacket and scarf while staring at the celebration downtown on the television monitor. He was holding an ice pack to his freshly stitched eye to keep it from swelling up as it healed. He had been watching the celebration for the past few minutes while he waited for Connor to return, but he didn't mind the wait. The streets were going to be packed with traffic and drunk people celebrating all over the city, which guaranteed a slow and long drive back to the house. Casually flexing and relaxing his fingers against the brace on his left wrist Hank just watched the people partying downtown on television with a sense of envy shining in his blue eyes.

It'd been years since he had the time and energy to celebrate a new year in the streets like everyone else was doing. Although, being unable to drink and let loose like everyone else made the idea of partying suddenly very detestable.

"Connor is on his way." Barry confirmed as he watched the updates on the patient files from behind the receptionist desk. He had been watching the senior detective the moment Hank returned to the waiting room with his brace and ice pack. "Have a Happy New Year, Lieutenant."

"Yeah, you do the same, Barry." Turning to face the deviant Hank gave him a polite nod and caught sight of Connor walking down the corridor looking a little strange. His posture was stiff but slouched, his soulful brown eyes were glazed over and his L.E.D. was stuck on yellow. "Hey, kid. What's up?"

Standing before Hank for only a moment Connor just shook his head and continued out the doors behind Hank. "...I'm ready to go home."

"Connor, what's wrong?" Trailing after the deviant through the front entrance Hank tried to hand the deviant his leather jacket and scarf but Connor refused to take it. The fact that Connor was willingly going to let himself get cold despite his hatred of the cold raised a red flag in Hank's mind. "Hey! Stop walking and start talking."

Holding his silence Connor unlocked the doors to the Oldsmobile and sat down behind the steering wheel with a heavy and deliberate motion. Before he even had the chance to put the key in the ignition and turn it over Connor heard the passenger side door open and felt Hank's strong and ice cold right hand wrap around his right wrist in a firm manner.

"Son, talk to me." Sitting down slowly Hank pulled his own door shut and shifted his weight so he could turn to face Connor more directly as he left his ice pack abandoned on the dashboard. "You're shaking."

"...It's complicated."

"Must be one hell of a complication." Letting go of Connor's wrist Hank held onto the deviant's jacket and scarf almost suspiciously. "Please tell me you're not dying!"

"What? No!" Finally turning to face Hank beside him Connor's yellow L.E.D. flashed to red for an instant as he spoke. "I'm not dying."

"Could've fooled me. You look like you were just told you had twenty-four hours left to live."

Shaking his head a little Connor chose to say nothing again as he finally turned the key in the ignition and let the Oldsmobile's engine roar to life.

"Son, what the fuck is wrong? Talk to me!"

Shifting the car into drive Connor pulled out of the parking lot and reached the street where a small group of partiers were celebrating with drinks and loud favors on the corner. "...I can't tell you."

"Did I do something to offend you?"

"No! Of course not!" Trying to end the discussion before it began Connor felt frustrated tears burning in his eyes. "I just don't want to talk! Please, let me be alone for a while."

"Okay, all right." Sensing the tension Hank slowly backed off and softened his tone. "Just know if you want to talk I'll listen. I'm worried, that's all."

As much as he wanted to blurt out 'So am I!' Connor bit his tongue and focused entirely on the snowy road ahead of him. He wanted to think and be alone while he processed what had just happened in his and Abby's lives. One moment they were finally admitting the feelings they felt toward each other through secret intimacy, and the next they discovered they were suddenly responsible for a new life eventually entering the world.

With his white knuckled hands wrapped around the steering wheel Connor stayed painfully, palpably silent as he drove home with the news of his impending fatherhood weighing heavily on his mind and inside his heart.

The drive to the house was silent save for the rest of the city loudly celebrating the new year in the streets. As soon as the car was inside the garage Connor turned off the engine and sat in abject silence for only a moment longer before he left the vehicle, entered the house through the side doors and promptly locked himself away in his bedroom for the rest of the night. It was very out of character for Connor to close himself off after all of the progress he had made throughout the previous year, and that left Hank truly worried for his son.

Following after Connor inside the house Hank placed the deviant's jacket and blue scarf down on the kitchen table and peered down the hallway. Seeing Sumo sitting outside the closed bedroom looking confused made Hank's heart ache even worse.

"What the fuck is going on with that kid?"

Rubbing his right hand over his bearded chin Hank stared at the closed door and had to remind himself that Connor was his own person and didn't need to have someone hovering over him at all times. As much as he wanted to kick the door down and yell at Connor to speak to him Hank had no choice but to step back and give the deviant the space he had asked for.

"He better not be sick or hurt. If anything happens to that kid I don't know what I'd do."

A whimper from Sumo seemed to emphasize how heavy the emotions in the house had become.

"Okay..."

Speaking out loud to himself Hank respected Connor's request and kept himself from prying into the deviant's personal business.

"He's a smart kid with a big heart, he'll figure out what's bothering him soon enough. And if he doesn't talk to me I know he'll talk to Lucas."

The sleepless night was equal only to the restless morning that Connor had endured in self imposed perpetual silence. Having had a painful lack of sleep with intermittent nightmares as the only break from the nothingness that stemmed from laying awake all night, Connor forced himself to leave his bedroom to get breakfast ready for Hank as a means of distracting himself. Whenever Connor let his thoughts linger too long on Abby or their unborn baby, he found himself delving into medical journals regarding horrible birth defects or complications during labor that resulted in death.

Feeling suddenly sick to his stomach Connor had to force the images from his mind and actually put up a temporary lock on his cybernetic search parameters to keep himself from looking into such details any further. Practically jumping out of his artificial skin when the coffee maker made a 'ding' sound Connor stared at the intrusive appliance with an insomnia fueled glare.

"Good morning, brother." Lucas greeted as he passed through the front door and joined Connor in the kitchen with no idea of what happened the night before. The younger of the two deviants had worked a late shift and only just returned that morning. "It's a new year and I can officially state that I myself have had a very interesting previous year to learn from."

"...Yes." Pouring coffee into Hank's new mug Connor remained as quiet as possible to keep his emotions in check. "I can say the same."

"Are you all right?" Picking up on his big brother's dour mood Lucas ran a scan and noted the mostly healed fractures in his dorsal plating. "You were injured last night. Are you in pain?"

"...No."

"Then what is bother-"

"Hey, Lucas." Hank had awoken after a light sleep and heard the deviant trying to get Connor to engage in conversation. "How was your night?" Holding up his left hand for Lucas to see Hank knew it'd distract the deviant from his brother for a moment, and keep Connor from snapping. "Break up any good fights?"

"No, I had to help interrogate a group of hookers who were busted at an office New Year's party."

Laughing at the idea Hank let the younger of the two deviants investigate his left wrist and right eye. "Some people have all the luck."

"One of the hookers was dangerously intoxicated and threw-up in the back of the squad car before she defecated on herself."

"I take it back."

"Wasn't my squad car. I didn't have to clean it."

"Never mind, I stand by my earlier statement."

"The damage to your wrist is substantial." Lucas noted with a quick biometric scan. "If the bones don't begin to knit within two weeks you'll need minor surgery to repair the damage through metal pins and screws."

"I have a power drill in the garage, I'll just take care of it myself."

Giving Hank a studious glance Lucas cautioned against such a procedure. "That would be extremely unwise."

"Wouldn't be the first time I did something 'unwise'."

Making his 'escape' from the kitchen Connor promptly returned to his bedroom to get some space and to be away from the unspoken unwanted questions before they were even asked.

Lucas turned his attention away from Hank's wrist and back toward his elusive big brother the moment he heard Connor's bedroom door close. "Something is wrong with Connor."

"I know." Flexing his left fingers again Hank walked over to the kitchen counter and sighed as he realized that despite Connor being under duress he still went out of his way to make breakfast for him. "He doesn't want to talk about whatever it is that's upsetting him."

"You were both injured last night, is he suffering from a much more severe underlying complication?"

"He said he's not dying, so I don't know." Picking up his coffee mug Hank sipped at the caffeinated brew slowly. "I just know he was fine when we were going to the facility for treatment, and the next thing I knew he was moping around and acting like he just given the death sentence."

"The facility?"

"Yeah. The emergency rooms were crammed full," Hank explained casually as he decided to get another ice pack for his eye to keep the swelling to a minimum throughout the day. "so we went to see Abby at the..." Pausing as he pulled open the freezer door Hank had a revelation. "Oh, no."

"What?" Lucas picked up on the hesitation in Hank's voice and all but begged him to continue. "What happened at the facility?"

"While I went to get my eye stitched up Connor stayed with Abby to get his back examined, and we know that Abby had been feeling sick for the past few weeks..." Pressing the ice pack to his sore right eye Connor turned to face Lucas directly. "I'm wondering if she's the one who's sick."

Lucas's green eyes widened for a moment as his blue L.E.D. flashed to red with genuine worry. "If she is ill then I can understand why Connor would be so emotionally distraught."

"Yeah, she's one of the good ones. Always treated him like a living, feeling and intelligent person; not a blank machine." Crossing his arms over his chest, his left hand resting atop his right bicep, Hank tried to not think of the worst case scenario. "If something's wrong with her then it's no wonder the kid is so devastated."

"What should we do?"

"Back off and give Connor space to think and deal with his emotions. When he's ready to talk he'll come to us, so just be patient."

Remaining painfully silent Connor simply went through the motions of being a detective and filing his reports as expected, while the rest of the bullpen went about its business all around him. Too worried and too preoccupied to focus on anything beyond Abby and their unborn child Connor's L.E.D. stayed yellow with sporadic flashes to red whenever a darker thought popped up into his head. Although he never said it out loud Connor was grateful for Hank giving him space and simply telling other people that his back was still sore, which was why he seemed so distressed. As he sat hunched at his desk Connor tried to divide his attention between his work and what he was going to do in the future regarding his unborn child, but it was proving exceedingly difficult.

Retreating into his own mind Connor weighed the pros and cons of what could possibly happen in the future as a father, and he considered the ramifications of being a deviant who fathered a child with a human. While it wasn't exactly a secret that deviants now had the ability to reproduce offspring in a similar way as humans, it didn't guarantee an open-minded community or response to what was happening.

A cybernetic call popped into Connor's head and mercifully pulled him out of his thoughts and back into reality. It was Abby calling him.

'Yes, Abby?' Sounding alert and edgy Connor acknowledged her call. 'Is something wrong?'

'I was about to ask you the same thing.' Speaking calmly and almost joyously Abby made sure to check in on her dearest friend now that they both realized what new experience they were going to go through together. 'How're you doing?'

'...Not well.'

'Scared shitless and not sleeping, right?'

'...Correct.'

'That's how I felt in the beginning. It'll pass.'

'How did you sleep last night?'

'For the first time in almost five weeks I slept very well. Knowing that I'm not creating a tiny monster like Hector has given me such peace that I swear I'm not afraid anything anymore. Except maybe spiders in the shower.'

'...I'm glad you're doing better.'

'Connor, please stop worrying so much. I already told you that you don't have to do anything and that adoption is guaranteed. I don't expect you to put aside your career because of me or our child.'

'You've made up your mind and will put the... baby...' It was still such an odd word to say at the moment. 'You'll put it up for adoption?'

'Yes, and only to people we mutually trust. I won't be a single mother and I don't expect you to try to be a single father. It isn't fair to any of us.'

'...How can you be so confident right now? This type of change is absolutely monumental.'

'I'm confident because I have you to rely on and I know I'm doing the right thing.' Her calmness was almost enough to make Connor feel calm. 'I've also made my first prenatal appointment in a few days. You're welcome to join me if you want to be a part of it.'

'...I can be there?'

'Of course you can. You're the father and I won't keep you away from your child.'

'...I'll consider it.'

'Okay. And Connor?'

'Yes?'

'You're a good man and you have no reason to feel bad. Please talk to me when you're ready.'

'...I will. I promise.'

'Good. Take care of yourself, and I'll take care of myself and our baby. See you soon.'

'...Yes, I will see you when I'm ready.'

Ending the call Connor leaned back in his chair and pressed his right hand over his eyes. He was so tired physically, mentally and emotionally. Every move he made felt like he was slogging through wet cement or running on consistent low power mode. Everything was just happening so fast and in such a blur of motion that Connor's processors were beginning to feel entirely overwhelmed.

"Son?" Hank shook Connor's right shoulder and quickly pulled his hand back when Connor jumped under his touch. "Whoa, sorry. It's time to clock-out."

"...Oh, yes. Our break."

"Uh, kid, it's six o'clock. We're clocking out for the rest of the day, not for a one hour break."

"It's... It's already six o'clock?" Noting the time with his internal chronometer Connor realized he had spent the entire day motionless behind his desk while thinking about everything that had happened between Abby and himself. "But... But how?"

"I'll explain that to you later." Hooking his right hand around Connor's right bicep Hank hauled the deviant up to his feet to get him to start walking. "You need to get home and get some sleep. I can see the glazed over stare you've been giving your terminal the entire damn day."

"...Sorry."

"Connor, you don't have to apologize for feeling off your game lately. Just do what you need to do in order to feel better."

"I'm not sick."

"Yeah you are. You're worried sick about something. I don't know what though..."

A twinge of guilt filled Connor's heart as he realized he had been pushing his family away when all they wanted to do was help him. Before he had the chance to say anything on the matter Connor realized he was in the parking garage and Hank was unlocking the vehicle to drive home.

"When we're home you're going to go to bed." Hank all but ordered as he sat down behind the steering wheel while Connor sat down beside him in the front passenger seat. "You're exhausted."

"...I don't think I can sleep."

"Try anyway." Turning over the engine Hank awkwardly drove back home with only his right hand on the wheel. "I don't know what's going on with you right now, but just know as your father I'm going to help you through this in whatever way I can."

Father.

Just as the word 'son' had left Connor feeling torn and conflicted in the past, 'father' was now just as wary to the deviant.

Closing his eyes Connor tried to stop thinking for once in his life, but that seemed to be an impossible task to accomplish.

The snowy January air was painfully cold and threatening to get even colder at any moment as the sun had long since set in the horizon. Sipping at his warm coffee Hank stared at Connor through the kitchen window as the deviant stood outside the backdoor on the brick patio as if he were trying to go into isolation. Despite Hank's pleading and the deviant's notable exhaustion Connor refused to lay down and get some sleep. Whenever Connor had tried to rest Hank would hear him stressing himself out as nightmares and other intrusive thoughts destroyed what little rest he was able to attain.

Up in the second floor loft Lucas was getting his own rest and respecting Connor's wish to be left alone. Unlike Connor, the younger of the deviant brothers was more emotionally mature and developed since he managed to avoid the Raid, the Revolution and being traumatized into deviancy. He simply woke up as a deviant and had support at minute one.

Unable to take the sight of Connor standing out in the cold any longer Hank put his mug aside, grabbed the navy blue blanket from the hallway closet and stepped outside through the backdoor to wrap the blanket around Connor's shoulders. Seeing Connor shivering and a few rogue tears actually threatening to freeze to his face, Hank grabbed onto the deviant to force him back inside the warm house.

"Ah, son... You're a wreck!" Kicking the door shut behind him Hank guided the trembling deviant into the livingroom to sit down on the couch, and rubbed his right hand up and down Connor's left arm to try to create some friction heat to warm up the frozen deviant. "You can't do that to yourself."

Keeping his eyes closed and his head bowed down Connor was struggling to not let out his frustration through ugly tears and sobs.

"I wish you'd talk to me. I'm not going to be mad at you." Not giving Connor a chance to pull away Hank wrapped both arms around the deviant's shoulders and pulled him up against his side for a warm hug. The way Connor was shivering and emitting a cold aura was enough to cause goosebumps to raise up on Hank's skin. "I just want you to feel safe enough to talk to me."

Letting out a shaking breath Connor just buried his teary eyes against Hank's left shoulder and returned the hug.

"What the fuck is wrong? I've never seen you so broken up and actually scared like this..."

Struggling to find his voice Connor internally swore at himself for being so weak and frightened.

"Just breathe and collect your thoughts. When you're ready to talk I'm going to be right here."

Not wanting to push his family away or feel weak any longer; the urge to be something better than what CyberLife had planned for him was all the motivation he needed to find a new strength. Connor leaned away from the hug and kept his eyes closed as he finally spoke to his father. "...Something is going to change forever. And, I... Just don't know what to do."

"Then talk to me. What's changing? What happened last night?"

"...For the past few weeks Abby has been unwell, but it wasn't the result of the flu or any other ailment."

Hank felt himself pale as he dreaded that his earlier assumption had been correct. "...Was she diagnosed with something terminal?"

"No! No..." The answer was quick and honest. "Nothing like that."

"Thank fuck, I was worried she was the one dying or something just as bad."

Leaning back even further for a moment Connor dragged his trembling left hand over his tears eyes as he spoke and finally told Hank what was going on for the past two months. "She's... She's pregnant."

"Because of that Hector asshole." With all the pieces into place, or so he thought, Hank now understood Connor's fears for Abby's future. "But he's-"

"Hector isn't the father."

"...Oh." That reply was unexpected and left Hank quiet for a second. "Then, can I ask who-"

"I am." Opening his soulful brown eyes Connor forced himself to look Hank in the eyes as he told him the truth. "Abby is pregnant with... my child."

Blue irises went wide as Hank's face paled considerably further. "Holy..." Contemplating what the deviant was saying and what that meant for his and Abby's futures Hank could only sympathize as he too understood that original fear and trepidation that stems from impending fatherhood. "...What's the plan?"

Not expecting such a calm and composed reaction Connor paused for a moment as he told the truth. "...She's going to keep the pregnancy and give birth in approximately seven months."

"Okay, so what're you going to do?"

"...I don't know. Abby doesn't want to be a single parent and she doesn't want us to be married because of our unborn child."

"That's her plan, I'm asking about YOUR plan."

"I don't know! I don't know what I'm going to do!" Blurting the answer Connor tried to turn away from Hank but his strong right hand on his left shoulder kept him from budging from where he sat. "I'm scared! I... I'm really scared."

"Son, it's okay to be scared." Speaking with a level tone Hank reached out to Connor on an emotional level. "I know I was."

From his personal experience Connor had never seen Hank scared before, and it was hard to believe he was capable of such an emotion. "...Y-You were?"

"Yeah! I mean, fuck..." Letting up on Connor's shoulder Hank shook his head a little as he told the deviant the story. "When you learn that there's going to be a new and completely defenseless life coming into this world that you're responsible for, it's going to fuck with your thoughts and emotions in a way you've never felt before. When Barbara told me about Cole we were over the moon with excitement and couldn't wait to be parents, I was getting up there in years and Barbara didn't want to deal with the risks of being pregnant if she waited until her mid thirties. But after the good news sank I was plagued by nightmares and pure terror for weeks... Every possible 'what if' question and worst case scenario was relentless to me every time I tried to go to sleep."

"How did you get over it?"

"I told myself that the 'what ifs' in life don't matter anymore. Cole was going to be a part of our lives no matter what happened, so why be afraid to meet him? Once I realized that Cole was going to be in my family, be MY son and my new world, I suddenly felt bulletproof. Being scared out of your mind is entirely normal in the beginning, but soon you'll find a brand new courage."

"...I'm not sure if I will."

"Connor, you're going to be just fine." Returning his right hand to Connor's shoulder Hank made the deviant feel grounded. "If you already know that baby is going to be brought into this world then you need to get ready to welcome them. Even if that means you and Abby both have to meet them just once before saying 'goodbye' and giving them up for adoption, it's still on you as the child's father, to show support."

Dragging the corner of the blanket over his eyes Connor took in a deep breath to try to steady himself as much as possible. "...I know. I want to do the right thing. It's not the baby's fault that Abby and I... We knew better but we were still reckless."

"Want to know a secret?"

Not saying a word Connor just stared at Hank as he knew he was going to hear the secret regardless of what he said.

"My parents were, too."

That reply was very unexpected. "...What?"

"I wasn't planned but I came into the world anyway. My parents were raised in less than loving homes; very strict rules, harsh punishments and apathetic responses to their problems. They didn't want to repeat that cold type of parenting cycle and didn't want to have kids. But I ended up being born and my parents realized that if they didn't want to repeat the behavior they experienced as kids growing up, then they didn't have to. They were able to reflect on how their own parents made them feel and made conscious decisions to NOT repeat it."

"...Your parents never wanted to be parents?"

"Nope. But I never knew that until I was about eighteen years old. My dad and I were talking and looking at old photo albums since my grandparents and mom were all gone, and when I noticed that our family was pretty damn small; my parents were both only children, their parents were only children and I was an only child, he told me the truth."

"And you didn't- You weren't offended at learning you were..." Trailing off Connor just waited for his answer.

"An accident?" Knowing what word Connor was dancing around Hank no problem discussing it. "Nope. I had a great childhood and I was really close with both of my parents, and despite my parents having their own issues, I still had a good relationship with my grandparents. I actually respected my dad even more after he told me the truth."

"Why's that?"

"Because he did the right thing." Speaking so matter-of-factly and confidently Hank was calm enough for both himself and his deviant son. "He didn't deny that I was his responsibility or ever treat me like I had no business being alive; I was never treated poorly or ever felt unloved. Both of my parents raised me, took care of me, I never went hungry and always had a roof over my head. It doesn't matter if something is planned or not, what does matter is how the people involved in the situation handle it."

Understanding what Hank was telling him Connor felt a sense of reassurance settle into his heart. "...As long as I do what's best for the baby, then everything will be all right."

"Yeah, you got it."

"...And you're not disappointed in me?"

Laughing deeply Hank just shook Connor's shoulder and leaned back against the couch cushion heavily. "Not a chance! Granted, this was the one scenario I never thought you'd be a part of," the update made any situation a possibility now. "but still, you'd have to go out of your way and actually WANT to disappoint me, for me to ever be disappointed in you."

Feeling less frightened and more clear headed Connor just sighed and pulled the blanket tighter around himself to warm up a little more. "...Depending on what I choose to do when the time comes, will you help me?"

"Of course I will. You're my son, and as your very proud father it's my responsibility to help you through any problem you encounter, no matter what. You're going to be okay."

"...Thank you, dad."

Smirking at the relieved comment Hank pulled Connor in for another hug and felt the deviant's tension slowly leave his shoulders. "You're welcome, son."

"Could you not tell anyone else about this, not even Lucas? I want to keep it quiet until I know what I'm going to do."

"You got it." Such a drastic change deserved secrecy of the highest caliber. Some things are just better off quiet for a while. "This secret is safe with me."

-next chapter-