I made this chapter EXTRA THICC to make up for last time xD

Also, call me cheesy and sappy but (SPOILERS) I felt since Cole was such a big part of Hank's life he has to be present in his character arc

EM

XoXo

XXX

Friday 19th November 2038

07:51pm

Before Connor even opened his eyes, he knew his environment. The feel of water gently dripping off his hair and down his back, the sound of trees rustling in a delicate breeze, the smell of damp earth; each factor told him of his location.

The RK-800 looked about him, taking in the sight of the summer rain that calmly fell from the cloudy grey sky. Everything was always peaceful in the Zen Garden, there was simply no room for noise or discomfort. Umbrella in hand, he began to walk down the white glass path towards the figure in yellow and cream robes, different to the green spring outfit Amanda had worn during their last meeting.

"Hello Amanda", Connor greeted.

"Connor, I've been expecting you", Amanda's professional response came. "Would you mind a little walk?", she asked. The RK-800 nodded, opening the umbrella for her and offering his arm.

"Congratulations, Connor. I'm pleased you managed to find that deviant", Amanda said proudly as the two walked by the Zen Garden's river. "Tell me, what did you learn?", she asked. Connor described to her the scrawls of rA9 that were found on the apartment walls, as well as the encrypted diary and Rupert's fascination with birds.

"You came so close to capturing it", Amanda interrupted him. "Such a pity you let it self-destruct", her words came with a bitter tone, and Connor didn't need to look in Amanda's direction to know that she was giving him a cold glare.

"I made a mistake", he tried to confess. "It said 'Ra9 save me' before attempting suicide; I should have anticipated what it was going to do"

"Do not focus on past mistakes, Connor", Amanda told him, more forgiving than usual. "We must look to the future of CyberLife, and the investigation. How is your relationship with your partners developing?"

"Both seem to be involving themselves with my safety, showing concern when I am in dangerous situations", he answered formally. "However… I have noticed that lieutenant Dover has been especially sympathetic towards the deviants; she seems to truly believe that androids are alive"

"A dangerous notion", Amanda dismissed with a cold tone. "I am glad that you however, understand your place", she turned to the RK-800. "It leaves me to worry about one less problem. I have faith in you, Connor; I will not have to question your loyalty or dedication to this investigation, isn't that right?", the last sentence came out as more of a warning than a statement.

"Of course, Amanda, you can count on me", he assured his leader, as the two walked across the glass bridge, watching as the calm river flowed underneath their feet.

"We don't have much time", Amanda said, stopping suddenly, causing Connor to turn to her. "Deviancy continues to spread; it's only a matter of time before the media finds out about it", she explained.

"We need to stop this, whatever it takes. I need your upmost concentration, Connor", she stared at him expectantly. "There is no more time left for any distractions", came her ominous warning. Connor winced, he knew who she was referring to.

"I will solve this investigation, Amanda", Connor said confidently. "I won't disappoint you", he said in earnest, but his leader didn't look so sure. She stepped forward, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"That remains to be seen, Connor"

XXX

Lily paced around her apartment, wearing her casual loungewear which consisted of a pastel t-shirt and some cute shorts, her hair in a long braid. She flopped back down on her sofa, her tired eyes unable to focus on anything.

It had been 2 weeks since they had been on the case chasing Rupert, and there hadn't been much progress with the investigation. The team of two lieutenants (with their honorary android partner, Connor, in tow!) had managed to look into three or four cases in the last fortnight, but each case had only led to dead ends; and the investigation was beginning to look bleak.

However, although the case had made insufficient development, the young lieutenant's relationship with the android had.

Sometimes in the DCPD's main office, when Lily would be at her desk writing up the tedious reports of different deviant-related cases, she would often catch Connor looking over at her intently, with some unknown fascination, but every time she caught him staring, he would awkwardly look away and pretend he was instead focussing on the clock or the windows outside.

At first, it had made her quite self-conscious, what if she had some food stuck in her teeth or her hair was messy?

But soon afterwards, she found that she kind of liked the attention Connor gave her; he would always compliment her hair, her clothes, and so on. Even if it was just part of his programming, he made her feel…

Special

Lily rubbed the bridge of her nose. She felt weary despite their lack of progress at work; her eyes slowly dragging themselves away from her bright TV screen (which was displaying some random news report on Red Ice) towards her medicine bottle.

The thought of taking her sedatives was promising, although Lily didn't want to have to become reliable on drugs just so she could have a peaceful night's sleep. Nevertheless, she felt herself mindlessly reach out for the small capsule which contained the pills.

*Knock Knock*

The loud noise from her apartment's front door startled Lily from her trance, making her gladly get away from the drug container and towards the door. Smartie and Scramble also leapt up at the sound, with the latter cat racing towards the door and growling fiercely.

Lily rolled her eyes at the over-protective pet, patting him on the head comfortingly before looking through the peep-hole. She smiled and blushed a little before opening the door to her night visitor.

"Hello Connor", she smiled at the android. He had a tendency to pop up when she was thinking about him, as if he possessed some sort of magic power.

"Good evening, Lily", he politely bowed, making her heart flutter a little at his gesture. Connor noticed the very dark shadows under her eyes, feeling concerned. He'd clearly disturbed her on a bad night.

"What brings you here?", she asked eagerly, more than happy to see him.

"A homicide was reported 43 minutes ago, I was unable to locate lieutenant Anderson at Jimmy's Bar, so I decided to pick you up first", he explained carefully examining her face. Her precious face.

"Pick me up… it sounds like a date", Lily thought, smiling to herself.

"Of course, I can always let you rest if you do not feel-"

"No!", she suddenly interrupted, her pale face turning pink. "I mean, I can manage, thanks", Lily grinned awkwardly. "Ok, Hank's probably at his house, I'll get ready and then we can catch a taxi there", she smiled, letting Connor in.

"Make yourself at home", she gestured to her apartment, turning into her bedroom to change clothes. Connor walked to the sofa, sitting down awkwardly next to Smartie, the fatter cat out of Lily's two pets.

The chubby black and white feline ambled over to Connor, plopping herself down on his lap, much to the RK-800's shock. He wasn't programmed to function alongside animals or children, only adult humans and other androids, so he was pretty unsure of what to do. Remembering the last time he was at Lily's home, he carefully ran his fingers along the cat's furry back, making her purr contentedly.

Connor looked up to the hallway, seeing Scramble's glowing green eyes glare at him through the darkened corridor, as if to say "Don't even think about trying that with me". Connor grinned, he thought it was very admirable for the cat to constantly guard Lily whenever someone strange entered their home.

The bedroom door suddenly opened, and Scramble immediately went from bristle-furred and sharp-eyed to drippingly warm and affectionate, as he rubbed against Lily's jeans. Connor noticed that she had put on quite a lot of makeup to cover up the dark shadows under her eyes. But the cream-coloured foundation made her look paler than ever. The lieutenant bent down to pick the cat up, as she saw and smiled at Connor who was still sitting with her other cat.

"Aw, she likes you", Lily beamed. "Shame that the same can't be said for you, little buddy", she grinned, patting Scramble who was clearly enjoying the fact that he was getting all the physical attention and Connor was having none of it.

"Shall we get going?", he suggested, the android didn't want to overwork Lily.

"Sure", she smiled, putting down the ginger tom as she grabbed her keys and jacket. "Bye kiddies", she called to her cats, leaving the apartment with Connor.

XXX

"You've reached your destination, thank you for travelling with Detroit Taxis. We look forward to seeing you again soon", the electronic car's robotic voice said to the pair. Connor stepped out first, holding his hand out to Lily as she left the car, which made her blush a little at the gentlemanly gesture.

"This is the place", Lily said, looking up at the single-floored suburban house. "Why don't you go ring the doorbell while I pay the taxi?", she told him.

"Are you sure?", Connor asked politely. CyberLife covered the expenses for him to travel to investigations and other places in Detroit Taxis.

"Of course"

Connor walked the wet stone path to Hank's house, climbing up the wooden porch steps to reach the doorbell.

*Knock knock*

"Lieutenant Anderson?". No reply came from the house, so Connor tried the doorbell.

*Ding Dong*

"Anybody home?"

Still, no reply. He pressed the buzzer for a good few seconds before deciding that if Hank was in the house, he clearly wasn't answering the door. Connor glanced behind him, Lily was still paying the taxi, so he decided to head round the back of the house. Finding a window that didn't have the curtains drawn, Connor peered inside the house, examining what seemed to be the kitchen. He immediately spotted Hank, lying on the floor either unconscious or dead.

"Lieutenant Anderson!?", Connor called worriedly. There was no time to run and get Lily, so he decided to force himself into the house so he could help Hank.

Smashing the glass with his elbow, the android took a running start, jumping dramatically through the window…. and then falling flat on his face. Quickly scrambling to sit up, Connor watched as an enormous St. Bernard dog approached him.

"Not another over-protective pet!", he thought desperately.

"Uh, easy… Sumo", the android managed to remember the dog's name, putting his hand up in defence to show the animal he wasn't a threat. "I'm your friend, see?", he explained to the canine, who stared at him with huge dark brown eyes.

"I know your name, I'm here to save your owner", he told Sumo, who let out an appreciative "Woof!" before trotting off to his food bowl on the other side of the kitchen. Connor got up awkwardly, being cautious as he approached Hank; with Sumo watching him sleepily from the corner of the room.

Leaning close and scanning the lieutenant, Connor was glad to find that Hank was in an alcohol-induced coma, judging by the half-empty bottle of scotch and the whiskey that was drenched all down the front of the man's grey t-shirt.

Suddenly, a sound from the living room alerted the android of someone else's presence, as Sumo let out a joyous bark and ran from the kitchen. The noise of a door closing and footsteps was heard, and Connor stood up immediately, ready in case some intruder had broken into the house.

Lily stepped from the front room, as the RK-800 tilted his head in confusion.

"How did you get in here?", both said in unison. Lily held up a small piece of metal.

"I have a house key", she grinned, before looking from the android towards the window. "Oh god, did you break in?", she spotted the shattered glass on the floor.

"Er, I may have done that", he rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed, as Lily suddenly spotted Hank on the floor, half-hidden by the wooden kitchen table.

"Oh Christ", she said, running over to him. Sumo then decided it was time to play, as he jumped up on Lily, knocking her to the ground and covering her face and neck in drool.

"EW, SUMO!", she shouted, trying to push the huge dog off herself. Connor grinned, trying to wrestle the St. Bernard which licked his face happily. The android and lieutenant laughed, as Connor held his outstretched hand to her, pulling her up from the floor.

"Don't get me wrong, I do love that dog but sometimes I want to turn him into a rug", she joked, wiping off some of the saliva as best she could. "You might want to be careful when waking him", she pointed to Hank. "I can tell he's just drunk, I can smell the whiskey from here"

Connor nodded, moving over to crouch next to Hank while Lily carefully tried to sweep up as many of the broken glass shards as she could; which proved increasingly difficult as Sumo was running around her in circles, clearly wanting attention.

"Lieutenant?", the RK-800 tried to wake Hank up by gently patting the side of his face. Hank let out a grunt and a groan, clearly not wanting to be disturbed.

"Wakeup, Lieutenant!", Connor raised his voice, slapping Hank who opened his eyes blearily, looking around the room. "It's me, Connor", he explained, as Hank glanced around the kitchen before his eyes rolled back into his skull and his head lolled back on his neck.

"I'm going to sober you up for your own safety, but I have to warn you this may be unpleasant", Connor explained, taking one arm and heaving Hank up, who groaned at the movement.

"Heyyy… leave me alone you fuckin' robot!", Hank shouted, slurring his words drunkenly. "Get the fuck outta my house", he complained, unable to form a coherent insult.

"I'm sorry lieutenant, but we need you", the RK-800 told him. "Lily? Can you help me please?"

"Sure thing", the younger lieutenant ran forward, grabbing Hank's other arm in an effort to help carry the drunk man. "Come on, Hanky-Panky", she grinned.

"Thank you in advance for your co-operation", Connor joked making Lily giggle, as Hank merely just groaned and complained.

"Aw leave me aloooooone you assholes, just let me dieeeee here", he rolled his eyes dramatically as the pair tried to drag the lieutenant to the bathroom.

"Take it easy, big guy", Lily teased Hank, who clearly wasn't enjoying being frog-marched around his own house.

"Sumo!", Hank suddenly called out to his dog, who was still racing around the room like an uncontrollable puppy. "ATTACK!", he pointed at Connor.

Unfortunately, the dog seemed to partially understand the command, as Sumo raced towards the RK-800 and charged into him at full speed, knocking the android backwards onto the floor as the dog grabbed hold of one of Connor's trouser legs in his jaws and began to drag him frantically about the kitchen, clearly trying to play.

"LILY! Help meee!", Connor shouted, trying to pull himself free of the St. Bernard's teeth.

"No, SUMO!", Lily yelled over the sound of the dog's merry barking, dropping Hank (as she wasn't strong enough to support the man without Connor helping her hold him up) and leaning him up next to the wall.

"Connor is not a chew-toy!"

Lily ran all over the first floor of the house, trying to save the android from the canine's excitable attitude but she wasn't quick enough; the dog was incredibly strong and fast!

Eventually, the RK-800 managed to reach out and grab one of the kitchen table legs, making him slow the dog down enough for Lily to accidentally trip over Sumo and land directly on top of Connor.

The android blushed bright blue, as brown and grey eyes locked together causing an intense stare. Lily realised just how close she and Connor were, and she couldn't help dragging her eyes away from his gaze to look at his lips…

Connor couldn't help but feel his arms twitch, suddenly overcome with the desire to wrap them around the lieutenant on top of him as he felt his face burn with embarrassment and… something else entirely.

(Un)fortunately, a bark from Sumo broke the moment between them, making both get to their feet in embarrassment and sudden shyness, when the lieutenant and the android both remembered Hank who was still leaning against the wall.

"Fuck, I think I'm gonna be sick", Hank groaned as Connor and Lily each took a different side and lifted the man up, dragging him off to the bathroom again as Sumo trotted behind them loyally.

"Please refrain from doing so until we have reached the washroom", Connor told him politely.

"Ugh get the fuck outta here!", Hank gurgled, grabbing hold of the doorway. He was seriously not wanting to move! Lily managed to pry away the lieutenant's fingers, as she and Connor managed to finally dump Hank in the bath.

"I don't wanna wash, thank you", he murmured whilst trying to stand up, as Connor pushed him back down into the tub.

"What do we do with him now?", Lily asked the tall android, who grinned at her before reaching for the bath tap. Hank let out a shout of incoherent swear words.

"AHHH! TURN IT OFF TURN IT OFF TURN IT OFF!"

The younger lieutenant laughed as she saw Connor hesitate, prolonging Hank's cold shock for an extra few moments, before obeying and turning off the shower tap.

Lily imagined that if any of Hank's neighbours were able to listen in nearby, they probably would imagine some torture or fight was going down in the house from all the shouting, swearing and barking; not to mention the smashing of glass and the skidding sound of furniture which previously occurred when Sumo decided to drag Connor around the house.

"Lily? Connor?", Hank stared at his two partners, only just realising who they were as he came to his senses. "Sumo?", he questioned as the dog jumped into the damp bathtub with its owner, licking Hank's face.

"What are you two doing here?", he asked them, patting Sumo's head who wagged his tail furiously.

"A homicide was reported over an hour ago", Connor put his hands behind his back in his usual professional demeanour.

"Connor came to get me and we arrived here to try and look for you", Lily explained, crossing her arms with a grin.

"Jesus", Hank put his head in his hands, his wet hair dripping water down his face. "I must be the only cop in the world that gets assaulted in own house by his own fucking partner and android as accompaniment!", he muttered, astonished, to himself.

"Can't you just leave me alone?"

"Unfortunately, we cannot. I've been programmed to investigate this case and I can't do it without you or Lily", Connor explained.

"Yeah, and you should know by now that you're stuck with us permanently", Lily grinned.

"Ugh, I couldn't care less about the goddamn case", he grumbled, not looking up at either his partners.

"That seems apparent", she smirked playfully as Hank tried to get up out of the bath. However, the alcohol was still clearly having a great effect on him, making Hank nearly fall back down if it weren't for the RK-800 grabbing hold of him.

"Just beat it, you here me?", Hank belched, as Sumo sat down expectantly, still wagging his tail. Connor knew how to play this.

"Alright", he said, holding up his hands in defeat. Lily looked at him questioningly, confused as to why he was apparently giving up so easily. Connor winked at her playfully, making her turn pink for what must've been the 5th time that evening, as she knew he was up to something.

"We understand, lieutenant", Connor explained, batting his dark eyelashes innocently. "It probably wasn't interesting anyway… a man found dead in a sex club downtown", Hank curiously looked up at the words "sex club".

"Guess they'll have to solve the case without us", Connor shrugged, opening the bathroom door as Sumo jumped out of the bathtub and ran out into the hallway. "After you, Lily", he said graciously while winking at her again, telling her to play along.

"Sorry for disturbing you, Hank", she replied mischievously, as both her and Connor began to walk out the door. "We'll be going now"

"You know…", the words made the pair halt, glancing at each other with triumphant smirks. "Maybe it wouldn't do me any harm to get some air", Hank said, trying to sound inconspicuous. "There're some clothes in the bedroom there", he gestured out the hallway.

"I'll go get them", Connor nodded, while Lily stayed in the bathroom to help Hank out of the tub. Walking across the hallway into the room opposite, the android went to the wardrobe in Hank's bedroom.

"What do you want to wear?", he called.

"Give him the wackiest outfit he has", Lily stuck her head into the bedroom with a wicked smile. Connor grabbed a pretty hippy-looking shirt, before returning to the bathroom. Upon re-entering, he found Hank kneeling in front of the toilet, with Lily patting him gently on the back.

"Are you alright, lieutenant?"

"He'll be okay", Lily reassured the android as she tried to soothe Hank. "He's often sick when he has too much", he said a little gravely.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine", Hank muttered, although it was clear he wasn't fooling anyone. "Just gimme five minutes, ok?"

"Alright", Lily said reluctantly, she didn't like leaving him alone in a drunk state but she knew nothing bad could happen if she and Connor were just next door. The two partners left the lieutenant alone in the bathroom, gently leaving the door open just a crack so they could still talk to Hank if he needed any help.

Connor examined Hank's house, something he didn't have much of a chance to do when he was being dragged around at high speed by the lieutenant's boisterous dog, whom he spotted lying next to Lily on the living room sofa as she watched the evening news report.

"President Warren issued an official warning to Russia in her speech to Congress today, where she demanded that all Russian troops withdraw from the Artic region immediately", a voice from the TV announced.

Lily sighed, the daunting threat of a war was edging itself closer to reality; giving her yet another reason to lose sleep at night.

"The Kremlin has yet to respond, but this is clearly a new escalation in the conflict. Many experts are suggesting that the spectre of a third world war draws closer every day-"

The younger lieutenant quickly turned off the TV before the news-station had finished its report. She let out a long groan, letting her head loll over the back of the sofa as Sumo cuddled up to her, sensing the anxiety. Lily fondly patted the St. Bernard's head, as he let out a quiet bark and licked her face.

Connor watched the scene, wanting to make himself a part of it. He wanted to wrap his arms around her from behind, and whisper into her ear sweet words of comfort, telling her everything would be okay.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be concerned over my friend's safety?", Lily's words echoed through the RK-800's head when he had again asked her of why was clearly afraid and distressed over his near-death experience.

He let out a sigh of reassurance. What he was feeling was just concern for Lily, nothing more. It was part of his programming to protect the lives of his human co-workers, so it became clear he was only experiencing an unusually high reaction for only one person.

Connor looked down at his own synthetic hands, then to his reflection in a mirror on the nearby wall which stared back at himself nervously, a blue blush softly creeping on his cheeks.

"Why does she make me feel this way?", he thought. He didn't know if 'friendship' made people feel so extreme, but he liked it, strangely. When Connor was around Lily, he felt lighter than air seeing her smile, heavier than dark rain when he saw her cry, and yet nervous and excited and scared all at once.

But worse of all, was the hidden jealousy he felt whenever Gavin was around.

"I believe it would be best if I didn't mention any of this to Amanda", Connor was a little concerned, to say the least, about the intensity of his emotions; he wasn't supposed to feel anything, it was strictly against his programming.

"But how can something that feels so good be bad?", Connor questioned. He liked how he felt around Lily; she made him feel like he was less of a machine, and more of a person.

Although, that would mean he was becoming a-

"No", Connor shook his head firmly. He couldn't start to even consider such a possibility; it would make him no better than the androids he was programmed to hunt down.

*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 73%*

Trying to distract himself, the RK-800 went over to a sideboard in the living room, finding an old collection of vinyl records by the "Michigan Brothers".

"Hank likes jazz music?", Connor accidentally said aloud. Lily looked up at the question, Sumo jumping off her lap (who was half-suffocating the small lieutenant) and running towards the android excitedly.

"Yeah, he used to play it all the time, before…", her eyes suddenly became downcast. "Never mind", she dismissed it as Sumo playfully ran around Connor.

"Aw he really likes you", she said softly as Connor bent down to gently pet Sumo, who lay down at the android's feet and rolled over, showing his furry tummy. "Do you really like dogs, Connor? Or did you just say that to have something in common with Hank?", she teased, as the RK-800 looked at her seriously.

"My software is only programmed to function and communicate with my human co-workers", he explained.

"Do you not know how to react to animals then?", she asked, as the St. Bernard licked her hand.

"Or young humans either"

"You mean kids?", Lily stared with wide-eyes as he blushed, a little blue tint coming to his cheeks.

"It's strange being around them", he confessed awkwardly.

"Well, they don't bite", she giggled, looking around at Hank's house. "God he really keeps this place like a pigsty", Lily rolled her eyes, standing up and moving over to the rubbish bin.

"Help me clear this up?"

XXX

After checking on Hank, who grunted and said he needed a few more minutes, Lily and Connor tried to tidy up the lieutenant's house as best they could: folding away clothes, sweeping up the floor, and tidying away the occasional book or random junk that littered the home.

It wasn't in Connor's programming to clean, but he still didn't want Lily to feel like she was doing it all on her own, so he was happy to help and assist in the task of trying to organise Hank's incredibly cluttered house.

The android bent down, finding a black revolver with one bullet left inside. Walking to the bathroom door where Connor could still here Hank being sick, the RK-800 tried to question the lieutenant through the closed door.

"What were you doing with the gun?", he called, checking the gun's barrel as Lily looked up from where she was cleaning.

"Russian Roulette!", came Hank's jokey answer. "Wanted to see how long I could last, guess I must've passed out before I found out…", he burped loud enough for both of his partners to hear.

"You were lucky", Connor said as Lily came over to him and examined the gun herself. "The next shot would've killed you"

"Shame", Hank laughed.

"Does he have suicidal tendencies?", the android asked her, quietly so Hank couldn't hear.

"God", she muttered, before trying to hide the gun in a drawer, not wanting Hank to find it anytime soon. "He once went through a really hard time", Lily confessed, shaking her head. "I thought he was getting better… but it's clear the only thing that is improving is that he's getting better at hiding this from me", she looked sorrowful.

"I hope that with enough time and care, we can help him heal", the RK-800 said with caring optimism. The lieutenant nodded hopefully, she didn't want Hank to feel like he was all alone.

Lily picked up the old takeaway boxes, soda cans and crisp packets on the kitchen table, chucking them into the bin before Connor cleaned the table with a wet-wipe. As she cleared off the mess, there was one thing left on the table, forgotten. Connor picked up the object, turning it over and analysing the possession.

"Lily?", he called.

"Yeah?", she didn't face him as she neatly organised Hank's books on the shelf.

"Who is this?"

The lieutenant turned around, walking over to the android with a grin, thinking he had found some embarrassing high school photo of Hank. But as she grew closer, her smile faded as she recognised the picture instantly.

"That's…", she felt a lump in her throat rise, not knowing how to answer.

"Cole Anderson", the RK-800 announced, his LED glowing yellow, finishing the scan. "Hank had a son?", Connor noticed that his scanner told him that the smiling boy in the photograph was deceased. He suddenly became aware of Lily's reaction; she had turned pale and shakily sat down on the living room sofa, not looking at him.

"Oh god", Lily put her head in her hands, not wanting to answer.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, Lily", Connor immediately pleaded; it felt like his own heart was breaking at the sight of her distress.

"No, I'm sorry", she hastily wiped away the few tears that had fallen. "It's not important, let's just get Hank", she went to stand up but felt a warm hand on her shoulder, as Connor turned to face her with a worried but calm expression.

"Sometimes talking about an insecurity makes it better", he reasoned, quoting her. Lily felt her heart melt like liquid gold; Connor was so incredibly sweet and thoughtful, it made her begin to sob uncontrollably as she was so taken aback by his gesture.

"That was meant to console you, lieutenant", he teased as Lily hugged him tightly. "Not upset you further"

"I'm not…", she hurriedly pulled away and tried to compose herself. "I'm not sad because of that, it's just…", she stared at Connor's honest and adoring brown eyes.

"How can a person who is made to hunt down criminals be so caring and sweet?", she asked him. Connor thought that "sweet" was a flavour, but it seemed to be a compliment, so he didn't argue!

"I don't know", he shook his head honestly. "But maybe if we talk more often, we might both understand each other", Connor grinned warmly.

"I'd like that", Lily smiled, her tears drying quickly. "Hank doesn't like to talk about Cole anymore, so please don't bring any of this up", she looked at him imploringly. He nodded and assured her of his discretion.

Lily began.

"Cole was… one of the sweetest and most wonderful kids I've ever met", she said, her eyes shining with memory. "When he left us, Hank just… shut down; everything in his life went to waste after Cole died", Lily nodded to the bookshelf nearby, it had pictures of Hank from years ago, when he was a very successful police officer.

"Cole was born in late September, but I didn't know Hank very well then apart from him being good friends with my old man", Lily explained. "I loved Cole, he used to call me 'Auntie Lily' because I used to look after him sometimes, did you know that?", she smiled in fond recollection. "Hank and his wife split up when Cole was quite young; I think it was for the best, I can remember her as being a bit of a nasty person", Lily rolled her eyes as Connor listened in interest.

"Anyway, I had only just left the DCPD training academy and joined the department as a new officer when that happened; I loved looking after Cole, he was so funny and lively, it was like he had a little ray of sunshine in his heart that nothing could put out", her eyes shone with love, Connor found himself inexplicably a little jealous; he wanted her to think about himself that way.

"I used to pick Cole up from school and take him back to work; because Fowler and Hank were close, the Captain didn't mind it if Cole would just sit quietly by himself in the office. Everyone always loved Cole, even Scramble, which I still can sometimes hardly believe!", Lily laughed. "He was such a social butterfly, each time I took him with me he'd have all our co-workers chatting away happily, even Gavin once, as I can remember", she explained.

"Did Hank like having his son around while he finished work every day?", Connor asked, he could sense the nostalgia, almost to a point where he felt like he was there with Lily, Hank and the young son.

"Yeah of course", she grinned. "Hank always kept a little box of crayons in his desk for when Cole came to the department after school. I remember his 6th birthday, Hank got Cole a bike, and we didn't get him off it for hours!", she giggled, as Connor remembered the child's crayons he found in the lieutenant's desk; Hank still kept them there.

"But then…", Lily's eyes suddenly grew darker.

"But then two weeks later, in October, there was a huge snowstorm that was surprisingly early in the year", she began. "Hank didn't want me cycling home because all the buses were messed up due to the snow, so he gave me a lift to my apartment", Lily hadn't noticed that silent tears were dripping down her cheeks again.

"I remember…", she sniffed. "I got a call from him about a few hours later; there had been an accident". Connor was giving her a gentle gaze. She turned to face him, her voice wavering.

"A truck skidded on a sheet of ice and hit Hank's car, and it rolled over. C-Cole needed emergency surgery, but…", she swallowed. "But no human was available to do it, so they had an android doctor take care of him". Lily closed her eyes, holding in her breath as Connor squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"Cole didn't make it"

Lily opened her eyes, admitting the terrible truth that everyone had been dodging for years.

"I went to the hospital as soon as possible, I was with Hank when the doctor told us the truth", the lieutenant explained. "I'll never forget Hank's face, it was like… looking at a bear that had just lost its cub. He wasn't angry or crying, he just sat there, and looked at his hands, like… everything was over", she couldn't see through the fierce waters that flowed from her eyes, but having a friend beside her was more than supporting.

"I wish I could've been there, to help him", Connor said. He understood the lieutenant's grief and his obvious hatred for androids; he blamed them for the death of his son.

"Part of me is glad that I was there to look after Hank…. but I also wish I hadn't seen his reaction when he found out", she said monotonously with a grave tone that was unusual for Lily.

"I'll never get that memory out of my head", she shuddered. "Hank seems to forget that he wasn't the only one to lose someone he loved that night, I miss Cole too", Lily said sadly, looking at the ground. "Sometimes I feel like I can hear him talking to me, I can imagine things he would say", her eyes were faraway, drifting off.

"It's a nice way of remembering him", the android agreed, trying to bring Lily back to reality.

"He would've liked you", she turned to him. Connor was astonished. "Cole always said he wanted a big brother", she smiled through her tears. The android blushed.

"Hey, your face is doing that thingy again", Lily smiled softly. Connor blushed blue even more. "Aw, it's okay Con", she teased. "There's no reason to be embarrassed"

"I-I'm not embarrassed!", he denied quickly, straightening his tie. "I just..." he cleared his throat. "I've just never considered being a part of a family, before"

"Well, you can tick that off your bucket-list, cause you're one of us now", she smiled, playfully punching him on the shoulder.

"Am I?", he grinned, liking the concept of comradery. He flicked Lily on the nose, making her let out a pretend exclamation of shock, and bash him with a nearby pillow she had grabbed off the sofa.

After a fit of giggles, Lily calmed down again from the playfight.

"I just want Hank to know he's not alone in this… whatever he's feeling", she told Connor. "I'm really worried about him, even if he's just joking, no normal person plays Russian Roulette by themselves", Lily nodded to the drawer where the gun was placed. "I just wish he'd be more open with me", she said, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "I think… he doesn't tell me how he's feeling because he doesn't want me to worry but-"

"But by not telling you what's going on, it makes you even more worried", Connor noted.

"Yeah", she smiled sadly, genuinely glad to have a friend understand. "I just want him to be able to move on with his life, after everything... I miss the Hank who loved to dance along to jazz music and laughed with everyone at the office and organised the DCPD Christmas charity parties", she reminisced.

"But he's not going to come back unless we help him find his way", Lily acknowledged. "I'm still going to be there for him, every step of the way. Even in the little things, like when Hank stops pretending to love heavy metal; he only plays it when other people are around, I think he believes that we'll find him tough or something". Connor thought Lily to be very selfless, that she was determined to not give up on Hank. Sumo trotted over onto the sofa, lying his head on Lily's lap as his tail wagged fiercely at Connor.

"Does having a pet around help him cope?", the android asked, stroking the dog uncertainly. Lily smiled in admiration, Connor was still hesitant about animals, but it seemed he was working through it.

"Hank got Sumo as a puppy", she explained sadly. "Cole loved Sumo, we hardly ever saw them apart; but after he left, I guess Hank didn't have the heart to put the puppy up for adoption. Then again, if he did, I would've looked after him", she smiled lovingly. "Sumo's still a sad reminder of Cole, though", she told Connor.

"He's still as crazy as a puppy, but we wouldn't trade him for anything, would we!?", Lily suddenly put on a very-cutesy voice as Sumo barked at her excitedly.

"No we wouldn't!", Connor laughed at her enthusiasm, joining in with the affectionate voice.

"God you two are nuts", a voice from behind them spoke. Sumo jumped off the sofa and round to Hank as Lily and Connor both stood up quickly. Hank was fully dressed in his usual brown jacket, but with the hippy shirt Connor had picked out for him. The pair smiled at their partner, who slowly patted Sumo on the head.

"What are you both grinning at?", he asked, obviously still a little drunk. Neither Lily or Connor answered, but Hank rolled his eyes with a grin. "Be a good dog, Sumo", he told the St. Bernard who licked his master's hand affectionately.

"Bye-bye buddy", Lily smiled, patting the canine's head before following Hank and Connor to the front door. Sumo crossed his paws, lying down in front of the door as he began to drift off to sleep; ready for their return.

Cole sat down next to the dog, his hand ghosting over the St. Bernard's fur as Sumo let out a soft whine. The young boy looked up at his father, his adoptive aunt and the robot who accompanied them. The two people were unaware of the boy's presence; although, just before turning around and locking the door behind him, the RK-800 looked up at where the boy sat.

The robot's brown eyes gleamed warmly at the boy, with the look of knowledge and awareness. Connor gave him a small smile of respect, bowing to the boy who nodded back appreciatively, before closing the house door behind him gently. Cole stroked Sumo, as the dog tried to lick at the 6-year-old's face, letting out another whine when all his tongue met was empty air.

But Cole was unfazed by this, letting out a small smile of comforted relief, as he sat with Sumo, ever-guarding, ever watchful.