Hey guys.
Sorry about the sudden and unexpected hiatus. Had a bit of a difficult time last week after someone decided to send a rather…spiteful message about one of my fics (many of you here follow it, it's the active one from my other D:BH universe). I know that much of my writing will not appeal, and I'm by no means an accomplished author, so I expect criticism. I expect a lot more than I get (which I find incredible). I am happy to take any critique, so long as it is not vindictive and personal.
Getting a message accusing me of being "a twisted and perverted individual who is using an amazing fandom to play out a sick fantasy with a beloved character" caught me very much unawares. I needed to take a step back for a while to refocus myself as I didn't want to spout out a chapter if I wasn't at least vaguely proud of it, especially as this is an arc that ties directly into another story.
So, I am very sorry that I vanished for a while. I just needed to get my head screwed back on right.
On another, much happier, note, we've just passed an incredible milestone in this story. Over 400 reviews, and I am utterly blown away. Thank you all so, so much.
Special thanks for reviews: AnUnorthodoxDecision, xNarielx, MugetsuPipefox, lordvaatithewindmage, Sorceress of Stories, HK800 and one Guest.
This will answer a few questions you all have, and this is the last chapter which takes place before my Christmas one-shot Home Is Where The Heart Is. I'd recommend a lot of you read that before the next entry of this story as the events of that story lead into what happens after this.
PS. I know a few of you are going to be reeling after this chapter. The complete story will be revealed in Under My Skin.
"What have we got?"
Hank's stomach clenched as he descended into their crime scene with Gavin right next to him, the pair having been called out to another body dump. The duo skidded down the muddy bank of the Detroit River just outside of the city, coming to a collection of seven android who had all been brutalised to death and left to waste in a shallow grave dug into the bank. It hadn't even been attempted to be covered, but this area was out of the way. The perpetrators probably didn't feel the need to conceal it.
Chris looked up from where he was taking photographs of prints in the mud around them and gave them a grimace. "Another nasty one, Lieutenant. These poor androids didn't have much of a chance from what we can tell." The officer stood and came to a halt on Hank's left, the older man staying standing as Gavin crouched to get a closer look at the bodies. The skin had been deactivated on three of them, while the other four were frozen at the moment of their deaths.
It never got any easier to see, even if they'd been following the trail of guilty party for literal months now…and every growing day it got harder.
The fact that Connor and Katie were both right in the eye of this storm wasn't far from Hank's mind, and he could see the strain was a million times worse for Gavin.
"All with signs of being restrained and then violently assaulted over a prolonged period of time," Gavin stated while being careful not to touch any of the bodies. "Matches our MO, right down to their self-healing programs evidently being deactivated throughout the attack."
Hank watched him carefully as Chris kept taking notes. "That brings us to how many victims now?"
"27 confirmed to belong to this killer, and another 26 possibilities. Doubt they're all from this bastard though, too inconsistent," Gavin relayed coldly.
"Great, so we've got two possible android serial killers out there. Fan-fucking-tastic." Hank spun to look at Chris. "CSI got all they need with these poor buggers?"
Chris nodded in confirmation. "Yes, and we've notified the Jericho androids of their discovery. Early signs indicate they will be impossible to reactivate, just like the rest, but at least they can be given a dignified burial if nothing else."
"All right," Hank sighed sadly. "You're good, Chris. We'll let you know if we need anything." Chris left with a final nod, leaving only Hank and Gavin next to the pile of bodies. Now alone, Hank crouched to see Gavin staring at the remains hard. "Anyone you recognise?" the lieutenant asked quietly.
"I don't exactly spend any longer in that shithole than I need to, Anderson," Gavin snapped, "and there are dozens of androids in there across two floors. I sure as hell don't know them all by sight."
"I know that," Hank replied placatingly, "but you got that place's 'catalogue' as the bastard put it, right? You've got a hell of a lot more access to identify anyone."
Gavin sighed in defeat. "Nothing that I can see right now, I'll have to cross-check when I get home. Can't exactly access that shit on the DPD servers without tipping anyone off."
"Sounds good. Don't think we can do an awful lot, we'll have more opportunity to examine them once CSI moves 'em out." Hank shivered against a biting wind which ripped through the area and heard the rumbling of thunder above them. "Nothing like a winder thunderstorm to tell you to get your arse moving. Come on, let's clear out of here." Gavin acknowledged the suggestion with a grunt and stood as the pair headed back up to Hank's car, not speaking a word as they moved on.
Things were a hell of a lot better now than they had been weeks ago, though Hank was well aware that was down to a combination of factors. One, it was further away from the anniversary now, so Gavin's emotions weren't as highly strung. Two, that explosive moment between them had actually been beneficial, letting some old hurts air and be known. Three, and most importantly, the mystery behind Connor and Katie's disappearances was finally solved, and Gavin was finally back in contact with his partner. Even if it was less than ideal circumstances.
It had taken over a month before Fowler finally told them everything: Katie had been sent in undercover with Connor acting as her backup and handler. The FBI had managed to come across a lead that all the androids had been employed at a new android strip and sex club, despite efforts to hide their association. All the background checks had come up clean and everything seemed above board, but within a week of going inside Katie had confirmed that something was amiss.
Things had gone wrong when the club had brought in a jammer after realising that someone on the inside was leaking information – and with it Connor and Katie's method of communication had been broken. The only way to liaise with her now was by sending someone in to the club physically, and Connor hadn't been an option given he was so well known.
Hence why Gavin was now a customer of the club, and more importantly, Katie's client.
Now inside the safety of the vehicle, Hank decided to prod a little more. Connor and Katie's assignment was still a closely guarded secret, and Gavin's now added involvement fell under that same umbrella. Since he wasn't directly involved, Hank was still very much not privy to the details. The only reason he knew at all was because his permanent and now temporary partners were in the middle of it, as well as it being a part of a case that was growing more serious by the day. "So, how is Katie holding up? It's been, what, seven weeks that she's been in that shit heap now?"
"Fine, all things considered," Gavin answered tiredly. "Her position in the club means that she's a valued member and is within Zlatko's circle. Don't know how she's done it, but the bastard actually trusts her. At least she's a dancer and not one of his…" he left the thought there.
"And yet you've somehow ended up as the one customer of Zlatko's that she's sleeping with," Hank pointed out calmly, waiting for Gavin's glare to lose some of its intensity when the younger man rounded on him. "Just stating the facts, Reed. How'd that even end up coming about?"
Gavin paused before answering him. "Told Zlatko I'd help him keep some of his under the table dealings quiet if they crossed our radar, so long as I got exclusive access to Katie. I'd managed to identify the club as the hosting ground for a red ice gang we're tracking from what I'd seen that first night."
"Nice spot," Hank complimented. "And how are you coping with that shit?" Gavin gave him a strange look. "Come on, Reed, don't bullshit me. There's no way this whole situation isn't fucking with your head."
"How do you figure that?" he answered bitingly, but Hank could hear how his voice definitely got quieter.
"You're having to leave your partner in a sex club which is suspected of killing of two dozen androids which were former employees. There's no fuckin' way that isn't sticking in your head and making your gut twist every time you have to walk away."
"Are you done?" Gavin snapped, pointedly looking away.
Hank stared at him for a few seconds before starting the car with a sigh. That was a bit of a bust. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm done. You know Connor's keeping an eye on her: the minute he thinks something is amiss, he'll let you know." Gavin didn't acknowledge it verbally, but Hank could see his posture relax.
He didn't know what was worse. Connor ghosting in and out of his life, being there but Hank never seeing him, or Gavin's situation. He could see Katie, but he kept having to leave her in that…place, despite knowing the danger she was in.
Thoughts of his son made Hank's mind go on a small tangent, and the corner of his mouth turned up in a tiny smile. There was no reason he couldn't pull a prank while Connor wasn't around, was there? This is one that he wasn't convinced his son wouldn't spot from a mile away anyway.
"Hey, Gavin, do you know if Chris keeps changes of clothes at the precinct? You're friends with him, right?"
Gavin turned to give him a confused look. "What kind of fucking question is-" And then the penny dropped. "Taking a leaf out of Connor's book?" he realised with a smirk.
"Maybe I am. So...?"
"'Course he fucking does, every bastard who even half knows their way around police work keeps at least one change of clothes handy. What you planning?"
"You wanna know?" Hank asked incredulously.
"Fuck yeah, pulling a prank sounds fun."
"Whoa whoa whoa, back the fuck up. You want in on this?"
"I've been involved in a few by now, what's so strange about it?" Gavin asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Cause you're helping me! And I thought you helping Connor was fuckin' crazy, this takes the cake."
"You'd rather I just go back to insulting your old ass?"
"…So this is what I'm thinking..."
Two days later in the precinct saw their case take a noticeable turn. One of the androids, a male AP700, had managed to be reactivated successfully by Markus' people. Though he was severely damaged, they had managed to learn a few key pieces of information – including that he had worked at Zlatko's club. The bad news was that he'd left the establishment three weeks prior, meaning there was no definitive evidence that Zlatko's people were responsible. His audio receptors and optical units had been deactivated after being shocked into temporary stasis, meaning he had no way of identifying who had put him through his ordeal.
It wasn't a critical breakthrough, but it meant that Gavin had something to pass on to Katie during their next meeting. Maybe she could learn more from the inside with this information.
As that all blew over, Hank and Gavin set into motion their prank. They'd tossed ideas back and forth about who to catch out, though Hank was more than willing to expand the list of targets to three after learning that said trio were gearing up for a prank of their own (the benefit of Gavin being used for ideas on pranks and even being offered to get involved).
Hank was still in a little shock that Gavin hadn't taken Chris, Ben and Tina up on their offer – or he had and the bastard was walking him right into a trap.
Either way, today was going to be interesting for the right reasons.
Contrary to his suspicions, Gavin turned up for their early morning shift at their arranged time with everything they needed for their prank. It seemed Gavin really was keen to be involved. Hank almost wondered if Gavin was using this as a distraction from their larger situation; not that he wasn't doing the same to a degree. The change had been welcome.
"Please tell me you got the stuff which is see through," Hank told him as Gavin dumped the bags on his desk.
"No, I got the fluorescent yellow," Gavin deadpanned. "Of course I got it fucking clear!"
"Just making sure," the older man grumbled while pulling the first roll up to examine. "So, how we doing this? Whole thing or just the main cushion?"
"You do whatever the fuck you want to Ben. I'm hitting Chris so that he's gonna have sticky pants and I'm gonna mess Tina's shirt up since she's a lazy bitch and always slouches."
Hank looked at him. "You're always lounging back, you fucking hypocrite."
"This ain't about me, is it," Gavin snapped back. "Let's get a move on! Chris is always early."
"How the fuck do you know that?"
"Well you wouldn't seeing as you're always one of the last to get here."
"Seriously, Reed, you need to get out of here more often," Hank sighed. The pair separated with Hank heading to Ben's chair while Gavin went to Chris' first. At the distance they were apart he barely heard the muttered reply, but it still caused him to ache.
"I would if I had something to go back to."
Hank looked over at the other man for a moment and, for the first time in a while, really took him in. He'd changed a hell of a lot in the not too far shy of twenty years that Hank had known him. Gavin had always been a cocky shit, but he'd been a damn good officer and a brilliant young detective. He put the hard work in through the shift and went back home to his family, just as Hank had done himself. It was cruel how both their lives had fallen apart because they lost someone they loved.
Not for the first time, Hank wondered if their androids would help repair both their losses. Connor had somehow become his son and helped with his grief, and it was obvious that Gavin and Katie cared for each other. Maybe she really was what Gavin needed: someone to help pick up the pieces of his own shattered heart.
Shaking his head to get his thoughts back on track, Hank began to pull apart the roll and grabbed a pair of scissors from his desk to get to work.
It was almost an half an hour later that Gavin wandered over to laugh at Hank's efforts. "It's really taken you this fucking long to stick a bunch of fly paper to Ben's chair?"
"Shut up," Hank grumbled. "I'm getting the arms, back and seat, thank you very much. How the fuck did you do that so fast for two chairs?"
"I'm well practiced with this shit," Gavin said with no further explanation. "Chris'll be here in ten minutes tops, so get a fucking move on!"
"All right, I'm fucking moving. Too old for this shit…"
"Your damn idea, Anderson."
Hank turned to glare at Gavin, who was smirking away. "Will you just go out there and stall Chris if you have to?!"
It turned out that for once, Chris was late, and he wasn't the only one. Lots of the officers at the precinct were held up after a large traffic accident not too far from the station caused them all to be snarled up in the tailbacks, so the pair had plenty time. Even going so far as to add smaller pieces to their keyboards to up the ante. Almost twenty minutes late, Chris was the first to arrive, looking rather flustered. Tina and Ben were not far behind, but the two officers had their yearly medical evals to go through first thing.
Which left Ben to be their test run. Hank was fighting hard not to grin from ear-to-ear as he saw Ben slump into his chair tiredly from where he was getting coffee from the break room, and he saw Gavin trying his best not to peer over from where he was working on his terminal. They only had to wait for about ten seconds before Ben tried to sit up from where he'd plonked down, only to find that his shirt and jeans were stuck fast.
Hank was smirking as he saw the other older detective try to reach back and see what was pinning him in place, and the expression was still on his face as he sauntered back to his desk. "Morning, Ben," Hank chirped at seeing Ben fight to free his shirt at the very least.
Ben glowered at him. "Hank, you asshole! What's with this?!" Ben yelled while trying to tease the material free of the adhesive.
"A little birdie told me you were planning a prank on me and Connor, so I thought I'd get a little pre-emptive strike in. You like it?" His smile was getting even wider at seeing Ben get ruffled by his situation.
"If this ruins my shirt I'm billing you for a replacement, Hank!" Ben roared while finally managing to finally get the shirt free. It did not survive in one piece however, as the loud rip which echoed through the floor confirmed.
Gavin snorted from his desk as Hank roared in laughter. "That piece of shit shirt is older than some of my stuff, and that's sayin' something. Tell you what, I'll pay you the dollar I know it cost in the first place since that heap of crap was from me as a Secret Santa one year." Ben glared at Hank's back as the older man sat down in how own chair. "At least your jeans should be fine," Hank offered while Ben grumbled as he reached into his drawers to find his spare shirt.
Chris and Tina's mishaps an hour later were just as entertaining. Chris had even stood up to try and detach himself, only to find the chair went with him while Tina ended up roping in help in the form of Wilson to get her back free. Gavin was howling at the scene and Hank wasn't much better, but he wasn't getting the same barrage of abuse from the female officer as Gavin was. Her swearing caught Fowler's attention when he walked in, but the captain just took one look at the scene and then Hank to know what was going on. Hank shrugged, but made no sign of being apologetic.
With a long suffering sigh Fowler headed to his office. Hank figured the only reason he wasn't pissed was because it had lightened to mood of the bullpen immeasurably.
Now satisfied at seeing all three fall foul of the prank, Hank grabbed his coffee and got ready to top it up…only to find he recreated Chris' incident and stood with his chair still attached to his backside.
Hank's glee changed to annoyance rapidly as he turned to stare at Gavin, only for the detective to flip him off smugly while cackling in triumph.
How the fuck did the bastard do that so fast?
"…Should I be asking some questions about how you can sneak around and steal as much shit as you do, Reed?" Hank asked while wedging the chair under his desk to get free, as he'd seen Chris do earlier.
"The only thing I've ever stolen was your ride, Anderson, and that was Connor's idea; and you've gotta learn to be stealthy in my fucking family," Gavin pointed out with a long stare.
Hank knew all about all that, he'd heard the stories when Gavin was younger and the issues he'd had with his parents. "Well, at least when you go down in blaze of glory here you've got another potential career as a thief," he teased as he got free, glaring at the chair which snapped at the spine as it clattered to the floor.
Gavin started roaring in laughter again. "Better than any hope you've got for the future, asshole."
"Shut it, Reed."
Any annoyance over the situation melted away when Hank texted Connor telling him to look at the CCTV for the day, to which the android called him only so that Hank could hear his laughter loud and clear.
Totally worth it.