A rare lull of inactivity at the precinct had allowed the responding officers and detectives the chance to take it easy and handle a few personal tasks on the side. Since Hank was always big into cooking during Thanksgiving and giving some extra food to the local soup kitchens and homeless shelters, he opted to spend his day off patiently scouring every grocery store in Detroit to find every little ingredient and meal option available to ensure everyone remained fed that year. That meant Connor had the chance to stay at the house with Cole that Saturday morning without Hank watching his every move, but that soon changed when Gavin dropped by to check in with Cole and keep a promise that he had made the little boy a few weeks prior.

Despite the cold air Gavin was determined to play catch with Cole and test the strength and range of motion of his recently healed right shoulder. As the two stood out in the ankle-deep snow of the backyard playing their friendly game together, Connor watched through the kitchen window with a strange sense of wonder. Gavin, like Hank, seemed to have a massive personality shift after Cole's death in the alternate timeline. Based on observation alone Connor began to theorize that Cole was somehow important to more people than just his direct family and friends.

"It's strange how the life and actions of one person can have such a drastic impact on the lives and actions of everyone that surrounds them."

Sumo had been pawing at the closed backdoor ever since Cole and Gavin went outside, and the large dog showed no sign of slowing down any time soon. The lovable Saint Bernard loved playing in the snow and he loved chasing after his fetch ball. In his mind, Cole had gone outside to play fetch and accidentally left him behind.

"When I ventured into the past, I had planned on only taking steps to prevent Hank's murder during the one-anniversary of the Revolution. I had not anticipated how I could affect other people in the days leading up to that moment."

Such extreme shifts in events made Connor wary of what to expect around the corner. It was becoming increasingly difficult to preconstuct future events and how to best handle bizarre situations.

"I hope my alterations to the natural flow of events won't cause any drastic changes later down the road."

Whimpering loudly Sumo begged to get outside and then barked once to get Connor's attention.

Turning his gaze away from the kitchen window Connor gave Sumo a small smirk and rubbed the large dog's ears. He didn't want Sumo to accidentally interfere with the game happening outside, but he couldn't bear to keep the dog inside the house all day feeling ignored and neglected.

"Very well."

Connor relented to the big sad puppy dog eyes looking into his very soul and found a solution to Sumo's current plight.

"I'll get your leash and I'll take you outside for a few moments. Just don't try to steal the baseball as its being tossed."

It had been a painful past few weeks for Gavin to endure as he processed the emotional and mental betrayal of being cheated on his now ex-girlfriend Patricia, and he was still healing from the stab wound he had received to his right shoulder courtesy of Patricia's psychotic cousin using an icepick against him. When he needed help on so many levels the last person that he ever expected to come to his rescue arrived without question, and then that same person helped him to see what Patricia was doing behind his back before she could waste his time and emotions any further. Afterward he was given further support by his other friends and had been given a few days to get himself together before going back to work.

Truly appreciative of the help he had been given Gavin began to reflect on his past decisions and find peace with what had happened. The man had truly believed that he was destined to be with Patricia and the next course of action would be to propose when he finally saved up enough to buy her a decent engagement ring, get married and have kids with her, but now he realized that he was just allowing himself to fall into the trap of societal expectations.

Gavin wanted to find love, not just someone to spend eternity with. He'd find that person someday as long as he remained patient and didn't just choose to settle for whoever paid attention to him next.

"Good arm, kiddo." Gavin caught the thrown baseball just before it fell short and into the snow. He wanted to encourage Cole to throw a little harder without making the little boy feel as if he was somehow an inadequate athlete. "Try aiming right here," he pressed his palm at the center of his chest as he used his healing arm to give the ball a toss back toward Cole to catch. "dead center! Come on!"

"Okay," Cole readied himself for his next pitch and gave Gavin a sly grin. "you asked for it!"

Giving the next throw everything that he had to offer Cole managed a fairly forceful pitch and managed to get the ball to reach Gavin and nearly hit him right in the stomach. The ball didn't quite reach as high as he had hoped but it was a noted improvement all the same.

"Great toss! You're going to be the star pitcher when you restart Little League next spring!"

The backdoor opened and Connor led Sumo outside to play in the snow and keep a distance from the thrown baseball to not interrupt the game. Connor kept a firm hold on Sumo's leash as stood beside the back fence and made sure Sumo had enough slack to roll around in the snow and have fun but wouldn't be able to steal the baseball or get his leash tangled around either Cole or Gavin's legs.

"Ready?" Gavin asked as he gave Connor a somewhat suspicious look. Despite Connor being only helpful to him in the past Gavin couldn't bring himself to fully trust androids. "This one is comin' in hot!"

Connor watched as Gavin managed to throw the ball over to Cole and noted that the man seemed to wince with the pitch. A biometric scan confirmed that while the muscle tissue had healed without any infection, it was still weak and needed physical therapy to regain full strength without any pain.

"Head's up!" Cole shouted as he prepared to throw the ball once again. "Fast ball!"

Gavin managed to reach his right arm forward enough to catch the ball, but the process strained his shoulder and caused a burning pain to stretch throughout his entire right arm. "G-Good throw." Doing his best to hide his pain Gavin switched over to his left hand as if he planned on doing so before the pain set in. "Ready for a few lefties?"

"Okay!"

Keeping quiet Connor just watched the game and watched as Gavin powered through his pain on Cole's behalf. The deviant android hadn't known Gavin well enough to see that he was great with kids and seemed to adore them. It was a very noble trait that made the abrasive man seem somehow relatable.

"L-Last one!" Gavin called out as he prepared for his final pitch. His right arm couldn't take the excessive use and his left arm was just getting worn out. "Ready?"

"Yeah!" Cole stood firm in the snow with his mitt open. "Ready!"

The baseball flew through the air and landed right in the middle of Cole's mitt with a satisfying 'thud'. Cole smile for a moment then gave Gavin a sad glance. "Was that really the last one?"

"For now. We can play again sometime." Gavin promised as he saw the disappointment in the little boy's eyes. "You can always play with your dad, too."

"Dad's working a lot again." The first grader lamented as Gavin approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. "He works all the time until spring."

"That doesn't mean he won't make time to play baseball with you or that he cares about you any less. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. But it's still not any fun waiting all winter to have fun outside."

"Well, maybe I could-" As he lifted his right shoulder up Gavin winced at the motion and immediately regretted moving it. "...Do another round next week."

Connor could hear every word being spoken and wanted to support Cole in his own way. "Cole, if you'd like, I could play catch with you for a while longer."

"Really?!" Cole's blue eyes lit up as he turned to face Connor and smiled with utter joy. "That'd be cool!"

Gavin took offense to the generous offer and felt like Connor was trying to show him up for being injured. "Maybe it'd be best for everyone to take a break. It's pretty cold out here."

"No!" Cole protested as he rushed over to Connor and put the ball in his hand. "I'm not cold yet! I still want to play!"

Sensing a challenge coming his way Connor tried to remain unbiased and objective as Gavin glared burning holes into his head. "Ten more minutes will suffice before the weather becomes too cold for Cole to endure."

"Yeah! Please, Gavin?" Eager to keep playing to try anything else Cole nearly begged Gavin to approve of a few more pitches. "I don't want to stay inside all day!"

Even though he wasn't actually in charge of anything Gavin had the feeling that he was seen as the current authority figure in Hank's absence. "...Fine." He relented mainly because he didn't want to be seen as a bad guy in Cole's eyes. "Ten minutes, then we're all going inside to warm up."

"Okay!" Running a few feet away Cole prepared his mitt and waited for Connor to throw it to him. "I'm ready!"

With a small nod Connor acknowledged Cole's comment and managed to make a perfect throw to the little boy with zero effort and without letting go of Sumo's leash in the process, despite Sumo wanting to give chase to the thrown baseball. As the ball soared through the air Gavin scoffed and rolled his eyes as feeling mocked by the deviant detective's skill and accuracy with his throw.

Cole caught the ball in the center of his mitt and threw the ball back to Connor. After a few back and forth tosses Cole looked over at Gavin standing a few feet away from Connor and called out to the young detective playfully. "Gavin! Catch this!"

Reacting quickly Gavin managed to catch the ball as it came his way and inspiration struck as he looked at the ball in his palm. "All right, let's make this interesting."

"Interesting how?" Connor asked as he watched Gavin backing up a few feet to put himself more evenly between Cole and himself. "What are you suggesting?"

"We ALL play catch. Now it's your turn." Gavin smirked Devilishly as he tightened his grip on the baseball and prepared to throw a fiery pitch at the android. "Catch!"

Connor saw that Gavin put a lot of force behind his throw and compensated properly. As the ball reached his palm Connor noted a painful sting for the unnecessarily potent impact, but he didn't say anything. Turning his focus back to Cole and the game at hand Connor gave the ball a gentle throw and watched as Cole easily caught the baseball in his mitt. Keeping an eye on Gavin thanks to past experiences with the man Connor watched as Gavin caught the pitch from Cole then wound up to throw the ball more forcefully his way.

It stung again when he caught the ball and that time Connor commented on it. "That was a very strong throw."

"My arm's sore, not broken!" Gavin quipped as if proud of his aggressive tactic. "Can't take it? Then sit out!"

"Hey!" Cole shouted at Gavin and gave him a disappointed look. "Don't throw too hard! You'll hurt him!"

"Sorry, Cole." Gavin replied without ever losing his smirk. "I'll try to throw the ball more softly next time."

Naturally Connor doubted the claim as he shook off the pain in his hand and threw the ball over to Cole again. The second the little boy threw the ball over to Gavin to catch Connor knew to brace for another strong impact. Sure enough, the thrown ball hit the center of his palm with enough force that the impact echoed over the property and caused Connor's L.E.D. to flash to red with pain.

"Gavin! Stop it!" Despite standing pretty far away Cole knew that Gavin was being mean to Connor on purpose. "I don't like to play with bullies!"

That word, as innocent as it was, made Gavin's cocky smirk vanish instantly. He had been bullied all through school and his homelife as a child, and he knew how terrible it felt to be subjected to such targeted torment. "I'm not being a bully, Cole."

"Yeah-huh! You keep throwing the ball super hard on purpose!" The first grader countered vehemently as he called out Gavin's lie. "My coach says to never do that and anyone who does throw the ball hard enough to hurt someone gets kicked off the team!"

Gavin just stood back and watched as Cole chose to instead throw the ball to Connor to catch instead. That was somehow incredibly potent punishment for being unnecessarily rough during the game, and even Gavin's own pride could feel the dent it left behind.

Connor understood what Cole was doing and proceeded to throw the ball back and forth with him a few more times before throwing the ball over to Gavin again. The moment Gavin caught the ball he gave Connor a small nod of appreciation, then returned the throw in a gentle manner. There was no force behind the pitch and Connor was able to catch the ball without it hurting his palm as a result.

The game continued on without aggression for a few minutes longer before Cole let out a big sneeze that made both Connor and Gavin turn their attention to the cold air once more. Connor decided to finally let Sumo off the leash and run around the backyard with the coveted baseball in his mouth, and Gavin took Cole inside through the backdoor to get something warm to eat and to warm up his whole body.

"That was fun!" Cole beamed as he was escorted through the backdoor and unzipped his heavy coat to reveal his thick hoodie beneath. "I can't wait 'til spring!"

"Same for me, bud." Gavin helped Cole remove his coat and snow boots while Connor took the wet garments to be dried in the laundry room. "Know what else I can't wait for? Some hot pizza."

"Yeah! That sounds great!"

Connor didn't object to the offer since it was clear that both Cole and Gavin were very interested in the hot food. He was certain that Hank wouldn't mind either and proceeded to take care of Cole's wet clothing in the laundry room while Gavin continued to be Cole's buddy.

"All right. I'll order the pizza," Gavin decided as he motioned to the hallway behind Cole. "you go take a hot shower! Don't want ya' getting sick on us."

The idea of a shower or a bath was very unappealing in Cole's mind. "I feel fine!"

"You always feel fine before you get sick." The young detective argued swiftly as he pulled his phone from his back pocket to place his order. "Otherwise, you'd always be feeling lousy. Go on, bud. By the time you're done the pizza will be here."

"Okay, fine."

With the clothing taken care of Connor set about mopping up the wet shoe prints on the linoleum floor to prevent any unfortunate slips. As he mopped Connor watched Sumo having a blast in the backyard and envied the way that everyone around him seemed to find fun or peace in the simple things in life. Being a deviant in a world that only had room for machines and humans left Connor feeling very isolated and unfulfilled in general.

"Right, thanks." Having place his order Gavin returned the phone to his pocket and looked over at Connor as the deviant detective finished with the floor. He could see that Connor's L.E.D. was yellow in color and that Connor seemed to be favoring his left hand over the right. "Uh, your hand okay?"

"It's functional." Connor stated factually as he put the mop aside in the laundry room and closed the door. He didn't want to say or do anything without being instructed to do so in an attempt to remain on Gavin's good side. "It was a good idea to encourage Cole to warm up with a warm bath. He was never at risk of hypothermia, but he was at risk of developing a cold."

"Yeah, sure." Crossing his arms over his chest Gavin watched Connor as the android walked into the livingroom to pick up the dropped pillows and blankets from the floor to be placed on the couch where they belonged. It was as if Connor was just searching for busy work. "How come you didn't call me out back there?"

Casually Connor fluffed one of the pillows and propped it up against the arm of the couch before answering. "To what are you referring?"

"Don't pretend to be stupid with me! I know that you figured out what I was doing back there, but you didn't say anything about it."

"I am still unclear." Connor lied as he placed the second pillow down against the opposite arm rest and then neatly folded the blanket to drape over the back of the couch. "Please elaborate."

"Fuckin-" Clenching his teeth together Gavin hissed in a low voice to keep Cole from hearing him speak despite the bathroom door being shut and water running. "I was trying to hurt you with those pitches, and I know that you knew. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I had believed that you were gaging your own strength and pain threshold considering your right shoulder is still recovering from its stab wound." The deviant detective managed to lie again as he set about his own business without any sign of resentment toward Gavin's immature behavior. "It was Cole who presumed-"

"Bullshit." Pressing both palms down over the back of the couch Gavin sighed and then shook his head with frustration. "Man, the Lieutenant is right about you."

Such a vague comment was enough to make Connor's yellow L.E.D. flash to red with worry. "...How so?"

"You're smarter than you want to let on. Look, no one's going to take ya' apart or send you away for being better than the other androids in the city."

"I'm not... better than anyone." Connor replied timidly as he continued to straighten up the livingroom and make everything neat and tidy. "I am more advanced than other androids, but I am in no way superior."

"You can be better than someone without automatically being seen as a dick!" Laughing a little Gavin couldn't believe how strangely humble Connor was acting. "Just take a look at Hank. He's a superior officer and a great detective, but he doesn't let his experience and high rank affect the way he speaks to the rest of us."

"Even so, I'm-"

"Whatever, I'm not going to argue with you on this." Dropping into the recliner Gavin sighed and then immediately sneezed. "Damn it."

Connor performed a biometric scan over Gavin's form strictly as a precautionary measure. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Not sick. I have dog allergies and they act up when I'm around them for too long."

"Curious." Connor keenly noted as his L.E.D. finally returned to a calm blue hue. "Sumo didn't aggravate your allergies when you were staying here for three nights."

"Because I took allergy medicine the whole time! I forgot to do that before I stopped by today."

"Would you like some Benadryl?"

"No, it's fine." Wiping his nose over his sleeve Gavin sniffed once and then kicked his socked feet up onto the coffee table before him. "Just make sure Cole's fine and that he gets his pizza like I promised. I made sure to order extra for Hank since he's going to be dead on his feet when he finishes running all over town."

"Very well." Having an excuse to walk away helped Connor to feel less anxious about everything that had happened while playing catch. "I'll also make sure Sumo didn't lose Cole's baseball in the snow."

Heading toward the backdoor once more Connor peered through the small window and saw Sumo sitting outside the door with the baseball in his mouth and his tail wagging rhythmically. The sight was as sweet as it was innocent.

"Good boy."

Connor praised Sumo as the large dog passed through the door and dropped the ball at his feet.

"I'll get you dry and then fed after the pizza arrives."

Sumo followed Connor into the laundry room and happily let the deviant run the towel over his damp fur to help him warm up and dry off at the same time.

"Once Cole is on the couch, you should cuddle with him to ensure he stays warm. I'd hate for him to get sick before the holidays."

The Saint Bernard turned his head and gave Connor's cheek a quick lick before he trotted out of the kitchen and made his way into the livingroom. The large dog happily jumped up onto the furniture and began rolling about to get nice and comfortable on the couch as if he perfectly understood everything Connor had stated.

"If only it could always be this simple to remain neutral and stave off suspicion. I dislike lying to people, but I have no choice if I'm to succeed."

Calmly Connor placed the damp towel in the washing machine and then picked up the snow and drool covered baseball from the floor to wash off in the kitchen sink. He didn't want Cole's new baseball to get prematurely worn-out before spring came along and he could resume practice with the rest of his Little League team.

"As long as I can keep Cole safe and Hank content, then I should be able to succeed in my mission. I will align with Markus, and we will save our people together. After that, I will save Hank from a premature death."

The deviant heard the bathroom door open and turned his attention from the baseball in the sink to the livingroom just behind himself. Seeing Cole jump onto the couch to cuddle with Sumo and then chat casually with Gavin was all the motivation that Connor needed to remain patient and to hold on to hope that people would continue to change for the better and let go of their past bigoted hatred.

In spite of all his challenges one thing remained firm; no matter how long it took or what sacrifices needed to be made, Connor would accomplish his self-appointed mission.

-next chapter-