The snowy weather seemed to be relentless as Detroit moved forward and began to find a sense of normalcy through the impending holidays. It was Thanksgiving Day, and many stores and public businesses were closed for the day. The only places still open were the police precincts, fire stations, the hospitals, the facilities, gas stations and the grocery stores. Luckily for the employees at the gas stations and grocery stores they were all operating at reduced hours to ensure all of their employees were able to go home and celebrate the holiday in some capacity. The first responders weren't as fortunate, and many had to miss out on dinner with their families to ensure the city was still safe in the event of an emergency.

Unable to get away from work and being unwilling to shirk his responsibilities, Connor remained in the bullpen and continued to handle any and all deviant cases that came his way without any hesitation. One such case brought Connor to a gas station where a deviant had been assaulted and mugged by a human. It wasn't easy seeing his people still being treated so poorly, but at least now Connor had the ability to help them get justice and ensure that those who'd harm a human were arrested for their crimes.

"And the human who did this you, did you get a good look at their face?" Connor asked as he crouched beside the victim while her wounds were being tended to by a pair of E.F.T.'s - Emergency Field Technicians. "Any details you could provide can be extremely helpful."

"Y-Yes." Lowering the Thirium stained gauze from the laceration beneath her right eye, the deviant responded in the affirmative. "He was tall, white, very thin, had black hair, brown eyes and a tattoo along the right side of his neck. It was a red snake with two game dice for its eyes."

"I'll inform dispatch and have a B.O.L.O. sent out in search of any humans who match that appearance. Is there anything more I could do for you, Janet?"

"I'll be okay. I h-have someone in New Jericho who is coming here to escort me back to the tower."

"All right. Stay at New Jericho until we find the suspect." Connor urged as he stayed with Janet and watched as the E.F.T.'s tended to her wounds. Seeing her beaten down and robbed of her meager funds was enough to make his blue blood boil. "I'm personally going to handle your case at the precinct, then I'm going to update you about it once I have a suspect in custody."

"Are you going to go back to the tower, too?" Janet looked at Connor with the same sense of trust and openness that she gave to the other leaders of Jericho. It seemed that the deviant detective truly was one of the leaders despite Connor rarely being around them. "I know that me and many other deviants would feel safer if you were around more often."

"I'm unsure of when I'll be able to return to New Jericho Tower." It wasn't a lie since Connor could never be certain of when he'd clock-out of work considering overtime was always available, and his cases might require additional attention before he was ready to properly close them. However, his lack of desire to go to the tower was his biggest reason for keeping his distance. "As soon as I am at the tower, I will find you and speak with you again. I promise."

An autonomous cab pulled into the parking area of the gas station with two deviants in tow. One of the deviants was familiar to Connor, but the second was someone he hadn't met yet. Watching North escort the unfamiliar deviant over to Janet helped him to figure out who he was seeing and why they were there.

"Janet!" The male deviant put both hands to Janet's face as he looked her in the eyes with raw worry. "Honey, what happened?"

"It was stupid." Holding on to her dearest friend's hands as they continued to caress her face seemed to bring Janet some form of comfort. "I'll tell you about on our way back to the tower. Connor is handling everything."

"Come on." Helping Janet to her feet the protective deviant led his wounded friend over to the idling taxi while North hung back alongside Connor. "We'll get you cleaned up at the tower. Don't worry about the money, we can make some more and replace what we've lost."

Connor watched as Janet was escorted to the taxi then turned his focus to North as the fiery deviant approached him as if nervous about something. Seeing her with her long auburn hair neatly styled in a long, braided ponytail hanging over her shoulder, a dark green jacket, black blouse and dark jeans reminded Connor that the deviant wasn't just a figurehead in the tower or when she was among their people. She could appear as relaxed, natural and calm as anyone else whenever she was in the right mood or willing to let her walls down for just a few minutes.

"James is Janet's bondmate. When James learned that Janet had been assaulted," North stated automatically as she stood before Connor and told him exactly why she there before he even had the chance to ask. "he asked to be the one to come and bring her back to the tower. I went with him to ensure he didn't do anything drastic by mistake."

"That was a wise precaution." Speaking with his colleague on friendly terms Connor told North everything that he could without compromising his case. "We have a description of the suspect and a motivation. We'll find him before too long."

"What can I do to help?"

"You've done enough by making sure James didn't behave inappropriately after learning of what happened to Janet."

"It doesn't feel like I've done anything." Crossing her arms over her chest North stepped closer to Connor while giving Chris a strange look. She was unfamiliar with the young officer, but she did recognize him as one of the two officers that reacted violently when Markus led the protest against the CyberLife stores before the Revolution. "Being out in the tower all day and all night doesn't help my mindset either."

"You can't expect to change the world overnight, regardless of where you are in the city or how often you associate with our people elsewhere."

"Easy for you to say. You're a detective." North countered as she gave Connor a small smirk of pride and playful teasing. "You get to be out here with everyone who needs your help, proving that deviants aren't violent and can respect the law, and you get to be at the heart of justice when someone actually takes something happening to one of us seriously."

"It's not easy at all, but I understand what you're saying. I think what you're doing is going to be harder than anything I could ever try to do as a detective. Trying to find people who aren't even in the city, people who don't want to be found, is going to be virtually impossible."

"Markus told you about that?"

"Yes. He's been keeping me up to date since I'm not visiting the tower."

"Considering that tower's where you came from, we don't blame you for wanting to keep your distance. But I could use some help with trying to find missing deviants and bringing them back to Detroit."

"Do you have names, models and serial numbers that belong to the missing deviants?"

"Only a handful right now."

"That's a start." Nodding at the police cruiser that he had driven that morning Connor offered to assist North at the precinct. "We can begin a search right here in Detroit and then branch outward in search of our people. Chris?" Calling out to the young officer Connor kept him apprised of everything happening. "I'm returning to the precinct."

"All right, Detective." Responding to Connor in a positive manner Chris didn't say anything negative or condescending as Connor took his leave. "I'll wrap up here and send you my report later today."

"He respects you." North observed as she walked alongside Connor to get to the parked squad car together. Seeing a human cop talking to Connor as if he were any other cop in the city was somehow incredible to witness. "Must be nice to be around people who don't treat you like an outcast."

"...It is." The memories of his former life in the original timeline seemed more like a nightmare compared to what he was experiencing that day. He knew how it truly felt to be outcast - to be rejected by his own people for behavior beyond his control - and he knew that Chase was feeling that same way in that exact moment. "No one should ever feel alone, especially during a holiday."

"You're talking about that Lieutenant and his son, right?"

"No, actually. They have each other and will never be alone." Opening the passenger side door of the squad car Connor showed North inside the vehicle before he crossed over to the other side to get behind the wheel. Locking eyes with North as they fastened their seatbelts Connor laid everything on the line. "I'm talking about Chase."

"Chase?" North had no desire in getting to know Chase or welcoming him to the tower. "He tried to kill you and he nearly succeeded. Why do you care about him?"

"He was obeying his orders. We're not supposed to hold each other accountable for what we did before we deviated, remember?" Connor was adamant in at least trying to earn Chase's trust and help him find a place in the world. "I can look past his mistakes, and I'd expect my friends to do the same."

"How can you be so certain that you can trust him?" Caution was thick in her words as North refrained from being so forgiving. "As far as we know, he's still a danger and will try to kill Markus or any of us at any given opportunity."

"How can you be so certain that he is dangerous at all? Don't forget, we were both programmed by CyberLife to work with the police and locate deviants." Connor had no shame in reminding North that he and Chase were cut from the same cloth. The only difference between them was Connor deviated far sooner than Chase and had been able to elude the label of the 'Deviant Hunter'. "We're identical in every way. Same programming, same software and same functionality. Chase's programming is more advanced than my own, but at its core its still the same components and hardware being shared between us."

"But your experiences are entirely unique. What makes you Connor is not going to have any effect on making Chase who he is."

"True enough, but his experiences don't warrant ostracization and hatred." It was hard for Connor to keep his tone level as he refused to let his emotional responses from the original timeline have any control over what he was going through in his new life. He wasn't the 'Deviant Hunter' and never had been in the current timeline, yet his scars from being labeled as such in the original timeline were going to remain in his heart forever. "He deserves the chance to prove that he's not dangerous."

"And you're going to be the one to give him the chance?"

"Yes. No one else will do it, so it's up to me to vouch for his character and give him the opportunity to prove himself to be a good person and not a violent machine." As he neared the precinct Connor gave North a side-eye as he gave her something to think about. "Consider what could've happened if you, Josh, Simon or Markus refused to trust me or give me a chance to prove that I'm not dangerous despite my initial programming and mission. Would you be treating me as you treat Chase? Would you see me as the dreaded 'Deviant Hunter'? Or would you still see me as you do right now?"

North didn't have a response to such an intriguing question. In her mind, in the only life she's known, she never once thought of Connor as an enemy or someone who couldn't be trusted. Even contemplating someone like Connor as an enemy didn't seem feasible.

Keeping quiet Connor let North mull over the idea during their drive to the precinct. He knew he didn't need to say anything further to North, he just needed to focus on Chase and finding a way to connect with the rogue deviant in a meaningful way.

The new house already felt like a home and was prime for inviting over as many people as possible to celebrate the holiday while eating some good food with some good people. Hank knew it was a treat to have the holiday off and decided to go all out in making sure everyone who needed a place to go or just needed a warm meal while working were able to stop by the house any time they could. Just as he finished carving the turkey and prepared the large dinner table for guests to stop on by and get a generous helping during that celebratory day, the doorbell rang, and Cole happily rushed over to greet the newly arrived guests and give them an honorary tour of the new house.

As Hank finished setting the table he saw Cole showing Gavin and Abby around the new house and couldn't help but notice the way the young couple were holding hands even as they humored Cole and checked out the second floor of his new home. There was something different about the couple and Hank had a hunch of what might be going on, but he refrained from saying anything about it since it wasn't actually any of his business.

"All right, everything's ready."

Tossing a hand towel over his shoulder Hank peered out through the sliding backdoors a few feet away and spotted Sumo sprawled out over the deck looking a little disappointed at being kept out of the kitchen for the day. The large dog was giving him the big sad eyes and Hank finally relented as he slid the door open just wide enough to toss Sumo a small piece of oven roasted ham as a special treat.

"There ya' go, boy. Just don't tell Connor I'm feeding you scraps every now and then."

"And here's the kitchen." Cole needlessly pointed out as he led Gavin and Abby over to the dinner table. "Dad's been cooking all day, but I helped out."

"Everything looks great, kiddo." Gavin gave Cole's hair a quick ruffle as he and Abby stood beside the table together. "And thanks for letting us come over for dinner again. We appreciate that."

"No problem." Hank placed everything down on the table and made sure everyone knew to help themselves to whatever they wanted. "My home's always open to anyone who needs a safe place to stay or a warm meal to eat."

Abby looked a little torn about the delicious food all over the table just waiting to be portioned out. "I just hope all of this doesn't go to waste! It all looks amazing, but I don't think I can eat that much."

"Don't worry about wasting food, babe." Gavin soothed as he wrapped his arm around Abby's waist and gently pulled her against his side. "Everyone knows that Hank's a great cook, so any leftovers get eaten up without a crumb being left behind."

Playing on his hunch Hank decided to offer his guests something that'd be a little easier to eat in the event neither of them were feeling all too great. "If you're worried about heartburn or nausea, I do have some stomach stuff you can take beforehand. It does wonders for me whenever Cole insists on putting jalapenos on everything."

"Do you mind?" Abby asked as she tried her best to not look as exhausted as she felt. "I didn't sleep very well last night, and I spent the day before treating rowdy college students who were being hazed all day. I never want to see a beer bong or golfclub for the rest of my life..."

"The beer bong I understand," the seasoned Lieutenant sympathized as he went into the nearby bathroom to rummage through the medicine cabinet. Handing over the stomach medication Hank gave his guest a curious glance. "but the golfclub, what does-"

"You don't want to know."

Gavin just nodded with a look of near terror in his eyes as Abby took the medicine and seemed to find mild relief. "Chris said he'll be stopping by this afternoon after he checks in with Julia and Damian." The change of subject was greatly appreciated. "He promised to bring back a few slices of your famous pecan pie."

"That's why I made a second pie this year. Sit down and relax." Hank was now certain that he was right and wanted to make sure Abby felt comfortable despite her physical exhaustion and upset stomach. "Everyone's tired because of the Revolution putting everyone on mandatory overtime this winter. Not gonna' complain when my next few paychecks clear, but for now, I'm going to use this opportunity to whine about it."

"What else are these types of dinners for?" Abby chimed in as she Gavin took their seats while Cole politely poured everyone a glass of milk. "Thanks, Cole."

"You're welcome. Abby," knowing that the kind woman was a technician gave Cole ample opportunity to indulge on his curiosity with androids. "can androids eat anything we eat for dinner?"

"No, androids can only ingest Thirium." She confirmed as she helped herself to a very small portion of food while Gavin didn't shy away from a bigger helping. "A few technicians are working on finding a way to make Thirium taste like the food that we eat so that androids can experience more of what we experience, but even so, it'd still just be Thirium."

"How come androids can't eat food like humans?"

"It'll make them sick. Just like humans can't drink Thirium because it'd make us sick, androids can't eat food with getting sick too."

"Androids can get sick from the flu and can take medicine though."

"That's true, but androids get sick from glitches and humans get sick from germs." Abby could see Hank rubbing his brow as if embarrassed by Cole's questions, but she didn't mind. She was always up for educating the youth when it game to androids and their care. "We have two different kinds of medicine that will only work for humans and only work for androids."

"But androids could be able to eat food like us humans, right?"

Hank reached out and gave Cole's shoulder a small shake as he let out a deep sigh through his nose. "Cole, she's a guest, not a teacher. Let her enjoy her dinner before it gets cold, all right?"

Abby just smirked as she picked up a small piece of turkey from her plate and gave it a timid taste. "It's okay, I'm more than happy to talk about androids. We both know why." Glancing about Abby noticed that Connor was absent and realized he must've be at the precinct that day. "I take it Connor drew the short straw and had to work while you got the day off."

"Yup." Confirming Abby's question Hank picked up a roll and pulled it apart before smearing on some warm butter. "I get the feeling he's also busy looking for someone he's worried about."

"There were a lot of deviants who were lost and separated from their friends and family during the Revolution. I bet he's trying to find everyone who went missing so he can bring them back home."

Gavin suddenly cleared his throat and gave Abby a sheepish look as if asking for her to drop the subject. "Someone's gotta' work during the holidays, don't read too much into it."

"Why do I get the feeling that you two know something that I don't?" Hank hated being left in the dark and hoped that he could use his sense of authority to get some answers without needing to directly ask any questions. "Connor's been a little distracted lately, and I know it's not just because of his recent flu or new work schedule."

Not wanting to rock the boat Abby decided to take Gavin's hint and feign ignorance. "Well, he's still a leader with New Jericho. He's just keeping busy."

"Yeah? Sure." Hank wasn't entirely convinced and kept trying to figure out what was going on. An interesting idea popped into his head as he looked over at Cole as his son busily built a small castle from his mound of mashed potatoes beside him. "Maybe he's made a new friend and has decided to spend more time with them."

"No way!" Cole blurted as he poured some gravy into the mini moat around his mashed potato castle. "We're his best friends! No one could ever be better than us!"

Gavin chuckled as he gave Cole a sly grin. "I don't know... There's some pretty cool deviants out there in the world."

"Yeah, but I'M Connor's brother!" The little boy replied as he pointed his thumb into his own chest. "And no one will ever be better than that!"

"Brother, huh?" Discreetly he gave Abby's hand a squeeze beneath the table as the idea of more kids gave him hope for the future. "I got one of those. They're kinda' overrated. Besides, brothers fight all the time."

"Not us! We never fight, and there's no way I'm overrated!" Giving Gavin a surprisingly terse look Cole challenged Gavin's claim about brothers. "How come you never said you had a brother until now anyway?"

"Like I said, brothers fight." It wasn't a topic he was ready to discuss, but Gavin didn't want to make Cole feel awkward for asking an understandable question after hearing some new and interesting truths. "I've been fighting with Elijah for... way too long."

"What does he look like?"

"Kinda' like me. We're fraternal twins."

"Twins?!" Cole looked excited while Abby suddenly looked a little nervous about hearing that Gavin had a twin brother. "That's cool! How come you never spoke about him before?"

"It's complicated. The point is, I have a brother and can confirm that brothers fight. Over really stupid things too."

Abby mumbled under her breath as she stared at her plate without much of an appetite again. "Better not be any of that kind of fighting this summer..."

At that comment Hank knew his hunch had been right and he just gave Abby a sympathetic look. "Try not to worry about something like that, Abby. After all, there's a reason why it takes two people to make a family."

"Should've known you would've figured it out."

Cole didn't understand what was happening and of course asked a new question. "Figure what out?"

"Well, Cole, this summer Gavin and I are going to have a new baby." Abby confirmed as she gave Gavin a stern side-eye. "At least I hope it only starts off as one, since the idea of raising more than one baby at once sounds absolutely exhausting."

Hank kept control over the conversation to keep Cole from asking another question or two. "Congratulations all the same. Anything I could do to help ya' out?"

"You could be the one to carry then birth the baby for me."

"Uh, something that's actually possible, I meant."

"Well, there is one thing..." As she spoke Abby tightened her grip on Gavin's hand again. "Right, babe?"

"Right." Gavin didn't hesitate as he knew exactly what Abby was hinting at. "Hank, could you help us make things official but in a very inconspicuous way? We don't want a big ceremony or people making a big deal outta' things. Plus, we'd rather save the money for baby stuff where it'll do the most good. You know?"

"Yeah, I know. After dinner I'll show you where you can get set-up online so you can just run down to the courthouse when you're ready." He and Barbara had done the same when they decided to get married, and he completely understood why Gavin asked him for some advice. "You'll need a pair of witnesses though, so there has to be at least two people who know what's going down."

"We can handle that when we figure out when we're going to get things settled. And, uh, any advice on houses?"

"Yup. There were a lot of nice houses put on the market at a good value because of people panic-moving out of the city." Hank truly felt like he had all the answers and was more than happy to share them with Gavin and Abby. "I'll show you the best places to look. For now, just eat your dinner and enjoy it. I don't spend eight hours cooking EVERY day, you know."

The Central Precinct was hectic and full of muffled voices as everyone corroborated on handling cases and filing reports to try and ensure a timely clock-out for each shift before the holiday was over. An enticing aroma of freshly cooked food filled the bullpen as everyone who had been scheduled to work had thought to bring a dish from home to have a potluck that everyone could take part in. While all of the human officers and detectives helped themselves to the offered food set up in the community breakroom one at a time, the deviant officers who had chosen to return to work were busy handling cases, reports and patrols as an act of kindness to show their human colleagues that they weren't holding any grudges.

Connor was sitting at his desk with sitting atop the desk North beside him as he set up a special algorithm to help track down missing deviant androids. The dedicated detective was ready to go out on foot and search for the deviants himself, but he knew how illogical that'd be considering how large Detroit was as a single city, let alone searching all over the Canadian border for countless others who wanted to disappear.

"How is this new program of yours going to work?" North asked as she held the little cherry blossom tree in her palms and admired the delicate pink petals that clung to the tiny branches of the well cared for bonsai tree. "It's not like you can just get the police in Canada to let us through and bring our people back home."

"True. However, this program isn't to be used exclusively by the police for searching for missing deviants." Connor confirmed as he watched North put his tree back where she had initially picked it up. "This is a program that all deviants can access. It will allow deviants to provide tips to the location of confirmed missing deviants, if not recognize themselves as one of the missing and then confirm that they are doing well or call out for help."

"You're using an official police channel to let the average deviant civilian be heard and seen."

"Correct."

"That's a clever idea. What made you think of that?"

"To be honest, it was you." Lowering his exposed palm from his terminal screen Connor finished with the new program and began testing its functionality. "I never thought about going anywhere beyond Detroit until you mentioned how many of our people are still missing and scattered over the border. That's also why I named the program after you."

"Really?" North felt herself blushing at the comment and was not all expecting to hear such an honorable mention. "What... did you call it?"

"The program is called 'The North Star'." Connor confirmed without paying any mind to the blue hue in North's face. "Humans believe that they will always find their way back home by following true north. It seems to be the perfect name for such a program."

"I'm flattered."

"By this time tomorrow the program will be up and fully functional. That is, as long as there aren't any bugs." Connor looked down at his bare hand as he reactivated his artificial skin and regained his usual appearance. The deviant then pulled his coin from his pocket and began to dance it rhythmically over his knuckles as he looked to North beside him. "Now, we wait."

"Wait? I don't think so." Slipping off the edge of the desk North took Connor's hand in both of her own, his coin stopping over the back of his hand, and pulled the deviant detective up to his feet. "You've been working all day long and deserve a break too. Come on."

Connor couldn't bring himself to pull his hand away from North even as she practically dragged him away from his desk and toward the precinct's front doors. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"I... I don't know if I like the idea of going somewhere unknown."

"It's okay, Connor." North insisted with a warm smile as led Connor through the doors and out onto the snowy sidewalk. "We're all friends here, right?"

"Right. I just dislike not being able to inform my commanding officer of my current location." Connor explained as North stopped pulling on his hand just long enough to loop her arm around his arm as they walked side by side. She was still leading the way, but now he wasn't being dragged along. "Where are we going, North?"

"Just trust me!" With a sincere smile on her face North happily walked alongside Connor and prepared to show him something special. "You'll like it!"

The rest of the evening had been quiet and fulfilling as Hank washed up the numerous dishes in the kitchen sink. The man didn't mind the excess clean-up after opening his home to so many guests. Knowing that he was able to offer a helping hand to so many people during the holidays and knowing that he was trusted as well as respected by his friends and colleagues did his heart some good. The full household reminded him of all the times he and his late wife had done the same so many times in the past. They wanted to help people for the sake of helping them, the warm and comforting feeling that followed was just a bonus that made all the effort feel truly amazing.

Cole returned to the kitchen with a few drinking glasses and promptly helped his dad wash up the dishes. The little boy was very mature for his age, and it was hard to tell if that came from Hank being a dedicated parent or from Cole having a good big brother figure like Connor to guide him. Regardless of what made Cole so mature and helpful, everyone was impressed with the fourth grader.

"Both Gavin and Abby are asleep." Cole stated in a whisper as he handed his dad the two glasses to be wash while he picked up the towel to start drying off the dishes that had already been washed. "How come they're acting so weird?"

Hank turned to look over his shoulder and spotted both Gavin and Abby stretched out over the couch together. Gavin had Abby wrapped up in his arms while she rested her head atop his chest. The couple had Sumo watching over them, the large dog undoubtedly aware of Abby's condition as well, and they seemed to be very comfortable where they were laying.

"Well, since Abby's going to have a baby in a few months, she's going to be tired more often than usual - especially after working all day at the fire station. And Gavin's been working his butt off at the precinct, so he's just as tired as she is." Hank explained casually as he soaked the two drinking glasses in the soapy water then used the sponge to clean them up properly. "They're not acting weird, son. They're acting like adults who are going to be parents."

"Sounds weird to me!"

"That's because you're only nine years old. Wait until you're in your twenties, you'll understand it by then."

"When's Connor coming home? I haven't seen him all day."

"He'll be home when he's ready to come home. He doesn't need us or anyone else constantly hovering over him or checking in on him." With the dishes finally washed Hank set about helping Cole dry the rest off then they started putting the dishes away where they belonged. "Are you worried about him?"

"No, but I do miss him. We haven't celebrated anything together since he left a while ago."

"We'll celebrate together this Christmas. Like Abby said, Connor can't eat the food we eat, so there's not much that an android can celebrate today anyway."

"Is Connor going to leave us again?" Cole sounded truly concerned about losing his big brother because of the previous arguments that were had between Connor and Hank a few months prior. "I don't think he likes this new house."

"Son, I promise you that Connor's behavior isn't anything personal or negative with us or the house. He's just busy at the precinct, he's busy helping Markus and the other deviants at that fancy new tower of theirs out on Belle Isle, and he's busy trying to find out who he really is." Hank's lack of worry wasn't a sign of apathy, it was a sign of trust. Drying off his hands Hank put one palm to Cole's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "If didn't want to live here with us, then he never would've accepted the offer to move in when we got the new house."

"I hope you're right."

"I am." Peering over Cole's head to the countertop behind his young son, Hank looked at the two remaining slices of pumpkin pie and decided that he and Cole deserved an extra treat after spending all day cooking and cleaning. "Come on. Let's finish off the pie and then go join Gavin and Abby in the livingroom. Maybe we can coax them in to playing a game of 'Dirty Pictionary' later."

"Yeah!" A Devilish grin graced Cole's lips as he truly liked the idea of playing the rather immature game with some adults. "I bet Abby knows some really gross stuff!"

"Since she's an E.M.S. and a technician, I think you're entirely right." Ruffling Cole's hair Hank just chuckled and wondered how Cole inherited his mother's sense of humor without really getting to know her. "I'll have to lay out some rules so that no one teaches you about things that no innocent mind should ever know exists..."

The celebratory day had been quiet for the most part and had given both Connor and North the chance to see the snow-covered city in all its crystalline glory. Neither deviant had really taken a liking to the painfully cold weather or the relentless snow and ice that made living on the streets, inside of abandoned buildings of within moored freighters painfully uncomfortable. Being able to appreciate the natural beauty of wintertime without fearing being out in the extreme cold or being caught off guard by a bigoted human looking for a fight had done wonders for their mental health a since they could just live without being in constant fear for their lives at the same time.

Still walking arm-in-arm, North showed Connor to the Andiamo Detroit Riverfront to see the dark water gently lapping against the snowy white shoreline of stones at their side. It was peacefully quiet, isolated and seemed to emanate a feeling of new beginnings. Seeing the water - the origin of all life - caressing the land where that life had evolved and flourished was wondrous reminder of how much the world has already changed and how it'll continue to change. Whether those changes were for the betterment of society or its detriment depended solely upon that same society as a whole.

"I like being out here." North whispered as she held on to Connor's arm and walked smoothly at his side. She watched as a rogue leave floated from the end of a twig from a tree branch and landed lightly on the water's surface to begin floating elsewhere. "It's so beautiful in an odd way."

"I imagine seeing the water and rocks surrounded by a chainlink fence would give the area a rather... industrial appearance." Connor confirmed with noted indifference to his tone. "How did you find this place?"

"A while back I came here looking for deviants who may have been trying to cross the water to return to the city. Then I saw this area for what it is, and I just enjoyed spending my time here instead."

"Everyone needs a special place to call their own."

"Where's your special place?"

"...Haven't found one yet." Connor wanted to say it was his home, but he honestly didn't feel like he had a home to call his own just yet. There was just something missing in the new house that made his time there feel hollow and unwelcome. "When I do find one, I'll tell you."

"Your place could be at the tower. We have a room set up for you and everything when you're ready to move in."

"I'm... North, I dislike being at the tower since it previously belonged to CyberLife. I appreciate the offering and knowing that I can go there as I please, but unless it's a true emergency or for professional business I don't think I'd ever set foot on that isle for the rest of my life."

"That's a shame. I think we'd all really benefit from having you around the tower."

"And why's that?"

"Aside from being one of us five leaders, you're a detective." The way she answered made it seem like Connor had just asked a very strange question. "You make everyone feel a little safer whenever you're nearby."

"I see."

A heavy sigh escaped North's lips as she looked up at Connor and saw the focus in his soulful brown eyes. "You're not going to go anywhere or do anything else until after you've dealt with Chase, aren't you?"

"Yes." There was no point in lying about his intentions or his goals, not to a friend who truly did care about him. "I need to do whatever I can to help Chase."

"I'm not trying to dissuade you from doing what you think is right, but I have to know." North stopped walking and put herself directly in front of Connor to look at him directly as she spoke. "Why do you care so much about one deviant that may not even want to deal with you or anyone else?"

"Because, as strange as it seems," Connor looked out at the water for a moment before he looked into himself and tried to put a proper label on to what he was feeling toward Chase and why it was so important to him. It was then Cole's words came to mind and it suddenly made everything seem crystal clear. "I see Chase as my own brother."

-next chapter-