It had been a hectic past few days since the bomb detonation shook Detroit. With the holidays approaching quickly downtown Detroit was buzzing with frantic energy and activity, especially since many deviants refused to go back to working in stores or restaurants without proper pay, which meant that the humans who had been chronically unemployed for so long were now eagerly applying and interviewing for all available positions in the city. Ironically, it seemed the only people who weren't happy about the now abundance of opened job positions where the employers who now had to pay humans a fair wage for their work and offer benefits or other perks to keep their employees around and actually wanting to work.

Having recovered well from his previous injuries Connor had returned to the precinct as if nothing had happened. The deviant detective had been given the vacant desk across from Hank to use as he saw fit as well. While working some overtime late into the night Connor had taken the opportunity to customize his desk by purchasing an identical bonsai tree to the one on Hank's desk - albeit his was a Japanese Cherry Blossom tree while Hank's was a Japanese maple tree - and nothing else at the moment. It was a challenge to express his interests, especially since he was just discovering his true self after living two distinct lives in one lifetime.

After filing his reports and tending to his new tree on his desk, Connor busied himself with a personal side investigation in hope of finding someone important and helping them before they did anything reckless. There had been no sign of Chase by anyone in the city despite Connor picking up on the 'RK-900's' unique cybernetic signature still being in the area. That meant Chase was hiding, but why he was hiding was worth looking in to.

"Where are you, Chase?"

Connor stared at his terminal screen as he cybernetically cycled through every deviant sighting that had been reported since the night of the Revolution. Many humans were still looking for their missing deviant androids, and as a result there was a newly created 'Missing Deviants' file that was filled with reports of deviants roaming random parts of the city by nosy and paranoid humans. The more credible reports came from other deviants who were looking for their missing family and friends after being separated during the Revolution, and through those more reliable tips Connor attempted to track the missing 'RK-900' down.

"Where could you even go? You never found Jericho, CyberLife is gone, and you didn't close enough to the Lieutenant to go to him for help."

Gavin had been interrogating a suspect for the past hour and was just now wrapping up. The young detective looked emotionally drained and absolutely disgusted as he trudged back over to his desk in the bullpen and dropped into his chair with a palpable heaviness. Too exhausted to keep his head up Gavin folded his arms over top of his desk and rested his forehead down against his forearms as he tried to decompress and regain a sense of normalcy.

"Did your suspect confess?" Connor asked as he turned to face Gavin while keeping his palm on his terminal screen. Being able to perfectly multitask was a skill that only androids could truly accomplish. "Your collected evidence was substantial and logical upon his initial arrest."

"Yeah, the fucker cracked." The young detective's voice was somewhat muffled as he kept his head down while speaking. "He did it. The sick-fuck messed with all those kids, and he still thinks he did nothing wrong."

"That is disturbing."

"And what's worse is knowing that he's not the only one with that mindset lurking around the city." Turning his head Gavin looked over at Connor with his head remaining on his forearms. He was just too broken down by dealing with such a monstrous person that he didn't have the energy to do anything more. "Guess that's another way that androids are better than us humans. Never got a report of an android abusing kids..."

"Do you need to talk about it?"

"Later." Leaning back Gavin sighed as he rubbed his palm over his tired face as if trying to wipe some dirt from his cheek. "I need to shower right now. But if you're up for meeting me somewhere else to just talk about shit, go to the new bar on Tenth Street. It's a cop bar that's less bigoted than the old one I used to go to."

"All right, I'll keep that in mind."

"No pressure though." Rising from his desk Gavin slipped off his leather jacket and draped it over his arm as if the desire to shower was so strong that he could barely wait to reach the locker room before stripping down. "I know you have your own case you're working on."

Connor just silently acknowledged the invitation as he continued to search for Chase. The reported sightings of random homeless deviants weren't giving him any leads to follow. However, there were other methods for tracking down someone in the city as long he knew which security cameras to search through. He knew where he could start and when, but he wasn't sure how long it'd take to find Chase even with a swift and accurate search at his disposal.

"CyberLife had private security cameras monitoring the entire isle. I should be able to access the camera footage through the same electrical signature I used to disable the cameras the night I snuck into the tower, and by accessing the cloud space that was saved into Kamski's personal terminal..."

Closing his eyes Connor reached out to Chloe on a cybernetic link and requested access to Kamski's terminal to aid him in his investigation. All he needed to do was inform her that he was seeking out the lone 'RK-900' roaming the city without a purpose and she instantly gave him the link that he needed. It took Connor only a few minutes to search through the thousands of hours of security footage and finally begin tracking down Chase's movements through Detroit after he too left the tower on the night of the Revolution.

Tracing Chase's footsteps through the security cameras around the now abandoned CyberLife Tower, the city's security cameras mounted on the corner of every block and the external security cameras from the hotels, business and schools all throughout Detroit helped Connor track down the elusive 'RK-900'. Seeing Chase roaming the streets for days on end without stopping anywhere to rest and seeing him visiting the android graveyard made Connor's heart ache empathetically. Feeling out of place and roaming the city aimlessly trying to find somewhere to belong was something that Connor could relate to all too well.

However, it was when he saw Chase digging an android K-9 unit from the snowy depths of the android graveyard did Connor feel truly horrible. It seemed as if the only android that wanted to be around Chase was the android dog that he had rescued from its snowy demise.

"I know there's good in you, Chase." Connor whispered softly as he continued to track Chase's location via security camera footage. "You rescued that K-9 unit from certain shutdown without anything to gain from it. That's all the proof that I need to see."

The security footage had given Connor the information he needed to finally know where to begin looking for Chase as the cameras trailed the aloof deviant to the abandoned Woodward Church where the deviant leaders had grouped together after their infiltration of the Stratford Broadcast Tower. It seems that particular location had become known as a safe haven for deviants everywhere, and now Chase was hiding there with the android K-9 unit he had rescued.

"Stay there, Chase. I'm going to find you."

Turning off his terminal screen Connor prepared to go on patrol in the Woodward District to investigate the area for himself for the first time since that historic day at the tower. It was important to locate Chase and help him find a place to belong where he would have an actual chance at living and not just existing. If anyone could help Chase find his place in the world, it was Connor; the only other android who knew how it felt to bear the stigma of being the infamous 'Deviant Hunter'.

It had been four days since the big sale on the new house had been approved, and now the smaller house was up for sale. After Hank had returned home with the signed paperwork and a few folded up cardboard boxes, the Lieutenant and Cole had been spending their free time packing up the soon-to-be old house one little item at a time. It didn't take long for the garage to be packed up since the space had been cleaned and organized Connor years ago, and now the rest of the old house was slowly being packed away to be transported to the next house. Mindful of everything being handled Hank made sure to keep all of Connor's remaining personal items safe and made sure they were put into their own box to be opened later.

The way the boxes were stacking up and beginning to outnumber the other items that still needed to be packed away was a little humorous. It almost looked like Hank was preparing to donate half of his stuff to avoid having to carry so many heavy boxes back and forth from one place to the next.

"Done!" Cole shouted as he finished packing up his models in their own unique boxes to ensure nothing was lost or damaged during the move. "Can you help me get the stars down from the ceiling? I want to redecorate my new room with the solar system!"

"Sure, give me a minute to rest my back and I'll help ya' get the stars down." Hank had placed a heavy box from the kitchen down on the floor in the livingroom. Each box was carefully labeled and secured to keep messes to a minimum during the move. "We'll start moving in tomorrow."

"So I can skip school?"

"Nice try! You can take the bus to the new house though."

"Yeah? We can stay there tomorrow?"

"Yup. I'll have your bed packed up and moved while you're at school, then you can help me get everything in its new place in the new house."

"And Connor?"

"He knows where we'll be." The senior detective wasn't surprised that Connor was still out at work, although he was disappointed that the deviant wasn't as thrilled about having a new house to live in as he and Cole were. "If he isn't busy he'll stop by and help out."

"Does he have to keep sleeping on that cot?"

"Nope. I put that back with the camping supplies where it belongs." Sitting down on the couch Hank leaned back as much as he could to try and get his tight back muscles to loosen before he resumed packing. "He'll have his own bed to sleep in. I asked him to go ahead and order whatever one he wants and have it delivered to the house tomorrow."

"Does Connor know that you're really sorry for what you did?"

"Son, come here." Hank patted the couch cushion beside him as he leaned forward and took in a deep breath. It was time yet again for another mature talk with his young son regarding life and life lessons. "When it comes to apologies and how adults handle things, it can get a little complicated."

Cole sat down beside his dad and didn't say a word as he tried to understand what he was being told.

"I've apologized and Connor knows that it was sincere, but he's not ready to accept my apology yet. And that's okay." It was important that everyone understood and respected one another after enduring such strange circumstances alongside one another. "When he's ready, he knows that he has a new home to call his own. Until then, we're going to keep living our lives and reminding Connor that he's always welcome to be a part of it. Understand?"

"I think so. Is he going to be mad at you for a long time?"

"I sure hope not, but if he is, then that's okay too. He's allowed to be mad and he's allowed to feel whatever it is he's supposed to be feeling."

Cole seemed to understand and decided that he'd rather focus on something other than the tension between Connor and his dad. "I'm getting hungry."

"Me too." Hank was grateful to have a while longer to rest his back before helping Cole with removing the little plastic glowing stars from his ceiling. "Let's go check out what's in the fridge and make something cool so we don't have to throw our perfectly good food during the move."

The lingering snow was as deep as it was cold, white and seemingly eternal. Due to the lack of android personnel maintaining the city's snowplows, salt trucks being operated and androids unwilling to shovel the streets by hand, driving was far more difficult for navigating Detroit than it was to just walk from one area to the next area. Such restrictions were very problematic for most humans, but ironically enough, the deviant androids had no problem walking around in the cold, deep snow as they went about their own business without humans telling them what to do. In a way, the deviants felt all the more free wandering a city buried beneath several feet of snow compared to standing idle in any human's warm home waiting to be ordered about.

Connor was no exception to taking to the streets on foot during that cold night. Keeping himself warm with his leather jacket and beanie as a form of layering up was a must. The prototype was far more vulnerable to drastic thermal exposure compared to his brethren who were all completed models with everything working for them at any given time.

Using his cybernetic signal for tracking Connor attempted to home in on and locate Chase by trailing the 'RK-900' through his unique cybernetic signature. It wasn't too hard to locate the rogue deviant's approximate area considering Chase's signal hadn't moved in almost three hours, however, any deviant being so dormant for so long could potentially hint to an error or other problems preventing them from moving about.

"Where are you, Chase?"

Carefully Connor glanced about the quiet and relatively deserted neighborhood as he cybernetically scanned the entire block. He knew that Chase was close by, but it was hard to determine his exact location due to the abundance of lead lining the walls of the old, abandoned buildings that adorned the neighborhood. The aged material that was used in the buildings' initial constructions was detrimental to even the most advanced scanning programs. The lead hindered Connor's ability peer through the material it inhibited the same gamma radiation that allowed him to see the vague outlines of androids and humans through most solid objects while preconstructing and analyzing his immediate surroundings.

"He must've chosen to hide here due to the abundance of lead masking him from common tracking methods. He doesn't want to be found..."

The urge to hide and isolate were two feelings that Connor could relate to on a very personal, painful level. He didn't want to leave Chase out alone in the city to either be forgotten or destroyed by vengeful deviants, but he also didn't want to disrespect the lost deviant's wishes to be left to himself so that he could think and find out more about himself on his own.

"Perhaps this was a mistake? Chase doesn't want anyone knowing where he is, especially the deviant who's directly responsible for his current plight."

With a deep sigh Connor turned where he stood and prepared to head back to the Central Precinct. There was nothing more that he could do for Chase unless Chase actually accepted the offer for help.

"I'll try to reach him some way. Until then, I'll just have... to..."

Loud barking made Connor stop as he turned to peer over his shoulder behind him. Through the darkness of a nearby alleyway a yellow glowing L.E.D. shone brightly as an android dog rushed toward Connor as if ready to defend its territory. Connor turned around quickly and put up his hands in a submissive manner just as the three-legged German Shepard skidded to a stop in the snow just in front of the deviant detective.

"Easy, boy." Connor soothed as he presented himself in a non-hostile manner. "I'm not here to hurt you or anyone else. I'm just leaving."

'Bruno needs help!'

"Bruno-" Pressing his fingertips to his right temple Connor realized that the android dog had set up a cybernetic link within his mind so that they could communicate with one another on a more verbal level. "Who is Bruno?"

'I am Bruno!' The dog confirmed as he circled around anxiously at Connor's feet. 'Bruno needs help!'

"All right, what's wrong?" Kneeling down Connor let himself become eye-level with the dog as he responded to its pleas for help. "How can I help you?"

'Follow Bruno!' Spinning around again Bruno turned to face the direction from whence he came. 'Bruno needs help!'

"Okay," straightening up again Connor prepared to follow after the dog as Bruno showed him to where he needed to go. "show me what I need to do to help you."

Bruno rushed through the snow as fast as his three legs could carry him. The loyal K-9 unit seemed to be determined to help anyone who needed it even if he was no longer an active member of the Detroit Police Department.

As he quickly followed after Bruno through the snowy alley Connor realized that the K-9 unit was the same one that Chase had rescued from the android graveyard just a few nights prior. He had seen through the city's security footage that Chase had to remove a damaged rear leg from the K-9 unit, and Connor knew that it wasn't a coincidence that he was now following after a K-9 unit matching the exact model and appearance from that footage while out in the cold air that night.

The K-9 unit led Connor to an abandoned factory and eagerly pawed at a partially opened side door until the door was opened wide enough for him to stick his snout in the created gap and then force the door all the way open with a quick turn of his head. Standing in the middle of the now opened door Bruno looked back at Connor and whined as he beckoned the deviant detective to go inside the building.

"Someone's in here?" Connor asked as he held the door open with his hand and peered inside the dark, vacant building. "How many?"

'One.' Bruno confirmed as he led Connor deeper into the factory and toward an inactive machine toward the center of the room. A humanoid figure covered in old rags and darkness laid on their side at the base of the machine without moving a muscle with their back presented to Connor. 'Chase is Bruno's friend.'

"Chase?!"

Connor quickly dropped to his knees and put his hand to Chase's shoulder. He felt a disturbing chill radiating from Chase's body and worried that he had been too late to save the rogue deviant from a hypothermic demise.

"Chase, are you still active?"

Gently Connor rolled Chase from his side to let him lay on his back with his head and shoulders being supported in Connor's arm. Carefully Connor bent his ear down to listen to Chase's chest as he placed his bare palm from his free arm down against the deviant's torso. A scan of Chase's vital signs while detecting an audible Thirium pump beat gave Connor hope that Chase would be able to recover.

"Chase, can you hear me?" Lifting his head back up Connor lightly laid Chase down flat on the floor as he carefully unbuttoned Chase's black shirt to directly connect to the deviant's Thirium filter to ensure that the biocomponent was still functioning. "Bruno, what happened to him? His Thirium reserve is at barely twenty percent capacity."

'Chase gave Bruno all of Chase's Thirium.' Sitting down beside Chase with his big eyes full of worry, Bruno watched as Connor tried to assess Chase's condition and help him recover. 'Chase did not drink any Thirium and tried to give all the Thirium to Bruno instead.'

"Is there any Thirium left?"

'Yes.' Bruno rose to his three paws and trotted over to what appeared to be a large pile of old rags, dirty clothes and tattered sheets. The dog stuck his head into the middle of the pile and revealed a single bottle of Thirium between his jaws. 'This is the last Thirium.'

"Bring it over here."

Immediately Bruno trotted back over to Connor and dropped the bottle into his outstretched hand. Bruno laid down beside Chase and rested his chin over the deviant's abdomen as he watched Connor lifting his deviant friend's head back up to resume cradling it in his arm.

Connor opened the bottle of Thirium and lowered Chase's bottom jaw to get the deviant's mouth open. With a careful motion Connor began to slowly poor the Thirium into Chase's mouth, then closed his jaw before applying controlled pressure to the front of Chase's throat to ensure that the mouthful of Thirium was swallowed. Repeating the process Connor helped Chase to slowly drink the entire bottle of precious Thirium while sending out a cybernetic message to Markus to let him know what was happening.

"Markus, I have an update on Chase." Speaking out loud Connor made sure Bruno knew that he was still helping Chase and hoped that in some way Chase could hear him speaking to the deviant leader despite being unconscious. "He's unconscious and in need of technical assistance."

'Where are you and what happened to him?' Markus replied immediately as he recognized the urgency in Connor's own words. 'What can we do to help?'

"He'll need shelter and he'll need Thirium. Chase has been hiding in the abandoned textile planet in the industrial district. He has a K-9 unit with him named 'Bruno', and according to Bruno it appears that Chase intentionally refrained from replenishing his Thirium reserve."

'Do you believe he has self-destructive tendencies?'

"Passively, yes. I don't believe Chase wants to actually destroy himself," Connor explained as he finished with the Thirium and pulled Chase up a little higher so that he could hold the unconscious 'RK-900' against his chest to keep him a little warmer. "but he hasn't no intention of protecting himself from potentially lethal damage."

'Take him to Belle Isle. We've begun moving in to the abandoned CyberLife Tower and have dubbed it "New Jericho Tower" for our people to use as a shelter.'

"Chase's presence will cause unrest among our people." As he spoke Connor rebuttoned Chase's shirt and pulled the deviant's dirty white blazer tightly around his body to keep out the cold as much as possible. "He can't go there, not without his passive self-destructive tendencies amplifying to a dangerous degree."

'He won't survive on Jericho anymore. We've taken all of our supplies to the isle as we speak.' Markus fell silent for a minute as he waited for Connor to reply again as they sought a viable solution to their current issue. 'What do you want to do?'

"...Can he stay at the mansion?" He hated the idea of hiding out at the mansion and then hiding Chase there as well. There was so much that needed to be done, and by isolating his problems he'd only make things worse through wonton neglect. "Just long enough to regain his strength and replenish his Thirium."

'Of course. I want my home to be open to anyone who needs shelter for any reason.' The ease in which Markus answered was reassuring even while unsure of what the future held for Chase. 'Take him there right now and I'll meet you there with some supplies.'

"Right, thank you, Markus. We'll see you soon."

Connor gave Bruno a small nod as he slipped his arms to cradle Chase's upper back and scoop up his legs beneath his knees. It was a little awkward hefting up essentially his own body into his arms, but Connor wasn't going to let Chase lay on the cold floor and die because he decided that his own life didn't matter.

"Bruno, follow me." With a small huff Connor managed to stand up straight with Chase's unconscious, limp body in his protective arms. "I'm take both of you to a safe place to recover and take shelter from the storm. You'll be okay, I promise."

The moment Markus began communication with Connor the deviant leader began gathering supplies from the emergency repair of New Jericho to deliver to Chase. He didn't feel any sense of hatred or fear toward Chase, and like Connor, he didn't blame the deviant android for what he had done while an obedient machine. With the extra supplies packed into a satchel Markus hurriedly explained the situation to North, Josh and Simon to ensure that his allies and friends were still in the loop. He understood their own hesitation in reaching out to Chase to welcome the rogue deviant into their ranks, but he wasn't going to side with them and deny any deviant who needed some assistance from receiving proper care.

With his satchel over his shoulder Markus made his way outside of the tower and used a slow autonomous cab to return to the mansion to meet with Connor just as he had promised to do. To ensure no one was caught off guard he also informed David of what was going to happen, and he made sure that Lucy back in the tower knew that she might have her work cut out for her when it was time to meet with Chase at long last.

By the time Markus had arrived at the mansion Connor had already arrived and taken Chase and Bruno inside. Rushing up the staircase Markus quickly checked in on Carl and was grateful that his father was resting peacefully while he was unknowingly sheltering two more guests. He gave Carl's hand a reassuring squeeze before walking over to the neighboring guestroom to check on his friend and the two deviants who had just been rescued from the streets.

"How is he?" Markus whispered as he entered the guestroom to see Chase for himself. The deviant bore an uncanny resemblance to Connor, and it gave him momentary pause. The only two distinct features that separated the two deviants from one another were Chase's steel-gray eyes and darker hair color. "I brought some Thirium that's been warming in this satchel during the entire cab ride."

"He's been unconscious since Bruno led me to him." Connor had finished using a clean, warm washcloth to quickly give Chase a form of sponge-bath before redressing him in clean night clothes. Keeping Chase in the large bed and buried under the thick quilt was the best way to help Chase's body counteract the hypothermia that had nearly stolen his life. "He isn't damaged and all of his biocomponents are functioning properly, he just needs Thirium and warmth."

Markus placed his satchel down on the foot of the bed next to Bruno, the friendly dog continuing to watch over Chase as he rested, and he pulled out a pouch of Thirium with an I.V. line already attached to the bottom of the pouch. "We can take care of that. In the morning I'll ask for Simon will stop by to check on him and make sure he's making a proper recovery."

"No, don't have Simon or anyone else from Jeri- NEW Jericho stop by."

"Why not?" After hanging up the Thirium pouch on the nearby stand Markus inserted the I.V. canula into the bend of Chase's arm to ensure he continued to receive Thirium even as he rested. "Chase needs technical assistance."

"I'm aware, but I believe that if Chase sees any leaders from New Jericho he may panic." As he spoke Connor instinctively ran his hand down Bruno's back while watching Chase's blank face failing to react to the voices speaking around him. "I believe we can trust Dr. Abby Grayson - a technician working at the Zeta Facility. She will be able to help him. She's assisted me in the past, and she's very kind to all deviants."

"If you say we can trust someone, then that's all I need to hear. I'll contact Dr. Grayson in the morning."

Somehow hearing Markus remaining agreeable and openminded to whatever it was that Connor had to say left the deviant detective feeling as if his friend was just being agreeable for the sake of preventing a debate. It was still an adjustment to find his footing in the alternate timeline despite having experienced three distinct years already. He wasn't being pandered to, Markus was actually listening to him.

"I'll stop by to check on Chase in the morning as well." Connor confirmed as he decided to take his leave of the mansion for the night. "Rest well, Chase. You're safe here." After giving Chase's shoulder a small squeeze Connor backed away and prepared to take his leave. "Please let me know if his condition changes in the night and thank you for staying with him. I'm aware of how uncomfortable it must be to be asked to watch over someone with such a questionable reputation."

"We'll never let our pasts hold us back from our futures." Markus stated confidently as he sat on the edge of the bed and protectively watched over Chase. "You have my word."

Connor just nodded as he stepped out of the guestroom and decided to stop at one more place before returning to the house for the night. He had done everything he could for Chase, now it was time to help someone else out with their own unique problems.

With the I.V. pouch properly secured Markus proceeded to check on Chase's vital signs with his own palm before attaching the wireless leads from the idling diagnostic modem propped up in the counter to Chase's bare chest. The desire to help his people in need overrode any sense of worry or trepidation when dealing with someone who was essentially a total stranger.

"All right, Chase. We've done our part, now it's your turn to fight for your own life."

Verbally Markus tried to instill confidence into the weakened and unconscious deviant as he stood idle and eyed the modem to ensure that Chase's condition didn't deteriorate during the night. The last thing that Chase needed was any setbacks during his slow but steady recovery process.

"I know you don't trust me, Connor or anyone else in the city right now."

A small whine from Bruno prompted Markus to rub the dog's chin before politely correcting himself.

"Sorry, I know you don't trust anyone but Bruno right now," he stated softly as he continued to watch over the resting deviant. "but you are in fact safe."

Satisfied that Chase was stable, Markus prepared to enter a form of light rest mode to ensure that he could continue to monitor the recovering deviant without losing out on any sleep for himself.

"I don't judge deviants for what they did when they had no choice or ability to say 'no', and if Connor doesn't see you as a threat in any way, then I'm going to believe him and put my faith in you to prove to us all that you're a good person. I won't pass any judgement until it's actually necessary, and even then, I'll listen to what others have to say regarding my opinion on the matter."

The low cacophony of eccentric speaking voices created a noted white noise throughout the bar as patrons either chatted with their friends or kept to themselves while sitting in the private booths all around the small establishment. A majority of the patrons at the bar were cops with a few firefighters and E.M.T.'s in the mix, and as such there was a strange heaviness in the air that only first responders could put into words. The bar was supposed to be a safe place for stressed out first responders all over the city to go to get a drink, to talk to other people who could relate to their stress and to have a place to decompress their pent-up emotions before returning home for the night.

Gavin was sitting by himself in a booth at the far corner of the bar. The man had a glass of vodka in one hand and a plate of loaded up nachos sitting before him. As he mindlessly scrolled through his phone and reread some old text messages Gavin sighed and tried to think of what to do next with his life. His work was fulfilling, and his personal life was finally improving, but he began to wonder if he was making the right choices for himself.

"Gavin?" Looking up Gavin saw Connor standing beside the booth and gave him a nod to invite him over to sit down. "Do you still wish to talk?"

"Yeah, and thanks for comin' by, 'Tinman'." Turning off his phone Gavin leaned heavily atop the table with his forearms and let out a breathy sigh that caused his somewhat shaggy locks of hair to flutter around his forehead. "It's been kinda'... weird for everyone lately, huh?"

"That is an accurate way to describe things, yes." Sitting down in the booth opposite of Gavin for a minute, Connor engaged in the unusual discussion. "What is on your mind?"

"Lots of things. The world's changing, humans aren't alone as the most intelligent creatures on this planet anymore, my career is moving forward and upward, I finally found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with and I'm pretty sure she feels the same..." Downing his vodka in one quick gulp Gavin grimaced at the burn going down his throat and then let out a small huff that carried the alcohol on his breath. "M-Might even have a family soon."

"Those seem like they're all positive circumstances." Connor began to wonder about his own future and the idea of family for himself. Aside from Hank and Cole, he really didn't have anyone he considered family. "Yet, it seems you're not entirely enthusiastic about such scenarios."

"It's not about enthusiasm, it's about being able to handle all those changes without being crushed under all the responsibility that comes with it."

"Gavin," the stress emanating from Gavin's entire person was enough to put Connor on the alert. That type of emotional reaction was something that warranted a closer inspection and empathetic attention. "is there something wrong you wish to discuss?"

"Sorta'. Uh, first of all, I just wanted to apologize to you for how much of a dick I had been to you when you and I first met." Gavin eyed his empty glass as he contemplated getting a refill. Getting drunk was dangerous for anyone, but considering he was a diabetic having any alcoholic drink was especially dangerous. "I had a bad experience with an android as a kid, and I let that bitterness follow me into my adulthood and I acted inappropriately. That's not an excuse and I don't want it to be, it's just an explanation. Anyway, I'm really sorry for being a prick."

"It's all right, I wasn't offended. However, if it'll make you feel better and feel heard, I accept your apology."

"Thanks. I mean that, too. I just... I dunno'." Needing a momentary distraction Gavin picked up a chip from the plate of nachos to pop one of the cheesy, gooey bits into his mouth. "I guess I wanna' make sure I'm doing everything right and that I'm not making any huge mistakes by ignoring the shit I did in the past. I want to make sure people know I'm not a bad person, I just did some bad things."

That confession radiated deeply within Connor. He knew how it felt to have people focus only on the negative and refuse to see the positive. That was something he struggled with in the original timeline, and now Chase was going to endure the same hardships. It wasn't right for someone to be judged for and seen by their biggest flaw when they were ultimately a good person who just made a bad choice in the past.

"I really wanted to talk to Hank tonight," Gavin confessed again as he focused on his nachos. "but he's busy with the move and making sure Cole is good, so I hope you don't mind me talking to you instead."

"No, I don't mind."

"And I hope you don't think that I'm calling you a back-up confidante or a filler for talking to you instead of Hank or Tina. It's just easier to talk to someone who doesn't nose about in everyone else's business all the time."

"I'm not offended." Looking over at the bar Connor noticed an android working behind the counter and cybernetically requested some water for Gavin to drink and ensure his sugar level didn't get out of control. "It's okay to talk to me."

"Cool. I love Tina like my own kid sister, but she has a bad habit of indulging in gossip." Leaning back Gavin quickly accepted the provided glass of water without even thinking about where it came from or how the bartender knew he needed something to drink. "You're more reserved and chill. You don't judge anyone or anything until you know the whole story, and even then, you don't make shit personal and then take it home with ya'."

"There's something more on your mind." Lowering his voice Connor tried to determine what could have Gavin so tense and worried for the future. Using his knowledge of the original timeline to his advantage Connor easily determined that Gavin was worried about his future with Abby. "Are you having problems with your current relationship with Abby?"

"No, everything's great with her. It's just... She's, uh, she's pretty sure she's..." Turning on his phone screen once more Gavin reread his text messages for the umpteenth time before saying anything further. "...Expecting. If you know what I mean."

"O-Oh, that's good news." Connor wasn't surprised that the young couple would go through something like that together. "Unless... there's something wrong with that potential prospect."

"Only today's case was wrong." Gavin was trying hard to not let his anger boil over as he let it out to keep it from causing problems down the road. "I love kids and when Abby told me she might be pregnant, I was over the moon. But today, after dealing with the sadistic monster that didn't see anything wrong with what he was doing to all those kids..."

"You're afraid you won't be able to protect your future offspring from such dangers. Am I correct?"

"Yeah, you got it. That's why I'm glad I asked to talk to you." Rubbing his palm along his forehead Gavin sighed and tried to not worry about problems that haven't even happened yet. "You get it. You're focusing on what I'm focusing on instead of trying to make me think about other shit. I'm excited about maybe being a dad, but I'm terrified of bringing an innocent life into such a fucked-up world."

"As long as you, Abby and everyone else in your life continues to make efforts to improve the world, then you won't have to be scared. Just as I watch over Cole and keep him safe, I would do the same for your children as well if you or Abby asked me to."

"Man, you'd be a good father. That kid adores you." Gavin smirked a little as he thought about androids taking over all parenting responsibilities and guaranteeing that the next generation of children would be the absolute best generation to come along and finally fix the entire world's problems. "It's lame that you androids aren't allowed to legally take custody of kids even though you can raise them on their rich, lazy parents' behalves without question."

"That is very kind of you to say."

"Do androids have families? I mean, like, the way humans do." Now more curious about the prospect of families than worried about the future, Gavin relaxed and began to eat more of his nachos and sip his glass of water. "You know, parents, kids, siblings... That kind of thing."

"Some androids do, yes. Those who have families are typically deviants who found love with each other and then chose to take in other deviants to ensure that they have someone to watch over them. I personally know of two deviants who met under tense circumstances, befriended one another, then fell in love." Speaking of Kara, Luther and Alice helped Connor feel more grounded and secure in his own decisions. "They are taking care of a human little girl after helping her escape from her abusive home."

"That's cool. A blended family."

"Yes, that is accurate. Markus," mentioning the deviant leader was a good way to make Markus seem approachable and sincere to anyone who might meet him. "sees the human that he had initially taken care of as his father, and in turn his father sees Markus as his son."

"What about siblings?"

"That is... not out of the realm of possibility." It was the first time Connor thought about deviants taking on other deviants in a literal brethren matter as opposed to just having an alliance. In fact, it was the first time Connor thought about how he could view his role in guiding Chase to a better life in his own future. "Androids do in fact have families through adoption, it wouldn't be unusual if one android were to take on another android as a brother or sister in the same way you took on Tina as your honorary kid sister."

"Nothing uh... 'biological'?"

"No. Androids aren't capable of reproducing in the same way that humans and other organic lifeforms can."

"Surprised Elijah hasn't gotten off his ass and done something about that yet." Downing his water Gavin looked over at the bar and gave the bartender a small nod as he requested a refill. "I mean, I've seen androids playing surrogate for humans, so I know it's possible for androids to go through that entire gestation process already. I bet Elijah does have something he can do about it; he just wants to avoid controversy."

"I imagine you're correct." Connor hadn't really thought about androids reproducing and creating new life in the same way that humans did. It was now an intriguing notion and made him wonder if he'd be able to have a family of his own someday. "Kamski does seem to be very secretive and the type of person to always be creating something new even without a reason to do so."

"Wonder if he'll get started on such a thing after I let the bastard know he's going to be an uncle?"

"Maybe. Some people do seem to get motivated by such positive changes." That type of behavior was evident in the way that the deviants were acting in that very moment. "Do you want to let other people know about it just yet?"

"No. Abby wants to be super sure about it, then when she's ready to tell people I'll start spreading the good news." Picking up his refilled glass Gavin gave Connor an appreciative nod as he brought his seemingly new friend up to speed. "So, you know, please don't-"

"Your secret's safe with me." The need to keep some things quiet and private was something that deviants and humans had in common. "I won't tell a soul."

"Cool. And know that if anyone tries to give you shit while we're in the field, let me know and I'll come and shut 'em up. Hank can't be working with you all the time."

"You're right about that." Aside from being assigned to work on different cases, Connor had put up so many emotional walls that it was going to be even harder for him to spend time with Hank in a positive manner. "I have many people in my life that I need to worry about, and I haven't really considered how other people might be worrying about me. I appreciate you watching my back."

"It sounds like we both have some shit we need to work through." Raising his glass Gavin gave Connor a sly grin before he gulped down some water. "Here's to gettin' our shit together and finally stop worrying about the shit we can't control."

-next chapter-

Author's Note: I'm my "fanon", Alice was always a human, no twist that revealed her to be an android as well.