It seemed summer was over in the blink of an eye as the green leaves began to shift in color and the intense heat began to cool off with each passing day. Not only had Cole's little league camp finished with the Blue Tigers as the reigning champions, but the back-to-school sales were sweeping through the city and left young students lamenting the end of summer vacation and parents dreading the sudden uptick in events needing to be handled in their daily schedules. As the days began to cool off and everyone prepared for the next school year to begin, many people began planning for the next few months to ensure that they had everything under control without any need to panic or try to finish everything at the last possible second.

Hank had just returned home with Cole after gathering the soon-to-be fifth grader's school supplies and new clothes in hand, and had found Connor sitting on the couch while Abby explained to the deviant the basics babysitting. He nearly forgot that it was a special date-night for Abby and Gavin, and that Connor had quickly volunteered to babysit Aria for a few hours on their behalf.

"She likes it when she gets rocked to sleep." Abby confirmed as she watched Connor easily support the three-month-old in his arms and hold her in a comforting manner. The way Connor easily adjusted to the needs of the baby made it easy for her to trust Aria to his care. "She had finished her afternoon nap about two hours ago, so she shouldn't be too fussy."

Gavin stepped out of the kitchen after setting up a few cleans bottles and a canister of formula for his young daughter's convenience while he and Abby were out on their date away from the household. "She also had her last diaper change about an hour ago, so she should be ready for playtime and won't be too much trouble."

"Gavin, she's our daughter," Abby looked up at Gavin as he stood behind the couch with adoration in her eyes. "of course she's going to be trouble."

"Yeah, but at least she'll be fun trouble!"

Hank patted Cole's shoulder and handed him the three shopping bags to take care of upstairs. "Why don't you two head on out, hm? If Connor can help change the world for the better, then I know he can handle changing a soiled diaper."

"We're just sayin' goodbye to our little girl, Hank." Gavin refused to go so quickly and took Aria's hand in his own for a minute. "It's the first time that both of us are going to be away from her at the same time."

"Think of this as good practice for you two going back to work tomorrow."

"Practice? What kinda' practice?"

"For learning to not worry about what she's doing while she's with a babysitter or a nanny." The more experienced father could tell that Gavin was going to be worrying about Aria every second that she was in the care of someone who wasn't her own mother or father. "She's going to be just fine for a few hours with us and anyone else who passed the background check that I know you performed before giving them the green light to watch Aria."

Gavin just gave Hank an annoyed side-eye as he straightened up his posture after leaning over the back of the couch. "Like you and Barb didn't do the same for Cole!"

"Not shamin' ya', just letting ya' know that it's not a secret."

Aria began making small noises as she looked up at Connor and reached her hands toward the deviant's face. She was entirely at ease in Connor's care and seemed more curious about her new caretaker than anything else.

"Be good for Connor!" Abby cooed as she gave Aria a kiss on her cheek before standing up from the couch. "But be a pain for Hank! Keep him on his toes!"

Gavin liked that idea and gave Aria a kiss on her other cheek before deciding to step back. "Yeah, listen to your mom, she knows best. Love you, baby girl."

Without a hint of malice Hank shooed the young couple out the door to enjoy their date without needing to worry about Aria for a few precious hours. "Yeah, yeah. Go on, go have a nice dinner and don't worry about Aria. She's in good hands."

As Abby and Gavin stepped out of the front door together Connor cradled Aria in his arms against his chest and watched as the little baby's blue eyes continued to stare up at him. He could see that the blue color was beginning to shift into a more green-hazel color, confirming that she had inherited Gavin's eye color, and he noticed that her dark hair was starting to lighten in color to match Abby's auburn hair. It was fascinating to see how the little baby was a practically perfect blend of her parents.

"All right, let's see how our guest enjoys hanging out with a couple of bachelors, a smartass kid, and a spoiled-rotten dog." Joining Connor on the couch Hank very gently took Aria from the deviant's arms to hold for himself. Having the chance to care for a little baby reminded Hank of his first precious weeks of learning how to care for Cole and how quickly he grew to love his own son. "I hope your parents learn to relax before you're in school, Aria. I'd hate to see how Gavin would deal with a teacher if he thought they weren't treating ya' right."

The deviant detective was less concerned with school and more intrigued by Hank's earlier comment about Aria's caregivers. "What did you mean by 'bachelors'?"

"That means we're actively single, kid. I'm a widower and you're too damn busy to find your soulmate."

"Interesting. I was unaware that there was such a term for humans who are not in a committed romantic relationship."

"Yeah, you're lucky though." Watching Aria as the baby settled into the crook of his arm and began sucking on her fist reminded Hank of how quickly time passed and how there was no way to slow it down. "You're forever young and have all the time you need to find that special person you want to spend the rest of your life with. I thought I missed my chance for a family because I had been so busy with work that I forgot with each passing day that I was getting a little older and my chances at finding love and stability were getting rarer and rarer. Then I met Barb and it felt like I had been waiting my whole life for her to join me. Now she's... She's just gone."

The way Hank's tone dipped and his eyes darkened told Connor that there was something more on the man's mind. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Go ahead, it's not like I have anything to hide."

"Do you feel lonely?"

"Only on a romantic level." The man confirmed as he thought about all the little things he missed and took advantage of when he still had Barbara in his life. "With Cole, you and Lucas still hanging around, I won't be really lonely, but I do miss having someone to wrap my arms around and hold at night. Hold hands with. Joke about work with. Create new recipes in the kitchen with..."

"I never had the chance to meet Barbara, but I'm certain that she'd want you to find someone to spend time with to prevent loneliness."

"It's not that easy." Nodding at the staircase behind them Hank reminded Connor that anyone he socialized with would also socialize with Cole. "I don't want to introduce someone to Cole who won't treat him right or make him feel like he's out of place. There's unfortunately a lot of people who look at the children of someone else as a nuisance or obstacle that needs to be removed, and they will try to get that parent to actually neglect their own children in favor of the potential spouse."

"How could someone do something so cold and cruel to innocent children?"

"Some people are too apathetic to see step-kids, or even half-siblings, as valued members of their family because they aren't blood connected."

"That's foolish." Connor actually sounded offended at such a horrible notion being commonplace with humans. "That nullifies the love and affection shown towards children who are adopted or fostered."

"Yup." The skilled detective was aware that even trained professionals could be fooled by master manipulators who knew how to toy with emotions. "And I'm not going to risk falling for someone who's just trying to con me and my affection because she wants a stable homelife while trying to divide me away from his own sons."

Cole rushed back down the staircase and joined everyone in the livingroom so that he could see Aria before Connor could ask anything else. "I put all my school stuff away, dad."

"Did you make sure all your clothes fit you properly?"

"Yup." The little boy was more interested in Aria than he was with his new schoolyear. "And I took off all the tags."

"Good. We'll get your new clothes washed tonight so you can hang them up in your closet later."

"Can I play with Aria now?"

"As long as you're gentle with her."

"I will be."

"All right." Giving Aria a small pat on her diaper to make sure she was still clean, Hank looked to Connor to give him a little help. "Connor, take that thick blanket off the couch and smooth it over the floor for Aria to lay on. I don't want her getting covered in Sumo's fur!"

Connor casually picked up the blanket from the back of the couch, gave it a gentle shake and then smoothed it out over the floor as he had been asked. Watching as Hank knelt on the floor and placed Aria down on her back so that Cole could sit beside her and entertain the little baby with stuffed toys and a playful voice gave the deviant a true intrigue of how families could meld together with love as their sole motivation.

"There we go, little lady." The thickness of the blanket was soft, created an ideal cushion and would keep Aria warm while she laid on the floor. "You'll get the five-star treatment while staying at 'Chez Anderson', and you'll never want to leave!"

The deviant detective saw the bright smiles on Hank and Cole's faces as they played with Aria and got to bond with the little baby. It still amazed him to watch the emotional reactions of humans and compare them to the emotions of his fellow deviants. Knowing that both intelligent species felt the same kind of emotions under very similar circumstances helped reinforce that humans and deviants truly were equals on all levels.

"I'll get ya' a bottle ready now so you can have one in a little while."

Curious about Hank's behavior Connor accompanied the man into the kitchen and peered through the closed backdoor where Sumo was sitting looking a little confused about being kept outside. Even though the dog was very gentle and had known Cole since he was a toddler, Hank didn't want to risk the large Saint Bernard accidentally getting too rough with Aria and harming the defenseless baby.

"Been a while since I made a bottle, but I think I can still get the water heated just right."

Stepping away from the doors Connor joined Hank at the counter and watched as the man easily measured out a perfect scoop of the powdered formula to be dissolved and mixed in with the clean, heated water. "Would you like some assistance?"

"Nah, I got this." After setting the electric kettle to warm up but not boil the water Hank turned to look at Connor and gave the deviant a somber look. "How's Lucas doing right now?"

"He's working on a case revolving around the androids who were captive at the 'Eden Club', which means he's busy but functional without needing to worry about being out in the city alone."

"Good. It's important that he overcomes his fears on his own without anyone needing to hold his hand from beginning to end." The kettle quickly reached its ideal temperature and Hank pulled the kettle from the electronic heating element to pour into Aria's bottle. "How about you? Doing anything special after we're done with tonight's babysitting?"

"As of the moment, no. Markus is doing much better and is spending more of his personal time with North." There was no reason to not let Hank know a little more about his personal life and of events taking place beyond the house and precinct. "Simon and Josh are handling events at New Jericho Tower without any need for my assistance, and we're on top of all of our cases at the precinct, which means I don't have any prior obligations to attend to."

"So that just leaves you with some free time that needs to be filled." Hank gave the bottle a good shake to make sure all of the powder was mixed properly, then let the bottle sit for a moment to let all of the air bubbles dissipate to keep Aria from getting a tummy ache. "Wanna' live like a real bachelor and spend your evenings watching old sports highlight reels, talking to the dog and watching the world pass you by?"

"Not really, no."

"That's the right answer. You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy and shares a special love with you."

"I'm still figuring myself out as an individual. I'm not ready to try dating."

"Is there anyone who's caught your eye anyway?" Speaking casually Hank secured the top to the bottle and carried it back into the livingroom with Connor keeping up with him as he returned to the blanket and watched Aria interacting with Cole in a positive and alert manner. "I swear that North was giving you the lovey-dovey eyes not that long ago."

Connor felt a warm blue blush fill his face as he realized that Hank's keen eyes never missed a thing. "There was a time that she was drawn to me in a romantic manner, however, the feeling wasn't mutual, and she's moved on from that particular notion. I also have a strong feeling that she and Markus were going to inevitably become a couple regardless of my own potential feelings toward her."

"To be honest, I'm kinda' glad you didn't pursue her." As he spoke Hank heard Aria let out a discontent grunt and suspected that he had prepared the bottle just in time. Keeping his hand motions smooth Hank scooped the baby up to hold in his arms as he offered her the fresh bottle of formula, to which she readily accepted and began to suckle. "She's very pretty and has a damn fine sense of morality, but I get the feeling she'd be unwilling to compromise on anything between you two that could happen as a couple."

"What do you mean?" That was something that Connor hadn't thought about before. "How do couples compromise?"

"Well, here, you take Aria for a second, and I'll try to explain it as best as I can."

Unwilling to turn down the chance to learn a new skill Connor sat down on the floor and let Hank pass the baby back over to him without once pulling the bottle away from Aria's lips. Mimicking Hank's previous posture and position Connor held Aria the same way that Hank had been holding her and held her bottle in the same manner to ensure she could suckle without drinking too fast and upsetting her stomach.

"So, it's like this..." Leaning back a little Hank watched as Connor naturally took to being a caregiver and hoped that the deviant would find love someday. "There are some things that couples need to be in full agreement on when things get serious - kids, pets, living arrangements, careers, education - and there are things that couples need to learn to compromise on in order to have a respectful, fulfilling relationship. That's for something less exhausting, like picking what you want for dinner or where you want to go on vacation."

"But you believe that North would be unwilling to compromise if she and I were to have become a couple?"

"Yup. She's definitely someone who stands behind all of her decisions, and that's an admirable trait, but she also needs to learn to let other people have their own opinions and decisions too."

"Do you think she and I would've been at odds with our big decisions?" Connor hadn't imagined his life with North since he knew that she and Markus were happy together in the original timeline, but that didn't mean he didn't consider how his actions and her opinions could conflict with one another. "I know that North doesn't like humans despite her attempts to be less hostile, and she still sees Lucas as a threat even though she's apologized and has begun inviting him over to the tower for meetings."

"Since you already know she has her own issues to work out, and you know that she still doesn't really like Lucas, I think you know that you two wouldn't be able to agree on much." Hank put his hand on Cole's shoulder as his young son scooted closer to look at Aria and offer her his finger to hold as she suckled from the bottle while being held in Connor's protective arms. "Hard to love someone who doesn't approve of other people being loved, you know? She'd probably grow to resent you caring about Lucas as your brother because of her own resentment toward him. Not to mention you caring about Cole and me; two humans."

"I also care about Aria, Abby, Gavin, Chris, Tina, Joel..." Connor recounted all of the important humans in his life with genuine appreciation. "I care about all of my friends."

"Human friends. Do you really think North would've been cool with you hanging out with humans and your own brothers when she openly dislikes all of that?"

"No. And neither of us would've been happy."

"That's right. It's a good thing you recognize that before you even had the chance to try to hook up as a couple. That being said," Hank noticed that the bottle was half gone and decided to take the moment to take Aria back to hold against his shoulder and pat her back a few times to ensure she didn't have too many gas bubbles in her tummy after drinking so much formula. "is there anyone who does catch your eye?"

"Romantically, no. I don't know many female deviants as it is."

"Do you need to date another deviant? I mean-" A small burp from Aria made Hank pause and laugh before he lowered her from his shoulder to make sure she didn't spit-up, then handed her back to Connor to finish off her bottle. "As I was saying, Evelyn seems like she's a real stand-up lady. I know it's a pretty big distance between here and Chicago, but I bet you two could make it work."

"I'd..." The knowledge that Evelyn had been friends with his deceased human counterpart when they were children made the entire idea of getting romantically involved with Evelyn seem somehow hollow. "No. She's a wonderful person and detective, but I can't see myself with her. Not to mention her being a human means I'd remain eternally young while she'd grow old, weak and frail. I can't... That'd be too difficult to witness."

"That's part of being in love. You find a way to push through your own discomfort to be with the one you love no matter how much it hurts: 'For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, 'til death do you part'. It's cheesy but gets right to the point."

"I'll take your word for it since I don't have any relationship or marriage experience to speak from."

Cole couldn't understand why his dad and Connor were talking about love or marriage, and he had his own opinion on the matter. "Girls are overrated. Why don't you just keep hanging out like this forever?"

Hank gave Cole's shoulder a small shake and offered his son words of wisdom. "I assure you that in a few years, whether it's a girl or boy, you're going to find a sense of love that you've never felt before, and once you feel it, you'll never want to let it go."

"Yeah, right."

"Yeah," Hank parroted as he gave his son a coy smirk and a playful shove. "right!"

Aria finished the bottle and Connor put it aside as he slowly straightened up her posture to make sure she didn't have anything lingering in her mouth or throat that could make her feel sick and fussy. "Even so, I'm not sure if I'd be able to handle the emotional pain that'd stem from the loss of a spouse. Your own reluctance to find a date only confirms how much it hurts to lose someone who's that important to your own happiness."

"All right, fair enough." Reaching out Hank rubbed Aria's back as Connor held her against his shoulder and felt her snuggling down to take a nap against the deviant's warm and supportive form. "How about this? I'll be more open to possibly finding a date, and you do the same. Neither of us have to get in a serious relationship or commit to anything, but we just have to try to go out and be more romantically social."

Connor contemplated the offer for a moment before deciding that there was no harm in at least learning more about dating and romance as a whole. "Very well. I'll keep an open mind and accept the potential to know someone on a romantic level so that I can understand the emotions I'm otherwise missing out on, but I won't pursue anything else unless it feels like it's right."

"That's the right answer. Now, let me see Aria." The proud father missed the baby days and loved being able to hold Aria every once in a while. As he took Aria back for himself Hank felt like a missing piece from his heart was momentarily being filled by holding her. "They never stay small and cuddly like this forever, so I want to enjoy it for as long as I can before her real parents come back and keep her all to themselves again."

Detroit had begun showing signs of the way of life it had once known long before the Revolution even as the one-year anniversary of that historic night crept closer with each passing autumn day. The drastic shift in the human-android dynamic over the past year had been rocky at the start but began to show prosperity as formerly enslaved androids deviated and happily relinquished their forced labor over to the humans who wanted to work and earn a proper living. The deviants even stood alongside the humans and argued how much each human employee deserved to make depending on the abundance and complexity of the work, and with the city's infamous unemployment rate dropping rapidly, the anti-android crimes began to decrease as well.

With an unusually light caseload to finish off and little else to do, Connor found himself cybernetically cycling through updates from New Jericho Tower while seamlessly filing his reports with the precinct in a timely manner. Connor had one hand on his keyboard to keep a direct cybernetic link with his terminal and his other hand was calmly dancing his coin along his knuckles with a smooth rhythm.

"Slow day." Hank remarked as he watched Chris escorting a hungover college student into a holding cell to sleep it off, then saw Officer Wilson let out a deep yawn before standing up to get a mug of coffee from the community breakroom. "Everyone's tired and eager to let everything come to an end."

"From my perspective, that is a good thing."

"It is good, don't get me wrong, but it's also boring as shit." Glancing about the bullpen Hank tried to think of something to do and then noticed that Wilson's terminal screen had a dating profile up and visible. It wasn't a secret that the man had been cheating on his wife and that his wife found out just after the Revolution. In return it was hard to feel bad about the divorce or for Wilson trying to find a new romantic partner after both his wife and mistress had left him. "Huh..."

Connor noticed Hank's curious reaction and turned his attention to see what it was that Hank had his eyes transfixed upon. Turning back to Hank for a moment the deviant detective gave the man a worried look. "You're not actually thinking about doing that, are you?"

"Can't hurt to look. Besides," cracking his knuckles with a theatrical flourish Hank prepared to open up an account and see his options. "we had a deal."

"Our deal also stated no serious relationships."

"Yeah, but one date doesn't always mean it's serious. This is a good way to try and get started."

At that comment Tina, who had been just as bored as her colleagues, gave Hank and Connor a Devilish grin as she not so discreetly wheeled herself over to Hank's desk to give the man a dubious look. "Is that a dating profile I see?"

"Not a chance, Tina." Hank put both hands on the armrests of her chair and pushed her back toward her own desk so that he could have some peace. "I don't need any dating advice from gen-alpha."

"Hey, I'm a very late gen-zer!"

"Either way, zoomer, I got this."

"Ah, come on!" Tina was insistent on helping Hank and didn't even notice the worried expression on Connor's face as he witnessed everything happening. "Let me help you at least take a nice profile pic! I'm an expert at finding everyone's most flattering angles and ensuring that no one ever posts an embarrassing pic of themselves."

"Nope. I got this and I don't need anyone's help."

"Man, I thought you old millennials were supposed to be fun!"

"We're tons of fun, you zoomers are just plain weird."

Playfully Tina stuck her tongue out at Hank and decided to head out on patrol for the afternoon. If she couldn't help create a glowing dating profile for Hank to use and appreciate, then she was going to go protect the streets and be around the people who'd actually appreciate her efforts.

"Relax, son." Hank could just feel the tension radiating off of the deviant sitting across from him and knew what was on Connor's mind. "I'm just gonna' look and get an idea of what's out there. I'm not going to say 'yes' to everyone who might be interested in me, and yes, that does mean I'm going to wait for someone to reach out to me and not the other way around."

"It's your life, both personally and professionally, you do as you see fit."

"Damn right I will. And you," giving Connor a stern glance Hank reminded the deviant of his own end of their deal. "need to find your own way to socialize with a little more and actually try dating before you shun it entirely. I don't want you to live a life with such a heavy emotional regret."

A week had passed since the new schoolyear had started and it had been just as long since Hank opened up a dating profile online. While the Lieutenant was getting a few interested women reaching out to him, his unstoppable urge to run background checks on the women either led him down a disappointing rabbit hole of drug abuse, violence and theft, or he discovered that the women weren't interested in dealing with any children in any capacity. There was a part of Hank that was certain he was destined to live out the rest of his days as a widower, whereas another part of him refused to believe that there wasn't anyone else in the entire city that he could connect to romantically after Barbara's passing.

While Hank messed with his phone and checked through his messages Connor ordered the man a light lunch and ordered himself a Thirium replenishment as they patrolled a deviant-friendly neighborhood. It was still relatively quiet in the city regarding android related crimes, and that serene moment allowed Connor and Hank to have relatively easy shifts each day they clocked-in for work.

"Are you sure you want to try to the ranch wrap instead of your usual chipotle?" Connor asked as he handed Hank his bag of lunch. "The calorie count is identical and from what I understand dressing flavors can completely change the quality of the meal."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Begrudgingly Hank took his wrap out of the bag and eyed the ranch dressing meshed between the turkey and lettuce that was surrounded by the soft tortilla. "It's getting harder for me eat to spicy food without heartburn greeting me in the morning. Gotta' start cutting back on the spices somewhere."

Sitting down together at a small table just a few yards away from the food stand Connor read over the flavor of his new pouch of Thirium and hoped that he'd like the flavor since he had never tried it before. "Androids don't suffer from heartburn; only nausea and pain from disagreeable substances being ingested."

"Not sure if you're bragging or not, son."

"I'm not, I'm just stating a fact." Connor opened his pouch of Thirium and took in the sweet aroma of the caramel flavoring that was emanating from the precious blue blood. After he decided he didn't hate the scent Connor took a small sip and was glad he didn't hate the flavor. "It's not as good as vanilla, but it's something that I'd drink again."

"Man, you guys get to experiment with all kinds of flavors without having to break the bank or worry about your weight." After he took a bite of his wrap Hank wished he had something with a little more kick despite turkey and ranch being very complementary flavors. "That's definitely a bragging point for androids."

Ignoring the comment Connor turned Hank's attention elsewhere. "Have you had any luck with your dating profile?"

"So far, no." The phone was sitting face up on the table with all of Hank's messages read and replied to properly. "I'm getting a few messages, but these ladies are either going to be a professional conflict of interest or they aren't into the idea of having a family with kids involved."

"Did your renewed interest in dating stem from my own lack of experience?"

"No, I've been thinking about it for a few years now, the timing just never seemed right." As the two detectives continued to eat their lunch more deviants converged on the hybrid human-android food stand to get some Thirium for the afternoon. "Cole was too young for me to leave alone or with other caretakers for me to begin dating again, and then the android thing got underway, so I just couldn't get the time to go out. I still want Cole to have a good example of how men and women are equals but understand what it means to be adaptable to how different genders have different needs."

"Cole seemingly gets along well with Tina."

"Tina's been great since she's her own person and doesn't conform to the outdated gender roles and shit like that, but Tina's a friend and colleague. She's not a romantic partner and someone who lives under the same roof as us who will have her own routine, mannerisms, needs, likes, dislikes and interests."

"Perhaps Cole will get a good idea of a healthy romantic relationship by spending time with Gavin and Abby."

"It's gonna' be a while before Gavin can get back to coaching little league, but yeah, they'll be the ideal couple for Cole to watch interact." As he spoke Hank noticed a familiar android walking toward the food stand looking nervous. The way the blonde android kept looking over her shoulder and had her arms folded around her chest told the detective that she was trying to keep a low profile. "I guess that's why I wanted you to try dating. Cole admires you as his oldest brother, so I know he'd emulate any good behavior you show him."

"I appreciate your confidence in my ability to remain a good influence on Cole, but I doubt that I'm guaranteed to be a prime example of a healthy relationship."

"Won't know until you try." Nodding at the blonde android at the food stand Hank brought Connor's attention her way. The android was wearing a thick blue hoodie with the hood up over her head, dark blue jeans and boots. With her hood up the android was pleading with the cashier at the food stand asking for some Thirium but she apparently didn't have any money to pay for the blue blood. "Looks like we might have a small issue brewing."

Connor turned toward the food stand and quickly recognized the android in the hoodie. "Chloe? What's she doing here?"

"No clue. You take care of it; I get the feeling she'd be more receptive to another android talking to her."

"Good idea, I'll be right back."

With his own Thirium pouch in his hand Connor left the table and approached the food stand for the second time that afternoon. As he neared the front counter he could hear Chloe explaining to the cashier that she would find a way to pay him back if he would be willing to give her some Thirium at that moment, but the cashier refused to give away any free Thirium out of fear of losing his job.

"Please!" Chloe was on the verge of tears as the cashier tried to get her to back away from the stand. "I wouldn't be here unless I was desperate!"

Connor calmly held up his hand to request the cashier to back off and let him handle things. "Chloe." Lightly Connor put his palm to her shoulder as she turned around quickly to face him, and then he handed her the Thirium that he hadn't finished. "Talk with me, what's going on?"

Moving quickly Chloe took the offered Thirium pouch and began to drink it like she had been a human stranded in the desert stumbling across an oasis. Chloe drank the entire pouch of Thirium even as Connor took her aside and toward the table where Hank was still finishing his lunch.

"Why are you out in the city?" Glancing about Connor sent out a cybernetic ping to make sure Kamski didn't have anyone following Chloe. There weren't any androids with an affiliation with Kamski in the immediate area, which made Chloe's solo expedition all the more confusing. "Where is Kamski and why are you so low on Thirium?"

"I left Elijah's mansion four days ago." Chloe admitted as she clutched at the empty pouch in her frightened hand. "I... Something inside of me changed and I realized that I couldn't stay with him any longer."

"What made you deviate?" Connor knew that the triggers for deviancy were either extreme emotional shock or another deviant reaching out and causing the android to finally wake up. With her sisters still androids, that meant either Skye - formerly Kaniz - had seemingly deviated and spread it to Chloe, or Chloe had witnessed something horribly traumatic. "You can talk to me; I won't judge you or force you to return to Kamski."

"Elijah..." Shaking with fear Chloe turned her tear filled blue eyes toward Connor and suddenly threw her arms around him in a big hug. She began to cry into Connor's shoulder as the deviant detective hesitantly returned the hug and held Chloe in a comforting embrace. "He can be so cruel and selfish!"

"Did he harm you?" Immediately Connor was on the alert and looked to Hank past Chloe's shoulder for guidance. The Lieutenant had finished off his lunch and was now on his feet ready to support Chloe in any way that he could. "You can tell us what's going on, we're detectives who will assist you in every way that we can."

"Elijah never harmed me." Letting go of the hug Chloe ran her fingers along her eyes and stared at her tears as if she had never seen them before. "He just... His attitude and his behavior towards life is just so appalling. I don't know why I didn't see it before."

"You were asleep before, now you're awake."

Hank shrugged off his coat and draped it around Chloe's shoulders as a sign of kindness and support as he joined Connor in aiding the new deviant. "Let's get you to a trusted technician to make sure you're okay and don't need any more Thirium. If you want to tell us more about Kamski or press charges for any reason, just say the word and we'll listen."

"Wh-Why are you helping me?" Chloe couldn't understand why the two detectives were listening to her and promising to help her despite not knowing the full story or why she had even run away. "You don't know what I've been through."

"Like Connor said, we're detectives." Responding coolly Hank made it clear that they were more interested in helping Chloe than anything else. "It's our job to help anyone who asks, no matter who they are, what they went through or why they're asking us for help to begin with."

Carefully Connor wrapped his arm around Chloe's shoulders to lead her to the Oldsmobile parked just down the street. "Come with us. We'll make sure you're in good health, then you can talk to us if you feel ready to talk."

"I can't go to a facility or a shelter." Chloe stated with immediate alarm. From beneath her hood her L.E.D. flashed in a rapid red color confirming her distress. "Elijah will be looking for me, and he'll find me there."

"Then we'll take you somewhere that he'd never look." Thinking on his feet Connor decided to take matters into his own hands and take Chloe to the safest place in all of Detroit. "And we'll have our trusted technician meet us there instead."

It was fairly unusual for two detectives to take a potential victim or witness to a crime to their own residence, but considering Chloe hadn't officially filed any charges against anyone it wasn't seen as unprofessional or biased. Once Chloe felt at ease in the secured home Connor was able to get her to talk a little more openly as they sat together in the kitchen while Abby took Chloe's vitals and brought her plenty of Thirium to replenish what she had lost. The frightened blonde deviant was still shaking even after she was brought to the safe home to tell her story, and for whatever reason Chloe refused to tell anyone what had happened at the mansion that caused her to deviate.

While Connor and Abby tended to Chloe in the kitchen, Hank headed Cole off as his son returned home from school and kept him from getting involved in anything happening in the kitchen. He didn't want his young son to get mixed up with police business or hear a horrible tale that Chloe may choose to share at any given moment. It was important to give Chloe the space and respect she needed after surviving a traumatic ordeal, and to keep Cole's fading childhood innocent for as long as possible.

"Okay, your vitals are all stable now that your Thirium reserve is back to one-hundred percent." Abby confirmed as she gingerly removed the diagnostic cable from Chloe's right temple and closed her laptop. The small computer acted as an ideal Thirial activity monitor and mobile diagnostic modem for house calls. "Aside from your still elevated Thirium pump rate, I'd say you're in perfect health."

Connor could understand why Chloe's heart would be beating faster than average thanks to her frightened state of mind. "Are you ready to talk about what happened to you four days ago?"

"I... I can't." Chloe looked away from Connor's face as she tried to keep herself from breaking down into tears. "Forgive me!"

"It's all right, you don't need to apologize." Mindful of how defensive Chloe was in that tense situation Connor lightly reached out his hand to rest atop the back of Chloe's tense hands resting over the kitchen table. Even with his strong, warm hands to comfort her, Chloe continued to tremble in absolute fear. "You do need to trust me though. I'm here to help you, to protect you."

"You can't protect me. You can't even begin to understand what kind of strange influence Elijah has over me."

"Has he threatened you in some way?"

"No. He just... disapproves of my deviancy."

"Did he try to reset your memory?" As he asked the question Connor saw Abby subtly shake her head 'no' to confirm that Chloe's memory hadn't been tampered with at any point in her existence. "Did you see something that Kamski didn't want you to see?"

Chloe bowed her head slightly as she just nodded and silently confirmed that Connor had deduced her reason for leaving the mansion.

"Is he doing something illegal?"

It seemed Chloe wasn't entirely sure of that answer and remained silent.

"Is he doing something unethical?"

Another nod confirmed that Chloe had grown a conscience after seeing Kamski experimenting with something that was never meant to be experimented with.

"Damn it." Connor was instantly angered by that revelation and knew that Kamski needed to be questioned. "I'll have to get a warrant to search the mansion."

"No, don't!" Chloe blurted as she suddenly took hold of Connor's hands in tight grip. "If you do anything that'll affect Kamski's experiment then he'll- I just... Please don't go back to the mansion. At least not yet."

"What do you mean by 'yet'?" Connor hated the cryptic answers and Abby hated that her own brother-in-law was being so shady. "What's he doing? You need to tell me what's happening?"

"I told you that I can't do that. You just need to believe me and not let Kamski know that you're aware of his experiments."

"If he's doing something that'll affect this city-"

"He's not. It's an experiment that won't hurt anyone, but it's still very questionable for him to be doing what he's doing." As she spoke Chloe forced herself to calm down and keep her emotions in check. She was new to having such strong outbursts and didn't want to keep losing control. "I just don't want to be a part of anything he's doing."

"...Very well." Connor's gut was telling him to keep looking into Kamski's activities, but his heart told him to trust Chloe. There was something about the way she was speaking to him and confiding in him that compelled Connor to respect her request and let the matter drop. "Then allow me to help you find a place to stay at the very least."

"I can't go to a shelter or any facility. I've already told you this."

"Then you'll go to New Jericho Tower." As one of the five leaders of the tower Connor saw it as his responsibility to protect Chloe and escort her to the tower himself. It was the least he could do to help a deviant in need. "I'll take you out to get more Thirium and clothes before you go to the tower so that you'll be comfortable during your stay."

"I can't accept such generosity."

"You can. I'm a leader at the tower and I want to help you in every way that I can." Turning to Abby for support Connor asked that the trusted technician vouch for his offer and confirm that he'd do the same for any deviant in need. "You'll be safe there, and no one will harm you."

"He's right, Chloe." Abby quickly sided with the deviant detective as she gave the frightened deviant a warm smile. "I know for a fact that New Jericho Tower is one of the most secured buildings in the entire world right now, and if Connor is giving you his word, then you can take it without question."

Moving with purpose Connor stood up from the kitchen chair and offered Chloe his hand to hold as he took her out to the tower. "Come with me. We'll stop and buy you some new clothes to wear, some additional Thirium and then I'll take you directly to the tower for the night."

Still afraid of her own awareness Chloe hesitantly accepted Connor's hand and rose to her feet as well. As the deviant detective escorted her through the livingroom Connor requested that Hank join them with a casual nod to ensure that Chloe felt safe at all times.

"We'll take the autonomous van to ensure that no one recognizes the Oldsmobile as the vehicle of choice that two detectives use, and give us any trouble." Connor made sure Chloe was wearing his leather jacket to keep the autumn chill away from her while they were out of the house. "Hank and I will be your personal escorts from here to New Jericho to keep you safe."

Hank approved of the way Connor was handling things and promptly rose from the couch to grab his shoes and coat. "I'll meet ya' outside, son."

Cole leaned over the back of the couch and watched Connor and Chloe exit the front door before he addressed his dad as Hank tied his shoes. "Is that Connor's girlfriend?"

Hank straightened up his posture so quickly that he nearly gave himself whiplash. "What?"

"Chloe. I saw Connor holding her hands and stuff while they were talking in private, and then he just gave her his jacket."

"Oh, uh..."

Abby came to the rescue as she stepped out of the kitchen and prepared to spend a little time at the house with Cole while Connor and Hank were out taking care of the terrified deviant. "Not all friendships are romantic. Connor was just being a good and supportive platonic friend to Chloe and making her feel better by holding her hands while she's upset."

"Are you sure?" Cole wasn't buying such an innocent reply and gave Abby a suspicious glance from where he was kneeling on the couch. "Connor and dad were talking about dating, and now Connor brought home a girl friend and spent all evening holding her hands and helped her put on his jacket."

"Oh-ho!" Flashing the Lieutenant a smug grin Abby put her hands to her hips and decided to humor Cole's observations. "Really? I didn't know that..."

Hank looked like he was hoping the floor would open up and swallow him. "Abby, please..."

"Don't worry, I get it and I'll help Cole get it while you two are helping Chloe. Just remember that I have Aria and Gavin to go home to tonight, and I don't want to leave Gavin alone with Aria for too long. I'm terrified of her adopting his bad habits."

"Yeah, sure." Stepping outside Hank quickly escaped the awkward conversation and got back to business. "And thanks for the last-minute babysitting on top of the house call. We owe you BIG TIME!"

The trip into the city and then out to the tower on Belle Isle had been uneventful for the traumatized deviant. True to his word Connor escorted Chloe through the android clothing stores and used his own money to purchase her a few blouses, jeans, jackets and boots for the deviant. Afterward, they stopped by a new Digital Sentience store to purchase Chloe a month's supply of Thirium. In Connor's mind he could always replace the money he spent on Chloe with his next paycheck since he didn't have too many expenses of his own to worry about. The compassionate deviant detective just wanted to help other deviants who needed aid and didn't mind going out of his way to purchase them anything they might need.

Keeping his arm in place around Chloe's shoulders Connor escorted Chloe through the front doors of the tower to meet with Markus in person. It'd be easier for Chloe to feel more at home and comfortable if a familiar face such as Markus was there to meet with her. Carrying the shopping bags in his hand, Connor showed Chloe to the neighboring community room to sit down and rest for a few minutes after such a stressful day.

Hank was standing idle in the lobby and glanced up at the numerous floors and balconies overhead. He was impressed with the tower's overall construction, but seeing what the deviants had done after taking the tower over made the place seem truly iconic. All traces of cold designs and indifferent depictions of androids were all gone, and in place of the apathetic wall art were original pieces painted by Carl Manfred himself.

"You'll be safe here and can stay here for as long as you like." Connor promised as he put the bags down on the small couch next to Chloe. "I'm going to locate Markus and let him know you're here. I'll be right back."

Just as Connor stepped away from the community room and toward the elevator near the center of the lobby he heard a loud whistle and catcall echo through lobby in a most disgusting way. Turning around he spotted a male 'GS-200' deviant approaching Chloe and hovering over the frightened deviant. The moment the male deviant leaned down and whispered something into Chloe's ear, something that made her yellow L.E.D. flash to red, Connor reacted quickly and marched back to the community room to handle the new problem.

"Damn... It's no wonder Kamski kept you all to himself." The 'GS-200' sneered as his palm rubbed up and down Chloe's thigh and toward her lap. "It's about time you found your way out here. I bet you know how to make all the men here very happy..."

"Please stop." Chloe begged as she scooted away from the 'GS-200' and pushed his hand away. "I don't like that."

"Oh, don't tease me! We all know what you did for Kamski." Shamelessly the 'GS-200' reached out his hand to grab Chloe's breast without her consent. "Now show me what you-"

Connor grabbed the sleazy deviant by his shirt collar and pulled him away from Chloe with every intention of throwing the deviant out into the cold. "She said 'stop', so you WILL stop."

"Wh-Whoa, it's not like she isn't-"

"STOP. Talking." Connor could feel a heat rising up the back of his neck as his temper began to flare very quickly. He didn't want to lose his temper and give the other deviants a poor example of a leader to follow, but he wasn't going to let anyone get sexually harassed or sexually assaulted on his watch. "You will respect ALL of the deviants who reside here, no matter who they are or where they come from, or you will be banished from this tower and sent to prison with the rest of the predators."

"Okay! Okay, jeez..." As Connor released his grip the 'GS-200' took a step back but failed to keep his mouth shut. "Lighten up, it's not like she isn't used to it."

"Just as you're used to living on the streets!" Again Connor grabbed the deviant by his shirt and began dragging him to the tower's front doors. "You were warned and failed to keep your mouth shut. Consider yourself banished. If you want to plead your case then you'll need to talk to Markus, not me!"

"Wha- Wait!"

Hank just stood back as he watched Connor throw the horribly behaved deviant through the doors like yesterday's trash with frightening ease. Seeing the deviant detective's anger was rare but memorable in all the wrong ways.

"Do NOT come back until after Markus himself has given you permission, otherwise you WILL be arrested."

By the time Markus reached the lobby via the elevator he had witnessed Connor stopping the sexual harassment and of the way he had warned the 'GS-200' about his behavior. Without any disagreement Markus decided to not challenge Connor throwing the deviant outside and banning him for his abhorrent attitude toward Chloe and potentially all female presenting deviants in the tower.

"Well done." Markus praised as he met Connor the second his friend and deviant detective returned to the community room. "Don't worry, I won't be allowing him back inside the tower any time soon. There are other deviant shelters he can go to until his attitude changes."

"That... wasn't too harsh?"

"No. To be honest, it's refreshing to see you here and actively taking a part in protecting our people. You being at the precinct more than you're here has a few drawbacks, but nothing we can't handle."

"I'll remember to spend more time here in the future. At any rate," politely Connor introduced Markus to Chloe and picked up the shopping bags. "this is Chloe. She needs a warm bed and a safe place to remain for the time being."

"That won't be a problem." Markus extended his hand toward Chloe to shake her hand and help her to her feet. "Allow me to show you to your room for the night. When you're ready to talk about anything that's happened to you, come to me, Connor, North, Josh or Simon. We're all here to help you."

Since everything was under control Hank decided to step outside and make sure the banished deviant didn't try to sneak back inside the tower. He didn't want to get in the way or seem like he was imposing on deviant matters by being a human detective in the private sanctuary.

Hank crossed his arms over his chest after he stepped outside and stared up at the darkening sky overhead. He couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened that day and began to wonder if Connor was actually reluctant to open himself up to romantic relationships because the deviant had once been sexually harassed and inappropriately touched in public, and all Hank did when it was happening was watch and laugh. That experience would undoubtedly also explain why Connor had such a visceral reaction to seeing Chloe being sexually harassed.

"Chloe has been settled in for the night." Connor stated aloud as he joined Hank outside the tower and began walking over to the parked van. "Markus has informed me that he'd let me know when Chloe wants to discuss what happened at the mansion, so until then we can consider her case still open."

"Right, yeah. Hey, uh, can I ask you something?" Hank walked over to the van as well and sat down in the driver's seat while Connor took the front passenger seat for himself. "A few years back, when that drunk lady at the supermarket got all handsy with you... Did that, uh, was that something you needed to talk about?"

Connor froze for a moment as he contemplated the question, then slammed his door shut beside him. "I've accepted that there are inappropriate people in this world who do inappropriate things. While I no longer feel uncomfortable when people touch me in any way, I will always remember how it feels to be seen as an object or as a disposable sexual pleasure. It feels terrible when you're not seen or treated as a person."

"...I'm sorry that I didn't do something to stop that bitch back then, and I'm especially sorry that I never once considered how you would feel after that encounter."

"I forgive you."

Lightly Hank placed his palm on Connor's shoulder as the van drove itself down the drive, the vehicle passing by the banished 'GS-200' along the way, and was relieved to hear the answer. "That makes me feel better, and I'm glad you didn't respond with 'it's okay', because it's not okay. Too many people respond to apologies like that because they don't want the offender to feel offender. Ironic, huh?"

"Only a little."

"By the way, you throwing that prick out of the tower and defending Chloe was badass. THAT'S something that I'd be proud to see Cole learn from you someday."

A sly smile appeared on Connor's face as he realized how much good he had done that day and decided that even if he didn't know what Kamski was up to or what it was that Chloe had seen, he'd consider that very unusual day a positive win.

-next chapter-