It was a cold start to the new year as additional snow and ice covered Detroit's streets, bridges and buildings under a fresh layer of pure white. A majority of the city seemed to start off on a more positive note as many people set about attempting to complete their new year's resolutions to get in shape, drop bad habits and start new good habits. Such a positive concept was radiating a positive energy throughout the city and helped create an atmosphere of comfort in spite of someone's personal plights or lingering struggles that followed them from the previous year. Having that comforting feeling was proving to be invaluable as the Anderson clan set about returning to the repaired house to try to resume a normal life.

After the break-in Hank had motion activated security cameras installed over the garage, front and backdoors of the house, as well as a camera mounted over the exterior of Cole's bedroom window. The man also took the liberty of installing stronger deadbolts to ensure that no one could force the door open without needing something far stronger than a crowbar and a misplaced vendetta. By all account, the house was perfectly secure.

"Finally, back home." Hank let out a relieved sigh as he unlocked the front door and waited for Cole to follow after him. Once his son was inside the house Hank stepped aside and made sure Sumo had plenty of room to walk while Connor held his leash and slowly led the large dog inside. "Not the way I was expecting to start off a new year, but at least we're starting it off together."

Cole was looking for any sign of Connor's spilled blood on the floor but didn't see a single drop or stain. That was enough to make the little boy feel more at ease after everything that had happened just three days prior.

"Come here, Cole." Hank asked as he slid the bookcase away from the wall to reveal the crawlspace door again. "I want to show you something."

Curiously Cole joined his dad by the crawlspace door while Connor led Sumo into the kitchen to get some food and water. He didn't know what was happening or why he needed to look inside the crawlspace again, but his natural curiosity pushed him to find out.

"Check it out." After awkwardly climbing into the small space Hank showed Cole that he had a special television installed in the crawlspace that'd let the little boy see the security camera footage in real time. "If you ever feel like something like what we just went through will ever happen again, you can hide in here and watch the cameras while waiting for the police to come here and help you. That way you'll know what's happening and can even talk on the phone to let 911 operators know what's happening too."

"It looks like a spaceship!" Cole beamed as he saw the monitors and let his imagination run wild. His imaginary shuttlecraft was look quite real despite it still being a shelter and safe place to hide. "This is cool!"

Connor overheard the comments and was relieved that Hank was taking precautions against another incident in the future. While it seemed unlikely that anyone would attempt to attack Cole a second time in his own house, Connor knew that statistically speaking that there was always a probability of unlikely events to take place.

"Good dog, Sumo." Whispering to the Saint Bernard as he patted the dog's back Connor made sure the loyal dog was well fed and comfortable. With the dog still sporting a broken leg Connor knew Sumo would need some extra attention to feel better faster. "You may not like being aggressive or even believe aggressive behavior is never okay, but you did very good in your attempts to protect Cole."

"You did good too."

Looking up Connor noticed Hank walking into the kitchen with a surprisingly kind expression on his face. It was the first time since Connor had revealed himself to be an android that Hank looked at him with any sign of compassion or understanding in his eyes. In a way, it was as if Hank finally saw Connor for the living, feeling and free-thinking person that he truly was; not a defective or glitchy machine.

"That was really clever getting Cole to go into the crawlspace without scaring him." Hank explained as he walked over to the coffee maker to brew himself a fresh pot to help him regain some lost energy. "He hated going in there during some nasty, stormy weather in the past. Now he seems pretty good with going back there whenever there's an emergency or just for fun."

"May I ask how the arrest of Jack Puillar has progressed?" Connor was aware of what was happening courtesy of his lingering cybernetic connections to the precinct, but he didn't want to let Hank know about it. Having such a connection was proving to be incredibly useful if not invaluable. "I doubt that Pillar was able to return to prison with a metaphorical slap on the wrist."

"You got that right. The fucker had ALL of his privileges in prison revoked, and he was moved to a cell where his only human contact comes in the form of the prison guards checking on him every hour on the hour to ensure that he didn't slip out again." Hank took a victorious sip of his coffee as he spoke with the deviant android who was waiting to hear even more details. "Pillar gets a small television to watch and nothing more. No books, no internet, no phone calls, no visits and no more yard time. He'll stay inside that cell for the rest of his miserable life and be unable to say or do anything about it."

"I'm relieved to know that the judge gave Pillar such an appropriate sentence. What of Thomas Brown?"

"Brown got sent to another prison out in Colorado to keep away from Pillar and his other associates. He's also going to remain in a small, isolated cell for the remainder of his sentence, which was lengthened by another twenty years. Dumb asshole."

"That seems appropriate as well."

"Let's just hope that Cole can take some comfort in knowing that they're both locked up and won't be able to come after him again."

Peering at Cole as the little boy finished exploring the recently enhanced crawlspace Connor saw the same happy little boy he had come to know over the past fall and winter. "Cole seems to be comfortable enough."

"Yeah, NOW. But I get the feeling that he's going to have some nightmares coming his way for the next couple of nights."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Hank finished off his coffee and promptly gave Connor's shoulder a hearty pat. "You do plenty as it is. Besides, Cole thinks of you as his friend."

"...He does?"

"Yeah. And that's great, because that means if anything does scare him in the night then he knows he can come to me or go to you for comfort."

"I see. How... do I help someone with nightmares?"

"You tell me."

Such a cryptic response made Connor's blue L.E.D. flash to yellow for a brief, worrisome beat. "What do you mean?"

"You've had nightmares before. How have you dealt with them?"

"My method for what can only be described as nightmares is to isolate those disruptive memory files and refuse to acknowledge them."

"Ignoring shit and hoping it goes away never works out for anyone." After giving Connor some heartfelt advice Hank decided to head back into the livingroom and close up the crawlspace again after Cole finished exploring his new shuttlecraft. "I'm pretty sure that applies to humans AND androids."

Connor couldn't deny that Hank was right about his assumption when it came to nightmares. As much as Connor tried to push away the nightmares and horrible visions from his memories of Hank's death, he just couldn't escape his inner torment. There were some things that just couldn't be forgotten.

"Hey, uh, why don't you head downtown and get yourself some more Thirium?" The senior detective suggested as he reached into his wallet and handed Connor some physical cash to use. "I don't want you running low again. Hell, get yourself some new clothes while you're at it. It's still cold and I'd hate for you to get sick again after everything you've done for us."

"...Okay." Hesitantly Connor accepted the paper bills and slipped them into his pocket. Every motion he made seemed to be accompanied by his L.E.D. timidly flickering in a yellow hue. "I don't need any additional clothing though."

"Sure you do. You just have that uniform that's friggin' WEIRD to see every day," Hank tagged on in a joking manner. "and the sweatpants and white t-shirt to wear when you're busted up or feeling cruddy. Get something else, even if it's just for the winter. Maybe something with actual color."

"Very well."

"Don't act like this is somehow a punishment or a trap. I want you to have something nice for yourself."

Connor was still hesitant to openly accept the generous offer despite the sincerity in Hank's voice. "Should I... get anything else? Something for dinner, perhaps?"

Thinking for just a moment Hank looked over at Cole sitting on the couch and nodded in the positive. "Yeah, actually. Hey, Cole? What do you want for dinner?"

"Tacos!" Cole shouted as he didn't even hesitate to answer the very simple question. "Lots of tacos!"

"Well, I can handle that with an order from my phone." Hank replied as he gave Connor a small smirk. "I'll order in some dinner. While you're out, get yourself some nice clothes and extra Thirium, and IF, only if, you have any cash leftover, find something for me and Cole to have for dessert. But I want you to put yourself before us tonight, do you understand what I'm saying?"

"...Yes, I understand."

"Okay. Go on, take the van and head into town." The senior detective insisted as he joined Cole on the couch and took the boy's mostly finished coloring book for himself to check over. "We'll be fine here for a while. It's just nice to be back home."

Finally accepting that he was free to go into town and purchase something that he wanted, actually wanted without any strings attached, Connor proceeded to head toward the front door to take his leave for the remainder of the afternoon. Using the autonomous van had become so commonplace for the deviant detective that he began to think of the vehicle as his own despite Hank being the obvious owner. It was nice to have something to use for his own comfort as opposed to being expected to walk everywhere or rely on public transportation that'd be full of bigoted humans who'd taunt him throughout his brief journey.

It didn't take long for Connor to reach his destination in the main shopping plaza as the autonomous van easily navigated the plowed streets. However, dealing with the larger than average crowds while entering the CyberLife store was something entirely unexpected. It seemed a lot of humans had opted to buy androids to help them with their new year's resolutions to either get into shape or use androids to handle their chores and errands so that they could spend more time with family and friends.

Such a frenzy of humans looking for new androids to buy just reminded Connor of the reality that he was currently dealing with. Ignoring the staring eyes and pushy humans was proving to be difficult. Connor just wanted to get his Thirium and leave the store as quickly as possible, yet the thickening crowds and impatient humans made such a simple task needlessly difficult.

As the focused deviant made his way to the back wall of the store to grab three bottles of Thirium a strong hand on his shoulder forced Connor to stop and turn around to face a strange human eyeing him in a very uncomfortable manner. "...Can I help you?"

"Yeah, how much are you?" The man asked as he looked at Connor's uniform to get an idea of his model number and design. The man was middle aged, slightly balding, overweight and stank of 'red ice' and alcohol from chronic abuse. "Haven't seen one like you before."

"I am not for sale, sir." Connor replied with a noted bitterness to his tone. "I already reside within a household."

"Well, how much did you cost?"

A quick facial recognition scan over the man's identity made Connor's stomach drop. The man was Todd Williams, the human who would eventually own both Kara and Alice after his wife and daughter left him, and he'd abuse the two androids with his violent outbursts for far too long until Kara would deviate and flee with Alice to safety.

"I initially cost... a small fortune." Connor then replied honestly as he tried to hide discomfort at being addressed by the violent man. "The exact price was-"

"What kind of stupid-ass answer is that? Hey, Dave?" Todd called out to one of the store employees for some assistance. "How much as these androids? It said something about costing a fortune or some shit!"

"Oh, uh, I'm not really sure." Dave, the store employee, seemed caught off guard by Connor's very presence. "Android, what is your name and role?"

"I am Connor, and I am... custom." The answer wasn't entirely a lie since Connor was a unique model. Custom androids were rare but not unheard of as well which gave him the perfect cover. "I was designed personally by Elijah Kamski to act as a potential law enforcement officer within Detroit."

"Well, that would make sense to for it to say it cost 'a fortune'." Turning to the confused customer Dave tried to show the man a different android model to potentially buy that day. "Mr. Kamski has been known to create special androids in his spare time and gift them to his closest friends. The only person in Detroit who could afford to buy an android like that is Mr. Kamski himself. I'm sure I can find something that you and your wife will like having around your house."

"Overpriced pieces of plastic... Don't know why we're still dealing with this menace!"

Connor didn't care that Todd was dissatisfied with the outcome and continued to focus on purchasing his Thirium expressly to leave the store before he caught any further unwanted attention. As he quickly escaped to the front of the store with his purchases in hand Connor paid for the Thirium with Hank's money, collected the change and made his way back to the autonomous van. He didn't want to risk encountering another pushy human after dealing with one so rude already, and he placed his Thirium down on the backseat of the van to be kept safe while he took a moment to collect his thoughts.

The guilt of what was going to happen to Kara and Alice made Connor contemplate how much he could interfere with the timeline before causing catastrophic outcomes for everyone he cared about. Ultimately since Kara and Alice would find their way to safety over the border to Canada with their new friend Luther helped Connor make the painful decision to not try to interfere with Kara or Alice's fates. He knew they'd be all right without him, and that he had no business with trying to interfere with the lives of two androids that would survive the Revolution and find their way to a peaceful life.

"Androids aren't the menace plaguing Detroit."

Unable to get Todd's harsh words out of his mind Connor reflected on everything that had been happening ever since androids were first introduced to the world by Kamski himself, and he knew that the misinformed man's anger was misplaced and misguided. What was more unfortunate was knowing that Todd wasn't the only one who harbored those kinds of horrid thoughts and feelings towards androids.

"Humans who refuse to accept any form of accountability for their own mistakes, misfortunes and actions are the true menace toward all of society."

After fifteen minutes of blissful quiet and isolation had passed Connor dared to leave the van and go in search of some form of clothing for himself just as Hank had requested him to purchase. He still didn't feel comfortable spending Hank's money on himself despite knowing that it was Hank's way of discreetly thanking him for protecting Cole during the home invasion and attempted murder, yet Connor couldn't accept the reward. He didn't need to be rewarded for just doing the right thing, let alone receive any monetary compensation.

Connor just wanted to be treated like an equal by a person of whom he hoped to befriend again some day.

Holding his head high Connor ventured toward the nearest clothing store and homed in on the jackets and coats displayed in the front window. The extra layer would be a suitable enough garment for the winter, and it'd undoubtedly please Hank to see Connor wearing something that was labeled as android unique. Even so, it wasn't Connor's fault that the city expected androids to wear such uniforms and stick out like a sore thumb just so humans could avoid androids easier.

Discreetly Connor entered the store and approached the window display with a keen eye. Seeing the strong and thick leather material of one of the jackets stood out to him and gave him a strange sense of Deja vu. The jacket was the very one that he had initially taken from the 'Lost & Found' bin outside the precinct the night he ventured out to find Jericho and ultimately sided with Markus to help during the Raid and lead the peaceful Revolution to success.

"Interesting. This is a high-quality jacket; how could someone just misplace it and not even attempt to relocate it?"

Picking the jacket from the display rack Connor held it in his hands and confirmed that the jacket was the very jacket he would come to use in the future in the previous timeline. Every detail was correct right down to the size and intricacy of the interior pockets sewn inside the jacket's lapels.

"Hey!"

Connor immediately froze when he heard the familiar voice of the angry man from the CyberLife store shouting once again. The deviant detective didn't need to turn around to know that Todd was yelling at him yet again.

"What do you think you're doing?" Todd grabbed Connor's shoulder again and jerked the android back until Connor had no choice but to turn and face him. As Connor turned around Todd smacked the jacket out of Connor's hands and then gave him a firm push backward. "Huh? You don't belong in here, you plastic freak! This store is for humans only!"

"That is not true." Connor countered without blinking despite his L.E.D. flashing in a panicked yellow. He didn't dare take his eyes away from the man who was clearly looking for a reason to fight. "This store allows androids entrance."

"Not anymore!"

"...Since when?"

"Since now! I won't put up with it!" Without any provocation whatsoever Todd began pulling Connor toward the store's main entrance with every intention of throwing the deviant outside. "Get the fuck out-"

"Enough!"

The sound of another man's voice booming through the stunned silent store was enough to get the man to freeze and fall quiet. The new man approached the situation and put himself between Todd and Connor to stop the altercation before it escalated any further.

"I'm the owner of this store." Towering over the now meek man the owner, a man of well over six feet and easily two-hundred pounds of muscle, managed to get everything under control with a single word and just his presence. "And I'll say who can and cannot shop here. Right now, I say YOU have to go."

"But I-"

"Out now, or I will call the cops."

Defeated and with no one backing him up, Todd threw open the glass doors of the store and stomped outside where his embarassed wife and daughter were waiting for his return. "This is just the beginning! Those freaks are going to destroy this city! Just you watch!"

Unimpressed with the man's outburst, the store's owner just shook his head and turned to face Connor directly. "Did he hurt you?"

"...No." Connor replied in a low voice as he hoped that the other shoppers would go about their business and stop staring at him. "And I apologize for the disturbance. I'll leave the premises."

"Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. Where is your owner?"

"I am..." The word 'owner' made Connor mute just for a few seconds as he recomposed himself. "I am doing errands without him."

"Not a problem." Walking away from Connor for a moment the owner picked up the jacket that had been knocked to the floor and carefully inspected the garment for any damage. Satisfied that the jacket wasn't any worse for wear he carried it over to Connor and presented it toward him to take. "I believe this is what you were trying to purchase."

"Y-Yes, but I'm afraid I do not have sufficient funds for the jacket." That wasn't a lie or an excuse to get away from the store. The jacket was too much money for Connor to spend. "I'll have to return another day to purchase it when I have the appropriate funds at my disposal."

"Don't worry about that. Come up front with me for moment." Seeing the red L.E.D. told the surprisingly kind man that Connor was in need of some reassurance that he wasn't in the wrong after being manhandled in the store. "I insist on giving you a discount. I'm Peter, by the way."

"That is... very generous of you." Connor replied sincerely as he accompanied Peter to the front register with the jacket in his possession. "However, it's not necessary to give me any form of discount due to the poor behavior of another person. You are not responsible for that man's reactions toward my presence, and therefore it's illogical to offer any form of compensation despite my gratitude."

"As the owner of this fine establishment I get to decide who does and doesn't get a discount." Peter countered as he stepped behind the register and had the android cashier step aside so that he could handle the transaction by himself. "And I want to give you one."

"But... that does not make sense." The confused deviant continued as he placed the jacket on the countertop to be properly scanned by the register. "Your entire purpose for running a business is to both provide a service and to make a profit. How is this profitable to you?"

"Because I want all of the people who come into my store to feel welcome. I don't believe in discriminating against androids even though it seems like all the stores and restaurants around me are more than willing to bar androids from entering their properties." Seamlessly Peter rang up the jacket and placed it down in a large shopping bag for Connor to carry. "Many of my customers are elderly, disabled or simply too busy to shop for themselves, so it's illogical to keep anyone who can help them out from entering my store to continue to be customers. That help can come in the form of either humans OR androids."

"...I see." Accepting the bag and handing over the cash for the heavily discounted jacket gave Connor a new perspective on how some humans can view androids. Not everyone saw them as tools or hindrances, and not everyone saw androids as a problem in general. "That is in fact logical."

"Besides," Peter continued as he handed Connor the paper receipt and his change for the completed transaction. "I get the feeling that in time androids won't have to wear those demeaning uniforms and will be able to wear whatever clothing that fits. Don't think I didn't notice how the jacket's size seems to match your own."

Remaining silent Connor refused to confirm or deny that the new jacket was in fact for himself.

"Regardless of who is going to where that jacket, I want to apologize for you being assaulted by someone who had no business trying to get in your face and try to have a nice day."

"Thank you." Being spoken to like a person and not an object had given Connor a sense of identity that he had lost after traveling into the past to navigate the era of anti-android discrimination when it was beginning to reach its peak. "Your kindness has been very... refreshing."

As evening set over the repaired and now heavily secured house Hank and Cole settled in for their tasty dinner together in the kitchen with Sumo hovering close by. It was hard to ignore the large dog as Sumo limped around on only three legs, and Hank had begrudgingly offered the lovable and loyal dog one taco under the verbal agreement that Sumo didn't have any accidents or digestive issues from eating the greasy and spicy food since Sumo was still nursing his wounds after protecting the house. Just as everyone settled down at the table to dine together Connor had returned and brought with him his new purchases from the stores, as well as the promised dessert for Hank and Cole to enjoy.

The moment Connor revealed the cheesecake in his possession Hank's already good mood seemed to improve tenfold. Apparently, Connor had picked the very dessert that the man had been quietly craving.

"Perfect timing." With a gracious smile Hank motioned for Connor to join Cole and himself at the table for dinner. "What'd ya' buy? Another shirt? Please tell me it wasn't some ugly-ass tie or something."

"Not a tie." The comment about bearing a tie gave Connor a momentary glimpse into the alternate past timeline where Hank had frequently teased Connor about wearing the dressy garment. It was endearing in the deviant's weary eyes. "I bought a jacket."

"Let me see."

Carefully Connor pulled the dark leather jacket from the shopping bag and allowed Hank to see it for himself. He wasn't sure how Hank would react, but since the man insisted that he buy something nice for himself Connor assumed that Hank would approve.

"Not bad. Looks like a nice biker jacket." Hank complimented as he felt the soft leather for himself. "That'll keep you warm and dry during the winter and the spring. Good choice."

"Thank you." Reaching into his pocket Connor handed Hank his remaining change and carried his jacket with him as he approached the garage. "I'm going to put this aside before joining you and Cole."

"Cool. You got Thirium too, right?"

"Correct." Connor confirmed as he held up the shopping bag confirming that he placed the Thirium inside for easy transportation. "I have everything I need."

"All right. After dinner me and Cole are going to watch the final 'Star Trek' movie, then start every television series that's still in syndication. And you," the man pointed at Connor as he helped himself to another taco. "get to watch with us. I think you're the only one who can understand all that sciency-talk anyway."

Cole bounced in his seat and looked up at Connor excitedly. "Yeah, help us watch 'Star Trek' so we can make our own spaceship!"

"I'll do my best, Cole."

With a faint smirk Connor proceeded to enter the garage to put his new jacket away until it was time to actually wear it and felt an odd sense of pride in his very small but meaningful accomplishment. Not only did he handle being confronted by a violent human without stooping down to their violent level, but he was able to set a prime example of how androids were not to be feared and were not aggressive even when provoked. The deviant had even been seen as a respectable person in the eyes of a respectable man, and that helped him find comfort in knowing that progress between androids and humans was inevitable.

As he placed the jacket down in the small storage area that he used to contain his few articles of clothing Connor thought back to what he had gone through and decided to give the receipt to Hank. After all, he was certain that Hank would give the store a positive review for being so professional while handling a less than civil manner that day.

Casually Connor mindlessly fished the receipt out of his pocket and then felt something else that he hadn't expected lingering under the receipt itself. Looking down at his palm Connor saw a quarter that had been a part of Hank's change that was accidentally overlooked when Connor handed the remaining money back. The coin was well worn yet easily distinguishable as a quarter, and interestingly enough, it was minted in the year 1994 - just as Connor's old coin had been.

"...This is Hank's money. I can't keep it."

The deviant told himself as he contemplated keeping the coin for himself. After it all, it was only twenty-five cents. And yet, that twenty-five cents rightfully belonged to Hank and no one else.

"I should give it back. He'll undoubtedly notice the change on the receipt and notice that I had misplaced the coin."

Returning to the kitchen Connor handed over the receipt and tried to return the quarter as he explained to Hank what he hoped that the man would do in his stead since an android couldn't write a customer review. Much to his surprise however, Hank declined the quarter and told Connor to keep it for himself while he read over the details on the receipt for himself.

"Holy shit..." The massive discount in Connor's favor was impressive to say the least. "You managed to buy a three-hundred-dollar jacket for only one-hundred bucks? How?"

"As I previously stated, the store owner gave me a discount because a human was needlessly aggressive toward me." Connor stared at the coin in his palm and ran his thumb over the surface of the quarter. It was strange to say, but Connor could've sworn that the coin was the exact same quarter that he would carry on himself in the alternate timeline. "He didn't want the disturbance to dissuade you or his other customers from continuing to shop in his store."

"That's one hell of a way to get my attention. I'll be sure to say something nice about that place and take Cole there for some new clothes in a week or two." The upbeat man decided as he put the receipt aside for a moment. "I like to support businesses like that. Hard to find honest business people these days."

Connor had to agree with Hank's sentiment as he sat down at the kitchen table and began to slowly fidget with the coin in his grip while Hank and Cole finished their dinner. It was a relief for Connor to have something to channel his nervous tic and he knew that with his anxious energy finally finding a proper outlet that he'd be able to handle the remaining two years leading up to the peaceful Revolution.

In fact, Connor was certain that the time between the start of the new year and the final months leading to the Revolution itself would be seemingly passing by quicker than it had been over the past few months. Connor was finally on Hank's good side, he had established himself as someone worthy of trust with Cole, and he had successfully avoided CyberLife without catching the eye of anyone who could undo all his work in the new timeline.

Despite all his previous setbacks, obstacles and challenges, Connor truly believed that he would in fact finally be all right.

-next chapter-