The morning that followed Connor's violent abduction and horrendous torture session was appropriately rainy, dark and overall foul. The dense gray rainclouds overhead showed no sign of breaking up any time soon as a springtime deluge soaked the city and gave revitalizing life to the flora returning to life after such a cold and relentless winter had left everything sheathed in ice for months at a time. The distinct scent of fresh, damp earth was thick in the muggy air as the people of Detroit attempted to go back to their normal routines and embrace the change in seasons as the previous day's chaotic mess was slowly sorted through and properly cleaned up by the Central Precinct alongside New Jericho Tower.

The rain followed the Oldsmobile as Hank steadily drove back to the house with Connor barely awake in the passenger seat beside him. Eager to get Connor home where he could be watched in the comfort of their own home, Hank had gotten up early that morning and trusted Cole to be left alone in the locked-up house for less than an hour without getting in to trouble. The chance to be alone with Connor during the drive would also allow Hank to talk to the deviant without needing to worry about Cole getting mixed up in the mess or confused by everything that was happening.

"You're probably sick of hearing this," Hank broke the silence first as he watched Connor from the corner of his eye during the drive. "but how do you feel?"

Connor could barely register what Hank had asked him as the throbbing pain of his headache caused him to live solely in a world of static. Lowering his hand from his bandaged head Connor kept his eyes shut and responded in a low voice. "...I wish I couldn't feel anything."

"Yeah, head wounds do that to you. Cole has school today, so it should be nice and quiet for you at the house all morning and afternoon."

"...It doesn't matter." Barely able to speak Connor lamented his recovery process and propped his arm against the door beside him as he laid his head down in an attempt to ease his immense discomfort in some way. "Other people will visit and ask me thousands of questions."

"That's the burden of having people who care about you, son. They're going to want to make sure you're okay."

"They just want to make sure I'm still able to do something beneficial for them."

"Whoa, what?" Every paternal instinct in Hank's mind went on full alert as he heard the essential defeat in Connor's words. "You don't seriously think that Markus and the others spend time with you or befriended you just because they want something from you, right?"

"As a detective you know it's unwise to argue against evidence."

"What evidence?"

"I'm expected to spend my time at New Jericho Tower for the convenience of everyone else regardless of how I feel. The only time anyone reaches out to me is because they either need help or want me to assist in matters taking place at the tower. And the only time people care how I'm doing is when they fear I could die since that means they'll need to find a replacement for the abilities and skill that I provide."

"I admit that I don't know what's going on with you whenever you're hanging out with New Jericho, but I really doubt that anyone thinks of you as like... a tool or something." Hank refused to believe that someone as smart as Connor could actually surround himself with such shallow people or believe that his comrades don't truly care about him as a person. "They think of you as their friend."

"No. I'm disposable and only useful to them when the circumstances are correct." Lifting his head slightly Connor looked through his window and at the front door of the house as Hank pulled the car into the driveway at slow and gentle speed. "That was made very clear to me while I was in the facility."

"Did someone say or do something to you while I was gone?"

"No." Opening his door slowly and with a pained grimace, Connor managed to step out of the car into the rain and wrap his arms around his battered chest as he made a slow and weak walk to the front door under his own power. "It happened while you were right there."

"When did- Connor, wait a minute!" Hank scrambled to get the car's engine turned off before rushing up to walk alongside Connor and help him inside the house to get some rest in the comfort of his own home. "Son, stop for a second and talk to me. What supposedly happened right in front of me?"

Connor ignored the question as he reached for the doorknob. He didn't want to talk anymore, and he knew that Hank wasn't going to back down easily.

"Please." Lightly Hank put his hand on Connor's wrist and pulled his hand from the knob so that he could unlock the door with his key. "What did I miss?"

Holding his silence Connor just waited for Hank to open the door so that he could head upstairs and hide from the world in his bedroom. It was the only place that Connor could actually call his own without needing to worry about someone else approaching him to handle a problem any more complicated than fourth grade math homework.

"All right, don't talk unless you want to." Accompanying Connor toward the staircase Hank helped the recovering deviant to climb up the stairs one tepid step at a time. The Lieutenant didn't want to see Connor stumble and accidentally aggravate his injuries. "Get some sleep and I'll bring you some Thirium in a few hours."

"I'll be fine on my own. Go to work and handle the case." Connor was on the verge of wheezing as he approached his bed with Hank guiding him and directing him with a strong hand along his middle back. He hated how he couldn't even ascend a simple staircase without losing his energy and needing to rest. "I... I'll be okay."

"Yeah, you'll be okay AFTER you let your body heal." Hank put his hands on Connor's shoulders to help steer the deviant over to the bed to sit down on the edge for a minute. Before Connor could even attempt to remove his shoes Hank had knelt on the floor and slipped off the deviant's boots, then helped him with his dirtied, rain dampened blazer so that Connor could sleep in the soft and lightweight teal scrubs that he had been given upon discharge from the facility. "Don't do anything that'll exert yourself by mistake. I'm here to help you."

"I can take care of myself unassisted." Connor tried to pull his legs up and over the bed but had difficulty in just moving the damaged and sore limbs. After what felt like hours he managed to pull himself up and over the bed to lay down on his back over the middle of warm and soft mattress. "I'm not as worthless or incompetent as everyone seems to think I am."

"Who's this 'everyone' you're talking about?" Remaining attentive to all the red flags that Connor was waving in his face Hank proceeded to put Connor's boots in the deviant's closet and kept the blazer with him to get properly cleaned and repaired at a later date. "Certainly not me, Cole or Markus."

With hurt in his gaze Connor shook his aching head slightly before awkwardly rolling to lay on his side with his back presented to Hank. "...Keep telling yourself that."

Hank was given a lot of pause by such a passive yet pain laden comment. Staring at Connor's back for a moment Hank decided it'd be best to give the deviant some space and to start getting breakfast ready for Cole downstairs. As a detective Hank knew that he couldn't force someone to talk unless they felt like they had nothing to lose, and as a father he knew he couldn't force his loved ones to open up unless they felt truly safe and supported. It was hard to do, but Hank knew that he'd need to back off for a while and give Connor time to think, feel and sort through his personal issues before he'd be willing to talk about them to anyone.

"I wish I knew how to help you, son."

As Hank descended the staircase he thought about what Connor had said and how he had personally treated the deviant in the past. He had never once really thanked Connor for everything that he had done or acknowledged how much Connor had sacrificed just to make everything in the house seem somewhat normal after his abnormal introduction into the family.

It was no wonder that Connor felt like no one truly wanted him around or considered him to be a real friend.

"Please don't push me away after I've seen how much I've fucked up with you so we can make amends."

Activity at New Jericho Tower and the Zeta Facility was far more abundant than usual. While Josh and Simon worked together to implement damage control at the tower courtesy of Eric's fearful assaults against their own people, Markus went to the Central Precinct in person to work alongside the other detectives handling the case to ensure there was no bias attitude toward sentencing the arrested deviant. As for North, she begrudgingly returned to the Zeta Facility to speak with Abby regarding her unusual error and any potential remedies. It was strange to know that everything happening in the city among the New Jericho leaders, the precinct and the facility stemmed from everything that Connor had set into motion.

Eagerly North laid over the exam table in an isolated exam room within the Zeta Facility while Abby ran a thorough diagnostic over her programming. Very much like Connor, North disdained having anyone take such invasive measures while examining her code and system. Such high stress levels were noted immediately and made the protective technician go out of her way to offer North some comfort during such a distressing event.

"It's almost over." Abby promised as she watched the completion bar on the diagnostic modem's terminal screen ticking up to one-hundred percent. With one hand on the keyboard and her other hand pressed against the side of her growing bump Abby's maternal side was manifesting right before North's eyes. "I know this is uncomfortable, but the best way to get a full reading on your system is by doing a direct port connection."

"I know, that doesn't mean I have to like it." North lamented as she resisted the urge to rip the diagnostic cable out of the port on the back of her neck. Needing a small distraction North turned to look at Abby and attempted to make small talk. "Why are you helping me again?"

"Because you need it and it's my job."

"No, I mean, how did you even know about me?"

"Connor was worried about you." Replying honestly Abby confirmed the diagnostic's completion and turned off the modem. With everything now uploaded to her tablet Abby had a better idea of what was wrong with North and how she could fix the error. "And he wanted me to help since he wanted to make sure you had a solution to your problem. You can disconnect the cable now."

"Hard to believe he was talking about me, or anyone else for that matter, to anyone outside the tower." North quickly sat upright on the tale and removed the cable quickly just to toss it aside and onto the floor. "He doesn't socialize with anyone very often."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't care." Sitting down in a rolling chair Abby rolled her way over to the exam table with the tablet in her hands. "All right, so it seems that your software and your hardware were modified with components and functions that aren't commercially available or even officially sanctioned. That will definitely cause problems down the line."

"What can be done about it?"

"Well, the first option is to remove all of the modifications and reset your system back to its original state while keeping your memories intact elsewhere, but that might only be postponing the inevitable since your system would still need numerous updates to stay healthy and functioning."

"What about the second option?"

"I'll analyze this information and your modifications to create a custom patch that'll make your system compatible with the widespread updates and patches released by New Jericho or any other technicians in the city."

"That seems preferable."

"But it's also far more time consuming." Abby admitted with a small huff of breath. It was already getting harder for her to work full shifts and stand for too long. "The choice is ultimately yours to make, so whatever it is you wish to do I'll respect it and help you in any way that I can."

North was quiet as she mentally and emotionally weighed her options. Neither outcome seemed to be a guaranteed solution to her problem, but at least she had options to consider rather than outright admitting and accepting permanent shutdown.

"...I'd prefer the patch. Please."

"Then I'll begin working on something here and keep Simon at the tower involved to ensure that it's constantly being monitored and improved as time goes on."

"It doesn't seem like you should be helping me even as a technician." The anxiety was evident in everything North was saying and doing. The way she continued to wrap her arms around herself in a comforting self-hug was all it took for anyone to look at North and see that she was actually scared. "I mean, don't you have other patients to help, or your own..." her eyes trailed down toward Abby's belly momentarily as she spoke. "family to take care of."

"This little one isn't here yet, and even when she does arrive that doesn't mean I'll be incapable of helping other people at the same time." Abby confirmed that she had everything under control despite how uncomfortable and exhausted she looked. "It's my job to help anyone who needs it, whether it's a simple check-up, glitch fix or a diaper change, I'll be there."

"I wouldn't know anything about that."

"Glitches or diapers?"

North wasn't in a joking mood, not that she was a particularly humorous person, and didn't have anything to say to the oddball question.

"Sorry, poorly timed joke." Ever kind and patient Abby didn't fault North be rather somber and worried about her future. "At any rate, I should be able to begin work on a patch for your system and provide you with everything that you need to stay fully active and stable. It might take a couple of weeks, maybe months, but I know I'll succeed. Try not to worry about it, I know it's hard though."

"I think I'm beginning to understand why Connor asked you for help."

"Because I have shitty timing on my jokes?"

A small smile finally appeared on North's face as a glimmer of hope filled her heart. "Because in a way, you're a lot like him."

"Please don't tell me he's also pregnant! That'd be too weird even for me to handle."

"More like you both have your own way of handling stressful situations in a way that keeps everyone else calm. You use humor and Connor relies on hope." North slid off the exam table and felt her legs wobble courtesy of her weakened physical state. As she regained her balance North kept her smile on her face. "That's one of the things that drew me toward him, and it's undoubtedly why he doesn't see me in the way that I wish he would. I'm too cynical, I guess."

"You're more of a realist than a cynic, but that doesn't matter. I think you're focusing on too many surface issues and can't see the core reason behind Connor's reluctance to get to know you in a more..." Abby was struggling to find the right word as she did her best to give North a shoulder to lean on. "romantic manner."

"What kind of surface issues?" Willing to hear the human out since Abby had a strong marriage and family on the way seemed entirely logical in North's mind. "Do you think he's hiding something from me?"

"I think he's just gone through so much more in his life than he's willing to admit. Maybe if you try reaching out to him as a friend first and then a potential romantic partner second, he'll be more receptive. Otherwise, fuck it!" With a casual shrug of her shoulders Abby provided North with some invaluable advice. "Don't waste your emotional energy on someone who isn't being receptive; no matter how great they seem to be. One-sided affection is lonelier than being single."

"Okay, now I know that I figured out why Connor trusts you and wants me to do the same." The small smile turned into a coy grin as she got a feel for Abby's overall personality and moral compass. "You're a completely honest human."

"I try to be." Rising to her feet Abby sighed again and gave North a hopeful look as she checked the time on her watch. "Care to join me in the breakroom for a few minutes? I need to eat, and I get the feeling that you'd rather be here a while longer and not be at New Jericho where you'll be asked a thousand and one questions about what's going on with a very private matter." Subconsciously Abby rubbed her thumb along her bump as she spoke. "That's something I'm veeeeery familiar with right now..."

"Yeah, you're definitely someone who deserves to be trusted." Feeling better for the first time in months North accepted Abby's offer and joined her in having a break from all the drama in the world for a while longer. "I also get the feeling that you're someone who's used to dealing with difficult romantic relationships."

"Oh," thinking about her past failed romances in Chicago made it very easy to agree with North's assessment. "you have NO idea..."

The house was quiet as the rain continued to pour over Detroit and deliver a renewed sense of life through the previously frozen city. With Cole at school, Connor sleeping upstairs and Sumo watching over the recovering deviant, Hank was able to get to work in the ground floor study and remotely check in with the precinct to ensure that everything was running smoothly even without him there to call all the shots. It was strange to see Gavin working alongside Markus at the precinct through his webcam, and yet somehow it seemed right to have Markus in the precinct assisting the police. The case against Eric was air-tight and had plenty of evidence, witness statements and properly logged reports to back-up all the charges being filed against the criminal deviant, which meant that the investigation was as good as closed.

Having finished his work for the morning and subsequently earned his afternoon break, Hank ended his web chat with the precinct and closed his laptop. A part of Hank felt guilty for staying home that day despite having every reason to do remote work while keeping an eye on Connor. He didn't like standing aside while his colleagues did a majority of the grunt work in the field and handled interrogations at the precinct itself.

"I need to remember to buy lunch for everyone next time I actually clock-in at the damn precinct. Been taking too much time away lately."

Muttering to himself Hank wandered out of the study and into the kitchen to check on that night's dinner in the slow cooker on the counter, then prepare himself a simple lunch. It was important to take care of himself while also taking care of Connor to give the deviant a good example of self-care to imitate.

"Let's see... Dinner's been taken care of, dusting can wait a day or two since Connor's got a splitting headache, and the laundry's in the dryer. Why does it feel like I'm forgetting to do something important?"

Just as the man began rummaging through the refrigerator to find ingredients for his lunch Hank was disturbed by two knocks on the front door. He wasn't expecting any guests, but he wasn't too surprised since he was certain that a few friends would stop by to visit with Connor. With a hearty slam of the fridge door Hank walked into the livingroom to peer through the peephole and see who had come by the house. The face on the other side of the door wasn't one he was expecting to see in the slightest and he was nearly taken aback.

"Wow... Didn't think I'd ever see him ever stopping by the house." Casually Hank unlocked the door and pulled it open slowly as he greeted the guest standing out on the front porch to avoid the continuing rainfall. The way his guest flinched made Hank realize how harsh he had acted in the past. "Uh, hey. Come on in, Chase. Connor's upstairs."

Chase wasn't too sure about accepting the invitation since the last time he went to the Anderson residence he had been threatened with permanent shutdown by Hank himself. Granted, he was a dangerous machine when he had been threatened by Hank, but even so it was still strange to see the reclusive 'RK-900' out of his private office area and entirely alone.

"I... Perhaps I should come back later." Backing away from the door as his L.E.D. settled on red Chase prepared to return to his office downtown and get away from the house as quickly as he could possibly move. "I don't want to intrude."

"You're not- H-Hey!" Hank reached out and grabbed onto Chase's wrist to keep the deviant from rushing off. "You're okay, you're not intruding. Why did you come all this way and then decide to run off? Hell, how did you even know where we moved to?"

"From Connor's memories." Chase admitted as he resisted the urge to wrest his arm free of Hank's grip. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come here. You made it very clear that I shouldn't be here."

Hank's grip lessened as he saw the same fear in Chase's demeanor that he had seen in Connor when he was still verbally and at times physically abusive toward the deviant in the past. "No, it's all right. I'm the asshole who threatened to kill you, treated Connor like shit and just overall was a major asshole for no reason."

Turning slowly Chase looked at Hank warily as he decided to stick around for a while despite his fears telling him to flee. "...I'm permitted to speak with Connor? I don't want to invade your home or disturb him while he's resting."

"Yeah, come on in." Pulling back his hand Hank realized that his palm was soaked since Chase had clearly walked to the house despite the rain. "Dry off while you're at it. I already know androids can get the flu; I'd hate for you to get sick on top of all the other shit that's going down right now."

Cautiously Chase accepted the invitation and entered the house right behind Hank. On autopilot Chase removed his shoes by the door and slipped off his waterlogged black and white blazer to ensure that he didn't drip rainwater all around the house by mistake. He had never been inside either of the Anderson homes until that moment, and it was almost surreal considering his rocky past with the Lieutenant.

"Connor's room is upstairs, first door on your right." As he motioned to the staircase Hank wandered into the kitchen and pulled down a bottle of Thirium from its cabinet above the sink. Passing the Thirium over to Chase for himself Hank decided it'd be best if the second deviant delivered the blue blood to Connor as a means of breaking the ice between them. "He could use some of this. Do you mind?"

"No, I'll take it to him." With a shaking hand Chase took the bottle from Hank's hand and then peered at the staircase beside him. "...What about Cole?"

"He's at school, don't worry about saying or doing anything that'll affect him." Rubbing his palm over the back of his neck Hank recognized the tense situation that had been a creation of his own gruff attitude and poor behavior. "Go and talk to Connor for as long as you like. I'll stay down here so you two can have some privacy while you speak."

Thirium in hand Chase slowly ascended the staircase in his socked feet and neared the correct bedroom door. Peering inside the room through the partially opened door Chase saw Connor still asleep and laying on his back with his arm draped over his sore abdomen. The thick bandages around Connor's head were just painful to see without needing to view the damage beneath, and the way Connor was barely breathing in his sleep just confirmed that his damaged chassis was still causing him discomfort even while in rest mode.

Sumo had been curled up at the foot of the bed and quickly took notice of Chase's presence. Lifting up his head Sumo acknowledged Chase with a small 'boof' and a wagging tail. The shift in the way Sumo reacted to Chase being around was a clear since that the 'RK-900' was now a deviant and had a heart to call his own.

Approaching the bed with light and silent steps Chase kept the bottle of Thirium in his grip as he very gingerly placed his empty palm down on Connor's chest to run a diagnostic to check the resting deviant's vital signs. Chase was relieved that Connor was stable, but still worried about the numerous healing breaks, fractures and lingering damage to his biocomponents and lost memories. While Connor would never remember being jumped and abducted from the Zeta Facility parking lot, he would remember a majority of his torture session at the hands a single deranged deviant.

"I'm so sorry that this happened. I'm the one that Eric was trying to hurt. I'm the one who needs to be laying there in pain and in bandages."

Connor took in a deeper breath and lolled his head against his pillow as his glassy eyes cracked open sluggishly. He had heard Chase's voice and felt his hand on his chest, and the simple gesture was enough to rouse Connor from his sleep. The sight of Chase standing beside his bed drew Connor's brow together in confusion as tried and failed to sit upright in the bed while Chase pulled his hand back and clutched at the bottle of Thirium anxiously.

"Hi." It was the only thing that Chase could think to say as he watched Connor returning to the waking world full of pain and confusion. "I wanted to see how you were fairing after..." Struggling to just speak one-on-one left Chase stumbling over his words. "After what had happened."

"I've survived worse." Unable to look Chase in the eyes Connor awkwardly engaged in conversation with the aloof deviant. "You don't need to be here."

"I know I don't, but I want to be here." Offering Connor the Thirium Chase watched as Connor ignored the bottle and decided to put it aside on the nearby nightstand to be consumed later. "I was worried about you."

"Is that why you came to visit? You were worried?"

"Of course it is. When I learned you had been attacked and abducted, I went to the precinct to assist the Lieutenant in finding you."

Connor had been told as much by Hank himself, but he still saw it as a hollow gesture from Chase since in his mind he had begun to firmly believe that the only reason anyone showed any sign of caring toward him was because they didn't want to lose their advantage in having Connor working as a detective and having an active role as a deviant leader within New Jericho. To Connor, everything anyone did toward him was fake and meaningless.

"When we discovered your location the Lieutenant insisted on breaching the building without waiting for back-up." As he went into more detail Chase could see that Connor was listening to every word while keeping his emotions perfectly masked behind a quiet expression of contemplation. "He was right to do so. You were... You had been damaged severely and had fallen into a state of paroxysm."

"I'm aware of my damage. There's no reason to remind me of what I'm actively aware of every time I breathe or move."

"Seeing you in such a state then suffering Thirial arrest was very..." Chase didn't quite know how to describe what he had seen as he tried to make peace with Connor and forge some kind of friendship after so many months had passed by with a brutal emotional conflict brewing between them. "It was terrifying."

"Yes, I can imagine my shutdown would be detrimental to the plans of New Jericho, and in turn New Jericho would have to acknowledge your existence as my official replacement."

"What?" Such a bleak comment made Chase's heart sink as his L.E.D. flickered between red and yellow in emotional distress. "No one can replace you. CyberLife was wrong about that concept from the very beginning, and I know that New Jericho would never develop such a myopic mentality regarding your life and abilities. Why would you even consider such a thing?"

"You've seen my memories." Connor bluntly stated as he gave Chase a look of utter defeat. There was no doubt that the deviant detective had reached his emotional limits and had already given up on himself regarding his plans and dreams for his future. "You know why I know what's happening around me regardless of what timeline I'm passing through."

"Connor... You have friends and a family who love you. They truly, sincerely love you." Sitting down on the edge of the bed Chase tried to be of some comfort for the deviant detective as he tried to help Connor through his current emotional struggle. He quickly had Sumo scooting over to rest his chin down on his knee in a friendly gesture. "I saw that in your memories as well, and I saw that in person when you were unconscious in the Zeta Facility yesterday."

Slowly Chase's words sunk-in as Connor realized he had been mistaken about something during his time in the facility. "...You were at the facility?"

"Yes. I had accompanied you to the facility when you were transported in the ambulance, and I remained in the facility observing your repair process. I had promised the Lieutenant that you wouldn't be alone." As he spoke Chase began to understand that Connor had been misinformed and left without all the details after he had been discharged from the facility. "I stayed with you for as long as I could."

"Why... did you leave?"

"I was told that it'd be best if I left." Chase still felt the sting of North's words as she told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn't welcome to visit Connor. "You were beginning to wake up when Markus and North had arrived to check on you. It was then I was informed that it'd be best for me to leave."

Connor was quiet for a moment before he took in a weak breath and closed his eyes. "North told you to leave."

"She did, yes. I had assumed that she was speaking on your behalf and expressing your personal wishes."

"Why would you think that I wouldn't want you around?"

"I'm the one who told you to keep away from me, and in return I had assumed that you expected the same."

"No, I wanted to know you and befriend you. When you put up your boundaries I respected them, I didn't retaliate or expect anyone else to push you away from me in the event that you decided that I was worth speaking with." Staring blankly at the ceiling above him Connor laid both arms across his torso as a means of keeping warm and keeping his fractures stable as he breathed. "North had no right to tell you to leave."

"Perhaps I had assumed that she had more authority than what she's actually capable of handling. After all, she does seem to be a protective girlfriend."

"She's NOT my girlfriend."

"O-Oh, sorry. I had seen her kiss you from the opened doorway of your room before I left, and I just assumed..."

"That doesn't mean we're dating. I have no interest in North despite her clear interest in me." Turning his head slightly Connor looked at Chase sitting beside him and reminded him of his past life in the original timeline. "You know why. She may not treat me as she had in my first life, but I can't get beyond seeing such a horrible hatred in her heart that she still bears and now takes out on you."

"You believed that her negative behavior stemmed from her prolonged abuse and the self-defense murder of the human at the 'Eden Club'." Chase now understood where Connor's mindset resided when it came to matters revolving around North as an individual. "However, she was rescued from the club before she had to take another person's life in order to survive, and yet she's still very... cold."

"And now I know that she'll always have hatred in her heart, and I can't bring myself to love someone who's capable of such a negative trait without any awareness of how her behavior is harming other people. It doesn't help that she acts with such loathsome behavior toward you while attempting to gain favor with me."

Chase was flattered that Connor had actively chosen to not associate with North knowing how she was treating him and talking about him with no means of defending or explaining himself. It was then Chase realized that Connor's desire to be a brother, to be a family with him, was sincere and not just an act or an attempt to ease his own guilt for everything that Chase had gone through courtesy of Connor's changing of the timeline.

Both deviants were slowly becoming aware of how their misconceptions of the world around them were only hurting themselves and creating a negative mindset of their own.

"It doesn't matter." Connor continued as he turned his head away and looked at the rain pelted window opposite of his opened doorway. "I don't deserve to be loved or a member of anyone's family as it is."

"Why are you saying these things? You do have a family and you are loved."

"No, I've made too many mistakes and have affected far too many peoples' lives due to my selfish decisions. Hank is allowing me to remain here because he feels guilty for how he treated me before the Revolution and before he saw what I had done for him in the original timeline. But I'm not going to stay here to act as a replacement for Cole once Cole grows up and lives his own life for himself."

"You're not a replacement - not now and not ever - and you will never be replaced. Hank does care about you, and while he had treated you terribly in the beginning, he can see you for who you are and who you had been. You just helped him open his eyes. As for Cole," while Chase didn't know Cole nearly as well as Connor did, the aloof deviant did see Cole's innocent nature and knew that the little boy had seen Connor for who is from the very beginning. "he'll always see you as his friend. Maybe even as a big brother."

"Brothers..." The concept the Connor had once hoped for now seemed like a horrible taunt and insult. "Androids don't have brothers. We don't have families, period."

"That's something that I was wrong about then, and something you're wrong about now." Speaking up rather firmly Chase refused to let Connor just give up on the things that he had wanted because of the debilitating challenges and obstructions that Connor had recently survived. "We can have families. We make them just as humans do even without any direct bloodlines to connect us. Cole sees you as his big brother and he always will. And now, that's how I see you. My big brother."

Connor closed his eyes as he pressed his palm to his face and refused to look at Chase. He just couldn't handle everything he was enduring and felt like he was about to explode. It had been so long since he was able to just talk about everything he had witnessed and survived without needing to worry about the ramifications of discussing or comparing one timeline to the other.

"I understand if you need some time to process what I've said, especially since I was just being intentionally distant and cruel to you. When you're ready to talk to me, I'm ready to listen."

Keeping his thoughts to himself Connor felt the mattress beside him spring back up as Chase rose from the edge of the bed to take his leave. Suddenly afraid to be left alone again Connor managed to weakly reach out and grab on to Chase's elbow as the 'RK-900' attempted to walk away. "...Don't go yet."

"All right," A flash of joy graced Chase's gaze as he heard the sincerity in Connor's simple request. "I'll stay."

"...Thank you." Letting go of Chase's arm Connor let his own arm fall limp beside him as he tried to not get too worked up during his recovery. "We... need to talk about many things and put our turbulent past to rest."

"I agree." Reclaiming his previous spot on the edge of the bed Chase decided to stick around for a while longer and finally find peace with his creation and Connor's unintentional involvement. "It's time we faced our problems instead of pushing them aside to let them fester and poison our emotions against each other."

Sumo happily snuggled up against Chase's legs again and confirmed that he saw the deviant as a friend and not a foe that he needed to defend his family from. The large dog's affectionate nature brought a small smile to Chase's face as he saw the same kind behavior in Sumo as he had been given from Bruno.

"We should begin our discussion with CyberLife." Chase decided as he put his hand on Sumo's back and lightly pet the Saint Bernard as he spoke. "What do you think about that?"

"Honestly, I think that's the best idea." Using his elbows for support Connor propped himself upright and leaned his back against the wall at the head of his bed as he carefully moved around and gave Chase his full attention. It had been nearly five months since Chase had been deviated and almost as long since Chase chose to cast aside his name, in that time Connor had wondered what to call the 'RK-900' officially. "However, there's one thing we need to settle first before we can move on from our pasts."

"And what's that?"

"You need to tell me one thing." With his voice steady and intentions sincere, Connor asked Chase the one big question that needed to finally be answered. "What is your new name?"

"I'm... not sure." The admission was laced with a strange sense of discovery that made Chase's L.E.D. settle on blue at long last. "What would you pick if you were given the chance to give someone a proper name?"

"Me?" The question had been one that Connor had pondered for some time, but not for someone like Chase. After thinking the question over for a while longer and thinking about everything that Chase had gone through and of Connor's own experiences, one name came to mind that seemed perfect. "Well, if you're interested, I do have one name that I think would fit you very well..."

The ground floor of the house had been unusually quiet even as Hank worked in the study all afternoon and evening long. The Lieutenant normally would've welcomed the quiet while he worked, but on that day he had hoped to hear something happening in his home around him. Knowing that Connor was upstairs recovering from serious wounds while being speaking with a deviant that had left him with a sense of being loathed left Hank's paternal instincts screaming at him to go check on the two deviants to ensure that nothing egregious had been spoken or taken place on his watch. However, his instincts as a detective told him to respect the privacy of the two deviants and trust that they could work things out on their own.

By the time dinner was ready and Hank had prepared plates for both Cole and himself, the little boy was asking what was happening and why he couldn't go visit with either Connor or Chase. Having such an inquisitive child was both a blessing and curse since it meant Cole was very aware of the world around him, but that also led to some awkward conversations between Cole and his young son from time to time.

"So Connor and Chase are trying to make up after fighting with each other." Cole deduced as he fussed with his mound of mashed potatoes on his plate and pushed his slice of roast around in a circle to gather up his stray peas and carrots. "That's a good thing."

"Yup. It is a good thing." Hank agreed as he found himself curiously unable to eat much and fussing with his own food on his plate. "We just need to respect their right to privacy and not get involved in a personal matter."

"When are they going to be done talking?"

"Don't know. I'm not sure how long these things take."

"I wish they'd hurry up and get along." Cole admitted as he picked up his glass of milk and took a drink before looking over at his unfinished homework sitting just a few inches away. "I hate long division!"

"I can help ya' with that, son."

"Yeah, but Connor has neater handwriting than you!"

"Hey, my handwriting's not that sloppy."

"It's still not that good, either."

"Hey!" Giving Cole's hair a quick ruffle Hank smirk and put another helping of veggies down on his son's plate. "Just for that, you get some extra peas tonight, you little smart aleck..."

"Joke's on you," Cole quickly quipped as he scooped up the little green veggies onto his spoon. "I like peas!"

"You know what the best part is about everything you said? You think liking vegetables is somehow a win over me!"

Sumo's heavy weight echoed down the staircase as the massive dog trotted into the the kitchen and sat beside the backdoor eagerly begging to go outside. While Cole got up to let Sumo into the backyard Hank looked back at the staircase and saw both Connor and Chase descending the staircase together. The sight of Chase helping Connor to walk gave Hank hope that the two deviants had made amends and were finally on the same page.

"Hey, son." Hank walked into the livingroom to check on Connor with his own eyes and to see Chase off if the deviant was going to head for his office for the rest of the night. "How do you feel?"

"I am... getting better." The admission wasn't as hopeful as Connor had anticipated, but at least it was honest. "Thank you for asking."

"Good to hear. And you?" Addressing Chase next Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder lightly to help the deviant keep his balance. "How're you?"

"I'm much better as of this moment." Chase sounded almost as if he had found a sense of inner peace. "I've embraced my new life far away from CyberLife and away from the ill-gotten reputation as the 'Deviant Hunter'."

"Oh, yeah?" Hank put his free hand on Cole's hair as young son joined him in the livingroom to speak with the two deviants. "And how's that going to work?"

"For one, I'm not going to hide away from my people. I will also be slightly modifying my appearance to differentiate my original design from what CyberLife had intended for me. And, I have a new name." Chase gave Connor an appropriate nod as he took in a deep breath to brace for the next question. "It was given to me by Connor."

Things just sounded better and better as Hank heard how much the two deviants had hashed through and couldn't wait to hear what Chase's new name, his official name, was going to be. "Now that's some damn good news! So, what do we call you these days? Please tell me it's not 'Connor Junior'."

"Nothing quite so nepotic."

"Even better. Well, don't leave us in suspense." Hank was eager to learn the name and knew Cole was excited to hear it too. "So, who are you?"

With a confident voice and a small smile, the 'RK-900' finally introduced himself and felt entirely sure of himself and his next decisions. "My name is Lucas. And I'm the android who's going to clean up CyberLife and protect my people alongside Connor, my big brother."

-next chapter-