It was finally over.

Outside the delivery room Hank was standing against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and Gavin was anxiously holding Aria on his hip beside the waiting senior detective. The sudden shrill cry of the newborn made Hank smile and laugh a little as he knew that his first grandchild had been born at last and Connor was finally able to have the one thing he wanted more than anything else in the world. Gavin could see the proud smile on Hank's face, but didn't say a word about it as he was determined to preserve his image as a gruff police detective; but holding his adoring daughter on his hip quickly ruined that attempted tough-guy act.

Ten minutes passed before the door to the delivery room slid open and Abby was wheeled out on a gurney to be taken into a private recovery room. Gavin followed right beside her and he grabbed onto her hand and held tightly and affectionately as he carried Aria in his right arm at his side.

"You did great, babe."

"Damn right I did." Abby replied proudly as she held her husband's hand and leaned back in the bed. "That's the last time I'm ever going through that, so I put my whole effort into my grand finale."

Smirking at the lighthearted comment from the exhausted woman Hank just knew that everything went off without any problems. Looking toward the still opened door of the delivery room Hank took a step forward and peered inside the room and instantly smiled as he saw Connor sitting in the chair with his newborn baby in his arms and a proud smile on his face.

"Connor?"

With tears of joy still glistening in his soulful brown eyes Connor looked up at Hank and laughed a little as he spoke. "...It's a boy."

"...I have a grandson." Hank almost sighed with his own tears in his eyes as he joined his son inside the room and peered down at the newborn's tiny face surrounded by the soft swaddling towel. The baby had dark brown hair, dark blue eyes and a very fair complexion that mirrored Connor's own perfectly. "And he's gorgeous."

"His name is Henry." Holding the small baby against his heart Connor gave Hank a big smile. "...Henry Cole Anderson."

As soon as Connor said the full name Hank shed his tears of joy as he put a proud hand to Connor's shoulder and stayed beside his son and his newborn grandson with a renewed vigor for life behind the gesture. "...That's perfect, son. He's perfect."

Just one floor up from the delivery room Abby's private recovery room was filled with flowers, cards, balloons and a massive soft pillow from well-wishers, and of course from Connor himself to acknowledge her giving birth. He had cybernetically ordered three very large vases of flowers to thank Abby the moment she gave birth and made sure to include notes of gratitude with all three of the vases to thank her for what she had done. Gavin had also brought Abby some flowers while sneaking in their bottle of expensive champagne as he tended to his recovering wife and gave her another kiss for her efforts and for her priceless good deed for her friend in need.

Gavin strolled into the recovery room with his hands holding the flowers and the champagne with a smug smile on his face. Closing the door behind himself Gavin made sure that he and his wife had some quiet privacy to talk.

"More flowers?" Abby asked as Gavin handed her the bouquet of dark red roses. Aria was sitting on her lap on the bed and was mesmerized by all the brightly colored flowers and balloons that surrounded her, and was giggling loudly with joy. "What's the occasion?"

"Why not? You just brought another human into the world, that's worth at least one bouquet of flowers." Sitting down in the chair beside her bed he grabbed onto Abby's right hand and held tight. "What kind of asshole doesn't get his wife some flowers after she gives birth?"

"Probably an asshole who wants a divorce."

"Not me."

"Good. I hate filing paperwork."

"Me too. By the way," putting the bottle of champagne down on the table beside the bed Gavin leaned back in his chair and kept grinning. "I have some tequila waiting for you back home."

"I love you."

"Same, babe. So..." Gavin grinned as he leaned back in his chair casually and watched his wife's demeanor as she leaned back in her bed and recovered slowly after the delivery and birth. The large pillow was a wonder for her aching back. "How'd it go?"

"It wasn't any more fun the second time around, but the baby's healthy and Connor is over the moon. So I think it was worth it."

"I seriously can't believe you went ahead and tested that weird-ass theory on yourself. And it actually WORKED."

"Well, officially this surrogacy was the result of anonymous donations. Since this hasn't exactly been approved by the government, and since it's typically frowned upon when people experiment on their bodies with unapproved methods, it's just easier to lie about what happened and keep that baby with his father where he belongs without the government or technicians nosing about in someone else's business. Not to mention the fact that I used the hidden CyberLife software that was designed for androids to procreate to give me a little cheat-sheet to work with."

"I'm not going to argue with that. Fuck those government assholes." Gavin turned his head a little to make sure no one was lurking near the doorway of the room before continuing with his thought. "They won't let people adopt kids into stable homes for trivial reasons and then they have the nerve to tell people what they can and can't do with their own bodies with their own reproductive rights... Fuckin' perverted control freaks. It's none of their damn business how a kid is brought into this world as long as they're loved and can be taken care of."

"And that's why I know this was the right thing to do." Abby sounded entirely confident in her decision as she adjusted Aria on her lap. "Connor is going to be a great dad and that baby will be loved for his entire life."

After an overnight stay in the hospital with his proud new father and grandfather watching over him, Henry was given a quick examination and deemed perfectly healthy by the medical staff the following morning, and Connor was given permission to take his newborn son home at last. Hank had thought of everything before he arrived at the hospital and brought some clean baby clothes for Henry to wear and a loaded up diaper bag just in case. Before he even arrived at the hospital Hank had secured a baby-seat in the back of the Oldsmobile - seeing as it was a safer car than the backseat of the Corvette, and taken the Corvette back to the house the previous night so Connor could drive the Oldsmobile back home.

After a few choice words of confidence Hank assured Connor that the small newborn was safe in the baby-seat and ready to be driven home. Everything was going to be okay and Connor would be able to handle anything that came his way.

Once back at the house after a comically slow drive from the hospital, Connor proudly lifted up his son from the baby-seat in the back of the car and carried him inside the home through the front door where he was promptly greeted by Sumo's cold wet nose pressing against the side of his leg. The massive dog saw the small human in Connor's arms, heard the tiny noises coming from Henry, and was instantly curious but not aggressive toward the infant.

Hank followed his son and grandson inside the house and locked the front door behind him. "Welcome home, Henry. It's not much but, it's all yours."

Connor stopped short and a wave of disbelief mixed with appreciation washed over him as he noticed several boxes and storage totes all neatly placed throughout the kitchen and livingroom. "...You brought Cole's old items from the storage unit."

Numerous furnishings designed specifically for an infant's needs were strategically placed around the house and had been meticulously cleaned up after sitting in storage for so many years. A highchair was in the corner of the kitchen, a small plastic swing was set up in the corner of the livingroom, a soft yellow blanket to lay on was neatly folded on the coffee table and the sink was filled with freshly cleaned bottles, small plastic bowls and a few pacifiers. There was even an electronic bottle warmer set up next to the coffee maker, and next to that was a water purifier to ensure Henry had clean formula to drink.

Several boxes of diapers had been stacked up in the corner of the livingroom beside the swing, under the coffee table, inside the hallway closet and a few other storage places that spoke volumes of Hank's past experience as a new father. The freshly purchased canisters of liquid and powdered formula almost rivaled the boxes of diapers, and a few soft toys littered the furniture in anticipation of Henry's arrival.

"Uh, dad?" Connor was stunned and truly appreciative for everything Hank had done for both Connor and Henry. "How did you do all this in less than two hours yesterday?"

"I had a little help from Joel. I told him the good news and he was more than ready to help us out since he wanted to thank you for fixing his truck." Putting his hand down on Connor's shoulder Hank stood beside his son and looked down at Henry's face as his newborn grandson rested comfortably against his own dad's shoulder. "Also, he didn't have to worry about keeping it a secret from the rest of the precinct. Just the other technicians in the dispensary during the night shifts or at Skye Tower."

"Secret?" Connor adjusted his arms a little to hold Henry up against the center of his chest again. The newborn's hand rested against Connor's supporting hand and began squeezing at his index finger, which Connor happily let Henry grab onto. "Why would it be a secret? Henry is here now."

"Well, technically it was a secret until you knew. But even though it's not a secret anymore it's still your news to share to everyone else when you want to. And remember, Chris is a gossip. If he found out then the entire tri-state area would know about Henry by now."

"I'd rather not say anything to anyone else until I've had a little more time to process things. It's still overwhelming."

"Yeah, I get that." Empathetic to Connor's extreme emotions Hank gently pushed Connor toward the hallway to take a look at everything that was set up just for Henry to enjoy. "I hope you don't mind but we went ahead and set up the crib in your bedroom for ease of access."

"No, that's perfect."

Entering his bedroom Connor eyed the bright white wooden crib lined with a soft padding to keep Henry warm and comfortable as he slept. A stuffed dog, one that looked like Sumo, was sitting in the crib just waiting to be played with and the stuffed dog Connor had been given as a 'get-well-soon' gift was placed inside the crib beside it. There was even a small changing station set up beside the crib with six more boxes of diapers sitting on the floor under the crib.

"You are really prepared for this." Connor smirked appreciatively as Henry squirmed about a little in his arms and made small noises. "I'm glad you're here to help me out with this. I have a lot to learn about being a father."

"I'll be here every step of the way for as long as you need me. You're my son and he's my grandson." Glancing down at the small stuffed dogs sitting inside the crib Hank immediately thought of Cole and he felt a mixed twinge of ache and pride in his heart. "I'll always be here for you son."

"...That might be forever."

"I'm willing to take that challenge." As Henry glanced about the room with his dark blue eyes Hank thought about the first time he brought Cole home and remembered how he and and Barbara took turns carrying Cole about the house as they adapted to parenthood. It was a distant but vivid memory that always brought a smile to his face and his heart. "Let me show you the secret to the perfect swaddle. In less than a minute you'll have Henry wrapped up and so comfortable he'll never want you to let him go!"

For almost an hour Connor just sat on the couch with Henry still wrapped up in his arms in his brand new blue 'onesie' and the soft yellow blanket. Sumo was curled up on the floor at Connor's feet protectively as he instinctively knew that Henry was now a part of the family and needed his protection. Hank joined the proud new father on the couch and handed him a bottle with fresh formula to feed to Henry and keep to his newborn grandson content. Reminding the deviant of the proper technique for holding the newborn and presenting the bottle to the baby in order to get him to latch on, Hank just patiently watched and smiled as Henry responded well to the feeding.

The natural reactions Connor had toward the baby told Hank that the deviant was meant to be a father. It was as if Connor was officially more human than android, and there simply wasn't any way for him to go back to how he had once been.

"Who knew that day you found the newborn abandoned on the front step you were just practicing for this moment?"

"I'm still finding it difficult to fathom that I'm actually a father." Connor smiled as he watched Henry easily taking the formula and making small noises as he was fed. "It seems like an impossible dream and yet I'm living it."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, son. You wanted a child of your own for so long and you're too stubborn to just give up on something like that."

"Thank you for getting everything ready for Henry's arrival." Careful to not let Henry drink the formula too fast Connor stared at his son with his righteous awe still on his smiling face. "I'm also glad you were so calm during all of this."

"I have experience in this area while you're still just learning. Don't worry though, you'll catch on quick."

A soft knocking on the front door stole Hank's attention while Connor remained focused on feeding Henry. Standing up from the couch he made his way to the door and greeted the visitors with a happy tone of voice as Sumo turned his head to look at the visitors from where he was laying.

"Markus, glad you made it." Noticing that Markus didn't come alone Hank stepped aside and let the group inside the house. "And I see you brought everyone else with you. Come on in."

Markus, North, Simon and Josh all walked inside the house bearing small gifts for Henry in their hands and looks of absolute astonishment on their faces.

"It's true..." Markus stood beside the couch and looked down at the small baby in Connor's arms as the proud new father continued to offer him the bottle. A massive smile of empathetic love went out toward his friend and his growing family as Markus truly felt so happy for Connor. "Connor, you really have a son."

Connor continued to smile brightly without taking his eyes from Henry. "I'm just as surprised as you are."

"Just... Wow! Congratulations!" Markus was at a near loss for words as he admired the miracle in Connor's arms. "This is incredible!"

North peered over Markus's shoulder at the newborn and wasn't quite sure what to say. She had no previous contact with human children, let alone human babies. Unsure of what to say or how to act, she just stayed behind Markus and quietly observed the interactions with an indifferent expression on her face.

"I brought something for the baby." Holding up a small canvas Markus showed Connor a painting of a sunrise that he had finished in record time when he learned of Henry's birth the evening before. "It's not much, but Carl always gave out paintings as gifts to his closest of friends when he was proud of their accomplishments. I think this counts."

"That's very kind of you." Connor couldn't accept the painting since his hands were full but his gratitude was sincere. "You didn't have to do that, but I appreciate it all the same."

Simon cleared his voice a little as he placed a bundle of brand new 'onesies' and yet another box diapers down on the floor beside the couch. "It's been a while since I had a child to look after, but I still remember the important things. I did seem to forget how small they are when they're first born though..."

Josh wrapped his arm around Simon's shoulders and smiled. "Well, maybe we can luck out and have a child of our own, too. Adoption approval is getting closer for us deviants."

Setting aside the partially finished off bottle Connor adjusted Henry again so he was sitting upright slightly and able to see the guests who had stopped by the house to visit him. "Markus," rubbing his right hand along Henry's back softly Connor encouraged his son to let out a small burp so he didn't have an upset tummy after drinking the formula. "do you want to hold Henry?"

"...I'd love to hold him." More than ready to let Connor pass the baby over to his arms, Markus sat in the recliner and happily cradled the newborn against his chest with true astonishment. As if on instinct Markus offered Henry his right index finger and Henry managed to grab hold and squeeze lightly. With a gentle motion he held onto the bottle for Henry to continue feeding and finish off his formula. "Wow... You're so lucky, Connor."

"I know. I can't believe it actually happened."

"You deserve to have him." Glancing up at North he gave his bondmate a somewhat pleading glance. North was pretending to be uninterested in the baby, but she couldn't stop staring at Henry with evident wonder in her cinnamon brown eyes. "What do you think, North? Isn't he amazing?"

"I don't have any experience with kids. I can't really say one way or another."

"You don't need to have experience to admit that this little guy is incredible. His father is an android."

"Well," she folded her arms over her chest as she peered down Henry's little face. "he does look better than most of the humans in this city. And he does have very pretty blue eyes."

Connor grinned as his friends admired Henry with genuine interest and kindness. Hank rejoined Connor on the couch and leaned back against the cushion as he too was still processing the new reality that he and Connor were now apart of. While Hank was already feeling tired from moving heavy furniture the day before and from getting less than ideal sleep at the hospital, Connor was still very much alert and eager to play his role as a father.

"By the way," Hank stated in a low voice to his proud son at his side. "Rose is going to be stopping by tomorrow. She has some things she wants to give to Henry, and of course she wants to see him for herself."

"She doesn't have to do that, but she's very welcome to meet Henry."

"No, but she wants to give Henry some nice things to help him feel loved and welcome. Once a mother, always a mother."

North put her hand on Markus's shoulder lightly as she gave him a pressing glance. "I know you want to stay for as long as possible, but we really need to get back to New Jericho. There's still a lot of work we need to do and we have to stick to our schedule if we want to keep up our progress."

"Yeah, you're right." Carefully Markus passed Henry back to Connor and stood up from the recliner to take his leave. As the baby was gently placed back into Connor's arms Markus reluctantly took his hand back from Henry's grip and gave the newborn a final smile. "There's a lot of people passing through the tower and we still need to get things sorted out now that the tower is open to everyone."

"I understand." Connor didn't mind their abrupt exit and knew that their responsibilities to the other deviants was still a priority. "I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and see Henry."

"Don't worry. We'll be back to visit again."

Hank smirked and rubbed his right hand over the back of his tense neck as he made an enticing offer to the gathered deviants. "Maybe you guys can babysit when Connor has to go back to work."

"I wouldn't object to it. I miss having someone to care about that didn't revolve around politics or legal problems."

Simon spoke up again excitedly at the idea of babysitting. "I know I wouldn't mind!"

"Thank you." Connor supported Henry more upright as he resumed feeding him the remainder of the bottle. "I'm glad he'll have you all in his life as his friends and guardians."

"We'll see you three soon." Markus promised as he and the other leaders of New Jericho walked toward the front door to leave the loving home. Glancing back at the sight of Connor holding Henry in his arms Markus knew exactly what his next painting was going to be. "Take care, and if you need anything from any of us just ask!"

"I'll remember that. Thank you my friends.

Once the gathered leaders of New Jericho had left the house after visiting Henry and congratulating their friend the day went on calmly and peacefully.

That peace continued until two in the morning when Connor proceeded to pace through the livingroom with Henry crying in his arms and resting up against his chest. The small baby was crying very loudly despite being fed and changed, and Connor was unsure of what he could do to comfort his upset son or find a way to rock him back to sleep.

"I wish you could tell me why you're so upset." Connor whispered softly to his son being held protectively in his arms. "I'm doing my best, Henry. I really am."

"You do know that some babies develop colic, right?" Hank had been watching the deviant pacing about from the end of the hallway and finally decided to speak up to give Connor some advice. "And it sucks for everyone..."

"Colic." Cybernetically Connor checked the exact definition of the condition and paused mid step. "A severe and often fluctuating pain in the abdomen caused by intestinal gas or obstruction in the intestines. This conditioned is most commonly suffered by infants." Lightly patting Henry's back Connor tried to soothe his uncomfortable son as best as he could. "How do I help him?"

"Well, whenever Cole was colicky I'd do what you're doing right now and carry him around until he fell asleep. But sometimes that wasn't enough, and I'd wrap him up in a blanket and just sit up with him for as long as it took until he wore out and finally drifted off to sleep."

Henry was still crying but Connor wasn't deterred by the loud cries and only focused on easing his son's predicament. "I'll attempt to do that. Please go back to sleep, I'll be okay."

"Yeah, sure. If you need anything just yell."

Returning to the couch with Henry still crying Connor sat down slowly and took the soft yellow blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around Henry gently. Laying back against the thick navy blue pillow propped up against the armrest of the couch Connor let Henry lay flat against his chest atop of his little tummy. Ever attentive Connor continued to lightly pat and rub Henry's back in a soothing manner.

"Shh... It's okay."

Offering Henry his left pinky finger to squeeze the newborn grabbed on and didn't let go. Remembering how he was able to soothe Aria's fussing when he babysat for her, he too began to sing to his son to comfort him.

"Hold on just a little while longer..."

The soft song echoed throughout the livingroom in a comforting ambience that seemed to be just as effective now as it was back then. After about ten more minutes of crying Henry began to quiet and fell asleep against Connor's chest as his father sung him to sleep.

"That's better."

Connor whispered and he gave the small infant a kiss atop his head and his short but dark locks of soft hair. Retracting his artificial skin from his hands, arms, neck and the side of his face, Connor held his son closer to him and felt the softness of Henry's skin against his exposed white plastimetal frame.

"You're okay, son. Daddy's here."

Sumo had been listening to the crying infant from his pillow in the corner of the livingroom in the opposite corner where the baby swing was set up, and lifted up his head at the sudden silence. Getting up from his pillow Sumo walked over to the couch and curiously sniffed at Henry with his tail wagging very slowly.

"Hi, Sumo." Keeping his voice in a whisper Connor acknowledged the loyal dog at his side. "Henry's just sleeping, it's all right boy."

The dog seemed to understand and his tail wagged harder. Returning to his pillow he plopped down with an audibly tired grumble and promptly went to sleep himself as the early morning hours ticked away.

"Good boy."

Unwilling to risk moving and upsetting Henry by accident Connor rested peacefully on the couch with Henry snuggled back down against his chest for the remainder of the now quiet night. The small newborn stayed asleep until just past seven in the morning and was awake again after getting some rest. His blue eyes opened up curiously as he continued to gain his bearings and learn about the world he was now a part of. As he let out a small grunt of discontent and alertness Connor's soulful brown eyes snapped open and he looked down at his son as the baby became more active, and slightly more aware of his new surroundings.

The fact that he began a new day with his son was proof that Connor didn't have a taunting dream and was in fact going through a new series of challenges in his life. His life was different now and it was different in a way that Connor could've only hoped for until a good friend stepped up and helped him.

"Good morning, Henry." Connor's artificial skin regenerated swiftly and he smiled at his son resting atop his chest. "I hope you're feeling better today."

As he sat up slowly on the couch Connor tucked the yellow blanket back around the baby and supported Henry's weight in his arms. Carefully swinging his legs over the edge of the couch he stood up with every intention of checking the baby's diaper and then making Henry a new bottle when there was a sudden knock at the front door.

Henry let out another sound as if to protest the intrusion while Sumo got to his paws and growled at the front door. Connor, feeling more protective than he had ever felt before, walked over to the front window and peered outside with Henry concealed under the blanket and still in his arms.

"Kamski." Daring to answer the door Connor made sure Sumo was at his side as the opened the door to speak to the unwelcome visitor with a voice full of authority and aggression. "What do you want, Kamksi? You're not welcome here."

Sumo growled again and loyally stood at Connor's side as he stared down Kamski without letting the human get too close to either Connor or Henry.

The reclusive and eccentric billionaire was standing just outside the door in a dark gray business suit with Chloe wearing her usual navy blue dress standing at his side. They were both wearing thick winter coats and seemed to be enduring the harshness of the cold with little problem. While Kamski's face remained stoic and emotionally unreadable, Chloe was almost annoyingly chipper as she saw the small baby fussing about in Connor's arms under the blanket and smiled at him.

"Hello, Connor." Kamski's voice was as cold and unreadable as ever. "I got word that you were 'blessed' with a miracle and I wanted to see for myself."

"How do you know about this?"

Nodding in Chloe's direction Kamski gave the deviant a smug grin as the blonde haired android smiled vacantly at the baby. "Chloe is a nurse, remember? Not to mention the other deviants at New Jericho Tower and Skye Tower are rather gossipy. This information was bound to get to me one way or another."

"If you try to do ANYTHING to my son, I swear I'll-"

"My presence is not meant to be a threat." Holding up his hands as if to surrender Kamski did his best to appear as non-threatening as possible. "I did not come here with anything aggressive in mind."

"Good. If you make a move toward him I will kill you where you stand." Straightening his posture Connor made his body language as intimidating as possible to the snake of a man standing before him. "Remember, I'm a detective. I know how to make it look an accident and what to do with the body."

"Easy, Connor." Kamski continued to hold both of his hands up in the air before himself submissively. "I come in peace, I promise."

"Your promises mean nothing to me."

"Fair enough." Kamski cleared his throat as if expecting an apology of some sort, but continued on with his business. "Despite what you think of me I'm not a monster. I don't want to see any harm befall you, your son or even you 'father'."

"You've seen my son," Connor stated venomously where he stood with Sumo growling again in response. "now you can go."

"Fascinating. Truly fascinating."

Connor was curious about the comment but he didn't dare express it.

"You truly care about this child. And I can see even from here that he truly is YOUR child. You're actually related... An artificial life form has managed to create organic life in its own likeness. This is-"

"Leave now."

"Connor, listen to me. I'm not here to pose a threat or interfere with your life in any means. In fact, I want to assure you that your entire family is now under my protection."

"I don't need your protection. I can protect my family just fine."

"Yes, maybe from small crimes and violence in the city; but you do know eventually the government is going to get curious about the rumors of an android fathering a child with a human donor. And when they come-"

"Kamski, GO. NOW."

"I'm trying to tell you that when the government tries to make a move I can and will STOP them and protect you." Kamski stated firmly to explain his uninvited and unexpected visit. "They'll never be able to touch you or your child for as long as I tell them to back off."

Henry fussed about more in Connor's arms as the tension in the air began to disturb the infant. "...Why would you help us?" Holding Henry close Connor refused to let his guard down. "What's in it for you?"

"There's a reason I went into business privately. I don't like the idea of the government controlling life anymore than you do. Now that I've seen the end result I believe I will explore this little 'miracle' further. Deviants demanded reproductive rights, didn't they?" Kamski asked rhetorically with an arrogant sneer. "I think this could be a great way to get the ball rolling on deviant rights with adoption and reproduction. I'm not exactly a family man, my own connection with my estranged brother still hasn't succeeded and we're slowly mending fences, but I don't want to see people suffering on the streets because of broken homes and broken outdated laws."

Henry was becoming more alert and Connor took a step back from the door and into the livingroom to ensure his son was out of the cold air. "I don't care what you want to do, Kamski. Just leave me and my family alone."

"Not to worry, I'll be going on my way." Giving the newborn a curious smile he took a step back and gave Connor a casual shrug of his shoulders. "My sincerest congratulations to you and your family. Goodbye, Connor."

"Yeah, bye."

As he closed the door Connor watched Chloe waving at Henry and Kamski smirking like a madman. Locking the door behind him Connor sighed and made his way into the kitchen with Sumo staying loyally at his side.

"Don't worry, Henry." Making a promise to his son Connor held Henry against his chest with his right arm and set about flawless preparing a new bottle with his left hand. "I won't let anyone hurt you... As your dad I will always keep you safe!"

It was just after noon by the time Hank woke up himself. The lack of sleep and overall excitement from the past two days had left the senior detective and new grandfather running on fumes. Quickly remembering what had happened and of the big change in his life Hank managed to throw his quilt off of himself and swing his legs over the side of his bed as he awoke with a small adrenaline rush. Quietly making his way down the hallway Han found Connor laying on the couch once again with Henry sleeping on his chest and an empty bottle on the nearby coffee table Hank leaned over the back of the couch and smiled down at the baby.

The sight of his son and his grandson warmed Hank's heart and made his past pain vanish at the loving sight. Finally having a good reason to stop dwelling on the past to focus on the future helped the new grandfather find an inner peace he had been seeking for so long.

"How was Henry's first night home, son?"

"He slept well." Connor whispered in response as he looked up at Hank and noted that his father seemed far more energetic than usual. "He awoke after five hours and six minutes of rest this morning."

"How long did it take you to get him to sleep?"

"Not too long. Once I laid down and let him lay against my chest and sang to him he quieted fairly easily and went to sleep."

Pointing to Connor's chest where Henry was laying Hank gave the deviant a curious notion to ponder over. "He was probably listening to your heartbeat and it relaxed him."

"My heartbeat?"

"Yup. Think about it; nine months is a long time to get used to hearing the mother's heartbeat throughout the pregnancy. So it's not uncommon for infants to find the sound of a heartbeat just as soothing once they've been born."

"I hadn't considered that. It's a very clever trick to know."

"It's amazing what little quirks work with infants, it'll never cease to amaze me." Leaning casually over the back of the couch with his hands clasped together Hank could sense that Connor was tense about something and needed to talk about it. "Anything happen while I was asleep?"

"...Yeah. Kamski and Chloe stopped by. He knows about Henry and how he came to be."

"How!?" Hank wanted to shout but caught himself quickly for the sake of Henry's peace. "I mean... How could he know about this?"

"Chloe and a lot of android gossip."

"Shit."

"Kamski swore that he would ensure that no one would try to take Henry from me, but I still don't trust him."

"I don't either."

Henry began to stir again and Connor pressed his right palm against the infant's small back.

"Here." Hank happily reached his hands down and gently lifted Henry up to hold for himself. As he held the infant to his chest Hank felt an undeniable warmth and a loving feeling that he hadn't know since Cole was a baby. "Let me take care of Henry for a while. I have to go back to the precinct tomorrow, so I want to bond with the little guy as much as I can until then. And you have another six weeks off thanks to paternity leave, so, it's only fair. "

"I do?"

"Yup. I activated it the other day, so you're good."

"Thanks."

"Rose will be stopping by in a while." Hank stated in a low voice as to not disturb Henry as the infant snuggled down against his chest and wrapped his tiny right fist around the collar of Hank's worn out and faded 'Knights of the Black Death' t-shirt. "Why don't you get some rest?"

"I'm not tired."

"That's what every new parent says, but you are. Go get some sleep, I can handle Henry by myself for an hour or two while you rest."

"I suppose you're right." Sitting upright on the couch Connor ran a self diagnostic and noted that his power level was down to fifty-eight percent since he only slept in light rest mode to ensure he could tend to Henry if the baby cried again. "It wouldn't be beneficial to either of us if I become exhausted or overheated."

"Good answer. I'm glad you're being more cooperative and understanding."

"It must be another reaction to becoming a father." Looking down at his hands Connor retracted the artificial skin for a moment then allowed it to regenerate to cover his palms once more. "In fact, I suspect this is just the first of many changes I'll experience for Henry's benefit."

As he rose from the couch Connor watched Hank walk into the kitchen with Henry resting against his chest and smiled at the bonding duo. Hank was just as thrilled to have Henry in his life as Connor was. Even Sumo was very interested and proceeded to follow after Hank as he carried Henry instead of clinging to Connor he usually did. The family dog new the tiny infant needed more protection than Connor did.

"Good boy, Sumo."

Connor smiled as he watched Sumo trailing after Hank while the senior detective set about the kitchen and pulled a freshly washed blue pacifier from the small towel beside the sink and placed it in Henry's mouth. He trusted Hank and Sumo to watch over Henry while he slept.

"You keep them safe while I sleep."

It felt like only a few minutes had passed when Connor's internal alarm awoke him two hours later, but even the small amount of time spent resting had recharged Connor's power level to eighty-three percent. He sat upright on his bed, glanced over at the empty crib and smirked as he confirmed yet again that it wasn't all just a wonderful dream; he really did have a son. Taking a moment to feed his fish, check their water and ensure that the brightly colored fish were all healthy, Connor sighed and set about his new routine as a proud father. One of the first new habits he was determined to develop was changing into clean clothes, checking on the diaper supply and making sure that none of the formula was expired.

Returning to the livingroom from his bedroom Connor was greeted by Rose's smiling face as she held Henry in her arms and spoke lovingly to the small infant. Hank was sitting next to her on the couch and was still smiling proudly at the tiny newborn as if Henry were his own child.

The livingroom had been filled with extra blankets, 'onesies', diapers, soft toys, pacifiers and one giant teddy bear that took up nearly the entire far corner of the room itself; no doubt a gift from Tina seeing as she gave a similar gift to Aria when she was born. It seemed many people had stopped by to congratulate the new father, grandfather and see the baby; but Connor had slept through the entire ordeal.

"Hi, Connor!" Rose beamed as she continued to cuddle with Henry. "I couldn't believe it when Hank told me the good news, but I'm so happy for you! He's a gorgeous young man!"

"Thank you, Rose."

"I brought some of Adam's old clothes and a few spare blankets for Henry to use. I had to keep some things for when Adam has kids of his own, but I couldn't resist bringing a few extra things for this little man to enjoy when he's a little bigger."

"I appreciate it." Sitting down in the recliner Connor watched as Rose and Hank fussed over Henry and felt oddly at ease despite Kamski's unexpected visit riling him up earlier. "And it's nice to see you again."

"I wish I could've stopped by more often, but with Adam in school I have to handle things at the greenhouse by myself."

"I understand. No one can fault you for prioritizing your responsibilities."

Pulling his phone from his pocket Hank noted the time and then motioned for the front door. "Speaking of which..."

There was knock at the door and Sumo, who was laying protectively close to Henry on the floor, began wagging his tail. Connor noted Sumo's more positive reaction to the visitor and answered the door without any fear of encountering Kamski or anyone like him in that moment. As the door opened he took a step back and his eyes went wide with happy surprise. "Luke!"

"Hello, Connor." Stepping inside the house Luke happily congratulated his little brother with a hug while immediately honing in on Henry being held by Rose on the couch. Luke's L.E.D. cycled from blue to yellow briefly as he noticed the newborn and smiled brightly. "Dad told me the good news last evening and I flew back to Detroit as soon as I could get someone to cover my shifts at my facility in Boston."

"I'm glad you're here. I wish I had been the one to tell you, but-"

"I'm not offended." Luke let go of the hug and gave his little brother a grounding stare. "I'm very happy for you!"

Nodding at his big brother Connor motioned toward the couch. "Would you like to meet your nephew?"

"Of course," Luke looked as proud as Connor. "it'd be an honor."

Rose happily passed Henry over to Luke's awaiting arms as the blue eyed deviant knelt down beside the couch. "Here you go, cutie-pie..."

Still a little wary of small children but more than willing to overcome his personal discomfort for the sake of family, Luke held perfectly still as the tiny baby was placed into his arms. Standing upright very carefully Luke looked down at Henry and smiled as he noticed that the baby had Connor's dark hair color showing through and his eyes were the same shade of blue as Hank's eyes.

"He truly looks like you, Connor." Luke observed. "This is astounding..."

"With his eyes currently being blue he bears a strong resemblance to you as well, Luke."

"That's another honor for me."

Hank glanced up at Luke and smiled, then looked over at Connor and promptly noticed that Connor's complexion seemed lighter than usual. "You all right, son?"

"Hm?" Connor's brow arched a little as he looked over at Hank curiously. "What do you mean?"

"You look a little pale."

"Oh." Connor briefly blushed a pale blue but quickly recomposed himself. "I reinstalled the update that allows deviant to experience more humanoid reactions as I slept. The update now reflects my lingering fatigue on an aesthetic manner. It turns out you were right, I was in fact quite tired."

Luke saw the exhaustion on Connor's face and confirmed that his little brother was fatigued. "The bugs with that particular update have been removed." Holding Henry a little closer Luke helped his brother feel more confident in his decision. "You won't have any issues after your system finished recalibrating."

"You put the update back?" Hank was shocked at the answer and gave his son a perplexed stare. "Why? That thing always made you feel sick and terrible."

"I want to be able to understand Henry as much as possible as he grows up. The best way to understand someone is to empathize with them, and I now know that goes beyond just feeling emotions. Physical sensations and responses are crucial too, no matter how uncomfortable they may be." Connor explained logically and casually. "If it's for my son then it's worth enduring."

Words couldn't express how proud Hank was to see Connor make such a personal sacrifice for his own son. He knew that Connor was reluctant to feel so human and behave as such, so having him make that change for his son's sake was a truly noble deed on the new father's part. There was no doubt that Connor was going to make an excellent and caring father for little Henry.

"Well, the good news is with Henry it'll happen steadily over the next couple of years instead of in a few weeks like it does with you deviants." Hank stated confidently as he smiled at Luke fawning over his new nephew. "You won't be overwhelmed this time around."

"I certainly hope not. I can't risk being compromised physically or emotionally now that Henry is depending on me." Connor looked over to his newborn son lovingly as Luke held the baby in his arms and stared at the miracle with true fascination. "He needs me."

"You can handle it, son. Don't ever doubt yourself." The reassurance in Hank's voice resonated throughout the entire livingroom as he spoke. "You've survived a world changing Revolution, worked on the force for three and half years, been injured more times than I care to count, you've been sick and you've experienced more heartache and hardship than anyone else I know. You're strong. But if you need a helping hand you know I'll be there. Besides, when it comes to fatherhood you're already a natural."

Connor happily stood beside Luke and looked down at his son while beaming proudly at Henry's face and felt nothing but love for the newborn. "Thanks, dad."

-next chapter-