Chase couldn't remember at what point Seán asked him to come in front with him. Hell, he hardly even remembered switching (but who did, honestly?). All Chase knew at the moment was it was insanely cold and Hank had apparently insisted on coming to the park.

Riverside Park. Chase had intentionally made sure Seán hadn't come here since coming back from Ireland, but he had to guess Hank had only come because he was drinking. A lot of the memories Seán had been allowed to keep from his childhood had them all here- on those rare sunny days where Eileen (or Ma as Seán called her) had been happy and Cole had been willing to run around with them. They only ever came as a family, on the days Hank didn't have work specifically. Chase vaguely remembered watching New Years' fireworks on a bench near the lake.

Chase caught himself from falling over in the passenger seat of Hank's car. He must have zoned out for a moment there. The park certainly didn't help with the dissociating, but as long as Seán stayed a little ways away he should be okay. 

Looking in the rearview mirror, Chase noticed Connor staring out the front window. Hank wasn't in the car next to him, so Chase followed Connor's eyes. The father figure noticed Hank sitting on a bench towards the water, bottle in hand. 

"Connor," Chase spoke up without looking towards the android, "When did we get here?"

Connor spoke up, "About 5 minutes ago. Hank got out of the car as soon as we arrived, and I didn't want to leave you behind just in case anything were to happen to you."

Chase nodded, running a hand down his face. He could hear Seán saying something, but it sounded muffled. Is he talking to someone else inside?

"Is everything alright?" Connor asked curiously.

"Yeah, just stay here," Chase mumbled, opening the car door. He couldn't help raising his hand to his head- the headache brought on from the switch was almost unbearable. Chase hadn't even realized how loud Hank's music had been until he stepped out of the car. Snow gently drifted down all around him as he approached Hank.

"Hank," Chase greeted quietly. He plopped on the bench next to Hank. If he said something stupid, Hank could have totally kneed him in the face without much effort.

"Seán?" Hank grumbled.

"And Chase," The correction almost seemed pointless- Chase normally sat towards the front while he was at work anyway. 

It took a moment for Chase to realize that Hank had a drink- that must have been why Seán wanted him closer. 

"What happened?" Chase asked quietly, staring at the water. In his mind's eye, he could see Seán and Cole running around, throwing snowballs at each other. Had that actually happened?

"Do you remember what happened after Marvin started fronting?" Hank asked.

Chase scoffed but remembered Hank was probably drunk. "No, I wasn't fronting. I barely remember the club."

Hank nodded, taking a swig of the alcohol. "Other than a quick debrief there wasn't really anything. Seán came out pretty quickly after that and mentioned something about new alters?"

Chase internally groaned, rubbing a hand down his face again. "Seán, you have to stop telling Hank these things."

"I trust him though," Seán grumbled.

Chase had almost spoken aloud but caught himself just as his mouth was opening. "Well, I don't."

"Yeah, we might have a couple," Chase bit out. 

The atmosphere remained quiet for a moment, save for the faint music from the car. As Chase looked over the landscape, he had to admit it looked beautiful. Everything from the cloudy sky to the reflections of Detroit catching in the water. Chase heard the door open and shut quickly, and the crunching of snow. Connor must be coming.

Connor approached the other side of Hank. The android gave a brief look at the pair but looked back out over the lake. 

"Nice view, huh?" Hank spoke up, "We used to come here a lot before..." Hank took another swig, groaning a bit after.

It wasn't a lot, dumbass, Chase really did want to say that out loud for a moment. But, he also didn't want to get sucker punched.

Connor stared at Hank, sparing glances at Chase every few seconds. "Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?"

Hank looked at the android, "Do all androids ask so many personal questions or is it-."

 Whatever Hank had been saying got muffled for just a moment. Chase could feel himself slipping. He couldn't let go though, Chase needed to make sure no one else inside saw this.

Chase missed what Connor said, but he could hear Hank perfectly, "Some things you just can't forget. Some things are always there. Eating away at me... I don't have the guts to pull the trigger, so I kill myself a little every day." Another swig from his drink and Hank looked over at Chase, "That is the only thing I'm envious of you for. You forget things."

Chase's anger didn't go unchecked. He couldn't afford to punch Hank right now, but he spoke up anyway, "I don't like forgetting. It wasn't our choice, or did you forget how DID is formed?" 

Chase could feel Seán, almost like he hovered just over Chase's shoulder. He knew Seán could also hear the conversation- judging by all of the grumbling coming from him. 

Hank took a swig, "I know it's probably hard for you to understand, huh Connor? Nothing very rational about it." He followed it by another swig. Chase almost wished he would keep drinking and just get it over with. But part of him also knew he needed to keep an eye on Hank and make sure he didn't actually kill himself.

Connor nodded, looking back over the water. He spoke up again though, face wrinkled in worry, "Before what?"

Chase felt his heart drop to his stomach. Part of him wanted to leave right then and there, he didn't want to hear Hank talk so highly of Ma. But he couldn't risk Seán or Anti hearing either. So, he steeled himself as best as he could before Hank could get the chance to talk.

"Hmm?" Hank asked, looking at the lake for a moment before going back to the ground.

Connor looked over, "You said 'I used to come here a lot before.' Before what?"

Chase had to admit, Connor almost sounded like Grayson- the childlike curiosity that would sometimes get him in trouble. Chase almost thought about the time he had told Grayson about sex (much to Stacey's disappointment), but he had to focus. He had to be present.

"Before..." Hank started, "Before nothin'." 

Chase let out a silent sigh of relief, gripping onto the edge of the bench. He needed to ground himself.

Connor walked forward, "We're not making any progress on this investigation." The way he dropped his arms almost looked human. The idea terrified Chase for a moment, but he continued to keep his eye on Connor.

"The deviants have nothing in common," Connor continued, looking over towards Gordie Howe Bridge. He crossed his arms, "They're all different models, produced at different times and different places." Connor looked back as he spoke, eyebrows creased. 

Chase let his eyes roam over Connor's body. The way he stood, had his arms crossed, hell even the look in his eyes told Chase that he was angry. Or, at least, Connor would be if he weren't an android. 

"Well, there must be some link," Hank grumbled.

Chase nodded, "How 'bout rA9?"

Connor didn't turn. "That's what they have in common! This obsession with rA9. It's almost as if it's some sort of... myth. Something they invented that wasn't part of their original program." 

Chase could feel Seán step away for a moment. The pressure in his head- thankfully- went down. 

"Androids believing in God," Hank mumbled in disbelief. "Fuck, what's this world coming to?"

"You seem preoccupied," Connor looked between Hank and Chase. "Is it something to do with what happened back at the Eden Club?" As he spoke, Chase could see Connor's more human qualities take a back seat. He folded his hands behind his back, feet 45 degrees from each other. Chase sighed as Hank spoke up.

"Those two girls..." Hank said, gripping his bottle tighter. 

Everything in Chase's body started to scream at him to run, run far away. But Connor would be defenseless. As much as he hated the stupid android, he had to admit the stupid android had saved their lives.

"They just wanted to be together," Hank continued. "They really seemed... in love." 

"You seem troubled, Lieutenant," Connor kept his eyes on Hank. Chase glanced between the two, silently listening as they continued to talk. He couldn't help it when the conversation faded in and out for a brief moment, but as soon as he tuned in he saw Hank standing to approach Connor, "-you sound human, but what are you really?"

Chase stood quickly but stayed back. He couldn't risk getting hurt. Not now.

"I'm whatever you want me to be, Lieutenant. Your partner, your buddy to drink with, or just a machine, designed to accomplish a task." Connor's voice monotoned as he looked at Hank.

Chase took a step forward, "Hank..." 

Hank's face had turned to one of contempt as he walked forward, "You could have shot those two girls, but you didn't. Why didn't you shoot, Connor?" Hank shoved Connor, and the android's face nearly broke Chase's heart.

Don't do anything. If Hank pulls his gun then you need to step in. Chase grit his teeth, watching as Hank stepped forward again.

"Hmm? Some scruples suddenly enter your program?"

Connor hesitated before he spoke. His voice shook, "No... I just decided not to shoot, that's all."

Chase could have heard the fear in his voice a million miles away. Hank didn't do anything, but Chase saw him reach for his gun.

His feet moved on their own, propelling him forward and in front of Connor. Hank's gun barrel rested softly on Chase's forehead, and Chase held his arms out.

"Hank you sit your ass down right now!" Chase shouted, stepping backwards one step and taking Connor with him.

Hank stared at Chase for a moment, and then cursed as he turned away. Chase heard the click of the safety being slid back on, and the next clink of the bottle being tossed on the ground. Chase kept his arms up as Hank stomped back to the car, and kept Connor behind him until he saw Hank pulling away.

Chase's chest heaved, "Are you okay?" He turned to face the android, who stared at him with a mixture of awe and terror.

Connor nodded slowly, "Yes, I'm perfectly fine." The red LED told him otherwise, but Chase decided to drop the subject. 

The father went and sat on the bench, sighing heavily. If he hadn't told Seán that he'd quit drinking, he would have picked that bottle up and taken a swig. 

"Chase-," Connor asked.

"How did you know?" Chase interrupted, staring up at the android.

"I overheard you correct Hank earlier, I'm sorry if I misheard," Connor apologized, coming to stand next to Chase.

Chase sighed, running his hand down his pants leg, "It's fine. What's up?"

"Why does Hank come here so often? According to nearby security cameras, he's here at least once a week," Connor admitted, looking at him.

That much? Chase remembered the time when Hank would bring Seán up every day. The idea of Hank getting to that point again worried Chase. 

"We came as a family a lot before the accident," Chase admitted. "I mean, Seán came with Hank, Cole, and Eileen." Chase shut his mouth after that. He didn't need to be talking about her.

Connor took a look at Chase again but didn't speak up. Perhaps he had finally learned when to keep his mouth shut.