a loud ring has Hank jerking his head up. he must've fallen asleep with Connor when the younger man asked him to hold him. he mumbles, blinking sleepily, his neck hurts and so does his back, this old couch isn't as comfortable as it used to be. Hank looks down, feeling a weight on his chest. Connor is curled up against his side, head resting on his chest, the blankets are still piled on him, though it seems he's unconsciously shared in his sleep, theres a blanket over his legs. Hank can feel a small puddle of drool under Conners head, he's snoring quietly and drooling out the side of his mouth. Hank gives a small smile, running his fingers through the younger mans hair, looking a little confused. he settles back down, closing his eyes, content to go back to sleep. what had woke him anyway? Hank internally shrugs to himself. he jerks at another loud ring, before digging his phone out of his pocket and grumbling. so thats what had woken him. he's got 3 missed calls.

"what?" Hank mutters.

"finally. were you sleeping?"

"its... 9PM. of course I was fucking sleeping. what do you want, Jeffery?" Hank mutters.

"I need you up here now."

"why?" Hank scoffs.

"we've got a 7 year old kid, who witnessed her father kill her mother. Gavins suspended. I need someone I trust, someone with experience with children. you have more experience than anyone else up here. I wouldn't call you in like this if it wasn't important."

Hank sighs.

"alright. give me time to get dressed, I'll be right there." Hank says.

"we've got her in the children's room, we'll wait."

Hank hangs up and shifts, looking down at Connor. he hates to disturb the younger man, he looks so peaceful, but it can't be helped.

"Connor." Hank murmurs, shaking his shoulder gently. Connor groans softly, burying his face into Hanks chest. "Connor. hey kid." Hank says, slightly louder. Connor shifts, lifting his head. he looks confused and sleepy.

"Hank...?" Connor asks.

"hey, get up kid." Hank murmurs. he blinks at Hank, before sitting up quickly. he looks utterly embarrassed.

"I-I'm so sorry." Connor says quickly, face turning red. Hank waves him off.

"don't worry about it, get dressed. we've gotta go to the DPD. girl saw her one parent kill the other." Hank mutters. Connor straightens and nods, getting up quickly. he heads for his room to get dressed.

by the time Connor gets back out, Hanks waiting for him.

"sorry, I needed to find something." Connor says, pulling his DPD hoodie back on over his uniform.

"s'alright. here put this on too. its freezing out there." Hank says, handing Connor another jacket. Connor takes it hesitantly, putting it on. they head outside and get in the car.

"why are you bringing me?" Connor asks, buckling up.

"I don't want to leave you alone, in case you get back in your funky mood. I'd rather you be somewhere I know you're safe." Hank says. Connor nods slightly.

"okay... I'm really sorry about that." Connor says.

"its happens to the best of us." Hank assures.

the rest of the ride is filled with quiet music from the radio and some light chatter, not their usual silence.

Jeffery is waiting for them when they get there, though he looks surprised to see Connor.

"you didn't have to wake him up too." Jeffery says.

"we fell asleep watching a movie, when he woke up, I did too." Connor assures. Jeffery nods and leads the way.

"she's quiet. I've had Chen try and Wilson. I even called Cameron in. she's not talking Hank." Jeffery frowns. Hank nods.

"I'll give it my best shot, but you know trauma victims. they tend to shut down, this girl, she's just a kid." Hank says.

"yeah. you're the last option we have, but... you should know, we think she's an abuse victim. got some bruises and unexplained injuries." Jeffery frowns. Hank nods.

"I'll keep that in mind." Hank assures. he pauses to look at the little girl through the one way glass. she's hunched over a table, coloring furiously. "alright, I'll be back." Hank says. Connor watches him go, before looking at Jeffery.

"do we have a file on her? I might be able to find something in it to help Hank out, if she was abused that is." Connor asks, looking at Jeffery. the Captain raises an eye brow.

"sure rookie, knock yourself out." Jeffery murmurs, shrugging. he passes a small file to Connor.

"hey there." Hank murmurs, walking over to the girl. he sits in one of the colorful plastic chairs awkwardly, knees groaning. the little girl doesn't even look at him. he watches her a moment. "s'very pretty picture." Hank says softly, watching her. the girl doesn't even acknowledge his existence. Hank shoots her a small smile. "my names Hank. you don't have to be afraid. I just want to ask you a couple of questions." Hank murmurs. more silence from the little girl. Hank tilts his head at her. "can you tell me your name?" Hank asks. the girl picks up another crayon and continues to ignore Hank. "can you tell me who did that to your arm?" Hank asks, catching a glimpse of a bruise on her arm. the little girl pulls her sleeve down and keeps coloring. Hank sighs and gets up out of the chair, heading to talk to Jeffery.

"no luck I see." Jeffery frowns. Hank shakes his head.

"didn't even seem to notice I was there until I brought up the bruise on her arm..." Hank frowns. Connor looks up from the little girls file.

"can... can I try?" Connor asks. Jeffery glances over.

"I'm not sure-" Jeffery tries.

"what can it hurt?" Hank asks. "either she talks or she doesn't." Hank says, looking at Jeffery. the Captain pauses to think, before nodding.

"yeah. alright. go a head rookie, but be gentle. she's just a little girl. don't be too rough with her, she's a victim." Jeffery says. Connor nods and puts the file down before heading to talk to the little girl.

he walks in and over to the table, pushing the chair out of his way to sit on the floor. he grabs one of the blank sheets of paper they've left for the girl and one of the crayons she's not using and starts his own picture, occasionally glancing at the little girl.

for the first time, she glances up from her drawing. her gaze flickering to Connors drawing, then back to her own, then to Connor, then back to her own drawing once more. its silent a moment.

"what is he doing?" Jeffery frowns.

"she looked up from her drawing." Hank says. Jeffery moves to say something, but Connors soft voice interrupts him.

"I know what its like." Connor says softly. the little girl glances at him, then back down at her drawing. he huffs a small forced chuckle. "I know, you get that alot. people trying to sympathize with you, but they never really know, do they?" Connor asks. the little girl tenses. "well... I do." Connor assures.

"what is he on about?" Jeffery mutters.

"not sure but she's responding." Hank murmurs.

"they come in and take you like some kind of criminal. like you did something wrong... but you haven't. you didn't ask for this and you don't even know whats happening. you don't know why this is happening, or who these people are. you don't understand... its not fair." Connor murmurs. he tilts his head slightly, continuing to draw. the little girl shifts in her seat slightly, nervously. "they give you a trash bag, like you're trash. like all your stuff is trash. like your very existence is a burden to them and you're just garbage to be set on the curb for someone else to deal with." Connor says. the crayon in the little girls hand snaps and she quickly grabs another, eyes never leaving her paper. "they give you five, maybe ten minutes to grab the items you deem important.... but... its never enough time. the trash bag isn't big enough for everything you want to take with you." Connor says softly. the little girl tenses, lifting her head slightly to look at Connor. "you have to leave a lot of stuff behind... you have leave what few friends you have behind... its like... they kidnap you, but its all legal." Connor says softly.

"kidnap?" Jeffery frowns.

"some times they strip you down and throw you in some donated clothing. they take you away in car full of strangers. they throw you to some doctors who poke and prod at you, like some kind of experiment, like you're a Science project. they ask you all kids of scary questions. they throw you in some stupid little paper gown to sit on a table with no real clothes on. they don't even let you keep underwear or socks on... they look you over from head to toe and poke you with needles to see if anything is wrong with you..." Connor murmurs.

"what is he talking about?" Jeffery asks. Hank frowns watching Connor.

the little girl is staring at Connor, who lets out a shaky sigh.

"once the doctors are done with you... sometimes you go to a room full of other kids who are just like you, sometimes you end up in rooms like this... they treat you like... like you broke the law. like you're a prisoner... they treat you almost like you were treated at home, only.... this time its not just adults that hurt you. its other kids, like you. scared and alone. taking their frustrations out on you like you're a punching bag. after a while... they find you a temporary house to go to." Connor says. Connor tilts his head looking at her for the first time since he's sat down. "sometimes they change your name..." Connor trails. "to something like Charlotte." Connor says. the little girls head snaps up again.

Hank tenses slightly.

"shit, let me see the kids file." Hank says. Jeffery nods and hands the file over to her.

"here." Jeffery mumbles.

"I was 800... thats what they called me. I was just a number to them. just a number in the system, not a person to remember. I was a figure." Connor murmurs. he lifts his head to smile at her a little. "I know thats not your name... what is your name?" Connor asks. the little girl studies him a moment, before looking back down at her drawing.

"Zoey." she says softly. Connor smiles at her a little.

"its nice to meet you Zoey, I'm Connor." Connor smiles at her. he looks at his drawing before glancing her over.

"they took you too?" Zoey asks. Connor nods, before putting his crayon down.

"yeah...." Connor murmurs, grabbing a new crayon.

"why'd they take you?" Zoey asks. Connor frowns a little.

"my parents, both of them. they hurt me. pretty badly... I ended up in the hospital, alot." Connor says softly. Zoey watches him.

"can I see?" Zoey asks. Connor nods at her slightly.

"sure if thats what you want." Connor murmurs. he unbuttons the cuff on his sleeve and rolls it up, before doing the same to his other sleeve. he holds his scared arms out to her, hesitantly. his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, not even showing off half the scars he has on his arms. Zoey looks his arms over.

"shit. she's a Foster kid." Hank murmurs, glancing back up. he watches Connor interact with the girl.

"those look bad." Zoey says softly, rubbing her own arm. Connor shrugs.

"you know they get worse." Connor murmurs. Zoey nods. "can I see yours?" Connor asks. for the first time since entering the room, Zoey puts her crayon down. she rolls the sleeves up on her dress, holding her arms out to Connor. he looks at them, carefully analyzing them. "they put me in the hospital a lot." Connor says. Zoey looks away.

"yeah, me too." she sighs softly. "my daddy hurt me." Zoey murmurs. Connor nods, giving her a somber half smile.

"mine hurt me too." Connor says softly. he looks into the little girls eyes. "Zoey, when they take you, and they give you to another family... sometimes its not a good family, right?" Connor asks. Zoey looks away, picking her crayon back up.

"I guess so..." she trails.

"can I show you something?" Connor asks. Zoey looks up at him hesitantly. Connor shifts, laying his leg out in front of him, he pulls his pants leg up. theres a long scar that runs from his ankle to his knee. "the first house they put me in, it wasn't safe either. the woman, she got so mad I wouldn't call her mom, she hit me with her car and broke my leg. the man laughed at me, watching me lay in their driveway..." Connor trails. Zoey hesitantly touches the scar and Connor lets her do so. "sometimes, they pick a bad house Zoey, where they hurt you more." Connor says. he tilts his head, watching her. "did they pick a bad house for you?" Connor asks. Zoey stares at Connors leg, before nodding.

"he was mean, but she wasn't." Zoey says softly. Connor nods. "she took a lot of the beatings for me... told him that he couldn't hurt me like he did her, but he did anyway..." Zoey trails.

"Zoey, how bad did he hurt her?" Connor asks. Zoey looks away from him.

"he broke her arm once... he caught her giving me an extra slice of bread at dinner." Zoey mumbles. Connor nods.

"yeah... I know how that can be..." Connor trails. he looks down at his drawing, then back to Zoey. "Zoey... what happened to her?" Connor asks. Zoey tenses a moment, before looking up at Connor tearfully.

"he tried to hit me, but she stopped him. he said he was tired of her getting in the way. that it was time for her to get out of the way." Zoey says softly.

"yeah? did you see him hurt her?" Connor asks. Zoey nods.

"he stabbed her. again and again." Zoey says softly. she looks at Connor tearfully. "I couldn't make him stop." she manages.

"I know... where were you?" Connor asks.

"I was hiding. she told me to. she didn't want him to get me too." Zoey murmurs. "he didn't stop until she stopped moving... then he went to their room... I know what a gun sounds like... he didn't come back out." Zoey adds, tearfully. she sobs, dropping her crayon again. "Connor whats gonna happen to me?" Zoey cries. Connors face falls as he watches her.

"I don't know kiddo.... this is a first for me, but my partner, Hank. he'll make sure they get you help, alright?" Connor asks. Zoey nods, watching Connor stand. he turns to leave but pauses. he turns back to her, pulling a small stuffed bunny from his hoodie. "when I got my first home, they gave me this, I carry it around a lot." Connor says. the little bunny is blue and has a little red shirt on with the words 'worlds best listener' in white letters on it. it has ears the size of its body, almost ridiculous. "he's not much for talking, but if you need someone to listen, he's pretty good at that. you talk to him for hours and hours about everything... he never tells you its your fault he just listens." Connor murmurs, putting it on the table. Zoey looks at it, then at Connor.

"don't you need him?" Zoey asks. Connor smiles at her a little.

"not as much as you do." Connor assures. "I think its time he helped another kid." Connor murmurs. Zoey picks the little bunny up gently.

"whats his name?" Zoey ask. Connor smiles, tilting his head slightly.

"I don't know I never gave him one, always called him my little buddy. thats for you to decide." Connor murmurs. Zoey nods, hugging the little bunny.

"Buddy." Zoey mumbles. Connor smiles at her and steps out of the room. he walks back around to Hank and Jeffery.

"I hope, that you got all you needed." Connor says, rolling his sleeves back down.

"how did you do that?" Jeffery frowns. Connor shrugs.

"once a Foster kid, always a Foster kid. between her file and the case file, wasn't hard to tell. her name wasn't matching on the paper work. none of them. all the papers had a different name on them. figured she was a Foster kid. my name was never right on paper work either." Connor says. he shrugs a little. "did you need anything else from her?" Connor asks.

"no kid. we just needed to know what she saw." Hank assures. Connor nods.

"do I need to fill out some paper work?" Connor asks.

"I'll handle it, you two go home." Jeffery mutters.

"come on kid." Hank murmurs, leading Connor away.

they get back in the car. its quiet. Connor is tense.

both are silent as they walk into the house, Hank is surprised that Connor doesn't bolt immediately for the garage. he stays, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Con-" Hank tries.

"you have questions, don't you?" Connor asks. Hank nods slightly.

"I do, lets have a seat on the couch." Hank murmurs. Connor nods and sits on the couch with Hank, almost nervously.

"you have questions..." Connor murmurs.

"yeah, but my main one is, are you alright?" Hank asks, softly, turning to look at Connor. Connor nods.

"yeah, I'm fine." Connor murmurs.

"you sure?" Hank asks. he watches him carefully, Connor nods.

"yeah. sharing that stuff with another foster kid, its easier. they won't judge , they're been through a lot too.... foster kids don't take it the same way non fosters do." Connor shrugs slightly. Hank nods slightly.

"alright." Hank murmurs. Connor watches Hank expectantly. "what?" Hank asks, confused. Connor frowns.

"you said you have questions..... I'm... I'm waiting for for questions." Connor says softly.

"I asked my question, Connor. thats all I wanted to ask." Hank murmurs. "well, that and, do you always carry around that little bunny thing?" Hank asks. Connor shakes his head.

"only on bad days... but Zoey needed it." Connor murmurs softly.

"alright." Hank murmurs. "you sure your alright?" Hank asks again. Connor smiles slightly at Hanks concern.

"yes. I'm fine Hank." Connor assures gently. "foster kids share their traumas to connect." Connor explains. Hank nods slightly. Connor goes quiet a moment before sighing. "I... I'm sorry, for earlier-" Connor says. Hank sighs.

"I already told you-" Hank tries.

"no. I mean, for falling asleep on you... I-I didn't mean to." Connor mumbles. Hank snorts and waves him off.

"nah. its okay Connor. you needed it. its not a bother. its alright." Hank assures gently.

"I drooled all over your-" Connor tries. Hank shakes his head.

"save it kid." Hank chuckles. "its just a little drool. do you want to finish our movie?" Hank asks. Connor shakes his head.

"no thanks, its late, whats gonna happen to Zoey?" Connor asks, hesitantly. Hank frowns slightly and sighs.

"she'll be kept at the station tonight, then sent to a new foster home, you know that." Hank murmurs softly. Connor sighs softly.

"please, recommend therapy, she'll have a better chance at getting help. she needs it Hank." Connor says. Hank nods immediately.

"I will, promise." Hank assures. he gets up off the couch. "I'm gonna head to bed, night Connor. wake me if you need me." Hank murmurs. Connor smiles, getting up slightly.

"good night Hank." Connor murmurs. he gets up and heads for the garage, Sumo follows Connor immediately. he can sense the mans distress and he wants to stay with Connor. "hello Sumo, bed time, huh?" Connor smiles at him. Sumo barks, letting himself into the garage. Connor chuckles and closes the door behind him.

Hank drops into bed, passing out before hitting the pillow. the days events finally catching up to him.