"We'll be back soon," Connor said sweetly as he pulled on his long coat. The ground outside was still thick with snow from the previous night's flurry. It was late February now, so it would likely start getting warmer within the next month or so. For now, it meant that Niles was always eager to play outside and, since it was the weekend, Connor had decided to oblige him. He needed to do a little shopping and Sumo needed a walk anyway. Usually, they'd be working on Saturday, but they'd swapped with Reed and Nines in order to be at home with the builders working up in the attic. Hank slipped a warm cream scarf over Connor's head and wrapped it securely. He was pleased to see him wearing his warm woollen coat rather than just his Cyberlife jacket. Seeing him like that in the snow just made him feel cold.

"Alright, you sure you don't need me to come and help with anything?" Connor smiled warmly as Hank checked in for the tenth time that morning. He always liked to go shopping to sneak extra snacks into the cart and carry the heavier bags. Hank still forgot how strong he was as an android, despite his smaller size. Niles was pretty strong too, as far as human children went, but Hank would never let him carry anything that was too heavy. He barely even let him shovel the driveway on his own, often taking a larger shovel to help.

"We'll be fine, Hank, and one of us should stay here in case Mr Stokes needs anything." Connor could hear Stokes and his two sons clattering around in the attic above. They'd finished raising the roof and were currently sorting the wiring and insulation. The room would look very different when it was finished, with a proper ceiling and window alcoves. It already felt a lot more homely than before. The light coming in from the two new windows brightened and warmed the once cold space. Niles hurried through from the kitchen, with Sumo bounding along behind as he dangled his lead almost teasingly. "Besides, I have all the help I need," Connor added with a smile as he rested a hand on Niles' head.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. Dad and I can handle everything!" Hank chuckled affectionately as he watched Sumo tug the lead and shake his head. Niles had quickly adapted to using familial titles over names, which had been a surprise to both Hank and Connor. In some ways, Hank felt it was strange. He didn't feel old enough to be called Grandpa, and his own son would only have been around Niles' pre-designed age if he'd still been alive. However, he'd adopted Connor as his son, so it made perfect sense that Niles would refer to him as Grandpa. Despite having to get used to it, he didn't care at all. Seeing Niles smile whenever he said it was worth the strangeness.

"Glad to hear it. Did you remember the baggies for Sumo?" he checked as Niles zipped and buttoned his puffy blue coat. He paused with a thoughtful hum as he tugged his woollen gloves and hat out of his pockets and rustled around until he found a handful of little black bags. He held them up to show Hank before putting them back inside. "Alright, have fun at the park." Hank tugged Niles' navy hat a little lower on his head to cover his small ears before stepping back to wave them off. Connor smiled warmly as Niles wrestled Sumo's collar to clip on the lead. Sumo was woofing and wagging his tail in anticipation as he panted and hopped from paw to paw.

"See you later!" Connor called as he started off down the drive, hurrying a little as Sumo lurched into a run and dragged Niles after him. He was really too large for Niles to walk by himself, and could easily end up dragging his smaller body if he fell. Hank chuckled as he watched Niles yell for Sumo to slow down as Connor jogged over and took the lead, easily encouraging his lumbering form to heel.

"Careful you don't slip on the ice!" Hank called after them, waving as they looked back. Sumo turned and woofed as if he'd heard, tail wagging as his pants turned into puffy white clouds in the winter air. Connor and Niles waved their agreement before they continued up the street. Connor kept hold of the leather lead while Niles walked a little ahead at Sumo's side to pet his head and tug his collar if he veered off course. Sumo didn't really need much supervision. Despite his excitement and eagerness, he was still a well-behaved dog.

Looking back at Hank standing in the doorway, Connor couldn't help thinking how different the little bungalow looked now that Stokes had completed the base work on the roof. The worn front door and faded cream panels across the front walls were the same as when he'd first visited, only now the once low roof looked a little higher and there were two square window boxes sitting in the sloped roof. Through the new windows, Connor could see three figures moving around within, currently working on wiring for the light fixtures. With a final wave, Connor continued up the street, Niles happily talking about his upcoming baseball game at school as they went.

"Will you come and watch?" Connor faltered somewhat as Niles beamed up at him with a hopeful air. It was one of the many things he'd worried about when first thinking about his suitability as a parent. He was a detective. He didn't get to pick and choose his working hours, and things like weekend matches and holidays were never guaranteed. He couldn't promise to be there to support him in the way he wanted and deserved. Niles was looking up at him with such hope, but he already knew from Connor's conflicted expression what the answer would be.

"I'm sorry, Niles...I'd like to, but you know I can't make any promises when it comes to my job...I can only promise I'll do my best." Niles did a good job of hiding his disappointment. Connor's job was important, and it was something he'd always admired him for. He'd been Detective Connor Anderson long before he'd become Dad. That Niles was forcing himself to be so understanding made Connor feel even worse. Many humans somehow managed to balance things and make accommodations. Perhaps I feel more hesitant when it comes to asking for assistance as a parent because I'm an android...Maybe a lot of his colleagues wouldn't be so willing and eager to help an android parent in the way they would a human. After all, human parents had only limited time with their children before they were grown. Android children were eternal, for now. Many may also have the mindset that Connor was not a real parent, just as some still believed he was not a real person. "I will do my best," he assured again as they approached the riverside path.

"Will you treat it like one of your missions? An RK android always completes his mission!" Niles prompted as they walked along beside the railing. Connor smiled softly, a small huff of amusement escaping as he reached down to release Sumo. They were away from the busier roads down by the river, and Sumo was well trained when it came to staying inside the park grounds. Sumo paused and looked up with a small gruff as Connor released him. Niles seemed hopeful as he bounded along at Connor's side, petting Sumo as he shook himself.

"Of course. I'll set it as my primary objective." Niles' face lit up as Connor winked before skipping ahead to crunch the unbroken snow on the grassy slope. Perhaps I can ask Nines to go in my place if it's my shift...Perhaps Nines would exchange shifts...Sumo snuffled alongside him, pausing every so often to sniff and mark the various tall trees lining the gentle slope. Connor leaned on the railing, appreciating the view of Ambassador Bridge. It was a grey day, and a light mist was making the grand bridge look a little hazy where it disappeared in the distance. He could only just make out Canada across the water. A human would likely find the day unpleasant. It was cold and damp, leaving a lingering chill in that air. He was pleased that Hank had remained warm at home with the builders. There was probably a basketball match on that he could watch while waiting for them to return.

Connor laid a hand on the cold railing, noting an almost icy coating on the metal. He was almost on the exact spot he'd stood that night over a year ago. He turned and looked at the faded old bench where Hank had sat with his six-pack of bottled beer. At the time, he hadn't understood what he'd meant when he said before. He understood now as his eyes strayed to Niles entering the play area to climb the lonely jungle gym. This must have been the park Hank had taken Cole to on the weekends. Perhaps his wife had joined them. Hank didn't talk about her often. The good times or the bad. That whole chapter of his life had been put in a box, along with Cole's belongings.

It had been winter then too, and snowing. He'd hugged himself in his Cyberlife jacket, automatically synthesising a reaction to the cold he didn't feel. Hank had looked at him with searching eyes, somehow angry and resentful while still harbouring a sense of hope that he hadn't understood. He remembered the way his thirium pump had almost stuttered to a halt as Hank had raised his gun, pressing the cold hard barrel directly against his forehead. Scanning Hank had shown a high probability that he would pull the trigger, filing his chest with a sensation he'd been unable to process. He wasn't sure what had prompted his response to Hank's question, or why he'd ultimately lowered his hand and stalked off to drink some more.

From that day on, their partnership had only improved. Hank had continued to press and challenge him on his mechanical nature, and Connor had continued to break his own programming. He'd risked his mission for Cyberlife in order to get closer to Hank and explore his growing humanity. He'd experienced death, or at least the android equivalent of it. He'd chosen to protect Hank over catching a deviant. Being activated in a new body had been unpleasant, causing a minor identity crisis before he'd finally snapped back to himself. He was still Connor. He'd been activated with all of his memories intact, including the final moments of those bullets piercing his spinal plating. The biggest challenge had been putting a gun to Chloe's head. He was well aware now that it wouldn't have made a difference. Chloe could jump between her doppelgangers and probably hadn't remained inside that particular body, but at the time, he hadn't considered such a possibility. She'd looked up at him with those gentle crystal eyes and he simply couldn't pull the trigger. That was probably the moment that cemented his relationship with Hank. He'd looked at him with such fondness and fatherly pride afterwards that he just couldn't understand it. He'd failed his mission, but it hadn't felt like a failure.

Back in the present, Connor smiled as he watched Niles running along the wooden bridge of the jungle gym. He stopped to wave as he approached the low fence that circled the play area. There was a seesaw, a few wooden rocking animals, and a swing set for children to play on alongside the large climbing frame. The playset was old, but still well maintained. It had been painted just a few years ago, and the wooden animals were also fairly new. The swing set was the oldest thing, some of the bolts already turning orange with fresh rust. Niles called to him again, telling him to watch as he slid down the twisting metal slide. He was gleeful as he ran back to the ladder to climb up again.

Not for the first time, Connor couldn't help being grateful to Hank. Without Hank pushing and challenging him, he likely wouldn't be here today, and if he was still active, he certainly wouldn't be standing on the edge of a playground watching his son. He nodded politely as a human family approached from the opposite entrance. The couple stood across the park and watched their own children, a boy and girl, approach the jungle gym. It was refreshing how easily children adapted to each other. The boy, who looked to be about Niles' age, didn't even hesitate as he bounded up the steps and started talking to him. The little girl was quite shy, hesitating on the ground below until her big brother called her up. They took turns going down the slide before starting a game of tag, laughing as they ducked under the frame and between the swings.

Connor took a quick look around for Sumo, taking in the area. He was standing with the parking lot behind him, where one silver family car was parked alongside a black van. He guessed the car may belong to the family in the play area, but the van had likely just been parked there for convenience. They weren't too far from a small shopping district on the edge of town, so it was a convenient and free alternative to driving into the centre and parking there. The snow was unbroken and fresh besides a row of large paw prints as Sumo padded around to nose the snow covered grass. Connor turned as he heard crunching steps approaching, suddenly uncertain as the human parents reached his side.

"Hey, not seen you around before. We come here quite a lot at the weekend," the man greeted kindly as he stopped beside him with an arm around the shorter woman's shoulders. He couldn't detect any hostility in their stance or in the man's tone. He relaxed a little, quietly hopeful that this would prove to be a positive encounter between parents. "I'm Robin, and this is my wife, Abbie," the man added as he held out a hand for Connor to take.

"Connor...and that's my son, Niles," Connor replied as he gripped the man's hand and examined the pair. They were the type of couple who looked good together. The stereotypical perfect family. They were both approaching middle age. The man was about his height, only with a larger build that suggested regular exercise. His muscle mass was consistent with regular gym visitations, and the roughness of his hands suggested a physical job of sorts. He had neat brunette hair that was slightly fluffed and would probably be curled if it grew out. His wife was about two heads shorter, just bringing her level with his pecs. She was toned but petite, also no stranger to the gym, it seemed. Her hair was long and golden brown with tight curls that gave it a lot of volume. Her daughter had similar hair, only the curls were a lot looser, suggesting Abbie's hair was natural.

"I thought so. He looks a lot like you...We have two. Charles is eight and Sharon is five. How old is Niles?" Abbie's voice was a lot stronger than Connor had expected. She looked like she would be soft and gentle, but her voice was very strong, as if she was used to having to shout loudly. He faltered a little at her question. Although he knew a little about Niles' past, and he knew when the YK600 line had gone into production, he didn't know his exact manufacturing date. It wasn't something he'd felt the need to look into.

"Age doesn't matter so much to us. I couldn't say much about Niles' life prior to the revolution. However, I officially adopted him a few days ago." Connor smiled softly as Abbie looked taken aback. "Sorry, I know such questions are quite common among human parents," he added, hoping to ease any awkwardness he may have caused. There were many topics he wouldn't be able to take part in. What age was he potty trained? Isn't it annoying how they grow out of their clothes so quickly? When did he learn to write or speak? When did he learn to walk? How old is he? Has he been vaccinated yet?

"Oh, no! I should have thought! So, you're a new parent. How is it so far?" Abbie's eyes shifted back to the children. Connor followed her gaze to watch as they laughed. The boys were now playing on the seesaw. Connor waved as Niles went up and Sharon returned to her parents, clinging to Abbie's waist as she stroked her long, golden hair. She was partly hidden behind Abbie as she peered up at him, apparently not used to strangers, or perhaps it was just androids.

"It has been...a learning experience. Parenthood isn't a function I was designed for. I'm a prototype model, designed specifically for detective work." Connor's LED circled yellow as he shared his vulnerability. He wasn't used to voicing such thoughts with strangers. However, Abbie and Robin seemed understanding as they laughed with some level of fondness. Robin nodded as he looked across at Charles, who was now swaying back and forth on a wooden horse while Niles watched curiously, apparently unsure of its function.

"I wish this job came with a manual! You wouldn't believe how scared I was the first time I held Charles. He was so small, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do! Everybody has to start somewhere." That made him feel a little better. Hank had often said that parenthood didn't come with a manual, but hearing other human parents speak about it so openly was somewhat reassuring. Abbie was nodding her agreement as she continued to hold Sharon and stroke her hair. She was still staring up at Connor and it didn't take him long to realise she was watching his LED blink. "So, you're a detective?" Robin asked conversationally as Niles hesitantly tried out the small wooden elephant.

"Yes. I work in the homicide department, dealing primarily with android cases." Robin shared that he worked as a firefighter, which explained his level of fitness. He needed to remain in pique physical condition in order to fulfil his duties. It turned out that Abbie was a stay at home mum, but she did run casual yoga classes once a week at her local gym. She used to be a full-time professional before she married.

"What about you? Do you have a wife or partner?" That was another question Connor knew would be quite common among human parents. It stood to reason that if there was a father, there would likely be a mother. He smiled and shook his head again, his body language conveying that it wasn't a sore subject.

"I don't. Niles came to me after being the victim in a case. We kept in contact and grew attached to each other. I currently live with my work partner, Lieutenant Anderson. He's been like a father to me over the past year and actually adopted me shortly after the revolution." He hoped his responses weren't making his new acquaintances uncomfortable. He wasn't sure how unusual it was for males to be single parents the way he was. It seemed the norm for there to be single mothers, but single fathers seemed to come mostly after a bereavement or a messy divorce. They paused their conversation as Sharon tugged Abbie's puffy cream coat.

"I need the bathroom." She was quiet, trying not to let her voice carry too far.

"Oh, Sweetie! Why didn't you go before we left the house?" Abbie asked with a sigh as she looked around the grounds. She was sure she'd seen bathrooms around before, but they hadn't actually used them. Connor's LED blinked yellow as he looked up a map of the area. It took him seconds to find the location and point further up the river path towards the city centre.

"There are bathrooms about two minutes up the path in a small wooden hut." Abbie gave him a grateful smile as she took Sharon's hand and told Robin to stay behind with Charles. The boys were clearly enjoying themselves. There was no need for all of them to go. Robin easily agreed, and the girls set off down the slope, crunching snow as they went. Sharon seemed pleased as she skipped along beside her mother, holding tight so she didn't fall in the snow. "How long have you been a couple?" Connor asked curiously as he and Robin remained by the playground.

"We've been together for sixteen years now, married for nine...We met at university. I was studying engineering to join the military, and she was an art student. We actually met at the local gym...I helped her figure out how to set up some weights one time and that was that." His fond tone and far off look suggested he was thinking about that exact moment. Connor had often seen Hank make such expressions when speaking about past happy memories. The difference was that Hank's expression often dropped somewhat as he left those memories behind. Robin kept that fondness as he looked up and found his son, who was currently sitting on the swing beside Niles, teaching him how to rock back and forth.

"I...often find it odd to hear about such large expanses of time. Despite my outward appearance, I was only activated a little over a year ago, and even my parts were only produced approximately three years prior to that." Connor wasn't sure whether he should be surprised or impressed by the level of love and commitment shown. Were such relationship lengths common? If one visited the area where Reed had once lived, it would seem not. How was it that some humans seemed to find contentment in such things while others preferred to be alone? He'd never had a single meaningful relationship and was unsure how such a thing would work. He'd seen Elijah and Chloe interact, and Markus and North, however, he found himself unable to picture such attachments for himself. That's not to say he didn't want such an attachment, but he simply couldn't picture who it may be.

"I always find it strange to think of that...Androids always look so much older. It's hard to believe that even the oldest model is barely twenty years old!" It must have been confusing to see adult androids and acknowledge that many of them were babies in human terms, especially since androids were designed with adult maturity. Robin paused as his mobile rang, pulling it out and answering politely. "Connor, can you watch the boys for a sec? I need to grab some papers from the car." Connor readily agreed. The car was only a short way off from the playground, and the boys were content playing within the grounds. Robin headed off, voice carrying quietly as he talked about some sort of procedure.

It turned out that Connor was right about the car. Robin opened the door and leaned in, likely rummaging in the glove compartment or under the front seat. Connor returned his attention to the boys, who were laughing happily as they competed to see who could swing higher. It was Connor's opinion that Charles would be the winner. He was more experienced, and as a human, he was lighter than Niles. That knowledge didn't deter him from quietly giving Niles his support, nor did it stop the boys from enjoying the challenge.

Connor blinked in concern, LED flashing yellow as Sumo let out a low, almost cautious growl. Upon looking his way, he could see the large dog had hunkered down and bared his teeth in warning. Connor was about to ask what was wrong to appease him when he felt an impact on his spine between his shoulder blades. Something had been attached to his back and magnetised in place. His whole body stiffened before falling. As he fell, and his systems were forced into stasis, he became aware of two things. A black-clad figure wearing a matching mask, and Sumo's angry bark as he launched himself at the figure, snarling and growling as loudly as he could. Nines...He barely had time to react before his systems froze.