AN: Thank you to those who stuck with me to the end. There are a lot of more stories to be told, things to be said, but this one must end. My personal life is about to take a drastic turn and I must prepare myself for it. Adulting! Thank you for sticking through all the grammar, spelling, and plot mistakes. Thank you for pointing out writing tips and for giving me constructive criticism. I am a novice writer at best but I still had a lot of fun writing this fanfiction. I connected to a lot of Detroit: Become Human fans and I'd do it all over again.

There's a lot to be said.

A lot has happened. Life moves on even when we don't want it to. Sometimes there's a point where we wish things would just stop. We'll ask Father Time, politely, to stop the flow of time to breathe in everything around us. Connor had many of those moments across the span of his life that he remembers vividly. When those around him say, 'androids never forget,' they mean it. Androids had a near perfect memory that could only falter if corrupted. Connor, though having suffered many injuries in his time as a private investigator, had never had the horror of suffering through a corrupted memory. That's why he held his beloved memories close to his heart. Perhaps, time would not stop for him, but he could always go back into his memories.

He put certain ones in a loop.

There was the one where Hank had first hugged him - as silly as it sounds - but Connor remembers the fresh feeling that came with the sudden affection. Then he loops all the times Markus made him feel apart of his group - of his successes - and his accomplishments.

He had gone far from who he once was.

"How's your brother?"

Connor stands next to Markus as they look down at a grave.

Carl Manfred.

Beloved and adored father of Markus and Leo Manfred.

He was reverent in the silence of Markus' mourning. The man had passed not too long ago - living far past his prime - so it wasn't something out of the blue.

"Leo? Still coping. In his own way," Markus answers quietly.

"I see," Connor stares at the grey tombstone lying in front of him. Death brought a lot of questions for him. There were a lot of humans that believed in an afterlife. If such a thing existed, he really hoped that Carl would be able to live once more in such a place, and he hopes that Markus will end up there too. Wherever he is. Somewhere in the great beyond where no man or android can reach unless they participate in the ultimate final act.

"I'm going to miss him," Markus admits.

"He was a good man," Connor says, remembering Carl fondly.

"That he was," Markus agrees with a sigh. "I'm not sure what to do without him. I always went to him for advice. Now he's just… gone…"

Connor looks at the ex-deviant leader, recently retired from his position to take care of his newly founded family. North, Markus' wife, had recently taken part in the rights for android reproduction. The rest is history. Now, Markus had an infant son, and Connor was an uncle. Simon had also been appointed the boy's godfather just in case anything should happen to Markus or North. They wanted someone they could trust to take care of their kid if they were harmed or damaged in any way.

Connor places a hand on Markus' shoulder and gives him a tight squeeze.

"We will not forget him," Connor tells him resolutely.

Markus looks at Connor with eyes blurred with tears.

"Yes," he agrees and then he turns back to look at his father's grave, "he will never be forgotten."

The two stood in silence for a while longer before the evening sky warned of the oncoming darkness. It was then that Connor drove Markus back to his apartment with the car that he had worked hard to earn through his private investigation business. It was a classic, just like Hank's car, so it didn't have any automatic features that drove them down the road. He had to admit that he had grown a fondness for his father's car, so that's why he bought something in its likeness.

After dropping Markus off, Connor doesn't go home straight away.

He stops by New Jericho.

New Jericho was a grand building now. There had been so many improvements over the last few years that it was barely recognizable. It was greatly different from the Cyberlife store it had once been. It was bigger and it now contained more rooms than before. There was even a front desk now, with an android attending it. If Markus wasn't painting or spending time with his family, he was usually at New Jericho helping the new androids that didn't know how to go on with their lives. Markus had supplied these lost and wayward souls with purposes. It is because of his efforts that he was recognized as a modern day hero. Yet, because of this status, Connor was becoming recognized as well. People were beginning to connect the dots of his own work during the android liberation and now Connor was gathering recognition. It certainly helped his business out but it made his life a lot more cluttered than he would like it to be.

"Mr. Anderson!" The desk attendant calls out at his entry, "You didn't tell me you'd be going in for an interview! Together with Mr. Kamski of all people. It's all over the news! Tell me, are you close to him?"

Connor laughs gently, "Not necessarily, no."

The desk attendant tilts her head and asks curiously, "Then how did you get invited to do that interview in the first place?"

"We had a few dealings," Connor admits but he doesn't go farther than that. Kamski had invited him to the interview because Connor had been Cyberlife's latest technology before they burned themselves to the ground. Connor was also becoming a figure of a Cyberlife escapee among other things so there was that too. "But that's not what I came here for."

"I'm so sorry!" The attendant gasps as she looks away from Connor and at her computer. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Is Kara here?" He asks.

"Kara? Yes. She and her husband arrived thirty minutes ago. I haven't seen them leave."

"Alright. I'm going to go find them then, I have news for them."

"Have a good day, Mr. Anderson!" The attendant beams.

"You too, Sara," Connor waves at her as he moves past her desk. He walks down the hall and peers into the rooms on his right. Through the windows, he could see Kara and her family sitting together amongst other androids. Most of them were women which made Luther stand out, or sit in his case, like a sore thumb. The only other recognizable figure was the person who stood in the front of the room, Simon, as he was teaching the androids how to fix up their torn clothes. Connor could gather that much from the numerous sewing machines set across the tables in front of all the androids that were participating in this lesson.

Connor peeks his head in the door and everyone stops to look at him.

"Connor?" Simon asks.

"I'm looking for Kara-..." Connor's eyes shift from Simon to Kara. The woman flashes a smile to Connor and whispers to her family. She settles her bag on the table in front of her, telling her husband to watch over it for her, and then she approaches the door. Connor opens the door wider so that she can move past him and then he closes the door after her. The windows didn't give them the privacy that he'd prefer but at least the others couldn't hear him.

"So about those androids-..." he begins.

Kara is quick when she says, "What? Johnny? Is he okay? And his son?"

"They're fine," Connor reassures her, "We helped Johnny get out of his debts. Now he can live freely without worrying."

Kara's shoulders slump.

"That's good," she sounds relieved when she says it, "I feared the worst for him."

"Well," Connor begins, " As long as he doesn't run back to the mafia, he'll be fine, and that means he needs to stop borrowing money for gambling."

Kara nods in understanding and then her voice lowers as she inquires, "Also… about that missing person's case?"

Connor smiles knowingly.

"I found Ralph," he tells her. "He was in a junkyard. We got him fixed up and he should still be at the bolt hospital."

Kara heaves a heavy sigh as if she needed to get that all out of her system.

"That's wonderful-..." she wipes at the tears that form in the corner of her eyes, "I couldn't live with myself without knowing how he was or if he was okay."

"Well, he's fine, but his mental state is questionable…"

"Oh he was always a strange one, I wouldn't worry about that," Kara insists. She takes a long look at Connor and then blesses him with a wide smile. She reaches forward to give Connor a tight hug and Connor returns it immediately. His arms wrap around her back as she squeezes the ever-living-life out of him until he feels eyes burn through the back of his head. He has no doubt that it was Luther on the other side of the glass. That's why he lets go, reluctantly, before patting Kara on the side of her arm.

"It's getting pretty late," he states, "I have to go home."

"I see," Kara hums, and then she teases, "I guess I'll have to let you go… a shame… I thought about inviting you to our class too."

"I'm okay," Connor winces at the idea of staying way past the evening just to learn how to fix up his clothes.

"If you say so," Kara grins and nudges Connor forward, "Well, get going! I'm sure your dad isn't going to wait all day."

"Uh - right…" Connor doesn't remember Kara being so touchy with him. She usually kept to herself except for the rare occasions where she would give him a comforting touch. There was also that one time where she had kissed him on the cheek and Luther-... Luther had been fuming for the next few days.

Kara starts to return but she pauses after Connor calls after her, "Is Mercury doing fine?"

He asks this because Alice had adopted one of his strays a few months ago after Kara's family finally settled down. Asides from Mercury and Mars, it seemed that Earth and Venus were permanent members of the Anderson family. Hank hadn't said anything about disliking their presence. Sumo seemed to be a lot happier with a few animal companions, too.

"She's the spunkiest cat I've ever met," Kara chuckles, "but we love her all the same. Alice is her favorite."

Connor cracks a small smile and Kara does the same. They stare at each other for a good few seconds before Kara waves her farewell and returns to her family. Connor watches through the glass as she settles herself between her husband and her little girl. All Connor could think was on how Kara's family was the picture of an unbreakable bond, and he was happy that they trusted him enough to involve him in their private lives. Connor was Alice's unofficial uncle but then again Alice seemed to have a lot of unofficial uncles as Kara seemed to have a lot of family friends.

Connor pulls himself away from his thoughts and decides to return home. He bids farewell to Sara at the front and she gives him an enthusiastic goodbye while shooting up in her seat.

The Anderson home is dark and quiet.

Connor turns on the living room light as he takes off his coat. Sumo lays in his favorite spot, cuddled with Earth and Venus, and Connor's audio processors could pick up their light snoring. None of them seemed to be too bothered from the lights, although Earth did crack an eye open to see what was the cause.

Connor wants to go to Hank's room but something catches his attention from the corner of his eye. When he had left to accompany Markus throughout the day to help him through his mourning… he had forgotten to put away the photo album that his deviant friend had gifted him a few weeks after his birthday. It was an album he found himself revisiting often. The pictures that were in it held many memories that he already had stored in his head. Yet, there was something raw about seeing photographs of both he and his friends instead of relying on his near-perfect memory. The photo album was also a physical reminder of all of the things he had been through since he had become deviant. His time with his friends was a most treasured part of his life and he wouldn't trade his experiences with them for the world. They had stood up for him, cared for him, and ignored his warnings against having a friendship with him. That's why, in turn, Connor had made sure to be there for his friends every step of the way when they had their own problems.

Connor grabs the photo album and tucks it underneath his arm.

Connor then knocks on Hank's door.

"Are you up?" Connor asks, hoping that he wasn't waking his father from a well-deserved rest.

"Come in!" Hank's raspy voice strains.

Connor opens the door and peeks his head through the crack. Once he finds out that Hank meant to invite him in without the haze of sleepiness clouding his judgment… Connor approaches his father's bedside. He pulls up a chair that he had put there earlier because of how often he'd attend to his father's health. Hank, whether Connor liked it or not, was getting old. He had retired from his job and now had a comfortable life at home. Connor would make sure he wouldn't have anything less.

His father could still move around the house without any help and he could do a lot of things by himself. However, he had trouble moving when the sun went down, and his energy would be snapped away by the unbreakable force called age. That was usually the time when Connor would find himself helping Hank get into bed with a hot cup of milk.

Connor had also taken the responsibility to work with Hank on his alcohol habit. He couldn't drink freely anymore, not when his health was at stake, and Connor wanted his old man to live as long as possible.

The thought of him going away was unbearable.

This is how Markus must have felt.

"How are you feeling?" Connor inquires.

Hank doesn't bother to respond. His eyes train onto something that hangs from Connor's collar. He then says, "You're wearing the tie I gave you."

The corner of Hank's lips twitches upward as he examines the object of interest.

"I felt it should be put to use," Connor shrugs.

"It's a horrid looking thing," Hank laughs but his laugh sparks up a coughing fit. He raises a fist to his mouth and tries to stop his coughing from becoming uncontrollable.

Connor watches his father patiently.

Once the coughs die down, Connor says, "I like it."

Hank rolls his eyes.

"You like everything I give you."

"This one is a bit more special," Connor admits. Hank had given him this tie for his birthday years ago when he didn't care much for the celebration of his age. It seemed unnecessary but Hank wouldn't have it.

The tie itself was not professional in the least, not when it had the image of a group of characters from one of the movies Hank had shown him. The man had insisted that Connor get updated on pop-culture references. He had sat down with Connor one day and watched The Breakfast Club with him. It's a movie that is strangely famous and Connor still didn't see how it had reached such popularity to the point that it was still talked about to this day.

Hank told him, at the time, that he didn't expect him to wear it.

Connor wore it the next day.

Connor didn't get much of an opportunity after that. He had to dress the part when working cases for clients that come to him with their problems.

"Time sure passes by fast, huh?" Hank snaps Connor from his nostalgia-trip.

The look on his father's face shows a deep melancholy.

"Yes," Connor agrees, "it does."

Hank looks at his son and takes in Connor's features.

"You've had quite the identity crisis over the time we've spent together," Hank notes.

Connor places his coat and the photo album onto the nightstand next to his father's bed. He then uses both of his hands to grip on of Hank's.

"I wouldn't say it like that," Connor laughs softly, humor laced in the back of his voice.

Hank's eyes twinkle in amusement.

"I don't know how it's possible but," Hank adopts a teasing edge to his voice, "I believe that you've grown."

"I don't grow."

"You know what I mean."

"I do."

Hank releases a heavy sigh and moves his attention to the ceiling.

"I remember feeling so bitter about everything," Hank tells Connor, changing the subject abruptly, "and now? It's strange. I feel peaceful."

Connor's grip tightens on his father's hand.

"I'll tell you this now Connor," Hank continues, "and only once. I don't regret taking you in."

Hank's eyes get teary and they shift back to Connor.

"You've done good, son." Hank says shakily, his voice wobbling, "You've made your old man proud."

Both father and son stare at each other after Hank finishes his words.

Connor pulls his father's hand forward and rests his forehead on it. His eyes squeeze shut in the pure love and affection he feels for the man in front of him. His heart is ten times bigger and it feels as if it'll burst out of his chest without his permission.

They stay in that position for what seems to be an eternity. Connor doesn't have the ability to pull back. He was too overcome with emotion and it seems his father wasn't making the effort to have his hand return to his side either.

They both sit there as the moon peeks through the window and onto their figures.

Father and son.

Connor knew he'd do it all again if he could. He yearned for a clock to turn back its hands for the opportunity to repeat everything once more.

He could only live in the comfort of his memories

And for now? That was enough.