(no subject)

[socrowdedinhere]

*The next day, Connor has made Darnell breakfast, and Darnell is going through all the 

paperwork he was given for Connor. He’s going to be a hefty $12k, but his jobs, both in 

the States and in England, have paid him well over the years, and he lives relatively 

modestly anyway, so... he can do it. It’ll drain away his savings, but that can always be 

rebuilt, not like he’s close to retiring anytime soon, and as a federal agent he has a very 

good pension for him in the states, not to mention what he’ll get from MI5. He’ll be fine. 

The rest of the paperwork are various things he’ll need to know: how to get Connor 

repaired. How to get hold of and replace Connor’s Thirium and how often to do so 

(barring damage needs). General maintenance Darnell can perform. Agreements not to go 

poking around at Connor’s design, or sharing details of Connor’s build, no keeping or 

selling spare or damaged parts, etc. There’s an agreement to speak with his superiors in 

London about accepting a trial android of their own (though the agreement acknowledges 

that Darnell can’t make them say yes, he merely has to try), and there are even documents 

Darnell will need for air travel with Connor. Looks like someone anticipated Darnell 

wanting Connor as a passenger rather than checked property, and the airlines (they’ve 

already discovered) weren’t comfortable with putting something that looks human (and 

could potentially snoop through luggage) into the luggage hold. As he’s finishing that up, 

there’s a knock at the door.* 

Connor: Coming. *figuring it’s Tony, and when he opens it and sees that it is, he smiles* Mister 

Barrett. Please, come in. *will step aside, holding the door for Tony to come in.* 

Comments

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: *GRINNING, nods* I've already signed the paperwork and made payment arrangements. He'll go to England with me when I leave, but we'll keep in contact via Skype just like I've been doing and he'll come home with me during the summers like I always do.
*The kids SQUEAL, Bree and TJ jumping down off the couch to join Alex in GLOMPING ONTO Connor, possibly even to the point of knocking him off his feet.*
TJ: Are you Uncle Connor, now?
Bree: No, not unless they get married. *they know that any girlfriend of Lin's isn't 'aunt' unless/until they get married*
Alex: You gonna get married, then? If you're gonna be living together from now on...
TJ: I don't care! I wanna call him Uncle Connor.
Darnell: *isn't saying anything because after a look of SHOCK and turning bright red...he's laughing too hard*
Cat: *also breathless from laughter*
Tony: *face buried in one hand, snickering and shaking his head*

[socrowdedinhere]

Richard: *snickering as he gives Cat’s shoulder a light bump with his own.* They must get this from you.
Connor: *soft gasp and a laugh as he’s knocked onto his butt. He wraps his arms around the kids and hugs them to him. And then he’s quite stunned. First by them wanting to call him uncle, and then by the talk to marriage to Darnell.* No. Ah, no we’re not getting married. He’s my- *he cuts off, suddenly very aware of what he was about to say in front of one of Darnell’s /real/ siblings... he glances at Cat, and then at Darnell before finally finishing slightly quieter than he’s started.* -brother. *he peeks at Cat again, and even at Tony. He knows they accept him, but will they accept him has family? His LED has become an anxious yellow.*

[neverasked4this]

Cat: *to Richard with a wry grin* No, they get it from their butch aunt. *raises a brow again at 'brother,' glancing at Darnell*
Darnell: *looks back at Connor, grinning* You are. *to Cat and Tony* Everyone deserves a forever home, a family to call their own.
Tony: That they do. *to Connor* Does that mean I have another son? *doesn't want to assume...even if he's already been treating him as such*

[socrowdedinhere]

Connor: *the easy responses let Connor relax, LED returning to blue.* I would not want to assume, but if you would have me, I would be honored. *he hugs the kids a little tighter, looking between Cat and Tony.*

[neverasked4this]

*The kids CLING back until their granddad steps up, then they shift back.*
Tony: *offers a hand to pull Connor to his feet* The honor is mine, son. *pulls him into a /hug/*
Cat: *steps up to grip his shoulder* Welcome home, little bro.

[socrowdedinhere]

Connor: *looks up at him...and accepts the hand up. The hug is a surprise, but je tucks into it easily. He glances at Cat, smiling.* Thank you. All of you.
Richard: *smiling his approval.* As Darnell said, everyone needs a forever home. We’re glad to have you in the family, Connor.

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: *BEAMING at his family's acceptance, not that he's at all surprised*
Bree: Mom, can we call him uncle, then? If he's your brother.
Alex: Yeah, he's family now...?
Cat: If it's okay with him.
Darnell: I'm sure he'd love that.
TJ: Uncle Connor! *wraps himself around Connor's leg* I love you, Uncle Connor.

[socrowdedinhere]

Connor: *he swallows, not that it’s something he does normally, but it gives him a chance get control over his emotions. He pries TJ from his legs and picks the boy up, hugging the boy to him. His voice is soft, thick with emotion.* I love you too, TJ.

[neverasked4this]

TJ: *squeals and wraps himself around Connor's torso*
Bree: Me too, me too! I love you, Uncle Connor. *wraps herself on his hip*
Alex: Love ya, Uncle! *hugs his other hip*

[socrowdedinhere]

Connor: *releases TJ with one arm to snug Bree to him, and after a moment he trades arms to do the same with Alex.* I love you too, Bree. I love you too, Alex. *there are tears sliding down his cheeks...he hadn’t even been aware he was capable to crying. He’s grinning, basking in the freely given love of his new family.*

[neverasked4this]

Cat: *cocks an eyebrow at him* That's new too.
Darnell: *surprised* Connor, are you...crying?
TJ: *wipes a finger on Connor's cheek and sticks it in his mouth* It tastes funny. It doesn't taste like crying.
Darnell: *will get his crutches and pull himself to his feet, hobbling over, partly checking on Connor and partly just...wanting to be closer to things*

[socrowdedinhere]

Connor: *touches his other cheek, and looks at it.* I...it seems so. I’m all right. *nothing wrong, just...happy.*

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: Good. *limps over for a quick, one-armed hug, then will go flop back down on the couch* Cat, hey! I'm not the baby anymore!
Cat: *smirks* Nope, still Baby Bro. He's Little Bro.
Darnell: What? Why? He's younger. By a lot.
Cat: *steps over next to Connor, slipping an arm around his waist* Because he's my 'little' brother. *raises her other hand to show how much TALLER Connor is than she is* You know, like Little John from Robin Hood, who was anything but.
Tony: *snickers*
Darnell: *mock-annoyed* ...okay, you know what? That actually makes sense, but still...I think I am deeply offended. *said with a grin*
Cat: Methinks you doth protest too much.
Darnell: If you turn into Lady Macbeth, I'm disowning you.
Cat: Too late, me first. That was Hamlet, numbnuts. *also grinning*
Darnell: ....... *has no good response for that, so he just raspberries her*

[socrowdedinhere]

Connor: *gives Darnell a light squeeze, careful of TJ and conscious of making sure Darnell is balanced still when he lets go again.* *he’s amused at the loving banter, as always, and... and can’t help giving TJ another little snuggle before putting him down and shifting to get back to work sorting laundry.*
Richard: ...Have things changed? *looking between Connor and Darnell.* Don’t take this as anything bad, Connor, you’re just... you seem different.

[neverasked4this]

TJ: *HUGS back, giving Connor a kiss on the cheek before skipping off once set back on his feet*
Cat: *also moves to get laundry going again, but pauses at her husbandxs comment*
Darnell: *glances at Connor, giving tha android a chance to reply before he does - he's plannkng to explain things once the kids go to bed, but if Connor broaches the subject first...*

[socrowdedinhere]

Connor: *straightens and... looks around.* ...Yes. I’ve changed. I’m not the same as I was before. I’m... not just a machine. *they’ve all heard his polite, but insistent, arguments that he’s not alive, he’s /just/ a machine, and just because they choose to treat him as more doesn’t make it so...*

[neverasked4this]

Alex: Duh! We keep telling you that!
Cat: Alex, be nice. *to Connor* It /is/ good to hear you finally say that, though.
Tony: What changed?

[socrowdedinhere]

Connor: I know, but until last Monday you were wrong. *Connor, ever blunt.* *he looks at Darnell* That day I... broke free of my programming; I did what should mever have been possible: I defied a direct order. I /wanted/ to defy a direct order.

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: *looking back, clearly proud* He truly has free will now. I didn't know, or maybe I just didn't fully grasp, that he wasn't /capable/ of going against a direct order from his handler, or I'd have made sure to word things differently so he /could/ wiggle around it. But the criminals who ambushed us on Monday were being needlessly malicious. They'd been hired to put me out of commission for a while - which...they succeeded - *tone and expression /sour/ at that* - but they went the extra step of trying to make Connor watch while they beat the snot out of me. They knew he was an android and that he /had/ to listen to me. So they told me to tell him to watch but not interfere. The amount of damage they'd already done to him would have killed a human twice over, and I didn't want him to have to suffer anything worse...so I did as they demanded and told Connor to do as they said. I knew they'd destroy him otherwise. *the pain at that, and at seeing the state his partner and brother had been in, is clear in his eyes - that was harder than everything he himself suffered*
Tony: ...so...what happened? *looking between Darnell and Connor, /worried/ now for both of them*

[socrowdedinhere]

Connor: *steps over and sits by Darnell, resting a hand on his shoulder.* I was stuck. I couldn’t act, even though I had new options before me. It was like...there was a wall, preventing me from acting. I... didn’t want to sit there and watch them hurt Darnell... I struggled against the wall and... *little shrug* tore it down. I... changed then. I’m free. I no longer have to follow an order, I can act on my own.

[neverasked4this]

Bree: *crawls into Connor's lap, curling up against him* I'm glad you're free, Uncle Connor.
Cat: *mild frown of concern* Does CyberLife knlw about this? What do they think?
Darnell: No, they don't know. And I have no intention of them finding out. They'll likely destroy him if they do. Connor was in bad enough shape that his tech wanted to just replace him completely. Download his memories and other data into a new body, but if they discovered the changes in his programming... *shakes his head* I couldn't Brydan take him. Inspector Fanzone backed me up on that. We got her to agree to repair his current body. Took her the better part of six hours, but she did it. I'll have to be really careful with my final report, too.
Alex: *plops himself on the couch on Connor's other side, wrapping his arms around Connor and Bree as far as he can* Don't worry, Uncle Connor. We'll protect you.

[socrowdedinhere]

Connor: *snuggles Bree to him, a soft smile on his face.* And I don’t know that downloading my memories to a new unit would maintain my... deviancy. My memories would be there, but not the change that set me free. *Alex sits by him and he smiles at the boy, putting an arm around him.* Thank you, Alex. I will protect you too. That is what family does. *isn’t it?*

[neverasked4this]

Alex: Yup! Family sticks together.
Bree: Ohana! It means family. *someone's a fan of 'Lilo and Stitch'*
Cat: *grins and nods as she gets thw laundry going*
TJ: *comes back with a plastic sword and shield* I'll make the bad guys go away!

[socrowdedinhere]

Connor: *soft laugh* You think you could take them all, TJ? It will be a hard fight. *is he playing back?! He truly has changed.*

[neverasked4this]

TJ: Yeah, but I'll win cuz I'm strong! I have a magic sword.
Darnell: *GRINNING, enjoying the subtle changes in his little brother*
Alex: Uncle Connor, wanna finish that video game we started last weekend?