"I love you too, Connor," I answered. He gently caressed my cheek. As if on cue, the taxi pulled up. Seeming as though the world were trying to convince me to leave Connor to his own devices.
I got into the taxi, and couldn't help but wonder what Connor might do. Seeing and hearing his deep frustration was almost frightening. Not for me, but rather for whoever will feel the wrath of it.
I yawned as I looked out at the snow covered city. I suppose I did have a busy day and should get some rest. Oh...it's officially no longer Christmas. The clock has just turned to 12:01 AM. It went by...so quickly.
I strolled into Lance's checking behind me for any twin sisters. The house felt oddly empty. Suddenly, Nick came down the stairs. "Oh. It's you," He said, yawning. "Thought you might be Christen."
"They went to their house already?" I asked, confused.
"Yep. I mean...you got them furniture. All they had to do was pack up their things, like Margot's toys and Christen's work," Nick shrugged. Oh, I suppose that is true.
"You can take Christen's room if you want and head off to bed. Unless you want to have a nightcap with me...I mean...it is Christmas," Nick said gesturing about.
"First of all, it's not Christmas anymore. Second of all, Connor and I drank an awful lot. I don't think I should have any more," I explained.
Nick looked shocked for a moment. "You and Connor got drunk together? What the hell?" Nick asked confused.
"Mmmhmm," I answered, nodding.
"Doesn't matter. I don't drink anyway. Hot chocolate? My mom's recipe?" Nick offered. I nodded and Nick walked over to his stove, pulling out the one clean boiler he had left, and poured some milk into it. In a small bowl, he put a chocolate bar, and some butter into it. He put it in the microwave, and then took out a sprig of mint, placing it in the milk. Once the milk was warmed, he took out the mint leaf and poured two cups. He then took the melted chocolate and butter, and poured half into each cup, before taking a spoon and mixing each mug.
"Trust me, it's amazing," Nick said handing me a mug. Sure enough, the drink was quite good. Buttery, warm, sweet, and with just a touch of mint. I may dislike chocolate, but this is amazing.
Nick pulled out a chair at his dining room table for me, and I sat down next to him. Nick began to speak.
"I never got to properly thank you for my Christmas gift," He said quietly. "Don't worry. I won't cry again. Just...damn, Charlotte. You know, it's been too fucking long since that accident. I've been trying to get Margot her surgery for so many months. Now I can..."
"I'm really just hoping you use that extra money to buy new clothes," I remarked, sipping my hot chocolate.
"Fuck you," Nick whispered, laughing a bit. "I'll just leave it at a thank you. There's just no way to express what I want to say."
"You're welcome, Nick," I answered. Nick smiled, and he sipped his own drink.
"Now...when's the wedding?" Nick asked jokingly.
"Haha. Very funny," I said simply.
"I haven't seen a girl's eyes light up like that in years. Or a guy's for that matter," Nick explained. "He's a keeper."
"Yeah. He is," I said, smiling. "Nick, I've got a question."
"Hmm?"
"You're a deputy with no kids and no spouse. How did you end up with this house?" I asked.
"Oh. I suppose it is pretty big. Four bedrooms and two bathrooms do seem like overkill. But it's a story in and of its own, Charlotte," he said sighing.
"Well...tell it to me," I answered.
"Alright. You asked for it. My dad. Geez, we were close. He gave my car, really...he gave me everything. When I got my police certification, my parents had been living alone in this house for a few years. Too much space for them, so they moved up to Ann Arbor, and my dad gave me the house."
"What about Christen?" I asked.
"Well...my parents never did like Christen. Thought she was...arrogant. Won't blame them. Christen always was too big for just Detroit. She was always meant to do something crazy like help with a fucking revolution, but my parents never saw it like that. Saw it like her trying to forget that she is nothing more than a girl who grew up in downtown Detroit."
"So...they just focused on you?" I asked confused.
"Oh, I did too. I didn't talk to Christen for years. Not until she had Margot, at least. Her husband was always a prick, but I was never there to warn her. I was a terrible brother. Just abandoned her for my parents bullshit. I mean Christen's a fucking genius. Her and Elijah Kamski were partners for years. She even dated him for a while back in university, but he's a playboy. They're still friends though and were while they were at Cyberlife. When Kamski got thrown from Cyberlife, Christen was next. By then though, she was working on her divorce and she moved in with me. She helped fill all these God damn rooms."
"Do your parents still talk to you?"
"No. God, no. When my father lost his job to androids, he blamed Christen. I mean, after all, she built them with Kamski himself. He told me to stop talking with her like he did all those years ago. I couldn't do it. I love my parents, but I fucking hate that bullshit. Christen didn't do jackshit to them, and they treat her like trash. Christen doesn't see that though. Sometimes, she feels like she did ruin our parent's lives. Like she did ruin this city. I think she's treating Jericho like a God damn penance. She has to atone for her sins or some shit like that. That's why I don't give a fuck what happens to my parents anymore. They made Christen feel like she was to blame for all the world's problems," Nick said, getting frustrated. "The kicker is...Christen helped found Cyberlife. Her, Kamski, Amanda, and some others, helped form Cyberlife. But she never was at the forefront. She had a few magazine articles, but she wasn't Elijah fucking Kamski. When her deadbeat husband ran off with all her money and left her with their daughter, Christen didn't even complain. I don't think Kamski even knew that Christen had her life turned upside down so quickly. That's why it's so fucking stupid that they're doing this bullshit. They're making Christen feel the weight of the fucking world."
"Nick, I-"
"Then the fucking news! All they do all day is talk about Christen. Depending on the channel, she's a saint saving androids lives. Or, she's a traitor and a monster. When you were in the fucking coma or whatever, I would come home and sometimes see Christen just crying. Just fucking crying, because she again, felt this fucking weight. I just hope that by giving her, her own space, her own place...I can help a little bit," Nick said, slamming his mug down...but it miraculously didn't shatter.
"Nick...you're a good brother," I explained.
"Oh...that's keeps me going. That I'm somehow making up for the pile of dogshit that is Christen's life," Nick sighed.
"Oh...dogshit," he mumbled. "I should take Kyle out."
Nick stood up and headed into the back hallway. "Oh, buddy. Don't sleep by the heater. I'll buy you a space heater if you want one, but you've got a perfectly good dog bed...do you want a blanket?" I could hear Nick ask from a distance. I'm still in shock that he actually named the dog Kyle. Nick came out of the hallway holding the puppy like a baby.
"Keep my hot chocolate warm, okay?" He said, before immediately leaving out the door.
Sure, Nick. Let me just use my laser eyes.