Tick Tock Part Four - The Mouse Fell Down

Burgers and Milkshakes

Nines sighed as he fell back on the rounded sofa and looked up at Pipsqueak's walkways. Pipsqueak was currently elsewhere in the penthouse, likely nosing around and meowing for Gavin. It had been a month. A month of nothing. It was getting colder. Gavin's birthday had been and gone. His thirty-eighth birthday. They hadn't celebrated his last one. They'd been so caught up with work and the Hickory Killer that it had completely passed them by. Nines had been looking forward to reciprocating Gavin's kindness over his anniversary with the DPD. It was November now. He'd only just been allowed home.

Since his relationship with Gavin had been revealed, he'd been treated differently. Rather than being allowed to return to work right away and find Gavin, Fowler had decided he should take two weeks off. Obviously, he'd hoped they would somehow find Gavin within those two weeks, but the FBI hadn't managed it. He'd been in contact with Colin daily. Colin had shown great patience and kindness, and was always so apologetic when he told him how little progress they'd made. Unfortunately, with the few things they knew, they simply didn't have enough information to track him down. It was unlikely they'd get anything until the killer made a move of some sort. Or they find Gavin's body...Colin never voiced that thought.

Connor had insisted that Nines and Pipsqueak stay with him at Hank's house for a while. The experience had been less than pleasant. He hadn't hated it. He loved Connor. They were brothers, and he knew he'd had the best intentions. He'd asked him to take care of Niles and Sumo during the day for those first two weeks, hoping that the homely setting and domestic tasks would keep him distracted. They had not. He'd been patient with Niles. watched over him, helped him with his homework, and even played games with him, however it had been a wearing experience. Niles was still full of life, energy, and joy. Connor hadn't gone into the exact details with him about why Nines was there or what had happened to Gavin. Why would he? He was a child. It was better for him to remain oblivious until they resolved the case, but due to this lack of insight, Niles' cheer had simply soured Nines' mood further. How could people feel such joy when he was experiencing such pain? Gavin might be getting tortured. Mutilated. He could be dead already, and yet the world continued turning.

Sumo, at least, understood something was very wrong. He could scent the despair and unease they tried to hide around Niles, and was particularly sensitive to Nines' inner turmoil and showed what support he could. While the house was empty, with Hank and Connor at work and Niles at school, Sumo had sat faithfully at his side. They'd gone for long walks and spent hours on the living room floor. Pipsqueak had joined them in the living room, curling up on Sumo's large back or in the space between his front paws. Nines had spent those hours lost in his own head, running his fingers through Sumo's fur while looking back on each incident, replaying the case from start to finish. Each new body. Every time he'd seen the android. The times Gavin had been in danger.

He hadn't yet found any clues that could help, only ways he could have prevented this from happening. He should have listened to Gavin and closed the curtains. Perhaps if he hadn't charged that night or they'd slept in the living room. What if they'd gone to Elijah's home or left Detroit and returned to the cabin? If-if-if...If wouldn't bring Gavin back. He didn't know where to even start looking for him, but he knew that's what he wanted to do. Unfortunately, during those first two weeks, Connor had kept him busy with domestic duties and insisted he let the police and FBI handle it.

Even after those two weeks, when he'd finally been allowed to return to work and close cases with Miller as his temporary partner, he hadn't been allowed near Gavin's case. The FBI were working on it, with Connor and Hank on standby. Tina had been sympathetic and beside herself with grief. At least someone cared as much as he did. She'd promised to let him know personally if she found anything useful. Fuck the DPD and its rules! She knew Nines would track him down more seriously than anyone else, and without worrying about how it looked to the higher-ups or how many people he had to fight through. If someone had information on Gavin, Nines would get it. No questions asked. He was touched to know she had such faith in him.