"It was all I could think of at the time." I faced him fully, my face relaxing as I watched him silently asking the question of why. "You and I have both made mistakes. I didn't deserve to be head of the CIU, yet here I am. He is a valuable asset to our team. I need him to stay where he is." After Hayes kisses Sam in 1x13 "Past, Prologue and What's to Come", this is my take on Conner demanding an answer.

"Hayes, I'm coming in." He stated, rapping his knuckles two times against the bedroom door in warning before trying the doorknob. He had been in this room several times the past few nights, so he knew the blinds flooding light through the room was just the way she liked it. As he looked over at the bed and saw a lump buried within that white comforter was a person deep in her grief.

Every day was a new day, but sometimes it felt like too much to be there at the CIU. Being the boss of people who hated my guts. Or in the least, disliked me. I was in no way a role model for them, nor did I think I could be the role model they needed. Even if I did become someone they liked, would I manage to screw up their lives like I had screwed up mine?