Thanksgiving, it had always been a family time and that's where Dexter wanted to be right now, with Rita Astor Cody and Deb but he had made a promise and it was because of that promise that Dexter was where he was at Trinity's for Thanksgiving. Dexter sat awkwardly on the couch next to the hidden killer and his terrified son, he sipped the beer Sally Mitchell had brought him and pretended to watch the game. What was he doing here? he had his own family waiting for him and instead of being with them he was here in the belly of the beast. Trinitys house. "You were always a sucker for kids Dex" Harry said perched on the arm of the couch "doesn't matter if they're small like cody or big like Jonah, puppy dog eyes and you jump to action" Dexter shrugged and took another swig of his beer. He tried to ignore Harry and focus on the other father in the room, Trinity and his son were talking game plans and criticising everyone on the field from the referees to the managers. Dexter didn't understand his if these people were so bad why were they hired and if it angered the pair so much why did they watch it. Jonah turned his head towards him expectantly, crap they had asked him something "I'm not a big football fan" he said and shrugged apologetically, the pair both gave him a weird look, crap that wasn't normal, he wasn't blending in "i think i'll go see if i can help Sally" he said rising to his feet to make a quick retreat. Jonah's eyes begged him to stay but Dexter ignored him, above all else bled in that had been Harry's rule just under don't get caught as one of the most important, Dexter left the room and walked down the corridor towards the kitchen.
A startling amount of pink however caught his attention, the first open door he came across was obviously a girls room, but from the look of it a pre teen maybe not the young woman Trinitys daughter was "looks like Astor's dreams come true in here" he muttered to himself. He chuckled slightly at the over sized unicorn on the bed but as he surveyed the room his mood turned more somber, attached to the window was a heavy duty lock, the kind that wouldn't look out of place in a prison. "Is this to keep someone out or keep her in?" Dexter thought as he walked over to the lock and gave it a slight tug to test it, the lock didn't move an inch. He quickly turned and left the room only to notice another lock, a deadbolt on the bedroom door, a wave of realisation fell over Dexter "he locks his daughter in here" he whispered to himself, the pink cell did not seem that comical anymore.
Dexter quickly left the room and tried to find Becca Mitchell, Trinitys daughter, making sure not to be noticed by the other inhabitants of the house Dexter searched for her, he had heard Jonah's stories and seen the locks but that would meet the standards of the code needed for him to act. He spotted her through a window at the front of the house and sneaked over to the front door and out onto the garden, He found Becca picking flowers from a bush that grew close to the house, red and white roses. Dexter thought drifted back to blood for a moment as the red on white pattern of the flower reminded him of crime scenes from the past both his own and others. He quickly snapped out of it "Need any help?" he offered, Becca quickly spun around startled by his sudden appearance before a relieved smile appeared "i'm useless in the kitchen" Becca nodded and gestured to the flowers "sure just pick something for the centerpiece". Dexter nodded and scanned the bushes in front of him, they all looked the same to him so he picked one at random, Becca quickly grabbed his hand "no not those" she said before quickly releasing his hand embarrassed "Dad likes roses" she said gesturing to the bush in front of her. Dexter nodded "everything for Dad, huh?" he asked as he looked over the roses, Becca hand already picked the healthier looking ones, Becca scoffed and turned away for him.
"Those locks on your door for him to?" he asked bluntly, now was probably the best opportunity he'd get, he doubted there would be many more times the Mitchells would leave him alone with their daughter, Becca spun around quickly a dreaded look on her face, She looked away briefly composing herself "He says they're meant to protect me". "Do they?" Dexter asked, Becca stared at his face searching for something, a sign of deceit or danger, she must have seen something because she shook her head and quickly walked away to another bush. "That's only natural Dex" Harry said over his shoulder "You are her father's friend after all", Dexter walked over to her "you can trust me you know" he said "Jonah does" her brothers name caught her attention "Jonah?" she asked. Dexter nodded "that's why i'm here for him and his accident" he said nodding at the wreck in the driveway. Becca sighed "yeah he said you would help him" she bent over and took ahold of a rose close to the ground "I ran away once" she said snipping the stalk "he caught me obviously and.. it was bad". Dexter nodded to show he was listening "it wont always be like this" he said reassuringly, Becca scoffed a defeated look on her face and bent down to pick another flower "you're helping Jonah" she said bringing the flower up to her nose to smell "you can help me to?" she asked. Dexter nodded, he noticed something appear in Becca's eyes something he had seen a few times before. Hope. "You can get me away from here" she said stepping closer to Dexter, "She trusts you Dex" Harry said appearing beside Becca "use it", Dexter tried to ignore him "you just need to wait a while" he said "you're too young to be on your own".
Disappointment spread across Becca's face, but an idea jumped into her head and her face changed again, it was different this time the same kind of face LaGuerta used to make at him, an uncomfortable feeling settled in Dexter, It was flirting. "I dont have to be on my own" she said stepping even closer to Dexter "i could be with you", Dexter assumed a condescending tone he was sure this would make her realise how inappropriate this was, or at the very least annoy her like it did Astor and Cody. "With me?" he asked dubiously, Becca nodded "Jonah says you're nice", Dexter shrugged and tried to brush off the comment "I try to be". Becca stepped even closer, Dexter could feel her breath on his face "if you're nice to me" she said "I can be nice to you", she placed a hand on his chest and lifted herself up on her toes bring their faces closer together. Dexter was sure she could feel his heartbeating telling him to move away before somebody appeared or she tried to go any further "I'll do anything you want" she said her voice husky as she closer her eyes and leaned in to kiss Dexter. He quickly stepped back and raised up his hands "Whoa Becca" he said, the girl looked surprised and her face returned to its innocent appearance "you're a teenager" Dexter explained "I don't want anything from you". Becca looked insulted "I don't believe you" she said and stepped closer again.
"Rebecca?", It was Sally, Becca's mother appeared through the doorway and a shocked look spread across her face "go inside" she ordered, Becca swore under her breath and quickly stepped away from Dexter shooting him a to be continued look with her eyes before heading back into the house. Even Dexter knew how bad this looked, he quickly threw his hand into the air " Sally its not.." he tried to explain but she quickly hushed him "I'm so sorry for Rebecca's behaviour" she whispered "please just don't say anything to Arthur" she said desperation in her eyes. "She's scared of him to" Dexter thought surprised, yet another member of the perfect family is not what they seem, "Kyle you can't" she said her tone becoming one of begging. "Whatever you were doing with Rebecca" he tried to interrupt but she wouldn't let him "whatever you going to do, i don't care, just please im begging you don't tell him" Dexter shook his head "I wouldnt" he said reassuring her "i promise" Sally nodded nerves shaking her visibly "thank you" she said before quickly following Becca back into the house. Harry appeared this time leaning against the wall "whatever is going on in this house Dex, it's bad" he said crossing his arms a look of worry on his face "it would have to be for any mother to be okay with finding her daughter in the arms of someone twice their age" Dexter nodded Harry was right "What the hell is he doing to these people?" he muttered to himself.
A small ringing brought his attention back to reality, he quickly checked to make sure none of the Mitchells were in earshot before answering the call
"Rita hey"
"Hey, how far away are you?" she asked the sounds on children and pots clattering loudly in the back ground
"About an hour or so"
"okay, well i didn't want you to be surprised when you get home"
"By what?"
"Cody fell into your shed"
a cold chill ran up Dexter spine "What? Is he okay?" the boy was in a room with tools
"Yeah he's fine, he hit a ball onto the roof, climbed up to get it and he fell through, Elliot was going to push in the A/C" another cold chill rushed up Dexters spine
"No don't"
"He didnt, he took off the door with an axe"
"So my shed has no door?" an annoyed groan escaped before he could stop it he'd have to move everything again
"Dexter, Cody was scared, alright? and crying i told Elliott to get him out however he could"#
Yeah off course, i'll thank him when i get home" the thought of punching the annoying neighbour seemed a better option
"i'll see you soon okay"
and with that he hung up the phone and begun to think things through "no one can get into the false bottom" Harry scoffed "you didn't think anyone could get in the shed" Dexter nodded "I gotta get home". He rushed back into the house and found Trinity and Jonah still sitting on the couch just where he had left them, there was something about the look on Jonah's face that concerned Dexter but he chose to ignore it, discovery trumps everything "Arthur i just got a call, i think i'll have to go" the sound of tape brought his attention to Jonah's finger, the boy was wrapping his little finger with surgical tape. "Jonah, what happened?" he asked his sympathy getting the better of him, Jonah held up his damaged digits "i whacked it on the table" he said trying to dismiss the question, Trinity smirked "my son, the klutz" he said and then muttered something about the team he was watching.
"If this is what he does with someone present, what will he do if i leave" he thought, Dexter pulled his phone out of his pocket "oh looks like the problem solved itself" he lied and walked over to the couch and returned to his seat next to Jonah "I can stay"
After a few minutes Sally appeared "time for dinner" she announced in a sing songy manner, the Mitchells and Dexter gathered around the fully stocked dinner table and sat down the eat, and after a quick grace they began to carve. "we have a family tradition here Kyle" Trinity said sticking the knife into the ham "before we eat, we say what we're thankful for" Trinity cut a large piece of meat and slapped it onto his own plate "i'll start" he said as he began to care the next peice. "I'm thankful for this family and this lovely home" he said passing the next slice to his son, Sally went next "I'm thankful for this loving home" she said her forced smile seeming more transparent than ever "and my son who i am so proud of". The rest of the mitchells smiled a nodded in agreement "is that all?" Trinity asked, Sally face began to drain of it colour "oh and for my beautiful daughter, who is growing up so quickly" Becca looked over at Dexter the look in her eyes making him uncomfortable. "Im thankful my teacher gave me more time on my report" a round of chuckles came for the table "and for this nice home" Becca quickly added.
Even someone like Dexter could tell these emotions were fake "is this what it takes to survive here?" he thought, Trinity smiled at the two girls and then looked over to his son, Jonah began to squirm in his seat "im thankful for this house too and for god" he said making no attempt for it to sound sincer. Trinity shot daggers at the boy with his eyes "you know what i'm thankful for?" he asked returning his face to the happy mask "My car" he shot more daggers at the boy. Dexter quickly tried to defuse the situation "Im thankful for yams" he blurted out it was the first thing that came into his head "comfort food" he explained "and thank you all for the comfort of your home". Trinity scoffed "where no one said they were thankful for me" he said cutting another piece of meat more aggressively this time "are you Jonah? are you thankful for me?" he asked Jonah remained quiet and stared down at his on lap "what was that?" Trinity asked determined to get an answer out of the boy. "I did not say was thankful for you" said Jonah "because I'm not", the family looked at him in stunned silence, Jonah had broke the unwritten rule of the Mitchell household. Sally quickly jumped into action "I am so thankful for you Arthur" she said, the look on Trinity's face told Dexter that wouldn't be enough he braced himself. "Shut up cunt" Trinity said his voice low and aggressive, "whoa arthur, that a bit much" Dexter said, trinity turned his attention to him "I think its time for you to go Kyle", if he left now there's no telling what trinity would do, perhaps if her left he would be showing Arthur his own family when he finally got him onto the killing table "I think I should stay".
This seemed to give Jonah more confidence, he jumped to his feet "yeah stay, watch the show", Becca looked at her brother in disbelief panic beginning to set in "I'm thankful for you Daddy", Trinity look at her with dead eyes "go to your room" he ordered. Jonah quickly jumped to his sisters defence "no shes not a kid anymore dad and she's not your prisoner", Trinity remained in his seat, Dexter could tell a storm was coming but the lack of a reaction just encouraged Jonah "This whole life is a lie" he said leaving the table and the room. Trinity got up from his seat and went after Jonah, Dexter Sally and Becca all went to follow them "please protect my brother" pleaded Becca as they entered the room the men had gone to.
Jonah had ripped Trinitys awards from the wall and thrown them to the floor "IT'S ALL LIES" he shouted grabbing another award from the wall "COMMUNITY HERO" he read before throwing it at a mirror shattering it into tiny pieces. Becca grabbed Dexters arm, he look down at her terrified face "please do something". "I KNOW WHO YOU REALLY ARE" Jonah announced dragging Dexters attention back to the boy, what did he mean by that, "who am i then Jonah?" Trinity mocked, "a killer" Jonah said smugly, the colour drained from both Trinitys and Dexter's face, "how could he know" Dexter thought. Jonah grabbed more awards from the wall throwing them to the ground "you suck the life out of all of us, Mom, Becca Me you're killing us" this was the last straw Trinity lunged at Jonah, Becca quickly jumped in front of him "no daddy" she screamed as Trinity grabbed her and threw her away as if she was nothing.
Becca crashed into a table knocking its contents to the floor and brushing her head on the side. Blood began to rush from the would. Dexter was unsure of what to do but the moment he saw the blood he came back to life and rushed over to help, Becca was dazed from the impact Dexter checked her pupils response and quickly examined the wound. Looked like a flesh wound but she'd probably have a concussion, he could go into further detail and the fight still raged behind him. "Sally get her out of here" Dexter ordered but the woman was frozen to the spot too terrified to move, Dexter pulled Becca out of harm's way before returning to the fight.
Jonah was holding something in his hand and Trinity seemed to scared to take another step "put her down" he ordered, as dexter got closer he realised what Jonah was holding. An urn the same urn which held the remains of Trinitys family "fuck you and fuck your sister" Jonah said spitting venom with his words before throwing the urn as hard as he could at the wall. But the moment he did he was unprotected Trinity lunged at him and grabbed him by the throat, even though his father was choking the life from hm Jonah still persisted shouting "Fuck you" with his strained breathless voice. Sally remain motionless watching as the man she called her husband strangled her son, "you're running out of time Dex" Harry said "he's going to kill him" Dexter undid his belt and pulled it from around his waist and came at Trinity from behind. With all his attention on killing his son Trinity didnt notice Dexter appear behind him until his belt was wrapped around his throat "get the fuck off him" Dexter said through gritted teeth as he pulled Trinity's massive weight off of Jonah. Dexter pulled Trinity to the ground and pulled the belt tighter around his neck, but before the dead could be done Trinity grabbed a piece of broken mirror from the floor and stabbed it into Dexter's leg. Dexter cried out in pain and released Trinity so he could pull out the shard, Trinity rose to his feet quickly and caught Dexters belt and pulled him into the air before grabbing a fist full of his shirt and slamming him into the wall "This is my family Kyle" he said now closing his hands around Dexter's throat "they belong to ME".
Dexter punched wildly at Trinity's face but the killers grip stayed firm, the world began to grow dark and spots appeared in his vision "Is this the end Dex?" Harry asked, thoughts of his family rushed through Dexter's head of Rita and the kids, Deb and Harrison, his son without a father, his sister without him to lean on, would they ever recover. probably not when they begin going through his possessions and discover his dark secret it would destroy them. No this wasn't the end, Dexter grabbed a picture from the wall and shattered it over Trinity's head, but it had no effect he reached out again and grabbed the next object it was one of Trinitys awards. Dexter whacked the solid award over the killer's head this time it worked. Trinity released Dexter and stumbled backwards, "if he wasn't so accomplished i'd be dead" Dexter thought chuckling to himself, Dexter raised his fists and came after Trinity but the man didn't react to Dexter his face had gone blank and surprised began to fill it.
The giant man dropped to his knees and tried desperately to grasp something in his back before collapsing to the floor, Becca stood where her father fell and knife stuck out of Trinitys back.
