a/n: FOR: DEXTER IS DELICIOUS; CHAPTER 30/31. In the same universe as "Dubious Dexter" [Ryan is Dexter and Brian's COUSIN + Deborah doesn't know] but is NOT a sequel.

In Dexter's POV. Includes Officer Ryan Wolfe from CSI:MIAMI, and spoilers for this book, some events will be twisted with AU.

SUMMARY: Dexter is bound and only a cousin can free him. No, that's wrong. Everyone forget him but his cousin.

Doubtful DEXTER

I couldn't believe that I was forgotten.

I was shocked at the mere prospect; how could anyone forget about important me? Naturally, I wouldn't want to be put under the magnified glass, but no one seemed to even notice the fact that my wrists were taped up behind my back.

Samantha wasn't the only one who had been in that trailer, or stuck in the freezer. She wasn't the one that got hit in the face by what might as well have been a chunk of concrete. She did this willingly, I, on the other hand, was actually kidnapped. Taken against my will. I was dragged unwillingly into breaking into Fang to find evidence that Samantha was being held there by my ungrateful, adopted, dear sister, Deborah, with her anger issues and potty mouth. Yes, she had been right that they were holding the teenager there, but it was because she was willing. Deborah seemed to be oblivious to that fact that Samantha didn't want to be saved, but eaten. She also seemed to have overlooked me, the one who actually wanted to be rescued. And who, at the moment, was still in need of a rescue party.

My hands were taped behind my back and I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, never mind cannibals. I had no way to swat them away, trying to disperse them with an indignant shake of the head, hoping that it might scare away the horde that had enveloped my head—it sent a hurt so bad through my brain that it wasn't worth it even if it had. I couldn't fend them off myself and I was sure I heard the mosquitoes laughing at me.

"Can somebody please undo my hands?" I said. My voice sounded pitiful even to me, it was rather depressing.

"What? No magic words?"

It was almost as if there was a sudden gust of wind and all the mosquitoes that had been eating me, disappeared— it was a relief except for the fact that there wasn't any wind to be had. I blinked and found that Ryan was there, in his tan patrol uniform.

"Abracadabra," I said. "And if you were paying attention, the p-word was in there."

"Yes." Ryan nodded. "But I wanted to see how magical you could make it before bursting into flames."

I glared at him. One of the times that he had to develop a sense of humour was when I was forced into another position because Dutiful Dexter and dear sister Deborah, got kidnapped because of it, beat up, drugged, beat up again, threatened with a gun, and was then in the process of losing all of my precious life-liquid to an overwhelming cloud of mosquitoes. So I was not in to mood and made sure that my expression, body language and gaze said so.

"Well?" Ryan raised his brows at me, and now I looked at him in confusion instead of piss-y-ness. "Turn around." he said it in a tone of voice that plainly stated I was an idiot, but in this moment I wasn't to blame for that. My head was like a drum. I turned around, thankfully I had enough coordination to accomplish it. I heard it as he flicked a pocket knife out, and as he lightly grasped my wrist, I felt as he carefully cut through the silver tap. It finally gave and my hands fell free to my sides.

I had planned on killing all the bugs that surrounded me when I had finally got my hands free, but Ryan had scared them off with his human soul-ness. So I rubbed my face, it used to feel like a face but now it felt like pounded hamburger meat. I felt a hand on my shoulder and Ryan spun me around, tearing off the duct tape none too gently.

"OW!" I exclaimed as all the hair from my wrists were yanked out. I rubbed them lightly as I glared at my cousin.

"Would you rather I had done it slow?" he said rhetorically. I tried not to glower at him, but with my head the way it was, I didn't think that I was very successful. "Wow. You are moody."

"I was kidnapped!" I stared at him open mouthed.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "We both know that this isn't really about that, but the fact that Sergeant Morgan wasn't as concerned about you as she was about that girl."

I winced, hoping that Ryan would take it as the fact that my face was a bruise, but we both were smarter than that. At least Ryan was smarter than that. Me, on the other hand, was probably the dullest tool in the shed. After the birth of Lily Anne, I had thought it would be a good idea to take the bright lit exit off the Dark Path. It caused more trouble than I had thought that it would. Locking up my Dark Passenger in Castle Dexter's Tower and set my Soul out into the Light for the first time since I was three. Let's just say that the results of this un thought through plan of action left Dexter Deeply Disturbed. Ryan had thought that it was quite funny and so did my brother, Brian. I did not.

Yes, I will admit to my inner self and no one else, that it hurt that Deborah cared more about the girl that wanted to be eaten, then her brother who clearly did not. I had been close to breaking down when I finally realized that after Debs had been stabbed, that I wouldn't know what to do if I lost her— this conclusion having nothing to do with the fact that she had been one of the three that had known my secret. She didn't give me the same courtesy.

While it was true that I was no longer in a life endangering situation; I had been. And there was no way for her to have know otherwise. I was in the custody of a group of cannibals for more than a few hours, look what happened to Deke. It could have been happening to me and Deborah could have cared less. I felt something dark spark inside of me, and saw the flash of a gleam from the dark, dark Back Seat as the Passenger flashed teeth.

I didn't say anything and I wished that Ryan wasn't as intuitive as he was, he was just as sharp as my Dark Passenger and half the time I felt exposed around him. He smiled nicely at me and I hunched my shoulders back. I never used to get angry, I was always calm inside, dead. But I was feeling it now, feeling a lot of things.

I was angry at Deborah for dragging me into this when, as Rita always put it, I was a blood-spatter expert. I was a lab geek and I had no business going under-cover, breaking into places on the whims of my sister, being her 'partner' for that matter, when she had her own. I was being honourable and Dutiful Dexter, and I was mindful of how much Debs' punches could hurt. It was very weak of me, I know, but even a monster like me knows that it would be a very bad thing to get on Deborah's bad side. And I knew that this wasn't all her fault, some of the blame lay on me, obviously. Because, like before, I didn't know what I would do without Deborah. Either her death or her not talking to me, it didn't matter.

Maybe I could do with Deborah what I couldn't seem to do with Brian. This has nothing to do with gender, and they were both equally dangerous. This had to do with me. I was going to so something for myself for once in my life, and no matter how violent those arm punches become, I would not back down. And I figured that if I could say no dear sister Debs, then I could say no to big brother Brian.

I blinked and found that Ryan was smiling at me. "What?" I said.

That smile stretched his lips into a grin. "It's interesting to watch you think." he explained.

"What?" I repeated so intelligently.

Ryan shook his head, "You concern me sometimes, Dexter."

I just stared. There was probably something smart to be said in this moment, and, yes, I was once again Dumb. But can I really be blamed for that? I just went through a traumatic experience, cut me a break.

"You're a family man, now, Dex." Ryan said. "You have to think about them now."

Now my stare was accompanied by an open mouth. "How could you know that?"

"I'm not an idiot, Dexter." Ryan deadpanned, "Everyone knows you have a family."

I know that this was way old by now, but I couldn't seem to help it. I could make excuses; the kidnapping, the drugs, the whole becoming a Dopey human. But let's just get the facts straight. Right now was not a good time for me, lately, has not been a good time for me. I thought that it was a momentary blockage, but more than a moment had passed. I was starting to think that this was a permanent situation.

"Do you want a ride back?" Ryan asked. "Sergeant Morgan's already left."

I looked around me and, Ryan was correct. My loving adopted dear sister Ms. Sergeant Deborah Morgan had left me, her charismatic, innocent, special big brother Dexter Morgan who had gone through an horrendous experience, one that included watching a man's head get blown away. It was very selfish of her, and tiny muscles in my cheek started to twitch with my irritability.

"Yeah," I said coldly and started to walk. Ryan stayed at pace, a look of light concern in his brown eyes. He had reason to be concerned, too, because of what Deborah did apparently shoved me over the edge into the gallows. My stupidity was over, and Debs was finally going to get the earful that she deserved. And I also realized that if I did have to rely on someone other than myself, Ryan and the Dark Passenger would be the best candidates.

f