Disclaimer: I own none of the Saints Row characters or anything associated with the video game.

"In other news, police are still looking for the three male suspects who were involved in a gang-related shooting near Athos Bay yesterday. Sources say the spat occurred between underdog gang, the 3rd Street Saints, and Hispanic gang, the Los Carnales. Police urge citizens to proceed with caution when traveling through Saints Row till these carnage-causing criminals are brought to swift justice. This is Jane Valderama, Channel 6 News."

Click.

With the press of a button, the cheap, staticky television faded to black. She almost wished she hadn't heard the broadcast in the first place.

Almost..

Being a resident of the Row and a Stilwater native, Gabriella had long become desensitized to the poverty-stricken city and its violence. With a sigh, she brought her caramel-colored legs up towards her chest to support her chin, dragging the ratty blankets along with her. At any other time, Gabriella would have felt disgusted with herself for her lack of emotion towards her environment and her brother's shady activities, but not today. Today, she felt her long suppressed emotions wash over her in the form of fear for the future. She huffed in annoyance, trying to quell the strange feeling which she labeled as unwarranted, but she couldn't shake the sense of foreboding crawling up her spine, sticking to her bones. She was so wrapped up in her own woes that she didn't hear the front door open, but was quickly made aware when her pitch black surroundings were illuminated by the harsh living-room lights. "Agh! Goddamn it!" Her arms flew up to defend her eyes from the intrusive rays, and she heard her brother's exasperated voice. "Why the hell are you sitting in the dark? And don't curse!" Dexter shut the door behind him and strode to the kitchen, pulling a beer from the semi-bare fridge. A sarcastic rebuttal lodged itself in Gabriella's throat, but she opted to hold her peace and mentally berate her brother's hypocrisy instead.

The very word was woven into the very fabric of his being and it often bled out into his conversations. He embodied confliction. An inner turmoil between what he could be and what he was forced to become. Dexter was easily the smartest person Gabriella knew, and that belief wasn't based on sisterly sentiment. Every day, Dexter teetered on the line of intellectual genius and sheer stupidity, but he often fell on the latter side because of his environment. He had no outlet for his brilliance, no way to fully exercise his mental muscles to their potential, and he often made up for it by acting out in foolish ways. Gabriella relished the idea of lecturing Dexter on these facts and convince him to put his brain to better use. She wanted to tell him everything that was boiling under her lips, but she couldn't find the courage to release it into open space. Resigned to her own cowardice, she decided to ask a less weighty question.

"Where have you been?"

The question alone should have blown the roof off of the house of lies Dexter had built, but Gabriella knew her brother better than that. It took more than questions to penetrate the walls that surrounded the truth. The truths that he kept away from her prying eyes; whether he did it to protect her or for his own self-preservation was debatable. Gabriella surveyed the lazy look in his eyes as he sat the empty beer bottle on the counter, prepared to defend himself.

"I was out," he said simply.

"Out where?" Gabriella shivered at the saccharine-sweet tone of her own voice, taking a determined step towards him.

Brothers and sisters shouldn't play these mental games with each other; honesty and openness should be the foundation of a sibling relationship, especially living where they lived. But the ideas of honesty and open communication closed like the door Dexter used to leave the previous morning.

A small smile graced his lips. "I was at the church," he replied, gauging her reaction in amusement. As Dexter predicted, his truth caught her off-guard, leaving her eyes wide as saucers and her mouth gaping open. The proverbial "door" was open, so Gabriella decided to act on her brother's rare honesty before the opportunity was lost.

"Why were you there? We both know you aren't religious in the slightest..." Gabriella quirked her eyebrow in curiousity. The idea of Dexter believing in a higher power was enough to make Gabriella snort out a laugh. She knew he didn't swing that way. Dexter allowed her mind to wander, regarding her with patient silence. Gabriella was just as smart as him (although he would never admit that.) and he knew she would draw the right conclusion. Well aware that he wouldn't directly tell her his business at the church, Gabriella ran through all the logical reasons that would justify his presence at the church in Saints Row.

Saints Row.

A wave of nausea sent Gabriella reeling and she took an unsteady step away from Dexter. She felt a momentarily satisfied that her previous fears weren't completely off-base, but the horror of her situation came back full force again.

"No...Please tell me you did not.." Gabriella was withering. Slowly dying before his eyes, and he decided to seal her coffin himself.

"I don't feel the need to explain my reasons for doing it, but I wanted you to hear it from me before you heard it from someone in the streets or saw it on the news," Dexter's cool response to her apparent anguish made her feel sick.

Didn't he care at all?

Dexter reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled, purple bandana, placing it in Gabriella's sweaty palms. She rolled the fabric through her stiff fingers, mentally remarking on how new it was. Gabriella knew it wouldn't be that way for long. Soon, the bandana would be tattered and stained with blood, her brother's blood. The thought of it sent bile rocketing up her already dry throat, and she pushed the burning liquid back down, ignoring its bitter taste.

It was at that moment that Gabriella realized that the dregs of truth were bitter indeed.

Thank you all for reading! This is my first fanfiction in a couple of years, so reviews and suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks! ^_^