"Morgan, you too, ya got a visitor!"

Dexter looked towards the –no, it was his- cell door. The guard looked impatient, annoyed, irritated. Dexter didn't care though, he had a pretty good idea why the guard was like that – he wasn't going to get the death sentence. He had been given twenty-five life sentences which insured he was going to spend the rest of life in prison, he was going to die in the place where the scum he would have killed were also living. He had no chance of parole. He was in a cell cornered off from the other prisoners, because of the types of people he had killed. . .but he still had to go out when they had breaks. He wasn't supposed to have visitors, but Cody had interrupted the judge begging for her to let him see his dad and Harrison had been crying.

He wasn't sure if he was glad about that or not. Of course he wanted to see his kids, but what would they think of him now they knew the truth? Eventually Cody and even Harrison would understand that their father was a monster. And Astor. She was sixteen now, an age where she would already understand.

Her face had been almost completely expressionless through the whole trial –the only time she seemed to be paying attention was when Cody spoke out, she had picked Harrison up and held him close while taking hold of Cody's hand.

And what could he possibly say to them? How was he supposed to explain his dark passenger to them? About Harry, even his brother and biological mother. About their Aunt Deb – no, he knew he couldn't mention Deb. He had kept her out of everything; she had begrudgingly agreed to not admit she knew anything about what he had done. She had played disbelieving and dumb at first and then angry and hurt and disgust, and of course there was no evidence she was ever involved. As long as he was in control his sister would never be found out. And she would take care of his son, even having Rita's children over their summer and winter breaks.

As he followed the guard –his hands and ankles were cuffed with the chains rattling, and the bright orange jumpsuit that suited him so well was making a strange crinkling noise- it occurred to him that he hadn't been told who was visiting.

He couldn't imagine who would visit him, he had been in only six months so it couldn't be Deb – she had to make it look like she was angry at him which meant he probably wouldn't be seeing his sister for about a year. And that. . .hurt.

He doubted the grandparents would let the kids come to see him, maybe it was them here to tell him not to contact Astor or Cody.

Who was it?

"You've got twenty minutes, Morgan, make 'em count."

Dexter knew why this guard and almost every other one in the prison disliked him. . .he had been doing their job better than they had.

He walked into the room and the guard slammed the door shut. As well as the separate cell, he wasn't allowed in the visiting room with other prisoners and their visitors. He wasn't sure why. . .but he didn't really care either.

He turned and froze. He swallowed thickly, was he nervous? That was probably the most stupid question he had ever thought of. Of course he was nervous.

He looked over the girl sitting in the plastic blue chair opposite the empty one – her hair was dyed darker with her fringe clipped back and bumped up, dark make-up surrounded her eyes, her leather jacket was unzipped showing a stripped lowish cut top and her skirt was a lot shorter than he would have liked it to be.

She looked different than she had when he'd seen her at the trial, and for a moment he hadn't realised why. . .but then it hit him – she wasn't his little girl anymore, she was a young woman.

He felt something hit him, not physically but it hit him. . .it was his fault she had had to grow up too quickly. He hadn't been able to protect Rita. He hadn't been able to explain why her mother had died. He had been caught, so she had found out what her step-father had done. . .what he was.

He sat down in the chair opposite her. "Astor."

"Dexter." She said mimicking his quiet and sad tone.

They sat in silence for a while. "I guess you're here for answers,"

Astor shrugged. "Not so much,"

"You're angry. You're here to scream at me." Dexter assumed. He didn't have to ask, if she wasn't there for answers she was there because she was angry. And he didn't blame her.

Astor looked at Dexter, in that calm level headed way she was so good at. . .right before she got angry. "I haven't come here to scream at you."

She hadn't? "But you're angry?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what I am, really. I'm kind of. . .numb. I think that's the right word. I have been for a long time now."

He knew that word all too well. It was something he didn't want Astor to be. "Then. . .why are you here?"

Astor looked over at the door, the guard was still facing away, and then she looked down at her hands on the table.

Dexter frowned, worried. "Astor, tell me what's wrong."

She looked up at him. "Am I like you?"

Dexter's frown deepened. He didn't understand.

"What you do, am I the same?"

". . .It's not hereditary if that's what you mean, but it wouldn't matter with you and Cody because I'm not your father."

"Yes, you are."

Dexter's eyes widened slightly, he hadn't been expecting that, if it had come from Cody it would have been different but coming from Astor it was just. . .well, unexpected. "Not biologically."

"I was on my way home from Olivia's the other week, it was dark and I went down this alley. . .someone grabbed me and tried to, well y'know do that," She glanced at the door again before leaning against the table closer to Dexter.

Dexter's fists clenched under the table, gripping the cuffs so tight he could feel the top of them cutting into his skin. How could he have been caught and then Astor gets into trouble? He had to get out of there, he had to get the bastard that had hurt his little girl. "Did he-? Did he-?" After everything he had done, he couldn't bring himself to finish that question.

Astor shook her head. "He didn't get the chance to. I did what you do."

Dexter's angry expression turned into one of confusion. "I don't understand."

"I killed him."

He didn't know what to say. It couldn't be right, Astor wasn't a killer. . .she wasn't like him. He looked towards the guard, checking he wasn't trying to listen in, before he leaned closer to Astor. "What do you mean you killed him?"

"I. Killed. Him."

He sat back thinking. No, he didn't have time to worry about Astor been like him, he could do that later. . .right now he had to make sure she was safe. She had to be safe above all else. He leaned in closer again, lifting his cuffed hands onto the table –the cuffs had cut him enough that there was a thin line of blood on each wrist. "Astor, listen to me very carefully. What did you do? Where's the body? Were you seen? How-,"

"Dexter, calm down. I'm not stupid." She told him, slightly agitated; didn't he realise she could do this? "It was pitch black in a dead neighbourhood, no one saw. I stabbed him in the throat, there was someone done the same way a month ago. Apart from the knife I didn't touch him, so they'll be no prints."

Someone had died the same way? So. . .she had thought about it. It hadn't just been a reaction to been grabbed. Maybe she was a little like him. "What were you doing in a place like that? And with a knife?"

She shifted in her seat. "I knew about the murder, and figured if someone attacked me there it would look the same."

"You went looking for him, didn't you?"

"What? No, of cou-,"

"Astor, don't lie to me. If you want my help I need to know."

"You can't help, you're locked up here, remember?"

"Astor," Dexter's eyes locked on the girl's. "It doesn't matter where I am, I'm going to help you stay safe."

Astor sighed. "Okay, so I went looking for him. . .but he did grab me. I swear Dexter, he did."

"I believe you. Where's the body?"

"Still in the alley."

Dexter almost laughed in panic. "Still in the-. You need to leave and go straight to Aunt Deb, tell her what happened and that I said she has to help you. She'll-,"

"Aunt Debra isn't going to help. She's a cop, remember."

"She knows about everything, now listen and do as I say. Go to Deb and tell her I said she has to help, she'll go to the alley and help you get rid of it. Tell her I said she's to come and see me in two weeks and I'll explain."

"You're sure she'll help?"

"More than I'm sure of anything."

After a moment Astor nodded and stood up. "Cody and Harrison are missing you, Harrison doesn't understand obviously but Cody does more or less. . .and he still loves you."

Dexter had to look away. By been caught, had he abandoned his family? "I love them too."

The door opened. "Time's up little lady."

Dexter looked up at the guard, glaring; he didn't want Astor to leave but he didn't like how the guard spoke to his daughter.

"Oh, there was one question I wanted to ask," Astor told him, not even acknowledging the guard. "the man that killed mom, did you get him?"

Dexter's eyes landed on Astor's, he just looked at her for a moment. He should have known she would want to know that answer. "Yeah, I got him."

Astor nodded. "Good." She walked towards the door, noticing the strange look the guard was giving her. She stopped halfway through the door and turned to look at Dexter. She could see how sad he was, he looked as if he was going to cry. . .but she knew better, he would keep it all inside. "I don't care what you did, you got the bastard that destroyed our family. I love you, dad."

And with that, Dexter's eyes filled with tears for the first time in a long time. "I love you too, Astor." He smiled back at her as she waved and left, the door shutting behind her. It didn't matter that he was locked up. It didn't matter that Astor seemed to be something like he had done his whole life. He would keep her safe. Deb would keep her safe. And if she needed to keep doing it, he would make sure she knew how to do it properly.

She was his little girl, and he was not going to let her end up in the same place he had. . .even if their journey to the end was a similar one.

End!

So this is kind of how I see Dexter ending in a way or how I hope it does - but it would be better if Dexter didn't go to jail or die of course. I just like the idea of Astor (and Cody) been like Dexter just like in the books. but this was just a short and kind of pointless little fic, would be good to hear your thoughts on it or how you think the show will end.

(I haven't actually watched s7 or any of it for a short while so if Dexter's not completely in character, sorry!)