Disclaimer (once again): I do not own Dexter, only any original characters for the purposes of this story!


Fourteen years passed, and he never came. He never said where he was going, so she had no way of tracking him down; at least, not until she had enough money for a private investigator. Danielle Quinn sighed, taking out the one picture that never left her wallet: her last picture with him. It was the day of her ballet recital when she was six, just after her performance. He and her parents were the first ones backstage, with Joey greeting her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek as her mom took a picture. As busy as he got, Joey would never miss any of her shows or recitals. Even when she was certain she was the worst ballerina in the room with her ungraceful moves and rigid arm posture, he'd stand up, smile and clap as though she was destined for the Royal Academy of Dance.

"Happy birthday, Joey," she smiled wistfully, lightly stroking her picture. "I know you're still out there somewhere, and if you won't come back for me, then I'll find you."

"After all these years, you still miss him?" She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, that she'd completely disregarded her best friend and roommate, Madison noisily slamming the door to their dorm on her way back from her evening class.

"Every day," she nodded, tucking her shoulder-length brown hair behind one ear. "Wouldn't you, though? If that were your brother, I mean."

"Sure, I guess. But did you ever think maybe he didn't want to come back?" Madison braced herself for any backlash, but she hated seeing her best friend so down all the time. It came and went, but it was clear how much it had affected her over the years.

"It's…crossed my mind," she admitted. "Doesn't make any sense, though. He loved me. He told me so himself."

"How old were you when he left? Six, right?"

"Yeah, six…"

"So you were six. If you had a six-year-old sibling, would you tell them you were running away and never coming back and break their little six-year-old heart?"

"You're right," she conceded. "He probably had his reasons, but he could've tried to call or send a postcard or something! I mean, with technology these days, he could've tracked me down or hired someone to do it for him."

"The way you plan to do for him? Dani, listen," Madison kicked off her sandals and plopped herself on Dani's bed. "I'm sure he could've, and would've, but whatever reason he had must have been pretty serious if you haven't heard from him by now."

"Well wherever he is, I hope he's happy."

"Did you ever think about asking your parents?"

"My mom refuses to talk about him," Dani shook her head. "Says she doesn't know why he'd just leave like that, but I think that's bullshit. I could see it in her eyes. She knows something."

"So get it out of her," Madison shrugged as though it were the most obvious solution in the world.

"If it were that simple, don't you think I would've done that by now?"

"Right. Duh," the blonde let out a laugh to hide her embarrassment. "And your dad? Oh, wait…"

"Yeah…" Dani brought a hand to the area on her stomach where her father used to punch her to let out his anger.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"It's okay, Mads," the brunette smiled at her friend, "he can't hurt me anymore."

"When you first told me what he used to do to you, I honestly didn't believe you," Madison admitted. Dani didn't open up about her past right away, or in general. They'd mostly kept to themselves until their second semester at the University of Miami, when she'd dragged Dani to a house party and Dani was her designated driver, albeit unwillingly. Even then, it had taken an entire semester before the lightly tanned girl – little by little – finally opened up to her.

"Why?" Dani asked.

"I mean," Madison answered. "You could've let it win, let yourself play victim for the rest of your life. But instead of using it as an excuse to do stupid shit the way some weak pussy would, you rose above it, and now you're at an amazing university near the best city in Florida! And did I mention you're a biochem major? And kicking ass at it like it's nobody's business?"

"I haven't gotten to the core classes yet," Dani smiled, shaking her head. "Thanks, though. I guess I could've turned out a lot worse."

"I hate to stay on the subject, and this is kind of reaching, but maybe your dad is part of the reason your brother left," the blonde went on. "I mean, he left your mom and dad, too. Chances are, they played a pretty big part in his decision."

"Now you see why I have to find him," Dani swiveled around in her chair to face her.

"And if he doesn't want anything to do with you?"

"I just want to know why he left," she shrugged, though that was far from the truth. It was one thing to grow up without a sibling, but to grow up with one only for them to abandon you and lie about it with no explanation was another.

"Bullshit."

"I do!" Dani argued. "What do you think I've been setting aside part of my paychecks for this past year?"

"Yeah, but you don't want just that. You also want a relationship with him," her roommate said.

"When I was a kid, I'd watch my friends with siblings either protect or be protected by their siblings, basically an eternal reminder of what I could've had if he were around," she swallowed, doing her best not to choke up too much about it, "so fuck yes, I want a relationship with him."

"Again, if he wants nothing to do with you?"

"I'll deal with it," she waved her hand. "Are you going to stop being so pushy now and support me?"

"Oh my God…"

"Well will you?"

"No, I mean, oh my God, look at this," Madison motioned for her to look at her laptop screen. "Miami Metro homicide just confirmed five girls killed and stuffed into a barrels of…how the hell you pronounce that…"

"Formaldehyde," she finished her sentence. "Maybe we shouldn't go out tonight." Dani suddenly felt uneasy with a potential serial killer on the loose. "Besides, I wouldn't be able to go with you, anyway. Lots of chem to get through…"

"Um, no," she pulled her out of her chair. "If you aren't searching for your brother, you're doing homework. Not okay. You need to relax every once in awhile."

"I know, it's just…with a potential serial killer, I'm not sure I'm comfortable staying out that late. I don't think going out is the answer."

"Relax, we'll be fine! Besides, it seems like they only target blondes…"

After a few seconds of confusion as to why Dani would not stop staring at her, it finally clicked. "Right…well, that's why you can be my wing-woman! You can protect me and keep away from anyone who looks sketchy."

"Madison, no," she stood her ground. "For all you know, that serial killer could be here on this campus right now, looking for his next kill."

"I've been supporting you, going with you to interview potential private investigators for your little search," she crossed her arms. "This is the least you can do. Please?"

"Fine," Dani consented. "But I'm not drinking."

"Suit yourself," she smirked.


Hey y'all! So this story kinda came to me when I was thinking about what Quinn's backstory in terms of family would be like, since they don't really go into it much on the show (that I've seen so far) other than that he used to be with narcotics. I absolutely love sibling fics (there are some great Dexter/Debra ones out there!), and I always wondered how Quinn would be as an older brother, hence this story. I've decided this will take place in the middle of season 5 from the moment Miami Metro first discovers the barrels (that episode with the car crash, don't remember which one that is). This is my first time attempting a Dexter fic, so please let me know how I'm doing with characterization and whatnot. Enjoy!