"We need to talk, Dexter." Debra said not for the first time that night. Dexter was pacing, and she could see the gears in his head turning as he formulated a plan. Or at least, that's what she hoped he was doing. She wasn't too keen on Not Rudy sneaking in her room and killing her in the dead of night, thank-you-very-fucking-much.
"Ok, here's the plan." Dexter started, his voice as monotone as ever, like he was simply writing up another spatter report. She huffed, her eyes tired and her mind still on overdrive while she tried not to be upset he was ignoring her. Unfortunately for her, controlling her temper was not something she had ever been good at.
"God, can you just shut up for a minute, please!" She snapped at him, recoiling at the guilt on his face as she breathed, as if trying to force the exhaustion and exasperation from her system. "Can we talk about this whole... everything? I think you fucking owe me that, Dexter. I mean, just... fucking Jesus, Dex, is that even your real name?"
She tried not to roll her eyes as he latches onto the most obviously petty portion of her statement. "Of course, Dexter is my real name. Originally it was Dexter Moser, but yes, I am fully, 100% Dexter." He says almost proudly, as if revealing his final 'hunch' on a case.
"And who the fuck is that?" She says, choking in her tears. "Because I have no goddamn clue. Christ, Dexter, you're a fucking-!" He shushes her with one hand, and she complies, hating how much she loves him comforting her, even when it's his goddamn fault.
"I know, Deb. I never wanted you to know, I never wanted to hurt you." She tries not to grimace, remembering Brian toying with her in the boat saying the exact same thing. If he notices her reaction, he doesn't comment on it as he continues.
"You do deserve an explanation, Deb. I myself didn't have an answer until very recently, but I have to get rid of Brian first." He gently smiles sadly at her, and she wonders whether it's real or if he's just studied her enough to know what emotion he needed to fake for her.
But realization hits her like an ice truck as she tilts her head and looks straight in his eyes. "Are you going to kill him?" She asks, not expecting him to answer. Perhaps that's why she's so shocked when he almost immediately says "Yes."
"But he's your..." brother, she finishes mentally, and Dexter nods. "I don't want to. I really don't, but he made it him or you. Brother or sister, and one of you is a mass murderer and the other one a cop." She knows that's not the only reason, but she drops it. She doesn't want to know. And judging by the look on his face as he told her, he didn't either.
"So what's this brilliant plan of yours then?" She whispers to him, enjoying the moment as horrific as it is. "I'm going to leave you here for the night, use some of his prosthetics to make a fake you at home, lure him in. After he sneaks in, I come out of hiding, knock him out with some M-99."
She's caught off guard. She knew it would be good, but it really is good. The irony isn't lost on her either. The plan only works if Brian takes another attempt on her life. Dexter wasn't lying about not wanting to kill him. "How poetic." She mutters, her tone for once free of sarcasm.
For the first time she finds herself almost glad her brother is so ruthlessly calculating. No wonder Brian so desperately wanted Dexter on his side. Of course, he had simply just failed to realize that her big brother had morals. He only saw Dexter's monster, and she had only seen Dexter's humanity.
That, she realized, was the real reason Dexter chose her. He didn't want to be a monster, or at the very least, he didn't only want to be a monster. She pulled him in a little closer, ignoring his small gasp of surprise as she decided to savor this fucked-up moment with her fucked-up brother, for as long as she damn well could.
Dexter stared at his brother, surprised to find him looking right back. "You're not supposed to be awake." He starts, stating the obvious. "I figured." Brian replies, his voice curt. "So, am I one of your victims now?" Brian asks, almost reluctantly as he turns his head towards Dexter as much as he can before the plastic wrap stops him.
"... Do you want me to put you back under? I don't usually offer." Dexter refuses to respond to the question as he picks up a knife. "You gonna take your little blood slide to remember me by?" And Dexter whirls on him, appalled he would even ask. "No!" He shouts, with more emotion than he realized he had. "You are not a trophy. You're my brother."
Brian stares at him, and he understands the implied question, then why kill me? "You hurt Deb." Dexter states simply. "I told you, I'm fond of her. I will never hurt her, and I won't let anyone else hurt her either, even you."
"She'll never understand you, Dex. You know that." Brian teased him. Dexter bit back a smile as he thought of how to word this. "She knows what I am now. She heard us." Brian's face froze as he realized his fate was sealed. "She accepts me, or at least is willing to listen." Dexter continued, almost blissful as he thought of her, knowing who he was and staying by him.
"But you can be yourself with me Dexter, you don't have to pretend. We don't have to be like everyone else!" He pleaded with him. Dexter just gave him a sad smile, and Brian was disgusted at how genuine it looked. "Biney, being like everyone else is what I want. I realize that now, that's why I have to put you down. I can't lose my way."
"You'll never be like them Dexter. They'll never unde-" but Brian never finished as Dexter slit his throat. He briefly registered the sound of Dexter collapsing next to him in grief, and he realizes as the life leaves him that he was wrong. Dexter wasn't a monster like him, or human like Deb. He was something in between. I get it now, little brother, he thinks as the world starts to fall apart. I'm sorry.
And Dexter was left alone again, pressing the button to flip his brother upside down, draining the blood. Might as well make it look like a suicide. The police would be all over it the next day, and he'd have to go back there too, so he decides to get his grief out now as he tucks his head into his knees and slowly rocks back and forth to the gentle trickling sound of the blood draining out his brother's neck.