So like I don't know if people still read this fandom bc this shit so old but hey, I like to read what I write so here it is folks. (Also apologies on anything that seems, off?)

He knows, the little voice toddled at her. And he works with the police. He'll find us.

"And do what exactly?" she murmured angrily under her breath. She looked up at the woman in the boots as she walked over.

"You the one who found the scene?" She asked impatiently eyes flicking around.

"Oh uh yes Ma'am, do you need me to come in or can I go? I have a job a-a-a life I can't keep sitting around here like this." The detective looked at her with some, some look in her eyes, but she let her go.

The woman, Samantha Pine, although she prefered to go by Sam, got up and started to jog slowly back to her apartment. When she finally had her door locked behind her she couldn't help the huge smile that spread across her face. She had finally done it, her work had started.

She walked over to the pot of coffee she had started just before taking her 'jog' and poured herself a cup as she stripped her sweaty clothes off her exhausted body. She winced at the dark bruise that had formed on her side, abducting someone wasn't as easy as it seemed, another lesson she had to learn the hard way.

She walked to her bathroom and looked in the mirror as she started the shower. There was a new look in her eye than before, the Something Inside was awake now, it no longer lazed around laughing or growling occasionally. It was awake, and it was hungry. Or maybe that was her, she'd have to make breakfast before she left for work.

Work. Dexter stared at his computer, writing up his reports, doing the work became so much more difficult when he had something else on his mind, that woman. He typed Samantha Pine into his database to see what would come up. She had no priors or even parking violations, she was a model citizen. Why would someone like her up and dismember and display a body like that.

He clicked further, finding that she had been raised in the foster system, all good records though, no reports of abuse or other foul play. He thought of his own foster life, Harry had been good to him, through and through, but there could be something else lurking beneath the surface, and on a curious note, there seemed to be no records on what happened to her birth parents or any kind of life event before the age of six. She had been born into the system.

What secrets laid beneath her surface? He was going to find out, one way or another, but now, the honest police work he was paid to do.

Sam couldn't believe she was paid to do what she did. She cooed softly to the large bird perched on her arm. She worked to rehabilitate the animals found at peoples homes when they died, natural causes or otherwise. This one however was such a cutie, people often failed to see how much work taking care of an animal like this was.

This handsome boy was a 40 year old white cockatoo, malnourished and had greasy feathers, a sure sign of a nicotine addiction, which made sense since the former owner had been an elderly chainsmoker. He crawled up towards her shoulder and nibbled on her ear and she laughed. She knew technically she wasn't allowed to have pets in the apartment and she had only just moved to Miami, but she considered the birds are more than just that.

Normally she'd just clean them up and have them ready to go to the nearest animal shelter or zoo, whichever happens to have better conditions but there was something about this one that made her change her mind.

"What do you say little sir?" she asked in a soft voice, "Want to come home with me?" The bird pulled a lock of her dark red hair out of her pony tail and she laughed. She turned to the EMTs and retirement home officials as she walked out, giving them a quick, "I'm done here," as she did.

She made her way back to the apartment, she could type the reports from home and really only left when she was called to. Sam placed the sickly bird into a cage, then into her car as she drove for home, nearly getting lost in the vast, unfamiliar city. She stopped along the way however to deliver a package, on that would change the ideas of her and her crime, and the thought made her smile.

"I'm going to be famous my dear budgie friend," she said to the bird. Before long she had pulled into the apartment complex and was carrying the covered cage, as discreetly as she could up to her room. 8b, home sweet home. The apartment was small, only one bedroom but it was all the room Sam needed, cozy, quiet, and air conditioned.

She worked quietly for the rest of the day, washing and feeding her new companion and writing up the reports, and before she knew it, the end of the day had come, and with it hunger, both for food, and for something else, something the one Inside was knew. She huffed loudly and looked in her fridge, realizing she'd forgotten to go grocery shopping, again.

She grabbed her key exasperatingly and stepped out the door, and right into a wall, or a wall of a person at least.

"Ah, gosh I am so sorry," she started apologizing but felt her breath catch in her throat as she realized just exactly it was that she had run into. It was the same forensic guy from her scene, the one that had felt her calling, and called back.

Dexter was walking back to his apartment after another tiring day at work, all he wanted to do was hold his son and fall asleep. He was wrapped up in his thoughts and barely acknowledged the fact that a door had opened in front of him, it was only when the person coming out of the door slammed into his chest did he shake free from his thoughts. The woman started to rush out an apology but stopped when their eyes met.

It was the jogger who had found the butchered body not far from here, he vaguely remembered then when the Officer had told him that she lived in his building, he hadn't expected her to be his neighbor however.

"Um it's okay," he managed to get out. He saw the look in her eyes then, it was the same look he wore on certain nights, it was the look of an animal on the hunt.

"Well if you'll excuse me," she started off and made to walk away but Dexter wasn't about to let her go, not with that darkness sitting in her eyes.

"Say, you're new around here right?" he asked, grabbing her arm. She look at his hand briefly then back up at his eyes before answering.

"Um yeah I am," he could her Passenger, hissing at him under the surface, so he pushed back harder.

"Well how about you let me take you out to get some dinner, I bet you're starving, rushing out of your apartment like that an all," Dexter said with a smile.

"Sure," she replied, a smidge of annoyance ringing in his ears.

"Give me one minute to drop off my things and we'll go," he smiled and hurried over to his corner piece, quickly unlocking the door and finding Jamie sitting on the floor with Harrison, his beautiful little son.

"Hey kiddo," he said smiling. "Um hey Jamie so I have to head out again you mind staying a bit longer?"

"Of course not," she smiled back, "I love hanging out with this little guy."

"Great, I'll see you in a few hours," he rushed back out then and was pleasantly surprised to see the woman still standing there, an annoyed look on her face, but still there.

Are you sure this is a good idea, Dex? The ever vigilant Harry chided. We know nothing about this woman, and if you're right about what she's feeling, then she could become dangerous if you back her into a corner.

"I think I can handle it," he murmured as he walked up to her.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Oh uh nothing, so uh, what's your name neighbor?"

"Samantha Pine, but you can call me Sam, the only person to ever call my Samantha was, well he's gone now," she looked off towards the water as she spoke and Dexter could almost see a sadness in them, but it passed quickly. "And who are you, mister neighbor and police man?"

"Ah, Dexter Morgan, and it's Blood Spatter Analyst, not officer or detective or any other prestige, just a lab rat."

"You must have gotten a kick out of that horrible body this morning huh?" Dexter didn't know what to say, or what was she might be implying. "Oh I don't mean to be disrespectful, just you're a blood guy, and, God I've just never seen so much blood in my life." There was sincerity in her blue eyes, she definitely was telling the truth.

"Not so much a kick I'd say, this is my car here, just uh, professional curiosity," they got in his big Ford SUV and buckled up as he left the complex, taking them into the heart of Miami. She didn't respond again and Dexter looked over at her. This woman, there was something about her, something similar, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it yet.

"You from around here?" he asked her after the silence became unbearable.

"Miami? No, although I spent some time here as a child, briefly that is. I've visited a couple times since then, but I made the decision to move down a couple months ago, an old calling I guess you could say, hoping to meet up with an old friend," Sam looked at Dexter when she spoke, but there was an emptiness to her gaze that spoke louder than her words, she was very similar to him.

"An old friend huh, that's always nice," he said as he pulled the car into the restaurant parking lot.

"Yes sir, Mr. Morgan."

"Dexter is fine," he said with a smile, "I'd say Mr. Morgan was my father but he was a detective too so it wasn't much his title either." She raised her eyebrows in curiosity at that as they were sat a table and given their menus.

"Like Father like son, huh?" she joked.

"And daughter," she looked at him again, with that nobody's home gaze.

"Really now," they had a good fake sparkle, She's good Dex, his father said, personified as their waiter, who took their orders and grabbed away the menus.

"Yeah, my sister, Debra Morgan, she works for homicide too, great cop," he could see recognition flash past as she thought back to the woman in boots.

"Daddy must be proud," she smirked.

"Yeah, Daddy's dead, heart attack, never lived to see her make detective." The smile fell and she cooed an apology. They small talked through the rest of the meal but Dexter could see restlessness stirring inside of her. He dropped the money for dinner on the table and they left the restaurant and started the drive back home.

"I'd something about thanks for the ride home, but we live in the same place so it's not much of a hassle, at least I hope not," she chuckled dryly to break the silence that filled the dark car.

"Yeah it's no problem, I make a point of knowing the people around me," he gave a knowing smile and he could feel her hiss again, pulling the growl from his own Passenger. She tilted her head at him and gave him a long look.

"Good," she said as she got out of the car and started to walk up to her room, "I always prefer my unspoken things to stay that way." she winked and disappeared around the corner but he stayed in the car and sighed.

"Who is this woman," he groaned to himself as he set his head on his steering wheel. Dexter look, Harry said from the passenger seat. When he lifted his head he was surprised to see Samantha, or Sam rather, walking back down the stairs and getting into her car. She slowly backed out with her headlights off and curiosity, and his Passenger got the better of him as he turned the ignition and followed her out.

"Where on Earth is she going?"

Be careful Dex, we don't know what we're getting into here.