A/N: This one came out a little short, but it's more of a future timeframe than some of the others! I know I say this a lot, but thanks so much for reading! Hope you'll keep doing it :)

Prompt: Restrictions of outside contact/Stockholm Syndrome/Confinement

Deb shifts uncomfortably, worrying hard at a hangnail with her incisors. Next to her Harrison stares down at his not so American meal unhappily. He sighs, "I don't want to eat this."

But Deb's attention is focused a few yards away, where Dexter stands smiling brightly at some young blond thing.

Fed up, Harrison tugs on her arm, bringing her gaze back down to him. "I said, I don't want to eat this!"

Deb huffs annoyed. "Well Harrison, I don't know what to tell you."

He crosses his arms over his small chest and frowns at her in response, refusing to eat. Dexter returns just in time, sitting on Harrison's other side and bringing his son's pleading eyes over to him. "Dad, I can't eat this."

He knows just how to play him, his mouth drooping unhappily so that Dexter pulls out a fresh bill from his wallet. "One soda, one hot dog. That's it."

He gives Harrison a meaningful look and Deb tries not to roll her eyes, point out how his 8 year old just manipulated him.

The kid shuffles off without further argument, leaving Dexter to deal with his other unhappy companion. He lifts his eyebrows questioningly at her, trying not to look as confused as he feels since that always seems to piss her off further.

"Who was that?" Deb mutters, her head tilting back to where Dexter had been earlier.

"The girl in the shop?" Dexter asks uncertainly.

"The blonde girl you were flirting with." Deb flatly replies. "What's with you and the fucking blonde girls anyways?" Deb eyes him distrustfully.

Dex just shakes his head doubtfully. "What are you talking about?"

Deb scoffs in return, turns her gaze away from him as she stews.

"Hey." Dexter scoots closer, skims his fingers along her arm. She merely shifts her arm away from him, her eyes returning to his.

"What were you talking about?" Deb mumbles.

"I was asking about the table." His hand covers hers and she looks down at it, sees the way the light shines off the ring on his finger. "I thought my wife would like it."

She wants to feel settled by this response, trusting even. But she can't think of a time in all these years that she has felt anything remote to trust. Guilt, anger, sadness. These are things she is familiar with. And of course the bitter taste in her mouth now, that is familiar too.

She pulls away from him again, her hand moving abruptly enough that his thuds onto the table abandoned.

"Deb….what do you want me to say? It was nothing."

"I didn't fucking like it. Okay?" She can feel her anger rising. "You know how I feel."

"We're safe." He attempts to reassure her.

"How the fuck do you know?!" She replies forcefully, a hushed yet sharp response. "The less we talk to people, the less chance anyone can remember us to fucking tell anyone anything."

"We still need to blend in." He tries to reason with her.

Deb rolls her eyes in return, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him the way Harrison did to her just moments before. If Dexter didn't know better he would swear they were related.

He slides his arm around her lower back and places a kiss on her bare shoulder. "I wasn't trying to upset you." He places another kiss behind her ear. "We're going to be ok, you know that right?" As usual he finds himself trying to calm her, trying to stop her from regretting overturning her entire life for him.

She sighs and tries to let go of it. As much as it still upsets her, this is their life now. To be honest it had been for quite some time. She looks over at him again and kisses him. As much as she loves him she knows she will never really trust him or their situation.

He tangles her fingers with his and kisses her again. "You're the only one I want."

It's a phrase he's told her many times, one she has yet to fully believe. She knows he's had his options, his opportunities with other women. And she knows he has never betrayed her in that way. But when their whole relationship was built on a pack of lies, when the ugly truth took so long to be exposed, who can blame her for her doubt?

So why does she stay, she wonders. Why does she live this life with him when she's had other options too? She thinks about Joey sometimes, wonders if this clusterfuck was worth leaving him behind. But if she were honest with herself she would know this was the only thing she ever wanted; Dexter completely to herself. Deb sighs and leans against him.

He kisses the top of her head and leans in, "I love you Deb."

She can't really believe him, but she chooses to pretend that she does. "I love you too" she whispers. And maybe that will be enough.