Hello my loves! I'm glad that you all reacted so positively to the last 2 chapters, especially the proposal part because honestly I hadn't originally planned to include that scene. I was worried about getting a little too fluffy with things, but I figured that if you guys are anything like me, too much Debster fluff probably isn't even an issue considering what the writers of the show put us through (Also, let me just say that Tom, I am sooo honored by your comment about that being your favorite scene from a Debster fanfic. Whaaat? I have the cheesiest grin on my face right now. Thankyouthankyouthankyou). All of the sweetness between these two can never seem to last though, can it? I mean, technically it could because i'm the one writing this, but I guess I just naturally crave conflict lol. Hmm, maybe I need to talk to someone about that...
Anyway, I'm not one hundred percent sure, but i'd be willing to bet that I've dropped more f-bombs in these 2 chapters than any of the previous ones, so take that as you will ;)
Your reviews always make me smile, so i'm really looking forward to reading them. I was going to reply to all of the most recent reviews individually, but I don't want to ramble too much and I have no idea if you guys hate author's notes, so just know that I appreciate you all very much, and I hope you enjoy!
"Yeah? Well, too bad I don't feel the same about you." Quinn says, raising his gun at me and clicking the safety off.
I take a deep breath and try to assess the situation. Joey Quinn is in my house, pointing a gun at my head, putting my Deb and my son in danger. I know I told my sister that I'd do my best to leave her former lover unscathed, but that sentiment went out the window the moment he became an actual threat. When forced to choose between my family and Joey Quinn, Deb knows what my only possible choice will be, whether she appreciates it or not. And all I know for sure is that if Quinn doesn't back off soon, this can only end one way.
Before I have time to act, Deb flings herself between me, Quinn, and the gun.
"No!" I scream. "NO!"
"Debra, get out of the way. You know I don't wanna hurt you." Quinn states, slowly lowering the gun.
"Jesus Christ, Joey. Were you planning on gunning my brother down while his son was asleep in the next fucking room? You're out of fucking line. I thought you were better than this." Deb sobs.
"And I thought you were better than this, Deb." Quinn replies. "I wanted to believe that you had no idea about what he was, but now that I know the truth… you're not the woman I thought you were."
"Don't fucking talk to her like that!" I yell, pointing my finger dangerously close to his face. "Don't talk to her at all. Your problem is with me, Quinn. So handle it."
"Dexter, what the fuck are you doing?" Deb asks, glaring at me through glassy eyes.
"Deb, go be with Harrison." I tell her. "I don't want you here."
"Fuck that," She replies, headstrong as ever. I don't know why I expected anything less. "Harrison's fine at the moment. I'm a bit more worried about the idiot staring down the barrel of a loaded gun."
"Fine," I sigh. "Then at least get out of the way."
She hesitates, giving Quinn a stern, forewarning look. She gives me the same look, and then slowly retreats to lean against the wall. She's still closer than she should be, but isn't that always the case with Deb? Her refusal to let me go has always been the thing that makes her the most vulnerable. I love her more than anything, but a part of me still wishes that she would wake up and realize how bad I am for her…before it's too late.
"Quinn, we can talk about this," I say in the friendliest tone I can manage given the situation. "You don't have to get yourself hurt today."
Quinn releases a dry laugh.
"I don't have to get hurt? Dexter, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm the one with the gun. You've managed to cover your ass all these years, so surely you can't be this fucking dumb."
"Not dumb," I reply. "Confident."
"We'll see where that confidence gets you when you've got a bullet in your brain." Quinn says, raising his gun again.
"Enough!" Deb screams. "That's enough! Jesus Christ!"
She steps between me and Quinn once again and places her palms flat on his chest. Gradually, he lowers the gun and puts it back in its holster. His face softens as he stares into her eyes, and I start to think that maybe he will back off. I'm thankful that the hatred he has for me doesn't outweigh the love he still seems to have for my sister. I trust in the fact that he'd never willingly see her hurt.
"Please," She begs. "Don't."
Quinn shifts his gaze away from Deb's eyes and down to her hands. His focus stays there for a beat too long, staring at the diamond that glistens on her left ring finger.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," He cackles. "You're shitting me."
"Joey…" Deb whimpers.
"Fuck you!" He yells, lurching away from Deb's touch. "How could I have been so fucking blind all of these years!? How could I have been so stupid?"
"You're not stupid, Joey." Deb says, trying her best to reassure him.
"Then what is this!?" He screams, roughly snatching her left hand. "Jesus, this is sick. This is…how long have you two been fucking? When you were with me, were you screwing him too? Holy fuck."
"This is neither the time nor the place to act like a jealous boyfriend, Quinn." I reply.
"Fuck off, Dexter. You know what? I don't even wanna know. I…I…" Quinn stutters, squeezing his eyes shut and spastically shaking his head 'no' like an overgrown child throwing a tantrum.
"Just give me the gun and we'll pretend like this never happened." I say, holding out my hand expectantly. "You'll never see me or Deb again. Problem solved."
"Screw you, you incestuous fuck!" He spits. "I wasn't going to kill you, Dexter. I wanted to, but I was going to do the right thing for once and arrest you. Now though? Knowing what I know, how could I possibly let you live?"
"So all of a sudden you have to kill me just because Deb chose me over you? I must say, that's a bit pathetic…even for you."
"This isn't about her," he lies. "This is about you being a complete fuckin' psycho. I'm a cop. I'm supposed to protect and serve," he says, knitting his brows at Deb, conveying his subliminal dig to her. "I can't let you continue to roam the streets and terrorize this city. Something has to be done about this, once and for all."
"Then arrest me." I challenge, putting my hands in the air as if to surrender.
"No, you don't deserve prison. That would be a reward for you, you twisted fuck. The only way you're leaving this house is in a body bag." Quinn says, reaching for his gun once more.
"And what do you plan to say to the cops after you kill me?" I ask. "I don't have a weapon on me. I was in my house minding my own business when you forced your way in. So what, then? Let's see…one count of forced entry, and one count of second degree murder. Maybe the jury would even convict you on the first degree, seeing as this was clearly premeditated. You didn't come here to arrest me, Joseph. If you did, where are the cuffs?"
Quinn's jaw clenches as he tightens his grip on the gun.
"Revenge doesn't solve all of your problems, Quinn, believe me. I've learned that the hard way. What do you think will happen after you kill me? You'll still be lonely, and pathetic." I taunt. "Deb still won't want you. I still win."
Quinn's nostrils start to flare. I've clearly set him off. I know that I shouldn't be antagonizing a man who may very well be holding my fate in his hands, but it's no secret that I've never liked Joey Quinn. I've dreamt of this moment, of breaking him down into nothing. I've yearned to hurt him with much more than just my words.
But I have still Deb to think about. No matter what I think about the man, she loved him once. I have to try to keep my promise to her. Quinn is far from moralistic, but he's not a killer. Well, not like me anyway. I have to find a way to stall. Throwing Deb's love for me in Quinn's face may be petty, but right now it's the only playable card that I have in my deck. The thought may be a foolish one, but I'm hoping that Quinn will eventually choose to do what's right and call in backup to arrest me. Of course by then Deb, Harrison, and I will be gone, and our plan can finally be put in motion.
"So this is all a game to you? You're a vile piece of shit, Dexter. And Deb… I can't believe you did this to me. I loved you, and like a fuckin' moron, I thought you loved me too." Quinn replies, trying to hide the fact that he's about to cry. "You wouldn't wear my ring. You decided I wasn't good enough for you, and I accepted that. But I'm supposed to believe that he is? A fucking serial killer? Your fucking brother? It's my fault. I should've seen this coming. You two spent way too much time together, it wasn't healthy. He'd creep into your office and you'd close the blinds, and there was always that nagging voice in the back of my mind telling me that something just wasn't right. With Dexter, that was a given. I always knew there was something. But I was so blind, Deb. I put you on a fucking pedestal and shut my eyes to what was right in front of me. I – ".
"Okay, that's enough reflection for one night." I interrupt, lunging at Quinn and slamming him against the wall.
There's no more time for waiting. The longer Quinn runs his mouth, the faster I feel my resolve slipping away.
The gun falls to the floor and I kick it away as Quinn struggles to free himself from my constricting hold. He forcefully slams his forehead against mine, upsetting my balance. I stumble backwards, disoriented, and Quinn lowers himself into an odd position that's reminiscent of a linebacker about to tackle a player from the opposing team.
I regain my composure and meet him halfway, slamming him against the wall again. Still, he manages to ram his forehead viciously against mine again. I feel blood trickling down my forehead in a steady stream, and I grip him up by the neck in retaliation.
"You came here and thought you could kill me?" I spit, my voice dripping with venom. "I'm a killer. This is what I do. Ten seconds, Joseph. That's all I need to kill you with my bare fucking hands."
"Dexter…" Deb mumbles.
"But I'm in a forgiving mood," I say, ignoring my sister and tightening my grip on the smaller man's neck. "So I'm going to give you one final chance to walk away."
"DEXTER!" Deb shouts. "Stop it!"
"Daddy?" Harrison asks. "What's happening?"
I quickly release Quinn and turn to face Harrison.
"Everything's fine, Harrison. Go back to bed."
"You're bleeding," My ever-so observant son notes as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. "Who's that man?"
"Get the kid out of here." Quinn says through gritted teeth.
Deb crouches down in front of Harrison, placing a calming hand on his shoulder.
"I know you must be tired, buddy," she coos. "How about I get you tucked back into bed where it's nice and warm?"
"No," Harrison answers, slowly inching towards me. "I have to help daddy make the bad man go away."
"Hey Harrison," Quinn begins, bending down to be at eye level with the toddler. "I'm not the bad man. I'm actually here to save you from the bad man."
"Get the fuck away from my nephew, Joey." Deb says, her voice husky with determination.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her bend down and pick up the gun that Quinn dropped during our fight. She shakily shoves it into her pocket and un-tucks her shirt to cover the protruding handle.
The gun being in Deb's hands now thankfully levels the playing field, but if push comes to shove, can I trust that she has the audacity to actually pull the trigger? More importantly, could she bring herself to forgive me if I forced her to compromise everything she believes in again?
"Alright Quinn, it's clear that there's no changing your mind, but let me reason with you for a second. Just let my son go out to the car where he'll be safe. He doesn't need to see this, okay?" I say.
"Fine. Deb, you take him." Quinn replies, standing up and facing me again.
"If you think I'm leaving you and my brother alone so you can slaughter each other then you're fucking insane." She fires back.
"Deb," I start, fixing my eyes on her sparkling hazel ones. "Do you trust me?"
"Don't I always?" She sighs, her eyes starting to water.
"Then take Harrison out to the car and lock yourselves in," I say. "We'll be fine, Deb. We always are."
Deb stares at me doubtfully until she finally nods in affirmation and bends down to pick up Harrison. She walks away silently with my son in tow, stopping just shy of the door to give me one last concerned look.
"What's happening!?" Harrison screams. "Daddy!"
Deb cautiously turns the doorknob and soon she and my son disappear into the blackness. I can still hear Harrison's cries echoing through the crisp Miami air, and I wait until they fade away completely before turning my attention back to Quinn.
"Not a very good plan, coming here and waving a gun around my family. It would've been much smarter to come when you knew I'd be asleep. BANG!" I yell. Quinn jolts, and I find some consolation in startling him. "You could've put a bullet in my brain as I lay dreaming. No one would've ever known who the culprit was. You'd be home free! I guess that was too much to expect of you, though. I don't think I've ever heard anyone accuse you of being smart."
I smile when I notice Quinn's eyes starting to scan the room anxiously.
"What are you looking for, Joey?" I ask mockingly. "Oh no, what happened to your gun? What, no backup plan?"
I stride closer to him until I'm practically breathing down his neck. The rising and falling of his chest hastens as I reach behind him and start to feel around on my desk until I find what I was looking for.
"You motherfucker." He mumbles.
"It's a shame," I tease, closing my fist around the base of my desk lamp. "I wish there were some other way, Joey. I really do. But the only way you're leaving this house is in a body bag."