Standard disclaimer, I don't own the rights to anything, this is done for entertainment not profit.
Chapter 2: According to Plan
It's just after midnight when I break into Matt Connell's apartment. I try to tell myself it's just recon, if I want I can just give my theory to Deb and let her make the case against him.
Yeah, and I can also keep a snowball from melting in the middle of a Miami summer.
It doesn't take long, his hunting knife is hidden under a shelf in his kitchen cabinet, blood still on it. I take a swab for analysis, if it's the girl from yesterday, I'll have a new playmate this weekend. Tomorrow's Friday, it would be a tight setup if I didn't know Matt spends pretty much all night every night at a dive bar on the edge of town, I just need a few hours Saturday afternoon to set things up.
XXX
Friday morning, the blood matches, now onto phase two.
"Deb" I catch up to my sister as she's coming into work. "I was thinking, maybe you should spend tomorrow with the kids." She looks surprised at first, then smiles.
"Sounds like fun, you've been keeping them all to yourself this summer, I was starting to wonder if they were going to get any time with me," she says.
"Yeah, then those maternal instincts of yours would be wasted, and you'd be left all unfulfilled." Quinn interrupts with a chuckle.
Deb glares at him, looking ready to tear into her boyfriend. I smile, letting my darkness slip out just a little.
"Hey Quinn, if you're not doing anything, why don't you give Deb a hand with the kids?" I say.
Quinn's eyes widen in horror, he reminds me of my victims in their last moments. While I'm not a fan of Quinn, I've sen he's pretty good with kids; and I can tell this proposition really gets into his commitment fear.
Deb seems to catch on as she smiles at him. "What a great idea Dex. How about it Quinn? You, me and a little family bonding time?" If anything, he seems even more frightened after hearing her say it.
"Y-yeah... sure, I mean that sounds great. Kids love me." Quinn stutters out.
"I guess it's settled then. You guys can spend the day together, I'll be back sometime in the evening. If anything happens, just give me a call." I walk away with a smile on my face.
XXX
As I get ready to leave Saturday, I find myself glancing nervously at Cody and Astor; I wonder if going out will upset Astor, if I'll be saying goodbye to them all over again because of this.
"Hey Astor, I know we said you'd spend the day with Deb, but if you'd rather we do something as a family-"
"Dexter" she interrupts "it's ok, you've been home early every night, we do stuff as a family every weekend; it's been a lot of fun being a family again this summer. But it's ok if you want to go out sometimes. Besides, I like Deb, she's fun."
It hits me how much like her mother she is at this moment. I think back to all the times Rita told me to go out and have fun while we were together. I miss Rita.
"Yeah, Deb's fun. You think she'll put on the siren when we head to the beach?" Cody asks hopefully.
"I don't know, trying asking her after I leave." I smile
I say a quick hello to Deb and Quinn before heading out, my mind racing at the thought of a fresh kill. First set up the kill room, then get to Matt's favorite bar and wait for him to leave.
XXX
As I sit in my car outside the bar Matt Connell frequents, I wonder what the appeal is of sitting in the worst neighborhood in Miami getting drunk off cheap beer in the filthiest looking bar I have ever seen in my life.
Really, the only good thing about this place is its lack of night traffic and the large number of abandoned buildings, one of which now contains a perfectly sterile room wrapped in plastic.
Matt staggers out of the bar, down the dark alley that takes him straight home, towards my car. Walking past my car without a glance.
I step out of the car and start walking, he barely takes not of me, until I'm right behind him stocking my needle in his neck. From then on, it's so routine I'm almost on autopilot.
Put him in my trunk, drive to the building with my kill room, take him out of the trunk, put him over my shoulder like I'm taking a drunk friend back home.
Next thing I know, I'm standing over him in his plastic cocoon, knives ready, pictures of his victims to the right. I get a little impatient waiting for the drugs to wear off.
"Wake up!" I shout as I slap him across the face.
"Huh? Wha- What's going on?" He asks as he finds he can't move.
I smile and motion towards the pictures of women he killed, I let him work it out.
"What the fuck! Who the fuck are you?" He demands angrily.
"Interesting language for a Divinities major, but this isn't a very abstract situation. You killed two of those women and tried to kill the third. This is the end of the line for you, last call so to speak. Though I'm not a religious man, if you'd like to make some kind of confession; maybe tell me where you're thing with crosses came from, feel free.
"Fucking bitches ain't got no religion, gotta beat it into them, cut it into them. Now let me fucking out!" He screams as I cut his cheek, taking my trophy.
I smile happily, "Well, that settles that, you can go in a minute, just one last thing." In a flash my blade goes through his heart.
I stand for a moment, my head is swimming, the kind of release I only feel when I kill. The calm washes over me, no pain, no loneliness, no guilt; just me and the blood.
Then it all shatters.
I hear the sound of footsteps outside my kill room. I know the building is empty, the door outside was locked. My mind races; has someone been following me? Some cop realize what I am? Could Deb have followed me here? I can feel I'm being watched, someone's right behind me.
I turn slowly, knife in hand, half expecting a bullet through my head.
Everything stops. I can't move a muscle. Can't think straight. Can't hear anything but the frantic beating of my own heart. As the last breath rushes out of me I say the only words my mind can form.
"Lumen."
A/N: One of my favorite scenes in Dexter's relationship with Lumen was after a kill, when Dexter explained why he is the way he is. As such, I can't think of a better moment than this for her to come back into his life. Though I'm interested in hearing anyone else's thoughts on the subject.
Reviews are welcome!