All recognizable characters in this fic are property of Showtime. I claim ownership only to the story written and any characters not recognized (OC).
Season 8, Episode 5: To Protect and Serve
"A pen cap tossed into the ocean and a P.A.'s testimony. That was all it took to put Hannah back into place in my life. Now that she's back, I know that I never want her to leave again."
Dexter had on a boyish grin as he watched his girlfriend interacting with his son. Harrison was giggling nonstop while Hannah softly tickled his ribs with her fingers as she crouched behind him. She too was smiling, while she hugging him and dispensed kisses to his cheek.
"Why'd you go away?" Harrison questioned sweetly after he turned to face her. His innocent brown eyes focusing intently into hers.
The child's abrupt inquiry caused Hannah's mouth to gape while her mind tried to come up with the appropriate response that wasn't as disturbing as the truth: Daddy letting Aunt Deb put Hannah in jail because she tried to poison her. No three year old should ever have to process something like that.
McKay's eyes shifted to Dexter and he immediately sucked in his breath. He didn't have an answer ready either, but he thought one up quickly before his girlfriend could make an attempt.
"Hannah's dad died and she had to go to his funeral in Alabama."
Dex's response caused Hannah's eyes to widen. That was the best explanation of her absence that he could give to his little boy? Putting aside the truth of Clint McKay being dead, it wasn't something he should have shared with his child. Morgan must have seen the expression on her face. He shrugged his shoulders in response to her curious gaze.
Hannah turned her attention back to the child. She gave him a loving smile before she spoke:
"Harrison, sweetie, how would you like to help me take care of all of my plants? I've been gone for a while and they need a lot of work."
"Yeah, I'll help you!" He exclaimed with excitement.
"Maybe Daddy can help us too." offered Hannah, taking Harrison by the hand. She stood up and looked back at Dex.
"Yeah, sure." Dexter muttered back as his mouth pulled into a smile yet again. Morgan reached out and took his son's other hand.
Meanwhile, in the distance was Lieutenant Morgan. She was frozen in place. Her blurry vision remained fixed on the murderous couple as they then retreated into the backyard with her nephew, hand-in-hand as if they were a happy fucking family. When Debra lost sight of her brother and his lover, she told herself that she needed to confront them. It took her a few moments to even open the driver side door, and even longer to exit the car. Upon doing so, she was immediately overcome with anxiety: the thought of her brother playing her for a fool at the station, knowing that he had done so for Hannah McKay.
Her rate of breath hastened, compelling her to sit down on the sidewalk. She was light headed. Deb knew that there would be a chance that she might fall if she tried to hustle across the street like she really wanted to. She trusted that it had to be because of Dexter that Hannah was now a free woman. Shit, for all she knew, her brother was behind McKay's escape from prison as well. One thing was for certain, Dexter was still with her, despite the fact that the bitch had tried to end Deb's life. How could he do this to her, especially after all she had done for him?
Without even realizing it, Debra began to slowly rock back and forth from where she sat on the residential sidewalk. Her heart felt like it was breaking; a dull aching that was certainly caused by her brother's blatant betrayal. For the first time in a long time, Deb struggled to even formulate in her mind what she would say to her brother if she did choose to cross the street and confront him at Hannah's. She, Debra Morgan, the outspoken foul mouthed Lieutenant of Homicide, was at a loss for words. She had no choice but to retreat. The peace and quiet of her beach abode would provide her with the solace that she so desperately needed now.
After Deb managed to get herself back into her unmarked car, she quickly sped off. She must have broken quite a few speed limits on the way home from Hannah's. She didn't care. All she wanted was a cold beer and her pills; a makeshift sanctuary from her emotional state.
To her surprise, she saw Quinn's Cadillac parked in front of her place. What the hell was he doing there? Before she could even get out of her car, she caught sight of him exiting his automobile and making his way over to her.
"Hey Deb, you left your cell phone at the station. I found it sitting on your desk when I went into your office to leave you the case file. I thought you'd need it so I brought it out to ya." Joey explained the minute he approached her. In his hands was, indeed, her cell phone that she had completely forgotten about while she was in a hurry to check up on her brother.
Debra did not reply to him as she got out of the police car before slamming the door shut behind her. She didn't even take her cell phone back from him when he held it out to her as she passed right by. Joey looked puzzled by her demeanor. It was like he was invisible to her and she was like a mindless zombie walking toward the entrance of her beach house.
"Hello, Earth to Deb. Are you just gonna ignore me?" He then asked a little annoyed by her lack of gratitude as he slipped her phone into his back pocket. He had gone out of his way to bring her phone to her despite the fact that he had a date with Jamie.
His words seemed to have no effect on her as she continued on. It was Joey's final comment that elicited a response from her:
"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you just pissed because Hannah McKay was found innocent of the charges and is free to get back with your brother? I don't get it. You act like you're jealous of them or something."
Quinn's words caused Debra to halt. Him bringing up her brother and the murderous bitch was enough to snap her out of her seemingly vegetative state. It put a flame to the burning anger inside of her that should have been meant for her brother and Hannah.
She whipped back around to face Joey. The look on her face caused his jaw to drop. He quickly realized that he had said the wrong thing. Before he could even make an attempt to back pedal, she charged at him and began throwing a barrage of fists.
"You fucking fuck! You don't know what the fuck you're talking about! Just shut the fuck up!" screamed Debra while Quinn did his best to deflect her onslaught. After a brief struggle, he was able to grab a hold of both of her arms.
"Jesus, Deb! Calm down! I'm sorry! What the hell is going on? Talk to me!" He shouted over her.
The harshness of his voice was enough to make Debra refrain from her offense. Her breath was erratic. Her eyes glistening with fresh tears that were ready to escape down her face. When Joey took notice, he immediately tried to comfort her, but she pulled away from him.
"Deb, wait, don't just walk away from me." insisted Joey.
She was already retreating to her house as Quinn decided to follow after her. He couldn't just leave her when he saw how upset she was, not in her current state.
Through her tear filled vision, Deb managed to gain entry into her home. She attempted to slam the door shut behind her but Joey was there to catch it before it closed. Debra allowed herself to collapse onto her couch; her face buried in the seat cushion.
Without saying a word, Joey sat down on the edge of the sofa alongside her. He gently placed his hand on her back, making his supportive presence known.
"Fucking Dexter..." She voiced in a muffled cry. "After all I've done for him he went back to her."
"Like I told you before, Deb. I'm here if you want to talk about it. It might help getting it off your chest." Joey whispered softly.
His offer caused Debra to pull herself up and face him. She drew in a sharp breath and held it. Deb desperately wanted to tell him everything; to confess about what she did to Laguerta, for her selfish brother and how he betrayed her by going back to the woman who had tried to poison her. Just saying it all aloud to someone would feel like a relief to her. The only person in the world that really knew what was eating away at her was Dexter, and he was not there for her. But who was she kidding? The burden of what she did and her loyalty to her serial killer brother was hers alone to bear. She couldn't drag Quinn into it.
"I can't.." She breathed on the verge of losing her composure again.
"Look, whatever it is, it will stay between us. You can trust me, you know that, right?"
Deb's jaw trembled. Her shimmering brown eyes were piercing his. He was being so caring, especially for a man who's heart she had broken only two years ago. It was a testament to how much Quinn cared about her.
"You're too good to me, Joey, and I don't deserve it. I'm not a good person." sobbed Debra.
Quinn shook his head and then brought his hands to her face. His fingers gently tucked her hair behind her ears before he spoke back in a soft voice:
"Just because you don't always make the best decisions, doesn't mean you're not a good person. I know you, Deb. You're a sexy, foul mouth cop with a heart of gold."
His compliment elicited a slight smile to form on her face. Her reaction to his words compelled him to finish his thought without hesitation:
"And I worry that no other woman in the world will ever make me as happy as I was when I was with you."
His confession caused Debra's lips to part. She looked like she was in shock by what he had said and immediately Quinn began to question the appropriateness of what he had just told her.
"Shit, I'm sorry, you must think I'm a fucking douche bag for going on and on when you're obviously upset-"
Before Joey could finish his sentence, he was abruptly cut off when Deb's lips crashed into his. She let out a sigh as the kiss quickly turned passionate. It was Quinn who pulled away from her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he tried to be the voice of reason.
"Wait, Deb, what are we doing here? You're distraught and we shouldn't be doing something you're going to regret later."
But she didn't care. At that moment, Joseph Quinn's arms seemed like the only comfort that she had in the world. She needed to feel loved, to feel needed. And if Joey could give that to her then why not? Her life couldn't get any more fucked up.
Debra ignored his words as she slowly closed the space between them. Their noses touched before she pleaded a whisper.
"I need you, Joey. Please, I need you..."
Her words caused his eyes to close and within seconds, they were lip locked again. This time, however, neither one of them pulled away as their kissing deepened. Deb was sexually charged, the aggressor of the encounter, while Joey was simply keeping up with her needy lust that seemly came out of nowhere. All thoughts of Jamie and his impending date disintegrated from his consciousness. Quinn was entirely in the heat of the moment with the woman who until now, he thought had gotten away.
In the Hannah-Flora Nursery greenhouse, Dexter stood by as Hannah and Harrison finished re-potting the last plant that needed attention. Harrison loved helping with the plants, as it was evident from his overzealous shoveling of soil into the small pot. While kneeling next to the child, Hannah removed her garden gloves and smiled at him.
"I think you got more dirt on your shirt than you did in the flower pot." Hannah chuckled and used her hand to gently brush the soil off the front of him.
"I'm a mess!" Harrison exclaimed with a laugh as he stuck his tongue out playfully and giggled.
"Yes you are." Dexter chimed in before diverting his attention.
Morgan pulled out his cell phone and glanced at its display.
"No word from Deb. She's probably still at the station working on the Melendez case. A cop killer is the best distraction she could have until I figure out how to tell her about Hannah and the pregnancy."
"Everything okay?" Hannah inquired when she noticed him with his cell phone in hand.
Dex's eyes returned to his lover and he gave a nod. He returned his phone to his pants' pocket and watched as McKay stood upright.
"Come here, you. Let's get you cleaned up inside." gushed Hannah when she lifted Harrison off his feet and perched him on her hip.
"I'm hungry." The child told Hannah after he nuzzled his head comfortably against her neck.
"Oh, well I really don't have anything to make. My pantry is pretty much bare since I've been gone."
"Why don't we go back to my apartment. Jamie always makes sure to keep the kitchen fully stocked. She's on a date so we'll have the place to ourselves; just the three of us." Dexter offered closing the space between them.
"That sounds nice..." She softly whispered with a smile.
"Yeah..." Dex quickly agreed softly before using a hand to wipe away a speck of dirt from her cheek.
"Kind of like we'd be playing house.. pretending to have a family life with kids..."
She looked off into the distance as she trailed off. Dexter's touch brought her gaze back to him when he placed his hand to her flat stomach before he spoke:
"We won't have to pretend."
His words elicited a content sigh from Hannah, her mouth forming a smile. Dexter Morgan was giving her a family. It was all she had ever wanted with every man she had ever been with. This time it was different; she knew it, and nothing was going to keep her from having the life she always wanted, especially Debra.
Porter Investigations, the fancy brass letters spelled across the wall of the fourth floor of one of the largest office buildings in Miami. Batista had come straight from finishing up his day at Miami Metro. Nicholas Porter, the lead investigator and owner of the company, had been willing to squeeze in a meeting with Angel before the end of his work day. A receptionist was quick to greet him when he approached her desk.
"Hello, welcome to Porter Investigations, how can I help you?"
"Hi, I'm Angel Batista, I'm here to see Nicholas Porter." Batista replied as he removed his fedora hat.
Before the receptionist could respond, Porter came out into the lobby to greet his potential client.
"Detective Sergeant Batista, I believe we spoke on the phone. I'm Nicholas Porter." Nicholas announced in an outgoing voice with his hand extended.
Nick was a well groomed man in his mid-thirties. He looked like he had stepped right out of an issue of GQ magazine, much better dressed than any Private Investigator that Batista had ever seen.
"Thanks so much for fitting me into your schedule."
"Don't mention it, I like to help out the local PD whenever I can. Follow me to my office and we can talk shop." Porter replied motioning for Angel to follow him down the hallway to his spacious office.
"You've got a nice office space here." commented Angel as he followed Nick down the corridor.
"Yeah, it is. I pay a pretty penny to rent it out, but I think it's worth it. It's got style."
"I take it your company is doing well." Batista inquired taking a seat in a chair in front of Nick's desk.
Porter made his way to his leather office chair and sat down. He immediately leaned back, bringing his feet up to his desk before responding to Angel.
"We're definitely in the black. Most of our work comes from investigating cheating spouses and locating stolen property. We have taken on a few bounty hunting cases that paid considerably well. But, ah, truth is that I started this company with money that was left to me by my parents. I'm a trust fund kid, an only child. Anyway, enough about me and my company, what can I do for you, Detective Sergeant Batista?"
"I would like to hire you to investigate the death of my ex-wife."
Nick frowned, looking a bit puzzled. He brought both sets of fingers together in front of his face before replying:
"Why do you need to outsource? I would think Miami Metro would be more than capable with handling it."
Batista shifted in his chair. He looked down at his fedora hat that was still in his hand.
"My ex-wife was Captain Maria Laguerta. She was shot and killed by Hector Estrada. I wanted to investigate the case myself, but it was turned over to the FBI. I guess they thought our homicide team would be too close."
"So if the FBI is already looking into the case, why do you need me? I mean, I'm happy to take your money, but I'm curious as to where I fit in. It seems a little like overkill, don't you think?"
"The FBI thinks that it's an open and shut case, but I'm not convinced. I'd like another pair of eyes looking at the evidence. I'd do it myself, but the FBI might be right in thinking that I'm too emotionally wrapped up in all of it."
"Well, I'll be glad to take on the case, but I must warn you, my upfront fee is considerable regardless if anything turns up in light of my investigation."
"I understand how it works. Por favor, this is going to give me some peace of mind knowing that someone is looking into what happened to Maria."
"All right, let's do business. You can leave your contact information and the deposit with my receptionist up front. I will call you as soon as I have reason to." Porter replied leaning forward to extend his arm for a handshake over his desk.
After a handshake, Porter rose from his seat to show Batista to the door of his office. Once alone in the room, Nick walked back to his desk, opened one of the drawers, and pulled out a small tray that had white lines across it. Placing the tray on his desk, he used a coke spoon to snort a line. Nick sighed, then inhaled through his nose a few times. He wiped the excess cocaine from his nose and rubbed it on his gum line.
When Dexter brought Hannah and Harrison back to his apartment, he was a bit surprised to see that Jamie was still there. In turn, Jamie was surprised to see Hannah McKay out of police custody and standing in Dexter's apartment holding Harrison.
Jamie asked, sounding a bit uneasy, "Dexter, what's going on?"
Hannah just stood there and allowed her boyfriend to do all the explaining. It was his master plan that had been carried out to earn her freedom. She was sure that he had an answer for whatever any of his friends and colleagues threw at him.
Dexter replied without missing a beat, "I take it you didn't watch the news today. Evidence came to light that exonerated Hannah. The state of Florida dropped all charges against her."
Jamie was quick to respond, "Oh my God, that's unbelievable. I can't believe Miami Metro would make a mistake like that. I mean, Deb arresting an innocent woman when there was evidence out there that proved that she didn't kill Price?"
Hannah explained, grabbing hold of Dexter's hand, "Yeah, I know, it was a mistake, but I won't be pressing charges against the department. I know Dexter loves his job there and his co-workers. I just want to move on with my life."
"Well, I'm so glad it was proven that you were innocent. I know how much Dexter and Harrison love you."
Jamie followed her comment up with a quick hug that McKay accepted. Dexter was eager to move the conversation to something else. Dex voiced the obvious; He pointed out the fact that his nanny was not out to dinner with Quinn.
"So Jamie, what are you still doing here? I mean, I thought you had a date with Quinn."
Hannah took Dexter's change of topic as her cue to take Harrison into the living room and occupy him with some toys.
"So did I. Joey never showed up. He's not answering his phone either. I hope he's okay, it's not like him just to blow off a date."
The idea of Jamie possibly being stood up by her boyfriend, compelled Hannah to insert herself back into the conversation as she sat on the floor with Harrison in her lap:
"Well, you are more than welcome to have dinner with us if you want."
Jamie grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter before responding, "Thank you for the offer, but I think I'm going to go over to Joey's and see if he's there. I'm worried about him. Besides, you guys could use some family time. You have no idea how much Harrison has missed you."
The nanny's comments about little Harrison missing her caused Hannah to beam with happiness. It was so heartwarming for her to hear from a third party that Dexter's little one was so attached to her. She loved that little guy and was looking forward to the possibility of raising him with Dexter along with their child.
Upon Jamie's departure, Hannah took to preparing a meal in the kitchen while Dexter played with Harrison in the living room. When the food preparation was close to being finished, Dex rearranged his desk into a makeshift dinner table so that they could eat together as a family.
"Who's hungry?" Hannah asked the minute the meal was ready to be served.
"Me!" Harrison shouted raising his hands above his head.
"Our first family dinner since Hannah came back into our lives; the first of many more."
Throughout dinner, Harrison did most of the chatting. He told Hannah all about what he and Jamie had been up to since he saw her last on Christmas Eve. Dexter and Hannah smiled at each other frequently as the child went on and on. They could tell that Harrison loved having both of them with him.
The after dinner entertainment came in the form of a recording of Harrison's favorite TV program, Rasta Mouse. The child watched his show intently while sitting on Hannah's lap. Dexter sat right next to them. Morgan lovingly caressing his girlfriend's arm as she laid her head on his shoulder.
"I think he's out for the count." Dexter whispered when he noticed his son's eyes were closed. "If you want, I'll put him to bed and you can put something else on."
"No, I can take him."She replied back in a hushed voice.
Morgan watched while Hannah gently shifted the sleeping child in her arms before standing up with him. Little Harrison let out a sigh before nuzzling his face into Hannah's neck as if on instinct while he slept. Dexter followed Hannah into his son's room. He remained at the doorway and observed her tending to his child.
"Look at her. Being a mother comes so naturally to Hannah. She's nurturing and loving, but at the same time capable of taking life without hesitation to protect herself and the ones she loves. What mother wouldn't kill to protect her children? Hannah is no different, except I know she would follow through with it."
Once Harrison was tucked into bed, McKay gave him a soft kiss on his forehead before retreating. Dexter took her into his arms for a loving embrace. They both turned to watch the sleeping child.
"You really are great with him. You're going to be a great mother to him and our unborn child." whispered Dex. His words caused Hannah to smile wide.
"I love him like he's my own. I'd do anything to protect him." She admitted, still gazing at the three year old.
"I know..." He replied before kissing her tenderly.
The soft kiss provided an invitation for Hannah to initiate a kiss of her own that was much more passionate. They then paused for a moment, their foreheads touching.
"Stay the night." Dex offered in a husky whisper that was filled with desire.
Hannah nodded as an unspoken reply. She allowed her lover to take her by the hand and lead her to his bedroom.
The bedroom of Debra's beach house was even more of a mess than usual. A mix of hers and Joey's clothing littered the floor. Both of their bodies glistened with sweat from their earlier romp. Some impromptu sex was just what Deb needed to escape from her life, even if it was just for a few hours. Quinn was all smiles, happy to have who he considered to be the love of his life back in his arms.
Deb let out a sigh before muttering, "How about a late dinner? I say we get shitfaced drunk and-"
Quinn exclaimed, cutting off Deb from finishing her sentence."Fuck! Dinner! Shit, I was suppose to have dinner with Jamie!"
He sprang out of bed and immediately began to gather his clothes from the floor. Deb sat up to watch him. She looked a bit disappointed by the fact that he was going to cut their time together short. It had been so comforting sharing a bed with someone else. And now, with Joey rushing off, she was going to be all alone again. Alone to think about the day's events. Her mind was going to torture her with the constant thought of Hannah McKay being with her brother and nephew.
"So, what? You're just going to fuck me and leave? Fucking wham bam, thank you m'am?" She voiced with frustration.
"You know it's not like that. Jamie is probably freaked out that I didn't show up. My cell is out in my car, she's probably tried to call a dozen times."
"Fine! Get the fuck out!" Deb hollered. She grabbed his Cadillac keys from her bedside table and threw them at him.
"Jesus, Deb, it doesn't have to be like this!" Joey insisted when he bent down to pick up his car keys.
"Get..the fuck...out, Joey!" She screamed again, this time moving to the edge of the bed to be closer to where he was standing. She pointed in the direction of her beach house's front door.
Quinn finally let out a sigh and did as she demanded. When Deb heard the front door slam shut, she got to her feet and put on one of her t-shirts and a pair of underwear. With haste she then made her way into her kitchen. A cold beer from the refrigerator had her name on it as did two Xanax tablets.
Much to Quinn's surprise, Jamie had let herself into his apartment and had been waiting for him to come home. The minute he walked through his front door, she approached him with a look of concern. The young lady had been sitting in his empty apartment for an hour or two, her mind sick with worry. She had even contemplated calling her brother to try and get in touch with him.
"Joey, where were you? We were suppose to go out tonight. I was worried."
"I know, I'm sorry. I've been working my ass off on this Melendez case and I fell asleep at the office. I had my phone on vibrate so I missed all of your calls. I'm sorry that I worried you, babe." He lied before attempting to lean in to give her a kiss.
Jamie moved away from him and peered directly into his eyes.
"Really, Joey? Because I called the station, they said you had left around five this afternoon. Why don't you try being honest with me? Where were you tonight?"
Quinn let out a long sigh and folded his arms. She had him. He hated that she had caught him in a lie. Joey knew that he was going to hurt her when he told her the truth. Jamie was going to find about him and Deb being on again sooner or later. Maybe he should just get it out of the way.
"I was with Deb. We slept together...I'm sorry, Jamie."
Joey's eyes darted away from her. He couldn't even look at her face after dropping that bombshell. He felt like a real asshole. Quinn was caught off guard when he felt a stinging slap right across his face.
"I deserved that..." Quinn replied touching his hand to his cheek.
"You're right, you did. You and I? We're done. I'm going to grab my stuff."
Jamie quickly went through the apartment and grabbed a handful of her possessions that she had kept over at Quinn's place when she would stay over. When she marched back up to the apartment foyer, Joey was still there and he opened the door for her.
"I'm so sorry, Jamie. I never wanted to hurt you."
"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that I ever got involved with you." She retorted before walking out.
Joey brought both his hands up to his face as he heard Jamie slam the door shut. There went another relationship up in smoke. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter. He knew deep down inside that Jamie Batista was not the woman he saw marrying one day. Still, he couldn't help feeling bad for putting her in the situation of being cheated on. God, he was never going to hear the end of this from Angel.
Debra's alcohol and Xanax induced slumber had made her sleep right through her alarm. She arrived at Miami Metro at half passed ten. Before even entering the building, she stopped at the catering cart for a tall cup of coffee. Caffeine was her best chance of getting her through the day. Deb was dreading having to see Dexter at work. She was sure that he would continue to put on a charade of being completely innocent in the Hannah McKay case. He would play her for a fool.
Batista was the first one of the homicide team to notice Debra's arrival. She immediately came up to him before even putting her things in her office. Angel and a few of the other detectives were gathered around the monitor to watch Joey question the suspect.
Sergeant Batista greeted her: "Morning, Deb. We were wondering when you were going to come in. I ran the briefing this morning. Quinn has Angus Gibson in the interrogation room. He cooperated and came in on his own for questioning. We have nothing to tie him to Melendez's death, so let's hope Quinn can get something out of him in the cross examination."
Lieutenant Morgan tried to focused her attention on Joey's interview. She could tell that Gibson knew that Miami Metro had no evidence against him other than Melendez's wife stating that he had threatened them in the past. It wasn't long before the suspect rose from his seat and demanded that the interview was over.
Joey confessed to his co-workers the moment he came out of the interrogation room. "I got fucking nothing. Fucking skin head knows that we have no hard evidence linking him to the murder. The bastard is going to walk unless we find something that will stick."
Deb folded her arms and took a quick look around the station. Her eyes focused on the forensic lab window to see if she'd see her brother. He wasn't there. She saw Masuka leaving the forensics area, he came walking over to them.
"Where's Dexter? He should have been watching this." Deb asked aloud to her team.
Batista replied, "He said he was going to be in later today. He said it was personal."
"Personal? What the fuck does that mean?"
Angel shrugging his shoulders and commented, "I don't know. He just said personal, so I didn't ask."
Vince inserted a quip of his own, "I'm sure 'personal' has to do with Hannah McKay who he's probably bow chica bow wowing as we speak. Huhuhuhuh."
The crude remark compelled a response from Morgan, "Why the hell are you standing around, Masuka? You should be focused on going over the forensics on the Melendez case again! We need to nail this fucker to the wall!"
Debra's outburst caused the homicide division to disperse leaving just her and Joey standing there. He took advantage of the moment and attempted to clear the air between them about last night.
"Deb, about last night. Jamie and I-"
"I don't want to fucking hear it, Joey. I was feeling like shit and we had sex. That's all, there's no need to make a big deal out of it."
Quinn shook his head and brought his hand to her waist. He leaned in close to the side of her face before responding.
"It was more than that and you know it."
Debra and Joey's eyes met. There was a moment where they looked like they were going to kiss, but it was Deb who disengaged, moving away from his touch. She didn't want all the officers at the station seeing her and Quinn putting on any kind of PDA.
"Where are you going?" He then asked as she began to walk toward the elevators.
Joey calling after her did nothing to break her stride as she completely ignored his inquiry. She had just gotten to work and she was leaving already. Dexter having something "personal" to do was plaguing her mind. She actually hoped he was off killing someone. Even that would be better than him spending time with Hannah McKay. God, what if they were killing someone together? There would be no way she could focus on police work until she got to the bottom of what her brother was up to.
Dexter stood by Hannah's side while she laid on the examining table. He had made an appointment for her at what had been Rita's OBGYN. Now that Hannah had beaten the charges, it was time to make sure that their tiny unborn child was okay.
"Thanks again for fitting us in on such short notice." Dex commented with a smile.
"You are welcome. It worked out that we had a cancellation."
Hannah watched intently as the doctor applied the clear jelly to her flat abdomen. Even though she'd never show it, she was a bundle of nerves. Was her baby healthy? She had taken a small dose of aconite in order to induce the seizure that had allowed her escape. What if she had hurt the baby in the process? The first few months were critical in the baby's development. She didn't know if she could take another miscarriage.
"Does everything look okay?" McKay asked immediately as soon as the ultrasound wand made contact with her skin.
"Let me see..." The doctor muttered as she began to slowly move the wand across McKay's abdomen while her eyes watched the computer screen.
Hannah grabbed hold of Dexter's hand as she waited with anticipation for the baby to be found. Dexter could sense that she was uneasy. He decided to speak up.
"Hannah was pregnant a year or two ago with her late husband and she miscarried. She's just a little nervous that something could be wrong with this pregnancy as well."
"Well let me put you at ease. You see that? There's your baby's heart beat. It is strong and steady. Everything looks very good. He or she is developing quite nicely. I would say you are about six weeks along."
McKay let out a sigh of relief that was followed by a giggle. She smiled at Dexter before looking up at the monitor. This was real. The small misshaped oval on the screen was their child and it was healthy. Dex's mouth was parted as he stared intently at the little heartbeat.
"A heartbeat. The first sign of a new life being formed. Over the course of both of our lives, Hannah and I have stilled the hearts of many. Us, creating a new life together instead of bringing one to an end. It's somewhat poetic."
Dexter leaned over and kissed Hannah on her forehead causing her to turn to face him. They shared a smile and then a tender kiss.
"Harrison, are you ready to go swimming?" Jamie called out from the other part of the apartment.
"I'm drawing a picture!" He answered back without ceasing his coloring.
A minute or so later, the nanny walked into the living room where Harrison was drawing at the coffee table. She bent down to put his floaties on.
"What are you drawing, little man?"
"A picture of Daddy and me for Hannah. It's almost done." explained Harrison as he switched crayons and resumed his work.
Before Jamie could attempt to persuade the three year old to get ready to go out to the pool, there was a knock at the door. The arrival of a guest made the child stop drawing and watch as his nanny went to answer the door.
Jamie Batista's face formed a scowl when she saw that the person on the other side of the door was Debra Morgan. Deb took notice of her facial expression and gave a look of surprise.
"Hi Jamie, I came to see Dexter. Is he here?"
Morgan's eyes tried to look passed the nanny to see who else was there before she attempted to come in.
"No, he's not. It's just me and Harrison. What do you want? Whatever you have to say to him, you can leave a message." Jamie quickly replied in a somewhat snippy tone of voice as she blocked Debra from entering.
"Umm, what the fuck is your problem?"
"You're my problem. You didn't think I'd find out about you sleeping with Joey? He told me about last night."
"Wow...Okay...Ah, I guess I owe you an apology then." Deb replied with a nervous laugh. This was really awkward. Fuck Quinn for not giving her a heads up that he told his girlfriend about them.
The three year old exclaimed, "Aunt Deb, come look at my drawing!"
It was Harrison's invitation for his aunt to enter the apartment that finally made Jamie move out of the way so that Debra could enter, and she did.
"Wow, that's pretty cool." She told her nephew when she went over to see his artwork.
"It's for Hannah." He added with a smile.
Morgan whispered one of her favorite obscenities from under her breath. She couldn't catch a break. Everything kept coming back to Hannah fucking McKay. It's like she couldn't escape that bitch.
And if things couldn't have gotten more uncomfortable and awkward, Dexter and Hannah came walking through the door together.
"Hannah!" Harrison exclaimed as he immediately grabbed hold of his picture and ran to take it to her.
"Hey Harrison, oh wow, what is this?" McKay asked after she lifted the boy off his feet and took the piece of construction paper into her hand.
"I made you a picture of me and Daddy." He said wrapping his arms around her neck.
"Oh, I love it! Thank you!"
Debra was at a loss for words when she saw the reaction Harrison had to Hannah's arrival. Not only had McKay cast a love spell on her brother, she had done so on her nephew too. Poor little Harrison had no idea that the woman who was holding him was a murderer. It wasn't fair to him, he was an innocent.
Dexter saw the look on Debra's face and could tell that things had the propensity to get very ugly very quickly. He spoke up to diffuse the situation:
"Harrison, why don't you and Jamie go for that swim now and let Daddy, Hannah, and Aunt Deb talk."
Jamie, who could feel the tension in the room only building, quickly grabbed the beach bag and Harrison's inflatable arm bands, before she took Harrison from Hannah and left the apartment. She was happy to get out of the room as well after the drama with Debra.
Debra finally broke the silence in the room as she asked, "What the fuck is she doing here? And what was so "personal" that you weren't at work this morning?"
Hannah looked over at Dexter to see how he was going to handle Deb's barrage of questions. There was only a slight pause before he responded.
"The real question is what you're doing here. Why aren't you at the station trying to catch Melendez's killer?" He muttered, turning the questioning back around on his sister.
Deb responded, not missing an opportunity to talk work."We brought Gibson in for questioning. It was a complete dead end since we had nothing to pin on him and the skin headed asshole wasn't going to give anything up. We're back to square one unless some other evidence or a witness comes to light."
Debra continued on, "And don't change the subject. I want to know what's really going on here. You obviously had a hand in this murdering bitch beating her charges. I want to know what she's still doing here in our lives. It's only a matter of time before she tries to hurt a member of your family again. Next time it could be Harrison."
Deb bringing up the idea that Hannah would ever hurt Dexter's child made McKay spring into action. She moved across the room and got right in the Lieutenant's face, before Dex could even react.
Hannah hollered, "I would never hurt Harrison! I only go after people who threaten me!"
"Like me?"
"Yes, like you! The night that I came to see you: I asked you if we could work out our issues! I was grasping at straws, trying to make you see that I loved your brother and wanted to be with him! I wanted you to see that we were happy and in love! I thought if you knew that you would back off and I wouldn't have to do what I did!"
Debra fired back with intensity, "I will never let you be with my brother and nephew! You are poison! A black vortex of evil that destroys everything in your wake!"
"You don't have a choice in what Dexter does! He and Harrison love me and there's nothing you can do to change that!"
The sparring of words had come to a fever pitch that hit a crescendo when Debra grabbed hold of Hannah by her wavy blonde locks of hair causing Hannah to cry out in pain. Without even thinking, Dex went on the offense and grabbed hold of his sister. In one fluid motion, he sent her flying backwards and to the floor.
Debra wasn't hurt. Her head had missed the coffee table by only a few inches. She was shocked by the turn of events that had just taken place in a what felt like a heartbeat. Her eyes were wide as saucers, watching her brother who was now standing there with Hannah in an embrace.
Hannah's arms were around his neck, her hair was disheveled due to Deb's attempt at attacking her. She was hugging her boyfriend tightly. Once she loosened her grip on him, he whispered to her asking if she was alright. McKay nodded and then they both looked over at Debra who was still on the floor.
"Get out." Dexter muttered in a low growl.
His words caused Deb's eyebrows to furrow. Her mouth gaped open. She was at a complete loss of words while sitting there looking up at them. How could he have just put his hands on her, his own sister, in order to protect McKay?
One of Hannah's eyebrows raised slightly as she looked down at Deb. She then rested her head against Dexter's and waited for his sister to make the next move. Debra Morgan no longer had the higher ground in this bizarre triangle between them. This time was different. Dexter was choosing her over his adoptive sister. Deb was now learning that she was no longer the most important woman in her brother's life.