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 7: A Moment of Truth

"Being called to your own crime scene. It's a bit surreal. The victim, obliterated by my own hands and left for the whole world to see. Brian would call it art, I call convenience; a clever narrative that will make this case open and shut."

Dexter flashed his forensic laminate badge at one of the cops so that he could enter the Gibson residence by ducking under the yellow tape.

Angus Gibson's body was exactly where Dexter had left him; flat on his back, his arms outstretched with a wide outward pooling of blood that radiated from his head. Masuka was doing his best to preserve the details of the scene with multiple photographs from a variety of angles.

Dexter spoke up, doing his best to sound completely clueless to the significance of this crime scene, "What do we have here? Looks like a pretty severe bludgeoning."

It was Batista who was first to respond from where he stood next to Debra and Quinn:

"It's Angus Gibson. We got an anonymous tip early this morning to a possible disturbance. Deb took the call since she knew it was Gibson's address and she walked into this. Ay dios mio, this guy's skull was completely caved in."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Dex responded with an eyebrow raise. He crouched down beside the body.

Masuka chimed in with excitement, "That's not all, guess what else we found right here in this room!"

Dexter shrugged his shoulders, not even sure what Vince was speaking about. He was positive that the perverted lab geek couldn't wait to tell him.

"A police issued nightstick, like the one that was missing from Melendez' duty belt. It's bagged and tagged, I'm sure we'll get a DNA match for Melendez off it!"

Vince held up his hand to signal that he wanted Morgan to slap it, which he did, reluctantly, before Masuka continued on:

"And if that wasn't the proverbial dick caught in Gibson's ass that tied him to the murder, he left the stolen dashcam footage right on his laptop! Do you believe it? Fucking amateur."

"Deb must have planted the nightstick back at the scene. She wanted to make sure that the world knew of Gibson's guilt."

"Wow, that really is unbelievable." Dexter agreed as he turned his attention to Deb.

She looked to be preoccupied. The usually outspoken Debra Morgan had not said a single word since her brother had arrived on the scene. Dex didn't know if it was because she was still mad at him after last night or if she was already on to him as a possible suspect for Gibson's murder.

Dexter questioned his sister, he wanting to rattle her cage and get her to say something about the scene."What do you think, Deb?"

Upon being spoken to directly, Lieutenant Morgan snapped back to reality. She hesitated a moment before responding to him. She was caught off guard. Since when did Dexter ever ask for her opinion about a crime scene? He was always the one she would go to when she needed help finding a lead. Of course back then she didn't know that she was picking the brain of a serial killer. He knew how to catch killers because he was one.

She finally spoke aloud, "We've obviously got the fucker who killed Carlos. But now we're tasked with finding out who killed him."

Dexter's mouth pulled taunt into a smirk that lasted only a few seconds before disappearing. It was done so subtly that none of his colleagues even noticed, well, no one except Deb. Her eyebrows furrowed as she then folded her arms in front of her, speaking out:

"Why don't you tell us what you think happened, Dex. By all means, dazzle us with your fucking brilliance."

"Well, it could have been a number of things. Gibson made no attempt at hiding the fact that he came in to our department for questioning yesterday. It's possible that one of his Aryan brothers caught wind of his visit and thought he could potentially roll over on them."

Quinn commented looking on in disgust, "Shit, I heard of snitches getting stitches, but this? The guy doesn't even have a face anymore let alone much of a head left. I mean, don't get me wrong, the fucking skin head deserved it."

Batista made a suggestion while he watched Dexter examining the body as it connected to the rest of the crime scene, "What about a rival gang? This could be some form of retaliation."

Dex nodded.

"It's definitely brazen enough. A violent death definitely sends a message." He added, before he began to explain the cast off patterns of the blood:

"The assailant stood over the victim's head. I'd estimate about ten to fifteen blows to his cranium."

Masuka interjected with more information, "The sledgehammer that was found right next to Gibson is definitely the murder weapon, though, it was completely wiped clean of all prints."

Dexter stood upright, his eyes following the blood spatter patterns as he walked around the scene. He stopped at one of the Neo-Nazi propaganda posters that was in the hallway leading off of the living room. He pointed his latex gloved finger toward a spot on the wall.

Joey remarked, "Holy shit, that's a gang logo in blood on his wall!"

Angel made his way over to the hallway and peered at the writing in blood. He then offered his assessment on the meaning:

"The 'L.S.' stands for the Latin Syndicate. Their feud with the Aryan Brotherhood has a long history. This was clearly gang retaliation."

Dexter walked back into the living room and pointed to the coffee table that was a few feet away from the body. He was going to bring up the fact that the drugs were missing from what was obviously where Angus would shoot up.

"Looks like Gibson had his own little stash of crystal meth. The rival gang made off with a decent score."

Debra was just standing there. She was watching her brother walk the Miami Metro Homicide team through the evidence that until he pointed out, they had not even noticed. It was surprising to her how he could easily walk up to each and every piece of new evidence, almost like he knew it was all going to be there.

Deb's eyes remained fixed on her brother while she observed him packing up his kit. When Dex turned to leave, he saw that his sister was glaring at him. His response was subtle, a quick raise of his eyebrows and a slight smile that was not reciprocated.

It was when Dexter exited Gibson's residence that he was caught off guard. Morgan slowed his pace crossing the street as he envisioned Harry standing with his arms folded next to his Ford Escape. Dex had not seen his father since he had gone against his wishes and thrown the pen cap into the ocean.

Harry: "What are you doing, Dexter? I thought you getting rid of evidence to set Hannah free was reprehensible, but this is a new low. That kill was sloppy and unplanned. You didn't even set up a proper kill room."

Dex let out a long sigh as he opened the back of his SUV to put away his forensic kit.

"Spare me the lecture. This isn't the first time I've staged a crime scene, you're overreacting as usual. I cleaned up the basement, not a shred of evidence is left to link me to the crime."

Dexter attempted to get into the driver door of his SUV, but Harry blocked him and responded:

Harry: "No, this is different. You've never been so reckless; flaunting your kill like you are above the law, you're behaving like Brian."

Morgan scoffed before responding:

"That's ridiculous, Gibson deserved to die, he met the code. I left the body at the scene to make it look like a gang kill."

Harry: "Is that really why you did it, Dexter? Why did it have to be Gibson? Why not let Deb use the evidence you gave her to bring him to justice? Admit it, you did it out of spite because Debra doesn't want to lay off Hannah."

His foster father's words caused an immediate change in Dex's demeanor. He lashed out in a voice full of venom and malcontent as he got in Harry's face:

"I wanted the kill! Deb threw my peace offering right back in my face so I did what I wanted to do! I'm in control, not Deb, not Miami Metro, me! I'm not your puppet, a slave to the code as you wrote it! I've evolved! I'm more than that now!"

Harry seemed to be unwavering, not backing down from where he stood. On his face was a look of sadness and disappointment. He shook his head before replying:

Harry: "You're going down a dangerous path."

Dexter was unmoved by his father's warning, he simply pushed passed him and opened his driver side door. Before getting in, he muttered a reply that capped off their conversation:

"And I don't need you to follow me."

Without hesitation, Morgan started his SUV and sped off, leaving his father standing there in the street. Before making his first turn onto another road, he glanced up into his rear view mirror to see if Harry was still visible. He was gone.

Debra was leaving the crime scene in a bit of a hurry. She needed to pull Dex aside and find out what was really going on. As she made her way to her automobile, she had Joey following after her.

"Deb, what's the rush? Can we talk for a second?"

Lieutenant Morgan let out an exasperated sigh. She turned around to face him. Quinn attempted to look into her eyes but was only met with his own reflection in her aviator sunglasses.

"What do you want, Joey?"

"I was worried about you yesterday. You never answered my text. What's going on, Deb?"

"I really didn't fucking feel like being at Laguerta's funeral. Not that it's any of your fucking business."

"So this, between us," Quinn motioned with his hands, "it was just a one-time thing?"

Debra's lips parted and she shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what her and Joey were. A part of her enjoyed being with him. He was, in many ways, just like her, or how she used to be. Quinn was always there to provide her with comfort when she needed it most. On the other hand, the last thing she needed was to get into a relationship. Her new habit of ending every day with beer and Xanax would be pretty difficult to justify to a significant other since she couldn't tell him the cause of it all.

"Fuck me, I don't know! Do you always have to put a label on everything?"

Joey held up his hands in response. It was unbelievable how hard it was for him to get any kind of straight answer out of her. He just wanted to know if there was any possibility of a future for them since he had cheated on Jamie to be with her.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to come across as a clingy bitch, I just don't get it. We have some great fucking sex two nights ago and then you ice me out: blow me off and don't answer my text messages. So, what are we doin' here?" Quinn asked honestly with a hint of his Bronx accent coming out.

There is a pregnant pause between them before, out of nowhere, Debra moves in and plants a sultry kiss on him. It is well received by Joey who nestles his hands in her long brown locks of hair while they embrace passionately. And just as abruptly as the kiss happened, it ended with Deb pulling away.

"I'll call you later." She muttered before getting in her unmarked car, leaving Quinn standing there dumbfounded.

When Lieutenant Morgan finally made it back to the police station, she was power walking across the Homicide division office. She could see her brother through the window of his forensics lab and all she could think about was confronting him.

"Hey LT, you've got someone in your office waiting to talk to you." One of her officers in blue told her when she walked passed his desk.

"Who?" She asked back quickly, halting her stride as she whipped around.

"I don't know who he is. Some guy who thinks he's a young Don Johnson or something. When you see him, ask him how Tubbs is doing."

The cop's lame joke had no effect whatsoever on Debra. She simply redirected herself, picking up her pace again as she made her way over to her office.

The minute that Deb entered, Nick Porter sprung to his feet to greet her.

"Lieutenant Morgan, I presume?" He asked with a smile as he extended his hand.

"Yeah, that's me. And you are?"

"Nicholas Porter, but please, call me Nick. I own my own private detective firm. Sergeant Batista hired me to investigate the death of his ex-wife. "

After he introduced himself, Debra used her right hand to shake his. Despite her mood, she had to admit, the guy was easy on the eyes.

"Hi Nick, I'm Deb." She said back giving him a small smile that was reflexive.

"Hey, what happened to your left hand? Did you break something?" He inquired, noticing her cast.

Debra looked down at what remained from her car accident right before Christmas. She was counting down the days until she could get that cast off.

"Yeah, broken wrist."

"Ouch, how did you do that? In the line of duty?"

"No, I wish. So, can I help you with something? I'm kind of busy and I'd like to get back to work." She replied, cutting off the small talk.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to take up too much of your time. I know you worked with Laguerta for a number of years and I was hoping to get your version of the events that happened the night she was killed."

Deb bit her lip before tucking her hair behind her ears. The last thing she wanted to think about was New Years Eve, could this guy have come at a worse time?

"I really don't have anything for you that would be different than what the FBI has on file. Angel knows my version of the events, you can ask him. Miami Metro doesn't even have the case files on her murder, the FBI did their own investigation, it's them you should be talking to."

Porter gave a nod and reached into his suit pocket. He withdrew a business card and a gold plated pen.

"I understand. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I'm giving you my card just in case you think of anything that you feel might be worth mentioning. You know, the smallest detail, I don't care how insignificant you might think it is." He told her while he began to jot numbers down on the card.

"Yeah, sure."

"Here you go, I wrote my cell number on the back. Call me anytime." Nick instructed as he held the card out for her while giving a quick wink.

Their eyes locked as Debra took the card from him and then put it in the back pocket of her jeans. There were a few awkward moments of silence as they stood there smiling at each other. It was Morgan who finally spoke up.

"Well, I need to get back to work. I'll definitely call you if I think of anything that can help you out."

"Thanks, Deb, I appreciate it. Have a good rest of your day. Go catch some bad guys." He told her as he began to walk out of her office.

Debra couldn't help but chuckle as a goofy smile was plastered on her face. Her eyes followed him through her office window after he left. She stood there alone in her office watching him as he crossed the Homicide division and called the elevator. It wasn't until he disappeared behind the elevator's metal doors that she snapped out of her momentary daze.

Her mind shifted gears. It had to refocus on what had been her task at hand before Nicholas Porter introduced himself to her. Dexter. That's who she needed to focus on. Just the thought of having to confront him caused her to jones for her pills. Deb quickly rummaged through her handbag and pulled out her prescription bottle. She gave it a shake and realized that she only had a single Xanax pill left.

"Fuck." She muttered under her breath as she dispensed the last pill into the palm of her hand.

There was no question about it, she would need to get a refill. Her cast was scheduled to be removed by her doctor next week, but she didn't think that she could wait that long. She would have to figure it out. Deb popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed it with ease. Now it was time to face her brother.

Upon entering the forensics lab, Debra demanded that Dex follow her so that they could talk privately. She led him outside of their police department into an alley way where the two department buildings created a secluded spot.

"What the fuck was that at the crime scene?" Deb asked, cutting straight to the reason she needed to speak to him.

Dex leaned causally against the side of the building as if they were going to have a normal chat.

"Pretty open and shut case. Rival gang exacting its revenge. Kind of ironic that it happened after you obtained evidence to arrest Gibson, it's it?"

Debra scowled harshly. She could not believe how cavalier he was being. Her brother was doing everything but coming out and saying that he had played a part in what they had witnessed at the crime scene.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she muttered, looking right into her brother's eyes before continuing, "Because I wouldn't give into you and lay off Hannah you decided to kill Gibson so that I couldn't arrest him! Do you seriously know how fucked up that is?"

"I gave you Gibson gift wrapped and all I asked in return was for you to drop your obsession with putting Hannah behind bars-"

"She belongs in fucking prison!" shouted Debra before Dex could even finish his sentence.

"Well that's not going to happen. The state of Florida dropped all charges against her over Sal Price. She has immunity for her time with Wayne. It's over, Deb. Let it go." He responded in a low voice as he tried to provide the facts to his sister.

Debra breathed in deep and staggered her breath upon exhale. She really wanted to knock her brother the fuck out. He refused to recognize the truth about his girlfriend. How great of a fuck was Hannah McKay that she turned Dexter into a fucking moron with dick for brains?

"No fucking way. It's not over until I say it's over."

With that said, she turned her back on her brother and began to walk down the narrow alley way to the Miami Metro parking lot. The conversation was over. Deb was like a pit bull. She was tenacious and no matter what Dex did, she didn't want to let her obsession with Hannah go.

Hannah stood in her nursery tending to her plants. Arlene Shram was sitting in one of the lawn chairs just outside of McKay's greenhouse.

Arlene commented, taking a drag off of her cigarette as she watched Hannah re-potting her plants, "So I guess that Dexter Morgan really came through for you."

"Yeah, his master plan got me free and clear of both charges."

"It's the least he could do after turning you in. So, you two are back together with a baby on the way, huh? How's that working out?" Shram questioned, after exhaling her smoke.

"Good, I guess. Dexter took me to my first check-up yesterday. The baby seems to be developing nicely. I think he's excited to be a daddy again." McKay answered back with a wide smile.

"Well at least he seems to want a baby, unlike Jake. What an asshole he was. I still have no idea what you saw in him." Arlene mentioned tapping her cigarette to remove the excess ash.

"One of the numerous mistakes in my life. And no, Dex is nothing like Jake. Are you doing okay? I'm glad we were finally able to meet up. The last time we spoke was when I was still held up in a shitty motel." Hannah inquired, changing the subject.

"I'm doing a hell of a lot better knowing that I'm not going to be slapped with charges for aiding and abetting a fugitive."

"See, it worked out like I promised you it would. We stick together, right?"

Arlene nodded before she instinctively turned around to look in the direction that she heard footsteps approaching. When she saw that it was that skanky cop, Debra Morgan, she immediately sat upright and looked over at Hannah.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I interrupt your little white trash get-together?" Debra asked with fake enthusiasm.

"Well, babe, I think I'm gonna go."

Arlene stood up and began to walk over to where Hannah was standing, now staring at her arch nemesis.

"Congrats again, keep in touch." She told McKay giving her a quick hug.

"Thanks, I'll text you."

As Shram went passed Debra, she flicked her cigarette bud at Deb's feet and rolled her eyes. Morgan scoffed and then moved forward to approach Hannah.

"I take it there's a reason you're here?" voiced McKay the second Lieutenant Morgan entered her greenhouse.

"Yeah, I'm here to tell you to stay the fuck away from my brother and my nephew or bad shit is going to find you." Threatened Deb as she leaned onto the wooden table in the center of the greenhouse.

Hannah couldn't help but chuckle at her empty threats. Had she really drove all the way over here just to say that to her? And did she forget the fact that she almost ended her life on Christmas Eve?

"I'm sorry that you missed Laguerta's funeral. It was a really nice service, but I understand why you wouldn't want to attend. That would be kind of awkward, wouldn't it?" McKay asked with a smirk.

Debra's lip quivered slightly. She was caught off guard by Hannah randomly bringing up Maria and the funeral while also hinting at the fact that she knew something about the circumstances surrounding her death.

"You're talking out of your ass." Morgan sneered, trying to shake off her mind games.

McKay shrugged her shoulders and then picked up a spray bottle before replying.

"You'd be surprised at what Dexter has told me. We don't have any secrets between us."

Deb instinctively began to shake, feeling the anger building inside of her. Her mind was going crazy with thoughts of her brother telling Hannah McKay all the deepest darkest secrets of their family's past. Would he really be dumb enough to do that?

"Dexter will always put me first! Harrison and I are his family! He turned you in after you tried to kill me, don't you fucking forget that!" Debra fired back after a brief pause.

Hannah seemed unfazed by her outburst as she began to calmly spray down her orchids with her sprayer.

"He didn't seem to put you first when you tried to attack me yesterday. You landed pretty hard when he threw you to the floor, did it hurt?" McKay fired back without blinking an eye. She shot Debra an icy stare as if to say that it was her turn to make a move in their game of verbal chess.

"Not as bad as it's going to hurt you when I bash your pretty fucking face in with my cast!" Morgan fired back holding up her casted left hand.

McKay retreated slightly, putting some distance between them as she sat the spray bottle on the table and took off her gardening gloves. She let out a sigh and brought her hand to her abdomen.

"Morning sickness can be unrelenting in the first trimester." McKay commented nonchalantly as she caressed her flat stomach. She then looked up at Debra to gage her reaction.

All the color in Deb's face completely drained in a matter of seconds. She felt like she had just been punched hard in the gut. There was no way this was real. It had to be a fabrication that Hannah had pulled out of her ass just to mess with her mind.

"That's fucking bullshit, you're not..."

Morgan couldn't even bring herself to say the word.

"Pregnant?" Hannah finished the sentence for her with a big grin on her face. "I'm about six weeks along. Dex didn't tell you? I guess you aren't as close as you thought you were."

Debra suddenly felt like the humidity in the greenhouse had risen exponentially. She wanted to run out of there, but she couldn't feel her legs. The glass walls of the greenhouse were closing in on her as she tried hard to keep it together in front of the woman she hated so much.

Hannah could see how badly Deb was taking the news and she was reveling in the fact that she had been the one to spill the beans about her pregnancy. It was no big surprise that Dexter had been putting it off for as long as he could. Hannah began to slowly walk toward Deb, the sinister smile still evident on her face.

"My how the tables have turned." McKay pointed out, swinging her head slightly to allow a blonde lock of hair to be swept away from her face.

"Do you really think that Dexter is going to choose his adoptive sister over the woman who's carrying his unborn child, his own flesh and blood?"

Her antagonizing words were like salt in an open wound. Deb managed to stumble out of the green house, only to fall to the ground as she began to get sick.

McKay sashayed over to her, silently observing Debra coughing and gagging. When it seemed to subside enough for her to catch her breath, Hannah was right there to speak to her:

"Are you okay, Deb? Can I get you something? A cold glass of water to wash some Xanax down?" chuckled McKay.

"You fucking bitch..." croaked Debra who was on the verge of tears.

"You can show yourself off my property." Hannah muttered while walking away.

Angel was sitting at his Sergeant desk when his cell phone began to vibrate. Without even looking to see who it was, he quickly answered the call.

"Sergeant Batista."

"Hey Sergeant, it's Nick Porter. I just wanted to touch base with you. I contacted the FBI and faxed them my credentials. They are sending me Maria's case files, basically everything she had collected on the Bay Harbor Butcher case before she was murdered."

"Esta bien, that's good. You should also try and speak with Tom Matthews. He worked closely with Maria right before she died. Maybe he can account for some of the details that led up to her being killed by Estrada."

"Is this Tom Matthews still employed at Miami Metro?"

"He's semi-retired. In fact, I think he's on vacation for the next couple of weeks. When he returns, he's going to be the acting Captain until we can figure out a successor for Maria."

"Well, I will definitely put him on my list of people to question. I'll get back to you if I turn up any leads when I sift through the Bay Harbor Butcher case file."

"Great, thank you." Angel responded before ending the call.

Even though Porter had only just started with his investigation into Laguerta's death, Batista was already feeling more at peace about it. Maria's funeral had been a beautiful remembrance of her, and now he was doing his best to glean answers despite the fact that the FBI had closed the case. She would know that she was not forgotten, at least not by him.

Dexter arrived home from work to an empty apartment. Jamie had left a note explaining that she and Harrison were at swimming lessons and were going to go get something to eat afterward. That worked out perfectly for him. After the day he had, he could use a little bit of solitude.

Brian: "It's a perfect evening to unwind and find your next kill. There's no time like the present."

His brother was seated at Dexter's desk. Moser opened the Apple laptop and clicked to open the login screen for the Miami Metro criminal database.

Morgan placed his work satchel on the floor next to the desk and took his brother's spot at the computer. A few strokes of the keyboard and he was logged into the criminal database.

Rapid knocking at his apartment door cut through the silence of the room. Dex arose quickly to see who was there. He peered out from behind the thin veiled curtain and saw that it was his sister. Brian joined his little brother to take in the view.

Brian: "Her again? She's like a case of herpes, you just can't seem to get rid of her."

The rapping was unrelenting until Dexter opened the door. There was his sister standing in his doorway. Her eyes were red and puffy. It was obvious that she was upset and had been crying for some time.

"Hannah's fucking pregnant?"

Dex let out a long sigh. He brought his hand up to his forehead as his eyes widened. He had not expected her to find out about the pregnancy, at least not until he figured out a way to tell her about it.

"I was going to tell you-"

"Really? When were you going to tell me? After she shit the kid out of her vag?" hollered Debra as she cut him off mid sentence.

Dexter just stood there. He didn't even know what to say in response to her rant. Maybe if he just said nothing then it would end quicker.

"How stupid can you be? You fuck her and you don't even think about wearing a condom? My God, Dex, if there's someone who should not be allowed to procreate, it's Hannah fucking McKay!"

"It's done, Deb. What do you want me to do about it?" He finally muttered back, getting quite annoyed by her rant about Hannah.

Debra shook her head in disgust. She was incensed by the fact that he had been so reckless and had allowed McKay to get pregnant by him. That had to be Hannah's game. She would definitely try and use a child as leverage. Other women who were less psycho had done it, why not her?

"You should tell her to get an abortion! Trust me, Dexter, you do not want her to have that power over you! This is going to ruin your-"

Dex snapped back, giving his sister a look of anger, "Hannah's not having an abortion!"

He was beyond pissed off at Debra for her even suggesting that Hannah should terminate her pregnancy. It was the same answer that Jake Kirkwood had decided on when McKay had told him about their pregnancy. Morgan had already told his lover numerous times that he was not like her dead husband, and now Deb wanted him to do the same.

His outburst caused Debra to pause for a moment. She brought her hands to the side of her head and pulled her hair back from her face before then continuing in a calmer tone of voice:

"Dex, this isn't like when Rita was pregnant with Harrison. This isn't June fucking Cleaver we are talking about here. She is a cold blooded killer."

"I'm a killer too, so what? What I do has no impact on me being a good father to Harrison. Hannah wants children. She wants a normal life and I want to give that to her."

"Two serial killers having their own demon spawn..." She scoffed before rolling her eyes.

"This is happening, Deb, with or without your approval. That's my unborn baby and I love it and Hannah. This is my life." He retorted with the utmost sincerity.

Dexter putting his foot down evoked tears from his sister. It was frustrating as hell. How could he not see the humongous mistake he was making? How could he not have the altitude to see what a train wreck this was going to be? She didn't know if she could stand by idle and watch it happen.

"I don't think I can accept that...I won't..." She muttered though her tears.

Dex let out a long frustrated sigh. He looked away from his sister's gaze, his eyes falling upon the picture of them on his desk. The photograph had been taken so long ago, back when Debra was still working vice and he was filling up his slide collection that he kept behind his air conditioning unit. Times were so much simpler then. Deb used to look up to him and would constantly want to get his advice as they dined on steaks and beer. It was before she found out who he really was. Now that Debra saw him, his full self, she was nothing but judgmental.

"Then maybe it's best if you weren't a part of my life anymore.." He muttered in a low voice before his eyes shifted back over to her.

Debra's eyes widened with shock. She couldn't believe that he was so willing to cut her out of his life just because she was looking out for his best interests regarding Hannah. How could he not see that? Why wasn't he thinking passed his dick? After everything she did for him. Hell, she killed for him. Deb compromised everything she had once held true about herself for Dexter. And now, he was willing to remove her from his life.

"Are you seriously fucking saying this to me right now?" Debra sobbed as she brought her hand to her chest.

Dex said nothing in return. He had no more words for her. There were a few more awkward moments between them as his sister just stood there crying. When she finally realized that he was not going to respond back to her, she stormed out of his apartment, slamming the door behind her.

Deb power walked through Dexter's apartment complex to her parked car. Once she got in, she began to lose her composure yet again. She cried into her hands, before letting her fingers stretch her face. God, she would give anything for a Xanax after the day she had. It was bad enough that she had a confrontation with McKay, but now this with her brother.

Lieutenant Morgan inhaled through her congestion. She let her head fall back onto the seat's head rest. She sat there for a moment; replaying the events of her day over again in her mind. Slowly, she brought her hand to her jean pocket and removed Nick Porter's business card. Her brown eyes fixated on his cell number.

"The past is in the past; the future is yet to be written."

Dexter entered the closet in his bedroom. Tucked away in the corner was a cardboard moving box. In it was the last of Rita's things. After getting rid of the house in the suburbs, he had gotten done away with all of Rita's belongings except for what remained in his closet. He pulled the box out into the light of the room and opened its flaps. The first thing he pulled out was a framed family photo. There he was with Rita and baby Harrison, and with them in the picture were Astor and Cody.

"Rita and the kids; they had entered my life as a cover for my darkness but eventually became more. The wife and kids in the suburbs was my elaborate charade that came crashing down courtesy of Arthur Mitchell."

Morgan set the framed photo aside before reaching further into the box. He removed a folded piece of cloth that once unraveled, revealed the engagement and wedding ring that he had given to his wife. Dexter remembered his decision to have the rings removed from Rita's finger after the viewing. At the time, he thought Astor would have wanted to keep them, but somehow they had ended up in the box. As he held the diamond engagement ring in his hand, he thought back to his decision to propose.

"I had recited someone else's words to convince Rita Bennett that I was capable of being a husband. My proposal had been no more than a regurgitation of a speech I had memorized. One given by a delusional woman after she killed a man that she had been obsessively in love with. I had only married Rita for appearances, because it was what everyone expected me to do after she found out she was pregnant."

Dex closed his hand, holding the rings tightly in his grasp while his thoughts drifted to his girlfriend:

"But Hannah is different. The thought of a future with her, a family, it doesn't feel at all like a cover. It's real. The life that I want to share with her does not contradict with who I am, but instead it adds. Her unwavering acceptance makes me feel like I am capable of so much more instead of how I only wished that I could be with Rita."

Dexter arrived at Hannah's residence. After first checking her backyard and the greenhouse, he entered through her open double doors at the back patio. Morgan found her in the kitchen. McKay looked up and smiled at him while she cut up herbs on her cutting board.

"Hey you, how was your day?" Hannah inquired.

"Not so great. Somehow Deb found out you're pregnant. She went on a complete verbal rampage." Dex muttered, keeping his hands in his pockets as he leaned in the frame of the hallway.

"She showed up at my greenhouse earlier today. You should have heard her threatening me, saying that you would always put her first. It just came out, I couldn't help it." McKay admitted placing a hand on her hip.

"Her finding out was bound to happen sooner or later. Deb is completely against us having a baby. She thinks it will be a huge mistake if we bring a child into the world..."

Hannah looked concerned. Her hands instinctively found her abdomen and held it. She bit her bottom lip and studied her love's face. She couldn't help but wonder if Dexter was buying any of the bullshit that Debra had told him.

"What did you tell her? Do you agree with her?" McKay questioned, her voice sounding a bit shaky due to her nerves. It would not be the first time that Dexter had hurt their relationship for the sake of his foster sister. She was hoping that he wasn't about to ask her to give up her baby like Jake had done.

"I told her that we were having our baby and nothing she could do or say would change that. I made it clear to her that I didn't want her in my life if she couldn't accept this." He replied, while he slowly made his way over to his girlfriend and placed his hand over hers on her abdomen.

All of McKay's fears fell away as she let out a content sigh. She then brought her hands to his face and pulled him into a soft kiss.

"I want to ask you something." Dexter said in a whisper a moment after their kiss broke. He brought his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.

"Okay." breathed Hannah, waiting for him to continue.

Morgan didn't speak, instead he brought his right hand to his pocket. Hannah pulled away from him slightly so that she could see what he was doing. Her blue eyes widened when she saw a diamond ring in his hand.

"Dexter, is that what I think it is?" She questioned, with a hint of excitement in her voice. The possibility of a proposal made her heart skip a beat.

He chuckled and flashed a smile. There was a moment of silence between them while he tried to figure out how he was going to say this. There was no rehearsed speech for him to use. This was authentic. McKay was patient and allowed him time to explain himself.

"You know that you're the only person in the world that I don't have to hide anything from..." He began, saying the same words that day that he came to see her in jail.

Tears of joy began to form in McKay's eyes making them sparkle as she nodded in agreement. Her heart was beating so fast. She couldn't wait to hear him say the words, especially because she knew he would do so in his own way.

"For the first time in my life, I feel like I am capable of having it all without having to sacrifice who I really am. I know that you want that too."

"You're right, we want the same thing." She agreed, wiping a tear away when it fell down her face.

"I want you to be my wife, not just the mother of my children. I want to grow old with you...Will you marry me?" Dexter asked in a whisper as he held the ring out to her.

"Yes.." McKay breathed.

She then allowed him to slip the engagement ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit, just like them. Once the diamond ring was in place on her hand, they rushed into a sultry kiss. When the kiss ended, Morgan pulled his fiancée into his arms for a loving embrace. They were going to have the life that they wanted; and no one, not even Deb, would stand in their way.