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 8: Till Death Do Us Part
Dexter Morgan was out of his element. He was riding shotgun in Quinn's Cadillac with both Batista and Masuka sitting behind him.
"Four guys driving off into the night, bound for a promised destination. A bachelor party is suppose to be the prospective groom's last night of freedom. Unfortunately, hanging out with my Miami Metro cop buddies isn't what a call freedom."
Joey commented from the driver seat, "Tonight's the night, Dex. We are en route to the Blue Martini club, it's where you said you wanted to go to let loose before your big day tomorrow."
Vince laughed as he raised his eyebrows up and down to show his excitement, "That club is hot. The drinks flow like water and the tits and ass come at you in waves. Best of all, there's no hands off policy. You can put your hands anywhere you want. And I do mean anywhere, huhuhuhuh."
"Quinn is right, tonight is the night. While the guys enjoy the club scene, I will be stalking my prey. Yes, I will be getting lucky, but it will be when I put that special someone on my kill table."
When the foursome arrived, they wasted no time making their way over to the bar to order drinks. Morgan sat on one of the stools and surveyed the nightlife around him. His eyes were tracking those in attendance. He focused intently when he saw his target: a white male in his late mid thirties who seemed preoccupied with trying to pick up a much younger girl.
"Scott Tanner- attending his favorite after work night spot, right on schedule. A hotshot businessman who likes to flash his cash in order to do more than just impress women. Tonight marks the one year anniversary of his pregnant girlfriend's death, yet he's out partying like it's any other Friday night."
Batista made an announcement to the bartender and surrounding club goers as he gave his friend a swift pat on the back, "This guy right here is getting married tomorrow! All of his drinks are on me!"
"Thanks, Angel! I appreciate it!" Morgan hollered back in order to be heard over the loud music.
"You're welcome. It's the least I can do. I can't tell you how honored I am that you asked me to be your best man tomorrow." Batista explained leaning in closer to Dex so that he wouldn't have to shout.
Masuka barely had a drink in his hand before he strayed away from the group in order to hit on some of the ladies on the dance floor. When it was Joey and Angel who remained with him at the bar, Dexter responded to Batista's comment about being best man:
"Well, it was down to you two as Vince is...well, Vince. Hannah made Jamie her maid of honor so I figured that Quinn would want to opt out of being a part of the wedding party."
Mention of Jamie made Angel scowl over at Quinn who was purposely avoiding eye contact with him. Joey's break up with Jamie had never really been discussed between them, but Angel made it pretty clear where he stood on the issue.
In an attempt to escape from the awkward moment, Joey left his seat at the bar with the intention of checking on his and Masuka's surprise for Dexter. It was before Quinn was able to ask about when the stripper was going to give his friend a lap dance that a big busted redhead approached him.
"Hey, want a dance?" She offered with a smile, gently caressing his arm.
"No, thanks, um, I sort of with someone, like in a relationship. She's kind of my girlfriend even though we haven't officially said we were seeing each other exclusively." Joey replied back, fumbling with his words as he moved away from the woman's advances.
The dancer looked a bit confused by his rambling and decided to move on without question. Quinn let out a sigh and shook his head. He sounded pathetic trying to explain to others that he was loyal to a Debra who refused to put a label on their series of weekly sexual encounters.
It turned out that Masuka had already tipped off one of the exotic dancers that the bachelor had arrived. Joey joined up with them as they made their way over to where Dex was still sitting with his beer at the bar.
"It's time for your lap dance, dude! This is Cherry and she's going to give you the best private dance you've ever fucking had!" Masuka announced to Morgan as he had the dancer do a quick twirl around in place.
"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm good sitting here." Dexter replied giving a weak smile before taking a drink of his beer.
Joey was encouraging, raising his voice over the loud base of the music as he spoke to his co-worker, "Fuck no, man! You need a dance! You're getting married tomorrow, live a little!"
Morgan let out a frustrated sigh, his eyes strayed to the other side of the club where he noticed that his target was being led to the lounge by a stripper. He needed to keep him in his sights. Reluctantly, Dexter rose to his feet and accepted the stripper's invitation for a lap dance. She instructed that he follow her. Once they were in the VIP lounge, he was told to have a seat. The dancer began her routine, straddling Dexter as she began to dance and gyrate over him.
Dex's complete attention was on Scott who was sitting only a few feet away at the other side of the lounge. As the minutes ticked by, his mind was going over the plan that he had devised. Dexter needed to get Mr. Tanner back to the kill room that he already set up in an abandoned office building.
The exotic dancer began to realize that her client's mind was elsewhere as he did not even blink when she tried putting her busty chest close to his face. She voiced her disapproval upon bringing the dance to a premature end:
"What's wrong, baby? You don't like women? Are guys more your thing?"
Her words caused Dexter to slowly turn his head until he was finally looking at her. His brown eyes looked like they were staring right through her.
"Get off.." He growled when he noticed that Scott was leaving the lounge from the corner of his eye.
"Asshole..." muttered Cherry after she was pushed aside so that Morgan could get to his feet and follow after his target.
Everything was working out as planned. Tanner was leaving the club right on schedule and Dexter was able to expertly navigate his way through the crowded club without being spotted by his gentlemen company. Dex continued on into the parking lot, staying far enough behind Scott so that he would not notice that he was being tailed. He donned his leather gloves while keeping a safe distance from his target. The lot was packed with cars, yet there didn't seem to be anyone out there with them, either leaving or arriving. Morgan had done his homework, no security cameras were monitoring the lot, barring someone passing by, he was free to strike.
It was when Tanner arrived at his silver Porsche that Dexter approached him. The moment Scott reached for his door handle was when Dex plunged the needle of his neck. The sedative worked instantly, and Dex treated his unconscious prey like he was a drunk friend who he was helping into the passenger seat of the sports car.
"Off we go into the night, the kill room awaits. A text message sent out to the guys to tell them that I treated myself to a cab ride home after an awkward lap dance will be my excuse for disappearing at my own bachelor party. There is much more fun to be had with my new playmate."
The snap of the smelling salts ampule under Scott Tanner's nose caused him to jolt back to consciousness. He was wide eyed, trying his best to look around at his surroundings as he laid bound to a table, clear plastic wrapped around his body.
"Where am I? What's going on? Help! Somebody help me!"
"Nobody's here to help you, Scott. It's just you and me in the kill room I prepared just for you. I thought an empty office building would be an appropriate location for you to meet your end." Dexter calmly explained, his gloved fingers gently gliding over his shiny kill tools.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Tanner questioned nervously as he tried his best to try and break free from the plastic.
Morgan was wearing his usual kill clothing, complete with his black smock. He turned back around and approached the table, a large knife in his right hand.
"Why did you kill Emily?" Dexter asked in a low voice.
"What? What are you talking about? I didn't kill anybody."
His response caused Dex to lunge forward and bring his knife blade to Scott's neck.
"You're lying to me! Tell me about Emily!"
"Okay, okay, she was my girlfriend! She-she died in a car accident about a year ago! It wasn't my fault! I was cleared in the investigation, it was an accident, for Christ sakes!"
"That's a good cover story. Making it look like a car accident and using your pull in Miami to have to truth buried in paperwork. It allowed you to allude the police. Miami Metro may not know what really happened to Emily, but I do. The bruising around her neck was not caused by her seat belt during the car accident, but by your hands as you strangled the life out of her."
"Who are you? Look, maybe we can work something out. I have over a million dollars in a bank account in the Caymans, with one phone call I can-"
"I don't want your money!"
"T-then what do you want from me? I'll do anything just please let me go." Scott pleaded as tears began to form in his eyes. He was starting to become very worried when suddenly his money and status was not going to save him.
"I want you to tell me why. Why did you kill the woman who loved you and was carrying your unborn child?"
"She was trying to trap me! I told her I didn't want a kid the minute she told me she was pregnant! She wouldn't listen! I told her to get an abortion but she refused! If I just left her she would have stuck me with child support! What was I suppose to do?"
Morgan let out a low growl. His face formed a look of disdain as he listened to Tanner's explanation of why he chose to do away with his pregnant girlfriend. Had this been Jake Kirkwood's mindset when it came to Hannah and their pregnancy? What if Hannah had been Emily?
"You disgust me! I may be a killer, but never Hannah, never our unborn child!"
As Dexter voiced his anger, he brought the point of the knife blade down into the table only inches away from Scott's head, causing him to cower with fear.
"W-who's Hannah? Please, please, just let me go! I'll leave Miami, you'll never see me again!"
"Oh, you will be leaving Miami, Scott; in five or six hefty bags that I'll drop right into the ocean. You'll be swept away by the gulf stream never to be seen again." Dex replied in a composed voice as he smiled slightly thinking about his body disposing ritual.
"You'll never get away with it! I'm a high profile guy, there's going to be an investigation if I disappear!"
Tanner was doing his best to try and talk his way out of the situation. He thought that reasoning with his captor would be a way to talk him out of it. Unfortunately for Scott, he did not know Dexter Morgan and his need. This back and forth dialogue was all just a kind of foreplay leading up to the inevitable kill.
"I think I'll take my chances..." Morgan muttered pulling his knife from the kill table as he moved back to where his tools were laid out. He eyed one of the bigger meat cleavers and then slowly removed it from his black canvas knife kit before continuing:
"I'm doing the world a service by ridding it of you: a murderer of an innocent woman who's only mistake was loving you and wanting to give you a family. I'm going to savor this. It's the perfect gift I could give myself on the eve of my wedding to Hannah."
Dexter's words caused Tanner to become agitated as the reality of what was going to happen to him was finally beginning to set in. The fact that the business tycoon had no control in the matter set a wave of anger rushing over him.
"Fuck you and your knocked up whore!" Scott screamed when Dexter was again standing over him.
His outburst lit a fuse in Dexter's lizard brain that caused him to react immediately. He grabbed Tanner by his neck with his right hand. Morgan squeezed with all his might. Tanner's eyes began to glaze over with tears. This was how Scott's pregnant girlfriend felt before she died and now Tanner was experiencing it firsthand. As Scott gasped for air, his tongue to protrude from his mouth. Dexter immediately let go of his throat and grabbed hold of it, stretching it out, before swiftly bringing the cleaver down on it, detaching it cleanly. Tanner howled in pain as the blood instantly began to gush from the wound.
"Say disparaging things about my soon-to-be wife makes you lose a tongue." Morgan sneered as he held up the bloody piece of flesh before tossing it to the plastic covered floor. He was still shaking in anger in response to Tanner's words.
Scott was crying and whimpering in pain now. A steady stream of red flowed from his mouth and down the side of his neck. He began to cough, his body keeping him from aspirating on the blood.
"I think this ends our little dialogue." Dexter muttered with an sinister smirk.
He reached over to grab his roll of duck tape and used a strip of it to cover Tanner's bloody mouth. Scott's eyes widened, he swallowed a few times, trying to keep himself from drowning in his own blood while he breathed hard through his nose.
"I'm going to cut you up, piece by piece..." Morgan vowed with a look of disdain. He moved the bloody cleaver through the air, over the length of Tanner's body.
And then Dexter Morgan commenced with doing just as he promised. He started with the hands and feet. Tanner had a few minutes of muffled screams before he passed out from the overwhelming pain and blood loss. Dexter worked on, sectioning off the body, piece by piece until all that was left to do was put the clean butchered sections into his hefty bags. With the body taken care of, all that remained was the dismantling of the kill room, which he did quickly but efficiently.
The night boat ride out to sea was as calming and tranquil as it ever was. After dumping each one of the bags overboard, he took a moment for himself and sat in silence. He pulled out a bottle of beer from his small cooler and noticed Brian was already sitting on the edge of the Slice of Life with a cold one of his own.
Brian: "Things got a little brutal back there, didn't they, little brother. I didn't know that you liked making your victims suffer."
"He wasn't a victim. His girlfriend and unborn baby were the victims. He was subhuman, a piece of trash that I thoroughly enjoyed decimating. I really wish I could have kept a blood slide, this was one kill I never want to forget."
Dexter's focus quickly shifted to his cell phone that vibrated to signal an incoming text message. He pulled out his iPhone and checked its display. He smiled when he saw that the text was from Hannah:
'Hope ur having fun tonight. ;) I'm excited for tomorrow! Love u xoxox'
The message caused his grin to widen as he brought his thumbs to the screen. The meaning behind the winky face was not lost on him. She knew about the kill he had planned. It was their secret, an inside joke between the two of them. The first of many. He paused for a moment before texting her back:
'Fun times.. ;) Love u too'
Brian: "Any doubts about going through with it tomorrow? This will be wife number two, and we both know what happened to wife number one."
Dex slipped his smart phone back into his cargo pants pocket before responding:
"None, this marriage will be completely different: honest and open. Rita Bennett was naive, I purposely kept her in the dark about who I really was. But what kept her safe was what killed her. She had no idea Trinity was after me. I tell Hannah everything, because she can handle it. She can take care of herself and our children."
His little brother's reasoning compelled Moser to take a long swig of his beer, after which he had a smart ass comment to answer back complete with a smirk.
Brian: "A match made in heaven?"
Dexter and Brian both began to chuckle. Morgan's bachelor's night out had been what he would consider a success; a stalk and kill, followed by some quiet time out on his boat with his big brother.
Quinn let out a grunt. His eyes squinting from the light of the new day that filled the bedroom. His head was killing him, obviously a result of the many drinks he had consumed at the club the night before. Letting out another groan, Joey rolled over onto his back and took notice of the fact that he and Deb were both naked and in bed together, her bed, to be exact.
After partying hard with the guys, he had been drawn to Lieutenant Morgan's beach abode for a late night romp. She had seemed to be having her own little party before he got there, and the two of them had made sloppy, drunk sex that he could only vaguely remember. It had become a normal thing for them; late night sex without any strings attached, no labels. It was how Deb wanted it.
Joey reached for his gold plated Rolex watch that was sitting on the nightstand. An obscenity escaped his mouth when he saw that he only had an hour to get to Dexter's wedding. Those ceremonies were hard enough to get through, but add a pounding headache and it spelled nightmare.
Deb croaked the minute he tried to slide out of the bed, "Where the fuck are you going?"
"Your brother's wedding. It starts in an hour and I still have to go home and get ready. Are you really sure that you don't want to go? I mean, it's your brother."
"I rather stick needles in my fucking eyes. I'm going back to sleep." She quickly replied before turning her back to him, closing her eyes.
"What's going on between you two? You guys never talk anymore and when you are around each other, you seem to go out of your way to ignore him." Joey pointed out as he quickly began to put his clothes on from the night before.
Quinn's inquiry into the her strained relationship with her brother made it impossible for her to attempt to try and drift off back to sleep. He was bringing up the one subject she had been trying so hard to avoid in the past few weeks. Why did he always want to talk about everything? He was like a woman that just happened to have a dick.
"Just stay out of it Joey, it's really none of your business. The last thing I want to do is talk about Dexter with you. Just get dressed and leave." Lt. Morgan replied with a bit of venom in her voice.
Quinn kept his eyes on her while he finished dressing. He watched as she found her prescription bottle of Xanax on her bedside table.
"How long are you suppose to be taking those? I thought they were for your broken wrist. The cast has been off for weeks now, don't you think it's time you stopped taking the pills?"
"Motherfucker.." muttered Debra after she popped two pills into her mouth. She chewed them and swallowed before then responding back to him. "I was prescribed these pills to help me cope with all the bullshit that comes at me in waves every single fucking day. Why do you want to add to it, Joey?"
"I'm sorry, I don't want to, Deb. It's just that I'm worried about you. You've been drinking a lot lately too and it's starting to affect your work. You show up late just about every day."
"You're going to talk to me about my drinking habits, really? Pot meet fucking kettle!"
"Deb, it's just-"
"Jesus Christ, will you just go? I'm done talking about all of this!" She hollered, cutting him off before he could explain why he was concerned about her.
Quinn realized that there was no reasoning with her and honored her request. The fact that he was already running late did not help the situation either. The subject could be brought up another time. The important thing was that his inquiry would resurface again soon. Joey wasn't going to let Deb get off that easily.
Dexter stood in front of the mirror in his apartment's bedroom. Carefully, he pinned a rose boutonniere to the lapel of his black tuxedo coat. The tuxedo's vest was a crimson red with a matching bow tie. The wedding colors black and red, how fitting. Brian appeared next to his brother wearing the groomsmen attire of a traditional black tux.
Brian: "We're looking good, little brother. It's getting close to showtime. Do you have rings?"
"Yeah, everything is all set, Hannah and Jamie did all the planning, I just showed up to the fitting and the rehearsal. Do you think it's weird that I'm giving Hannah the engagement and wedding rings that I gave to Rita?"
Moser was busy fixing his black bow tie while Dexter stood there waiting for his brother's response.
Brian: "I don't know if I'm the right person to ask. I gave Debra a dead hooker's ring when I 'proposed' to her."
Morgan's attention immediately shifted when Jamie entered the room with Harrison. She was wearing her elegant black bride's maid dress. Harrison wore his little groomsmen tuxedo as he was going to be Daddy and Hannah's ring bearer.
"Hey Dex, are we all ready to go? We don't want to be late." Jamie announced doing her best to fix the three year old's bow tie as he fidgeted.
"All set, let's head out." Dexter replied with a smile before bending down to pick up his son, "Come on, buddy, let's go make Hannah officially part of our family."
"It's too bad Astor and Cody aren't going to be there, though, it might be hard on them knowing that their stepfather has moved on and is getting remarried."
"That's what I thought. Harrison's birthday is just months away, I'm sure they will come to visit then and I'll introduce Hannah to them."
The nanny smiled and simply nodded in agreement. She was not going to question her boss' decision to not include his step-children in his wedding. Morgan had already done so much for her. He was gracious enough to let her take his apartment after he and Hannah tie the knot. It was really going to work out best for everyone: Little Harrison was going to get to live in a home with both a mother and father and Jamie was going to get quite a nice bachelorette pad.
Tom Matthews was dressed in one of his fresh pressed suits and was stepping lively as he made his way over to his automobile. Once inside, he turned over his engine and attempted to back the car out of his driveway.
"What the fuck?" He said aloud when a Bentley suddenly pulled in his intended path.
Nick Porter stepped out of his luxury sedan and approached Matthews who was getting out of his car to give him a piece of his mind.
"What the hell are you doing? I could have hit you. You're blocking my driveway and I have somewhere to be." Tom immediately said when Porter came over to him.
"I'm sorry about that. It's Tom Matthews, right? Former Deputy Chief?"
"That's right, what do you want?" Tom asked, quite annoyed by being held up.
"You're a hard guy to get a hold of. How was the vacation?"
"Just peachy, look just come out with what you want. My late friend's son is getting married and I don't want to be late to the ceremony."
Nick chuckled, shifting his weight one foot to another before he extended his hand to formally introduce himself.
"I'm Nick Porter, a private investigator hired by Sergeant Angel Batista. I'm looking into the death of Captain Maria Laguerta. I was informed that you worked with Maria on the Bay Harbor Butcher case just before her death. Do you mind if I ask you some questions? Get a statement?"
Tom rolled his eyes before crossing his arms in front of his chest and glancing at his watch. This hotshot investigator sure had a knack for pissing him off. From beginning to end, Laguerta and the Bay Harbor Butcher case had been nothing but a headache for him. Why was he having to relive it now?
"Jesus Christ, Batista needs to let it go. There's nothing to investigate. Maria Laguerta was mucho loco. She was in complete denial over the fact that her former co-worker and lover, Sergeant James Doakes, was the Bay Harbor Butcher. Before her death, she went as far as to try and plant evidence to frame Dexter Morgan. As I see it, Estrada put her out of her misery. She had already committed career suicide because of her obsession. There's your statement, now kindly move your car so I can leave."
Matthews went to turn his back on Nick so that he could get back into his car, but Porter persisted, coming back with another question:
"So this guy, Dexter Morgan? Laguerta's files stated that Estrada had been responsible for the death of Morgan's biological mother, Laura Moser. Dexter is a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro, somewhat of an expert when it comes to crime scenes. Is that accurate?"
Nick's words caused Matthews to slowly turn back around to face him. He wore a look of sincerity that only intensified when he closed the distance between himself and the young P.I. He held a finger out before beginning to speak:
"You leave Dexter out of this. He's been through enough and is finally getting his personal life back on track. I promised his father, Harry, that I'd look after him and Debra. I won't let you drag either of them into this nonsense. Go back to your client and tell him that investigating a closed case is a waste of your time and resources."
"Well, thanks for your time. I'll let you be on your way. Nice meeting you." Nick conceded, retreating back to his Bentley. The minute he moved his car, Tom sped out in reverse. Once in the road, he quickly shifted to drive and accelerated off.
The Hannah-Flora Nursery garden was the setting of Dexter and Hannah's small, intimate wedding ceremony. There was a short guest list invited to the event: the Miami Metro Homicide division and Tom Matthews. The obvious absence was Debra. The fact that she was M.I.A to her own brother's wedding had a number of the guests whispering among themselves. It was no secret to anyone that Dexter and his sister were on the outs, but no one knew the reason why.
Dexter stood to the left of the priest, Angel was at his side in his groomsmen tuxedo minus his signature fedora. Padre Miguel Flores was a close friend of Angel's and had agreed to marry Morgan and McKay without any of the traditional hoops couples had to jump through before being able to marry; Batista's gift to the couple.
"Dex, you disappeared from the club last night. The guys and I were kind of worried about you. The text message you sent all of us was weird." Batista whispered close to Morgan's ear.
"Sorry, between the liquor and the lap dance, I wasn't feeling well. I decided to opt out. I took a cab home." Morgan quickly replied, not missing a beat when it came to giving an excuse for his disappearance.
Angel gave a smile and nodded, seemingly having bought into the lie that Dexter had spun for him.
"If he only knew my real bachelor party had consisted of. If Angel saw the real me, then he would have surely step down from the duties of best man."
Morgan then noticed groomsmen Brian standing between him and the Sergeant.
Brian: "You know that I'm the unofficial best man, right?"
"Of course you are. At least one of my siblings is here today. Deb stood up for me when I married Rita and now I can't even get to her attend my wedding to Hannah."
Brian: "That doesn't matter. Your last wedding was nothing more than a charade. This is the real deal, and you have your real family by your side."
The hired string quartet began to play Canon D as Jamie was the first to come down the aisle. She took her spot opposite her brother. Harrison was then instructed to walk down the aisle way carrying the ring pillow just like he had practiced at the rehearsal. He was all smiles and even waved at his daddy as he got closer.
The music ceased for a moment before Wagner's Bridal Chorus broke the silence. The bridal theme signaled that it was time for the guests to get to their feet. They looked in the direction of where the bride was going to make her appearance.
And then Dexter saw her. Hannah was in a flowing crimson red wedding dress. She held a bouquet of spotted phalaenopsis orchids in her hands while she slowly marched toward him, in time with the quartet. Her beautiful blonde hair was pinned in an elegant updo that was complete with a small white veil on the back of her head.
Brian: "Not the traditional white wedding dress, huh?"
"We're definitely not the traditional bride and groom."
Morgan's brown eyes focused intently on his love. His lips parted slightly as he stood there in awe of her radiance.
"She's perfect. A vision in red. The most beautiful living being I've ever laid eyes on. This union is real. No feelings of obligation and responsibility, just the jubilation of becoming one."
Brian: "You're killing me, Dexter. You sound like the narrator of a Lifetime movie."
Moser let out a long exaggerated sigh while his little brother was mesmerized by his bride to be. McKay smiled at him. When she approached, she handed off her orchid bouquet to Jamie. Harrison quickly moved from his spot so that he could hug Hannah's legs. The guest let out an 'awe' in unison. McKay's smile widened because of the child, and it was Jamie who ushered the three year old back in place. The quartet brought their music to a close and Dexter took Hannah's hands in his.
Dexter and Hannah gazed into each others' eyes when the priest began the ceremony. Neither one of them were paying any mind to his religious reciting that preceded the part where they would say their wedding vows and be pronounced husband and wife. The reference to their marriage being a 'holy union that had been ordained by God himself' did make the both of them grin like they were going to start snickering. If only Father Flores knew that he was marrying two serial killers in the presence of about a half dozen police officers.
McKay couldn't help sucking in her breath when it was asked if anyone knew a reason why they should not be wedded. She was half expecting Debra to come charging in to stop them, but the moment passed without interruption.
"Hold up the rings for Daddy." Jamie whispered to Harrison as she bent down beside him.
The child held up the pillow with both arms stretched as high up as he could over his head. Morgan smiled at his son and removed both rings.
"Hannah, from the first moment I saw you right here in your garden, I knew that you were different from all the others before you. You've proven that you know me better than I know myself. We've had our trials and tribulations, but we've endured, and now we're a stronger couple in spite of it all. I promise to always put you and our children first. You can count on me to be the husband you deserve as we create our own Argentina together."
McKay's eyes were filled with tears while she allowed Dexter to place the wedding ring on her finger. His vows were perfect; encapsulating the span of their relationship from their first meeting to where they were now. She sniffled a few times before it was her turn to speak to him.
"Dexter, you're everything I ever wanted and more. You've given me the real life fairy tale that I've dreamed of since I was a little girl in Clopton, Alabama. I will stand by you, in life and death. I vow to be the best wife and mother that I can be as we face the future together. "
Debra approached the front of Hannah's property. By the time she followed the white picket fence toward the garden, she was able to see the ceremony from afar. Her eyes fixated on the bride and groom. She watched intently as Hannah slipped a wedding band on her brother's finger. Debra breathed sharply when she witnessed Dexter and Hannah's first kiss as husband and wife. Her eyebrows furrowed . She felt like she was going to be sick to her stomach. The wedding guests were now standing, applauding their union like it was something to celebrate.
"Dexter and Hannah Morgan!" Angel announced causing the applause to continue.
Dex grabbed Hannah's hand in his and raised it as they both smiled at their guests who kept the round of applause going as the quartet began to play the Wedding March.
Deb was seething. Hannah fucking Morgan. The thought of having to share a surname with that woman drove Debra completely up the wall. Her father would be rolling over in his grave if he knew that their family name had just been given to a cold blooded killer, the complete opposite of what her father had stood for.
What was she doing there? Deb had to ask herself that question over and over again as she just stood in place. She was an outsider looking in on the wedding party. Why didn't she stay home? She could have taken enough beer and Alprazolam to put her into a coma for the rest of the weekend. Perhaps she was just a glutton for punishment; a part of her needed to see her brother actually go through with it, and he had.
Deb couldn't bring herself to proceed forward. She was preoccupied with watching Dexter and Hannah posing for wedding photos which eventually included Harrison. One big happy fucking family that didn't include her. McKay had won. She had successfully taken the only family in the world that Debra had left.
"There's Aunt Deb!" Harrison piped from where he sat on his stepmother's hip. He pointed out across the backyard to where he could see his aunt in the distance.
Dexter and Hannah both looked out to where the three year old was pointing. They then exchanged a look without saying a word. Neither of them knew how long Debra had been standing there as a voyeur. She looked disheveled, wearing wrinkled Miami Metro t-shirt and pair of sweatpants. Her brown hair was uncombed and crimped in the back. She looked like she had just rolled out of bed.
They also did not know what she was planning to do. Was Debra going to be civil or would so go off half cocked in any minute? She was like a loaded gun, unpredictable. Dex was beginning to wonder if it would be best for him to approach her, but before he could make a decision, she began to move toward them.
"Here we go, get ready for the fireworks." Hannah commented, shifting Harrison to her other hip.
Dexter instinctively moved to position himself in front of his new wife in case his sister decided to make a beeline for her. To his surprised, Debra came to a halt only a few feet away. She shot her brother a look of disappointment before turning her attention to all the happy wedding guests who were carrying on with their conversations. Deb's eyes fell upon a tray of filled champagne glasses that sat on one of the tables. She grabbed one of them and raised in the air before speaking up:
"Hey! As sister of the groom I get to make a fucking toast!"
Debra's hollering caused the reception to come screeching to a standstill. The guests all looked in her direction. Her fellow officers were a bit shocked by her late arrival and her peculiar demeanor. They stood there quietly and allowed her to continue.
"Here's to you, Dexter! I hope you and your killer wife are as happy as pigs in shit! Fucking match made in hell! I can't believe you people are here celebrating with them! There's probably fucking aconite in every one of these glasses!" She ranted, before angrily tossing the champagne glass to the floor.
It was Tom Matthews who first reacted aloud to her erratic behavior:
"Jesus Christ, she's drunk. What an embarrassment..Someone get her out of here." Matthews commented aloud before throwing back his shot of whiskey that he had just received at the open bar.
It was Joey who quickly moved to confront his lover before she could continue to make a scene in front of her colleagues.
"Deb, come on, let's get you home. You had too much to drink and you're not yourself. You aren't thinking clearly." Quinn told her as he attempted to lead her away.
"No, I'm not the one who needs to leave! She does!" screamed Deb, pulling away from him, as she pointed her finger directly at the bride.
Hannah was wide eyed, her mouth ajar in utter shock by Debra's off the wall behavior. The newly pronounced Mrs. Morgan really knew how to play the innocent. There were so many things that she could say to retaliate against her new sister-in-law, but she had enough tact to allow Deb to come off as a nutcase. No one was going to take her seriously. Dexter knew this too. He was choosing to go the same route that Hannah had decided on. It was best for them to let Deb carry on. Harrison had hid his face in Hannah's chest the minute his aunt had raised her voice. The couple placed hands on both of the boy's ears to shield him from hearing Deb's disparaging words.
Debra continued on, "She belongs in an orange jumpsuit behind a cell door! None of you even care about what she's capable of! She killed her last husband for fuck's sake! She's-"
"Quinn!" Dexter shouted, cutting off his sister's verbal onslaught, "Get her out of here now!"
Dexter had seen and heard enough from his sister. He didn't like seeing her like this. Deb was so stubborn. She absolutely refused to accept the fact that Hannah was now a permanent fixture in his life. Several weeks had passed since she had found out about the pregnancy and decided not to be a part of his life anymore. Still, she couldn't stay away. He and Harrison were the only family she had. This was a new low for Deb; the whole homicide division witnessing her decompensating. The fallout from this could very well have some serious repercussions to her reputation and her position as Lieutenant. Dexter didn't want that for her.
Joey used his strength to lift Debra off her feet. He placed her across his shoulder and began to carry her off of Hannah's property with her kicking and screaming at him the entire way.
"Let me go, Joey, I mean it!" Deb hollered as they reached the sidewalk out in front of Hannah's house. It was then that he put her back on her feet next to her unmarked car.
"You fucking fucktard, keep your fucking hands off of me!" She screamed while hitting Joey over and over again with her fists.
"Do you see yourself? You are completely out of control! You'll be lucky if the interim Captain Matthews doesn't suspend you because of your fucking public intoxication!" He yelled back at her, grabbing hold of her hands so that she could no longer hit him.
"Fuck him and fuck you! I don't give a shit about my job anymore!"
"Deb!" He hollered back as he grabbed hold of her arms and shook her a few times, "What is wrong with you? Tell me! You're falling apart with the constant booze and the pills! What's really going on here?"
"Get off of me! Let go!"
Debra pulled away from Quinn with such force that she fell to the cement sidewalk, slightly abrading the palm of her hand upon impact.
"Fuck..me..." She hissed threw gritted teeth as she examined her hand.
"So what is it, huh? Talk to me! I'm here for you!"
"Well you shouldn't be, Joey. I'm no good for you. You should try and patch things up with Jamie." She muttered back while she slowly got to her feet.
"No, what are you talking about? I don't want to go back with Jamie, I left her so we could be together. Deb...I love you." Quinn proclaimed, putting his heart completely on his sleeve.
Debra let out a pressured sigh. She brought her hands up to her head and dug her nails into her scalp before she replied back.
"You need to get a fucking life, Joey. Just get a real life with a girlfriend who will care about you and take care of you. Get as far away from me as possible because I'm broken. I'm broken beyond repair and if you stay with me I will drag you down right along with me." Deb told him with tears in her eyes.
"I have a life. I put everything into on the idea of us having a real future together! I see things for us that I could never see when I was with Jamie. That's why I left her for you."
"Well that was a really stupid decision on your part. Come on, Quinn, we did the fuck buddy thing for a second time and now it's time to end it for good." Debra muttered in a low voice as she folded her arms in front of her chest.
Tears sparkled in Joey's eyes. He blinked a few times causing them to cascade down his face. He was devastated. This was the second time that Debra had pulled the rug out from under him, dumping him. He had barely come back from her rejection of his wedding proposal, and now she was cutting him out of her life as if he meant nothing more to her than someone to get off with.
"Deb..." He croaked as she began to walk into the street so that she could get into her car.
"I'm sorry, Joey. I just can't." Debra replied back before getting in her car and driving off.
In the wake of Debra making a scene at the reception, the festivities were able to be resumed. That wasn't to say that Lieutenant Morgan's outburst had not become the main topic of conversation among her colleagues.
Masuka was particularly disappointed that Deb and Hannah had not gotten into it:
"Admit it, guys, you would have paid to see Hannah and Deb go at it. You know, get nasty, rip each other's clothes off-"
Angel replied cutting off Masuka before he could finish saying his nasty thought, "That's not funny. Deb was really upset."
"Oh come on, Angel, no heterosexual man can deny that they would jump at the chance to get in the middle of a catfight between those two. Literally, to be smashed between them; two sets of titties smothering my face: like dual twin engines, double motor boat. I don't think I'd ever want to come up for air. Huhuhuhuhuhuh."
Vince Masuka's laughing was cut short when he noticed that Father Flores was standing behind him and had overheard his perverted comments.
"Um, I'm just going to go get a drink." Masuka quickly added before getting away from the situation as fast as he could.
Batista shook his head and put his hand on the priest's shoulder. The two of them had gone back a long way as Father Flores had married him and his first wife, Nina, and had baptized their little girl, Auri.
"That's a man who needs prayer in his life." Flores pointed out as he held up his Holy Bible.
"Padre, I don't think there's enough beads on a rosary to pray for his absolution. Ay dios mio, he'd have to do penance every time he'd open his mouth."
The wedding guests' attention was then shifted back onto Dexter and Hannah as they prepared cut into their red velvet wedding cake. They smile while both of their hands grasp the long silver knife as it plunges deep into the cake. The guests look on as the bride and groom then took turns feeding each other. Morgan kissed his new wife once before noticing his father, Harry, leaning up against one of the trees on the outskirts of the garden.
"Hey, are you okay?" Hannah asks, touching his face to bring his attention back to her.
"Yeah, I'll be right back. I just need a minute."
She nodded and watched as Dexter ventured off. He could feel his wife's eyes still on him and he made an attempt to provide a reason for having to slip away. He approached the table of refreshments and grabbed one of the beers. Just as he was doing so, Harry was walking up to him.
"I'm surprised to see you here."
Dex leaned back against the edge of the table and looked out at his party guests. His father stood by his side and mimicked his stance.
Harry: "Do you really think I'd miss seeing my son's wedding? I don't agree with many of your recent choices, but I don't love you any less. No matter the extent of your darkness, I've always stood by your side."
His father's words caused him to chuckle. Dex took a drink from his beer before responding:
"If only Deb shared your point of view."
Harry: "Your sister does love you, Dex. The fact that she couldn't stay away from here today is proof of that. Debra needs your support. She's been careening out of control ever since she killed Laguerta to protect you. You haven't been there for her like you need to be."
Dexter sighed, bringing a hand to his forehead to act out his obvious frustration with the advice his father was giving him.
"I've tried but she refuses to accept the life I want for myself. I'm not going to give up my chance to finally be whole for an adoptive sister who won't let me be happy."
Harry: "'Adoptive sister'? Is that how you see Debra now?"
"I've always put Deb first. I went out of my way to help her solve case after case, I even killed my own brother to keep her safe. It has to stop somewhere. She needs to stand on her own two feet and I need to start living my life for me."
Before Harry could give his son a response, Dexter walked away from him. As far as he was concerned, the running dialogue with his father was over. Hannah and Harrison were awaiting his return.
Nicholas Porter sat by himself at a local sports bar in downtown Miami. He was drumming his fingers over and over again on the table, glancing at his fancy watch every moment or two. Nick was beginning to think that he had been stood up. It had been a call that had seamlessly come out of nowhere requesting a rendezvous.
"Can I get you something, sir?" The bartender asked.
"Yeah, a scotch neat." He replied before throwing a crisp twenty dollar bill on the table.
This could very well be a waste of time. His last interaction with this person had been a phone call weeks ago that had ended as soon as it had gone through. She had denied even making the call, but caller id did not lie. It was when his drink arrived that his waited guest did as well.
"Wow, I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up. " Nick said with a smile when he saw Debra approaching the bar.
She was still wearing the same outfit from earlier but had since ran a comb through her hair, making herself look somewhat presentable. Porter didn't seem to mind as he used his foot to pull the stool next to him out so that she could sit down.
"Can I get a fucking drink?" She asked as she nervously swept her hair behind her ears while taking a seat.
"Of course, whatever you want, it's on me."
"I'll have whatever you're having. I just need to get shitfaced."
Nick laughed and snapped his fingers to get the bartender's attention, he motioned for another scotch. A glass was placed in front of Debra and it was filled to the brim. She quickly grabbed it and chugged it down.
"I take it you're having a bad day?"
"'Ha, 'bad day' doesn't even beginning to describe the shit I've been through courtesy of my brother." She retorted slamming the glass down on the bar table.
"Dexter Morgan, huh? I talked with Former Deputy Chief Tom Matthews earlier today and he seemed pretty adamant of me leaving your brother out of my investigation."
"Dexter has Matthews and everyone else in the dark when it comes to his bullshit. He thinks he can just fuck everyone over in the process of keeping his life the way he wants it." She muttered back, trying really hard to fight back to tears from forming.
"Including you? I take it that your brother has screwed you over pretty hard. You asked me to meet you here to talk about what your brother has to do with the Bay Harbor Butcher case. So spill it, what skeletons does Dexter Morgan have in his closet?"
Deb narrowed her eyes and shifted her position on the bar stool. Porter was definitely jumping to conclusions as she had not given him any specifics of what it was she was going to tell him about Dexter's involvement in his investigation.
"You're assuming that what I was going to tell you somehow incriminates Dexter in Maria's death. I never claimed to be giving you that kind of information." She heard herself back pedal.
Nick looked a bit puzzled for a moment before his perfect smile resurfaced. He chuckled and then took a sip of his drink.
"What?" Deb asked coyly flashing a shy smile of her own.
"You know what I think? I think you pretended to have some hot lead for me so that I would agree to meet you for a drink."
"Fuck you." Deb giggled as she gave him a playful punch to his arm.
Porter was way off base with his assumption that she had only invited him there so that they could flirt and get to know one another. The truth was that Deb had arrived at the sports bar with the intention of providing the private investigator with knowledge that would make her brother the prime suspect in the circumstances surrounding Laguerta's death. The two things that Debra had not counted on were the fact that she would be so hesitant to betray her brother and that she would be so infatuated with Nick.
"Hey, I'm a wealth of untapped information." She insisted, before reaching over and taking a sip out of his drink.
"You're untapped, huh?" Nick muttered back raising his eyebrows as he laughed.
"Yeah, I am. Why do you want to tap me? Get down and deep?"
They both started laughing as Debra leaned over him and placed her hand in his lap.
"What if I do?" He asked back as he ran his tongue over his bottom lip.
"Then I'd tell you to come back to my place with me."
They exchanged smirks before Nick polished off the last of his scotch. He left enough cash to cover both the tip and Debra's drink before the two of them left together.
"I'll follow you." Nick called out spinning his car keys on his finger.
"Fuckin' A you will." She muttered after getting in her unmarked police cruiser.
With the new found prospect of getting laid by the hot private detective, Debra had to admit that the pendulum of her day was finally on the upswing. She had already released Joey from his entanglement in the mess that was her life so it seemed that Mr. Nicholas Porter was her best shot at getting some human connection in her time of need.
Lieutenant Morgan led the way back to her beach house. She parked in her usual spot as Porter's bentley pulled up behind her. Little did Debra or Nick know that Joey Quinn had been parked further down the street. He had been sitting there for over an hour, waiting for her to return home so that he could check on her. Quinn was not at all satisfied with how their conversation ended earlier.
"What the fuck?" He breathed when he saw Nick Porter grab Debra's bottom causing her to whip around and place a kiss on his lips.
Joey couldn't believe what he was seeing. She had dumped him earlier in the day only to go off and find a new guy to bring home for a booty call. He had not wanted to believe that she was telling the truth about merely seeing them as fuck buddies, but the fact that she was all over this new guy proved it to be a fact. He was all alone now; no Jamie, no Deb. All that was left was his shitty job which would require him to see Debra every single day.
Quinn brought his hand to his eyes. He rubbed them hard, trying to do away with the tears that were unbecoming to a tough guy from the Bronx. Joey's jaw trembled as he tried with all his might to hold back his emotions. It took everything within him not to get out his car and confront Debra and her prospective lover. He stayed right where he was until he saw Deb pulling Nick into her house before slamming the front door shut. And then, Joey started his Cadillac and sped off.
"Fuck..." Deb said in a strained whisper while Nick kissed her neck, "the bedroom is that way."
Porter had pounced on Debra as soon as they had entered her beach house. He had her pinned against the wall by her bathroom, knocking over a floor lamp during their foreplay. Their mouths came crashing together again as she attempted to push his suit jacket off of his shoulders. He stopped her from doing so. It was then that he revealed his gold plated pen from his jacket pocket. Morgan looked confused by his actions until she saw him unscrew the top of the pen. He brought it to his nose and snorted.
"Is that fucking coke?" She asked, her chest was still heaving due to her arousal.
"Yeah, why are you going to arrest me?"
"I'm not a fucking NARC. Give me a bump." She muttered moving forward to partake in the small amount of cocaine that he had hidden in his pen.
Nick took her by her hand and then tipped the pen over to allow some of the white powder to dispense onto the side of her hand. Once he finished, Debra immediately snorted it. There was an immediate rush of adrenaline as the drug entered her system. She pulled Porter into a lip lock, as they then began to undress each other.
Much to Debra's surprise, Nick revealed that he had another source of cocaine in the form of a little baggy that he had in his dress pants. Having sex while being high on cocaine was better than Deb ever thought possible. All of her pleasure senses were heightened and she didn't have a care in the world. They were in the moment, both aching for release and when it came, it lasted longer than ever before. Another bump and they were ready to go again. Neither of them had any sense of the time that had passed.
"Holy shit load of fuck!" She hollered out in pleasure as Nick collapsed onto her back making her lay flat on her stomach.
They were both glistening with sweat as Debra was trying hard to catch her breath. Nick reached over to his baggy of coke and made a line of it on the small of her back right above her ass. He snorted it before Debra flipped over onto her back and pulled him into a searing kiss.
The sound of Deb's cell phone ringtone caused her to curse. Her first inclination was to ignore the call, but Nick advised her to answer it. She wiggled free from his grasp and scurried to find her cell phone that was buried in a sea of clothing.
"Morgan." She said, trying to sound as professional as she could since she had not taken the time to look at the caller id.
"Deb, it's Angel. Listen, something terrible has happened."
"Is it Dexter or Harrison?" She asked back reflexively without even thinking about it.
Her mind immediately began to create the narrative in which Hannah had brutally stabbed or poisoned her brother and nephew on her wedding night.
"No...It's Quinn...Deb."
"What, what happened to Joey? Spit it the fuck out, Angel!"
"He committed suicide sometime earlier today. Neighbors at his apartment called 911 when they heard a gunshot...Deb? Deb, are you there?"
Morgan ended the call before she dropped her cell phone. She stood there with her mouth gaped open as her mind tried to process what Batista had just told her. This couldn't be happening. She had just seen Joey earlier in the day. The last thing she had said to him was that she was sorry and they couldn't be together. This was her fault.
"Deb? What's the matter?" Porter inquired as he studied the expression on her face.
"I killed him! I killed Joey! I broke up with him and he killed himself!" She blurted out as she began to sob violently.
Nick raced to his feet and took her into his arms. She clung to him with all her might.
"I'm so fucked up! I can't do this anymore! First Maria and now Joey, I don't think I can handle this!" She continued as Porter made her sit down on the bed with him so he could comfort her.
"Shh, Deb, calm down. What are you talking about?" He asked in a calm, caring voice as he brushed her hair away from her face.
Debra's face was contorted in a look of anguish. Her breathing was erratic as she kept trying to regain her composure. Her heart was racing, beating so fast. The cocaine had attributed to her loss of control.
"I shot Laguerta in that shipping container! She told me to put Dexter down but I couldn't do it! My brother is a God damn fucking serial killer but I couldn't do it!"
"Woah, woah, calm down and take a deep breath. It's going to be okay, you're just not thinking clearly right now." Nick assured her, not buying into the off the wall confession she had just made to him.
"I'm fucked up, Nick! I shot Maria to protect my brother and now I caused Joey to take his own life because I refused to love him back!"
This time Nick said nothing back. He looked somewhat confused by Lieutenant Morgan's insistence of her part in Laguerta's murder. Porter held his breath in for a moment before letting out a long exhale. The plot had just thickened and it had gone in a direction that he had not seen coming. The question now became what he was going to do with the information he now had. He looked on with a sympathetic gaze as Debra moved to grab her prescription bottle of Xanax from her bedside table. She dispensed two pills into her hand before shoveling them into her mouth.
"You seem like a great person, Deb. I'm sure that you did what you thought was right at the time. Now the question is, what are you going to do about it now?"
There was a long pause that was filled with Debra sobbing. She knew what her response needed to be but it was killing her because she didn't want to say it. Despite the riff that had formed between her and her brother over Hannah, he was still her big brother Dex. But she had to think about someone other than him now. Her three year old nephew, Harrison, was now going to be raised by not just one serial killer, but two.
"I'm going to have to stop my brother from doing what he does...I just don't know if I can.."