A/N: Wow, so it's been a while, guys! Summer was as I completed my practicum for school while continuing to work. I had been working on this episode diligently since May and just now got it completed. As you all see, it's a monster of an episode..in more ways than one, as you will find out. ;) I hope you all enjoy my latest installment. It's pretty dark in some scenes, but come on, it's Dexter, so it's par for the course. If you read, please don't forget to shoot me a review as it helps to keep me inspired to work on this. Again, thanks for reading!

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 9: A Sea of Red

"Preparation is everything. It's the ritual leading up to that moment; the circle of life that doesn't just have an end, but also a beginning. One special room covered in plastic sheets; drips of red falling from each stroke of a hand. "

Dexter stood amid the sea of plastic that covered the newly added room of his and Hannah's home; their unborn child's nursery. The sheets covered all of the new furnishings, including the circular crib in the middle of the room. His brown eyes focused on his wife as she guided a brush of red paint in a short stroke across the wall.

"What do you think?" She then inquired, taking a step back so that she could view her elaborate stencil work.

Dexter took a moment to view the small mural of whimsical flowers that she had painted on the wall. "It looks great. You're an artist and a florist."

Hannah let out a chuckle as she set her paint brush down and brought her hands to the front of her denim overalls that stretched across her ever growing tummy. "Oh, come on, Dex, I used stencils. It's not like I did this all free hand. It's not bad though, right?"

"I told you, you did a great job. The flowers you painted for our baby's nursery are just as beautiful as the real ones in your greenhouse." explained Morgan before giving her a quick peck on the lips and a loving embrace.

Their attention quickly shifted by the sound of little feet running into the room. Harrison entered the nursery with a big smile on his face.

"Look, Mommy, I dressed myself and combed my hair!" The child announced proudly. He was wearing a mismatched outfit. His shirt was inside out and backwards, blond hair disheveled with a small cowlick in the middle.

"Wow, you sure did, but I think you need a little help." She told him using her hand to smooth out his hair.

"In a matter of weeks after the wedding, Harrison began referring to Hannah as his mother. I didn't correct him. Who am I to deny my son a traditional family with both a mother and father? He will know Rita gave birth to him, but Hannah is the mother that he's going to remember. It's because of this that I allowed her to legally adopt him. She'll be the one who is there for him and his little sister."

Dexter's cell phone signaled an incoming alert from Miami Metro. The chime called the attention of his wife and son who were just about to walk out of the nursery.

"I've got to head out, crime scene."

"Okay, have a good day." Hannah replied with a smile before her husband moved in for a quick kiss.

This had become the normal routine: frequent morning crime scene alerts beckoning while Hannah was responsible for taking Harrison to preschool on her way to the flower mart. With the two of them co-parenting, Jamie rarely needed to babysit Harrison, which worked out as she was in the midst of working on her doctoral dissertation.

Dexter pulled his Ford Escape into the parking lot on the outskirts of Hobie Beach. He could see his homicide team in the distance at what looked like the shore's edge. He exited his vehicle and removed his forensic kit from the back.

Dex shuffled his way through the sand until he could see where the white pristine sand had been turned a vibrant red.

"The sight of blood. It heightens my senses, reminding me that deep down inside I still am attracted to it like a moth to a flame. I haven't killed in months. The urge lying dormant in me as I focus on being a husband and father. But it's always there, lingering beneath the surface."

The now Lieutenant Batista noticed his blood spatter analyst on the outskirts of the crime scene and quickly motioned for him to join them before shouting out:

"Dexter, vienes por aquí? I think we've got an open and shut suicide here!"

Morgan snapped out of his momentary daze and gave a head nod in Angel's direction. The newly appointed, Sergeant Angie Miller was standing alongside her superior. As Dexter got closer to the crime scene he saw that the body was that of an older male who was lying flat on his back. The cause of death was easily identified due to the fact that part of his face was missing. A shiny revolver lay in the red sand next to the corpse.

"You're right, Angel, this does look like a textbook suicide." explained Dex as he began to open his forensic kit and apply his white latex gloves. Masuka was busy taking pictures of the crime scene. He was more than happy to join in.

"I'm bagging the revolver and the shell casings, but I'd be willing to bet my nads that the only fingerprints on the gun are our friend's here. Judging by the condition of the body, I'd say time of death 11pm last night."

"Have we been able to ID him yet?" Morgan asked crouching down to inspect the body.

"Yeah, the driver's license in the wallet we found on him says he's Walter Griffin of Miami, Florida, date of birth 4/12/41. We can try and contact his next of kin."

"It wouldn't surprise me if Mr. Griffin doesn't have a next of kin. Single white males over seventy are one of the highest risk populations for suicide." Dex pointed out as he examined the blood spatter. Masuka angled his camera in close proximity of the victim's skull.

"How bad does shit have to be to make you want a blow a hole in your head the size of a tennis ball? This guy can forget about an open casket, if he even has relatives to give him a funeral." His words caused both Batista and Sergeant Miller to look over at him.

"You want to show a little more respect, Masuka? Months ago we were at a similar crime scene for one of our own. Quinn deserved better than this, and so does this poor bastard. It's really a sin; a waste of a God given life." Angel chastised, bringing up the fact that Joey had committed suicide earlier in the year and it was still weighing heavy on his heart.

"Angel's right. Quinn might not have always walked the straight and narrow, but there had been boundaries he would never cross. The awkward position we had found ourselves in with Stan Liddy a few years ago had created a mutual respect between us. Another Miami Metro Homicide member deceased, but this time, I had nothing to with do it."

"Dexter, what's this I heard through the Miami Metro grapevine that you're hosting a party tomorrow? When was this announced and why wasn't I invited? Asians are the life of the party, you know this." Vince inquired, changing the topic.

"We're having a birthday party at the house for Harrison. Hannah planned it. It's just going to be a bunch of preschoolers and their parents."

"No booze, no cooze?" Masuka quickly asked back with a look of disappointment.

"Nope, just birthday cake and a magician."

"So lame, come back to me with an invite for Harrison's 21st birthday." commented Vince while he filled out his forensic notes on his clip board.

"Dex, how old is Harrison going to be this year?" Angel inquired, adjusting his fedora as the Miami sun peeked from behind the clouds.

"Four."

"It's unbelievable how time flies. Enjoy your time with him, socio, kids grow up so fast. How has Hannah been doing, the pregnancy going well?"

With precision, Dexter began to measure the blood cast off patterns that was on and around the body while continuing his conversation with Batista. "She's doing great, she's due any day now. I think motherhood suits her. Her and Harrison get along so well. You're more than welcome to drop by the party tomorrow."

"I would, but I plan on spending the day with Auri. I don't know if a four year old's birthday party would be her idea of a good time."

"Astor and Cody are going to be there. They get to meet their stepmom."

"That's right, they weren't at the wedding. I'm sure it will go fine. You and Hannah have created a beautiful life together and Rita's kids will be happy to see that."

"But will they see it that way? Hannah joining the family was the start of a new beginning for Harrison. A new mother and soon a baby sister. Are Astor and Cody going to be as accepting of the additions to the family when I haven't asked them to be a part of it until now?"

"Give my love to Deb when you see her. Make sure you tell her that all of us at Miami Metro miss her."

Dex gave a weak smile and proceeded to nod in agreement. He didn't know what else to say as his co-worker was speaking about his sister. The sister he had not been in contact with since she had crashed his wedding reception completely plastered. Sure he had reached out to her since, especially after Quinn's suicide, but every attempt to contact her had been rebuffed. She wanted nothing to do with him or his new life with Hannah, and he was having to accept that.

Debra breathed in deep filling her nostrils with white powder. She let out a sigh, closing her eyes as she felt the rush of cocaine immediately take effect. She loved it. Since the first time Nick had introduced her to it, she could not get enough of the high. The mix of coke and Xanax would be what she needed to appear to be functioning with everyday life.

"Are you going to leave some for me?" Porter asked with a sly smile as he watched his girlfriend take another bump.

His words caused Deb to chuckle as she turned to face him. Her arms she draped around his neck before their mouths came crashing together. Passionate kisses led to Nick lifting her off her feet and setting her on the edge of his office desk.

Partaking in their recreational drugs while at the office was a thrill that both of them loved to indulge in. There was nothing more exciting than the idea of a secretary entering unannounced at any minute that drove their reckless behavior. Truth was, all of the staff members were on Nicholas' payroll and they all knew not to enter his office without knocking first.

"What do you want to do today, baby?" He asked in between kisses that began to travel down her neck.

"I don't know, we could just hang out here and fuck in your office." She muttered, wrapping her long legs around his waist which caused him to moan.

"Mm, sounds tempting, but we should at least try and get some work done." He whispered back, resting his forehead to hers.

Deb brought her hands to the side of her face and tucked her hair behind her ears. She had abandoned her job at Miami Metro immediately after Joey's suicide. Porter was more than happy to put her on his payroll as a private investigator. There was no way she could ever go back there when everything at Miami Metro reminded her of Quinn and her brother.

Dexter. He was the cause of all of it. What she had done for him in that shipping container had forever changed her in a way that made her undeserving of Joey Quinn's love for her. Because she had loved him, she tried to push him away, but all it did was push him over the edge. Another death on her conscience and where was her brother? He wasn't there for her. Hell, she didn't want him to be. Nick Porter was her saving grace. A knight donned in Emporio Armani who provided her with not just a loving embrace, but enough pills and white powder to make it all better.

"What about your surveillance on Dexter?" She asked.

"I told you before. I lifted it since it led to absolutely nothing. There's only a few places he goes outside of work and home: Miami Metro, his kid's preschool, the Starlight Lanes bowling alley, and his boat marina. The guy leads a pretty boring life."

"Or maybe he fucking knew that someone was tailing him. Dexter is smart. He's evaded being caught for this long. He even had Lundy fooled for Christ sakes." Debra pointed out as her voice trailed off when she mentioned Special Agent Lundy's name.

"Well, I'm sorry, but we don't have any evidence on him to back up what you've told me. It would be your word against his if you tried to make a move against him now. I'm lucky I was able to keep Batista in the dark about finding out what happened to Laguerta. As we both know, you're not innocent in all of this either." Nick responded back with an eyebrow raise.

"All because of Dexter."

It was the start of a new day of preschool at the Our Lady of the Gulf as the parents and children began to arrive at the three-four year olds' classroom. A trio of mothers were participating in their normal ritual of huddling up together and gossiping about the other moms before kissing their kids goodbye for the day.

"So you saw the invitations? Are you going?" One of the mother's asked in a hushed voice to the group.

"I'm taking Johnny. He gets along well with Harrison. Besides, the father, Dexter, works for Miami Metro, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, but did you hear what happened to his first wife, Harrison's mother? She was killed by that Trinity serial killer. And the new wife, Hannah, she was arrested for murder and even escaped the county jail only to be found innocent."

"Are you serious, Jill? How do you know that?"

"Do you watch the news or read a newspaper, Christine? If you did you would know this too."

"I doubt that that is true about the Morgans. Johnny has been over to their house twice now for a play date and nothing seemed at all out of the norm. Hannah was so nice and hospitable. I bought two beautiful orchids from her nursery. And you know she's due any day now."

"I've heard Harrison call her 'mommy'. Can you imagine? I'd be rolling over in my grave if I died and my husband's new wife was my daughter's new 'mommy'." Elizabeth added, chiming into the conversation.

"Hannah told me that she adopted Harrison not long after she married his father. If you ask me, I say it was sweet. She's probably the only mother that little boy has ever known. You all should take the time to talk to Hannah. She's so far removed from all these rumors that Jill's talking about." voiced Christine.

"You never know what skeletons are in a person's closet." Jill quickly replied before clucking her tongue.

"Shh, she's here." Elizabeth whispered as a warning.

The group of women immediately fell silent when they saw Hannah Morgan and her son enter the room. Little Harrison was holding his adoptive mother's hand while carrying his lunch bag in the other.

"Go put your lunch and book bag in your cubby." Hannah instructed as she lovingly brushed back his hair with her hand.

Harrison quickly ran to do what he was told while his mom followed behind after him so that she could sign him in.

"Hi, Hannah! You look so cute today in those overalls! Doesn't she, ladies?" Jill piped with a fake sweetness to her voice and a wide smile. Two of the mothers simply nodded in agreement before one actually spoke up.

"Oh my gosh, yes, I wish I looked that radiant when I was nine months pregnant. You go, girl. You really should join us on Wednesday mornings for pilates once the baby's born." Elizabeth added.

Mrs. Morgan had been stopped dead in her tracks by the other mothers' greetings. She grinned, bringing a hand to her extended abdomen before she spoke back to them.

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind. Are all of you planning on coming for Harrison's birthday party tomorrow? He passed out the invitations in class. I just wanted to get a final head count."

All three of the women nodded and then confirmed that they would be bringing their children to the party. Hannah was trying her best to appear like a normal happily married woman with a young son and a child on the way. It was all she wanted after all of life's circumstances that she had to deal with in the past. There had been so much she had done in order to survive. Killing had been surrendering to nature's way, subtracting those who got in the way of her living her life how she wanted. But now, much to her delight, life seemed to only be adding: a new husband, new son, new baby, and new friends.

"So, big birthday party tomorrow, huh?"

The sound of a male voice prompted Hannah and the other mothers to turn their attention to the man who was standing behind Mrs. Morgan. He looked to be in his mid-forties as evidenced by his salt and peppered dark brown stubble facial hair that covered his tan skin, and creases around his brown eyes. He was dressed casually in cargo shorts and a worn t-shirt. Hannah couldn't help but think that he looked like an aged frat boy that had never left that phase of his life behind him.

"Yes, that's right.." Hannah reluctantly replied trying to figure out who this guy was and how he knew about her son's party.

"Oh, sorry, I don't think I ever introduced myself. I'm Albert Hollister, Jay's dad. Our boys are friends from class and they played soccer together this past summer."

"Oh, hi, I'm Hannah Morgan, nice to meet you." She responded back with a polite handshake which he gladly accepted.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly when she noticed that he was reluctant to let go of her hand, which was still in his. Albert must have seen the look on her face as he quickly released it and flashed her a sheepish grin.

"Well, um, count Jay and me in for the party. My wife is working the weekend so she won't be there."

"Okay, great. See you tomorrow afternoon, nice meeting you."

After quickly putting an end to the conversation, Hannah signed in Harrison at the nearby computer before seeking him out at one of the activity tables to say goodbye. She let out a slight wince when she bent over to speak to him.

"I'm going to go, okay? Have a great day at school, sweetheart."

Harrison turned and nodded with a smile. He then reached his arms up to wrap them around his adoptive mother's neck.

"I love you." She whispered, hugging him back.

"Love you too, Mommy." He said back before letting go of her so that he could resume playing.

Upon returning to an upright position, Mrs. Morgan let out a small moan, placing her right hand on her lower back in an attempt to ease the pain. She then retreated back to where her mini-van was parked at the curb in front of the school. Before she was able to walk around to the driver side door, Albert called after her to wait up.

"Hey, ah, do you maybe want to grab a coffee with me?"

Hannah narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat. This was awkward. She didn't know what this guy's deal was and why he was now asking her out to coffee. He claimed he was married, yet he didn't wear a wedding band. And here she was, nine months pregnant, with her wedding rings on a chain around her neck because her fingers were too swollen to wear them. She was hardly in any condition to be being hit on.

"I don't drink coffee because I'm pregnant-"

"Oh, right, well how about a nice big breakfast since you are, after all, eating for two?" He immediately asked back, not giving her time to decline his invitation.

"I actual don't have the time. I need to get to the flower mart and then I have a prenatal appointment after. My husband, Dexter, is going to pick up Harrison." Hannah explained, making a point to bring up Dex, hoping it would send the message that she was married and uninterested.

"You have a flower business, don't you?"

Mrs. Morgan's eyebrows raised before she pointed to the side of her minivan where here business emblem was displayed.

"Hannah-Flora Nursery, that's right. You know, I'm actually a freelance writer and photographer. The Miami Herald has been wanting me to do a local small business piece for their next edition. I think yours would be perfect. Maybe I could come by sometime, interview you and snap some pictures while our boys play. How's that sound?"

Hannah's eyes shifted away from his gaze. Her arms folded in front of her over her extended stomach. Not only was this guy persistent, but he wasn't without use. A write up in the Miami Herald could provide Hannah-Flora Nursery with some well needed positive publicity after her brush with Miami Metro earlier in the year. She'd be willing to take Hollister up on his offer just as long as he knew that that was all he was going to do for her.

"Well Harrison's party is in our backyard tomorrow where my greenhouse is so you'll be able to get all the pictures you want. Listen, I really need to go, nice meeting you." She replied quickly before walking to the other side of her minivan so that she could finally be on her way.

"See ya." Albert called back raising a hand while his eyes remained fixed on her until she departed.

Dexter sat in front of his lab station's computer. His fingertips moved swiftly over the keyboard as he put the finishing touches on his blood report of the Griffin's suicide. Big brother Brian appeared next to him and looked at the screen.

Brian: "Suicide...what a depressing way to end it. And to think it's how Miami remembers me, the notorious Ice Truck Killer, thanks to you."

"Would you rather be rotting in prison on death row?"

His brother didn't reply, but simply watched as Morgan clicked the print button on the finished document and moved away from the computer to collect the printed copy. Moser turned his attention to some of his brother's blood spatter reports that were stacked on his lab table. He began to flip through the graphic crime scene photos like they were his own sick cartoon flipbook.

Brian: "Honestly, Dexter, how do you work a nine to five job that surrounds you with other killers' works of art without the need to create your own? When is the last time you broke out your kill tools?"

"I've been busy, you know that."

Dex's reply caused Brian to roll his eyes and let out a sigh. He then noticed the family photo of Dexter with his wife and son taken at the beach.

Brian : "Yeah, busy playing house with Hannah instead of playing the big bad Bay Harbor Butcher."

Morgan placed his latest blood spatter report in the Miami Metro case folder and set it on the completed stack of files. He was determined to stay on task at work so that he could leave at a decent hour to pick up his son from preschool.

"Now's not the right time. The baby is due in a week or so, Harrison's birthday party is tomorrow, and I have to pick up Astor and Cody from Orlando tonight so they can be there. Their grandfather is sick and can't make the drive."

Moser leaned up against the wall of the lab and folded his arms after listening to his little brother list off the numerous things that were now on his plate. Dexter let out a long sigh and slumped down onto his lab stool, before his imaginary brother replied back to him:

Brian: "Listen to how stressed you sound. This is all the more reason for you to take some time for yourself and your need to kill. How can you expect to be a good husband and father if you ignore your urges?"

The sound of the door opening to his lab caused Morgan's imaginary conversation with his brother to cease. It was Captain Tom Matthews who was making his way into the small lab with a wrapped gift in his hand.

"Dexter, I hope I'm not interrupting your work. I just wanted to drop off my birthday gift for Harrison. It's a toy model of the Miami Metro squad car. I had no idea what little kids are into these days."

"I'm sure he'll like it. You know we're having a party for him tomorrow around noon. You're more than welcome to stop by." Dexter offered as he watched him set the present down on the table.

"I would, but I already had plans to take my boat out for the weekend. Now that I'm out of retirement as the interim Captain of the homicide division, I take my relaxing weekends when I can get them."

"Yeah, I understand completely. Thanks for dropping off a gift." Morgan chuckled. His left thumb was playing with his wedding band, twirling it around his finger. Tom noticed and decided to inquire about the missus.

"How's Hannah holding up? Did she pop that kid out yet?"

"No not yet, we still have a week until her due date."

"Well, it will be here before you know it. Be sure to wish Harrison a happy birthday from me. Oh, and if you see your sister, tell her I said hello and that I'm always here for her, not just if she wants her old job back on the force."

Dexter gave a nod to show that he understood what Tom was telling him. He had no words to say in return. Morgan was certain that his adoptive sister would not be attending her nephew's birthday party tomorrow. Perhaps it was for the best as having Deb and Hannah at the same get-together would just be asking for drama to occur. Little Harrison deserved a happy birthday with his family and that's what Dexter and Hannah were going to give him.

Hannah was home in time to stay with Harrison while Dex made the drive to Orlando to pick up his former stepchildren. She was expecting her husband to return any minute. Dinner preparation had already been underway as she figured the two teenaged kids would be ready to have dinner as soon as they arrived. Dexter had not told her much about Rita's children other than they went to live with their father's parents after the death of their mother. While Hannah was cooking in the kitchen, Harrison was playing on the floor in the living room with his train set. It was the sound of the front door opening that beckoned the child's attention away from his toys.

"Hey Harrison, look who came to visit you for your birthday. It's your brother and sister, Astor and Cody." Dex called out to his son.

Both Astor and Cody Bennett were slow to follow their stepfather into the new home. Their eyes were busy scanning the surroundings. Finally, their eyes settled on their younger sibling who had not moved from where he sat on the floor.

"Hi Harrison." Astor said with a smile as she ventured across the room to greet her youngest brother.

The soon to be four year old gave a small wave. He seemed a bit reserved as his sister reached down to give him a hug. This wasn't at all lost on Astor as she in turn looked over at Dexter before commenting on the obvious:

"He's not even excited to see us."

Morgan let out a sigh. He started to rack his brain for an acceptable reply that would assure Astor that her little brother had not forgotten her in the year it had been since the kids had visited Miami. Just as he was about to throw out a lame joke to give some levity to the current situation, he saw Hannah enter the living room.

"Hi guys..." She said aloud with a kind, welcoming smile.

Astor and Cody's eyes scanned the very pregnant blonde woman standing before them. It was Cody who said hi back to her and returned a metal smile showing off his braces. The thirteen year old thought she was very pretty, even for being very pregnant. Astor, on the other hand, wasn't at all impressed. She folded her arms in front of her before opening her mouth:

"So you must be Dexter's new wife..."

Hannah's eyes darted over to her husband. She was looking for him to introduce her to them. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before he finally stepped up to the plate.

"Yes, this is Hannah. She's amazing, and is taking really good care of us." Morgan explained as his eyes remained fixated on his love.

"Yeah, she clearly is." Astor retorted widening her eyes as the focused on Hannah's extended abdomen.

"Oh, I get it.." snickered Cody as he felt cool for getting the sexual innuendo that his fifteen year old sister put out there. He plopped down on the sofa and pulled out his cell phone.

Hannah cleared her throat prompting Dexter to interject. "We're expecting the baby in the next week or so. Harrison's going to have a little sister."

"Great, a replacement sibling to go with a replacement mother." Astor retorted with fake enthusiasm.

"Um, so dinner 's ready. Are you guys hungry?" Mrs. Morgan inquired, trying to change the subject.

"I'm starving." Cody immediately replied, not taking his eyes off the screen of his smart phone as he played flappy bird.

"Whatever..." muttered Astor as she picked up one of Harrison's toy trains and began to fiddle with it. Dex let out a sigh and then shrugged his shoulders.

"Great, let's eat." Dexter announced in a seemingly up beat voice.

Dinner wasn't any less awkward. Every attempt Dexter made at small talk with Astor fell flat when she replied with one word answers. Cody, like always, was the easier going of the two and had no trouble filling him in on what he'd been up to in between big bites of food.

"God, Cody, could you stop shoveling food in your mouth for more than two seconds?" Astor complained.

"I'm hungry and it's good!"

"Thank you, Cody." Hannah chimed in with a smile before she took a sip of her glass of water.

"Don't take that as a compliment, he'll eat anything that you put in front of him." Astor added looking in her direction with a scowl.

"Well, I think it tastes good." Dexter added, in giving his wife a smile that she returned before taking a bite of food.

The fifteen year old exhaled as she pushed around the food on her plate with her fork. Unlike her brother, she had not taken a single bite.

"Are you not hungry, Astor?" Hannah asked setting her own fork down.

Pushing the plate away from her, she responded. "I'm a vegetarian. I can't eat this."

"Since when?" Morgan asked back immediately, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Since now, don't act like you know me, Dexter. You haven't seen us in a year."

"You're such a liar! You eat burgers all the time when you go out with Chad! You just don't want to eat her food!" Cody shouted out, calling his sister out on her lie. His words were met with a swift kick under the table from his sister that caused him to wince.

Dexter zoned in on the mention of a boy's name. "Who's Chad?"

The young teenage girl was becoming very frustrated with her stepfather. "He's no one."

"He's her boyfriend. He's eighteen." Cody blurted out.

"Shut up!" Astor screeched punching her brother in the arm.

"Does Grandma and Grandpa know about him? He's a lot older than you." inquired Dexter with a scowl on his face that Hannah took notice before replying to him.

"I don't know how they couldn't with Cody living under the same roof." Hannah chuckled before she wiped Harrison's face with a napkin.

"They don't like him, okay! Now can we drop it?"

Astor pulled out her phone in an attempt to distract herself from the conversation she was not comfortable having. Harrison, who had just been taking everything in, decided to speak up in the small lull that had followed Astor's insistence to drop the topic of discussion.

"I want some more." Harrison demanded as he held his empty cup toward Hannah.

"I'll get you some more chocolate milk when you take a few more bites of your chicken." Hannah compromised, taking the plastic cup from the child and sat it at the twelve o'clock position in front of his dish causing him to whine.

"But Mommy, I want mooorrreee."

Harrison's use of the word "mommy" immediately caught the attention of Astor who looked away from her phone. Her eyes first focused on her youngest sibling and Hannah before they shot over to Dexter.

"Did he seriously just call her 'mommy'?"

"Astor..." Dex breathed, not knowing how he could possibly finish the sentence to keep her from flying off the handle.

"How can you let him call her his mom? She's NOT his mother!

Astor's outburst prompted Harrison to bring his finger to his lips and mutter what he learned in preschool: "Shh, use your quiet voice."

The young child's comment only fueled the fire of the teenager's angst. She immediately lashed out, moving to get into his face. The three year old's eyes widened with fear as his older sister scolded him.

"Harrison, she's not your mommy! Rita Morgan is your mommy and she's-"

As if on instinct, Hannah interjected like a fierce mother bear who was trying to protect her cub. "Stop it, don't you dare get in his face! You're scaring him!"

Harrison was scared. His arms were outstretched to his new mother, which prompted her to lift him into her arms. He buried his face into her chest as Astor continued on her tirade.

"Oh my God, why are you pretending to be his mom? Just because you married Dexter doesn't mean you get to replace my mom in Harrison's life!"

"I'm not pretending, Astor. I am legally his mother now. I adopted Harrison only a few months after I married his father." Hannah replied in a much calmer voice as she rose to her feet with Harrison perched on her hip.

Mrs. Morgan's admission caused the heated exchange to finally cease. Both Astor and Cody were shocked. Their mouths were gaped open as both pairs of eyes widened. Was Hannah really telling the truth, had their stepfather allowed her to legally adopt their little brother in the wake of their mother's death?

It was Cody who finally spoke, asking his stepfather directly. "Is that true, Dexter?"

Dex inhaled sharply and held his breath. His wife had left the dining area with his son. It was now just him and his stepchildren who were waiting for his response.

"Yes..." He muttered in his exhale.

"How could you do that to Mom?" questioned Astor. She left the house the way she came before Morgan could even come up with a response. A few seconds later, Cody followed his sister's lead and did the same leaving Dex alone at the dining table.

"Well, that didn't exactly go well."

Brother Brian appeared seated next to him examining the cutting knife that was left on a plate.

Brian: "A kill sounds pretty good right about now, doesn't it, little brother?"

"It does...As soon as I take care of my responsibilities here, I'll find that special someone to put on my table."

Brian: "Why wait until then? Tonight can be the night. Let Hannah take care of the kids, she's more than capable."

Brian placed the knife in his brother's hand. Dexter gripped the handle. It felt good holding it as his mind flooded with images of some of his most savory kills causing a smirk to form on his face. It was when he remembered that his step kids had just walked out on him that his enthusiasm for a kill began to wane. Slowly, he released his grip on the knife leaving it next to his plate. He got to his feet and went to find Astor and Cody.

Dexter didn't have to go far as the two teenagers were sitting on the curb right in front of the house. As he approached him, neither one acknowledged his presence while they sat there silently staring off into the distance.

"I let her adopt him so that if something happens to me she would have custody of him. Unlike you guys, Harrison doesn't have any memory of ever having a mother. Since Hannah came into our lives, he's been able to have that. It's what I want for him. I hope you both can accept that." Morgan explained, trying to encapsulate his reasons for the adoption in a few sentences.

Astor and Cody said nothing in return. Dexter didn't know what else to say to smooth over things with them. He let out a sigh, and then made one last comment that didn't pertain to the subject. "Hannah made up an inflatable mattress in the baby's nursery. It's a queen size so you two can share it."

Dex left them sitting there as he had nothing else he could think to say. He figured that they would come back into the house eventually and they did. Astor laid on the inflatable bed while she text Chad how shitty her time in Miami had been thus far, and how she was going to have to share a bed with her little brother: gross. Cody changed for bed in the bathroom. On his way back to the baby's nursery, he was drawn to his brother's room where he heard Hannah's voice. He peeked in the doorway and saw her lying on the edge of the bed, next to his brother who was tucked into his bed. She was reading Harrison his 'Wee Monkeys' book, while he was making a hot wheels car roll across the curve of her pregnant tummy.

The minute she finished the last page of the book and turned to place it on the bedside table, Harrison had a request for her. "Sing me the song, Mommy."

She smiled upon his request for her to sing the lullaby that her mother used to sing to her when she was a little girl. It was one of her only happy memories from childhood. She remembered every word and loved the idea of passing it down to her and Dexter's children. "Slumber, my darling, mother is here. Guarding your dreams from all terror and fear."

Harrison grinned happily as he then moved to cuddle closer to her. He closed his eyes as she continued singing to him softly. "Sunlight has passed and twilight has gone. Slumber, my darling, and the night's coming on."

As Cody stood there silently watching them, he felt a sense of sadness overwhelm him. Witnessing the mother-son moment between his brother and new mother made Cody think back to when Rita would tuck him in at night. He missed his mother. He could still remember the way she smelled and the sound of her voice. Harrison didn't have any of those memories of Rita. Mom would want him to have those same happy memories. As quiet as he had arrived at the doorway, Cody moved on to join his sister in the baby's room.

Harrison's 4th birthday party was in full swing by noon of the following day. A dozen young children and their parents populated the garden. Despite the numerous rumors surrounding the Morgans, there was a high turnout for the party. Dexter stood nearby with his hands in his pockets as he watched Hannah and Jamie orchestrate the hitting of the piñata without a blindfold.

"A birthday party is where we encourage our children to attack their beloved cartoon character with a bat and then reward them with candy. It's somewhat barbaric; one by one each child tries his best to bust it open. And finally, a perfectly placed blow tears it apart, freeing its contents to the ground; candy, instead of blood and sinew. What a treat."

Morgan noticed Astor sitting away from everyone. She was focused on her cell phone as her thumbs rapidly moved across the screen. He made his way over to her.

"Don't you want to try your hand at breaking the piñata? Cody's over there helping out." He asked, giving her a small nudge which prompted her to look up at him.

"I'll pass. These little brats are so loud and annoying and I have a headache."

"Hannah and Jamie wanted to go all out for Harrison's birthday party. We even hired a magician to come. He should be here soon."

"Kill me now..." She responded with an eye roll. "You can leave now..."

Dexter seemed caught off guard by the dismissal he had just received by the fifteen year old who clearly cared more about texting on her phone than visiting with her youngest brother on his birthday. Astor Bennett was different now. Morgan struggled to understand and navigate around the whole teenage angst routine. He longed for a simpler time when Astor would have loved to join in on the birthday fun.

Albert Hollister was in attendance as promised. He had arrived with his son at the same time as others and had evaded the attention of the Morgans. Albert was purposefully keeping a low profile as he sat in a chair that gave him a perfect vantage point to capture pictures of the radiant Mrs. Morgan with his expensive camera. She was the reason he was spending his Saturday with his kid at a birthday party. As Hannah bent down to tend to her son, he flicked a switch causing his camera to rattle off several shots in sequence. Any onlookers would surely believe that he was taking photos of his kid.

After the piñata activity was carried out, the kids dispersed to play freely amid the garden while Hannah stood and chatted with a few of the mothers. She was pleased to be involved in their conversation. They swapped little antidotes about their children, and to Hannah's delight, she could contribute fully. Her eyes caught sight of Harrison playing with two of the other children. Her attention began to shift to him as she noticed where it was he was playing; her aconite patch.

"Harrison!" She called out with the sound of concern in her voice. She pushed passed some of the parents to make her way over to the four year olds who were playing with their toys amongst the aconite. "What did I say about playing over here? All of you need to come out of this area."

"But we were playing."

Hannah grasped hold of his wrist to make him stand up. She then lifted him off his feet and onto her hip so that she could take him inside to wash his hands off. She really needed to put a small fence up to keep him from wondering in there again. It had been on her to-do list for sometime amongst everything else she had to do before the new baby was born.

The other mothers looked worried by Mrs. Morgan's reaction to the children playing in an area of her garden."What is it, Hannah? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I forgot that I had put some dangerous pesticides down in that area right there. I'm going to get his hands washed." Hannah answered back without missing a beat.

Her mention of dangerous pesticides sent the two other mothers scrambling for their hand sanitizer and wipes. Hannah scrubbed the soap suds thoroughly on every inch of the child's hand while she stood over the sink in the kitchen.

"How long do we have to wash them for?"

"Until they are completely clean."

"They are clean."

"Here, rinse them off." She instructed. When the four year old finished doing so, she helped him dry his hands before setting him down on his feet.

Albert Hollister walked into the kitchen with his son, Jay, standing in front of him. He was smiling wide in Hannah's direction before he spoke. "Hey, it looks like there's a magician show about to start outside. Harrison, why don't you and Jay get front row seats."

"Yeah!" Harrison exclaimed with excitement. He and Jay ran out of the kitchen together toward the double doors to the back yard.

With the children gone, it was just Hannah and Albert left in the kitchen. He wasted no time in speaking up. "So how about you show me that green house. I came prepared."

Hollister held up his camera that was hanging around his neck. Mrs. Morgan gave a slight nod before leading the way out to her green house. Dexter hadn't noticed Hollister following his wife as he was distracted with convening the kids for the magician's act that was about to start.

"Wow, so you grew all of this from nothing?" Albert asked, snapping a few photographs of the plant life that adorned the greenhouse.

"Most of it. I inherited the business from my mentor when she passed about two years ago. I continued to run it exactly how she did."

Albert's eyebrows raised before settling his brown eyes on the pregnant hostess of the party. Hannah could feel his eyes on her. She swept a blonde lock of hair away from her face before folding her arms.

"What else do you want to know? The variety of plants I sell? The number of events around Miami I do a month?"

Albert wet his lips with his tongue as his eyes focused on her pregnant belly. "How far along are you?"

Her eyes narrowed and for a moment she didn't know what he was asking. It was when it dawned on her that the question was of a personal nature instead of a professional one that she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "That's a kind random question. I'm in my last month."

Albert closed some of the space between them. "I know it came out of nowhere, but I just had to ask. I think you are the most gorgeous pregnant woman that I've ever seen. You're like glowing right now."

Hannah gave a forced chuckle before moving away from him. She stood at her work bench and began to fiddle with one of her plants, peeling away some of its dried leaves. "Please, I'm retaining water, there's nothing gorgeous about that. So what else do you want to know about the nursery, because if you're done, I want to be getting back to the party."

"Hannah, you're underestimating your beauty and power." Albert explained as he slowly approached her from behind. "You're like the essence of Mother Nature, not just growing all of these plants, but also a living being inside of you."

Dexter had been sitting with his son as he mindlessly watched the magic show. It was when he noticed Albert Hollister and his wife in the greenhouse that he snapped into focus. The guy was much too close to her. His mouth was by her ear as he was whispering something to her that made her eyes widen.

"Who the hell is that with Hannah?"

Immediately, Dexter could feel all of his muscles tense as he stiffened. He let out a staggered breath. A rage began to build within him as he then saw the guy put his hands on the sides of Hannah's womb causing her to move away from him. Morgan slid his son off of his lap so that he could stand. He began to hightail it toward the greenhouse. Morgan was seeing red. He wanted nothing more than to slice that guy's throat open with one of his knives. Dex was doing everything he could to keep himself composed.

"What's going on in here?" He growled in a low voice as he stared down the unknown male who was in the greenhouse with his wife.

"Nothing, buddy. I'm Albert Hollister, and I was just interviewing Hannah about her business. I'm doing a write-up about it for the Miami Herald. You must be Dexter?" Albert inquired, extending a hand toward Morgan.

Dex didn't accept his request for a handshake. His eyes were still burning a hole through him."I am...Hannah's husband and the father of her unborn child."

"Well, you're a very lucky man." Hollister commented, shifting his focus over to Hannah who had moved to stand by her husband.

"No, you're lucky...lucky that I don't break your face into a million pieces for touching my wife."

Morgan's heated response compelled Hannah to intervene. She placed a hand on his chest in an attempt to calm him down. "Dexter, don't. It's Harrison's birthday and all of his classmates and parents are out there."

"Hey pal, you need to relax. Look, I'm married myself. I was just trying to do her a favor by advertising her business."

"I'm not your buddy or your pal and she doesn't need any favors from you. Stay away from her." Dex responded, moving past his wife's hand so that he could go toe to toe with Hollister.

Albert let out a chuckle. He scratched his stubble beard with his hand. "It really bothers you that another guy is taking in your wife's beauty, doesn't it?"

"What really bothers me is that I can't kill you right now because a dozen children and their parents would witness it."

Morgan took deep breaths through his nose in an attempt to keep his anger in check. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. It was Hannah who stepped forward to diffuse the situation. She knew that if she didn't speak up then her husband would be tempted to put Hollister on his kill table. "Albert, you need to leave."

"Right, I'm sorry if I caused any problems for you, Hannah."

Dexter's focus remained fixed on him as he departed. He watched intently as Albert removed Jay from the group of children watching the magic show. Brian appeared next to his brother, he too was watching them leave.

Brian: "That's my baby brother. I know what you're thinking and I love it."

"Dex..." Hannah voiced. She touched the side of his face, which brought him out of his trance as he slowly turned to look at her. "He's the father of one of Harrison's classmates. He's no one."

He let out a sigh and gave her a single nod before their foreheads met gently.

"Hannah's right. Albert Hollister is just a run of the mill asshole who had the nerve to make a pass at a pregnant woman at her child's birthday party in front of her husband. He doesn't meet the code."

Moser was still there in the greenhouse, ready to object to the moral objection that Harry Morgan had habituated Dexter to think. Brian provided his brother with what he knew his brother wanted to hear.

Brian: "You don't need Harry's code anymore, Dexter. You have your own code. Think about it." Moser brought his finger to the side of his own head. "Think about how satisfying it would be to make him pay for attempting to take what is yours."

"We should get back to the party." Dexter muttered before giving his wife a peck on the lips.

The rest of the party was uneventful. Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to Harrison, the cake was devoured, and the gifts were opened. When dusk had come, all that was left to do was clean up the backyard that was finally peaceful and quiet. Hannah noticed Astor standing alone inside of her greenhouse.

"Is she okay? She hasn't said more than two words to me the whole day."

Dexter shrugged looking out at his stepdaughter. "I've given up trying to reach her. I'm at a loss when it comes to teenage girls."

"I'm going to try and talk to her."

"Good luck." Dex muttered under his breath as he watched his wife move toward her greenhouse.

When Mrs. Morgan entered the nursery, she saw that Astor was examining one of her flowers. She slowly approached the teenager and then spoke aloud when she was beside her. "That's a Cattleya Orchid. It's also called a corsage orchid, because women used to wear them in the olden days to special events."

"It's pretty..."

"You can have that one if you want."

Astor folded her arms, her eyes darted away from the plant. "Is this you trying to get me to like you?"

"Would that be so bad?"

The fifteen year old shrugged her shoulders before she looked down at the mulch floor. "No.."

"Astor, I..I don't want you to think that I want to take your mother's place-"

"You're not. Harrison would have to remember my mom for you to be taking her place, and he doesn't. Cody told me that he saw you with Harrison last night. He could tell that you really loved our little brother, and he said it made him miss our mom. At least Harrison gets to have a family."

Tears were forming in Astor's eyes that she quickly wiped away before they could stream down her face. She fought hard to keep her composure. The last thing she wanted to do was show her vulnerability to Dexter's new wife.

"It's okay if you miss your mom too, you know. I made a lot of mistakes when I was young and it took its toll on my own mother." Hannah explained making mention of her dark past.

Her self-disclosure peeked Astor's interest causing her to want to know more. "What did you do? You couldn't work it out with her?"

"I had planned on making things right, but she died before I was able to. My dad didn't even tell me until after they had the funeral." Hannah revealed, a hint of anger was exposed when she made mention of Clint McKay. "My point is that missing your mom isn't something you should fight against. You have to just surrender to nature's way. We're born, we live, and then we die. Life adds and subtracts."

The tears began to flow freely from Astor's eyes as she stood there for a moment, reflecting on Hannah's words. She sucked back her congestion before revealing her thoughts. "I miss her every day. I hate that she's gone. I wouldn't be living in a shitty town outside of Orlando with my grandparents if she were here."

"Well, when you're old enough you can strike out on your own, go anywhere you want to go."

"Who says I have to wait that long? Chad and I talk all the time about how great it would be just to take off in the middle of the night and never look back. At least then I'd be free from my grandparents' bullshit rules. Cody likes it there, but I can't stand it."

Hannah's lips parted. She drew in a sharp breath as she studied the young woman's face. She couldn't help but see a fifteen year old version of herself in Astor. The strong desire to run away and be free. Fifteen year old Hannah had thought that her older boyfriend, Wayne, would whisk her away to a better life far away from Clopton, Alabama. How wrong she had been. And while Hannah didn't think that Astor was going on a killing spree with her boyfriend, she was still holding fast to the same fantasy of a new life.

"Running away isn't the answer..."

Astor scoffed and rolled her eyes before wiping her tears away. "Please, like you know anything about it..."

"Actually, I do. I was your age when I ran away with an older guy that I had a crush on. I was willing to do whatever it took to get out of the shitty Alabama town I was living in. I didn't get very far before I found myself in juvie. It wasn't until then that I realized what a mistake I had made."

"I don't know if I can wait until I'm eighteen to leave." Astor muttered, gently touching the petals of the orchid in front of her.

Hannah swept a blonde strand of hair from her face with a small swing of her head. "You know, some of the most beautiful flowers are the ones that can survive the harshest conditions and still grow strong."

Astor was quiet. Hannah's words still hung in the air. She then moved to reach into her back pocket, revealing a lighter and a joint.

"Mind taking that outside? If I were you I'd take it away from the house. I doubt Dexter would be okay with you getting high."

She returned the contents back to her back pocket before she grabbed hold of the potted orchid and looked over at Mrs. Morgan.

"So I can have this?"

A smile formed on Hannah's face as she simply nodded. In turn, Astor returned a smile of her own. Perhaps this was a sign Astor was beginning to accept Hannah being in the life of her little brother and stepfather.

The weekend drew to a close as did Astor and Cody's visit to Miami. The Morgans were left to fall back into their daily routine with the new week ahead of them. Dex had survived the family weekend and now he owed himself a little recreational time. Morgan was the first one up that Monday morning before the break of dawn. He was using the quiet time to scan over potential candidates for his kill table.

"So many choices, yet not a single one peeks my interest. The one person I have on my mind isn't in the criminal database."

Dexter pulled up his Miami Metro information database and began to type as he spoke the name aloud.

"Albert Hollister."

His finger tapped the enter key revealing all of the recorded information that the state of Florida had on him. Harry Morgan appeared behind where his son was seated. He bent down to examine what Dex was reading.

"Albert Michael Hollister, born July 7th 1969, resident of Miami Florida. Married Michelle in 2009 and had first and only child, Jay Alexander, that same year. His wife is a regional executive at Goldman Sachs and he is listed as a freelance writer and photographer. He's essentially living off of his wife's salary. What kind of a man does that?"

Harry: "He may be lacking in decency and self-respect, but that doesn't mean that he fits the code. This guy has no criminal record whatsoever, not even as much as a parking ticket. There's no way you can justify even considering putting him on your table."

Dexter let out a long sigh. He sat back in his desk chair. He brought one of his fingers to the side of his forehead as he spoke with a voice full of contempt.

"You should have seen the way he was looking at Hannah and how he touched her. I wanted to kill him right then and there. The last thing on my mind was the code, I just wanted to tear him apart."

Harry: "Jealousy is a human emotion, Dexter. You love your wife and you can't stand the thought of another man being with her. That's normal. But you're different, because you have an urge to act on your emotion, and that's dangerous. His son goes to school with Harrison. If he turns up dead then you know that you and Hannah will be pulled into that investigation."

"Unless he just disappears; no body, means no murder."

When it was time for Harrison to go to school, it was Dexter who took him on his way into work. There was no early morning crime scene so Morgan had no problem pulling daddy duty so that Hannah could have some time to herself.

Upon entering the classroom, Dexter stood by his son as he put his things away in his cubby. He was keeping his eyes on the door the entire time, waiting for a specific person to walk through it. And then it happened; Albert entered the room with his son. Jay ran to the cubby area while Hollister remained at the classroom entrance, scanning the sea of mothers with his eyes.

"He's looking for Hannah. Just the mere sight of him gives me the overwhelming urge to rip his throat out with my bare hands. It would be deeply satisfying."

Hollister's lips parted when he noticed Dexter standing across the room. Morgan's focus remained on him, shooting an icy stare in his direction that caused Albert to begin to back up. Dex took a step forward. He saw this and quickly retreated from the classroom without even saying goodbye to his son.

"Albert doesn't want a confrontation. Perhaps he now knows that my wife is off limits to him. If only he knew who I am and what I do, then the conversation we had at the party would have been all he needed to back off."

Monday morning was hitting hard for Debra. Nothing but a bump of coke and a cup of coffee could have gotten her out of bed and into the office to get some work done. The weekend was a blur as her and Nick had spent it shacked up in his penthouse. It wasn't until she glanced at the date on her IPhone that she realized that the weekend had past and so had her nephew's fourth birthday. She felt like an ass. But why? It wasn't like she could visit him. Well, possibly she could but that would entail subjecting herself to her sister-in-law. Debra couldn't stand the thought. Poor Harrison, being raised by two serial killers. She dreaded to think about what peril could befall him. Despite her frequent requests, Porter was not going to allow her to use his company time and resources to follow around her brother. Deb had every intention to track him on her own time, but her craving for her vices always seemed to get in the way.

Nicholas had made it a point to remind her that while they were having fun together, she was still on his payroll and had to provide some kind of income by having a caseload. Porter entered the doorway to Deb's office and peered over at her. She was sitting there at the desk with her head down. She must have taken a Xanax to bring herself down. He smirked and knocked on her open door causing her to jolt out of her sleep.

"What the fuck?" She muttered through her sleepy haze.

Nicholas laughed at her reaction. He loved her mouth in addition to her many other characteristics he found endearing. "Well, don't look too happy to be here, babe. I've got something for ya."

"Unless it's another cup of coffee or a white line then I could give two shits."

He presented a vanilla case folder and plopped it on her desk right in front of her before placing his hands in his pockets. "New client that I want you to take. Her name is Michelle Hollister. She is seeking our services because she believes that her husband is cheating on her. She's coming in to meet with you this afternoon."

"Really? You're giving me the cheating husband case? Don't you have anything less mundane like an apprehension of a perp with an outstanding warrant or something? Your company gets asked to do that, right?"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Handle this for me first and then I'll see what I can do. The husband's name is Albert. He's what his wife called, a "self proclaimed photographer and writer". Michelle said he barely has any income at all, she's the one who makes the living. She's willing to pay us a pretty penny to follow him. Questions?" Nick asked with a smirk as he sat on the edge of his girlfriend's desk.

"No, seems pretty cut and dry: freeloading fucker who's sticking his dick into everyone but his own wife. I got it."

Porter smiled wide. He then leaned in, bringing his face close to hers and then spoke again. "I fucking love you, you know that?"

"Fucking A, you do..." She muttered back before kissing his lips. "Love you too."

Dexter was working diligently in his lab. It was a slower day than usual as Batista only had a few DNA samples for him to process and run passed their criminal database. His lab work relaxed him, kept his mind clear of all things that were not blood spatter analysis. The sound of his cell phone ringing broke his concentration. He looked away from his microscope and glanced at it. 'Hannah calling' was displayed across his screen prompting him to answer it quickly.

"Hello?"

"Dex, can you talk?"

Morgan's eyes narrowed as it was unusual for his wife to be calling him in the middle of the day. Usually, if she wanted to tell him something, she would shoot him a text message. This was different and the sound of her voice pointed to that as well. "Yeah, of course, are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, but Albert randomly showed up at the house today."

Brian was standing by with his arms folded. He had a smirk on his face. Moser was appearing at the same time Hollister was putting himself back in his little brother's focus.

"He what?" Dexter shot back, getting to his feet.

"I had just gotten back from the flower mart and was in the greenhouse when out of nowhere he appeared. He had printed out photos and a little paragraph about the nursery, but that was just his excuse to be there."

"What did he say? Did he try and touch you again?"

"He tried to touch my stomach. Dex, he was telling me all this weird shit about how his wife wouldn't get pregnant again and how much he misses having sex with a pregnant woman. He really creeped me out, and you know that I don't scare easy."

Brian: "So much for Hollister getting your message to back off. It's like he's begging for it, isn't it?"

"Where is he now?" Dex asked, not letting his brother's words distract him from his conversation with his wife.

"I don't know. I told him to leave and he did. I was actually considering other options if he wasn't going to back down. There's something really off about him, Dex."

Brian: "I love the way your wife thinks. He's a problem that she's willing to solve herself."

"Just go in the house and lock the doors. I'm going to leave work early today."

"Okay.."

Morgan ended the call. He then immediately began to put away his lab equipment without bothering to finish processing the blood sample that he had been working on when he got the phone call.

"Work can wait, but this can't. Hannah thinks that there is more to Albert Hollister than the information that the State of Florida has on him. I need to find out what it is."

A quick search of the Miami Metro database yielded Albert Hollister's current address. With his satchel hanging from his shoulder, he exited his laboratory causing Masuka to glance over at him.

"Dude, where are you going?"

Vince's questioning caused Dexter to stop and turn back around to reply. "Hannah called and said that she's not feeling well."

"Shit, do you think she's going into labor?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm going to cut out early. Can you cover for me?"

"Yeah sure, no problem. Hey, how many centimeters is she dilated? You know, if you stick two finger up in her-"

"Thanks, Vince. Have a good one." Dex quickly shouted out as he began to walk away from Masuka before he was able to finish his perverted sentence.

Dexter plugged the address into his phone's GPS the moment he got into his Ford Escape. It was a short drive to the modern home that was located on the Miami shoreline. Mrs. Hollister was definitely making a decent living in order to afford the home that was right on the beach. Morgan parked his automobile further down the street before he exited, donning his black leather gloves. Without the cover of night, he needed to be especially careful. He peeked into the garage door window to see that no cars were parked inside.

"An empty garage. No one's home. A perfect opportunity for a little sneak and peek."

Morgan approached the side door of the house and immediately began to pick the lock with his tool kit. It was no time at all before he gained entry. He entered the house through the laundry room. He noticed the many pictures of Albert with his wife and son that adorned the hallways. Like Hannah, she was a pretty blonde. Dexter stopped for a moment, noticing what looked to be Hollister's study.

Morgan entered and immediately went right to the laptop that was sitting on the desk. He opened it and powered it on. Once at the desktop, Dexter pulled up the internet and attempted to view his website history. Big brother Brian appeared next to him to help him join in on the search.

"It's completely cleared out. He was definitely looking at something he didn't want anyone to see. And look, not a single photo in any of his folders. Hard to believe for someone claiming to be a photographer"

Brian: "Unless all of his files are on an external drive. It makes sense if he wants them to be for his eyes only."

"Like a flash drive, it's small and he could keep it hidden anywhere."

Dexter began to pull out the drawers of the desk while searching. There was no flash drive to be found there. It was Brian who walked over to the nearby studio table where all of Albert's camera equipment was kept that Morgan turned his attention there.

Dex began to go through the black camera bag, unzipping each one of the pockets and examining the contents. He came across a black plastic film canister. He popped open the lid and dispensed the flash drive into his hand.

Brian: "And there it is. Let's see what Mr. Hollister is really up to, shall we?"

Dexter wasted no time plugging the external drive into the USB port of the laptop. It took a moment to connect, but when it did the files popped up on the screen. There were ten file folders listed as women's names in alphabetical order. Dexter clicked into the first folder. There were what looked like candid photos of a pregnant woman. It looked like she did not know she was being photographed. As Dexter scrolled down he found other pictures that were of Hollister and the same woman on the beach together.

"He stalks them and takes photos before seducing them."

A video clip was at the very end of the file content's list. Dexter clicked it open and watched as it began to play.

Brian: "How cliché, A video camera in what's obviously a sleazy motel room."

Morgan stared at the amateur movie with a look of discontent on his face. The woman looked like she knew that the camera was filming them as she kept smiling over at it.

"It looks conceptual. She seems to be a willing participant despite the fact that she was clearly very pregnant. It's probably someone else's child too."

Dexter closed the video and then went on to explore the next file that contained the same type of pictures and video but with a different pregnant woman starring in them.

Brian: "So he likes having sex with only pregnant women and he doesn't even kill them after? What's the point?"

Moser seemed a bit disappointed with their findings as none of them included any type of brutality against any of Albert's pregnant ladies.

"It's his fetish, what he gets off on. Hannah said that he told her that his wife refused to get pregnant again."

Brian: "Is there a 'Hannah' file on there?"

Dexter held his breath for a moment before he went back to the file list and began to scroll through. Sure enough, at the bottom of the page, out of alphabetical order, was a file named after his wife. Dexter let out a long sigh before clicking on it. His mouth parted as he saw all kinds of candid photographs of his wife. Ones of her outside of the grocery store with Harrison, at the preschool, and even ones that were taken at the birthday party on Saturday.

Brian: "All that's missing is the couple photos with her and the video. Looks like your wife is his next intended fuck buddy. She's certainly pregnant enough."

Moser seemed to be snickering at the thought but Dex was far from laughing along. The idea that another man planned to attempt to persuade his pregnant wife into having sex with him so he could fulfill a sick, ritualistic fetish was enough to drive Dexter over the edge.

"That would never happen, even if I didn't decide to intervene. Hannah's not like these women. She's married with a family."

Morgan deleted his wife's folder and its contents from the flash drive before removing it from the laptop. He returned it to the place that Albert had hidden it.

Brian: "Well it appears that he thinks she is just like all the other women. She's clearly his next target."

"And he just became mine."

Dexter quickly snuck back out of the house. When he made his way back to his SUV, he saw that his father was there waiting for him.

Harry: "He may have a disturbing secret lifestyle, but he still doesn't meet the code."

He brushed passed his father and climbed into the driver seat of his Escape.

"I don't care if he meets your code or not, because he meets mine. I know what he thinks he is planning to do with my wife, but he doesn't know what I plan to do to him."

Harry grabbed hold of the door before his son could close it.

Harry: "There is another way to stop him, Dexter. Why not let that flash drive fall into his wife's hands? You said yourself that she was his only means of support. Without her, he can no longer afford his lifestyle and make himself attractive to these women."

"I'm doing this my way, not yours."

With that Dexter slammed his door shut. He started up the engine, and sped off without even so much as a backward glance to see if Harry was still standing there on the street.

Dex arrived home to find Hannah napping on the living room sofa. She awoke from her light slumber due to a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Hey." She whispered softly before wincing as she adjusted her position on the couch so that she could sit up and talk to him. "I'm sorry if I worried you by calling while you were at work-"

"No, you needed to call me. I'm going to deal with Albert."

Hannah's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she wet her lips before speaking. "Why do I get the feeling that he's going to be wrapped in plastic?" She giggled but quickly stopped when she saw that his serious face had remained unchanged. "What are you not telling me?"

There were a few moments of silence before Dexter finally opened his mouth to speak. "He's been stalking you. Taking photos of you for who knows how long. He's apparently turned on by women who are pregnant. He likes having sex with them."

Her face contorted into a look of disgust. "Oh my God, that's awful! How do you know that?"

Dexter took a seat next to his wife before responding back to her. "I searched his house and found a flash drive. He's done this with nine other women, if you can believe it. He builds a relationship with them and then sleeps with them. Women don't stay pregnant for more than nine months, so I guess he moves on to someone else."

"What women would want to have sex with him, especially while they are carrying someone else's baby? That is so sick!"

"He thinks that you're next..."

"Like hell I am!" Hannah retorted quickly as she struggled to get up from the sofa. Dexter had to grab hold of her hands and help lift her up to her feet. "So what's the plan? What do you need me to do?"

"I have a disposable cell phone. I want you to call him and say you want to meet him at that motel that you hid out in back in January. It's still abandoned, I was planning on using it as a kill site. You need to make him think that this is a secret rendezvous. Can you do that?"

Hannah smiled and nodded. "I can look up his cell number from the preschool parent directory. So we're going back to that motel, huh?"

"Not 'we', just me. I don't want you there, it's too dangerous." Morgan told her before he walked off to their bedroom.

She followed after him and stood by while he drug his black trunk out from his side of their closet. "Are you kidding me? You know I can take care of myself."

Morgan opened the trunk and removed the false bottom to reveal his kill supplies. "I know you can, but right now it's different. You're nine months pregnant, and if something went wrong I would be jeopardizing not just your life but our baby daughter's too."

Hannah touched his face with both of her hands and turned his face to look at her. He turned his body to face hers, bringing his hands to her pregnant belly. She continued to try and reason with him.

"It's not like he's a killer like us, Dex. I know you're just being a concerned husband and father, but I want to help you with this. He targeted me and he expects that I'll eventually have sex with him. I want to see him dead just as bad as you do." She whispered bringing her forehead to his.

Dexter let out a long sigh as he closed his eyes. "Fine...I'll call Jamie and ask her to pick up Harrison from school. He can stay at her place over night. We won't be moving the body until well after night fall."

Hannah smiled wide before giving him a searing kiss that he gladly accepted. The moment the kiss broke, she asked for the burner phone so she could make the call. There was much to be done.

Debra's BMW trailed behind Albert Hollister's SUV as she kept him in her sights. The meeting with Michelle about her husband had taken place and Deb had agreed to take the job of investigating his activities. She was starting her surveillance right away with the hope of catching some incriminating photos of him with a mistress that she could bring back to his wife before the week was over. Nick had promised her a better assignment when she completed this one.

"This is like watching fucking paint dry." She commented aloud to herself as her car came to a stop at a traffic light several cars behind Albert's.

She had started tailing him at his son's preschool when he picked him up around two o'clock just like his wife said he would. Deb had followed him home and had sat there for what felt like forever until his SUV pulled back out of his driveway.

Now they were on the road for a while. Miami city streets turned into highways. She could tell by her beemer's built-in GPS that he was leaving the Miami city limits. When he got off the highway, Debra extended the distance between them so that he would not get wise to her tailing him.

"What a fucking scumbag.." Deb muttered when she saw that he had parked his SUV in the parking lot of a shitty motel.

She parked on the side of the road that was a good deal of distance away from him. Grabbing the fancy camera that Porter had provided her with, she used it to zoom her focus on her target. He got out of his automobile and then went into the back of it to get what looked like his camera bag. Deb stayed on him, snapping pictures as he approached room four and knocked on the door.

"Fuck..." She whispered when she was unable to get any kind of a clear shot of the large blonde woman who answered the door. Debra was positioned too far away from the motel. It didn't matter as she would be waiting there to get even more photos when he was finished with his booty call.

Hannah had closed the door quickly after Albert had entered the motel room. "I'm glad you came."

She was wearing a cute little blue sundress that accentuated her pregnant figure and had Hollister licking his lips. He was quick to notice the plastic wrap that was covering everything in the room.

"What's up with all the plastic?"Albert asked with an eyebrow raise as he brought his hands to her pregnant belly and began to caress it. "Are you into some kinky shit?"

"Something like that..." Hannah muttered back. She could see her husband emerging from the bathroom in her peripheral field of vision.

Dexter was wearing his thermal green kill shirt complete with his cargo pants. In his hand was a ten inch knife instead of his usual m99 needle. It was a deviation from the plan as he had picked it up the moment he heard Albert's voice.

Hollister set his camera bag on the plastic covered floor, while not taking his eyes off of Hannah. "I know I'm going to enjoy this. I bet you're so warm and tight. And I bet those tits have some sweet colostrum just oozing out of them. How about a taste?"

It was Albert's words that caused Dexter to spring into action. Swiftly, he approached Hollister from behind and then spun him around, forcing him into the plastic covered motel room wall with the knife to his throat. Albert was in complete shock, as Morgan had come out of nowhere and was now holding a very large knife at his neck.

"I thought I told you to stay away from my wife." Dexter hissed in the low voice that he reserved only for his kills.

"Fuck man, s-she called me and asked me to meet her here! Th-that's it, I swear! Hannah! Hannah, tell him!"

"So that flash drive I found in your camera bag containing all of those videos of you having sex with all of those pregnant women...it just so happens that my wife had her own file on it? A file that contained over twenty pictures that were taken when you were stalking her!"

"How-how could you possibly know about that?" asked Albert before he winced feeling Morgan placing some pressure on the knife blade against his skin. "I-I didn't mean her any harm. I-I just wanted to fuck her once, that's all. I was going to leave her alone after that."

Hannah had her arms folded as she was standing by, watching her husband interrogating his intended victim. Albert's confession elicited a response from her. "What could have made you think that I'd ever fuck you?"

Mrs. Morgan moved to be closer to where Dexter had Hollister pinned up against the wall. She placed her hand on her husband's back before she spoke again. "I called and asked you to meet me here so that my husband could kill you while I watched."

"Wh-what?" Albert asked in a hushed breath as he seemed quite shocked that Hannah was involved.

"Unlike Dexter, I don't actually enjoy the act, but I'm going to take great pleasure in watching him do what he loves." She whispered, her face close to Albert's while she spoke.

Dex was breathing heavy. The adrenaline was building up in his body as he was anticipating the rush of the impending kill. His excitement was only being heightened due to Hannah's presence. It was like she was toying with Hollister, and it was turning Dexter on.

Morgan's brown eyes drifted from his prey to his wife. She could feel his eyes on her and she turned to be captured in his gaze. And then their mouths came crashing together in a sexually charged, uninhibited kiss. Albert decided that this would be his only shot at escaping Dexter's restraint and he pushed back with all of his might, causing both Dexter and Hannah to lose their bearings and fall to the floor. But the Bay Harbor Butcher snapped into action the second after he hit the floor. He got to his feet with his knife still in his hand as Albert attempted to run to the door.

Dexter pounced on him just before he could open it. He plunged the blade into Albert's lower back, causing him to double over in pain. Dexter pulled out his knife and gave him a hard nudge with his foot, causing him to fall to the floor. Hollister's eyes were wide with terror as he tried to crawl away from Dexter who was looming over him.

"Get up..." Morgan growled, as he watched his victim place a hand on the white plastic sheet covering the wall in an attempt to get to his feet.

Morgan moved in, pulling him to his feet before he jammed the blade into his gut as hard as he could. Albert's mouth gaped open as he looked down at his stomach. Dex pulled the knife back out and then quickly thrust it in again, this time on the other side causing Hollister to whimper weakly. When Dexter removed the blade and stepped back, his victim slumped to his knees, clutching his gut that was now bleeding profusely. Morgan stared on in contempt for a few seconds before he finally stepped forward and delivered him death, slicing his throat wide open. A gushing tide wave of red came spewing out onto the white plastic floor.

It was Hannah's shrill voice calling his name that brought Dexter's focus back to her. He turned and saw that she was bracing herself on the plastic covered dresser. She panted, breathing heavy before she managed let out her words in a breathless whisper:

"I think I'm in labor..."