The door swung open with great force. Dex and Kristina stumbled inside, laughter filling the otherwise quiet room. They clumsily made their way to the sofa, hands all over one another. She laughed against his lips in the moments their lips pulled apart.

"Okay, okay," she giggled as she took a step back, "let's calm down."

"Why?" Dex rushed to close the door before retaking his spot, "Things were just getting started."

"You have neighbors-"

"So?"

"What if they hear us?"

"Let them," Dex's voice was husky as he suddenly pulled Kristina off of the ground. Her laugh tickled his ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. They began to kiss again, their lips pushing perfectly against one another. Kristina's groan came out smooth, biting down on Dex's bottom lip as he pressed his pelvis against her.

"Uh," she threw her head back, "Ugh, God, please-"

"What?"

Kristina didn't respond, instead holding his torso tighter between her legs. She pulled his lips into her own, moving slowly and sensually. They traded gentle moans just as Dex sat them down on the couch. He ran a hand up her back, his fingers brushing past the chiffon fabric until he grabbed the zipper at the top. Kristina pulls back to help him remove the garment, the dress pooling around her waist. Her hands then went for the buttons on his cyan shirt. His lips attached themselves to the pulse point on her neck.

"Dex," his name left her mouth airily. She kept a hand on the back of his head, fingers hidden in his dirty blonde hair. His hand traveled to her chest, gently squeezing her breast. Her loud moan filled his ear, and he did his best to suppress his own.

"So…unfair…" she gasped. Dex pulled away, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What's unfair?" he asked. She dropped her head down to meet his eyes.

"You're doing all of this for me. What about you?"

"As long as you're satisfied, that's all I need."

"Mm, that's not enough," she stiffened her spine, pulling back just enough to grab his black belt. She undid the leather as well as the button, trying to slide her hand underneath.

"Whoa," Dex stilled her with a hand flat on her back, "hold on."

Kristina pouted at him, "Come on, Dex. Let me do this for you."

"You want to do this right here?"

Kristina briefly raised an eyebrow before they both shot up. She climbed off of his lap, letting her dress (and remaining clothes) fall to the ground. Dex watched as she slowly made her way to his bedroom, briefly turning around to wink at him. A small smirk appeared on his face as he discarded the rest of his clothing and joined her, shutting the bedroom door behind him.

He felt his knees go weak when he saw how she laid in his bed, a smirk on her face as she rested on her side, an elbow against the sheets and a hand on her bare hip.

"Come here," she purred, to which he obeyed. He crawled onto the bed and planted a kiss on her lips. Kristina placed her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him down, settling between his legs. Her hands move from his shoulders to his chest, her fingers delicately brushing past his pecs and down his abdomen.

"Kristina," he sighed before his muscle seized up, a spark shooting through him at a rapid pace, "Ah!"

His senses were overwhelmed almost instantly, the sensation of her tongue on him driving him crazy. Her lips closing around the tip made him go just as mad, his moans filling the tiny room. She moved faster, rougher, pushing him to an edge he knew he'd fall over, and he eventually did.

"Damn," he breathed out just as Kristina crawled on top of him. He gave her a tired smile, "not bad."

"Not bad?" she playfully scowled at him, "You loved it."

"Debatable."

"Oh my God," she rolled her eyes before flopping down next to him, "You're ridiculous."

"I'm just teasing," Dex laughed before turning onto his side. He gently pressed a kiss into Kristina's cheek, talking against her skin, "hey, hey, I'm teasing."

"Mhm," Kristina tried to ignore how heavy her cheeks felt, "sure."

"I swear," he dragged his hand down her abdomen, moving further down. She gasped when she felt his fingers on her, moving in a slow, sensual circle, "I swear…"

"Oh God," she moaned, lying still as he continued. She eventually felt a finger inside, bucking her hips in tandem with his reflexes. It didn't take long for her to come apart. He propped himself up on his elbows as they kissed, their bodies alight with electricity and excitement. Moans escaped her mouth the more their lips moved against one another.

"Mm," she hummed in between, "I…need it…need you…ugh…"

Dex pulled away slightly, his nose gently brushing against hers as he gazed into his eyes. Her plea pushed things further.

"Please."

"Sonny," Alexis nodded before walking past him and into his penthouse. Gregory stood in place for a beat before nodding to him as well and stepping inside. Sonny blinked for a moment, confusion briefly flashing in his mind before closing the front door.

"What can I help you both with?"

"We want to ask you some questions," Gregory replied.

"And before you say anything," Alexis raised a hand, "it's about the Hook."

"I have nothing to do with that-"

"We know, but the victims are all tied to you, and thanks to Gregory, we might have a lead on a culprit."

"And that would be who?"

"...How much do you know about Dex Heller?"

Sonny somewhat rolled his eyes, taking a seat on the L-shaped black sofa. Alexis and Gregory join him.

"You think Dex is responsible for this?" he asked incredulously, "Weren't you the same person who gave him a pass to date our daughter?"

"I-I did," Alexis responded, "and for the record, this is just a theory. We have no hard evidence."

"Why do you think it could be Dex?"

"Well," Gregory cleared his throat, "for one, he was in the area when Ava and Diane were attacked. Both women were attacked from behind, so he has plausible deniability."

"He told you," Sonny shot a look at Alexis, "he ran into a petite woman and then found Ava. You think he's lying?"

"Well, without any surveillance or eyewitnesses, it's just his word."

"The garage and Charlie's have cameras. You haven't reviewed any of that?"

"We don't have access to it, if it was even working at the time."

"On the topic of Brando," Gregory cut in, "did he and Dex ever interact?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"Sonny, please," Alexis sighed, "We want to help the PCPD catch this person, and if it does turn out to be Dex, you'll want to save Kristina."

"I don't disagree, but in working with Dex, I don't have a reason to think he's capable of doing this, especially to people in my circle. Ava and I share Avery, Brando was my cousin, Diane's my lawyer: it would be stupid of him to go after them while under my thumb. What motive could he possibly have?"

"I'm not sure," Gregory shook his head, "Maybe he wants to isolate you? Or he idolizes you so much he wants your attention solely on him?"

"Yeah, no."

"Sonny, just help us, okay?" Alexis pleaded, "If we can eliminate Dex as a suspect, then great. But we can't do that without your cooperation."

"...Fine," Sonny closed his eyes, letting out a rough sigh, "Dex and Brando…they didn't exactly get along. Brando caught him going after Michael at the Quartermaine stables, and things have been tense with them since then…until he died."

"Why was Dex going after Michael?"

"He claimed it was to show initiative, to out-predict what I wanted, but to me, he was just causing trouble."

"He defied you," Gregory said.

"I wouldn't say that," Sonny shook his head slightly, "he was brand new and trying to please me, he just went about it poorly."

"And as far as you know, he and Brando were always at odds?"

"Yes."

"Hm," Alexis hummed to herself, eyes cast downward towards the floor.

"What?"

"Well, Brando's the only one who's died from these attacks, and you said that he and Dex didn't get along."

"So…it seems a bit likely Dex could be tied to it. He has a plausible-enough motive."

"Why would he go after Ava and Diane, though? And why would he try to save their lives?"

"To cover himself," Gregory replied, "He was the only person around Ava at the time, and on top of making up this hooded figure, he saved her to make himself look good. It's pretty much the same thing with Diane."

"Hmm," Sonny rubbed the underside of his chin, "I see…"

"What are you thinking?" Alexis raised an eyebrow.

Sonny froze for a moment, sharp eyes moving between Gregory and Alexis. His words cut through the woman with ease, though she'd be hard-pressed to disagree with him.

"I think…" he took a deep breath, "I think that we need to get our little girl away from him."

"How are you feeling?"

Kristina settled herself in Dex's lap, dressed expertly in a pair of sweats he loaned her to wear, her head against his shoulder. His hands were clasped together on her hip, cuddling her closer to him.

"Good," her voice was soft, a bit exasperated.

"I'm glad," he matched her tone, gently kissing the top of her forehead, "I'm sorry I was late."

"It's okay. I'm just glad you showed up."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Fair point," she giggled as Dex rested a cheek on the top of her head. They laid in silence for a while, his arms tight around her as they relaxed into each other.

"Tired?" he asked gently.

"A little bit," she answered, "You gave me a good workout."

"Oh, did I?" a smirk surfaced on his face.

"Mhm," she hummed, laughing as he captured her lips in a tender kiss. He gently dipped her downwards, her legs bent at the knee between his open legs. He pulled her back up into her original position when he stopped.

"So," he cleared his throat, "got any ideas?"

"For?"

"Passing the time. I'm not tired enough to sleep, and it doesn't seem like you are either."

"Whatever we do, it should be here. I'm not in the mood to go back out."

"Agreed," he glanced upward, trying to come up with ideas, "how about a movie?"

"You have some?"

"No DVDs or anything, but I'm sure if we browse through the guide on the TV, we can find something."

"I'll only agree to that if there's sweets involved."

"Sounds good," Dex slowly got up, leaving Kristina on the bed, "Let me see what I have."

"Okay," her head hit his pillow almost immediately, the unobstructed eye watching him open the door and walk off. She turned onto her back, staring up at the ceiling, stretching her limbs out. A few minutes passed before Dex's head appeared from around the corner.

"Hey," she sat up, propped by her elbows, "what did you find?"

"Not much," Dex replied sheepishly, "I keep putting off shopping. I can go and get us something. How about some ice cream?"

"Sure, but where are you going to get it?"

"There's a grocery store about a mile or so from here; it's a five-minute drive, give or take. I know you don't want to go back out-"

"And I'm sticking to it."

"Okay. Any flavor you want?"

"Surprise me," she grinned.

Dex mirrored her expression, "Sounds good. I'll be right back. If you need anything, you know how to reach me."

"Of course," Kristina said before kissing him goodbye. She watched him disappear around the bedroom door, laying flat on the bed. Time ticked away slowly, the minutes dragging on as if they were hours, and eventually, Kristina felt herself drift off. The only light source in the room came from the blinds as she turned onto her side, her body slightly wrapped up in the sheets.

She eventually fell onto her back, her face turned towards the window, hidden in the dark. The sheets haphazardly rested across her torso, moonlight striking the off-white fabric.

The pain she felt in her abdomen was sudden, sharp, and suffocating.

Her scream pierced the silence of the space, eyes suddenly wide open. Her labored breathing heightened her panic, her torso surging with agony. Her head shot up, catching the quick whip of black wrapping around the corner. Her hands instantly shot to her abdomen, covering the affected area.

"Ah," Kristina gasped, raising a hand. She could see the outlines of blood trickling down her palm, "Ah!"

She slowly tried to sit up, pain radiating through every nerve in her body. She ended up rolling onto her side, catching the silhouette of her phone on the nightstand. She shakily reached out a hand, a bit slick with blood, and grabbed onto the device.

"O-Ow," she stammered, scrolling through her contact list, "D-Dex…" she dialed his number, pressing the speaker key. The phone buzzed a few times, "C-Come on…please…"

"Hey, it's Dex. Sorry I couldn't answer your call. Leave me a voicemail and I'll get back to you. Thanks."

"D-Dex-" Kristina gritted her teeth at another jolt of pain, "p-please…come h-home. I need you…I-I've been…s-stabbed."

She ended the call, proceeding to lower her phone. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She squirmed her way across the bed, tipping onto the floor with a thud. She grunted out her reaction to the impact before proceeding to crawl across the ground. She was halfway out of the bedroom as the front door opened, Dex stepping inside.

"Okay, Krissy," he began, shutting the door, "I'm back! I got us both some mint chocolate chip-"

The bags dropped to the floor the moment he saw her.

"God-" his voice was caught in his throat as he dropped to one knee, "What happened?"

"I-I told you-" she huffed, "in a v-voicemail-"

"Voicemail? That was you calling me? Oh, crap, Krissy, I'm so sorry-"

"H-Help-"

"Okay," Dex took a deep breath, gently pulling Kristina into his arms. He moved with a swift gentleness, making sure she didn't jostle around in his arms.

"Dex…" she groaned, her head loosely rolling around, "Dex…"

"I'm right here, baby. I'm getting you help. It'll all be okay."

He wasn't sure how many traffic laws he broke as he sped to the hospital. His eyes shot between the road and the rear-view mirror, watching Kristina's still form lie across the backseat. He pulled into the parking lot, stealing a spot near the front door.

"Okay, we're here," the words rushed out of his mouth. He got out of the car and opened the back passenger door, gently pulling Kristina out. He left his SUV unlocked as he stepped through the doors.

"Help!" his voice boomed in the lobby, "We need help!"

"Oh my God," TJ approached them, another doctor and a few nurses in tow. Two of the nurses pulled the gurney in front of Dex, and he laid Kristina on top of it while the third rushed to the phone. It was only Dex and TJ left as she was wheeled off, "What happened?"

"I-" Dex felt his eyes sting with tears. He tried to rub his nose with a bloody hand, briefly looking down in both confusion and slight disgust, "I went out f-for a few m-minutes to b-buy something, and…and…"

"You found her like that?"

"Mhm," he nodded.

"Damn," TJ shook his head, swearing to himself, "okay. I'm…I'm going to keep an eye on her while she's in the ER, okay? Don't go anywhere."

"I won't," Dex matched his speed before watching him walk off. He took a seat on a nearby sofa, trying his best to compose himself. His efforts quickly fell apart as he hunched over, sobbing into his wrists. Footsteps moved behind him, passing by in both directions. His ears perked up as he heard a few approach him directly.

"Thank God," he began, getting to his feet and turning to his right, "Please tell me you have an update of some kind-"

He immediately froze as he took in Sonny and Alexis before him, anger, horror, and confusion present in each of their faces. He gulped as he stared into Sonny's fiery eyes, praying for the chance to melt into the floor.

"We don't have any kind of update for you, Dex," Alexis responded, her voice cold, "but it seems like you do. So, please, tell us: what did you do to our daughter?"