A/N: Hello, all! I'll be in Houston this weekend, meaning overall fic updates will resume with "Stars Crossed Right" next Friday (10/6). Just a heads-up! Also, thank you to Guest as well as MQuartermaine for your continued reviews. They make my day/week. :)

"Dex?"

Kristina's not sure when (and how long) Dex began tuning out, so-to-speak. Her cold passed a few days prior, and she's thankful she didn't pass anything onto him. He moves slower than normal, his enthusiasm dulled and his attentiveness slightly skewed. She frowns at his posture on his sofa: slumped and lazy. His eyes are glazed over, his expression distant.

"Hey," she slowly sits down, a hand at the back of his head, "are you okay?"

A hint of worry sparks in her when he doesn't respond. She scoots closer, an arm draped across his shoulders. She looks up at him with innocent, pleading bright eyes. He glances at her quickly before refocusing on his coffee table.

"Talk to me," she says, "tell me what's going on."

Silence.

"Dex…" she mutters, stroking the side of his head, her fingers running over the short hairs. He turns away slightly, which upsets her further. She takes his face in her hands, turning him towards her.

"Dexter James Heller," her voice is firm. He winces at her, "say something."

"Don't," he responds, his tone cracked and gentle, "Don't do that."

"What's going on with you? Did something happen?"

"I'm just…tired-"

"Do you need more sleep? I can get you into bed-"

"No, um, it's just…a mental…exhaustion."

"I…oh," Kristina sighs, pulling him into a side hug, "I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Uh, no," he shakes his head, pulling away. He then gets to his feet, "I'll be fine. It'll pass."

"Wait," she stands up, "no. Don't box it away. If you're unhappy, or you don't feel well, you need to take care of yourself."

"It's not that big of a deal."

"It is to me. I lo-" she stops herself, "I care about you, a lot, and if you're not okay, then I'm not okay."

"No-"

"Yes," she grabs his hand with both of hers, "Listen to me, you are wonderful, okay? You are so, so compassionate, but compassion can only go so far, and you should look out for your well-being. We," she looks down at her stomach before looking back at him, "will be just fine."

"I know but-"

"But what? It's your job to watch over me? You don't think you could get a day or two, maybe even a week off?"

"I don't want to upset your father; you're very important to him. You're very important to me," he reaches out a hand, and she nods, watching him rest it on her bump, "and so is this baby."

She tenses up at his words, taking a sharp, short breath. She watches his hand gently glide across her torso, a tired smile on his face. Her voice is soft and a bit apprehensive, "You're getting attached…"

"Yeah, a little bit."

"Well…" she stays calm as her brain spins out, "she loves her Uncle Dex."

"Uncle?" he raises an eyebrow, "You think Molly and TJ will give me that?"

"I do. They'd be stupid to cut you out of the baby's life."

"I hope you're right. I just want everything to turn out okay, for you and the baby."

"I know. And we," she rests her hands on his shoulders, "want you to be okay in return."

"...You're sure taking a break is alright?"

"Absolutely."

"Well, if you say so," he gives her a gentle smile, pulling her against him. He plants a kiss on her lips, prolonged and deep before pulling back. He grabs his phone off the coffee table and travels to his bedroom. He scrolls through his contact list, and it only takes a ring or two before the line clicks on.

"TJ?" he asks.

"Dex, hey," TJ responds, "what's up?"

"I know it's been a few days, but, um, is that offer to go hatchet-throwing still on the table?"

"Yeah, of course! When did you want to do it?"

"In a few hours…?"

"Sure. Is it okay if I bring a plus-one? And before you say anything, it's not Molly."

"Um, sure, yeah! I'll see you in a bit. Thanks," Dex hangs up and returns to the living room, watching Kristina pocket her phone.

"Hey," she says, "Who'd you call?"

"A friend," he wraps his arms around her, "I'll be heading out in a little while."

"For what?"

"A night of fun."

"Oh yeah?" she gives him a playful look, "Good!"

"What about you? Who did you call?"

"My mom. Tonight's a girls' night at her place."

"That's good," he kisses her, "I hope you have fun."

"I hope you have fun too."

"You're…giving me clothes?"

"You can't wear sweaters, blouses, and leggings forever."

"I could've just bought some."

"Well, this is a cheaper, easier option."

Kristina looks down at the two big, white bags of maternity clothes sitting on Alexis's couch. Sam and Alexis stand on either side of her, hands clasped together as if they're mirroring one another.

"At least try some on?" Alexis leans closer.

"I haven't even been here for an hour and you guys want me to do this? I thought tonight was a family night!"

"It is! Molly's not here yet, so Sam and I thought we'd…give you a gift or two."

"Come on, Krissy, try some on, please?" Sam asks.

"...Okay, fine," Kristina sighs, taking off her tight Volonino's sweatshirt. She opens the bag closest to her and pulls out a few large black sweaters, pulling one over her white tank top, "Not bad."

"Try the other one now," Alexis points to the garment on the couch.

"Don't rush me," she smiles, pulling the sweater off and tugging her tank top down. Her words mix with laughter, "at least ask me how I'm doing first."

"How are you?"

"I'm okay. Just got over a cold."

"A cold?" Sam asks, "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

"Oh, yeah, we're fine."

"That's good," Alexis nods, "that's good. How's your center going?"

"It's…going. Construction is finished, but no one's gotten back to me about serving on the board."

"No one's gotten back to you, or you haven't reached out yet?"

Kristina bites her bottom lip, causing Sam to shake her head, "Okay, well, once we're done here, we're going to reach out to them."

"Not if Molly gets here first," Kristina takes off the second sweater, "Let's just focus on having some fun tonight, please?"

"Okay, okay, but first thing tomorrow, you're making those calls."

"Who were you considering?" Sam questions, tilting her head to the side.

"Terry, Lucas, and Diane. I need five people, though, and I'm not sure of who the last two people are. I mean, I want someone who can provide and protect and be empathetic and caring towards people different from them."

"Well, thus far, you have two doctors and an attorney," Alexis says, "What about me or your father?"

"You're super busy with The Invader, and I love Dad, but it's not a good look for a mob boss to be part of something like this."

"Part of what?" Molly strolls into the house, a bright smile on her face, "What's going on here?"

"I'm going through some hand-me-downs," Kristina responds, hands on her hips, "and Mom and Sam are trying to…help me with my center."

"Oh!" Molly claps her hands together as her eyebrows shoot up, "Is the building ready?"

"It is."

"Does it have a name?"

"It does," Kristina nods, "Corinthos-Davis House."

"Oh, I love it," Molly approaches her for a hug. She then pulls back enough to admire the baby bump, resting her hands on it, "and I love you, baby girl. Mommy's right here and she says hi!"

Kristina does her best to keep her composure, a part of her dying internally. She eventually turns towards the sofa, digging through the bags of clothes.

"So now what?" Molly questions.

"Well, she's been looking for people to be on the center's board," Sam says just as an idea hits her, "Oh! What about Michael?"

Kristina frowns at her, "He and I have been…avoiding each other."

"Because of Sonny."

"Yeah. I mean, he's my brother and I love him, but this whole Nina thing and the divorce really put a wedge between us. I'm no fan of Nina, but I respect Dad's decision to be with her. I can dislike it and still be civil about it, y'know? And I'd like to think Dad would be the same about me and-"

Sam, Molly, and Alexis raise their eyebrows at the same time as Kristina abruptly shuts her mouth.

"You and who?" Alexis asks.

"...Nothing," Kristina turns away, digging through the bag hastily.

"Wait, Kristina," Sam grabs her arm, stopping her, "are you seeing him?"

"Him?" Alexis questions before the answer hits her.

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"Yes, you do," Molly crosses her arms.

Kristina sighs through her nose, nostrils flared. She avoids looking at her family.

"This is about Dex, isn't it?" Alexis asks out loud, crossing her arms, "Unless there's someone else-"

"There's no one else," Sam replies, "I saw the way they hugged when they babysat the kids a few months ago."

"Plus, he's been by her side 24/7 the whole pregnancy," Molly follows with.

"He's just protective, Molls. He cares about me and the baby because…" Kristina takes a deep breath, "because he's supposed to."

"Right, sure."

"You know what, we don't need to discuss him, okay? There's more to talk about than the pregnancy or my supposed love life."

"...Alright," Alexis snaps coolly, looking at her eldest daughter, "What's going on with you?"

"Well, Danny and Rocco just started high school, Scout loves her first grade class, and Dante and I are doing great."

"Any new PI cases?"

"You know I can't talk about that," Sam smirks, giving a knowing look. Alexis nods before turning to her youngest daughter, "And how are you?"

"I'm good. TJ and I are officially settling into our careers, and we're going to the theater to see the local troupe put on Funny Girl. We're really excited."

"What about you, Mom?" Kristina asks, pulling out a few blouses, "What's going on with your life?"

"Oh, not much," Alexis locks her fingers together in front of her pelvis, "just working hard at The Invader. Gregory's been finishing up some op-eds that'll likely be published during the week and I hired a new receptionist."

"Who?"

"...Esme Prince."

"What?!" the sisters snap in unison.

"Hold on," the older woman holds her hands up, "I'm only doing it for Spencer. He wants me to keep an eye on her just in case her amnesia fades. Believe me when I say I am not thrilled about her working for me."

"If it's for Spencer, and by extension, for Ace, then fine," Sam slides her hands into her back pockets, "but don't let her convince you that she's a good person."

"I won't. This is strictly for my nephews."

"Good," the eldest daughter nods before looking at her younger sister, "and now, back to you."

"For what?"

"What's up with you and Dex?" Molly questions.

"Nothing. He's just my bodyguard…my handsome, caring, mindful bodyguard."

"And you haven't asked him out why?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

"Come on, Krissy," Sam sighs, stepping closer, "it's pretty obvious you two really like each other. Why not take the next step?"

"We're good with what we are."

"And that's…what, exactly?"

"Whatever we decide it is."

"That's not vague and hand-wavey at all," Molly rolls her eyes.

"Kristina," Alexis clears her throat, "what do you want from this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you like how things are with him, or do you want more?"

Kristina stands still, dropping the clothes in her hand onto the sofa. She slowly moves to the adjacent chair, taking a seat. Alexis steps to her left, hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Molly pouts.

"I…" Kristina takes a breath, trying to figure out what to say.

"What are you guys?"

"I mean, technically we're friends with benefits," her cheeks heat up when she pictures him capturing her lips in a tender, dizzying kiss, "even though the benefit is just…making out."

"And you're happy with that?"

She bites her bottom lip, playing with her fingers, "...Not really, no."

"So you want more?" Sam questions. No response.

"Is something the matter?" Alexis asks, "Why aren't you talking to us? Are you…somehow ashamed of it? Or ashamed of him?"

"What?!" Kristina snaps aggressively, shooting up from the chair, "Are you kidding me?! I'm not ashamed of my feelings, and I'd never be ashamed of him!"

"I'm just trying to figure out why you don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, look," Kristina runs her hands past her face, "yes, I want more. I can't put into words exactly how I feel, but I know that being friends with benefits isn't enough for me."

She turns to Sam and Molly, "And yes, I know that Dex and I are, at the very least, interested in one another, but taking the next step to label whatever we are is harder than you think."

She then looks back at her mother, "I just…I love him. I think I'm in love with him," everyone's eyebrows shoot up at her admission, in awe of her words. Tears sting the corners of her eyes, "and I…I just don't want anyone to get hurt."

"You're hurting yourself by not talking to him about this," Alexis replies, walking around the chair to pull Kristina into a hug, "You deserve to be happy, sweetie, and he clearly makes you happy. Holding back doesn't do anyone any good."

"Yeah," Molly approaches them, a hand on Kristina's back, "and plus, Dex isn't like your past partners. He seems to genuinely like you and like being around you. I understand that you're scared of another failed romance, but…maybe this guy is 'it' for you."

"And if he doesn't want more, then he isn't as great as you make him out to be and doesn't deserve you," Sam stands to Alexis's left, running a hand through her sister's hair, "You're a great woman, Krissy, and you should own that."

"...I love you guys," a broken smile appears on Kristina's face as they tightly embrace one another.

"And we love you," Alexis responds as they separate, "Well, now that everyone's here, how do we all feel about a movie?"

"Yes, please," Kristina laughs, which causes Sam and Molly to join her. Alexis nods to her eldest daughter, "Do you mind helping me?"

"Not at all," Sam answers, moving the clothing bags behind the couch before following her mother to the kitchen. Molly and Kristina both sit down on the couch in return, enjoying the silence between them

"...Hey," Kristina says, "when you said that Dex is 'it' for me, did you mean that?"

"Yeah," Molly nods her head, "He's going out of his way to care for you and spend time with you, and it doesn't seem like he has any issues with your quirks and flaws. That's a keeper in my book."

Kristina dons a warm smile, settling against the sofa with a hand on her stomach as Molly continues talking.

"You love this man, you want to be with this man, and I think it's time you staked your claim to this man."

He's never heard a better sound than the cracking of wood.

A massive grin spreads across Dex's face as he watches TJ cheer at his score. He sits next to Dante at the high, black table, keeping track of the overall scores. He takes a sip from his beer bottle as TJ joins them.

"Four points on the docket," the man points to the empty square in the sixth column on the bottom row, "which brings my score up to twenty. I'm catching up to you guys."

"Yeah?" Dante smirks, "Not for long."

"We'll see," TJ takes his seat as he gets up, approaching the cage. Dex takes another swig, watching curiously as Dante retrieves the hatchet. TJ gets his attention, "Look, I'm only down two. As long as he doesn't get a bullseye, I should be good."

"Hm," Dex examines the chart, "yeah."

"Hey, guys," Dante calls out, "pay attention!"

They watch expertly as Dante plants his feet, standing straight across from the wooden target board. He lifts the hatchet above his head with both hands, taking a step forward to toss it. It spins in rapid circles before landing in the middle-lower corner of the wood.

"Damn," Dante claps his hands, "three points."

"Yes!" TJ fist-pumps as Dex records the score. Dante pulls the hatchet out and rests it on the rack before rejoining them at their table, "I just need a bullseye and we'll be tied!"

"Yeah, yeah," Dante sits down, taking a shot of beer from his glass, "but you know we're just fighting for second place at this point."

"My lead isn't that big," Dex frowns.

"Don't downplay it; you haven't scored lower than four points the whole night."

"Have you gone hatchet-throwing before?"

"No."

"Somehow I don't believe you."

"Whatever," Dex laughs, rolling his eyes as he gets to his feet. He takes the hatchet in one hand, firmly planting his feet. He chucks the object towards the board, hitting the upper end of the red circle in the center.

"Bullseye!" Dex turns around, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Come on!" Dante and TJ say in unison, the latter recording five points on the score chart.

"Give us a chance to catch up, man," TJ shakes his head as Dex sits down.

"What? I'm just playing the game."

"Yeah, a game you're apparently way too good at," Dante gets to his feet, "I'm heading to the bathroom; I'll be right back."

"Sounds good," TJ nods, watching him leave. He turns to Dex, who finishes off his beer bottle, "I take it you're having fun?"

"I am. Thanks for recommending this place, and thanks for agreeing to do it on such short notice."

"You're welcome. I'm just glad I had a break from work to do it in the first place," TJ laughs, sipping on some of his water, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Why did you want to come here on such short notice? Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine," Dex waves him off, "I was just burned out."

"You got the night off, huh?"

"So far. I think Kristina's going to give me the week off."

"And Sonny's gonna give his stamp of approval?"

"Who said he had to know?"

"Fair," TJ laughs, taking another sip of water, "but everything's okay?"

"Yeah. I feel a lot better, Kristina and the baby are fine-"

"And you two are a couple."

Dex gives him a confused look, hint of denial in his eyes.

"Or not," TJ drinks some more water, "What's up with that?"

"I told you; it's complicated."

"Too complicated to at least tell Kristina how you feel?" TJ leans in, "Look, I'm not gonna harp on this too much, because I want tonight to be fun for everyone, but you should tell her."

Dex doesn't respond, looking away just as Dante returns to the table, sitting between them.

"Well," he slaps a hand on TJ's shoulder, "I believe it's your turn."

TJ gets to his feet, walking to the cage and taking the hatchet in his hands. He steps forward and chucks the object over his head, landing more on the right side of the center red circle, seemingly between that, the black outline, and the regular wood.

"Woo!" TJ turns around, fist-pumping, "Got it!"

"That doesn't count," Dante gestures out, "it's more on the line and outside than the red."

"The employee did say that if you're on the line, it counts," Dex chimes in, shrugging.

"That she did," TJ smirks, "meaning it counts.

"...Alright, man, it counts," Dante shakes TJ's hand. Dex high-fives the man right after, filling in the chart.

"Hell yeah," TJ laughs, looking at the table, "Do you guys need any refills or anything?"

"Two beers," Dante replies. TJ nods and walks towards the corridor. Dante finishes off his first bottle while Dex pulls out his phone. A text appears on the lock screen.

From: Kristina (8:43 PM)
Checking in - feeling any better?

Dex briefly glances at Dante, who was on his own phone, before going back to the texts.

To: Kristina (8:44 PM)
I am :)

It only takes a few minutes for a response to appear.

From: Kristina (8:45 PM)
How's your night of fun?
Molly told me you, Dante and TJ are at the hatchet range lol

To: Kristina (8:45 PM)
Yeah I am - it's been fun!
How's your girls' night?

From: Kristina (8:47 PM)
Good! We've been binging movies the whole time lol

To: Kristina (8:47 PM)
Any ones worth adding to our collection?

From: Kristina (8:48 PM)
Lol I wish. I keep going to the bathroom during them
Maybe one or two titles but I'm not sure
Are you smoking the competition?

To: Kristina (8:48 PM)
So far, yes. But TJ just got a bullseye so the pressure's really on lol

From: Kristina (8:49 PM)
Don't let up! I'm rooting for you :D

To: Kristina (8:49 PM)
Thanks :)

Dex pockets his phone just as TJ returns with the bottles, placing them down. Dante slides one to Dex before approaching the cage. The men watch expectantly as Dante tosses the hatchet with one hand, landing on the lower corner of the red circle.

"Ha! Bullseye!" he scoffs triumphantly as he goes back to the men, "We're catching up, Dex!"

"Yeah, yeah," Dex rolls his eyes as he records the score, "but not for long."

He lifts the hatchet off the rack, examining it in his tight grip. His feet are firm against the ground, eyes laser-focused on the center of the board. His arm slowly rises, every muscle in his body tense and set for what's to come. He launches the object straight at the chipped wooden board, a rush of victory coursing through him as the blade wedges itself directly in the middle of the entire board. Bullseye.