She instantly feels relief when the door opens.
"Hey," Sonny pulls Kristina into a hug when the guard lets her through, "this is a nice surprise."
"It's nice to see you too, Dad," she remarks as he guides her to the black sofa. She gingerly takes a seat on the spot closest to her, Sonny sitting adjacent.
"What brings you by?"
"Can't I just visit my dad?"
He shoots her a look.
"...Okay," she sighs playfully, "I'm here because I'm avoiding Hurricane Josslyn."
"What?" Sonny laughs.
"She's down the hall with Dex."
"Down the hall? At Sam and Dante's? Why would they be there?"
"Well, Joss was looking for Dex, and Dex was helping Sam and Dante…move out."
"Right," he nods slowly, "he told me. They're going to his old house. More room for the kids."
"Yeah…" Kristina sighed.
"I wonder who they're going to sell the place to. I can't imagine the search being easy."
"It…kind of was."
"How do you know?"
"...Because I was the one who bought it."
Sonny raises his eyebrows almost immediately, leaning forward from his reclined position on the sofa. He rubs his hands together, "You bought the penthouse?"
"Well, not bought, more like rented," Kristina shakes her hand, "Sam and I will work that out."
"No, Sam and I will work that out."
"What?"
"You're juggling a lot right now, sweetheart, between your business and the pregnancy. I don't think you can afford a penthouse; I'll pay for it."
"No, Dad, it's fine-"
"No, no, I insist. You deserve to have one less thing to worry about."
"...Okay," she sighs in defeat, giving him a tired smile.
"You're going to be down the hall from me," Sonny dons his signature grin, to which Kristina matches him, "This is the best news I've gotten in awhile."
"Well, it's not just me who's moving in."
"Who else?"
"...Dex."
Sonny's mood drops ever-so-slightly, his eyes sharp and mouth narrow. Kristina gently bites the inside of her bottom lip, her eyes cast down at the coffee table.
"Is that so?" the kingpin asks, "Whose idea was it?"
"Mine."
"Why did you ask?"
"Because…" she takes a deep breath, "Because he and I are…together."
She doesn't look at him, she adamantly refuses to, and her mind jumps between wanting to melt into the floor and employing her iron-clad spine. She takes another deep breath, a firmness in her face as she looks his way.
"Really," Sonny taps his fingers over his mouth, mulling over her admission.
"I know what you're thinking, Dad. I know you don't like it-"
"He's my employee, and you're my daughter. I think I have a right to not like it-"
"Oh, sure, you can, but you won't do a damn thing about it."
Sonny matches Kristina's hard glare. The father and daughter stand firm in their positions, silence developing in the room.
"You're not going to lay a finger on Dex," she says.
"And why is that?"
"Laying a finger on him is like you laying a finger on me-"
"Don't do that, Kristina."
"I'm being serious! I love him-"
"You love him?"
"Yes!"
"Why?"
"Because I do!" she exclaims, "I love his ocean blue eyes and big goofy grin. I love his compassion and selflessness. I love his loyalty and tolerance for nonsense, because God knows I've put him through enough."
Sonny blinks in response, the pads of his fingers pressed together as he listens.
"Think about you and Nina, how everyone was against you guys when you came home from Nixon Falls. I won't deny that I had my hang-ups with it, but I've come around. I see how happy she makes you, and who am I to rain on your parade just because of who you love? I just…I want you to extend that grace to me and Dex."
Sonny eventually leans forward, "Promise me that if he hurts you in any way, you tell me immediately, okay?"
"Okay, I promise."
"Good," Sonny dons a smirk.
"...That took way less convincing than I thought it would."
"Well, you make a good point about m-me and Nina. And you're an adult, so while I'm not happy about you a-and Dex, I'll respect it."
"Thank you," Kristina beams. Sonny scoots closer to her, pulling her into a hug. She keeps her gaze on him as he pulls away, "She's really changed you, huh?"
"She's made me…softer, kinder. I'm not as quick to…to unleash my anger in the wrong situations, and I'm learning to…sort of live and let live. I'm not all the way there yet, but I've come a long way, and I have Nina to thank for that."
"Yeah, I get it," Kristina nods, "With Dex, it's like…when he holds me or kisses me, I feel a little less crazy because he keeps my feet on the ground. I'm safe and comfortable, and…it's nice to finally be with someone who actually wants me. Things are working out for me in a way I never expected them to."
"I'm happy for you, sweetheart. Truly," Sonny says, "Your center's going well too, it sounds like."
"Yep. Everything's all set up, so once all the paperwork and contracts go through, Corinthos-Davis House will open its doors for those in need," she dons a prideful smirk.
"You're going to open the place while you're still pregnant?"
"You don't think I should?"
"Well, you're pretty far along, your due date's coming up, and you'll have to go on maternity leave. I just think it would be better for you to open up shop once you're able to be around all the time."
"That's true, but if the place is ready, then it should open. I'm willing to be there until I go into labor. These kids deserve a home, Dad."
"I agree, but I want you to consider your health as well as y-your niece's. She's doing okay, right?"
"Yeah, she's doing fine."
"Then why chance it?"
Kristina sighs in defeat, resting a hand on her bump, "The baby's healthy and safe, and all I'd be doing is talking with the kids and sitting in my office. It's not stressful. Come on, Dad-"
"Okay, okay," Sonny puts his hands up, "it's your call."
"Thank you," she flops against the back of the sofa, letting out a loud, ragged breath. She runs a hand across her stomach, seeking out a kick she hopes the baby will give her.
You're fine, she thinks to herself, you're just fine. Nothing's wrong with you, nothing's going to happen to you…
"If I may, uh, how are you feeling?"
"Hm?" Kristina slowly sits up, "How am I feeling?"
"Yeah. I mean, I know this baby is Molly's and TJ's-"
Wrong. It's mine. It's mine and Dex's.
"-but you're…you're the one carrying her. And I know we talked months ago about the…the surrogacy and your anxiety with it, I just want to know if you're doing alright, if…maybe, you're…attached to the baby?"
Of course I'm attached to her; I'm her mother. "A little bit, but she's my niece. Molly's her mom, not me."
"Has this experience gotten you to think about having a baby of your own?"
I'm already going to have a baby of my own. "I've thought about it, but I'm not really sure."
"Well, whatever you decide, you know you have my support," Sonny gives her a tight side hug. Kristina's smile is sad and forced as she rests her head on his shoulder, and the guilt and shame from earlier gradually hits her like a truck. It takes everything in her to keep her composure as she sits with her father, taking in the quiet yet tender moment while knowing that none of this is going to get any easier for anyone.
"I'm waiting."
Dex gives Joss a once-over as she stands before him, arms crossed against her chest and a scowl firm on her face. He crosses his arms in return, his expression flat and calm.
"Well?" she asks, raising an eyebrow, "Aren't you going to say anything?"
"What exactly do you want me to say, Joss?" Dex shrugs, his hands extended out, level with his waist, "I've explained this situation to you a million times."
"Yeah, and each and every time, it's one excuse after another. 'I'm tired, I don't feel well, I'm not in the mood.'"
"All of which are true."
"Seems a little too convenient for me."
"Have you ever held a job before?" Dex raises a skeptical eyebrow, "Do you know how exhausting working can get?"
"Playing bodyguard for someone who isn't actively being threatened isn't super difficult."
"That doesn't have to be part of it."
"Uh, in Sonny's world, it does. I don't seem to recall any threats on Kristina's life," she taps her chin with a finger, "No, I just see Sonny forcing you to play house with someone who doesn't deserve it."
"Okay, seriously, Joss," Dex takes a step closer to her, "you need to stop it. I get it: you hate Kristina. It doesn't mean you need to constantly open your mouth and insult her every chance you get."
"I'm just calling it like I see it. Kristina doesn't deserve you."
"And you do?"
"Yeah, I sure as hell do," Josslyn rests her hands on her hips, looking up at him with her lips pursed, "I've been saving you from Sonny since the day we met. The stairwell, the freezer torture, the gunshot wound-"
Dex immediately tenses up, face growing slightly hot as he recalls his sick, weak form in her dorm.
"I stuck my neck out for you over and over again, trying to free you from a man who won't give a damn if you die tomorrow. And rather than show me the affection you used to, where we'd connect in a way that worked for us, you blow me off for another woman."
Dex doesn't respond, turning away to avoid her eyes.
"I don't care if protecting Kristina is your job, Dex. Regardless of why you're doing it, you're stuck in Sonny's world with no way out. You're there to get information on him to, hopefully, put him in jail forever, but instead of being his right-hand, you're a glorified babysitter. You can't fulfill your mission, and you can't go and do something else without the threat of Sonny burying you in the pine barrens. You're screwed."
"According to you, I am."
"I'm sorry?"
"Joss," Dex begins, the pads of his fingers pressed together, "have you ever considered the idea that my mind could…change? That I could realize that what I'm doing for Sonny is something I actually enjoy?"
"He tortured you! He had you shot! How could you enjoy it?!"
Dex shrugs, scowling at her. Josslyn rolls her eyes and lets out a tired, knowing laugh.
"Of course," she says, throwing her hands up, "of course. It's Kristina, isn't it? You've spent all this time around her and she's made you see Sonny as some amazing man."
"Joss-"
"Ugh, God, how could I be so stupid?! I should've known she'd do anything and everything to keep you wrapped around her finger."
"Stop it."
"She's so slavishly devoted to Sonny despite everything he's done to our family, and she's brainwashed you into thinking the way she does. God, what a manipulative bitch-"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Josslyn blinked at Dex in surprise, glaring at the present anger on his face, his skin quite red.
"Excuse me?" she asks.
"You want to know what I'm sick of, Joss? I'm sick of you constantly badmouthing your sister. She's said nothing awful about you, and you constantly trash her for no good reason."
"She supports a criminal."
"She supports her father."
"And clearly, so do you."
"So what if I do?"
"I can't believe you," Josslyn shakes her head, tears filling her eyes, "You're siding with a man who's hurt you over and over instead of me, someone who's done her best to make sure you're still alive. Why?"
"Things changed."
"Like what, huh? Did Sonny promise you something? Did Kristina throw herself at you?"
"Shut up."
"No, come on, Dex, what was it? What did Kristina do to make you pro-Sonny all of a sudden? Did she save you from taking the fall for Sonny in the stairwell? No, I did. Did she rescue you from being hung off a meat hook? No, I did. Did she save your life after you got shot? I think you know the answer. The least you owe me is your gratitude and affection."
"I don't owe you a damn thing, especially not after how you almost killed me."
"Killed you?!" Josslyn gasps out, "Are you serious?!"
Dex tenses up, his body shaking as he takes a deep breath. Every memory of being trapped in her dorm room flashes through his mind, his face remaining red hot as electricity shoots through each nerve in his body.
"You came to me after you got hurt helping Sonny. I did everything I could to make sure you didn't die," Josslyn steps closer, inches away from him.
"I didn't go to you," Dex shakes his head slowly, his voice raspy yet sharp, "I was dizzy and bleeding out and I stumbled onto the Quartermaine property. You just-so-happened to be there."
"Thank God I was."
"I was more than capable of taking care of myself. All I needed was a first aid kit."
"Which you wouldn't have gotten if it wasn't for me."
"Okay, so? I could sew myself up."
"You were already weak and tired; you wouldn't have done a good job."
"At least I would have avoided an infection."
Josslyn's glare intensifies, "You're seriously blaming me for that?"
"Blaming you? You caused it!"
A beat of silence forms between the two, Dex's fists clenched and Josslyn's arms crossed at her chest once more.
"You didn't listen to me," the man continues, "From the second you pulled me inside, you didn't listen to me. I told you that the needle had to be sterile, but you spent your time yelling at me about Sonny and ignoring everything else. And because you didn't clean it, I got an infection, an infection you did nothing to actually stop."
"I got you antibiotics-"
"Your mom got me those, not you."
"I made sure you were hydrated-"
"You should've called Sonny."
"Uh, no," Josslyn scoffs, shaking her head, "there was no way I was going to do that."
"Why? Because it meant you had to hear his voice? Are you really that petty?"
"Did Kristina convince you that I was trying to kill you?"
"Oh my God, why can't you accept the idea that I can think for myself?"
Josslyn doesn't respond.
"Do you not understand what you did to me?" Dex gulps slightly, tears in the corners of his eyes, "I had a 104-degree fever, I could barely stand, I was in and out of consciousness. I was dying, Josslyn."
He takes a small step backwards, "I was struggling and dying at your hands, and if you really wanted to be a hero, you should've called Sonny. Why would I tell you to call him if he did shoot me?"
Josslyn remains quiet, biting her lip. She looks at Dex and his angry, shaking form, eyes going up and down, trying to figure out what to say.
"You kissed me," she blurts out, "You survived and you kissed me."
Dex opts to stay quiet, crossing his arms in response.
"If you felt so strongly about this, why did you stick around?"
"I don't know, Joss, why did you stay with your ex while going after me?"
"That's not fair," Josslyn replies, "That's not fair, and you know it."
"You've been on the offensive this whole time; I'm entitled to this," Dex moves closer to her, "You spent months going behind his back to be with me."
"Which you encouraged."
"I didn't encourage you to cheat, Josslyn. Sure, I kissed you while coming off of intense delirium, but you could've easily shut me out after that. You didn't."
Josslyn bites her lip, looking away.
"Look, I'm not going to stand here and say that sneaking around and hooking up wasn't fun. It absolutely was, and I'm sorry that the fun cost you Cameron. But that's just it: it was fun."
"You don't care about me?"
"Not in the way you want me to. Things have…changed. My responsibilities have changed, my outlook on things has changed. Hell," he gestures out to the empty living room, "where I live has changed. What you want and what I want are completely different now."
Josslyn's face turns a slight red, tears beginning to fall as she looks at Dex, "I did so much for you, and you're throwing it away."
"I'm sorry."
"The hell you are," Josslyn rushes past him, roughly bumping into his arm as she exits the penthouse, slamming the door behind her. Dex refuses to turn around, directly facing the fireplace before him. He takes a few breaths to compose himself, pulling out his cellphone and searching for Michael's contact. The call immediately goes to voicemail.
"Michael," he says, "it's Dex. Listen, this arrangement we have…it's over. I don't want to go through with it anymore: the circumstances are different now. If you want to talk about it more, then you can call me back. Otherwise…that's it for us."
He then swipes through his contact list, thumb hovering over the icon. He hesitates to press down, unsure of what's going to happen, but eventually does so anyway. The call also goes straight to voicemail.
"This is Agent 5896," he says, voice robotic and firm, "calling on Operation 5522: Corinthos. I wanted to inform you that as of today, I've removed myself from the mission. I relayed my termination to the client as well. Thank you for taking my call."
The door opens just as he pockets his phone, gently shutting behind him. He doesn't turn around, eyes shut as his breaths come out shakily. A hand gently grabs his shoulder, and Kristina eventually appears in front of him.
"Are you okay?" she asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He immediately captures her lips in a kiss, hands at the small of her back as he leans down.
He gently pulls away, his nose brushing against hers as he gazes at her lovingly, "I am now."
