The guest room's as nice as Kristina thought it'd be. She walks into the space, the orange-brown walls meshing well with the all-black queen bed. All-black closets and dressers sit in the far-right corner, while an all-black velvet couch and chair rest in the near. She walks to the bed and sets her purse down, staring at the velvet sheets.

"Unpack," Sonny begins, hands in his pockets, "get comfy, whatever you need to do."

"Thanks," Kristina turns around and smiles, "and thanks for freeing up a room. I know you're booked with Dex and Spencer here."

"Thank Spencer for opting to stay with his grandmother tonight. It'll just be me and you…and Dex…and Nina-"

"She's staying over?"

"She's coming for dinner," Sonny says as Dex appears alongside him.

"Boss," his voice is deep, "Ms. Reeves is here to see you."

"Good," Sonny dons a toothless grin, "I'll go see her now," he looks back at Kristina, "If you need anything, let me know, okay?"

"I will," Kristina somewhat forces her own grin as her father walks off. Dex watches him turn the corner before stepping into the room.

"You're forcing it," he observes her face.

"I'm sorry?"

"Your smile; you're forcing it. A little bit, anyway."

"There's no way you're able to figure that out…not yet at least."

Dex shrugs, leaning against the doorframe. Kristina shakes her head, a wide smile on her face as she turns away.

"Was everything okay with your dad?" he asks.

"Yeah," Kristina nods, her back to him, "he was the shoulder I needed."

"Shoulder you needed? Did something happen?"

"Nothing major," Kristina sits down on the bed. She pats the spot next to her. Dex obliges and takes a seat, "It's just…I came here from the hospital."

"Surrogacy stuff?"

"Yep. I was approved to be one for Molly."

"Oh, hey, that's great," Dex replies, both eyebrows raised. They drop when he sees Kristina's wide eyes, "That's not great."

"It's not…not great. I get to give Molly something, or someone, she won't get. I'm doing a good thing. I'm being a good sister."

"But?"

"But," she runs a hand through her wavy brown hair, "I…It's just hitting me how much this is all going to be."

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of people stressed to me how much is gonna change if I go through with being a surrogate. Pregnancy changes the body, the mind, everything. I'll be pregnant with my sister's baby, not my own, and Dr. Navarro is concerned I'll get attached and-"

"Whoa, whoa," Dex lays a gentle hand on Kristina's back, "slow down. One thing at a time."

"...You're sure you want to sit here and unpack all this with me?"

"I care about you," Dex smiles softly, "I'm all ears."

"...Okay," she settles in, "Well, for starters, I think I bit off more than I can chew with all of this. I don't know if I'm really ready for everything I'm going to feel for the next year or so."

"You seemed so gung-ho about it when you told me."

"I did, and at the time, I was. I think," Kristina takes a deep breath, "once it was confirmed I was going to do this, the advice my parents and older sister gave me hit me like a truck and I realized what was going on, or what was going to happen. Like, I'm actually going to do this, I'm actually going to be pregnant and have the next year of my life dramatically change."

"That's absolutely scary," Dex moves his hand from her back to the shoulder furthest from him, "I feel a bit unnerved right now over it, and I'm just a bystander."

"Right?" Kristina looks his way, her eyes bright, "And it's not just being pregnant. I'll be having my little sister's baby, which, y'know, makes sense since I'm her surrogate, but there's some concern I'll get attached to the baby-"

"I can see that."

"Excuse me?" Kristina makes a face, squinting her eyes and pursing her lips.

"You seem quite loving," Dex says, his composure relaxed, "You love your family, warts and all. You getting attached to a baby that's coming from you, that's kind of a part of you…I don't know, it makes sense to me."

"You're saying a lot of things you shouldn't be picking up on yet. Have you been stalking me?"

"No, no," Dex shakes his head, laughing, "I'm just a bit…perceptive. You're definitely your father's daughter."

"Mhm," Kristina hums, nodding slowly, "well, that's reassuring."

Dex's laugh comes out as a scoff, turning away from her. His hand drops to the velvet surface of the bed.

"But you're right," she continues, "about loving my family, at least. And this baby is going to be family, so of course, I'm going to love them. Whether I get attached to them, as if they're my child, well…we'll see, I guess."

"That's fair."

"Damn," Kristina shakes her head, absent-mindedly looping her arm with his. Her voice is low and gentle, "I didn't think it'd go like this."

"You didn't think what would go like this?" Dex looks at her. Kristina freezes at the question.

"...Hm?" she regains some composure.

"You said you didn't think something would go like 'this,'" he uses air quotes, "What do you mean?"

"Oh…um…nothing! Nothing important."

"Wait, Kristina," he turns to face her. She looks away, "come on. You can tell me."

"It's nothing."

"Are you sure it's nothing?"

"Yep."

Dex looks her over before turning away. He stares out into the hallway, silence growing between them.

"Y'know," he clears his throat, "I didn't expect my life to go like this either."

"Hm?" Kristina raises an eyebrow, looking his way.

"After I…left the military, I was in need of a job. I had some odd jobs here and there, but nothing permanent-"

"And you decided the mob was the best fit?"

"I mean, there's a decent sense of community."

"Yeah," Kristina giggles, "'You scratch my back, I'll make sure you're not in the pine barrens.'"

"It's perfect!"

"I can't with you," Kristina shakes her head, her smile bright and wide. Dex mirrors her expression.

"But as I was saying," he says, "I didn't expect to go from military vet to mob muscle. I welcome it, though, because if not for this job, I wouldn't know the people I do now. I wouldn't have the life I have now."

"...Right," Kristina's lips make a popping noise, "That makes sense."

"Sometimes things don't work out the way you imagine. It happens."

"It happens, sure, but a milestone like having a kid shouldn't be for someone else, y'know?"

Horror shoots through Kristina as she takes in Dex's confused expression. The words bounce off her ears like an echo, reverberating in her mind and haunting her soul.

"What?" Dex blinks.

Damnit. Damnit, damnit, damnit, Kristina thinks to herself, her composure blown apart, Damnit!

"Having a kid shouldn't be for someone else? Are you…do you want to have your own kid?"

Kristina swallows in response, avoiding his eyes. Dex's gaze is firm yet unsure, fishing for an answer he knows she's able to give.

"Kristina-"

"Yes? No? I don't know!" she shoots up, pacing the floor with her hands in her hair, "I don't know what I want with that. I just know I want to help my sister."

"Have you thought about being a mom yourself or…?"

"Not enough to actually want to be one."

"Okay, but, you said-"

"I know what I said," she groans, "It just slipped out."

"Do you want to talk about it…?"

"No," she snaps firmly, "There's nothing to talk about."

"Do you want to be a mom?"

"We're done here, Dex," Kristina's voice is cold just as Dex's phone buzzes in his back pocket. He hisses as he reaches behind to grab it.

From: Joss (7:54 PM)
At ur place ;)
Where r u?

"Yeah," he mutters, getting to his feet. His eyes are bright as he stares Kristina down, "Look, you're my friend; I want to be someone you can confide in. It's clear I overstepped, and I'm sorry about that."

Kristina crosses her arms, trying to keep her posture stiff and firm. She gently sniffs at his words.

"I'll give you some space, okay?"

"Dex-" she tries to say.

"I have somewhere to be," Dex walks by her, turning the corner. He rushes through the hallway and out the front door, the living room blurring in his peripheral vision. Though the pain hasn't been nearly as sharp now, his nostrils still flare as he makes his way to his car. The drive to his apartment on Charles Street is slow and thoughtful, Kristina's demeanor sitting with him the entire time. He pulls into his assigned spot and strolls into the building. It doesn't take much time to reach his front door.

"There you are," Josslyn's hands sit on her hips, a smirk on her face, "I missed you."

Dex's mouth opens to speak, her lips stopping him from doing so. He obliges for a moment before pulling back, "You know, when you said you were at my place, I didn't think you meant you'd be inside my apartment."

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Kind of. I mean, I didn't give you a key-"

"Seems like you left it unlocked, almost as if you knew I'd be stopping by," she grabs his arms, causing him to hiss. She jerks her hand away, making a face, "You okay?"

"Yeah, um," Dex sits on the couch, "just…hurt."

"Hurt? Let me see," she slowly unbuttons his shirt and pulls it down, catching sight of the bandage on his arm, "Uh, mind telling me what happened?"

"There was an incident at the warehouse."

"Incident?"

"Sonny and I were shot at. Sonny's fine; I got grazed."

"Oh, of course," Josslyn scoffs, "You get hurt at his expense again."

"It could've been worse, though."

"How?"

"If not for Sonny, it wouldn't have been a graze."

Josslyn's look is a mix of bitterness and disappointment, staying put as Dex continues to speak, "He shot down the sniper after I got injured. He called in a team of doctors to treat me. He…he saved my life."

"You do know this is the same man who hung you from a meat hook and tortured you, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know-"

"And you know this is the same man you're trapped with until you get evidence to put him away for good, the same guy you're working against, right?"

"Yes-"

"Then why are you suddenly so grateful he did one good thing?"

"If not for that one good thing, I'd be dead."

"Hmph," Josslyn rolls her eyes, "He still left you injured."

"That was all me," Dex gently grabs her arms, "Listen, I don't like the man. Me being grateful he saved my life doesn't mean I'm suddenly his biggest fan. I know what the mission is, I know my feelings, and that's not going to change."

For a brief moment, his mind jumps to Kristina, the looks they exchanged and the presence of her touch. He feels it at the small of his back, the gentle phantom pressure of her hand against the area. His thoughts run away to earlier, an overwhelming sense of guilt washing over him.

"Dex?" Josslyn raises an eyebrow, "You okay?"

"Hm?" Dex blinks, turning to her, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure," he smiles. Josslyn mirrors his expression before pulling him into another kiss. Dex lets her in the more she pushes, her hands grabbing his face. They continue for a beat until he feels his phone buzz in his back pocket again. He does his best to ignore it, the device vibrating a few more times as the minutes pass.

"Ugh," Josslyn pulls away, "what is it?"

"Hmm," Dex hums, pulling out the device. His eyebrows shoot up for a brief moment as he reads the texts on his lock screen.

From: Kristina (8:28 PM)
Hey. I'm sorry for snapping at you.

From: Kristina (8:31 PM)
Truth is - I didn't think about motherhood until Dr. Navarro told me I could carry earlier today. I mean, I was approved for Molly, but it made me think about myself for a second or two and I thought I wanted it too. Maybe I still do, I don't really know. I do know that I'm helping Molly be a mom, but if I become one myself, I think I'd embrace it. I'm still figuring it out.

From: Kristina (8:32 PM)
Please don't say anything to anyone.
This is just between you and me, okay?

"Don't tell me that's Sonny," Josslyn frowned.

"Huh?" Dex looks her way, "Oh, uh, no. No, it's not."

"Then who is it? And why are they interrupting us?"

"Joss," Dex gives her a look before he swipes the screen.

To: Kristina (8:34 PM)
It's okay. I was overstepping.
Thanks for telling me how you feel. I'll take it with me to the grave.
Like I said, I'm in your corner.

A small smile surfaces on his face, and he tries to ignore Josslyn's confusion in his peripheral vision.

"Hello?" she tries to wave a hand in his face, "Earth to Dex?"

"Yeah?"

"Who are you talking to?"

From: Kristina (8:36 PM)
Let me make it up to you at least. I have my procedure in a few days, maybe you can be there as support (if it's not too much to ask)? And maybe I can treat you to lunch afterwards? I really am sorry.

"Just a friend," Dex replies, his eyes fixated on the screen as he types.

"Is this friend more important than me?"

Dex looks up from his phone, staring at Josslyn. He gently bites the inside of his lip, letting the silence be his answer.

"...Okay," Josslyn starts to walk away, "I'll be in the back whenever you end this 'important' conversation."

Dex shakes his head as she walks into the open door of his apartment hallway. He stays still for a moment, reading over the messages before clicking his phone off and following Josslyn from a distance.

To: Kristina (8:37 PM)
I'll absolutely be there :)