He's never seen a more beautiful image.

A sleeping Kristina basks in the morning sun, the white light brightening her tan skin. She's an angel, a sweet angel resting soundly in the comfort of her own bed. Dex isn't sure how long he's stared at her, but the length of time grows more and more irrelevant the longer he marvels at her beauty. He reluctantly reaches a hand out towards her, careful to not disturb the peace. He runs a gentle finger down her nose, half-heartedly tracing her lips in a clockwise motion. She stirs just as he passes by her chin, eyes fluttering open.

"Hi," her voice is soft, breathless.

"Hi," he echoes in kind, tucking her hair behind her ear, "Sleep well?"

"Mhm," she stretches her limbs out, "You?"

"Likewise."

"I'm glad," she cuddles into him, her head on his shoulder. He turns her way, planting a gentle kiss on the top of her forehead. She throws an arm around him in response. They lay in silence for a little bit, soaking in the moment for as long as they can. She melts into him as his fingers gently comb through her hair, his lips grazing the top of her head.

"You okay?" she asks softly.

"Yeah," he replies in kind, "are you?"

"Never better."

"Good," his laugh is gentle, "Thank you for last night. I appreciate you being upfront about your feelings."

"And I appreciate you indulging me for a moment. I just hope I didn't make you feel like you had to reciprocate."

"I think it would be a little weird for me to force something I genuinely feel."

Kristina's eyebrows slowly rise up, her cheeks a warm pink, "You feel…?"

"You were braver than I was last night, taking that leap of faith," he says sweetly, "and being with you like that, to know that you completely trusted me in such an intimate situation…I don't know, it's just really important to me."

"Last night was important to me too. I care about you, I like you, and ultimately, I took that next step, even though I pretty much wrecked our friendship."

"You did no such thing."

She blinks at him, wonder sparkling in her eyes. Her voice cracks as she tries to continue, "You still want to be in my life?"

"I do."

She gulps, gently biting her bottom lip. Dex leans over to kiss her, moving her underneath him. She wraps her legs around his waist, moaning when she feels him move against her.

Two knocks and two scratches at the door interrupt them. Shock colors their faces as Dex whips his head around.

"Krissy?" Amy's voice is muffled by the wood, "You awake? You decent?"

Kristina sighs to herself, her head hitting the pillow. Dex moves off of her as she sits up, "Yeah?"

"I got us some breakfast if you want any: egg sandwiches! Your bodyguard can have some too if he wants."

They freeze in their spots at the comment. They exchange a glance before resuming, grabbing their clothes off the floor. Amy greets them with crossed arms and a smug smirk when they emerge.

"Sleep well?"

"Uh…" Dex replies, his hands sliding into his back pockets, "yeah, yeah we did. Well, I did. I can't speak for-"

"Oh, um," she cuts him off, "no, yeah, I did too."

"I would think so," Amy gives them a once-over.

"Amy," Kristina shoots her a glare.

"What? I'm not gonna say anything! What you two do is your business!"

"Uh-huh."

"Cross my heart, Krissy," Amy makes an 'X' over her chest with her fingers, "Whatever you two are doing is under lock-and-key."

"Hm," Kristina leans in close to Dex, who bends down slightly, "do you believe her?"

"I don't know," he hums, "do you?"

"Oh my God," Amy rolls her eyes, walking towards the counter. She sets the bag down, "Let's just eat."

Dex follows her over, taking a seat on one of the barstools. Kristina begins to follow before a noise, a repetitive chime, tickles her ear from afar. She goes back to her room, grabbing her phone off the nightstand.

From: Dad (8:04 AM)
Hi sweetheart
Do you think you'd be free for breakfast?
We can meet up at Kelly's

"Kristina?" Amy calls out.

"Uh," she walks out, approaching the kitchen, "I'll have to take a rain check."

"Why?"

"My dad wants to meet for breakfast."

"Do you need a ride?" Dex asks.

"Oh, um, no. I'll be fine," she shakes her head, "I'm going to go freshen up," she then approaches Dex, laying a hand on his shoulder, "Thank you. Seriously."

Dex smiles at her as she walks off, closing her bedroom door behind her. He reaches into the bag and grabs two sandwiches with one hand, "I'll take these for the road."

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah. I should get home and freshen up for the day ahead."

"You can freshen up here-"

"That's okay," he walks towards the door, "Thanks for breakfast."

"But-" the door gently closes behind him, cutting Amy off. She hears Kristina's shower go off, sighing to herself before taking a sandwich and sitting where Dex sat. She managed to consume two sandwiches before a door opened behind her.

"Where's Dex?" Kristina looks around, stepping closer to her roommate.

"He went home," she sighs, finishing the last of her sandwich, "which is weird since he's supposed to be your bodyguard and all."

"Well, he works for my dad, so I'm sure he's got another job to take on," Kristina grabs a black jacket from the wall-mounted coat hanger by the door, settling it on her flowery, burgundy blouse, "I'm heading out."

"Have fun," Amy waves her off. Kristina makes a playful face at her before grabbing her purse and leaving the apartment. The drive to the diner was relatively simple, Kristina pulling into the parking lot after ten or so minutes on the road.

She dons a wide smile the second she sees Sonny at a table.

"Dad," she greets him, leaning down to kiss his cheek.

"Kristina," he says in kind as she sits across from him, "Thanks for coming."

"Of course."

"How have you been?"

"I've been good," she nods, "I'm back to my normal routine at Charlie's, for one. Things seem to be back to normal."

"That's good. Is Dex treating you well?"

Her spine stiffens, the distant sound of her own moans burning her ears. Her heart skips a beat when the image of her writhing on top of him flashes in her mind, mixed between scenes of hungry kisses.

"Kristina?" Sonny looks her over, a hint of concern in his face. She blinks a few times before returning to reality.

"He's…" she takes a deep breath, "he's been really good to me."

"Are you sure? Your hesitation says otherwise."

"Oh, no, I just spaced out for a second. He's great, Dad. I appreciate you assigning him to me."

"I'm happy to hear it, but if he pulls anything, you tell me, okay?"

She freezes again, everything from last night rushing through her mind all at once, "Okay."

"Good," Sonny nods before leaning closer to her, "How are you after…what happened?"

"After my miscarriage," she replies, "You don't have to sugarcoat it."

"I don't want to upset you, is all."

"I know," she rests her hand on top of his, "and I appreciate it. But you can call it what it is."

"How have you been since then? I know w-we haven't really talked about it-"

"Yeah," she swiftly cuts him off with a sigh, "I'm doing better. I'm sorry I haven't talked about it with you."

"Don't apologize. You come to me when you want to," Sonny flashes a smile, "I'm glad that you're okay."

"Thank you."

"Has this changed anything with you and M-Molly?"

"No, I don't think so. I agreed to try again as her surrogate."

"And you're content with that decision?"

"You don't think I should be?"

"Not necessarily. I just hope that you agreeing to try again comes from you genuinely wanting to."

"It does," she slowly rubs her denim-coveted thighs, "I want to help Molly and TJ at the end of the day. Their happiness really matters to me."

"Sure, but don't let that compromise your happiness and well-being, okay?"

"I won't."

"I admire how much y-you want to help your sister," Sonny flashes a toothy smile, "your big heart and hospitality."

"Well, I get it from the best."

"That you do, and it's got me thinking."

"About?"

"Your future."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you see yourself staying at Charlie's forever?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought that much about it."

"Would you want to?"

"Mm, probably not. I mean, I love it there now, but it's not going to be something super long-term."

"What do you see yourself doing in the future?"

"I see myself doing what I always do: helping people. I want to give them what they need or want if I'm absolutely able to. I mean, look at what I'm doing for Molly and TJ! Plus, even though I manage Charlie's, I still get people their orders. And of course, I volunteer at the Youth Center…but…"

"But?"

"I kind of wish I could spend more time there. There are so many kids there who need support, and volunteer work only goes so far."

"You want to do more," Sonny concludes, "to give more."

"I do."

"What if I were to tell you that I can give you a way to do just that?"

Kristina raises an eyebrow, leaning in closer to her father, "I'm listening."

"I met with your mother yesterday. We talked about you, and the surrogacy, and it made me think about how giving you are to the people around you. And then, I had an idea."

"Which is?"

"What if you were given a legitimate chance to turn your selflessness into something bigger than what it currently is?"

"In what way?"

"Well, you talked about how 'limited' things are with the Youth Center, so…why not start your own?"

Kristina blinks at him, processing his questions. Her thoughts race a mile a minute, and she's at a loss for words: "Um…wow…"

"You deserve to have something of your own, Kristina. You deserve to be and do more than what you currently are and what you're currently doing."

Excitement swells on her face, cheeks full and flush against her smile and eyes glistening bright. It's a wholesome joy she hasn't felt in awhile, and she revels in it for as Sonny gives her what she thinks is the easiest question to answer: "What do you say, sweetheart?"

He wilts under her fierce scowl.

Josslyn stands in front of Dex with her hands on her hips, lips pursed and eyes sharp. Every bone in his body is stiff, his spine as straight as possible while he stares at her. He opens his mouth to speak, but fails to make a sound. She shakes her head before breezing past him.

"Um," his voice cracks as he shuts the door, running a hand through his damp hair, "hi."

"Hi," he flinches at Josslyn's curt response.

"What brings you by?"

"A couple things, none of which are good."

"What's wrong?" he slowly sits down on the couch.

Josslyn stands firm above him, arms crossed just under her chest, "I don't think you've been completely honest with me."

"Oh, uh," he glances to his left for a brief moment before looking back at her, "what makes you say that?"

"Where do I start?" she takes a seat next to him, tapping her chin with her finger, "How about your real job?"

"I thought we already discussed this," Dex frowned, "I'm here to take Sonny down through subterfuge."

"Right, but what you left out was who you're doing this for," Josslyn turns to face Dex directly, "So tell me, Dex, when did my brother hire you?"

His eyes grow wide almost immediately. He's left speechless, spine stiff and blood cold. His thoughts exist as a scattered mess, and he desperately tries to clean it up and find the answer that best fits the situation.

Josslyn gives him a once-over, "I need an answer."

"How…" he clears his throat, "How did you find out?"

"He called me awhile back and it just…came out."

"Oh," Dex covers his face with his hands, "great."

"Why couldn't you be honest about your boss?"

"I was following his orders; he told me not to say anything. He also told me his family was off-limits-"

"And yet, here we are," Josslyn smiles sadly, "Look, I'll spare you the lecture. I already grilled Michael over it."

"Thanks…" he drops his hands, reclining against the sofa.

"And, um, he kind of…knows about us."

"What?!" Dex sits straight up, "Joss-"

"It's okay, seriously! He's not going to say anything to Sonny-"

"That's not exactly the issue-"

"Then what is? Michael's going to get on your case about it?" Josslyn shakes her head, "If he doesn't want to deal with me, then he won't bring it up to you. You're worrying over nothing."

"Hmph," Dex sighs though his closed mouth, crossing his arms.

"Regardless, you still should've told me about your boss."

"I'm sorry I didn't."

"And that's not the only thing you have to answer for."

"There's something else?" Dex raised an eyebrow, a hint of a scowl on his face.

"We agreed to be together last night after you clocked out. I waited for you to call or text, and yet you never did."

"I'm sorry about that too. Time got away from me."

"How?"

The night before comes to him in waves, and it stops him completely. His lips tingle as he recalls Kristina's kiss, deep and warm. His cheeks are a bright pink the further his mind wades into the moments, ending with the heart-stopping image of her sleeping soundly next to him. He tries to search for any moment that he thought of Josslyn, any specific time where she weighed on his conscience.

It hits him how this is the first time since then that she's on his mind; he feels the guilt like a gut-punch.

"Dex?" Joss snaps his fingers in his face. He flinches as he snaps back into reality, "Hello?"

"Um-"

"How did time get away from you last night? You somehow couldn't call or text me?"

"It…I was just tired," he forces the firmness in his voice, "All I could think about was getting home and going to bed."

"And you didn't want me with you?"

"It wasn't that, I just-"

"You just what?"

"I…" he takes a deep breath, "I just didn't think of you."

Josslyn rolls her eyes, "Of course you didn't."

"I'm serious, Joss. I know you look down on the job Sonny gave me, but I take it seriously and it takes a lot more energy than you think it does."

"Well, it's Kristina. She exhausts everyone."

He bites his bottom lip, trying to suppress a second wave of memories meant to overwhelm him.

"That's not it-"

"Then what is it?"

"I have to be on-guard the entire shift. It has nothing to do with Kristina; it's all about the job itself. I'm protecting my boss's daughter. If I slip up even a little bit, my body's going to be in the pine barrens."

"I get that-"

"If you did, you wouldn't be acting like Kristina is the problem," a sour expression surfaces on Dex's face, "I get you guys don't get along, and I'm sorry you don't, but that doesn't mean you can sit here and make her some kind of villain."

"What's with you always defending her?" Josslyn glares at him, "What's so special about her compared to me?"

Dex fights off the flash of memories, "She's my friend. She's someone I truly, deeply care for. I'd react the same way if someone spoke poorly of you to my face."

"I know you would, but Dex, I'm not your friend," Joss gets to her feet, "I'm not some job you're stuck doing for Sonny. I'm more than that. She and I can't both be equal!"

"I can fight for you both equally, Joss," Dex joins her, holding her hands in his. He internally flinches as he continues to talk, "It doesn't mean she suddenly takes more of a priority."

"How can I trust that?"

"Well, I'm here with you, aren't I?"

"Yeah, and?"

"Well," he gestures around his apartment, "it's just us. And until I'm back on the clock, we can do anything you want to do."

"Oh, is that so?" Josslyn places her hands on his shoulders, "Because I have an idea or two."

"Do you now?" Dex smirks as she kisses him. It hits him almost immediately how different it feels, the electric spark and spicy intrigue of cinnamon lip gloss now absent. Her lips move against his, and he slowly opens his mouth to accommodate her. The void he presently feels morphs into a bit of uncomfortability, but he stands firm. Josslyn eventually pulls away, winks, and makes her way to his bedroom.

Dex stays put for a moment, staring at the spot on the wall between the world map sculpture over his fireplace and the window.

This changes things between us.

I know.

His ears perk up at the sound of Kristina's voice, and he lets out a quiet, comforting sigh. His response bounces around in his head the longer he stands there, and a part of him deep down wishes he was elsewhere. He vaguely hears Josslyn call for him from his room, and he takes a deep breath before finally going to see her.