A million thoughts race through Dex's head as he processes each and every word Alexis said to him. He looks at her in disbelief, a hint of offense in his face. Alexis raises an eyebrow at his expression while Sonny stares ahead.

"What's best for everyone?" the young man's voice cracks.

"We know that your priority is Ciara, and of course, yourself," Alexis explains, "but there's more people involved in this than just you two."

"I-I know that this'll affect Kristina-"

"It's not just her," Sonny chimes in.

"I…I don't understand-"

"We just w-want to make sure that you…account for all of Ciara's f-family," the kingpin draws a wide circle with his arms and hands.

Dex stares at him for a beat before the realization sets in, his eyes widening ever-so-slowly, "...You want me to let Kristina back in."

"That would be ideal," Alexis responds.

"Ideal for her."

"It's ideal for everyone," Sonny says, his voice stern, "Ciara needs her mother."

"She needs a parent, someone who cares about her."

"And you don't think Kristina feels that way?"

Dex blinks slowly, "...Did Kristina put you up to this?"

"If you can believe it, no," Alexis responds, "We're both here of our own volition."

"So…what, you two don't trust me to take care of my daughter?"

"Answer my question first," Sonny orders, "You don't think Kristina cares about Ciara?"

"I'm sure she does, but she still did what she did. Actions speak louder than words; you guys know that. You have to know that."

"Dex," Alexis catches his attention, "we come in peace. We're looking out for Ciara's best interests just as much as you are."

"And how is giving Kristina access to her in her best interests?"

"Because Kristina is her mother," Sonny repeats, "She has the right to be in Ciara's life."

"Not according to the courts."

"You don't think Ciara should have her mother?"

"I don't know."

"How do you not know?" Sonny's voice booms, causing Ciara to squirm. Dex shushes her, whispering reassurances against her head.

"Dex, please, just…hear us out," Alexis says. The young man turns her way, his face firm as he awaits her explanation, "We won't deny that Kristina's lies hurt you and caused a lot of damage, and we're not trying to push you to forgive her. We just want you to keep Ciara at the forefront, which means you might have to make a choice that you don't want to make."

"Just because you and Kristina are on the outs, it doesn't mean you can keep her from her kid," Sonny follows with.

"But it's okay that she kept me from my kid?"

"I'm not saying that," the kingpin shakes his head, "She did what she did for Ciara. She loves that little girl just as much as you do."

"I understand that-"

"Then why are you so unsure about Kristina being in her life?"

"You heard the judge," Dex huffs, "She was ready to give our daughter to strangers. She didn't own up to her mistakes until she absolutely had to. I'm Ciara's father, and she just…she didn't think to include me."

"I'm sure it's not that simple-" Alexis chimes in.

"Isn't it, though? I mean, if Kristina was so dead-set on giving our baby to TJ and Molly, she still could've told me. We could've talked about it and figured it out together."

"And you would've gone along with her plan?" Alexis questions, her eyebrows raised. Dex looks at her, a defeated resistance in his expression.

"She had her reasons for not telling you," Sonny remarks, "but i-it's not about you. You're not the reason why."

"Look," Dex sighs, keeping a firm hand on Ciara's back as he feels her continue to relax, "I get that Kristina just wanted to make TJ and Molly happy, that she made a mistake in not saying anything and wanted to remedy it by giving them her own baby, but she didn't sleep with a complete stranger she'd never see again. She had no problem looking at me like I was in this situation, so how can I not think it's about me?"

"She didn't shut you out on purpose," Alexis frowns, "It had nothing to do with you or anything you did or said."

"Did she tell you that?"

"She loves you; you know that."

Dex shakes his head, nostrils flaring as he focuses his gaze on the coffee table.

"She wouldn't have apologized to you on the stand if she didn't love you, if she didn't want to make things right," Sonny says, "She would've ended things long before the trial even happened."

"You're not helping," Alexis shoots daggers at the kingpin.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Dex gets to his feet, keeping his daughter in place, "I'm going upstairs to put Ciara down for her nap and-"

"We're not going anywhere," Sonny stands up, his face hardened. Alexis winces at the sight, "Ciara is our family too, and we have the right to fight for what we think is best for her."

"Sonny…" Alexis sighs.

"Don't keep Ciara from her mother."

"I will do what's best for my daughter."

"How's cutting Kristina out good for Ciara?"

"How is letting her in any good?"

"Don't tell me you're actually considering it," Alexis slowly gets to her feet. Dex glances between the elder adults, letting out a bitter sigh before he turns his back. He approaches a playpen close to the dormant fireplace, laying Ciara flat on her back. He slips a nearby pacifier into her mouth and hands her the yellow bunny plush, planting a kiss against his pointer and index finger before touching it to her forehead.

"I haven't had the time to consider anything," he replies, facing the pair.

"You can't put this decision off forever," Sonny cuts in, "and you can't entertain the idea of leaving Kristina out in the cold."

"With all due respect, boss, I can," Dex answers, gulping when he catches Sonny's intense stare, "It's up to me and me alone to decide what's best for Ciara."

"And you think depriving her of her mother, of a stable home, is what's best for her?"

"What if you lost your mother as a child?" Alexis asks, "Would you have been better off?"

"Truthfully, yes!"

Alexis gives Dex a look of shock, horror in the facial undertones, while Sonny ducks his head down. The young man's nostrils flare as he stares down the older woman.

"My mom…wasn't the best," he continues, trying to keep his voice quiet and calm, "My brothers constantly attacked and harassed me growing up, and while my dad more or less egged them on, my mom…she just…"

The pair frowns when they see the young man choke up at a rapid pace, tears ready to fall.

"Dex…" Alexis mumbles, reaching a hand out. She recoils it when she sees him flinch.

"I was six years old," he begins, his voice airy and distant as he takes a seat on a nearby chair, "My parents threw my eldest brother a big birthday party: he was turning thirteen. My dad grilled burgers and hot dogs while my mom set up a slip-n-slide and filled up a couple of buckets with water balloons. His friends, the neighbors, practically everyone was invited…except for me."

"Oh no…" Alexis mutters under her breath as she sits back down on the couch. Sonny joins her on the other end.

"He…" Dex takes a heavy breath, "He had our other brother, who was about ten, make sure I stayed in my room. I had a black eye, bruises on my neck and both of my arms, and a twisted ankle. I was lucky enough that I was already in bed when he rushed in. Eventually, my mom came in and broke it up. When she asked why we were 'fighting,' my brother said that I was upset I wasn't invited and attacked him first, and he was just trying to stop me from going downstairs…and she took his word for it."

Sonny and Alexis look away, sadness present in their faces. Dex ignores them, his head slightly ducked down.

"She told him that I 'got the point' and to go have fun in the backyard, walking down with him," he continues, "She came back at some point, I don't know when, to check on me. The black eye gave me a splitting headache, so all I could do was lay there and cry while she tried to comfort me with soft whispers and stroking my hair. All she could say was how sorry she was and how I deserved better. She promised to get me some food, but when my dad called for her, she rushed out and slammed the door behind her. I laid there the whole day, listening to screams and laughter from the party, and I didn't eat anything until my parents cleaned up the entire backyard and gave me the leftovers, well after the party was over."

"I'm sorry…" Alexis sighs, "That's awful."

"It wasn't the first time she tried to be compassionate in private," Dex tries to wipe his face clean, "There would be nights she'd come in and try to soothe me to sleep because the pain from my injuries kept me up. She'd try to be a mom to me when no one else in the house would be awake to see it, but when eyes were on her, she acted like I wasn't worth the trouble."

He clears his throat, catching Sonny and Alexis's attention. His blue eyes are bright with a reserved indignation, "If I could've grown up without my mom, without any member of my family, I'd probably be better off. Those people never loved me, and I did nothing to justify the excessive abuse and neglect I received."

He then looks at Ciara, catching her sleeping face through the beige mesh of her playpen, "I'm going to give my daughter all of the love I never got. I'm figuring out what's good for her, and what's good for her is being around people who love and prioritize her well-being."

"And you don't think Kristina would do that?" Sonny questions, his tone grim.

"I'm not sure. I honestly don't know what I want to do. I mean, I was practically thrown into fatherhood, and I have to find a way to tread water with all of the craziness trying to drag me under. I'm learning about my daughter, I have to navigate my own anger and heartbreak at what Kristina did, and I have to decide on whether or not she gets to be in Ciara's life."

"We're trying to make things easier for you, Dex," Sonny follows with, "We want Ciara around people who love her. You love her, Alexis and I love her, and Kristina loves her. You know as well as I do that she's not your mother. You can't compare what they did."

Dex doesn't respond, his face ablaze with rage.

"Sonny," Alexis scowls.

"No, no, I'm fighting for my family," the kingpin sits up as Dex stiffens his spine against the chair, "If you wanna be angry with Kristina, fine, but don't sit there and act like you know what's best when you're stripping a woman of her motherhood. Kristina poses no threat to Ciara whatsoever, but you feel it's better to punish her for keeping you in the dark than to actually consider what's best for your child."

"Sonny, stop-"

"How do you think Ciara will feel when she grows up and learns that you cut her mom out because your feelings were hurt?! Do you think she'll be grateful to you, that she'll see you as her hero?!"

"Sonny, enough," Alexis snaps, turning to face Dex, outrage and offense clear in every observable part of his body, "What I think he's trying to say is that these situations aren't the same. Your childhood was awful; your mother had no genuine compassion for you and was a bystander in your abuse…" she takes a deep breath, "but you're away from all of that now, and have been for years. You have the opportunity to right those wrongs, and leaving Kristina out in the cold isn't exactly doing that. If anything, it'll just continue all that trauma in a different way. You don't want to put Ciara through a version of what you went though, do you?"

"...Get out."

"I…" Alexis stutters, "I'm sorry?"

"Get. Out."

"Dex-"

"This conversation is over," the young man gets to his feet, glaring down at the pair.

"It'll be over when we say it's over," Sonny responds bitterly.

"I'm not repeating myself; I've done that enough. Go."

"Listen-" Sonny stands up, Alexis swiftly joining him. She rests a hand on his chest.

"Let's go," she says.

"We're not done here-"

"Yes, we are," she turns the kingpin around, rushing him to the front door. Once Sonny walks out, she turns to Dex with regret in her eyes.

"I'll come back later for some clothes," she tells him, "...I'm sorry."

Dex doesn't say anything, closing the door behind her and locking it. He turns around and slams his back against the wood, sinking down to the floor. He hides his face in his hands and proceeds to sob ever-so-gently, a massive lump in his throat as he sniffs and whines as quietly as possible. He eventually drops his hands and attempts a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Wiping his face clean, he slowly stands up and walks towards the playpen, gazing sadly at the sleeping baby inside.

Ciara's fists are tight around the bunny's floppy ears, the pacifier in her mouth moving at a soft, steady pace. Dex reaches down and gently nudges her cheek, watching her head jerk in response and bend closer to his touch. He pulls away and watches her continue to rest, her grip looser on the toy, before walking back to the sofa and taking a seat. He pulls out his phone from his back pocket, absent-mindedly going through an assortment of apps until he ends up in his email inbox, a specific message at the top starting him down.

We love you, sweetheart, the ending reads, Write back soon.

Dex grumbles to himself as he rereads the email, scanning each and every word over and over until he's unsure about how to spell them. A part of him deep down knows he shouldn't respond, that he should delete or block the email entirely, and it takes everything in him to beat down that resistance.

Mom,

I wanted to let you know that I got your email awhile back. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sure how you got my address, but I don't want to dwell on that. It's not worth my energy.

I'm sorry that you all felt heartbroken by me joining the military. It was something that I needed to do, something that had to happen or else. I did two tours, one in Afghanistan and another in Germany, before I left and settled down in New York. Don't ask for details; I'm not going to give you any.

Life has been mostly okay. I have a nice home and a nice job that pays well. And yes, I still work in the coffee business, just in case you're wondering. As for my girlfriend, I'll be nice and give you some news: we have a baby girl. We welcomed her in January. I'd tell you her name, maybe even extend an offer to fly out and visit her, but truthfully, the last thing I want to do is expose her to any of you. But, you know, congrats: you and Dad are grandparents.

Speaking of, it seems like Chris and Ty have their lives together, and you and Dad are doing fine too. That's nice, I guess. Good for you guys. Clearly things got better once I was out of the picture. Shocker.

Honestly, while you all (or maybe just you) want to reconnect, I don't. For the first time in my life, I'm fairly happy. I have a solid roof over my head, I have my own family now: I don't need you guys ruining that. There's a reason I burned that bridge, and to this day, I don't regret it.

If the person who gave you my email reaches out again, offering my phone number or physical address, ignore him. I won't answer any of your calls, I won't reply to any of your texts, and I won't get you from the airport (nor will I open my door for you). It's been a decade since we've all seen each other, and I'm aiming to add at least one more.

Take this email as proof that I'm still alive. Don't reply to it; I won't get back to you.

- Dex