If looks could kill, at least half of the adults in Alexis's living room would be six feet under.

"Thank you all for being here this late in the evening," she clears her throat, observing where everyone is: Dex and Kristina on the far end of the couch, Sam and Dante next to them, and Molly and TJ on the adjacent chair, "I appreciate everyone's desire to be civil for this meeting."

"You said it was important," Kristina says, "and mandatory."

"I did. I just…wanted to see how things are going with everyone," she looks at Dex and Kristina, "Let's start with you two."

"Corinthos-Davis House is doing well," Kristina responds.

"And so is Ciara," Dex follows with.

"How about you?" Alexis turns to Sam and Dante.

"Well, the PCPD pays just enough for us to get by," Dante quips, eliciting a few chuckles.

"And I'm still working on my PI cases," Sam shrugs, "Things are pretty static with us."

"Of course, if Dex is going to keep having our kids babysit, we'll have to charge him for it."

"Hey," Dex puts his hands up, a smile on his face, "you guys have every right to say 'no' to me."

"Yeah, but if we do, we lose out on teaching them things like responsibility."

"How are the kids?" Alexis clasps her hands together.

"Fine," Sam answers, "I mean, Rocco and Danny are giving each other the silent treatment now, but Scout's doing well with her swim classes, so she's happy."

"Good, good," Alexis nods, pivoting to her youngest daughter, "And you?"

"TJ's happy as a doctor, and my list of cases at the ADA's office only gets longer," Molly snaps, "Why are we all here, Mom? Because I don't buy that you want to 'check in' with everyone."

"You're very astute," Alexis sighs, "always have been. But yes, there is another reason I called this meeting, especially since Ciara's first birthday is in a few days…"

"...You want Kristina and I to make amends."

"Not gonna happen," Kristina crosses her arms.

"Look, I love you both dearly. I don't want to see you hate each other for the rest of your lives. Since it's a new year, and there's no imminent threat from a psychopath, I figure I'd try to get you two to…make up."

"Why?" Molly scoffs, "Hasn't she done enough to me already?"

"You're one to talk," Kristina mutters under her breath.

"Excuse me? What was that?"

"I said that you're one to talk, considering what you did to me in return."

"I didn't do anything to you!"

"Oh, you know what, you're right, you actually did something to Dex," Kristina gestures to the man on her right, who tries to sink into the sofa, "Maybe when you learn to take some accountability, you can apologize to him."

"Okay," Alexis cuts in, "let's try and talk this out calmly-"

"I'm sorry that he went through what he did, but that wasn't because of me. Not at all."

"Oh, you bitch-" Kristina tries to get up. Dex restrains her. TJ does the same with Molly.

"Let go of me!" she growls.

"I don't need you getting into a fight," he replies.

"And I don't need you getting an assault charge," Dex says to Kristina, who shows less resistance. Dante points in agreement.

"Things are still a bit fresh for them, Mom," Sam speaks up, "It might be too soon to get them to reconcile."

"I have zero interest in making up with her," Molly points to her elder sister.

"Ditto," Kristina huffs as Dex lets her go.

"All I want is for you two to be civil to each other. This silent treatment and resentment gets you nowhere, and this is coming from someone who swam in those waters. Your sister and I have had our fair share of fights, and we've always managed to make amends."

"How much time passed between the fight and making up?" TJ asks.

"Sometimes a couple months, sometimes longer," Sam responds, "and those fights were…a lot."

"But you guys worked it out," Dante wraps an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder.

"We did."

"So you see my side here," Alexis remarks.

"I do, in a way. I just think it's too soon."

"If you think," Molly stands up, pulling away from TJ, "that I will ever make nice with the woman who robbed me of the baby she promised to give me-"

"Okay, fine, maybe it's too early to try and make amends, but the least you could do is be on speaking terms."

"Absolutely not."

"What would it take for you to try and be civil with your sister?"

"...I want access to Ciara."

"What?!" Dex and Kristina exclaim at the same time.

"Well, I can't put you in prison because of what you did," Molly crosses her arms, "It was a civil matter. But the least you two could do is let me spend time with your daughter."

"No," Dex shakes his head.

"I wasn't asking you."

"No," Kristina echoes.

"Kristina, please," Alexis sighs.

"No! I don't want her anywhere near my baby!"

"Why not?" Molly frowns.

"I don't trust you, that's why! You could make off with her or try and brainwash her into hating me!"

"Pfft, please…" the young woman rolls her eyes, turning away from TJ when he gives her a knowing look.

"Is there another way we can do this?" Alexis questions, shaking her head.

"I don't think an aunt asking to see her niece is an unreasonable request."

"Please, Kristina," the elder woman turns to her middle chile, "let her see Ciara."

"If she wants to see Ciara, she'll have to apologize for her involvement in what Victor did to my family."

"I was never involved!"

"You still tipped Victor off by bitching about Dex!"

"But I didn't tell Victor to attack Dex! I just gave him my opinion about what happened!"

"Apologize, Molly," TJ sighs.

Molly takes a deep breath, staring directly at the man in question. Dex meets her gaze, sitting expectantly.

"...I'm waiting," he says after a while.

"Molly, come on," TJ rolls his head back in frustration, "Just say it, or at least apologize for what you did and said at Kristina's trial."

"Unless you think that was perfectly justified too," Dex snipes.

"...I don't like you," Molly hisses.

"I don't like you either."

"I'm not going to apologize for doing my job, and I'm certainly not going to apologize for something I didn't do."

"Then I'm not going to let you be around Ciara. If you want any updates on her, you can ask TJ for them."

"We're getting nowhere, Mom," Sam sighs, running her hands down her face.

"I don't know when things changed, but the one who started all of this was Kristina. She offered to give TJ and I a baby, and she broke that promise and lied to us for a year! All of this fighting and chaos is because of her!" Molly yells.

"That doesn't suddenly make what you did in response okay, and everything you did, you did to me," Dex snaps, getting to his feet, "Look, talk to Kristina, don't talk to Kristina, I don't care, but don't pin what you did to me on her. You chose to slander me in court, and you chose to run your mouth to a literal sociopath!"

He crouches down towards her, face hot with anger, "That man almost killed me, Molly. I'm stuck with that virus inside me for the rest of my life. I have to live with that forever because of you. I don't owe you a damn thing, and an apology, real or not, is the least of what you owe me."

Molly wilts under his sharp glare, and he pulls back in response, hands on his cheeks as he takes a deep breath.

"I'm out of here," he huffs, marching over towards the front door to grab his trenchcoat.

"And this conversation's over," Kristina gets to her feet, scurrying after him. Dex marches through the gravel to his black SUV, starting the vehicle once Kristina settles into the passenger seat. They sit in silence as he backs out of the driveway, turning onto the road. Kristina isn't sure what to say, or if she should say anything at all. She glances over at Dex occasionally, flinching at his flared nostrils.

"Pretty quiet over there," he says flatly, breaking the ice, "I'm not too angry that you can't talk to me."

"I've never seen you like that before," she observes quietly, "You've usually been more…diplomatic."

"True, but I do have a breaking point, and after everything I've been through, it's not as…tough to reach."

"The world's been pretty cruel to you."

"It has," he lets out an exasperated sigh, "but I mean, I have some bright spots now. One of them is that happy, healthy little ball of sunshine I go home to every day. I can't imagine my life without her."

"Neither can I," Kristina stares ahead at the road, her voice dropping to a mumble, "...and I can't imagine my life without you."

"Hm?" Dex glances at her.

She tries to avoid his eyes, "Just…talking to myself."

The silence returns with ease, swiftly filling up the space between them in his car. He occasionally looks her way, unsure of how to proceed.

"You know, Dante and I talked for a bit after the hearing," he eventually speaks up, a bit absent-minded, "and he asked me if I wanted to reconcile my relationship with you."

"I see," she responds, opting to not look his way, "What did you tell him?"

"Alexis came over to talk to me, so I didn't say anything."

"What were you going to tell him?"

He takes a deep breath before replying: "Honestly, I don't think I had an answer. I hadn't thought about it all that much, but it seems like you have."

"I have," she admits reluctantly, "I mean, we still love each other, we're talking again. Things are getting better, y'know?"

"They are."

"We're always going to be in each other's lives because of Ciara, and that's all fine and good, but…it's just…not enough for me."

Dex looks her way, nervous anticipation present in his face.

"You mean a lot to me, Dex," Kristina finally meets his gaze, "The way I feel about you, I haven't felt this way about anyone before. I've had crushes, I've even been in love before, but it's never been this…deep. Knowing the person you are, everything you've said and done and everything that makes you up…I've never cared for someone as much as I care about you."

Dex bites the inside of his bottom lip as he tries to focus on the road. The words sit with him as the car approaches the Harborview Towers parking garage. Kristina watches him, anxiety shooting through her as he continues to stay silent. He parks in his designated space and turns the car off, turning to face her.

"I care about you too," he begins, "and I've never loved someone the way I love you. I've been through so much, and to know that you look at me and think I'm worthy of your affection means the world to me."

"Same with me too."

"Look, I don't know if I'm ready to be in a relationship with you yet. Yes, we love each other, and things are getting better between us, but what you did still hurts. It's still a huge betrayal and breach of trust, and I need time to work all of that out. Getting back together when that dark cloud is still hanging over my head, it'll just cause more problems for us, and I don't want that."

"Oh…" Kristina sighs in disappointment.

"I'm not saying 'no' to getting back together; it's not off the table. I love you and I want you in my life, but I need to try and just…move on from what happened, and that's going to take some time. This isn't something I can just get over because you're sorry or because you came to my rescue. I appreciate both things, don't get me wrong, but I need to be able to trust you again."

"You don't trust me at all?"

"I trust you with Ciara, but I don't trust you with me."

"...Okay," Kristina nods slowly, "I understand."

"Thank you," Dex gives her a half-hearted smile, shaking her shoulder before getting out of the car. She joins him a few seconds afterward. They get on the elevator and ride up to their floor in silence, with Kristina occasionally looking his way.

It's not a no, she thinks to herself, He just needs time and space to heal. Give him that; don't blow this because you're impatient.

"Do you have a spare key to Sonny's penthouse?" Dex asks as they step off of the elevator.

"I do. He gave me one the second I moved in," she nods, pulling it out, "I hope you don't mind me being a little closer to you two."

"As long as you uphold the visitation agreement, which, so far, you have, I have no problem with it. Not that you needed my approval, but still."

"I appreciate that," she gives him a warm smile, "You can send Danny, Rocco, and Scout my way. I'll let Sam and Dante know."

"Okay," he proceeds to walk away.

"Dex?"

"Yeah?"

The moment he turns around, he feels Kristina's lips clash with his own. His arms immediately wrap around her, a hand on her upper and lower back as he meets her movement perfectly. She swallows his moan the deeper she kisses him, keeping him pressed against her. She pulls back first, stepping away just as he attempts to lean in for more. He watches her walk off, cheeks flush and heart racing a mile a minute.

"Get it together," he tells himself, shaking his head to snap him out of his daze. He unlocks his front door, stopping in his tracks when he sees who's sitting on the sofa.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he laughs, shutting the door. Ciara turns her head to look at him, a bright smile appearing on her face. She shakily gets to her feet, bouncing excitedly on the cushions. He takes her in his arms for a warm hug, "I missed you too, baby girl."

"Oh, hey," Danny, Rocco and Scout, walk out of the kitchen. Dex keeps Ciara steady in one arm when Scout leaps onto the couch, getting a hug with his other, "you're home early."

"The meeting was…cut a little short for me," he replies, "Thanks for watching her. I owe you guys."

"Hell yeah you do," Danny remarks as Scout gets off the sofa, earning a nudge from Rocco, "Are you gonna take us home?"

"Actually, Kristina is down the hall in Sonny's penthouse, if you want to hang with her until your parents pick you up."

"You guys came back together?" Rocco questions.

"We did. That meeting…was just not for us, let's put it that way."

"Okay," Danny scoffs with a laugh, rolling his eyes. He exits the penthouse first, Rocco shaking his head before following him.

"Bye Uncle Dex!" Scout gives him one last hug, "Bye Ciara!"

"Bye, Scout!" he grins, waving his daughter's arm up and down. Once the door closes behind her, he gets up and locks it. Bouncing the baby in the crook of his elbow, he checks his watch: just past ten.

"Let's get ready for bed, huh?" Dex looks at Ciara, who looks out at the living room. He proceeds to turn off the lights before heading upstairs, dressing the baby in pajamas and laying her down in her crib. He slips the nearby pacifier into her mouth and hands her the yellow bunny plus, planting a kiss on her forehead. Her eyes slowly flutter shut, her breathing relaxed, and he watches all the while. Once she's out, he discards his clothes, grabs a T-shirt and pajama bottoms, and ends up in the shower, the hot water running down his back.

A sudden vibration catches his attention, and he opens the glass door to see his phone move on the tile of the kitchen sink. He steps out far enough to see the screen, squinting at the presence of a "No Caller ID" notification.

"It can wait," he mutters to himself, going back in. He finishes with ease, drying himself off and dressing himself in his nightwear when his phone rings again, the same caller popping up. He opts to ignore it.

With all lamps off, and moonlight pouring through the balcony doors, Dex settles into bed. A couple hours pass by, the young man in a somewhat deep sleep. His phone buzzes again, vibrating against the nightstand. He buries his head into the pillow, trying to block out the noise. It proves unsuccessful.

"Ugh," he groans, grabbing the device and swiping left. The moment he tries to fall back asleep, it rings again. He hisses out his frustration: "Oh my God, what?!"

"Hello? Dex?" a woman's voice comes through the static. It sounds vaguely familiar to him, "Are you there?"

"Who is this?" he whispers sharply, "How did you get my number?"

"It's your mom."

He tenses up immediately, pulling the phone away and immediately hanging up. It rings once more, and he picks up, "What?"

"Our line must've gotten disconnected," the woman says, and the voice clicks in for Dex, "That's what happens when you're making a long-distance call, I guess."

"Why are you calling me?" he asks bitterly, "What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you."

"I'm not interested."

"Please, Dex, it's important."

"No. It's late, and I'm not in the mood. Didn't you get my email? And how do you have my number?!"

"The same way I got your email address," the woman sighs, "and for the record, I did get your email back. I'm not calling to catch up, I'm respecting your wishes, but there's some news I believe you need to know about."

"...You have five seconds to tell me or I'm hanging up."

The woman clears her throat, and the words hit Dex like a car: "Your father passed away a few hours ago."