“JESUS CHRIST— are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

" Actually no, I'm not, I thought you heard me come in"

“WELL, I DIDN’T.” Harry scoffed lightly, trying and failing to contain his frustration from being interrupted. He was on edge; he couldn’t help it. “You need something?”

“YOU… HAVEN’T HEARD?” Debra stared at the other woman in slight disbelief. “There’s a fucking serial killer in Miami. That’s why I’ve been so fucking swamped with work lately. It’s all over the news.”

And THEN Deb remembered she was talking to someone who was NOT a part of Miami Metro, and she had to watch her goddamn mouth. Shit. “Sorry, WHO ARE YOU?”

“LIKEWISE.” Brian smirked and leaned back in his armchair, propping one leg on top of the other. “And… yes. If you don’t SAVOR THE MOMENT, it’s worthless. Why risk getting caught over something you don’t even enjoy?” The corners of his mouth quirked upwards. “How many have you killed?”

“SIXTEEN,” he replied, a strange sense of satisfaction washing over him as he reveled in the higher number. “And counting.”

“No evidence left behind?” He couldn’t help asking despite already knowing the answer. Slowly, Harry took a step forward, shoulders stiffening, his own expression caught somewhere between concern and… reluctant approval. He’d followed the rules. “Dexter… LOOK AT ME.”

Even though he had spent more time with his adoptive father than anyone else in the world, Dexter still had trouble deciphering the emotions that drove him. For years, he had studied people and the different ways they expressed the many emotions they felt. He used this information to help him in mimicking those emotions. But it was like a language he would never be fully fluent in, and he would often find himself lost and confused. Like now. “Are you…upset?”

“NO.” It wasn’t entirely true, of course, but Harry’s expression softened slightly nevertheless, eyes still full of an almost palpable concern. “No, you… you did EXACTLY what I taught you to do.” He took another step forward, closer to his son, and REALLY looked at him. “I just… can’t help but worry. YOU KNOW THAT.”

“ you really think i have what it takes to be brave? ”

A small albeit wistful smile came across her face. It had been so long since she’d seen any of them, but she thought of them all the time. “Nancy, Mike… they’re brave. SO ARE YOU. You came into the woods, didn’t you?”

holly’s eyes widened at the certainty in max’s voice, it was a kind of certainty she wasn’t used to hearing directed at her. she hugged her arms to her chest almost shyly, then she let out a tiny breath that sounded like relief. “ i... i did, ” she admitted, glancing back toward the trees, “ i was scared, but i still came, ” her gaze drifted back up to max. “ if you think that makes me brave... then maybe i am, ” a small smile tugged at her lips, “ and if it’s in my genes, i guess i wanna be just like you guys. ”

“Yeah,” Max replied quietly with a nod. “GOOD. Because… you don’t really have much of a choice.” Maybe a little blunt, but it was TRUE. Holly was her best hope. THEIR best hope.

“AW, C’MON, Roy,” Ted insisted with a mock pout that quickly transformed into his signature grin. “Look, it’s super easy. High five, swing ‘round to a low five…” He demonstrated every move. “…curl up to the elbow bump, fist bump, chest bump, grab the hand—”

“You know what?” He SMILED, because he never stopped smiling, and nodded respectfully. “I shoulda seen that comin’.” He wasn’t mad; he was HIGHLY amused, and honestly, the fact that Roy would put in the effort to mess with him instead of just walking away was proof that their friendship was at least SOMEWHAT in tact, even if Roy didn’t want to admit it. “