My Baby, My Darling.

We pulled up to my parent's house in the late afternoon, Marc parking in the driveway as Travis parked alongside the curb. It was in a residential area, something I expected since my parents really didn't care for the urban atmosphere. They loved the suburbs, and the commute didn't bother them all that much. We were maybe 30 minutes outside of the city, which meant that we'd have to leave a few hours before the concert that night to beat traffic.

My mom came out to greet us first, giving each of us a hug, but hugging Marc and I longer than the rest of us because she had been deprived of his presence for so long. My mother was the opposite of me, always quick to show her emotion. She was the type to cry tears of joy, that's how much she cared about little things. I kind if envied that sometimes, how she wore her heart on her sleeve. It made her that much more human, more prone to love harder and show people just how much she cared.

"Come in, come in!" She urged, watching as the boys pulled our bags out of the trunks of our cars and shuffled into the living room. "I've already set up the guest bedrooms and the pull-out couch in the family room. Boys in one room, girls in the other."

It was incredible how much their new house felt like home, how differently it contrasted with my apartment. Pictures of Marc and I were hung up on the walls, little momentums from our childhood spread all around the house. And the smell of apple pie practically wafted from the kitchen, my mom's signature dessert and the best dish at her Cafe. But there was something different about her making it in our home. It was more special, if that made any sense.

"Dude, your mom is so...-" Annie muttered from beside me as we unloaded some bags into one of the guest bedrooms, still recovering from the hug my mom gave her.

"I know," I nodded, pulling open the closet and dropping my bag inside.

"-different from you." She finished, flashing me a familiar smirk that sent a twisting feeling into my gut.

"She's always been like this," Nicole explained as she plopped down onto the queen size bed that the three of us had to share. It was one of the rules my mom established when Marc told her we were going to stay here, boys and girls sleep in separate rooms.

"I mean, you should have seen her when Marc went off to college. I'm surprised that he didn't combust from the hold she had on him during those hugs at his going away party." Nicole continued, sending me a knowing smile.

Annie threw her head back in laughter, eyeing me. "Well, I guess that affection skipped a generation."

I rolled my eyes and forced a smile, "You all can shut up. I'm affectionate when I need to be."

"Just ask Dexter." Nicole smirked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Hearing his name again felt like being punched in the gut. My blood automatically went cold and chills were sent through my body as I quickly averted my eyes from her. I had to will myself not to think about him, not to allow tears to fall.

Annie noticed this shift in atmosphere, but Nicole remained oblivious as she fiddled with a snow globe sitting on the bedside table. It was a Christmas present Marc gave to my mom when he was in Elementary School.

"I overheard that Gabe was looking for someone to go grocery shopping with because we forgot to do it on the way in," Annie said to Nicole, eyeing me warily.

Nicole rolled her eyes and scoffed, moving on the bed so that she was now lying on her stomach, facing Annie. "Oh, God. Which means he's probably going to show up any-"

"Nicole, honey!" Gabe's face suddenly appeared beside the doorframe, his voice booming throughout the entire house. "I was wondering if your fine self would like to accompany me to the grocery store on an adventure through which we will seek out various produce."

She sat up in bed and threw her head back in laughter, before mustering up her most convincing game show host voice. "Well, Gabe. If you put it that way!"

"Splendid." Gabe mused, strutting into the room and extending his arm out to Nicole as he imitated a mock British accent. "I must now offer my arm out to you like the true gentleman that I am."

"Now, Chives." She smiled, shaking her head. "You and I both know that my legs are far too tired after sitting in a car for numerous hours."

Gabe cleared his throat, a serious expression plastered onto his face. "Very well then, Miss."

He then proceeded to brush off his shoulders and walk out of the room, leaving us in complete silence. Annie and I sent each other confused looks as Nicole examined her cuticles as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

Annie shook her head in bewilderment, turning her attention to Nicole. "Alright, I give. What the hell was-"

That's when Gabe came charging into the room and threw Nicole over his shoulder only to spin around in circles a few times before charging out of the room. Nicole and Gabe's laughter emanated throughout the room and possibly echoed to the rest of the house. Annie and I jumped in surprise before sending each other looks of confusion.

We could hear their laughter fading as they exited the house and I looked out the window of the guest bedroom, watching as Gabe finally placed her on her feet in front of his Volvo. Nicole, still gripping her stomach in laughter, tried her best to swat at Gabe a few times. I couldn't help but smile at the scene in front if me and watch as Gabe dodged her many attempts to hit him, still trying to recover from his own fit of laughter.

They were happy, it was obvious to anyone that saw them. And it only made me feel worse on the inside as realization came over me that people used to watch me and Dexter joke around like that, notice the happiness radiating from our laughter. A pang of nostalgia hit me as I realized that I probably wouldn't have that again. He wasn't mine anymore, and I had to figure out a way to deal with the fact that he would never again be the source of my laughter or give me the security that I once had with him. And it killed me.

I didn't realize that I was crying until Annie came up beside me and wrapped her arms around me, trying to console me as I tried to steady my breathing. We didn't say anything to each other for a long time. She just hugged me as I curled up on the floor and cried into her shoulder. Annie didn't ask me any questions or try to tell me that everything was going to be okay like anyone else that would have seen me break down like that. She just sat there with me and held me, which is all I needed at that time. It was better than the emptiness and silence that used to console me. I appreciated her for that, for not asking me questions or prying to try and figure out what went wrong. She just let me pour out all of my emotions, being the shoulder that I desperately needed to cry on.

---

Dexter POV

I stumbled into my dark apartment exhausted and smelling like the sanitized scent of hospital. I had just finished a 36 hour shift and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and force myself to rest my tired eyes. But at the rate I was going with that, I probably wouldn't get any sleep at all.

The only way I could get through this past week was to immerse myself in work. At least, that's what I convinced myself. I figured that if I surrounded myself with IV's and intubations, my mind would be distracted and I wouldn't have the time or the energy to think about her as opposed to if I were holed up in my apartment all day. An apartment filled with memories of her, constant reminders that she was gone. But, I was wrong.

I was reminded of her in the smallest ways. I couldn't drink the coffee in the staff lounge, because the scent of it only forced me to recall all the times she stayed at my apartment and had to have a pot brewing 24/7. I couldn't take my break on the rooftop because images of her leaning against the railing and reading as strands of her hair brushed against her face when there was a light breeze clouded my mind. I couldn't even eat Chinese food from the hospital cafeteria because my mind couldn't help but recall the times she ordered the Kung Pao chicken thinking she could handle it. But she always traded with me for my beef broccoli claiming that chicken gave her nausea. She knew that I knew she was lying, that she really just couldn't handle the spicy taste on her tongue. I never doubted her though, never compensating her pride. It amazed me how someone so tough on the exterior had such an aversion to even semi-tough food and it's consummation. It was an oxymoron and it added to the list of little things that made me fall in love with her.

Everywhere I looked, a memory of her was there, mocking me. And I couldn't escape it, any of it. There was no way. And I didn't want to get away from it. Deep down, I knew that I couldn't let go of these small things that reminded me of her because that's all I had now, memories.

I knew it was my fault, all of it. I shouldn't have lied to her. I knew it was wrong and that I was risking everything. I just wanted to protect her, shield her from this mess. But I didn't think it would blow up the way that it did, that she would end things entirely.

But I had no control over it, the terms of our relationship, the fact that we were together had always been in her hands. She may not have known it, but everything I did was at her will and she had a hold on me. If she wanted to end it, I knew that I couldn't do anything to force her to stay but just try and accept it. I just wish she'd hear me out before walking away, before completely cutting off our ties. Now I'm left blind, like I'm no longer clear of my purpose. Without her, I feel like I'm in a haze.

It was a while before I finally collapsed onto my bed. The light outside was just starting to dim when my cell phone erupted into a loud ringing from my bedside table. I didn't want to answer it. But I knew it could have been her calling, in need of more money. I couldn't risk not answering, already knowing the consequences.

I let out a groan and sat up, accepting the call and bringing the phone up to my ear.

"Hello." I answered groggily, trying to rub the sleep from my eyes.

"What the fuck did you do to her, Big Brother?" Annie hissed into the phone, causing me to furrow my eyebrows in confusion.

"Annie?" I groaned, standing up and stumbling my way into the kitchen. Based on her tone, I knew I wasn't going to be drifting off to sleep anytime soon. "What are you talking about? Where are you?"

"I'm in New York." She snapped, irritation evident in her voice. "What the hell happened between you two?"

I remember Annie vaguely telling me that she had to go to New York for work and that she wouldn't be in town for a couple of days. I had no idea Chelsea was going with her. As far as I knew, she wasn't answering anybody's calls.

I leaned against my kitchen counter and rubbed the back of my neck, "So you were finally able to get a hold of her. Is she okay?"

"Yeah, Dexter. She's okay." Annie muttered sarcastically, "If you refer to me having to hold her for almost an hour while she had a mental breakdown just for looking out the goddamn window 'Okay.'"

I tensed, my entire body going cold.

"She didn't say a word to me the entire car ride over here. I see her forcing smiles and laughter just to prove to everyone that she's fine. Do you refer to that as 'Okay'? No one knows what happened between you two, Big Brother. If I didn't pry for information, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have noticed either." Annie continued.

I heard her let out a sigh over the phone, "She hasn't told anyone. And she may not admit it, but I know that she's putting on a brave face."

I couldn't help but stand perfectly still and try to even my breathing as I analyzed what she had just told me. I knew exactly what Annie was talking about, how good Chelsea was at concealing her emotions. Even I had difficulty trying to distinguish how she was feeling. She always spoke so vaguely and I struggled constantly to decipher a hidden message in her words. But I knew that there was nothing I could do about it now. She made her decision, and I had to respect that.

"She doesn't want to be with me anymore, Annie." I spoke slowly, my own words conveying the hurt that I had been shielding inside of me for the past week. "She broke up with me, not the other way around. What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't fucking know." She whispered harshly, "Maybe grow a pair and tell her how you feel, beg for her to take you back."

"She fucking knows how I feel." I said, frustration evident in my tone.

"What the hell did you do, then?" She scoffed, "You obviously did something, so what is it?"

"It's not that simple."

"Damnit, big brother. I've seen you do a semester of Ben's AP Calculus homework in two weeks when you were thirteen years old. Make it simple!"

I let out a deep breath, my hand reaching up to rub the exhaustion from my eyes. "I let her think Ben was Lydia's father." I said.

Silence emanated over the phone as Annie processed what I had just told her. After a while, she spoke again.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Her tone was disbelieving, barely above a whisper. "You really are an asshole. I thought you told her everything after Monica told you the truth, you dumbass!"

"Damn it, I didn't want to get her involved." I hissed, slamming my hand down in frustration. "This is some pretty messed up shit. That's why I told Monica to tell her Ben was Lydia's father because I knew she'd look for answers if she knew it was me. I didn't want this mess to affect her."

She scoffed, "Well, clearly you did far worse than affect her, big brother! She really doesn't know about what that gold-digging bitch is putting you through just to see Lydia?"

"Clearly." I clenched my jaw, anger filling up inside me. "But that doesn't change the fact that Chelsea doesn't love me anymore."

"Oh, boo-freaking-hoo. You really are an idiot." She muttered. "Clearly, she still loves you. She wouldn't act this way if she didn't. And if you don't figure out a way to fix this mess, then I'm going to neuter you like a fucking labradoodle."

"God, you need to stop using that threat, Annie." I scoffed, shaking my head. "It's fucking disturbing. And how do you expect I'm supposed to fix this?"

"That will be the day when you start asking me to solve your problems. God, I can't be in charge of your entire relationship."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't be in New York acting as Travis's fucking cock-blocker and try to get you two together at the same time. I can only do so much." She whispered harshly.

I didn't think it was possible for me to clench my jaw any tighter. My teeth could have broken from the pressure. "Travis is there?"

"Yes, he's here. You really don't listen when I talk, do you? He's the reason that I'm here for work, to promote Liberty Records. I didn't know that everyone else was coming until yesterday. That's why you need to do something, tell her the truth, force her to hear you out, something."

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to steady my breathing."How am I supposed to do that? She wants nothing to do with me, for fuck's sake."

"You've survived without me this long, big brother. Come up with something, you fucking prodigy. I'm just trying to be her friend right now, heaven knows that she needs one."

I blinked, absorbing her words. "Annie?"

"What?"

"Thanks," I breathed, rubbing the back of my neck. "For looking out for her, I mean."

"I've always been Team Delsea, big brother." She finally allowed herself to let out a laugh, a small one, but still with Annie's usual charm.

I rolled me eyes, "Please, don't say Delsea."

"Too late, it's already in my vocabulary." I could practically see her smirking over the phone. "I'll call you later. Nicole's practically crying for me to let her curl my hair like a fourteen year old girl."

I allowed myself to smile, "Bye, Annie."

That's when the line went dead. The silence in my apartment suddenly became evident. The lack of human contact is what once made it full of life, vibrant even. Without Annie littering my living room with her shit or Chelsea lounging around in my bedroom and carrying around cups of coffee and abandoning them without coasters, my studio apartment was just that, four walls and pieces of furniture. It was reasonably darker, duller, drained of life, reminding me of how I was before Chelsea came into my life.

I knew I had to do something big, and quick, before I lost her completely.