I woke up sometime later, not with the help of the smelling salts Dexter had provided the night before, but on my own. For how long I was unconscious, only god knows.

The muffled sound of the living room television drifted through the walls and filled the dining room with the quiet laughter coming from whatever show Dexter had on. He had shrink wrapped me to the table once more, but had apparently allowed me this time to keep my clothes on…and had taken my knife.

The bastard.

I struggled against the plastic sheets, but sighed and rest my head back down on the table after a few minutes of fruitless gyrating. All my movements did was shake the table, which must have attracted Dexter's attention. I can hear his heavy footsteps coming down the hall. I laid still.

He paused in the doorway and stared at me. Dexter seemed frustrated. I scowled. If anyone has the right to be annoyed, it's me. This is the second time he's done this to me, and he's really beginning to get on my nerves. If this keeps up, I'll kill him, too.

Dexter held my knife up. "Can I let you go, or are you going to try and kill me?"

"Who knows." I said flatly. "You know, this is really unnecessary. Twice now, you've stuck me with those damn needles of yours. I don't trust you."

"Why?"

I tried to move my arms up to point out what should be obvious to him, but the plastic restricted any movement. "I swear, you must be doing something to me while I'm unconscious. I'm going to have a full rape kit done once I get out of here, you sick bastard."

He stared at me, wide eyed. "I'm not raping you!"

"Yeah…sure." I closed my eyes and exhaled loudly. "Dexter, did you really have to knock me unconscious? What was the point of that?"

"I can't let you get involved in something big like this."

"You're missing something; I'm already involved. From the night my parents were killed, until the day they're all dead, I have been and still am involved." I looked him right in the eyes. "I told you I'm not stopping until they're all dead. The only way to make me, is to kill me."

"Well, I'm not going to kill you…but just consider ending it. You don't need to keep going after them."

"And you don't need to keep going after your victims, Dexter, it's dangerous. You could get caught."

"I know that."

"And you think I'm not fully aware of the risks that I'm taking? I know damn well what I'm doing, Dexter, and so do you. But you're not letting that stop you. So why does it need to stop me?"

He walked over and began cutting off the shrink wrap, working his way up from my feet to my chest. Once the wrap was off, I sat up. "I just can't-"

"Dexter, I don't want the same bull$*%! answer. Give me a real reason."

"I…I don't know."

"Then don't get involved. If you can't give me a reason, then stay out of my business and let me continue what I'm doing. I had no disruptions before you came along." I glowered. "And I don't want anymore."

"I'm just trying to help you."

"I don't want help, Dexter."

"Piper, I know you don't, but it's best for you if you just dropped it-"

"Dexter, I'm not #@*!ing Lumen, okay? You're not going to save me and aid me in killing everyone that hurt me. I can take care of @%!# on my own." I half shouted, feeling angry now.

I looked at Dexter. The killer actually looked hurt. Had my mentioning of his…girlfriend, or whatever she had been, hurt him? He had slunk back against the wall, his arms hanging limp at his sides. He no longer looked at me, but past me. Dexter's jaw had clenched.

I calmed down and spoke softly now. "That's what this is about, isn't it. I remind you of Lumen? Troubled, looking for vengeance. You want to help me like you helped her."

A pressure had welled in my chest. Guilt, maybe? I felt bad for yelling at him, for getting angry. He's just…looking for the same relationship he had with her, I suppose.

"Is that what this is about?" I asked again.

He finally looked at me. "She wanted the same thing as you. To get revenge on the ones who had hurt her…and all those other girls."

"So when I said what I was doing and why…."

"You reminded me of her."

"So that's why you didn't kill me."

Dexter nodded. "I was just going to let you go…and forget what I saw in you. But I couldn't…so I met you like you asked."

"Why continue to follow me, then?" I walked around to the edge of the table and stood before him.

"I needed to make sure you were safe…that you weren't getting into any trouble."

"I understand…but I'm not like her, Dexter, really. I can hold my own…I know you want to help…but.."

I could feel the sadness emanating from this poor man's body. In his eyes, I can see the confusion, the turmoil raging inside him. It must be killing him, to have to deal with me, to go through what he felt with Lumen all over again, and then be terrified that I'll disappear on him like the others once this is over with. He made it very clear that night he was scared of losing another person.

But I'm just a stranger. Then again, so was Lumen. And it seems they connected deeply, whether genuinely or through their mutual need to kill. He's...aching over the loss of her. And in a way, it breaks my heart to see him like this, even though I barely know him.

"Look…I'll let you help me. If you want, anyway. Just understand I need to do this, alright? I don't want to stop until they're all gone."

"And what happens when they're gone?"

"I'm…I'm not going anywhere." I frowned.

Dexter nodded. "Who's your next kill then?"

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This is a Dexter fanfic, I finally decided, and it is about Piper Monserrat. She is a baker in Miami, Florida, working at the shop her parents once owned before they were tragically slain by a group of killers.

The tall, brown haired Italian was affected by her parents murder in a way she could have never imagined. For years, she had worked toward perfecting her traded, and came to believe she would never in her life be caught.

But someone already had their eyes on her, another killer, who would take her down for killing 'innocent' citizens.

Little did Piper's stalker know, these people aren't innocent at all...none of them are.

Anyway, tell me what you think of it!

updated Aug 26 '11 by Ashlie