A/N: nearly forgot to warn of a certain degree of violence (but our boys are ok - I hate having to give it away but wouldn't want anyone triggered by the death)

Dexter

I'm thankful Weston's happy to do things not entirely by the book. He works Major Crimes, and I was just lucky he happened to be interviewing a witness in the ward next to Dae when everything kicked off, so he was automatically put on the case.

When I got to the hospital, because François had called me in a panic, I was stunned to see Ellis wrapped in Landon's arms, the pair of them sobbing desperately, not least because I'd thought, from François, that Ellis had been kidnapped. When I took over consoling Landon because François was frantic to get his hands on his boy, obviously, it didn't take more than a moment to work out it was Nikki who'd been taken.

But then Weston had come out, and said, quite casually, because he didn't know then what Dae is to me, that Dae had disappeared, apparently to search out Nikki.

I don't know how I'd stayed calm then, but I did, if only because I'll have all the time in the world to fall apart once I have Dae back in my arms, and his safety needs all my control.

I'd explained everything I knew to Weston, as he'd watched me sincerely with his Caribbean-blue eyes. He gets me. Always has. Doesn't even question my motivation or control when I tell him I'm coming when I've given him the address I suspect (hope, really, or even pray, if I were that way inclined) Dae and Nikki will be at. We both know the terms. I shouldn't be there, and if I'm caught in any way I'm on my own and we don't know each other. It's fair. He's a good friend, and been a good source inside the Department for years, so there's no way I'll jeopardize his career.

They get the schematics for the house and, because the rear is fully enclosed with properties surrounding it, he tells his team to work the front, allowing me to go to the back, easily getting into, and through, the old apartment block directly behind, until I'm standing in the small yard looking at the high bricked wall for handholds.

I hear shouts from the garden, the thuds and pants of someone running and then scrabbling at the other side of the wall. And then a shot. There's no time to react before Nikki has thrown himself over, landing with a painful smack on his back.

He tells me to save Dae, but I still take the moment to check his wound, which doesn't look too bad – the bleeding is already sluggish and I think it's shock more than anything that knocked him out. But I can't leave him here, not if it is shock, and his breathing is rapid enough in his unconscious state that I think it's more than likely.

I send off a message to Landon, knowing he can be here within twenty minutes. I wish I'd just brought Lan with me, though I couldn't risk it as he has no history with tactical requirements. Instead, I send another blanket message to my most trusted friends, hoping someone is closer than Lan and will get here sooner. I cover Nikki with my jacket. It isn't exactly thick, but is better than nothing. I debate an ambulance, but they're unlikely to be faster, and sirens are too much of a risk if Weston is moving silently.

He said that would be their aim. It had been my intention to sneak in and find Dae, but maybe it's for the best if Weston's team go through the property first. I don't want to get shot by the good guys. I'm black and armed. Though I know Weston's team don't deserve that kind of judgement, it's still a risk.

It's only been a couple of minutes, and I haven't heard anything from over the wall since Nikki came over. Which is strange, now that I think of it. Why didn't the person who shot him come after him?

I'm distracted by a commotion the way I came, and Xander and Chris are there, looking concerned but determined.

"He's in shock. Try to keep him warm and get him to hospital," I instruct, already walking toward the wall. "Message Landon, because he's on his way. And be careful of his thigh, he has a gunshot wound."

They wave me away, not asking any more questions, which I appreciate, even as I launch myself up the rough bricks, easily finding handholds, half expecting to be shot at as my head breaches the top, but there's nothing. The back door is closed and the house looks eerily silent, just rows of dark glass, like eyes. I'm not turning back now, though, and drop easily to the other side, pausing to listen. Despite everything I think I'm ready for I nearly leap out of my skin when the back door opens, but it's Weston, waving me forward.

"We're on silent. We managed to take out all of the guards without alerting anyone, and we've cleared the upstairs. There were only four men, and they've just been taken to the station. We think your boy is in the basement. Officially, it's me and Parrish, everyone else has gone." Parrish is his partner and, luckily, shares a similar mind set to Weston.

We walk to the basement door, which is closed and I greet Parrish with a two-finger salute. He just nods and puts a finger to his lips as we stand to the side and he twists the handle. The door opens without a noise. Houseproud then, the Jo-pok. No squeaky hinges here, thank God. Parrish still has his finger up and we listen. There are voices, and grunting, and pained whimpers, and it takes everything in me not to just burst down the steps.

They're speaking in a language I don't understand and I grimace in frustration.

"Where the fuck is Kim?" Parrish whispers and I look at him, confused. "Grandfather," is all he says, and listens intently again.

"They'd better not be damaging him. He's worth a lot to us. More than this bunch... What will we do with this one? That's the other guy...Bet we can find a buyer. Once we've finished with him. He can go in the cage with the others."

Parrish takes a step back when he sees my eyes, but he keeps listening, and looks apologetic before he translates what I know is Dae.

"Please stop, Chul-moo. It hurts too much. I had blood poisoning from your men...What the fuck? Is that like AIDS?...What? No. Jesus."

Under another circumstance I'd chuckle at Dae's adorable brattiness, but not now. Now, I'm just seeing increasingly red, and I breathe a sigh of relief when Weston speaks quietly in his lilting way.

"We assume they're armed and we know they're dangerous. It sounds like there's innocents down there, besides your boy, so we react appropriately and we don't allow them chance to take a hostage. Extreme prejudice, boys."

I'm through the door before Weston or Parrish can move, reaching the bottom of the stairs before the two mafia men can even look up. One of them is in front of Dae, and I take a breath as he reaches into his jacket, pressing the trigger on my weapon and watching the bloom of red spread on the side of his head as it snaps back and he falls away. Dae lets out a sob that sounds like my name, as Weston and Parrish finally reach my side. Yi Chul-moo pulls out of Dae, but before I can dispatch him, Dae is on him, screaming and pushing him, a whirling dervish. Yi looks more shocked than anything, and I know he's only letting Dae move him because of that surprise. I need Dae to move, so I can take my shot, and he bends for a moment, but then I realize he reached into Yi's boot, and he's pulled out a bone-handled knife, curved and sharp. With another scream, Dae drives the blade into Yi, as easy as cutting fruit, twisting it when it will go no deeper, before he drops to the ground, sobbing.

I envelope him in my arms, sitting and wrapping him as best I can, as we watch the sharp light fade out of Yi's eyes with a pained gurgle.

A/N: so...that happened