1. When Dexter loved Debra, even though he thought he wasn't capable of love at all.
2. And when he realised she was the most important thing in his world and that he couldn't kill her.
3. When he finally found his long-lost biological brother, someone who shared his darkness and understood him.
4. But then had to give him up in order to abide by the code and protect Debra.
5. When Debra, despite her own pain, made light of her past in order to comfort a worried Quinn.
6. And their friendship blossomed into a love that would last till the very end.
7. When Dexter helped Rita find strength and overcome her demons, despite his own.
8. And when he genuinely wanted to share a good, simple life with her.
9. When they had a fairytale wedding and a normal life for a minute, seemed possible.
10. When Dexter found a new type of love with Harrison and tried to be the best Dad he could be.
11. When Dexter lost Rita to the Trinity Killer and found his past repeating itself.
WE WILL NEVER GET OVER THIS SCENE.
12. When Lumen no longer shared the darkness that bonded her and Dexter together, and he was willing to let her move on and be free.
13. When Batista chose his love of LaGuerta over his career aspirations.
14. When king of perversion Masuka had to finally grow up and take on a new role as a father.
15. When Debra finally told Dexter her own deeply kept secret.
16. And too, had to live with a pain unlike no other.
17. When Deb's faith in Dexter as a good human being was unwavering.
18. And when she did everything she could to protect him even though it went against every moral code she had.
19. Like choosing to kill LaGuerta over Dexter, a choice that would change her life irrevocably.
20. When Deb realised, despite Dexter's secret ruining her life and those around her, that she couldn't bear to hurt him.
21. When Dexter tried to make Deb see that she was a good person despite all of the bad decisions she's had to make.
22. But when she still struggled with her demons and couldn't let go.
23. Even in the last few days of her life.
24. When Dexter and Debra said goodbye to each other, not knowing it would be for the last time.
25. And then when Dexter had to do for Deb what she'd always promised she would do for him.
26. When Quinn and Batista covered for Dexter when he exacted revenge on Debra's shooter.
27. When Dexter realised that in his world, to love, was to lose.
28. And when he realised the only way he could safely love, was to let his loved ones live without him.
Let's just not remember the bit where he becomes a lumberjack, yeah?