Norma wakes up and for a moment she doesn't remember. And then she sees him lying in the bed next to her. They're both naked with the exception of the sheets sprawled messily across them. A million reasons for doubt and regret flash across her mind as she stares at the ceiling and listens to the man breathing rhythmically next to her. Suddenly the woman becomes keenly aware of the unyielding weight of the ring on her finger. She sighs and moves to get out of bed. Just as she is about to stand, a hand catches her wrist. Norma looks back to see Alex looking up at her with a sleepy smile.

"Where are you going?" he asked. It was a plea for her to stay. Norma hesitantly pulled away.

"I need to go take a shower," she smiled a little unconvincingly and slips into her robe before taking a few steps closer to the bathroom. "I want to go see Emma today in Portland so I thought I could get an early start and make some breakfast." She turns to face Alex and leans a bit uncomfortably on the bathroom doorframe.

"I could join you if you want," Alex suggested with a playful smirk, and his intent was clearly understood.

"Uh, no—I think you should just, uh… get some more sleep and um… come get breakfast when it's ready," the blonde stammered as she backed further into the bathroom and shut the door for punctuation. Norma leaned with her back against the door with a rattled sigh of relief. She's still not sure how she feels about last night and she just needs time to herself to think.

She pulls out a towel and turns on the water, sitting on the edge of the tub with her hand under the faucet to gauge the temperature. Once satisfied, she stands and sheds her robe, hanging it on a hook on the wall nearby, then steps into the shower, pulling the curtain closed behind her. Water rushes out of the shower head and beats rhythmically against her skin, her hair becoming increasingly soaked. She stands there for several moments, just letting the water wash over her, thinking about what it is washing away. A hand absentmindedly traces the paths of Alex's lips on her skin the night before. Her lips. Her neck. Across the swells of her breasts and down her abdomen. Her thighs. And finally…

The woman stops abruptly with a shake of her head and reaches for her shampoo. The rest of her shower goes by quickly as Norma attempts to occupy her thoughts with what she is planning on making for breakfast and her subsequent day plans. She gets dressed and fixes her hair as quickly and quietly as possible. The longer Alex stays asleep the longer Norma has to process last night's events.

She knows she wanted it. There's no denying that. She pursued him and he was ready to walk away but she practically begged him. She was so upset about Norman… She just wanted all that pain to go away. She wanted to feel in control of something. Or she wanted to let go of all control and Alex… well… he was there. And the way he looks at her sometimes just makes her feel like everything is going to be okay. She couldn't help herself. She didn't stop because she didn't want to stop. There was nothing more in that moment that she wanted than to feel safe and loved.

In the midst of her thoughts Norma realizes that she's already begun to cook breakfast. She vaguely remembered her actions leading up to this moment but was so lost in her thoughts that her body went on autopilot. She hears the sheriff moving around upstairs. It's only a matter of time before she has to say something… anything.

And after several minutes of trying rather vigorously to focus on the task at hand, Norma almost jumps at the sound of his voice.

"Hi." She turns to look at Alex before continuing to move hurriedly around the kitchen.

"Hi! Good morning!" Norma's tone is cheery but bordering on dismissive. "I made you breakfast."

"Oh, thanks." The response is appreciative and lighthearted as Alex wanders closer to her. Norma acts as though he's not in her way and struggles to maintain an air of nonchalance.

"So how 'bout you just sit down and enjoy." She reaches for the coffee pot and pours a cup for him. "Some coffee…" Her anxiety in the situation is evident on her face despite her attempts to conceal it and Alex is particularly observant. "I've got to do some errands so…" She is still moving incessantly around the kitchen so Alex catches her by the waist.

"Come here," he breathed, trying to get her to slow down so he can truly look at her for the first time all morning. Norma is forced to do the same. She doesn't pull away, but shifts a little uncomfortably. She's unsure of what to say and the silence is stifling.

"Look, I'm not sorry about what happened," Alex stated simply. He means it as a reassurance to the beautiful woman in front of him because it is obvious to him why she is acting so skittish.

"Okay," Norma replies as though the statement was unnecessary. "I'm not either." Because she doesn't. She's just terrified about what all this means for her. Every man she's ever been with has raped her or turned out to be a monster or both. She doesn't think she could handle that again. Especially with how much she actually cares for Alex.

The two continue to look at each other for a few long moments. Alex is searching Norma's face for anything that might indicate that she's lying. But he doesn't find anything. So he slowly begins to lean into her. Norma notices and hesitates slightly before she reciprocates. It starts gently and curiously as though they are once again exploring new ground. In all honestly, Norma closed the kiss first, but perhaps only out of habit. She's so used to this kind of thing being only a means to and end and from that familiarity she finds her rhythm. The kisses deepen but she can't drink him in the way she did the night before. This isn't passionate for her. This isn't coming from the affection she has for him. It is coming from something much darker and colder within her. So she forces herself to stop. She's not sure what she wants but it isn't this. Norma attempts to pull away a twice before she is successful and lets out a brief sigh.

"I—I can't do this." Alex looks a little defeated so she squeezes his arms affectionately. "It's too much." Her face is apologetic.

"Okay," he responds quietly, but understanding.

"But you should sit down and eat," Norma continues, trying to find a transition. "Because it's not going to be as good cold."

"It looks delicious."

"Good." She is glad that he thinks so.

"It's a lot though," Alex remarked, eyeing the plate a little apprehensively.

"Well, you're a big guy. I—mh—big and tall-ish, not…" Norma stumbled painfully over her words as she finished filling his plate and walked back to the stove. "I just didn't want you to be hungry." After setting the skillet back on the stove, the embarrassed blonde reaches for her coffee cup and takes a sip. She moves to pick up a small notebook she had left on the counter and leans back. As she watches Alex begin to eat, she smiles. Perhaps every day could be just as it is in this moment. The sun is coming in through the window just right and for a second she forgets about the rest of the craziness and tragedy that seems to follow her around. It is so peaceful. The woman is finally relaxed, or as relaxed as she can be, for the first time in a long time. And then Alex opens his mouth.

"I think we need a joint checking account." Norma is a little caught off guard and Alex can tell so he elaborates. "I think it'll look more real." More real. Because this is fake. She almost forgot. And it hurts more than it should.

"Okay. Yeah. No- I think we need to… make it… look real." The last word stings as Norma says it but she tries not to let it show. She scolds herself internally for allowing herself to forget that the most fundamental part of whatever this is, is fake.

"I'll stop by the bank," Alex continues with a small shrug, trying his best not to make a big deal out of anything. He can tell Norma is on edge and he doesn't want to scare her into doing something irrational any more than she is already prone to doing.

"Okay."

"It might be a good idea if we show up together for that winter thing tonight."

"What winter thing?"

"You know? The winter festival. With all the lights and whatnot. I think it would be a good public place for us to be seen together. You should come with me." Norma's mind is scrambling. Anything to get out of going. She knows it would be good for them to be seen in public together, but it all makes it seem more real to her too. And that only makes it hurt more.

"Uh… well I was planning on going to see Emma today, like I said earlier. And it's kind of a long drive. I don't think I'll be back in time."

"Okay. That's fine. How is Emma doing?" Alex changed the subject, careful not to dwell on Norma's obvious excuse.

"She's good! Dylan says she's been doing really well. She's off the oxygen. He's been down there with her the whole time."

"Dylan? So she and Dylan are together?" he questioned with a bit of a smile. Norma smiles too.

"Apparently." She's sat down at the table so Alex could stop looking behind him while he's trying to eat and have a conversation. Now there is a silence lingering between them and she looks down at her hands. "You know, it's funny how people aren't at all together. And then all of a sudden they are." Norma looks up at Alex with that statement. His eyes are soft and he reaches for her hand.

And then she's in too deep again, if only for a few seconds. The moment is so tender and intimate that she is unsure of what to do other than to let herself be consumed by the safety and comfort he provides. But she catches herself and begins to pull away again. "I need to go if I'm going to get all my errands done. Um… have a nice day at work!" It was obvious Alex wanted to bring her in for a kiss but she walked away before he could do so. And as she walked out the door, her heart was still pounding and her mind was still spinning.