2014
Norma hadn't been herself for days now and Alex was getting worried.
It had started last week, when he had casually answered his phone, jumping a little when she immediately started yelling at him.
"Alex!"
"What? What is it? What's wrong?" He had panicked, instinctively grabbing his keys, ready to go to her.
"Why didn't you wake me?" She whined, and he sat back heavily in his office chair, frowning in confusion.
"What?"
"I JUST woke up! Why didn't you wake me?" He checked his watch. It was a little after 10:30am, which was basically mid-afternoon on Norma time.
"Did you turn off my alarm?" She grumbled, and he could hear her stomping around the bedroom as she talked, chuckling a little at the image.
"Why would I do that?" He queried, placing his pen down.
There was a silence, and he could hear shuffling and quiet grumbling.
"Did I sleep through my alarm?" She muttered, mostly to herself, and he could hear her tapping her old fashioned little alarm clock.
"You must have been tired?" He offered and she tutted down the phone at him.
"Fine." She snapped, like this was still all somehow his fault. "Have a good day."
And then she hung up, and he spent the rest of the day feeling like he was going to be in trouble when he got home.
He wasn't.
"Hi honey!" She had trilled when he tentatively tiptoed into the house later that night, throwing her arms around him and pulling him down for a searing kiss.
"Er hi?" He'd said eventually, when she'd finally let him come up for air, cocking his head like this was some kind of trick.
"How was work?" She asked sweetly, stroking her hands up and down his biceps distractedly.
"Erm... good. Good." He nodded, while she slid her hands under his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders to drop heavily to the floor behind him. She smiled wickedly at him.
"What ya doing?" He questioned, grinning down at her while she hooked her hands under her skirt, sliding her underwear down her legs all of a sudden, never breaking eyecontact with him. His mouth dropped open as he watched her, glancing around the hallway like he couldn't quite believe this was happening.
"What does it look like?" She whispered seductively, flicking her panties behind her with her little kitten heeled foot.
She reached for him, scrabbling to undo his belt while he reached up on her tip toes to kiss him again, nipping at his lip.
"Bedroom?" He choked out against her mouth, as she slid her hand into his pants, grasping him firmly, her other hand cupping the side of his face.
"No. Here." She panted out desperately, walking back a little. He followed her, speeding up the last step, his hands finding her waist as he pushed her up against the wall behind her, pressing himself against her.
Norma Bates was no prude, but he generally knew she was rather traditional. There'd been a couple of gentle trysts on the couch, halfway through the spaghetti westerns he'd tried to make her watch, and they'd once made it down to Room 11, playfully pretending they were them before they were married, but generally, he knew Norma liked to make love in a bed. So he could barely believe his luck when she rubbed herself against him wantonly, her arms winding around his neck, kissing him like a woman possessed.
His hands slid from her waist up to her breasts, cupping them through her shirt, squeezing and massaging, and she tensed a little, sucking in a sharp breath. He pulled back, opening his mouth to ask if she was ok, but she lunged forwards again, capturing his lips again, not giving him chance to come up for air. He span them 45 degrees suddenly, pressing her against the edge of the sturdy chest of drawers behind her, before sliding his hands under her armpits, lifting her up, depositing her on the polished wooden surface.
Her legs immediately wrapped around him, her lips never slowing their fevered pace, her hands clawing at his shirt for a minute before they slid down, grabbing for his belt again, tugging the ends to pull him closer.
"Slow down." He muttered against her lips, trying to regain control, slowing their pace, kissing delicately along her jawline, his hands gently covering hers, stopping them. She tugged her hands from his grip, lunging forwards to capture his ear lobe between her teeth, nipping lightly.
"No." She whispered defiantly in his ear, before attacking his pants again with a renewed determination. He shook his head in astonishment at her, chuckling to himself as she fumbled to get his fly down, kissing and nipping at his neck the whole time, his own hands simply held out to the side, letting her.
"What's gotten into you?" He whispered incredulously, as she triumphantly managed to manoeuvre his pants and boxers down his legs with her hands and feet, hooking her toes into them to push them down.
"I've been thinking about this all day..." She murmured with a little shrug, like that answered his question at all, and he laughed, the sound dying in his throat as her little hand wrapped around him, stroking him teasingly.
"Are you drunk?" He managed to choke out and she giggled, shaking her head and leaning up to lick the side of his throat.
His eyes fluttered closed as she kissed his neck, and he felt her shuffle forwards to the edge of the surface, using her legs to pull him a little closer.
"Wait..." He murmured halfheartedly, as she tugged her skirt back up, pushing it up around her waist, leaning back a little. She tutted at him, grabbing his hand and pressing it between her legs, kissing him hard again, letting him feel how ready for him she was, as her foot rubbed up and down his back.
His fragile grip on his resolve broke and he gave up on holding back, letting himself oblige Norma's strangely desperate behaviour, his hands suddenly flying to her lower back, sliding her forwards to the very edge of the surface. There was a moment of fumbling as they realised the dresser was just a inch or two too low, their heights not quite matching up, and he had to bend his knees a little before it was resolved, and he found his way inside of her with a shared hiss.
"Ah." She let out a shrill squeak and he stilled for a second, giving her a moment while he pressed soft kisses against her cheek, down her throat. She wriggled a little, and he took it as his cue, his hands holding onto her back as he started up a slow, deep pattern, feeling her legs come up to wrap tightly around his waist.
"God..." She breathed out against his cheek, squirming more insistently against him, and he obliged her, speeding up a little, hissing at the feel of her sharp kitten heels digging in to his back, urging him on. Her hand shot out to steady herself as she leaned back, and he followed her, leaning over her, his hips snapping back and forth, the antique oak groaning under their weight.
Her free hand clutched hard at the back of his shirt, roughly grabbing at a handful of fabric as she rutted frantically against him, her mouth dropping open. He kissed her suddenly, swallowing her breathy moans, flinching as he felt her nails dig in to his skin, even through the fabric of his shirt.
"Alex..." She panted out brokenly, his name sounding like a sob on her lips, and he pulled back a little, just as she threw her head back, quieting for a second before she came suddenly. She flopped forwards, letting out a ragged scream against his shoulder, her entire body tightening around him, her thighs squeezing into his waist, her fingers clutching hard at his back.
"Jesus." He murmured, half in surprise. He'd never had any problems bringing Norma pleasure, always putting her satisfaction first, always quietly confident in his skills in the bedroom, but that had been quick even for them. He felt like they'd barely begun, but he wasn't going to complain, as he stilled his hips, giving her a moment to catch her breath, nuzzling his nose into her hair. It was only once he stopped moving that he realised how much his knees were aching from being bent for so long, and he took the opportunity to scoop her up into his arms, straightening his protesting limbs, turning to his left and pressing her up against the wall.
She grunted as her back hit the wall, clinging to him as he drove her up against the wall a few more times with a series of erratic thrusts. It didn't take long before he was following her over the edge, enjoying the soft moans and sighs she let out as he found his release inside her still sensitised body, finishing with a shuddering groan and a teasing nip of her collarbone.
There was silence in the hallway for a moment, only the sounds of their mingled ragged breathing, before he pulled back, smiling breathlessly at her.
"I made pot roast for dinner." She announced happily, like nothing had just happened, and he laughed, kissing her temple tenderly, feeling his body protesting at still holding up her slight weight for this amount of time.
"Great. I love pot roast."
"Yay." She breathed out, like a little kid and he grinned at her, lowering her to her feet and taking a step back, shuffling awkwardly to pull up his pants, turning away in a slightly shy move.
It was only as he turned back that he noticed her standing perfectly still, a small frown on her face, her eyes still firmly closed.
"Honey?" He asked tentatively, zipping up his fly and frowning at her, his face etched with worry.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she rearranged her face into a smile, before her trembling legs went out from under her and he rushed forwards, wrapping his arms around her. For a second, he was insanely proud of himself, feeling her body trembling in his arms, his ego swelling, but then he glanced down at her pale face, and his smile faded as quickly as it had arrived.
"Norma? You ok?" He murmured, holding her against him, watching as she gulped, taking a few short, sharp breaths.
"I'm fine." She breathed out, squeezing her eyes closed for a second, holding onto his shoulders for support.
"I'm just weak at the knees, Sheriff." She joked weakly, pressing the back of her hand against her forehead, pretending to swoon, before her smile faded and she breathed out a little sigh.
"I just... I just feel a little dizzy." She said gently, when his concerned expression didn't soften at her little joke. "I'm fine."
"Are you sick?" He queried, tipping his head back to scrutinise her, his eyes darting worriedly over her face. She regained her breath a little bit, tapping his arms for him to release her, shaking her head immediately.
"No... I'm just a little tired." He still didn't look convinced. "Alex, seriously. I'm ok." She insisted, though his face was wracked with guilt. His hands slid down her arms, wrapping around her back gently, pulling her to him.
"I'm sorry-" He started, jerking his head to the dresser behind her, frowning unhappily. He never would have touched her if he'd known she wasn't feeling well.
He screwed up her face in confusion for a moment before realising what he was getting at.
"Oh shush." She interjected, leaning up and pressing a soft kiss against his lips. His guilty expression didn't go away though and so she kissed him again. And again. Peppering his face with soft little kisses until his expression softened. "I just didn't eat properly today." She explained.
She was cut off as he suddenly swept her off her feet, making her squeal and giggle.
"Well, we better get some pot roast in you then." He said, as she giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to carry her into the kitchen.
Two days later he came home from work to find her asleep on the couch, fully dressed, with Casablanca playing on their huge flatscreen TV. He silently pressed the back of his fingers against the cup of fragrant earl grey sat on the table next to her, finding it ice cold to the touch. He watched for a moment as Ingrid and Humphrey bade each other a tearful farewell, before reaching for the remote, sliding it from her hands and clicking the television off. She stirred, her eyes fluttering open, groaning softly as she stretched.
"No, no." He murmured quietly, brushing the backs of his fingers against her cheek. "Sleep." He implored, but she ignored him, pushing herself to sit up.
"Oh- I fell asleep." She said unnecessarily, looking around the room with sleepy confusion, blinking a few times.
"Apparently so." He said, smiling at her, sitting himself down. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." She said automatically, before she sagged under his unrelenting gaze. "I still feel a bit under the weather." She admitted finally, before stifling a little yawn. "Nothing to worry about." She trilled, rising to her feet, and he followed her, rising next to her and turning her gently by her shoulders.
"Stop it. Sit." He said quietly, pushing her down, his concern growing when she allowed him to do so, not resisting at all. She sagged back down onto the couch, flopping back and pressing her hand against her forehead.
"Hey." He started, squeezing her knee. "Let's get takeout tonight. I'll go pick something up?" He offered, his unease increasing as she nodded weakly. She never agreed to his suggestion to get takeout food. She prided herself on cooking a homemade meal for him every night, never wanting to indulge in taking a night off from it, so he felt the first swell of panic when she agreed with him tonight.
"What do you want me to get?" He asked, watching as her eyes closed and she puffed out an unsteady breath, her hand still flopped over her forehead.
"I don't care, Alex." She murmured, and he sighed, getting up off the couch and grabbing his keys, stopping in his tracks as she yelled something from the living room.
"Meatballs." She muttered, in a put-on pathetically small voice. He chuckled, swinging back into the room to see her pouting adorably at him. "I want meatballs." She demanded, and he laughed, pleased to let her milk this, since she never let him do anything for her normally.
"Coming right up."
"And rootbeer!" She yelled, just as he was going out of the door, and he laughed, knowing he'd get her anything she asked for.
Alex awoke the next day to Norma kicking her foot into his thigh. She groaned in her sleep, tossing her head to the side, flicking her curls into his face. He pushed himself up on his hands to gaze at her for a second, half watching her sleep, half trying to gauge if she was having a nightmare.
She moaned, wriggling again, a little furrow appearing in her forehead and he made his decision, reaching for her, his hands freezing as she let out another softer moan.
"Alex..." She whispered, her cheek nuzzling into the pillow, her legs tangling in the sheets and he raised a single eyebrow, watching as her hand lazily swept across her collarbone, a small smirk crossing his face as she sucked her lip into her mouth. Apparently this was no nightmare, and he sat up a little further, wrestling with the temptation to just sit and watch her, as her chest heaved and she licked her lips in her sleep.
She sighed again, her head dropping to the side, and he glanced at the clock, reluctant to wake her, but not wanting to risk another angry "Why didn't you wake me?" conversation.
"Norma?" He said gently, leaning over her to grasp her shoulder, giving her a little shake. "Honey?"
Her eyes snapped open and she gazed up at him, a small smile spreading over her face as she stretched her legs out lazily.
"Hey." She croaked out, her hand coming up to brush through his hair, her eyes still soft and sleepy as she looked at him. "I had the best dream."
He grinned at her, leaning down to brush his nose against hers.
"Yeah, I heard."
She flushed pink, biting her lip, before craning her head up, crushing her lips sloppily against his, her hands flying to his shoulders, pulling him down on top of her. With the element of surprise, she caught him off guard, wrapping her legs around him, rolling him on top of her, swiping her tongue into his mouth.
He resisted for half a second, before kissing her back, settling himself between her thighs as they dropped open. He had no idea where his wife's new insatiable appetite had come from but he wasn't hating it, letting his hand stroke down her side, hitching her thigh up around him as his other hand tangled in her hair.
"Norma?" He mumbled against her lips, trying to pull back a little. He resisted her attempts to pull him back down to her, pushing himself up on his hands to stare at her.
"You're really hot." He whispered and a slow smile spread across her face as she misunderstood him.
"Well thanks, you're not too bad your-"
He cut her off with a small chuckle, before he pressed his hand against her forehead.
"No, really. You're really warm." He frowned at her, his eyes darting around her face, taking in her pallor, and the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead.
"What? No no." She muttered, sliding her hands to the back of his neck, trying to tug his lips down to meet hers again. He resisted her surprising strength, jerking his head out of her grasp and pulling away from her.
"I'm gonna make you some tea..." He said, reluctantly leaving the heat of her body, tucking the sheet around her as she pouted like a petulant child.
"I feel fine." She protested, even as she sat up, gulping and taking a deep breath.
He came back a few minutes later, carefully carrying the steaming mug of earl grey up the stairs, strolling back into the bedroom just in time to hear Norma coughing and spluttering in their bathroom. Dropping the cup down on their bedside table, he sprinted through the open door, skidding to a halt as he took in Norma weakly reaching up to flush the toilet, her legs splayed out to the side, looking tiny as she flopped her head back against the tiled wall.
"No, no. Don't come in." She muttered, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, groaning as he ignored her, rushing over to dampen a washcloth, crouching next to her and pressing it tenderly against her forehead.
"I told you you were getting sick." He said quietly, and she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. You were right. For once. Don't get used to it." She joked, letting him brush the hair out of her eyes.
"You want me to stay home today-?" She cut him off, shaking her head defiantly.
"No. Don't be silly. It's just a bug." He looked sceptical.
"Really! I'll be fine. Go!" She demanded firmly.
He looked crestfallen that he wasn't going to be allowed to take care of her, and her expression softened a little, sliding one hand around his neck, and batting her eyelashes at him cutely.
"Alex?" She murmured in her little girl voice. "Carry me back to bed?"
He beamed at her, scooping her up, carrying her back to bed, tucking her in and flitting around her for the rest of the morning, pretending he wasn't late for work as he set her up for the day.
"Promise me you'll call me if you need me?"
"It's a bug, Alex... Stop being so dramatic." He stared at her and she rolled her eyes. "But yes, I have my phone right here."
"And you'll go to the doctor's if you don't feel better tomorrow?"
She flopped back dramatically onto the pillows, puffing out an exasperated sigh.
"You're the most annoying man I've ever met."
"Love you too." He whispered, pressing a lingering kiss against her forehead before leaving her.
She smiled, watching him go, rubbing her thumb over her bottom lip. As much as she pretended to be irked by his fussing over her, she secretly loved it, not used to a man treating her so delicately. She'd never been treated like this, never been fussed over and mollycoddled, and tucked up like a child, with soft kisses and even softer words. She yawned, laying back on the pillows, falling back to sleep with a small smile on her face.
"Norma?" Alex called out when he got home, gazing expectantly up the stairs, jumping at a small sound from the kitchen.
"I'm in here, Alex." She yelled back, and he frowned, making his way to the kitchen and leaning against the door frame, watching her for a moment as she stirred a pot of something on the stove.
"What are you doing out of bed?" He questioned teasingly, raising his eyebrows when she didn't turn around or glance at him at all.
"Oh. Erm... Well, I couldn't stay in bed all day." She said, her voice sounding strange as she turned to the oven, taking a pie out and placing it on the counter, her movements tense and stiff.
"Did you make a pie?" He queried, stalking over to her, watching as she stirred something that smelled amazing on the stove again.
"I made two pies. Because I made apple pie, but then I wasn't sure if you liked apple pie, so I made cherry pie aswell." She rambled, her tone tight and shrill, gesturing to the second pie cooling on the baking rack. "And I made chilli cause I know it's your favourite-"
She was cut off as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder.
"Is it my birthday?" He asked and she laughed a short, nervous laugh, wriggling from his grip and turning to grab a spoon from the counter. He frowned at the back of her head, walking over to her and grabbing her elbow, turning her to face him.
"So you're feeling better, then?" He asked dubiously, trying to get her to meet his gaze. She stared at his chest, nodding.
"Mm hm!" She said brightly.
"Good." He leaned forwards, pressing a soft kiss against her lips, sliding his hands over her hips, resting them on the small of her back as his lips trailed from the corner of her mouth down to her jaw.
"Alex..." She said hesitantly, her hands coming up to his chest, pushing him away a little. He kept his hands on her waist, pulling back, his eyes darting all over her face, taking in her face properly. Her eyes looked a little red, and she sniffled, leaning back against the counter, still avoiding his gaze.
"I... erm... I went to the doctor." She said finally, and he breathed out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding, his eyebrows shooting up.
There was a long silence, where he just blinked slowly, his face blank as his mind flitted through worst case scenarios. She eventually looked at him, her eyes wide and watery and unsure, biting her lip into her mouth for a second.
"I'm pregnant." She whispered, so quietly that, for a second, he wasn't sure he'd heard her right.
"What?" His palms suddenly felt very sweaty where they were still pressed against her hips.
She gulped, starting to ramble suddenly, her hand nervously rubbing her elbow as she spoke.
"After you left, I slept a while, and then I felt so sick when I woke up. And I tried to go down to open the motel, but I felt really dizzy, and I was gonna call you, but I didn't want you to worry, so I just took myself to the doctor's and-"
"I thought..." He interrupted her, his face entirely blank. She briefly wondered if he was slipping into shock. "I thought you were on-"
"I am! I am, I swear." She said hurriedly, sounding panicked. Her bottom lip trembled. "But..." Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she scrubbed her fingers under her watery eyes. "Well... there's been so much going on lately? Sometimes... I forget to take it."
She looked down guiltily, before continuing.
"But I swear... I never thought- I mean... I haven't done this on purpose. I wasn't trying to trap you or anything. I know that this wasn't what you-"
"Shut up, Norma." He said quietly, breathing out an incredulous laugh at the floor. She stopped talking, wrapping her arm more firmly round herself, sniffling quietly.
There was a silence that seemed to stretch on forever, before he looked back up at her, his eyes shining, a confused expression on his face.
"Did you really think I'd be mad about this?" He questioned softly, sounding broken at the very thought, and she shrugged, a single tear slipping down her face.
"I don't know. I didn't know what you'd thi-"
He leaned forwards, cutting her off, kissing the tear from her cheek, before dropping to his knees in front of her suddenly. She gasped at the unexpected action, as his hands slid over her stomach, and he pressed a soft kiss against her abdomen, glancing up at her happily.
She smiled tearfully down at him, her hand cupping his face as he rose back up to his feet.
"Oh my god." He murmured quietly, shaking his head, beaming at her, before he wrapped his arms around her, picking her up off her feet and spinning her around. "Oh my god!" He said a little louder, as she giggled into his ear.
"I might throw up on you." She murmured happily and he stilled, depositing her back onto her feet, before ushering her towards one of the chairs around the kitchen table, making her sit down.
He crouched next to her, his eyes darting all over her like he couldn't quite take it all in.
"Are you ok? Like, is everything ok?" He asked suddenly, his face suddenly filled with concern, and she nodded, lacing her fingers through his.
"Mm hmm. I just have to take it easy."
He glanced around the kitchen.
"And you responded to that advice by making chilli and two pies?" He said disbelievingly, a small smile playing on his lips.
She shrugged like it was no big deal, wiping the earlier tears from her face and smiling sadly up at him.
"No-one's ever been happy that I was pregnant before?" She said casually, not able to hear his heart breaking for her over the sound of the chilli bubbling away behind him.
"Not my mom, or John... or Sam." She trailed off, shuddering slightly, and he didn't dare imagine how Sam had reacted to the news of another mouth to feed.
"I wanted to make your favourites in case... In case you weren't happy about it?" She shrugged again, casting her eyes down, missing the look of dismayed anguish that crossed his face at her words.
He rose to his feet, scooping her up suddenly and spinning, sitting himself down in the chair and draping her across his lap, keeping on hand wrapped around her back, the other drifting to press against her abdomen, smiling at the little life she was incubating in there, trying to wrap his head around it.
"I'm happy." He said seriously, gazing into her eyes. His hand swept up her chest, coming to rest on her cheek, pulling her in to kiss her, pouring all his joy and gratitude into it, before pulling back, sharing a grin with her. "In fact, this might be the happiest I've ever been."
