Disclaimer; Most of this chapter is taken from the show. I make no money from this story and do it for entertainment purposes only. I do not own any of the characters involved in this chapter and do not own the storyline taking place, i'm just messing with what the show has done, and if it's on the show A&E owns it. Any additional dialogue is made up entirely from my own imagination. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!
Alex saw the look in her eyes that told him her day had been just as difficult as his. He stepped forward, but wasn't sure how close was too close or how far was too far. When there was about two feet of distance between them, he stopped. "I wanted you to know that I meant what I said last night. I am going to protect you from Bob Paris."
She seemed to be a little more at ease with that statement, finally starting to have a little faith in him. Every time he had said he'd take care of something he kept his word. However, she knew there was a chance that this was the one time he'd fail to deliver on his promise; not to any fault of his own. The man was clearly working himself up over this, "Thank you for coming by and telling me that." She said earnestly.
He took a deep breath and held her gaze, as he continued it would get more difficult for him to get the right words out. He wasn't used to allowing himself to be this vulnerable, "I'm with you in this, alright? The only thing I need from you is the truth... I wish things were different, but this is where we are now."
Norma understood and gave a small nod. The logical part of Norma told her there was no doubt that the man in front of her was genuine, the lustful part of her said "let him into your life and don't let him leave.", but the part of her that was still very much an abused little girl said "lie your way through whatever relationship this is, whether it be friendship or something more." The little girl that had been so powerless and was now seeking control in her life by only letting people know what she wanted them to had been the one running her for so long, and this is where it had gotten her. She was starting to lean towards the more logical voice in her head, at least for tonight. She was too tired to muster up the energy it took to sound convincing during the lying process. "This isn't your fault, Alex. It's bigger than us. It's my fault anyway, I tried to hide it. I tried to hide everything..." Her voice trailed off and her eyes moved away from him, almost as if she was too ashamed to look at him. "But now it's coming out and it's just too much to shove away." Her chest began to tighten and she felt him step closer. Finally she looked back to him, holding his gaze. "I'm not going to lie, I'm so scared. He's my son and he's broken." She felt tears roll down her cheeks but before she could make any movement to wipe them off Alex's hand came up and brushed the tears away.
He felt his shoulders tighten as he made this kind gesture, mostly because he was a little uncomfortable comforting anyone. On top of that, touching Norma anywhere made him nervous.
She spoke again, the sound of heartbreak in her voice was like a piece of glass cutting his chest open, "He is the dearest boy that ever lived and I just couldn't bear it if Bob Paris has this thing investigated, if they take him away, if they put him in prison just for defending me. It will kill me." She took a deep breath to try and compose herself before continuing once again, "You know, in some ways I don't even care anymore. Maybe fate wins here." He watched her face as she spoke, she looked so hopeless, "We're all doomed in the end, right?"
After taking a moment to realize what she had just said he couldn't help but smirk despite himself, what a Norma thing to say. "Yeah, maybe." He thought about it a little more, "Probably."
For a split second it looked like she was about to smile, then the reality of how screwed up everything was hit her again. Tears spilled out of her eyes once more and there he was once again to stop them in their tracks. "Why are you doing this for me?"
Alex felt his body stiffen more than it already had. He hadn't expected her to ask, honestly he thought it was too obvious. "Because I care." That was the basic, short version.
Since the day she came to his house, asking him to take her to Bob, something inside him changed when it came to how he felt about Norma Bates. He'd had feelings for her before then, but that was when they took a turn for the worst... or the best, depending on how you look at it. She'd recounted all the things the people in this town had done to her since the first night she'd arrived, some of which she had kept from him even after swearing she told the truth. Specifically the Keith Summers incident. The night of Shelby's death when Norma told the "whole truth" about what had happened with Keith, Shelby, and the trafficking victim Shelby had kept, she just happened to leave out the fact that she had been raped by Summers the night she moved in. Hours before he first encountered her. Norma gave him the impression he broke in and threatened them, then physically attacked Norman. Not that he had succeeded in actually physically and psychologically harming her in the worst way possible. She had acted like it never happened that night, like she hadn't been victimized. She survived by doing what she had to, and then some. It made his blood boil and his stomach turn thinking about what else she had to go through to make that seem like an easy task. Norma has survived on her own for far too long, it was something he admired about her. Now he wanted to take the burden of single handedly clawing through life alone just to get by away from her. He cupped her cheek, running his thumb along her jawline, "Because you do too much by yourself."
It was one of those cliche times when a woman hears just the right thing at the right time and it completely sweeps them off their feet, and she knew it. Right now, she didn't care. His words felt all too true after the day she had just had. Heck, after the life she's had. Norma closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his. Romero wasted no time in enclosing her waist in his arms as he pulled her body closer. She deepened the kiss by sliding an arm around his neck and standing on her toes, it was like she couldn't get enough of him if she tried.
They were interrupted by the alarm on Alex's phone that told him he needed to start driving to Bob Paris's house. He broke the kiss and released her as he pulled his phone out, trying to let his breath catch up to him. Of all the times for Bob Paris to get in the way again. "I need to go."
Norma took a step back and gathered herself. "Alright..." she said quietly, mentally scolding herself for letting this happen. There was no denying that she was attracted to him to say the least, it wasn't that she didn't want to be out here with him. It was that she never knew when Alex was going to turn into Sheriff Romero, and Sheriff Romero wasn't someone Norma could be with when she had a son like Norman. "Thank you very much for stopping by."
He looked disappointed but nodded in response, "Goodnight, Norma." He took a step back towards the van, "Try not to worry about Bob Paris tonight, alright?" He said when she looked back at him. "I'll take care of it." This time he had with Norma seemed to really put things in perspective... or take them out of perspective. But it didn't matter, he knew what he wanted to do about Bob.
"Goodnight, Alex." She said before going back to the house feeling surprisingly at ease. At some point between now and when Alex had gotten out of the van the tension building up inside her had been released.
When she got inside the first thing she thought to do was check on Norman. She went up the stairs and heard noises as she got closer to his door, peaking her curiosity. She placed her hand on the doorknob, "Norman." She didn't wait for a response before opening the door, "What's going on?" she asked calmly as he practically threw himself on the bed in the sitting position.
"Nothing." He looked beyond guilty. He saw her gaze move under the bed and he tapped the suitcase further back with his foot as if pushing it out of her sight would make her forget she saw it.
She gave him a knowing look and asked quietly, "What are you doing?"
"I am leaving." He said, finally giving up the innocent act and standing, retrieving his things from under the bed.
"Okay, where are you going all by yourself?" She took a step into the room, watching him as he put the suitcase on the top of the bed.
"Why do you assume that i'm going all by myself?" He started to get upset with her, did she really think him so pathetic as to run away on his own, like no one would want to be with him? He moved to his dresser and started retrieving his clothes.
"Where are you going?" She said more forcefully, not wanting to play these stupid games. "Who are you going with?"
"Can you please stop talking to me like i'm insane?" He yanked some clothed out of the drawers and walked back to the suit case.
"Calm down." She watched him throw the clothes into the luggage and then go back for more.
"Maybe if you get the mental institution on the phone they can get here early!" His anger flared as he pulled some pants out of his wardrobe.
"Norman." She started to try and reason with him, but there was no reasoning with someone like this.
"Mother this may be hard to believe," He started as he pulled the pants off the hanger and stuffed them into the suitcase, "but I don't need you." Norma watched her son from her spot by the door, burned by his words, "In many ways I think we've just been horrible for each other." As he spoke his anger grew and grew, "I love you, yes. I will always love you, but i've become too much of a burden for you. I just don't think that we're good together, I don't think that we're healthy. I just think it would be for the best that we separate."
He'd become red in the face but she couldn't see, his back was to her as he stuffed the luggage with clothes. She watched helplessly, wondering what she could say to keep him here until he was in his right state of mind. This was the first time she had really encountered him like this, she assumed he was blacked out and imagining someone was here to take him away, to keep him from being institutionalized. How can you rationalize with the irrational? "Okay, Norman, then we'll separate, but you don't have to leave."
He let out an aggressive groan, "Just stop talking to me like that! Okay?" He yelled, "There is someone, there is this physical human being that's waiting for me and we're leaving together!" As he spoke he had difficulties closing his suitcase. He slammed it around a little to get out what negative energy he could. He couldn't talk to her if she continued to think he was nothing but a mental patient.
"Norman." she stepped forward to try and help him.
He grabbed the large suitcase and swung it around, nearly hitting her, "Just stop PATRONIZING me, you're AWFUL!" He yelled in her face as he walked past her and out of the room, headed for the stairs.
I'm awful? I'm awful? She thought as she marched after him, going from calm mother to angry Norma. She stopped at the top of the stairs.
"I'm leaving with Bradley."
"Who is Bradley? What are you talking about?!" she screamed down at him, causing him to stop in the middle of the stairway and look up her.
He scoffed, "Honestly, Mother, there really is something wrong with you. We talked about it. Bradley Martin, remember? Outside the motel! Or are you just trying to drive me even more insane?"
Norma hit a new level of fear. Was whatever wrong with him really this bad? She slowly took a few steps down and said in a low voice, "Norman, Bradley Martin is dead. She committed suicide."
"Well then how do you think she's in the motel?" Now he was the patronizing one, but he didn't care. His mother was really going to act like she didn't know? "She can't be dead" Norma got closer, making him uncomfortable. The horrified look on her face was ridiculous, maybe she was the one having blackouts after all. "You knew she was there, you can't deny that." He took a step back and turned towards the door, more than ready to bolt out of there.
There was no way she could let him leave, not like this. He was seeing dead girls for crying out loud! She grabbed on to his suitcase and tried to pull it away from him, but he kept a firm grip. "You will not leave this house!" They continued to battle it out, pulling the square item back and forth with Norma at a disadvantage, Norman had the handle. He swung his arm around and used all his weight to pull on the suitcase, sending it flying down the stairs and his mother with it. Norma's body painfully rolled down the steps and onto the floor at the bottom of the stairs.
Norman rushed down, but not to her aid. He went straight to his belongings and started gathering them up again. His mother hoisted herself up and grabbed the weight on the floor she used to prop the door open, "Norman please, stop." He had his belongings in hand and was ready to walk out the door, but she hit him in the head with the weight which sent him down to the ground in a heap. "I'm so sorry" she cried as she immediately knelt down beside him and checked his head. She stood up, knowing she had to do something to keep him here after he woke up, yet at the same time she wanted him away from her. She couldn't do this on her own. Norman kicked the suitcase out of the way and grabbed Norman's ankles, dragging him to the basement door and laying him down. she opened the door and grabbed under his arms, taking him down the steps. She gently laid him down on the ground and looked for something that could help her.
She found two pieces of cloth and used them to tie his hands and feet. As she stood and backed away she could hear him waking up. Their eyes met and part of her wanted to rush to his side and provide comfort, which she nearly did, but she stopped herself and ran upstairs to get the key, locking the basement door.
Norma grabbed her phone opened her call log. Alex at the top of the list but sand something in her gut told her to call him, but the panicking voice of the frightened girl inside her said, "Keep this in the family." She put her phone up to her and waited frantically for her older son to answer, hoping he wouldn't ignore her.
"Hello?" His voice was like music to her ears at this point.
"Dylan, come home as fast as you can. Norman has completely gone out of his mind."
"What happened?" He asked eagerly. He was already on the road and headed in the opposite direction, but he quickly made a U turn and headed home. Hearing her talk about Norman like this told him it was an emergency.
"I'm just scared of him, I need your help." She cried into the phone.
"I'll be right there." He told her as he hit the gas pedal, speeding down the road. "It'll be fine, I'll be home in ten minutes." He assured her before hanging up and tossing the phone into the seat. His heart pounded in his chest and his breathing increased. What could have happened to make Norma so scared of her precious son? He knew it had to be bad.
All he could do was think about what Norman had done to his own father, now Norma was alone with him. It wouldn't be far fetched to think he could do the same to his mother. Their mother, he reminded himself.
He got the motel and jumped out of his truck, not even remembering to close the door. Dylan ran up the steps and through the first door, Norma was there to open the second, "Norma-"
"He's out of his mind!" She started walking towards the table, her son following, hanging on every word she said, "I just mentioned the institution and he went crazy, said he was leaving." She grabbed the key, "I had to stop him so I knocked him out then locked him in the basement." She handed Dylan the key.
He looked at her in surprise and took the key, wasting no time in unlocking the basement door and going down there. He only took two steps and he saw the two pieces of cloth Norma had used to bind his brother, but no bound brother was in view. "Norman?" He continued to walk down into the basement, his guard up.
Norma stayed at the top of the stairs, not wanting to see Norman like that again.
Dylan scanned the dark basement, "Norman?" But there was no sign of anyone. He walked back to the stairs, "He's not down here." He told his mother.
She rushed down the stairs and looked around, then saw the open window and ran to it, "Oh my god, he got out!"
"Where did he say he was going?" Dylan asked
"I dont know!" She turned to look at him, "He's insane Dylan, he said he was leaving with Bradley Martin! She's dead!"
Oh, shit. He thought to himself, Maybe Norman hadn't completely lost it this time around.
"He's completely lost touch with reality, what are we going to do?"
"Um," He gave a small chuckle, hoping she'd find some humor in this. Yeah right, there is no humor in this. "Bradley Martin isn't dead."
"What are you talking about?" Her tone hardened.
"It didn't really happen..."
"What didn't really happen?!" She demanded.
"She was in trouble so she faked her suicide so she could disappear. I drove her to the bus station when she left town." He explained.
"So Norman could actually be running away with her?" She wasn't sure how to feel, should she be relieved Norman might not be as bad as she thought, or should she be furious with her sons for keeping this from her?
"Yeah, I mean, it's possible. But we also know he sees shit that isn't really there."
Norma stayed still. If Bradley was alive and she was really meeting Norman, he clearly wasn't in the right state of mind after that blow to the head Norma had given him. The worst case scenario is that Norman gets in the car with an unsuspecting young woman and she'd never seen alive again. "Okay, well we've got to go find him." She rushed past her son and went up the steps, trying not to let fear consume her.
Dylan followed her, "What if he comes back when we're gone?" He closed the basement door, "Should one of us stay here?"
"Maybe, but I told you i'm scared of him! I don't want to be alone with him when he's like this. I don't want anyone to be alone with him like this." She had never feared Norman and now she just didn't know what to do with him. He was running around somewhere acting like someone that wasn't the real Norman. "Lets just go look for him."
He nodded in agreement, "Lets take your car, then." He started walking out the front door, "There's more room."
She grabbed her keys and walked with him out to her car, getting in and driving out of the driveway. "Where would they go?"
"I doubt they have a car, Bradley left on a bus." Dylan scanned the road, "But he couldn't be that far if he just left before I got here. Try driving up and down this road first."
She did, but only because she didn't know what else to do. After driving up and down the road in front of the motel it was clear she was wasting time. "What if he's in the woods?" She recalled the time Norman tried to kill himself. "What if Bradley got a car? Where is the quickest way out of town?"
"The bypass." He said, suddenly wishing he had taken his truck, too. They could cover more ground if there were two vehicles searching. Norma took the road to the bypass, "Maybe it's time to call Romero."
"No." She said quickly. She didn't even want to think about Alex when Norman was like this. "What would I say? 'Hey, Alex. Just called to see if you would help me look for my mentally ill, violent child. I lost him and he might be roaming around your town.' what if Norman's done something?"
Dylan sighed, "Norma, he needs to get help, remember? They'll help him wherever they put him." He ran his hands through his hair, Norma had seemed to be close with Romero, why else would he have been at dinner that night a few weeks ago? He saw the way they looked at each other as much as he tried to ignore it. The last thing he wanted was to know anything about his mother's relationship status, but at least Romero would be ten steps up from everyone else she's been with. "He'd help us and you know it. He likes you!"
"We're not talking about this, okay? We need to find Norman!" She scolded him.
"We can't do this alone!" He raised his voice, then took a breath to calm down. He knew this was hard on her, but they needed help. "You're a survivor, Norma. You do what you need to do to survive. We need someone helping us this time."
She stayed quiet. Any time Dylan had anything positive to say it surprised her, but lately things with him had been good. Dylan was her son too, she needed to start acting like it. Besides, if she was honest with herself he had a point.
"Why don't we go back to the motel for a second. I'll take my truck and look for Norman, you wait for Romero to pick you up, you can both look for Norman together. That way you can be with him if he sees Norman. You'll know exactly what he sees, when he sees it."
Norma had to admit it was probably the most effective plan, more effective than driving up and down the bypass. "I don't want you to find Norman by yourself." She had turned the car around, heading back towards the motel.
"I'll be fine. I can handle Norman, you know I can." He said quietly.
"What if he comes back when I'm at the motel waiting for Alex." Now she was just trying to nit pick and find a reason to turn down this idea.
"Then I'll wait with you." He said, agitated. "We need his help!"
"Alright!" She agreed, hating the thought of dragging Alex into this mess and wanted to die at the thought of his Sheriff Romero side getting his hands in anything Norman may have done. Unfortunately they had reached a point where this was a risk she needed to take.
I have decided that I will be continuing this story through the off season. Obviously it won't follow the show like I had originally planned, but here's hoping I do a decent job. Please review, thanks for reading.
