Author's Note: First of all, we're very nervous about this chapter. There had been a few moments of doubt writing this and amount of tears. Nevertheless, we hope you will enjoy this chapter as you ride with us.

Anyway, we thank you for staying with us and leaving such lovely reviews. Again, reviews are very much welcome. They keep us motivated in continuing this Normero AU fanfic.

"Hey." Norma plainly greets Alex as she enters the Sheriff's office to tackle the options she might want to do about Keith's case of assaulting her. He then invites her to sit down to start discussion.

"Norma," he clears his throat, trying to ease the uneasiness building between them, "You don't need to file for a case. We got it all under us."

"That's it? You got it all under, how?" She eyes him, leaving a hostile feeling.

"Keith admitted he was gonna assault you any minute if I-"

"He did?" She cuts him off in surprise.

"He did. And that is enough for him to be sentenced for seven years. We only need to work on the official report and we need you to sign some papers to make the statements more liable. I'll be bringing you the papers tomorrow."

"Oh, okay." She sighs in relief. She can't believe what he just said, neither can she believe that Keith is admitting his gross misconduct when he knows for sure he'll be in prison once he did.

"Keith… He- he's under the influence of drugs," glancing a deeper look at Norma, he exhales a gentle, "I- I'm sorry, Norma."

"It's okay, Alex," She responds grinning a little at him. She so badly wants to talk to him right now but she promised to Dylan to pick him up as soon as she's done here so that they could play soccer at the park. Talking to Alex can wait, though. Maybe she needs times too after she's unexpectedly gone through a ghastly incident. Standing up from her seat, she subtly bids Alex a goodbye, "I need to pick up my son from Mrs. Carter's, I gotta get going now. Thank you."

Alex couldn't help but wonder so much about Dylan since she mentioned him. Thousands of questions now lingering in his mind and he needs answers. Before Norma could open the door to leave, Alex calls her by her name as she stops, sucking in a breath.

"How old is he?"

She turns her back, looking at him directly, reading his puzzled eyes, "He'll be five next month."

"He seems like a great kid," he compliments, finally smiling.

"He is. He is, Alex." Norma reciprocates. She ponders to herself if the tension between them has abates and silently debates that maybe today is the right time for them to finally talk. "Do you want to meet him?"

"I- I'm on my duty."

"Yeah, sure. Okay." She grins a little, hiding her disappointment. Norma tells him goodbye once again and makes her way out the station.

"Mommy!" Dylan cheerfully receives his mother's embrace as she arrives. He gazes in confusion looking up and down at his mother and asks, "Why is your clothes different? I thought you were wearing a dress when we left home?"

"Oh sweetheart," she heartily giggles at the innocence of her young boy as she kneels down brushing his hair, "Mommy can't play soccer in a dress. So I had to change into jogging pants."

"You look like a P.E. teacher."

"Oh, you've seen one?" Norma's eyes widen at the very thought that he hasn't gone to any school, yet he knows what a P.E. teacher would look like. Mrs. Carter was right about him, he's a smart kid. But little does she know how…

"Yes. In my dream. Mrs. Carter told me that maybe I've been in to a P.E. class in my dream last night." Dylan cracks the words solemnly.

"P.E. class? What did you do in there?" She asks.

"Played a soccer."

"You must be the star player!" She supposes, beaming with pride.

"I am."

Norma laughs a little more in awe of how precious her son is. Despite all the hardships she's encountered and the chaos her world has, Dylan was always her better place. She could always confide to the comfort and joy he gives her without any harm. He's her own miracle and she would never trade him for anything.

"I think he's very much excited about you two playing soccer. That's why he dreamed of it." Mrs. Carter announces as she was fixing the books she and Dylan used while waiting for Norma.

"Yeah. We haven't gotten the chance to play since we moved back here." Norma smiles, moving towards the couch to hand Dylan's stuff, she sits and packs it all up.

"We're going now," she states as she finishes doing so, standing from her seat, "Thank you, Mrs. Carter. How am I gonna be able to repay you with your kindness?"

"You know how much I love children, Norma. Too bad I needed to retired." Mrs. Carter says.

Albeit smiling, Norma reads her grief, still as new as the old. If it weren't because of her husband's sickness, she wouldn't have retired earlier as she needed to. Norma thinks to herself how hard it must have been for Mrs. Carter to lose the love of her life forever. Until her thoughts wander to Alex. He may not be gone but she lost him. It feels as though death lingers on her neck when it hasn't come yet. And now, all she wishes is to have him back. Only she doesn't know when and how.

"Dylan, come here," Norma extends her hand to have Dylan hold her, turning back at Mrs. Carter "Have a good day."

"Thank you. Same to you, dear."

"Goodbye, Mrs. Carter!" Dylan waves at her. His excitement showing while he walks out of the door, following his mom's footstep.

"Goodbye, Dylan!"

A few hours later...

"Dylan? Dylan?" Norma panics, standing beside the ice cream truck, as she realizes her son has been out of her sight for about four minutes now. She told him to wait for her and stay still from where he was standing minutes ago and now he's nowhere to be found. Moving from her position, she frantically hurries, leaving the truck as she accidentally dropped the ice cream she just bought for her and her son. Just as her breathing starts shifting faster, a familiar voice calls her out from her back.

"Hey, mom!"

She looks over her shoulder to confirm it's Dylan. Just as worried as she is, she rushes towards to reach him, "Oh honey! Where have you been? You shouldn't leave just like that. Mommy's so worried of you." She pulls him closer and tightly embraces his small physique.

"I saw him on the roadside, he was chasing the ball."

Norma traces the shadow existing beside their presence. Looking up further, she sees Alex holding her son's soccer ball.

"Thank you, Alex," she coyly smiles.

"You're welcome." He lingers for a bit before speaking again. "Well, I'm going now."

"You're going now?"

Alex hears the tiny and sweet voice that comes out from the young boy before he could give him back the ball and return to his car, "Yeah, buddy."

"Won't you play with me?"

"Oh, Dylan. I don't think he can. He's working right now, capturing bad guys." Norma whispers at her son as she straightens up.

"Like the one who went to our house?"

Norma cringes. "Yeah sweetheart."

Dylan turns his attention back to Alex. "I think you're a cool cop." He beams up at Alex excitedly.

Alex smiles at Dylan's enthusiasm. Luckily, he is off earlier today than the usual. There's really no work to do at the station this day. Just a few paperwork. He starts, "You know what? I'm off early today. So what are we going to play?"

"See, mom? He's a cool cop!" Dylan eagerly runs to Alex.

Norma watches the two plays like they're father-and-son. She's surprised that Alex is so good with children, not quite expecting it could soften the stoic in him now. Her son for sure will have a great time today. How she wishes Dylan could have this experience every day. She wonders if Alex ever wanted to ask her whose child he is. She read his eyes earlier, and all she could patently see was he wants to know Dylan. She's telling him today, ready or not; she'll think of a way eventually. But right now, she fancies to join the two as they play.

"Try to kick the ball as hard as you can."

"Like this?" Dylan kicks the ball as hard as his little leg allows him. The ball rolls over to Alex and he picks it up and walks back towards Dylan.

"That was great Dylan. Keep it up buddy."

"Okay!" Dylan takes the ball from Alex and kicks it back and forth to him.

It's 5:11 pm now and they decide today's play is enough and it's time to go home and take a rest. Today was surprisingly fun, Norma tells herself. Alex just got to spend a day with them and that is something really delighting to her. A huge part of her have missed the Alex she knows… the Alex she has.

As they were walking back to their cars, Norma and Alex chit chats a little while he carries Dylan who is now napping since he spent so much energy, catching and kicking the ball.

"Thank you for playing with him today. It was nice for him to have a new playmate. And I don't want him to get tired or bored of me otherwise." She laughs a little, knowing her and Dylan's world is too small. Alex laughs back. Little does she know he's glad too about today.

"Hey, um, would you like to join us for dinner tonight? I'll be making turkey pot pie for dinner, it's Dylan's favorite," she tells him plainly. As soon as their eyes meet, Norma couldn't help but break on the inside when a memory flashes in her mind. It was her first time to sleep over at Alex's place when it was also the first time she made a turkey pot pie for him, serving as their dinner.

"Wow, this is good. It's tasty," Alex speaks, complimenting her after he takes the first spoon.

"Thank you," she replies while she simpers sweetly.

Attracted enough, Alex rises from his seat, moving to hers as he clasps her hand, "Come here," he gently pulls her in a dense. Without another a second, he starts kissing her on her lips softly…

Norma shakes the thought in her head while her heart silently shatters in pieces. She misses him so dearly. Every time she looks at him, their memories together keep on appearing in her head while she breaks all the more.

"I-"

Before Alex could say no to her invitation, she stops him, "Come on, Alex, I just want to repay you for what you did. Have dinner with us," she insists.

"Okay." Giving up, he nods in agreement.

Alex is seated at the table with Norma and Dylan. He can't help but feel a sense of bliss about it. Dylan and Norma seem to enjoy his company tonight. He smiles at the fact.

"Can I see your gun?" Dylan asks all of a sudden, causing Norma and Alex to immediately look at him.

"Dylan!" Norma scolds her son.

Alex grins and shakes his head at the little boy. "I don't think so buddy. It's not even on me right now."

Norma glances at Alex and turns her eyes back to her son.

"Aw man! Do you use it for bad guys?"

Alex contemplates on an answer. "If I have to..."

Dylan nods his head and takes another bite of his dinner. "I'm glad you helped me and my mommy when the bad guy came here," he confesses, not looking at Alex but instead paying all his attention to his pot pie.

Alex smiles at the boy before glancing at Norma who seems to have tears in her eyes. "I'm glad too," Alex says, all while looking directly at Norma.

Alex couldn't deny to himself this is something deeper. Maybe he isn't mad at Norma anymore. Maybe the grudge he has been holding isn't as strong as his desire to be with her. Maybe he wasn't really... Maybe he just missed her. Loneliness can be so tricky, that it can convince you to whatever it wants in defense to cope. Here he is now, standing beside the woman he longed to be with and understand why she left before his selfish animosity filled him. He wants to know why; he realizes how ready he is to forgive Norma and have her back—have her with their child. And start over. Anger may be one strong emotion but what can conquer love when it's the most powerful?

Norma closes the door at Dylan's room after he tucks him on his bed. It's been a long day and she's certain her son must be really tired. She walks back to the living room where Alex is waiting.

"Thank you for joining us." She utters the words subtly.

"Yeah." He murmurs, slightly grinning, moving to find his way out of the house. Just as when he is about to leave, Norma's plead stops him so that they could talk. Alex stays, ready to listen to whatever she has to say. They need to talk, though—he needs answers.

The deafening sound of silence fills through their atmosphere. Norma confronts Alex's waiting eyes. Slowly, she saunters toward him. She puffs, trying to ease the edgy feeling she has.

"Dylan…," she starts, "He- he's not yours… I'm sorry."

Alex's heart sinks as soon as he heard the words coming out from her mouth. He wasn't expecting this. Two hours before, he was so ready to becoming a father and has never felt a more compelling excitement than this in his life. And now, it's all gone. She must have been unfaithful… Yet he remains. Norma's breathing now hitches, preluding a direct glance at his eyes. She doesn't know how to face him now. But this is it…

"Alex… I'm really sorry. For everything. For breaking up with you and suddenly leaving with no explanation," she pauses, her tears now threatening to spill, "There's not a day I didn't miss you and think of this moment."

She purses her lips when she cannot contain the heavy tears blurring in her vision, yet she continues, "Back when we were in Ohio, it was a long time ago... I slept with my brother, Caleb. It was... a way of life. We only had each other. You know how my parents were, I told you. It was actually Caleb that got me here. Then he had to go away to work but he promised me that he'd come back."

She sniffles, wiping every tear drop falling on her cheeks, "The night you took me out for a movie, I didn't know he already came back. Not until I got home. He wanted me to go with him and I wouldn't. He left and I thought he wouldn't ever bother going back again. But he did. He was drunk. And we had a fight because he was really upset and then he raped me." She spits the words like a curse.

He raped me. Alex wants to shut down at this moment. He clenches his fist, raging in anger. He wishes to smash his miff right somewhere, a corner in this house and let him lose himself. But he's more concern about Norma now than he is to himself. This isn't about him; this is about her.

"And then Dylan happened." She quivers, not wanting it to sound that her son is an accident when he is everything to her.

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have ran away like that and became distant. I didn't tell you because you would probably kill Caleb if you'd know. And I don't want this town to spread some kind of rumors about you when you were a candidate to becoming the sheriff. I don't want your reputation to be ruined just because of me. Just because I'm nothing but a mess."

Norma swallows, stepping back a little when silence starts filling them. She gazes deeply at Alex who is in bits, wounded as she is. He wasn't reckoning all of these. All these years she was gone, he made himself sure she was so unreasonable enough, unworthy to have any explanation she would dare to tell him. But now he breaks at the designation she just made. Every bile he stored in himself for her now completely vanishes. Alex steadily glides toward Norma. He holds her firmly, not wanting to let her go. He then heaves her, wrapping his arms around her as she finally breaks down, letting herself get lost at the presence of his comfort.