A/N: As always, thank you so much for the reviews and your support. My heartfelt thanks especially goes to the guest reviewers who cheered me up after that one not so nice comment. You made my day and are AWESOME ! :)

Minor trigger warning for self-harm just to be on the safe side.

This is one of the chapters that kept getting longer and longer, but I didn't want to split it to keep up the tension. However, writing it was a wild ride because there are some twists and turns. I hope not too many. Then again, this is Bates Motel we're talking about, the epitome of fast, surprising, and sometimes strange story telling. ;) So I hope you'll enjoy it.

The usual disclaimer applies.

Tomorrow… I will talk it over with her tomorrow. That's what Alex told himself after Norman's threat. They had an awkward dinner. Norman was overly polite and talkative whereas he was distanced and quiet. Norma put his detachment towards her son down to the general situation, being plain happy that Norman seemed to be so cooperative. A quandary. At least there have been no more ax incidents.

Romero can't fall sleep; his thoughts keep him awake, his indecision torments him while Norma is breathing deeply next to him. This is not like him. Usually he is grimly determined, acting on the spur of a moment. But not this time. Not when his wife is involved. No matter how you look at it, no one can win this. If they stay, Norman will get investigated, possibly arrested, maybe end up in prison. If they leave, he can't let Norman be at large either, now that his suspicion that he is dangerous has been confirmed. This is what torments him the most. He almost has come to terms with the idea that he has to resign, that they have to move somewhere else. He can run for sheriff in another town; they can build a new life somewhere else. Perhaps it will even be a better life if they leave their baggage behind. But what about Norman? Considering his behavior, he won't commit himself again and to have him committed against his will, he would have to reveal what happened to Emma's mother either way to cause an involuntary commitment and Norma would never forgive him that. It's a damned impasse. Alex is thinking dismal thoughts all night, dozing off in between, already wide awake again when dawn breaks.

Norma stirs, noticing that he is alert. "Good morning," she mumbles, still half asleep.

"Good morning, love." She is the best thing in his life. He can't imagine losing her, won't allow that to happen, no matter what the cost.

She frowns. "Since when do you call me love?"

"Since now." He traces her cheekbone with his fingers as her expression becomes more focused.

"You look tired. Didn't you sleep well?"

"I had a bad dream." It's a white lie. He often has nightmares; she knows that, and all things considered, this is a nightmare. Save that it is one he won't wake up from anytime soon.

The expression in Norma's eyes changes from sleepy to playful. "Don't..." She grabs the back of his neck and pulls him closer, kissing him. "...let a bad dream..." Another kiss. "...get you down." She pulls some more so that he rolls on top of her. "Maybe I can take your mind off things." Norma's hand slips between them, stroking him, and despite the messy situation, his body reacts immediately. They were both pleased to find out that enjoying morning sex is one of their common features.

"I think you can, Mrs. Romero. In fact, I have the one or other idea how."

Later… Whatever he will or won't tell her, he will decide later.

Blood. There is blood everywhere, covering his hands up to his wrists. Surprisingly it doesn't feel uncomfortable but warm, almost cozy. He watches his hands as if they belonged to someone else, turning them around and around. There is no inch that is not covered in red.

A sound catches his attention. A rattle. He looks around. It's coming from the adjoining room. He follows the sound, detecting a body on the floor. A woman. She is trying to crawl towards the front door but gives up, obviously too weak, resting in a trail of blood that seeps out of her body from various stab wounds.

She coughs; it sounds familiar. Suddenly it is getting darker and the entire room begins to shake, the walls crumbling away. He can barely manage to remain standing upright. Then the woman turns her head and he recognizes the face.

Norman wakes up, gasping for air, looking at his hands, expecting to see blood, but they are clean. He glances around. It is getting increasingly difficult for him to distinguish reality from his hallucinations. There are indications. Juno for example. Whenever she is with him, he knows that whatever happens is not real. But she is not always there. So he decided he needed another reminder and inflicted a cut on himself. It's on the inside of his upper arm, high enough so that it is hidden under his shirt even if it has short sleeves so that his mother won't discover the wound. He doesn't want her to worry about him. Norman pushes his sleeve up. There is the cut, meaning he is awake. If he was blacked out, there would be no cut. What kind of a weird dream was that? He winces when he hears a knock on his door.

"Norman? Are you awake? Do you want to have breakfast with us?"

He takes a deep breath in an effort to shake off the aftermath of his nightmare. "Yes, mother. I'll be downstairs in a minute."

Norman looks at his hands, afraid the blood will reappear, but nothing happens. It was just a bad dream, wasn't it?

When he enters the kitchen, Norman is pleased to see that the sheriff hasn't joined them yet. It's only his mother, spinning around, her cheerful energy impossible to resist.

"Good morning, mother." He hugs her, longer than appropriate, burying his nose in her hair so that he can inhale her scent, and she lets him.

"Good morning, honey. It's nice that you're having breakfast with us. Did you sleep well?" She studies him. "You look tired. What is going on with you two? Alex looked tired this morning, too." Norma notices the shadow that flits across her son's face at the mention of that name and changes the subject. "Have you heard from Dylan? I still haven't gotten a New Year's call from him and my calls go straight to his voicemail. I tried to call him even if you said his phone is not working in Europe."

Norman sits down. The pancakes smell delicious; suddenly he is very hungry. Then he remembers her question. "Um… no. He said he would call me, but he hasn't called yet. There is probably a lot going on and they are in a different time zone. He will call. Don't worry."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. I worry too much. I only need to know that my two boys are okay."

Norma smiles. This is what she has always wanted. A happy family. She hears Alex come down the stairs and wishes Dylan were also with them.

Alex wanted to spend his last day off with Norma but when they have finished breakfast, she hesitates and then asks, "Alex, would you mind if I talked to Norman alone for a moment?"

Considering everything, he does mind, but what is he supposed to say? "No. Of course not. I… I have to check the oil level, anyway. I'll be outside."

"Thank you."

Norman watches the scene warily. He is not naive. This is not the breakthrough he is aiming for; his mother is not about to leave the sheriff. Yet. For now, she thinks everything is fine and he will let her believe that, will play the docile son while at the same time antagonizing the sheriff until he will snap and treat him so badly that it will turn his mother against her husband. A simple plan. The simplest plans usually are the most effective.

"What is it, mother?" he asks as soon as the sheriff has left the room.

"Norman..." She sits back down at the table. The thought has occurred to her on and off the entire time ever since Norman decided to stay with Dylan. And the fact that he came back voluntarily and obviously wants to make them work as a family has strengthened her resolve to tell him. She takes a deep breath. "What you said to me when we had our first dinner together, you, me and Alex. That I kept you too close, wouldn't let you have your own life or a girlfriend and then decided to make room for someone else… You were right." Norma screws up her face. "I never wanted to hurt you, Norman. I believed keeping you as close as I did would protect you and I was… I was selfish. We only had each other; you were the only one I ever trusted before Alex." She takes his hand. "I was afraid to be alone, but that was stupid. You will never leave me and I will never leave you. You are my son. I am your mother. So thank you, Norman. Thank you for giving Alex a chance. It means the world to me. I couldn't be happy if I knew you hate him."

His hand twitches in hers. Manipulating the sheriff is one thing. This, however… Her love for him is so pure, her words so honest that they cut into him like a knife. The medication used to make him numb and before that his anger and confusion had made him blind but now… It's as if he sees things clearly for the first time and it's not a pretty picture. His plan is sinister. His intentions as selfish as hers were, not wanting to share her with someone else. Maybe she is right. Maybe there is room in the heart for more than one person. And here she is, asking him for forgiveness. All she wants is a happy life. How can he do this to her? He doesn't deserve her love.

"Mother…," his voice breaks as he tears up.

"Norman. What is it?"

He doesn't know what else to do and jumps up, clasping her in his arms. "I love you so much." Then he weeps bitterly as she holds him, murmuring comforting words, believing these are tears of forgiveness, that it's really all gonna be good now.

Norma practically flies down the steps in front of the house.

"Norma! Everything ok?" Alex is still at his car, has been biding his time.

"Yes. Everything is wonderful. Isn't it a wonderful day?" She looks up at the dark sky as if it was clear and sunny.

Only now he notices the sheets she is carrying with her. "What's going on?"

"Oh. This. Um… I wanted to put clean sheets on the bed in room no. 1."

Romero looks at the parking lot in front of the motel. "We have no guests, do we?"

"No, but…," Norma lowers her voice, "I forgot to change the sheets after we… you know. And I like to have everything neat and tidy. I'll be with you in a minute. Would you like to take a walk with me then?"

It's going to snow soon, let alone that the cold is piercing. But she doesn't seem to freeze and he wants to spend time with her. Alone. Besides it's impossible to resist her when she smiles at him like that.

"Ok. Let's take a walk." Anything that takes them away from her son.

Norma has just disappeared from his view when Norman comes down the steps, too, passing Romero without a word or a glance in his direction. He walks straight up to the office, closing the door behind him. Something about him seems to be different. Then again, something about Norman always is different.

"I don't want you here," Norman hisses.

He went into the office of the motel, hoping that she wouldn't follow him. On some days he can control her better than on others. This is one of the latter. After his teary breakdown, his mother, his real mother, was convinced that everything was fine whereas he felt himself slipping, tumbling over the edge right into the abyss of another blackout. They are not what they used to be. He doesn't lose time, does know what's going on, at least mostly. The reduced medication apparently causes that effect. And whenever he is not sure what is going on, whether it's an illusion or not, he has the cut on his arm to make sure. Usually he loves when mother joins him, craves after her, but not now, not after what just happened. He feels guilty, dirty, ashamed of himself.

"I'm bored. Let's do something fun." She circles him, touching him, her hands hot on his skin even through the layers of his clothes. Then she stops behind him, leaning against him, her breasts pressed against his back. "You know what I want," her voice is a whisper, trying to seduce him.

Norman is panting. He doesn't want to give in but… He walks over to the wall, unhanging the picture. There she is in the adjoining room, putting clean sheets on the bed. It's a king-sized bed; she has to crawl on it in order to reach everything, presenting him a perfect view of her backside.

"Don't look at her. You have me." It is happening more often lately. She becomes jealous of his real mother. Something he didn't expect, but it is exciting. The way she competes for him is a power trip. "You know you only want me." Her hand wanders down the front of his body, touching him through his pants.

He wants it and he does not, the words of his mother still preying on his mind, the vulnerable, candid way she looked at him still tearing at his heart. What he wants is wrong. He is bad.

"Get away from me!" Norman pushes her away, tumbling forwards in the process because despite the fact that he actually sees and feels her, his body seems to insist that he is punching air. He bumps into the desk, groaning with pain, when he notices the sheriff standing in the door frame.

"Everything ok in here?"

He must have yelled, the words not only an imagination.

"Yes, of course." Norman trembles with rage. At himself, at her. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I thought I heard something." Romero looks around, detecting the picture that is standing on the floor. His gaze wanders up the wall above until it stops at the hole.

"What is..." Alex walks over to the wall, peeps through the hole, sees Norma, and turns around, facing Norman, barely able to control his anger. "You're such a sick..."

"I'm sorry," Norman cries. This is not how it was supposed to be. Yes, he wants to have her for himself, but it only seemed to be a good plan until she sat down with him and poured out her heart to him. Her words hit him to the core. That doesn't necessarily mean he will give up his plan, but right now… right now he doesn't know what to do or feel. All he knows is that he is toxic. "I didn't want… I would never want..." ...to hurt her. The words won't come out. Norman is embarrassed. He is about to lose his composure and the last thing he needs is the sheriff as a witness.

"Norman." Romero raises a hand to calm him. He can't overcome his aversion to Norma's son enough to comfort, let alone hug him. However, he didn't expect this. Any of it. Not a peephole in the wall. The wall to the room where they made love before. He doesn't dare to think about the implications. But most of all he didn't expect this version of Norman. Regretful, human, likable, reminding him that he is, indeed, what he called him – sick. But not a sick bastard as he was about to say but a sick kid, no more than 18. He is not naive. Norman is dangerous, but for some reason his manipulative side is completely gone at the moment. "Are you ok?"

"No, I'm not. How could I? You said it yourself. I'm sick," Norman spits, his body convulsing with every word. Then he brushes past Alex, running off towards the house.

"Was that Norman?" Norma has come out of the room, apparently she heard their raised voices. "Is everything ok?"

Will there ever be a time at the Bates Motel when this question can be answered in the affirmative?

"I have to tell you something, Norma. Let's take that walk." Romero watches her posture slump down, her good mood gone in an instant because his tone of voice gave away that he has no good news. He hates that he has to do this, but they are running out of time and he has come to a decision. Finally.

"Say something."

They are halfway between the motel and White Pine Bay. It's a beautiful walk, but neither of them enjoys the landscape. As soon as the motel was out of sight, Romero told Norma what had happened at the police station, about the accusations and threats Emma's mother had made and the possible way out.

Norma has stopped walking. She is wearing her grey coat. It's his favorite. She looks even more beautiful in it and he loves the memory of their wonderful evening at the Winter Lights Festival where he saw her wear it for the first time. He doesn't like, though, that she is not talking. A silent Norma is dangerous and even more unpredictable than usual.

"Norma… say something," Alex repeats.

A slight hint of anger flits across her face. "What do you expect me to say? This woman acted bizarrely right from the start." Norma shakes her head. "I knew she had something in mind." She tilts her head back, looking him over. "Do you really think they have something they can use against Norman?"

On one hand, this is working better than he feared. Norma didn't freak out when he explained that Emma's mother had accused Norman of trying to kill her. On the other hand, it doesn't sound as if Norma believes the accusation to be true either.

"I don't know," Romero admits. "Securing DNA evidence is not easy. Let alone securing it in a way so that it can be admitted as evidence in a murder trial."

Wrong choice of words. Norma flinches. Her expression changes, her eyes darken. "You think Norman did it, that he choked her."

"I saw no indication that Audrey Ellis was lying." Alex is careful. As civilized as their talk has been so far, he is very well aware that it carries the risk of a falling-out. This is Norma, after all, and they are talking about her beloved son she wants to protect at any cost. It's what she always has done.

Norma watches him for a long moment. Then she screws up her face and turns away from him, pain contorting her delicate features. There always was an explanation. Norman passed the polygraph test regarding his teacher's death; Bradley Martin had run away before and probably did it again, but this... Norma remembers their encounter in the basement shortly before Norman, more or less voluntarily, committed himself to Pineview. Where did you put her? - Put who? - Woman with red hair, flowered scarf, big earrings. I know you had her in the freezer. Deep down she knew back then, right in that moment, what must have happened. But it's so hard to accept it. Impossible.

Alex doesn't say anything, only reaches out and gently touches her arm to make her turn back around and look at him.

Tears shimmer in her eyes, "You really would resign and leave to protect Norman?"

"Ultimately I would do it for you, but yes, I would." As strong as Romero's urge was to send Norman to his doom after he had threatened him, he realized that he couldn't do it when he saw Norman's vulnerable side at the motel office. This kid needs professional help and shouldn't spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Norma takes a deep breath before she gets closer and embraces him. An inner calm floods through Alex. This is it. The decision. They will leave White Pine Bay. But then Norma releases him.

"We're not leaving."

"What?" He must have misheard that.

"We're not leaving White Pine Bay and you're not resigning. You are the sheriff. This is your town. You can fight them."

"Norma..."

She clasps his face with both of her hands. "Alex. If anyone can fight them, it's you. I don't want you to give up your life. And I came here to start over, not to run away. We can do this. Together." As usual, she is oblivious to danger, convinced that they can bend the world into the version she prefers to live in.

"It's too dangerous."

"You said yourself that they don't expect a decision until the end of the week. Three more days, Alex. Your whole life can change in a split second. You can find a way to fight them in three days. There must be people you trust, someone who can help you."

Norma's determination is powerful but even more powerful is the insight that her belief in him is so unswerving that she is willing to entrust the life of her son to him. Maybe she is right. Maybe he can find a way to fight his enemies. He didn't even consider that option, only worried about her.

"Two days," Alex gives in reluctantly. "If I don't find a way to handle it within the next two days, I will resign and we will leave."

"Yes, okay," she agrees.

"And Norma," he grabs her shoulders. "You and Norman have to lay low. No unnecessary risks."

"Okay, yeah, sure."

God, he loves this woman. She's so strong and fearless even if part of it is recklessness, he is aware of that. However... It's all gonna be good. Norma says that all the time, like a mantra. Here and now, Romero is almost convinced she is right.

His radio device crackles. "Sh…f Ro...ero ...are ...there?" Alex only understands scraps of conversation and has to adjust the frequency. This is weird since all their radio devices usually are pre-set on the same frequency to guarantee immediate communication in an emergency. They probably couldn't reach him on his cellphone. The area between motel and town has a lot of dead zones.

"Sheriff Romero?"

"I'm here."

"I think you should take a look at this. We found an abandoned car five miles out of town. License plate belongs to a Dylan Massett. Isn't that one of your stepsons?"

They walk back to the motel together so that he can get his SUV and drive to the place where they found Dylan's car or rather a vehicle that is supposed to be his car. Perhaps it's nothing but a mix-up even though Romero has an uneasy feeling. It is difficult to convince Norma to stay behind and not accompany him. Only when he reminds her of the situation and that she needs to stay with Norman to make sure he is safe, she eventually relents. They haven't talked about what to do regarding Norman. Another decision they have to make, no matter whether they will stay or leave. But as so often in their lives, too much is happening at once. First things first.

When he arrives at the scene, Romero is optimistic that it is, indeed, a mix-up because he has never seen that car before. Obviously Dylan bought a new car after they had moved, though, the information that he is the vehicle owner turning out to be correct. An abandoned car, neither Dylan nor Emma have called since they supposedly flew to Europe, and all they have is Norman's word that they dropped him off on their way to the airport. Either something happened after they'd dropped him off or… No, it's his brother and his best friend. There has to be another explanation.

"Call the Seattle police and ask for administrative cooperation," Alex instructs his deputies on-scene. "Have them check Dylan Massett's apartment. And check with the airport, too. I want to know if Dylan Massett and Emma Decody were on a flight to Europe." Dylan was an opponent once, a possible ally later on, but always Norma's son, never this, never a missing person.

It has started to snow. The roads are slippery, the drive back to the motel has taken longer than expected. When Alex arrives, dusk is already setting in. It has been a weird day and it is not over yet. First their talk about Norman, and now, he has to tell Norma more bad news about her other son. Even if they don't know anything for sure, the circumstances are odd to say the least.

Norma hasn't called him on his cellphone; Alex can only imagine the amount of restraint that must have cost her. However, she must have impatiently waited for his return because the moment he parks his car, the front door of the house opens and she comes his way down the steps.

Just as he is about to go to meet her, Alex notices a vehicle driving past the motel, slowing down in the process. That alone wouldn't have been suspicious, especially considering the weather conditions. Something about the car sets off the warning bells in his head though. It's a sedan, black, with tinted windows. The car is slowing down even more to walking pace; there is not that much snow on the street. Romero's hand hovers over his gun. He has been shot before, won't let it happen again. Given the circumstances, he doesn't leave the house without his equipment, not even on a day off.

"Alex!"

He hears Norma's voice behind him but doesn't react, focussed on the car.

One of the car doors opens and a body is thrown out on the street. Romero is close enough to recognize the face even before the body remains lying in the snow right in front of him. A face with a small, perfectly round bullet hole right in the middle of the forehead. And if it hadn't been for that, the lifeless eyes would have left no doubt that the woman is dead. Audrey Ellis.

The car has stopped, waiting for him to approach, the door closed again but one of the windows lowered a couple of inches. Someone wants to talk to him without being seen. Alex draws his gun as he steps closer albeit he is quite certain that whoever it is in that car is not here to kill him. You don't put so much effort in a dramatic scene and then kill the recipient. This is a message.

"You shouldn't have told your wife. Staying in White Pine Bay is no option. You need to accept that."

Romero is neither able to make out something inside of the car, nor does he recognize the voice, didn't expect any of it. He remains calm and collected on the surface; his mind, however, is running at full speed, connecting the dots. They must have done something to his radio device, changed it to a different frequency that allowed them to listen to his talk with Norma. His junior deputy had given him a new radio device on the pretext of his old one needing a battery exchange when he had been at the police station. He'd had no reason to question that; it is something they do on a regular basis. He should have questioned the man though. That junior deputy is new. He doesn't know him, shouldn't have trusted him. How stupid, how naive. They couldn't get to his cellphone, couldn't get into the house unnoticed either to bug it because Norman was there while they were gone; so they chose the simplest approach and hoped for the best. Audrey Ellis is dead because of him. Granted, she had gotten involved with the wrong people, but still. Maybe it was a bluff and they'd never had Norman's DNA in the first place. Whatever the case might have been, the moment they realized their threats against Norman didn't intimidate him sufficiently so that he would resign and leave, they apparently decided to set an example.

"Alex," Norma's voice sounds different, afraid.

He knows what is about to go down, an icy cold flooding through his body. Audrey Ellis' body was an unambiguous hint, but there is more to come. This time they need to make sure he will obey. And there is only one thing in the world intimidating him so much that he would do anything.

Everything seems to happen in slow motion although Alex whips around and starts running in one quick move, hoping against hope that he will be able to save her. But it is too late. Norma hasn't made it down the steps. They caught her halfway.

"Stop or I'll shoot her," the man holding a gun to her head commands as the other man points a gun at him.

Alex stops dead in his tracks, panting for breath. "LEAVE MY WIFE ALONE!"

He has never felt such rage, such fear. Common sense is miles away. He wants to kill these men, right here, right now, watch their blood pour out of them, tainting the snow. Instead he is doomed to look on helplessly as they drag Norma down the rest of the steps, half pushing, half pulling her towards the car, passing by so close that he could have reached out and touched her save that he can't do anything.

Norma's eyes are wide open, pleading with him, "I love you. Take care of Norman."

No. No. Her voice awfully sounds like the night she left him that message, as if this was goodbye. Alex wants to tell Norma that she shouldn't worry, that he will find and rescue her, but that would be tactically unwise. They need to believe that he will do as he was told.

"I love you. Everything will be ok."

She doesn't hear his words anymore; they have already pushed her into the car, the sound of the closing door leaving a deathly finality. Then the car picks up speed and is gone.

Alex hears a sound behind him, raising his gun as he turns around. It's Norman, standing on the steps, dazed, watching the car drive away. "Mother?"

To be continued