~Six months later~
"Norma!"
"Down here, babe!"
Alex frowned. He didn't approve of Norma going down the basement anymore, now that she was pregnant. She often scolded him for being overly protective, more than ever since they found out she was pregnant, but he couldn't help it. What if, going down to the basement, she tripped and rolled down the stairs? It was a hard floor at the bottom. She and/or could be seriously hurt. He pushed aside such thoughts as he followed her voice into the dimly lit basement.
"You know there are these boxes I just put down here when Norman and I moved in and haven't opened since." He found her rummaging through one of them and pulling out what looked like Christmas decorations.
"Why didn't you ask me to bring them upstairs? I don't want you coming down here."
Norma was focused on the contents of the box. "These are the decorations Norman made when he was a little boy, using glue and paper."
Alex sighed in defeat. He came up behind her and hugged her from behind. "They're sweet," he said, looking at the childishly made decorations for a Christmas tree.
"Yeah. There are a few in here made by Dylan. I imagine Emma would like to have them now. They can put his decorations along with Katie's. Oh, I can't wait to see the things she will make. She's such a cutie, Alex."
Alex smiled fondly, thinking of her granddaughter who he also loved like his own. Katie Massett was only five months old but already the envy of the family. John Massett, increasingly close to Dylan since the trial of Norman Bates, had transferred to the Seattle branch of his legal firm almost solely for the purpose of being a grandfather to Katie. In addition, Katie had Emma's father, whose taxidermy studio in Seattle was now a thriving business. (Norman wanted Norma to give all of his taxidermy to Will Decody; that was part of the basement-clearing project.) Jealous of two grandfathers' proximity to their mutual little treasure, Norma and Alex were planning their own move to the Seattle area. Alex had used his connections to secure a job as First Deputy Sheriff in one of the adjacent counties around King County, of which Seattle is the seat. Alex had known the Sheriff up there for a long time and currently he was the best qualified to fill the position. It was a step down, sure, but with a baby on the way, he needed the job. He also relished the job for his own sanity. A man like Alex didn't like spending all of his time fishing.
Alex closed his eyes as he breathed in his wife's scent. He tightened his wrap around her waist and then moved his hands to squeeze her butt. She giggled. She put the decorations back in the box and folded the flaps over the opening. Alex's lips tickled her neck and she giggled again, this time squirming at the delightful sensation.
"How was fishing?"
"Mmm. OK. I didn't catch anything."
"Well, you started too late."
"Yeah. Who's fault is that?"
Norma laughed. "Yours. You want sex all the time."
Alex attacked her ticklish ribs with his fingers, making her scream. "I think it's your fault for being so sexy!"
"Alex, stop it!"
He stopped tickling, but he went back immediately to the kissing and squeezing. She turned in his arms.
"Are we really doing this?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
"What?" He marveled at her beauty as he rubbed his thumbs along her jaw.
"Moving to Seattle? Having a baby? How did all this happen so fast? It seems like yesterday we were saying our vows at city hall. Sometimes it feels like I'm watching a movie."
Alex smirked. "It's not a movie. Don't screw it up."
They laughed together.
"Well..." She slowly pulled out of his grasp. He tried to pull her back but she moved a little too quickly to the stairs. They went back upstairs, the whole time Alex trying to get her back in his arms.
"I suppose I should figure out what I'm going to make for dinner. I was counting on you catching something."
"I got a better idea," said Alex, at last catching up to his beautiful wife. "Order a pizza. Curl up. Watch a movie."
"We never finished Parenthood."
"Do you want to?" Alex wasn't thrilled by that show when they watched a little bit of it in Hawaii, but now that he was going to be a parent...
"Yeah, I kinda do."
"OK. Parenthood it is."
~One week later~
Alex held onto Norma's hand as she lay on the clinical bed. An OB GYN technician rubbed gel on her only slightly protruding abdomen. She was only four months pregnant and they weren't even sure that the doctor would be able to determine the gender yet. Dr. Watson had judged that at about 16 weeks she might be able to tell, but now they were at the point, Norma was filled with nervous anticipation. She wanted to know the gender, desperately, because she wanted to know everything about the little person growing inside her. She absolutely could not wait to meet this person that was half her, half Alex, and absolutely every nugget of detail about the mystery person, she consumed jealously.
The move to Seattle was steadily, successfully in progress. They had secured the rent of a house in the town outside Seattle where Alex was to be First Deputy Sheriff. A moving truck had already taken most of their things away, the non-essentials for daily life. Will Decody had picked up Norman's taxidermy. The old Bates motel and house was on the market, at a greatly reduced price. The realtor was confident that they could find, at the very least, a land buyer who would surely want to demolish the house and motel.
"OK," began the doctor, putting on her latex gloves. "Are we ready to take a look, see if we can find out what we're having?"
Norma and Alex exchanged smiles. "Yes," they both said.
The excited parents stared at the ultrasound image and both of them gasped at the sight.
"Alex, our baby."
"It's grown so much," he said. It was a huge difference from their first ultrasound appointment. You could now see the shape of a baby. You could see the outline of the head and everything.
"What's that on top?" Norma asked, straining to see every detail.
"That?" The doctor peered at the screen, knowing smile spreading slowly across her face. "Why, that, is another baby. We couldn't see that before. You're having twins."
