A/N: Hey! I know what you are thinking, is this slow updating going to be a thing? And the answer is yes, because I'm lazy. I've been meaning to proofread this for the last week and just finally I am getting around to it. Then I also have bits and pieces of the other chapters that I have yet to write so it might be longer between updates now and then. So this chapter is gonna kinda be the last of the Alex's case centered ones and the remaining ones are gonna be based around Normero, the family and their friends. And to the reviewer asking for some Normero loving there won't be smut, but I think you will really enjoy the next chapter. So let me know what you think and enjoy!

It wasn't often in life that Norma got the things she wanted, and it's not that she minded at all. She had always cared more about giving everyone else what they needed and taking whatever was left, if anything. Growing up her family never had money. Whatever the county gave her parents to spend on their kids went to paying god knows what. But she took what she could get and made the best of it, never worrying that what she had wasn't good enough. In high school she had a friend whose mother owned a fabric shop. After school they'd go and help her out in return for a meal, a bit of cash and any of the fabric scraps she wanted to have to sew her clothes with. That was the first time she realized that if you wanted good things you would have to work for them, and even then you are left with the scraps.

"What's that?" Alex asked, walking up behind Norma who was standing in the kitchen reading over something in the mail.

Norma glanced back at him, looking around from where he had came from. "When did you get here?"

"I was already here. I heard you come inside and came downstairs."

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"What? You're not happy to see me?" Alex joked.

"No, I'm just wondering why you're home during your shift."

"I forgot my binoculars. I'm on my lunch break so I decided to come grab them."

"Why do you need binoculars?" Norma asked with a chuckle. "You going bird watching?"

"They're for work, it's a long story." Alex said, looking back at the paper in her hands. "So what is it you were staring at?"

"I got my bank statement in the mail, the deposit from the sale of my house went through." Norma said, showing him the new amount.

"That's a nice chunk of change."

"Yeah, I wish I had known it was in so soon. I would have picked out better Christmas gifts for everyone."

"What are you talking about? Everything you got was perfect."

"Really?"

"Yes, and the boys loved their stuff. Now you can use that money for something you want and save the rest. Weren't you saying you wanted to buy a new car?"

"I was thinking about it. I mean my car is a ticking time bomb at this point, but I know nothing about buying cars. The only reason I picked my station wagon was because our other car broke down and it was the only car I could find in my price range."

"I know about cars, I can go with you to the dealership here in town."

"You would?"

"Yeah, of course. The salesmen are annoying but the cars coming out of there are always top of the line and reasonable priced."

"I guess we could go and look around, I'm not sure if I'm ready to commit to anything yet."

"I should be off work by six, it doesn't give us much time to look around but we could meet there if you want."

"That works for me, the boys are staying over at Emma's till nine tonight so Norman and her can work on some school project."

"Okay, I will see you there." Alex said then leaned in a gave her a quick kiss.

"Don't you want lunch before you go back?"

"Nah, I wasted too much time looking for these." Alex said, holding up the binoculars. "I'll grab something to eat at the office."

Alex's long story was actually quite brief, but he wasn't going to talk about it till he knew he had something concrete. He had spoken around with one of his dad's old buddies who had an axe to grind with Gil and gave up a few names of his biggest employees. Alex did the rest of the digging to find out which guy was experienced enough to handle their surveillance equipment. Only one fitting the requirements, a man by the name of Jerry Martin. He worked at Gil's warehouse but going there and waiting for him would make Alex a walking target for the men guarding the place. So he took a different approach and decided to tail him till he got somewhere he could get easier access to him. That brought him to Jerry's cabin, a nice piece of acreage with a great view of the lake and it's own private boat dock. Alex watched as he gathered up some fishing gear from his shed, quietly he stepped out of his car and got closer. He followed behind him as he walked over to the docks, staying back while Jerry set his things on the boat then hopped back onto the dock to untie the ropes.

Jerry looked over and noticed Alex for the first time, stopping in place. "Sheriff, what are you doing here?"

"I'm gonna cut right to the point, your boss has footage from the marina and you're gonna get it for me." Alex said nonchalantly.

"Ah, I'm not sure what you are talking about. What footage?"

"Don't give me that bullshit. Just tell me how to get a hold of it and there won't be a problem here."

"I'm being honest, I have no clue what you are talking about." Jerry said, clearly lying.

Alex smirked at his attempt to play stupid, glancing around at the property. "How many acres you got here, thirty?"

"Thirty-four." Jerry said, unsure of where this was going.

"That's a lot of land."

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm just thinking about the advantages, I mean there is not even another house in sight. See I have neighbors nearby so I have be careful about how loud I'm being, out here you could scream all you wanted and no one would ever here you." Alex said, taking a step toward him and watching him tense up. "And this lake, look at the view. Couldn't you spend forever out in that water?"

"If I help you Gil will kill me. So what's the difference?"

"Don't worry, if you help me Gil's not going to be a problem for anybody anymore."

"You're gonna kill him?"

"Well, that's still to be decided." Alex waited a moment for him to say something back, when he didn't Alex grabbed for the gun on his holster.

Jerry noticed what he was going for and spoke up. "Okay, Okay." He said and Alex stopped. "I'll get you the footage."

Alex went with Jerry out to his house, he had the surveillance discs stored in his safe so it didn't take long to get. Before leaving with the discs Alex warned him that if he gave Gil any warning about this that he would find him again and next time he wouldn't keep his gun put away. He ran back to the office quick and put the discs in his safe, that way tomorrow when he got in he could go over them and decide how he was going to go about getting Gil for it. His venture made him about ten minutes late for meeting up with Norma at the car dealership, but when he pulled up he saw her walking around the lot. He got out and hurried over just as a salesman was targeting her.

"Can I help you find a new car, miss?" The man said, a smile plastered across his face.

"I'm just looking." Norma replied kindly.

"With the sales we are having there's no need to just look. What type of car do you want? I'll set you up, you can be driving off this lot with your new ride today."

"I'm really just lo-"

Alex cut in, walking up beside them. "We're gonna browse around first, if there's something we like we'll let you know."

"Of course." The man said, backing away from them. "If you want to test drive anything just come inside and ask for Michael."

"Thank you." Norma said as he walked away then she glared over at Alex. "You're late."

"I know, I got finished as quickly as I could."

"That was the fourth salesmen that came up to me since I got here. The second one tried talking me into buying a mustang, like that is a car I'd ever buy."

"You should have waited in the car, you show up here alone and you're like roadkill to the vultures."

"I like that we've gotten to the point in our relationship that you can compare me to a dead animal on the side of the road and I don't want to slap you for it."

"If that isn't love I don't know what is." Alex said, placing his hand on the small of her back. "We should look around before someone else tries to sell us something."

"I'm sure you can intimidate them away again." She said as they started walking the lot.

"So what kind of cars do you like?"

"I don't really have a preference, just something that has enough room for everyone." Norma said, looking over at some of the newer model vehicles. "And nothing too flashy, I don't need all those power options."

"Well we should probably stay away from the two thousands then." He said, glancing further down the lot. "They keep all their used and trade in vehicles down at the end, maybe we can find something you like there."

"Yeah, let's try that." Norma said and followed him to the end of the lot. There were a good amount of cars, but her eyes immediately landed on a green sedan. She walked up to it and ran her hand across the hood. "This is it, this is my car." She said, smiling back at Alex.

Alex walked over and read the writing on the windows. "Nineteen seventy-three? That's older than the station wagon you have now."

"But this is a Mercedes Benz, my friends mom taught me how to drive in one of these." Norma said then opened the driver side door, looking inside. "Oh, it's still got the original wood detail on the dash."

"I thought you said you didn't know anything about cars."

"Most cars, but this was my dream car when I was younger." She said, sitting in the front seat.

"Here, pop the hood for me." He said then she reached down and pulled the lever to unlatch it.

"What are you looking at?" Norma asked, getting out and standing next to him.

"Everything." Alex said while he started tinkering around. "You wanna make sure the frame lines up correctly, if it's bent it's been crashed before. Then check hoses and belts, any areas where it looks like fluids might have leaked, then fluid levels and their color."

"When I bought my station wagon the only thing I checked was if it had enough gas to get me home, the gauge on it never worked."

"It's a wonder it lasted as long as it did." He said while he continued to check the car over.

"Where'd you learn all this stuff anyways?"

"While I was in the police academy I worked at a car shop. It was mostly oil changes and tire rotations but they gave me training on all the basics."

"You were working and going to the academy at the same time? Isn't that like a full time job in itself?"

"Technically yes, but they don't pay you during police training and I had bills to pay."

"You were living on your own then?"

"Oliver, Krista and one of her friends were renting a house and they let me move into an extra room there. They knew I was having a lot of trouble living with my dad after my mom died. The extra work was worth it to get away from him, then by the time I moved in with them I had just gotten used to working all the time." Alex said, then wiped his hands off on his pants. "That's everything."

"So how does it look?"

"I don't see anything wrong with it." Alex said, shutting the hood.

"Do you think it runs?"

"Only one way to find out, I'll go get the keys." Alex said, watching Norma smile as she looked around the car a moment before walking off. When he got back with the keys she was around back looking in the trunk.

"Look at this trunk, it's huge." Norma said then he glanced in it.

"Yeah, looks like you could fit a good sized body in there if you needed to." He said and she chuckled.

"I was thinking more along the lines of groceries."

Alex held up his hand, the car keys dangling from them. "Wanna give it a try?"

"Like you even have to ask." Norma said and grabbed the keys from him, heading over and getting back into the drivers side. "You getting in?" She asked, looking at Alex who was still standing outside.

"I want to hear how it starts from out here."

Norma nodded then stuck the key into the ignition, starting it up. "Well it starts, that's a good sign so far."

"Sounds good too." Alex said, listening closely.

"Then get in." Norma said. He walked over and got into the passenger seat then she put the car in drive and took off.

What started as just looking around turned into Norma leaving the lot with that very car, and even though it was a big step to take she couldn't be happier with her choice. She'd also been glad when Alex told her not to do the trade in with her old car because they wouldn't offer nearly enough for it, that he would help her sell it so she'd get what it was worth. Even having the new car she wasn't prepared to leave it there today. Not only did it still have their stuff inside it but she wanted to give it the proper goodbye before she got rid of it. She wasn't sure if it was going to be something the boys would like but when she picked them up from Emma's in it she was surprised they actually thought it was cool and said they enjoyed the extra room it had.

Alex was happy he had been able to see her experience buying her dream car, he felt if anyone deserved it it was her. He also knew the next few weeks he wasn't going to be around much with his new job position so it was nice to be able to give her one night of his time before diving back into his work. It was the morning after and he went into work early in the morning before the sun had even rose, wanting to get started on reviewing the tapes Jerry had gave him. By mid afternoon he had everything he needed in place then dropped by Gil Turner's warehouse for a visit.

Gil walked out of his work and headed toward his car, stopping when he saw Alex standing beside it. "Sheriff." He said with a grin. "What can I do for you?"

"You can put your hands behind your back." Alex said, stepping toward him and pulling the gun out of the back of his jeans and slipping it into his own.

"And what is this arrest based on?"

"Don't try to pretend Oliver's shooting wasn't your idea, you may not have been the one behind the trigger but I know that was all you. He wasn't going to help you anymore so you didn't see the use in keeping him around."

"Well you got me there. It's just too bad you can't do anything about it, with me having proof of you and your buddy showing up to Ford's yacht on tape."

"And while your footage is only circumstantial it does seem to beg the question. Why do you have a camera there in the first place?"

"I didn't trust the marina security. After all there was a lot of thefts going on as of late, and I heard a rumor that a couple officers shot a man there."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, you can never really trust anyone. Take your staff for instance. A simple threat toward their well being and they are willing to throw anyone under the bus, even their boss."

"What?" Gil asked curiously.

"Always got to be careful who you let have access to your cameras. Now I've got a hold of the footage and I have only watched some of it but already I've seen enough for you to be implicated in at least sixteen crimes, including blackmailing an officer."

"You realize if you arrest me there is nothing keeping me from exposing what you and your partner did?"

"Oh but I bet there is something. Not only have I destroyed every piece of evidence you had against Oliver and me but I also happen to know you've had your sister moving product for you by boat. I suppose she needed the money with her husband passing and her son serving the next few years in prison for armed robbery. She's got that sweet little girl though, Jodi is it? What a shame it would be if she went to prison too, who would take care of your niece?"

"You wouldn't."

"You saw the tapes, you know I'm capable of much worse." Alex said, staring straight at him. "So what do you think? Either way you spend your life locked away, but is taking me down really worth destroying your family over?"

Gil shook his head at him with grimace. "You're nothing like your father, he would never allow a personal vendetta to get in the way of business."

"I'll take that as a compliment, now turn around and put your hands behind your back." Alex said, pulling out his handcuffs. He spent the next few hours processing him and making sure they found him a placement in a high security prison far from his town, not wanting him to be close enough for any of his workers to care about visiting him. He only had one stop to make before he headed home for the evening, pulling up to a home in his neighborhood and walking up to the front door. It opened not long after he knocked and Krista stood looking at him.

"Alex." She said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.

"Hey, I came to talk to Oliver about some work stuff. If that's okay?"

"Of course, come on in." Krista said, opening the door for him.

Alex walked inside and looked around while she closed the door, noticing the pieces of an unbuilt changing table on the living room floor. "That for the baby or Oliver?"

"The baby." Krista said with a grin. "Oliver's is much bigger."

"You didn't want to wait till he could help you build it?"

"I got bored and it was sitting out here, thought I'd see if I could figure out how to put it together."

"And how is that going?"

"Well I gave up a couple hours ago and took a nap instead, I just haven't had the energy to pick it back up."

"I can put it together for you." Alex said, picking up the instructions off the ground.

"No Alex, you don't have to do that."

"I don't mind. I used to build all of your furniture before Oliver learned how to use a screwdriver."

"You did?"

Alex kneeled down and started gathering the parts he needed for the first step. "Back when you first rented that house on Cedar Avenue he snuck me over while you were at work to build that new bedroom set you had bought."

"I told him I would have hired someone if he didn't know how to do it."

"He didn't want you to waste the money on that. Besides he thought it would make him look less manly."

"If he wanted to look manly he shouldn't have had a whole cabinet dedicated to his dolls."

"Believe me I tried to talk him out of keeping action figures for years. But you know Oliver, no matter what I said or how much I teased him for it he wasn't going to change his mind about them. He's set in his ways."

"Is that what you were trying to do that night, change his mind?"

Alex set down the pieces he had been connecting and looked up at her. "I've done a lot of things in my life that are less than ideal, and I never really had a problem with doing any of them. He was never like that, everything he did affected him in some way. I always admired that part of him. So when I saw what Riley's case was doing to him, how it was making him more like me I got worried. Because I hate that part of myself and I never wanted to see that in him. And I guess I could have gone about it a better way, but I was upset. I thought there was no hope in getting the person I knew all my life back and I didn't want to stick around to see him like that. It's was selfish of me and by the time I came to my senses it was already too late, I was on my way back out of the car when I heard the shot go off."

"You were going back?"

"I couldn't just leave him there, he never would have left me." Alex said, going back to working.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you at the hospital, I know it wasn't your fault he got shot. I think my hormones were just getting the best of me."

"It's alright, it was a stressful situation."

"But I still shouldn't have blamed you, you have always been there for him."

"Well that's what best friends are for."

"I thought Brian Fuller was your best friend." Oliver joked, walking slowly into the living room.

"What are you doing up?" Krista asked, going over to help him to the couch.

"I heard voices out here and I wanted to make sure you didn't sneak your new lover in while I was lying in bed injured." Oliver said while he carefully sat onto the sofa.

"No, I snuck him out right before Alex got here."

"It's true, I saw him climbing out the window right after I knocked." Alex said.

"She call you over here to put you to work?" Oliver asked Alex.

"No, I came here to see you actually. I have some work stuff to discuss with you."

"I'll leave you two alone to talk." Krista said, leaving the room.

"Should I be worried?" Oliver asked. "You didn't burn down the station already, did you?"

"The station is still standing. I just wanted to let you know that Gil isn't going to be a problem for us anymore."

"Oh god, what did you do to him?"

"I arrested him. With all the charges he's looking at life in prison."

"Really? How did you manage that?"

"I got a hold of the tapes he had at the Marina. Destroyed every trace of us being there early that day, and told him if he ever told anyone about us that I would put his sister away too." Alex said and he could tell Oliver looked a little disappointed with how he had gone about it. "But don't worry, taking down Gil will be the last thing I do that isn't completely by the book. I promise."

"I thought you never made promises."

"I never made them when I wasn't sure if I could keep them."

Oliver smiled at him. "Thank you for handling Gil."

"It was the Mayor's orders so I had to do it either way." Alex joked. "No one hurts my friend and gets away with it."

"Well on the plus side me being shot gave me a good excuse to get out of Bob's new years party this year."

"If you're getting a silver lining out of all of this not having to see Bob with half naked women in his lap is a good one." Alex said making him smirk.

"Are you going?"

"No, I'm gonna pass this year."

"You sure? He was saying how he had a sexy redhead to introduce you to." Oliver said just as Krista walked by and shot him a glare on her way to the kitchen. "His words hun, not mine."

Alex smirked. "As awful as that sounds I'm gonna stay at home with Norma and the boys. They are shooting off fireworks out by the high school again this year so we'll be able to see them from the backyard."

"No fancy parties, just a night at home celebrating. Alex Romero, could you be growing up?"

"Well to be clear I already hated those parties every year."

"I can see you a few years from now spending the holidays with your family, probably have a few kids of your own by then."

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves, I'm not even sure Norma wants anymore kids."

"You haven't talked about it yet?"

"There really hasn't been a good time to bring it up between everything that has happened. Who knows if Norma wants to get married again, she's already gotten divorced twice and I know how bad those marriages were for her."

"Those marriages didn't work because her husbands weren't good for her, you are."

"It doesn't always feel like I am."

"Trust me, I've seen you two together and never have I seen a better pair." Oliver said as Krista walked back out from the kitchen and past them. "Besides us of course." He yelled out as she got out of sight. "She really has the worst timing."

Alex smiled. "Can you really see me married?"

"You were before."

"And you saw how that turned out."

"I knew that marriage was never going to last, I told you that from the beginning. Honestly I could never see you being married till I saw you with Norma, I knew right away she was the one for you."

"It was that strong." Alex said, mimicking his words from the first time he saw them together at the station.

"It really was." Oliver said with a smirk.

Alex looked at his watch. "Can you tell Krista I'll stop by tomorrow after work to finish this? I want to get home before they all go to bed." He said as he stood up off the floor.

"Leaving so soon? I was under the impression you were going to give me a sponge bath afterwards."

"I'll leave that for your wife to do. See you later buddy." Alex said before leaving.

Later that night after they had all gone to bed Alex laid awake in bed next to a sleeping Norma, thinking to himself about what Oliver had said. He knew he wanted a future with her, that was obvious at this point. And he loved having Dylan and Norman in his life, they weren't his but he felt like he connected with them in a way their own fathers were never able to. But marriage and kids, those were things he was going to leave for another night to think about.