After Norma's departure Alex felt uncomfortable hanging around the motel office with Dylan still eyeing him up and down suspiciously. Alex made his excuses and left quickly. After getting into his room, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally gotten to see Norma and talk to her, he'd spent so long thinking about her the past 5 days that finally seeing her made him realise just how much he had missed her. He pulled his leather jacket off and tossed into the bed. He just wanted to have a drink and a shower and relax for a few hours, especially as he hadn't been sleeping well for the last few days. He'd told work he most likely wouldn't be back so he had the rest of the afternoon and evening to himself. Or so he thought.

Before Alex could even sit down he heard a heavy knock at his door, he groaned and rolled his eyes. He knew straight away it wasn't Norma, she barely knocked in the first place, and even when she did it was more like a little tap and she very rarely let you answer the door. She had a tendency to just let herself in. Which frustrated him immensely but he loved how comfortable she was to just walk in, like it was home. Alex headed to the door, his head down like he was defeated with the day, he just wanted to sleep. He pulled the door open and was surprised to see Dylan on the other side, now although Alex knew it wasn't ever going to be Norma as she was in the house, he didn't really expect it to be Dylan.

'Oh Dylan, Hi. What's wrong'

'You seem to address Norma like that a lot too i've noticed. Like everytime you talk it's always because something is wrong or she's done something.'

Alex was frustrated. He couldn't be assed with this,

'Look Dylan, no offense but do you have a reason to be banging on my door, because if not please leave. It's been a rough week and i really need to sleep''

Dylan just stared at Alex, studying his every movement and facial expressions. He knew he was hiding something and he wanted to know what it was.

'Look Dylan, i'm gonna go, I need to take a shower.'

Alex tried to shut the door but Dylan stopped him by putting his foot out to stop the door closing.

'Alex. Look I'm not good with words and i know maybe I'm crossing a line here but i need to know what happened with Norma. I haven't seen her like this before, or at least not for a long time. I don't want to take Norman home in a few days if Norma is going to act like this. I don't know what it would do to Norman.'

Alex tried to act oblivious at what Dylan was saying,

'What do you mean Dylan, what do you mean about Norma acting like anything? She is fine'

The lie almost choked Alex, it was so far from the truth that it pained him to even say it but he got the impression that Dylan knew he was lying. He was Norma's son after all.

'Look Dylan, whatever you want to know you should just speak to your Mom okay, it's nothing to do with me.'

Dylan's face changed, he grew even more concerned,

'So there is something wrong then? You just said I had to speak to her, why would you say that if there wasn't anything wrong? For God's Sake Romero, spit it out. What was it? You guys had a one night stand? Drunken mistake? Did she try it on and you turned her down? To be honest i wouldn't put it past her to throw herself at someone, she has a history of sleeping around and acting like a whor-'

Alex tensed, his hands clenched into a tight fist at what Dylan was saying about his mother'

'Hey don't you dare, I beg you not to finish that sentence if you know what's good for you Dylan. She's your mother, i don't give a shit how strained your relationship is, you don't talk about her like that, do you understand me? You haven't the faintest idea'

Dylan looked down and sheepishly apologised to Alex for the comment he made, he felt uncomfortable and a little embarrassed that he'd just been told off like a little school child. It was evident something was going on, in fact it was blatantly obvious, and he could tell that Alex cared for Norma.

'Um, i-i'm sorry alright. I didn-didn't mean to say that, it's just she has a past. Are you dating or something and you had a fight? Did something happen? Has she gotten herself into trouble?'

Alex's face dropped, there were far too many questions and assumptions in that short and abrupt sentence. He didn't know how to react, he was shocked at how blunt Dylan was being. It was obvious Dylan cared, and despite Norma thinking and telling Alex that Dylan hated her and didn't see her as a mother, well she was wrong, her son was clearly worried about her and going as far as to integrate the sheriff. He didn't agree with the way Dylan spoke about her, but he suspected that was a front to cover up the hurt he felt about Norma and him not being close.

'Look Dylan, everything is okay, nothing happened with us, it's not like that, i do care about her, and i want nothing but the best for her, that's why we are just friends. There was no one night stands or anything else ridiculous like that. I don't even know why you would assume that in the first place.'

Alex felt awful for lying to Dylan, it was obvious his Mother wasn't okay, but he was terrified to say anything in case all the building bridges done earlier would burn to the ground. He had worked so hard to get to speak to Norma, he was terrified to lose the very little trust he earned back. Alex looked into Dylan's eyes, he hadn't even noticed how big and expressive they were, he could tell Dylan was in pain, he was worried, he looked like he was dangerously close to crying. Alex wasn't sure he could get rid of him, he felt duty bound to comfort the young man, not because of his title of sheriff but because he was Norma's son and he wanted to help.

'Look Dylan, I'm not sure what to tell you, it's really not my place to say anything but i know Norma won't tell you either and the last thing i want to do is upset her or for her to be upset at having to tell you. But I can imagine that what you are thinking is very worrying and I feel like I need to ease that for you.'

'You must really care about her Romero, thanks for looking out for her but yes i would really appreciate if you could explain what is going on'

'Well Dylan you better come in. You wanna have a drink? I've got some scotch. You might need it.'

Dylan's face froze, it was now he was really worried. What could have possibly happened to cause Norma to act this way and for Romero to have to care for her and offer him a drink to hear what it was he had to say.

'Um, yeah sure. A drink would be good. Has something happened to her? Did someone hurt her'

'Right Dylan, you have to understand there are certain things I cannot tell you and i can't stress this enough, your mother has told me some very personal things and i'm going to respect that, you understand?'

'Yeah, sure i guess. That doesn't really make me feel any better though'

'Your Mothers had a difficult past, she's been through a lot and it's left her with a lot of emotional scars.'

'Yeah, I know this somewhat, her ex husband Sam was awful to her, he was a real piece of work, it was hard to watch her go through that, she tried really hard to protect Norman and I. And i know that there was things he used to do to her, awful things.'

'Wait you know he used to rape her? I assumed that you boys didn't know, i don't think she is aware of you both knowing.'

'Wait what? What the fuck, he raped her. "Used to rape her" As in he did it more than once? Oh my God. Did he really do that? Rape her? oh fuck'

Alex's face dropped and his body shivered a hot and cold sensation. He realised he had fucked up, he'd screwed Norma over, he had told very private and intimate details about her painful life and he had just told Dylan. 'Shit, shit, shit.' Alex thought.

'Fuck, Dylan i thought you knew, i thought that's what you were talking about. Oh God, you can't tell Norma that i told you, i didn't mean to. She'll be devastated to know you know. Please Dylan. You can't say anything, to anyone. You promise?'

Dylan's eyes filled with tears, he tried to hold them back but he couldn't. He kept imaging over and over Sam pushing her down and forcing himself on her, her wanting to scream but being unable to, him and Norman sitting next door watching cartoons completely oblivious to the hell she was going through. Tears rolled down his cheeks, Alex felt awful, he had caused Dylan more pain than he felt when he arrived at his motel door. Alex couldn't bear to see the young boy like this, he was so like Norma, the way he wiped his tears away, the way his face looked, the pain in his eyes. He was just like her. Alex pulled Dylan into him and put his arm around his shoulder, squeezing him tightly. Dylan sobbed whilst Alex tried to comfort him.

As Dylan's sobs lessened he pulled away, wiping the last of his tears on his shirt.

'How many times? Was Norman and I in the house? Wait, second thoughts I don't think I want to know. Why didn't she reach out, talk to someone? How long did it go on for? I can't believe this, that's awful. She went through all that on her own. She must have been so scared and felt so alone. I can't believe my Mom was raped and nobody noticed. I didn't notice. Why didn't I notice Alex? I was so horrible to her, i made her life hell. And all this time she was going through this. I mean i know she wasn't great towards me and i'll never know why she pushed me away and favoured Norman but...maybe i could have helped her.'

Alex searched Dylan's face, he looked broken. The pain and anguish in his eyes mirrored that of Norma's the night she told him about her past. Alex wanted to take Dylan's pain away but he knew he couldn't.

'Dylan please, please don't blame yourself, you were a child, there's no way you could have known and it would break Norma's heart to know you felt somewhat responsible for her going through that. You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about, this isn't your fault. I know it went on for years and I don't know why she didn't reach out, it pains me to think of her alone and trapped in that environment. But it pains me more and makes my heart ache that she carried on as normal every day, without anyone noticing. Like she just accepted that was the norm. Dylan, I know things have been strained with you and your Mom, and I know that there are reasons behind that, reasons that you'll never be able to understand but you have to know how much she loves you, truly loves you. She might not show it all the time and be sassy and blunt with you but she does mirror how you treat her. She regrets so much about your upbringing, she told me.'

Dylan raised his eyebrow, he wasn't sure Norma knew what regret was but he wanted to hear more, wanted to hear what Alex had to say.

'What did she say?, please tell me'

'Dylan she knows she acted awful and that she pushed you away, she wishes so much she could have been a better mother to you but she was so young, trapped in an awful marriage, she was a teen mom and tried her best despite being ill and dealing with a lot of emotional issues. You need to give her a chance to make it up to you. You know what she's like, she's stubborn and I guess she needs to see you make the effort too.'

'Okay, okay, i'll be nicer to her. I had no idea what Sam was doing to her. I want to talk to her, tell her im sorry.'

'No, no,no you can't Dylan, she'll never speak to me again let alone trust me. Promise me. You don't need to apologise to her, she already knows the situation and what it was back then, she would have never expected her child to step in and help her. She knew that Sam would have beaten the shit outta you or Norman. Norma doesn't blame anyone but herself'

Dylan swallowed hard, he couldn't understand why Norma would blame herself, it wasn't her fault that Sam raped her repeatedly and used her as a punchbag. It made him so sad to think that his mother blamed herself for the awful things she went through.

'Okay I won't. I swear. Can i ask a question?'

Alex shifted uncomfortably on the bed, he was worried about what Dylan wanted to ask knowing full well that he was restricted to what he could actually tell him'

'Um yeah sure..'

Dylan took a breath,

'So Norma told you all this? Like she actually openly told you about her and Sam and what he did to her, why? No offense but why would she open up to you? You guys aren't really even friends, and since when did you live in the motel?'

'It's complicated Dyl-..''Yeah no shit it's complicated. You guys resented each other and argued and bickered like kids and then I went away for a week and half and came back to you two looking very close and intimate. What made her talk about this, it's not something you casually drop into a conversation, "oh hey Alex, fancy a coffee, by the way my ex husband raped me, do you want creamer in your coffee?" Come on Romero, that isn't how that happened. Tell me please. Why did all this personal and sensitive information suddenly land in your lap, when you and her have never really talked before.'

Alex felt his heart race, Dylan was being pushy, he wasn't going to give up and he didn't know what to tell him, he had already fucked up and told Dylan about Sam sexually assaulting her, he was worried he'd let something else slip.

'All you need to know Dylan is that Norm-Norma had a little breakdown, something from her past came crashing back into her life and it messed with her head, for obvious reasons i can't tell you what it wa-''So you can't tell me, what the hell could be worse than Sam doing those horrendous things to her, seriously Romero. How could anything else be worse than that?.'

'I can't Dylan, you know I can't. Anyway she struggled to deal with the repressed emotions and memories and I happened to come to speak to her and found her in a situation and had to deal with it. She was in a bad way, and I looked after her. Due to what happened I needed to talk to her, we spoke for hours and hours and she opened up about her life. I never expected to hear what I did, and there is a part of me that wishes I didn't know. I keep seeing it in my head and I've been struggling since, and apparently she was too. We ended up getting into an argument the next day, she'd seen me with Rebecca, a girl I used to date, and she'd had a few drinks at the bar on the main street, so she was annoyed with me. For reasons I don't know, well i didn't know at the time. I was surprised she was jealous. She was really angry at me and the fact that i wanted to take her home, i was worried about her state of mind. She...um...she was with a guy and he was a right ass, all over her, she couldn't see it, the way he was with her wasn't appropriate especially with how drunk she was. I happened to be in the toilet at the same time as him, he was bragging about Norma, and how she wouldnt be able to...put up figh- put up a fight'

Alex dropped his head, he was worried what Dylan would think, he already thought his mother was a whore, and what Alex had just told Dylan was only going to reinforce that thought. Alex didn't look at Norma like that, he never thought that of her. But it crushed him that Dylan did.

'Dylan i know what you're thinking, but she wasn't in her right mind, she's not a whor-she's not what you think she is. She has really serious issues and she uses unhealthy coping mechanisms to help her get through it, and i know i'm telling you too much but i need you to understand, i need you to stop saying and believing that she is what you think she is. Its not fair.'

'Romero i already said i was sorry, i don't really think that of her, not really and i guess after what you've told me i can't really begin to understand why she does what she does. She's evidently in pain. What happened that night at the bar? I'm assuming the worst right now'

Alex looked at Dylan sympathetically and put a hand on his arm and let out a sigh.

'The guy tried to rape her Dylan, he would have done if i hadn't stepped in, i mean she handled herself pretty well but he was a lot bigger than her and she could barely stand. He ran off, I tried to arrest him but Norma stormed off, I was scared she would get hurt on the way home. She couldn't drive obviously and turns out she had given the bar staff her purse, which had her money and phone. So i knew she was going to have to walk, i made the choice to leave the guy, mental note later to beat the shit out of him, but i chased after her. She was distressed and lashing out, kept trying to run away. I ended up having to handcuff her so I could retrieve her belongings from the bar staff, i didn't trust her to sit in the car and not run off again.'

Dylan gave a weak smile, it wasn't a funny situation, far from it but the idea of Norma being handcuffed by Romero to his steering wheel was amusing, he knew damn well she would have been so pissed off. He could just imagine the profanities she would be screaming. His next words came out in a soft whisper as he tried to take it all in,

'What happened next? Was she okay?'

'Well i got her home, and erm..she, well she...how do i put this delicately? She made a move on me, and i um, turned her down, she was drunk, I would never take advantage of a woman that's had too much to drink or isn't in their right state of mind. She wasn't happy and the situation escalated. There was a lot of yelling from both of us, things were said, and well it just was a really bad situation we were both in. Eventually i got her to bed, but she was in a really bad way Dylan, and well since then we've not really talked, she's been avoiding me. It's been almost a week since it happened and today was the first time i managed to get her to talk to me. She hates herself for what happened and she's said she can't forgive herself, and the things she said. I've told her we can move past it but she has decided she can't. And I guess that's where we currently are. I'm going to give her some more space, i think she needs it.'

Dylan looked shocked, everything Romero had told him was overwhelming and he didn't know how to process it.

'Dylan are you okay? I know I've told you a lot about what's been happening.'

Dylan nodded his head, he couldn't find the words. Instead he just stood up and gave him a small smile but he couldn't hide or disguise the pain in his eyes. Alex stood up and pulled him into his arms, both men stood there for a moment, taking comfort from each other. Both men were broken by the same woman and neither knew how to help her, but they felt comforted by the fact they weren't alone with their thoughts.

Dylan felt solace within Romero's arms and he found it comforting, it was weird to be hugging Sheriff Romero, strange even given the fact that he felt he wasn't really that keen on him. If anything he made Dylan feel like a little boy, he never expected to feel these feelings towards him, almost like a father and son embracing a moment, sharing the pain they both felt. Alex had never dreamt of children, quite frankly he didn't want them, he was too worried he would turn out like his father. But for some reason he had a soft spot for Dylan, and he thought that if he were to have a son he would want him to be just like him. Dylan was a good man, and Alex would be proud if he were his son.

Alex held the door open for Dylan, asking him again if he was okay, he knew he wouldn't be so he extended the offer to talk wherever Dylan needed it.

'Uh Dylan, i er-i just wanted to say that if you ever need to talk, I'm here. I'm also not good with words but i'll do my best. Your mother is a strong woman, and I know she will come out of this, she just needs time, okay? She will be okay. I promise. And I'll stay at the motel for as long as it takes. My house still won't be ready for a while but like i say i'll be here for you both.'

Dylan felt a wave of emotions flow through him, he'd never really had a male father figure to rely on, but somehow Romero was filling the position just perfectly.

'Thanks Romero, same to you. I'm here. Give Mom time, her bark is often worse than her bite. She won't avoid you forever'

And with that Dylan turned and headed to the house.