[Not as long as the last one, but I'm still waffling on, let me know if it's annoying to read. I'll try to shorten the parts. Sorry. Also little note that star jumps are also jumping jacks! God knows why they are called star jumps where I live!]

Norma's invitation to ask her 'anything' was incredibly inviting...there was a lot he wanted to ask her but felt maybe it was not the right time or maybe wasn't appropriate to ask her the things he wanted to. He thought hard to himself, things seemed to be heating up between them and he wanted to see where it could go.

'So...Norma... I can ask you anything?' Alex said with a wink.

'Yes I said you could, didn't I?' A smug smile pulling at the corner of her lips as she bit down on her lip ever so slightly.

'Alright then...What colour is your underwear?'

Norma gasped and suppressed her girlish giggles. She definitely hadn't expected that ballsy question.

'You can't ask me that!'

'Why not? You said to ask you "anything" and you also asked me to take my clothes off and do star jumps!...' Alex paused slightly and looked straight into Norma's eyes,

'Are they blue like your bra?'

Norma's hand shot up and covered her mouth whilst she stared wide eyed at Alex in total shock, realising now that he must have seen her undressing earlier, it's the only way he would've known what colour she had on. She knew he wouldn't be able to resist watching her and she felt such triumph in knowing she was right, the very thought of him watching her sent shivers across her body and making her cheeks blush. She took a loose curl, tucking it behind her ear as she narrowed her gaze and tried to look unimpressed with him,

'And how would you know what colour my bra is then Sheriff Romero? I'm pretty sure that it's a crime to watch someone get undressed when they asked you not to' - Norma tried to keep her serious game face in place, hoping to make him squirm.

'And Sheriff... it's not blue...it's navy actually...and yes, the panties i am wearing right now match my bra and the hold ups i have on also. Satisfied?'

Alex's jaw dropped, his mouth opened and his eyes widened. He was rendered speechless and he could feel himself growing harder at the very thought of her in those delicate navy undergarments with her smooth contrasting milky skin, and those alluring ocean eyes. He'd no idea she was wearing hold ups, he assumed it was tights, not that he thought Norma was a prude but he thought she was somewhat reserved, the very thought of her in her hold ups made his heart race, he wondered if the tops of them hugging her upper thighs were lace. Alex swallowed hard, carefully keeping his gaze on her, he watched her cross her arms over her chest, her expression unreadable, he couldn't tell if she was mad at him for asking the question or for perving on her when she asked him not to, he wanted to feel bad but he was too consumed in his own thoughts to think clearly, his mind racing over and over what she had just said, he felt his mouth going dry and the need to fuck her right there and then was pushing him over the edge.

As Norma studied Alex's face for a few seconds she knew she had got him, and that she had got him good, it was obvious how he felt, she could see it, the pure lust she saw in his eyes excited her yet scared her at the same time, she knew she wanted him too, she knew she was even falling in love with him, but she didn't trust herself to not screw it up. Instead she sucked in her breath and carried on with the game, if there was ever a moment for something to happen it would have been this moment she thought, so she quickly winked at Alex and casually asked if he was finished with his go. Norma cursed herself for not making a move, too proud to do anything as she'd always played their little game where one of them had to have power over the other, have the upper hand, it was exhilarating but damn it was hard trying to resist him, even when she was pissed off at him. She pushed down her thoughts of wanting him to take her then and there in the back of his SUV. She needed his hands on her, she needed him but refused to accept it.

Alex sheepishly shuttered back 'Ye-yeah..i think i'm satisfi-i mean yeah sure i'm done. Your go.'

'Ok so who was your first proper girlfriend?. I want names and details!'

Alex smiled, she gave off a little jealous vibe which he thought was ridiculous as it was almost twenty five years ago and she had nothing to worry about, he liked the thought of her being jealous...it meant she cared..that she possibly felt something for him, even if she didn't say it.

'Hmm feels like forever ago now but she was called Holly Winters, we were in the same classes in school so we hung out a lot. We were friends for years first and then one day I plucked up enough courage to ask her out and she said yes. Took me years to ask her out!'

'That's sweet, why did it take you so long to ask her out, if you liked her why wait so long?' Norma seemed puzzled at why he would wait so long to express his feelings, she clasped her hands neatly on her lap wanting to hear all about Alex and the life she never knew about.

'To be honest i was never sure if she felt the same way back and I was too scared in case she rejected me! Didn't want to injure my ego I guess...or maybe really it was ...' Alex fidgeted in his seat looking slightly awkward and embarrassed at having to speak about his feelings,

'I guess i didn't want to get hurt'

Norma smiled softly at him admiring the fact he was scared at something, scared of being hurt by someone even, she found it strangely endearing. She had figured he would have been very popular with the girls and that confidence wouldn't have been an issue for him, she realised she had misjudged him again. She got the impression Alex was everyones friend, gentle, kind possibly even 'friendzoned' a few times.

'Oh Alex, I just assumed you had a way with the girls! You know, a real smooth talker and irresistible to the girls'

'HA! I wish, no i was the silent type really, i never really had a lot of girlfriends, not proper ones anyways. I mean i did date girls but it never really went anywhere. This is why Holly was so special to me, she was my first for a lot of things.'

Norma's brows knitted together as she tried to think quickly about what he meant until it dawned on her, however the thought of Alex with another woman, gave her a little stab of jealousy, even if it was when he was a teenager.

'Oh, oh. Right as in like the first.. You know...girl you ever slept with?'

'Yeah. I was 18, yes i know that's quite old but i wanted to wait for the right girl. I wanted it to be special. What about you? Who was your first proper boyfriend? I bet he was a stud, real popular and the high school heartthrob.'

Alex had the impression Norma was probably quite popular, she seemed to ooze confidence and sass, she was fiery and didn't let people walk all over her. Not to mention she was drop dead gorgeous, she was bound to have all the boys chasing after her.

'I'll tell you after you tell me about your first time, i want to hear all about it.'

'Huh, ok. Well as you can probably imagine it was awkward, but it was special and i wouldn't change a thing. I waited until my dad was out, he was doing a night shift so we had the place to ourselves, obviously my mom wasn't around then, not that i would have told her what i had planned but it would have been comforting to drop hints and see what girls liked as in flowers etc so i just guessed and hoped for the best. I got candles and flowers and put them in my room, I put petals on the bed, I did try to make her dinner but I didn't want to poison her so we ordered food in and then ya know... It wasn't the best sex I've ever had! It was weird and a little uncomfortable for the both of us but it was what we wanted it to be. The most important thing to me was that I was with someone I loved..and that she felt special and loved also'

Norma's breath hitched in her throat and she gazed dreamily at him, everything he said just made her want him even more, he was far more thoughtful and romantic than she ever gave him credit for, far more than he gave himself credit for, not only that he was so incredibly kind he really cared about her and her needs and wants. Her ears perked up when he said he loved her...

'Oh, You loved her? What happened?'

'Yeah I thought back then I was in love, I mean i feel like i really did love her, I thought we would get married. But after a little while she started to change and before i knew it i felt like i was dating a total stranger, she broke up with me over the christmas holidays too!'

Norma's heart ached for him but she admired that he waited for that special person, that special person to be intimate with. Norma wished she had had that choice. She wished more than anything that it had been special, she wished her first time had been like Alex's, deep down she wished it was with him, he would have waited until she was ready, he wouldn't have hurt her, he would have made love to her, not fucked her.

'I'm sorry Alex, that's really tough, especially before christmas. Were you guys together long?'

'Not that long, about two years'

'Two years is still a long time, especially at that age. I'm sorry it didn't work out.'

'Nah it was a very long time ago! The break up hurt like a bitch but i got over it, she deserved to be happy and so i let her go, i let her follow her own dreams and be the person she wanted because i knew if she stayed with me she wouldn't have been happy, or the girl i fell in love with.'

Norma felt her stomach somersaulting, sending shockwaves through her entire body at Alex's words, her head pounding with thoughts of where was he when she needed him the most, how much different would her life have been if she had met him twenty years ago, she'd never ever regret her children but if she could have met Alex when Dylan & Norman were little, everything could be so very different...He might have been able to heal the forever hole and aching in her heart, he could have helped fix her, maybe she might not have turned out so broken.

'You alright Norma?'

'Sorry what?'

'I asked if you were okay, you went a bit quiet there. Not falling asleep on me are you?'

'No, no, not at all. I promise. I'm still fit to play, I promise.'

Alex wasn't quite sure whether to believe her, she seemed completely lost in thought and out of it, sad almost. There was a haunting look in her eyes and he wondered if it had been down to anything he said.

'You sure? We can stop playing if you want...you seem, i dunno, distant all of a sudden. Have i said something wrong?'

'Honestly Alex I'm fine.'- Norma tried to keep a lid on her emotions, she was really enjoying this rare and special time with Alex and she didn't want to ruin it by being emotional over something she couldn't change.

'Okay...as long as you're sure...'

Norma quickly replied back to ease the sudden awkward atmosphere between them,

'Yeah lets keep playing, please' Giving Alex a genuine warm smile he decided to carry on.

'Okay well i told you mine, you wanna tell me yours Norma? Or we can move on to a different question.' Alex shuffled awkwardly in his seat, he worried that Norma was starting to rebuild those walls and he desperately wanted her to be open with him.

'What my first boyfriend? yeah?'

'Yeah, your first boyfriend, or first everything, seeing how Holly was all my firsts!'

Norma felt the familiar sick feeling in her stomach, this game wasn't as fun as it had been and Alex was getting closer and closer to knowing the real her. She didn't want to lie to him, not now, not ever again, but she couldn't exactly tell him that her first real love was her older brother, the first person she ever had sex with was also her older brother and she was thirteen at the time and also that the same said brother is her eldest sons father. No. There was no way to play this game truthfully. She was willing to accept ridiculous dares now if it meant not having to lie to Alex's face about her past. He deserved more than that.

'Oh right yeah, sorry, I was miles away. I don't really have a lot to tell, I was quite boring in school, never really had any friends. ' She wasn't lying, that part was the truth, Norma delicately tiptoed over her broken and fragile past careful to not say too much but conscious about not lying to Alex.

Alex was genuinely stunned to hear that Norma had been 'boring' in school. Surely she was playing it down and she must have had friends. He couldn't imagine her being on her own. He wanted to know more,

'Really?' He said sympathetically.

'Really what? What are you implying?'

'Oh nothing, i just figured that you'd be the popular girl fighting off all the boys'

Norma wasn't sure if she was offended or flattered by his remark, she knew he didn't mean it nastily.

She never didn't have a string of guys lining up, maybe a few that wouldn't take no for an answer so she would satisfy them but the only boy that chased her and owned her heart, was Caleb.

'No, no, they definitely weren't lining up. I wasn't that type of girl' Norma lied. She was. But he didn't need to know that just yet. She didn't want him to think of her like that, behind the school sheds making out with boys just because she felt she had to and wanted to feel loved and wanted. She also didn't want him to know that sometimes they got too handsy and would shove their hands up her skirt despite her saying no.

'Oh God Norma, i wasn't implying that you were that type of girl, im so sorry if you misunderstood me.'

'Its alright Alex, don't worry about it. But yeah..' She hesitated, second guessing about what she was to say, maybe she should just lie after all and pretend she had the perfect first time, maybe she could outdo Alex's spectacular first time. But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

'I...I was..um.. silly and lost my virginity pretty young, to somebody i thought i loved. He wasn't my boyfriend. Not really. It was pretty complicated actually. But I did love him, and he loved me...'

Norma faltered on her last few words 'He loved me' and ducked her head, she didn't want to meet Alex's gaze that she could feel boring into her, she knew he was concerned.

'Yeah so that's it really, nothing exciting. It is what it is'

'How young were you?'

Norma froze, repeating his question back to him to give her more time to think of an answer.

'Oh it doesn't really matter now, it was a long time ago. Let's move on to the next one.'

Alex was still somewhat concerned about Norma.

'Listen it's okay Norma, we don't need to talk about it, I know I don't have the right to quiz you on your life! You don't have to feel obligated to tell me anything. But if you ever did then i would be here. Always. You know that right?.'

Norma considered ripping the bandaid off then and there, getting it all out, every sordid and dirty secret she had. But even she knew that wasn't how Alex should find out, she owed it to him to tell him properly. Not like this. Norma grabbed the whiskey and took a couple of swigs.

'Alex...please don't judge me or think any less of me but...

Alex's shot her a confused and concerned look not sure where she was going with this,

'I was pretty young, I..I was thirteen'

Norma dropped her head into her hands, trying to hide how embarrassed she felt at admitting that, knowing it didn't sound good, knowing that it made her sound like a whore...her father's words, a word which seemed to be ingrained in her brain, everytime she was late home from school he assumed she was screwing around. The beatings also concreted the words 'whore'. That's what she grew up into, she thought. Even Dylan thought so.

'So yeah i was a little bit of a whore i guess, i guess i couldn't wait' Another blatant lie. Caleb never gave her a choice.

'Please don't say that, please don't ever call yourself that. Ever. Feelings are difficult at that age, hormones and peer pressure can be awful. But please believe me when i say that i don't think of you like that. And i never have'

Norma debated that in her head, she'd been with a fair few different people since knowing Alex, including his deputy.

Alex tried his absolute best to not look shocked or concerned, but so many thoughts were racing through his head, 'She was basically still a kid, she was thirteen. What the fuck. Why weren't her parents aware of what she was up to? Shit.'

Norma mustered a weak smile, trying to reassure him that she believed what he was saying when in fact she was struggling to, forcing back tears at how much he thought of her when he didn't even know her. How wrong could he be.

'Look Norma, I don't think any less of you, I promise. I guess at least the person you slept with you loved right? He loved you too though, right?...And... he...he... didn't hurt you?'

Alex wanted to kick himself at his last comment, but the officer in him felt the need to find out, not only that but as the man that loved her, he needed to know. He needed to know in case he had to break this guys legs.

Norma's heart raced as she tried to swallow her fear and disgust at herself,

'Oh nonono, he didn't hurt me. We both loved each other. A lot. Like i said it's just complicated!''

She smiled the sweetest smile she could to convince Alex she was telling the truth. Alex smiled back trying to reassure her that everything was okay, although he had this nagging feeling she wasn't exactly telling the truth, but he wouldn't push it, she would tell him when she was ready.

To be continued...