Author's Note: There is a scene in the beginning of the chapter that reminded me of the show. I actually haven't seen the show in a while, but for some reason that moment popped into my head and I thought it fit for this.

*There is another portion of this chapter that touches on the reason for the past strained relationship between Dylan and Norma. I would explore this a little more if I continue writing. It won't be the same or nearly as intense as in my other fiction, "Back to You."

*Thank you all for reading and commenting! It truly helps me!

*I didn't get a chance to edit before posting, but I will later.

*I apologize in advance. This isn't my best chapter and it's shortened but if I carry on with this, I promise the next will be better. I hope you enjoy this regardless of its flaws …

Chapter 4: Reassurance

Before the Sheriff could stop her, Norma whips the passenger side door open and runs toward the entrance of the building. Luckily, the young couple had already disappeared inside by the time Norma rushes in their direction.

As Norma is about to grab for the door, she is startled by a pair of arms wrapping around her. She struggles against his hold, but his grip only grows tighter when he pulls her back into his chest.

A husky whisper tickles her ear drum, causing her to skin to shiver and a tiny gasp to leave her lungs. "Do you really want to draw attention to yourself, Norma?"

She shakes her head once and quickly scans the area, noticing another couple slowly approaching them. Norma takes a tentative step backwards and turns to face Alex with a slight frown. "Fine, we'll go." She responds quietly, now dropping her focus to the ground and moving away from the door so the other couple can enter.

When the door closes, Norma snaps out of her pretend desire to leave the situation and wiggles out of the Sheriff's loosened grasp. The sound of hurried clicking heels on the cracked pavement can be heard until all of a sudden there is no sound at all.

"Damn it," Romero swears under his breath realizing the woman he loves got the better of him once again. He breaks into a jog as he searches for Norma, knowing she has run to the backyard of the ballroom.

The Sheriff can't help but chuckle at the scene of his love with her white knuckled fingers curled around the bottom windowsill of a small foggy window, wavering on her unsteady tip toes in an attempt to peek inside.

After letting out a sigh of exasperation, Romero marches forward in determination until he's close enough to capture her thin waist in his firm grasp. Norma flinches at the unexpected touch, releases the sill from her claw-like grip and then attempts to swat his hands away with her own.

"You've had your fun Norma, but now it's time to leave." He states sternly, in a lowered volume. "You need to leave those kids alone."

"No!" She whisper-yells as she again tries to twist from his hold and lunge toward the window. "I have to see what is happening between those two!"

Romero rolls his eyes and adjusts their position to unexpectedly lift Norma up onto his right shoulder in a fireman's carry. With a grunt he turns their bodies toward the direction of the car, earning a loud yelp from the woman. "I've had enough of this!" He groans as he marches forward on the uneven ground, absorbing the many kicks Norma attempts to connect with his torso. "You have to stop trying to controlling everything!"

Norma finally relents and seizes her assaults against the Sheriff's body when his shoes hit concrete. Gradually, he lowers her figure to her feet and cups her face with his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I love you Norma, but you need to let this go. He seems to be happy, isn't that what is really important?" He then lifts his chin and lowers hers to place a chaste kiss to her forehead.

Closing her eyes briefly, Norma allows herself to take comfort in the lips touching her skin. "Yes, but what about Norman?" She asks quietly, almost as if she's asking herself the question. "Emma is the only girl for him. His true love."

"You need to leave this alone," he whispers in concern. "Whatever happen, will happen. You can't force anything."

Norma steps away from the man in response and hesitantly nods at Alex's words, even though she knows this will not be a subject she'll abandon. She needs to find out how serious her eldest son's relationship truly is, even if she has to keep her mission a secret from the man she loves.

All she can think about as the Sheriff leads her back to his car by the hand is that Dylan simply doesn't belong with Emma.

XXXX

"This place is truly beautiful," Emma smiles as she looks around the room at the twinkly lights hanging over the dance floor. "Thank you for bringing me here."

Dylan grins in return, internally proud of himself for finding the elegant restaurant several miles away from White Pine Bay. "I'm glad you like it. I thought we should go somewhere nice for our six month anniversary."

Their private moment is momentarily interrupted as the waiter brings them their drinks, setting a glass of red wine in front of Dylan and a non-alcoholic fancy drink in front of Emma.

After the waiter leaves their table, Dylan picks up his drink by the glass's stem and presses the rim to his lips for a tiny sip. His face scrunches instantly and his eyes close for a second as he moves the wine away and sets it back on the table.

"Not really a wine drinker, are you?" Emma giggles quietly in noticing her boyfriend's disgusted expression.

"Well, truth is I'm more of a beer man but I thought I would give this a try since I'm not sure this is a beer place and I sort of wanted to impress you," his cheeks tint pink in a bit of embarrassment while his eyes shift downward to glare at the table.

"You always impress me, Dylan." Emma mentions with a wink. "Plus you look very handsome in your suit."

"If I haven't mentioned this yet, you look beautiful this evening." He returns the wink and flashes a smirk.

She reaches across the table to intertwine her fingers with his. "You have mentioned it, several times in fact but I definitely enjoy hearing it every time."

Time continues to pass as they exchange pleasant banter over candlelight; however, Emma notices her boyfriend is distracted. It would only be slightly noticeable to a stranger, but to Emma it is vividly clear something is bothering him and she's pretty sure she knows what it is.

"Are you worried about your mom?" She finally asks with hesitation, not wanting to upset him.

Dylan's eyes widen in shock, not realizing his drifting thoughts are also visually noticeable. He doesn't want to ruin their special evening, but it appears he's done just that with the concerns he hasn't been able to shake for weeks. "I don't want to talk about this Emma, not now anyway." He grumbles, hoping she'll drop the painful subject.

"Okay. But, you can talk to me about anything," she attempts to meet his focus to show her willingness to be a listening ear.

Dylan fills his lungs with a deep breath and slowly releases it while maintaining eye contact with his girlfriend. He knows she won't drop the subject until he explains, she's similar to his mother in that way.

"I don't want my mom to be the way she was before," he sighs in frustration. "It's hard to explain because you didn't know her in the past." Dylan then pauses for a moment in remembering some not so pleasant memories. "I can only say I don't want things to return to the way they were."

XXXX

A gentle hand finds a place on Norma's left thigh during the drive home. She's been staring out the window in silence, watching the trees sway as they drive by at a constant speed. The vehicle is quiet, minus the stray rocks crunching under the tires of the highway pavement and the almost soothing hum of the engine.

The Sheriff has become increasingly more concerned while they travel home. He's not used to Norma being without words or her focus not being on him. "Norma? Is everything alright?"

Norma settles back in her seat and looks to her left to meet her love's eyes. Setting the palm of her hand above his, she quickly tangles her fingers within his. "I was just thinking about Dylan."

Romero's hand instinctively squeezes her thigh briefly to reassure her it is safe to share her feelings with him, especially in regards to such a sensitive subject.

In feeling the softened compress to her leg, Norma readily trusts Alex and begins to share her typically hidden thoughts. "I do love him, you know. It may seem like I don't, but I do," a stray tear slides down her right cheek.

"I have never doubted that for a second Norma," he flashes a smile in her direction before returning his eyes back to the road.

She returns the smile, feeling cautious yet also comfortable with sharing her inner beliefs with the man she loves. All of a sudden, the sensation of a million butterflies swirl around inside her stomach from the new emotion she's experiencing. The feeling of pure love and security, something new to her.

With this new emotion Norma feels free from the invisible restraints she's felt locked within for years. A willingness to share her secrets with the Sheriff seem less scary at the moment, leading to unfiltered words to leave her lips.

"I've always had a difficult relationship with Dylan and I can't blame him for any of it. None of this is his fault, none of it," she sniffles and then uses her right hand to wipe away the wetness from her cheek. "I've let him down, Alex. Not just once, but several times."

Romero keeps his stare on the road ahead of him, but he nods in encouragement for her to continue. "I actually forgot about my own son. So much of my life was consumed with Norman and his father that most of the time I didn't spare even a thought to Dylan," she sighs in sadness. "He was such a good and loving child. I ruined him."

"You haven't ruined him Norma. Yes, he went through a rough patch when he first came here but he's become a responsible young man and you helped with that by bringing him into your home again."

"No, you don't understand." She shakes her head with a whimper before continuing.

"I left him Alex," she gasps with a haggard breath at the miserable memory. "I literally left my young son to fend for himself."