Author's Notes: This is for readers who want to continue the story, we'll see how far this goes and how it will end up. I hope I don't disappoint you with the ideas I have floating around in my head.

Also sorry for the delay with this continuing chapter, your messages and reviews were absolutely lovely and encouraging. If you want more, let me know.

*This isn't edited yet*

I hope you enjoy….

Chapter 15: Everything Changes

Norma notices her youngest son blink his eyes open, not knowing if her confession was overheard or not. She reaches her hand to gently touch Norman's arm as a sign of support and security.

"Mother?" He asks in confusion, groggy from his previous unconscious state.

"Yes, honey I'm right here." She reassures with caution, unsure of her son's reaction to this latest episode.

The young man sits up and slumps backwards against the headboard of his bed while slowly scanning the semi-darkened room in puzzlement before realizing he is in his own room. "What happened?" He asks faintly and then promptly squeezes his eyes shut when a lightning bolt of pain shoots through his skull. Quickly Norman touches his forehead with his fingertips and then moves them to his temple, applying pressure in an attempt to soothe the newly discovered migraine plaguing him. "Everything is blank, I can't remember anything."

"It's okay sweetie, everything will be alright." Norma speaks with a quietened voice, carefully moving to sit next to her distraught son. Once Norma sits close she wraps her arm around Norman's shoulders, causing him to collapse into his mother's side.

Norman sniffles and rubs his cheek against his mother's shoulder, feeling more at ease when he senses her lips kiss the top of his head as if he's five years old again. "I think I did something," his voice cracks and becomes almost inaudible. "I'm sorry mother, but I don't know what I did?" Since this isn't the first time Norman's lost time without a hint of recollection, he fears the worst and internally panics.

"I promise everything will be alright," she continues to chant softly, rocking him back and forth until she feels him go limp in her hold. Just as when he was a small child, Norma doesn't let go.

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"Done." Dylan declares with a yawn as he shuffles his feet toward the kitchen table, collapsing his emotionally and physically exhausted body on the nearest chair. After resting his elbows on the tabletop, Dylan drops his forehead to his hands and sighs.

Emma smiles fondly at her clearly fatigued boyfriend. She couldn't be prouder of how Dylan handled such a challenging day. Not only has he acknowledged his family's feelings, but his own as well. Emotions which have finally been freed after being buried so deeply for years.

Dylan peeks his tired baby blues upward to meet Emma's caring brown eyes, immediately noticing a familiar tiny grin on her lips. He drops his head to his hands again and groans. "I don't want to talk about this again."

Her smile falters in hearing the tone of Dylan's voice. "But, I do." Emma responds without hesitation, almost as if she knew the words her boyfriend was going to say before he actually spoke. "After seeing everything I saw when I stepped through the door, I'm convinced more than ever we should tell her."

Dylan snaps his neck upwards and through a clenched jaw responds harshly, but still careful of his volume so he doesn't disturb his mother or brother upstairs. "I am not discussing this anymore. I will tell her when I am ready and that is final." He drops his forearms to the tabletop, slapping it with the palm of his hands louder than intended. Out of frustration, Dylan abruptly stands causing the legs of the chair he was sitting on to screech along the kitchen floor.

Emma's eyes widen at her boyfriend's movements and severe reaction, even winces when the sudden noise interrupts the previous quiet. "Please don't disappear again," Emma whispers as she follows Dylan's footsteps with her gaze.

In hearing Emma's words, Dylan instantly stills before he briefly turns his focus to connect her stare. "I made a promise Emma. I just need some air," he mutters under his breath and then continues to leave the room without looking back a second time.

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The Sheriff reaches the last few stairs leading to the Bates' front door, but then sharply stops his movements when he notices Dylan sitting on the top steps with a disappointed look etched on his face. "Massett?" He questions quietly as he carefully approaches the young man.

Dylan breaks out of his glare, so lost in his own thoughts he actually flinches at the Sheriff's simple calling of his name. Quickly Dylan glances up in surprise at the intrusion. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I told my deputies I'm out of the office for the rest of my shift," Romero answers casually with a shrug to his shoulders before he takes a seat on the step next to the young man.

Dylan glances to his left and side eyes him skeptically. "Can you even do that?"

"Well, I am the boss and technically I'm investigating a drug bust at the moment." The Sheriff straightens the gun belt secured around his waist and rests his feet on the stair in front of him, matching the young man's posture. "That part will be our little secret," Romero advises as he flashes a smirk. "My guys know if they need me, I'll be there to back them up."

The Sheriff becomes quiet after speaking, allowing the opportunity for the young man next to him to hopefully share whatever is bothering him. Even though he can appear stoic in his expression, Romero always appreciated his chats with Dylan. He can only hope, Dylan will once again feel comfortable speaking with him.

After minutes of silence pass by, the Sheriff becomes impatient and can't control the urge not to speak any longer. "So, are you going to tell me why you're sitting out here?"

Dylan is silent for a few seconds more before he moves to lean his elbows on his knees and then laces his own fingers together, squeezing them tight enough in his grip to display white knuckles. "I just needed some fresh air," he tries to sound relaxed, though the agitation he's feeling is probably evident in his tone. "Anyway Emma has that list you wanted, but you don't have to replace everything that was broken. It's our responsibility, not yours."

Romero raises a brow at the already disgruntled attitude Dylan is displaying. "Did something else happen after I left?"

"We're not friends Sheriff," Dylan mumbles with a visible eye roll. "You lied. In case you forgot that little detail."

Romero sighs in exasperation. "I haven't forgotten. But, I also haven't forgotten at one point we used to have some pretty good conversations. We all need a listening ear at some point," Romero then turns his neck to face Dylan with an empathetic appearance. "I'm letting you know right now, you have one."

When Dylan still doesn't make a sound, the Sheriff moves to stand but freezes instantly when he finally hears Dylan's broken voice speak. "I just sort of feel lost right now. I shouldn't be thinking of myself though, not when my brother is going through all of this."

Situating himself to his original position on the step once again, Romero listens and waits for the young man to continue without any prompting. A technique he's learned and has used throughout his many years in law enforcement.

Again the two sit in stillness until Dylan clears his throat and decides to continue. "I'm being selfish. None of this is about me, I know. But, for some reason I can't escape all of the pressure I'm feeling right now. Pressure from Norma to fix my brother, pressure to heal my relationship with her, pressure from Emma to- to. N-nevermind." He stutters the last part of his confession, internally condemning himself for almost exposing his secret about Emma. "I'm not sure where I fit in this family, or if I fit anywhere at all."

Romero hums in response as acknowledgment in hearing Dylan's admission, holding back the impulse to bring up Dylan's slip up in mentioning Emma's name. This isn't the time he thinks to himself; however, Norma would probably give him a strong kick to the shin if she found out he let the opportunity to pry in her son's private life slip away. He shakes the thought from his head and instead concentrates on Dylan's apparent inner turmoil. "You're not selfish for feeling something. You deserve to have an opinion on all of this, Massett. It's –"

Dylan interrupts the Sheriff before he can finish. "Don't call me Massett anymore," he mutters under his breath squeezing his eyes briefly. "That name doesn't really belong to me."

Romero's face almost instantly pales. The Sheriff should've realized this would be a delicate subject for the young man, especially since the painful wound was reopened through the confrontation with his mother mere hours ago. "Right, sorry I wasn't thinking."

While dropping his head lower, Dylan attempts to regain the walls he's always emotionally built around him. He despises feeling vulnerable around others, and inwardly begins to panic because he can feel his emotional strength fade. "I- I don't want to talk about this anymore. I shouldn't have said anything."

"Alright. Just remember if you do need someone to listen, I'm here. Well, technically I'm intently investigating something but I can always have another investigation to hear what you have to say," the Sheriff uses air quotes with a smirk and a chuckle. He then promptly stands up on the last step to turns around to continue to walk to the front door.

"Um, yeah. Thanks Sheriff." Dylan responds in a barely-there volume, without bothering to move his sight from staring off in the direction of the motel.

Romero flashes a large grin the young man can't see. "My name is actually Alex, not Sheriff. How about you call me Alex from now on." He remarks light heartedly, finishing his words again with a chuckle. He glances over his shoulder to notice the back of Dylan's head nodding in a silent response. Romero continues to smile with an added bounce in his walk as he strides through the entryway.

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After his conversation with a teary eyed Emma, which was mostly spent with her trying to convince the Sheriff she was actually tired and not upset despite the occasional sniffle that escaped while she spoke, he shoves the list of broken items into his pocket and jogs upstairs to surprise his love. His heart races in anticipation with each step he takes.

Once Romero reaches the end of the staircase, he's just in time to see Norma cautiously and quietly tip toe out of Norman's room. In seeing her boyfriend standing in front of her, Norma puts her right index finger to her lips to signal the need for quiet as she carefully shuts the door behind her.

Immediately when her hand releases the handle, Norma slowly glides her body closer to him. Up close, it's impossible for him not to notice her red rimmed eyes and tear stained cheeks which seem to shimmer in dim light of the hallway. Her baby blues sparkle even more than usual, mesmerizing the Sheriff so much he doesn't even realize she is now leading him by the hand up to the third floor.

Once they cross the entryway to the empty guest room, Norma continues to hold his left hand in her right. She then suddenly turns to face him while reaching her free hand for his, immediately weaving their fingers together. As he holds both of her dainty hands in his grasp, Romero feels how her touch has gradually grown cold along with the expression on her face.

All of a sudden the Sheriff senses his throat constrict and his breath become shallow, almost to the point where he feels lightheaded. He desperately tries to connect his gaze with hers, but she seems to be looking everywhere but into his eyes. He squeezes his fingers in between hers in a last attempt to gain her attention, causing her to startle and look in his direction. Once their eyes finally connect, he knows everything between them is about to change.

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Thank you to those who are still on this ride with me! I'm hoping to be quicker with the next chapter :)