Author's Notes: Italic font represents a memory. I have no idea if I specified the season in earlier chapters, so I am setting it as late August. Also, here I go again inserting music into the storyline. (Look for Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved")

*This is not edited, but I definitely owe all of you a chapter. The holidays have taken a toll on my free time!

Please let me know what you think by leaving a review because I'm not sure if I'm on a good track or a bad one with this fiction. I'm sort of just letting the story happen with no plan anymore so it may be a tad longer than I originally thought. I'm not even sure exactly what's going to happen anymore.

Hopefully there are still readers out there enjoying this!

Chapter 21: Someone You Loved

Dylan slowly blinks his eyes open to be met with an unfamiliar light beige ceiling. As he rests on his back on top of a soft comforter that he's never felt before, Dylan squeezes his eyelids shut to avoid the light of sunshine blaring through the blinds. Within seconds Dylan springs to his feet, immediately grabbing his head due to a sharp pain shooting across his forehead from the quick movement. The young man glances down, noticing he's still wearing his now wrinkled dress pants and shirt with his tie thrown to the floor along with his suit jacket. Apparently he was so exhausted last night, he didn't get under the sheets of the bed or even remove his shoes.

Dylan groans as he struggles to remember where he is.

After a few seconds, a realization hits him when he suddenly recalls the events of the previous night. With another painful moan, Dylan moves his sluggish body to sit on the edge of the bed while gradually moving his hands down his face until he ultimately rests them on his thighs. After a deep breath, Dylan begins to recall the moment when he decided to stop at a local bar after the conversation with the Sheriff for a drink, which ultimately turned into more than a few.

In speaking with Romero yesterday, he realized something that disturbed him greatly.

While sitting in the little bar establishment just outside the city limits of White Pine Bay last night, Dylan had an epiphany. He's exactly like his mother. The thought sent chills down his spine and the only way he could think of to clear this troubling realization from his mind was to fall back into his old pattern, alcohol.

The problem is after the first drink, the idea remained firmly in his thoughts. After the second and third, Dylan continued to make correlations between Norma and himself. He couldn't help but think about how he's been treating Emma the same as his mother has been handling her relationship with the Sheriff. The notion makes him drink his fourth drink faster, as well as his fifth.

In the past, Dylan would've continued to drink his problems away until he passed out but this time he stopped himself. A pair of deep brown eyes flashed through his thoughts, compelling him to push away the sixth drink and to stand on wobbly legs from his bar stool.

With careful steps, Dylan stumbled outside and welcomed the fresh breeze of the evening to sweep across his face. The air sobered him a little, though not enough to drive.

Emma's good sense had been influencing him, which made him smile to himself. In the past, Dylan may not have made the right decision, but since being with Emma he's come to realize his previous dangerous ways. As he staggered through his first few steps, Dylan began to regain his balance again as he walked next door to a small yet somewhat charming motel.

With a shake of his head, Dylan carefully hoists his drained body from the bed and gathers his tie along with his crumpled suit jacket from the floor. After pulling the tie loosely around his neck and shoving his arms through the disheveled sleeves of his jacket, Dylan scans the area to ensure he leaves nothing behind and then exits the room. It isn't until he's officially checking out of the motel that he notices the clock. How could so many hours pass without him even noticing?

After paying for the room plus a little extra due to an unexpected late check out, Dylan strides to his truck and climbs inside. In starting the engine, he grabs his phone from his pants pocket and quickly plugs it into the power source when he notices his battery had died at some point yesterday. He inhales deep in his lungs while he reverses out of the lot and then slowly exhales as his wheels hit the pavement of the open road. With his eyes steady on the road, Dylan's mind drifts and focuses only on what next steps he needs to take to make things right with Emma. He can't let her slip through his fingers like she has before.

XXXX

Norma starts cleaning the kitchen after an early dinner. A dinner her eldest son once again missed with absolutely no communication. Norma would be lying if she said this silence gave her no concern. In fact, Norma has been on edge since yesterday when Dylan didn't show up to a special gathering she arranged for Emma's departure. While it is true the celebratory dinner was a last minute plan including only four people, her intention was to mend whatever strain seemed to be plaguing the relationship between Emma and her eldest son. Unfortunately as the time continued to pass, Norma noticed Emma's hopefulness seem to dim. The twinkle in her eyes when the close-knit party began, faded throughout the night when the person she wanted to see the most never showed.

Norma noticed the young woman step out of the room as discretely as she could when only four people are involved, to what Norma believes were attempts to reach Dylan. In seeing Emma's disappointment turn into sadness, Norma began to also try to contact her eldest son only to be disappointed with each unanswered ring. Even the volumes of text messages she sent were left with no response. Still with the three other guests, Norma couldn't help but feel alone without the Sheriff by her side in addition to the noticeably missing Dylan.

As she washes the last dirty dish for the evening, Norma approaches the table to take a seat. Norman left the kitchen minutes ago to start his shift at the hotel office. With White Pine Bay's big last day of summer celebration tonight, the hotel is busier than usual since there is an influx of visitors from surrounding areas for the weekend. Because Emma's last day as an employee of the motel was yesterday, responsibilities will be squarely on the shoulders of Norma and her youngest son due to Dylan being occupied with his own business to run. Convinced all Norman needs is to gain more responsibilities in his life, Norma assigns more hours and tasks when it comes to motel.

Norman has been different lately, almost as if he's at ease again. She's hoping this change in behavior is from the extra obligations of the business rather than what she fears, the lack of the Sheriff's presence. Though Norma hasn't actually announced her relationship to her youngest son, Norman is extremely perceptive and secretive. For this reason, she's pretty sure Norman knows about the love affair she's desperately tried to hide from him. Recently she's jumped to the conclusion that Norman has indeed figured out her undisclosed relationship, which has caused him to act up with more episodes when the Sheriff's presence was more frequent.

But the most difficult aspect of giving up the one thing that has brought the special cure for her loneliness is each day without Alex causes her own heart to break more and more, in fact she's close to shattering completely. Even with the occasional cheeky banter or disagreement with the Sheriff, Norma felt better than her life without him in it. Of course, Norma wants both her sons to be happy but should it always be at the expense of her own contentment? Doesn't she deserve to have her own fairytale ending?

With her emotions stirred up since her eldest son's disappearing act and an entirely restless sleep the night before, Norma especially misses her soulmate. She just needs to hear his voice, reassuring her everything will be alright. Therefore, earlier that morning Norma decided to throw caution into the wind and contact the Sheriff.

In her absolute desperation to hear the man's voice, Norma called Alex. She cleverly disguised it as a concern regarding Dylan's whereabouts, but sadly the Sheriff didn't answer. Using the same excuse, Norma called the non-emergency line in hopes of reaching her love. Dejectedly, her request to speak with Sheriff Romero was denied. Norma cleverly covered her frustration by reporting the disappearance of her eldest son to the officer who did answer her call, only to receive a message later stating Dylan was seen last night and not to worry.

However her uneasiness remains, especially since she has yet to see her son walk through the door.

She remains quiet, so quiet that only the sound of the clock ticking in the living room is heard. The woman stares at her phone resting on the tabletop next to her, contemplating if she should try reaching out to Alex again. Norma pauses just as her fingertip is to touch the screen, second guessing herself. As she goes to once again dial the Sheriff, Norma hears the front door open.

Abandoning her train of thought, Norma jumps from her seat and follows the sound in a rush. "Dylan!" The woman yells out of both excitement and anger as she approaches her son. When Norma is close enough, she wraps her arms around him with a sigh of relief. "Where were you?" She asks with tears in her eyes, growing even more concerned in noticing Dylan's tousled appearance and the hint of alcohol on his clothes. "I've been worried sick! You wouldn't answer my calls."

Dylan raises a brow at his mother's reaction and takes a step backwards, out of her arm's reach. "I was nowhere," he snaps while moving past her but stops when he feels her hand tightly grip his bicep. He's apparently harboring some resentment toward his mother, remembering how he may not be so different from her. Maybe it isn't fair of him to blame her for his own relationship issues, but it's easier. "I just have some things to take care of and then I'm leaving again."

"We were worried," Norma responds in a whisper while releasing her son's arm.

Dylan turns to face her with a puzzled look. "Who's we?"

Norma attempts to hide her smile, knowing this is going to be her chance to bring up Emma. She probably shouldn't mettle in her son's life, but Norma just can't sit back and watch Dylan make the same mistakes as her. "Well, me and your brother of course." Norma looks up to see Dylan roll his eyes and begin to turn away from her. "And Emma." A smile forms on her lips when Dylan's movements freeze before quickly turning on his heels with widened eyes.

"Emma? She was here last night?" He questions, careful not to show too much emotion as he asks but he fails.

"Yes honey. I was trying to reach you yesterday because we had a special dinner with Emma and her father as a going away celebration last night." Norma hides a smirk when she continues, knowing she's about to deceive her son though she considers it to be for a good cause. Maybe the urgency of her words will spark something in the young man, hopefully he'll realize what he could lose if he doesn't act now. "Emma is leaving early in the morning, if she hasn't already."

"What? She's not supposed to leave for a few days?" Dylan pauses in the realization of his eager tone. "I mean, I thought she was going to be here awhile longer."

"She was supposed to be sweetie, but before Emma left last night she mentioned how it was time for her to go." Norma observes her eldest son's shoulders slump forward and his head drop slightly in what appears to be rejection. This may not have been th.e best idea, seeing Dylan's reaction causes a tinge of sadness to strike in her chest. "Maybe you could call her? I can give you her number."

Dylan clears his throat and fidgets with his suit jacket. "Um, actually she gave it to me one time. I probably still have it in my phone," he answers awkwardly while quickly moving around his mother toward the front door with Norma hurriedly following him.

"Where are you going?" Norma asks with a knowing smile, already knowing where he plans to race off to. "You just got here!"

Stopping abruptly, Dylan turns to face his mother with one hand turning the doorknob. "I just have a few things to take care of," he states with a slightly reassuring grin. "Don't let fear decide your happiness, Norma. In the end we all deserve it." Dylan utters under his breath as he steps through the door.

XXXX

Emma finds herself drowning in gloom with an open suitcase sitting at the end of her bed. Emma's new life is supposed to begin with her soulmate by her side in a few days, but instead her journey will start alone and much quicker than she thought. Tears slowly creep down her cheeks as she lies her exhausted body down, flipping on her side to ball up in almost a fetus position. Then in an attempt to quiet her destructive thoughts, Emma puts a pair of earbuds in her ears and allows the music to calm her nerves.

A song Emma used to love singing along with in secret, now just doesn't seem the same when she hears it. Now it seems to be the wounded ballad defining her exact existence, instead of a carefree chance to exercise her vocal chords. (Lewis Capaldi "Someone You Loved").

I'm going under and this time I fear there's no one to save me
This all or nothing really got a way of driving me crazy
I need somebody to heal
Somebody to know
Somebody to have
Somebody to hold
It's easy to say
But it's never the same
I guess I kinda liked the way you numbed all the pain

Emma sighs sadly as the first verse echoes through her mind…

Now the day bleeds
Into nightfall
And you're not here
To get me through it all
I let my guard down
And then you pulled the rug
I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved

She sniffles through the next verse, feeling every emotion the song stirs awake…

I'm going under and this time I fear there's no one to turn to
This all or nothing way of loving got me sleeping without you
Now, I need somebody to know
Somebody to heal
Somebody to have
Just to know how it feels
It's easy to say but it's never the same
I guess I kinda liked the way you helped me escape

The third verse continues to tug at her soul, until nothing is left.

And I tend to close my eyes when it hurts sometimes
I fall into your arms
I'll be safe in your sound 'til I come back around

She squeezes her eyes shut tightly, not even hearing the end of the song. With a deep inhale, Emma reopens her eyes to see her door slowly open. She sits up, glancing at the doorway to see her dad flash a sympathetic smile.

"Emma? Are you alright?" He speaks softly and then catches a glimpse of her suitcase. "Are you packing already?"

The young woman pulls the earbuds from her ears and throws them on her nightstand. "I'm leaving tomorrow," Emma whispers as she walks toward one of her dressers and pulls some clothes from a drawer.

"But, you were pretty insistent on waiting for another few days. You even told Norma last night that you wouldn't be leaving just yet because you needed time. What changed?" William asks as he slowly approaches her, concerned with the sudden shift in his daughter's plans.

Trying to avoid her father's question, Emma keeps her head down and continues to move back and forth from the dresser to the bed at a steady pace, placing each folded article of clothing in her suitcase with care. Emma stops dead in her tracks when she finally looks up and notices the troubled look on her father's face. "I just don't have a reason to stay any longer."

William presses the issue further while taking a seat on the edge of the bed, next to the suitcase. "Talk to me. What has happened?"

Knowing she can no longer keep this secret from her father, Emma closes her now full to capacity luggage and takes a deep breath before she begins to explain.

XXXX

Dylan hastily parks his truck out front of the Decody residence, heart jack-rabbiting in his chest and breath struggling through his lungs. As he knocks on the front door, Dylan feels his breath almost run out due to anticipation and hope that he'll see Emma open the door.

His hopes are dashed when it was Mr. Decody answering the door.

"Dylan?" William questions as he steps in the now open doorway with a raised brow, taking in the young man's disheveled appearance. His expression softens in noticing the state of distress Dylan seems to be in.

The young man can't help the frown appearing on his face in disappointment, but then fear strikes him. What if Emma left already? "I'm sorry to bother you Sir. I need to speak with Emma."

A pause passes, before William speaks again. His daughter coached him with what to say if Dylan ever showed up on his door step, but in seeing him standing in front of him in obvious pain William starts to feel doubt. Ultimately seeing his beloved daughter with reddened puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks only an hour ago causes William to make the decision to follow her wishes, regardless of the young man's presence.

"I'm sorry Dylan she isn't here," William reluctantly informs, noticing Dylan's shoulders slump and his head hang low as he continues to express his daughter's rehearsed words. "She has left for college earlier today. I'm afraid I don't have any more information for you right now." He doesn't miss how Dylan bites down on his bottom lip, maybe to disguise despair which makes the older man feel even worse about relaying this message. His voice softens, "I can let her know you stopped by when she calls. Emma told me I would hear from her when she settles into her room. Or you can try contacting her?"

Dylan shuffles his feet slightly with his focus trained on his feet, the volume of his voice barely above a whisper. "I tried, but she didn't answer. I don't think she wants to hear from me. I messed things up with her, probably to the point she no longer wants to speak with me." He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose briefly before dropping the hand to his side. "I just wanted, well, I wanted to apologize. I don't know how much you know about Emma and me, maybe you don't know anything about us. But, sir I care about your daughter." The young man shakes his head once and glues his focus to the ground both out of nervousness and embarrassment in his explanation, "Actually care isn't a strong enough word. I love your daughter and I screwed up. I wanted to give her a promise, though now I realize it's all too late." He looks up and holds out his hand to shake the older man's, which William easily reciprocates with a small smile. "Take care of yourself Sir," Dylan mentions before turning his back to the Decody residence without waiting for a response.

After walking away, each step toward his truck becomes more difficult for Dylan but he forces himself to pull his drained body inside and drive away with tears prickling his eyes.

It's over, officially over.

The realization devastates him, causing everything else to fade into the background. As he continues to move down the abnormally busy city streets on the way to his cabin, Dylan begins to feel light headed and his lungs grow constricted. With panic setting in and stars starting to dance throughout his vision, Dylan makes a quick decision to pull his truck over in haste. After struggling with his seatbelt, Dylan races out of the suffocating vehicle and into the open air in an attempt to catch his breath.

Using the palm of his hands as a brace on his thighs to steady his shaking body, Dylan finally is able to fill his lungs with the fresh air surrounding him and gradually regain control of himself. When he physically feels almost normal again, the young man hoists his back to an upright position with a groan. He concentrates on the soothing waves of the water he stands in front of, which happens to be located directly across from his cabin.

Closing his eyes, Dylan inhales deeply and allows the tranquility of nature to calm his raging nerves. When time passes, he begins to relax even though Emma doesn't leave his thoughts. When he turns around, Dylan notices his truck door was left wide open in his compulsion to escape. Slowly, he strides to the truck and closes the door with intentions to return back to his resting spot near the water. Though something or rather someone catches his attention after slamming his door shut. He notices the Sheriff leaning against one of the buildings downtown, observing the crowd attending the town's celebration.

The odd thing is he appears not to be in his deputy uniform and doesn't seem to be conducting any sort of police business. The man's focus appears random, almost as if he's looking for someone. Could he be searching for Norma in hopes she'll make an appearance?

In noticing these subtle observations, Dylan smirks while pulling his phone from his pocket and types out a message to a specific recipient… his mother. If Dylan can't solve his own relationship woes, maybe he can fix what is broken with Norma and Romero. The sentiment makes him feel a bit better.

XXXX

William slowly shuts the door after watching the young man drive away, somewhat quickly and maybe a little erratically. When William turns around he's met with the sorrowful stare of his daughter. "You heard him didn't you?"

Emma immediately covers her face, feeling tears quickly roll down her already dampened cheeks. She nods a few times, hands unmoving with a sniffle escaping and body shuddering.

In seeing his daughter's devastating reaction, William is at her side in an instant with his arms quickly wrapping around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. While in the embrace with her father, Emma babbles incoherently in between sobs with her shoulders trembling in sadness. William can only continue to hold her as a sign of support, allowing her to take the time she needs to make a decision regarding the unexpected visit with her boyfriend or rather ex-boyfriend apparently.

After about 15 minutes pass, Emma pulls away from her father's comforting grip. She takes a deep breath and wipes the tears from her eyes with her shaky fingertips. "I have to go after him Dad," she whispers.

William smiles, "I know."

XXXX

Alright Nomero fans, this chapter was heavily filled with Dylemma and I'm sorry if that's disappointing. This story is still very much Nomero focused and I promise Nomero will be the concentration of the next chapter! I just hope this chapter wasn't a failure, I want to have all of the characters come full circle and really demonstrate how similar both relationships are.

Thank you to all of my readers!