Sam had gotten better over the weeks. Not great but better than he was. He hadn't hit her in a while but he still made crude comments at her. And once the bedroom door was closed, he was still animalistic. She remembered the first time that Sam had taken her by force. It wasn't the first time she was taken by force but it was the first time he had done it to her.
She was having trouble getting turned on for him and he had become impatient. He ended up grabbing her hips, leaving bruises where his fingers dug into her hip bone as he pounded into her and finished himself off while she cried into a pillow.
That was just two weeks into their marriage.
Now, here they were, almost three years in and not much had changed between them. They were nice enough to each other but far from being in love.
"How was your day?" Norma asks Sam as she places his food in front of him. He seemed off today, like he was mulling something over in his head.
"Fine." he says simply.
"And yours?" he adds, grabbing his fork and knife.
"It was fine. I had lunch with Katie." she tells him. He looks up at her, his eyes burning holes into her skin.
"What else did you do?" he asks. She felt as if it were a trap. She knew she shouldn't have mentioned the lunch.
"Alex, are you awake?" Katie whispers into the darkness. He sighs before answering.
"Yeah. Can't sleep well during storms." he mumbles.
"I think I heard something outside." Katie whispers.
"It was probably just a tree branch." Alex says, his eyes remaining closed. They sit in silence for a few moments before being jolted awake by a pounding on their window. They both sit straight up and look to each other.
"Go!" Katie whispers, pushing Alex out of bed. He walks over to the window and opens the curtains, revealing a very wet and scared looking Norma Bates. Alex quickly opens the window and grabs her hips, helping her into his bedroom.
"Oh my god!" Katie says, getting out of bed as she notices the bruises and cuts on Norma.
"Can I stay here tonight?" Norma asks in a weak voice.
"Of course." Alex says without even glancing at Katie. Norma nods, her face crumpling as she begins to cry.
"Close the window." Alex tells Katie while he directs Norma out of their room. He guides her into the guest bedroom and grabs a towel to wrap around her.
"What did he do?" Alex asks, checking Norma's body for anything serious.
"I told him I had lunch with Katie and...and he hates when I spend money without asking." Norma tells Alex.
"Okay. You can sleep here tonight. I'll have Katie bring you some pajamas." Alex tells her.
"The boys." Norma squeaks out with worry.
"I'll go get them. Don't worry about it." he tells her. She nods and sits on the bed, wiping her tears with the warm towel.
"I'll be back." he tells her before leaving. He doesn't bother slipping on shoes before running out into the rain and going over to Norma's house to pound on the door. Sam answers it, a bottle of whiskey in his hand.
"I'm here for the boys." Alex says, walking in without waiting for Sam to move. Sam laughs and shakes his head.
"Whatever." he says before taking a swig of the alcohol. Alex walks up the stairs to grab Norman first, the toddler remaining asleep in his arms as he wakes Dylan up.
"We're gonna have a sleepover tonight, okay?" Alex asks, taking Dylan's small hand.
"Okay." Dylan says tiredly, allowing Alex to lead him out of the house. When they're on the porch, Alex leans down to pick up Dylan as well. He runs out into the rain, waking Norman up in the process. Once he reaches his house, he walks straight to the guest room where Norma is staying.
"You alright?" Alex asks again. She stands up, having already redressed in some dry pajamas.
"Thank you so much, Alex. Really. Thank you." Norma says, taking Norman from his arms. He lays Dylan on the bed next to Norman and turns back to Norma.
"Need anything else?" he asks her. Her blue eyes stare up at him, a small smile on her lips. She steps forward and wraps her arms around his waist, burying her nose into the crook of his neck. He smiles and hugs her back, enjoying the familiar feeling of having her body against his.
"So much for pushing each other away." he says with a smile.
"We just can't seem to shake each other, square." she says, pulling away.
"I'll be back in the morning. Goodnight, Norma." he tells her.
"Goodnight, Alex."
The next morning, Alex had woken up to get ready for work. He was working at the local sheriff's department as a deputy and he quite liked the job. Once he was completely dressed, he quietly snuck into the guest room to find Norma sleeping soundly with her two kids laying on top of her. It was quite a beautiful sight. Alex couldn't seem to tear his eyes away.
"Alex?" Katie whispers, appearing behind him.
"Hey." he says, glancing back at her.
"They sure are a beautiful family." Katie says, looking at them. Alex nods and closes the door silently.
"How long do you think they'll be here?" Katie asks, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"As long as they need to be." Alex says, slipping away from her.
"Why are you always like this?" Katie asks, not bothering to talk quietly anymore.
"Like what?" Alex asks.
"Short with me. Ever since you came back it's like...it's like you don't want to be around me." she says, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"I'm not short with you. I have to go. I don't have time to talk about this right now." he tells her, walking past her.
"See? Short. Not even a kiss goodbye." she calls out.
"Sometimes, I think you forget how lucky you are to have me." she tells him. He glances back at her once before walking out the door. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He couldn't seem to allow himself to feel loved. Katie was a perfect wife. She was beautiful, smart, funny, kind, and had the cutest southern accent. Yet he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that they were all wrong for each other.
They had married rather quick and now Alex felt as if maybe they had made a terrible mistake. Especially now that Norma was back in his life.
"Morning, kids." Katie says with a cigarette between her plump lips as she looks back to see the two boys walking into the kitchen sleepily. Katie was frying up some eggs for breakfast since it was the only thing she knew how to make.
"Morning, miss Katie." Dylan says with a big smile as he sits at the table. He helps Norman up into his chair before turning to Norma who is walking in. Katie glances over, her dark eyes scanning Norma's bruised and beaten body. She couldn't imagine what it was like being in her shoes. She especially couldn't imagine Sam being so violent. Sam was the sweetest guy Katie knew. If she was being honest, she had a small crush on the handsome man.
She couldn't picture him beating his own wife just for the hell of it. Maybe Norma was a really unbearable wife. Maybe she was the kind of woman that hit her husband, expecting that he wouldn't hit back. And maybe Sam had had enough of it.
Yeah, that's probably it. Katie thought, her eyes finally leaving Norma to look down at the eggs.
Katie had a feeling that Norma and Alex knew each other previously but every time Katie brings it up to Alex, he changes the subject.
"Where's Alex?" Norma asks, looking around.
"Work. Won't be back till around dinner time." Katie says, putting the eggs on a plate.
The home phone rings and Katie quickly grabs it, half hoping it would be Alex calling to apologize for being an ass.
"Hello?" Katie answers.
"Hello, Mrs. Romero. I was wondering if I could speak to my wife, please?" Sam asks gently. He had a kind voice. He can't be a violent man.
"Of course." Katie says with a smile. She turns to Norma and holds the phone out.
"Its for you." she tells her. Norma slowly stands up and grabs the phone, walking outside before answering.
"H-Hello?" Norma answers, leaning against the side of the house so that if Sam were looking over, she would be hidden.
"Norma...baby, I'm so sorry." Sam says softly. Norma can feel tears spring to her eyes. He was trying to charm his way back into her life and Norma was deeply afraid that she might let him. It was how these things always went.
"Sam-" she cries.
"Norma, please...I-I-I was drunk and stupid. God, I was so stupid. Please...I need my boys and I need you and..."he trails off.
Norma begins to cry, feeling helpless. She knew he was toxic but she could feel herself start to give into him.
"Don't cry." he says softly.
"Please, Sam. You...You have to let me go." she cries to him.
"This is killing me." she adds, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the palm of her hand.
"I know. I'll do better. I promise. Just come home." he begs. She shakes her head, sniffling.
Before she knew what she was doing, she was grabbing the boys and bringing them back into the toxic house. She had stayed at the Romero's for most of the day but decided to leave before Alex got home. She knew he would try to make them stay.
"Norma, babe, i'm so sorry." Sam says, grabbing her upper arms to pull her in for a hug. He was holding her so tightly that she felt as if she couldn't breathe. It was almost more possessive than it was loving.
"I'm just going to go and put the boys to sleep." Norma says, pulling away from him. She walks upstairs, Norman in her arms while Dylan trails behind her tiredly. She tucks them into bed, not having a problem getting them to go to sleep.
When she walks downstairs, she finds Sam finishing off a beer. Her stomach churns at the look that he gives her.
"Thought you could run to the neighbors? Find fucking safety from your own damn husband?" Sam snarls angrily, stepping toward her. Norma steps back but hits the wall behind her.
"Sam, I-"
His hand smacks her cheek, making her whole face sting.
"On your knees, bitch." he spits at her, grabbing her shoulder and pushing her down. He slowly unbuckles his belt and pushes his pants down while Norma continues to cry. He grabs her by her hair, forcing her onto him. She should've never come back to this house.
Every night after that seemed to play out this way. She would put the kids to bed and then Sam would become a different man.
Every night, she hears it in her dreams: the screams that no one else could hear.
So sorry for the delay in updates! I just got back from vacation this morning and I am working hard on getting some chapters up and ready for you all. Thank you for the love and support!
xoxo