Non-con trigger warning!


The four had talked for hours more, immediately at ease in each other's company, picking at an almost constant stream of food and drinks that Sarah had kept bringing out. Eventually, after Norma could no longer politely conceal her yawns, Alex had interrupted Gabe and Sarah's enthusiastic retelling of their first date.

"I think we're gonna have to turn in, guys." Alex started, glancing at Norma who blinked sleepily back at him.

Gabe nodded knowingly.

"Sure, sure. It's the heat, right? If you're not used to it, it'll drain the life right out of ya."

Alex smiled at him, genuinely happy to be back with his excitable younger brother. Although Alex was pleased Gabe had managed to get away from White Pine Bay, he was always sorry that they weren't closer these days.

"Yeah, maybe. It could also be that it's..." He checked his watch. "two in the morning, Gabe."

Sarah clapped her hands over her face, once again showing her youth as she guilty glanced at their tired faces, her own face just as perky as when they had picked them up from the airport.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! We've kept you up-"

"No, no." Alex countered, stifling a yawn as he pulled Norma to her feet. "It's just been a long day."

"Of course, of course." Sarah and Gabriel jumped to their feet politely as they hovered awkwardly to say goodnight.

"Thank you so much for inviting us. It's been lovely to get to know you a bit." Norma said pleasantly, grasping Sarah's hand for a moment, before smiling over at Gabe.

"I'm sure you'll get to know her better tomorrow!" Gabe said, his eyes glinting wickedly.

"Tomorrow?" Norma enquired.

"At the bachelorette party." Gabe said innocently, as Sarah flushed, as if embarrassed by the prospect.

"Okaaay." Norma said slowly, giving them a moment to tell her if they were joking. When the silence stretched on too long, Alex wrapped his arm round her shoulders, stifling a smile at the mildly horrified look on her face.

"Well, goodnight..." He said, leading her up the stairs to their room.


"A bachelorette party?" Norma repeated incredulously. She'd said it several times, sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing her temples.

"I mean, who has their bachelorette party the night before the wedding anymore? It's asking for disaster!" She kicked her shoes off petulantly, as Alex regarded her with amusement.

"Well, she is only twelve. She probably doesn't even get hangovers."

Norma shushed him dramatically, as if Gabe and Sarah were on the other side of paper thin walls, and not several rooms over in their gargantuan home.

"Don't be unkind, Alex." She chastised and he hung his head for a moment, genuinely regretting his words.

"She's very nice." He offered, almost trying to redeem himself as Norma glared at him, her arms crossed. "Gabe's done well for himself."

She rolled her eyes at his choice of words, but smiled down at the floor for a moment thoughtfully.

"Gabe seems very sweet." She said suddenly, watching as Alex pottered back and forth, hanging up some of his clothes in the closet. "Are you close?"

He faltered, a garment bag halfway to the closet, before he carried on, turning his gaze away.

"Not really. Not anymore. We used to be though." He sadly, as he tried not to reveal too much. He turned back to see that she had tucked her feet up under her on the bed, regarding him curiously, apparently ready for the rest of the story that she sensed was there.

"We don't look much alike." He said suddenly and she cocked her head at him.

"No, you don't." She admitted slowly.

"I look alot like my dad. Gabe... doesn't." He said pointedly, as Norma nodded slightly, starting to figure out what he meant. "My dad's a difficult man at the best of times, but he was never close to Gabe. It wasn't till I was an adult that I figured out why. I always just thought I was the favourite." Alex admitted innocently, making Norma smile sadly at the back of his head.

He didn't hear her slip off the bed or pad over to him barefoot, to where he was fiddling with the garment bag, pointlessly trying to get the zip to lie flat.

"When my mom died, there wasn't anything left for him in White Pine Bay, and he took off..." He was cut off as a small pair of hands were suddenly sliding around his waist. He jumped, spinning round in surprise, letting her pull him in for a hug before he could think better of it. His hands wrapped around her naturally, coming to rest on the small of her back, letting himself relax into her embrace. He wasn't upset exactly, but thinking of the difference between his and Gabe's childhood always made him feel a little guilty, especially as Gabe never seemed to hold any of it against him.

"I'm glad we came then." She said gently, as he let his hands stroke up her back to brush lightly against her hair. The hug suddenly felt much more intimate, and she pulled back slightly, keeping her arms wrapped around him.

"Me too. Thank you." He said seriously, his hands brushing her hair back to cup her face softly. He smiled at her, and she smiled back sleepily, before letting her eyes drift shut, her lips parting slightly.

Alex leaned forward naturally, responding to the way she so obviously wanted him to kiss her, before his brain kicked in, making him freeze mere inches from her mouth.

You're both exhausted, you've spent the day touching and flirting and playing the happy husband and wife - You're bound to be confused. This isn't real, remember? At least, not for her...

He cleared his throat self-consciously and her eyes flew open, clearly surprised that he hadn't taken the opportunity she had so readily presented to him.

"Which side of the bed do you want?" He said quickly, dropping his hands from her face.

The pause stretched on for a moment, before she withdrew her arms suddenly, taking a small step back, glancing uneasily at the bed.

"I don't care." She answered dismissively, and disguised the pure terror in her eyes as mild annoyance at his rejection.

He narrowed his eyes at her, sensing that she was offended, but also something else that he couldn't quite put his finger on. The look was gone before he could figure it out and she spun away from him, flashing him a tight smile before heading over to her suitcase, busying herself with it. He slipped into the bathroom, instantly feeling calmer now he was away from the piercing blue of her eyes, leaning against the door, trying to steady himself.

They swapped places a few minutes later, doing an awkward little dance in the doorway, and Norma was a little overwhelmed by the intimate domesticity of it all. They had lived together for weeks now, but in a huge house, with separate bathrooms, and separate bedrooms and separate lives. Suddenly, their living space felt almost suffocating; this small room, with it's small adjoining bathroom felt wholly unsuitable for two people who had never even properly shared a bed before.

She selfishly wished he would offer to sleep on the floor, but quickly dismissed the idea as ridiculous. They were adults, and the bed was more than big enough for two of them. And, although Alex was a gentleman, she'd already had sex with him once - It was probably a bit late to start demanding her fake husband start treating her with chivalrous respect.

As she splashed cold water on her face, trying to calm herself down, she had a sudden thought. What if he wanted to again? She would do it, of course - She owed him - but the thought still sent a strange wave of panic and a series of other emotions that was was too tired to figure out through her.

No, she thought to herself. He had the redheaded woman for that now. Even if Norma had wanted to, Alex had moved onto greener pastures. Her fingers clutched hard at the sink as she thought of the two of them together.

I bet she doesn't freak out like this. I bet she's simple and uncomplicated and just gives him what he wants. That unwelcome voice in her brain was back again.

She shook her head, telling herself to stop being ridiculous, staring at her own piercing eyes in the mirror, thinking how sad they looked.

Despite this, Norma found herself spending extra time rubbing body butter along her limbs, smearing a little lip balm on her lips, fluffing her hair up with her hands, before she caught what she was doing. For someone who was terrified of him touching her, she was spending an inordinate amount of time making herself appealing. Sighing, she decided she was just stalling, secretly hoping he would be asleep when she came out.

She walked back into the bedroom, taking a shaky breath when she saw Alex sitting up in the bed, shirtless and apparently waiting patiently for her.

He laughed gently when he saw her, taking in her sleep attire. She was wearing her most demure nightgown, an incredibly old fashioned, floor-length white night dress that covered almost every inch of her body.

"What?" She said, indignantly, glancing down at herself.

"Norma, it's eighty degrees outside. Is that really necessary?"

Yes. She thought immediately. Entirely.

But she merely shrugged, trying to smile at him.

"I get cold." She said, by way of explanation. It was absurd of course, as he was right - It was nearly eighty degrees, and the humidity was stifling but she couldn't bare the idea of him grazing against her skin in the night. A small part of her didn't entirely agree, especially as her eyes kept straying to his bare chest, gliding down the outline of the rest of his body under the thin sheet. Maybe him touching her wouldn't be the worst thing in the world? She bit her lip to stop her thoughts from wandering too far in this direction. They had tried this, and it hadn't ended well. She was broken. No use dragging him down with her.

As she stood, nervously rubbing her ankle with her other foot, chewing her lip thoughtfully, she realised she had been silent for way too long, as he stared at her patiently, eventually pulling back her side of the sheet and patting the bed.

"I took this side." He said unnecessarily, as he was obviously already settled on one side of the bed. "Didn't know if you had a preference?"

"It's fine. This is fine." She muttered brightly, sliding delicately into the bed, lying down as close to the edge as she could. Rolling onto her side, she tucked her hand under her head, staring glumly at the door, already feeling like it was going to be a long night.

He flicked the light off and she jumped as she felt him briefly roll over to her side of the bed, his hand ghosting over her hip, his lips pressing against her temple in the darkness.

"Night." He said, before rolling back over, and the act had been so casual, so natural that Norma wanted to cry.

They lay in silence for what felt like hours, Norma focusing on keeping her breathing steady, trying not to flinch every time he shifted behind her, her muscles starting to ache from the effort of keeping her body rigid.

"I can hear you thinking." He whispered suddenly, his voice making her jump.

There was a pause, where she considered pretending to be asleep.

"Statistically," she started, clearing her throat. "it's more common for the man to take the side of the bed closer to the door. It's a primal thing, an unconscious act to protect the woman."

She heard him grin at the ceiling.

"You wanna switch sides?"

"No, no. I'm just pointing it out."

She stared at the door, as if willing an intruder to burst in to prove her point.

"Just an interesting fact." She stated mildly.

He huffed out an exasperated laugh.

"Maybe I just know you'd probably be able to scare off an intruder better than I could?"

She rubbed her face into the pillow, hiding her smile, secretly pleased at his words. It was unusual to find someone who didn't automatically underestimate her.

"Maybe you just don't like me very much." She countered, playfully.

She flinched as he moved very suddenly, wrapping one hand around her waist, hooking the other under her knee. It was everything she'd feared when she slipped into bed with him - A sudden, unexpected movement, with him forcefully putting his hands on her. And yet, she wasn't scared. Instead, a breathless giggle escaped her as he dragged her to where he'd just been lying, sliding her across the bed in an undignified manner that she didn't even mind. He crawled around her as they swapped places, settling in the space she'd just vacated.

"Happy now?"

"I'm not unhappy." She said coolly, and she meant it. She had expected to feel the hot burst of panic when he had touched her, but she hadn't feared his touch the way she'd anticipated, despite him manhandling her. He chuckled into the darkness behind her, and, though it had been a joke when she had mentioned it, she really did feel safer with his body between her and the door. She wasn't sure if it was just a placebo effect, but she felt herself instantly calm down, her muscles relaxing into the bed as the day finally caught up with her. Unexpectedly, she felt her body relaxing as she forgot about Alex snoozing behind her, letting her mind drift away as she felt sleep pulling at her consciousness.

There was a tickle against her thigh and she sleepily shifted, mildly irritated at the feel of it. There was a rustle, and the tickle was suddenly more insistent and she recognised it as the feel of fabric being slid against her flesh.

"Mmm." She made a tired noise of discontent, as her nightgown was pushed up and over her leg.

"Alex?" She questioned, sluggishly, barely registering the contact of a hand bunching her nightdress up. "What are you-"

She was cut off as a set of hands were suddenly rolling her fully onto her stomach, a heavy weight pressing her down into the mattress.

Any more words of protest were impossible, as her face was pressed hard into the cushion beneath her, barely able to draw a breath. She screamed, the sound vastly muffled against the pillow.

"Shhh... Norman will hear." She shuddered as Sam's voice ran through her, as his fist painfully gathered a handful of her hair, pressing her face harder against the pillow, his other hand slipping between her thighs, prising them apart.

"No, no... No!" If she said it enough, he might hear her. He might understand.

She froze as she heard the sound of him spitting on his hand, and she bucked her hips trying to throw him off, pulling in the deepest breath she could with his weight still on her.

She screamed, as loud as she could in the circumstances and suddenly the weight against her body was gone, but her scream continued, ringing out until she was well out of breath. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she suddenly realised she wasn't even face down, her world suddenly flipping as she realised she was on her back, her face pressed against a soft, warm chest, her arms wrapped around a body hovering over her.

Her breaths continued to shudder out of her for a few moments longer, her fingers unconsciously tightening around Alex's back, relishing in the feel of his body comforting her for a few moments longer, knowing embarrassment was soon to set in. Sure enough, she felt her face redden as she became fully aware of her surroundings, noting the way he was kneeling over her, ashamed of the desperate way she was clinging to him.

"Shhhhh, you're ok." She suddenly became aware he was whispering these words over and over against her hair, his hands tracing soothing patterns up and down her back. Her face flushed and she shifted uncomfortably in his arms, suddenly feeling very self conscious in this situation.

"I dreamt you were a moth." She said suddenly, without thinking, watching a large moth banging against the window over his shoulder.

"What?" He pulled back, staring at her incredulously, his hands still wrapped so intimately around her.

His hands gently swept the hair back away from her face, and it was so delicate and sincere that she suddenly wanted to tell him everything. She didn't though, because that wasn't who she was.

"I dreamt you were a giant moth. You were flapping at me." She said calmly. "I really hate moths." The lie was so absurd that he simply had no reason not to believe it. Who would lie about a giant moth dream? You'd have to be crazy. So he laughed. A genuine laugh, his hands still cupping her face, his breathless laughter close enough to stir her hair, making her hate herself.

"Ok. Well, here I am. Not a moth." He demonstrated by flapping his decidedly non-moth-like arms and Norma was immediately sorry for the loss of his arms around her. She pretended she wasn't though, laughing at his ridiculous action, pretending to be the average amount of embarrassed at having a giant moth nightmare.

"Yes. I see that." She said casually, squirming slightly as they both retreated back to their individual sides of the bed, his hand consciously remaining on her side, resting lightly on her waist. She knew he was testing the water, and she wanted to encourage him, but her nightmare had proved she was never far from her demons and she wriggled pointedly.

"Not an invitation..." She muttered quietly, reaching behind her to move his hand back over to his side of the bed. If he was disappointed at all, he didn't let on, simply rolling away from her, facing away, doing exactly what she wanted.

"Sweet dreams, Norma." He said softly, and she listened to his breathing for a long time, waiting for it to settle into the deep pattern of sleep before allowing herself to sleep, hating herself for being this way.


A guest reviewer asked if Alex had cheated at the Winter Festival or not. Fear not, loyal readers. All will be revealed - I haven't forgotten about the redhead we all love to hate, but with the excitement of the wedding an' all, it's not at the forefront of their minds right now. It WILL be addressed eventually (as will alot of things) but not for... a while.

Also, just wanna take a moment to thank my guest reviewers! I'm always a bit sad I can't respond to you guys personally, cause I LOVE responding to comments and questions, but I still love reading what you guys think and hope you never stop commenting. I love you, you mysterious little minxes!