I am so sorry it's taken me a while to update, I had a classic case of writers block. I think you guys will feel pleased with the suggestions incorporated in this chapter. I enjoyed writing it a lot more than I thought. I really want to know what you guys think, leave me some reviews and let me know. Praying you guys like it. If you guys haven't checked out my newer story Young Love yet, give it a spin, you may like it. Anyway, enjoy :)

At around 3 am that night, Norma had the most horrific nightmare...

Norma looked at her surroundings, coming out of a deep sleep. She appeared to be in a small chamber, when she tried to move she realized her hands and feet were chained to the wall. She writhed, trying to shake out of the cuffs.

"Help! Get me out of here!" she yelped, already frighted.

Norma shook and screamed, letting her back fall against the cold metal wall in terrified defeat.

Suddenly, the door to the chamber squeaked open, and to her horror, Caleb stepped inside.

He locked the door behind him, the click making goosebumps flare on her skin.

Caleb wasted no time making his way over to Norma, getting on his knees, facing her.

"No..." she started, her eyes dilated with tears, her lips trembling.

He clamped his hand over her mouth, while she tried to kick.

No!" she tried to yell over the force of his hand.

Suddenly her nightmare ended and she shot up in bed screaming. She shook violently, cold sweats running down her body.

Alex woke up to the sound of her shrills, disoriented. He sat up immediately and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him.

She thrust her head into his chest, sobbing, tears rolling down her cheeks and soaking his t-shirt.

He held her shaky body and kissed the top of her head.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked concerned, clutching her to him.

"I hate him" she groaned through the violent sobs.

"Shhh baby, you'll never have to see him again. I promise you" he kissed her cheek, wiping the still falling tears with the pads of his thumbs.

Her body still shook with sobs, Alex rubbed her back slowly.

He tried his best to comfort her, feeling relief once she calmed down, her head still resting on his chest.

"What do you think about seeing one of those specialist's that the doctor suggested?" he asked, looking into her tired, sad eyes.

"Oh Alex, I don't want to see another therapist. Last time I went I felt trapped...like I needed to lie to him in order to keep him from judging me" she explained, draping an arm over his shoulder.

"You've been to a therapist?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, last year. I um...I got in his face and told him off" she admitted sheepishly.

"Well I wouldn't worry about it, you can always go to someone else. And you shouldn't worry about being judged. They are trained to hear all types of stories, the good, the bad, and the ugly" he exclaimed, kissing her temple, and running his fingers through her hair.

"I still don't know. The only people I've told about my...ordeal, is Dylan, Norman, and well...you" she muttered, looking at him with a pair of worried eyes.

"What if I went with you?" he offered, propping her pillow.

"Alex, you really don't have to -"

"I want to, Norma. I love you...that means I'm going to stick by you through all of this. Honey, what you went through was awful, it would be really good if you went to a professional to help you with trauma. They won't judge you, I won't judge you, no one will" he promised.

She pulled him into a tight hug.

"I love you too, Alex. If it would make you happy...I'll go" she sighed, pulling away to look at him.

He dropped a kiss on her lips, giving her hand a quick, tight squeeze.

"And you'll stay with me the whole time?" she asked.

"Of course I will" he swore, kissing her one last time before they fell asleep.


A few days later, Alex was able to make an appointment with the best sexual abuse therapist in White Pine Bay.

The morning of their appointment, Alex made his way to the Bates home, knocking on the front door.

Norma appeared only a minute later, making her way outside with him.

He took her hand, holding it all the way down to his SUV.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, kissing her cheek.

"It's weird. Sometimes I feel so angry I think I might just snap and then other times I feel normal...I just don't know what to think" she sighed sadly.

"I'm sure that's normal, what you went through was horrible honey. The woman I'm taking you to is a sexual abuse victim as well, she has two degrees in physiology and one in woman's studies. She's anxious to meet you" he explained, clutching her hand again as they sat in the car.

"What's her name?" she asked randomly.

"I'll give you a hint...she's named after a spice" he grinned, tapping the steering wheel.

"Uh...cinnamon?" she guessed, her eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

"Maybe if she was a stripper. Her name is Sage" he chuckled.

She scoffed, tapping his arm.

"Sage is a herb" she laughed lightly.

"I haven't seen you smile in a while...it's good to see" he said, a half smile growing on his face.

She picked up their intertwined hands and dropped a kiss on the top of his.

"I love you" she said quietly, a small smile gracing her lips.

"I love you, too" he replied sincerely.

"Let's go" he said, starting the engine.


When they arrived at the therapist's office, Norma felt waves of apprehension fly throughout her stomach. She had no idea what to do, she'd lied so many times in her life to a lot of people. She knew she had to let more people in and Alex was a good first step. She took a deep breath and walked into the doctor's office, Alex following closely behind, making her feel more secure than ever.

The therapist approached her, outstretching her hand, a peaceful smile on her face.

She had a Bohemian style, kind green eyes, and long pale blonde hair.

"Hello, I'm Sage Robertson, it's really good to finally meet you Norma" she smiled, shaking her hand.

"Thank you, Dr. Robertson" she smiled, feeling Alex's lower hand on her back.

"Please call me Sage, I like to keep things friendly with my patients, it breaks down the wall of professionalism" she said, giving Norma the warmest smile she'd ever seen.

"That's clever" she commented, her eyes wandering around the office.

"And you must be Alex" she greeted, shaking his hand as well.

He nodded, gripping her hand.

"Its nice to meet you" he smiled.

"You as well. Why don't the three of us take a seat and we'll talk a little bit" she motioned to a sofa cushioned in the corner of her office.

They nodded and sat down, Sage sat across from them in a leather chair, her notebook open on her lap.

Norma took a deep breath, preparing herself for questions.

"So Norma, why don't you tell me about your childhood?" she asked calmly, watching her facial expression change.

Alex rubbed small circles on her lower back, knowing it would calm her down.

"Remember I want you to be completely open with me...or else I can't help you" she comforted her, giving her time to breathe.

She emitted a small, shaky breath from her pouty lips.

"Well...my dad and brother were incredibly abusive" she admitted, fiddling with her hands.

"How so?" she asked quietly, writing down what she said.

"My dad just hit and screamed. My brother...his abuse was solely sexual" she sighed, biting her lip, her eyes watering.

Alex pulled her closer to him, trying to make her feel safe and protected, the things Norma longed for.

"Was your father there to witness the sexual abuse?" she inquired, observing Norma's shaky body.

"No...my brother always hid it, he would typically do it when...when um" she started, feeling the tears stream down her face.

Sage gave her a box of tissues, she thanked her silently, and wiped the tears, regaining her composure.

"My brother used to do it when my dad was at work and my mom was passed out" she claimed, sniffling, and clutching Alex's hand.

"How long did the abuse go on for?" she asked, crossing her legs.

"Until I got pregnant with my son Dylan...I was around 16" she revealed.

"And your son is your brother's child?" she asked, Norma was pleased at how neutral her voice stayed, looks like she really has dealt with a lot of cases.

She nodded slowly, straightening out her dress.

"Did you tell your brother?" she asked, still writing the information down.

"No...I told my boyfriend at the time that Dylan was his. We left Ohio soon after I told him and settled down in Arizona" she explained, focusing on her breathing.

"And how did you feel after your son was born?" she questioned, her eyes trained on her notebook.

"Well throughout the pregnancy I was scared...even though I was out of my house and away from my brother I felt like his presence was always there. And then when Dylan was finally born...I felt good, despite the fact that he was the product of something...awful. I felt like I had a purpose, like there was someone out there that finally needed me" she said, her heart swelling at the thought of Dylan when he was a newborn.

"Sometimes it just feels good to be needed" she said.

"It did" she admitted.

"Do you have any other children?" she smiled.

"Only one, Norman...he's the greatest teenager anyone could ask for" she said, forgetting about his black outs and only thinking about all the times he comforted her.

"Is his father in the picture?" she asked, locking eyes with Norma.

"No...Norman's father passed away two years ago, it was a fatal car accident" she claimed, emotionless.

"How was your relationship with Norman's dad?" she inquired.

"Not good...he was abusive too" she said without thinking.

Norma realized how easy it was to talk to Sage once she got used to it.

"I'm sorry to hear that. That must have been hard...growing up with an abusive father and brother and then having an abusive partner" she sympathized.

"It was...Sam wasn't the ideal father. He was lazy, he never lifted a finger when it came to Norman, and he was totally unemotional" she explained.

"How was your relationship with your boyfriend you had as a teenager?" she questioned curiously.

"John, he was wonderful...the one guy I was with that caused no harm to me. Except Alex" she looked over at him and smiled.

He grinned back at her, happy she was able to talk about her past, he was incredibly proud of her.

She smiled at the both of them, placing her pen down on her desk.

"Did your son protect you from your abusive partner?" she asked, changing the subject back to Sam.

"Norman is very sensitive, I never wanted him to witness the attacks, I would always tell him to go to his room or outside when I knew Sam was going to get violent" she explained, clearing her throat.

"I see. And did you ever try to have any more kids?" she asked softly.

Norma felt her heart drop, her pulse race, and she began to sweat. She was making such good progress...it was now or never.

"I had a miscarriage...about five years ago"