"I think your beautiful". No more to be said. Enjoy this new chapter - MJ123 :)

It had been two days. Two awful days at that. No calls or texts from Norma. Alex had been confined to his home ever since their fight, she broke his heart, the one that was filled with so much more to give. When he said he loves her, it wasn't just to make her happy or to coerce her into making love, it was because he actually did. He wanted to spend everyday with her, waking up and being able to look into those perfect blue eyes would simply make him a happy man. He wanted to let her head rest on his shoulder when she was sad and he wanted to wrap his arms around her waist when she was happy.

This whole no contact thing was killing Alex. He needed her, she was like some kind of craving. Sometimes, if he wasn't careful and strong enough in his emotions, he could almost smell her apple shampoo or her fresh, flowery perfume that always lingered on her skin, making her like a source of comfort. She was his comfort, period. Everytime he would call her phone, she'd let it go directly to voicemail.

If he sat and thought hard enough, he'd believe the blame was all his. Though the guilt was surfaced and out in the open, he couldn't pinpoint what he did wrong. It wasn't like he meant to hurt her in any way, he never wanted to hurt her, rather protect her from any and all evil in the dark, stormy town they lived in. The truth was, Alex had never been felt so damn vulnerable in his life. His arms were full of emptiness when they should've been filled with Norma's body, his lips were aching for her raw kisses, and his body was hungry for her own.

The worst part was being so lonely. Two days after the incident and he was already feeling lonely. He was so used to seeing her everyday and talking to her, looking at her like she was the only person in the world. Every time her face popped into his mind, it was like a crowbar was hitting him in the stomach. The anxiety and fear of her leaving for good was beginning to become a realization for him.

To make matters worse, he carried her engagment ring around with him everywhere he went. That ring was never, ever meant for another women, just her. He wanted so desperately to slid the token of his affection back on her finger and pretend like their fight never happened. There was one positive thing to come out of the two days alone however, he was able to truly understand why she was so upset. She wanted to wipe Mariah away by having sex with him, but it wasn't like there was any form of competition. He'd texted her that many times, that there was nothing to be suspicious of and he loved her more than he could express.

But the idea slowly trickled into his weary mind. He would get no where by texting and calling her, it would be easy for her to press delete or end call on his propositions. Instead, he stood from his living room couch, grabbed his car keys, and headed out into the night in search of the love he'd lost.

X

It was nearing 9:30 as Norma threw on her sluttiest dress, a tight red ensemble that had been sitting in the back of her closet for quite a while, and spritzed perfume on her body. She tossed on a pair of stilettos and headed down the staircase to find Dylan on the couch, drinking a beer and watching something with girls on a beach in bikini's. Not a shocking sight. His head popped back once he heard the click clacking of her heels on the hardwood.

"Norma, you look nice. You headed out with Alex?," he questioned, a bit confused. It was unlike him to not come in the house to pick her up. Typically, he would come inside and hang out with Norman and him until Norma was all put together.

She shook her head, bitterly and clutched her purse from the coat rack. "No. We aren't seeing one another right now. I'm just gonna go out and grab a drink, it's been a long day and I need to wind down a bit. Where is your brother anyways?," it was completely typical of her to change the subject when things got tough or tension arose.

Dylan immediately gave her a questionable look, her and Alex weren't seeing each other. It had to be some kind of misunderstanding or a joke, even he could see the pair was perfect for one another. Alex gave her the right treatment and Norma reaped the reward silently. They were so alike and compatible. "Oh, I'm uh-I'm really sorry to hear that, mom. He was a really good-"

"Dylan, I asked where Norman is? At Emma's again? Or is he at the library? He told me he wanted to get out and find somewhere silent to study for those damn online tests he has to take." Her tone was growing more and more agitated as Dylan brought up Alex, he was the last person she wanted to talk or even think about.

He got the message, deciding she was incredibly tender and Alex would be a sore subject for a while. "Oh, yeah. He said Emma was driving them both to the library to study for some French test. He also said not to wait up, apparently they are going to grab a bite to eat afterwards."

"Thank you for letting me know. If he comes home before me just tell him I had to get out of the house. I'll be at the bar down the road if you need to contact me in case of an emergency, okay?" she asked, kissing the top of his head before going out the front door and heading to her car.

Booze was going to be a cheap solution to wiping the memories of Alex from her brain.

X

Alex finally pulled up to the motel after making a few stops at the store. He picked up a dozen roses, the most expensive bottle of champagne there was to offer, a blank card he had poured his feelings onto, and a small stuffed bear holding a heart. It was a cheap thing, offering her gifts for acceptance but it was the only thing he could think of. He needed her.

He got out with a bag full of the gifts and threaded up the stairs to the Bates home. He knocked and waited, his heart racing at the thought of being able to see her sweet face once again, only this time he knew it would be laced with the anger she most likely was still feeling. To his surprise and disappointment, it was Dylan who answered, looking him up and down, a bewildered look on his face.

"Dylan?" he began. looking behind him to make sure Norma wasn't inside cowering just to avoid him, "Is your mother here? I really need to talk to her," though sharing their relationship details with her son wasn't the target goal, he had to get to Norma somehow.

"No, you just missed her actually. But um, she said you guys weren't seeing each other anymore. She seemed pretty heated if you ask me. I haven't seen her that mad in a while," he said, looking at the bag in his hand, "What's all that?".

He looked at his full hand and gave a disregarding look, "It's just some stuff I picked up for Norma. I- She hasn't contacted me in a few days and I've started to get worried. We had a fight and she hasn't spoken to me. I just...I miss her and I came here to try and make her feel better."

Looking at the poor guy made Dylan upset himself, he'd never seen him so torn up and sad, it was an out of character move for the tough town sheriff to show this much vulnerability, especially towards another man. He had not idea what Norma did to him but it was probably horrible due to his mood. It was in everyone's best interest if he told Alex where his mother was.

"Well, she headed out about 15 minutes ago. Said she was going to some bar down the road. And if I were to give you any form of advice, I would head down there ASAP because she was looking pretty...suggestive? I don't know. I just wouldn't want someone to see her and use her, you know what I mean? Even if you don't get her back in the couple sense just...uh- just get my mother out of there, okay? She's vulnerable and is probably looking to get hammered and then she'll end up in the back of some guy's car with no clue what time or day it is."

Alex was shocked at Dylan's care for her. He never seemed to bother with her much, but he knew it was his time to swoop in and take her from her probable dank surroundings. He was right, it was no where safe for her to be out by herself that late at night with a group of people around her that had no other intention but to win her over for a night. The men of White Pine were certainly not the type a fragile woman like Norma should be surrounding herself with. That firmly in his mind, he gave the bag to Dylan and turned back with a breif nod. "Can you just do me a favor and put that bag on her bed? I'm going to go and bring her home. It's not best for her to be out there right now, you're completely right, okay? I'll be back soon. She'll be okay, just...just trust me." He said, walking down the steps and to his SUV.

He would find her. He just prayed that she was in one piece.

X

It was a slow night at the bar of Norma's choosing. Not many people around but a few lonesome looking bar flys with no other activity on their agendas but to slowly drink the time away. She had a bourbon resting in front of her, those blue eyes were scanning the establishment for anyone attractive. At that moment, she needed a man to invest herself in, the break up was hard and she needed to get under a man to get over the amazing one she lost.

Slowly, but surely, one bidder finally took the stool next to her own. He was handsome, brown scruffy hair, a little bit of stubble on his face, and a pair of light blue eyes. Those eyes darted to her and scanned her eager face, "Why hello there, gorgeous. What's a woman like you doing here all by yourself?" he asked, she could smell the booze on his breath and it was already plain to see the want in his eyes.

"Mm...not much. Just enjoying a drink and trying to relieve a bit of stress," she explained, sipping at her glass, and giving the man a telltale pair of glassy pupils that suggested so much more than just a good conversation.

"I'm sure. It must get pretty tiring swatting all those guys away, huh?" he asked, his voice slick and sly which Norma would usually disdain. But now, with a decent amount of liquor and desperation coursing throughout her body, his words were amazing, making her want to hop into bed with him faster than she could decipher his name. It's what she needed in that moment, hot, rough sex with a stranger. No strings attached and the perfect way to kill any of the lasting anger correlating to Alex.

A wide smile cracked on her face as she looked down in flirtatious embarrassment, "That's very sweet but if I were swatting dozens of men away, don't you think I'd have a crowd of 'em surrounding me right now?," then came the laugh, the sweet one that made men fall for her. The one Alex was prone to hearing every time he would crack some corny joke about how much he loved her. Alex. No. Not tonight. Not for the millionth time tonight. Not at all.

"You sure as hell should," he said with a laugh, flinging back the rest of whatever he was drinking, "I'm Peter."

"Norma," she said simply, giving the bartender a signal for another round of drinks.

"Norma, huh? That's a pretty name. Don't come across too many girls your age with that one."

"Yeah?" she asked, turning completely on the chair to face him, "And how old do you think I am? Go ahead, take a wild guess."

"Hmm…" he buzzed, looking at her face then down at her body, which he had no trouble doing. Norma would've been happy to let him take the full tour if he played his cards the right way, "Well, Norma, I'd have to guess that you're thirty."

Eleven years off but still incredibly sweet, he couldn't say twenty, that would make flattery far too obvious. "Your off by quite a bit but I'd have to applaud you, you've made an old girl feel pretty damn good about herself."

"Old girl? I beg to differ. They're just numbers, Norma. Harmless numbers. No shame in guessing numbers, am I right?" he asked, scootching forward so his body was closer to her own, there was no stopping this attraction. He was going to let it launch without a care in the world. And she couldn't argue, besides she liked her men bold. Bold and mysterious, just like Al-No. No. Not again. He wouldn't come into her mind again.

"Numbers. Okay, well then how about we kick it up a notch? How much do you think I weigh?" she asked, a playful glare directed towards him in order to provake true answers out of a drunken stranger. It was a hobby of Norma's, pushing men until she had them in the palm of her hand.

"Well, judging by the way you wear that dress I'd have to guess 90. 90 pounds?".

"Now you're just being sweet," she laughed, sipping off the new drink that was just placed in front of her. Liquid courage. It was her best friend at the moment, awarding her the confidence she was lacking.

"I thought you wanted to kick it up a notch? I'm just playing the game."

He certainly had a way with words that she liked, fearless and sexy. "Okay, well now I believe it's your turn."

"Alright then," he said, breaking for a few moment to think, somewhere unseen he was fidgeting with his hands, nervous about projecting his question, "How big?".

She looked at him and rose as eyebrow, moving closer off the stool so she was only a few inches away from him. "How big what?".

He grinned and looked behind him to make sure no one was listening and turned back to face her, "How big do you think I am?".

"Well, if I'm following the rules of this game correctly I'd have to guess 9 inches. A thick, 9 inch, cock. Am I somewhere in the ballpark?" she asked, not even thinking about the words coming out of her mouth. At that point she didn't care about what she said or how it was perceived.

He groaned, his pants tightening as he looked into her eyes, his hands coming up to wrap around her waist. "How about you and I head outside and you can take a look for yourself?"

She grinned, setting her drink firmly on the table, standing up in his arms to nod. "Let's go."

X

The encounter was over before it could truly began. There she stood, her back pressed against the cold mossy bricks of the bar building as her late night findings pressed against her, his heavy breathing filling her ear. Their encounter was nothing special and certainly not one for the books. It was your typical quick hookup, pants unzipped, boxers down, dress hitched up, panties down, in and out until some kind of drunken, unpleasurable climax.

He pulled away once he recuperated from his "strong" finish. He got to work fixing himself, until finally he dropped a kiss on her cheek. "That was really fun," he scoffed, a smile on his sly lips, he started walking away without another utterance of her name, hell he probably forgot it the second he pulled her panties down. "Thanks for a good night, gorgeous." With that, he was gone, disappeared into the shadows without another glance back.

Norma couldn't think of anything else. Just, daring to say his name in her mind, Alex. That was all. It was Alex's face that was solid in her mind at the moment. They were his words in her mind as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks, immediately regretting the cheap, disgusting thing she'd just done. It was his gentle touch she imagined as she slid down the bricks of the bar, her head dropping to her hands as she wept.

Her tears were the only solitude she could find in such a dark time.

It wasn't a lie that she wanted Alex back. She wanted to collapse into his arms and cling to him until all this shit wiped away.

She needed him.

Review if enjoyed. Love you all. Thank you for reading, I'll be back with more soon enough ;)