IMPORTANT MESSAGE: I wanted everybody to know that sadly this story will be coming to an end soon. Only 10 more chapters or so left. But have no fear! I will come out with a sequel to this story; the only thing is I want everyone to vote on a plot line. I am going to leave my Tumblr username in the author note when the last chapter comes. I want all my readers to visit my page and look at my note containing possible plot ideas, once looked over and thought about, I want you guys to leave me your thoughts/choice in the reviews. I will leave reminders to do this frequently so everyone has an opportunity to vote when the time comes. Guys, it's really important that you vote, it's important to me anyway, I want to write what you all want to read, it's my total aim to please. Along with the next installment of Black & Blue, I will also continue Unfaithful for those reading that and enjoying it. I have ideas for a third story as well, that one will be updated less frequently and may take a bit to build up. Bear with me through this process as it's a busy time in my life. Thank you and enjoy this new chapter, leave me a review with your thoughts – MJ123

It was later in the evening, everyone was in their assigned rooms with given weapons, the "buddy system" smartly used by Alex. Though the house was guarded with weapons and a trained sheriff, no one could fall asleep, it was far too nerve racking of a situation…there was a potential murderer on the loose.

Emma sat in the guest room, her eyes examining Katie as she sat by the window and stayed completely alert not hesitating to miss any falling leave or crackling branch. She wanted to strike up a conversation with her but wasn't sure how to.

The silence grew awkward after a bit and eventually her head cocked up, "So…um, how do you know Norma and her kids?" she asked, her fingers nervously toying at the hem of her plaid skirt, she was rotten at making small talk with new people, it was almost a fear of hers.

"Oh," she said, turning to face Emma observing her unfamiliar face, "I used to work at a grocery store down in Phoenix where they used to live. I would always say hello and make small talk with Norma…she asked me to babysit Norman a few times and that's how we clicked."

Emma nodded with a tiny smile; she never missed a chance to pry at the Bates. After all, they were almost like a second family; she had the right to know what went on in their everyday lives. "Their good

people. I mean- I love Norman, he's so sweet and insightful and of course no one can forget Norma," a laugh left her lips as she looked down at the ground, "She kinda stepped in as a mom figure to me."

"Yeah, she's good like that. Really maternal, she's good with my daughter that is. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your real mother?" she moved over to sit on the bed, her hands interlocking. She was still nervous about Steven and his whereabouts but talking eased the anxiety down just a tad.

"She left me and my dad. Once I was completely diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis and they gave me my pet here," she stopped to signal to her tank and her tubes, "I always figured she didn't wanna live to take care of a sick kid."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said, the tone of the room mellowing down due to the subject matter, "But y'know…who needs a normal family anyway? It's totally overrated."

Emma laughed and moved a little closer to her, not wanting to be outright with her next question, "Are you afraid of what he might do?" the answer was obvious, but talking was better than silence.

"Of course," she said, running a hand through her hair, "But I'm not so much afraid of what he might do to me…I'm frightened of what he could do to Ella and Norma. He could kill them and I couldn't live with that. It's my fault I let him come here."

"No, no, no," Emma said, quick to comfort by dropping a hand on her shoulder, "This is nowhere near your fault. Don't blame yourself for his actions, I mean he's clearly unstable. And listen to me, Norma and your daughter are going to be okay, they are with Sheriff Romero for the night and he is really good at his job."

"I trust that, I do…but I'm still on edge. With Steven you never know what to expect and now I don't know if he's gonna come at all of us full throttle or with a much more peaceful persona."

"Just don't worry about it, alright?" she said, getting up off the bed to throw the blanket over her, "Sleep for a little while and try not to think about it. I'll keep watch in case anything happens."

"Thanks, Emma," she said, a yawn leaving her lips shortly after, she snuggled her head deeper into the pillow and tried to drift off into a tranquil state of mind.

Emma sat on the chair in the corner of the room they shared, the bottle of mace in one hand and her cell

phone in the other, she was ready to tame the monster if he unleashed.

X

Norma sat in her room, the baby in her arms and resting comfortably on her shoulder as her hand came up to massage her back. She was scared out of her mind, the thought of Steven coming into her home and harming anyone else was like a bullet to the brain. Silently, she blamed herself for Alex's injury; it wasn't fair that he paid the price for a stupid mistake she made years ago when she was simply lonely and desperate for male attention.

Her fingers combed up through Ella's small patch of non-existent hair as she looked to Alex, he was sitting next to her, his eyes trying to focus on the book he held. "Alex?" she asked, his head immediately snapping up to look at her.

"Hm?" she could tell by the way his eyes were bloodshot that he was tired, she felt like shit putting him through the hard hitting task of watching her family, it was her job to keep them safe anyway.

"What if," she started, thinking about forgetting the question but she figured it would be best to tell him because he would poke her until she spilled it, "What if Steven comes back and tries to hurt someone in this house…or anyone else for that matter?".

"He's not gonna do that. I'm here and I've made sure that everyone will remain safe under my watch, that's my job. There's no need to worry, okay? Everyone is armed and ready if something happens," he reassured her, dropping a hand to her leg and squeezing.

She nodded and turned her attention back to the baby, she was starting to make tiny gurgling noises which eventually turned into a small, whiny cry. Norma immediately started bouncing the baby on her shoulder as she placed her lips on her forehead.

"It's okay angel," she murmured, her eyes shutting as the crying got louder, "Shhh…please baby girl, you have to keep it quiet, okay?" If Steven was close by and heard his daughter crying, he could find them in a heartbeat and that thought scared her to no end.

Ella's face scrunched up as she kept wailing, all she could do was keep trying to soothe her though the attempts she made seemed to fail each time. Alex looked at her, noticing the stress on her face, "Is there

anything else you could do?" he asked, dying for the baby's cries to stop.

Norma whipped him the nastiest glare she could muster and rolled her eyes, "I am trying! Why don't you do it!?"

Before Alex could protest, Norma had placed the crying baby in his arms. He stared at her awkwardly as she squirmed and fussed in his arms, he tried to rock her, looking back to Norma and remembering her toy, "Do you have her little stuffed rabbit?"

Norma looked to the side of the bed and saw it lying on the floor; she picked it up and handed it to Alex. He took it and dangled the bunny over her head, "Do you want this?" he asked gently, watching as her little hands tried to reach upwards for the toy. He lowered it down to touch her chest so she could access it. Her crying stopped the second her tiny fingers brushed the fake grey fur.

"Awww…" he heard from the other side of the bed, immediately a goofy grin stretched over Norma's lips as she observed the baby and Alex, "Your holding her."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, hands firmly securing the baby, "Don't make a big deal of it. I'm a Sheriff, okay? Scary, intimidating, I'm not a baby coddler."

"Oh shut up," she said, slapping her hand on his shoulder, "I just think it's cute. You and a baby, I like seeing you so sweet."

He stayed silent and held the girl until she passed out, he was ready to hand her back to Norma but she objected and told him to put her to sleep, he agreed mostly because she was out like a light and the task would be simpler. He walked to her crib and placed her in, putting the rabbit next to her and tucking a blanket over her tiny body. He looked back to her once she was comfortable, "Happy now?"

"Extremely," she smiled lightly, leaning down to rest her back on the mattress. "I'm still scared though."

"You have nothing to worry about, Norma. With me here, you have nothing to worry about."

Leave me a review if you liked this chapter! Thank you for reading - MJ