A/N: First I had writer's block and then this chapter kept getting longer and longer. My muse is moody. However, those of you who prefer longer chapters can consider themselves lucky. ;)
As always, thanks a lot for your lovely reviews, guys, and that includes the guest reviews. Yes, I mean you who keep leaving me those wonderful, long ones. You also asked if Dylan will make an appearance? Are you telepathic? Hm… wait and see.
The gravel scrunches under the wheels of his car when Alex Romero parks in front of the Bates motel. There are only a few other cars of guests. The motel flourished for a few weeks after its opening, but fall is almost here and soon the motel rooms will be predominantly empty as winter approaches.
Norma is in the office behind the reception. She hasn't noticed him yet and he watches her for a moment. She is sorting some paperwork, furrowing her brow concentrated, some loose strands of hair letting her delicate features appear even softer. He has never met a woman as beautiful as she. Alex feels anticipation creep up on him like every time he sees her.
She startles when he knocks and opens the door, her face blank for a split second before she smiles at him. She is good at fake smiling, he has to give her that, aware that she is smiling at the sheriff and not the man.
"Hey, Alex," she greets him.
In moments like these he wishes he wouldn't have let himself get carried away by the events of that night when he told her to call him by his first name. It felt natural back then because the happenings created a closeness between them. A closeness that doesn't exist. He is here as the sheriff. She is not a suspect, but his original intention to bring good news about closing the case regarding Keith Summers' death was marred by the discovery of Matt Weary's body. Another man Norma Bates' knew. Another man who died from violence.
"Hey, Norma." That's the good part about letting her call him by his first name. He gets to do the same. And every time he does, it feels like the implication of something between them, something waiting to happen.
When she looks at him expectantly, Alex decides to start with the good news.
"I came over to tell you that we officially closed the investigation of Keith Summers' death."
It takes a moment to sink in. Then Norma's eyes light up.
"Oh. That's great! Thank you, Alex. Thank you for coming over to tell me that."
She is so relieved, so happy. He hates to taint her good mood. Let alone that making Norma Bates smile feels electrifying. However there is no way around it.
"How well did you know Matt Weary?"
"Who?" She has no idea who he is talking about. Alex knows when people are lying to him, has an infallible instinct.
"The man who worked at the bookstore. The one who was checking you out when we were standing in front of it."
"Worked?" Norma has a good instinct, too. The sheriff doesn't ask about someone if that person is alive and kicking.
"We found his body in the lake yesterday. In his car."
"His car was in the lake?" Again, she is confused but nothing hints at her involvement in Matt Weary's death.
The fact that the man obviously was interested in her doesn't make Norma a suspect. It just seems to be a weird coincidence that two men crossed Norma Bates' path and both are dead. There are rarely coincidences when it comes to murder.
"Were you here at the motel the day before yesterday?"
Norma narrows her eyes in suspicion. "Am I suspect?" She snorts. "You've got some nerve. Coming here to tell me that one case is closed only to suspect me in another one." Even though the desk is a physical barrier between them, she leans back as if she couldn't stand to be close to him.
Alex sighs. "You're not a suspect, Norma. I'm only..."
"Well, you just asked me..."
"I'm doing my job here, ok?" he interrupts her, the tone of his voice scowling her into silence or at least silencing her; Alex can't tell.
"All right, all right. Calm down, sheriff." A brief look, bordering on flirtatious before she gets serious again. A shadow flits across her face. "Why did you ask me where I was the day before yesterday when you found the body yesterday?"
The way Norma pays attention to details, she should join his team.
"Because that's the estimated time of death even if we found the body only yesterday. Hard to tell with floaters though." Water and its inhabitants do a lot of damage to a body. Let alone that it washes evidence away.
"Oh."
Something has changed albeit Alex can't say what it is. If she didn't know Matt Weary, then what does it matter?
"So you never met Matt Weary aside from the one time in the book store?"
"That's right." Voice flat, body tense. She wants to get this over with.
"And you were here the whole day before yesterday?"
"Yes. She was with me," a voice behind him states.
Alex turns around to find Norma's son standing in the doorframe.
"Hi, Norman."
"Sheriff." Norman nods to him. He seemed to appreciate what he did for him and his mother during the night Keith Summers died, but aside from that Alex can tell that Norman Bates doesn't like him. For whatever reason. Maybe only because Norman is a 17 year old kid and he an official Norman feels he should be aware of.
"Weren't you in school?"
"Of course, I was. I mean afterwards. Me and my mother were together after I was back from school for the rest of the day." Not the hint of a smile as Norman tells him that. Almost smug. Alex wonders whether he has already made friends at his new school.
They don't know at what time exactly Matt Weary died. Perhaps they will never know; it depends on the result of the forensic examination.
"Ok." Alex turns around again to look at Norma. She stares at her son with an unreadable expression on her face, pulling herself together when she notices that he has focused his attention on her. "And you were here the entire day? Even when Norman was at school?"
Norma takes a breath. "I..."
"Yes, she was," Norman says behind him, his voice sounding angry so that Alex has a quick look to check on the boy. It gives Norma enough time to compose herself. He didn't catch her immediate reaction to his question, can't tell whether she would have lied to him or not.
"So, I guess this is it?"
He can tell, though, that she clearly wants to end their talk and his visit.
"For now."
Alex is not sure what was going on during the last minutes. Norma obviously had nothing to do with Matt Weary, didn't know him, and yet, she hides something that might or might not be related to his death. Strangely enough, she seems to believe that. However Alex knows from experience that it doesn't make sense to continue their talk now. Let alone that it gives him an opportunity to come back another time.
"See you!" Norma's smile is timid and Norman barely makes way for him when Alex walks out of the office. Norma and her son are a weird pair. The situation is unusual already most of the time when he is alone with her but whenever her son shows up, Alex is very well aware that he is not welcome.
Norma watches Alex get in his car and drive away.
"Why did you say that?" she hisses at Norman as soon as Alex is out of earshot. "It made me look suspicious. There is no reason to make him suspicious. I'm not a suspect. He just asked me because that man..."
"...checked you out. You told me about it."
She did? Norma doesn't remember. Then again, she tells her son almost everything. Except about her recent blackouts.
Norman approaches her and puts an arm around her shoulder.
"It's all gonna be good," he assures her.
It makes her smile as always whenever he uses their mantra lately. Her little boy is growing up and it's comforting to have him around. Norma leans into him and hopes he's right.
Alex is used to it. The silence of his house, the loneliness, his thoughts that won't let him sleep. The only thing that's new is that it's her face in his thoughts most of the time. He saw her last when he asked her about Matt Weary's death. They have made zero progress regarding that case since then. The DNA traces are useless due to the fact that the body was contaminated by various influencing factors during the time it was in the water. They have no idea who could have killed Matt Weary and he should question her about it once more for that reason alone. But he hasn't, his instinct telling him that Norma Bates has something to hide but that it's not related to Matt Weary's demise. Let alone that every time he sees her, it feels like another rejection because it is so obvious that he wants something she is not interested in in the least. Therefore he decided to leave her out of account as far as the ongoing investigation is concerned. Until he found out something else today that is. Keith Summers, Matt Weary. There is already a blood trail lining Norma Bates' path since she moved to White Pine Bay and today he learned there is possibly another one.
He takes a sip of Scotch. It's usually only one glass per evening; he doesn't intend to end up an imprisoned drunk like his father. And he should forget about her. But the moment he comes to that conclusion, all he can see is her smile, the way her eyes lit up when he told her the good news. His hand rests on his belt, merely thinking about her has that well-known effect on him he welcomes and curses at the same time. Maybe he should postpone his decision to forget about her until tomorrow. Maybe he should give in and seek pleasure thinking of her. Wouldn't be the first time. Just as he is about to pull down the zipper of his pants, though, there is a knock on his door.
Ok then. Perhaps another distraction is a good idea as well. Alex takes his gun because there were distractions waiting at his front door for him in the past that would have cost his life if he hadn't been prepared. A glimpse through the window shades tells him, however, that he doesn't have to fear for his life tonight. Maybe for his soul.
"What's the problem?" he asks when he opens the door.
Norma snorts. "What's the problem? What happened to hello?" She notices the gun in his hand. "Are you going to shoot me? That will be the day." Norma tilts her head back. "Aren't you going to ask me in?"
Alex steps out of the way and puts his gun down. Only when she walks past him, the familiar scent of her perfume surrounding her, he observes that she looks a bit overdressed for a spontaneous late night visit. Her makeup, her hair. He wonders what she is wearing underneath that dark red coat and how long her scent will linger in his house.
As Norma strolls through his living room, Alex can tell she is not impressed by his spare furnishings. Probably what she expected from a typical bachelor. Then she stops right in the middle of the room, seeming to contemplate something briefly before she takes off her coat and holds it out to him. She looks stunning, her vintage dress clinging to her body just in the right places, the mix of dark and light blue of the fabric accentuating the color of her eyes.
He puts her coat away and clears his throat. "Why don't you sit down?" And why is he nervous all of a sudden? Because something is going on here, something beyond his control.
She sits down on his couch and seems to be disappointed when he sits back down in his armchair where he sat before. Norma expected him to sit right next to her on the couch. Only then Alex realizes that he hasn't offered her a drink. Where are his manners?
"What's your poison?" It feels weird to ask her that, as if this was a date and not… whatever it is.
But she stops him with a wave of her hand. "Nothing for me, thank you." She leans forward. "I came here to talk to you about something." She pauses, expecting him to ask her what it is, looking askance at him when he doesn't before she continues. "There are these, um, boys, well, not really boys anymore, teenagers who come over to the motel on a regular basis to harass the guests."
She is lying through her teeth.
"How many?" Alex asks.
Norma pretends to think about it. "Um… Three." Darting a quick glance at him before she corrects herself. "No, um, five I guess. Yes, five." She nods emphatically. Five definitely sounds more of a threat so that the sheriff has to do something about it.
"And you came here because…?"
"Because you're the sheriff. You are supposed to do something about these things, aren't you?" Eyes wide open, an endless blue pleading with him to help her. Alex hates that every fiber of his body responds to it even if he knows that the threat is not real, that she made it up.
"Why didn't you come to my office to complain to the police?"
She frowns as if the idea was preposterous in itself. "Why would I do that? We know each other. We… help each other."
Something in the back of Alex's mind starts to tingle. She is here because she wants his help. Of course. But not about some made-up teenagers harassing her guests. She needs his help because…
"I'm a single mother, living out of town alone with my son. I need someone to protect me," she ups the ante.
It can't be a coincidence. The information he received today about her possible involvement in a third murder. The fact that she is here, right after, basically coming on to him because he is the one who can influence the investigation. The only thing he doesn't know is how she got wind of it so fast, but in the end it doesn't matter.
"And what gives you the idea that I'm the right one to protect you?" He should stop this, should tell her to leave, but Alex is too well aware that she wants something from him and that she has something to offer to get it.
"Because you are the sheriff. Because this is your town and you make the rules."
He could be wrong, but it sounds as if this turns her on. Alex downs his drink with one gulp and gets up under the pretext to refill his glass even though he doesn't intend to have another one.
"Still don't want a drink?" Alex asks Norma, bottle in his hand. His tone of voice has changed. There is something aggressive and dangerous beneath that is difficult to restrain. He hears it and she notices it, too, a brief flicker of uncertainty in her eyes before her pokerface is back.
"No, thank you."
When Alex sits back down, he chooses the spot next to her on the couch, much closer than he would have dared if he wasn't in that strange mood. Norma gasps but composes herself immediately. He expected to catch some hint that it would be uncomfortable for her to be that close to him, but the way her body tenses up is not discomfort. It's anticipation.
"So, these teenagers..." Her dress ends just above her knee and Alex reaches out his hand to brush her smooth skin there, hearing her breath hitch. "How often do they come over to your motel?" His fingers draw lazy circles on her thigh, Norma's eyes jumping back and forth between his hand and his face. It's such a power rush to witness her reaction. Alex believed she wasn't interested in him in the least, but her body language tells a completely different story.
Norma has a hard time concentrating. She thought Alex would be easy prey. The way he always looks at her. She knows when a man has fallen for her and he definitely has. But she underestimated the effect he has on her. This is not the way it was supposed to happen. She intended to seduce him, preferably without actually doing something, the prospect of more sufficient to make him do whatever will be necessary. This however…
She startles when his other hand grasps her lower jaw, gently caressing her face. He stops when he senses her reaction and it confuses her. He obviously is about to take advantage of her. So why would he stop just because something irritates her? Men don't do that. At least not the men she has been with. Let alone that his touch doesn't irritate her. It surprised her, the gentleness even more than the touch itself. But truth be told, she likes it, feels her body respond in a weird mix of comfort and arousal. Norma realizes she has been leaning into his touch.
"What are you doing?" she whispers, the words tumbling out before she can bottle them up.
Alex holds her gaze, his hands continuing to stroke her before his words bring her back into the harsh reality, "There are no teenagers."
Norma freezes and then leans back, her skin getting cold where his hands touched it only seconds ago. "What's that supposed to mean?" Offense is the best defense.
"Don't lie to me. You want something from me? Tell me what it is."
Funny how emotions distort perception. Right now, Alex doesn't care whether Norma is a murderer. The only thing he cares about is that she stops hiding her secrets. Secrets are what got his mother killed. And Norma triggers feelings he never has had for any other woman before. His need to protect her, to ensure her safety overshadows everything else, the irony not lost on him that this is exactly what she came here for. She doesn't need to try and seduce him; he will protect her anyway.
The inner struggle is reflected on her face – confusion, determination, a hint of shame – before she takes a deep breath and straightens herself.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Norma pretends. "I came here because of these teenagers..."
And just like that the moment of closeness between them is over, her walls up again. It makes him furious. Who does she think she is? Playing with him like that.
"Stop that," he growls.
"I think I should go." Norma is about to get up and leave.
"No." She has already half stood up when Alex pulls her back on the couch. His move surprises her, both of them actually. Norma flops on the couch and more or less into him rather awkwardly. They are even closer than before; he can feel her fitful breath on his face, but neither of them moves. "How far were you willing to go to make me protect you?" It bothers him. How easily she was willing to offer herself in exchange for his help. Would she have done it if he was someone else? Probably. The thought stings, images of her with another man tantalizing him.
"Not far enough apparently."
She won't back down; he should have known that. Even now that he has forced her into a corner, Norma is determined to get what she wants. Her eyes have the usual effect on him. He sees everything in them he can't know and yet is convinced is true. A horrible childhood, a life filled with a constant fight for survival, possible abuse from family members or other men. It pains him to see it, but it also draws him even more to her. This is wrong. So wrong. But when Norma licks her lips in anticipation, there is no holding back.
Alex kisses her, the physical impact alone almost making her topple over backwards. He squeezes her against his body to uphold her, one hand at the back of her neck, one around her waist, the pressure pulling her half onto his lap as she bites his lower lip and their tongues fight for control. Even kissing her feels like an argument. But Norma is kissing him back and he doesn't give a fuck whether she does it to manipulate him or is actually attracted to him. She probably doesn't know herself.
They pause to gasp for air and Norma takes the chance to plead with him again. "You have to help me, Alex, please." This time she lets him see it all. Her fear, her vulnerability. Maybe it's because their kiss lowered her defense mechanisms, maybe this is just another attempt to manipulate him although it doesn't feel like it. Either way, they both know that the times of pretending are over.
"What do you need me to help you with?"
"You know what."
The request from the Arizona PD came in today. They re-opened an old case and are looking for the people involved. It's about an event that was covered by the insurance of a Sam Bates. His death was classified as an accident back then; his widow got the money. Save that there are doubts now whether it was an accident or not. And since Norma Bates moved to White Pine Bay, they want to know if anything out of the ordinary has happened after her relocation. Out of the ordinary. Alex wouldn't even know where to start.
"Then tell me what happened."
She swallows. "A heavy shelf fell on my husband and he died." It's interesting. Alex can't tell whether this is the truth or not because somehow… she doesn't seem to know, but that's not possible. The original report says she was present when it happened and found her husband in the garage.
"There is more," he insists, watching her facial features slip.
"Alex, please. You've got to believe me. There is nothing else I can tell you. You have to help me. If I lose the money, I will lose the motel. How am I supposed to take care of Norman then?"
Let alone that she might end up in prison because this is what it's about, isn't it? If the death of her husband was no accident, then someone must have killed him. She might have killed him.
"I can only help you when you tell me everything." He didn't say if and she noticed.
Alex watches her struggle with what to tell him and what not. But he is a stranger after all. And she can't trust a stranger. He recognizes the exact moment Norma makes that decision. And in a way, Alex understands. He doesn't trust anyone either, but he wants her to trust him.
"This is all I can tell you," Norma whispers, leaning forward to kiss him again in an effort to convince him with her body where her words didn't succeed.
"Don't… don't do that." Alex pushes her away from him. "I need to know the truth." This stubborn, beautiful woman is going to ruin her life if he doesn't prevent it.
"Alex, please," she whines. "Just tell them everything's fine. And don't tell them about Keith Summers or Matt Weary. Please help me, will you?"
"Then stop lying to me."
"I'm not lying to you." She sounds desperate, honest, at least to some degree, and yet, Alex knows there is more.
"How did your husband die?"
"A heavy shelf..."
"That's what you told the police and the insurance company, but what did really happen?"
"Alex..." Norma shakes her head, slouching her shoulders.
He grabs her arms, would like to squeeze the truth out of her. Everybody lies. In one way or the other, his entire life was a lie. Until he met her. She is mysterious, obstinate and perhaps also dangerous, but even so, Alex feels a clarity when he is with Norma that his life has been lacking so far. Every aspect of his past is tainted – his upbringing, his involvement in drug business. It has never bothered him before, but now it does. She came into his life and turned everything upside down. And he knows she won't make things better, considering the burdens she brings along most likely even worse. However it doesn't matter because it's real; at least it feels real, this connection between them, whatever it is. Therefore she has to confide in him, has to trust him, the idea that she will never let him close choking Alex, his anger boiling over.
"Stop lying to me," he yells at Norma, feeling her flinch, his fingers digging into her soft skin.
As soon as he becomes aware of it, Alex loosens his grip and she relaxes but is still wary as to what will happen next.
"I'm not lying to you," Norma repeats, eerily calm despite his blowup, confirming his assumption that she has experienced violence before. "You want me to trust you? Then trust me."
She never does what he expects her to. Knowing her temper, Alex expected Norma to yell back at him, but instead her response was calm and composed. Just like her behavior when she leans forward again, not to kiss him this time though. She embraces him, burying her face in the crook of his neck in an intimate way as if they had done this countless times before.
"Trust me," she murmurs, her breath on his neck making Alex shiver as his arms find their way around her body of their own accord.
Then she pulls out of his embrace, brushes the side of his face with her lips and is gone.
It's past midnight when Norma parks her car and is about to walk up the stairs to the house, a figure emerging from the shadows scaring her for a moment until she recognizes who it is.
"What are you still doing here?" She doesn't even try to hide the contempt in her voice. He has never brought her anything but trouble.
"I have nowhere to go," Dylan states. "I wouldn't still be here otherwise."
Norma snorts. "You really think I'll let you stay after what you did?"
They had a major falling-out earlier that same day. Dylan has no job, ran out of money and eventually found his mother and brother. Norma left without telling him her new address. It was deliberate, within the realm of her usual behavior when it comes to rejecting her firstborn. She expected him to search and find her sometime, anyway, wasn't actually surprised when he showed up on her doorstep. He's a thorn in her side, but she knows she will never get rid of him. You can't get rid of your own flesh and blood. Things went horribly awry, though, when Norma got the call from her bank informing her that the insurance company froze the rest of the insurance money she hadn't already spent. There is a pending investigation regarding Sam's death and obviously Dylan caused it. Not that there is much money left; plus she always has some savings in cash. But this is a disaster that threatens their entire existence and Dylan set it off to get back at her.
"What did you expect, Norma?" Dylan yelled at her when she confronted him. "You left without a word. Took all the money. Some of it could've been mine."
"He wasn't your father."
Sam left her all the money. Dylan isn't his biological son and Norman a minor. Dylan was beyond reason though. She had all the arguments and he had all the anger. Deep down, Norma knows that he is right at least in a way. What did you expect? She will never love him the way she loves Norman, never did. It's not Dylan's fault. It's how he was conceived.
Norma studies her son. Dylan comes after her much more than Norman regarding appearance as well as behavior. Blond hair, blue eyes. It's as if she is looking in a mirror. And Dylan is a survivor as she is while Norman needs her to survive.
"Just for one night. It's freezing out here." Dylan sniffles and she notices the worn fabric of his jacket that is much too thin for this time of the year.
He is her son after all.
"One night," Norma agrees.
Dylan nods, only now becoming aware of the way she is dressed. "Where have you been?"
"Don't do this, Dylan," Norma warns him. "I've had enough fights for one day."
Aside from accusing her to have taken his money, that is his second favorite topic. That she sleeps around. Not that she ever did. But he will never forgive her for leaving his father. Or rather the man Dylan believes to be his father. Either way, he prefers to hold on to the delusion that their life would have been better if she had stayed with her first husband. She has the scars to prove him wrong; Dylan was too little to remember. However what good would it do to confront him with another ugly truth? Perhaps this is her redemption. Despite the fact that Dylan pretends not to care about her, Norma knows that he longs for her love. Something she can't give him, not the way he wants it. So she lets him blame her instead.
"Okay." Dylan shrugs as if none of this matters. This is what they do. Provoke. Fight. Reconcile, at least in a way. And then it starts all over again.
Norma walks up the rest of the stairs in silence, almost tripping at some point, his hand supporting her, preventing her fall. She doesn't say thank you but neither did he when she told him he could stay.
To be continued
Random note: I was imagining Norma to look the way she did on her first date with Shelby in season one when she goes to see Alex here. Save that she is wearing a different dress. (DoomedSometimes, GeneHarlow: She can't always wear a wrap dress, right?)
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.