15.

~ It was times like these, Norma wished she had mother to talk to. A real mother, not the one she'd been given. Wished her mother had been someone who was reliable and steadfast. Someone who was wise and could provide comfort. Who knew just what to say and do to make her feel better. But Norma had never experienced that kind of relationship with her mother and had to learn to soothe herself.

She had to learn to build herself into a fortress that wouldn't break, no matter what army lay siege to it.

"Are you hungry?" Alex asked when they reach the familiar streets of the village. "We could get something to eat. Chinese take out by the fire sounds nice. Watch that movie you want to see. The Graduate?"

Norma shook her head. She wanted Norman here. Wanted to tell him about how funny it was that Marsh was staying at the Motel. How nice and quite her Christmas had been with Alex even with the power out. How all of this with Audrey Decody was just a misunderstanding. She wanted to joke with her son again. Share things with him she just couldn't do with Alex or anyone else.

'It's always been you and me, Norman.'

And still she felt all alone. Even with Alex right beside her. Even with someone who always made her feel very safe and comforted, it wasn't the same. She still felt that loneliness that Norman's absence caused.

~ Marsh was packing up his car when he saw the Sheriff's SUV pull into the motel driveway and towards the big house. It was amazing what he'd accumulated over a few days of staying in a motel room, and he was eager to get back home where he could file his report and see his partner Johnathan and their friends. It hadn't gone over well that he would be missing Christmas to investigate to Romeros but holidays were a prime time to observe the tension in relationships. Or, in the case of Alex and Norma, the lack of it.

He planned to use the break in the weather to drive home when he saw that lovely Mrs. Romero sullenly slip out of the passenger side and walk towards the house. Her face looked like someone had just died.

In Marsh's heart of hearts, he'd hoped they hadn't had a fight of some kind. Norma trudged quickly, that woman moved faster than any woman he'd ever seen before, up the hill towards the house, and her husband meandered behind.

"Sheriff?" Marsh called and waved at Sheriff Romero who seemed reluctant to follow her up all those menacing concrete steps. From what Marsh had seen of the inside of that fabulous Queen Anne style house, it was a renovators dream come true.

Jonathan would move here in a heartbeat so long as the God awful motel was torn down. What wouldn't he and Johnathan do with a house like that?

"Mr. Marsh." Sheriff Romero said curtly.

"Everything alright?" Marsh asked wheedlingly. "Mrs. Romero looked a little… distraught."

"Everything's fine." the stoic Sheriff said. "We just… we just came back from seeing her son. It was her first Christmas away from him. It's very hard."

"Yes, it must have been." Marsh said hearing his own voice sounding slightly catty. In truth he liked Mrs. Romero very much and wanted good things for her. But his interest was roused and if it related to the case, he had to investigate.

"Tell me, what does Norman think of your recent nuptials, Sheriff?" Marsh asked.

"He's an eighteen year old kid." was the response.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning any eighteen year old kid isn't going to be very happy that his mother has remarried." Romero told him curtly.

"How was your relationship with Norman before the marriage?" Mashed asked with sudden politeness.

"Civil."

Marsh raised an eyebrow at the one word response.

"May I ask how Norman is doing?" he asked.

"Fine."

"Will Mrs. Romero be alright?"

"Yes."

"Please thank her again for the dinner she made me yesterday." Marsh said feeling the Sheriff wasn't about to slip and fall for his traps. Romero was glaring back at him and whenever he blinked, it was in a lazy, self confident way that suggested he was bored with the investigator.

"I will." Romero said dryly. "I should go. Is there anything else?"

Marsh looked at the large house on the hill and saw the twitch of the curtains in the upstairs bedroom. Mrs. Romero's shadow looming on the other side like a ghost.

"Just one more thing." Marsh said. He hated himself for bringing this up. Hated himself because it was just apart of the job. "I spoke with Miss Hamilton. She says the two of you were close right up until a few weeks before you married Norma. She was surprised you were involved with someone else in fact. Said you never mentioned anyone else."

"I don't know what you mean-"

"She even produced evidence." Marsh interrupted.

"Evidence?" Romero barked.

"Of a sort." Marsh said. "Security cameras caught her car at your house just a few days before you married Norma. Overnight I might add."

"So, this… woman parked her car at my house." Romero said with a non committal sigh. I probably wasn't even there. I work a lot."

"Security camera also caught your SUV there to, Sheriff." Marsh nodded. "I won't go into the ATM camera snatching photos of you and Rebecca Hamilton looking very close. Only because it was long time ago. What I will be putting in my final report was that you were seeing a woman, this Hamilton woman, right before you married Norma.

Marsh nodded to the large house. The second story bedroom. He was glad Norma couldn't hear them. He didn't want her to know her husband had, in his opinion, a wandering eye. As handsome as he was, she didn't deserve a cheater.

"You have… these pictures?" Romero asked looking slightly shocked and winded. It was as if Marsh had punched him.

"Yes." Marsh nodded. "Not the only copies of course." he added quickly. The part wasn't true. As far as Marsh knew he'd been the only person on the planet to search for and find such photographic evidence. All of which were stored in the trunk of his car.

"Norma doesn't know." Romero said quickly. His face looking shockingly humble and sad. "She knows I had been involved with Rebecca, but thought it had been over for a long time. We were… fighting when it happened. I was weak. I made a mistake."

"Don't you think Mrs. Romero should be enlightened?" Marsh asked. "As to what kind of man you are?"

"She's been hurt before." Romero said smoothly. "Her late husband was abusive and with everything happening with her son… please. She doesn't need this. We're trying to get a fresh start together."

'Damn.' Marsh thought. 'No wonder Norma fell for you.'

He went to the trunk of his car and opened it. The manilla envelope with the security camera stills were still filed away neatly. He pulled them free and gave them to the Sheriff.

"Only because I like Mrs. Romero so much." Marsh warned. "You can call some kid named Eddie at the bank and ask for all the security camera footage. It was easy enough for me to do and I'm a private citizen Sheriff. I fibbed a little and told him I was a PI and he fell for it. As for the security cameras, it's from a shop with a view into your driveway. You can just bully your way in there like I hear you like to do. Ask them for it."

"Thank you." Romero said with a tint of sadness and remorse.

"I didn't do it for you." Marsh snapped hotly. "Mrs. Romero is a very lovely woman. I like her. I think you love her and I think you married her because you love her and because you wanted to help her son. Dropping your insurance, losing your job over this would only hurt Norma in the end. Would only hurt her son who obviously means a lot to her. The person who has the most to lose here isn't you, It's your wife."

~ Alex lit a fire in the fireplace and quickly burned the photographs Marsh had given him. The envelope to. He couldn't believe how careless and stupid he'd been to lie to that DEA agent about Rebecca. The truth would have been simpler.

'We had, HAD, a relationship but it's long over and I'm married now.' That's all he would have had to say. Except it wasn't all he had to say. He would have had to assure the agent he knew nothing about Rebecca's money laundering which of course he'd known about it since day one. Rebecca had come into town able to funnel Bob Paris' funds so cleanly, that he could run for president one day.

In fact, Alex was sure the three million Bob had stashed in the safe deposit box was just a drop in the bucket compared to what was stashed in other accounts that were no doubt stored in old fashioned paper ledgers that belonged to Bob Paris.

'I'm so stupid.' he thought manically. 'Why didn't I just tell the truth? Just say it's a small town, a village really, and I've lived here all my life. Of course I know her. I know everyone.'

Burning these photos and getting rid of security camera stills wouldn't work either. Who knows what Rebecca had on him. Who knew if there were other photos lurking around. Waiting to put him into prison.

He wasn't afraid of going to prison. He knew, had known for years, what the consequences of this life might lead to. It was Norma he worried about now. Marsh was right. If he lost his job, insurance and the stability he provided her, she would suffer greatly.

Norma didn't deserve to suffer. After everything she'd been through.
"What did Marsh want?" a weak voice asked and Alex turned to see his wife had appeared in the living room.
"Just to talk. I think he's leaving." Alex said.

"Oh." she sighed. Her voice deflated and sad. Hopeless. "Did you say anything about the investigation?"

"I think he's dropping it." Alex told her.
"That's good." Norma said with a slight lift of happiness. "What are you burning?"

"Photographs."

"Photographs of what?"

Alex took a deep breath and let it out.
"You remember at the… Lights of Winter? That woman, Rebecca talked to you?" he asked. He could feel his strength start to falter. Norma's eyes narrowed.

"Yes."

"She and I used to see each other." Alex admitted. "Not… not romantically. More like we both had too much to drink sort of thing. It was always…"

He didn't want to admit to his wife he'd kept a casual girl on the side in case he had late night appetites.

"It's okay, Alex." she laughed but there wasn't any joy in it. "I've had people that I was seeing to. Guy like you… I knew you were sleeping with someone. Even if you kept it private."

"It didn't mean anything." he promised quickly. "It was never what it is with you."

Norma nodded.

"Why are you burning pictures?" she asked nodding to the fire.

Alex looked guilty back at the flames hungrily devouring the remains of the paper.

"Because she'd laundered Bob Paris' money and the DEA had traced that money back to her." he said calmly. "And because I lied to a DEA agent and said I didn't know her."

Her face fell in horror.

"Marsh found evidence of the relationship and… gave me the pictures. But, Norma, it will eventually come out if Rebecca really wants it to. If she's trapped by the DEA. If she sees a way out."

"What kind… what kind of pictures?" Norma asked looking uncomfortable.

Alex closed his eyes and had to smile.

"Nothing like that." he promised. "ATM camera, CCTV from a store across from my house. Things that prove we'd spent time together."

"Oh."

"Thing is…" Alex said feeling a pain in his chest and praying it wasn't a heart attack. Bob Paris was probably right, he would have a stroke before he was 50. "Rebecca and I… we were together about a week before you and I got married."

She looked winded. As if all the air had been stolen from her body and she had no life left.

"Oh." she said.

"Norma, we were so angry at each other." he reminded her. "You'd lied to me about Sam dying. About Norman. I felt like I couldn't trust you."

Norma said nothing. Her gaze falling to the fames.

"I see." she said coldly.

"Please." he said. "It was a mistake. It was before… before us."

"I know." she nodded.

She started breathing again.

"What else?" she asked. "What else aren't you telling me that I need to know."

Alex swallowed hard and looked away.
"What else, Alex?" she demanded.

"There's three million in cash that Rebecca laundered for Bob Paris in a safe deposit box. I have the key to it. She wants it. That's why she broke into the house that night. If we try to move it, the DEA will jump on us, if we do nothing, the DEA might arrest me for lying to a federal agent." he said helplessly. "If I give Rebecca the money and they catch her, which they will, she will roll on me and anyone else. Right now, we're all in a stand still."

~ With remarkable speed, Dylan arrived at the large house when his mother called. She wouldn't specify what she needed him for, but it sounded desperate.

"Okay, Norma, I'm here." he called out when he strolled into the front door and heard the security alarm chirp off at his arrival. He liked Romero for getting his mother the security system. Liked that he'd given her something that made her feel safe. Knowing Norma as he did, she enjoyed having eyes everywhere. Since the ugly incident with Keith Summers, it had been the best kind of gift Romero could have given her.

Far safer and more practical than that gun she made him get her a few years ago. A gun would only lead to trouble and he might have a word with Romero about it. Norman wasn't in the house anymore and maybe the two of them could think of a way to get the gun away from her.

"Drove three hours in this snow, tell me what's up that you couldn't tell me over the phone." he demanded when he found Romero and his mother sitting in the kitchen.

'Swear to God if she wants me to open a fucking pickle jar or something…' he thought bitterly.

Romero and Norma were sitting quietly in the kitchen. Both of them looking guilty.
"Sit down honey, we need to talk to you." she said. Her face looking sad and very serious.

"Is it Norman?" Dylan asked. His thought immediately turning to his brother. What did he do now? God, would it ever end?

"No, it's not Norman." his mother said quickly. Her face brightening and she waved to an empty chair.

"You're not pregnant are you?" he accused his mother in horror.

"What?" she snapped angrily. The same Norma Bates he'd known all his life suddenly coming into sharp focus. "No, I'm not pregnant! Sit down!"

Romero had the good sense to roll his eyes and look embarrassed, but Norma looked furious her son would suggest such a thing.

"I was only asking." Dylan said and glanced down at Norma's waist. Her hands fluttered down to her stomach, seeing where his gaze had gone.

"Sit down." she ordered harshly. "We need to talk. You need to know somethings."

~ It was like something from a spy movie. None of this could be real. The DEA, the secret mistress who technically wasn't a real mistress. Hidden keys and a stash of money no one could move.

"You… you have to tell the DEA." Dylan said feeling like he'd just been beaten up with this information.

"No, I lied to the DEA." Romero said quickly.

Dylan shook his head.
"Bring that agent you spoke to here. To the house. Face to face." he said. "Tell him the truth. Tell him you just got married and you panicked that a federal agent was bringing up an old girlfriend. Especially one you'd seen so close to marrying Norma. That you only lied because you were afraid your new wife would find out."

Romero looked at Dylan skeptically.

"Listen, the truth will back you up. Back everything up." Dylan instead. "Then, you can tell the agent about the money in the safe deposit box. About how Rebecca wants it. How she laundered it. Broke into the house looking for it. Tell them everything but be very remorseful about the lying and keep saying it was because you had just gotten married and didn't want Norma to know about hooking up with another woman."

His mother's eyes were wide and she looked over at Romero who was scowling. There Sheriff looked doubtful.

"Just throw myself on the mercy of the DEA?" he accused the younger man. Clearly his new step father wasn't the top to put himself at anyone else's mercy.

"To help them catch the bigger fish. Yeah." Dylan nodded. "You can ask for witness protection."

"Witness protection?" Norma whispered.

Romero closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Norma, what's happening now is like a house of cards." he explained. "Once they have the rest of Bob Paris' ledgers and anything else that's in that safe deposit box, who know what it will expose."

"I doubt Bob Paris was the only one she laundered money for." Dylan nodded. "You give the DEA proof in exchange for immunity. It's the only way. Lot of people with a lot of power will want to come after you, Sheriff. Want to hurt those you care about."

"Wait." Norma threw up her hands. "Wait. We can't go into witness protection. What about Norman?"

Dylan and Alex looked at her.

"What about Norman?" she demanded sharply.

So, I know you don't want to hear about Alex hooking up with Rebecca but in the deleted scenes of season 4 he DID. Sorry, but it was seemingly right after he had the fight with Norma over Sam and I guess he was still mad about it. Also, it was kinda odd to me that she had a key to his house. He hadn't lived there very long at all and she gets a key to his place? Suggesting she's not a random good time girl but a serious GF.

But she was never mentioned before season 4 and knew nothing about his feeling for Norma.