This chapter was written last year, but I never got around to finishing the next one, which I wanted to do before I posted this. Anyway, with Bates back on the muse has returned and I will have a few new stories to post. Can't promise this story will be finished but this chapter is too good to go to waste :)
No murder weapon was found, no fingerprints or DNA either. The case went cold, and things seemed to go back to normal after a few weeks. Romero's house was being rebuilt, and when he wasn't in uniform he was overseeing the work on it. He spent limited time at the motel, trying to avoid his ever developing feelings for Norma. He found himself thinking of her often, and it bothered him. Sure, she was attractive. But she was also the most frustrating woman he had ever met.
He had barely spoken to Norma since breaking the news of the Heldens' deaths. She asked him how the case was going once, and he told her the truth. She seemed to be relieved, rather than disappointed by the news. Romero wondered, and not for the first time, if he'd been right in thinking originally that maybe Norma did know something about the murders. Lynn's words about the polygraph haunted him at times. He wondered whether Norman was the Heldens' killer. But with no evidence, he wasn't going to question the kid again. If Lynn was right, and Norman had lied to the lie detector, then Norman was dangerous.
Norma had relaxed slightly when Romero informed her that the case was going nowhere. That meant he couldn't possibly have any good reason to suspect Norman, and maybe Norman hadn't done it. But Norma still suspected he had. After all, it was hardly a secret that Norman had hated George. Norma had even played on that once or twice, to get Norman's attention. She hadn't seen a lot of Alex recently, and she was beginning to realise that she wanted to. It wasn't just about him being a protector of her family, or a father figure to her youngest son anymore. That attraction she felt to him had turned into something else. Something more. She missed him. That saying, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' was truthful.
Norman and Emma were spending more time together now that Emma had quit working at the motel. A few weeks after the deaths of Christine and George, the pair were going to the movies and Norma found herself preparing a dinner for two anyway. She went down the motel office and was locking up just as Alex pulled up outside his room. Norma walked quickly to catch up to him before he got inside, and he turned around when he heard the click of her heels. "Want to have dinner with me?" She asked.
Romero was surprised by her question. Was she asking him out? "Norman's gone out with Emma and I cooked too much for myself." Norma added, clarifying. "Uhhh.." Romero started, about to decline. As much as a home cooked meal appealed to him, he wanted to continue keeping distance from Norma. "Oh come on Alex, it's not like you have a kitchen in there." Norma cut across him, her eyebrows raised. Romero held his hands up slightly, in surrender. "Okay."
Norma smiled and waited for him to lock his door again and follow her up to the house. It wasn't until they were inside that either of them spoke again. "Smells good." Romero commented, stopping for a moment at the foot of the stairs while Norma closed the door behind them. A moment later, he felt her hands on his shoulders, gently pulling on his jacket. He froze for a moment. It was like one of his dreams of her coming to life. "What are you doing?" He asked quietly.
Norma smiled, though he couldn't see her, standing behind him. "Taking your jacket." Maybe it was a motherly thing, maybe she was subconsciously coming on to him. She wasn't sure. Norma brushed her fingers against his shoulders and he let the leather go. When it was off, he turned to face her. His facial expression was softer than usual. She smiled again, placed his jacket on the stand by the door and brushed past him to go into the kitchen. Dinner was still in the oven.
Alex followed her after a moment, and she could feel his eyes on her as she bent down to remove the roast and vegetables from the oven. "Do you want a drink?" She asked, glancing back at him.
"Just water, thanks." Romero replied. He needed to keep a level head. Norma quickly dished out the food and put down the two plates, and two glasses of water on the table. She sat down in the same place she had the day she cleaned his cut. Leaving him to also sit in the same chair. Romero sat down. "Looks really good." He commented, looked at her as he said it. Their eyes met and both of them smiled. It was rare that Romero smiled, he usually reserved it for when he wanted something and had to be nice about it. This wasn't one of those times – this was real. Having a meal with Norma was making him happy. Actually happy.
He looked back at his plate and started to eat. The food was exceptional. "How is Norman doing?" Romero asked, attempting small talk.
Norma finished her mouthful before replying, and avoided eye contact. Norman, she didn't want to talk about. Not to Sheriff Romero, not when she was convinced her son was a killer. She needed to protect Norman at all costs, or she would lose him. "Norman's fine. He's back at school and spending lots of time with Emma." Norma replied, taking in another forkful and looking at Alex again as he responded. "Is he still spending time in the basement?"
Norma frowned slightly. "No, not so much." It wasn't exactly a lie. But between school, helping in the motel and hanging out with Emma, Norman was still down in that basement every day. "Anyway, let's talk about you. I don't know anything about you."
As she said it, she smiled brightly and leaned closer to him as though he might tell her a secret. Romero had to tear his eyes from hers and back to his plate. What could he tell her? He decided not to tell her a thing she didn't already know. The less she knew, the better. That way, she couldn't further exploit any weakness he might have, if that was her game. Judging by the way she acted at times, like tonight, she obviously already knew one of those weaknesses. Her.
"Well, I'm the Sheriff of this town. I'm staying at the Bates Motel right now, because some piece of shit burned by house down." He said it in a slightly playful tone, a tiny smile on his lips. "I'm rebuilding," he added. That was something she probably didn't know.
Norma pursed her lips. He hadn't given her any new information about himself. What skeletons did he have hiding in his closet? "Oh, how long till it's done?" she asked, referring to the rebuilding of his home. Though having the Sheriff of White Pine Bay living in her motel long term was good for some reasons, it was bad for others. She was doing her best to protect Norman from the things he had done, and it was made only more difficult when Alex was around.
"Months away yet." Alex replied, after finishing the last mouthful and taking a sip of water. He pushed his plate away from him and leaned forward, arms folded on the table. Norma also finished in the minutes of silence that followed. "Norma, how did Norman's father die?" She leaned back in her chair and looked at him, eyes narrowing slightly. Was he asking this because of their conversation over coffee a few weeks ago, or something else?
Romero had talked to Norman about his father, but he wondered if Norma would give some more information on the subject. Norman was different from kids his age. Possibly a killer. So Romero had to know the truth about his father. Norma's eyes narrowed at the question. "Why?"
"Well, because I'm curious. You said I'm better than his father. What did you mean by that? Was he abusive or something?" Romero spoke in the same tone he used when questioning suspects. He didn't take his eyes off her, taking in her body language. She folded her arms, thinking for a moment. She obviously wanted to avoid the subject.
Norma leaned forward again, eyes glued to Alex's. She didn't want to talk about Sam, but what a perfect opportunity to extract personal information from Alex. "How about.. you tell me what I want to know.. and I'll tell you what you want to know?" She responded, a devious smile curving her lips. She saw the annoyance on his face when he realised he wasn't going to get information for free. He broke eye contact, glancing away from her and squeezing his eyes shut. Clearly, he didn't want to tell her anything but he needed information from her.
There was silence for a few moments. "Alright." Alex leaned back with folded arms and stared at her. "First question."
Romero had no interest in divulging details of his personal life to Norma. He told himself that the entire reason for coming up to her house tonight was for a good meal and to learn more about Norman. He couldn't hide his own feelings from himself though. He was attracted to Norma, he even enjoyed her company at times. He found it difficult to stay away from her.
"Why did you choose to stay at my motel?" It was a good question, and one that Romero didn't really have an answer to. He hadn't made a conscious decision to stay at the Bates Motel. He'd just kind of found himself there. "To keep an eye on you and your sons." He replied. It was true now. He leaned toward her again, his face only inches from hers just like when she cleaned his cut. "Where did you and Norman live before you came here?" Norma held her ground when he moved closer to her, and kept glancing between his lips and his eyes as he spoke. "Scottsdale, Arizona. How old are you?" Romero knew that she was thirty seven, from when he had arrested her. They were actually very close in age. "Thirty eight. So was your husband abusive?" Romero needed to know.
"Yes, he was. His name was Sam and he's not my husband anymore." Norma paused for a moment. "Are you single?" Romero was surprised. George had been gone only a few weeks. She must not have been that into him. The fact that her dead husband had been abusive however didn't surprise him. Now that he had the guy's name and a location, he could run a search on his cause of death, finally. "Yes." He replied in a softer tone. Norma smiled and for a moment they just looked into each other's eyes. Romero stood up suddenly, breaking the moment. As much as he wanted to, it wouldn't be a good idea to let anything happen with Norma.
She wasn't really sure what compelled her to ask that question. She did feel a growing attraction to Alex, but her loyalty to Norman was paramount. She didn't want things to go bad between them again. Norma stood up too, picking up her dishes and putting them in the sink. Behind her, she heard Alex approach with his dishes. He set them down in the sink, his arm brushing against hers accidently. She froze and then looked at him. His dark eyes were smouldering, looking back at her. She held her breath – the ball was in his court. If he made a move now, she knew she would take him up to her bedroom.
Romero reluctantly looked away. "Thanks for dinner." When he looked back at her again, there was disappointment on her face. She looked away, and turned the water on. "Any time." She answered, her tone neutral. Romero was disappointed, too. He would put her down on the kitchen table right now if he could, but he simply couldn't allow himself to. Not when her son was possibly a murderer. He needed to stay out of Norma's personal life as much as possible, and she wasn't making it easy for him. "Goodnight, Norma." He said softly, offering her a slight smile before he turned around and left the kitchen. She didn't follow him.