This is by far the longest chapter, so bear with me! A lot goes down. Hope it's taking an interesting turn and you enjoy it. Sorry for those who opted for the story not to further investigate Bob's death. I felt that it needed to be weaved into the plotline.

A suit was too formal, a pair of jeans and a plaid button-down too casual. Alex grumbled to himself as he attempted to choose something to wear for the questioning. It was weeks after his leg injury had recovered, and the DEA had insisted that he come in for questioning regarding Bob's death. He wanted to put it off, but he knew how persistent they were, and he didn't want to raise any unwanted suspicion, so he accepted their non-optional request.

He decided on just wearing his uniform. There was nothing more intimidating and reaffirming of his position in this town than hiding behind his uniform. Granted, Alex wasn't one to shy away from law and order, but in this case, he found himself almost shrinking away. Now he could wrap his head around what it felt for Norma to keep in a secret. Suppressing the truth, rehearsing what to say, and not letting catharsis overtake him. What if they had already found out and were two steps in front of him? What if he lost his job over saving some woman he was infatuated with but wasn't even really with? Like his father had always told him, he made such a big deal out of everything. This much was true. Overthinking and uptightness were his vices, but what would he be without them? A lot could go wrong today, Alex thought. But he had to act like he knew nothing, and not like the man who pulled the trigger because of Bob's taunts and insinuations.

But Bob was right. Up until Alex had ended his life, Bob had spoken a surprising amount of truth. His plan to kill Bob was almost meticulous, but Bob's words had lit the fuse of rage and denial in him that was the actual trigger that landed three bullets in him. Alex didn't want to even consider what he had said, but in some sense, he killed Bob because he was too good an analyzer. In that moment of angst, Bob Paris seemed to know more about Alex than he knew himself, and that was a terrifying thought. He had kept to himself for so long, but his tough exterior didn't seem to fool anyone in this town.

Alex forced himself down to the station, and was lead to the interrogation room. He found all of this hinging on amusement. He knew where the room was and what procedures were being carried out, but he was being treated like any suspect would. It stung, but Alex knew it was what had to be done.

Awaiting him in the room was a man he wasn't familiar with. He was sitting back in his chair, sipping on coffee, nonchalantly studying Alex as he walked in. The man set down his coffee warily, and motioned for Alex to take a seat across from him. As he sat down, the man introduced himself.

"Hello, Sheriff. I'm Terrance Wilkins. I do special investigations for small towns who often don't have any resources to turn to." Alex didn't enjoy his company already. Terrance was slippery and his grin was a fallacy. His dark brown hair was gelled back, and his suit, shirt and tie were entirely black. Alex could read him immediately. He was a young, hotshot investigator that had an IQ too high for his own good, but it did not intimidate him one bit.

"Surprising we haven't met before. Nice to meet you."

"I was informed that the DEA had trouble locating Mr. Paris, and when he had turned up dead, it wasn't an easy case. It was ruled without your consent that it was time to get an outside source to help out. Do you find that odd, Sheriff?" Terrance slicked back his hair, and folded his hands on the table.

Alex raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders casually, but underneath, he was furious that he wasn't told, and he wondered why. Alex was accustomed to being out of the loop on a number of things, but this was his job.

"Yeah. Why wasn't I put in charge of this investigation?"

"Well, you are just a little too close to the investigation. I take it you knew Bob from around town."

"It's a small town. Everyone is in everyone's business. I grew up with him. We weren't close, but we knew one another, yeah."

"Do you know of anyone who would want to harm Bob Paris? I'm sure if anyone would know, it would be you." Terrance flashed him a precocious smile.

Alex gulped and thought over what he had formulated to say. "Bob had a lot of workers, colleagues, and allies. That in turn can cause a lot of enemies and people with grudges." Terrance stood up from his seat and crossed his arms. He began to pace, and Alex watched, his throat closing up at Terrance's hardened expression.

"That may be true, but I don't want to steered in the direction of endless leads and suspects. I think you're holding something back from me." They shared a knowing look, and Alex quickly looked down at his shoes.

"I don't know what you're suggesting, but…" Terrance cut him off by reaching into his pocket and slamming something on the table. Passive questioning was over. Now, it was a full-blown interrogation.

"That, Sheriff, is a recording of a phone call exchange we tapped into from Paris' landline. Do you have any idea as to whom he might have been talking to? Should I play it?"

Alex felt his heart rate accelerate at Terrance's statement. He was too good at his job, and Alex knew it was over. It was best to say nothing at this point.

Terrance sat back down and eyed him carefully. "Just tell me the truth. I want to hear what you have to say. I'm a fair guy, and that's why you're not in custody right now."

"Alright. I did get in the way of the takedown. I called Bob ahead of time, before the team got to his place, I told him that we were coming to incarcerate him, and I instructed him to meet me at the docks."

"Yes, that was gathered from the phone call, but why? Why'd you do it?"

Alex didn't have a logical answer, and he sure as hell wasn't prepared to divulge his motives. The pause was suffocating, and he knew he had to respond.

"Bob was threatening to hurt a…uh, family friend and myself because of the DEA's possession of the flash drive. It was in both of our best interests at the time that I got him out of the arrest, because I knew as soon as he got out of prison, it wouldn't be safe for us. So my judgment was cloudy, I didn't let him escape, instead, I ended up shooting him."

"Thank you telling me. What do you mean by 'safe for us?'"

"Me, my family friend and her family." He tried to conceal the catch in his voice. Saying family friend felt foreign, but that's the status they kept, at least around people not within their little Bates Motel circle.

"I see. Well, you withheld information. You got in the way of a major investigation. It's come to my attention that you've killed before for the betterment of the town, but this time the motive is a little bit foggy. I'm afraid that means 4 weeks suspension and probation upon your return. This has already been discussed with the council."

Alex froze, staring down Terrance, but he knew there was nothing he could say or do to change the punishment.

"Am I handing over my badge now?" His hearted panged. The twinge of pain shot through him at the thought of leaving his job. People would talk and wouldn't want anything to do with him. But it wasn't like everyone was clambering to be around him these days. Being Sheriff was the only thing he knew how to do, and without his job, he had nothing to take his mind off of her.

"You know the procedure." Terrance grimaced slightly. Alex appreciated his civility, but the whole situation got under his skin.

Alex unhooked his badge from his belt and placed it on the table in front of him.

"Oh, and please dry clean and return your uniforms until probation. Since we have someone filling in for you until your return, I'm going to need you to give back the Sheriff's SUV, since it is technically the station's property and the sub-in will need to use it. I'm hoping you have other means of transport."

Luckily, Alex did: his dusty old convertible in his garage. "I do. If you don't mind me asking, who will be my replacement?" At that, Terrance gave him a small smile.

"Me."

Alex made his way to the coffee shop in town, everything related to work stripped away. Riding in the old convertible felt unnatural and it seemed to be hogging attention. He hated when all eyes were on him, and people weren't giving him funny looks just because of his car. He had a feeling the news about his suspension would spread rapidly.

He parked the car out front of the café and made his way inside. Wearing regular clothes made him feel like he was off duty, and really, he was.

Waiting in line, he picked out Dylan waiting a few people ahead of him. Alex called him after he had bought his cup of coffee.

"Dylan!" He called out as he was heading for the door. Dylan turned to see Alex in line, smiled, and walked over to join him in the line. Both weren't quite used to sharing pleasantries with Alex Romero.

"Hey Sheriff. I mean, uh, I'm sorry. I heard about the suspension. It's shitty that that happened, man. If it's any consolation, I think you're a good cop, and you tried to do what you thought was right." Dylan took a sip of his coffee.

"Thanks Dylan. What I did wasn't moral in the eyes of the law, so I paid for it. I had it coming. I meant to tell you, the day you tried to save me from being shot at, you really showed some courage. You'd be good on the force, I mean it." Alex never said anything lightly, and Dylan knew this. Dylan smiled widely at his compliment and scratched the back of his neck. Before he could thank him, Alex was next in line and went up to the counter.

"See you around," Dylan assured. Alex nodded as Dylan made his way to the door.

When Alex got back into his car, he set down his coffee at the sound of his phone going off. It was a number he hadn't seen pop up in a very long while.

"Hello?"

"Hi Al. It's Octavia." A warm feeling filled his stomach at her voice.

"Octavia? Hey, you haven't called in the longest time! What's going on?" Alex smiled to himself. She was the only happy fragment of his childhood that lingered.

"I've been out of college for a while, but I can't keep staying at my friends' places. I don't want to put them out over the summer holiday. Can I maybe stay over with you? You know until school starts up again?" She requested sweetly, but he could pick up on her teasing tone as always. They may have not seen each other in a long time while she was in university, but she knew he most likely living alone and had room.

Alex didn't immediately answer, and so she finished the void of silence from his end. "You know that I went back to school. Al, I finally got my PHD. You know how much that meant to me. And now I'm all out of cash. You remember how dad never supported my funding. I had to pay my way through all those years. I've been in between crappy jobs and research and I need somewhere to crash…" Her voice softened from her stubborn lecture. "And I miss my big brother."

The last part made him chuckle to himself lovingly. He had almost forgotten how stubborn and determined she was. That was something the two of them had always shared.

"Of course you can. Where are you right now?"

"At Portland International. My flight just came in. You're the only one I knew to call."

"I'll be there soon, okay? Just wait there and I'll come get you."

Emma clocked in at the motel later that morning. "I'm sorry I'm late, Norma."

"It's alright, Emma. Not like we've been bustling with business lately." Norma was at the front desk, scrolling through vacation prices, even though she knew there was no time for a get away lately. Not with the revenue the motel was taking in.

Emma watched Norma with sympathetic eyes. Norma didn't take her eyes off her laptop, her hand propping up her chin as she jadedly scrolled through the vacation site. "Norma, are you okay?" She looked up, aghast at Emma's sudden scrutiny. She despised being analyzed. By anyone.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Emma sat beside her at the desk and Norma looked back down at her laptop screen. "You don't seem okay. You can talk to me about anything."

Norma rolled her eyes, agitated and more on edge than usual, and Emma could sense it. "I'd rather not get into it, Emma. But thanks for the concern."

"Okay…but just know I value your advice, and I need some right about now. I'm sure I could give some myself." Emma eyed her innocently, but Norma had to hand it to her. She had picked up on a few old Bates tactics when it came to persuasion and manipulation. And she was doing pretty well, because Norma felt guilty and closed the top of her laptop.

"Fine, fine, fine. I've just been worried about Norman. I'm sure Dylan has told you about Pine View?"

"Yeah, he has. I'm so sorry about that, but I think it'll be good for him. Who knows? Maybe he'll be out some time soon. I'm sure you miss him. We all do." Emma smiled sweetly at her, trying to make her feel at ease.

"You're probably right. But I haven't even called him yet, and he hasn't called me."

"Maybe you should give him a call. He'd love to hear from you, wouldn't he?"

"I'm not so sure about that, Emma. He wasn't too keen on staying there. I really tried to get him to warm up to it, but I feel like it's making him more distant and angry with me."

"It's safe to say that you and Norman have the…strongest mother-son bond I've seen. And Norman's not one for grudges, I wouldn't stress about it."

Norma smiled politely, but like all the advice she'd received about her personal life, it was useless when applied to her situation, and she felt like a complete outlier.

"You're probably right. Maybe I'll call up the place later today." But Norma didn't smile, her face was still overcast, and Emma frowned.

"Are you sure there isn't anything else on your mind. Sorry if I'm prying."

"No, no, Emma. Of course you're not." Yes, yes you are, Norma thought.

"Is it anything to do with Sheriff Romero…?"

Norma's cheeks flared and she violently shook her head in retaliation. "I'd rather not talk about it, Emma."

Emma could sense that she wasn't wanted. She hated when Norma became so closed off. She wasn't going to get any useful details out of her, much less advice.

"Okay. I'm gonna go clean up room 8."

Alex entered the airport and scanned the seating area. Many people were waiting for a cab, family members, and friends. It had been ages since he'd been in an airport. He had forgotten how busy and overwhelming life beyond White Pine Bay could be.

Finally seeing a familiar face, he quickly walked toward her. Octavia beamed at him and ran to meet him. She nearly knocked him off his feet as she threw her arms around him. They both shared a laugh; something Alex hadn't genuinely done in a long while.

Octavia was dressed in a sundress and sandals, her dark hair let down, her mascara starting to run. Alex noticed and pulled from their embrace.

"Are you okay?" He asked, rubbing her eye make-up with an index finger gently.

"Sorry. I'm just a nostalgic mess. Being back here is so foreign but so familiar," she murmured between laughs and sobs. She put her hand on his shoulder and looked him up and down.

"You look really well, Al. How's everything?" She cocked her head awaiting a him to tell her something vaguely interesting. In a typical Alex Romero fashion, he shrugged his shoulders and replied softly.

"Oh, you know, it's been a bit rough. But it's my town. I stand by it. What about you…Dr. Romero?" He grinned slyly at her and she giggled back at him.

"PHD in Linguistics and in public policy," she declared, trying not brag, but she loved rubbing her accomplishments in his face. But he couldn't help but smile at her announcement.

"I'm really proud of you. I knew you could do it. Let's get you home."

As they walked out, Alex took her suitcase, and she linked her arm in his, just to irritate him. But he didn't complain or banter, he just looked at her with a kind of adoration she hadn't seen in his eyes before. They had always been very close, but he finally fully embraced his brotherly love to her. When it came to family life, they only had each other.

After loading her belongings in the back, Alex joined her in the car. The drive was going to be long, and he knew with her extroversion and curiosity, he wasn't getting out of any questions from Octavia.

Not long after the drive back to town, Alex's phone rang. His heart jerked, because he knew with the lack of contacts on his phone, it could be only one of a few people. It was her. He cleared his throat, and picked up. His eyes were intently watching the road, but Octavia noticed how absorbed he was in the phone call.

"Hey," he muttered sensitively. He quickly looked at Octavia, who was looking back at him curiously.

"Hey, Alex. I just called because I'm sorry that I've been avoiding you."

Nerves were rising in his throat. Did she know about his job? She had to of known. She admitted to avoiding him? Does this mean that she's tired of me and wants to move on? He swallowed his nerves and tried desperately to think of what to say.

"It's okay. I shouldn't have put you…in that kind of situation. I-I don't know. I just want to make everything up to you…if you'd let me," he soothed. With his hands preoccupied, he couldn't stop Octavia from pinching his upper arm.

He quickly saw her from the corner of his eye mouthing, "Who is that?!"

"I-I'm busy at the moment. Can I call you back in a couple hours?"

"Yeah, sure. I'd…um, uh. Would you maybe want to grab a drink later? I'm off at 5 today and…"

Without hesitation, Alex jumped at it. He licked his lips and responded before she could finish her proposal. "Yeah. Sounds good."

"Okay…great. I'll see you later then?"

Octavia couldn't resist any further. She loved how squirmy and blushed Alex was becoming, having a private conversation in front of his baby sister. She began to shout close enough into the phone so that she could be heard.

"Alex? Who are you talking to? Is it a giiiirrlll?" She teased him as if she were in primary school again. She lived for getting under his skin and causing him discomfort. Alex squinted his eyes at her in annoyance, leaning his head away from her.

"…Who's that in the background, Alex?"

"Uhm, that's uh, she's my younger sister. She just flew in from Cornell University…"

Norma paused, which probably meant she was surprised. "Oh wow, really? That's so nice! I feel like I'm learning more about you every day. Well, I don't want to interrupt anything. Call me later, maybe?"

"Yeah, of course." Alex slapped his phone shut and dropped it beside him.

"You're really meddlesome, you know that?" Alex sputtered, rubbing his temple. Octavia just giggled. Leaning back in her chair, she looked up at him with affection and confusion.

"Let the interrogation begin," she ordered. She's too good at this, he thought. Yet another person he could never defeat in an argument.

Note: I envisioned Octavia Romero to look like Melissa Fumero!