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Chapter Text

Norma turns over to find her husband's side of the bed empty. With a huff, she checks the clock to see it's about 10 minutes after he usually leaves for work. Slightly miffed that he hadn't said goodbye, she rolls out of bed and checks her phone, seeing a message from Alex waiting for her. 

Good morning :)

She smiles at his use of emoticon. Four years ago, if someone had told her that Alex Romero would be her husband, sending her good morning texts with smiley faces, she would have laughed in their face. She quickly types a response.

I hope you ate breakfast, Sheriff Bulldog.

She doesn't expect him to respond right away, so she leaves her phone on the nightstand and grabs her robe from the chair at the vanity, wrapping it around herself while she finds clothes for the day. She's about to enter the bathroom to get ready when she hears her phone vibrate.

Oops.

Norma rolls her eyes and smirks, about to type a nagging response when he texts again.

I guess I'll just have to hope my wife brings me lunch ;)

She scoffs, catching her bottom lip between her teeth as she crafts her reply. 

You're lucky I love you.

A moment later, 

I know I am.

------

Norma is just about to put her dish in the oven when the doorbell rings. Her face is alight with joy before she even opens it. 

"Dylan!" She greets her eldest son with a hug, which he gratefully returns. 

"Hey, mom." He chuckles at her excitement. 

"Come inside, I was just putting lunch in the oven!" She waves her hand and steps back to let him pass. Dylan makes his way into the kitchen with his mother at his tail. She quickly shoves her pan into the oven and then turns to look at him, a small smile on her face. 

"God, you are getting skinny. You need to come around more so I can fatten you up!" She sighs lightheartedly. Dylan laughs and takes a seat at the kitchen table. "How's Emma, dear?" She asks, sitting down next to him. 

"She's great. Yeah, she really wished she could come down with me, but with Kate... we're just not sure we want to travel anywhere yet with her, and Emma felt bad leaving her with Will..."

"Oh, no worries, I understand. Babies are  so  hard. I was only 17 and  you  were quite a handful. And Norman..." She trails off, a forlorn look on her face at the mention of her younger son. 

"She sent me with plenty of pictures, though. Here." Dylan recognizes her melancholy and deftly rights the conversation back to his bundle of joy, handing his phone to Norma with his album of several hundred baby pictures (with varying levels of slobber) opened. Her face immediately melts at the sight of her baby granddaughter and a blinding smile takes over. 

"Oh, she's so beautiful! You two did so amazing. God, I wish we were closer. I just want to smother and spoil that sweet baby." Norma coos. 

"You could move, you know," Dylan suggests. He and Emma had always wanted Norma to be a part of Kate's life, and living several hours away made it impractical for them to see her as often as they would like, especially with a new baby. "I mean, there's not really much keeping you here, is there?"

Norma sighs. "I just don't know how we could do it. The motel doesn't make enough for us to move, and there's no guarantee Alex could find a job..." There's the obvious unspoken aspect of Norman, a half-hour's drive away at Pineview. Though he'd been adamantly refusing to see or even speak to his mother for almost two years since she'd first had him admitted, the idea of moving away from him filled Norma with deep guilt. 

"Yeah, I get it. I just know Emma would love to have you close to us, for Kate's sake." Dylan gives her a shy smile, not wanting to admit that he also wants to have his mother around now that they're on good terms. 

The oven dings and Norma stands quickly to unload it, setting aside one portion on a plate and covering the rest. She sets the plate in front of Dylan and turns to grab him a glass of water.

"What, you're not eating?" Her son asks. She smiles and shakes her head.

"I was going to bring some down to the station for Alex and have lunch with him. But you eat up. There are leftovers in the fridge if you're still hungry after." She says brightly. Dylan shrugs and starts eating, half watching her pack the food and some utensils in a bag. 

"It's not like I haven't thought of it, you know." Norma suddenly speaks. "Leaving here."

Dylan isn't sure how to respond, so he stays quiet, looking up at the back of her head. 

"There are plenty of reasons I'd want to get out of here. The people in this town are filthy. I have so many horrible memories associated with this damn motel. Zack Shelby bled out on the stairs I walk every day. I can barely even go in the basement anymore without remembering Norman, blacked out and pointing a gun in my face. Christ, Keith Summers raped me on the kitchen table the night we moved here. There sure is a lot of bad, but also plenty of good." She sighs, picking up the bag and preparing to leave. 

"Wait, you mean this table?!" Dylan suddenly stands, his face contorted with disgust. "Mom, please tell me you got a new table after that." She stares at him blankly.

"Yeah, that table. It's a perfectly good table. There wasn't money to buy a new one back then." She shrugs. Dylan looks like he might puke. 

"I ate breakfast here every morning! You- I-" He stares at his plate in horror, stepping further back and pushing his chair away. 

"Dylan, please. You're being dramatic. We cleaned the table. It worked fine before you ever knew. I'm sorry I even said anything." She groans, walking past him out of the kitchen. 

Dylan watches her leave the house, dumbstruck. He knew his mother was surprisingly okay after everything that happened to her in White Pine Bay, but not  that  okay. He waits to hear her car driving away before picking up his plate, entirely too careful  not  to touch the kitchen table, and takes it into the living room to eat on the couch. 

------

Alex leans back in his desk chair, his eyes checking the clock for the millionth time that day.  Finally noon . His lunch hour had arrived and he was preparing to stand and head to the break room when Regina popped her head into his office. 

"Sheriff, your wife is here to see you. Looks like she brought you lunch." Alex nods at her and fights to contain his smile until after her head disappears from the doorway. He does his best to preserve his stoic persona at work, but it's gotten significantly more difficult since he's married Norma. 

His smile widens when he sees his wife appear in the entrance to his office. 

"Hey!" She grins at him. He stands to meet her, taking the large bag of food from her hands and giving her a quick kiss.

"Hey. Dylan here yet?" 

"Yep. He arrived just as I was finishing lunch." She beams. Alex nods. 

"Good. Well, I won't keep you long then." He assumes she wants to get back to the house to see her eldest son, as they've barely been able to meet up since Kate was born. 

"Nonsense. I packed two servings, and you look miserable. I bet you need a break." She waves her hand at him, sitting down in one of the seats facing his desk and watching him unpack the food bag. He looks up at her questioningly and holds up a bottle of liquor and two glasses from the bag. "And a drink." She shrugs sheepishly. 

"Thank you." Alex smiles, shaking his head slightly at his wife's ability to read him. They eat and make small talk, and all too soon his break is over and he's kissing her goodbye. He hands her back the bag, significantly lighter without the food they'd eaten and the liquor bottle, which she'd 'accidentally' forgotten on his desk. 

"Bye, honey. I'll see you at home." She smiles brightly at him. 

"See you at home. I love you." He's reluctant to let go of her hand but nonetheless lets it slip from his grasp. 

"I love you too." Norma echoes before exiting his office and leaving him to his work. 

------

Alex opens the front door of his house and takes off his coat, hearing faint voices from the kitchen. He hurries to set down his things before beelining for the room where his wife and stepson sit having a drink. 

"Hey, honey!" Norma stands to greet him, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving his cheek a gentle kiss. 

"Hey," Alex greets his wife before turning to Dylan, "Good to see you, Dylan." He shakes the young man's hand and they all sit down. A few minutes of small talk later, the oven dings. Norma pulls out their dinner and the kitchen fills with a tantalizing aroma. 

"Mmmh, that smells so good." Dylan cranes his head to see what she's making. Norma smiles bashfully and sets three plates on the table. 

"I'm going to run to the restroom quickly. You two dig in!" She darts off, leaving Alex and Dylan on their own. 

"You know, I uh... I wouldn't eat that on the table if I were you." Dylan says suddenly, looking at Alex preparing to tuck in. The sheriff looks up at him, perplexed.

"Where else would I eat it?" He asks. Dylan shrugs. 

"I-I don't know." He stammers.

"You're eating on the table." Alex points out. 

"I really wish I wasn't," Dylan admits, making sudden eye contact. 

"Why not? What's wrong with the table?" Alex asks. Dylan's eyes flick to the kitchen entrance, looking out for Norma. 

"Uh, this morning, Norma told me that uhm..." He isn't sure how to phrase what he wants to say and he jumps slightly when he hears his mother's footsteps coming toward them. "N-Nevermind." He panics and stares down at his food, pushing it across the plate with his fork. 

"Okay..." Alex shrugs, turning around to see Norma reappear in the kitchen. 

"What are you two talking about?" She asks as she reclaims her seat at the table. 

"Oh, nothing," Dylan says a little bit too quickly. Norma doesn't seem to notice, though, and they go about their dinner as if he'd never said anything. 

Chapter Text

Alex wakes up to ample sunlight streaming through the bedroom curtains, a welcome change as he's usually up during the early stages of the sunrise. He smiles softly at his wife sleeping soundly next to him, her face shielded from the bright sunlight by his chest and her hand resting nearby on his torso. He kisses the top of her head gently, pulling her closer to him instinctively. 

Her eyes open slowly a few seconds later, her small fingers curling slightly to grip the fabric of his classic black t-shirt. "Good morning." She murmurs, barely lifting her head from where she'd been using him as a pillow. 

"Morning," He replies, smoothing her tousled hair delicately. She yawns and he thinks he may just die at the adorably sleepy way her face scrunches up and she blinks at him after. He steals the last remnants of her yawn with a kiss, pulling away reluctantly after a few seconds due to the uncomfortable position of his neck. 

"I have to go into the village today to do some shopping for the motel." She breaks the comfortable silence and Alex groans internally at her words. 

"But it's my day off, and Dylan's here. I thought we'd all spend it together," He whines. 

"I know, I know. I wanted that too," She concedes, "But maybe you and him can do something together while I'm gone? And we'll have a nice family dinner tonight." Alex nods.

"Yeah, I guess. You don't have to leave just yet, though, do you?" He bargains, his hands creeping to her waist to squeeze her tighter against him. 

"No, I do not have to leave  just yet. " She smirks and kisses him again. 

"Good. Maybe you can make it up to me." He suggests, causing her to giggle. 

"Maybe I will."

------

Norma's out of the house before Alex can even finish his shower, leaving heaping portions of scrambled eggs and bacon behind for him and Dylan along with a painfully sappy and apologetic note written in her loopy cursive handwriting. Alex emerges from the staircase to find Dylan sitting in the living room with his plate of breakfast, watching the football game. 

"You know your mother would kill you if she could see you right now." He comments, making Dylan jump at his suddenness.

"Yeah, well there's no way in hell I'm eating on that table if I can help it." His stepson scoffs. 

"Alright, what is it with you and that table? 'S there something I need to know?" Alex relents, stopping on his way into the kitchen. 

"Sit down." Dylan nods to the couch next to him, the two words merging into one. Alex obliges, looking half concerned and half curious. "Look, last night Norma told me something, and I don't know if I'm just making it into a bigger deal than it is but I thought you should know just in case I'm not and-"

"Out with it, son." Alex interrupts, getting impatient. Dylan hesitates imperceptibly at his word choice before speaking again.

"She told me last night that she never got a new kitchen table. After... After that guy, Summers." He blurts. Alex is silent for several moments.

"Wait. You mean..." He trails off, the dots connecting in his brain and his face slowly contorting with disgust. "You mean the table I eat on twice a day is the same one that..." He can't even imagine finishing his sentence and Dylan seems to get his point because he just nods. 

"Yeah. That's what  I  said." 

"Well, I know what we're doing today." 

------

Norma hears frantic rustling coming from inside the house as she opens the front door with arms full of groceries. There's a sudden silence when she shoves the door closed with her foot, followed by hushed voices that make her somewhat antsy to open the interior door into the foyer. 

"Boys? I'm home!" She calls, setting her grocery bags down next to the door after sensing something was up. She opens the door slowly, seeing Dylan standing in the hallway with his hands clasped behind his back, smiling at her like a little boy who brought a frog in from the backyard. 

"Hey, mom." He says, clearly trying and failing to sound inconspicuous.

"Heyyy..." She responds in the same suspicious tone, looking around him with her brows furrowed. "What's up? How was your day with Alex?" She asks, trying to mask her mild concern. 

"It was fun. We uh... we have a surprise for you." He smirks. Norma immediately launches into her disapproving monologue.

"Dylan, you know I don't like surprises! What in the world have you two been up to? I leave for one day and you're already planning  surprises , please! Didn't I raise you to be more indiff-"

"Mom, please just shut up and look in the kitchen." Dylan rolls his eyes exasperatedly. Norma 'hmph!'s at being interrupted and told to shut up-- two of her least favorite things-- but follows his directions nonetheless. 

"Surprise!!" Alex is standing in the kitchen behind a brand new kitchen table, small, dark brown to match the cabinets, and circular, with a set of matching chairs and light blue placemats for each. A small gift bow likely intended for a box and not an entire table sits in the center of it. 

"What is this?" Norma gasps, her voice not carrying the excitement that both of the men expected from her. 

"We got you a new kitchen table. I thought, if you can't move out of this house, we can at least help you get rid of some of the bad memories associated with it..." Dylan feels the need to suddenly justify their decision after Norma still looks less than thrilled. 

"Dylan, I told you the old table was perfectly f-" She begins to whine, but Alex cuts her off. 

"I believe what you mean to say is  thank you, my wonderful husband and son, for buying this beautiful new kitchen table for me and carrying it all the way up to the house to surprise me ." His voice raises an octave in his best attempt at mocking her voice. She scowls at his not-even-close impression of her and sighs. 

"It's a beautiful table. It really is." She smiles softly and turns to Dylan, "And I appreciate what you were trying to do for me. It's just that..." She looks nervous suddenly, not meeting either of their eyes. Alex is next to her in a second, his hand holding her arm and head ducking to try to meet her eyes. 

"What? Norma, what is it?" The slight annoyance and exasperation drop from his voice and are replaced by genuine concern, afraid they may have made a mistake. 

"I just... I was planning on coming home to tell you I changed my mind. About moving." She finally looks up, meeting Dylan's eyes and consciously avoiding Alex's gaze. The room is filled with shocked silence for several seconds. She finally turns to Alex, inclined to explain herself. 

"I just... I realized that staying here because it's more  convenient  isn't worth missing out on being with the people I love. I mean... this house is huge, and with the motel too, we could probably sell for enough money to get a little place closer to Seattle until we're able to find jobs... and I know you've lived here your whole life and if you don't want to leave I'll understand but I just keep thinking we could be so much happier if we got away and had someplace to call our own and-" She's interrupted from her rambling for a third time that night. 

"Norma," Alex holds her arm tighter and pulls her closer to him to stop her talking. "I want to get out of this town just as much, if not more, than you do. If you want to go, we'll go." He assures her. 

"Really?" Her voice is a little watery as she looks up at him hopefully. He chuckles at her excitement. 

"Yeah, really. On one condition." His face is suddenly serious and Norma feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. 

"What is that?" She asks nervously. 

"The table sells with the house. I am  not  hauling that thing back down a thousand stairs." He insists, his face breaking into a smirk after he finishes speaking. 

"Oh, but it's so pretty!" Norma whines just to get on his nerves. He glares at her, dead serious, and she breaks into a fit of giggles. 

"Wait, so you're really gonna do it?" Dylan pipes up, slightly embarrassed to have interrupted their moment. "You're gonna move to Seattle?"

Norma looks up at him before turning to Alex, suddenly unsure if he was really on board. He meets her eyes, seeing her pleading expression and the way she clings to his arm with both of her hands expectantly. He smiles and faces Dylan, his hand sliding down her arm to intertwine with hers at the same time. 

"Yeah, we're gonna move to Seattle." He beams. Norma jumps up, her arms wrapping around his neck suddenly as she kisses his cheek over and over. 

"Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cries animatedly, letting go of him only to unexpectedly throw herself into Dylan's arms. "I'm so excited!" 

Dylan makes desperate eye contact with Alex as he hugs her back, wondering if  maybe agreeing to this was a mistake , but she soon lets go of him and he finds himself strangely missing the contact. She turns back to Alex and hugs him again, the force of her jump into his arms causing him to stumble back slightly.

"Eeeeeeeek!" She squeals like a little girl on Christmas morning. "I love house hunting! We're gonna get a fresh start! A real one!" She's so enthusiastic that Alex can't help but smile, wondering what the  hell  he just got himself into. 

House hunting?   Oh, brother.

Chapter Text

Norma stands at the top of the basement stairs, staring down into the room. She's not sure how long she's been there, unmoving, trying to build up the courage to go down. She hears Alex's thundering steps coming down the stairs from their bedroom and realizes she must have been standing there long enough for him to wake up and notice her missing from their bed. 

"Norma?" His voice is quiet but firm as he reaches the bottom of the steps and looks around the house for his wife. Alex spots her standing in the doorway to the basement and walks toward her slowly, unsure of her mood or motivations. "What are you doing, baby? It's the middle of the night."

She doesn't look up to acknowledge that he even spoke, her gaze transfixed on the basement below. Her mind replays every moment she's spent down there, from the times she would venture down to check on Norman while he was practicing his taxidermy, to the night he had been admitted to Pineview and the fear that she had felt at the thought that Norman might actually kill her. She remembers fondly when she'd decided to make new curtains and told Alex about her dreams to convert the basement into a fruit cellar. 

"Norma?" Alex's voice is timid as he approaches behind her, gently wrapping his arms around her and studying her for any sign of discomfort or emotion at all. Her lips part and he feels her relax slightly against him but her eyes don't move. 

"Do you remember..." It's the first time she's spoken since she woke up and her voice is weak and raspy. She clears her throat quietly. "Do you remember when you said you'd buy me fruit trees to grow down there?" Alex is perplexed but goes along with it. 

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. You never really go down there anymore. I wasn't sure you still wanted them." He sighs. A moment later, he connects the dots and follows her train of thought.

"Maybe we'll get a place with a nice backyard. We'll fill it chock full of every fruit tree on the market." He muses, his arms pulling her tighter against him. She smiles softly.

"And a white picket fence?" Her voice is so small and far-away, he's sure if he was even a few inches from her he wouldn't have heard. 

"Yes. Of course, a white picket fence to keep all your fruits from running away." He chuckles, placing a gentle kiss on her neck. 

"I'm scared, Alex." She whimpers, and he sees the smile he'd been able to coax from her has disappeared. Her eyes glisten in the minimal light. 

"Why?" He tries not to overreact, knowing that his smothering and pushing often spooks her into shutting down completely. 

"What if we can't find a place? Or we can't find the money? What if Norman changes his mind and I've moved away from him?" Alex knows the latter is what's really been eating her, but he understands her other concerns as well. He decides that standing here, with her adamantly staring into the basement and him barely able to see her face, isn't the best place to have this discussion. 

"Come back to bed, baby." He sighs, trying to maintain a comforting tone. She remains still for a moment as he exerts the tiniest pressure on her hips, encouraging her to step away from the basement. Finally, she tears her eyes away from the stairs and meets his gaze, her expression a mixture of fear and sadness. Alex can see on her face that stairs are not an option at the moment, so they settle on the couch instead. He sits next to her, turning to face her completely and holding both of her fragile hands in his. 

Norma sighs and finally speaks. "I want to leave. I do. But I'm just so scared to let go. The memories, the good and the bad, that I have in this town... in the motel, this house... I don't know if I'm ready to let it all go." 

Alex nods, his eyes holding her gaze and comforting her to continue. 

"I guess I just feel like... leaving would mean coming to terms with everything that happened to me here. All the horrible things we've been through, losing Norman... it's like moving away means we have to move on from that. And I just don't know if I can."

"I understand that. I have a lot of attachment to this town, too. Good and bad. Moving to another state... it's a big change. I'm not sure if we'll ever feel completely ready for it. All I know is, this town hasn't done you one ounce of good since you came here. You deserve someplace where you can be happy and free from all of the horseshit of White Pine Bay. If you're not ready just yet, that's okay. We get to do this on our own terms. I'll be there with you every step of the way." Norma looks up at him and smiles, the last shining tears in her eyes escaping. 

"I guess you're right. We do deserve this." Alex takes her face in his large hands, wiping her tears with the pads of his thumbs. 

"Come back to bed. You can sleep on it, and we'll see how you feel in the morning," He suggests, giving her a comforting smile. She nods and sniffles, taking his hand and allowing him to lead her back upstairs. 

Back in bed, he wraps his arms around her and pulls her close to him, kissing her hairline gently. 

"I love you, Alex." She whispers into the dark. He smiles.

"I love you, too." He's slightly surprised when she cranes her neck to look up at him.

"I feel better already."

------

Several days later, they're packed and loading into Norma's Mercedes for a trip to Seattle. Dylan had invited them before he'd left to stay with him and Emma while they looked for houses, and Norma was overjoyed at the prospect and seeing baby Kate. 

She'd spent most of the car ride from White Pine Bay to Seattle gushing about how cute her granddaughter was, how disgusted she was that she was a grandmother before she'd even turned 40, how adorable Kate was, how excited she was to find their dream home, and also how freakin' cute her son's little girl was. Alex had just nodded his head and responded when necessary, smirking at his wife's enthusiasm. He'd hoped that, in her excitement, she wouldn't notice when he kept driving past the exit for Seattle. 

"Hey, you missed it!" Alas, ever-observant Norma pokes him playfully in the arm and turns to watch the exit sign pass. Alex can't keep the grin off his face.

"Oh, did I?" He deadpans, continuing driving in the wrong direction.

"Yeah. Ya did. Are you gonna turn around?" Norma sasses, clearly impatient to get to Dylan's house. 

"Mmh," Alex mutters indifferently, trying not to reveal his nervousness. "Thought we might take the scenic route."

"Th-The scenic route?!" Norma's on the verge of losing her marbles based on her tone of voice and Alex knows he has to give her  something . "Where the hell are you taking me?"

"I have a surprise," Is all he lets on, his eyes darting to look at her momentarily before setting adamantly back on the road. He's thankful he spent so many years as the poster child for stoicism because it grants him the blessing of an amazing poker face. 

"A surprise?" 

"Mhmm." Alex remains dutifully focused on the road, painfully aware of her desperation to read his expression.

"What kind of surprise?" She's skeptical, narrowing her eyes at him and leaning back against the passenger-side window. 

"A good one. You'll like it." He can't resist his eyes flitting back to her again, and this time she catches him.

"Stop being so secretive! I wanna know!" She resists the urge to shove him considering they're currently hurtling down a major interstate. Alex turns on the blinker to exit in a place she doesn't recognize. "Where are we going?"

"Shhhh." He smirks, knowing that being shushed by him will drive her crazy. "We're almost there."

"Almost where, Alex?!" His wife is childishly impatient and he can't help but chuckle. 

"You'll see."

"UGH! I hate you! Tell meeee!" Norma laments, dramatically draping across the seat. 

"Jesus, remind me never to surprise you again." He jokes. She rolls her eyes and looks out the window, trying to observe her surroundings in case she needs to recount them in a police report for kidnapping. He turns to look at her when he hears her sigh contentedly. 

"This town is cute." She says brightly. Alex feels his heart swell and fights to keep the smile off his face as he finally arrives at their destination, pulling into the secluded driveway. "Is this the surprise?" Norma asks as he takes her hand and helps her out of the car. 

"It is." Alex beams proudly. He watches her take in the building in front of them, studying her expression carefully to gauge her response. 

"What is this place?" She asks, her eyes scanning over the two-story building with baby blue siding and a white-trimmed roof. 

"It used to be a bakery. The upstairs is a home loft." Alex finally answers her question as he leads her inside. She takes her time approaching, running her hands fondly up the white wooden railing on the small porch and looking up around at the quaint downtown block surrounding them. 

Alex opens the door to reveal the homey interior, with a register and glass display case along about half of the wall to their right, stairs and a windowed door to the outside on the back wall, and the rest of the space filled with white chairs and tables, small couches, and booths. Norma stands in the doorway silently for almost a minute, taking it all in. 

"What do you think?" Alex asks timidly, unsure how to interpret her wide-eyed expression. 

"Oh, it's adorable!" She squeals, a light smile appearing on her face. Alex feels himself decompress slightly at her positive reaction, taking a deep breath of relief. 

"Let me show you the outside." He takes her hand and leads her to the door in the back, which creaks loudly in protest of being opened. Norma's eyes light up as she looks at the sizeable yard, easily 500 square feet and encased by a small fence. "The previous owners used the space for outdoor seating, and I bet it wouldn't be too hard to get that fence replaced." He smiles knowingly at her as she giggles. 

"Oh, Alex, this is beautiful!" 

"We can get you some nice fruit trees to plant out here, some picnic benches, lights..." He muses, his hand wrapping around her waist. She nods and looks up at him. 

"Show me the rest." He obediently takes her hand, bringing her back into the bakery. After a brief walkthrough of the bakery kitchen, he takes her up the stairs to the loft. 

"There's a full two-bedroom loft, and the listing said you can see the Space Needle from the master bedroom window." Alex sounds like a realtor, but it doesn't bother him. He'd been so excited when he found this place online, he couldn't wait to show Norma and was hoping she'd be as in love with it as he was. 

Alex unlocks the door with the key he found on top of the doorframe- right where the realtor he'd called said it would be- and flicks on the lights. The door opens into a small entryway with a built-in on the wall showcasing several hooks and cubbies for storage. 

They walk a few feet further inside to see that the quaint foyer opens up into a transitional living room and full kitchen. The kitchen meets the living room with a 3-seat bar and a small ovular dining table with 4 chairs. The living room has a sectional sofa against the wall facing a large TV, with a white wooden coffee table in between. Abundant windows flood light into the space, covered by thin, colorful curtains. 

Alex sees Norma's enamored smile, watching as she takes small steps into the loft. He follows her as she explores the kitchen, marveling at the 'massive' pantry and  so much counter space!  She smirks at him knowingly as they pass the dining table and he can't help but blush ever-so-slightly in remembrance of his and Dylan's now obsolete act of kindness.

"The master bedroom is through here." He points to a door near where the kitchen tile ends and the wood flooring of the rest of the loft begins. She nods and follows him into the next room. 

Even before Alex turns the lights on, Norma can see the bedroom perfectly. The room is flooded with light from the windows on the two exterior walls, with the king bed centered against the wall across from them. Alex guides Norma through the bedroom, briefly showing her the large closet before dragging her into the bathroom. 

Her mild protests at not being able to ogle at the closet long enough silence once she sees the bathroom. With two sinks, a shower, and a bathtub, it's much more than she would ever have expected from the relatively small loft. 

"Wow." She beams.

"Yeah?" Alex is thankful that so far, she seems enamored with the quaint bakery and its built-in home. 

"This is amazing." She spends a few minutes raving about how much cabinet and counter space the bathroom has before looking at the glass-walled shower with a smirk. "You know... that shower would be really good for-"

"Behave!" Alex cuts her off with a playful smack to the ass, earning a surprised yelp. "Come on, let me show you the other bedroom." He changes the subject and takes her hand, leading her back out of the bathroom and bedroom into the main living space. 

The other bedroom is slightly smaller, but with a similar natural light and a bathroom featuring one sink and a shower-tub combo. Alex smiles proudly when Norma remarks on the convenience of the door from the guest bathroom into the living room.

"So, that's all of it. What do you think?" Alex can't help but look like a nervous child, wringing his hands and meeting her eyes reluctantly. He knows he shouldn't get attached to the first place they've looked at, but it seemed so perfect, and seeing her reactions to the place just made him even more excited about it. 

"I love it! The lighting is so beautiful, the outdoor space is perfect, it's got everything I could ever want." She beams at him. "Though, I have no clue how to run a bakery." She seems to realize this at that moment and he sees anxiety take over her expression. 

"Well, you did such a good job with the motel, and you've always been such a wonderful cook and baker... I think you'd be perfect." Alex assures her. "And it's a small town, apparently the bakery was really popular before they put it on the market. We could do really well here." 

"You think so?" Norma smiles, gazing around at the loft and pausing to stare out the window a moment. "How far is it from Dylan and Emma's?" 

"It's about fifteen minutes, give or take." Norma nods and reaches for his hand, her eyes still roaming outside the living room window. 

"I think we should do it." She says suddenly, looking at him with fire in her eyes. Alex feels himself smile so big his cheeks start to hurt as he sees the severity in her expression. 

"Really?"

"Yes. This place feels so... right. I felt it as soon as we got here. This town, the bakery... I want to make it our own." He looks down at her lovingly and before she can even register it, he's pulled her against him, his fingers finding purchase in her blonde curls. She kisses him tenderly, her arms molding behind his neck, and they stay there for what feels like hours. 

"And..." She pulls away, feeling herself brimming with anxiety at her split-second decision. "That bedroom will make a great nursery."

Alex stares at her blankly for so long that she's unsure if he heard her. She tilts her head and he blinks, his lips falling open. 

"No..." His eyes are wide as he searches her for any signal that this is just a cruel prank. "You?" His face softens and his voice cracks with the single syllable, a wide smile taking over Norma's face. She nods. "Really?"

"Really!" Norma laughs, throwing her head back at his shocked reaction. When she meets his eyes again, they're filled with tears and he has a stunned smile on his face. Before she knows it, he lifts her in his arms and spins her around gleefully. 

"We're having a baby!" He cries. Norma screeches and giggles breathlessly at his sudden outburst. 

"Ahh! Put me down! You'll have a milkshake instead!" She cries between gasps of laughter. He finally sets her down but doesn't dare release his grip on her. 

"Oh my god." He squeaks, staring at her in disbelief. She grabs his face with her hands and wipes the rogue tears that escaped in their excitement. 

"I found out the day you and Dylan surprised me. That's why I changed my mind about moving. I don't want our baby to grow up in that town. I don't want her to ever go near it." She declares.

"Her?" Alex asks shakily, another tear dropping from his eye unhindered. 

"I have a feeling." Norma shrugs, her smile widening as he nods, clearly still in shock. 

"I'm so happy, Norma." Alex chokes out, meeting her shining blue eyes. "I love you so much." He kisses her again, letting her taste the slight salt of his tears as he pulls her even closer to him. They pull away and he suddenly crouches down, lifting her shirt to expose her flat stomach.

"Alex, wh-" 

"And you..." Norma stops when she realizes what he's doing, giggling softly as he kisses her skin just above her belly button. "I cannot wait to meet you. I love you so much already." He whispers so softly that Norma can hardly hear him. His brown eyes meet hers and she blinks rapidly to dispel the sudden wetness threatening to overflow onto her face. 

No one's ever cared this much about her. With her previous pregnancies, there was an aspect of terror involved, since she was so young with Dylan and she knew that Caleb was his father, and with Norman, she was overwhelmed with the guilt of bringing an innocent child into her abusive household. Now, seeing Alex so unbearably elated and knowing that their baby would be the safest and most loved child in the world, she thinks this may be the happiest she's ever been. 

Chapter Text

Several minutes of tear-filled hugs and breathing exercises later, Norma glances at her watch and realizes they were expected at Dylan and Emma's almost 15 minutes ago. She hurries Alex, still deeply in shock, out the door, leaving the key exactly where they'd found it and shoving him into the passenger seat of her Mercedes. 

"You do  not  need to drive right now." She remarks, taking in his flushed face and mouth still hanging open. He looks at her, suddenly concerned. 

"Are you okay to drive? When you're...?" His voice is quiet but panicked and Norma can't help but burst into laughter. 

"Jesus, Alex. Get a grip." She rolls her eyes, throwing the car door closed and hurrying around to the other side. She glances at him and sees him staring blankly out the window, blinking slowly. "Here. Drink this. Try not to look completely stoned when we arrive at my  son and granddaughter's  house." She shoves a half-empty bottle of water from the cup holder at him, sighing exasperatedly when his trembling hands fumble with the cap. 

"Sorry..." He mumbles, taking a small drink as she pulls out of the bakery's driveway and heads back toward the highway. 

He's silent the entire ride, with Norma stealing worried glances over at him, always in the same position. Staring straight ahead out the windshield, taking shallow breaths through his mouth hanging open. They finally arrive at Dylan's and she tries to bring him back to reality as they wait for someone to answer the door. 

"Norma! Hey! Come on in!" Emma opens the front door, a bright smile on her face as she steps out of the doorway to let them in. 

"Hi, sweetie. I'm so sorry we're late." Norma beams in the low, motherly tone she keeps mostly reserved for her children. She steps into the house and wraps Emma in a tight hug.  

"Oh, it's no worries. Dylan's just getting Kate from her nap." The young girl assures her. As if on cue, Dylan emerges from the hallway holding his infant daughter. 

"Ohhhhh, there she is!" Norma coos, holding her hands out as Dylan approaches them. "Hello! He-llo!" She smiles at the baby, her heart melting when she sees her own blue eyes staring back at her. 

"I'm so glad you guys were able to make it down here! And Dylan told me you're planning on moving to the Seattle area?" Emma smiles fondly at Norma, still infatuated with the baby in Dylan's arms. 

"Yeah, yeah, Alex actually just took me to see the cutest little bakery about 15 minutes from here. It's got everything I could possibly want, and it's in a good area..." Norma lights up as she remembers their happiness just minutes ago. 

"Oh, that sounds amazing! You'd be wonderful at running a bakery, Norma." Emma beams. Dylan looks amused but not surprised.

"A bakery, huh? Sounds right up your alley."

It's only then that Emma notices Alex, standing stiffly and staring with wide eyes at Norma still playfully tickling and cooing at Kate. 

"Uhm... Alex, are you... alright? You look a little... flushed?" Emma looks concerned, blushing slightly when Dylan and Norma look over at him suddenly. 

"Uh..." Alex looks like he's forgotten how to speak and Norma quickly steps in, resting her hand on his shoulder. 

"He's just in a little bit of shock. After I told him the news." She can't help but smirk slightly.

"News?" Dylan, clueless as ever, furrows his eyebrows at Emma's hands-over-mouth, shocked expression. 

"We're uh... we're expecting. I'm pregnant." Norma smiles so widely her face begins to get sore as she takes in her son and daughter-in-law's vastly different reactions. Dylan stares at her blankly, his mouth open and eyes wide. "Don't you dare drop that baby!" Norma gasps suddenly, seizing the opportunity to steal Kate out of his arms.

"N-Norma, that is so great! Congratulations!" Emma looks ready to jump up and down, her hands holding either side of her face in excitement. 

"Thank you, Emma." Norma grins.

Alex, however, looks somehow even more flustered as Norma absently cradles her baby granddaughter, bouncing her lightly in her arms. He can't keep the image out of his head of her doing the same to their own daughter, stroking her tiny head and kissing every one of her itty-bitty fingers. He feels himself sweating as the prospect takes over his mind. 

"Dylan... I know this is crazy for you." Norma feels anxiety begin to creep in at his lack of reaction. "You're already all grown up with your own baby... and here you are with another new sibling. I don't expect you to be entirely thrilled..." She admits, adjusting her grip on Kate to bring her higher up on her chest. Dylan appears to snap out of his shocked trance. 

"N-No, no, mom, I'm happy for you! I really am, I'm-I'm glad you're happy, I'm just... just shocked." He assures her, seeing her visibly relax at his words. 

"Does this mean Kate's  aunt  will be younger than her?" Emma pipes up suddenly, her face flushing when she realizes she's just said it out loud. Norma chuckles softly. 

"Maybe we'll call them cousins." She suggests, agreeing that it seems a little weird. She turns to look at Alex then, seeing him staring back at her looking somehow more... generally unwell... than before. She's about to say something to him when Kate begins to fuss quietly in her arms. 

Norma looks down at the baby, turning her slightly to a more upright position and bouncing her more intentionally to try to calm her. She pouts slightly, making a half-kissing, half-tutting noise at the little girl when she only seems to get more upset. 

"Oh, she's probably hungry. I usually feed her right after she wakes up," Emma sighs, and Norma reluctantly hands the whimpering baby over to her mother. Her empty arms come to wrap around her own stomach, deciding she would simply hold her baby forever, never let anyone take her out of her hands. Her attention soon turns back to Alex as Emma turns to leave the room. 

"I think I'm gonna take him to sit down for a minute." She says to no one in particular, her hands grasping at her husband's upper arms and leading him toward the guest bedroom that they'd be staying in. He allows her to guide him into the bathroom almost catatonically, swallowing hard and blinking rapidly still. "Here, sit down."

Norma shuts the lid of the toilet and Alex sits slowly, grateful for the relief on his trembling legs. Despite the protest from her aging knees, she squats down between his legs and takes his face in both of her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes.

"Alex. Are. You. Okay?" She asks slowly, and his eyes flick down to her stomach suddenly before trailing back up to meet hers. His face visibly pales and she sees a hint of panic enter his expression. 

"Norma, I don't...feel good..." He chokes, scrambling off of the toilet just in time to wrench the lid open and empty his stomach into it. Norma stands, shocked, for a moment before dropping to the floor next to him and beginning to rub circles in his back. 

"Jesus, Alex..." She marvels. He coughs a few times but seems to be finished, so Norma stands up to get him a washcloth. She runs it under the water of the sink for a moment and then kneels next to him again, wiping his face off tenderly and frowning at him, her expression unreadable. 

"...'Msorry," He murmurs, coughing softly again. Norma just sighs. 

"Do you think you'll be sick again? Or you want to lay down?" 

"...'Mfine." He shakes his head, bracing himself with one hand on the edge of the toilet to stand up. Norma does her best to help him, leading him into the bedroom just as Emma appears in the doorway. 

"I brought some water. Is he alright?" She seems concerned as her mother-in-law helps Alex into the bed, looking up as if she'd just noticed Emma was there. 

"Oh, thank you, dear. He's... he's fine. He's just in shock, is all." Norma smiles, taking the glass of water from Emma and setting it down on the nightstand. "He probably just needs some rest. And quiet." Emma nods.

"Okay, well, if either of you need anything, please, don't hesitate to ask." She smiles comfortingly before heading for the door.

"Thank you, Emma. Really, for everything." The young girl only nods at her before closing the door and leaving the two of them alone. Norma looks down a moment later when Alex's hand grabs her wrist firmly, demanding her attention. 

"I'm sorry, Norma," He says weakly. "I really  am  happy about this, I promise." Norma scoffs, crouching next to the bed to push a lock of sweaty hair out of his face. 

"Hush, you. It's your first baby and you're almost 50. I'm surprised you didn't pass out on me." She soothes, handing him the glass of water insistently. He takes a long sip, swallowing hard and grimacing at the slight burn in his throat. "Why don't you rest for a little while? I'll come back and check on you soon." She doesn't give him a chance to protest, taking the water glass from him and pulling the covers of the bed up to his chest. 

"I'm  really  happy about this, Norma." He catches her wrist before she leaves, feeling the need to solidify the idea in her mind. She smiles and leans down, kissing his cheek gently. 

"I know. I am too." She squeezes his hand and then lets him go, turning off the light and disappearing through the door. 

Alex stares at the ceiling for several minutes after she leaves, trying not to think about her with baby Kate in the next room. He sits silently and considers everything that happened that day: they'd decided to buy the first house they'd even looked at, agreed to take on running a bakery, and he'd found out he was going to be a father all in the span of about 15 minutes. 

He can't believe the direction his life has swerved in within the last week, but truthfully, he couldn't be happier with the new course. Imagining himself months from now, helping Norma get the bakery up and running, bringing their child into the world and holding her (he's sure it's a girl, now) for the first time, and being close enough to Dylan and Emma, who he considers almost like his own children, for them to be a part of every step along the way, he can't think of anywhere he'd rather be. 

Chapter Text

Norma comes back into the room sometime later, her head peeking through the door to block an abundance of light from waking Alex up. 

"Alex?" She whispers, "Are you sleeping?" He shifts to sit up slightly in the bed as a response, his arms raised as an invitation. 

"Come here." Norma smiles at him, closing the door and clambering somewhat ungracefully onto the bed to lay on top of him like a log. Her arms wrap around his neck and her face disappears into his shoulder as he pulls her closer against him. 

"Did you sleep?" She murmurs into his shirt. He nods.

"Yeah, a little. What time is it?"

"It's almost 3:00. Emma said she's gonna start dinner in about an hour and I offered to help." She sighs. Alex looks down at her, concerned by her reluctant tone. 

"What's wrong? You feeling okay?" He holds her tighter without thinking and she turns her head to rest her cheek on his shoulder instead. 

"Yeah. Just tired." She hums, and for once, he believes her. Usually, 'tired' is a cover-up for whatever it is that she doesn't want to talk about, but it seems this time she's genuinely fatigued.  

"You wanna take a nap before dinner?" He offers, bringing a smile to her face. 

"Yes please." He can't help the grin that appears at her small, cheery inflection she seems to reserve for the people she loves. "Are you feeling any better?" She shuffles around to lay next to him on the bed, her arms shifting to hold onto his torso as she lays her head on his chest. 

"I am  now ..." He smirks, brushing some blond hair behind her ear. She rolls her eyes dramatically. 

"Alex, I'm serious! You had me a little worried there." She pouts. 

"Fine, yes, I am feeling much better. I'm sorry for worrying you." She seems satisfied with his answer, her leg finding its way between his as he pulls the covers up over both of them. 

"Mh. 'sOkay." She can barely keep her eyes open and Alex realizes how tired she must be. They'd gotten up much earlier than usual that morning and the day had been full of action for her.  She definitely deserves a nap.

"I'll wake you up in time for dinner." He whispers. She doesn't even have time to protest before she succumbs to sleep, smiling softly at the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat in her ear. He kisses the top of her head gently, allowing his own eyes to close as he falls into a peaceful sleep. 

------

Several hours later, they're preparing to actually go to bed after having dinner and watching a (quiet, since Kate was put to bed after dinner) movie with Dylan and Emma. 

"I don't know how I'm going to sleep now. Why'd you let me nap so long?" Norma whines from the bathroom as Alex changes in the bedroom. 

"You slept for an hour and a half. I wouldn't call that  long. " He scoffs. She turns to him, holding her hairbrush pointedly. 

"I had two young boys that I took care of basically on my own. You want to know what I would've given for an hour and a half of sleep?" She argues, putting down her brush when she's satisfied with the state of her hair. 

"Well, you're gonna have to learn to sleep a  lot  more from now on." He smirks, causing her to laugh openly. He tilts his head at her reaction, giving her a questioning look. 

"We're having a baby, honey. I can promise you now we won't be sleeping through the night for at least a year." She chuckles and he looks like he's never considered that sleep is a sacrifice he'll have to make as a parent. He gulps, exaggerating his devastated expression.

"Is it too late to pull out?" He groans, earning a gasp from her and a sharp swat to his arm.

"Alex!" She shrieks, though she fails to keep the laughter from her voice. He holds up his hands in mock surrender.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" She glares at him, trying-- and failing-- to hide her smile. "Mostly..." She pushes him as hard as she can, which isn't very hard at all, but he takes a step back nonetheless to humor her. 

"Shut up! Your sleep is not more important than our child!" She scolds. He frowns and shrugs, flipping his hand back and forth in the air as if to say  that's debatable,  just to mess with her. He's about to turn back and laugh it off when she pushes him again, this time actually catching him off-balance and forcing him to stumble backward. He catches her wrists as she's about to push him once more, tilting his head challengingly. 

"I don't think this is a fight you wanna get into, Mrs. Sheriff." He warns, a hint of playfulness in his voice. She narrows her eyes stubbornly just like he knew she would.

"Oh, really?" She counters as if she somehow has the upper hand with both of her wrists immobilized. 

"You know, I could arrest you right now. You just assaulted a law enforcement officer." He employs his classic deadpan, his tone dropping in an attempt to intimidate her. She sees right through him, however, leaning forward so their faces are mere inches apart.

"So arrest me." Her lips are parted in the way that drives him crazy and her eyes are on fire- she knows exactly what she's doing to him. He stares at her in shock for a moment before bursting into action, releasing her wrists and crouching down to lift her by her waist and throw her over his shoulder. He leaps for the bed, landing with her underneath him and earning a surprised shriek from her as they fall.

"Shhh!" They both erupt into hushed laughter, his head dropping to rest on her stomach as it convulses with giggles. "You can't laugh while I'm arresting you." He corrects her and she nods, sucking her lips between her teeth to try to contain her smile. He lets go of her waist to grab her wrists again, pinning them to the bed on either side of her head. 

Norma bursts into laugher again, her gasps shaking the entire bed as Alex rolls his eyes. 

"I'm sorry! I'm really trying to take you seriously!" She snorts, more giggles slipping out at his unamused expression. He can't stay annoyed for long, though, and her laughter is too contagious for him to hold in his own. His head falls to rest on the bed above her shoulder, trying to hide the giant grin on his face. 

"How am I supposed to seduce you if you won't stop laughing?" He whines. She raises one eyebrow at him.

"Seduce me? I thought you were arresting me!" She calls him out on his mistake and his cheeks flush slightly. "You seduce all the women you arrest?" She narrows her eyes at him.

"No, just the ones I'm also married to." He shrugs, leaning down to steal a mischievous kiss from her. She kisses him back, hard, her hands grabbing onto his where he holds her wrists. Neither of them notices the footsteps coming down the hall or Emma's voice until it's too late. 

"Hey, Dylan and I are going to go-" She stops short when she sees them, her eyes widening as she quickly turns around. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean- I should've knocked- I'm sorry." Alex quickly climbs off of Norma, both of them stammering nervously. 

"Oh, no, we weren't-"

"I was just-" 

"Really, guys, it's fine, I was just um... coming to tell you that we're going to bed," Emma says into the hallway, still not looking at them.

"Ok, honey," Norma smiles as if she wasn't just caught making out in her son's guest bedroom. "Goodnight!" She says cheerfully. Alex stares at her incredulously. 

"Yeah, uh, goodnight." Emma closes the door and they hear her almost sprint down the hallway, her footsteps getting quieter and quieter until the sound of the master bedroom door closing hurriedly echoes through the house. 

As soon as the sound reaches her ears, Norma bursts into another fit of breathless laughter, doubling over on the bed and grabbing at Alex's arm to steady herself. He's far less entertained, his entire face a bright red and his mouth hanging open in humiliation.

"Are you seriously laughing right now?" He gripes, standing from the bed to go lock the bedroom door. Norma wipes a stray tear from her eye, looking up and him as wails of laughter shake her entire body. She quiets and takes a few deep breaths when she sees the severity in his expression.

"Oh, please, Alex. It's Emma." She rolls her eyes, not understanding his lack of humor at the situation. Her justification doesn't seem to satisfy him, however. "We weren't even doing anything! There's nothing to be embarrassed about." He raises his eyebrows at her as if that's the craziest thing he's ever heard. 

"If my tongue in your mouth doesn't count as 'anything,' I'd like to know where you draw the line." He grumbles, more to himself than to her. She huffs at him, standing from the bed to go turn off the bathroom light. 

"Second base." She answers nonchalantly. Alex chokes on the breath he was taking, coughing for a second to cover his surprise. 

This woman would be the death of him.

------

Alex wakes up the next morning and frowns when he finds the rest of the bed empty. He glances at the clock on the bedside table and sees that it's almost 9:30. Not used to sleeping so late, he practically jumps out of bed and hurries to get dressed, hearing the quiet murmurs of activity elsewhere in the house. 

When he finally emerges from the bedroom, his eyes land on Norma almost immediately, sitting at the dining room table and trying to coerce Kate to allow an almost comically tiny spoon of applesauce into her mouth. 

"Open up, Kate! It's yummy!" Norma coos in an uncharacteristically high voice, her slight exasperation evident in her iron grip on the spoon. Emma is the first to notice Alex standing silently and watching.

"Hey! Good morning!" She calls from the kitchen, her tone a little too peppy for someone who walked in on them not 12 hours ago. Norma looks up at Emma's greeting, a bright smile on her face as she notices him entering the kitchen area. 

"Morning." He smiles, wrapping an arm around Norma's shoulder and kissing her head. 

"You slept late," Norma comments, her hand not holding Kate's tiny spoon reaching to grab his. "You sure you're feeling okay?" He smiles softly at her concern.

"Yeah, I'm good. Long day." Alex shrugs, pulling out the chair next to her and sitting down to watch her feed the baby. "How long have you two been up?" 

"Oh, not too long. Emma's just been telling me about all the great things to do in Seattle." Norma beams, clapping her hands exaggeratedly when Kate finally accepts a bite of applesauce. The young girl giggles and Alex can't help but melt at the adorable interaction. 

"Oh, damn it!" Emma's voice groans from the kitchen, the frustrated sound of a tray being dropped unceremoniously on the counter causing Norma to jump. 

"Is everything okay, Emma?" Norma calls, exchanging a worried look with Alex. 

"I think I screwed up this recipe," Emma sighs, her annoyance clear in the tone of her voice. 

"One second, let me see. Maybe we can salvage it." Norma's calm, maternal inflection makes its appearance as she hands the tiny spoon of applesauce to Alex as if it's the most natural thing in the world. She disappears into the kitchen before he can even ask her how she expects him to feed a baby when she couldn't even do it, staring blankly between the bright pink plastic spoon and Kate studying him expectantly. 

"Uh.... here, Kate." He reaches toward her with the spoon, deflating slightly when her mouth stays defiantly closed. "C'mon, it's applesauce. It's good." He urges her, feeling entirely out of his depth. He nudges her pouted lips gently with the spoon, instantly regretting it when she starts to fuss and her bright blue eyes shine with threatened tears. 

"Shit." He mumbles, glancing into the kitchen nervously to make sure the two women couldn't hear them. "Shh, shh, it's okay. Don't cry. Please don't cry, Kate." He whispers, dropping the spoon to rub the top of her head in what he hopes is a comforting way. 

After only a few quiet whimpers, Kate actually calms down, her shining eyes looking up at him curiously. Alex watches her, feeling a swell of pride that he'd managed to do the right thing to prevent her tantrum. Once he's almost certain she won't burst into tears at any moment, he reaches for the spoon again, waving it in small gestures that he thinks will get her attention. 

"Look, it's uh, it's an airplane!" He fumbles, deciding on the oldest trick in the book and the only one that comes to mind at the moment. Feeling more than a little ridiculous but determined to embrace it, he makes a quiet humming sound to imitate a plane and swirls the spoon around Kate's head before triumphantly depositing it in her smiling mouth. "Ha!" He grins at his success, failing to fend off his smile as the young girl giggles joyfully. 

He feeds her a few more bites in the same fashion, not even noticing Norma watching the two of them fondly from the kitchen entrance. She clears her throat softly just as Alex finishes giving Kate another bite, his head snapping to look at her as if he's been caught doing something terribly wrong. 

"I think she likes you." Norma smirks, approaching the table and taking her seat back. Alex offers her the spoon bashfully but she waves her hand to signal she doesn't want it. "You're good with her. And you need the practice," She offers as an explanation, causing Alex to blush and shrug nervously. 

"Breakfast is going to be another few minutes." Emma appears in the doorway, looking sufficiently flustered. Her eyes land on Alex holding the baby spoon and Kate's adoring face, a small smile appearing in her expression. "Aw. She likes you."

Alex blushes impossibly deeper, thankful for the distraction when Dylan appears in the kitchen, his bedhead evident and sleep still lingering in his eyes. Emma chuckles from the kitchen.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." She grins, seeing him sit heavily in the kitchen chair across from Norma. 

"Long night?" His mother asks somewhat suspiciously. Dylan nods, apparently not catching her innuendo.

"Yeah.  Somebody  was up every half hour needing... whatever." He groans, gesturing with his head to the oblivious baby next to him. Norma looks pointedly at Alex, her eyebrows raised in an  I told you so  expression. "I heard you two were going at it, though." Dylan shrugs indifferently.

Norma and Alex sit in shocked silence for a second, both of their mouths hanging open and eyes wide. 

"W-What?!" Norma shrieks, looking at Alex to confirm he's having the same reaction. "We were not...  going at it !" She insists. Dylan shrugs again.

"Look, it's fine. I don't care what you do. The sheets are clean. Just don't wake the baby." He insists as if giving his mother permission to have sex in his guest bedroom is a perfectly normal breakfast conversation.

"I- We-" Norma splutters, looking to Alex for backup. He recoils uselessly, clearly uncomfortable with engaging in the conversation. "Dylan, we are not going to-" She pauses to cover Kate's ears gently, "-have  sex  in your guest bedroom!"

"Okay. Fine. Whatever." Dylan looks surprised at her defensiveness, his eyes landing on the pink spoon still in Alex's hand. "You on baby duty?" He seems surprised, glancing at Norma, who he'd expected would want uninterrupted baby time for their entire visit. 

"Looks like it." Alex shrugs, causing Norma to giggle at his attempt to seem disinterested. 

"He needs some practice interacting with a real baby." She grins, earning a slightly annoyed look from her husband.

"Well, if you guys ever want to babysit..." Dylan offers, and Norma's face lights up. 

"That's a great idea!" She beams. Alex feels the blood drain from his face at the thought of being responsible for someone else's baby. "You two should go out tonight and we'll stay with Kate!" 

"Oh, that sounds great! You're sure it's okay with you?" Emma emerges from the kitchen with a tray of cinnamon rolls, setting them on the table and taking the seat next to Dylan. 

"Of course! I love spending time with my favorite granddaughter!" Norma smiles brightly. Emma nods at her, having known she would be on board, and turns to Alex. 

"Alex?" He seems to snap out of his anxious trance, smiling nervously at Emma and shrugging. 

"Gotta start somewhere." He justifies, sighing softly at Norma to calm his nerves and grabbing her hand. She flutters with excitement, letting out a little squeal of joy. 

"This is gonna be so much fun!"

Chapter Text

Later that night, after Emma tries to change her mind about leaving multiple times and Dylan physically drags her out the front door, Norma and Alex are left alone with Kate. 

Alex turns to her the moment the door is closed, gulping exaggeratedly as his eyes shift to the baby in his wife's arms. Meanwhile, a beaming smile takes over Norma's face as she looks between him and Kate excitedly. 

"Our night of fun begins!" She exclaims, turning to address the clueless baby. "Aren't you excited, Kate?" The tiny child smiles at her tone, assuming she should be happy though she has no idea what's going on. 

"Uhm... so..." Alex shifts awkwardly from his heels to his toes, his hands clasped behind his back. 

"Here, why don't you take her while I start dinner?" Norma suggests, preparing to hand him the baby and furrowing her eyebrows as he takes a tentative step back. 

"I don't, um... What am I supposed to do with her?" He looks like a lost puppy, his hands shifting to twist together in front of him as he avoids her gaze. Norma smiles, finding his nervousness endearing. 

"Well, Alex, you could start by holding her." She smirks, unable to resist teasing him  just a little .

"Ok..." He looks ready to pull out a pen and paper, studying her stance with such scrutiny she almost feels the need to adjust herself to be a better model. 

"Here. Make sure to support her head." Norma slowly transfers the baby into his hands, adjusting his grip before letting go completely, smiling proudly at her handiwork as he chuckles to himself. 

"Hi, Kate." His voice is so soft Norma can barely hear it, her heart melting as she realizes he hadn't even intended for her to, his words genuinely directed to the baby girl smiling at him. His enamored state doesn't last long, though, and he quickly looks up at her, his eyes begging for help. "Now what? What do babies do?"

She giggles, sticking a finger in Kate's direction to allow her to grab it in her tiny hand. "They don't do much. You can just sit with her." She nods toward the living room, "I'll be right in the kitchen, if you need me." 

Alex feels his heart begin to pound as she withdraws her finger from Kate's grip, giving him a reassuring smile and then flouncing away into the kitchen. He sighs heavily, watching the baby intently as he adjusts his grip to make sure she's not uncomfortable, offering her one of his fingers in the say way Norma had, smiling slightly as she needs all ten of her fragile fingers to wrap around it. 

"Okay, little girl... we're gonna be okay." He says it more to himself than to her, taking a few testing steps toward the living room, half expecting the seemingly happy child to burst into tears at any moment. She doesn't, so he makes it all the way to the couch, sitting down comically slow to avoid jostling her. "Let's watch some TV, huh?" 

He reaches hesitantly for the remote, flicking through channels before pausing on the football game and deciding  she's a baby, she doesn't care . He leans back slightly on the couch, frowning when Kate begins to squirm, apparently bored with his finger.

"Uh, Norma? Do I put her down?" He calls in the direction of the kitchen, trying to pretend he couldn't hear her giggling quietly. 

"Yes, you can put her down. Sit her on your lap. Just keep a hand on her head so she doesn't fall." Norma directs, fighting the urge to peek at them from the kitchen in the interest of his learning. 

"Thanks, hun." He replies, slowly turning Kate to allow her to sit on his lap, keeping one hand on her head and the other wrapped around her stomach to pull her flush against his torso. She continues to squirm for a moment before apparently deciding she likes the new position, her hands playing with his as she coos and babbles to herself idly. 

Alex finds himself relaxing more and more as he gets used to the idea that the tiny human in his lap is not made of glass and that she mostly entertains herself, gazing around at him and the world as if it's all new to her, which, in her defense, it pretty much is. He hardly notices Norma coming into the room until she sits next to him on the couch with a huff. 

"Dinner in the oven." She announces, her attention turning to the TV. "Are you making her watch football?" She sighs, seeing Alex completely absorbed by playing with Kate's tiny hands and barely listening to her. 

"Huh? Oh, yeah. She's a Seahawks fan now." He informs her with his classic deadpan, looking up at the TV just as the crowd erupts with cheers. "Oh! Touchdown!" He exclaims, holding both of Kate's hands in the air to mimic the 'touchdown' gesture of the referees. 

Norma can't help but melt at the sight, sliding off of the couch to kneel in front of them. Her hands reach up to tickle the baby's sides gently, eliciting excited giggles from the both of them. 

"You're not a football girl, are you?" She takes each of the baby's feet in her hands and shakes them gently. "Are you so so bored?" Her baby voice that drives him insane makes its appearance and Alex feels himself fill with warmth from watching her. 

"I don't think she's bored." He grumps, his voice rising defensively as one of his hands plays with the tiny wisps of hair on her head absently. Norma smiles at him to let him know she was joking, her fingers reaching to tickle Kate again.

"Ok, miss football, are you getting hungry? Yeah?" She continues as if the girl had responded or understood her at all, picking her up from Alex's lap with an exaggerated groan.

He stands up suddenly, partially because the sound she had let out made him worry if she should be lifting things and partially to avoid the empty feeling that had washed over him the moment she'd taken the baby from his lap. Norma turns to him, smirking at his unspoken offer (or request, as it seemed) to take the baby not one hour after he'd learned how to hold her. 

"I'm going to get her settled in the high chair. Why don't you go get some baby food from the pantry?" She suggests, bouncing gently to keep Kate from fussing as she heads toward the kitchen.

Alex spends an inordinate amount of time staring at the pantry trying to decide which baby food he thinks Kate will like before finally just picking the top one from the stack and returning to the table to find Norma waiting with another tiny spoon, this one a bright green.

"Sweet potato okay?" He asks, holding up the orange container with a nervous smile. Norma nods, gesturing for him to sit in the chair on the other side of Kate as she fixes a small pink and white bib around the child's neck. He obliges, setting the small tub on the table for her. 

"Shoot." Norma huffs as the oven dings, quickly unscrewing the cap of the food and handing him the spoon. "Uh, just give her little bites, try not to make a mess!" She nods as if she's given him everything he needs to know to feed a baby, hurrying into the kitchen again. 

Alex takes several successive scoops of the baby food before deciding they were each too big, finally finding a spoonful he felt was small enough and beginning to offer it to Kate. 

"Here, sweetie." He pauses for a moment at his own use of pet name, surprised that it had slipped out of him without his permission. Kate appears more well-tempered for dinner, as she opens her mouth for him to feed her without much protest. "Mmh Hmm. Is it yummy?" 

Alex tries not to scoff at his own words, wondering what kind of man Norma's turned him into that he's sitting and feeding a baby that's not even his, asking her if her pureed sweet potatoes are 'yummy.' He can't question it for long, as Kate smiles at him then and every thought leaves his mind as he gives her another tiny bite. 

"Alright, dinner is served!" Norma reports as she enters the kitchen with her classic turkey pot pie clutched between two mismatched oven mitts. "It's probably time to put her to bed." She observes, glancing at the clock. 

"I've only fed her, like, 3 bites?" Alex questions, feeling his own stomach grumble at the smell of the dish on the table. 

"Look at her, Alex. Her stomach cannot be bigger than a golf ball." She raises her eyebrows at him, her eyes crinkling as he sets the small spoon down on the table somewhat dejectedly. "This needs to cool for a few minutes. Let's get you to bed, missy!" She turns her attention to the little girl, seeing her eyes beginning to droop adorably. 

Noticing his wistful expression when she lifts Kate out of the high chair herself, Norma rolls her eyes and hands him the baby, pretending to be annoyed that he's getting to spend more time with her than she is. They make their way into the nursery, with Alex suddenly looking very lost as to where he's meant to put the baby. 

"You're about to learn how to change a diaper!" Norma declares brightly, not missing the horror that flashes in her husband's eyes. "Gimme the baby. Go wash your hands. With soap!" She calls after him as he's already headed in the direction of the bathroom. 

"Ready." He announces when he returns to the room, a determined expression on his face as she finishes setting out all of the supplies where he can see them. 

"Okay. Come over here. The diaper attaches here and here," She gestures to each of Kate's hips, "So you pull these off, and it unfolds like that." She shows him slowly how the diaper folds around the baby, stepping to the side and gesturing for him to take over. "Now,  gently  slide it out from under her and drop it in the bin." 

Alex follows her directions intently, his face twisted with concentration as he holds the cotton garment far from his face with only two fingers, dropping it quickly into the waiting trash bin. 

"Good. Now, take a wipe..." She holds the package up for him, seeing him tense slightly with discomfort. "...And clean her off. Be gentle. You need a light touch, a baby's skin is really sensitive." She leans over his shoulder to watch him, nodding approvingly when he turns to make nervous eye contact with her. 

"Is that good?" He murmurs, feeling his entire body flushed at the situation he never in a million years would've expected to be in right now. She smiles and nods, taking the wipe from him and dropping it in the trash bin as well.

"That's the hard part done. Now, just take a new diaper and put it on the same way as the old one." She smiles brightly and gestures to the package of diapers on the table, watching him awkwardly slip it under the baby and fasten it more than a little crooked but still sufficient. 

"Ha! I did it!" He smirks proudly, lifting Kate under her elbows to hold her up as an exhibition. "Look at that! Perfect." 

Norma can't bring herself to tell him that he managed to make one of the sides much tighter than the other, causing half of the diaper to sag slightly. Instead, she enjoys the triumphant look on his face as he beams at his handiwork. 

"Good job, honey." She's thankful he doesn't detect the hint of teasing in her voice as she turns to examine the tiny onesies on the dresser. "What color should we put her in?" Her hands find her hips as she turns to him, her face softening when she sees how he's turned Kate to hold her just how she'd showed him to, looking up at her disinterestedly. 

"Uh, I don't know. Blue?" He shrugs, looking back down at the baby, who'd busied herself with studying his finger again. Norma scoffs. 

"She's a  girl , Alex. There's pink, purple, and yellow." He frowns and shakes his head conspiratorily at the little girl in his arms.

"Blue can be a girl color. What if our daughter likes blue?" He huffs, not looking up to see Norma's adoring reaction. 

"I know that..." She whines defensively, turning back to the dresser. "But blue isn't an option right now, is it? So, let's go with... yellow." She decides on her own as Alex is clearly too preoccupied to pick a onesie, grabbing the yellow one and marching back over to the two of them. 

After a mild protest from Alex, Norma is able to steal the baby away long enough to dress her in the onesie, carrying her over to the small crib in the center of the room and slowly laying her down. 

"Will you get her pacifier from the table over there?" Norma requests quietly, handing Kate a small giraffe plush and tapping the mobile above her head to make it spin slowly. Alex returns with the pacifier and hands it to her, watching as she skillfully coerces Kate into taking it, both of them leaning back to admire their success. 

"So, now what? She sleeps?" Alex pipes up, his mind drifting to the turkey pot pie waiting for him in the next room. Norma nods and starts to make her way to the door. 

"Yep. If she wakes up we should hear it over the monitor." Alex nods and follows her out of the nursery, flicking the lights off and closing the door gently.

They eat dinner without any interruptions, both of them settling on the couch after Alex insisted on cleaning up the dishes. He turns on a random TV channel at a low volume, turning to face Norma anyway as she smiles proudly at him.

"You did a great job tonight." She beams, taking one of his hands in hers. "I think you're gonna be the best dad ever." Alex can't help but blush at her compliment, a tiny smile fighting its way onto his face. 

"Really? You think so?" He asks hopefully, seeing the skin around her eyes crinkle as she beams at him adoringly. 

"I know so!" Norma assures him, leaning closer to allow him to wrap his arms around her. "I can't wait to see you with our baby girl," She murmurs into his chest. Alex chuckles suddenly, shaking his head at her. 

"You know it's gonna be really awkward if she ends up being a boy." He points out and she shrugs. 

"I haven't been wrong yet."

------

Emma stumbles into the house first at almost midnight, giggling far too loudly after having several glasses of wine. Dylan follows shortly after, struggling to lock the door for long enough that he can hear Emma's unrestricted "awww!" from the living room. 

"What?" He whispers in vain, the sound coming out just as loudly as if he'd spoken. 

"Look!" Emma waves her hand to beckon him to where she's standing, pointing to the spot on the couch where Norma and Alex lay, curled around each other and fast asleep. "Aren't they just so cute?" The young girl beams. Dylan shrugs.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." He heads down the hallway in the direction of the nursery as Emma reluctantly approaches the couple to wake them up. 

"Alex?" She taps him on the shoulder, jumping slightly when he jerks awake at the small touch. "Hey. How'd it go?" Alex turns to look at her blankly for a moment before his wits come back about him and he smiles softly. 

"It was great. She was great. We uh, put her to bed a while ago and she hasn't been up." Emma raises her eyebrows at him, impressed. 

"You musta really tired her out then!" She jokes, looking up to see Dylan returning, appearing satisfied that Kate was still alive and sleeping peacefully. "Ok, well, we've had... a lot of wine! So, I think we're gonna go to bed now. Thank you. For babysitting." Emma nods, stepping away from the couch to join her husband in the hallway. 

"No problem. Goodnight." Alex replies, still mostly asleep and vaguely thinking they should probably move off the couch. He glances down at Norma, curled up impossibly close to him with her fingers gripping his shirt tightly. Knowing he could never bring himself to wake her, he slips one arm underneath her knees and the other down to her lower back, lifting her gently from the couch and slowly standing on his tingling legs. 

Alex feels her grip on his shirt tighten as she leans her head on his shoulder sleepily, quietly whimpering at the loss of contact when he finally set her down on the bed. He manages only to close the door and turn off the bedroom light before collapsing next to her, pulling the covers over both of them as she quickly resumes her previous position without even opening her eyes. 

They both dream of white picket fences and pink baby onesies. 

Chapter Text

The next day, much to Norma's dismay, she and Alex leave Dylan and Emma's house early to start work on selling the motel as soon as possible. 

After a brief argument from Norma, it's decided that Alex should be the one to speak to the realtor since even he had caught wind of the rumors that she'd assaulted the man with her purse the last time she'd seen him. He eventually wins the debate with his insistence that the possibility of her getting upset again would be bad for the baby, already learning how to take advantage of her hormonal weakness. 

Norma finds herself incredibly bored left at home alone, especially now that any home improvements she could normally busy herself with are obsolete. She even turns on the TV for a small while to pass some time before she can reasonably start cooking dinner, but quickly bores of it and decides to take a bath instead. 

Alex returns home not too long into her soak, calling to her from the bottom of the stairs and hearing her faint reply from the top floor. 

"Norma?" He calls again as he enters the bedroom and sees she's not in there. 

"I'm in here, Alex." She replies and he notices the bathroom door open, pushing it lightly to find her head laying back against the side of the tub, the bubbles that once almost spilled over the top now mostly dissipated, leaving a clear view of her entire body through the water. Alex's eyes widen at the sight as he quickly turns around, thinking he's invaded her privacy.

"Jesus, Norma. Why was the door open?" He snaps, trying to blink the image of her naked body out of his mind before it becomes an issue. Alex hears her giggle from behind him, a small splashing sound entering his ears as she shifts in the water.

"I knew you were coming." He can hear the seductive smirk in her voice, suddenly not so worried about the picture still dominating his mind's eye. "Come join me." 

She doesn't have to tell him twice, and in record time his clothes are on the floor and he's sliding into the tub behind her, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her back flush against his chest. The damp ends of her hair tickle his chin as she lays her head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly although the water has already cooled to room temperature. 

"How'd it go with the realtor? His mom still own his car?" She scoffs teasingly, feeling his chest constrict as he chuckles softly. 

"I, uh, didn't ask. He said the market's good, we should get a decent price." He shrugs. "I'm not worried about it. Even if it's not great, we still have the cash." In truth, he just wants the house gone and over with, just wants to start work on the bakery and leave White Pine Bay in the past as soon as possible. But he doesn't tell her that, knowing she's still reluctant to leave and probably mourning the loss of her beautiful victorian house and beloved motel.

Norma nods, both of her hands grabbing one of his and playing absently with his fingers. She doesn't like the idea of using Bob Paris' drug money for her bakery, not wanting to taint the purity of her 'fresh start' with the dirty cash hidden in the basement. However, having the money to do what she wants with the place and truly make it perfect does appeal to her. 

Alex's voice brings her back to reality as he shifts slightly, the heat from her body barely keeping him from shivering in the rapidly cooling water. "What've you been up to all day?" 

"Nothing. It's been so boring." She sighs, dropping his hand dramatically as if the question has upset her too much to continue messing with it. "I'm glad you're home now." She smiles, turning to look up at him and kissing his cheek sweetly. 

Alex blushes deeply at her affection, fighting to keep the lovestruck smile from his face as he shifts to sit up more, his arms resting along the edges of the tub. "The water's getting cold." He deflects, feeling her almost shivering against him. She grins at his change of subject but doesn't push him, turning around in the water and sitting up to face him. 

He really does try his best to maintain eye contact, but it's increasingly difficult for him to keep his gaze away from her chest, now almost completely out of the water after she sat up. She catches him, rolling her eyes dramatically at his open-mouthed expression and long, heavy breaths. 

"Seriously, Alex?" She groans, covering up her inward satisfaction at his reaction to her body as he looks up at her defensively. 

"What? I'm not allowed to be attracted to my wife?" He frowns, his hands dropping from the edge of the tub to grasp her waist. She huffs dismissively at him, still standing her ground and pretending that his staring isn't sending butterflies into her stomach. 

"It's not like you haven't seen it all before." She snaps, rising suddenly from the tub just as his hands start to pull her closer. He looks like a scolded puppy, staring up at her drying off with a silent question of what he did wrong. "I have to make dinner." She offers as an explanation, leaning down to peck his lips after wrapping herself in her robe. 

Alex catches her hand just as she's about to leave to get dressed. She turns back to him questioningly, surprised to find him looking nervously up at her. "Can you make dinner in that?" He asks softly, his voice barely a murmur. She scoffs, tilting her head at him in surprise. 

"In my robe? Why?" He must take her response as a rejection, his body withdrawing from hers and his face flushing with embarrassment. 

"Idon'tknowIjustthought-" He mumbles dejectedly, not meeting her gaze, and she can't stand how incredibly sad he looks. 

"I mean... I can..." She interrupts him and shrugs, seeing him try and fail to mask the way his face lights up. "Why, is there something wrong with my clothes?" She inquires, making an effort to keep the accusation from her tone. He shakes his head insistently, pulling her hand closer to him out of instinct. 

"No! No, you just... you look really sexy in that." She blushes deeply and bites her lip at him, smiling coyly and dropping her weight onto one leg. 

"Keep it in your pants, mister." She scolds, turning on her heel and sashaying out of the bathroom, intentionally swaying her hips to exaggerate her walk. 

"I'm not wearing pants?" He calls after her, feeling his entire body react as she flicks her head over her shoulder and winks at him just before she disappears, leaving him suddenly very cold and confused in the bathtub. 

------

After dinner (and spontaneous dessert in the living room) Norma complains that an entire day of doing nothing has exhausted her, and they settle in to go to bed. 

Alex pulls her back against him under the covers, his hands slipping beneath his police academy shirt she'd stolen to rest on her bare stomach. Norma's heart flutters at his touch, both of her hands falling to rest on top of his. 

"How long until..." He's not sure what he's even asking, but she finishes his question for him anyway. 

"Until I get so fat I can't walk anymore?" She huffs, her voice humorous though he knows she's probably serious. "Probably a few weeks. It'll be noticeable at around 3 months." 

Alex nods, resting his forehead on her shoulder and shuffling their hands so he could intertwine his fingers with hers. "I'm so excited." He murmurs, already half asleep.

"For me to be fat?" She whines, her voice only slightly less humorous. He jumps at her accusation, his head lifting from her shoulder and arms suddenly flipping her to face him. Both of his hands cup her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. 

"Yes. I want to experience all of this with you, Norma. I was scared before, and I still am, but I'm also really, really happy." His sincerity takes her by surprise, her lips parting as she takes in his response to her mostly teasing comment. 

She spends a few moments dumbstruck, trying to form a sentence and utterly failing as her eyes continuously drift to his lips. 

"You know we can't have sex for a while after the baby comes." She states suddenly, looking at him afterward as if she's just as surprised it just came out of her mouth as he is. 

"What?" He half-laughs at her. 

"Do you know what giving birth does to a woman's body? I'll be all messed up down there for, like, months. They have to put  stitches  in my-"

"Okay. Okay. Yeah, I get it." He interjects, his face contorted with empathetic pain and mild disgust. Her hand creeps between his arms to rest in the center of his chest.

"So... I guess that means we'll have to get it all out now. You know, to make up for-" She can't even finish her sentence before his lips are on hers, pressing insistently against her and setting her entire body on fire. 

She lets him kiss her for a minute, pulling away only when his intentions become clear as he simultaneously squeezes her ass and thrusts his tongue into her mouth. 

"Not right now, though." She clarifies, seeing him deflate slightly with a frown. "Alex! Do you not remember the couch like 20 minutes ago?" She scoffs, rolling her eyes at his insatiability.

"Well, yeah, but that was... couch sex. Bed sex is different?" He frowns, looking like a kicked puppy and far too guilty for misinterpreting her insinuation. She pecks his lips quickly, her hand lingering on his cheek as she smiles apologetically. 

"How about bed sex in the morning? I'm wiped." She bargains, leaning back slightly as his expression turns guiltier and disapproving.

"Norma, you don't have to negotiate with me. If you don't want to, we won't, end of discussion." He says. Norma is silent for a while, apparently absorbing what he said before she turns to him with an unexpectedly disappointed expression.

"So no morning sex?" She asks softly, and both of them burst into giggles. He composes himself first and drops his hands to hold her hips, pulling her closer to him.

"Let's see how wiped you are when we wake up." He suggests, earning a salacious grin from her as she shifts to a more comfortable sleeping position. He kisses the top of her head, smiling into her tousled curls as he inhales the scent of her conditioner. 

She murmurs something into the pillow that sounds like a blend of "goodnight" and "I love you," clearly too close to sleep to choose between the two. Alex smiles fondly to himself, wondering how the hell he got so lucky, before allowing sleep to take him as well.

------

Norma wakes up slowly to the feeling of hands roaming her body, gently running over her stomach and hips. She opens her eyes and becomes aware of Alex's lips on her neck, silently kissing her awake. Her head turns to see him and he looks up, a small but wicked smile on his face as he shifts to kiss her lips instead. 

Her entire body lights up, yanked from the dreariness of sleep, at the feeling of his hands wandering further from her stomach. Norma gasps quietly when he pulls the same move from last night, squeezing her ass in both hands, simultaneously pulling her against his body and invading her mouth with his tongue. 

She lets him this time, bringing one hand up to hold his face as he lays on his side next to her, his head craning down in what must be an uncomfortable position to kiss her deeply. They lay like that for a minute, his large hands taking inventory of her body and relishing in the soft pants she lets out into his mouth before they both decide they need more apparently in the same moment.

Alex lifts the hem of her shirt just slightly, pulling away from her barely an inch to speak into the hot air between them. 

"Take this off." He demands, his voice scratchy and gruff from a night of not using it. Norma obliges, sitting up just enough to pull the oversized shirt over her head and expose her bare chest to him. He stares unashamedly, his hands stilling over her black lace panties, now the only thing covering her. 

She pulls him back to her after a second, feeling sheepish at his studying of her body and distracting him by shoving her tongue into his mouth, returning the favor from minutes ago. He accepts it graciously, trailing one hand up to cup her breast, smiling against her lips as she gasps at his thumb swiping lightly across her nipple. 

He breaks away to catch his breath, arching his body further to kiss her neck and now bare shoulder. He feels, rather than hears, her breath hitch as he simultaneously finds a spot on her neck that he knows drives her crazy and pinches her nipple between his thumb and pointer finger. 

"Alex..." She warns as he starts to suck on her neck, not attempting to mask his intention of giving her a glaring hickey. Her hand wraps around his back and threads through his hair, contradicting her disapproving tone and urging him on. 

"Fuck, you're so beautiful." He growls, happy with the state of her neck and shifting even lower to unexpectedly take her nipple into his mouth, his other hand still massaging her other breast. She gasps and arches her back, pushing herself closer to him, desperately needing more. 

"God..." She chokes, her head falling back against her pillow. He always touches her so gently, so reverently, it never fails to take her breath away. She never believed anyone could be so deeply loved by a man, let alone her.

One hand rises to rest on her flushed forehead while the other remains tangled in his hair, feeling the muscles in his neck flexing as his jaw works at pleasing her. 

"Alex... Please." She whimpers, and his eyes flutter open to meet hers. He retracts, laying back on his side and holding himself up on one arm to gaze at her. His hand drifts over the skin on her stomach, his eyes never leaving hers as he slips his fingers under the hem of her underwear. 

He explores her slowly with a single finger, running it over her gently and feeling her body shiver as he bumps her clit. 

"Okay?" He asks softly, searching her face as always for apprehension. She nods, her hand still draped over his back and her chest heaving with anticipation. He leans back down suddenly, resuming his mission with her breast and giving her no opportunity to react before he slips two fingers inside her. 

"Ohhh..." She jerks involuntarily, her back arching and her hips dropping to bring her closer to him. She glances down to see him scowling with concentration, his eyes mostly shut as his tongue works at her nipple and his fingers begin to move tantalizingly inside her. 

"God, you're so wet." He groans into her skin, hearing her breathing quicken at his words. Her hand drops to his neck to pull him up to her, crashing her lips against his and letting out a broken moan as his thumb rubs against her clit in time with his fingers movements.

"A-Alex, I'm gonna-" He hushes her with his lips, moving his tongue against hers rhythmically and feeling her exhales against him quickly reaching a crescendo as her muscles flutter around his fingers and her entire body tenses up. She collapses into the bed a moment later, turning her head to disconnect their lips and catch her breath as he withdraws from her.

"Good?" He asks almost rhetorically, a satisfied smirk on his face. He knows it was good, he's done it for her enough times to be certain exactly what she likes. She nods breathlessly nonetheless, a tiny giggle shaking her body as she turns back to him. 

"Very good." 

Chapter Text

It's only a few days later when they get the call. Norma's almost finished loading the dishwasher after dinner when the phone rings, causing both her and Alex to jump at the sudden disruption to their peaceful silence. 

"I'll get it." Norma coos at him, rushing over to the wall to grab the landline and stop the loud ringing. "Hello?" Her voice is just slightly sweeter than normal, though Alex hardly notices as his attention is captured by her nimble fingers winding aimlessly through the phone cord. 

She's silent for a while, nodding to no one in particular as an imperceptible voice mumbles through the phone speaker into her ear. Alex stands after a few seconds, resolving to finish loading the dishwasher for her, but she holds up a hand to stop him before he can get far. Her eyes wide, she turns to look at him as her mouth struggles to form words. 

"R-Really? Are you sure?" She stammers, her lips turning upwards and her hand flapping suddenly with excitement. "Thank you! Yes, you too, have a good night!" She hangs up, turning her body fully toward him and doing an adorable little hop of excitement. 

"What? Who was it?" He asks, walking around the still brand-new kitchen table to approach her. 

"That was the real estate agent. He said someone wants to buy the motel! They're making a formal offer for asking price tomorrow morning!" She squeals, closing the distance between them and throwing her arms around his neck. "It's really happening!"

"That's great!" Alex agrees, lifting her up slightly to counteract the force of her impact into him. 

"We're gonna get our bakery." She gasps against his neck, her voice watery as he sets her down gently. He leans back slightly to take her face in his hands, smiling comfortingly at her and taking in her glistening blue eyes. 

"We're gonna get our bakery." He confirms, swiping away a single tear on her cheek with his thumb. 

"Oh god... that means we have to start packing up, like, now!" She realizes, her eyes darting around the kitchen taking inventory on all the things they'll have to shove into boxes. 

"You're not doing ANY packing, Mrs. Romero." He shakes his head, forcing her gaze back to him as she frowns. 

"Alex! You can't do it all yourself. I can pack a few boxes." She rolls her eyes, stepping back out of his grasp and back over to the dishwasher. 

"I'm not doing it all myself. Dylan offered to come down and help while we were visiting." He counters. Her face lights up at the prospect and Alex feels his heart flutter at her bright smile. 

"He said that?" She beams, looking so dreamily at him that he thinks even if he wasn't telling the truth he would lie just to make her as happy as she is now. 

"Yeah. He said you could go up there to help Emma with Kate and he'd come to pack up for a coupla days." Alex recounts, crossing the room to at least pretend to help her with the dishes. She usually wouldn't let him touch them, and even when she did, she'd snatch up any items he put in the 'wrong' place and move them elsewhere anyway.

"Oh, that sounds lovely!" She smiles, finally shoving the appliance closed and wiping her hands on the seasonal towel hanging from a hook on one of the cabinets. 

"We'll close on the bakery around the same time, we can start moving in right away." He informs her, grinning as he earns another excited hop.

"Oh, yay!! I can't wait!" She hugs him again, nestling her face into his neck as swaying gently as he holds her. 

"Your fresh start's coming, baby. I can't wait either."

------

As excited as Norma had been to visit Emma and spend time with Kate, her enthusiasm fades rapidly along the drive north to Seattle. She finds herself staring longingly at Alex's hands on the steering wheel, silently wishing he would reach for hers with one of them instead. 

"You're quiet." He observes about half an hour in, finding it hard not to notice her stiffness with the radio turned down to a murmur and her hands folded neatly in her lap. She bristles slightly at his comment, her eyes fixed on the evergreens whipping past the window, each blur of green a micro-ecosystem of its own. 

"I'm hormonal." She cuts after a beat, her voice dropping to a resentful tone she doesn't intend. 

"What does that mean?" He asks, treading lightly but genuinely curious as to how her pregnancy will affect her moods. 

"It means I don't like the idea of being several hours away from you for an entire week." 

Alex blinks, once, twice, three times, before his brain can wrap around what she's said. It's not uncharacteristic for her to be clingy, and she hasn't been shy about telling him--and showing him--that she's missed him in the past. But something about this is different, and it seems both of them can sense it. He glances away from the sprawling asphalt ahead to check her expression, finding her still turned mostly away from him to stare out the window as if she hasn't just made a strikingly intimate admission. 

 "I'm gonna miss you, too." He offers, settling them on equal levels of vulnerability, where he knows she's most comfortable. It appears to work, as she turns her head to face him with a soft pout. 

"You will?" 

Alex almost scoffs, "Of course I will! I don't like being away from you, especially not now." He assures her, reaching for her hand and not missing the satisfied smile crossing her face at the contact. He adjusts his now one-handed grip on the steering wheel and shuffles in his seat to get more comfortable reaching across the console to her. "But you're excited to see Emma, right? And spend some time with Kate, when you don't have to worry about teaching me how not to drop her?" 

She giggles, her face still not as bright as he'd like it to be but more so than before. "I would not have let you drop her!" She insists, rolling her eyes melodramatically in his peripheral vision. 

"Whatever. Just don't go getting any ideas from Emma about princess wallpaper and unicorn onesies. Our baby will be dignified." She laughs harder at this, her head falling back against the headrest of the seat. 

"You mean she won't take after her daddy? The unicorn?" Norma teases through her giggles, a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth at his jaw shifting in mock annoyance. 

"I still don't know where you got that from!" He snaps, earning another fit of giggles from her that sends a flutter through his entire body. He thinks he'll never get tired of hearing her laughter, seeing her smile, and knowing that he's the source of her radiating beauty in that moment. 

They spend the rest of the drive in pleasant banter, and Alex feels better about being away from her as she quickly brightens up, both of them thankful for the distraction. At one point he manages to extract his hand from her grip to replace it on the wheel during a particularly winding stretch of road, earning a loud whine from his wife. He glances over to see her staring at him as if he's upended her entire life, her mouth hanging open slightly in betrayal. 

"Norma, I gotta drive..." He justifies, seeing her expression deepen as she narrows her eyes at him. The constant turns of the road mellow out less than a mile later and he quickly reaches for her hand again, frowning when she snatches it away. "Baby?"

"No, no! You gotta drive!" She mocks, her arms crossed over her chest. He sighs, checking to ensure that it's safe to be distracted for a moment and reaching suddenly to untangle her arms, grasping her hand in his and settling back upright with a satisfied grin.

"You know you can't act like a child when you have your own." He points out, his smile spreading at her shocked reaction. 

"I do not act like a child!" She practically shouts. 

"So that wasn't a little tantrum just now?" He dares, his boldness having the desired effect as she flusters. 

"W-Wh- No! It was not a tantrum! I'm a grown woman, Alex." She growls, her voice dropping to the low, maternal octave she almost never uses around him. 

"Okay, okay. You're not a child." She seems partially sated by his concession, pulling their entwined hands into her lap to inspect his fingers mindlessly for the next few minutes as they finally arrive at Dylan and Emma's.

She gathers her bag in her lap as he slides out of the driver's side and crosses to open her door for her, taking the hand not holding the straps of the bag and helping her up. 

"Thank you." She chuckles at his chivalry, turning and frowning slightly as he halts her with his hand before they can go up the steps. "You're not going in?" She tilts her head, stepping back to stand next to him in front of the car and carefully dropping her bag on the ground. 

"No, I wanna try to be back before dark." He shakes his head, earning a small pout from her. He can't stand to look at her like that anymore so he pulls her into a tight hug, his hands snaking around her waist as she quickly entwines her arms behind his neck. 

"I don't want you to go." She murmurs into his shoulder, feeling him tense at the break in her voice. He pulls back within a second, frowning deeply at the tears welled in her eyes. 

"Are you crying?" He holds her head still with both of his hands to inspect her face as she whimpers softly and tries to shrug. 

"No," She lies, undermined by the quivering of her lip. 

"Don't cry, it's just a couple days." He practically whispers, wiping his thumb across her cheek before a tear can get more than a few inches down her face. She nods and sniffles, shaking her hands out to stop them from trembling. "You gonna be okay?" 

"Yeah, yeah." She assures him, pulling him back around her while she composes herself. "I'm hormonal. I told you." She justifies, feeling him chuckle fondly into her hair. 

"Hi hormonal, I'm dad." He whispers, holding in his laughter as she wrenches away from him with a dark glare. 

"Get in the car. Drive away." She deadpans and he scoffs offendedly at her, holding his chest to feign being wounded.

"Come on! That was a good one!" He insists, his chest swelling as she fails to hide her smirk. His late-night googling of Dad Jokes has paid off swimmingly, and he fully intends to get plenty of practice in before he officially becomes one. 

Norma continues glaring at him, her momentary slip-up of a smile hidden once again as her hands rest on her hips. He holds his hands up in surrender, stepping back toward the driver's side of the car.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." He barely makes it a foot before she grabs his hand again to stop him, throwing herself forward to kiss him suddenly and passionately. He takes a millisecond to react before he wraps her in his arms again, pulling her insistently against him as neither of them plans to pull away any time soon. 

Eventually, oxygen becomes a necessity and they settle for catching their breaths against each other's necks, their entire bodies impossibly close and neither wanting to be the first to pull away. He eventually does, crouching down immediately, his hands grasping her hips lightly as he glances momentarily up at her. 

"Hey, you," He turns back to her stomach and smiles, "Don't grow too much while I'm gone, okay?" Norma sucks her lips between her teeth at his words, turning her head upward to furiously blink tears from her eyes. She takes a shaky breath and looks back down at him, dropping her hands to hold either side of his face and gently stroke his hair with her fingers. He kisses her stomach lightly through her short sundress, looking up at her with a soft smile. 

"I love you." She whimpers tearfully, leaning down to rest her forehead against his. 

"I love you too." 

Inside the house, Emma grabs at Dylan's arm excitedly, pulling him closer to the front window with a small squeal. 

"Aw, Dylan, look!" She cries, frowning as her husband keeps his hand firmly clamped over his eyes. 

"Are they done making out?" He huffs, groaning as she snatches his hand away from his face and forces him to look out the window.

"Yes! Look! They're so cute!" She insists, smirking as he softens slightly once he takes in their position, a tiny smile pulling at his lips despite his claims to be disgusted by the intimacy. 

Remembering himself a second later, he mutters, "This is weird, Em..." and stalks away with a scoff. 

She calls after him, "You smiled! I saw it! You can't run away from the truth!" He pretends not to hear her and does just that.

 ------

Norma gets the text she's been expecting all day just after dinner, while she's laying in the guest bed and half-reading a novel. Her phone vibrates against her leg and she snatches it up instantly, smirking mischievously at the text on the screen. 

Norma.

She waits about 30 seconds before responding, not wanting to seem too eager.

Yes, honey?  

She sends an emoji of an angel with it, obviously baiting him. It's only a few seconds before her phone lights up again. 

Did you steal my jacket?

She can't hold in her evil giggle as she shuffles the sleeves of the oversized police department sweatshirt up her arms to allow her to type.

Yes, honey

Another angel emoji accompanies this text and she watches the three dots that signify he's typing appear and disappear a couple of times. Finally, a new text pops into the bottom of her screen. 

Are you wearing it now?

Norma's mouth falls open slightly at his boldness, her hands dropping her phone to rest on her stomach for a moment as she bites her lip and tries to think of a response. 

Yes, honey

This time a grinning devil replaces the angel emoji and she smiles to herself as the read message appears and he doesn't start typing for several seconds. 

Suddenly, her entire screen lights up and she squints at it in the dark, feeling it vibrate rhythmically in her hands and making out the unicorn emoji that adorns her husband's contact. She answers quickly, holding the phone up to her hear and hearing him speak before she can even say hello. 

"What else are you wearing?" He says, the low vibrations of his gruff voice tickling her ear. 

"Alex!" She admonishes, quickly understanding his intentions. "We are not having phone sex!" Her voice drops to whisper at the last part, though she's almost certain Emma's already gone to bed.

"Why not? Dylan did say-" He starts, hearing her blubbering and holding back a smirk she can sense through the phone. 

"No! God, you can't even last one day?" She teases, twirling a finger in one of her curls and laying back against the pillows. 

"You're too good to me. I'm spoiled." He laments. They're silent for a second before he speaks again. 

"Guess I'll just have to take care of it on my own." He sighs exaggeratedly as if it's all a big inconvenience and not a ploy to persuade her. 

" It ?" She giggles at the insinuation that the issue is already presenting itself. 

"You know how I feel about you wearing my clothes." He growls, his tone sending a shiver through her entire body. She does know how uncharacteristically possessive it makes him to see her wearing his shirts, especially the police department ones. Something about seeing his 'territory' marked on her body just drives him mad, a weakness she's used to her advantage more times than she'd care to admit. 

"I do." She replies coyly, folding her legs in front of her to get more comfortable sitting on the bed. "But don't you dare  take care of it  on your own." 

"What else am I supposed to do? You said no phone sex..." He whines, eliciting an exasperated huff from his wife. 

"You can control yourself for a few days. Then we'll christen the new bakery when you get back." She suggests, hearing him exhale slowly, suppressing a groan.

"You're not helping." He says sharply, hearing her salacious giggle. 

"Behave. I'm going to bed, and you better not do anything without me, Alex. I'll know." She informs him, smiling maliciously at his frustrated grunt. 

"Fine. Goodnight." He replies shortly. 

"Goodnight." She smiles, feeling her face flush as the screen remains brightly lit, neither of them wanting to hang up. "Alex?" She asks softly after a moment.

"Yeah, baby?" He answers, the charade of annoyance dropped from his voice as he speaks to her gently.

"I miss you. I don't want to sleep without you." Norma frowns, hearing the words tumble out of her mouth without her permission and feeling extremely vulnerable all of the sudden. 

"I miss you too. The house feels so empty. The bed too." He figures it best not to inform her of his decision to sleep on her side of the bed in her absence, remembering how adamant she had been on claiming her half of the bed's real estate when he'd first moved into her bedroom. 

"Stop. I'm gonna cry again." She warns, not sure herself if she's serious or not. 

"Please don't cry again." His tone is comical but he's really not joking. He can't imagine listening to her cry and being so far away, knowing he can't just wrap her in his arms until she feels better. He's not sure he'd survive it.

"Tell me about something else. How was the drive with Dylan?" She changes the subject, blinking away tears she now knows weren't a joke at all. 

"It was good. We talked some. About guy stuff. Sports." He's not entirely lying to her, but something in him is too bashful to admit to his wife that he'd asked for parenting advice from her son, finding the entire situation more than a bit unorthodox. 

An exaggerated snoring sound jumps at him through his phone and he rolls his eyes, huffing at her disinterest in 'guy stuff.'

"Alright, fine. Go to sleep." He grouches, not bothering to point out that she  had  asked. 

"No! Tell me more! I want details. And not about sports." She adds the last part as an afterthought, already imagining how he could twist her request into another painful dad joke. 

"Fine. We got back around 6:00. Ordered takeout for dinner," He pretends not to hear her dissatisfied huff at their choice, "Watched the game, and talked some about plans for packing. He went with me to pick up a load of boxes from the post office and we helped a guy with a flat tire on the way home." 

"That's nice." Norma hums, her voice dreamy and quiet in the way that Alex recognizes means she's on the verge of falling asleep.

"Norma?" He half-chuckles, amused at how quickly she's begun to drift off. 

"Hmm?" It takes her much longer than it should to respond, and it seems like she barely heard him anyway. 

"Goodnight," He smiles, hearing soft shuffling noises as she apparently gets comfortable and then the click of a lamp turning off. 

"G'night honey. Love you." She murmurs, her voice muffled like she's speaking into the pillow. 

"I love you too." 

He doesn't hang up right away. Instead, he listens to her breathing slowly even out through the receiver, smiling fondly at the tiny snores that start to come out of her once in a while. He closes his eyes for a moment, allowing the smell of her from her pillow to invade his mind and imagining that he's there with her instead of alone in the bed she'll never sleep in again. 

He doesn't realize he fell asleep until he wakes up in the morning to a notification that the call broke off on its own around 3:00 am. 

Chapter Text

Norma springs up from the couch the moment she hears the door unlocking, scrambling into the foyer just as Dylan enters the house, his nose red from the sudden cold outside, brought in by the first snap of winter breeze at the end of October. He quickly approaches Emma, who stands holding Kate just behind Norma, and gives her a brief, sweet kiss. 

Alex emerges just behind him, his black sweatshirt clearly doing nothing to keep him warm as he shakes his hands out in the welcome heat the moment he crosses the threshold. Not even a second later, Norma is wrapped tightly around him, her face nestled into his neck as he quickly recovers and wraps her in his arms.

One of his hands finds her hair while the other snakes around her waist, pulling her closer to him and reveling in the warmth of her body against his. 

"I missed you." She murmurs, the words muffled against his skin. It's been almost a week since he left and, though they'd called almost every night and texted throughout the day, she's missed being close to him.

"I missed you too." 

Her hands disentangle from around his neck to hold his head as she pulls back slightly, frowning at the state of his face.

"You're so cold." She says, her thumb flicking over his bright red nose disapprovingly. "Why didn't you wear a coat? It's freezing out." 

"Norma, I'm fine. I was out for two minutes." He huffs, not surprised at how quickly she went back to nagging him after their reunion. 

"Come sit in here. Emma figured out how to get the fire going." She insists, not letting go of him as she leads them into the living room. He plops down next to the fire with a small tug to her hand that brings her straight into his lap. She giggles and squirms for a moment to get comfortable, allowing him to balance her on top of him with a firm hold on her hips. 

"You're glowing." He comments, partially because the light from the fire literally illuminates her like a halo, and partially because her beauty has once again taken his breath away. "I didn't believe what they said before. About the glow. But now... damn." He shakes his head, his tongue swiping across his lip as her face flushes deeply. 

She dips her head to kiss him gently, her fingers curling in the hair at the nape of his neck. He pulls back after a moment, staying within an inch of her lips and barely opening his eyes. 

"I wanna take you out tonight." He almost whispers into the space between them, his words taking her by surprise. 

"Out?" She leans back to look at him, breaking the spell of desire between them.

"Yeah. There's a halloween party in town. Maybe we can meet our neighbors." He beams, seeing a smile tug at her lips at the suggestion. 

"That sounds really nice." She nods. "I don't have costume." Her smile disappears as she slumps defeatedly at the realization. 

"We can go get something. Support the local economy." He quickly suggests, seeing her face light up with excitement.

"Can we match? A couples costume would be so cute!" Norma looks ready to squeal, her face so bright Alex couldn't imagine saying no to her in a million years. 

"I guess we can match... but Norma, I swear to God, I am not wearing animal ears or anything embarrassing like that. Something tame, please?" He sighs, seeing her roll her eyes.

"Since when have I ever been tame, Alex?" She giggles at his exasperated look, holding his face gently and smiling. "I won't embarrass you in front of our new neighbors. Not this year, at least." 

"Thank you." He kisses her gently, savoring the feeling of her in his arms again, before sighing and flicking his eyes back to the front door. "I left my bag in the car. I'll go get it and then we can-" She stops him with a firm hand on his chest, her eyes narrowed at his still-flushed cheeks.

"Oh, no no no. I will go get it. You stay right here and get warm." He can't even protest before she's jumped off of his lap, disappearing for a moment to wrap herself in her large winter coat before approaching him again. "Keys?" She holds out her hand expectantly, her weight dropped on one hip. Alex quickly pulls the car keys out of his pocket and hands them to her, watching her bounce away toward the front door. 

She returns a minute and a half later holding his duffel bag, her face similarly flushed as she breathes out heavily in the comforting warmth of the home. Alex instantly wraps his arms around her when she resumes her position on his lap, feeling her shiver slightly under her clearly ineffective coat. 

"Now you're cold." He frowns. She drops the bag on the floor next to them, intentionally tickling his neck with her frigid skin. He kisses her freezing cold nose gently, earning a small smile from her as she holds her hands out behind him to gather warmth from the fire.  

They sit there together for a while, enjoying each other's company and the comfort of the heat before Norma jumps to her feet with a suddenness classic to her character. 

"We have to get ready. I don't know how long it'll take to find costumes and we can't be out too late." Alex nods, standing up and snatching his bag off the floor to follow her into the guest bedroom. "We have a big day tomorrow!" She calls behind her, giddiness breaking through her inflection.

"We do indeed." Alex grins.

------

"Are you almost done? We're gonna be late." Alex huffs, trying to pretend he isn't enjoying every second of Norma leaning over him, her lips parted in concentration as she delicately dabs at his skin with a variety of brushes he can't tell the difference between. 

"Art cannot be rushed, honey." Norma snaps, her hand coming down slightly harder and faster in his eye socket as he tries to relax his face. "Turn." She holds his chin and tilts his head to see the side of his face, shuffling in her makeup bag on the bed next to him before squatting back in front of him. "Hold still." 

"That's cold!" He flinches slightly as he feels a soft brush on his skin, covered in cold liquid. Norma tuts at his sudden movement and holds his face more firmly, resuming her task. 

"So the big bad Sheriff can't handle a little eyeliner?" She teases, catching her lip playfully between her teeth as his expression hardens. 

"I can handle it." He grumbles, almost whining. "You just didn't warn me." 

"Sure thing, tough guy. Turn." She tilts his head again, shuffling her arm positioning to get the angle just right, her eyes narrowed in intense concentration. Alex watches her, his eyes darting from the masterful makeup around her eyes to the harsh dark spots under her cheekbones to her lips, stained black and pressed together as she holds her body steady. 

"Where'd you learn to do this stuff?" He asks suddenly, seeing her tense for a moment imperceptibly and then relax, her eyes darting to his for a second to see if he'd noticed. 

"I, um... spent a long time practicing techniques. It... turns out a smoky eye is perfect for covering real black eyes." She smiles sadly at him, tearing her eyes away from his as the deep sympathy in them overwhelms her. 

"I'm sorry." He frowns, not entirely sure what he's sorry for but feeling it's the right thing to say in the moment. She nods at him, giving a tiny shrug and replacing the cap on her eyeliner. 

"Anyway, I got to be pretty good with makeup. It's an art form." She smiles slightly at him, dropping the tube back into her bag and taking a step back to admire her handiwork. 

"How do I look?" He raises his eyebrows, holding his hands up to invite her assessment. 

"Sufficiently spooky." She nods, giving him permission to stand from the bed. He heads directly for the bathroom, stepping in front of the mirror to look at himself. 

"Wow. Norma, this looks really good." He turns his head in a slow circle to observe the lines of stitches painted on his skin and the dark patches in his eyes. 

"I told you! It's art." She giggles, trying not to let herself be offended by his surprised tone. "Can you help me tie this?" 

Alex rips his eyes away from his own undead reflection and crosses to her, taking the white strip of fabric from her hands and tying it gently around her forehead, allowing the two ends to hang down one side of her head. 

"Ready?" He grins, straightening the strap of her ratty white dress. 

"How do I look?" She repeats his question, doing a small spin to show off her costume to him. The tendrils of white cloth hanging from her arms whip through the air as she moves, a tiny giggle escaping her at the childish feeling. 

"You're the sexiest mummy I've ever seen." He declares, taking one of her hands and kissing the top of it gently. He remembers a little over an hour ago in the pop-up Halloween section of the nearest store when she'd grabbed the costume from a shelf and nearly burst with excitement.

"Because I'm gonna be a mummy!" She'd exclaimed adorably, gesturing to her still almost completely flat stomach. He'd felt himself falling somehow even deeper in love with her then, and they'd instantly decided the costume was perfect. 

"Thank you. You're not so bad yourself, Frankenstein." Norma says, smoothing her hands over the tattered green jacket covering one of his favorite black t-shirts. 

"Let's go, then." Alex grins, taking her hand again. They dash from the front door to the car, both laughing softly and huffing in the cold as Alex fumbles to get the heat going as quickly as possible. The car ride feels much longer as both of them shuffle with anticipation, nervous and incredibly eager to interact with the town that would be their home within the week. 

"What if this town is crazy, too? What if it's another weed town?" Norma blurts in the midst of her excited rambling, her voice dropping at the mention of the drug she's come to resent. 

"It's not. And even if it was, it wouldn't be our problem. We're just here to run our bakery and raise our baby." He assures her, reaching for her hand over the center console. 

"What happened to the last owners?" She asks suddenly after a minute of silence. Alex glances at her and quells his desire to pull over the moment he sees the anxiety in her expression. 

"They retired. It was some old couple who moved to the mountains." He shrugs. 

"Did they have kids? People who wouldn't like us taking over?" Norma presses, her fingers twisting together as she chews at her lip subconsciously. 

"Norma." Alex quickly realizes what this is about, hating that he has to keep his eyes on the road and not give her his full attention. "Is this about Summers?" She cringes and he knows he's right, his heart dropping as she turns away from him to hide the tears in her eyes. 

"I just don't want to step on anyone's toes again..." She murmurs, her voice unbearably gentle as she looks out the window at the trees whipping past, obscuring the last of the sunset. 

"No one is going to ruin this for us, okay? There's no one that wants the bakery back, and even if there was, I would never, ever, let them hurt you. Or our baby. 'Kay?" He glances back over at her every chance he gets, wanting nothing more than to hold her and never let go.

"Okay." Norma nods, blinking slightly faster than normal but otherwise composed, turning to give him a soft smile. "You're right. This is gonna be good." She assures both of them, but mostly herself. 

"It is. Promise."

Chapter Text

The party is in the center of the small suburban town of Sheridan Springs, Washington. The buildings surrounding the square protect the hundred or so attendees from the chilled winds, while heaters placed around the area make the climate mostly bearable. 

Norma clings tightly to Alex's arm with both of her as they approach, her eyes taking in the people milling about in various costumes and the clicking of her white heels seeming far too loud in the night. Halloween-themed music plays from the overhead speakers, only the beat and certain lyrics audible over the sounds of ambient conversation and activity. 

"I'm thirsty." Norma tugs them both in the direction of the stand labeled Potions, where several drinks with thematic garnishes of eyeballs and spiders sit on display. 

"Hi there! What can I get for you two?" A woman in a witch hat and gown greets them. 

"Are these alcoholic?" Norma asks, almost shouting over the speaker right next to the stand. 

"We have the Love Potion and Witch's Poison which both contain the Devil's Juice, and then there's the Wisdom Elixir and Strength Draught, those are virgin." The woman gestures to the row of display drinks, giving them both a wink at her likely required use of thematic language. 

"I'll have a, uh, Strength Draught, please." Norma smiles tightly, graciously accepting the bright red drink with a candy eyeball floating in it. 

"The same for me, thanks." Alex pipes up, rifling through his wallet for some cash. 

"You can drink if you want. I don't mind." Norma insists, taking a long sip of her draught and grimacing when the gruesome eyeball bumps her lip. 

"I don't want to drink without you. That's no fun." He maintains, accepting his drink and paying without any more argument from her.

"Enjoy your night! Happy Halloween!" The witch smiles and waves to them as they leave, preparing to mingle and explore the party venue. They make it almost to the center of the square before Alex feels her beginning to tremble, still wrapped around his arm. She lets out a soft brrr sound that threatens to make his knees weak with adoration for her and he stops in his tracks. 

"This costume might not have been the best idea. In hindsight." Norma admits, and Alex can't help but agree with her as his eyes trail over her mostly exposed arms and the short hem of the dress midway down her thighs. 

He spots a group of people huddled around a heater not far away and pulls Norma against his body, rubbing his hand up and down her arm to create friction as he leads her over to it. The crowd parts politely as they approach to make room for both of them, Norma instantly holding her hands out and shuddering with relief at the waves of warm air emanating from the machine. 

Alex sips his drought, his other arm still draped loosely over her shoulder as he casually observes the other partygoers around them. 

"You'd think they would find someplace indoors to have a party like this." The woman dressed as a pirate standing next to them speaks suddenly, turning to face both of them after clearly noticing Norma's desperation for the heat. 

"Yeah. Right? It's Washington in October." Alex scoffs, smiling slightly as Norma peeks her head around him to see who he's talking to. 

"I don't think we've met. I'm Susan." The woman smiles kindly, offering her hand to them. They each shake her hand, Norma apologizing softly for her freezing fingers. 

"I'm Alex. This is my wife, Norma." He wraps his arm gently around Norma's waist, presenting them as a couple to their new acquaintance. "We uh, actually don't live here yet. But we're moving in this week." 

Susan's face lights up with recognition, her mouth twisting into an excited smirk.

"Are you guys the couple that bought the bakery?" She points between them, sizing them up with an eye that suggests she's lived in the town for quite a while. 

"We are!" Norma pipes up, smiling brightly at the opportunity to discuss her latest venture. "We're moving up here from Oregon. My son lives in Seattle." 

"Oh, that's exciting!" Susan nods, taking a brief sip of her own drink. "Why are you moving, if you don't mind me asking?" 

Norma looks nervously at Alex, unsure exactly what to tell this woman they just met about the details of their lives. He senses her apprehension and speaks for her, reaching for her hand and entwining their fingers to calm her. 

"Well, we recently found out we're expecting. We just wanted to get a fresh start for our family. Somewhere... safer." He nods at his own word choice, sensing Norma relaxing next to him as she gives his hand a grateful squeeze. 

"Oh, congratulations! And if safer's what you're looking for, you've come to the right place! I've lived in Sheridan Springs almost my whole life, and I've never heard any reports of violent crime. Not one." Susan assures them.

"That's good to hear!" Norma beams, surprised by the attachment that she already feels to the town she's barely experienced. 

"It is! It makes my job pretty boring, though." She shrugs, pushing her blonde bangs out of her eyes gently. 

"You a cop?" Alex asks, realizing how interrogative it sounded after he'd said it. 

"A detective, yes. I actually work out of Seattle, but I live here." The pirate nods into her drink, grimacing just slightly as she swallows. 

"Oh, that's awesome! Alex was sheriff of our old town." Norma brags, blinking up at him sweetly. 

"Well, it'll be nice to have a former sheriff in town! Even if you're just serving pastries." Susan chuckles, all of them laughing lightly as they chat amicably for several minutes. Susan gives plenty of insights into their new town and their neighbors, pointing out a few costumed people milling about that she thinks they might get along with. 

"Alex, they have funnel cake!" Norma blurts suddenly, interrupting their conversation about 'cop things' she wasn't really listening to. 

"Oh, you have to try it! I'll take you. Hannah's one of my good friends, I bet she'll give you a discount." Susan offers, seeing the giddy excitement in Norma's eyes as she practically bounces up and down. Alex nods at his wife, not in the mood to chastise her for looking to him for permission to go, and watches her effectively skip off toward the funnel cake stand with her new friend. 

"Wow, the lights are so pretty!" Norma marvels as they weave through the crowds together, stopping abruptly at the end of a decently long line leading to the quaint stand. "I love this town already." She declares, earning a smile from Susan.

"It's pretty great. I think you'll fit right in." Norma preens at the compliment, the skin around her eyes crinkling with her smile. 

"Thank you! I hope so. Our last town was... messy. I didn't like it there. And most people didn't like me." She admits, looking down at her heels to avoid the suddenly awkward eye contact. 
 
"Well, hey, I like you. And I think I've lived here long to enough to speak for the town when I say you are a welcome addition." Susan says, removing her pirate hat and placing it gently on Norma's head as if crowning her worthy of the town's affection. Norma giggles and adjusts it slightly to fit over her curls. 

Without the hat, she gets a much better look at the woman's face, her bright blue eyes shining in the orange lights of the party. Her dark blonde hair is tied back in an intricate series of knots that make Norma begin to wish she had longer hair if only to learn how to do it like that. Her features are soft, young, but there's a maturity in her eyes that Norma recognizes as something she possessed herself at that age. 

"You're really pretty." Susan comments, her low voice rumbling through Norma's ears over the party's music, which had shifted to a faster-paced, electric beat as the night went on. 

"Oh, thank you! You're really pretty too. I love your costume!" Norma smiles brightly, taking the opportunity to observe Susan's costume more closely, feeling her cheeks flush as her eyes catch on her exposed cleavage for a moment longer than necessary. 

"Thanks! I was going to go as an escaped convict but my boss said no." Susan grins, and Norma can't tell if she's joking but laughs nonetheless. They both look up and see the line has moved, the pirate stepping forward to greet the woman running the stand, who appears to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. 

"Hi, Hannah!" Susan says sweetly, grabbing Norma's hand suddenly and pulling her forward. "This is Norma. She's moving into the old bakery soon." 

"Well, hi, Norma!" Hannah drawls, her southern accent evident even in just three words. "I'm sure Susan's been takin' great care of you. Y'all here for funnel cake or just to say hi?" She asks, apparently distracted by something on the floor of her stall. With a tut, she leans down, emerging again from behind the counter holding a tiny toddler in a lion suit, who'd apparently been fussing.

"Well, hello there, cowardly lion!" Susan beams, reaching to tickle the little boy with one finger. Norma watches her with a small smile, images of her own tiny tot dressed up for future Halloweens flitting through her mind. 

The boy gives a meek "roar!" that he clearly expects them to be intimidated by and Hannah rolls her eyes, setting him down and watching him waddle away to the other side of the booth.

"He's been practicing that for weeks. Now he won't stop doing it." She huffs, and all of them chuckle softly. "Right. Sorry. Funnel cake?" She turns back to them, her customer service face replaced despite her apparent friendship with Susan. 

"Just one large one, Han." Susan nods, reaching for her wallet. 

"Coming right up. And don't worry about it, it's on the house for our new neighbor!" The woman waves her hand dismissively, quickly producing a warm funnel cake on a paper plate and gently holding it out.

"Thank you so much! It was so great to meet you." Norma says, graciously taking the plate and shuffling out the way of the other patrons in line. Susan follows her, quickly catching up and walking side by side with her, smirking when Norma pretends not to notice her picking tiny pieces of funnel cake from the plate. 

Alex looks up at the sound of feminine giggling approaching, seeing Norma walking next to her new friend and smiling brightly. He doesn't question why his wife is now wearing a pirate hat, nor why they decided to share a funnel cake, just thankful she's been able to make new friends so quickly. 

"Hi, honey! We got funnel cake!" Norma calls, closing the distance between them at a skip. "Oh, hey. I know you." She smiles at the tiny lion in Alex's arms, looking up at her nervously. 

"You do?" Alex looks to the boy and back at Norma questioningly. "I think he's lost." He frowns.

"Oh, I'll take him back. He just loves to wander off." Susan offers, gingerly removing the small child from Alex's arms and holding him against her hip. "You might be a cowardly lion, but it doesn't mean you can actually run away all the time, alright?" She chastises, the little boy melting into her side bashfully. 

Susan nods at Alex and Norma before turning to head back to the funnel cake stand, Norma smiling softly as she hears a quiet conversation of alternating roars exchanged between the two. 

"Whose kid is that?" Alex asks, stuffing a chunk of funnel cake in his mouth while she's not looking. 

"The funnel cake lady's. She's real nice." Norma says, subconsciously gravitating towards him and the heater behind him. 

"Jeez, baby, you're freezing." He frowns, reaching out to feel her hands. Without a second thought, he removes his Frankenstein jacket and drapes it over her shoulders, rubbing up and down the tops of her arms and shifting her to be closer to the heater. 

"I didn't even notice, honestly. Susan's so fun." She shrugs, running her finger through the remnants of powdered sugar on the plate after she'd finished the last piece of cake. She dips her finger into her mouth after gathering enough sugar on it, her eyes closing softly as she lets out a quiet hum at the sweetness. 

Alex can't take his eyes off of her, following her finger as it swirls through the sugar once again, his hand reaching out of its own accord to catch her wrist before she can lick it clean. She looks up at him with a soft gasp, the corners of her mouth quirking up as he instead directs her hand to his own, his eyes darting around to ensure no one is watching them before tentatively taking her finger into his mouth. 

He closes his eyes and lathes his tongue over the sugar coating her skin, smiling as he tastes the sweetness and smells her perfume from her wrist. He opens his eyes to see her staring at him, her mouth hanging open in surprise and what he recognizes as mild arousal. Reluctantly, he releases her, taking the plate from her hands and bringing it along with their empty cups to the nearest trash can. 

"I wish we closed today instead of tomorrow." Norma laments, grabbing his hand and pulling his arm around her. 

"Why's that?" He prompts, though he has a pretty good idea of what she's thinking. He wants to hear her say it, so when she stands on her toes and cups her hand over his ear, his entire body shivers with anticipation. 

"I wish you could take me home right now. I don't want to wait another day to christen our property." She growls, her voice barely above a whisper and her words causing his heart to beat so loudly he worries she'll hear it over the music. 

"Hmm. Now who's spoiled?" He grumbles, pulling her to his side and turning to kiss the top of her head, frowning when the pirate hat thwarts his mission. "You gonna give this back to her at some point?" He chuckles, placing his hand in the center of it to playfully push it down over her eyes.

"Hey!" Norma squeals, taking the hat off the adjust her tousled hair and the mummy wrap already on her head before firmly replacing it. "I'll give it back. Just not yet. I like being a pirate mummy." She snaps defensively, her eyes narrowed adorably at him. 

"What if I want to be pirate Frankenstein?" He threatens, chuckling as she grabs both of his wrists to prevent him from touching the hat again and gives him a harsh glare. 

"Too bad." She mocks, rolling her eyes at his feigned offense. "Come on. You're gonna win me a prize." It's an order, not a suggestion, and she takes his hand in hers and leads him back in the direction she'd left in, remembering the carnival games she'd noticed as they'd waited in line. 

"These games are a scam, Norma. No one wins them." He sighs. She ignores him and stops in front of a large tower with a neon sign that reads Test Your Strength. 

"This one's easy! You're strong." She insists, raising her eyebrows at him with her hands on her hips. 

"Alright, fine." Alex concedes as if he could ever have said no to her in the first place. He hands the teenager running the game, unenthusiastically dressed as a cowboy, a $5 bill to cover 5 attempts. Norma stands back, grinning as she watches him begrudgingly take the giant hammer from the kid and lift it a few times experimentally. 

He looks over his shoulder at her a final time before picking up the mallet, swinging it behind his back and slamming it on the stump at the base of the tower with a resounding thump. The lights on the tower illuminate in succession to about halfway up, when a womp-womp sound effect plays and they all go out at once.

"Wow. You're a wimp!" Norma giggles, seeing Alex's crestfallen expression at the game's dissatisfaction with his strength. 

"This game is rigged." He mutters under his breath, clutching the rubber hammer more tightly and shifting his hands higher up, swinging with the full force of his body to strike the sensor again. It lights up slightly higher this time but still doesn't reach the top, and the same goes for his subsequent two attempts. 

Alex feels himself beginning to sweat under his costume from exertion, knowing he'll be sore in the morning but determined to prove his strength to the inanimate machine. He's just about to rear back for his final swing when Norma steps forward, holding out her hand.

"Let me try, Alex!" She demands, snatching the mallet from him.

"Norma, you're not supposed to be lifting things..." He argues, knowing it's of no use to contest her once she has her mind set. She scoffs and rolls her eyes at him, waving her arm for him to get out of the way as she struggles to even lift the hammer over her shoulder. 

"Hiyah!" She shouts as she hurls it onto the sensor, a much weaker thump rattling from the connection. Alex's mouth falls open as the tower lights up higher and higher, eventually reaching the top with three loud, triumphant dings. 

"Wha..." He scoffs, seeing her drop the hammer almost instantly and start jumping up and down.

"Ohmygod! Ohmygod! I won! Alex, I won!" She shrieks, her mummy wrappings dancing along with her in celebration. 

"Wow. You're the first person to actually get it tonight." The teenager chuckles, equally humored by her success as Alex. "You can pick your prize." He gestures to the wall behind him, where an assortment of cheap carnival prizes hang on display. Alex glances at the choices and sighs, knowing exactly which one she'll pick before she even speaks. 

"The unicorn!" Norma squeals, pointing to the stuffed creature in the top row of prizes. The cowboy dutifully retrieves it for her, chuckling to himself as her entire head disappears behind the giant horned horse. Alex sighs, knowing he'll probably be carrying the prize around for the rest of the night, but can't contain his smile as she hugs it tight to her chest. 

"Norma!" A familiar voice calls through the crowd, and a moment later Susan is trotting over to them with the baby lion still clutched to her hip. 

"Hi, Susan! Look what I won!" Norma beams, holding out her unicorn proudly. 

"Woah! Look at that, bud!" Susan directs the little boy's attention to the stuffed animal, seeing his face light up at the creature bigger than his entire body. 

"Roar!" The boy exclaims, all of the adults squirming awkwardly at his misconception. 

"Uh... sure! Roar!" Norma agrees, holding out the plushie to tickle the boy's face, his soft giggle warming her heart. 

"What have you two been up to?" Susan asks, smoothing the boy's mane as he messes with the strings on her pirate corset. 

"Oh, not much. Alex just embarrassed himself at this game and then I won first try." Norma brags, hearing her husband gasp and scoff behind her. 

"That isn't exactly how that happened, but okay." He interjects, snatching the unicorn from her hands and holding it under his arm. Norma pouts for a moment before Susan speaks up. 

"Oh, man. I should really get this guy back to his mom. Are you guys sticking around any longer?" She asks, jumping the cowardly lion, whose eyes slowly droop as he yawns more and more frequently, higher up on her hip. 

"I don't think so." Norma sighs, "We close early tomorrow morning. We should probably head back and get some sleep." She directs the last comment to Alex, who nods in agreement, feeling his aging limbs beginning to sag with exhaustion. 

"Alright, well, it was so nice meeting you guys! I'll definitely come by the bakery once you open." She promises, beginning to turn to leave them. "Safe travels home!" 

"You too!" Norma calls after her, watching her get several feet away from them before remembering something. "Wait! Susan!" She shouts, clambering through the foot traffic after her friend. 

"Huh?" Susan stops and turns just as Norma reaches her, eyebrows raised in surprise. 

"You forgot your hat." Norma pants, taking the pirate hat off and holding it out to her. 

"Oh. I guess I did." Susan smirks, taking the hat and placing it on the baby's head instead of her own. It's far too big for him and almost slides off, but he giggles and catches it with his tiny hands. "Thanks, Norma." 

"No problem. Happy Halloween!" Norma nods, waving goodbye to both of them. The boy waves back, frowning as the movement almost causes his hat to slip off again, barely catching it before it can. Susan waves back with a bright smile.

"Happy Halloween!" 

Chapter Text

The drive back feels much shorter than the ride there had, but Norma still manages to drift in and out of sleep the entire time. Her soft mumbles as she tries to carry on their light conversation and miserably fails make Alex smile warmly, feeling infinitely more fond of her every second that she fecklessly fights against sleep. 

Alex cringes as he gracelessly whips into Dylan and Emma's driveway as he would with his police cruiser, forgetting himself and the precious sleeping cargo in the passenger seat. He glances at her, expecting her to have been jolted awake by the sudden movement, but finds her still slumped against the passenger door, her body curled into itself with his Frankenstein jacket draped over her like a blanket. 

"Norma? You awake?" He whispers, starting to reach across the console to wake her but stopping himself. She doesn't move and he sighs quietly, turning the car off and opening his door slowly. He closes the door as softly as possible and huffs into the cold night air, frowning at the cloud of steam accompanying each of his exhales. 

Precariously, Alex opens the passenger door of Norma's Mercedes and quickly replaces it with his hand to prevent her from falling out of the car. She murmurs but doesn't wake, Alex letting out a sigh of relief and pulling the door open all of the way while holding her as still as possible. 

He carefully peels the jacket off of her, folding it in half and tossing it to hang over his shoulder. Pausing for a moment at the pleasing smell of her perfume when he leans over her, he gently pulls her seatbelt out from under her arms before leaning down to thread his elbow under her knees. With a soft grunt, he extracts her from the car, holding her body tightly against his chest as she whimpers from the sudden cold. She sleepily nestles her face in the crook of his neck, shielding her nose from the bite of the mid-autumn wind. 

Alex has no choice but to kick the car door closed, her jolting at the sudden noise and instinctually wrapping her arms around his neck betraying the act she'd been so dutifully playing. 

"You just wanted me to carry you." Alex scoffs, feeling her sheepish grin rather than seeing it, her face still hidden against him. 

"I don't know what you mean. I'm sleeping." She mumbles, her voice muffled in the thick fabric of his jacket. 

"You couldn't have fake fallen asleep in a normal position?" He huffs. Norma giggles quietly, shrugging just slightly.

"I wanted to see what you'd do." She grins evilly, earning a soft scoff from him. 

"You thought I might let you fall?" He asks, his tone mildly offended. He feels her begin to shiver from the bare skin of her legs draped over his arm and starts to make his way toward the house, holding her tighter as he reaches the porch steps. 

"No. I knew you wouldn't." She hums, clearly still sleepy despite only pretending to be fully asleep. Alex melts briefly, trying to mask his soft gasp at the unexpected intimacy of her comment. He recovers in a moment and picks his way up the steps, struggling with the front door for a moment before shoving it open. 

"We gotta take these costumes off." He reminds her, eyeing the dark makeup still covering most of her face. He's thankful she's managed not to smear it all over him in her quest for cuddles but knows she won't want to sleep in her mummified state. She doesn't respond to him, instead snoring exaggeratedly right next to his ear. "You do not snore like that." He chuckles, realizing his mistake as she rears back to glower at him.

"I don't snore at all!" She whines defensively, her voice rising in pitch and volume and her mouth hanging open at the accusation. 

"Right. My mistake." Alex scoffs somewhat sarcastically, jumping her up to adjust his grip around her as he carefully picks his way into the guest bedroom. The house is silent, Dylan and Emma already gone to bed and Kate sleeping peacefully for once, most likely crashed from the meager amounts of sugar she'd been allowed to have. 

Norma had helped Emma put the finishing touches on Kate's first Halloween costume, a classic ladybug. They'd both rationalized that of course, they had to try it on before Halloween actually came, to make sure it fits! Both mothers had melted at the sight of the small girl with tiny antennas on her head bopping back and forth, fabric wings fanning out from her back and only slightly restricting her movement. 

Norma's certain Kate earned exorbitant amounts of candy on her first trick-or-treating venture, most of which would likely be stolen by her parents. For a moment, she allows herself to remember Norman's first Halloween, when she'd scraped together enough change from between the couch cushions and stolen enough single dollar bills from Sam without him noticing to scrounge up a sad-looking pumpkin costume. The felt triangles glued onto the shirt for eyes were lopsided and the hat she'd found was too big for him and kept riding down over his eyes, but Norma had been incredibly proud of her work. Even when Sam snatched the tiny candy bucket out of her hand at the end of the night, insisting that he's a baby, he doesn't need it, she hadn't allowed it to ruin her pride in giving her baby a good first Halloween.

Shaking herself from her reflective stupor, Norma looks up at Alex thoughtfully. He'd stopped walking, apparently sensing her pensiveness, his eyes searching hers for any signs of discomfort. She smiles sadly at him, her expression telling him everything he needs to know as she shifts her hand to tenderly cup his cheek, feeling immense gratitude for him washing over her. Leaning forward, she wordlessly rests her forehead against his, her eyes falling closed as she absorbs the intimate moment. 

Alex hates to disrupt the wonder that is his wife holding him like this, but his arms are beginning to ache from carrying her weight for so long and he feels exhaustion starting to pull at his muscles. He knows if he doesn't get them ready for bed now, they'll end up sleeping in their costumes and he'll get an earful from Norma in the morning when she doesn't have enough time to get ready. 

"Come on, you," He murmurs into the air between them, seeing her sad smile give way to a soft giddy one. "We got places to be tomorrow." Norma giggles quietly as he finally reaches the bedroom, leaning down to deposit her on the bed gently. She lets out a soft discontented whine when he starts to pull away, tightening the grip of her arms around his neck and shoulders and anchoring him down to her. 

"Baby..." He scoffs, obliging her whined request and settling on the bed more comfortably, his arms winding under her lower back as he lays halfway on top of her, his cheek resting on her stomach. She smiles triumphantly, her fingers coursing through his hair and her eyes meeting his when he looks up at her through his long, dark lashes. 

"I hope she has your eyelashes." Norma muses, fluttering her thumb over the top of his cheek where his lashes curl almost far enough to meet the skin. Alex smiles bashfully, burying his face in her scratchy mummy dress to hide the blush in his cheeks. She doesn't say any more, so he takes it upon himself to direct the attention away from him. 

His hands creep to the hem of her dress, the tips of his fingers slipping under it as he finally meets her eyes again, seeing them filled with intrigue and a slight mischief. He smirks to himself, inching the garment higher over her thighs as she carefully lifts her hips to allow him better access. The palms of his hands skim the outsides of her legs as he trails them higher, his chest swelling with pride at the goosebumps he watches erupt across her skin. 

Slowly, almost reverentially, he shuffles the fabric over her hips and eventually all the way over her head, grinning as she merely lifts her arms for him to slip it off of her on his own. She's left in just her chaste underwear, her lip caught between her teeth as his eyes take her in. He always looks at her like it's the first time he's ever laid eyes on her body, never failing to make her squirm under his scrutiny. 

She doesn't expect him to touch her, especially after the clear boundary she'd drawn about intimacy in her son's home. A contented sigh escapes her lips when he lays his head back on her now bare abdomen, the skin-to-skin contact facilitating chemical reactions within her she can't be bothered to understand. Norma lets her eyes droop and her head fall back against the pillows, her muscles relaxing as she sinks into the bed. 

Alex looks up at her, his eyebrows furrowing suddenly and his lips parting as he reaches for her without thinking. Her head jumps up and her eyes shoot open as his hands grasp suddenly at her breasts, tentatively holding them through her bra.

"Um... Alex?" She frowns, quelling her minor annoyance at having to remind him of their situation. He doesn't move, though, instead scooting eagerly up the bed to sit next to her and palming her more intently. 

"They're bigger." He observes, finally looking up at her and seeing her shocked expression. "Since I left. I swear, they are!" His voice rises defensively, his eyes flicking back down to her chest as she scoffs, swatting his hands away from her playfully. 

"Alex, they are not bi-" She stops short when her own hands replace his, her face dropping as she realizes he's right. 

"See?!" He beams. Norma giggles, a mixture of warmth and arousal at the fact that he knew her body almost better than she did flooding over her. Alex turns back to her stomach and for a moment she thinks he's studying it, looking for a bump, until he speaks. "I thought I told you not to grow while I was gone." He scolds so quietly she barely hears him. Norma feels tears begin to sting her eyes as he places soft, contradictory kisses on her belly, his warm breath tickling her skin.

"She's negative six months old and already disobeying her father." She quips to prevent herself from getting too sappy and crying on him. 

Alex smirks, not missing a beat with his response. "She gets that from you." She mocks offense for only a moment before realizing she can't even deny it. Giving him grief is one of her favorite pastimes, mostly because she finds the way his eyebrows scrunch when he's trying not to get angry with her strangely adorable and she loves the feeling of satisfaction at knowing he's wrapped around her finger every time he instantly forgives her for whatever she'd done to piss him off.  

Alex shifts, starting to roll like he plans to get up, earning a whine from his wife. "Where're you going?" She huffs, frowning as he disentangles himself from her with an apologetic look, disappearing quickly into the bathroom. She hears rustling and the crinkling of plastic until he emerges a few moments later, triumphantly holding a fresh makeup wipe between two fingers. 

Norma grins as he approaches her again, resuming his position laying partially on top of her and scooting up so his face is directly above hers. He doesn't move for a moment, his eyes drifting away from hers and down to her lips, a tiny smirk pulling at his lips at the way her black lip stain had faded and worn mostly away throughout the night. 

"Hold still." He whispers, bringing the wipe up and pressing it gently against the skin of her cheek, jerking away when she suddenly flinches and grimaces. 

"That's cold!" She mewls, not noticing his sigh of relief as he recovers and holds the wipe back against her face.

"What, the big bad Sheriff's wife can't handle a little makeup wipe?" He mocks, grinning at the adorable way she narrows her eyes at him and swiping the wipe across her nose playfully. 

"Shut up." She mutters, clearly not actually upset as she soon relaxes into his touch, smiling softly when his other hand comes up to tuck a few strands of hair out of the way behind her ear. 

"Close your eyes." Alex instructs when he's finished with her face, scrunching up the wipe to find an area not saturated with black. Norma obliges, her eyelids fluttering at the tickling sensation of him rubbing her skin far too gently, likely not picking up much makeup at all. 

"Let me do it." She stops him, giving him a reassuring smile as he looks disappointed. She makes quick work of the product around her eyes, sitting up underneath him to get better mobility. Alex shuffles to sit on the bed next to her, shimmying out of his costume pants to leave him in just his black t-shirt and boxers. "Your turn." Norma pounces on him suddenly, pushing him to lay down and straddling his stomach to lean over him. 

Alex just chuckles, turning his head to give her access to his painted stitches before she can even ask him to. He tries not to focus on the vast areas of her exposed skin above him, but seeing his pregnant wife on top of him in just her underwear, knowing that his baby is starting to change her body in ways he thoroughly enjoys, he can only control his reaction so much. He's thankful for the distraction and gladly closes his eyes when she commands him to, wincing just barely at the cold cloth against his sensitive skin. 

"Norma..." He warns when she's finished, his hands rising to rest on her bare hips as a reminder that she's mostly naked. She's apparently too focused on the task at hand to interpret his signals, only understanding what he means when she sits back to admire her handiwork and feels him pressing against her.

"Oh." She gasps quietly, freezing on top of him and looking up to see his nervous expression. She quickly clambers off of him, rolling to the other side of the bed and discarding the makeup wipe in the nearby trash can before standing up to retrieve one of his shirts from his bag. "Sorry about... that." She chuckles, slipping the oversized shirt over her head and crawling back onto the bed to lay next to him. 

"God, can it just be tomorrow already?" He groans, wrapping one arm around her back to pull her against his side. She rests her hand on his chest and her head on his shoulder, feeling sleep tugging at her eyes already after their long night. 

"I hope our baby is more patient than you." She teases, feeling rather than hearing his choked laugh. 

"Hey. This is your fault." He reminds her, turning his head to give her forehead a contradictory kiss. She grins evilly at him despite the sleep clouding her expression, clutching at his shirt to prevent him from going far as he quickly recognizes her drowsiness and reaches to turn off the light. 

"Hmm. Thank you for taking me out tonight." She murmurs as both of them get comfortable under the covers. 

"Of course. I'm glad you had fun." He strokes his hand gently up and down her arm, creating friction to warm her up as their body heat begins to fill the space between them. 

"I did! I think this is gonna be really good for us. I can't wait." Norma beams, images of their baby growing up in the bakery, shopping trips in the village, and the many, many plans for future Halloween costumes she's cataloged in her brain flitting in front of her mind's eye. 

Norma's never had the feeling before of absolute certainty that everything would be okay. She's never been able to believe that her future would hold the happiness she deserved but so rarely experienced. Now, with Alex, she knows no matter what she'll be alright.

Chapter Text

The alarm jumps both of them awake far too early the next morning, and, despite much protest from Norma, they roll out of bed and begin getting ready for their closing appointment. Alex wears a patterned grey polo with dark jeans while Norma slips into a ruffled lavender dress that hugs her body down to her mid-thighs. 

She spends the entire car ride to the attorney's office fussing with her curls, occasionally chastising Alex for letting her fall asleep before she could do anything with them and rushing her out the door without sufficient time to adjust them in the morning. He just nods along, knowing she's really just nervous for their closing and unsure what to do with herself. 

"Norma. Breathe." He instructs her when she suddenly slams her handheld mirror closed and begins fidgeting with her hands in the passenger seat. 

"I'm breathing!" She snaps.

"Breathe slower." Alex glances over at her to see her arms wrapped around her middle, one of her legs jumping up and down in the floorboard. He instinctively reaches for her, untangling her arms to take one of her hands in his and bringing them over to rest in his lap. "It's just closing. All we do is sign some papers and the bakery's ours." He reminds her.

"But what if something goes wrong? What if they back out?" Norma blurts all in one breath.

"Breathe. Nothing's going to go wrong. This couple already bought another place in the mountains. They're not going to back out. We already walked through the house,  and  it passed inspection. It's gonna be fine." He speaks slowly, keeping his voice as even as possible to soothe her. She lets out a long, deep sigh, and squeezes his hand a little tighter.

They pull into the real estate office of Sheridan Springs, a small outlet nestled between a dry cleaner and a coffee shop. Alex doesn't turn the car off right away, turning to look at her and frowning when she doesn't even notice they've stopped. 

"Baby? You okay?" He squeezes her hand to get her attention, seeing her quickly perk up despite the anxiety still evident in her eyes. "You ready?" 

"No." She squeaks quickly, frowning as he turns the car off and jumps out anyway. He crosses to her side and opens the door for her, seeing her nervous expression and pulling her against him gently. 

"It's gonna be fine. I promise. You have nothing to worry about." He presses a soft kiss into her hairline, the scent of her conditioner soothing the underlying anxiety he hadn't realized had been weighing on him as well. She nods, holding onto him for a moment longer before gathering her purse over her elbow and marching toward the doors of the real estate firm. 

The appointment is incredibly boring, and apart from finally meeting the couple that had owned the bakery previously, they learn nothing new from the real estate agents rambling on and on for almost an hour. Alex can feel the sleep he lost last night coming back to bite him, his blinks lasting longer and longer the more he has to listen to legal jargon and inspection nonsense. 

To stay awake, he allows his mind to wander to the plans he has for their first night in their new home. Norma's kept him on edge for over a week with the promise that they would christen the bakery as soon as possible, and, especially when he was away, he's had plenty of time to imagine all the ways he plans to make good on that promise. 

Norma jumps slightly when his hand reaches for her under the table, resting innocently enough on her bare knee and squeezing gently at her surprised reaction. She looks over at Alex, seeing him suddenly appearing very focused on what their lawyer is saying, not meeting her gaze. 

She hardly notices his hand inching ever-so-slowly up her thigh until he reaches the hem of her dress, her eyes shooting to look down at her lap and then over to him, a warning in her glance. His lip twitches in that smirk that only she can interpret, his fingers squeezing her skin once again as he adjusts in his seat to hold her leg more naturally, apparently comfortable with the boundary she'd wordlessly set. 

Now close to starting her second trimester, Norma can't help the flush she feels spreading from her face to her chest, dropping her hand from the table to link her fingers with his and trying to keep her breathing even despite the stirring she feels under her dress. She shifts their intertwined hands back down toward her knee a few inches, hoping to relieve the sudden flash of heat threatening to give her sweat stains as she bites her lip and shoots her husband a nervous glance. 

Alex just smiles, disguising his pleased reaction to his clear effect on her by laughing at a dry and frankly unfunny joke the realtor makes. The rest of the room is distracted with a question from the previous owners for a moment and Alex takes advantage of the opportunity, leaning over to whisper huskily in Norma's ear.

"You don't seem too anxious anymore, huh?" The smirk is evident in his voice and she huffs, unable to stop the blood rushing to her cheeks at his tone and insinuation, swallowing hard and batting his hand away from her thigh suddenly. 

"Behave. " She commands through gritted teeth, undermining herself when she quickly crosses her legs and takes a shaky breath. Alex just grins, crossing his arms triumphantly and nodding along to the realtor's voice for a few more minutes. 

Finally, they're allowed to sign the papers, Norma reaching for his hand again suddenly as they watch the thick packet travel around the table, eventually landing in front of them. 

"You ready?" Alex asks almost giddily, taking a pen from the table and squeezing her hand. She takes a deep breath and nods, the tiniest smile appearing on her otherwise nervous face. He swiftly signs the paper before she can change her mind, grinning widely as the agent takes the packet off the table and stands up.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Romero! The bakery's yours." He announces. Alex stands to meet him, shaking his hand and then each of the previous owners'.

"Thank you." He beams, wrapping his arm around Norma proudly. "You hear that, Mrs. Romero? Your fresh start's finally here." 

------

The drive back to Dylan and Emma's is incredibly tense, both of them reeling from the high of officially owning their dream home and still turned on from their earlier distraction. Alex reaches for her thigh again as they pull into the driveway, causing her to jump and gasp softly at the unexpected contact. 

"Sorry, I-" He murmurs, moving to pull his hand away. She grabs it before he can, placing it firmly back on her bare skin and humming softly to let him know she was just surprised. He smiles, leaning toward her for a quick and startlingly innocent kiss, their excitement over the bakery seeping through as they both grin against each other's lips. "You gonna take a nap?" He suggests, nudging her nose playfully with his.

"Mm-hmm. You gonna join me?" She asks sweetly, her big blue eyes staring into his expectantly. She frowns when he shakes his head, his fingers squeezing her thigh apologetically. 

"I gotta take Dylan to finish moving stuff in down at the bakery. So it'll be ready for us tonight." He adds the last bit to soothe some of her disappointment, raising his eyebrows to emphasize that he means exactly what she thinks he means. A naughty smile spreads across her face and the car suddenly feels far too small, their lips far too close and his hand far, far too high on her thigh as she bites her bottom lip and nods.

"'Kay." She squeaks, Alex smirking at the blush he can see spreading across her cheeks. "I'll miss you," She adds, the sudden affection taking both of them by surprise as he kisses her again to hide his own blush. He pulls away a moment later, not missing her lean forward into him, clearly wanting more. 

"I'll miss you too. Just go to sleep and when you wake up, we can go home." Alex beams, Norma smiling giddily at his word choice. 

Home. 

------

That night, Alex had taken her out to the fanciest restaurant in their new town, almost ending up late to their reservation as he spent too much time gawking at her all perfectly dressed up in a tight blue dress that was far shorter than most things she wore, barely covering the curve of her ass. Alex had almost drooled on himself when she'd finally emerged from the bathroom ready to go, the combination of her spotless makeup and the way her legs had looked in her high heels making him want to cancel dinner and take her straight to bed.

Of course, she'd teased him all night long, all innocent looks and casual conversation despite her traitorous hands reminding him exactly what he was in for as soon as they got home. She'd gotten her revenge from their morning appointment and then some, whispering things in his ear so dirty he choked on his steak, grinning smugly at him and somehow making twirling her fork through her pasta incredibly sexy. 

His torture was drawn out by Norma practically begging him to try the tiramisu for dessert. Alex had stared at her in disbelief, shocked that she could still have any room in her stomach after they'd shared a bowl of minestrone, a plate of bacon-wrapped jalepeños that made him fear for his cholesterol, and a caesar salad (without croutons at her request), all before they even ordered his filet miñon and her pasta bolognese. Norma never used to have much of an appetite, heaping giant servings of dinner onto his plate every night and very little for herself, but her pregnancy clearly brought about an almost animalistic, insatiable desire for food in her. Alex doesn't complain, more than happy to see her feeding herself and their child, even despite the at-best-questionable and at-worst-extremely-concerning choices she often makes about her meals. 

Unable to deny her of anything, he'd ordered her the tiramisu, watching in shock as she wolfed the entire thing down in a matter of minutes, mumbling through her full mouth how delicious it was and insisting he try it multiple times despite him already feeling like he might burst from the size of their meal. The entire ordeal had somehow only turned him on even more, quickly asking their waiter for their check and only cringing at the price for a moment before hustling them both out of there.

That's how they end up parked in the driveway of the bakery just before sunset, Alex jumping out before the engine can even fully turn off and hurrying around the front bumper to open the passenger door for Norma. She smiles sweetly at him and steps out of the car, exaggerating the primness of the action and daintily taking the hand he offers to help her out.

"I could get used to you treating me like a princ- oh!" Norma gasps as Alex suddenly ducks to sweep one arm under her knees, lifting her up into his arms and pulling her body tight against his chest. 

"I always treat you like a princess." He corrects her, leaning in to give her a quick, chaste kiss that leaves her pouting at him for more. Of course, he obliges her, feeling warmth spreading through his chest as she cups his cheeks with her small hands.

"Yeah you do. And I wouldn't stand for any less." Norma declares, both of them chuckling at her hyperbolic standards. "What are you doing?" She asks when he starts to make his way toward the house, still holding her tightly in his arms. 

"I'm taking you home." Alex states simply. He does his best not to jostle her as he climbs the steps to the porch, grinning to himself at her soft giggle in his ear. She holds tightly onto him and waits patiently as he struggles to open the front door with her still in his arms, finally unlocking it and kicking it open with a huff. 

"You know you're supposed to do this when you get married, right?" Norma scoffs lightheartedly, looking around at the doorframe as Alex carries her across the threshold into their new home. 

"Ok. So, maybe we'll do that too." He shrugs.

"Alex!" Norma giggles. "We're already married!"

"Ah, how could I forget?" Alex laments melodramatically, earning a scoff from his wife. 

"Now who just wants to carry who?" She asks pointedly, both of them pausing for a second to comprehend her question.

"That made no sense."

"Shut up! You know what I meant!" She whines, smacking his chest playfully as he rolls his eyes and continues through the bakery toward the stairs. She busies herself as he carries her up to the loft by nuzzling her face into his neck, peppering tiny kisses up to his jaw and delighting in watching his muscles flex as he tries not to smile. 

He's clearly learned his lesson from earlier because he sets her down at the top of the stairs to get his key out, opening the loft door much more efficiently and holding it to allow her to enter their new home for the first time before him. 

Norma doesn't have the patience to delight in the moment, instantly pulling at Alex's arm to lead them both eagerly in the direction of the bedroom. He doesn't complain, only stopping her halfway there for a searing kiss, unable to go another moment without her lips on his. She winds her arms around his neck, sufficiently distracted from her mission, his hands running up and down her back as he pulls her closer to him. 

"Mmh, come on, come on!" She urges suddenly, pulling away to drag him back toward the bedroom insistently. Alex chuckles to himself at her determination, surprised when she stops in the doorway of the room and turns back to him, grinning wildly. He hardly has time to stop before she pounces on him, jumping and wrapping her legs around his waist, somehow trusting him to catch her. He does, of course, his hands grabbing her ass firmly out of instinct, Norma gasping softly and giving him a saucy, challenging glance. 

"Is this a theme now? Me carrying you everywhere?" Alex sasses, raising his eyebrows when she narrows her eyes at him in mock annoyance. 

"You put a baby in me, mister. It's your fault my ankles are swollen, like, always."  She snaps, the dangerous look in her eye warning him not to challenge her. Alex chuckles and shrugs, leaning in to kiss the adorable pout from her mouth. "Plus, I like it." She adds, feeling the need to clarify so he doesn't ever stop carrying her places. He smiles, shaking his head fondly at her.

"I'm not complaining. I will carry you to the ends of the Earth, baby." He admits, Norma biting her lip to contain her smile at his comment. 

"Just... shut up and kiss me." 

Chapter Text

"Just... shut up and kiss me." She demands, both of her hands wrapping around the back of his neck to pull him to her. 

He crashes his lips against hers then, turning to push her up against the doorframe, pressing his body into her and needing to be closer still. Her arms around his neck pull his chest against hers, aligning their entire bodies as their lips move in sync. He holds her there a moment longer before lifting her up again, their lips breaking apart as she lets out a delighted shriek, her legs wrapping tighter around him. 

She twists around in his arms for a moment and sees he's heading for the bed in the center of the room, pulling back to place her hands on his shoulders and shake her head. "No, no no. Shower first!" She whines, pushing against his chest like a squirmy toddler as he freezes on his way to the big, comfy bed. 

"Shower?" He grunts, the smell of her perfume invading his senses as she moves around him. She nods breathlessly, a tiny smirk of anticipation on her face. Alex shrugs, turning them around and heading in the direction of the bathroom instead, mentally rearranging the plans he had in his head and almost missing her squeal of excitement as he obliges her request. 

He sets her down inside the bathroom, both of them pulling at their own and each other's clothes in a whirlwind of desire, Norma reaching behind her among the chaos to turn the shower on as hot as she likes it, smirking evilly at him, knowing he always complains about the temperature of her showers. Alex keeps his mouth shut this time, however, unable to imagine protesting in any way, not when she's reaching behind her back to unclasp her bra and staring at him like a lion on the hunt, waiting to pounce. 

"Have I ever told you how  fucking  sexy you are?" He asks, stalking towards her in his boxers. He can't help his eyes traveling downwards as she lets the straps of her bra slip off her arms, matching his steps back toward the shower and forcing him to pursue her. 

"Hmm." She mimes like she's thinking, her hands pushing the fabric of her lace underwear down nonetheless. "I think I could stand to be reminded." She shrugs, stepping out of her panties and standing before him gloriously naked, reaching out to lean against the side of the glass shower seductively. 

"Jesus, you are so...  incredibly ... sexy." He grinds out, shuffling his own boxers down his legs and practically sprinting after her as she slinks back into the shower, the water running over her looking even more provocative. He finally reaches her, cringing as the scalding hot water hits the side of his body. 

Noticing his reaction, she quickly reaches for him, turning them around and pushing him against the glass wall of the shower and out of the water stream. He only has a moment to splutter in surprise before she's on him, her hands trailing down his chest and her lips connecting with his in a heated kiss. He returns it almost instantly, his own hands reaching up to hold the sides of her face, his fingers tangling in her damp curls as she quickly deepens the kiss, their tongues dancing against each other in a familiar rhythm. 

His hands flutter over her bare shoulders, running down her back and her sides and finally resting on his favorite place on Earth, squeezing her ass and pulling her closer to him. She gasps softly into his mouth at the action, recovering quickly and taking her revenge by nipping at his bottom lip, pulling back for a moment to grin evilly at his shocked reaction. She soothes the minor pain with another kiss, her arms moving back around his neck and her fingers winding through his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss.

Alex uses his grip on her thigh to hike one of her legs up and around his hip, allowing her to feel his need for her rubbing against the inside of her thigh as they both groan. Norma snaps her hips forward, grinding her slick skin against his and whining desperately into his mouth, her fingers digging harshly into the back of his neck.

He takes the hint, holding tighter onto her thigh and adjusting the angle of her hips slightly before sliding smoothly into her, both of them letting out strangled groans at the feeling of finally being connected. He pushes deeper, his hips colliding with hers as she whimpers suddenly and tightens around him, pulling back from her position panting against his neck to look at him.

"Alex..." She mewls, biting her lip as he shifts his hips in tiny micro-thrusts, needing friction even as she adjusts to him. "This isn't comfortable." She frowns, her eyes flicking down to her knee pulled up around him, her other leg holding all of her weight, standing on her toes to make the angle work with their height difference. 

Alex nods, having been so consumed by his need for her that he hadn't thought twice about the position, looking down and seeing how clearly uncomfortable it would be for her. He leans back against the glass wall, the action unintentionally pushing him far deeper inside her and she gasps, her fingernails digging into his shoulders at the sudden intrusion. 

"Sorry, sorry." He mumbles, needing the angle to reach underneath her other leg and lift her up without squatting and slipping out of her. In a single second, he stands, wraps her other leg around his waist, feeling her crossing her ankles behind him and humming softly at the relief on her already aching leg, and turns around, pushing her back up against the shower wall and forcing a pleased gasp from her. 

"Oh!" She chokes, adjusting the grip of her arms around her neck as he immediately starts grinding against her, pushing her harder against the wall with every forward movement. "I- God! I thought you hated the hot water." Norma huffs, her head dropping back to rest against the glass with a loud  thunk. 

"You said yourself that you like when I pick you up." Alex counters in between wet kisses down her neck and across her collarbones. Norma lets out a loud sound, somewhere between a gasp and a moan, starting to pulse her hips up and down in time with his movements, needing infinitely more friction from him. He notices her desperation and squeezes both of her thighs at once, leaning forward to whisper "Hold on," huskily in her ear. She tightens the grip of her legs and arms around him, feeling the muscles in his back shifting as he lets go of her thighs and instead places his hands on the glass wall of the shower on either side of her head. The shift lets him lean forward farther, changing the angle of his hips to allow him to grind his pelvis against her clit with every thrust.

"Yes! Alex, like that, please don't stop!" Norma cries, holding onto him for dear life and feeling her limbs begin to shake from the exertion. He speeds up his movements, feeling himself rapidly approaching the high they've both been waiting for as her sounds increase in pitch and volume, signaling that she's right there with him. 

He turns his head, reaching forward to take her earlobe between his teeth for a second before groaning into her ear, "Come on, Norma. Come for me. I want to feel you." 

It's exactly what she needs to send her hurtling over the edge she's been dancing around for hours, her fingernails raking down his back as she struggles to hold onto him, her entire body tensing and feeling numb all at once. He catches her, his hands squeezing her ass hard while he thrusts into her a few more times, finding his own release just a few moments later and groaning loudly into her neck at the feeling of her still riding out hers. 

They both come down from their highs slowly, panting against each other over the sound of the shower. Alex finally sets her back down, still holding her against him by her waist as she struggles to stand on trembling legs. She chuckles breathlessly, shaking out her muscles to try to get feeling back in her limbs while Alex reaches for the soap. 

"I don't think my arms work anymore." Norma whines, leaning against the shower wall melodramatically. "You broke me."

"Come here." Alex rolls his eyes, knowing her act is just a strategy to get him to help her shower. He grabs her hips, swiftly turning her around to face into the shower stream and pulling her back against his front. "If you want me to wash your hair," he grumbles into her ear, spreading some of the leftover lather from his soap over her shoulders, "Just ask." 

Norma giggles, snatching her shampoo off the shower shelf and holding it up over her shoulder. "Honey, will you please wash my hair for me?" She asks, her voice exaggeratedly sweet as she leans her head back against his shoulder to bat her lashes at him. 

"Of course, darling." He replies in his own mocking tone, kissing her cheek and taking the oddly-shaped bottle from her hand. Norma continues her noodle-arm act through the rest of the shower, insisting that he help her with her conditioner and body wash as well. 

"No, no we don't have enough time for that," She rebuffs him when he jokingly offers to shave her legs for her, splashing the last of the soap from both of their bodies as he reaches around her to turn off the practically boiling stream of water. 

"Oh, really? What else do you have planned for us that requires such a tight schedule?" He smirks, grabbing her favorite fluffy towel from the rack and quickly wrapping her up in it before she can start shivering. He holds in his scoff at the bathroom brimming with steam, grabbing his own slightly less fluffy towel and shaking the water from his feet before stepping out of the shower. 

"Trust me, I have plans." Norma replies while she wipes down her arms. "And didn't I tell you that shower would be perfect?" She adds smugly, grinning as he rolls his eyes. 

"Yes, you were right." He admits, rubbing his towel through his hair haphazardly for a few seconds and calling it good. Norma's eyes sparkle with humor as she steps closer to him, her hand raising to thread her fingers through the short strands sticking up in random directions.

"I always am." She reminds him, turning and flouncing into the bedroom without another word. 

"Yes, dear." Alex mumbles. He finishes wrapping his towel around himself and follows her, finding her leaning over one of the boxes of clothes she'd insisted he let her unpack herself, her own towel clutched tightly around her like a cloak. 

"What are you doing?" He asks, crossing to peer over her shoulder at the contents of the box. 

"Um... getting dressed?" She replies, picking a neatly folded lace underwear set from the bottom of the box and cutting her eyes at him smugly. Alex reaches out, taking the set from her hand gingerly and staring open-mouthed at the practical scraps of delicate white fabric in his hand.

"As much as I would  love  for you to wear this for me..." He swallows, licking his lips and trying not to imagine how she would look, determined to take his time and not rush into another round while they're both still recovering. "I don't want you to put it on." 

Norma frowns. "Why not?"

"I don't want you to put  anything  on." He clarifies, seeing her eyes widen. 

"Alex! I am not walking around the house  naked!"  She shrieks indignantly, one hand clutching her towel tighter around herself and the other snatching her underwear back out of his hand. "Are you crazy?"

"Why not? Come on, I'm just gonna take it off anyway." He insists, reaching for her hand again as she gapes at him, shocked he's actually serious. 

"What if our new neighbors see?!" She gasps, pulling her hand away at the last second to keep him from stealing the garments. "That is  not  the 'fresh start' I want!" 

"They're not gonna see." Alex rolls his eyes, looking outside at the dark windows of the businesses around them. "Everyone's closed for the night already. We're the only ones around." 

"No, no no no. Not happening, mister." She shakes her head adamantly.

"What if I close all the curtains? So no one gets to see you but me." He suggests, his hand creeping out over her shoulder to the edge of her towel. He feels her shudder at his words, tiny goosebumps erupting across her skin where he touches her. 

"I- um..." She mumbles, biting her lip as his hand drops below the top of her towel and he leans forward to rest his head against the side of hers, his nose buried in her wet hair. 

"Come on. Please? For me?" He whispers into her ear, a wave of stronger goosebumps spreading over her entire body as his voice tickles her skin. He licks his lips, breathing heavily for a few moments on purpose, knowing the effect he has on her. "I want to see you. All of you." 

Norma lets out a shaky breath, trying to keep her knees from buckling, so lost in the feeling of his breath puffing against her neck, his lips trailing behind her ear so lightly she shivers, that she doesn't notice his hand pulling at her towel until it's too late. She feels a rush of cold air against her body as he suddenly yanks the cloth from around her, tossing it behind him and instantly pushing his body up against hers, blocking her from sight through the windows.

"Alex!" Norma chokes, pulling him against her and looking over his shoulder at the bedroom window to make sure no one's looking from outside. "I thought you were closing the curtains!" She pouts, clinging tightly to his back as her initial panic begins to subside. 

"I will." He assures her, the smirk evident in his voice as his hands roam her backside. "In the living room." He adds, suddenly grabbing the backs of her thighs and hoisting her up around him, wasting no time in carrying her through the door into the living area. Norma whimpers loudly into his neck, hiding her face and glancing, horrified, at all of the windows in the room, suddenly regretting buying a bakery with so much 'natural light.' 

Alex carries her swiftly over to the couch, using one arm to hold her weight and jerking the only-mostly-opaque curtains closed with the other. He repeats the process with all of the windows in the room until it's almost completely dark, some light from the bedroom still creeping through the doorway and small streaks of the sunset escaping past the tiny gaps in the curtains. Norma lets out a heavy breath when he's finished, her grip around his shoulders releasing a little as she leans back to glare at him.

"That was mean." She huffs, her eyes narrowed the way they always are when she tries to intimidate him. "Put me down!" 

He drops her immediately, frowning as she scurries back into the bedroom, debating following her as he hears soft rustling for a few moments and then silence. 

"Norma?" He calls, making up his mind to follow her, stopped in his tracks as she emerges suddenly through the doorway. He hardly has time to take her in before a heap of black fabric hits him square in the face, blocking his vision. He hears giggling from across the room and sighs, catching the boxers she'd thrown at him before they can fall to the floor.

"Sorry. You were supposed to catch that." Norma shrugs, walking back over to him as he finally gets a good look at her. He frowns deeply as he takes in the blue and green flannel draped around her, the buttons done up to cover most of her body.

"Wha..." He pouts, looking down at the boxers in his hand disappointedly. 

"I need a break before we go again. I wanna watch a movie." Norma answers his unformed question, grabbing his hand to drag him over to the couch. "Put those on. We can be nudists later." She assures him, some of the disillusionment leaving his face at the promise. 

"Is that mine?" He finally asks, looking her up and down appreciatively, his eyes trailing over her exposed legs sticking out from under the button-up. Norma scoffs and shakes her head.

"Of course it's yours. I would never buy something like this." She says like it's obvious, Alex frowning for only a second at her dig before brushing it off. He's about to sit down on the couch when she stops him, her hands wrapping around his upper arm as she stands on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "And don't worry. I'm not wearing anything under it." 

Alex snaps his head around, staring at her with wide eyes as she bites her lip to contain her smirk.  "Nothing?"  He asks, his mouth watering a bit when she nods. 

"Come on. We're watching a movie." She states suddenly waiting patiently as he snaps out of his stupor and quickly steps into the boxers, falling heavily on the long end of the couch and barely having time to get situated before she climbs on top of him. 

"You know we have a  giant  couch, right?" He asks, wrapping his arms around her nonetheless and she snuggles up to him. 

"I know. You're comfy." She shrugs, one of her legs slipping between his and her head dropping to rest on his bare chest. Alex sighs softly, painfully aware of her swathes of exposed skin rubbing against his, every movement setting him on fire as Norma babbles to herself about which rom-com she wants them to watch, flicking back and forth on the remote for far too long before settling on a Hallmark.

This is gonna be a  long  movie.

Chapter Text

Alex wakes without even realizing he'd fallen asleep, the murmuring from the TV and soft mumbles from Norma apparently enough to rouse him from the light nap he'd drifted into. He opens his eyes to the sound of his wife calling his name, blinking slowly and furrowing his eyebrows at the sight of her sleeping peacefully on his chest. 

He thinks he just imagined it for a moment until he becomes aware of the sensation in his legs, looking down to find Norma's hips pulsing slowly over his thigh. She lets out a soft hum, her hands gripping tightly into his skin as she picks up her movements. Alex stares at her, dumbstruck, for a few seconds, his mouth hanging open as she huffs a few quiet little moans into his chest. 

"N-Norma?" He calls quietly, unsure if she's just pretending to be asleep again. She doesn't respond, her lips parting as she releases a long, shaky breath. "Jesus." Alex gasps, laying his head back for a second when she rubs herself harder against him, a tiny whimper falling from her lips. 

"Mmm, Alex..." She mumbles, her hands flexing and fisting on his shoulders, fingernails digging painfully into the skin on his chest. 

"Norma!" Alex says more firmly, his hands reaching up to grab her arms. "Norma, wake up. You're dreaming." He coaxes, shaking her lightly to rouse her. She grimaces, freezing on top of him and opening her eyes a few tense seconds later. She blinks sleepily at him, smacking her lips and frowning at the awestruck expression on his face. 

"What?" She mumbles, swallowing and licking her lips to remedy the sudden dryness in her mouth. 

"You- you were dreaming." He replies, watching her closely like the simple sentence might make her understand what he means. 

"Oh." She shrugs, gasping as she notices the marks in his skin where her fingernails had dug into him. "Oh my god! I'm sorry!" She cries, rubbing the pads of her fingers over the already disappearing wounds. 

"It's okay." Alex covers her hand with his, shocked that she could have no clue what's going on. "Do... do you know what you were dreaming about?" Norma frowns up at him, confused by his questioning and brushing off of her accidentally hurting him. 

"Ummm..." She looks around, finally getting her bearings, becoming aware of the heat between her legs. Norma looks down, her mouth falling open as she notices the dark spot on his boxers where she'd been laying on him. "Oh."

Alex sees a bright red blush spreading from her chest up to her face, her breathing picking up as she quickly puts two and two together to figure out exactly what she'd been dreaming about. She turns back to him, her face a mixture of horror and embarrassment, already opening her mouth to speak when he stops her. 

"If the next words out of your mouth are 'I'm sorry,' I'm going to divorce you." He warns, his voice low and menacing, causing Norma to gasp softly. 

"W-what?" She stammers, searching his eyes for the disgust and anger she'd been expecting and finding none. 

"Don't apologize." He grabs her wrists suddenly but lightly, pulling her up his body so her face is closer to his, her thigh grazing the growing bulge in his boxers. A sharp gasp leaps from her throat as she looks at him, realizing in a second that the disdain she'd expected to find in his eyes wasn't disdain at all, but lust. "I want you to keep going."

"Alex, I-" She starts, trailing off as his hands drop to cradle her hips, his eyes boring into hers and setting her on fire. 

"Please." He speaks into the space between them, his gaze drifting down her face as she catches her bottom lip between her teeth, feeling more than a little bit awkward. 

Gripping her thighs tighter, Alex starts to move her over his thigh himself, dissatisfied with her hesitation, lunging forward to crash their lips together at the same time. Norma gasps, her arms snaking up to wrap tightly around his neck. She kisses him back with hunger, the awkward feeling quickly disappearing as she starts to move on her own, grinding down on him harder and faster with each passing moment. 

"Does that feel good?" He grunts, his hands stilling on her hips as she takes control, content to just watch her moving over him. She swallows and bites her lip, nodding tightly and sitting up to brace her hands on his chest. 

"Mmh-hmm." She breathes, tiny huffs jumping out of her with each forward movement. Alex grins triumphantly, happy to see her letting go after her initial reluctance, tensing his thigh to give her a firmer surface, the tiny change clearly appreciated as she lets out a frantic whine, her own legs clamping down on either side of his. 

"You look so pretty like that." Alex says sincerely, his voice strangled by arousal as he reaches up to fumble with the buttons on his own shirt covering her, Norma hardly noticing as she shuts her eyes tightly and bites her lip to restrain the soft moans she can't control. She smiles at his compliment as he finally finishes the last button on the shirt. He doesn't even bother to take it off, his hands instantly reaching inside to palm her breasts, both of them groaning at the contact. 

"Fuck," She whimpers, her own hands covering his as she leans down to meet him again, kissing him with fervor. "Enough foreplay. I want you." She growls, pulling away to pepper kisses behind his ear and down his jaw. 

"This isn't foreplay," Alex scoffs, his hands pressing against her more firmly, breathing heavily into her ear for added effect, "I want you to come like this." 

"What?" She splutters, sitting up to look at him like she's not sure he's serious. 

"Can you?" He looks her up and down, his eyes stilling on her hips still grinding over his thigh. She pauses for a moment, rolling harder against his boxers experimentally, her face contorted with concentration.

"I... um... I don't think so." She manages, looking disappointed though she hadn't even expected to in the first place. 

"What do you need?" Alex asks almost instantly, watching her think for a moment, her movements never stopping. One of her hands grips his harder, guiding him to move it between her legs, Alex fumbling for a second to understand what she wants before she nudges two of his fingers with her own and huffs impatiently. He quickly obliges her unspoken request, adjusting his hand to slip two fingers inside her and flexing his palm so that she can rut against it. 

Norma lets out a deep breath of relief almost instantly, arching her back to push her hips lower over his hand, starting up a quick, short rocking motion as he flexes his fingers experimentally. "Mmh," She grunts disapprovingly, her hand holding his wrist in place as she shakes her head. "Still." She chokes, and Alex nods, holding his hand still for her to make herself feel good the way only she truly knows how. His other hand continues kneading her breast, his fingers flicking over her nipple intermittently and earning sharp yelps from her each time. 

The hand not holding his wrist covers his over her breast suddenly, intertwining their fingers and guiding his hand up to her neck. Alex looks up at her, unsure if he's interpreting her signals correctly. She releases his fingers and guides his hand to curl around her throat, Alex still not exerting any pressure as she drops her own hand to brace against his chest. 

"Don't squeeze." She mumbles, barely perceptible over her breathy whines and the hum of the TV in the background. He nods, wide-eyed, never having wanted to choke her in the first place but enjoying the feeling of control he gets from just resting his hand there, knowing she trusts him not to hurt her. He feels her swallow hard as her mouth falls open, her breathing becoming ragged as her thrusts on his fingers get more desperate, the slight flush spreading over her body giving away how close she is to obliging his request. 

"Are you close?" He asks almost rhetorically, suddenly overwhelmed with impatience as her thigh grazes the erection straining almost painfully against his boxers, biting his lip to contain the frustrated groan threatening to escape his throat. Norma can't respond, her eyes clenched tightly shut and her lips hanging open in a perfect 'O', the breath vanished from her lungs as she hangs on the precipice for a moment longer. 

The feeling of Alex's hand exerting the tiniest pressure on her throat is enough to send her over the edge, a loud cry jumping past her lips as her body goes numb and sets on fire all at once, the arm holding her up over his chest collapsing as Alex barely catches her with one hand, holding her close against him as she rides out her high. Her shrill moans turn to soft whimpers as she tucks her face into his neck, the hand on his wrist squeezing just slightly. He quickly withdraws his fingers, wrapping both of his arms around her as she trembles on top of him, discreetly wiping the residue from her arousal on the back of his button-up. 

"Was that as good as your dream?" He asks cheekily, feeling her silent chuckle against his skin. 

"Mmm, not quite." She shrugs. "In my dream you were naked. And also we were riding a unicorn." 

"So you do remember!" Alex barks through his laughter, her absurdity never failing to amuse him. 

"Only just now!" She cries defensively, finally sitting up to look at his face. 

"Okay, well, before you forget... what else were we doing?" He prompts, his hands drifting down her back mischievously. 

"Hmm, well, let me think." Norma muses, sitting up properly and adjusting her legs to straddle him. "We were on the unicorn, of course, but I guess the couch will do." She describes her dream slowly, all the while her hands creeping to the hem of his boxers. "And you were behind me." She adds, Alex frowning in surprise. 

"Really?" 

"Yeah, I wanted to drive." She shrugs like it makes perfect sense, Alex nodding along as she finally discards his boxers, shrugging the button-up off her shoulders and tossing it on the floor. "Scoot over." Norma demands, nodding her head in the direction of the other side of the sofa, Alex obeying and dropping his legs to the floor as she quickly clambers over him. 

"Aren't you gonna turn around?" He prompts before she can settle, raising his eyebrows in mock innocence. She scoffs, knowing his intention and rolling her eyes but turning around to straddle him backward nonetheless.

"Alex Romero, you are such an ass man." She huffs, Alex nodding proudly and pulling her back against his chest. 

"How could I not be when my wife has the hottest ass on the planet?" He grunts, smiling widely as she giggles and covers her face with her hands. She wriggles from his grasp and sits forward, bracing her hands on his thighs as he squeezes and kneads his favorite body part of hers to his heart's content. 

"Ok, ok, enough." She giggles when he shows no signs of stopping, flicking her head over her shoulder and half expecting to find him drooling. "Are we doing this or what?" 

"C'mere" Alex growls in response, his hands finding her hips as he slowly guides her down onto him, both of them hissing and sighing at the contact. She sinks down until she's seated, his legs partially holding her weight as she pushes on the ground under her feet, beginning to move in slow motions somewhere between rocking and bouncing on top of him. 

"I can't move much like this." She grunts, leaning forward further to get a better angle. Alex has the opposite idea, his hands wrapping around her stomach and pulling her straight back against his chest. She flops against him with a soft gasp, her arms flying up to wrap around his neck as her feet leave the ground. She chokes on her breath when he starts moving instead, pulsing his hips upward tentatively at first.

"Is this okay? We don't have to-" He starts, still holding her tightly against him and searching her face for distress.

"No, no, it's fine. It's good." She nods, adjusting her grip around his neck and leaning her head back on his shoulder. Satisfied that she's comfortable, he speeds up his movements, aware of her lack of control in the position and staying gentle still. His hands creep upwards from her stomach, quickly finding his second favorite part of her body, his fingers teasing her nipples as she gasps into his ear. 

"Kiss me." He mumbles, turning his head to meet hers as she quickly obliges him, both of them groaning into the sloppy kiss. One of her arms raises to meet his, taking his hand away from her chest and shoving it down instead, her intention clear as her own fingers take up his abandoned task. He follows her silent order, his hand drifting down her abdomen to the sacred place between her legs, calloused fingers deftly finding their destination and beginning to rub tight, rough circles around her sensitive bundle of nerves. 

"Oh my god." She whispers into his mouth, the sensations overwhelming her as she tries to keep kissing him back. She has to break away after a few moments, dropping her head to place open-mouthed kisses down the column of his neck instead, satisfied that he's feeling equally blown away when he drops his head to rest on the back of the couch and groans loudly. "Mmmmm, more, more." She mutters breathily, using the small purchase she does have to bear down on him with her hips. 

Alex can't form words to respond, merely obeying and pistoning his hips up faster and slightly harder, still not wanting to be rough with her while she can hardly move. The change is clearly appreciated as she lets out a loud, feminine moan, her head lolling against his shoulder as she clamps her eyes shut tightly and bites her bottom lip almost hard enough to draw blood. The couch creaks loudly but neither of them notices it, the sounds of their panting and groaning filling the room like an invisible steam.

"I'm coming. Alex, I'm-" She whimpers, his hands never stopping their movements as he follows swiftly after her, the feeling of her clenching and fluttering around him enough to drag him over the edge. Both of them go still after several long moments of ecstasy, breathing heavily into the silence of their new home.

"You need to tell me about your dreams more often." Alex remarks, both of them chuckling breathlessly and sagging against each other. 

"Yeah, I guess so." 

Chapter Text

Norma lays draped over Alex, her limbs hanging over the edge of the couch like noodles, for a few minutes, both of them catching their breaths and half-watching the credits rolling on the rom-com they hadn't paid attention to. Finally, Alex lifts her up, holding her tightly as he brings both of them to their feet and keeping her steady through the expected trembling.

"Alright, mama. Let's get some food in you." He announces, snatching a tissue from the box on the coffee table and dutifully handing it to her to clean up. 

"Do we even have any food?" She frowns, glancing at the empty cabinets in the kitchen. 

"Oh yeah. Dylan brought some for us while we were moving stuff in." Alex says confidently, taking her hand and leading her over to the kitchen. He turns around when they reach the counters, suddenly lifting her by her waist and depositing her on top of the surface. 

"Ah! That's cold!" Norma squeaks as her bare thighs make contact with the countertop, her hands digging into his arms. Alex silences her with a quick and sweet kiss, both of them smiling against each other.

"You just sit there and look pretty while I make you the world's best peanut butter and jelly sandwich." He directs, Norma pouting a bit at not being allowed to help. She sits still nonetheless, swinging her legs back and forth over the edge of the countertop as he rummages in the pantry. 

"You know, I was talking to Emma while you were gone." She begins, watching him emerge from the pantry with a loaf of bread and two jars in hand. 

"Yeah?" Alex replies without looking up from his mission. 

"She said she wanted to throw me a baby shower." 

"A baby shower?" He finally looks up, halfway through searching the drawers for a knife to use. 

"Yeah, and I thought, maybe we could kill two birds with one stone. A baby shower and a housewarming party in one?" She shrugs. Alex doesn't respond at first, distracted as he finally finds the knife and extracts it triumphantly from the drawer. "You only brought one knife?" 

"We were here for, like, 2 days. It's not Master Chef." He scoffs.

"You're gonna get the peanut butter in the jelly jar! Are you a monster?" Norma wails, watching him spread the jelly quite sloppily on the first slice of bread. 

"I'll wipe it off. Relax." He huffs. "So you want to throw a party? Here?"

"Yeah, I thought, maybe we can meet some more neighbors, break the house in a bit." Norma shrugs, pretending not to be bothered though she'd already put a lot of thought into planning. Alex pauses knife-deep in the jelly jar, looking up at her with a smirk and approaching slowly. 

"You mean the house isn't broken in yet? What have we been doin' all day then?" He growls, finally reaching her and making a move to grab her thighs. 

She stops him. "No, no! You have jelly on your hands!" She snaps, catching his wrist feebly but enough to halt the action. 

"Oh, do I?" He smirks, breaking from her grasp to swipe a streak of jelly from his palm onto her nose with a mischievous cackle. 

"ALEX!" Norma shrieks, shocked at his audacity as he happily licks the rest of his hands clean. 

"Oops, sorry. Let me get that for you." He continues cooly, stepping directly between her legs, his hand coming up to hold her head still by her chin as his tongue darts out to taste the sweet jam on her skin. He feels her breath shuddering against his neck as he takes his time, lapping away the sticky substance from her face until he's satisfied that she's clean, quickly swooping down to kiss her lips instead. 

"Hmm, I taste good." Norma smirks into his mouth, Alex pulling back with a grin and grabbing her hips to pull her to the edge of the counter. 

"Yeah, I've been telling you that for two years." He grunts, unable to contain his sneer as her mouth drops open.

"That is  not  what I meant!" Norma cries at his back as he turns back to his creation. He chuckles softly, shrugging at her with the knife now covered in peanut butter.

"Sure it isn't." 

"You're a perv." Norma huffs.

"You married me." He shoots back.

"You knocked me up!" 

Alex scoffs, shaking his head with a breathy chuckle. "Eat your sandwich, woman." He shoves the plate into her hands, ignoring her triumphant posture at having 'won' their banter. He hops up onto the counter next to her to enjoy his own sandwich, smiling softly as she lays her head fondly on his shoulder. 

"Ok, this is actually a  really  good sandwich." She manages through her first bite, the surprise in her voice only stinging a little bit. 

"I told you! You had no faith in me!" Alex feigns offense, plastering an exaggerated pout on his face as Norma chews away unbothered. 

"I didn't trust the double dipping!" She defends, chomping almost half of her sandwich in the next bite. 

They continue eating for a few minutes, discussing plans for their party and the bakery renovations. Norma finishes her sandwich far before Alex does, practically inhaling it and hardly taking time to chew at all. 

"Jeez. Were you hungry or something?" Alex remarks upon seeing her empty plate. 

"It was a good sandwich!" She shrugs. " Somebody  likes her peanut butter." She grins, both of her hands drifting to rest on her bare stomach. Alex watches her for a moment, smiling softly as she rubs the flat skin gently. 

"Was that enough to eat? Do you want me to make you another?" He offers, polishing off his own sandwich and taking her plate from her. 

Norma shakes her head. "No, no, it's okay. That was perfect. Thank you." She beams, still mostly distracted by her own belly. "Does it look bigger to you?" She asks suddenly. 

Alex turns around, fixing her with a perplexed gaze. "Does what look bigger?" 

"My stomach."

"Oh."

Alex drops the dishes in the sink basin, crossing over to her and examining her closely. Norma giggles when he crouches and turns to look at her from the side, both of his hands exploring her abdomen.   

"Well? What's your assessment?"

"I don't see a difference yet." He frowns. 

"It feels different." She observes, the tightness under her skin feeling just slightly new to her. "That reminds me. We have to find a doctor here. I'm supposed to have my 12 week ultrasound soon."

"Ok. I'll look into it." Alex nods, returning to his feet and facing her. His eyes drift to her lips. "You ready for round three?" He smirks, his hands sliding under her thighs.

"Hm, I guess so." She shrugs, pretending to be indifferent even as his lips find her neck and she feels her body begin to react. "You were right, by the way." 

"I know." He grins, his hands sliding around her lower back to pull her closer to him as he continues his assault down to her shoulders.

"You ass!" Norma groans, shoving him playfully. "I didn't even tell you what you were right about." 

"Hmm, you didn't?" He murmurs into her collarbone, his tongue darting out to taste her skin. 

"I meant you were right about being nudists." She huffs, her own hands finding purchase on his shoulders and he dips his head lower. 

"It's fun, huh?" Alex says smugly. 

"It's nice. Your butt looks cute when you're making sandwiches for me." Norma teases, one hand dropping to squeeze his rear for added effect. Alex lets out a sound somewhere between a scoff and a laugh, pulling back from his descent down her chest to stare at her incredulously. 

"You're crazy." He chuckles. 

"You love me."

"Yeah, I do." He says as he closes the distance between them, capturing her lips in a searing kiss that leaves both of them breathless in seconds. He pulls back for a moment, exaggeratedly pretending to spot something on her chest. "I think you may have a little jelly on you." 

"What? Where?" Norma frowns, looking down at herself but not seeing anything. "I don't see anything."

"Right there." He replies, giving no actual indication of where he's looking. "Let me get it for you." He murmurs, swiftly dipping to take half of her breast in his mouth at once, Norma gasping loudly at the action and grasping wildly for him as the action nearly causes her to slip off the counter. 

"Alex!" She shrieks half-delightedly, relaxing into his touch once the initial shock wears off. He hums into her skin and releases her with an obscene sound, unashamedly wiping his hand across his mouth and catching his breath. 

"I don't think I got it." He huffs. 

"Oh, really?" Norma giggles. "I guess you'd better try again?" He nods excitedly at her, his hands wrapping around her lower back to pull her closer to him as he gives her other breast the same attention, taking a step closer and settling between her legs fully. 

"Hmm, that wasn't it either." He grumbles, leaning back and trailing his eyes down her body. "I think it's a little lower." 

"Alex..." Norma starts, finally catching his intention, her heart rate increasing instantly as he starts trailing feather-light kisses down her stomach. Two soft  thuds  echo in the kitchen as he drops to his knees on the floor, suddenly lifting both of her legs to throw them over his shoulders, leaving him face to face with his prize. 

"Is this okay?" He whispers huskily up at her, his hands running up and down the outsides of her thighs as she slowly relaxes. Her fingers grip the edge of the counter to hold herself steady as she nods wordlessly, her bottom lip drawn between her teeth in anticipation. He wastes no time, shoving his face between her legs, his tongue lapping at her like he hasn't had a drink in days. 

Alex latches his lips around his favorite spot on Earth, humming in his throat the way he knows she likes and hungrily pulling at the backs of her thighs to bring her even closer to him, practically holding her up off of the counter. Norma's hands shoot to the back of his head, securing him against her as she pants loudly and stares up at the ceiling. 

"God, Alex..." She whines, arching her back and shoving her hips forward into him. He can barely contain his beaming grin, the feeling of the smooth skin of her thighs on either side of his head and the smell of her arousal practically coating his nose taking over his entire body. He briefly thinks he could stay there forever, could live the rest of his days between her legs with only her sweet nectar to sustain him.

Her voice brings him back to reality as he feels that delectable ache starting at the base of his tongue and the tiny twitches under her skin that tell him everything before she even speaks. "Alex, I'm close. I'm gonna come." She cries. He growls low in his throat, the vibrations jumping directly through her as he feels her starting to tense, knowing she's right on the edge. Her quiet moans stop for a few seconds and he  feels  the moment she goes, her legs shaking so violently he feels her heels kicking him in the back and her inner muscles pulsing and fluttering as he laps away at her until she finally shoves his head back. 

Alex grins up at her like the Cheshire Cat, the deep flush on her face and shuddering breaths shaking her body filling him with endless satisfaction. He loves doing this for her, almost more than he loves to fuck her senseless. The idea of taking care of her, of driving her over the edge in a way no other man ever had, and simply the look on her face after every time he does it, make pleasuring her with his mouth easily one of his favorite activities ever. 

"Jesus." She pants, her hands idly smoothing down the hair on the back of his head she'd been tugging on. "Somehow I always forget you're so good at that." 

"Now you're just feeding my ego." Alex scoffs. They both smirk because they know it's true, Norma shuffling back a few inches to sit comfortably on the counter again as he releases her legs and stands up in front of her. 

"Well, maybe it deserves to be fed." She shrugs, her arms winding around his neck. 

"I get  three  meals at once now?" He sneers. 

"Alex!" Norma reprimands shrilly, her tiny hand swatting the back of his head. 

"You trying to fatten me up or something?" Alex persists, both of them grinning widely as he takes hold of her, pulling her legs around his hips and squatting slightly to line himself up.

"Maybe!" She chuckles, the smile quickly dropping from her face as he pushes into her in one swift motion, both of them gasping at the contact. He doesn't waste a second, starting up a quick, deep rhythm the moment he feels her relax around him. Norma links her ankles behind his back, clinging tightly to him with all four of her limbs as he pistons into her, both of them gasping and panting into each other's necks. 

"Baby..."

"Alex..."

"Fuck!" 

The sound of her shrill gasps in his ear combined with her hands running wildly through his hair drags him right to the edge, the muscles in his arms beginning to tremble with the effort of holding back. He can tell he won't have to wait long by the frequency of her squeaky breaths, neither of them having to speak to know exactly where they are. 

Just as he's about to drop a hand between them, unable to contain himself any longer, he feels her fingernails dig into his shoulder as she lets out a whimper, clenching around him so tightly it instantly sends him hurtling over the edge, with her following not a second behind. Alex shuts his eyes and sees stars under his eyelids, intense waves of pleasure washing over him as he spills inside her. 

They're silent for a minute, both of them catching their breaths curled up against each other. Alex braces himself against the counter as Norma stays wrapped tightly around him, her muscles starting to ache but her mind refusing to allow her to let go. 

"Alex?" She asks quietly, the word prompting both of them to begin to disentangle. 

"Yeah, baby?" He replies with the same gentleness, both of them wincing as he finally slips out of her and she drops her legs to hang over the counter again. 

"You remember what you said to me earlier?" 

"You're gonna have to be a bit more specific than that." He chuckles. 

"When we got up from the couch. You called me 'Mama'." She clarifies.

"Oh. Did I?"

"Yeah." She nods, Alex staring at her cluelessly for a second. "I liked it." 

"You liked me calling you 'Mama'?" He furrows his eyebrows.

"No! I mean for our baby." She scoffs.

"Oh. Right." 

"I mean... Dylan called me 'mom'... until he didn't. And Norman called me Mother practically since he could talk..." She shrugs, not quite meeting his eyes.

"What did you call yours?" He asks suddenly, the question managing to take both of them by surprise. 

"I, um... I guess I don't really remember. She got sick when I was really young, and then I didn't call her much of anything anymore..." She trails off. Alex stares at her, frozen, feeling mortified and overwhelmed with guilt for even asking. "But I... I guess I would've called her mom. That's how I think of her, at least." 

She looks up at him, the melancholy in her eyes threatening to kill him. It takes him a second to understand the silent question in her gaze. "I called mine Mama. You'd think we were southern, but... it's just what I called her since I can remember." 

"Really? You did?" Norma's smile returns, her voice bright once again as she grabs one of his hands by his fingers, swinging it back and forth in hers idly. "I like it. It feels more... intimate to me." She admits.

"If you're Mama, what does that make me?" He asks somewhat jokingly, her big blue eyes jumping up to meet his quizzically. "Papa?" She scrunches her nose, both of them chuckling and shaking their heads. 

"No, you're her daddy." She asserts. Alex smiles at her words, nodding his head. "Until she's a teenager and she hates both of us. Then she'll call us wonderful new names." Norma giggles. 

He rolls his eyes. "Oh, I can't wait." 

Chapter Text

"You know what we should do?" Norma asks brightly, absently playing with the hair on Alex's thigh as they lay entwined in their new bed, having flopped in opposite directions after their final gentle but intense round of lovemaking. She turns on her side to face more toward him, looking up at his face on the pillow side of the bed through her own legs still sprawled on top of him. 

"Go again?" He guesses, his hands running gently over her calves. She bolts upright, snatching her legs away from him and folding them under herself instead.

"No! Are you trying to kill me?!" She gapes, dumbstruck by his stamina and insatiability. He'd already dragged her into their new bathtub with him once they'd finished in the kitchen, maintaining his aura of innocence until she had almost fallen asleep against him. He had made sure she stayed perfectly awake--three times-- before finally letting her slump back against him and holding her exhausted body until the water had turned cold. 

Norma had been sure she couldn't handle another round and they'd shuffled into sleeping clothes. Alex had grabbed a book and Norma sat quietly next to him, practicing the knitting she'd taken up ever since they'd found out she was pregnant--she insisted on making at least some of their baby's clothes. 

She'd groaned loudly when she messed up a stitch for the third time in a row, angrily yanking at the string and pulling out the last few stitches she'd done in the process. Her face had crumpled as Alex looked over to see what was wrong, dropping his book just in time to grab her hands as she'd started pulling at the string indignantly, undoing almost half of her work before he could stop her. 

"Hey, hey, don't do that! It looked good!" He'd frowned, holding her hands tightly to stop her from destroying it any further. 

"No it didn't!" She'd cried, frustrated tears in her eyes as she dropped the needles into her lap and held back a sob. Alex had quickly grabbed the mess of yarn and placed it safely on her nightstand, shuffling to hover over her and rubbing up and down her arms soothingly. 

"It's okay, baby. Please don't cry." He'd whispered, sighing as she only burst into hysterics, pulling her tightly against him as she sobbed into his neck. "What's wrong? What happened?" 

"I... don't...know!" She'd gasped between sobs, her hands curled up under her chin as he rubbed her back slowly. It hadn't been the first time that she'd been overly emotional for no apparent reason since she'd gotten pregnant, neither of them saying anything more as she sobbed into him. Within a minute, she began to calm down, her wracking gasps quieted to whimpers and sniffles as she finally pulled back to look at him.

Alex couldn't help but find her adorable, her nose red and her eyes half-open and puffy, looking at him like he put the sun in the sky. He'd tucked her tousled hair behind her ear and smiled softly. "Is there anything I can do for you? You thirsty? You want anything?" He'd asked gently. She had only stared at him blankly for a second, blinking three times before she'd crashed her lips against his.

Before he knew it, she'd climbed on top of him and shoved their pajamas out of the way, riding him quickly but tenderly. They'd panted into each other as she wrapped around him, tipping both of their sensitive bodies over the edge together within minutes. She'd collapsed backward as they both caught their breaths afterward, a comfortable silence settling over them until she'd suddenly asked him her question. 

"What should we do?" Alex concedes, missing her legs draped over him but sitting up against the headboard anyway.

"Since we're already having a baby shower, we should do a gender reveal!" Norma replies brightly.

"A gender reveal?" He asks, unimpressed. 

"I can have Emma set it up and we can have pink and blue balloons and oh! I'll make a cake!" She rambles on, her face lighting up with ideas as he stares at her questioningly. 

"Can't we just... ask the doctor?" He frowns. Norma's beaming smile drops and she looks up at him, a pout on her face. 

"You're no fun." She snaps. Alex sighs and leans forward, grabbing one of her hands and untangling her unhappily crossed arms. 

"Hey. If you want to have a gender reveal and fill our house with balloons and bake six different cakes, we'll do it. I just don't want you to stress out about planning three different parties at once. You're supposed to be relaxing." He reminds her. She huffs, the tension in her muscles leaking out as she slowly deflates from her minor tantrum. 

"You're right." God, she hates it when he's right. "I'll ask Emma if she can handle all of the planning. And I'll just help out where I can." She concedes. Alex raises his eyebrows at her, tilting his head chidingly. "Fine. I will stay hands-off. But I still want to bake a cake!"

Alex chuckles. "Okay, deal. You may bake one cake."

Norma whines quietly. "But... I have to make a blue one and a pink one!" 

"One. Cake." He stands firm, hating saying no to her but knowing he's the only one who will always put her first. 

"Fine. One cake." She spits, trying and failing to contain her mischievous smirk.

"And no cupcakes!" Alex adds, the grin dropping from her face immediately.

"Oh, come on!" They both giggle for a few moments, Norma's hand dropping limply to his leg, causing him to jump.

"Jesus, baby. You're freezing." He marvels, sitting up and grabbing her hand between both of his. "Come get under the covers." 

"I don't want to get our sheets dirty on the first night." She whines. He gets the hint, but she still flops bonelessly on the bed for added effect, smiling to herself when he rolls wordlessly to his feet and disappears into the bathroom. 

She hasn't moved when he returns, armed with a damp washcloth and a lukewarm glass of tap water. Norma grimaces when he hands it to her but sips it anyways, choosing to avoid the chewing out she would get if she refused. Alex gets to work quickly, forcing a giggle out of her as he wrenches her legs apart, her smile fading when he wipes at the insides of her thighs with just enough pressure to upset her sensitive skin.

"Ow." She pouts. "Do you have to scrub so hard?"

"You're sticky." He replies by way of apology, using his other hand to hold her leg still and trying his best to be gentle. Norma flinches when he moves the washcloth between her legs, the ache already beginning there combined with her still heightened sensitivity sending shockwaves through her at every touch. "I'm sorry." Alex pulls back after a single swipe, looking far too guilty as he holds out the cloth for her to use herself. 

Norma melts and reaches for him, taking the fabric from him and cradling his face with her other hand. "It's okay, it's okay." She assures him. "I'm just... really sensitive still. And I don't think I'm gonna be able to get out of bed tomorrow." They both chuckle.

"Sounds good to me..." Alex smirks, earning a scandalized gasp from his wife as she tenderly cleans the evidence of their christening from her skin. 

"Alex! How could you possibly still want more?" She scoffs. He grabs her suddenly, pulling her against him at the head of the bed and tickling her skin with his stubble as he whispers gruffly in her ear.

"I can't get enough of you. I'm a stallion." He growls. Norma bursts into a belly laugh, his favorite sound from her outside of the ones he forces out of her in bed, her nose scrunched as she turns to face him incredulously.

"You did not just say that!" She guffaws, his beaming grin letting her know he hadn't been serious. "You're trying to kill me."

"Hey, you climbed on top of me, if I remember right." He says as if he could ever forget, hardly containing his mischievous grin as she gasps in exaggerated offense. She takes a moment to form a response, her insulted expression dropping a second later as she shrugs and runs her hands up his arms to squeeze his shoulders. 

"Well, you treated me to a five-course meal. I just thought I'd return the favor." She purrs. Alex only glowers at her the way he always does when she refers to sex as currency for a second, both of them knowing she feels no actual obligation to have sex with him, something he's made sure of since day one. Norma giggles, having expected his reaction, the pinched expression on his face weirdly adorable to her. 

"Well, it wasn't quite five courses for you, huh?" He leers. "More like, what, ten?" 

"Nine." She corrects him, her face flushing as his lips quirk up.

"Nine?  Such a messy number. I oughta make it a clean te-" 

Norma interrupts him as his hand barely snakes down her thigh, turning to glare at him with fire in her eyes. "Alex, if you touch me one more time tonight, I will literally die, and then you will have no wife and no baby, and I'm pretty sure you have no idea how to bake so that would really suck for you." She snaps. He withdraws, thoroughly scolded but still smiling to himself.

"Fine, fine, nine is good too..." He mutters. "Now get under the covers. If I can't warm you up the way I want..." He trails off, his insinuation clear. 

"Enough!" Norma reprimands, her tone still playful as they both slip under the thick duvet. She snuggles up to him instantly, Alex wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer, kissing the top of her head and breathing in the smell of the conditioner he'd done for her just hours ago. The sound of her soft, happy sigh puts him at ease and he feels his muscles beginning to relax already. "Hmm, yeah, I am  definitely  not getting up tomorrow." Norma murmurs.

"Oh, yeah, about that..." Alex begins nervously, his heart rate picking up as she raises her head to frown at him. "I'm kinda kicking you out of the house tomorrow." 

"What?! Why?" 

"Dylan's coming by so we can paint downstairs."

Norma's frown deepens. "Okay? So why does that mean you have to kick me out?"

"Well, those fumes are awful for you. I don't want you anywhere near them." He explains, a stern finality in his voice. 

"You're telling me this now? " Norma snaps, sitting up to grab her phone from the nightstand. 

"Um... yeah. I didn't think it'd be an issue... you always find stuff to do. You can go explore the town or whatever." He shrugs. She huffs loudly, holding her hand up to silence him as she presses her phone to her ear. "What are you doing?" He asks, only receiving a more insistent 'hush!' gesture from her. 

"Hey, Susan, it's Norma." She says brightly a moment later, her annoyance at him disappearing in an instant. "Sorry to call you so late, but I wanted to know if you're busy tomorrow?"

Alex stares blankly at his wife, frankly afraid to move and risk getting in more trouble with her. She turns her back to him, hanging her legs off the side of the bed as she chats with her new friend.

"Alex needs me out of the house for the day. I thought I'd invite you to go shopping around the town. I'd love to get to know some more people!" Norma continues cheerfully, surprising him with her ability to turn on a dime after being so irritated with him a few seconds ago. "Oh, awesome! That sounds wonderful. I can meet you there around noon? ...Oh, that's okay, you really don't have to... Okay, okay, yeah, that's perfect, thank you. I'll see you tomorrow! ...Okay...Yeah. Buh-bye." She hangs up, sliding the phone back onto the bedside table but not turning to face him again.

"You goin' out with Susan tomorrow?" Alex surmises.

"Yeah." She replies shortly, flicking the lamp off and throwing the covers back over herself, her anger apparently only disguised for her phone call. 

"Well, that's good! You can get to know the town a bit better, maybe do some networking..." He adds, trying to earn back her favor. They've been married for two years, and though it took him a while to learn how to deal with her pouty, irritated outbursts, he's got the craft down to a tee by now. 

"I'm taking your credit card." She snaps, not giving him a chance to protest even if he wanted to.

"Okay." He agrees softly. He's silent for a while, watching her silhouette closely, waiting for just the right moment to make his next move. A minute later, her form deflates just slightly and he strikes. "I'm sorry. I should've told you sooner."

Norma sighs loudly and turns over. "It's fine. I'm sorry I overreacted."  Success. Alex smiles softly, opening his arms to her again. She shuffles gratefully into them, snuggling her freezing body against him and letting out a happy little hum as he rubs up and down her back to create friction. 

"You  really  want to do a gender reveal?" Alex asks after a few beats of silence. Norma giggles into his chest.

"Yes! It'll be fun." She argues, causing him to roll his eyes. 

"I just... I really don't want you stressing yourself out. We're already stretched kinda thin, with moving and all. I know you've taken care of yourself for a long time. But... now you've gotta take care of someone else too. And I wanna look out for both of you." Alex speaks clearly despite the boulder of emotion in his throat, the idea of something happening to either of them ripping him to shreds from the inside out. 

Norma gulps but doesn't respond. She knows he's right, that she should slow down and take it easy. She's not 30 anymore; she can't just drive Dylan to school and baseball practice, clean the house, do the laundry, and cook dinner in time to avoid a beating from the asshole that sleeps in her bed every day and still be in perfect health to have another baby. She knows she has to pull back, for her sake and her baby's, but it's something she's never even had the choice to do before. Frankly, she's not sure she even knows how. 

"My girls." Alex sighs into her hair, kissing her head again, his hand drifting to hold her stomach the way it's started to more and more, sending butterflies through her body every single time. Her own hand drops to cover his, her head lolling to the side to look up at him.

"We'll be okay. It'll all be okay." She assures not just him but herself as well.

"I, um, actually wanted to ask you something. Related to that." He says suddenly. 

"Yeah?" 

"I thought we might think about hiring someone. To help out, just until we get back on our feet and stuff, with the baby..." He shrugs as if he hadn't thought it out in detail, watching her closely in the lamplight for her reaction.

"Hiring someone? Like... what, like a maid?" She furrows her eyebrows.

"No, I mean, not really. More like... someone to help  you , specifically. Things like running the register downstairs or helping you make cakes or whatever. I don't know, I just thought it'd be a good idea to have another set of hands, so you don't have to take on so much. I don't know..." He doesn't meet her eye, feeling himself rambling but unable to stop as her silence unnerves him. 

"So... like an assistant?" 

"Yeah, I guess. Just for a little while." He says quietly. Norma nods, not saying anything for a while before she finally looks back up at him.

"Okay." 

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. It's a good idea." She smiles softly at him and he feels himself deflate with relief.

"You think so?" 

Norma's smile grows at the nervous hopefulness on his face making him look like a little kid again. "Yeah, I do. I can ask around town tomorrow to see if there's a good place to find someone."

Alex nods, his chin brushing the top of her head with each movement as he speaks into her soft hair. "Okay. That sounds good. And I'll find you the best baby doctor in town as soon as I can." He promises. 

"'Kay." Norma hums, her slender leg slipping between his as she wraps herself around him, cuddling closer and dropping her head onto his shoulder. "I'm really happy we moved here." She mumbles, her voice clouded with the beginnings of sleep.

"Yeah? Me too." Alex beams. He does his best not to jostle her as he turns off the light, shuffling them both down the bed until the covers come up under their chins. 

"This bed is much comfier, too." Norma reports happily. He chooses not to point out that she hardly sleeps on the bed anyway, opting almost every night to use him as a giant body pillow instead. He just smiles, kissing her head one last time as he feels her breathing start to even out. 

"As long as you're happy, I'm happy." 

Chapter Text

Norma grimaces before she's even fully awake, already feeling the deep ache between her legs without having to move. She silently curses her sweet, perfect husband for being such a  "stallion,"  flopping onto her side and finally opening her eyes. She's surprised at the amount of sunlight in the room, not having expected to sleep so late. For a moment, she sits still, appreciating the natural light streaming into her beautiful house through her beautiful windows. 

Her eyes fall on a plate sitting somewhat precariously on the edge of her nightstand. Three peanut butter and jelly sandwich halves are stacked on it, with a large glass of ice water on the other side. She smiles softly to herself, reaching for the paper note folded just like Alex always leaves them. 

Good morning! This is the only thing in our pantry. Dylan is coming at 11:00. I set out some tylenol in the bathroom. Sorry for making you sore. 

Love, A.

Norma beams. She doesn't touch the sandwiches yet, flicking the covers off of herself and taking a short, deep breath before practically bolting in the direction of the bathroom. She feels ridiculous limping around like she's barely learned to walk, but mostly she's glad Alex isn't in the room to see her, knowing he would tease her to no end. She leans on the counter and quickly downs two pain relief pills, briefly considering a third before deciding against it. 

She limps back to the bed, collapsing onto it and huffing, not wanting to think about having to spend the day in town. A few minutes later, she's wolfed down all three sandwiches and drained half the glass of water, sighing loudly as she replaces the plate on the nightstand. When she looks up, Alex is standing in the doorway, smiling smugly at her. 

"Morning." He grins. 

"Don't 'morning' me." Norma grumbles. He chuckles and crosses the room, perching on the edge of the bed next to her, his hand resting on her knee.

"How do you feel?" He asks sincerely, earning an exhausted sigh from her.

"I feel like I'm too old and too pregnant to be having sex marathons." She groans.

"I'm sorry." Alex's frown is much deeper than she expects, the teasing gone from his eyes as he looks at her guiltily. "I shouldn't have pushed you so far. You're supposed to be taking it easy." 

"Hey, I climbed on top of you, remember? I don't regret anything we did. It's not your fault." She argues, forcing him to meet her eyes and grabbing his hand. "I'm tough. I'll be okay." She smiles reassuringly, both of them chuckling softly. 

He sits there for a few moments, just holding her hand. "Dylan's on his way over here." 

"Is that your way of telling me to get my ass out of bed?" Norma grins.

"No, no, take your time," Alex replies quickly, not catching her sarcastic tone. "We probably won't get started for a while anyway." 

"Good, 'cause I'm gonna need a minute for these meds to kick in." 

Alex grimaces. "That bad, huh?" 

Norma sighs, hating the tortured look on his face. She loves how gentle he is with her, always making sure she's okay and protecting her from every minor inconvenience that could ever get to her, but the way he beats himself up anytime he accidentally hurts her, no matter how inconsequential, drives her nuts sometimes. She knows it comes from a place of unending love for her, knowledge of her past, and him just being a damn good guy, but she can't help but feel a bit patronized when he insists on treating her like she's made of porcelain.

"It's fine. You know I'm just dramat-" She stops short, her face dropping suddenly.

"What?" He sits up straighter, concerned by the glassiness in her eyes. Her hand is ripped from his as she stands suddenly, darting into the bathroom without a response, a terrified Alex at her tail. By the time he reaches her, she's already collapsed on the floor in front of the toilet, wrenching it open just in time to empty her stomach into the bowl. "Shit, hon." He gapes, dropping down next to her and quickly gathering her hair behind her head for her. 

She coughs and splutters for a few more seconds, tears leaking from her eyes at the violence of her sickness as she catches her breath. Alex stays still for a little while, watching her to be sure she's done before letting go of her hair to grab a handful of toilet paper from the wall next to them. She doesn't move as he gently wipes her mouth off, neither of them saying anything for a minute while he cleans her up. 

"That's new." She rasps finally, breaking the silence. 

"Yeah." 

"Well, the bad news is, that really sucked." 

"I'm sorry, baby." He whispers, rubbing up and down her arms for a few seconds before he fully comprehends what she'd said. "Is there good news?"

"We are definitely having a girl." 

Alex melts, never tiring of hearing her say the words. Deep down, he's terrified she'll be wrong now he's got his hopes up. His mind is filled with tea parties and princess dresses and images of Norma's bright blue eyes staring up at him on his daughter's face. He knows he'll love his baby no matter what, but everything in him yearns to have a tiny carbon copy of the woman he loves running around their house. 

"Y-You think so?" He asks, maybe a bit too much hope in his voice. 

"I was never sick with Norman or Dylan. Not once." She shakes her head. Alex feels a smile tugging at his lips, his heart filling up the same way it had when she'd first told him she loved him. He takes her head in his hand, pulling her against him to place a kiss on her temple.

"I'm gonna get you some water." He hums, Norma nodding and staying put in a heap on the floor, her heart still beating a bit faster than normal as she tries to take deep breaths. Alex returns a few seconds later with her half-empty glass of ice water, kneeling next to her and frowning deeply when he sees her lip quivering. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" He asks softly. 

"I... I just..." Her hands wave dismissively, wordlessly telling him she's okay and taking the glass gratefully from him. Only after she's drained the rest of the glass completely does she speak again. "That was a really good sandwich." She whimpers, fresh tears in her eyes.

Alex can't help but laugh a little, partially with relief that there's nothing actually wrong with her and partially because she looks so incredibly crestfallen over a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Norma pouts at him, her face crumpling even further.

"Don't laugh at me!" She demands, her voice watery and just a bit pathetic. 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Alex chokes out, quickly composing himself. "I'll make you another one. An even better one." He promises.

"No, you don't have to..." She whimpers, afraid he'll be annoyed after making her a third sandwich in the span of 24 hours. 

"It's a sandwich, Norma, not a filet mignon." He assures her as if reading her mind. "Just try to keep this one down. We're gonna run out of bread." 

------

Alex is almost finished making her new sandwich when the doorbell rings, Norma springing up to answer it excitedly before he can even say anything. She insists on giving Dylan a tour of their loft even though he's already seen it several times, showing him around each of the rooms with peppy commentary as he nods along politely. Alex finally interrupts as they make their way back to the kitchen to shove the sandwich into her hands, glaring at her until she caves and starts to eat it, Dylan shooting him a grateful glance. 

They sit and chat for a while until the doorbell rings again. Norma jumps up again, announcing redundantly that it's Susan as Alex stands to meet her. He obediently holds his credit card out for her, swerving his arm at the last minute as she reaches for it to pull her in for a kiss instead. She relaxes almost instantly after her initial surprise, smiling against his lips and kissing him back sweetly. 

"Have fun. Be safe. Don't spend all of our life savings." He instructs her, both of them chuckling as he gives her the card. 

"I will. Love you." She giggles.

"Love you too. Tell Susan I said hi." He grins, stealing one last kiss from her, to Dylan's exaggerated dismay. Norma spins on her heel to hug her son as well, kissing his cheek with a bright smile. 

"You boys have fun. Take good care of my bakery." She commands. Alex scoffs softly, pushing down his desire to remind her that it's their bakery, just nodding and waving goodbye to her as she disappears out the front door and he hears the soft pitter-patter of her skipping down the stairs. 

Norma beams as she opens the door for her new friend, both of them smiling awkwardly for a second before going for a hug. 

"Hi, Norma! How's the new home?" Susan greets.

"It's amazing. We love it." Norma replies sincerely as they release each other. "I'd show you around but I'd rather you see it once we're done fixing it up." 

"Yeah, of course! Are you ready to go?" The blonde nods, gesturing over her shoulder at her black Audi sedan waiting for them. 

"Yep!" Norma chirps, following the young woman to her car and sliding into the passenger seat, marveling at the new car smell despite the older model. 

"So what's Alex up to that he's kicking you out for?" Susan asks once they pull away.

"He and my son are painting downstairs and he doesn't want me breathing in the fumes." Norma explains.

"Oh, how old is your son?" 

Norma pauses. "He's turning 23 this year." She feels Susan's eyes on her, blood rushing to her face as she waits for her response.

"No way you're old enough to have a 23-year old. What are you, 35?" She scoffs.

"About to be 40..." Norma replies softly. "I was young." Her cheery tone is gone and Susan must notice it because she doesn't respond for a few seconds, glancing furtively over at the passenger seat.

"Well, what color are you painting?" She changes the subject, both of them relaxing as Norma chatters about paint swatches and furniture until they pull into a parking spot in front of a little boutique at the edge of downtown. "This is my favorite place to shop. I'll show you where they put the good stuff." Susan smirks conspiratorily, grabbing Norma's hand to lead her into the store. 

"This is cute!" Norma observes, looking around at the color-coded racks of clothes that aren't quite her style but that she likes nonetheless. 

"We gotta have a fashion show. There's new stuff on clearance!" Susan announces, both of them giggling excitedly as they weave through the store. Norma amasses a surprisingly large heap of dresses and outfits slung over her arm, most of them suggestions from Susan that she just  has  to try on, but some of them her picks as well. The shop's selection is a bit more modern than she would usually go for, but something about being in a new town, getting a fresh start, makes her want to try being a bit more adventurous with her wardrobe. She snickers to herself at the idea of Alex seeing her in a cropped shirt or ripped jeans, deciding on the spot she has to buy at least one thing she knows will drive him crazy just to see his reaction. 

"I don't think I can carry any more." Norma sighs, barely exaggerating as her arm begins to ache from the mound of fabric across it. Susan looks up, her own mountain of clothes looking even higher than Norma's, nodding resolutely and marching both of them in the direction of the fitting rooms.

"You go first. I wanna see everything on!" She commands. Norma smiles somewhat nervously, ducking into the dressing room and finally depositing her clothes on the hook in the wall. She goes for the things she'd picked out first, holding a blue and white floral dress up to herself in the mirror for a second before she starts to undress. 

The dress is a few inches shorter than she would normally wear, the neckline dipping just a bit lower to show a hint of her cleavage, but she likes it, staring at herself in the mirror for a few seconds before opening the door to show Susan.

"Ok, I like this one." She announces as she emerges.

"Ohmygod that is so cute!" Susan shrieks. Norma turns to pose coquettishly, both of them giggling as she gives a little runway walk. 

"I think it's a yes." She declares. 

"It's a hell yes!" The younger woman agrees. They repeat the process for the next few items, Norma giving an exaggerated show of each garment as Susan cheers her on. Norma thinks briefly that this is the most fun she's had with someone who isn't Alex in... well, ever. 

"Ok, I'm not super sure about this one..." She warns nervously, peeking out of the fitting room in a short, light pink dress with a deep square neckline and slits in the sides at her hips. 

"Oh, that is  so  cute on you." Susan gapes as Norma stands bashfully, her arms hanging at her sides.

"Really?" She asks softly. "I don't know... it's kind of... revealing." She looks down at her exposed skin, the cold air of the shop feeling foreign against her hips.

"It's not that bad! Come on, you look so good!" Susan insists. Norma turns around to look at herself in the mirror again, turning to the side to eye the slits and the open back, sighing softly. She decides that this may be her one adventurous buy, unsure if it'll ever actually make it out of her closet but somehow unable to say no to Susan's enthusiasm. 

She's good about it too, trying on a couple of frilly crop tops that she says no to almost instantly, until she gets to a green and white plaid set with a long-sleeved top that ends just below her ribs and a matching skirt. When she first puts it on, she's sure it will be another quick no, the triangle of skin on her belly formed by the skirt and the angled bottom of the top feeling far too big as she looks in the mirror. 

"I think this one's a no, too." She frowns, opening the door sadly and holding out her arms as she spins in a deflated circle. 

"No, Norma, oh my god, you have to get that." Susan argues.

"I... I just don't think I can do crop tops." Norma shrugs.

"Please, please, pleeeease! This is the cutest thing ever on you!" She pushes. Norma turns, inspecting herself in the mirror again, trying to keep an open mind and feeling herself starting to like it more.

"You really think so?" She asks.

"Yes!" Susan practically shouts, her voice dropping an octave as Norma turns back around. "If you don't buy that, I will buy it for you and sneak it into your closet while you're sleeping." She threatens. Norma bursts into laughter, covering her face as she looks down at herself once more.

"Okay, okay... I guess it's not too bad. Maybe in the summer..." She shrugs.

"Hey, that's the spirit!" Susan chuckles. "Next!" 

It takes them about an hour to get through all of her choices, with Susan persuading her to make a few more adventurous decisions before they finish and go to check out, Norma not even asking about the price and just handing over Alex's card with a sly smirk. 

"Whew, that was just one store!" Norma cries as they walk out, looking down the quaint little downtown street at all of the storefronts. 

"A lot of these places are overpriced. Let me take you to a good one, it's just a couple blocks." Susan promptly takes her hand again, leading her down the street populated with happy-looking people going about their shopping. Norma groans internally at the idea of walking 'a couple' blocks, the soreness in her legs thankfully much duller but still present. 

"All of these stores are so cute. I love this downtown area." She comments, looking around excitedly at all of the options.

"This place is awesome. The owner is this sweet Ukrainian woman, she always gives me discounts." Susan apparently notices Norma's discomfort, stopping suddenly as they're about to cross the street to look her up and down. "Are you okay?"

Norma shifts awkwardly, unsure if she wants to tell the truth. "Uhm, yeah... I'm fine." She lies.

"You're walking funny." Susan narrows her eyes, looking down at Norma's legs like she'll be able to see what's wrong.

"How do you know how I walk?"

"I'm a detective. I notice things." She shrugs. "Wait. Oh my god. Are you..." She tries to hold in her smile. Norma sees no point in lying anymore and deflates.

"Yes." She sighs. 

"Oh my god!" Susan shrieks, sounding shocked and strangely delighted. Norma shushes her, looking around nervously to make sure no one's staring at them. "You guys breaking in the new house?" She asks suggestively. 

"We got a little... carried away." Norma admits sheepishly, her cheeks flushing.

"How many times did you..." 

"Nine."

"NINE?!" Susan gasps, drawing the attention of a few people across the street from them, and Norma shushes her again, her face turning bright red. "Sorry, sorry. Jesus. Nine times?" Susan whispers.

"Alex was trying to go for ten but I had to stop him so I'd have some chance of walking today." Norma chuckles.

"God damn. The man is a stallion." Susan marvels. Norma chokes on her breath and splutters, letting out a loud, shocked laugh.

"You did NOT just say that!" She shrieks. 

"What? It's true!" Susan giggles, looking up to see the light turned on to allow them to cross the street, both of them continuing chatting and laughing as they finally reach the store. The bell jingles as they open the door, a short, plump lady behind the counter looking up and smiling upon seeing Susan. "Hi, Ana!" She greets.

"Tse tvoya nova divchyna?" The woman asks bluntly, looking Norma, who just stands and looks between them awkwardly, up and down.

"Ni, vona zamizhnya. My druzi." Susan chuckles, looking over at Norma like she might laugh along though she has no clue what's going on. "Norma, this is Ana. Ana, my friend Norma." 

"Nice to meet you." Norma smiles brightly, giving a little wave as the woman nods at her. 

"15% off for friends of Susan. Please, look around." Ana says warmly. 

"Thank you! That's very kind." Norma beams, following Susan into the store to look at the woman's handmade jewelry. 

"Vona duzhe harnenʹka." Ana murmurs to Susan as they pass, and Norma notices a slight flush in her friend's cheeks.

"Ana!"  She says through gritted teeth, the woman holding her hands up in surrender and going back to her work as they peruse her store. 

"You speak Ukrainian?" Norma asks after a minute, looking at a golden bracelet with a green stone in it. 

"I was born there. My parents were both natives." Susan nods.

"Oh, I'm sorry." 

"Why?"

"Well, you said 'were.'" 

"Oh, yeah... It was a long time ago." She shrugs. It's Norma's turn to change the subject as she picks up a necklace with a bright blue crystal, holding it against her hand and showing it to Susan.

"This is really pretty." She smiles.

"I like that! It matches your eyes." Susan agrees. 

"How much is this?" Norma turns to Ana.

"Necklaces are 50 dollars, but I'll give you that one for 30." 

Norma looks down at the necklace. "It is awfully pretty..." 

"She'll take it." Susan announces. Norma looks up at her, a smile breaking out on her face.

"Alright, fine. I'll take it." She grins. They walk around the store for a few more minutes, Norma not intending to buy anything else but enjoying looking at the pretty jewelry. Finally, she checks out, looking confusedly at Susan as she exchanges a few more seemingly suggestive words with Ana that she can't understand.

"Come on!" Susan says excitedly as soon as they exit the store, taking Norma's hand again to lead her further down the street. "There's one more place I want to show you."

"Uh, Susan?" Norma asks softly, stopping them both. "Do you mind if we stop somewhere to get something to eat? I'm starving all of the sudden." 

"Oh, yeah, of course! Anything in particular?" Susan asks, looking around them and trying to think of a good place they could go. Norma pauses, both of her hands holding her stomach appraisingly, silently asking her little roommate to give her an idea.

"Hmm. Is there somewhere close I can get a good, greasy burger?" She smirks. Susan thinks for a second and then breaks into a grin.

"Oh yeah. I know a place." 

The 'place' is a few blocks down, and Norma has to ask to stop and take a break from walking after a few minutes, both of them giggling quietly as they find a bench to rest on. Susan shows her a few nice stores around them while they sit, discreetly pointing out some people she knows walking down the street and giving Norma the scoop on a bit of town drama. 

"No! No way!" Norma gapes at the new information about people she's never actually met. 

"I'm serious! It was the talk of the town for weeks. I don't usually do gossip but even I heard about it." She nods. Norma scoffs and shakes her head as she starts to stand up again. "It's just a little further down this street." Susan assures her, seeing her struggle a little to get back up. 

"You better be right about this burger. I want grease." Norma huffs, laughing softly as they make their way down the street. 

There are just a few people lingering in the little diner after the lunch rush, so they slide into a booth in the middle of the dining room, next to a large window that looks out on the town. It's a prime people-watching spot, Susan declares, sliding her menu to the side and reaching for the drink menu. 

"God, I would die for a mimosa right now." She declares, flipping the card over to the back.

"Yeah. Tell me about it." Norma grumbles. Susan looks up like a deer in the headlights, her brain finally catching up and remembering who she's with, a flush spreading through her cheeks.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry. I totally forgot." She sighs, cringing inwardly that she forgot her new best friend is pregnant.

"Don't worry about it. I forget too sometimes. Alex had to literally swat a glass of wine out of my hand last week because I just wasn't even thinking." Norma chuckles. Susan relaxes a bit, laughing along and sliding the drink menu to the edge of the table. 

"So do you know what you're having?" She asks, a safe change of subject.

"Not yet. I actually wanted to ask you some stuff kind of related to that." Norma shakes her head. Susan raises her eyebrows, encouraging her to continue. "Well, first, we're looking for a prenatal doctor in town 'cause I'm supposed to have an ultrasound soon, and I know you're a native so I thought you might know who we could go to? Emma's doctor retired a few months back so I don't even really know where to start..." 

"Oh, yeah, of course! I have a few friends I can ask for recommendations and I'll just send them to you." She smiles. "Who's Emma?"

Norma pales as she realizes what she's gotten herself into, chuckling nervously before answering. "She's um... my daughter-in-law." She replies, picking at the peeling corner of the laminate on her menu. Susan is quiet for a second as she connects the dots of what she's implying. Norma finally looks up, a nervous smile on her face. "Yep. I'm a 40-year-old grandma." She admits. 

"How old is your grandkid?" Susan asks kindly, and Norma looks up to find not a shred of judgment on her face. She relaxes, smiling slightly with relief.

"She's almost a year old. Kate. She's just the cutest little thing, I can't stand it." Norma beams. Susan smiles warmly and nods.

"What else did you want to ask me about?" She inquires when it seems Norma is a bit too nervous to elaborate any further.

"Oh, um, we were planning on having a sort of housewarming-party-slash-baby shower hybrid in a few weeks and I wanted to invite you!" Norma says brightly.

"That sounds like fun!"

"Yeah, we don't have a date or any plans yet 'cause we literally had the idea last night but I thought I'd give you as much notice as possible." Norma shrugs.

"No, yeah, I'll look at my schedule but I should be able to go!" Susan nods.

"Awesome! I'll let you know once we figure out some plans." Norma smiles, turning her attention back to her menu. "Are the milkshakes here any good?" She asks, having already mostly made up her mind that she has to have one. 

"Oh, their ice cream is the best! I get the rocky road sundae every time I come here." 

"Can they do sprinkles for a milkshake?" 

"I don't see why not."

"I love sprinkles." Norma beams.

"You seem like a sprinkles person." Susan nods.

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Norma snaps back, her smile dropped. Susan freezes, looking up at her questioningly and quickly realizing she's dead serious.

"Well, I guess I associate sprinkles with happy people. And you seem very happy and... bright." She shrugs.

"Really?" Norma asks excitedly, her mood turning on a dime again. She smiles warmly as Susan nods, both of them looking up when their waitress approaches. 

The burger is, in fact, extremely greasy as promised, and Norma wolfs down the entire thing within minutes, only slightly embarrassed to be making such a mess in front of someone she met 2 days ago. Something about Susan makes her comfortable though, like they've been best friends for years. She doesn't feel nervous or awkward around her, and it's the most fun she's had for as long as she can remember. 

Her worries dissipate even more when their ice cream comes out and she looks up from the vanilla milkshake and sprinkles she suddenly doesn't really want anymore to see Susan draining her bowl emphatically, a small ring of chocolate smeared around her lips. Susan looks up, frozen for a second, before they both burst into giggles. 

"You weren't kidding about the rocky road!" Norma chuckles.

"It's-scho-good!" Susan mumbles around her spoon, finally taking her napkin to wipe the ice cream from her face. "You have to try it!" 

Norma briefly thinks about protesting, looking sadly at her own disregarded milkshake, but she sees the excitement in Susan's eyes and gives in, grabbing her spoon to take a tiny sliver off the top of the scoop.

"Come on, you gotta get more than that! Look, grab that marshmallow right there." Susan chides, practically snatching the spoon from Norma's hands to get her a better bite. Her eyes widen at the heap of ice cream on the spoon when she hands it back, pausing for a moment before taking the entire bite into her mouth at once.

"Mmmh, it is really good!" Norma beams, covering her mouth daintily with her hand as she chews the nuts hidden inside. She smiles widely as she finishes her bite, her eyebrows suddenly raising as she has an idea. "You know what would make it even better?" She smirks.

"One step ahead of you." Susan chuckles, already reaching for the bowl of sprinkles that had come with Norma's milkshake. 

That's how they end up sharing a rocky road sundae with rainbow sprinkles, sporting matching chocolate mustaches by the time they're done, both of their faces aching from smiling and laughing almost non-stop. 

"Do they sell this stuff in stores? I think I need it to be the first thing in my freezer." Norma says, grabbing their discarded menus to check if there was a brand of some kind. 

"I'll ask the waitress. I bet you could get some at the grocery store." Susan offers. Norma freezes, her eyes jumping to the fading winter sun outside and then to her watch as she straightens.

"Shit. I have to go grocery shopping before I go back home. They're gonna be done soon, I gotta go." She stands a bit too quickly, swooning for a second and reaching out to steady herself on the table as her vision goes blank. "Woah..." She breathes, stumbling to catch her balance. Susan quickly jumps up to meet her. 

"Hey, hey, woah, slow down." She says gently, crossing the table to hold Norma's arms steadily. "Have you had any water today? Sit down for a minute."

Norma obeys, sitting cautiously back in the booth and thinking back on her day. "I... I had morning sickness this morning. I drank some water after but I guess I haven't had any since then." She admits.

"You're probably dehydrated." Susan tuts, waving at the nearest waitress to get some water. 

"I'm fine, I just stood up too fast. I really have to go..." Norma protests, shrinking a little at Susan's don't you dare glance when she tries to stand again. 

"You're not going anywhere until you drink this." She insists. Norma considers refusing, but she remembers Susan telling her she's a cop and briefly wonders if she's carrying a gun, deciding she doesn't want to find out and grudgingly taking the glass. "Where's your phone? I'm gonna call Alex." Norma opens her phone and dials her husband's number, handing it over as she works dutifully at draining the water.

"Norma? What's up?" She hears Alex answer over the speakerphone. 

"Hey, Alex, it's Susan. Just calling to let you know Norma had a little dizzy spell but she's okay and I'm making her drink some water. I think she probably needs to lay down for a little while. Is it safe for me to drive her home yet?" Norma looks up, her mouth open to insist she still has to get groceries, but she quickly shrinks back when Susan cuts her eyes at her, just daring her to protest. 

"Shit. Okay, yeah, we can be done here in like ten minutes? I was gonna let the place air out after but that'll take too long now. Can I talk to her?" Alex sighs. 

"Just as soon as she finishes her glass of water." Susan agrees somewhat threateningly, Norma obediently gulping the last of the water down and taking her phone back as her friend disappears to get her another glass.

"Hi honey!" She says peppily, trying to avoid the nagging lecture she knows she's in for.

"Hey baby. Are you okay? What happened?" Alex asks tenderly. 

"Nothing, nothing. I'm fine. I just kind of forgot to drink water all day and then I stood up too fast and I got lightheaded. But I feel just fine now, promise." She assures him. "Susan is taking care of me. Aggressively." She adds, chuckling to herself. 

"Okay. You guys coming straight here? Have you eaten?" He presses.

"Yes, we just ate and I was going to go get us some groceries but I guess that's not happening now." She sighs.

"Peanut butter and jelly it is." Alex surmises and she can hear his little grin through the phone. "Did you have fun at least?"

"Yes! This was the most fun I've had in forever. Except last night." She adds mischievously. 

"Good! I'm glad. And I'll go get groceries for us tomorrow. Don't worry about it." 

"I can get them myself!" She argues, her voice turned into a high-pitched whine in a second.

"No way. You are on bedrest until I say so." Alex declares. 

"Bed rest?! Alex, I said I'm fine!" Norma practically shouts, lowering her voice as she sees Susan approaching again. "I have to go." She mutters.

"We'll talk about this more when you get here. Come straight home please. I love you, Norma." Alex replies calmly.

"Love you too." She murmurs somewhat begrudgingly. "Be there in a few minutes. Bye." She hangs up, wiping the annoyance off her face and smiling up at Susan as she hands her another glass of water, draining it quickly and without fuss. 

"Ready to go?" Susan confirms as she grabs her bag from the booth. Norma nods, standing slowly this time and following her back to the car. She sits heavily in the passenger seat, picking at her fingers silently as they pull away from the restaurant. "What groceries do you need?" 

"Huh?" Norma looks up.

"What groceries do you need? I'll get them for you." Susan clarifies.

"Oh, Susan, I can't ask you to do that-" 

"You're not asking, I'm offering. Just give me a discount on a muffin or something when you open." She insists. 

"Are you sure? I don't want you to go out of your way..." Norma replies timidly.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's on the way back to my place anyway. I'll grab you a couple things to get you by 'till you're feeling better." 

"Alex said he'd go tomorrow. We just need enough for tonight and breakfast in the morning. We've been living off of peanut butter and jelly but I think we're out of bread." She giggles. 

"Okay, bread. I can do that." Susan says affirmatively. 

"I guess just the basics? Cheese, eggs... um..." Norma shrugs. 

"Some protein?" Susan suggests.

"Peanut butter is protein!" She argues, both of them chuckling.

"Okay, bread, cheese, eggs, and some protein other than peanut butter. Anything else?" Susan lists, trying to cement the items in her head. 

"I don't think so. Thanks so much for helping us out." Norma smiles sincerely, deflating a little as she sees her new home approaching. She has to admit, she's pretty exhausted, but she also doesn't want the most fun day she's had on her own to end. 

"Of course! I hope you get feeling a little better. Sorry for wearing you out." Susan replies lightheartedly, pulling into the driveway and climbing out to walk her to the door. 

"Nonsense. I had so much fun." Norma insists, heaving her shopping bags over her shoulder to head up the porch steps. She can't even get her keys out before the door opens, Alex slinking outside to meet them and closing the door quickly behind him. 

"Hi, Alex!" Susan greets brightly. 

"Hey, Susan." He nods, slightly breathless, turning to Norma. "We didn't have time to air out downstairs. You're gonna have to hold your breath." He instructs her. 

"Hold my breath? Alex, please, it's not gonna kill me to walk up some steps-"

"Hold your breath." He snaps.

"Hold your breath." Susan agrees at the same time. Norma huffs aggravatedly at being outvoted, shoving her shopping bags into Alex's hands. 

"Thank you for a wonderful time, Susan. And thanks again for helping us out." She says warmly, turning back to glare at Alex for a second before making a show of sucking in a big breath, her cheeks puffing out as she ducks through the front door and trots across the bakery and up the steps. 

Alex smiles awkwardly at Susan, both of them trying not to laugh at Norma's melodrama. He looks down at the three heavy bags in his hands, chuckling to himself. 

"So I take it you guys had fun?" He smirks.

"Yeah, we did. I think she's gonna like it here." Susan nods. 

"Me too. I'm glad. Thanks for... taking her out and all. I kinda dropped the ball with the short notice, so..." He shrugs, scratching the back of his neck. 

"It was no problem! I had fun too." She assures him. "Oh, by the way, do you need anything from the grocery store? Norma said bread, cheese, eggs, and some meat, but that you were planning to go tomorrow so not too much." 

"Oh, you really don't have to-" He starts.

"Don't even. I already had this conversation with Norma. I'm just gonna get you guys enough so you don't have to eat peanut butter out of the jar for dinner, okay? So do you need anything or not?" Susan cuts him off stubbornly. Alex blinks. 

Oh yeah. She's gonna get along with Norma just fine. 

Chapter Text

When Alex gets back upstairs after saying goodbye to Susan and Dylan, he finds Norma curled up under the covers of the bed, still in the cute outfit she'd worn to go out, her shoes tossed haphazardly on the floor next to the bed. He's about to ask if she's sleeping when he sees her shudder, rushing over to the side of the bed to check on her. 

"Hey, what's wrong? Did you not have fun?" He asks gently, resting his hand on her shoulder as she looks up at him with wet, bleary eyes. 

"No, I did!" She squeaks, sucking in a breath. "I'm just so tired. I'm so tired, Alex." She sobs softly, breaking his heart as he melts and sits on the bed next to her.

"I know." He sighs, rubbing her arm soothingly as she sits up, wrapping her arms around him and crying into his neck while he holds her. "You just rest, okay? I'm gonna take care of dinner. We can eat in bed and go right to sleep." He offers, hearing a quiet sniffle from her that he understands as an agreement. 

"Okay." She murmurs, the word barely audible as she shrinks back into her curled-up position, wiping her face and scoffing. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm crying." Her voice drops to that low, cynical tone she only tends to use when she's annoyed or afraid.

"It's okay." Alex says uselessly, unsure how to handle her rapid mood swings that only seem to be getting worse. "You've had a long day. Get some rest. I'm gonna go clean up downstairs." 

"M'kay." She replies meekly, her hands tucked under her chin just above the edge of the covers. 

"I don't want to see a single finger outside of this bed, you hear me? If you need anything, my ringer's on." He instructs, earning a weak little nod from her as he gives her arm one last squeeze and stands up. He flicks the light off and leaves the door open just a crack, standing outside for a minute, just listening, wanting to make sure she's not crying anymore. 

As promised, he makes her a dinner of a grilled cheese sandwich with the groceries that Susan brings by not long after, filling up an extra large glass of water to go with it. He cuts some circles out of the lunch meats and places them out on the crackers she'd bought after remembering Norma saying she was having morning sickness.

Though Norma's nervous about getting crumbs in their bed, they eat there at Alex's insistence in relative silence. He considers turning something on the TV but decides against it, not wanting to disturb her from going back to sleep as soon as they're done. 

"So I'll probably go to the store tomorrow morning, hopefully before you're up. And Susan gave me the numbers of some doctors when she came by, so I can call around to get you an appointment in the morning too." He informs her, earning a nod from her, a tiny string of cheese hanging from her full mouth as she scarfs down the sandwich. "Anything specific you want?" He prompts after she's finished chewing. 

"Oh, can you look if they have rocky road ice cream?" She asks excitedly.

"Rocky road?" He scoffs. 

"Yes! Susan made me try some at lunch and I need more." 

"Aren't you lactose intolerant?" He asks as though he doesn't know, having dealt with her consuming dairy anyway for years. 

"I don't care! Just get me ice cream, please." She snaps, giving him the best pleading eyes she can muster. 

"Fine, but you can't be mad at me when your stomach gets upset." He relents.

"I won't! Promise." 

"Okay, what else?" 

Norma gives him a list of things she needs so long he has to pull out his notes app to make sure he doesn't forget any, promptly turning over and flopping straight to sleep as soon as she's done. Alex smiles, his mind fighting against the guilt he wants to feel over exhausting her so badly as he tiptoes around the room to flick the lights off and close the curtains so she can sleep in the morning. He crawls into bed next to her, slinking his arms around her waist despite her long whine in protest of being stirred. She gives him a contended smile after he kisses her temple in silent apology, relenting and snuggling back against him to quickly fall asleep again, Alex not far behind.

------

When Norma finally wakes up, Alex is already at the grocery store, leaving her alone in their giant, comfy bed in their perfect little house. She sits up groggily, wiping a tiny trail of drool from the corner of her mouth and blinking at the thin streaks of sunlight sneaking through the curtains. Reaching for her book on the nightstand, she freezes when she feels her stomach turn over suddenly, the blood draining from her face. 

Norma throws the covers off of her lap and sprints on shaking legs to the bathroom, not quite making it in time and creating a bit of a mess on the floor in the few feet leading up to the toilet. She doesn't even notice it for a few minutes, just retching violently and fighting to catch her breath in between every spell of nausea. By the time she's done, her face is smeared with tears she doesn't remember shedding and she feels so empty she's certain she can never be full again. 

"Shit, sweetie. You're really puttin' me through the ringer here." She mutters not unkindly down at her abdomen, sighing loudly as she looks down and finally registers the mess she'd managed to soak her knees in, barely choking down another bout of nausea at the sight. After a few minutes of breathless recovery on the floor, she stands weakly, leaning on the wall to shove her cute little knee-length floral skirt down her legs, holding back tears as she holds up the tarnished fabric. "Damn it." She whimpers, her voice breaking pathetically. Her brain knows she's crying over nothing, but the knowledge does nothing to stop the emotions from overwhelming her until her eyes are puffy and she can't stop sniffling over the skirt she can probably just wash. 

The last thing Alex expects when he gets home after the longest grocery trip he's ever experienced is to find his wife standing in their bedroom in front of the closet, dressed in just the button-down shirt she'd been wearing yesterday and her panties.

"Hey!" He barks accusingly, seeing her out of bed and leering like he's just caught her in a lie. She turns her face to him and he melts instantly, seeing her red eyes, puffy nose, and stricken expression. It's only then he takes in the mop leaning haphazardly against the wall in the bathroom and the disheveled state of the covers on the bed.

"I got sick again." She admits meekly, though he'd already connected the dots on that. "I made a mess." The look on her face threatens to kill him, her eyes boring anxiously into his like she's waiting for him to explode and scream at her for dirtying their room the day after they'd moved in.

"Oh." He replies sadly, stepping forward to bring the washing machine and the skirt she'd been furiously scrubbing into his view. "That's okay. Just lay down, let me take care of it." He instructs gently, expecting her to push back and somehow feeling worse when she just nods, slumping back to the bed and shimmying back under the covers, her head looking incredibly small just peeking out over the top. 

"I'm sorry. I tried to make it." She promises as he tosses the skirt into the washer with an extra half scoop of detergent and starts it rattling loudly.

"I know, baby. It's okay, it happens." He assures her. Nevertheless, he grabs the plastic trash can from the other side of the room to place it next to the bed. "In case you feel sick again and you don't think you can make it." He informs her, earning the smallest nod he's ever seen in response. 

"How was shopping?" She asks quietly to divert the conversation from her hypothetical sickness before it becomes real. 

"Good. I got everything you wanted." He calls through the bathroom door.

"Even the rocky road?" 

"Yes, even the rocky road." He chuckles.

"Did you bring it all in already? It's gonna melt!" Norma gasps like it's the end of the world, only earning an eye roll from her husband. 

"It's November, hon. It's probably colder in the car than it will be in the freezer." He reminds her. 

"Oh. Okay." She murmurs, not used to being so cooped in her room that she doesn't even know the weather outside. Her empty stomach rumbles under the covers. "Did you eat?"

"I had breakfast when I got up, but that was a while ago. You hungry?" He finally emerges from the bathroom, closing the door so she can't stare sadly at it anymore and laying himself on his stomach across the bed facing her. He pulls her hand out from under the covers to drag it toward himself so he can play with her fingers. 

"I could eat." She lies, not wanting to admit to him she's about to starve to death if he doesn't put food in front of her in the next half hour. "I still feel a little nauseous." 

"I got chicken noodle soup from the store? You want me to make you summa that?" He offers, seeing her face light up almost imperceptibly at the proposition. 

"Yes please." She smiles sweetly. 

"Comin' right up." He grins and rolls off the bed. "Oh, also, I called one of those doctors from Susan's list and got you an appointment on Monday. Ultrasound and a checkup with Dr. Miller."

"Okay, okay good!" Norma nods, adding the appointment to her mental calendar. 

"You talk to Susan about getting an assistant?" 

"Shit, I forgot. I'll text her later." Norma grimaces and shakes her head.

"Okay. No rush, we're not even opening yet. Just rest and we'll deal with it later, 'kay?" He confirms gently. 

"Yeah, yeah, OK. No rush." Norma repeats with a soft, reassuring smile. Alex pauses for a moment in the doorway of their bedroom, looking back at her. He can see her legs curled up under her beneath the covers as she smiles warmly at him, her hands holding the comforter up around her chin so only her face and a few fingers poke out. "Alex?" She breaks him from his reverie, her voice nervous but demanding. Her stomach grumbles again. "Soup?" 

"Right, yeah, sorry. Be right back." He shakes his head, clearing his mind of the image of her looking so tiny and cute, resisting the urge to turn around and scoop her in his arms and never, ever let go. 

-----

After a torturously long weekend of Alex's strict bed rest enforcement, Monday finally arrives and Norma wakes buzzing with excitement. Alex, never too much of a morning person, groans softly at her energized tittering, covering his eyes with his hand and turning over to face away from the curtains she just yanked open. 

"Alex! We're gonna meet her today!" She beams. "How can you lay there when we're about to see our baby for the first time?" 

"It's 7:00 am, Norma! The appointment's not 'till noon, come back to bed." He whines. 

"I've been in bed for two days! I can't stand it anymore. I'm going to make breakfast, so you can join me when you're done being grumpy." She puffs, prancing out of the room and intentionally making a racket in the kitchen to force him to get up. 

He finally emerges as she's finishing up the scrambled eggs, dumping over half of them onto his already full plate and just a few scrapings onto hers, as she always does. "Thanks, hon." He nods to her as he slumps into the chair in front of his setting, still groggy as she springs around the kitchen to fetch them both glasses of water and napkins. 

Norma scarfs her breakfast down so quickly it makes Alex scared she'll make herself sick again, but she doesn't appear to. She practically drags him out the door an hour before noon and bounces down the steps faster than he's ever seen her move.

"Jesus, babe, slow down! We're gonna be an hour early anyway!" He calls as she tugs his hand with more strength than he even knew she had. 

"I don't care, I can't wait anymore! I can't, I'll die." She whines in her classic melodrama. 

"Well, don't die. The baby's not going anywhere, I promise. Doesn't even have legs yet." He chuckles, feeling her jittery energy fill the car the moment the doors are closed. 

"I can't believe you're not losing your mind right now!" Norma shakes her head, looking closely at him to see if he's just hiding his emotions really well. 

"It's just a doctor's appointment?" He shrugs cluelessly.

"Ultrasound, Alex. That means pictures. We're gonna  see  the real-life baby that we made for the first time in an hour and I expect excitement!"

Her disillusionment at his lack of excitement quickly fades the moment she's on the table in her thin, flowery patient gown. Before the doctor even comes in, he's clutching her hand so tightly in both of his that it fully disappears between his fingers as he looks around the room at all of the fetus diagrams and parenting posters. 

"The hell is precklampsia?" He mutters, squinting at an infographic on the back of the door. 

"Pre-eclampsia." Norma corrects gently. "It's a blood pressure condition in pregnant women that can be really dangerous. I had it with Norman, I was supposed to be on bedrest for 3 weeks before my due date." She explains.

"Supposed to?" The corner of his mouth quirks up, knowing exactly how well she listens to bed rest orders. She shrugs sheepishly. 

"Sam made it pretty clear 'bed rest' was not an option. Someone had to be an adult in the house." She mutters darkly, taking him more than a little bit by surprise. "Anyway, Norman was born a few weeks premature because of it. He was fine, obviously. Well, physically, I guess..." Norma trails off with a defeated little shrug, but before Alex can reassure or comfort her, there's a sharp knock at the door while it's already opening. 

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Romero! I'm Dr. Miller, I'll be your prenatal physician." A woman greets, her hands rubbing together with sanitizer as she pulls up a rolling stool. 

"Hi! Nice to meet you." Norma chirps from the bed.

"Nice to meet you." Alex nods.

"Before we get started, I just want to ask some preliminary questions so I can make sure we're all on the same page going forward." Dr. Miller smiles at both of them as she snaps on a pair of gloves. "Do we know when the fetus was conceived? Or a general idea?" 

Norma and Alex look at each other blankly for a moment before she speaks up uncertainly. "Um... not really? I took a test on the 13th because I was already late so I think about 12 weeks? Give or take." She squeaks.

"Any morning sickness?" 

"Yes, it just started about 3 days ago." Norma nods. "And my boobs hurt. Alex says they're getting bigger, but I don't know." She adds. Alex immediately feels a blush creep to his face at her bluntness with the woman they quite literally just met. 

"Okay, those are definitely first trimester symptoms. If your morning sickness just started it might put you at a little earlier, but everyone's different so how about we just take a look and see what's goin' on in there?" Dr. Miller replies cheerily. "Any prior pregnancies?"

"I had two boys in '91 and '95." Norma answers, dipping her head to avoid having to see the woman's reaction. 

"So a little while ago, then?" She replies, her voice clinical and free of judgment. "Same father?" Dr. Miller looks up at Alex, who appears pale as a ghost as he watches the exchange awkwardly. 

"Um, no. This is his first." Norma cracks a smile up at Alex and squeezes his hand. 

"Well, congratulations, dad!" The doctor grins. "Alright, I know you're eager to meet the little one, so I'll get on with it. Since it's your first appointment and we're not sure how far along you are, I'm going to recommend we do an internal ultrasound today to get a better look if Baby is a little smaller than expected. If you're not comfortable with that, totally okay, external will do just fine."

"That's fine." Norma nods, pulling Alex closer to her and adjusting the stiff paper gown around her stomach. 

"Perfect. I'll just have you lay back and put your feet up and we'll get to be best friends real quickly." Dr. Miller jokes, both women chuckling as Alex looks between them, too nervous to ask what the hell an internal ultrasound entails. He gulps as he watches his wife stick her feet into the stirrups on the table like a seasoned professional, squirming at the image of what she must look like from the doctor's perspective. 

"You okay, honey?" She checks up on him, bringing her other hand to cradle his and directing his attention away from her very spread legs. 

"Yeah, yeah, 'mgood." He swallows and nods, suddenly wishing he could change his answer as the doctor rolls the ultrasound machine over and pulls out a wand that looks like it could be an electric toothbrush without the bristles. He can't stop himself anymore and leans down to whisper harshly in her ear, "tell me she's not going to put that thing..."

Norma giggles. "Relax, I've done this before. It doesn't hurt." She assures him. Alex sighs and sets his jaw when the two women exchange knowing glances, feeling incredibly out of his depth and trying not to start sweating. 

After a few minutes of awkward maneuvering and tiny winces from Norma that make Alex think she might've been lying, he finally sees something he recognizes on the machine screen as his wife sucks in a little breath, clearly seeing it too. 

"Ope, there it is." The doctor smiles widely, starting to point to the screen. "This open space is the uterus. And that blob there is your baby." She points out brightly. 

Alex doesn't think he's ever gone so long without blinking, staring at the grainy black and white screen in amazement. He can just barely see the outline of their baby's head, the chin tucked down into the body and one squiggly little leg sticking up and out like a ballet dancer. 

"Wow." He breathes, feeling Norma's eyes on him but unable to look at anything else if it was life or death. 

"Let's see if we can get a heartbeat." Dr. Miller suggests, fiddling with a couple of buttons on the machine until they hear a soft, rhythmic whooshing. "There it is..." She says softly, turning up the volume so they can hear the faint thumping. 

"Oh my god." Alex chokes, not realizing how hard he's squeezing Norma's hand while he listens to his baby's heartbeat for the first time. 

"Oh..." Norma sniffles, pulling him closer so she can wrap her arms around him. Dr. Miller stays silent for a little while to avoid disturbing their moment, smiling warmly when they finally pull apart, Alex wiping at tears on his face that they all pretend are Norma's.

"Looks like a perfectly healthy fetus. With the size and the heartbeat as well as your symptoms, I would put you at around 9 or 10 weeks along. We won't know the sex for a little longer, but a strong heartbeat is always a very good sign." She explains, Norma nodding along and Alex not even pretending to listen after the words 'perfectly healthy'.

"Can we have pictures?" The blonde asks excitedly. 

"Of course. I'll print them out and you can grab them at the front desk on your way out." Dr. Miller agrees. She looks around a little while longer, asking Norma what feels like a hundred more questions that Alex couldn't listen to even if he was trying. He only takes notice when she flinches and squeezes his hand as the doctor slowly removes the probe, and it crosses his mind that her discomfort could be his fault. 

"Are you still...?" He leans down to whisper in her ear, seeing her chew her bottom lip for a second before looking up at him and giving a little shrug.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, I promise. It's just sensitive... up there." She reassures him when he looks so sad and guilty it breaks her heart. "Really, I'm okay. Please stop worrying about it." She begs. Alex can't get the thought out of his head that he'd bruised her insides, thinking back to their activity the other day and chastising himself for being too rough with her.

"I'm sorry." He murmurs with finality, Norma merely accepting it so he'll let go of the subject. 

"Okay, mom and dad, everything looks really good on my end! I'm gonna get you some pictures printed out and I'll have the desk schedule you for your 12-week checkup very soon." Dr. Miller turns back around after putting the ultrasound machine away as Norma sits up and tentatively withdraws her legs to lets them hang over the edge of the table again. "It was so nice to meet you both. I look forward to going on this little journey with you!" She says brightly. 

"Thanks so much!" Norma smiles. 

"I'll see you in about two weeks, then." The doctor nods at both of them, slinking out of the room and leaving them alone. 

There's a silence in the room for a minute, Norma's cheeks beginning to ache from smiling and Alex still trying to pretend he's not crying, the sound of his baby's heartbeat still echoing in his mind. 

"How do you feel?" She asks him, turning to find him still staring blankly at where the screen had been. Alex swallows hard, tearing his eyes away to look down at her and sliding his hand down to cover her stomach. Her hand covers his, their fingers entwining.

"She's really in there." He squeaks. She'll never get over hearing him say 'she,' knowing that he wants to have a little girl just as badly as she does.

"Yeah, she is." 

------

The drive home is mostly quiet, Norma bopping her head along with the radio until her phone buzzes as she pulls her hand out of Alex's grip to check it. 

"It's Susan." She informs him, her eyes skimming the message quickly. "She says she's got a few people in mind that could help us out and she can give us some more info over lunch tomorrow." 

"Sounds good. You up for that?" He checks in, taking her hand back the moment she's done pecking out her response. 

"Yes, my weekend of mandated resting did just the trick. I'm ready to run a marathon." She giggles. 

"Absolutely not!" 

Chapter Text

The next morning when Alex wakes up, he finds his arms empty, frowning before he even opens his eyes. The sun is barely rising and the room is dark, but he can tell that he's alone in bed instantly. He glances into the bathroom, looking for Norma, but catches sight of the bedroom door, now closed despite them leaving it open the night before. The bed is silent as he rolls off of it, a welcome departure from the creaky old furniture at the motel house, the new floorboards allowing him to tiptoe across the room and open the door without the hinges screeching in protest. 

Norma doesn't see him at first, consumed by her laptop screen as she sits at the little bar area separating the kitchen from the living room. The curtains outside the bedroom are open, letting in just enough light from the sunrise to fill the room with a warm glow. 

"What are you doing up?" Alex croaks, causing her to practically jump out of her chair. 

"Jesus, you scared me!" She reprimands. 

"Sorry. Why are you out here?" He presses, taking a step forward to see what she's up to. 

"I couldn't sleep, so I'm working on compiling recipes I might want to put on the menu when we open. Do you think lemon or strawberry flavor would be better for cookie icing? Or both?" Norma rambles to herself, not noticing him approaching until he takes her arm gently in his hand, looking at her with genuine concern that stops her in her tracks. 

"You're not sleeping?" He asks, his tone so tender she instantly forgets everything she'd been doing as a lump settles in her throat. 

"I- No, well... It's just..." She chokes, suddenly feeling the overwhelming urge to cry that's becoming more and more familiar with each passing day. He can tell how flustered she is and immediately knows something's up.

"You're..." Alex trails off for a second, taking a tiny, imperceptible deep breath before continuing even more softly. "Are you thinking about him?"

"I'm always thinking about him." Norma snaps, resisting the urge to snatch her arm away from her thoughtful, concerned husband because he doesn't understand. 

"I don't, uh... I guess I'm just confused, honey." He continues patiently, nervously trying to maneuver around her already volatile mood swings only exacerbated by her raging hormones. "Why now?"

Norma's silent for a long time, just sitting and letting him hold onto her arm as she stares down at the countertop and feels his eyes boring into the side of her head. She doesn't know how to put into words what she's feeling, how to make him understand something he won't be able to for another 7 months. 

"Everything's changing." She squeaks, looking up at him with watery eyes like the simple phrase should explain everything. "We moved away, and we're having a baby, and we're meeting new people, and it's all happening so fast and... I'm scared." 

Alex takes a step forward almost without realizing it, her vulnerable tone setting something off in him as she turns on her stool to face him, letting him settle standing between her legs. Goosebumps erupt across her skin as he slides his hand down her arm to hold her tiny, cold hand in his, looking up at her encouragingly as she swallows before going on. 

"I feel like it's all moving too fast. Like, I'm leaving everything behind all at once and I don't want Norman-" She chokes on his name, her voice strangled as she furiously fights back the sobs inching up her throat. "I don't want him to be a part of that. I can't leave him behind." 

Alex nods solemnly, trying to think of a way to say what he needs to without being relegated to the couch for a week. He rubs the top of her hand with his thumb to give her a minute to compose herself. "Can I say something, and you promise not to get mad at me and just hear me out?"

His wife looks up, apprehension in her eyes, but nods anyway. She thinks she knows where he's going, and she hates that her logical mind is already screaming at her that he's right. 

"It's been almost 2 years. He hasn't written, hasn't called once. He won't let you see him or talk to him or even see his medical records anymore." Alex recounts, earning an icy glare from her.

"Yeah, I know that." She snips, but deflates the instant the words leave her mouth and sniffles. 

"It seems to me like he wants to be left behind." He finally spits it out, preparing for the screaming she's about to unleash on him. He waits for a second, and then another, but the screaming doesn't start, and he realizes she's fulfilling her promise and listening despite the sadness in her eyes. 

He continues cautiously. "I just... he isn't making any effort to get better. The reports you got before he cut you off... he wasn't taking his meds, he was shutting down with the therapist, and acting exactly like he has been towards you for two years. It doesn't seem like he wants to come out of that place, and honestly-" Alex huffs, sincerely regretting what he's about to say but finding it too late to bite his tongue, "I don't think he ever can."

Norma's stone silent, her eyes glued to the floor and he considers just leaving now, grabbing himself some sheets to bring to the couch and giving her space, be he persists. He's already planning how he'll beg her for forgiveness when she looks back up at him, wet tracks of tears staining her cheeks as she bites her lip and lets out a little sob before she speaks. 

"You're right." She finally says, and he resists the urge to gasp at her words. "I know you're right, but I don't want you to be. Why do you have to be right?" She whimpers, shaking her head as another thick tear leaks from her eye. Alex catches it with the pad of his thumb, wiping away the stains on her skin before pulling her against him, letting her sob quietly into his sleep shirt as he rubs her back. 

"I don't wanna be right either. I wish I could think of a way we could fix it, but..." He trails off, feeling her shake her head against his chest with a sniffle. 

"He can't come home." Norma agrees meekly, the sentence almost a question on her lips as he gently pulls her back to look in her eyes. 

"It still kills me to imagine what could've happened, that night, when we admitted him. I think about it all the time. If we hadn't gotten there when we did... he was gonna hurt you, Norma. And himself." Alex shakes his head, the memories of finding Norman pointing a gun at his mother rattling through him with an unwelcome shudder. "If he left that place, and he found out about us, and the baby..."

"He can't come home." She repeats more firmly, wiping her hand under her nose resolutely. Her steely gaze fills him with pride, as he knows her sudden conviction comes from a place of maternal protectiveness for their unborn child. 

"I wish it was different." Alex says, surprised to find he means it sincerely. 

"Me too," Norma sniffles, "I wish we could all just be a perfect, happy family."

"I don't think those exist." He admits glumly. 

Norma nods. "I used to think they did. But, then... moms get sick and dads drink and yell and hit and brothers do awful, awful things and sons become serial killers and drug dealers who look nothing like the sweet little boys they used to be, and now... I don't know. I want our family to be different. I just don't know if different even exists anymore." She shrugs like her words didn't just break his heart in two. 

"It exists." He assures her, and partially himself. "It has to. We'll be different, because I'll drink a little but I'll never yell, and I'll never, ever hit, and you'll be perfect like you always are and we'll have Dylan and Emma and Kate, and we'll be a family. It'll be different." Alex promises.  

"I hope so." Norma looks down at her stomach, placing her hand over the skin there and smiling softly as his quickly covers it. 

"I love you so much." He murmurs into her hair, placing a long, tender kiss on the top of her head. "We're gonna be okay."

"I love you too. Thank you." She replies, her arms wrapping loosely around his torso as she lays her head on his shoulder. Her soft blonde curls bounce into his face, but he doesn't care because the smell of her conditioner never fails to soothe him. 

"Now, will you please come back to bed? Get some sleep, for me?" Alex practically whispers, feeling rather than hearing her hum in response. 

"Not until you answer my question." She pouts stubbornly. He looks over at the mess of curls on his shoulder in confusion for a second before he realizes what she means. 

"Strawberry. Definitely strawberry." 

------

They'd planned to meet Susan for lunch around noon, giving them plenty of time to snuggle in bed after the events of the morning. Norma gets what she's convinced is the best sleep of her life in the few hours after her husband drags her back to bed, the emotional exhaustion from their conversation plunging her quickly into a deep, restful sleep. 

Alex knows she needs the rest, unsure exactly how many sleepless hours she'd spent since they'd moved in but choosing not to imagine it. He's careful not to wake her once he's up a few hours later, shifting just slightly so her head flops onto the pillow instead of his shoulder and he can sit up next to her. 

When it's almost 11:00 and she's still sleeping, he has to wake her, knowing she'll gripe at him for giving her so little time to get ready no matter what. He pauses for a minute just before he reaches for her, watching her breathe in and out peacefully. Alex knows he's had the exact same revelation hundreds of times before, but he swears to himself that this moment is the most beautiful she's ever looked. Norma would lose her mind if she could see herself, her usually perfect hair bunched up under her head, her always pampered lips hanging open just slightly, and her dainty hand shoved snugly under her chin against the pillow, probably in the process of causing her face to break out, which he knows he'll never hear the end of. Somehow, every detail just makes her more perfect to him, and he can't help but watch her for a few more seconds before he has to wake her. 

Finally, Alex forces himself to reach out, gently swiping her tousled hair out of her face. "Norma." He calls softly, seeing her twitch but not wake up fully. "You gotta get up, babe."

"Mmmnnnoooooidon'twanna..." She whines all in one breath, shrinking away from the mean hand trying to rouse her and deeper into the pillow.

"We're supposed to meet Susan in less than an hour." He reminds her, earning an exaggerated groan as she realizes she really does have to get up. 

"Whyyy did we have to do lunch? Dinner is a perfectly good meal. I like dinner." She huffs, her beautiful eyes finally fluttering open as she stretches out like a cat on the bed. 

"We'll do dinner next time." Alex promises. Norma doesn't respond, throwing the covers off of herself with an irritated flourish and practically stomping into the bathroom to get ready. 

She doesn't come out until over half an hour later, emerging in the new pink dress she'd bought with Susan while Alex buttons up his shirt, not noticing her at first. Norma walks over to him, carefully wrapping her arms around him from behind and resting her freshly-blushed cheek on his shoulder. He smells good, clearly wearing her favorite cologne in his well-laundered button-up, the clean, fresh scent of him making her feel more at home than ever. 

"You ready?" He smiles over his shoulder, relaxing into her touch as he finishes his last button. She lets go of him and spins him around, not missing his wide-eyed reaction to her outfit. "Jesus. Where'd you get that?" He chokes, his eyes raking over her body like a starving man looking at a Thanksgiving meal. 

"With Susan. She made me buy it." Norma's pink-stained lips pull back into a little smirk as she reaches up, adjusting the collar of his shirt fondly. He hasn't even tried to meet her eyes since turning around, his gaze lingering on the deep slits at her sides and the low neckline without shame. 

"Fucking hell. You're gonna make me take you back to bed right now, I swear." Alex growls, his hands reaching for her hips. She giggles and pushes them away. 

"No! No touching, we're gonna be late." She demands, her grin widening as he looks at her like she's intentionally torturing him, which she just might be. 

"You're trying to kill me, woman." He complains. "At least let me see the back?" 

Norma leers knowingly at him, turning around slowly nonetheless to reveal the short edge of the dress just above her mid-thigh, the tight material not leaving much to the imagination as Alex practically froths at the mouth. She drops her weight onto one hip, tossing her head over her shoulder to look at him. Her lip catches between her teeth as she follows his hungry eyes to her ass, as expected. 

"You like it?" She asks almost rhetorically, seeing him snap himself out of his state of desire and look up at her. His hands wrap around her hips despite her no touching rule, pulling her two stumbling steps back against him, letting her feel the very faint outline of exactly how much he likes it. 

"I think we oughta stay home, actually." He grumbles into her ear, her laughter shaking both of them as he drops his head to kiss gently at her neck. 

"No! We have to go!" Norma manages through her giggles. 

"I don't think anyone needs to see you in this dress but me." Alex croaks, swaying both of them slightly as he pulls her tighter against him. Usually, she would be uncomfortable with his possessiveness, but they both know he doesn't really mean it, that she can wear whatever she wants and he's probably very glad she's becoming more adventurous with her wardrobe, so she just smiles and spins around in his arms. 

"Too bad. Everyone's gonna see it." She shrugs, standing on her toes to whisper in his ear. "But you're the only one who gets to take it off me." 

His reaction is close to feral, a low groan jumping up his throat as his hands shove her hips away from his a bit more roughly than he usually is with her, his breathing ragged already. 

"You gotta stop, babe, or I'm really not gonna make it to lunch," Alex mutters, seeing her pull back to look at him, her expression suggesting she's quite pleased with herself. 

"Well, let's go then." She chirps innocently, batting her lashes at him for a moment longer before slipping away to grab her purse and hurrying both of them out the door. 

Chapter Text

Lunch with Susan goes off almost without a hitch, though Alex might argue the two women spent far too long gushing over sonogram pictures of a barely visible fetus. Susan gives them the resumés of a few locals who had applied for internships at her office and gives some background on each of them. Most are high school students or enrolled at one of the nearby colleges, and almost all of them seem like they would be perfect for what they're looking for. 

Unfortunately, they're not able to socialize for long, as Susan gets an emergency call from work that she takes privately, deciding it best not to let her new friends know it most likely means someone's just been murdered. Her suspicion is correct and she has to rush into the office as soon as she's off the phone, apologizing profusely and snatching the check for their food out of Alex's hand on her way out. 

"Do you miss that at all?" Norma asks wistfully, watching her young friend hurry out of the restaurant. The question sounds playful coming from her mouth, but in truth, she's been worried about moving away and Alex having to leave his post as Sheriff. They hadn't discussed it at all, he'd just come home one day with a box of his things and that had been that, but internally, Norma's afraid he might regret giving it up and being forced to settle down so suddenly. 

"Honestly, no." He shrugs. "I thought I'd miss the excitement of it, but I don't. I guess I never realized how exhausting that job was until it wasn't the most important thing in my life anymore." 

She smiles at his response, her fingers entwining with his under the table. "Really? You don't miss it at all? I just feel bad I made you leave your job and your town and all..."

"No, I don't," Alex says firmly, his strong tone making her look up at him. "And you didn't make me do anything. We moved here because it's what's best for our family, and it's going to make us both happier. I spent over half my life as Sheriff, but I've made more happy memories in the last 2 years with you than all of that combined. I don't give a shit where I am or what I'm doing. I just care that you're there with me, okay?" He squeezes her hand, his authoritarian demeanor dropping as she nods. 

"I like when you say that." She squeaks after a few moments, leaning closer to him in the somewhat secluded booth. 

"Say what?" 

"Our family.'" Norma hums, her arms snaking around him and her head laying on his chest briefly. He hugs her back, not sure exactly how to respond other than pressing a soft kiss into her hairline. Suddenly, he's reminded of what she'd whispered to him earlier when his hands trail up her back and he feels her exposed skin where the new dress dips down past her shoulder blades. 

"You wanna get outta here, Mrs. Romero?" He mumbles into her ear, convinced he can feel the rush of heat that floods her face. She bites her lip before whispering back. 

"Take me home."

------

He doesn't remember driving them back to the bakery, or carrying her up the steps to the loft, or the quick, steamy makeout session they have before he can get the door open. It's as if his brain switches off until the moment he's standing in their bedroom, spinning her around hungrily to get at the zipper on her back. 

"Please tell me all the clothes you bought are like this." He growls into her shoulder, the words barely audible through his nipping at her neck. 

"Um... not really. But Susan did make me buy a couple other things you might like." Norma replies breathily, hardly able to think as his hands seem to be everywhere at the same time. He pauses.

"Wait, you went to Victoria's Secret?" 

"No!" Norma shrieks, turning around and instantly bursting into giggles as Alex's face turns a shade of red she doesn't think she's ever seen before. She grabs his cheeks in her hands, squishing his face just slightly and looking up at him fondly. "I promised I'd only ever go there with you, remember?"

"Right. We should do that soon." He nods with a little too much excitement, earning another chuckle from her. 

"I don't know about 'soon.' I'll start showing in a couple weeks and then I may never feel sexy enough for that again." Norma huffs. He hopes she's just being dramatic, but his hands grab at her hips nonetheless. 

"Hey, you will always be the sexiest woman in the world to me." Alex reprimands her.

"Yeah, we'll see about that when I'm as big as a whale." She rolls her eyes, clearly just being stubborn. Under any other circumstances, he'd push her, promise her he'll always find her beautiful and that her body changing is just the magic of pregnancy, blah blah blah, but at the moment there's not enough blood flowing to his brain to allow for that so he just kisses her instead.  

It takes her a surprised second to kiss him back, her eyes fluttering closed as her hands drop from his face to behind his neck, pulling him closer to her until their bodies are aligned and pressing against each other. His fingernails drag lightly across her back where the dress doesn't cover, sending a shudder through her as they trail closer and closer to the top of the zipper. 

Alex pulls back reluctantly once his fingers find the small zipper. He needs to watch the dress coming off of her. Norma bites her lip coyly as he slowly drags the zipper down, watching the fabric around her loosen until it's barely hanging off her shoulders. 

"You're so perfect." He breathes, his hands coming back up to grasp her face as he kisses her again, somehow igniting even more fire between them. She shrugs the dress off of her, letting the sleeves fall down her arms and leaning her head back, watching his shocked reaction to her standing there in just a pair of light pink panties. 

"My only bra that was the right color doesn't fit anymore." Norma explains herself, seeing the cogs turning in her husband's head as he realizes she'd been half-naked under her dress the entire time. 

"Fuck." He gasps, reaching for her with urgent hands to pull her in the direction of the bed. She fumbles with his belt on the way, finally whipping it out of the loops just before she topples gracefully onto the soft mattress on top of him. Alex pauses once they inch up the bed, stilling her eager hands already working to get his jeans off. "You sure you're okay to do this?" He asks sincerely. Norma rolls her eyes.

"Yes, Alex, I'm okay, I promise." She gives him a quick, sweet kiss that's nothing like the desire-filled ones they'd just shared, a silent thank you for always checking on her, even if it gets annoying at times. His hands release hers in front of him to reach for her hips, pulling her closer as she kneels over him. One of her hands slowly inches the zipper on his jeans down while the other strokes his erection tauntingly through the thick fabric, driving him insane with need for her before he can even get his pants off. 

Blonde curls shroud his face as she leans down to kiss him again, finally shoving the waistband of his jeans open and instantly reaching into his boxers as he works to shimmy them off, barely able to keep kissing her back through the sensations she's giving him. Finally, he kicks his pants and boxers off at once, flinging them onto the floor at the foot of the bed and grabbing both sides of her face to kiss her back deeply, making up for his previous distraction and then some. 

"Turn around." He orders into the tiny space between them, the words barely audible as she kisses him again before she can even register what he's said. She pulls away a second later, giving him a saucy little smirk before obliging his command, spinning herself around so her back is facing him. He sees her fold her knees under herself, flicking her head back over her shoulder as she starts to lean forward, but he stops her before she can sit up fully on her hands and knees. "Nono, come here." He whispers, his hands pulling her hips back until she's sitting between his legs, his erection nestled against her back. 

"Wh-" Norma starts, just letting herself go limp as he places a hand on her forehead, gently guiding her to lay her head back on his shoulder while his other hand unfolds her legs so she's sitting flat on the bed. "This is new?" She murmurs into his neck, her hands running down his legs to find purchase on his knees, bent slightly to effectively cocoon her within his body. 

"Shhh... Trust me." He soothes, his voice barely a rumble as his hands start to wander her body, squeezing and kneading every spot he can reach. The smell of the button-up still covering him soothes her and she slowly starts to relax against him, content to just let him do as he pleases since he clearly has a plan she's not privy to. His breath is hot against her ear, every exhale absurdly loud from the proximity, his nose stuffed into her hair and his teeth nipping at the shell of her ear once in a while. "You have any idea how beautiful you are?" He croons, the vibrations sending goosebumps rippling across her skin. 

Norma knows he can see the way she blushes, hiding her face in the crook of his neck to disguise the flush that still comes to her cheeks every time he compliments her so sincerely it makes her heart ache. She can hear the pleased smile spread across his face in the way his breath changes, the tiny kiss he plants right above her ear tickling her delightfully. 

"I love you so much. You really are a miracle, you know that?" Alex whispers, both of his hands trailing up her sides at once. She can't even imagine responding once he's cupping her breasts, massaging them tenderly until some of the dull ache that had been weighing on her for days finally lifts and she lets out a quiet sigh. "Does that hurt at all?" He asks, remembering her complaint to the doctor, unsure if her reaction is one of pleasure or discomfort. 

"Not anymore. It feels better." Norma replies softly, relaxing even further until her body feels like a puddle of mush draped over him. He nods and doesn't stop, his fingers working diligently to find every spot of tension and carefully rub it out. She could almost fall asleep if it weren't for the still-stiff erection pressing against her back and his occasional stimulation of her nipples, giving her just enough gentle pleasure to keep her alert without rushing his process. He pushes her buttons like a well-oiled machine, somehow knowing exactly what she needs and how to give it to her better than she could ever know herself. 

After a few minutes that feel more like hours, he seems satisfied, looking down pridefully at her chest, the skin all around flushed from his constant caresses. He watches her breathing, noticing it picking up just slightly in anticipation as his hands drift down her sides, brushing against her so lightly it makes her shudder. 

"You want me to touch you now?" He murmurs, his touches freezing at her hips as he waits for her response. 

"Yes, please." She whimpers, her neediness flooding back like a tsunami until she can't stand to not have his hands on her anymore. "Yes," She breathes as his right hand slips down between her legs, the other staying at her hip to steady her. He cups her over her underwear, feeling the evidence of her arousal and smirking into the side of her head before he moves again. His fingers trail lightly up and down, teasing her mercilessly as she tenses her hips, trying to push herself up into his hand. 

He pulls away completely, his left hand pressing harder against her hip. "Relax." He instructs her gently, Norma obeying but feeling herself begin to sweat in anticipation of the reward from his little game-- or whatever it is he's trying to do. His fingers resume their delicate teasing for a few more seconds before pressing harder against her, somehow managing to find her clit perfectly through the fabric of her panties. 

"Ahh!" She gasps, her fingers gripping into his knees harder at the unexpected pleasure coursing through her just from the simple touch. His left hand trails back up her body, resuming his previous massaging with one breast at a time, silently encouraging her to relax back against him again. Norma resists the urge to buck up into his fingers, knowing it's not what he wants from her. She does her best to sit as still as possible while he rubs tiny, tight circles around her sensitive bundle of nerves, the barrier of her underwear dulling the feeling just enough to be almost torturous.

Norma can't help the frustrated groan that escapes her when stops his touches all at once, both hands finally taking hold of her panties and starting to slide them off. She lets him push them as far as they'll go down her legs before she takes over, kicking them off of her and being careful to lay back into the same position once she's done, her legs spreading a little wider between his subconsciously. 

This time, both of his hands reach between her legs, causing her to arch her back instantly as he suddenly slips two fingers into her and simultaneously resumes the circles he'd been rubbing into her clit with his other hand. Norma gasps, choking on nothing as she writhes against him, the sudden burst of pleasure crashing through her as he quickly works her up. The combination of his fingers moving slow and deep inside her and the perfect amount of pressure on her clit has her riding the edge in record time, her breathless moans only spurring him on. 

"Fuck, fuck." She whimpers into his neck, her voice high and desperate and her fingers gripping his knees so tightly they turn white. Alex groans low and deep into her scalp, the rare sound of her swearing threatening to make him burst. "Alex, oh god." Norma pants, trying not to squirm too much but unable to help it as she finds herself overwhelmed but needing infinitely more all at once. 

"Let go, baby. I got you." He whispers. She does exactly that, letting him send her careening into oblivion so violently she's afraid she'll never catch her breath, her entire body shivering and twitching for almost a full minute as he carefully coaxes her back from the edge, eventually withdrawing his fingers entirely as she collapses like Jell-O into him. 

"Oh my god." Norma wheezes, finally releasing her death grip on his legs and turning to wrap her arms around his neck instead. "That was incredible." She informs him, though he was able to figure that out pretty well on his own. 

"I told you to trust me." Alex shrugs like it's no big deal and he hadn't been thinking about doing exactly that to her the entire day. 

"I will never doubt you again." 

------

Later that night, after Norma takes a long bath while Alex cleans up downstairs, they're lounging on the couch with a random show on the TV when he suddenly speaks up. 

"What about her?" Alex holds the resumé he'd been looking at out for her to take, waiting as she sets aside her laptop to grab it. 

"I don't even know." Norma huffs after a few seconds of reading, her fingers brushing through her hair nervously. "They're all so...  qualified ." 

"Isn't that a good thing?" 

"They're qualified to work at the goddamn FBI, not a bakery!" She groans. 

"Well, let's just find someone who seems nice. You're gonna have to teach 'em everything anyway." Alex shrugs. 

"Any of them have babysitting experience?" Norma quips, both of them cracking a smile as she looks a bit closer at the packet in her hands. She studies the picture paperclipped to the front, narrowing her eyes and trying to discern if the young girl's smile is real or fake. "She seems nice." She finally decides. 

"Yeah, d'you see the part about her school?" 

Norma scans lower on the page to the qualifications banner, reading quickly to see that the girl was enrolled in an online high school program that gave her flexible hours. "I don't know about that. Is that like homeschool? What if she's weird?" 

"I don't think so." Alex chuckles. "Sounds more like what Norman and Emma were doing, working at the motel?" 

"Oh. Yeah. I guess so." She reads the rest of the paper, raising her eyebrows at the impressive resumé before handing it back to him. "I think she's perfect. And she looks nice enough." 

"Okay, you wanna text Susan and see if we can get in contact with her?" Alex suggests, and she nods, pulling her laptop back onto her lap and reaching for her phone. She pecks out a quick text to her friend and attaches a picture of the girl's resumé before setting her phone aside and returning to her work on the menu. 

"Mmmh, you know what sounds good right now?" She murmurs, the images and descriptions of sweet, decadent food in front of her making her mouth start to water. 

"Didn't we just eat?" Alex frowns cluelessly, shrinking back when she shoots him a death glare that could melt metal. "What sounds good?" He corrects with a gulp. 

"Some rocky road ice cream." Norma grins, batting her lashes at him sweetly in a silent request. He chuckles and shakes his head, shoving the stack of papers off of his lap and standing with a deep huff. 

"You want whipped cream?" He asks, shuffling into the kitchen as she beams in excitement. 

"Is that even a question?" She gasps like he's offended her, Alex rolling his eyes at the cabinets as he grabs her a bowl and heads for the freezer. 

Norma looks up when he returns to the room a minute later, armed with a bowl of her new food obsession sporting a monstrous dollop of whipped cream on top. She shoves her laptop off of her to make room for the bowl, reaching for it with grabby hands as soon as he's close enough. 

"Ok, ok, I'm coming." Alex chuckles, picking up his pace in the last few steps to deposit the bowl in her waiting hands. 

"Ugh, that's cold!" She gasps as soon as she snatches it away from him, Alex barely managing to hold in his comment that it's literally ice cream and avoid incurring her wrath. Instead, he pulls the throw blanket off of the back of the couch and drapes it over her, flopping heavily down onto the cushions next to her and stealing some blanket for himself. 

"What even is this?" He scoffs at the TV, reaching for the remote to change it. He flinches when her incredibly cold hand grabs his arm, stopping him with a threatening glare. 

"Don't you dare." She says menacingly.

"You watch this stuff?" Alex asks incredulously, looking back at the ridiculous, clearly fabricated reality TV show on the screen. 

"Yes, Alex, it's The Bachelor. I've only watched it every Monday since you've even met me." She rolls her eyes, finally withdrawing when she's certain he knows better than to change the channel. 

"Right." He nods to appease her, sighing quietly to himself and leaning back to lay one arm over the back of the couch around her. 

"She's my favorite." She informs him as if he cares, Alex just nodding along as she rants about the drama of the show through a mouthful of ice cream. After an eternity of the fakest crying he's ever seen, the episode finally ends and he's quick to reach for the remote, flicking away before another can possibly start. 

"You want a movie?" He asks her, feeling her shoulders shrug under his arm. He glances over to find her holding the empty bowl close to her chest, shivering just slightly. "Put that down before you freeze to death." He chuckles, taking the bowl from her hands to place it on the coffee table and pulling her closer to him to share some of his heat. 

Alex decides to turn on a historical drama that looks interesting enough. Norma lays her head on his shoulder, and it takes him until over halfway through to film to realize she's fallen asleep on him. He chuckles to himself, pulling the blanket further up around her and letting her sleep through the rest of it. 

The movie's finally over at almost 11:00, and he lifts his shoulder to rouse her as the credits roll. "Hey, hon, it's over." He whispers.

"Mmmmwhaaatdidimissit?" She murmurs, not opening her eyes and only pushing her face deeper into his shoulder. 

"Just a little." Alex replies amusedly. "You want me to take you to bed?" He offers, seeing the triumphant smile break out on her face. 

"Yes please." Norma chirps, her arms already wrapping around his neck as he carefully lifts her off the couch, letting the blanket drop off of her and onto the couch. "Can we sleep in tomorrow?" She yawns. 

"Sure." Alex agrees, knowing she'll be nudging him awake at 7:00 am regardless of how late she claims she wants to sleep. "Did Susan respond?" He sets her down gently on the bed, sitting on the edge as she shuffles under the covers and scrambles to find her phone in the pocket of her (his) sweatpants. 

"Yeah." She opens the message, furrowing her eyebrows at the response. 

"What?" Alex asks, leaning over to look at her screen. 

Lol, really?  Susan's text reads. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Norma scoffs, and Alex wisely takes the phone out of her hands before she can start typing. "Hey!" She grumps. 

Yeah? Is there something wrong w her?  He sends back. Susan reads it a few seconds later. "She's typing." He reports, Norma shuffling to look over his shoulder at the screen. 

No, she's a great kid. Just kinda weird.  Susan replies. 

"I told you!" Norma declares triumphantly. The phone pings again.

I'll have her stop by tomorrow so you can meet her.  

Ok. Thank you.  Alex is about to hit send when Norma takes the phone back out of his hand, scoffing at his formal text messaging and quickly correcting it to a more friendly  kk :)  before sending it. 

"You sure about this?" He seems skeptical, put off slightly by Susan's opinion. 

"We're just meeting her, we don't have to hire her if she's really weird. I thought Emma was weird too when I first met her." Norma shrugs, sliding her phone onto the nightstand and shimmying down under the covers. 

"Okay, whatever you say." He stands, crossing the room to turn off the lights and close the curtains in case she really does decide to sleep in before climbing into bed next to her. 

"Alex?" She whispers into the darkness between them. 

"Hmm?"

"My stomach hurts." She whines, and he's thankful she can't see how aggressively he rolls his eyes. "You know I'm lactose intolerant, why would you give me ice cream?" She says accusingly. 

"You remember that time that you asked me to buy you ice cream and I said 'Hey Norma, aren't you lactose intolerant?' and you said 'I don't care Alex, just buy me the goddamn rocky road' so I made you promise not to get mad at me for buying you ice cream? Or did I make that up?" He says lightheartedly.

"Shut up." Norma pouts, grabbing his face so he'll stop talking and kissing him by way of apology. "You should know better than to listen to me." She giggles. 

"You should know I can't possibly say no to you." He counters. She smiles and kisses him again. 

"Oh, trust me, I do." 

Chapter Text

-August 2018-

Norma Bates is pissed. 

Every day this week, her husband has come home hours late, dressed to the nines in a suit with a goddamn briefcase, and outright refused to tell her why. He’s been at a trial, that much she can figure out, but beyond that, he hasn’t given her an inkling of what exactly he’s spent the entire week doing, no matter how much she’s attempted to interrogate him. 

So, yeah. She’s pissed. 

It’s now Friday morning, the fifth day of him disappearing from bed before she wakes up and leaving just under half a pot of coffee in the kitchen for her. Nevermind that it’s concerning how he can drink so much coffee on his own, it’s also cold, meaning he was up and out of the house likely before the sun even started rising. With an annoyed huff, she pours her own small cup and scrounges up a breakfast for herself to get her through the day of errands she has planned. 

It’s almost noon before she leaves the house, driving into town in her Mercedes much slower than usual since she knows if she gets pulled over there’s no chance it will be Alex. By 5:00, she’s almost finished with her errands. She’s wandering through the supermarket looking for the last few items on her list when she overhears the hushed female voices that always mean someone is gossipping in the aisle next to her. 

Norma tries to tune it out as always, having overheard a few too many snide remarks in her direction since moving to White Pine Bay, but the content of the whispers catch her attention and she freezes. 

“Yeah, we were planning to take Andrea up to the courthouse this week to get her license but it’s been closed down every day. Something about a big criminal trial, I guess.” One woman huffs. 

“Oh, I heard about that!” The other gasps. “Sandra told me– you know her husband’s like a court police officer or something– it’s a murder trial.” The last two words are a whisper so soft Norma can barely decipher it, trying to hold in her own surprised reaction. 

“Murder? Here?!” The first woman replies, and Norma almost chuckles. These people clearly have no clue how the city they live in is really run. 

“That’s what I said! Oh, Lizzie, it was awful. She said this guy, the guy on trial, he’d been abusing his wife for, like, years, and then the other week he was super drunk and, like, lost it, and now he’s on trial for killing his wife and their- I think 3-year-old- kid.”

“Allegedly.” The other woman interjects.

“Lizzie!” 

“Innocent until proven guilty, Poll.” She replies somewhat defensively, though Norma doesn’t hear her anymore. All she hears is the blood pounding in her ears, her hands gripping the shopping cart in front of her so tightly they turn white. Her mind is blank but overwhelmed at the same time and the only thought she can muster is get out. 

Her very next memory is of sitting in the driver’s seat of her car, sobbing harder than she thinks she ever has in her life. It takes close to 30 minutes for her to calm enough for her shaking hands to drive home, barely able to see the road through her tears. She can’t believe this. It’s all too much to handle and every new revelation about the situation brings another wave of choked, gasping tears. 

The car is barely in park before she’s stumbling up the steps, throwing open the front door without bothering to lock it behind her. Her purse drops on the floor somewhere between the foyer and her bathroom but she can’t be bothered, bursting into the tiny space that’s effectively served as a panic room since she moved in and slamming the door. 

Another round of sobs racks her body until she’s utterly exhausted, unable to lift her hand to wipe at her tears anymore as they trail down her face. This can’t be real. Somehow, she manages to shed her clothing and turn on the bath, unbothered by the temperature as she slips into the scalding hot water that threatens to burn her skin up to her chest. 

That’s where Alex finds her passed out when he gets home, her head slumped against the side of the tub, blonde hair hanging in sopping tendrils around her face. His stomach lurches as he realizes how close she could’ve been to drowning by accident, his heart still beating from the panic of finding the door unlocked, seeing her purse flung on the ground, and hearing no response from inside the house as he called out to her. 

He kneels by the tub, swallowing hard at the sight of the makeup smeared down her sweet face and the skin on her nose, still so bright red it looks like it could peel off. 

“Baby.” He reaches for her, his hand resting on her now-freezing-cold shoulder to rouse her. She’s shivering even in her sleep. “Norma.” Alex calls again, genuine concern knitting his face into a grimace. 

She jumps awake with a gasp, recoiling from his touch as if by instinct and sloshing water almost over the edge of the tub. Her bleary eyes find him after a few blinks. 

“What happened?” Alex manages to splutter. 

“Go away.” Norma spits. He watches as her arm rises to drape across her chest, covering herself as she huddles in the corner of the tub, just out of his reach. His eyes linger on her arm, filled with hurt. She hasn’t covered herself in front of him in over a year, not since they’d first been married and he’d drilled it into her head that she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen and he can’t stand to not see her. 

“Norma-”

“Go. Away.” She repeats, her voice cracking but still dripping with venom. He stares, dumbfounded, at her, his mouth moving but his brain unable to form words. Norma deflates, and he hopes it’s because she sees his confusion, then speaks a little softer. “Please, Alex, I can’t right now. Just get out, please.” 

He doesn’t listen, reaching for her again and trying to grab her hand. 

“Don’t touch me!” She wrenches away from him, this time actually sloshing cold water over the edge of the tub and onto his suit, though he doesn’t seem to care. He sits back on his knees, looking at her in shock. “I can’t see you right now. Go, get out! I can’t, I can’t!” Norma practically shrieks, her breathing picking up again. 

Alex stumbles back and carries himself on numb, shaking limbs out of the bathroom, then out of the house, her words echoing in his brain. I can’t see you right now. What the hell did that mean? Why is she so upset? What did he do? 

He finds himself back in his old motel room, more grateful than ever that it’s empty. Soft, ambient sounds from the other rooms drift through the walls as he drapes his soaked suit jacket over the shower curtain and wrings his tie out into the bathtub. The giant wet spot still remains on his dress shirt, but he has nothing to change into so he just removes his belt and shoes and climbs into the familiar, uncomfy bed. 

It’s already dark out, but he can’t even stand to close his eyes. Every time he blinks, he sees her, curled in on herself, cowering away from him. From him. He can’t stop his mind from wandering as he lays awake. How long had she been in there before he got home? What the hell happened that upset her so much? Why did she push him away like that, like she couldn’t trust him?

It might be hours, or it might just be a few minutes, but it feels like years that he lays there alone. Every particle of his being screams at him to go back up to the house, to make sure she’s okay, to refuse to leave her alone until she tells him what happened. But her words repeat over and over in his head, taunting him and breaking his heart every time he hears them.  I can’t see you right now. She doesn’t want him there. Whatever happened that put that look in her eye, and those words in her mouth, it made her feel like she can’t trust him. 

He’s not sure he can live with that. 

His thoughts are so loud that Alex doesn’t even notice at first when the door to the room opens slowly. It takes him a moment to register her small form. She looks like an angel, the moonlight streaming around her and illuminating her little white nightgown in the doorway. At first, he thinks she must be one. 

“Alex?” No, it’s definitely her voice, calling to him tentatively, so quiet he’s certain he wouldn’t hear it if he wasn’t perfectly awake. The door closes behind her and the room is shrouded in darkness again. Alex’s eyes don’t adjust in time to prepare him for the feeling of her climbing onto the bed with him, shuffling under the covers to curl her cold body around his before he can even react. 

“Norma.” He breathes, a mixture of relief and shock as he wraps her in his arms. She jumps, clearly having thought he was asleep, her head tilting up to look at him in the darkness. The apprehension in her eyes threatens to break him as his arms pull her closer, a reassuring promise without words. 

“I’m sorry.” She squeaks. Alex tries to contain his shock that those are the first words she chooses to say to him. She’s sorry? Why is she apologizing when it’s clear he’s done something wrong?

“What happened, baby?” He whispers, his eyebrows knit together at her eyes already glistening with tears. She sniffles. 

“I overheard in the grocery store... these two women who were talking about your trial.” Norma finally chokes. Alex freezes. 

“Oh.” 

Everything starts to make sense all at once. Why she’d been upset in the first place, why she hadn’t wanted to talk to him about it… she’d needed time alone to process her own emotions. Now, she’s here, and she’s apparently ready to talk. 

“I’m so sorry Norma.” He blurts. “I didn’t want you to ever have to know about it.” 

“Why?”

It’s just about the last question he’d expect from her right now. He gathers himself quickly enough to give her the obvious answer. “I didn’t want to upset you.” 

“But you should’ve told me. I would’ve rather heard it from you than find out the way I did.” She frowns. 

“I’m sorry,” He replies, trying to mask his shock that this is why she’s upset with him. “I really thought you wouldn’t want to know.” 

“That’s my decision to make, though, isn’t it?” She counters, her voice gentle though her words cut him deep. “I know you were trying to protect me. But I don’t like it.” 

“Don’t like what?”

Norma sighs softly. “I don’t like that you made the decision for me. I don’t like that you thought I couldn’t handle it.”

“N-” Alex starts, but she stops him with a hand on his chest. 

“Let me finish. I don’t like that I had to find out in public, without you there. And I don’t like that you had to go through a week of that trial on your own.” She finally nods at him when she’s done, giving him permission to speak again. 

“It’s not that I didn’t think you could handle it. I just didn’t want you to have to.” 

“Do you think I’m weak?” She asks timidly. Alex scoffs. Like she didn’t even hear a word I just said.

“God, Norma, no! Of course not. I swear, you are seriously the strongest person I have ever come in contact with. The only reason I didn’t tell you is because I didn’t want to bring up any of the shit that made you that way. I didn’t want you to have to think it could-”

“I know it could’ve been me, Alex.” Norma snaps. “I know it could’ve been– and almost was– me, and I know it would’ve been my fault if it’d been Norman too.” At that, Alex gasps.

“What?!” He chokes. 

“Sam almost killed me on multiple occasions. But I stayed there, and I kept Norman and Dylan trapped there too.” She mumbles, staring down at the comforter. 

“Christ, Norma, you know that’s not true.” Alex huffs. “How many times did you try to leave with them?” 

Norma bites her lip and shrugs. “Like, three.” 

“And what happened every time you did?” He asks, not entirely wanting to hear her recount it again but determined to make his point. 

“He found us. And he hurt me.” She shrugs again, the first tear finally escaping from the corner of her eye. Alex takes her chin between his fingers, tilting her face up to force her to look at him.

“You only stayed because you had no choice. Norma, not one person in that courtroom blamed the wife for being murdered. Not even the motherfucker who did it. It wasn’t her fault, and it wouldn’t have been yours either.” 

Norma sniffles and nods. “‘Kay.” She squeaks. 

“I’m sorry you had to find out the way you did.” He says sincerely, his hand leaving her chin to swipe at the new tears on her now makeup-free face. “I still don’t think I should’ve told you, but I can understand why you would want me to. Either way, I’m sorry for lying about it, but it’s over now. The trial ended today, ‘n I made sure the son of a bitch is going to prison for life and longer.” 

Her eyes are big and watery when she looks into his, flooded with a mixture of relief and sadness. She nods and her fingers start to fidget between them. “I’m sorry I lashed out at you.” She murmurs, avoiding eye contact with him. “You didn’t deserve that.”

Alex presses a kiss into her hair and shushes her gently. “Don’t apologize to me.” 

She forces his gaze back to her face and frowns. “Don’t say that.” She huffs, earning a confused pout from him. “Because, Alex,  despite what you might think, I’m not an angel. I do bad things, and I make mistakes, and I’m allowed to apologize when I treat you like shit and you don’t deserve it.” 

Norma’s surprised when he smiles a little at that. “As opposed to when I do?” He adds lightly, the weight on his chest lifting as he finally gets her to crack a smile. 

“Yes, like right now.” She shoves him playfully, hardly doing anything with his arms still keeping her anchored closely to him. The mood between them has softened, and they both feel it, content to deal with the words not said at another time as she dips her head to nuzzle against his neck, where she feels safest in the entire world. A second later, though, she raises her head to look at him, eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you sleeping in your court clothes? While they’re still wet?” She blushes a bit, knowing the last part is her fault. 

“I, uh, didn’t have time to grab anything before I left the house.” Alex admits. Norma melts a bit, guilt washing over her at having kicked him out to sleep on the creaky motel bed in his stiff, wet clothes. 

“Take ‘em off.” She insists. As she says it, her fingers are already working at the buttons on his shirt.

“Norma-” he warns, but earns a sharp shush from his wife. 

“Take off your cold wet clothes and hold me, goddammit.” She snaps. Alex can’t argue with that, shuffling out of his pants as she finishes with the buttons on his shirt, leaving him laying next to her in his boxers. 

“You’re freezing.” He observes when he pulls her back against him, feeling her cold skin against his own.

Norma shrugs. “It’s cold out.”

He sits up to look at her. “D’you walk all the way down here in just that?” She bites her lip and averts her eyes in response, earning a dissatisfied huff from him. “Norma!” He reprimands. He’s been telling her since he first moved in not to walk to the motel alone at night, but for the most part she’s refused to listen. The thought of her walking alone out in the open, in the middle of the night, in just her short little nightgown that he knows she prefers not to wear anything under, makes him prickle with anxiety. 

“I knew you’d be here.” She says by way of defense. Alex scoffs again. 

“Yeah, well, I’m here.” He pulls her tighter, spurred on by a new wave of protectiveness. “We don’t have to sleep down here.” He adds when the bed springs creak in protest at the movement. 

“Nnnnooo, I’m comfy.” Norma whines, snuggling closer against him to emphasize her point. 

“Fine, fine.” Alex laments, finally allowing himself to relax now she’s okay and she’s in his arms. He kisses her temple tenderly, rubbing the tip of his nose in her soft, freshly dried hair. “I’m sorry again.” He mumbles.

“Don’t apologize. You’re forgiven.” She assures him, kissing his shoulder because she doesn’t have the energy to reach for his lips. “Just make it up to me in the morning.” He doesn’t even have time to ask exactly what she means by that before she falls asleep on him, her soft breaths against his skin evening out to a smooth, slow rhythm. 

Alex still doesn’t sleep. He lays awake most of the night, trying to forget the images of her, recoiling from his touch and begging him to leave her alone, the heartbreaking things he’d seen during the trial this week, and especially the mental pictures his imagination churns up of the ‘multiple occasions’ when his Norma almost died at the hands of another man. When he can’t take the thoughts in his head any longer, he forces himself to instead deliberate on exactly how he plans to ‘make it up’ to her as soon as the sun rises…

—---

-November 2018-

Alex walks from the shower into the bedroom the morning after their lunch with Susan to find Norma smiling at him, her eyes twinkling with something that looks like a mixture of mischief and excitement. 

“What are you grinning about?” He teases, dropping to the bed next to her. 

“You remember when I was mad at you about that trial, and I made you sleep in the motel?” She asks. Her voice is bright, but his face drops nonetheless. 

“Oh. Yeah?” He nods nervously, unsure what she’s planning. 

“You remember how you made it up to me the next day?” She continues, her lighthearted demeanor dropping to a more suggestive tone as she grabs his hand from the bed. 

“How could I ever forget that?” Alex smirks, pressing a kiss to the top of her hand. Norma rolls her eyes but quickly rights her face back to the wide smirk she’d had earlier. 

“How long ago would you say that was?” She asks. Alex furrows his eyebrows, thinking back to when it had happened. 

“It was… end of August?” 

“So… would you say… about ten weeks?” 

It takes him a moment to piece together her insinuation, but as soon as he does, he can’t stop the giddy smile from taking over his face. 

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” He beams, his hand squeezing hers tighter without even realizing. 

“If you think I’m saying we managed to make a baby in your stinky old motel room, then yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.” Norma giggles.

Alex wraps his hands around her waist to pull her closer to him, his face starting to ache from smiling like an idiot. He places a kiss on the center of her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and finally her lips. 

“Thank god for makeup sex.” 

Chapter Text

Norma couldn’t be smiling wider when she flings open the front door, Alex still barely at the bottom of the steps behind her after she’d sprinted to answer the soft knocking. 

“Hello!” She greets cheerfully, her eyes trailing over the young girl standing on the front porch. She’s not tall, about Norma’s height if she had to guess, but she looks lanky– like she hasn’t grown into her limbs yet. Her dark hair would be jet black if she wasn’t in the sun, small slivers of chocolate shining under the rays and giving away the true color. At first glance, Norma thinks she looks exceptionally tired, but upon seeing the girl’s soft, compulsory smile, she realizes it’s merely the deep set of her green eyes that makes her appear that way. She’s not pretty, not in the way that one might notice it right away, but her face, like her body, seems as if she’s still growing into it. More than anything, she looks nervous, and Norma is quick to invite her inside. 

“Hi. Leah?” Alex reaches the two of them just as the girl steps through the door, large eyes surveying the dining room before landing on the man approaching her. 

“Yea- um, Yes, sir.” She nods, presenting a long, slim hand to offer him. He smiles softly and shakes it, her fingers cold and small in his causing him to loosen his grip on instinct.

“Alex Romero. This is my wife Norma.” He places a gentle hand on his wife’s back, never tiring of introducing them as a couple. 

The poor girl’s eyes widen as Norma steps forward to hug her, barely able to register the action and limply return the gesture before the woman pulls back. 

“It’s so nice to meet you.” She says brightly. 

“N- Yeah, nice to meet you too.” Leah stumbles, licking her lips nervously as she looks around at the bakery again. 

“Why don’t you come and sit down? We’ve got coffee if you’d like some.” Norma offers, all three of them stepping further inside. Leah perches on one of the dainty white chairs at a table by the wall, the two adults settling in across from her. 

“I don’t drink coffee.” The girl replies, her voice still nervous but dropping slightly into what sounds like her more comfortable range. “Thank you though,” she adds, her eyes darting between the two of them like she might be able to read their minds if she stares hard enough. 

“That’s good. Avoid it as long as you can.” Alex huffs, hypocritically taking a sip from his own mug. Norma kicks him under the table. 

“What do you think?” She asks when she notices the young green eyes scanning around the unfamiliar room. They jump back to her at the question. “It’s not quite done yet. We’re still remodeling.” 

“It’s really nice.” Leah nods. “Are you gonna paint?” 

Alex chokes on a sip of coffee as a laugh bubbles up from his throat, his wife frozen in the chair next to him. The girl’s eyes widen as she realizes she must have said something wrong. She chooses to watch Norma, the humorous reaction from her husband seeming less threatening than her surprised silence. 

The blonde woman quickly shakes away her initial surprise and gives a soft smile. “Alex just finished painting this weekend, actually.” 

“Oh!” The girl nods quickly, swallowing hard and visibly scrambling to remedy the situation. “I like it. I was hoping you wouldn’t change it.” She finally blurts, and it’s Norma’s turn to laugh, a soft giggle jumping from her lips as she looks at the poor, anxious girl fondly. 

“Oh, honey. You don’t have to lie, it’s okay.” She assures her, only slightly surprised by the maternal quality in her voice. She usually only speaks that way to her actual children—and Emma of course— but it feels natural to her nonetheless. She can see a part of herself very clearly in the girl despite just meeting her. The nervous flick of her eyes, the tendency of her body language to make herself as small as possible… she reminds Norma of herself as a teenager. 

An involuntary shiver runs down her spine. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude, I just-”

“Don’t like pink?” Alex guesses, a smirk pulling at his lips. He’d been a little put off when Norma had picked the pastel pink color for the walls, but once it was done he had to admit it made the place look awfully 'cute,' as she likes to call it. 

Leah shakes her head, the beginnings of a blush on her cheeks. “Not really.” She chuckles. “But it looks good. It makes the place feel… happy, I guess.” She adds, hoping they’ll see the sincerity in her eyes and not think she’s lying again. 

“Thank you,” Norma replies, smiling warmly in her best attempt to reassure the young girl. “So, have you lived here long?”

“Um, just a couple of years, actually. We moved right before I started high school.” 

“Where did you live before?” Alex prods, trying his best to keep his voice from interrogatory and failing so miserably he earns another kick under the table. 

“Literally everywhere.” The girl deadpans, sighing before explaining herself. “My dad was in the military, so we moved all the time.”

“Is that why you’re doing school online?” Norma asks more gently. She nods.

“Yeah, it was a lot of trouble for me to move schools so much and my mom was not about to homeschool me, so it was just more convenient.” She shrugs, but the tone of her voice sends red flags waving in Norma’s head. Maybe she’s reading too much into it. She really hopes she is. 

“That makes sense. Do you like it?” Alex continues, his inflection bordering on casual now as he tries to ease the dense ball of nerves sitting in front of him. 

“Yeah, I like it, I guess. I get to do it whenever I want, so that’s nice. And there’s no people.” 

Norma chuckles. “Well, if you’re trying to avoid people, you might be in the wrong place.” She says lightheartedly, regretting it pretty quickly as Leah gulps and appears to remember herself.

“I can do customer service.” She assures them quickly. “I worked at a video store the last two summers. Running the register.” 

“Good experience.” Alex nods approvingly. He’d seen it on her resumé but he feels like she needs the win. 

“Yeah, well, making friends is a whole other deal.” Leah deflates, staring at her hands twisted together on the table.

“I get it.” Norma agrees. “Moving towns is not easy.”

She looks up at the smiling woman, an expression of solidarity and a glimmer of hope in her eyes as she nods. 

“So ‘re you not moving around anymore now?” Alex inquires casually, turning to frown at his wife as he gets a particularly hard kick to his calf. 

“No, my dad retired. He’s a full-time pain in my ass now.” The girl shakes her head, her eyes going wide as soon as she says it and her hand slapping over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” She gasps, but relaxes a little when she sees both adults laughing quietly. 

“It's fine, sweetheart. You’re not a child. We won’t treat you like one.” Norma soothes her worries with a soft grip on her hand. “I don’t care if you swear with us, just keep it to a minimum around customers, yeah?” 

Leah nods. “So, um, what exactly do you need from me? Detective Branca just said you were looking for an assistant?” She asks, biting her lip as she watches them carefully. 

“Yes, well, there’s only two of us here, and Alex is pretty useless in the kitchen.” Norma giggles as her husband lets out an offended little hey! “I might need your help with the baking, or we may just have you work the register, I don’t really know yet.” 

“I’ve never really baked before,” Leah admits timidly. 

“That’s okay, honey. I’ve never baked professionally either. I’ll teach you everything I know and the rest we’ll learn together, okay?” She replies comfortingly. The girl looks up with a little smile, a real one, and nods. “How are you with kids?”

Her smile drops. “Oh, um…” There’s no use lying, she knows, so she drops her eyes to the table and shrugs. “Not great. I’ve never really been around them.” 

“That’s fine. We don’t expect you to babysit.” Alex says. A smile spreads on his lips as he glances at Norma and adds, “That’s my job.”

Leah nods, but her eyebrows knit together as she looks between them, then glances up at the stairs across the room, remembering Norma saying it was just the two of them not two minutes ago. “Do you have kids?” She finally asks when he doesn’t elaborate. 

“Oh, I thought Susan would’ve told you, I’m sorry,” Norma says quickly. “I’m pregnant.”

“Oh! Oh, congratulations!” The brunette replies, eyes flicking down to her abdomen to see if there’s a bump she hadn’t noticed before. 

“That’s part of the reason we need an assistant in the first place. Life gets pretty out of hand with a newborn.” She admits.

“I can imagine.” Leah groans, earning a soft chuckle from Alex. 

From just the single conversation, he can tell that the faint undertone of sarcasm that seems to always be present in her voice is not evidence of disrespect but of good humor. She’s not been raised strictly, that he could tell almost instantly, but she knows her way around adults, even if she slips into that perfunctory teenage persona once in a while. He finds it charming, that she holds onto her sense of humor even under the stress he can feel radiating off of her in waves. 

As if reading his mind, she pipes up a moment later, “I, um, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but is this an internship or a job…?” She swallows hard. 

Norma gives her another silent smile to let her know it’s alright. She hopes the poor girl isn’t like this all the time, but suspects she’s just nervous. 

“You applied for an internship under detectives in Seattle, yes?” Alex replies. She nods. “Is that what you want to do?”

“Yes, sir. I want to be in the FBI.” Leah informs him, and Norma gives an I told you so glance in his direction. 

"Oh, please, you don't have to call me sir." Alex cuts in, seeing her relax a little. He smirks at her. "Sheriff is fine."

Norma swats him on the chest. "He's kidding!" She assures the girl, but his mission is accomplished. He's earned a quiet little giggle--one she covers with a hand over her mouth-- but he can see the smile in her eyes. "Norma and Alex is fine." Norma tells her, and the apprehension is right back in her eyes.

"A-are you sure? It's not, like, weir- I don't know, like-" She stammers.

"Anything else would just make me feel old." Norma interrupts gently.

"Okay." Leah agrees blankly, and Alex gets the feeling she'll avoid using their names at all costs anyway. She turns to him inquisitively. "You said Sheriff?"

“I was Sheriff in our old town.” He states, blowing air out through his lips, intrigued. “FBI, hmm? Well, I can write you a good recommendation letter but I don’t really see what good an internship at a bakery will do you in the FBI.” 

She looks up at him, wide-eyed, unsure exactly what he means. Is she really getting fired before she even starts?

“We’ll pay you by the hour then.” Norma cuts in, recognizing her anxious expression. Leah doesn’t even care that they can see her melt with relief.

“Oh, okay. Okay.” She breathes. “So… do-does that mean I got the job?”

Norma smiles amusedly, watching the girl’s dark green eyes dart between the two of them like they’re about to sentence her to death. 

She chuckles. “Yes, honey, you got the job.”

Chapter Text

Most mornings, the first noise out of Norma’s mouth is a soft hum, a happy sound that escapes when she wakes up wrapped around her favorite person on the planet. Today, however, it’s more of a whine. 

“What?” Alex whines back, feeling her soft hair brushing against his chest as she shoves her face into his shoulder stubbornly. 

“I don’t wanna get up.” She replies, flopping her limbs across his body to wordlessly tell him he’s not allowed to leave the bed either. “Can we take today off?”

Alex chuckles, slipping his arm underneath her to wrap it around her waist as he kisses her hairline, hardly having to move his head at all to reach her. 

“You can sleep all you want, baby.” He assures her, feeling her relax against him already. “I got one thing I have to do today and then I’m all yours.”

For a few seconds, he only gets a quiet grunt in response. She seems to be falling back asleep almost immediately, so he takes the opportunity to trail his hand wrapped around her a bit lower and give his favorite body part a squeeze. 

“Mmmmmh!” Norma groans, her tone a grumbly reprimand as the action stirs her. She cuddles closer nonetheless, and his hand doesn’t move, cupping her flesh casually as he reaches for his phone on the nightstand. She must interpret this as him trying to get out of bed because her arm jumps up almost instantly to hold the other side of his neck, weakly anchoring him to her but sending her message regardless. “Stay,” She mumbles, the vibrations of her voice tickling his skin. 

“I’m not getting up yet.” Alex reassures her, giving her ass another squeeze. “Go back to sleep.” He whispers. She does just that, dipping back into sleep within seconds of the words leaving his mouth. 

He keeps his hand planted on her ass while he scrolls on his phone for another half hour, enjoying the feeling of her bare skin fitting perfectly into the palm of his hand. The action isn’t inherently sexual, more possessive than anything, though not in a way that bothers either of them. If she’s honest, Norma would never have expected to be able to handle a husband as protective and possessive as Alex, which is why it shocks her even more that she likes when he reminds her that she belongs to him. She likes being his, and his only, partially because she knows she has him wrapped so tightly around her little finger that he will always be hers just as much, probably more, than she will ever be his. 

And, if she’s even more honest, the big strong hand marking its territory on her ass while she sleeps turns her on more than she’d ever care to admit. 

Alex slips out of bed not too long after she falls back asleep, careful to arrange the pillows so her head is at the same angle as it had been resting on him as he delicately extracts himself from her tangle of limbs. 

He’s got a lot of work to do.

—---

Norma jumps when she wakes up to him crouching over her, his eyes sparkling and a stubborn smile tugging at the corners of his lips. 

“I have a surprise for you.” He declares. She manages to bite back her retort about hating surprises– the last one had ended up being the beautiful bakery they now live in, after all. 

“What is it?” She murmurs dumbly, one hand wiping the sleep out of her eye as she blinks up at him. 

“It’s downstairs. I have to show you,” says Alex gently, losing his battle with the smile on his face as her head perks up, half of her hair squished against her ear from sleeping on her side. 

“Do I need to get dressed?” Norma grumbles and shoves her fingers through her hair half-heartedly. 

“Unless you want to go downstairs naked.”

“This better be good,” she huffs as she shuffles into some underwear and shorts that she promptly covers up with his shirt, still discarded on the floor from the night before.

“Hush.” Alex grins. 

Once they’re safely down the stairs, he slips behind her, placing one large hand over both of her eyes. 

“Alex!” She gasps, “I can’t see!”

“That’s the point,” he chuckles in her ear, and to ease her worries he adds, “It’s not that far. No peeking.” 

Norma tenses when she realizes he’s taking her outside, both of her hands jumping up to nervously hold his, still covering her eyes.

“Watch the stairs.” He warns softly and she can feel his body right behind hers even though he’s not touching her. 

“Where are we going?” She asks petulantly, leaning into his hand on her lower back guiding her down the porch steps. 

“We’re almost there.” Is all he responds with, finally arriving at a good distance away from the front door and carefully spinning her, still blocking her vision with his hands. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, Alex, lemme see!” Norma cries, her fingers wrapped tightly around his hand on her face. 

“Okay, open.” Alex instructs, removing his hand with a flourish and watching her expression closely as her gaze searches for what he’s trying to show her. He follows her blue eyes as they finally trail upward, a long, quiet gasp falling from her lips. 

Norma’s face twists into a beaming smile as she reads the large ovular sign above the front porch of the building, adorned with one line of script above one of bolded print.

White Picket Bakery

“Alex!” She shrieks, turning to him gleefully. “Did you put that up today?”

He wraps his hands around her hips, pulling her against him until he can press his forehead to hers. “Just for you.”

“Alex…” Her voice is much softer but no less shocked, her cold fingers cradling his cheeks.

“Do you like it?” Alex asks, unsure how she might feel about him choosing the name without consulting her. 

“I love it.” She murmurs, her voice high and watery as her eyes start glistening inches away from his. 

“I love you. Don’t cry.” He whispers, pulling her closer as she smiles widely and gives a single, mostly silent laugh. 

“I’m just really happy,” she admits, “I love you so much.” Her voice breaks but she doesn’t care, closing the distance between them to press her lips against his, both of them struggling a bit to maintain the kiss through their smiles. 

She can’t believe how lucky she is, to finally be getting everything she’s ever wanted. She has the most perfect husband she can imagine, a beautiful new home, and a safe, happy family to share it with. She gets to do something she loves, with the man she loves, every day for the rest of her life if she wants, and she gets to raise her baby where nothing bad can ever touch them. It feels like she’s been given a second chance, to be happy, to do everything right, to live the life she was almost convinced never existed. All of the pain and suffering doesn’t even matter to her because it led her to this moment, right here, in his arms, and that means it can’t all be bad. 

Alex keeps trying to wipe her tears but they just keep coming. He whispers soothing words and little jokes to try to make her laugh but they only make more tears come out as she clings to him. He knows she’s as far from upset as she’s ever been but he still hates to see her cry, so he just holds her tightly and kisses her cheeks where each tear falls. 

“I love you. I love you. I love you.” He murmurs like a mantra against her skin. There’s no way for him to know that he’s only making her cry harder with every touch of his lips because she just loves him so much and she can’t convince herself that he’s real. 

“I’m… so lucky.” She finally chokes, the words hardly more than a squeak as she sucks in a deep breath to try to calm down. 

“No way.” Alex shakes his head. “You deserve all the happiness on Earth. I’m the lucky one that I get to give it to you.” 

Norma tries to laugh but it dissolves into a sob, her hands fisting in the back of his shirt. “Stop saying perfect things or you’re gonna make me cry harder!” She whines through little sobs, both of them grinning like fools at each other. 

He swipes his fingers under her eyes with a finality that her body seems to somehow understand, even if she didn’t think she could control herself. With the single touch, her tears stop, and she doesn’t know why but it just feels easier to breathe when he’s breathing the same air as her. She hiccups once, drawing a giggle from both of them, and rubs a finger under her nose with a quiet sniffle that signals she’s finished crying for the time being. 

“You ready to go back inside? It’s cold out here.” Alex suggests, his body shivering as if on cue at the freezing cold touch of her fingers brushing against his neck. 

Norma pouts. “I wanna stay out here and look at it a little longer.”

“You’re wearing shorts and a t-shirt, babe.” His hands slip down her exposed arms as he reminds her, finding her hands to cradle them between his and try to warm them up. 

“I don’t care. Frostbite isn’t so bad.” 

Alex can’t contain his laugh at that, shaking his head at her as she stubbornly turns away from him, gazing up at the sign on the building with wonder. She shrieks as he suddenly ducks to grab her by the upper thighs, slinging her ungracefully over his shoulder and smacking her ass to earn another sharp yelp.

“Alex! Put me down!” She screeches through her giggles.

“Nuh-uh. Not happening, Mrs. Romero.” He shakes his head, already on his way up the porch steps with her in his arms. “You can come back out when you have a coat.”

“Okay, fine, mom.” Norma snorts, her body falling limp draped over his shoulder. He gives her ass another swat for that, barely containing his smirk at her surprised squeal. When he heads for the stairs instead of putting her down once they’re safely inside, she taps her fingers against his back impatiently. “Okay, okay, you can put me down now.” She goads.

“Nope.” Alex replies casually, popping the ‘p’ sound. “It’s our day off. I’m takin’ you upstairs and back to bed.” 

“I slept all morning. I’m not tired.” She complains, huffing as he continues to carry her up the stairs despite her mild protests. He flicks his head over his shoulder to glance at her with a smirk.

“Who said we were sleeping?”

—---

Alex is reading a book in bed after the sun sets that night when he hears his wife calling him from the kitchen. 

“Alex, honey, can you come in here real quick? When you get a minute?” 

He sets his book down mid-sentence to go see what she needs, padding across the cold hardwood floors on his bare feet to reach the kitchen. 

“Yeah?” His eyebrows raise when he sees the controlled mess that their kitchen has become, dishes piled up in the sink and flour still covering half of the island counter (and Norma’s face, somehow). He’d heard her rustling around for the last hour but assumed she was just reorganizing after he’d no doubt put the groceries away wrong. “Woah. What’d you make?”

“Try it. Tell me what you think.” Norma slides a freshly baked pie across the counter toward him, chewing her lip nervously as he looks down at it and then back at her. 

“A pie?” 

“It’s probably not even good. I was just messing around.” She warns him when he doesn’t instantly take a bite, and Alex just scoffs. 

“Of course it’s good, you made it.” He rolls his eyes as he fishes a slice out of the dish to place on a plate. 

“Just try it before you say that.” She demands.

“You trying to poison me or something?” Alex says with a one-sided smirk, but she clearly doesn’t appreciate his humor.

“No! Just eat the damn pie!” She snaps. He raises his hands in surrender and takes a spoonful from the end of the slice. Norma watches with her hands clasped under her chin as he tries it, leaning forward in silent question when his eyes widen at the taste. 

“Oh my god,” He mumbles through his full mouth barely a second after the pastry hits his tongue. “What’s in this?”

“It’s, like, a mix of berries and some other stuff.” She shrugs, still looking pressingly at him. “Well? Is it any good?” 

“This is the best pie I’ve ever had.” Alex declares as soon as he swallows, instantly reaching for another bite. “S’this a recipe?”

“No, I just kinda threw it together.” Norma mumbles, giving another shrug. 

“Tell me you wrote down what you did.” He gasps with wide eyes, his stricken expression with a mouthful of pie earning a giggle from her. 

“I mean, I made some notes…”

“Norma!” Alex groans. “We have to sell this, oh my god.” 

“Are you serious?”

“Have you tried it?” He scoffs. 

“No, I wanted you to first.” At that, he reaches for another spoonful, holding his hand under it as he brings it to her on the other side of the island. 

“Take a bite and tell me it’s not the best thing you’ve ever tasted.” 

Norma giggles but obeys, letting him feed her the pie and not missing how intently he watches her for a reaction. The corners of her mouth turn back and she tilts her head from side to side appraisingly.

“It’s not bad.” She surmises. 

Alex laughs disbelievingly. “No– Nonono, as part-owner of Romero & Romero, LLC., I am making an executive decision that this is going on the menu.” He announces, holding in his smile as she bursts into laughter. 

“Romero & Romero, huh?” 

“Oh yeah. We’re gonna make it big, babe. A White Picket Bakery on every corner in the country. I’m telling you.” He nods in exaggerated enthusiasm, keeping up with the bit just because he loves to hear her laugh. 

“God, please no.” Norma chuckles, taking the spoon from his hand and dropping it onto the counter. She wraps her arms around his torso to answer his questioning gaze, silently asking him to hold her, which he of course obliges. “One is enough.”

“Well, that sucks ‘cause I already ordered two truckloads of branded merch…” Alex mutters, grinning proudly when it earns him another bout of giggles. 

“Shut up!” She wails, throwing her head back as she tries to catch her breath. 

When she turns back to him, his eyes are sparkling the way they always do when he looks at her, the pure adoration in his gaze sending butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She takes a step closer, not even realizing she’s started to smile again as she crooks one finger to run it over his cheek. His eyes flick to her lips and he doesn’t even try to hide it, staring down at her mouth for a few seconds as her smile slowly fades into something no less joyful but infinitely more enticing. 

The way her lips are parted reminds him of that day three years ago when she’d dragged him up to her house to clean his cut and he’d stared shamelessly at her face while she worked. He’d always known she was beautiful, but having never been so close to her, he hadn’t realized just how breathtaking she was until that moment. The feeling of her breath puffing ever-so-softly against his face and the sweet smell of her perfume had stuck in his mind for days, but more than anything, he’d been captivated by her lips. It had been like a switch was flipped, and after merely putting up with her up until then, suddenly all he could think about was kissing her, for months. 

Like sweet torture, she’d consumed every waking thought and pervaded even into his dreams. In his office during the day, he’d catch himself daydreaming about how soft her lips must be, the sound she might make when he first swiped into her mouth with his tongue, how her hands would feel holding his face or running through his hair. By night, his dreams had been filled with her, and, unconstrained by his conscious uncertainty, his mind had conjured her form in his bed, his shower, on his couch, in his kitchen, just about anywhere he could imagine. For nearly a year without fail, she’d been there, her lips parted just as they are now, heavenly blue eyes gazing up at him with any range of expressions from delight to lust to love. 

Now, more than ever, he’s amazed at where he’s ended up. He doesn’t dream about having her in his bed because he knows when he wakes up, she will be. He doesn’t have to fantasize about the feel of her lips because he can kiss her whenever he wants. His mind doesn’t have to imagine how she might look at him if she loved him, because she does, she’s his wife, and the image of her gazing at him with love in her eyes is no longer a dream, but a memory. Not only has he gotten to kiss her, but he’s saved her, protected her, shown her more love than she’s ever received, and made her truly and genuinely happy.  

If someone had told him three years ago that one day he would own a bakery in the suburbs with his wife Norma Bates while she’s pregnant with his child, he thinks he would have passed out. 

Out of every thought in his mind, the only response his body can muster is a tiny shake of his head. “I love you.” He whispers, hoping she can understand that the words mean more than he can verbalize at the moment. 

“I love you,” She replies, and her tone tells him that she knows. She does, because she’d had the exact same moment that morning in the yard. She knows that he’s looking at her and thinking how lucky he is that he found her and convinced her to love him because she thought the exact same thing less than 12 hours ago. She knows he can’t put into words what he’s feeling because she hadn’t been able to either. And she knows all he really wants is to kiss her, because… well, that’s always what he wants. 

Norma smiles again and her eyes twinkle in the way that Alex can never resist. He can’t stand to not be kissing her anymore, and she must have the same idea because they both surge forward at the same time, their lips meeting tenderly but so passionately they’re both electrified instantly. It’s slow, both of them just relishing the feeling of the kiss for as long as they can, their hands working to pull each other closer until their bodies are pressed together, and even closer still. 

When air becomes a necessity, Alex pulls back just a few inches, keeping every other millimeter of his body touching her. He smiles down at her, the giddy little grin on her face threatening to melt him to the ground. “You taste like pie.” He murmurs just to hear her laugh again. 

“You taste like pie too.” Norma beams back. His hands find her hips and he spins them so that he can lift her up onto the non-flour-coated counter, her legs falling apart naturally so that he can stand between them and kiss her again. 

“It’s a good thing it’s good pie.” Alex mumbles into her lips, trying to kiss her more but only managing to get a mouthful of her giggles. 

By the time he decides that he’s finally kissed her enough, he’s just as coated in flour as she is.

Chapter Text

Alex wakes up to something on top of him. Well, not something, someone. When he opens his eyes, he’s almost certain he’s still dreaming. 

“Woah.” He breathes, blinking a few times in shock when the image of his wife straddling him, naked, doesn’t go away. She looks down at him and smirks, the look in her eyes nothing short of evil. 

“Good morning.” Norma purrs, and he can’t even dream of responding as her hands trail up her sides to cup her own breasts. 

Alex gulps. 

They’ve had enough morning sex that he wakes up ready to go just about every day, and today is no different. Now, his erection stands at attention between them, straining almost painfully as he takes in the sight of her touching herself on top of him. 

“Jesus Christ.” He chokes, dropping his head back against the pillow to give himself a break from watching her before he embarrasses himself. He feels her weight leave him but can’t bring himself to look back down in time to see her shuffling between his legs to take his dick into her mouth. “Holy fuck!” His hips jerk in surprise at the warm, wet feeling of her lips wrapped around him, causing her to pull up and let out a mischievous giggle. 

By the time the sound reaches his ears, she’s back on him, sparing no effort in driving him crazy right out of the gate. She stays shallow at first, working him with her tongue until her lips slide smoothly up and down the tight skin and muscle of the first few inches. Then, out of nowhere, she takes a single gulp of air and plunges back down, further and further until her nose is pressed against his stomach and he’s stopped breathing entirely. 

“Oh, god, fuck …” Alex mutters, at the edge of incoherence. He about loses it when she swallows around him, the sensation too much, too good, and he’s almost grateful when she rises back up to take a deep breath. 

Then she does it again.

He usually doesn’t like when she goes this far. Seeing tears in her eyes and feeling her throat spasming would turn him off any other day. But from the happy little hums she lets out each time she takes a break to go back to shallow bobbing and the way she keeps glancing up at him with nothing but adoration and excitement in her eyes, he can tell she likes it. So he doesn’t stop her, because God it feels good, and if she wants to have bruises in her throat for the next few days, who is he to tell her no?

She makes it last, too.

Each time he feels himself getting close and fists his hands in her soft curls, she pulls back, licking tenderly at him while they both catch their breaths until she feels his hands relax again. He doesn’t know how long it goes on, but it’s the best torture he’s ever experienced. 

Finally, when she can tell he’s getting desperate and flustered (because somehow she just always knows), she takes him deep again and doesn’t raise up this time. Alex groans at the feeling of her throat squeezing him, just barely fighting the urge to thrust his hips when she starts bobbing ever-so-slightly. Her eyes stare up at his and he instantly understands the silent permission, his hands gripping in her hair one last time as he gives himself over to the intense pleasure of her mouth on him.

“Fuck, Norma, oh, fuck, yes,” he splutters, seeing her lips pulling into a satisfied smile, still wrapped around the base of him. She doesn’t let up until she’s sure he’s done, finally letting him slip from her mouth and grinning up at him as she drops her head to rest against the inside of his thigh. 

“Happy Birthday.” Norma chirps, her cheeks rosy and her eyes crinkling. Alex exhales heavily, the closest thing his body will produce to a laugh. His hands stroke idly through her hair as he comes back down from his high enough to process what she’d said. 

“That’s today?” 

She giggles. “Yes, it’s today! I’ve only been planning this for weeks.” 

Alex groans softly as the thought of her planning to wake him up like this makes his cock twitch, threatening to come to life again already. 

“I thought we agreed no ‘planning’ anything…?” He mumbles, earning a pouty glare from her.

“You’re really gonna complain right now?” She snaps, her eyes flicking down his body pointedly. 

“No! No, no, I just mean-”

“Whatever.” Norma huffs. She moves like she plans to roll off of him, but Alex is faster, gripping her under her arms and lifting her up his body, ignoring her squeal of surprise. “Alex!” She shrieks, trying to arrange her legs to avoid kicking him as he drags her higher and higher. She doesn’t understand his intention until his hands slip down to her waist, pulling her up until she’s face-to-face with the headboard, kneeling over his face.

“Sit.” He instructs, pushing gently down on her hips. Norma stares wide-eyed down at him from between her arms where they’re gripping the top of the headboard for balance.

“Alex-” 

“Sit!” He commands more insistently, his voice just high enough that she at least doesn’t feel like a dog being taught a trick. She finally gives in, lowering herself on her knees enough that his face takes some, but not all, of her weight. She gasps when he pulls once more on her hips, forcing her to relax all the way so she’s properly sitting on top of him. 

“Oh!” Norma exclaims when his tongue dives in almost instantly, parting her and licking hungrily up and down. “It’s… your… birthday… you’re not… s’posed… to… do this!” She pants down at him, though her body blatantly contradicts her by forcing a breathy moan past her lips. 

Whatever he says, he says it directly into her skin, the vibrations of his voice–although the words themselves are unintelligible–causing her to jerk and let out another quiet groan. His hands keep her steady, gripping her hips just hard enough that his fingers dig into her skin deliciously. 

He clearly doesn’t plan to let up, so she relaxes into his touch, taking a shaky breath and swallowing hard as he continues to work her up the way only he knows how. His tongue circles and sucks and flicks and she gets lost in the feeling, her eyes clamping shut as she pulses her hips down on him, desperate for more. Her entire body flushes red as she dangles closer and closer to the edge of ecstasy, her fingers turning white from clutching the headboard so tightly. 

“Aleeeex…” She warns, sucking air in through her nose and feeling his smile as she bears her hips down onto him, the tip of his nose brushing her clit and drawing a long, low moan from her throat. Her warning only spurs him on, and he wraps his lips around her clit a second later, flicking his tongue just how she likes to drive her thrashing and wailing over the edge.  

He waits until she comes down to carefully lift her off of him, mostly because he loves watching her blush when she sees his mouth and chin soaked with her arousal. She dives down almost instantly to hide her blush this time, shuffling around for a few seconds to lay comfortably on top of him with her face shoved into the crook between his neck and his shoulder. 

“You’re not s’posed to do that…” Norma whines after they’re both done catching their breaths. 

“Do what?”

“Make me come harder on your birthday.”

Alex laughs. “Why not?”

“Cuz, it’s your birthday…” She protests, her voice high-pitched and petulant in the way that only he could find endearing. 

“Exactly. So I get to do whatever I want.” He states, smiling triumphantly as her mouth flaps closed, defeated. He kisses the top of her head to make her melodramatic pout go away, wrapping his arms around her and relaxing at the sweet smell of her hair. 

“What else do you want?” 

“Hmm?”

“For your birthday. What else do you wanna do?” Norma pulls back a little to rest her chin on top of her hands on his chest so she can look up at him. 

“Besides you? Hmmm…” He mimes like he’s thinking hard as she blushes deeply and hides her giggles in her hands. “Can I take you to dinner?”

“Really? That’s it?” She frowns. 

“Fine, I’ll take a pony too.” He shrugs.

“Shut up!” Norma gasps, losing the fight against her smile. “You seriously don’t want anything else?” 

“Well, there is one thing…” Alex admits.

“What? Anything at all, we’ll do it.” She promises.

“Tell me your birthday.” 

Norma freezes, the smile dropping from her face. Her eyes drop from his, the joy drained from them so fast that he starts to regret the request. 

“Okay, anything but that.” She corrects darkly, her jaw shifting.

“No, come on, it’s not fair you get to know mine and I can’t know yours.” Alex insists. He goes on when she doesn’t respond. “What if there’s an emergency and I need to know it?”

“You won’t.” She snaps. 

“You’re really not gonna tell me?” He gives her his best puppy-dog-eyes, a tactic he rarely employs for the sake of his own pride (even though it works most of the time).

“There’s no reason for you to know. I don’t celebrate it.” Her voice is laced with finality, a threat not to push it that he outright disregards. 

“If I have to celebrate mine, why do you get to hide yours? Come on, I promise I won’t do any over-the-top stuff. I just wanna know.” 

Norma huffs. “If you absolutely need to know it, like life or death, you can look at my ID. Otherwise, no, I’m not telling you.” 

He pouts. Like, really pouts, which he never does. “Then you can’t do anything for mine anymore.” 

“Alex-”

“No, I’m serious. I don’t like the idea that some random day, it’ll be your birthday and I’ll have no idea. If one of us has to pretend it doesn’t exist, we both are, end of story.”

“You’re impossible.” Norma groans, dropping her forehead onto his chest like she wants to bang her head against a wall.

“Just tell me!” He insists, his voice a bit more aggressive than he intends. 

“Fine! I will tell you when it comes, but not today. Today’s about you.” She makes the promise almost emptily, hoping he’ll forget about it and she won’t ever have to actually tell him.

Alex sighs, but he knows it’s the best he’s gonna get out of this unbearably stubborn woman that he loves so damn much. “Fine.”

“Okay, for real, what d’you want to do today?” Norma bubbles like they hadn’t been pissed at each other two seconds ago, the smile back on her face. 

They decide to go for a walk through the town, which turns into a bit of a shopping trip for Norma as she insists on looking in a few shops with particularly enticing window displays. He takes her for brunch at a cute little French restaurant and she ends up eating her own crepe and half of his after he insists she have it if she’s still hungry. 

The walk home is a bit longer than expected, and when he starts having to walk slower and slower to keep pace with her, he knows she’s struggling. 

“You feeling okay?” He stops, grabbing her elbow lightly to look her up and down. 

“Yeah, no, I’m fine.” Norma nods tightly, giving him an unconvincing smile he tries not to roll his eyes at. 

“You’re clearly not. What’s up? Morning sickness?” Alex pushes. 

“No, just… we walked a lot. My ankles feel like balloons.” She finally admits. He nods, thinking for a second, before turning around, squatting down in front of her and flicking his head over his shoulder expectantly. 

“Come on.” 

“What?” 

“Get on my back. It’s not that far.”

“Alex- no!” Norma splutters, looking around to see if anyone’s watching. 

“What? I’m not making you walk the rest of the way.” He insists. “Unless you really want to?” 

She sighs, knowing he’s won. She really doesn’t want to walk all the way home, and he looks far too sad at her rejection, so she gives in. Alex smiles triumphantly as she rolls her eyes and grabs his shoulders, jumping a little to sit on his back. His hands wrap under her thighs and he straightens up quickly, lifting her weight into his arms as she crosses her ankles in front of him and leans forward to wind her arms around his neck. 

“You promise I’m not too heavy? Don’t hurt yourself.” Norma worries as he starts walking back in the direction of the house. 

Alex scoffs. “You weigh literally nothing, baby. You’re like a really sexy backpack.”

She laughs directly into his ear and he can’t help but smile, jumping her up a little to readjust his grip and feeling her arms tighten around him. 

“Just tell me if it’s too much? You don’t have to carry me all the way…” 

He shakes his head. “No way. I’m takin’ you all the way back upstairs and giving you a nice long massage.”

“Alex! You don’t have to do that!” She gasps. “Really, it’s not that bad, I can wa-”

“A-hem. Who’s birthday is it?” Alex reminds her pettily, hearing her soft hmph over his shoulder and smirking. 

“You’re acting like it’s mine,” Norma says petulantly, and he knows she’d be crossing her arms over her chest if she could. 

“That’s because spoiling you is my favorite thing to do.” 

“Mmm-hmm. Really?” She laughs disbelievingly. 

“Well, along with doing other things to you.” He grins, his fingers squeezing her thighs suggestively. 

Norma erupts into giggles and he doesn’t need to see her to know that her face is bright red. “Alex!”

—---

After he makes good on his promise and gives her the most relaxing full-body massage of her life (including a thorough attention to her ass), they get ready and drive into the city for their reservation at the high-end Italian restaurant Dylan and Emma had recommended to them when they’d first moved. Norma tries to convince him to have a beer or at least some champagne with his meal, but he refuses once again. 

Alex holds back his comments that she’ll ruin her dinner when she munches non-stop on garlic bread and caesar salad, and he’s glad he does when the waiter brings out her $35 chicken parmigiana on a plate he could cover with one of his hands. Her eyes widen as he places it in front of her, glancing up at her husband in what could only be described as horror. He can tell she’s on the verge of bursting into frustrated tears and his brain switches into damage control mode, his hand reaching out to grab hers over the table as their waiter retreats. 

“Hey, if you’re still hungry we’ll stop somewhere on the way home, ‘kay?” He promises, looking down at his own measly slice of lasagna and wondering if he might need the stop just as much as she does. Norma nods and swallows hard, squeezing his hand to let him know she’s okay before grabbing her silverware to enjoy all four bites of her meal. 

His promise seems to raise her spirits, and they laugh and chat for about an hour, both refusing the waiter when he asks about dessert (Alex doesn’t want to imagine Norma’s reaction if they brought out a single cannoli on a saucer) and enjoying the ambient atmosphere of the clearly well-loved restaurant. 

“Alex, look, they have a dance floor!” She gasps suddenly, pointing to the small tiled area on the lower level of the tiered dining room. 

“Really?” He turns to look, surprised that a place this fancy would have a dance floor. Nonetheless, he sees a few couples swaying together to the soft, romantic music floating through the speakers dotted around them. 

“We should go dance!” Norma beams, practically bouncing up and down with excitement. Alex glances around, making up his mind pretty quickly. The check is already paid, their plates cleaned off long ago, and he can never say no to her anyway, so he nods, his lips quirking up as she squeals happily. 

She grabs his hand and practically drags him down the steps and onto the tiles, Alex barely able to keep up with her, even in heels. He smiles and steps back when she instantly tries to wrap her arms around him, taking one of her hands in his and kissing her knuckles. 

“May I have this dance, Mrs. Romero?” He grins, seeing her roll her eyes and try to hold back her smile. 

“Why yes, of course, Sheriff.” She plays along, pretending she doesn’t love it. She giggles wildly when he immediately pulls her against him, wrapping his arms around her hips as her hands tangle together behind his neck. 

“You know, I’m not the Sheriff anymore.” He reminds her.

“I don’t care. You’ll always be the big scary policeman who threatened to ‘burn me to the ground’ to me.” She smiles as they both sway to the music, which is a bit louder on the dance floor but not overwhelmingly so. Her face hovers a few inches from his, their foreheads not quite touching.

Alex chuckles. “Hm. And you’ll always be the crazy lady who asked me to marry her for the insurance to me.” 

She doesn’t hide her smile at that, finally resting her forehead against his as the song ends and another starts up. 

“You ever think about it?” He asks a minute later as he’s pulling her back in after a spin that’d left her giggling. 

“About what?”

“Doing it for real. Getting married, I mean.” 

“Like a real wedding?” Norma frowns thoughtfully, her steps stuttering a little as she considers it. Alex makes up for it by pulling her closer, letting her rest her head on his shoulder so he can sway them both to the rhythm of the music without having to take as many steps. It eases his nerves a little, not having to look into her big blue eyes when he’s walking on uncertain ground. 

“Like, all of it.” He shrugs. She furrows her eyebrows a bit further, though he can’t see her expression. “I dunno. I just mean, you ever wish we’d done it the normal way? Dating, proposing, having a wedding, a honeymoon…” He trails off at the last part, images of the two of them sharing a daybed on a beautiful beach somewhere and sipping piña coladas flooding his mind.

Norma thinks for a moment. “Honestly, not really.” He raises his eyebrows, the fantasy erased instantly. His silence invites her to elaborate. “I like how we did it. Even if it was kinda backwards, I think it had to happen that way. And I’ve done it the ‘normal’ way before, but clearly that doesn’t mean anything for your actual happiness. I don’t think I would change the way we did it if I could.” 

“I would.” He admits, swallowing hard the second the words leave his mouth and hoping he hasn’t just made a huge mistake.

“Really?” Norma pulls back to look up at him, any illusion of still dancing abandoned in her surprise.

Alex gulps but nods. “Yeah, I think so. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the way things turned out, and I’m glad it happened the way it did, but I just wish sometimes that we’d gotten to do it all. I wish I’d gotten to take you on dates and get on one knee and see you in a white dress and… all of it.” 

“You do?”

“Yeah, a little.” He doesn’t meet her eyes, hoping she won’t be mad at him for his admission.

“Well… I guess I wouldn’t be opposed to it.” Norma shrugs.

“To what?” He looks up, surprised.

“Trying again someday. Obviously when the baby’s a little older.”

“You mean… getting married again?” Alex blinks at her, trying to stop his heart from swelling out of his chest at the idea. 

“Yeah. Like a real wedding.” She smiles. “I’ll even let you propose to me, if you promise not to make it embarrassing.” 

He beams, taking her hand in his to give her a little twirl before he pulls her back tight against him. “Me, embarrass you? Never.”

Chapter Text

When her 12-week ultrasound finally rolls around, it’s the exact opposite of their first time heading to Dr. Miller’s. The morning of, Alex is the one bounding out of bed hours before they have to leave, while Norma stays tightly cocooned in the sheets and tries to cling to her last remnants of sleep for as long as possible. Eventually, when the excitement shooting off of him in waves is too much and she can’t fall back asleep, she rolls out from under the covers with a groan. 

At the appointment, he squeezes her hand just tight enough to sting a little, practically bouncing up and down next to her while the nurse takes her vitals. To his disappointment, Dr. Miller keeps the screen of the machine pointed away from them for the duration of the exam so that they don’t accidentally spoil the gender reveal, but she still lets them hear the heartbeat and his reaction is just as blown away as the first time. The doctor prints a few pictures and writes the baby’s sex on a piece of paper, then seals both in an envelope for them to open however they please. 

Norma holds the envelope tightly to her chest on their way out, partially so Alex won’t snatch it away and rip it open (she can tell he’s considering it from the wild, impatient look in his eye), and partially to stop herself from doing the same. He takes her directly to Dylan and Emma’s from the doctor’s office so that she can hand it begrudgingly over to Emma, who they’ve trusted to orchestrate the reveal at the party in a little over a week. 

Alex flops onto the couch the moment they get back home. 

“I can’t believe you talked me into this.” He grumbles.

“What, having a baby?” Norma teases, getting the desired reaction when his head pops up instantly to stare, affronted, at her. 

“No!” He scoffs, his expression turning sour when he sees her trying not to laugh. “I meant the stupid gender reveal.”

“It’s not stupid!” She gripes, dropping equally bonelessly onto the perpendicular section of the couch next to him. He twists to look up at her as she shuffles onto her side facing him.

“We could know right now if it’s a boy or a girl, but we’re choosing not to. That’s stupid.” 

“You’re stupid.” Whines Norma, giving his nose an accusatory poke. She giggles when he snaps his teeth, an empty threat to bite her finger as she snatches it away. 

“We should just call Emma right now and get it over with.” He groans, dropping his head dramatically onto the couch. Norma reaches out to thread her fingers through his hair, the contrast between her soft touch and the slight scratch of her nails on his scalp relaxing him into a human puddle almost instantly. 

“It’s gonna be worth it when we find out, I promise. It’s not that long of a wait.” 

He doesn’t respond verbally to her, merely grunting into the couch cushion and reaching his arms up to wrap around her hips. 

“You tired?” She asks with a little chuckle, smiling down at his slumped form. He gives another affirmative grunt and doesn’t move, earning another laugh from her. “Maybe if you weren’t up at 6 o’clock vibrating around the house you’d have a bit more energy.” 

Alex murmurs a half-hearted protest into the couch, and if it was even intelligible in the first place she certainly can’t understand it. 

Norma sighs exaggeratedly. “I guess I’ll just have to go shower by myself.” 

His head perks up at that and she can hear his sharp inhale as he glances up at her, but he still makes no move to get up. Only when she extracts herself from his grip, removing her soothing hand on his head and muttering to herself about washing her hair does he finally gather himself enough the scramble after her into the bathroom.

By the time he reaches her, she’s already undressing, her shirt discarded in a heap on the floor and her fingers working into the waistband of her long, flowy skirt. Alex whips his shirt over his head and looks at her expectantly, smiling as she slides the flowery fabric demurely down her legs, never breaking eye contact. 

“Oh, so you’re awake now?” She teases, repeating the process with her panties and flicking them at him. He shuffles quickly out of his pants and boxers as she sheds her bra and reaches into the shower to turn on the water. In a second, he’s on her, crowded behind and around her and somehow it feels like he’s filling up the entire massive shower from the way he’s pressed against her. 

“You should know better than to try to shower without me.” He growls directly into her ear, and she can hear the smile in his breath through her giggles. 

The shower warms up and she slinks out of his grip to stand in the stream, expecting to feel his hands pushing her against the glass any second. When she doesn’t, she peeks at him, quirking an eyebrow when she catches him just staring at her. 

“What?” She laughs bashfully, following his gaze as it rakes down her body. He doesn’t say anything, just steps forward into the shower spray and places one large hand on her stomach. His deep brown eyes trail up to meet hers, the intense emotion in them taking her by surprise. 

“I see it.” He murmurs so softly she can barely hear it over the shower. It takes her a second to get his meaning, her own eyes drifting down to where his hand rests on her abdomen, and the just-noticeable bump residing right above her hips. A shocked smile graces her face as she glances back up at him, and suddenly she can’t tear her eyes away from his for a second. Thick water droplets bead on his long eyelashes as the shower splashes over them but all she can see is the rich warmth in his expression as he looks at her like he’s falling in love with her all over again. 

“She’s in there.” Norma beams, running her hand down his arm to rest over his. “Getting bigger every day.” 

“Stop…” Alex chokes, and it’s the closest his voice ever gets to a whine, his head dropping forward to thump against hers. “You can’t do that to me.”

“What? It’s true!” She giggles at his melodrama, taking a step back only for him to follow her until her back is pressed against the cold shower glass. It’s not how she was expecting him to push her against the wall, but she’ll take it. 

“You’re trying to kill me.” He mutters, and before she can respond he drops to his knees on the tile. The shower spray beats against his shoulder but he pays it no mind, holding her hips with both of his hands to rest his forehead against her barely-visible bump. “You gotta stay tiny and perfect forever, mkay?”

Norma laughs, the action jostling his head where it’s pressed against her stomach. She threads her hands through his hair again, scratching her fingers lightly across his scalp as he relaxes into her gentle touch. 

“Never, ever grow up, ‘kay?” Alex whispers, his voice so quiet she only makes out a few words. He smiles and looks back up at her, his eyes sparkling with humor though the passion still burns underneath. “We’ve come to an agreement.” She laughs again. 

In a moment, it occurs to her that moving might have been the best thing they’ve ever done. Alex seems so much happier here. He smiles and jokes around far more, which in turn means she laughs a lot more, and it seems like both of them are so much happier that it’s a wonder they didn’t get out of that gravity well of a town sooner. 

“An agreement, huh?”

“Yep.” He nods in faux seriousness. “She’s just gonna stay a baby forever. We shook on it.” 

Norma bursts into a fit of giggles. “You’re gonna change your mind on that real quick.”

“I am not!” 

She rolls her eyes. “I’m betting you change a solid 4 diapers at 3:00 am before you’re ready to be done.” 

Alex scoffs and turns his eyes back down to her abdomen. “She doesn’t get it.” He grumbles conspiratorily, earning another belly laugh from his wife. “We get it. You and me, we’re good.” 

Norma huffs, her hands in his hair running down to hold the sides of his face. “Okay, stop. You’re gonna make me cry.” She whimpers, forcing him to look up at her. He smiles and stands back up on aching knees that he could not care less about. 

“Don’t cry.” He whispers, but he apparently hasn’t realized yet that every time he says that to her she bursts into tears. This time is no exception, so he just sighs softly and wraps his arms around her, pulling her against him as she cries herself out on his shoulder. “I love you,” he says, ignoring his desire to apologize because he knows he doesn’t really have anything to be sorry for. 

She sniffles. “I love you too.” Her voice is watery as she finally raises her head back up, blinking bleary eyes up at him for a second while she composes herself. “Can you wash my hair for me?” She requests gingerly, and Alex can’t contain his smile. He loves washing her hair, almost as much as she loves when he does it.

“Of course.” He beams, leaning in to steal a single kiss off of her lips. 

They’re almost silent while he massages shampoo and conditioner into her scalp, apart from Norma’s occasional quiet moan of satisfaction as his fingers scratch at a particularly sensitive spot.

He likes her hair now, probably more than he did when they were first married. It reminds him of when he’d first met her, when he’d ‘hated’ her so much that all he could think about was bending her over the desk in his office. She’s been growing it out so it’s a little past shoulder-length, the old blonde dye fading to more of a sandy golden color and a few inches of her light brown roots showing through since she hasn’t been able to dye it while pregnant. He wonders briefly what she might look like if she let it all grow out and went back to her natural brunette. 

He hopes the baby has her hair.

—---

As November comes to a close and the bakery looks more and more complete every day, Norma finds herself leaning on Alex for just about everything. She’s burdened with exhaustion at the end of every day and her morning sickness only gets worse as the month goes on, which means she spends at least one day out of every week curled up in bed with a heating pad for her lower back (which has started to ache incessantly) and three glasses of water set out so she doesn’t have to get up to refill them. Alex is incredibly busy but still manages to check on her as often as possible, even if he’s drenched in sweat from working outside and she refuses to let him touch her. 

She has to admit, it’s nice to have someone to care for her. No one has ever been so concerned with her wellbeing, except Norman maybe, but even then he was often so caught up in his own issues that he hardly had time to worry about her day-to-day discomforts. Now, Alex seems to have declared every possible inconvenience to her his mortal enemy, and he hovers so close to her that it irritates her some days. Other days, she can’t help but burst into tears at how thoughtful and loving he is, her heart threatening to explode with gratitude at the tiniest things. Those days, he holds her close, promises from his chest that she deserves all of it and more, and reminds her that he will be there until the stars fall out of the sky to make her happy. 

On the last day of the month, less than 24 hours before the grand opening/housewarming party/baby shower/gender reveal extravaganza, Norma is prickling with anticipation. She spends the day cleaning excessively to keep herself busy, somehow managing to stress-bake an excess supply of three dozen muffins on top of the (two, she’d finally negotiated) cakes for the gender reveal. Alex is constantly reminding her that she’s not supposed to be stressing about the party, but he can’t bring himself to blame her as he rushes around trying to make sure everything is in order with just as much mildly-panicked fervor. 

Finally, he convinces her to collapse into bed with him a few hours later than usual, practically prying the all-purpose cleaner from her fingers after catching her eyeing the downstairs tables again. After almost an hour of both of them pretending to sleep, Alex flops over to face her with a sigh.

“Ok, I can hear you thinking instead of sleeping.” He says pointedly, seeing her eyes open with a frown. 

She starts to shake her head. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you up or anything.” 

“Nonono, talk to me,” Alex insists when she shifts to turn back over. “What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing, Alex.” Norma sighs.

“Really? ‘Cause the last time you weren’t sleeping…”

“This is not that.” She cuts.

“Then what is it?” His hands creep to her hips under the heavy comforter covering them, pulling himself closer to her until he can feel the heat from her body.

“I’m just worried about tomorrow.” She finally admits.

“Thought we agreed you wouldn’t stress about it?” He reminds her, raising his eyebrows.

“I know, I just… there’s so many moving parts and like, so much that could go wrong. I just want it to be good.” 

“It will be good.”

“What if no one comes?” She blurts, swallowing hard the moment the words leave her mouth. 

“People are gonna come. Emma and Dylan and her dad and Kate are coming for sure, Leah said she’d make an appearance when I promised free cake, and Susan’s coming. She told me she’s bringing all her friends and everyone she passes on the street, and Susan doesn’t really strike me as a liar.”

Norma chuckles, letting out a deep breath to allow herself to let go of that particular anxiety. “No, she doesn’t.” She agrees. “But… what if-”

“Listen.” Alex almost never interrupts her, so when he does she has no choice but to pause. “We could stay up all night going through ‘what ifs’ and panicking about every little thing. Or the world could explode in 5 minutes and none of it would matter anyway. But I know that tomorrow’s gonna be good, because I know that we deserve good things. If anything goes wrong, we’ll just fix it then, but there’s no point worrying about it now. Right now, all you can do is sleep so you have the energy to enjoy how good tomorrow is gonna be, ‘kay?”

Norma gulps but nods weakly. “Kay.” 

“I love you,” Alex reminds her, because sometimes he worries that she forgets.

She smiles, catching her bottom lip between her teeth and giggling a little at how those words from his mouth can still affect her like this. “Love you too.” 

He bows his head to rub the tip of his nose against hers, both of them smiling softly at the gentle touch. “You gonna stop thinkin’ and sleep now?”

She shrugs. “Mmmm, I think I’ll clean the tables one more time.” Her smile breaks through at the last few words as she scrambles to get out of his grasp before he can register what she said. Her shrieking giggles fill the room as he pounces on her before she can reach the end of the bed, holding her tightly to prevent escape and pulling her back under the covers with little effort despite her melodramatic flailing. 

“No, you will not.” Alex scolds, almost crushing her against his body as she finally relaxes and wraps her arms around him, her imaginary struggle abandoned. “Sleep.”

“Now I’m all riled up.” She protests petulantly.

“Okay...what about...if you go to sleep now I’ll wake you up the way you like?” He offers, raising one eyebrow suggestively.

“Resorting to bribery, hmm?” Norma smirks.

“Go to sleep before I revoke my offer.” He threatens, his voice low and tired.

“Fine, fine, I’m sleeping!” She finally surrenders, turning over in his arms so her back lays against his chest. He usually prefers to sleep facing her, so the first thing he sees in the morning is her face, but lately, he’s taken to spooning her more often for one specific reason. His hands pull her close so their bodies are aligned before landing on his new favorite spot on Earth, cradling the small bump in her abdomen. “G’night.” Norma yawns, finally letting herself relax enough to start falling asleep.

“Goodnight,” Alex whispers into her hair. “I love you both.”

Chapter Text

Alex makes good on his promise and does, indeed, wake her up the way she likes, which ends up being a very good idea because he is a certified expert in squeezing the stress out of her like a sponge and replacing it with pleasure. By the time he decides he’s finished with her, she’s so relaxed he’s afraid he’s dissolved her bones by accident, leaving her on the bed to remember how to move her limbs while he gets ready.

Finally, Norma slinks out of bed to join him in the bathroom, silently kissing his cheek as he finishes shaving in the mirror. She puts on a flowery pink dress, which is perfect because it’s just tight enough to show off her bump, as well as the blue necklace from Ana’s shop to ‘balance it out.’ Alex wears a light blue plaid button-up, which he promises has nothing to do with the gender reveal (they both know he’s dying to have a girl anyway) and a pair of almost-white jeans with a leather belt. 

Norma convinces him to put on a navy tie because ‘it’s a big day!’ and insists on tying it for him and adjusting the collar of his shirt for far longer than necessary. 

“Didn’t realize you were into business casual.” He surmises when she adjusts his tie one last time and stands up on her toes to kiss the corner of his mouth sweetly. 

“I like the button-ups.” She shrugs, her eyes wandering unashamedly over his chest and arms. “They smell good.”

“You like the smell?” Alex frowns, furrowing his eyebrows. 

“I mean…” Her cheeks start to color as she smiles at the floor bashfully. “Not just the smell, but…”

“So, what, are you saying I have a uniform now?” He smirks, seeing her look up at him and try to hide her smile. 

“Well, maybe not a mandatory one, but it certainly might influence your Christmas bonus…” She teases, her smile growing wider when he drops his head back and laughs. 

“My Christmas bonus, huh?” He chuckles.

“Yep. So you better be a good employee or you’re gonna get coal in your stocking.” Norma threatens, barely able to keep it together enough to stick with the bit. 

“Ok, well, button-ups it is then,” Alex says seriously, a grin spreading on his face as he adds, “boss.”

—---

Norma’s proud that she only cries a little bit when they finally flip the sign on the door from closed to open, but her joy quickly fades back to anxiety as more and more minutes pass and the doorbell doesn’t ring. Alex can sense her nerves from across the building and it puts him on edge as well. 

After half an hour of no customers, she looks ready to burst into tears any second. He crosses the dining room to meet her behind the counter, his hands automatically coming up to cradle her elbows gently. 

“No one’s coming.” She whimpers, dropping her forehead to rest in the enter of his chest. 

“Shhh, they’ll come. It’s still early.” He assures her, bringing one hand up to stroke soothingly through her hair. 

“What if they don’t? What if I’m a failure?” Norma snivels, her hands clutching the back of his shirt so tightly it’s likely creating wrinkles in the fabric. She breathes deeply, trying to contain her tears from progressing into a true meltdown by inhaling the scent of him off of his shirt that always manages to soothe her.

“Hey, remember we said no what ifs?” Alex redirects softly, taking a step back so he can tip her head up with a finger under her chin. He wants to swipe his thumb under her eyes where he can see a couple of tears pooling, but he knows she’s wearing makeup and she’d kill him if he ruined it. “Go in the kitchen and wipe your face. Take some deep breaths and come back out when you’re ready, okay?” He instructs, giving a reassuring smile when she sniffles and nods. 

“‘Kay.” She squeaks, and he watches in mild amazement as she visibly gets over the hill in her mind, letting out a sharp breath of resolution before disappearing into the kitchen. 

Alex looks up in surprise when he hears the doorbell jingle a few seconds later. 

“Am I too late?” A flushed, out-of-breath Susan asks, charging toward the counter. 

“For… what?” 

“To be your first customer! I misread the invite, I thought you opened at 9:00.” She huffs, finally reaching the register and reaching one hand out to lean heavily on the counter.

“Uh, no, you’re not. Let me go get Norma.” Alex nods, glancing down at his watch to see it’s only a few minutes past 8:30. He pushes the door into the kitchen open tentatively, peeking his head around to look for her. “Honey?”

“Yeah?” Norma turns around, having just finished throwing away the sad-looking paper towel she’d stained black in a few spots with her mascara. 

“We got a customer.” He smiles, seeing her face light up instantly. 

“Okay, okay, I’m coming, one second!” She squeals, checking her face in her phone’s camera one last time before practically skipping out of the kitchen right behind him. “Susan!” 

“Hey, Norma!” The detective beams, chuckling a little as Norma barrels into her for a hug. “I got your text, I ran over here as fast as I could.” 

Alex watches from behind the counter, connecting the dots that Norma must have texted about her disappointment at the lack of customers before he’d talked to her. 

“Wait, you ran?” Norma asks as she finally pulls away from the bone-crushing hug. 

“Yeah, my house isn’t that far. Figured I’d work off some of the calories I’m about to get from ordering one of everything on the menu.” 

“You didn’t have to do that!” The older woman gasps. 

“Well, I meant to get here right when you opened anyway, but it turns out I can’t read and I thought it wasn’t for another half hour, so…” Susan shrugs, finally getting a chance to look around at the inside of the bakery. “Wow. You guys did a great job. I mean, it was nice before, but this is way better.” 

“Thank you! Alex did most of the work. I just bossed him around.” Norma admits, tossing her head over her shoulder to shine a smile in his direction. Alex takes that as an invitation to join the conversation, shuffling around the counter to snake an arm around her hip casually. 

“That’s not entirely true. We both put a lot of work in.” He corrects.

“Well, it paid off! The place looks amazing.” Susan nods. 

Norma inhales so quietly only Alex would really notice it, her grip on him tightening ever-so-slightly. “Alright, well, um, the menu’s up there, and don’t think I forgot about the grocery thing. Anything you want is on the house today.” She says brightly. 

Susan huffs but doesn’t argue. “Fine, fine. You did promise.” She gives in, taking a step forward to look up at the menu as Norma dashes around to the register. “Gosh, there’s so much to choose from. What do you recommend?” 

“Oh, ummm…” Norma leans over the counter to look back at the menu, biting her lip in the way Alex recognizes as a nervous signal.

“I think the croissants or the muffins are the best. For breakfast at least.” He pipes up, flicking his eyes silently to his wife as she thanks him telepathically. 

“Oh, I do really love croissants.” Susan agrees, her eyes scanning over the menu one last time. “Okay, how about a chocolate croissant with strawberries?”

Norma beams. “Good choice. I’ll have it out in a minute.” She says, disappearing into the kitchen much more enthusiastically than the last time.

“You know what, I think I’m gonna have a muffin myself.” Alex announces, sliding the display case open to take one from the back. “God knows we have plenty.” 

Susan chuckles at that, still gazing around at the décor. She asks him a few questions about the remodel until Norma reemerges from the kitchen. 

“Oh, god, you’ve got him talking about crown molding. Let me save you.” She groans dramatically, hurrying over to place a plate with a croissant elegantly drizzled in chocolate sauce and strawberries on the table they’d settled at. 

“Wow, this looks amazing!” Susan remarks. “I’m starving.” 

“I took a muffin.” Alex admits sheepishly when Norma turns her gaze to him. She tries (and fails, as always) to fight her smile at her husband eating a muffin like he’s about to get in trouble, reaching out to take a small chunk for herself before turning back to her friend just as she takes her first bite. 

Alex watches her and waits for The Moment, smiling to himself when he sees her eyes widen and her eyebrows twitch up. 

“Mmh, my god, this is so good!” Susan gasps through the bite she’s still chewing, covering her mouth with her fork and hand. “You made this yourself?” She gawks up at her friend after she swallows. 

“Yeah, I mean, it took me a while to figure it out, ‘cause croissants are pretty hard and you have to get just the right dough texture and all but um…” Norma rambles, her cheeks coloring as she realizes she’s saying nonsense. “Uh, so, yeah. I did.” 

“If everything you make is like this, which I suspect it is by the way Alex is still picking crumbs out of that muffin wrapper, you guys are gonna be rich.” Susan grins.

“That’s what I’ve been tellin’ her!” Alex concurs.

The blush on Norma’s face only deepens. “Oh, stop it! You really like it that much?” She asks hopefully, biting the inside of her cheek and clasping her hands under her chin. 

“Yes, I do! You’re gonna milk me dry, I swear, ‘cause I’m coming here for breakfast, like, every day.” Susan declares, earning a chuckle from both of them just as the doorbell jingles again. They all turn to see a woman Norma quickly recognizes walking in. 

“Ana!” She greets brightly, a genuine smile spreading on her face. 

“Pryvit!” Ana waves at the three of them. Norma and Alex exchange a millisecond long glance, neither knowing what the woman just said but assuming it meant something like ‘hello’.

“Ana, c’mere, you gotta try this croissant.” Susan beckons, scooting her chair back from the table a little bit. 

“Croissant.” Ana corrects her pronunciation, earning an exaggerated eye-roll as she takes the fork and slices off a bite of the pastry. 

“Get that strawberry.” Susan points, scoffing as Ana swats her hand away lightheartedly and stabs at the strawberry anyway. 

Norma watches the interaction closely, smiling as it becomes apparent that Ana is somewhat of a mother figure to Susan. The woman chews appraisingly, and somehow Norma finds herself even more nervous to know her opinion than she had been for her best friend’s.

“It’s very good.” Ana smiles warmly once she finishes the bite, her deep blue eyes flicking down to the pendant adorning Norma’s neck. “You like the necklace?”

Norma looks down, her hand reaching up to hold the blue crystal. “Oh, yes, I love it! It’s very beautiful.” 

“I knew it was perfect for you. The crystal is a kulon rodyuchosti, a good choice, chitko.” She nods. Norma’s eyes tick to Susan, who quickly translates.

“It’s a fertility pendant.” She gestures to the necklace. Norma glances at Alex and laughs. 

“I guess it works!” 

Ana steps forward and taps a finger against the bright blue crystal. “Doky vy nosyte yoho blyzʹko do sertsya, tse zakhystytʹ vas i vashu dytynu.”

“She says as long as you wear it close to your heart, it’ll protect you and your baby.” Susan says. 

“Wow, thank you. That’s amazing.” Norma holds the gem carefully, wondering if she might feel the energy coming off of it. After a quiet moment, she looks up. “Oh, Ana, this is my husband, Alex.” She places a soft hand on his shoulder. 

“This is him, hmm?” The woman comments, and thankfully no one notices Susan’s eyes widening momentarily. “Nice to meet you.” 

“The pleasure’s mine. Thank you for coming.” Alex stands to shake her hand. “Can we get you anything?”

“One day, mýla, I will teach you to make perfect Vatrushka.” Ana says to Norma. “But today, just coffee, please.” 

—---

From there, the stream of customers only gets stronger, until Norma is perpetually stuck in the kitchen while Alex brings her a never-ending supply of orders to replace each plate she completes. It’s stressful, but she loves it, and any time she can get away to peek her head out the door she sees people sitting around at the (incredibly clean) tables and enjoying themselves.

The empty plates keep piling up on the counter as Alex cleans up behind customers and Norma thinks she hasn’t felt this proud since the first night they’d had a fully booked motel. People like her food, and from the lingering conversation she can hear through the walls, they like the bakery too. 

A few minutes before noon, Alex comes back into the kitchen. Norma holds her hand out silently for the receipt she expects him to hand her, having just sent out the last plate in her queue, but she only feels his warm skin as he takes her hand gently and presses a kiss to the top of it.

“Dylan and Emma just got here.” He announces, flicking a finger out to gently wipe a smear of chocolate from her chin. 

“And Kate?” Norma looks up excitedly, wiping her hands on the light pink apron that’s just a little too big for her.

“She just went down for a nap. Will’s bringing her by for the party.” He replies, seeing her deflate a little. “Em said she can have everything ready by 2:00.” 

“We should close by 1:30 then ‘cause I need to clean up.” She huffs, looking around the kitchen and down at herself anxiously. Alex steps forward to kiss her temple, careful not to get any of the mess she’s made on himself.

“I already flipped the sign a couple minutes ago. You’ve been working hard enough.” He steps around behind her, his fingers working to loosen the ties on her apron as he speaks.

Norma practically collapses into him as soon as he finishes his sentence. “Oh, thank you. God, I love you.” She sighs heavily, letting him slip the apron over her head and fold it gently across his arm.

“You go upstairs and fix yourself up. I’ll take care of everything down here, take your time.” He whispers, though she’s sure he’s probably just as tired from running plates back and forth for the past 3 hours.

Norma spins and wraps her arms around his neck, leaning up to kiss him tenderly. “You’re the best ever. I mean it.” She beams. He just kisses her again in response.

“We’ll be outside when you get done, ‘kay?” He smiles warmly, tucking some hair behind her ear as she nods. “Alright, well get your butt out of this kitchen then.” He punctuates with a quick swat to her ass, sending her giggling out the door as he starts on making the workspace look a little less like it’s been hit by a hurricane.

Norma feels a little guilty about not stopping to say hi to anyone before she goes upstairs, but she really is a mess and she needs a breather before she can enter party mode. She slinks up the stairs and into her clean, quiet home, letting out a heavy sigh the moment the door closes behind her. 

All she wants to do is crawl into bed and sleep for two days straight, but she feels filthy, so the first thing she does is strip and run herself a bath. It’ll have to be a quick one, she decides, because even though Alex had instructed her to take her time, she feels wrong being away from her own party for so long. She takes her makeup off, knowing she’ll likely have to redo it anyway, and throws her hair up with a clip before sinking into the hot, soothing water. 

It’s the first time she’s had a calm moment alone to think in what feels like years. She drops her head to rest on the edge of the tub, her hands drifting down to cradle the small swell in her abdomen. It’s definitely grown since they first saw it, and she swears it gets even bigger every day. 

“How are you doing, munchkin?” She murmurs, rubbing her fingers up and down tenderly. “It’s a big day for you too.” There’s no response, and she obviously hadn’t expected one, but she likes talking to her baby, even if it won’t be able to hear her for another month or so.

Her hand reaches up to hold the pendant around her neck. I knew it was perfect for you. It will protect you and your baby. 

Norma’s not sure if she believes in all of that, but she hopes Ana is right. She certainly won’t not wear it, even if it doesn’t have some sort of guardian angel trapped in it. It’s beautiful, and having it on makes her feel safer now either way. 

Besides, they’ve already got one guardian angel in the form of her husband. It’d just be greedy to have two.

Chapter Text

Alex creeps up the stairs quietly, not wanting to disturb his wife if she’s resting. He presses his ear against the door once he reaches the top, hearing the sound of faint music from inside and deeming it safe to enter. 

Norma’s in the bathroom and must not hear the door open, too engrossed in reapplying her makeup and fluffing her curls back up. She’s singing along quietly to the music playing from her phone speaker, something he recognizes as one of her favorite songs.

What doesn’t kill you

Only makes you blonder…

Alex watches her from the doorway for a moment, smiling to himself at the way she sways subconsciously to the rhythm of the song. He loves seeing her like this, enjoying herself when she’s not worried anyone’s watching her. He swears he could stand there for hours if they didn’t have a party to get back to.

Something ‘bout platinum irrefutably

Looks as good on records as it does on me

“I wouldn’t quite call you ‘platinum’.” He pipes up, trying to hold in his smirk as she practically jumps out of her skin. He steps into the bathroom to stand behind her, pulling her hair back over her shoulder to kiss the side of her neck. “You’re more ‘golden’ nowadays.”

Norma hums, relaxing into his touch after her fright wears off. She sets down her mascara and reaches for her phone to turn the music off. “What are you doing up here?” Her bright blue eyes, accented by the thin layer of eyeshadow and liner she’d just finished applying, narrow playfully when they meet his in the mirror.

Alex shrugs, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He can smell the fresh perfume on her neck and can’t resist nudging the underside of her jaw with his nose. “Just checkin’ on you. Emma said everything’s ready when you are.” 

“Already? Have I been up here that long?” She looks down at her phone in a panic, letting out a breath of relief when she sees it’s not even 1:00.

“No, just turns out setting up gets a lot easier when you’ve got 4 people helping you.” Alex chuckles.

“You’re s’posed to be partying, not working.” Norma nags, worried she might just be the world’s worst host.

He can sense her nerves as she starts getting ready faster, paying no attention to him hugging her or the soft little kisses he dots across her neck. “You’re good, baby. Everyone’s having a good time, you don’t have to rush.” He whispers.

“I’m ready, I’m ready!” She squeaks, swiping on a flawless coat of lipstick impressively fast. She pauses for a moment and looks at herself in the mirror, one hand flicking at a stray curl poking out.

“You look perfect. Come let me show you off.” He mutters into her shoulder, nipping her skin a little to make her giggle. 

“Alright, alright, let’s go.” Norma sighs, letting him take her hand to lead her back downstairs.

Outside, the backyard is comfortably populated with people, both friends and strangers. The party had been an open invite to anyone in town, so several locals decided to make an appearance—mostly at Susan’s request. Alex already introduced himself when they’d arrived, but he hopes to bring Norma to meet them at some point as well.

He’s been working hard in the backyard for the past few weeks, which has definitely paid off. The first thing he’d done was replace the fence as he’d promised, building them a custom picket fence and painting it the perfect shade of white that he knows will be a pain in the ass to maintain. He’d trimmed the existing maple trees back, picked bags upon bags of weeds, mowed, and planted two rows of fruit tree saplings that Norma had helped pick out along the fence. Finally, he’d hauled several wooden picnic benches back and hung some string lights and speakers throughout the space. 

Norma had loved it when he’d finally showed her the finished product, but she loves it infinitely more now that it’s filled with people. For the party, Emma’s strung up pink and blue banners under the string lights and draped matching tablecloths over each picnic table, with a few balloons of each color weighed down as centerpieces. 

“Oh, Emma, this looks amazing!” Norma gasps, holding her chin with her hands. She skips down into the grass to hug her daughter-in-law tightly.

“I’m so glad you like it!” Emma beams, smiling as Norma quickly reaches for Dylan to pull him into another hug. “Everything’s ready, so you don’t have to worry about a thing, okay?” 

“It was so nice of you to do this for me. Thank you so much, dear.” She gushes.

“Of course! I’ve been looking forward to it since we talked about it.” 

“She really has.” Dylan cuts in, sounding quite glad he’ll finally be able to hear the end of party-planner Enma.

“Look who’s here!” Norma turns around at the sound of Alex’s voice from the door. 

“Leah! You made it!” She cheers, stepping up to greet the young girl with another hug, one she’s prepared for this time. 

“I heard there would be cake.” Leah shrugs. 

“There will in fact be cake. In just a few minutes, actually.” Alex nods. Norma leads the three of them back toward the table that Dylan and Emma are settled at. 

After a few minutes of introducing everybody to everybody (and a few more once Susan walks over), Norma dashes off to turn on some music over the speakers (starting of course with the song her husband had so rudely interrupted earlier). Before she can get back to the table, Alex intercepts her to go meet the other townspeople in their backyard, who are all very nice. Most of them had ordered food that morning and they make sure to tell Norma how wonderful it was. A few even assure her they’ll be regulars, since a lot of the town had been at the old bakery as well. 

Finally, she manages to break away for long enough to head back to where Dylan, Emma, Susan, and Leah are seated, as well as Will and Kate, who had joined them since she’d left. 

“Hey, Emma, I think we’re ready.” She announces, feeling butterflies in her stomach already. 

“Ready… oh! Ready ready.” Emma jumps up.

“You got the envelope?” Norma checks, seeing the girl flash a glimpse of white paper from her pocket and nod. “Okay, the cakes are in the kitchen, labeled. Please triple check you pick the right one.” They both laugh as if Emma wouldn’t have quadruple checked even without being reminded. She scurries off like a mouse on a mission.

“Cake time?” Leah perks up, earning chuckles around the table.

“Just a little longer. We gotta do a real quick gender reveal first.” Norma smirks, sitting down heavily in the chair Emma just stood from.

“A ge- oh. Oh, a gender reveal, like actually?!” The girl looks around, apparently the only one unaware of the itinerary.

“Yep, actually.” Alex somehow appears next to her (Norma swears he’s a ninja sometimes). “It’s for reals.” He adds, the younger people at the table only scrunching their eyebrows for a second at his unfortunate attempt at slang. 

“Do you have a preferred outcome?” Leah has to look straight up to see him standing just behind Norma, her dark hair falling back over the edge of the chair. 

“He wants a girl. Like really bad.” His wife answers before he can deny it. Alex flushes as red as he ever gets, shrugging sheepishly.

“I- I mean… I don’t not want a boy. I just…”

“Want a girl.” She finishes. 

“I mean… yeah.” He finally gives in. 

“I do too.” Norma admits, placing her hand over his where it’s resting on her shoulder. “I’m certain it’s a girl.”

“How do you know?” Leah frowns and tilts her head.

“Emma knew. I don’t know how but she just told me one day like, months before we ever knew for sure.” Dylan shrugs.

“Moms just know. We always know.”  Norma adds with a wink, smiling as Leah pales a little at the insinuation.

It’s barely a minute later when Dylan looks down at his phone, sighing loudly and glaring over at his mom, who grins knowingly.

“Pay up, sucker!” Norma teases, the rest of the table looking up cluelessly.

“Why is he paying you?” Alex frowns.

“We made a bet. I said Emma wouldn’t last five minutes knowing the secret without needing to tell someone.” She explains.

“I had a little more faith in her. Guess I shouldn’t have.” Dylan groans, slapping a $5 bill into her hand and stomping off toward the house so his wife can squeal at him. 

Emma’s hands are shaking a few minutes later when she walks out with the cake. Norma had made two identical cakes, one with batter dyed pink and the other with blue. She’d frosted both with white icing and piped alternating pink and blue flowers for borders, so even she couldn’t tell them apart without the labels. 

Of course, she tries anyway, craning her head to look closely at the cake as Emma places it on the round table Dylan had carried out behind her. 

“No cheating.” Alex reprimands, playfully covering her eyes so she can’t look too hard. 

“I’m not cheating!” She pulls his hand away but doesn’t let go as she stands up on trembling knees to follow him to where they’re supposed to stand. “Don’t say anything to Emma. She'll probably explode.” Norma warns, earning a nod and chuckle from her husband. 

Everyone in the backyard gathers in a somewhat circle around the cake, watching anxiously as Dylan helps Emma cut a slice very carefully so that they don’t reveal the color too soon. 

“Ready?” He looks up at his mom, seeing her holding onto Alex’s arm like a lifeline. She glances over at him, swallowing hard, before they both nod. “Okay, 3…2…1!”

“It’s a girl!” Emma blurts before they can even register the pink cake, letting out a loud breath of relief that she managed not to spoil it. 

“It’s a girl!” Norma shrieks, throwing her arms around Alex’s neck with a squeal. She can feel his smile on her neck as he pulls her close, earning another delighted shriek as her feet leave the ground and he spins her in the air. 

“I love you so much.” He murmurs once he sets her back down, the words barely out of his mouth before he’s kissing her. People cheer and whoop around them but neither of them even notice or care.

“I told you, I haven’t been wrong before.” Norma beams, holding her face close to his and seeing his eyelashes shimmering a little in the sun. “Oh, honey...” She melts, rubbing her thumb gently over his eyes. He chuckles softly, shaking his head and smiling at her. 

Alex holds her close, partially so her face can hide his from all of their guests who do not need to see him crying like a baby. Norma can’t help but giggle a little, holding her hand up to shield him under the guise of stroking his hair and having to bite her lip to keep from laughing too much at the blush taking over his face. Of course she finds it adorable, but it’s also really, really funny. 

“You good?” She chuckles after a few moments, wiping as inconspicuously as possible at his face again. He nods and stacks himself back up to his full height, clearing his throat softly. 

“Let’s go get some cake.” 

———

Alex is thankful when Norma finally starts to relax as the party goes on. They make the rounds once more after the cake is cut, collecting congratulations from just about everyone there before heading back to their table for a much-needed break. 

Susan jumps up as they approach, pulling Norma into a tight hug. “Oh, congratulations. I’m so happy for you.” She squeezes out. “You two are gonna be the best parents.” 

“Thank you, Susan. I really hope so.” Norma casts the tiniest forlorn glance to her son at the other end of the table, quickly shaking her head to stop herself from spiraling down that particular path. 

Alex must know exactly where her mind is because as soon as she lets go of her friend, he perches on the edge of the picnic table bench, his hand tugging on her arm so she drops into his lap with a quiet yelp. 

“You know there are plenty of seats…” She protests half-heartedly, her arms wrapping around his shoulders nonetheless. 

“So go sit in one.” He calls her bluff, cracking a one-sided smirk when she only pouts at him and shuffles to sit more comfortably across his legs. 

Norma’s never been one for PDA, but she can’t imagine not being in Alex’s arms right now. It is their party, and they’ve just found out they’re going to have their own little girl in a few months, so honestly, she couldn’t care less. If the teenagers (which is technically just Leah, but Dylan still acts like one so he counts in her mind) want to roll their eyes and pretend to be disgusted, they can go right on ahead. She just wants more than anything to share every last moment of the day with him. 

They sit just like that until the sky turns marbled shades of pink and orange and only a few people are left lingering around the backyard. Will takes Kate home after an hour or so, much to Norma’s disappointment, but Emma and Dylan assure her that they’ll stick around to help clean up. 

Alex leans in to Norma during a lull in the conversation, his hands squeezing her hips to get her attention.

“Can I take your picture?” He whispers huskily, nudging a strand of hair out of the way of her ear with his nose. 

“Take my picture?” She furrows her eyebrows, looking over her shoulder at him quizically. 

“Yeah, by the fence. I want a picture.” 

“Why?” Norma pesters, glancing over at the fence across the yard where he’s looking. 

“Because, you look really pretty. Is it so wrong for a man to want a picture of his beautiful, pregnant wife on the fence he built?” Alex presses, returning the blushing smile she gives him in response. 

“I guess not.” She shrugs, biting her lip as her gaze drops from his eyes to his mouth momentarily. 

“I’ll be quick. Promise.” He assures her. Norma squeals as his hands slip under her legs, lifting her up into his arms effortlessly as he stands from the picnic table and places her carefully on her feet in front of him. 

“Yeah, I’ve heard that one before.” She teases, grinning at his shocked expression. 

“Ew! People can hear you, ya know.” Leah gags, her face twisted in exaggerated disgust. 

“Oh, hush.” Norma rolls her eyes, dragging a mortified Alex in the direction of the fence where they’ll have the sunset in the background. She turns around when she reaches the painted wood, leaning back against a post and preparing to pose. 

Alex surprises her when he keeps following her past the ideal distance for photos, stepping closer and placing his hands on her hips. “Up,” he instructs, lifting her by her waist so that she can balance on the top horizontal beam of the fence. Her hands grab his shoulders hard as her feet scrabble for purchase on the other beam. 

“This is not practical.” She huffs, reaching back to hold the outside edge of the fence to anchor herself. 

“You look great.” Alex grins.

“If I fall, it’s your fault.” 

“Then don’t fall.” He gently shuffles her legs to the side so that she’s at a ¾ profile, his fingers tipping her face to just the right angle so the sun lights up her eyes.

“Didn’t realize you were a master photographer.” Norma jabs, straightening her back as he finally takes a few steps away to look at her. 

“Only when I have a good muse.” He winks back, earning an eye roll and a scoff even though she can’t hide her smile at his shameless flirting. “Okay, smile.” 

He snaps a few pictures of her sitting and smiling, and a couple more when she’s brave enough to let go of the fence with one hand to cradle her bump, turning to the side a little more so that it will be visible. 

“Do you want one of both of you?” Emma calls as she approaches quickly, taking Alex’s phone as he hops up onto the fence on the other side of the post. 

“Okay, you’re right, this isn’t comfortable.” He admits, leaning back and trying to find his balance on the thin ledge.

“Just smile and pretend.” Norma instructs through her teeth.

“Eeeeee! That it too cute!” Emma squeals, taking a gigabyte’s worth of photos from every angle. 

“Okay, yeah, that’s plenty.” Alex huffs, his face aching a bit from smiling. He jumps down and quickly turns to help his wife off of the fence, thanking Emma and leading them all back to the table so he can look through all of the pictures. 

A spot has opened up at the table when they get back, so Norma has no excuse to sit on his lap again, to Alex’s disappointment. She settles next to him, looking over his shoulder as he scrolls through his camera and offering her opinion on each of the photos. 

Norma perks up as she hears the opening riff to a song she hasn’t listened to in months, maybe years. She’d forgotten it was even in her library, but she’s filled with warmth when she hears the lively melody of the fiddle.

“I love this song.” She murmurs in Alex’s ear. 

“Really?” He raises his eyebrows, putting his phone down to look at her. 

His wife’s love of country music had taken him by surprise at first. He never expected Norma to listen to that stuff, even if she lived in Arizona for two decades. Most of her southern influence had worn off by the time they were married, but some things stuck, and music was one of them. 

For a while, he’d pretended to hate it, groaning anytime she’d start playing drawling ballads in the car and begging her to ‘play something normal.’ But, over time, her taste had grown on him. She only really listens to a few select albums that he guesses had been her favorites in Arizona, and he has to admit, they’re catchy. 

“Will you dance with me? Please?” Norma asks softly, looking over at the open center of the yard. 

“No one else is dancing…” He protests mildly, looking around and feeling himself starting to flush at just the thought of it. 

“Pleeeeeeaseeee? Just one song? It’s my favorite.” She whines, giving him The Eyes that he can’t possibly say no to. 

Alex sighs, giving her his classic please don’t make me do this face. 

“Oh, come on, dance with her, Alex!“ Emma pleads from the other side of the table. Norma’s face breaks into a wicked smile as she watches his cheeks flush so faintly only she could notice it. 

He seems like he still needs a little convincing, so she leans down and cups her hand over his ear to whisper to him so no one else at the table can hear.

She’s barely done speaking before he jumps up, tugging her by the hand to start marching toward the makeshift dance floor. 

Emma exchanges a shocked glance with Dylan, who looks ready to crawl in a hole and never come out. 

“Ew! Ew ew ew ew!” Leah covers her ears, banging her forehead against the picnic table like she can push out the memory of whatever exchange she just witnessed. Susan tries really hard not to laugh as she rubs a hand over the girl’s back, tossing her head over her shoulder to watch the happy couple as they start to dance, oblivious to the fallout they created.

A handful of aces when the dealer’s done dealin’

I’m forever on a roll, that’s how she’s got me feelin’

Alex smiles down at his wife as she sings along softly to the song, swaying in his arms after he pulls her in from a twirl. 

“Didn’t know you could talk like that.” He comments, watching her frown up at him for a moment.

“It wasn’t that dirty, Alex, I mean I’ve said much wor-“

“No! No no no, I meant your singing.” He stops her, looking around nervously to make sure no one overheard. 

“Oh. What about it?” She blushes.

“I just didn’t realize you knew how to sing like you was born in a bush.” He gives a truly awful attempt at a southern accent, smiling proudly when she bursts into laughter. 

“I do not sound like that!” She chokes out, smacking his chest playfully. 

“You do. Exactly like that, actually.” Alex teases. 

There’s absolutely no reason to doubt her

When she says I wouldn’t last ten minutes without her

“That’s just how the song goes. You have to sing it like that or it doesn’t sound right.” 

“Uh huh. Sure.” 

“What?” Norma narrows her eyes, trying and failing to pretend she’s actually offended when he grins and shakes his head at her.

She’s right on the money

She goes direct to my heart

“You’ve just got a little hick in you. That’s all.” He shrugs, earning more laughter from her. “I married a redneck.”

“Take that back!” She snorts. 

“Fine, fine, maybe not a redneck. You’ve just…got some spice.” 

“I’ll show you spice, mister.” Norma snips, squeezing his nose between her fingers for a second. She can’t hold out long looking at him though, and her smile breaks through, a single chuckle jumping out before she lays her head on his shoulder so he can’t see her laughing. 

The song winds down and Alex can’t stop his heart from swelling as he listens to her whistling softly along. Images flash in his head of her singing to their daughter, teaching her to dance in little cowboy boots that are too big for her, giggling with her at their favorite parts. He pulls her closer subconsciously, tucking his head into her hair even after the music stops. 

“Where’d you go?” Norma asks softly, her hand trailing up to cradle the back of his head. 

“Just thinking. About you, and our daughter.” He murmurs, breathing in the scent of her and rubbing the tip of his nose against her ear. 

“You scared she’s gonna come out a redneck?” She teases, feeling his smile grow against her skin. 

“No. She’ll be perfect no matter what.” 

“Even if she’s born in a bush?” Norma giggles.

He laughs and nods. “Yes, even if she’s born in a bush.”

Chapter Text

Alex smiles when he wakes up because he immediately knows that it is very, very early in the morning, and they don’t have to be up for several more hours. He lays with one arm draped limply over his wife after they’d inevitably shifted apart in their sleep, so he reaches with the other arm to pull her back against him. 

Norma stirs a little at the movement but doesn’t wake. He loves that she’s such a heavy sleeper. He finds it adorable that once she’s out, nothing short of the rapture can wake her up unless she wants it to. His beautiful, obstinate wife would use him as a pillow and snore softly in his ear for the rest of her life if he’d let her. And he has to admit… some days, he’s tempted. 

Not today, though. 

Today, he wants to kiss her. Not just in the sweet, soft way that he paints her skin in the mornings until she allows him to drag her out of her slumber. No, he needs to kiss her, and she has to be awake for that. So, he nuzzles her neck a little firmer than normal, his hands squeezing her hips to try to rouse her. 

After a minute of those and similar tactics, Norma grunts. “Why are you waking me up before the goddamn sun?” She hisses, refusing to open her eyes or move an inch. 

“I wanna kiss you,” Alex murmurs, not letting himself be deterred by her grumpiness. 

Norma huffs and opens her eyes, twisting out of his grip to glare up at him. 

“I am beyond exhausted and beyond pregnant, and you wanna wake me up for a kiss?” She snaps, her eyes burning. Alex knows that look, and he knows he’ll be lucky if he gets her to speak to him again if he doesn’t back off. The smile fades from his face. 

This is not how he wanted today to go. 

“I’m sorry, honey. I just wanted-” 

“Whatever you wanted, I’m sure you can still want it after the sun rises.” She cuts him off, flipping herself over with an irritated flourish to lay with her back to him, ending the conversation. 

Alex deflates. He’d spent the last few days imagining how he’d wake her up with gentle kisses and soft caresses, how she’d be smiley and sweet the way she used to be in the mornings, before the tiny little devil in her uterus flooded her body with hormones and fatigue. He’d fallen asleep last night imagining how she’d giggle when he rolled her onto her back, the look in her eyes as he trailed kisses down her chest and her stomach, the precious noises she’d make…

But none of that had happened. Instead, she’d rejected and admonished him, and now he’s left to spend the rest of the morning sleeping when he can’t even hold her. Great.

—---

The next time Norma wakes up, Alex is gone. She looks over her shoulder to find his side of the bed empty and frowns, dropping onto her back to reach a hand across the sheets. The foot of space in the middle of the bed is cold. Only on the outside edge can she still feel his warmth, and the realization that he’d turned over to give her as much space as possible drops a boulder of guilt down her throat. 

Why did I do that? Why’d I have to lash out at him?

The irritable anger she’d woken up with the first time appears to have been replaced with uncompromising sadness. She draws her hand away before her lip can start quivering, sitting up to check the time. 

Just as she resolves herself to get up to find him and apologize, the bedroom door opens and Alex pushes through. In his arms, he has a tray with a plate of her favorite breakfast foods and a glass of orange juice on it, along with a little vase that holds a couple of yellow flowers. 

Norma feels even more guilt settling in her stomach as her heart flutters. “What’s all this?” She gasps, leaning back against the headboard so he can place the tray in her lap. 

Alex hopes she doesn’t see how his smile flickers for a second at her reaction. “Breakfast in bed!” He beams, crossing around to shuffle onto the bed next to her. 

He doesn’t expect her to be frowning when he looks back up at her. 

“Alex… I was so mean to you earlier. I don’t deserve this.” She laments, starting to lift the tray off of her. 

He stops her with a hand on top of hers. “Of course you do. Don’t say that.” 

“Well, why…” She pauses, “What made you want to do this for me?”

Alex deflates, every chance of denying it dashed by her words. “You really don’t know?” He asks, and the hurt in his eyes makes her heart rate pick up.

“N-No?” 

“It’s December 7th.” He states, his heart breaking a little more when she just looks at him blankly. “It’s our anniversary.”

“Oh…” Norma looks down for a few seconds and then back up again, chewing the inside of her lip. 

Alex looks like he might cry. “I know we’ve had a lot going on but… you never forget this stuff. What happened?” 

She pushes the tray off of her lap and onto the bed, kneeling up to hold his face in both of her hands. “I’m sorry, Alex.” She murmurs, but his eyes tell her he needs an explanation, not an apology. “I… didn’t realize it was important to you.” 

His face twists into a scowl. “What?”

Norma feels panic coursing through her. “Well, we… we didn’t do anything last year, and I wasn’t-”

“Yes, we did,” Alex interjects, seeing her staring at him, wide-eyed. “I took you out to dinner, and we watched Cabaret in the living room, and you told me it was the best date you’d ever had…” He can’t even look her in the eyes now, a thick lump settled in his throat. 

“No, that… that was…” Norma stammers, not wanting to accept her brain’s math that the night he’s talking about was about a year ago. 

“That was our anniversary.” He says in a low tone, his large hands taking her wrists to bring them away from his face. “And I knew you were thinking about Norman, ‘cause it’d just hit a year since he was admitted, but I still wanted to make you feel special.”

“Alex…” Norma whimpers, swallowing hard and looking up at him desperately.

He drops her hands. “Just… eat your breakfast, Norma. I need some space.”

With that, he’s gone from the bed, and then gone from the room, and she’s left alone with tears on her face and a vase of flowers she knows she doesn’t deserve. 

—---

Norma doesn’t see him again until it’s almost time for opening and he slinks down the stairs to find him resetting the register quietly. He doesn’t look up at her or say anything, even as she pauses a moment in front of the counter. His jaw shifts and she knows that he can see her but clearly he’s still taking his space, so she silently shuffles past him and into the kitchen.

When Leah walks in a few minutes later, Alex is still standing at the register, breathing slowly to try to regain his control after the single whiff of Norma’s perfume that he’d caught as she walked by had almost shattered his resolve. He still hasn’t gotten the kiss he’s wanted for hours, and suddenly her lips are all he can think about. He just needs them to be okay again, so he can hold her and kiss her the way he so desperately wants to, but he can’t quite get over his frustration with her just yet.

“Woah. What’s wrong with your face?” Leah asks almost immediately, approaching him hesitantly. 

“It’s… nothing,” Alex mutters, shaking himself out of his thoughts and slamming the register closed with a little more force than necessary. 

“Are you and the boss lady fighting or something?” She presses, slinging her bag off of her shoulder to hang it on a hook on the wall. 

“Something like that.” He grumbles. 

“Am I gonna be in the splash zone if I go in there?” Her dark green eyes flick to the kitchen door nervously, then back to him. 

“I dunno.” Alex sighs, running a hand over his face. “Honestly, I don’t know, kid.” 

“Okay… um, good luck… with that, I guess?” 

She’s about to walk past him into the kitchen when he reaches out to hold her arm gently, barely enough to stop her. “Will you just make sure she’s okay, please?” He asks under his breath, seeing the girl’s eyes widen a bit. “I don’t expect you to play therapist or middle man or whatever. I just… J-just, can you check on her?”

Leah nods quickly. “Y-yeah, okay. I will.” 

Alex pulls his hand away and swallows hard. “Thank you.”

She gives a tight smile in response as she slips past him and through the kitchen door. 

Norma looks up as she enters, sniffling softly and wiping her face as inconspicuously as possible. 

“Oh, hi honey.” She greets in a chipper tone, straightening herself up to get to work.

“Morning. Uh, how are you?” Leah asks, trying desperately to be a little less awkward just standing there. Her boss furrows her eyebrows at the question. In the time she’s known Leah, she’s never once asked her that, and it can’t be a coincidence she’s starting today. 

“Did Alex talk to you?” She asks somewhat accusingly.

“Um, a little. He just said you guys were… having issues.”

“He said that?” Norma looks crestfallen and she quickly backtracks.

“Well, n-no, not those words, I mean… I asked, and he, like… kinda…” 

“Did he seem angry?” She asks meekly. 

“No, not angry. He was definitely…upset.” Leah replies, watching the blonde woman cover her face with her hands and lean against the countertop. 

“It’s our anniversary.” Norma explains. 

“Oh, really? Con-”

“And I forgot.” She finally admits.

“Oh, shit.” Leah pales a little. 

“Yeah. ‘Shit’ is right,” Norma sighs, taking a deep breath and shaking her hands out. “But that’s not what we’re here for, is it? Let’s just get to work.” She nods resolutely. 

She gives Leah a few directions for things to do and then they both work silently on their own for several minutes. The teenager’s surprised when her boss breaks the silence. 

“I didn’t actually forget.” She says flatly. Leah looks over at her, curious. “I knew it was coming up. The problem was… I didn’t expect him to care.”

“Why wouldn’t he care?” 

“I… can’t really explain that to you yet.” Norma trails off, not wanting to scare the girl she pretty much just met by spewing her trauma all over her.

“O…kayy?” Leah nods slowly, not sure how she should respond.

“Just… look at me, honey.” She instructs softly, crossing around the counter to hold the girl by her upper arms. “Not every man in this world is a good one. And sometimes they trick you into thinking they are. So you don’t let ‘em trick you, okay? If someone doesn’t treat you right, you don’t put up with it, ever.”

The brunette gulps at the sudden lecture, shaking her head up and down quickly. “Y-yeah, okay. I won’t.”

Norma steps back, apparently satisfied. She gets all the way back to where she had been working before Leah speaks up.

“Wait, are you saying Alex doesn’t treat you right?” She frowns, wondering how that could be true about the sappiest, most tooth-ache-inducing couple she’s ever been in contact with.

“Oh, God, no.” Norma looks up, understanding quickly how her meaning could have been misconstrued. “Alex is the best man I have ever met, and I’d put my life on that.”

“So then why wouldn’t he care about your anniversary?” 

“He would, and rationally, I should have known that. It’s just… the rest of me that’s the problem.” She sighs. 

“So you’re saying… you knew he would probably care, but you still didn’t expect him to?”

Norma lets out what looks like a breath of relief. “Yes. Yeah, exactly.” She nods, lifting up the tray of pastries she’d just finished arranging. “Okay, could you take these out there and put them in the display case?”

“Yeah, of course.” She replies, taking the tray and sucking in a deep breath before she pushes through the door to face her other boss.

Alex turns to her the second the door closes behind her. “How is she?” He presses, glancing around at the mostly empty dining room to make sure they’re not overheard. 

Leah sighs heavily. “Look, I think you need to talk to her, ‘cause apparently I can’t really understand what’s going on with her and she can’t tell me either. But it sounds to me like a classic case of miscommunication. So maybe just… hear her out? I dunno.” She raises her hands up, her eyes flicking over to him to make sure he won’t fire her for anything she just said.

“Okay, you’re right. I’ll talk to her.” He decides, having known for a while that he couldn’t give her the silent treatment forever. He blows a puff of air out of his mouth and shakes his head. 

Good God, I’m really getting relationship advice from a teenager. I’m so fucked.

—---

It’s not for another few hours that he gets to finally talk to her. Leah comes out to take over the register, so he takes the opportunity to slip into the kitchen to have a conversation with his wife. 

“Norma?” He calls, finding her hunched over a countertop facing away from the door. She visibly melts with relief when she hears his voice, dropping whatever it is she’s doing and turning quickly to look at him.

“Alex…” She breathes, taking a few steps forward as he lets the door swing closed behind him. She can’t tell what kind of mood he’s in or what he’s thinking, so she just stands and waits for him to talk first. 

“You said…” He starts, taking another step inside and trailing one finger along the edge of the counter. “This morning, you said you ‘didn’t realize it was important to me.’ What… what’d you mean by that? Why wouldn’t our anniversary be important to me?” 

Norma sighs. “I… I knew it should be. Logically, I knew you’d care. Of course you would. You’re Alex.” She says, both of them pausing for a moment at the words not said. You’re Alex, not Sam. “But… I guess some part of me wouldn’t let me get my hopes up. That you really are perfect, and a good man, and everything I’ve ever wanted. I guess I was just protecting myself… in case you didn’t… care.” She shrugs at the ground, swallowing around the thick lump in her throat. 

When she looks up again, Alex is right in front of her. His deep brown eyes bore into hers, filled with a sadness she doesn’t expect. “Norma… have you ever celebrated your anniversary before?” He probes gently, ducking down to force her to keep looking at him. His heart aches as he waits for her response, hoping to God that she’ll prove his suspicion wrong.

She doesn’t have to answer. They both know what it means when she finally lets herself burst into tears at the question. Alex exhales shakily, pulling her into his arms and tucking her face against his chest. His body is almost shaking with rage as he holds her, not the way he wanted to when he woke up this morning, but holds her, because she can barely stand with how hard she’s crying into his shirt. The notion that someone did this to her, that she’s going through this because of how her ex-husband treated her, is enough to make him want to go to Arizona and resurrect Sam Bates just so he can kill the son of a bitch himself. 

He’s also angry at himself. He knows that her past relationships have warped and distorted her perception of love. It’s affected their relationship before, so why hadn’t he recognized it might’ve been the reason she still struggles with trust now? Fresh starts are never really fresh. You can’t expect it to be like nothing bad ever happened before then.

“I’m sorry, Alex.” Norma sobs out, her fingers fisting in the front of his shirt. “I should’ve trusted you. I do trust you.” 

“I know, baby.” He whispers, running his hands up and down her back to try to get her to breathe. “It’s not your fault.”

“But I still hurt you. It doesn’t matter whose fault it was. I did that.”

“And I forgive you.” Alex counters quickly, taking a step away from her so he can hold her cheeks in his hands. “I should’ve let you explain yourself this morning. That’s on me. I’m sorry we had to spend today being pissed at each other.” 

Norma smiles softly at his touch and his words, sniffling quietly. “Well, today’s not over yet…” She shrugs, and they’re so close that she can see his pupils dilate. 

“God, I’ve wanted to kiss you all fucking day.” He growls, his eyes lingering for longer and longer intervals on her lips. 

“Well, don’t.” She croaks suddenly, pulling his hands away from his face. He looks at her, as close as he gets to pouting, his arms hanging uselessly at his sides. “I’m all snotty.” She gestures to her face, still glistening a little with tear tracks, the skin on her nose a bright shade of red. 

Alex chuckles. He reaches for the stack of napkins on the counter next to them, using one of them to tenderly wipe at her face until she seems satisfied enough that she’s clean. 

“I have something for you.” He whispers as he tosses the folded-up napkin on the countertop. 

“You got me a gift? Alex-” Norma looks ready to cry all over again, her eyes wracked with guilt. 

“Stop. Don’t do that. I don’t want you to feel guilty.” He reprimands, reaching into his back pocket to pull something out. “It’s nothing big. You don’t have to feel bad.” 

He opens his hand to reveal a long, silver chain with a little oval-shaped pendant hanging from it. 

“A necklace?” She beams, holding her hand over her chest. 

“It’s a locket,” Alex explains. He opens the two halves slowly to reveal the inside. On one side, a miniature print of one of the pictures Emma had taken of them at the baby shower is tucked into the frame. On the other side, a pixelated, zoomed-in version of one of her ultrasound photos is cut just a little too small to fit perfectly in the little oval. “There’s one of you and me, and, obviously, once the baby’s born you can put a real picture of her in there.”

“Oh, Aleeex!” Norma cries, gingerly taking the necklace from his open hand. “I love it. Thank you so much.”

“Of course. You deserve it for making me the happiest man on Earth for three full years.” He grins, stepping back into her space to wrap his hands around her hips. She doesn’t have the time or capacity to worry about putting the locket on anymore, so she leaves it tangled between her fingers as she hooks her arms around his neck, her face flushing red at his compliment. “So, can I please kiss you now?” He stares unabashedly at her lips, his tongue darting out to run over his as he feels his heart start beating faster at finally getting what he’s been craving all day. 

Norma nods, her big blue eyes watching him in anticipation as he slowly leans down, each of their lips parting in preparation, their breaths mingling in the shrinking space between them. 

“Uh, so I guess you guys made up?”

They both spring apart at the sound of Leah’s nervous voice from the doorway, Norma holding her chest as her heart pounds at the scare. 

“Um, yeah.” Alex nods breathlessly, managing to keep a hold of his wife’s hand with a few of his fingers. He lingers a bit more than her in the space they’d just occupied, not willing to give up on their moment just yet. “Did you need something?” He asks pointedly, and Norma would elbow him in the ribs if she wasn’t still trying to recover from her horny whiplash.

“Uh, actually yeah, someone just placed an order for a dozen cupcakes, so I was just gonna grab those…” Leah trails off, seeing both of them looking at her incredulously. “Or, you know what, I can just come back later!” She takes the hint, dropping the receipt for the order on the nearest counter and scurrying out of the kitchen as fast as humanly possible. 

Alex sighs loudly and yanks Norma back against him the second she’s gone. “I didn’t realize by hiring an intern we were paying her to be full-time cockblock, too.” He mutters, his hand creeping up to cradle her jaw and tilt her head up toward his.

“She’s not an intern,” Norma nags, a slight blush coloring her cheeks at his language. “She’s an assistant.”

“Whatever.” He grumbles, closing the distance between them in the same second. Finally, gloriously, he kisses her, exactly the way he’s been imagining for days. It’s the kind of kiss that takes their breath away, and it just keeps getting deeper as both of his hands hold her face, the tips of his fingers tangling in her hair. Her hands grip the backs of his arms, pulling him closer than he thought possible and her lips fall open to let their tongues meet, yielding as he eagerly pushes deeper into her mouth.  

It turns out, they do eventually have to breathe, but Alex keeps his hold on her cheeks even as they pant at each other, not ready to be done kissing her yet. “I love you.” He wheezes, stroking his thumbs lightly across her skin. 

“I love you too. I love you so much.” Norma whispers, closing her eyes as he dips his head to kiss her again.

He’s not sure he’ll ever be done kissing her again.

Chapter Text

Alex reaches over the center console of their green Mercedes to place his hand on his wife’s thigh, just above her knee. 

“You’re cold.” He comments, the iciness of her bare skin already seeping into his hand. 

“It’s December.” Norma shrugs. She doesn’t like the way his grip on her leg tightens a little and she can see his eyes flicking over to her more often than they should be. She sighs. “I’m fine, Alex.” He jumps slightly when her frigid fingers wrap around his hand, pulling it away from her thigh to rest on her bump instead. 

“Your coat’s in the backseat. You want me to grab it?” 

She considers it for a moment, the lack of warmth in her body starting to border on uncomfortable, but shakes her head. “We’re almost home. I just wanna curl up under a big thick blanket.” 

Alex smiles a little at the thought. “We got that hot chocolate downstairs.” He reminds her, feeling his worry loosen when her face lights up. 

“I forgot about that!” She lets out a quiet, satisfied moan just thinking about it. Alex has to swallow hard and grip the steering wheel a bit tighter to keep himself from overreacting to the sound. He briefly considers turning up the radio to give himself some other noise to focus on, but he’s not sure that would be received well, even with his wife’s fierce love of Christmas music. “D’you think we have any marshmallows?” Norma asks obliviously, her childlike excitement immediately melting away every dirty thought in his mind. 

“I bet we do.” He smirks, knowing full well he’d just bought her a bag of them shaped like snowmen last week. “You still wanna watch that movie or are you wiped?” 

She perks up in her seat, the action shifting his hand just slightly on her stomach. “No, we have to! It’s a tradition!”

“Tradition, huh?” Alex says half-teasingly. They’ve just barely been together two years, which isn’t much time to have established any traditions at all, but the idea of making them with her and their family warms his heart. 

Her voice drops a few notes, not quite as cheery but not so far that he’s immediately concerned. “Yeah, Norman and I always watch it on Christmas Eve.” She smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes, her expression far away. Alex chooses not to comment that she’d used the present tense because she doesn’t even seem to have noticed. He watches her carefully out of the corner of his eye, prepared to change the subject if she starts looking too melancholy. 

They’re mostly quiet after that, the mood lightened a bit when Norma starts humming softly along to the radio. The tips of her fingers leave invisible trails of ice along the top of his hand as she absently strokes it. The drive from Dylan and Emma’s is usually only about 15 minutes, but tonight it’s closer to 25 because of the snow flurrying around them and Christmas Eve traffic. 

They’d spent most of the day in Seattle with her oldest son, leaving right after the Christmas dinner that Norma had insisted she help Emma make. Over dinner, Dylan had announced that he’d been accepted to the University of Washington Business School and would start taking classes paid for by his job in the fall. Norma had been overjoyed and beyond proud at the news, grateful that at least one of her sons would get to have a college education (though it wasn’t the one she’d expected). 

Once Alex pulls into the driveway of the bakery, he hurries her inside, presses the loft key into her freezing cold hand, and instructs her to grab every pillow and blanket she can find and settle on the couch. She rushes off eagerly, leaving him downstairs to gather supplies from the kitchen. He takes a few extra minutes once he’s sure that she’s upstairs to set up the surprise he has prepared for her in the morning, smiling to himself as he trots up the stairs and imagines her reaction. 

When the hot chocolate is finished, Alex brings it over into the living room, where Norma has shrouded the couch in blankets and burrowed herself underneath several of them to start the movie. Her hands, still covered by the blanket, reach out for the warm mug he hands to her just as Ted Hanover starts tap dancing on the screen. 

“Ohmygosh they’re little snowmen!” She squeaks, her eyes lighting up at the thick layer of marshmallows in her drink. 

“Yeah, I thought you’d like those.” Alex can’t help but smile because she’s smiling, setting a plate of desserts on the coffee table and climbing over her to settle on the long section of the couch between her and the wall. She snuggles close to him almost before he can get all the way under the blanket, dropping her head onto his shoulder. “Don’t spill,” he warns as the movement sloshes her hot chocolate a bit. 

“Did you not make any for yourself?” Norma frowns, looking over at him when he wraps his arms around her. 

Alex gives her a one-sided smile. “I’ll just have a sip of yours.” 

Norma glances pointedly over at the TV just as one of the characters sings “over my dead body,” earning a belly laugh from her husband. 

“You really know this movie that well?” 

“It’s my favorite. I love the music.” She croons into her hot chocolate, her lips emerging from the mug with a ring of marshmallow around them. 

“You, uh, got a little something.” Alex chuckles, one hand reaching up to hold her chin as he delicately kisses away the sticky sugar. Norma shoves an elbow into his ribs, not quite hard enough to actually hurt. “Hey! What was that for?”

“Stop making me horny or I’m not gonna get through the movie.” She snaps, flicking irritated eyes away from the screen to glare at him. 

“Jeez. My bad.” He huffs, repositioning to a comfortable spot with his arms around her hips. He watches for a minute as the two men on screen alternate singing and dancing. “How do you tell them apart? They look the same,” he whispers, squinting to try to tell the difference between the men in the black-and-white picture. 

“Shush!” Norma bites. He gives an unsatisfied huff and leans back against the couch, taking his body heat with him. “The guy singing is Jim. He’s Lila’s fiancé.” She explains begrudgingly, smiling to herself when his heat returns almost instantly. 

“And the dancer is the one she actually likes?” He continues, seeing her nod as she takes another sip of hot chocolate. “So which one are we rooting for?”

She giggles. “Neither. They’re both awful. All three, actually.” 

“Oh.” Alex nods though he doesn’t really get it. 

Throughout the movie, he finds himself watching her more than he watches the screen. Seeing her hum softly along to the songs and smile at all of the jokes even though she’s seen the movie a hundred times, he can’t imagine being more in love with her than he is right then. Even as she cringes at a particularly distasteful sequence about halfway through and turns to look at him nervously, he just stares right back at her. 

“It was 1942,” She justifies with a little shrug, Alex looking cluelessly up at the TV to see what she means. 

“Oh, God, that’s horrifying.” He scoffs, looking back down at her giggling. 

“Are you even watching?” She nags, pulling at his shirt with her now-free (and cold again) hands. 

“I’m watching…” He argues half-heartedly, contradicting himself by continuing to stare at her. 

“It’s a short movie.” 

“Yeah…” His eyes linger on her lips. He can’t help but wonder if she tastes like hot chocolate or marshmallows, or some mixture of the two. 

Her eyes finally land on him. “So, it’s almost over. Then you can take me to bed.” 

Alex’s eyebrows shoot up. “To… bed?” He swallows hard at the insinuation, blood rushing to his cheeks (and elsewhere). 

Norma nods slowly, the look in her eyes telling him she means exactly what he’s thinking. “Yes, to bed.” 

He shakes his head. “Jesus, baby. You really know how to make a movie last.”

—---

After the longest 45 minutes of his life, Norma finally allows Alex to lead her by the hand into their bedroom. He sits heavily down on the bed, pulling her to stand between his legs and leaning up to kiss her slowly, finally answering his question. She tastes like chocolate and sugar, and a hint of something fruity from the lipgloss she’d applied earlier that night. 

“I think you coulda been a movie star back then.” He whispers against her lips, feeling her giggle into the air between them. 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I do. You’d be beautiful in black and white.” His eyes are sincere, too sincere for the mood she’s in, so she drops her head to kiss him again instead of responding. He can’t complain, his hands wrapping innocently around her waist for all of 2 seconds before they glide down to her ass, squeezing appreciatively and pulling her a single stumbling step closer to him. “I think you’re gonna regret making me wait so long.” He breathes, the string of words broken by kisses when he can’t stand to stay away from her long enough to get them out. 

“Oh yeah?” Norma smirks, her fingers flicking over his ears and into his hair. 

“Mmh-hmm. I’ve had plenty of time to think of all the things I wanna do to you.” His voice is so deep that the vibrations tickle her lips and she can almost feel it in her chest. She takes a small step back, dropping her hands away from his face and looking down before she can catch his disappointed, confused look. 

Norma raises her hands to rest on either side of her bump. “Put your ear plugs in, baby girl. Your daddy’s talking dirty again.” She murmurs, both of them giggling a little. 

“I’m not corrupting her mind yet,” he points out, “she can’t even hear.” 

“Ohhh, somebody’s been doing their research.” She grins, winding her arms around his neck.

“I have.” He says proudly, beaming up at her as she settles on the bed with her knees straddling his legs. “This week, she’s the size of a pear.” 

“Mmh-hmm.” Norma nods, leaning down to kiss him again, distracting him momentarily with her tongue. 

“And she’ll start moving soon.” He adds, his eyes sparkling with excitement. 

“Alex?” She asks softly, her voice barely cracking through the whisper. 

“Yeah?” 

“Stop talking about our child while I’m on top of you.” She grinds her hips slowly to remind him how close they are.

He has to compose himself for a second at the feeling before he scoffs. “You started it!”

—---

Norma wakes up early the next morning, but somehow Alex is up even earlier. She frowns when she finds the bed empty, having been looking forward to squeezing in another round with him before they had to get up. 

“Alex?” She calls, softly enough that he could only hear her if he was in their bathroom getting ready. There’s no response, so she carefully slips out of bed to get dressed herself, assuming he must be making breakfast or something.

When there’s a knock at the bedroom door, she rolls her eyes before telling him to come in. She’s never understood why he feels the need to knock on his own bedroom door when she’s alone inside. She’s never not told him to just come in, but he always does it anyway. 

He peeks his head through the door and smiles when he sees her standing at the bathroom mirror doing her hair. 

“Morning.” He steps into the room and quickly makes his way to her so he can kiss her cheek.

“Mmh-hmm.” Norma nods, focused on her hair even as she leans into his sweet touch. 

“It’s Christmas morning.” His smile gets wider when he meets her eyes in the mirror. 

“Yeah…?” 

“So we’re supposed to open presents.” He punctuates with a gentle line of kisses down her neck to her shoulder. 

“Are you insinuating that I’m a present?” She smirks, finally giving in and dropping her arms from her hair.

Alex looks up, a little surprised. “Oh. I wasn’t, but I mean…” He shrugs and goes back to kissing her, his hands reaching out to hold her still as she giggles. 

“We can open presents. I’m almost ready.” She rubs her fingers quickly through his hair as he gives her one last kiss just under her jaw and then releases her. 

Once she feels presentable enough, she follows him into the kitchen and instructs him to sit down at the dining table. They’d both agreed to only get each other one gift each so that neither would feel bad for being out-gifted, but Norma knows Alex and she knows no matter what, his gift will be miles better than hers, so she insists on giving hers first. 

She places a gift bag in front of him and sits in the adjacent seat, watching him carefully as he pulls out the long, flat box inside. 

“Oh, wow, Norma. This is really nice.” He marvels when he opens the box to find a new watch inside. 

“Turn it over, it’s engraved.” Norma smiles when he gives her a surprised glance, watching his reaction closely as he reds the engraving.

Sheriff Alex Romero

Alex grins knowingly as soon as the words register. “Sheriff?” He scoffs, seeing her nod proudly.

“I told you you’d always be Sheriff to me. Now you can be.” She takes the watch from him when he offers it and helps put it on over his wrist. When he spends a few more seconds just staring at it, she speaks up. “There’s more.” 

“More? I thought we said one gift?” Alex frowns at her. 

“Oh, shut up. I know you got me something crazy and thoughtful and way better than anything I could do so it’s only fair.” Norma narrows her eyes at him like she might be able to read his mind and figure out what he got her.

“How could you possibly know that?” 

“Because you always do!” 

He can’t really argue with that, so he just begrudgingly reaches back into the bag, pulling out a solid ball of tissue paper held together with a sticker.

To: Alex

From: Norma & Baby Girl

“From both of you, huh?” His lips quirk up a little at the sentiment. Norma just nods for him to open it. 

When he peels away the tissue paper, he doesn’t say anything at first. She watches a range of emotions cross his face once he understands the message and smiles nervously as she waits for him to say something. He reaches for her hand silently, giving her a look that lets her know he likes it, though he still can’t find words at the moment. 

For just about anyone else, a mug that says World’s Best Dad would be a pretty meaningless gag gift. But for him, it’s everything. 

He never imagined himself as a father. Growing up, he couldn’t imagine ever ending up like his own father. He never wanted to put another child through what he went through at the hands of the first man he was ever supposed to trust. Nothing about him made him think he would be a good dad, either. He’s always had to be okay with kids for the sake of appearances, but having his own is a whole different story. When he was almost 40 and still had no wife and no prospects beyond his occasional hookups, he’d thought he was out of the woods in terms of having kids.

Then came Norma.

Everything changed when he fell in love with her. Norma had made him want to be the kind of man he’d spent his childhood wishing he’d turn out as. Not the cold, lonely Sheriff trying to keep a town of drug dealers from killing each other. Norma made him want to be better. She taught him to be gentle and kind, how to love and how to be truly happy. She taught him how to want things, things he never even considered an option before. With Norma, he wants to be happy, he wants safety and tranquility, and more than anything, he wants to be a good father. 

World’s Best Dad is everything to him, and both of them know it. 

“Thank you.” He chokes, squeezing her hand tightly. He can’t take his eyes off of the gift, but if he did, Norma might see the very beginnings of tears threatening to well up within them. She doesn’t have to see his eyes to know what’s going through his head, though. Keeping her hand in his, she carefully stands up and crosses to his chair, where he quickly wraps his arms around her hips and pulls her close. 

With him sitting and her standing, he’s able to rest his head right at the top of her bump, so he could be talking to either of them when he murmurs “I love you” into her shirt. Norma runs her fingers through his hair because she knows he loves when she does that. She stands there for as long as he needs, and after about a minute he tilts his head just enough to look up at her. “Ok, your turn.” He smiles as she strokes his head one last time before he stands and releases her. 

When she moves to sit back down, he stops her, taking her hand again and standing up to meet her instead. “Not here?” She presumes, trying not to roll her eyes as it’s clear her earlier prediction had been right. 

“Downstairs.” Alex grins smugly, leading her over to the front door and then slipping behind her. He had planned to cover her eyes, but seeing the stairs he decides it’s probably safest if he doesn’t. She tosses her head over her shoulder to look at him and he nods, silently giving her permission to go first. 

It’s still early, but the sun rises early enough in the December mornings that there’s plenty of natural light in the bakery. Most of the snow outside has started to turn to mush, but the bright white layer covering every outdoor surface still remains. At first, nothing seems out of the ordinary in the quaint dining room, until a flash of unexpected white enters her peripheral vision. 

“Alex!” Norma gasps, whipping her head around to look over the bannister of the stairs at the wall to her left. “You didn’t!” She gapes at him, her wide eyes taking in the proud smile he miserably fails to hide. 

“I did.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal, the sight of her face so lit up with genuine surprise and joy sending butterflies through his stomach. Before he can even appreciate the perfect look on her face, she’s running down the stairs as fast as she can on her stubby, swollen legs, whipping around the final post of the railing toward her gift. 

“You got me a piano?!” She shrieks, half sprinting, half skipping over to the large instrument. He’d found a very nice vintage upright piano in a furniture store a few weeks ago and immediately, he knew it was perfect. All it needed was a paint job and some tuning, so he’d had it sent to a repair store in Seattle and then delicately painted it white to match the rest of the furniture in the bakery. 

“You like it?” He smirks, following her down the steps at a more controlled pace. He reaches the floor just as she dives onto the seat, looking back over her shoulder to beam at him. 

“I love it! Where did you even find this?” She marvels, running her fingers over the smooth wood cover on the keys. 

“I saw it in that antique store when I went looking for rugs. Got it fixed up, so it’s ready to play.” 

Norma’s face melts. “Aleeeex!” She mewls, sliding off of the bench to throw her arms around his neck. He’s surprised at first, since he’d had to physically drag her away from the piano more times than he can count at the motel house after she’d played well into the night. He’d expected her to start playing immediately and likely ignore him for the rest of the day in her excitement, so for her to get up so soon to hug him must mean she really likes it. “Thank you,” she murmurs into his shoulder, squeezing him tight. 

“Play something for me?” He requests, not really wanting to let her go but knowing he has to eventually. She pulls back and smiles brightly, staring at his face for a moment before she plops back down onto the bench and starts stretching her fingers. 

“I don’t have any music…” She frowns for a moment.

“I’ve seen you play without all the time?” Alex freezes for a second, his stomach lurching a little at the idea he could’ve dropped the ball so severely. 

“Yeah, no, I can, I just have to… Oh, I know.” She bites her lip as she looks up at him for a second, eyes full of excitement. After taking a moment to remind herself how to play, she pulls back the key cover and starts playing a slow melody. Alex physically feels his heart melt when she starts singing. 

I’m dreaming

Of a White Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know

She looks up at him between the lines, smiling widely. “That’s the song from the movie!” Alex observes, seeing her smile somehow grow even wider. 

Where the treetops glisten

And children listen 

To hear sleigh bells in the snow

“Mmh-hmm.” She nods, her eyes crinkling as she plays the tinkling high notes to mimic the bells in the movie. 

He listens to her playing and singing softly, wondering how he ever got so lucky to marry such a perfect human. When she finishes, he drops his hands onto her shoulders, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “I like your version best.” 

“Oh, sure you do.” Norma shakes her head bashfully, bouncing her loose curls around her shoulders. 

“I’m serious! You’re so talented.” He persists, burying his nose in her hair to kiss her scalp again. 

She smiles and blushes, gulping at the compliment and reaching one hand up to intertwine with his on her shoulder. “Thank you.” He insists she play a few more songs for him, which she happily does, promising to play more once she can find her old music books, which she’d stuffed in a box in a closet somewhere just in case. 

She doesn’t have to tell him it’s the best Christmas she’s ever had. Just from the look on her face, he can tell she’s as happy as he’s ever seen her, and that’s all that really matters to him. He can’t wait to hear her play next Christmas for their daughter, and the next, and the next, and suddenly, delightfully, he realizes they’ve just created their first tradition together.

Chapter Text

“Come on Norma, please?” Alex slurs, grasping at her hips a little harder than he usually would. 

“You’re drunk, Alex.” She rolls her eyes, placing a hand on his chest to look at his slackened face.

“M’not drunk. You’re just blurry.” He pouts, giving her a wide, dopey grin when she can’t help but giggle a little. 

She composes herself after a second, placing her hands firmly on his arms where they’re caging her hips. “You’re drunk. You know the rule.” When she starts to push gently, he releases her, but she can see from the look in his eyes that he’s not giving in.

“Fuck the rule!” He groans, holding onto her hand even after he lets go of her hips, raising her soft, cold palm to rest against his cheek. “I want you.” His voice is so gentle when he says it, not at all like the petulant, clueless quality it’d had before. 

Norma almost gives in when he turns his head to kiss the inside of her hand tenderly, his eyes fluttering shut as he leans his head further into her smooth skin. She lets herself stay there for a moment, lets him look at her with all the love and desire in the world in his eyes because he can’t even try to hide his feelings when he’s drunk like this, before she sighs. “Alex, we agreed on this.”

He slumps dejectedly, dropping her hand and looking down at his own feet. She can tell he’s finally accepted that they’re not having sex tonight, but he still doesn’t seem to understand why she’s rejecting him. Norma cradles his cheeks in both of her hands, lifting his face to force him to look at her. She doesn’t miss the way his eyes light up just slightly, thinking she’s changed her mind.

“If I was drunk and you weren’t, what would you do?” She asks softly, watching his face melt as the realization flashes across his dilated pupils. She knows she’s finally got him there, that nothing short of hypocrisy can possibly save his argument. From the look in his eyes, she can tell that he knows it too. He practically collapses against her, wrapping his arms around her waist, higher than he usually does even when he hugs her normally, and dropping his forehead to rest against hers. 

“I’m sorry, Norma.” He whispers, the words still blending together a bit as he holds her tightly against him. She gives him a gentle, reassuring smile, her thumbs stroking along his cheeks soothingly. “I shouldn’t’ve…”

“Don’t.” Norma interjects, shaking her head. “I told you I was okay with it, and I meant it. Everyone drinks on New Years’ Eve. Just ‘cause I can’t doesn’t mean you had to miss out too.” She reminds him, dropping one hand to scratch the hairs at the nape of his neck lightly. 

“Love you,” he murmurs, his arms holding her tighter like he can’t possibly hug her hard enough. 

“I love you too.” Norma smiles, leaning up on her toes to kiss him. She lets it go on a little longer than it should, but she can’t help herself. He tastes like whiskey with a hint of champagne,  something she used to hate, but never with him. It’s strange, but she’s missed the husky taste of liquor on his lips, almost as much as she’s missed the way his eyes sparkle when he looks at her without his usual faculties to maintain the perpetual scowl on his face. It almost makes her wish she was drunk too, so she could kiss him the way she wants to. It’s been so long since she’s seen his eyes sparkling like that from between her legs…

She has to pull away to stop herself from changing her mind, taking a step back for good measure and letting his hands slide off of her hips to rest back at his sides. She looks up at him for a moment longer before finally turning and heading toward the bathroom to get ready for bed. Alex follows her, somehow managing to stumble into the corner of the bed with a loud “shit!”

“Shh!” Norma snaps harshly, whipping around to glare at him. “Leah is right outside.” She reminds him in a whisper, nodding her head in the direction of the living room.

They’d had the marvelous idea to host a New Years party at their house– if it could even really be called that with only four guests. Dylan and Emma had left Kate with a babysitter and called a taxi to take them home not long after midnight. Of course, Susan had also come, assigning herself as their resident bartender for the night and making sure everyone’s drinks were never any more than half empty. 

About a week ago when Norma had asked if they should invite Leah, Alex’s immediate answer was no. He couldn’t imagine a teenager would even want to spend her New Years’ Eve with a bunch of drunk adults and a pregnant woman, not to mention he wasn’t sure it would be very safe for her. Initially, Norma had agreed, but when the girl had passingly mentioned she’d probably be locking herself alone in her bedroom for the evening, she couldn’t stop herself from inviting her. 

She remembers what holidays were like in her own home. 

Now, the girl is unconscious on their couch after having a few too many of Susan’s cocktails. Norma had made her promise if she had anything to drink that she’d spend the night there, not wanting her to drive herself home on the most dangerous night of the year if she’d had even a single drop of alcohol. Leah had agreed, and she’d passed out around 1:00 am in the middle of the movie they’d put on after the ball dropped. Susan had left not long after that, and Norma had just made it back to the couch to drape a blanket over Leah when Alex had dragged her into the bedroom. 

She manages to wrangle her husband into bed by 2:00 am, where he falls asleep almost instantly. Norma wraps her arms around him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder and sighing softly. She almost never gets to hold him like this. Alex is always the big spoon, which she loves, but something about being the one to protect and hold him for once makes her unusually happy. So, when he falls asleep before her or she wakes up in the middle of the night to find him turned away from her, she likes to take advantage of the opportunity. 

Norma presses a kiss to the side of his neck, tucking her face against him and pulling her whole body closer, as close as she can get with her bump in the way. She breathes deeply once, taking in the smell of him, before finally allowing herself to drift into a peaceful sleep. 

—---

The first day of the new year does not get off to a great start. When Norma wakes up, Alex is still in the exact position he’d fallen asleep in, looking like he’s having the best sleep of his life. She looks at him and sighs to herself, knowing she’s too soft to wake him up anyway. 

It takes her a little bit longer, but she manages to get just about everything ready for opening on her own. She even tries to set the chairs out, but they’re freakishly heavy and she almost hurts herself with the first one. She can’t justify letting her poor, hungover husband sleep any longer, so she trudges upstairs and sneaks quietly into the bedroom.

“Alex?” She calls softly, crouching in front of the bed. She remembers how much she loves the way he wakes her up, all gentle kisses and whispers of affection, and wishes she could wake him that way now. He looks to be sleeping far too deeply for that, though. 

“Alex, you gotta get up.” She pokes his face a few times and sees the muscles twitching, but his breathing doesn’t change and his eyes don’t move. Sighing heavily, she shakes his shoulders until she hears a long, low groan escaping him.

“Whatimeisit?” Alex moans, covering his eyes with his hands as the sunlight in the room splits through his head. 

“It’s 7:30. You need to get up like… 15 minutes ago.” Norma huffs, pulling his hand away and using it to yank him with all of her strength into a wilted sitting position. 

“Urgh…” The sudden movement sends his head spinning, his body swaying a bit as he tries to squint his eyes open as little as possible. “Did I get hit by a truck last night?”

She rolls her eyes and throws a shirt and a pair of jeans into his chest. “Don’t be a baby. There’s water and aspirin on the nightstand.” He reaches for them instantly, pausing in the middle of taking his shirt off so one sleeve hangs limply at his side. Norma sighs impatiently. “Jesus, it’s like you haven’t drank in months or something.” She yanks at the loose sleeve while he gulps down the entire glass of water, carefully pulling his shirt off and tossing it in the direction of the laundry bin. 

It takes him a moment to respond as he drains the last of the water, setting the glass down heavily on the nightstand and wiping his mouth. “Prolly shoulda thought about that last night.” He admits, closing his eyes tightly for a second to try to find some relief from the pounding headache threatening to crack his head open like an egg. 

Norma scoffs. “Yeah, maybe.” She sees the regret and discomfort in his eyes and melts a little, knowing that if she can tell he’s in pain, it must be pretty bad. He drops his head to rest in the center of her chest, relaxing a little as her fingers stroke tenderly through the hair on the back of his head. “Listen, I’ll go get you a nice, greasy burger from the diner at lunchtime. How’s that sound?” 

Alex lets out a satisfied hum, the low vibrations shooting straight through her chest into her heart. He thinks he could fall right back asleep on her right now, and she must notice it because she pushes him back to hold his shoulders at arm's length. 

“But right now, you gotta get up. I can’t run this place by myself.” She gives him a little shake to get him going, watching for a few seconds to make sure he’s really up before heading for the doorway. She pauses just before leaving to add, “and try to keep it down. Leah’s still sleeping.” 

He looks up, eyes narrowed. “She gets to sleep in?” He huffs, jumping into his jeans begrudgingly. 

Norma rolls her eyes again. “She’s just a kid. You’ve had plenty of time to learn how to control yourself.” With that, she’s gone, tiptoeing out of the room to head back downstairs and wait for the stream of hungover patrons needing coffee and carbs to begin.

—---

Norma waits until 9:30 to head back upstairs and rouse the passed-out teenager on her couch. She would’ve left her longer, but they have an order of two-dozen iced cookies due at noon and she needs all the help she can get. 

Leah is laying on her stomach when she gets upstairs, one arm draped over the edge of the couch and her mouth hanging open slightly where it’s smushed into the cushions. She approaches slowly, kneeling down on the floor in front of the girl and grabbing the water off of the coffee table. 

“Leah, honey, it’s time to wake up.” She prompts quietly, nudging the limp arm in front of her. 

“Leave me alone, mom.” Leah groans, shuffling over onto her back groggily. “I told you not to come in here.”

Norma pauses for a moment, not sure how to respond. “Um… it’s Norma, not…. uh… do you want some water?” She stumbles, watching as the girl slowly opens her eyes and then shuts them almost instantly. 

“Ugh… what happened?” She groans. Her dark, silky hair slinks along the gray fabric of the couch as she carefully lifts her head to look around through squinted eyes. 

Norma’s not sure how to word you got super drunk and passed out on my couch in a kind way, so she just reaches for the bottle of aspirin on the table. “Does your head hurt? Drink some water.” She pushes the glass into Leah’s hands, tapping out a single pill for her to take with it. 

“Am I dead?” She breathes, her face twisted in a grimace. 

Norma chuckles. “No, honey. Just hungover. That should make you feel better.” Leah wipes a hand over her face, taking tiny sips of water that contrast starkly with Alex’s chugging earlier. “Do you feel sick at all?” 

The teenager pauses for a moment, assessing herself, and then shrugs. “A little. Mainly I’d like the metal concert inside my skull to shut up.” She sighs, holding a hand in front of one of her eyes. 

Norma smiles sympathetically. “The aspirin should help with that. And some coffee.”

“I don’t like coffee.” Leah whines.

“I’ll put lots of milk in it. You won’t even taste it. Now, come on.” She takes the teenager’s hand, pulling her up off of the couch into a wobbly stance and giving her a few seconds to find her balance. “I need your help downstairs.”

“Wait, no, that’s so embarrassing…” She gasps, quickly swiping her fingers under her eyes and looking down at herself. “I can’t go down there like this.”

Norma pauses, turning around to give her a reassuring smile. “I promise you at least half the people on the planet are hungover today. No one’s judging you, seriously.”

After just a little bit more convincing, they finally tromp down the stairs together, Alex looking up as they approach. “There she is!” He grins, his eyes still hanging half-open. “I wasn’t sure you were still alive.”

Leah narrows her eyes at him sarcastically as she passes. “God, you are a dad,” she scoffs like it’s a cutting insult, but it only makes him smile wider. 

“Don’t encourage him,” Norma mutters under her breath. 

—---

It takes a couple of hours for things to start feeling normal again. Alex starts walking a little bit faster to deliver orders from the register as the several cups of coffee kick in, while Leah gradually comes back to her endearingly dry, sarcastic self as she learns to deal with the headache that won’t go away. It helps that she has a monotonous activity to focus on, just packaging cookies in little boxes for a kid's birthday party.

They’re all shaped and iced like different animals, and she spends a few seconds marveling at each one before she boxes it away. It amazes her how Norma can be so good at things like icing cookies, especially since she was there just a month ago when neither of them had any real clue what they were doing. Now, it seems like she’s been doing it for years, and Leah never stops being shocked at how quickly that happened. 

“Awww wait, this one’s so cute!” She gasps, holding up a cookie of a monkey smiling with its tongue out. “I love monkeys.” 

Norma laughs a little at her own creative liberty with the design. “Monkeys are pretty cool. I prefer penguins, though.” She smiles. 

“Oh, what kind of penguin?” Leah inquires as she reluctantly seals away the monkey cookie. 

Norma frowns. “There are different kinds?”

The girl giggles. “Yeah, there’s like, Emperor Penguins, Macaroni Penguins-”

“Macaroni Penguins?” Norma scoffs, turning to look at Leah disbelievingly. “You’re making that up.”

“No, for real! They have these bigass eyebrows that look like macaroni.”  

“No way. There’s no way that’s real.” She shakes her head.

“You can google it, I swear!” Leah insists, laughing as her boss just shakes her head dismissively.

“Go back to your monkeys. Leave the poor penguins alone.” She pouts playfully.

“What’s Alex’s favorite animal?” 

That stops Norma short. They’ve never really discussed silly things like that. He’s never told her his favorite color is blue, she just figured it out from context. She doesn’t know his favorite book, or movie, or song, because they’ve never really thought to ask each other. They’ve never had the ‘get to know you’ experience. He’d shown up on her porch, arrested her for murder, and then married her. There hadn’t been much time in between to ask about his likes and dislikes. 

“I don’t know.” She admits, furrowing her eyebrows as she thinks for a moment. “Probably something manly like… a tiger. Or a bear.”

“Oh my.” Leah adds dryly, both of them chuckling softly. “We should ask him.”

So, they both march out of the kitchen toward him, Alex looking up with concern at their urgency. 

“What?” He asks nervously when they just stare at him for a second. 

“What’s your favorite animal?” Norma blurts with a charming smile. Alex looks back and forth between them, trying to discern if they’re pranking him or something. 

“Uh… I dunno. I guess… Tigers are pretty cool.” He shrugs, looking at them expectantly for an explanation. 

“Ha! Told you.” Norma beams at Leah, who just rolls her eyes. “Thanks, honey.” She bounces forward to kiss his cheek briefly, backing away before he can even react. 

“Why do you need to know?” He asks, but they’re already retreating back into the kitchen, clearly not intending to give him a response. “Norma!” 

The door closes, but he can still hear their not-so-hushed giggling from inside. 

Alex scoffs, flinging his hands up uselessly. “Hello?”

He just has to hope he doesn’t get tired of the sound of girls giggling too quickly: it’s clearly not going away any time soon.

Chapter Text

Norma looks up when Alex enters the kitchen, a pleased smile spreading across her face as he approaches her. 

Seeing the look in his eyes and the beeline he’s making for his wife, Leah raises her eyebrows. “Aaaaaand that’s my cue to leave.” She announces, more to herself than anyone else, ducking out of the room before she has to witness a middle-aged married couple kissing. 

“Hi,” Norma squeaks, biting her lip a little as he reaches her and immediately crowds into her space. 

“Hey,” he smirks, his fingers tipping her chin up so he can kiss her. “Miss you.”

She never thought Alex would be the clingy type, but it turns out, he kind of is. It may just be because she spends most of the working day in the kitchen away from him, but lately, he’s been visiting her more and more. They’d never had a problem when he was away at the police station all day, but something about knowing she’s right there, in the room next door, drives him crazy when he can’t see her. 

“You wanna do something tonight? I know it’s been a long week.” She offers, hoping to make him feel better about barely seeing her despite living under the same roof. She knows he wants to absorb every moment he possibly can with her, especially while she’s pregnant, so being apart is never easy for him. 

“Something… like what?” He beams, rubbing the tip of his nose against hers. 

“I dunno. Whatever you want to do.” Norma shrugs, wrapping her arms around his shoulders but being careful to keep her fingers spread to avoid getting the variety of substances staining her hands all over him. 

“Hmm. I’ll come up with something.” He doesn’t even get the words out before he’s kissing her again, the last syllables vibrating directly into her mouth. With a single step forward, he pushes her against the edge of the countertop, his hands grasping hungrily at her hips. 

They’ve both been so needy lately. Norma’s hormones have sent her libido through the roof to begin with, but something about spending days apart turns both of them into wild animals at nighttime. Not to mention, Alex hasn’t exactly been subtle about how much he loves what pregnancy has done to her body. He can’t keep his hands off of her—not that he was ever good at that in the first place—but still, his appetite is almost as engorged as hers. 

“Okay, okay, I have to get back to work.” Norma pulls away, panting slightly from the strength of the kiss. She would love nothing more than to make out with him like they’re teenagers for the rest of the day, but they do have a business to run. “Think about what you want to do tonight.”

“Hmm, fine.” Alex mumbles, stealing one last quick kiss from her. “Oh, by the way, is today your birthday?”

She doesn’t think she could roll her eyes any harder if she tried. “No, today is not my birthday.” She huffs, glaring only half-playfully at him. 

He’s made it a habit to ask her just about every day that he remembers, which was endearing at first and now gets on her nerves more than anything. She had hoped he would simply forget about her promise to tell him, but clearly, he’s not letting it go. The thought of having to get through a few more months of him pestering her makes her want to just tell him already, but then he would win and she can’t allow that to happen. 

“Are you just gonna say that every day, or will you actually tell me?” Alex frowns, a slightly hurt look in his eyes. 

“I will tell you, but it’s not for a while, so you can stop asking every single day.” Norma lets on cryptically, hoping he might leave her alone. 

“But what if I miss it?” He cries like it would be the end of the world. 

“God, you’re really never gonna let this go?” She groans.

“No! I told you, it’s not fair.” 

“All’s fair in love and war.” Norma counters.

Alex furrows his eyebrows. “Is this the love or the war?” 

“Yes.” She smirks.

—---

Norma wants to be surprised when Alex turns on the romantics for their night in, but she isn’t in the slightest. He absolutely loves pampering her, and her pregnancy has given him an infallible excuse to do so. 

Obviously, he’s working on short notice, but she finds it adorable nonetheless when she heads upstairs to find several of her Bath and Body Works candles set out in the bathroom, the mixtures of the scents just slightly bordering on unpleasant. Two fresh towels are hanging on the rack as well as a few bags of her bath salts retrieved from the cabinets and left on the floor at the foot of the tub. 

“You wanna eat first or later?” Alex appears out of nowhere behind her, his strong arms snaking around her hips as his chin rests on her shoulder. He speaks softly, barely above a whisper, but it feels like he’s everywhere, his heat wrapped around her and his voice echoing through her body. She knows she’s not going to be able to last through dinner, and suspects that was his plan all along. 

“Later. Bath now.” She demands, feeling him smirk where he’s been kissing her neck lightly. His body withdraws from around her and her back feels unnaturally cold without it, already missing his touch as he slinks over to the large tub at the far end of the room. 

“I’ll get this going. Left a robe for you on the bed.” He nods his head back toward the bedroom, but she can’t even respond before the noise of the bathtub faucet fills the room. 

When she comes back in wearing just her favorite silk robe, the tub is full to the brim with bubbles but Alex is still dressed. He turns and his eyes find her, raking down her body hungrily for a second before he remembers himself. It’s a little bit too late though, and Norma is already stalking toward him with a tempting glint in her eye. 

Alex gulps, his hands twisting into fists at his sides, but controls himself, managing to force his voice into a calm, soothing tone. “Go ahead and throw in whatever salts and stuff you want.” He offers, watching her stop in her tracks and narrow her eyes at him questioningly. She listens anyway, sprinkling a few cups of scented minerals into the water and then turning to him expectantly. 

“You’re getting in, right?” She finally asks when he doesn’t immediately reassure her. Alex just reaches for the tie on her robe, delicately releasing it and dragging the silk off of her shoulders. 

“You just relax and soak. I’ll come join you in a few minutes.” He tries to sound suave, but it’s hard with her standing naked in front of him, inviting him with her for the bath he so desperately wants to sink into. 

Norma hears him breathing harder as he can’t help himself and his eyes trail downwards, forcing them back up after the sight proves almost too much for his self-control. She can see he’s fighting hard to give her the few minutes alone, for whatever reason, so she throws him a lifeline and gives in. “Okay. I won’t pop all the bubbles.” She smiles sweetly, delicately climbing into the tub and being careful not to give him a glimpse of her ass for fear he might go feral. 

Once she’s safely cocooned in bubbles, he regains his discipline, leaning down to run one hand over her hair and place a single kiss on the top of her head. “Back in a few.” He promises, withdrawing and closing the bathroom door behind him before she can even smile at his gentle affection. 

It is nice, as it turns out, to have those few minutes to herself. Norma can feel her body melting deeper and deeper into the warm, soothing medium, dropping her head to lay against the top lip of the tub as she breathes deeply. For once, she doesn’t think, and it’s really, really nice. 

The only thing on her mind is Alex. Her perfect, thoughtful husband. How deeply she loves him. How badly she wants him, both in the bath with her and in other ways. Maybe both. No, definitely both. She can feel herself swelling with need for him, aching for his touch, wishing more than anything that he would walk through the door right this second. 

It dawns on her that a few years ago, she would’ve been disgusted and embarrassed at the thought of needing a man this badly. But Alex is different. She wants and needs him not just in a sexual way, but in every way. He’s nurturing and kind to her, he takes care of her the way no one ever has, he protects her, and yes, he just happens to be very good at satisfying her. It’s okay for her to need him, because in truth, he really is everything she’s ever needed in the first place.

It’s as if he can read her thoughts (or maybe she’s just been thinking for long enough) because the next second, the door opens slowly. Alex slips into the room, and, of course, he’s shirtless. Norma feels like her entire body is on fire as he smiles at her, her eyes trailing down his toned muscles to the pair of old police department sweatpants he’d put on. 

“Hey, baby. How are you doin’ in here?” He asks softly, and apparently, he has no clue what he’s doing to her. The door latches closed quietly behind him as he takes a few slow steps toward her.

“Good.” Norma squeaks, blinking a few times to regain her composure. “I’d be better if you would get your butt in here with me.” She adds boldly, glaring up at him for daring to leave her alone. 

Alex smirks at that, tipping his head to her as his fingers slip into the waistband of his sweatpants. “Alright, alright, I’m coming.” He surrenders, finally undressing to sink into the water behind her. 

It’s somehow everything she expected and more, the firm feeling of his chest against her back and his strong arms wrapping around her causing her breath to catch in her throat. But then he kisses her temple so innocently, like they’re just a happy couple taking a relaxing bath together, like she’s not about to crawl out of her skin with desire for him, that she can’t believe he’s not affected in the same way. 

For a second, she wonders if something is wrong. Her lips turn down just slightly as her mind twists the story the way it so often does. Does he not want her anymore? Has he decided that he hates how her stomach sticks out and her boobs hang a little lower than they used to? 

Alex holds her tighter. When he speaks, his voice is deep and husky, completely different from the innocent, doting tone he’d had before. “I’ve been thinkin’ about this all day.” He growls directly into her ear, and finally, it makes sense to her. All of the clueless chasteness had been an act, to get her to want him, to think he only wanted to cuddle with her, so he could catch her off guard by giving her exactly what she needs. He knew what he was doing, leaving her to her thoughts, walking in at just the right time wearing that. He’s been playing her, and now the game’s over, and she gets her prize. He nudges the skin behind her ear with his nose. “Need you so bad,” he murmurs. 

Norma lets out a heavy breath, her body relaxing and letting go of his arms where she hadn’t realized she’d been gripping him for dear life. She drops her head back against him. “You’re evil.” 

He chuckles, the low sound reverberating through her chest even after he stops. “You said I could do whatever I wanted.” He reminds her. 

“So you chose to torture me?” She scoffs, though all she can really feel is relief, her desire multiplied a hundred times. 

“That’s dramatic,” Alex smirks, his hands starting to trail up and down her sides, on the verge of tickling her but just firm enough to send sparks through her nerves. “I was just working you up. Gettin’ you all squirmy.” His voice isn’t even a whisper anymore, closer to a croak that sends goosebumps rippling down her neck and arms despite the warm bathwater all around her. 

“Alex…” She sighs, because her mind has gone so blank she can’t form any word but his name. 

“‘Cause you’re so perfect like this, baby. You drive me fucking crazy.” 

Norma can’t take any more of him talking like that or she might actually go crazy, so she twists around in his arms to force him to look at her. The violence of the sudden movement sends waves sloshing against the side of the tub, but neither of them cares at all, not once she kisses him. Alex lets her for a few seconds before it’s his turn to make a sudden move, flipping them so he has her pinned against the back wall of the tub. She shrieks into his mouth, her hands gripping his biceps tightly in surprise at the feeling of the cold porcelain against her back. 

He doesn’t give her long to adjust, already starting to lick and kiss a path down the side of her neck, his hands at her hips holding her still for him to lean over her. Her skin is soft and slick from the water, every inch of her smelling of lavender and eucalyptus. Once again, he’s everywhere, consuming her with his touch and his scent, until all she can think or feel is just him. 

His lips and his hands meet at the same time over her breasts, making her gasp and arch her back, both hands shooting to hold his wrists. It turns out, not only has pregnancy made her hornier than ever, she’s also incredibly sensitive, and he knows it. It feels like every touch is amplified ten times over when she’s like this, and it drives both of them crazy.

“Alex,” she pants, her fingers digging harder into his wrists. Neither of them is sure if she’s begging him to stop or urging him on, but from the way she shivers as he squeezes her flesh gently, he guesses the latter.

Alex feels like he could burst any second just looking at her. She’s already flushed like they’ve been at it for hours, squirming underneath him, her bright blue eyes boring desperately into his. He lets out an imperceptible sigh, wishing he could just keep her like this forever. She’s so perfectly needy, right at the edge where it seems that she would do just about anything for him to just touch her, and he prickles at the thought of dangling here with her forever and ever. 

But she’s right. He’s tortured her enough tonight. Alex keeps his eyes locked on hers as he slowly dips his head, darting his tongue out to flick just once over her nipple. He can see her face melt with relief for barely a second before her expression twists and her hands grip at the back of his head, begging him to keep going with a soft whine. 

He obliges her, one hand massaging one of her breasts while the other holds her still for his tongue’s onslaught. In seconds, she’s a quivering mess, barely drawing breath as her fingers tug at the hair on the back of his head. 

“Alex!” She gasps, throwing her head back against the edge of the tub. 

He grins up at her and pulls back, flicking his tongue back and forth slowly. “Like this.” He murmurs, the vibrations of his voice causing her to jerk underneath him.

“What?” Norma pants.

“Just like this.” He repeats. It takes her a second, but she finally understands what he’s trying to say.

“I- I can’t-“

“You can.” With that, he doesn’t speak anymore, diving back in to give her other nipple the same treatment as the first. He somehow mirrors everything he does with his mouth on the other side, but with his fingers, pinching and rubbing simultaneous to his tongue sucking and licking. She can’t possibly understand how he knows exactly what feels the best for her, but he does, and now he’s driving her insane with it. It feels so good, and suddenly she thinks he may just be right.

“Alex, don’t stop.” She sobs, wriggling her hips desperately just for something to do with her body. It rushes up on her all at once, and she barely has time to register the knot tightening in her stomach before it snaps. “Oh god, wait. Wait. Oh, fuck, Alex, I’m… oh my…” 

She’s never done it like this before, and it feels incredibly different but somehow all the same, too. She’s vaguely aware of her legs kicking out on either side of him, her entire body arching so tightly that half of her stomach raises above the water, but all she can really feel or think about is his mouth and his fingers. 

When she collapses back against the side of the tub, he finally releases her, resting his head right between her collarbones where her chest sticks out of the water. Her hands keep their hold on his hair, but loosen significantly, cradling his head against her chest as it heaves to catch her breath. Her stomach is still fluttering with the aftermath of the strangest orgasm she’s ever had, but she can’t go another second without speaking.

“How did you…” She can’t get any more words out before she has to take another gulp of air, but he knows what she means anyway.

He looks up at her smugly. “I told you, I’ve been doing my research.”

Norma laughs at that, her head dropping back as she hiccups from trying to laugh when she can still barely breathe. Alex smiles back up at her, just a sliver of his teeth visible through his smirk. 

Her face drops suddenly. 

He sits up, looking up and down her body to try to figure out what happened. “What?” He blurts, seeing her shocked, far-away expression.

“Alex. Oh my god.” 

“What? Norma, what?!” He feels panic start to pump through his veins, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she grabs his hand under the water, gasping and pressing his palm against her bump urgently.

It turns out the fluttering hadn’t been from the orgasm at all. “She’s kicking.” Norma whispers, like speaking too loud might scare away the baby. 

Alex freezes, straining with every muscle in his hand to feel something where she’s holding it to her abdomen. It takes a few seconds, but then they both gasp as they feel two tiny little thumps right where his hand is sitting. “Oh my god.” 

“Hi, baby.” She squeaks, holding his hand tighter as she feels one more faint flutter a second later. Norma laughs tearfully. “Yeah, hi!” 

Alex is at a loss for words. He’s not sure he’ll ever be able to speak again, not after feeling such pure, concentrated happiness all at once. He can feel his baby girl moving around, and it’s easily the most incredible thing he’s ever experienced. He doesn’t realize there are tears on his face until Norma wipes them away with her free hand, smiling at him with an expression that mirrors all the wonder and amazement coursing through him. Finally, his brain catches up enough to manage a single sentence. 

“Hi, baby.”

Chapter Text

January 28th

Norma is just settling in to watch the newest episode of The Bachelor while Alex pretends to be completely uninterested (though he could read his book literally anywhere else in the house, but chooses to sit right next to her anyway), as is their usual routine on Monday nights, when the doorbell rings from downstairs. Alex shrugs and shakes his head when she looks at him questioningly, silently confirming that he also has no idea who could be ringing their doorbell so late at night. 

“I’ll get it.” She sighs, begrudgingly pausing the show to fling her favorite fluffy purple blanket off of her legs. 

“No, let me,” Alex offers, but she’s already struggling into a standing position, heaving her unwieldy, off-balance body off of the couch and managing a few stumbling steps before she figures out how to walk correctly. 

“S’fine.” Norma mumbles, waving a hand at him as he watches uncomfortably, knowing better than to try to help her yet still wanting to. “Probably just, like… Mormons or something. I’ll tell ‘em to go away.” She tries not to be annoyed that someone interrupted what has become one of her favorite times of the week, but she really had been looking forward to snuggling with Alex for a full hour and she huffs as she wraps her robe tighter around herself to shuffle down the stairs.

It’s a freezing cold, late January night, flurries of snow drifting in front of the windows to settle on rooftops and tree branches all across town. There’s a chill in the air downstairs, where they keep the heating lower at night while it’s unoccupied, and Norma quickly starts to miss the warmth of her thick blanket and her furnace of a husband sitting next to her. 

The front door is frosted over from the cold, but she can still see the faint outline of a single shivering figure through it. Okay, so maybe not Mormons. She opens the door tentatively, peeking her head out as little as possible as the cold instantly starts to bite at the tip of her nose. 

“Leah?” She frowns, opening the door a little wider. “What are you doing out here? It’s freezing.” 

To say the girl looks like a mess would be an understatement. She looks half-frozen, her body huddled in on itself as she stands shivering in just a zip-up jacket pulled all the way up to her chin and a pair of plaid pajama pants that barely reach her ankles and whip around her legs with every gust of wind. Her hands are trembling as they grip the straps of the backpack over her shoulders. In fact, every inch of her is bright red and shivering violently, her face twisted with an emotion Norma can’t quite place. 

“M’sorry, I j-just… didn’t know where else to-to go.” She bites out, her teeth chattering so severely that she can barely form a sentence. 

“Jesus, you’re gonna freeze to death out there! Get inside.” Norma flings the door open, holding out her arm to guide the quivering teenager into the house. “D’you walk here or something?”

“Y-yeah.” Leah wipes her hands over her face, inadvertently sending a few clusters of snowflakes fluttering to the floor. Norma finally gets a good look at her, and she doesn’t at all like what she sees. 

“Honey, what happened? You’re worrying me.” She presses, running her hands over the young girl’s arms to try to warm her up. She can see what looks like pain and fear mixed together in her eyes, which, coupled with the thick tracks of eyeliner and mascara over her cheeks, give Norma the impression that something awful must have happened. 

“I can’t… can’t tell y-you.” Leah shakes her head, her arms wrapped protectively around herself. 

“Why not?”

She shakes her head again, finally making eye contact. “I just can’t.” She says barely above a whisper. Norma wants to push farther, but the pure apologetic desperation in her eyes makes her pause. 

“Okay,” she agrees temporarily, “Come upstairs. You need to warm up.” 

Leah nods and trails up the stairs behind her, silent except for her quiet sniffling. 

“Who was it?” Alex calls when he hears the door opening again, looking up only when he hears two sets of footsteps shuffling into the room. 

“Alex, could you please get some blankets out? Right away.” Norma requests, trying to sound calm despite the twinge of panic setting in. She reaches back to grab Leah’s hand, barely suppressing her flinch as she feels the ice-cold skin there. Carefully, she helps her take off the heavily stuffed, snow-covered backpack, leaving it by the door to thaw out. 

“Y-yeah, okay.” Alex jumps up, hurrying into the bedroom as his wife leads the freezing girl into the guest bathroom. 

She quickly grabs two washcloths from under the sink, running her hand under the water for a second until it turns hot before soaking both of them. “Here, hold this one.” She gives one of them over after wringing out the excess water, using the other to gently wipe and dab at Leah’s bright red nose and cheeks. Her shivering has calmed down, at least, though her hands still shake as they urgently squeeze the warm cloth between them. 

Alex appears in the doorway a second later with the thickest blanket he could find, carefully draping it over the girl’s shoulders while exchanging matching concerned glances with his wife. “What’s going on?” He asks softly, one hand lingering on her arm in an attempt at comfort. 

Leah sniffles. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” Her voice has gotten stuffy, which Norma interprets as a good sign that she’s at least warming up a little bit. 

“I understand that,” she nods cautiously, “but you have to give us something, hon. We just want to help.” 

Leah shakes her head again, looking like she might burst into tears any second. 

“Did something happen at home?” She ventures a guess. That seems to do it, as the face she’s still trying to warm up instantly crumples and fresh, hot tears leak from her eyes. “Oh, okay, okay…” Norma soothes, reaching forward to hug her tentatively. 

“I got kicked out,” the brunette blurts, barely able to get the words out before she’s sobbing into Norma’s shoulder. 

“What?”

“What?” Both adults look at each other in shock. “For what?” Alex chokes. 

“That’s- that’s what I-I can’t tell you.” Leah blubbers, the words barely coherent. Norma just hugs her tighter, no clue at all what to say. 

“What, so they just sent you out on the fuckin’ street? In this weather?” Alex’s face is pinched with rage and confusion, and he doesn’t seem to care at all when his wife shoots him a glare for his language. 

“Um… kinda… not really…I…I-dunno.” She snivels pathetically, wiping at her own face with the rapidly cooling washcloth in her hands. 

Norma finally pulls herself together enough to act, since clearly Alex’s attempts to help are only making things worse. “Okay, why don’t you just come sit down?” She shoots him a quick glare that he doesn’t really deserve as she leads the girl out into the living room, Alex trailing behind like he’s lost in his own house. Norma looks back, seeing how confused he is, knowing he just wants to help but doesn’t know how, and all of her frustration with him melts in an instant. “Honey, would you go warm up some of the leftovers in the fridge, please? And some hot chocolate?” She requests gently, smiling as his face lights up a little at having something to do. 

He comes back a few minutes later with a plate of spaghetti and meatballs and a steaming mug of hot chocolate, setting both down carefully on the coffee table in front of the two women. Sitting down on the other side of the couch, he looks tentatively at Norma. They both know it’s her last cup of hot chocolate, that she’d been saving it for a special occasion, but she just gives him a soft smile and hands it to Leah wordlessly. 

“Spaghetti?” The girl squeaks, her eyes lighting up just slightly. She sniffles, her face crumpling again a second later. “I love spaghetti.”

Norma and Alex exchange slightly confused, slightly worried glances, afraid she might burst into tears again. “Well, there’s more if you want it,” he supplies, watching nervously as she nods. 

“Thank you.” Leah looks at the plate for a second longer before raising her head, watery green eyes flicking between the two of them. “Really, I-I don’t even know what I would’ve done…”

“You don’t have to think about that right now. Just eat, honey.” Norma cuts in, running a soft hand down the back of her arm as she places the plate in her lap. She nods solemnly, gathering a few noodles on her fork and stabbing at a meatball half-heartedly. 

After a few bites, Leah frowns inquisitively, looking up at the TV screen. “Were you watching The Bachelor?” 

“No,” Alex replies immediately. 

Norma smiles bashfully. “Oh, uhh, yeah…” Blood starts to rush to her cheeks as she reaches for the remote to turn it off. “You watch it?”

“Yeah.” Her lips quirk up just the tiniest bit, but it’s something, and Norma feels some of the weight lifting off of her chest. She puts down the remote.

“We can watch it together, then.” She suggests, her heart warming when that earns a real, full smile in response. 

“Kay,” Leah nods at the floor, looking a little embarrassed to be smiling at all. 

It’s silent for a second, and Norma decides now is as good a time as ever to push the envelope. 

“Listen, I know you said you didn’t want to talk about it, but-”

“Please don’t make me tell you.” Leah blurts, looking up earnestly. “I can’t, I really can’t… Please, I don’t have anywhere else to go.” 

Norma sits forward to put her hand on top of the one not holding her fork. “We’re not going to send you back out there on your own. We would never do that.” 

“It’s okay if you still don’t want to tell us, but I promise nothing you could say would make us do that,” Alex adds, catching a grateful glance from his wife. 

“I…” The girl looks between them again, like she’s trying to tell if they’re lying. She takes a shaky breath. “I just can’t say it out loud.”

“Are you pregnant?” Norma offers. “'cause, you know, I got pregnant at your age, and I know it’s hard, but-”

“No, I’m not pregnant.” Leah shakes her head, both adults letting out simultaneous breaths of relief. 

“Okay, good, because I was trying to sugarcoat it, but that really sucked.” Norma chuckles softly, hoping to make her laugh, but gets nothing. “Did you do something illegal? You know Alex was the Sheriff, he knows a lot about making things like that go away.” 

“Well, mostly your speeding tickets, but yeah.” Alex shrugs, and that at least earns a half-smile out of courtesy.

“No, it’s-it’s nothing illegal. And I didn’t really do anything.” 

Norma sighs. “Well, then it can’t be all that bad, can it?” She tries to keep a reassuring tone, but some anxiety seeps through. 

“Did somebody hurt you?” Alex asks, his voice far more accusing than her gentle tone. Norma feels her stomach drop as she waits for what feels like an eternity for the answer. 

“No,” Leah breathes, looking up in slight surprise when they both deflate with relief. Like a switch was flipped in her mind, they can both recognize the way she looks at them differently. Some fraction of her fear melts away, which must be just enough to finally allow her to say it. The room is quiet as she takes a few seconds to build up the courage, biting the inside of her lip and swallowing hard. “It’s because…” she takes a shaky breath, “‘cause I… like girls.” 

There’s a shocked silence in the air as they absorb what she said, a silence Norma fills the instant her brain catches up enough to form words. 

“Oh, honey. That is not a bad thing. That’s not a bad thing at all.” She coos, grabbing the girl’s hand between hers and squeezing it tightly. Her whole body aches at the pure relief that pours through the young eyes staring up at her, feeling the brunette’s tension and fear starting to melt away. 

“You really don’t think so?” She sniffles hopefully, sucking in a wavering breath.

Norma smiles warmly and shakes her head, flicking her gaze to her husband for the tiniest second before looking back into the watery green eyes in front of her. “I know it can be hard to come to terms with something like that, especially when you’re told it’s… not normal.” She runs her hand over the top of the slightly smaller one in front of her soothingly. “Thank you for trusting us. That’s not a small thing to do.”

Alex lets out a heavy sigh. “So, your parents… they don’t…” he surmises, his heart breaking a little as he watches Leah shake her head dejectedly. 

“I didn’t even mean to tell them. I knew what they were like. I knew better.” She whimpers, staring at the floor under her feet. “It just… came out. Literally.” She gives a mirthless chuckle with the last word, her lips pulled into a tight line. 

“And they really kicked you out, just for that?” Norma gapes.

“My mom said that I’m sick. That there’s something… wrong with me. She… told me to get out, and to come back when I could figure out how to be the daughter that she raised.” Leah sniffles numbly, giving a shrug like it’s no big deal. “So I left.” 

More stunned silence from both of them as they absorb the story, Alex’s face starting flush red with bottled-up rage and a thick lump forming in Norma’s throat with every shaky breath she takes. Neither has any idea what to say. I’m so sorry is beyond useless at this point, but there’s not much else to say. 

Their eyes meet across the couch, a full conversation without words. It’s something they’ve learned to do just from being together, reading each other’s minds just from a glance across the room or the look in their eyes. Now is no exception, and the silent exchange takes barely a few seconds before Norma breaks their pseudo-psychic connection and turns to Leah. 

“You’ll stay with us.” She announces, not an invitation but an instruction. The girl looks up, stunned. 

“W-what? I can’t-”

“Yes, you can. We have an extra room, and Norma isn’t capable of cooking for less than 10 people anyway. You said yourself, you have nowhere else to go.” Alex counters. 

“Really? You’d do that for me?” Leah mewls, big, watery eyes looking between them tentatively.

Norma laughs light-heartedly at her shock. “Of course we would.”

“You’re a good kid,” Alex adds. “You’ve done nothing but good for us, in a time when we’ve needed it. We’re just… returning the favor.” He gives her a reassuring smile and is blindsided when she suddenly throws her arms around him, sobbing softly into his shirt. 

“Thank you,” she cries, pulling back just long enough to hug Norma instead. “I didn’t… I thought I was gonna be homeless.”

Norma hugs her tighter. “We wouldn’t let that happen to you.” 

Leah sniffles, wiping furiously at her eyes, and looks down at herself. “God, this is so embarrassing.” She chuckles abashedly, trying to make her face look less like she’s been hit by a bus. 

“Don’t be embarrassed. Just eat your spaghetti, and we’re gonna go talk for a minute, but we’ll be right back.” Norma smiles warmly, giving her arm one last squeeze before standing, trailing after Alex into their bedroom. Telepathy had been enough to know they were both on board, but they do have to actually speak to each other about it at some point. She shuts the door gently behind her, sitting on the edge of the bed next to him so their knees brush a little as she turns to face him. 

His face is still red with anger when he finally lets himself say what he’s been holding in. “I can’t believe people like that still exist. And that they’d do that to their own kid,” he spits. 

“Me neither,” Norma is on the opposite end of the spectrum, her hands trembling with a mix of anxiety and deep, disbelieving sadness. “I don’t know how a parent does that.” 

Alex reaches for her hands to stop their shaking. “Are you doing okay with all this? I know it’s… personal for you.” He asks softly, his rage melted into concern at the discomfort in her expression. 

“It’s just awful.” She whimpers, leaning into him gratefully when he pulls her into his arms. 

He sighs, rubbing a hand up and down her back. “I know, baby. But what matters is, she’s safe, and we’re gonna take care of her.” 

Norma nods into his chest, pulling back to wipe her face resolutely. “We’re gonna take care of her.”

—---

Norma ends up sending him on a late-night trip to the nearest department store before they close, armed with a list of everything she can think of that a teenage girl might need. She would’ve preferred to have gone herself, but it’s too high an order for a pregnant woman, and the idea of leaving Leah and Alex alone in a room together for more than 5 minutes even makes her feel awkward. 

So, she settles on the couch to watch The Bachelor with her as promised, making each of them Rocky Road sundaes with mountains of whipped cream on top. She can almost feel the tension leaking out of the poor girl as she slowly begins to calm down, even letting herself laugh a few times and lay down across the long section of the couch to get comfortable. 

Honestly, Leah hates The Bachelor. She usually only watches it because she hates it so much. And she hates a lot of things: math, pickles, people who are loud in public spaces, the smell of cigarettes, and especially Nickelback. More than anything, though, she’s always hated people touching her. But something about the way Norma is so gentle as she delicately strokes her hair… she can’t bring herself to hate it at all. In fact–though she would never admit it–a part of her actually likes it. 

It doesn’t take long at all for her to fall asleep right there on the couch. She’d already been physically exhausted when she’d knocked on the door, and then the emotional exhaustion had dropped onto her like a ton of bricks the second she’d closed her eyes. Norma doesn’t stop stroking her hair after she falls asleep, though, silently hoping the soothing touch will ward off any bad dreams. 

Once Alex gets home, she helps him to unpack and organize everything he’d bought, blowing up the air mattress as quietly as possible (though she honestly doesn’t even think a nuclear bomb could wake the sleeping teenager on the couch) in their completely empty guest bedroom. She very carefully unloads the haphazardly stuffed backpack left by the door, finding it filled with crumpled-up clothes, a phone charger that looks to be on its last leg, and her sticker-covered laptop, which was thankfully protected from the snow that melted into some of the contents. 

After everything is prepared, Alex very gently lifts the sleeping girl off of the couch and lays her down on the neatly-made air-mattress bed, flicking off the lights as both of them tiptoe out of the room to collapse into their own bed. 

When Leah wakes up, she finds herself in an unfamiliar room tucked under sheets covered in colorful unicorns and rainbows, with a very fluffy purple blanket draped over her. Her phone is plugged into a new charger, her clothes folded and stacked nicely in a plastic storage bin with her name written on it. 

A small plush monkey smiles at her from the other side of the bed.

Chapter Text

February 2nd

A soft knock at the door has Leah looking up, quickly pulling her headphones out of her ears before calling, “come in.”

Blonde curls bounce through the doorway as Norma peeks her head inside. “Hi, honey.” She smiles, her eyes flicking down to the laptop perched on Leah’s knees. “Are you busy?”

She quickly flips the computer closed. “No, just school.” She slides it to the other side of the bed and brings her long, lanky legs up to her chest so that Norma can sit on the edge of the mattress in front of her. 

“How are you doing?” 

Leah tries not to gulp too obviously at the question, looking down at her own hands twisting in her lap. “I… um…” She sighs, steeling herself to speak more firmly. “My mom called. Last night.” 

Norma’s mouth falls open. It’s been close to a week since the girl almost froze to death on their porch, with absolutely no communication from her parents, even to ask if she was okay. They’d all but accepted that she might never hear from them again. 

“What did she say?” 

“She asked me to come home. Said she wanted to ‘help me,’ and that they miss me.” Leah relays almost monotonously. She finally looks up, the deep green of her eyes shining with defiance. “I hung up.” 

“You hung up?” Norma’s eyebrows shoot up. She knows the girl has been far more okay on her own than she should be, suspects she’s already had to figure most things out for herself anyway, but still, she hadn’t expected this. She should miss her parents, shouldn’t she? Should want them to take her back?

“I don’t wanna go back. I don’t want them to try to fix me. I don’t… don’t need them.” Leah declares, but Norma can see her bravado starting to crumble. When she looks into her eyes, she can see that she’s still the scared, confused little girl who rang her doorbell in the middle of the night. Even if she wants to pretend that she’s not. 

Norma understands that. She knows exactly how it feels, to finally get away, and to miss it all the same. To not want to go back, but to wish that she did. She knows what it’s like to feel as if you’ve been set free and abandoned all at once. 

She reaches for the girl’s hand. “You don’t have to go back. Not if you don’t want to.” She reassures, holding eye contact for a second before she speaks again. “But it’s okay to still miss them.” 

Her words seem to have broken some kind of dam inside of the teenager in front of her, and she watches sympathetically as those big, scared eyes well up with tears. When she speaks, her voice is choked like she’s fighting a lump in her throat. “I shouldn’t miss them.” She shakes her head, the action causing a single tear to leak from her eye. “I shouldn’t.”

“How could you not?” Norma asks sincerely, leaning forward at her slightly surprised reaction. “They’re your family. You’ve lived with them your entire life. Of course you miss them.”

“I could’ve died. And they wouldn’t even have known until last night.” Leah argues, another tear sliding over her cheek. “How can I still love someone that did that to me?” She looks up, her lip quivering as her eyes beg for answers that Norma doesn’t have. 

She tucks a few strands of dark hair behind the girl’s ear tenderly. “We don’t get to choose what we feel. Or who we love.” 

“Is it possible to love and hate someone at the same time?” 

Norma smiles sadly. “Of course it is. It’s… more common than you’d think.” 

“Does it… get better?” Leah asks, seeing the memories flashing across those blue eyes. 

The young girl looks so hopeless, so lost and confused, it breaks Norma’s heart. She can’t help herself. 

She lies. “Sometimes.”

—---

February 3rd

The doorbell rings early the next morning, when the sun is still barely rising. Two loud, half-asleep groans fill the room and Alex flops onto his back, staring at the ceiling dejectedly for a second. 

“What the hell?” Norma whines, throwing the covers off of herself so violently that one of the corners lands over his face. He takes that as his cue to get up too. 

By the time they make it out of their room, Leah is standing in the kitchen, one hand rubbing over her eye. “Why’s the doorbell ringing?” She slurs, her hair mussed from sleep and eyes just barely hanging open. 

“I don’t know.” Norma yawns. “Just go back to sleep, hon. I’m sure it’s nothing.” 

She doesn’t have to tell her twice, and Leah quickly shuffles back to bed without another word. 

“You should go back to sleep too. Whatever it is, I’ll handle it.” Alex turns to her, holding her elbow gently. 

Norma shrugs. “I’m already up. Might as well see who it is so I can smite them for disturbing us.” He’s almost too tired to laugh, but he gives a little chuckle anyway. 

She’s still struggling down the stairs when he opens the door, hurrying down the rest of the steps when she sees his body go rigid. 

Three police officers stand on their porch. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Romero?” One immediately asks. Alex nods, but Norma is frozen in place, feeling like her heart is pounding faster than it ever has. She feels his hand grabbing for hers as he very carefully nudges her behind him. 

“Is there a problem, officer?” He asks firmly, in what she recognizes as his big, scary cop voice. 

“Is there anyone else in the house, sir?” One of the others pipes up. 

Norma looks up at him, wide-eyed, but he looks perfectly calm. “Our assistant is upstairs.” He replies flatly, his entire body held perfectly still. 

All three officers shift on their feet, the two flanks exchanging pointed glances. The man in the center speaks first. “Is your assistant Leah Costello?”

Alex doesn’t flinch despite the skepticism in his tone. “Yes, she is.”

They all shift again, and somehow Norma finds enough courage to speak. “Is something wrong?” She tries to sound sure, but the words come out as a nervous squeak. Alex squeezes her hand, but she’s not sure if he’s reassuring her or silently telling her to let him handle it. 

“We received a report that she was being held here against her will.” The officer announces. “We’re going to need both of you to come down to the station.” 

Norma feels like time slows down right in front of her. She doesn’t realize she’s stumbling backward until Alex’s hand slips out of her grip. All she can see are the officers coming toward her, the silver handcuffs clipped to their belts. 

Alex is speaking, but she can’t hear him. He’s trying to get to her, but everything is moving in slow motion. His deep brown eyes are almost black, and he looks scared. The first officer reaches him and puts a hand on his shoulder, trying to lead him toward the door. He’s still following her, though, and she’s still trailing away, away, away, wishing she could just run and make everything disappear. 

The officer grabs his arm to stop him, but Alex shoves him off. He’s coming to her, but so is the third officer. Her biggest fear and her only salvation, each racing to reach her before the other. The man grabs Alex’s arm again, using it to pull him back enough that he can wedge his way between him and his wife, blocking his path. She feels the word no fall from her lips, rattling around in her head, but no one seems to hear her. 

Alex scrambles and pushes in a frenzy to get past the man in his way, but he can’t get any closer. There’s another body behind him, grabbing at his arms, trying to pull him back, but he fights blindly away from the harsh touch. The officers are barking in his ear, demands of calm down, sir and don’t make us restrain you falling on deaf ears. 

His brain is telling him to shout, but his body rages a war over what to say. His logical mind wants to call to her, to tell her to stay calm, not to resist, just go quietly. But every other part of him wants to scream don’t fucking touch her, wants to fight tooth and nail to just get to her. Neither side wins, and he’s stuck being dragged toward the door in a wordless panic as the third officer pursues her across the room. 

Everyone freezes at the sound of a voice from the top of the staircase. “What the fuck?” It’s Leah, dashing down the stairs as fast as she can toward them. “Stop it! What is going on?!” She shrieks. 

Alex feels the iron grip on his arm loosen, but not release. The officer holding him back straightens. “Leah Costello?” 

“Yeah?”

“Miss Costello, are you here willfully?” The man behind him asks. 

“What?” Leah splutters, frozen at the bottom of the stairs. 

“Are you free to leave?” He clarifies.

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?” She looks fervently between Norma, her face soaked with tears, and Alex, looking angrier than she’s ever seen him. 

“Someone reported that you were being kept here against your will.” The man explains, a hint of skepticism still weighing on his voice. 

Leah’s face drops with realization. “My parents.” 

“Your parents filed the report?” 

“They… they must have,” She sighs. “Look, I’m not being, like, held hostage or whatever, so you can just leave. Sorry for wasting your time.” 

“Well, this sounds like it must be a big misunderstanding, but clearly your folks are worried about you. We can take you on home and work this all out.” The officer suggests, finally letting go of Alex, though he doesn’t dare make any sudden moves. 

“No.” Leah says firmly. 

“No?”

“No. I’m not going back.” 

“Care to tell us why not?” He muses, the suspicious tone returned to his voice. 

“Not particularly.” She snaps back, and in any other situation Alex would be silently thinking attagirl, but now it just fills him with anxiety. 

The officer sighs impatiently. “Look, kid, you can either come with us and take whatever issues you’ve got up with your parents, or we’re gonna have to launch a formal investigation. That means all three of you come with us for questioning. Either way, you’re gettin’ in the car.”

At his tone, Alex sees red. “Don’t talk to her like that,” he spits, puffing his chest out slightly. 

Leah seems emboldened by his outburst, crossing her arms challengingly. “I haven’t done anything wrong. You can’t make me go with you.”  

“You’re a minor, and your parents want you home. Legally, we can.” The cop replies, taking a threatening step toward her. 

If she’s scared by him, she doesn’t show it. “I’m 18 in like a week, man!” She scoffs. 

“Doesn’t matter. If you don’t want these two facing criminal charges, you’d best come with us.” The officer closest to Norma replies, the blonde stiffening, her lip still quivering fearfully. 

Leah looks at Norma, then Alex. She has no doubt that they would agree to be questioned if she refused to go home, even though Norma looks so scared she could’ve seen a ghost. It’s exactly why she knows she has to go with the police. After everything they’ve done for her, she can’t put them through this, too. 

Her shoulders slump. “Fine. Whatever.” She grumbles, wrapping her arms around herself as she shuffles toward the door. 

Alex is pushing against the cop in front of him again, trying to get to her this time. She doesn’t look up at him as she passes, shuddering slightly when the officer reaches out to guide her by the arm, the other two following closely behind. 

“Leah…” She doesn’t expect to hear Norma’s voice calling out to her, throwing her head over her shoulder to look back at the other woman. Their eyes lock, and neither of them says anything. They don’t have to. Norma has always just known what she’s thinking and feeling, and right now her message is clear. Let me go. 

Leah finally forces herself to look at Alex where he’s trailing behind them. He must see the uncertainty in her eyes, because his expression softens. “It’s gonna be okay. Call us when you can,” he says gently, stopping in his tracks as she nods quickly and turns away so he can’t see the tears in her eyes. She doesn’t want to go back. She wants to stay here, with the people who actually care about her. This isn’t fair. 

Alex is frozen as the front door shuts behind them. He hears a car engine starting, doors slamming closed, and then the sound gets quieter and quieter as they drive away. The only thing that breaks his shell-shocked trance is the sound of Norma’s quiet, crying hiccup from behind him. 

He reaches her in a second, wrapping her so tightly in his arms that he’s probably restricting her breathing, but he doesn’t care. Her hands are crumpled against his chest as she tucks her face into his neck, her body jerking with unrestrained sobs. His fingers tangle in her soft curls, his other hand stroking lightly along her back.

He lets her cry for a minute, knowing she needs to get it out, before he starts trying to calm her down. “It’s okay,” he whispers, pressing his nose into her hair. “I got you. You’re okay.” 

Nothing seems to soothe her desperate weeping, and Alex worries that it’s only getting worse as he feels her struggling to catch her breath against him. His mind instantly jumps to their baby, her shallow wheezes sending blood rushing through his veins. 

“Norma, you have to breathe.” He pulls back to give her space, keeping his hands planted firmly on her arms. “Deep breaths. Come on, baby, this isn’t good for you.” 

She’s trying, he can see her trying to slow her breathing, but every wave of sobs that shakes her body has her gasping for air again. She needs something, anything, to ground her, and the only thing that really does that is him. Her arms scrabble to pull him close again, needing to feel him pressed against her, holding her. She wraps her arms tightly around his neck, holding her head up over his shoulder to try to breathe. 

Alex must understand what she needs, because a second later, he reaches down, lifting her legs so that she can wrap them around him, pressing every inch of her body into him as she holds on for dear life. He holds her there until his arms start to ache, feeling her gradually breathing slower and slower until her lungs finally fill all the way up with air and she tucks her tear-streaked face back against him. 

He sets her down carefully, cradling her cheeks in his hands the second her feet are safely on the ground. His thumbs tenderly wipe away all the tears that she hasn’t already smeared on his shirt. For a second, he can’t decide what to say, but eventually settles on, “I’m so sorry. That was awful.” 

Norma nods and sniffles. “Yeah,” she agrees in a whimper. 

“It’s gonna be okay, though,” he promises, pulling her close to press a kiss to the top of her head because he can’t stand to look at her crying like that anymore. She doesn’t really believe him, but nods anyway. He doesn’t seem to believe it either, since he feels the need to repeat himself. “We’re gonna be okay.” 

—---

February 6th

Alex peeks tentatively through the bedroom door, but Norma doesn’t seem to notice him. She’s sitting quietly on the bed, staring down at Leah’s stuffed monkey in her lap sadly. They haven’t heard anything from her since she left with the police, and it’s eating them both up inside. He can feel Norma’s anxiety mounting with every day that passes, wondering if they did the right thing, hoping that she’s okay and they might hear from her soon. He feels the same way, but he trusts that the strong-willed girl he knows would find a way out if she didn’t feel safe. Whatever is going on with her, he’s certain she’ll find a way to be okay. 

She’s like Norma in that way. 

Norma doesn’t acknowledge him as he crosses to the other side of the bed and sits down. He watches her for a moment, wishing more than anything that he could just take everything she’s feeling away. When he speaks, his voice is barely above a whisper. “What do you need?”

She turns like she hadn’t even realized he was there, looking up at him with eyes full of sadness and resignation. Her mouth opens like she’s going to speak, but then closes again as she just shakes her head. 

“I can get you some Rocky Road? Extra whipped cream?” He suggests, trying to keep his voice light, but it comes out sounding more artificial than anything. Norma shakes her head again and he deflates. Her thumb runs over the top of the monkey’s head as she absently plays with its fur. 

“I don’t know, Alex.” She sighs, her voice far-away. When he meets her eyes again, they’re filled with uncertainty. “How are we gonna do this?”

He covers her hand with his to stop it from fidgeting. “I know it’s hard, but she’s a strong kid, and she’s smart. She’ll figure it out.”

“I don’t mean… I’m not…” Norma closes her eyes tightly, trying to find the words to explain herself. “How are we gonna take care of our own baby if we can’t even protect her?” 

Alex stares at her, stunned by her question. “N-no, Norma, this is different, it’s-” He blows a puff of air from his mouth. “We have no control here. We’ve done everything we can.”

“So you’re just giving up?!” She snaps blazingly. 

He grimaces. “No! I never said that. But right now, there’s nothing else for us to do but wait and hope.”

Norma looks down again, knowing he’s right but hating it anyway. He reaches for her, cradling her cheeks in his hands to bring her eyes back to his. His thumbs stroke under her eyes, though there are no tears there, only slight dark circles around the corners.

“You’re exhausted.” He frowns, worry settling heavily in his gut. “You’re working too hard, and I know you’re not sleeping.” 

“How do you know that?” She accuses, though she already knows the answer. 

He gives a sad smile. “‘Cause I’m not, either.” 

Norma sighs. “What are we gonna do?” She asks mostly rhetorically, closing her eyes and shaking her head like she can make the whole situation go away. 

Alex uses his hold on her face to gently pull her against him, so her head lays on his chest. “You are going to sleep,” he instructs, slipping his arms around her back to hold her close. She huffs but doesn’t protest, setting the monkey down on his stomach so she can snuggle closer to him, feeling her body already beginning to relax subconsciously. He turns the light off and places the animal gently on the nightstand, not missing her slight pout when he takes it away.

“Can you say something?” Norma asks softly in the dark, turning her face up toward his.

“Say… what?” 

“I dunno. I just like it when you talk.” She admits, and he knows she’s blushing a bit even though he can’t see her. “Tell me a story?” 

He sighs, staying silent for long enough that she begins to worry he’s fallen asleep. She feels the rumble of his voice a fraction of a second before she hears him.

“When I was little, I was afraid of the dark.” 

Norma lets out a surprised laugh. “Really?”

He nods. “Yeah, terrified. I’d have nightmares that only got worse when I woke up in the dark. So some nights, when I couldn’t sleep, I would sneak into my parents’ room and wake my mom up.” 

Norma lays her head down on his chest, remembering she’s supposed to be falling asleep but also wanting to hear the rest of the story. He strokes the tips of his fingers tenderly through her hair to help her relax. 

“She would always take me out into the yard and we’d lay in the grass together and look at the stars. And it wasn’t so scary to me anymore ‘cause they lit up some of the darkness. She told me the stars were there to protect me.” 

“That’s really sweet,” Norma chirps, smiling to herself.

“Yeah, I guess she must’ve stayed out there with me ‘till I fell asleep, ‘cause I always woke up back in my own bed. I’d think it was a dream at first, but then I’d find a whole bunch of ant bites all over my ankles, and I’d know it was real.” His voice drops a little, but she’s too close to falling asleep to notice. “After she was gone, it always turned out it really was a dream. I’d wake up and check every inch of my body, hoping to find a bug bite or a blade of grass or something, and I never did. But sometimes I still have to check my ankles when I wake up, just in case, you know?” 

He looks down to find his wife asleep on his chest, soothed enough by the vibrations of his voice to have drifted off in the middle of his story. Smiling to himself, he kisses the top of her head, pausing for a few seconds to breathe in the scent of her hair, which has never failed to make him feel like the safest man on the planet.

He imagines the stars twinkling above their roof to help him finally fall asleep.

—---

Alex jolts awake at the sound of loud buzzing from the other side of the bed, looking around disorientedly for a few seconds before his brain catches up. He has no idea how long they’ve been asleep, but it’s still completely dark outside when he glances at the window. 

It takes him a bit longer than it should to realize that the buzzing is coming from a phone. Apparently, his jump at the sound hadn’t been enough to wake Norma, so he nudges her with his shoulder lightly. 

“Hey, Norma, wake up,” he whispers, guilt gripping him a little at her dissatisfied grimace.

“Nooooo…” 

“Baby, the phone- your phone is ringing.” He pushes, nudging her again. 

She groans. “So let it ring.” 

“It’s probably Leah, answer it!” 

That gets her awake, rocketing off of him to sit up, her hands feeling around blindly for the phone. “The light, the light!” She demands, finally finding the source of the buzzing as Alex clicks on the lamp. 

It’s her.

He leans in to look over her shoulder as she answers the FaceTime frantically. Both of them frown when they’re met with just a black screen.

“Leah?” Norma squeaks, leaning in closer like that might make her suddenly appear. 

A hushed voice whispers through the receiver. “Yeah, it’s me.” 

They both deflate with relief at the sound of her voice, Norma smiling a little as she just barely makes out the girl’s face, illuminated by the light of her phone. “Oh, thank God! We were getting so worried.”

She sighs. “Yeah, I know, I’m sorry I couldn’t call. My parents took my phone but I finally stole it back just now.” 

Alex pipes up. “Are you okay? What’s goin’ on?” 

They can just barely see that she nods in the dark. “I’m fine. I’m not, like… dead at least.” 

“That’s comforting,” Norma quips.

Leah huffs. “Well, I mean, I’m basically on house arrest, and I’m literally hiding in my closet right now, which is… fitting.” 

“You need us to come get you? We’ll kidnap you for real.” Alex suggests, hoping to make her laugh.

She must take him seriously because she just shakes her head. “No, no, it’s okay, I’m just… I just have to make it another week.” 

“A week?” Norma’s eyebrows knit together the way they always do when she’s confused.

“I turn 18 on the 13th. Then I’m out of here for good.” 

“You’ll come back here?” Norma asks, though it sounds less like a question and more like an instruction. 

“If… if that’s okay with you guys?” 

Alex smiles. “Of course it is.” He reaches discreetly for the monkey on the nightstand. “And, you know, we’ll have this guy waiting for you.” He grins, holding it up to the camera like it’s looking at her. 

Leah’s face lights up a little. “The monkey!”

“Yeah, he misses you,” Alex adds, facing the stuffed animal toward himself. 

“Her name is Mrs. Bakersfield.” Leah corrects a faux severity that rivals even Alex’s deadpan.

He tilts the monkey up to look between its legs. “Oh, sincerest apologies, madam.” He nods solemnly, finally earning the laugh he’s been trying for, which puts a smile on all three of their faces. 

Leah looks up suddenly at a faint sound from the other side of the line. “Shit. I have to go. I’ll… I’ll text you.”

“Oh, okay.” Norma frowns slightly. She calls out before the girl can hang up. “Leah?” 

“Yeah?”

She sounds like she’s choking on her own words for a second. “Um… be safe,” she finally blurts bashfully. 

“Okay. Yeah, I will.” Leah nods, sitting silently for a second, unsure if that was all Norma meant to say. “Um… okay, bye.” 

She hangs up in the split second before either of them can respond, leaving them in slightly stunned silence. 

Alex turns to her after a few moments. “Why didn’t you say it?”

“Say what?” She responds in that fake-oblivious tone she knows he can see straight through. 

“You wanted to say something just then. Why didn’t you?” His voice is gentle, more curious than interrogatory, and from the look in his eyes she can tell he already knows what it was she wanted to say.

“I…um…” she sighs, deciding there’s no use in lying to him. “She’s got a lot going on. I don’t wanna overwhelm her.”

Alex shrugs. “Might make her feel better.”

Norma twists around to look at him, really look at him, her eyes searching his silently. One thin, cold hand reaches up to cradle his jaw, her fingers scratching lightly in the stubble he hasn’t had the energy to shave. A small lopsided grin graces her face. 

“You’re gonna be a really amazing dad.” 

They’re both silent for a second as her words sink in, before she leans forward to kiss the touched smile from his lips. He presses his face against hers even after they pull away, craving more than anything to be close to her. “I love you,” he says to her, taking a second to appreciate that he can. 

Norma smiles, the tip of her nose brushing against his cheek. “I love you, too. You’re… everything.”

His hand slides across the swell of her stomach tenderly. “Not everything,” he corrects. 

Her smile only gets brighter. “Okay, maybe not everything. But… a lot.” 

Alex nods, satisfied. “A lot is plenty for me.”

—---

February 12th

Alex looks around for a few seconds nervously, holding his wife’s ringing phone in his hand. She’d left it on the kitchen counter when she’d gone downstairs to water the flowers in the backyard, and he briefly debates running it outside to her but decides he doesn’t have time. With a steadying breath, he answers it. 

“Hey, Leah, Norma is-” He cuts off when he notices the panic in the girl’s eyes and the way her eyelashes shine like she’s been crying. “Woah, hey, what happened?”

“I… I don’t…I- my parents… they…” She stammers between gasps, quickly losing the precarious hold she’d had on her emotions when he’d answered the phone. 

“Slow down, slow down. Take a breath, it’s okay.” Alex instructs gently, trying to sound like a parent and not a cop. She takes a few deep, shaky breaths, nodding once she’s pretty sure she can form a sentence. “Ok, talk to me.” 

“I just overheard my parents talking. They said they wanna send me somewhere. A place where they’ll… fix me.” 

His face drops, his brain taking more than a few seconds to process what she’d just said. “They what?” He spits, resisting the urge to throw the phone against the wall. 

She sniffles across the line. “I… I don’t know what to do. I don’t wanna go. People… people die in those places. They’re awful. They can’t make me go, can they?” 

Alex shakes his head adamantly. “No. No, they can’t. You’re an adult in…what, 12 hours? They can’t do anything that quickly. And even if they could, we would not let that happen. You don’t have to go anywhere, okay?” 

“Okay,” she squeaks, sounding a little calmer. “I’m packing all of my stuff tonight. I want out of here the second I can be.” 

He nods. “We’re ready for you as soon as you need.” 

“How’s 12:01 sound?” Leah chuckles dryly. 

Alex smiles. “12:01 sounds perfect, kiddo.” 

He hears her sigh after a few seconds of quiet. “I have to talk to them. God, I don’t even know what I’m gonna say.” 

“Just… tell the truth. If they’re gonna treat you differently for something you can’t change, you have no obligation to stick around.” 

She takes a long, deep breath. “Right.” She pauses, her breath shaking again. “It’s gonna be okay, right?” 

Alex smiles reassuringly, though she can’t see it. “Yes, it’s gonna be okay. Promise.”

———

February 13th

Alex reaches out to grab Norma’s hand as she passes in front of him for what must be the 50th time, stopping her pacing abruptly. “Calm.”

Norma sighs, collapsing into the chair next to him without letting go of his hand. “She should be here by now.”

He squeezes her hand tighter. “Calm,” he repeats, watching in satisfaction as she begrudgingly takes a deep breath. 

It’s only another minute or so before they see headlights flash across the front yard, both springing up immediately. Norma recovers from her relief soon enough to take a few stumbling steps forward before the front door opens. She sees Leah, and a second later she feels her, letting out a heavy breath as she wraps her arms around the trembling body in front of her. 

It’s not lost on her that it’s only the second hug the girl has ever initiated. She insists that she hates hugs, usually pulling exaggerated faces every time Norma embraces her, but now she hugs her like it’s the only thing in the world that matters. Norma holds her tightly, content to stay there for as long as she needs. 

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she breathes, running both hands up and down her back. 

“Me too,” Leah replies, finally pulling back to give Alex a significantly less long but no less meaningful hug. 

“How did it go? With your parents?” He asks tenderly, frowning with concern at the wrecked state of her face. 

The girl grimaces. “I… I don’t even know how to feel about it. I-I guess I got what I wanted, but…”

“What’d they say?” Norma presses, trying to keep a calm, neutral expression despite the anxiety coursing through her.

“I told them that I’m not gonna change. That they can’t fix me or turn me back into the person they thought I was. And I said if they couldn’t live with that, I would leave. They kept trying to change my mind, convince me to ‘get better,’ but I wouldn’t listen. I… I said that I was leaving, and they could either let me go and at least let me keep the things I have, so I could be on my own, or they could take everything and try to make me stay, and then they would never see me again.”

They both stare at her for a moment, shocked at her resolve. Norma watches her pause to collect herself, a pit opening in her stomach as she waits to hear the rest. It dawns on her that there’s no ‘good’ option, and she’s not sure which one she hopes to hear until she hears it. 

Leah shrugs and sniffles. “They let me go. I took my car, and my bank account transferred to my name as soon as I turned 18, so… I guess I’m just… free.” 

Alex stands perfectly still as he tries to make sense of what he’s hearing. How can they just be done with her, just like that? How can anyone give up on their own child?

He hears Norma take a deep breath next to him. “Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” She asks, and he has to admire her optimism, even if her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “That you’ll be okay without them?” 

The girl’s face crumples, tears rushing to her eyes. In the second before Norma pulls her into her arms, she manages a quiet sob. “They don’t want me anymore.”

Both adults sigh. “I don’t think that’s true,” Norma soothes, wondering if Leah can even hear her over her own crying. “Clearly, they still care about you. They want you to be okay.”

Alex steps forward to run a comforting hand over her back. “And I bet you they’re gonna change their minds,” he murmurs to her softly. “They’re gonna realize that they let go of a really amazing kid, and they’re gonna regret it.” 

Norma hums in agreement, pulling back just enough to hold the girl’s tear-streaked face in her hands. “But when that happens, you do not have to do anything if you don’t want to. If you never want to speak to them again, that is perfectly justified, okay, honey? Don’t let anyone pressure you. You do it on your terms, if you do it at all.” She speaks firmly, never breaking eye contact to ensure she is heard. 

Leah nods weakly, another tear slipping from her eye. “Thank you,” she squeaks, her eyes betraying that she means more than just those words. 

The blonde smiles, tucking some dark, silky hair behind her ear. Alex feels himself flush with warmth, knowing what she’s about to say a second before she says it. “We love you, honey. We’re gonna do everything we can to take care of you, mkay?”

The teenager looks starstruck for a second before the blush hits her cheeks, her bottom lip catching between her teeth. “O-Okay…” she mumbles at the floor. “I, um… loveyoutoo.”

Alex rubs his hand along her back, drawing her eyes up to their adoring faces just as Norma hugs her again. She feels a few more tears soaking into her shirt, squeezing a little harder at the single quiet sob that shakes out against her. All three of them stay like that for what seems like forever, no one wanting to be the first to end the moment. 

As it turns out, none of them are. 

“Oh my god, what was that?” Leah chokes, jumping back a little as she looks down at Norma’s stomach like it’s going to bite her. 

The blonde smiles, gingerly reaching for her hand to press it against her bump. “That is our daughter,” she beams, glancing at Alex brightly as the girl jumps a little when she feels another kick. 

“Oh…” She gulps, the concern in her expression melting into a surprised half-smile. 

Norma squeezes her hand. “I think she’s saying Happy Birthday,” she says softly.

Leah’s smile grows a little at that. “Uh, thank you… child.” She lets out a soft chuckle when another kick comes right after she speaks. She looks up at Norma, astonished. “Can she hear me?” 

“She’s supposed to start hearing sounds from outside the body at around this point.” Alex responds before his wife can, jumping at the chance to flaunt his extensive pregnancy knowledge. “So maybe.”

Norma rolls her eyes light-heartedly. “Don’t get him started,” she warns, letting go of the girl’s hand when it appears the baby’s found a comfortable sleeping position nestled between her ribs. “Are you hungry at all? I’m starving.” She starts heading toward the stairs as she speaks, her stomach rumbling as if on cue. 

Leah shrugs, trying not to let it show that she’s missed Norma’s cooking over the past 10 days more than she can even express. She knows she’ll be stuffing her face with pastries in the morning, but right now, all she really wants is…

Norma must read her mind because she tosses her head over her shoulder and smiles brightly. “I made spaghetti!”

Chapter Text

It doesn’t feel right that the very next day is Valentine’s Day, but that doesn’t change the date on the calendar. Leah rolls (literally, since she’s sleeping on a mattress on the floor) out of bed, feeling like she just fell asleep and already, she has to get up again. But she’s not about to start slacking when the people she works for are letting her live with them rent-free, so she only grumbles to herself a little bit as she gets ready. 

When she finally emerges from the guest bedroom, she can’t help but roll her eyes. Norma and Alex are in the kitchen, him standing between her legs as she sits on the edge of the countertop, kissing like the world’s going to end any minute. Leah grimaces and looks away when she catches a flash of tongue, and she doesn’t even have to be looking to know his hands are on her ass, too. 

“Geez…When my parents said I was going to hell, I didn’t think it’d be this soon,” she mumbles, watching them both spring apart and stare at her incredulously. She sucks her lips between her teeth at their shocked reactions, all of them standing silently for a second before she speaks again. “Sorry. Humor is how I cope.” 

Alex nods blankly, moving his hands slowly to a more acceptable position on his wife’s hips like he’s been caught committing a crime. Norma still looks shell-shocked, her hands frozen halfway through their journey from his arms to his face, sitting uselessly on his neck. 

Leah smacks her lips awkwardly. “Uh, sorry for interrupting. I’m just gonna…” She gestures vaguely in the direction of the kitchen, taking the longer route around them to slink over to the breakfast plates Norma must have laid out before she’d been…distracted. She very carefully picks out one of the plates without heart-shaped pancakes, assuming that one must be for Alex and trying not to gag at the notion. 

Norma finally recovers enough to push Alex away so he can help her precariously jump/fall off the counter and back onto her swollen ankles, trying her hardest to force the blush off of her cheeks. It doesn’t help that he has to hold her in front of him for a few seconds, not-so-discreetly hiding the fact that he’s not used to controlling himself when they’re alone together. Thankfully, if Leah notices, she doesn’t let on, keeping her eyes glued just about anywhere but them as she crosses to the other side of the kitchen where the mostly-full coffee pot sits. 

“You’re drinking coffee?” Norma frowns inquisitively, watching the girl turn around nervously. 

“Should I not be?” She asks, looking like a deer in the headlights. “I was just gonna have a little, ‘cause I kinda didn’t sleep well, but I can-”

She’s already fumbling to put the carafe back in the holder by the time Alex speaks. “You can have some if you want,” he says reassuringly, her jumpiness making him nervous and a bit sad at the same time. “Just don’t get addicted to it. The stuff is bad for you.”

Leah swallows, finally figuring out how to put the pot back where it belongs and eyeing it suspiciously. “That’s… that’s okay. I don’t need it that bad.” She convinces herself, opting to drink something that actually tastes good instead. 

Alex nods approvingly before turning to Norma and mumbling something followed by “back in a sec,” pausing to kiss her cheek before disappearing back into the bedroom. 

Norma smiles sympathetically at the girl as she takes her own plate over to the dining table. “Don’t worry too much about it,” she soothes. “He won’t let me have any either. Not good for the baby.” She puts the last part in air quotes, giving an eye roll to construe exactly how she feels about that particular rule. 

Leah’s eyebrows knit together as she glances back over at the coffee pot. “Wait, so all that is just for him?” 

The blonde smirks. “Why d’you think he doesn’t want you getting addicted?” At the girl’s wide-eyed reaction, she leans in close to whisper conspiratorily. “Don’t worry, I’ve been watering it down a little more every day. He thinks I’m just being nice when I offer to make it for him.”

That earns a mischievous giggle from both of them, which they try and fail to hide as Alex reemerges from the bedroom. 

“What’s so funny?” He asks suspiciously, taking his own plate, indeed adorned with heart-shaped pancakes, to join them at the table. 

Norma’s an awful liar, but she tries anyway. “Nothing, honey,” she coos, sending a far from inconspicuous wink in Leah’s direction. 

Alex looks between them, catching what looks like nothing but good humor in their expressions, and decides to let it slide. “Okay, then.”

He doesn’t really understand why they think it’s the funniest thing in the world every time he sips his coffee, but it’s nice to see them enjoying themselves anyway. 

—---

Later in the day, as the lull that comes after the morning rush reaches its slowest point, Norma sits once again on a counter, this time next to the register where Alex had been working before she’d come out to distract him. With everything going on, neither of them had been able to do anything extravagant for the holiday, but they both seem content enough to just spend it together. Alex is much tamer now than he had been this morning, respectfully keeping his tongue for the most part at bay and his hands above the equator for their audience of absolutely zero customers. 

He pulls back to let her catch her breath, both of them giggling as he drops his forehead against hers a little harder than intended. Placing an apologetic kiss against the spot where he’d accidentally thunked her, then to the tip of her nose for good measure, he sighs softly. “How is she?” He whispers. 

Norma lets out a quiet huff through her nose. “Kicking like crazy.”

Alex smirks, pressing his nose into her hair to breathe directly into her ear. “I kinda meant the other ‘she’,” he murmurs, convinced he can hear the blood rushing to her face. 

“Oh…right.” She looks up into his deep brown eyes as soon as he pulls away to look at her, seeing the genuine concern in them and feeling a piece of her heart start to ache. She glances quickly in the direction of the kitchen where Leah is practicing icing cookies. “She’s, uhm… I think she’s doing okay. You know how she is… it’s hard to know how she’s really handling it all.”

Alex nods, one side of his mouth quirking up a bit. “Yeah, she’s just like you.”

Norma doesn’t quite know how to respond to that, not sure if she should be flattered or offended, so she just wraps her arms around his neck to pull his face back against hers. “Why are you thinking about that while we’re making out?” She accuses lightheartedly, leaning forward and waiting for him to close the gap and kiss her again. 

He doesn’t, though. “I’m just worried about her,” he says defensively, not quite catching the playfulness in her tone. 

Norma smiles against his mouth. She loves how much he cares about Leah, even if he shows it a little differently. Maybe especially because he shows it differently. It fills her with warmth to imagine how he’ll love their baby girl, in his own unique way. She looks in his eyes for a second, lets herself melt in the sincerity there, before her gaze falls back to his lips. 

“Worry later,” she demands, her words vibrating directly into his lips. “Kiss me now.” 

Of course, he obliges her, finally closing the distance between them to kiss her, slow and soft, the way he loves to because it reminds him that he has forever with her. He can kiss her as tenderly as he wants because there will always be more. So, he chooses to kiss her now like she’s a fine wine, something to sip, to taste and appreciate slowly as the flavors of her mix on his tongue. 

Suddenly, the day feels too long, the hours stretching into years before he can take her back upstairs and have his way with her. All he wants is to feel her, all soft skin and softer lips, every inch of her under his fingertips. A few hours feels like a lifetime to wait to have her, and he silently promises with her lips between his that he will hold onto her for every second that he’s able, as soon as he’s able. He will show her, and tell her, and convince her just how much he loves her today, because that’s what the day’s all about, isn’t it?

He forgets sometimes that Norma can read his mind. She pulls away far sooner than he would’ve liked, narrowing her eyes scoldingly at him. “Keep it in your pants for a few more hours, Sheriff,” she taunts, pressing the tips of her fingers into his chest where they feel like barely more than pinpricks. 

Alex groans, the sound bordering on a whine as he tilts his head back to look at the ceiling. His voice is barely above a whisper when he speaks next. “How are we even s’posed to…”

Norma smirks, anticipating the question. “She’s going over to a friend’s house later. Some belated Birthday whatever.” 

A grin spreads across his face as he understands the implication. “So…”

Her hands fist in the front of his shirt. “So, we’ll have the house all to ourselves.”

Alex looks like a kid on Christmas morning. “I guess we’d better make good use of it,” he beams, diving down to kiss her again. Apparently, she’s not quite ‘fine wine’ anymore, since now he drinks her in like she’s a bottle of Fiji Water and he’s been stranded in the desert for days. Norma’s not complaining, though, kissing him back with just as much fervor that screams I need you louder than words ever could. 

Alex nearly groans out loud when the kitchen door swings open.

“I’m not looking!” Leah announces, walking through the doorway backwards with a small plate in her hands. 

They begrudgingly separate, Alex stepping away from the counter and Norma brushing herself off where he’d been grabbing her hips like she might be able to make the memory of his hands on her just seconds ago disappear. He clears his throat softly to signal it’s safe for her to turn around. 

Leah looks between them for a second, a smile growing on her face, before she looks down at the plate in her hands. “I, um… made you guys something.” 

Norma leans in to see what it is when the girl thrusts the plate forward, her heart melting in her chest. There are two heart-shaped sugar cookies on the plate, one unevenly iced red with a shaky pink outline and the other with the reverse, each adorned with a letter for one of their names. 

“Oh, honey…” Norma squeaks, trying her hardest not to start crying. She feels tears welling up nonetheless, taking a shaky breath in to try to control her brimming emotion. 

“Please don’t cry,” Leah blurts, wide-eyed. 

Alex sighs knowingly when she instantly bursts into tears, shooting a sympathetic glance to the mortified teenager as his wife scrabbles for his shoulder to cry into. “She always cries if you tell her not to,” he supplies, running his hand soothingly through the blonde curls shuddering against him. The words ‘don’t cry’ are one of many entries on the ever-growing list of things that he’s learned will set his poor, pregnant wife off, either into hysterical tears or roaring anger– sometimes both. 

“Okay… noted.” The brunette nods slowly. 

Norma collects herself fairly quickly, running a finger under each eye and sniffling once before turning back to face them both like nothing even happened. She clears her throat and carefully reaches for the N cookie. “Thank you so much, sweetheart. These are beautiful.” 

Leah smiles bashfully, a touch of color in her cheeks. “I just… I wanted to say thank you for everything you guys have done for me. I really don’t know where I’d be without you.” 

Alex grins, taking his own cookie from the plate and raising his eyebrows appreciatively. He’s long suspected that the girl doesn’t really hate seeing them together as much as she claims to, and her gift only seals it. No matter how much she outwardly pretends to find them disgusting, he can tell that on the inside, she looks up to the kind of love that they have. He only hopes that one day, she can experience loving a woman the way he loves Norma, because it’s the best thing he’s ever done. 

“These are great,” he says brightly, only half-lying. They are great, considering what he’d seen her make two months ago. “You’re really gettin’ good at this stuff.”

Leah chuckles and shakes her head. “I’m really not, but… thanks.” 

Norma looks down at her cookie like someone might look at a particularly ugly kitten or a newborn baby. She loves it, even if it’s not perfect. The meaning behind it is what matters most to her. 

Alex holds his cookie out for her to bump, both of them smiling as a couple of crumbs fall to the floor from the contact. “Cheers,” he grins, tipping his head at her. 

Norma giggles. “Cheers!”

—---

It’s well after midnight that night when Leah tiptoes back up to the loft, slipping through the front door and being careful to close it quietly behind her. She slinks through the entryway and into the kitchen, jumping when she notices Norma standing there in the dark. 

“Oh, gosh, you scared me!” Leah whisper-shouts, holding a hand over her heart as Norma giggles quietly. 

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to.”

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” The brunette asks, the irony dawning on her quickly that she should probably also be asleep. 

Norma holds up the bowl of ice cream in her hands. “Cravings,” she mutters by way of explanation. “How was your friend’s?” 

Leah shrugs, her eyes trailing around the room as she tries to sound nonchalant. “Uh, it was good. We just, like, watched a movie and stuff.” She crosses toward the guest bedroom door, already slinging her backpack off of her shoulders. 

“Mmhmm,” Norma hums, setting aside her bowl and walking over to the girl slowly. She reaches out to gently wipe the lipstick stain from under the teenager’s jaw with her thumb. “You want to tell me about her?” She whispers, her eyes twinkling in the lingering moonlight. 

Leah freezes, certain if she blushed any harder her cheeks might burst open. Her mind instantly flashes back to almost three months ago at the baby shower. Moms just know. We always know. She bites her lip and shakes her head timidly. “Not…not yet.”

The blonde nods. “Okay,” she smiles reassuringly, a wordless promise not to push until she’s ready. “I’m glad you had fun.” 

Fleeting green eyes trail down her neck, to the dark hickey peeking out above her collarbone. Leah looks back up with a knowing smirk, one eyebrow raised. “Yeah, you too,” she chuckles, shaking her head slightly as she retreats into the bedroom.

It’s Norma’s turn to blush crimson, tugging the collar of Alex’s shirt up and pressing her face against her hand meekly. That did not just happen.

Chapter Text

The nights are the hardest at 7 months pregnant. Norma thinks she should have remembered that, but for some reason it feels like a fresh hell every time she lays down to try to sleep. Her sweet, perfect daughter, whom she loves with her entire soul, appears to have declared that she may never rest again. It’s made it difficult for both of them, since Alex hates sleeping knowing that she’s lying awake, but there’s not much that she’ll allow him to do to help her, and there’s no reason for both of them to be exhausted and cranky if they can help it. 

She makes it to 26 weeks before things get really bad. Her stomach has grown to the point that it’s impossible to hide, her belly button poking through her clothes, even the baggiest of Alex’s police department sweatshirts. Most days, she enjoys flaunting her bump anyway, but there are times when she feels self-conscious, wishing she could just suck everything in to make people stop staring at her. 

Alex, of course, is in love. He practically demands to feel every time their baby kicks, holding and caressing and kissing her bump at every opportunity. She doesn’t think he’s ever been as physically affectionate as he has been in the past few months, but clearly, the way her body has changed is driving him absolutely wild. 

She has to admit, she hadn’t expected to love being pregnant this much. Her other pregnancies had been nightmares, and it had only made sense that this one would be the same. But it hasn’t. Obviously, Alex has played a big part, doing absolutely everything possible to be the best husband and father-to-be he can, catering to her every need and desire without a single complaint like she’s the only thing in the entire world that matters–because to him, she is. So, even with her awful morning sickness, the constant ache in her back, and ankles swollen like balloons, she can’t bring herself to be anything but grateful to be growing their daughter inside of her. 

Until the sun goes down, that is. 

—---

Alex isn’t sure at first why he wakes up in the dead of night on the first Saturday of March. It takes him a little while, and he’s almost fallen back to sleep before he realizes that he’s alone in bed. 

Sitting up quickly, he looks around the dark room. “Norma?”

No answer. He can tell she’s not in the bathroom, but he can’t see any lights on outside their bedroom either. Where is she?

He slips out of bed and searches the floor for his t-shirt around where he knows he’d thrown it last night, but can’t find it. He sighs and shakes his head. I buy her a whole wardrobe of maternity clothes, and all I get is a bunch of missing shirts.

After begrudgingly digging a new shirt out of the dresser and jumping into the only pair of sweatpants he’s managed to keep her from stealing, he tiptoes out of the bedroom to look for his wife. “Norma?” He whispers into the darkness of the living room but again gets no response. As quietly as possible, he sneaks across to the guest bedroom, opening the door just enough to peek inside. 

Leah is still in bed, her stuffed monkey’s face barely visible over her thick blanket as she clutches it tightly in her sleep. Alex smiles softly, letting himself forget his mission for a moment as he watches her sleep peacefully. It means a lot to him that she trusted them. He wants her to feel safe, and clearly, she does. 

But that still doesn’t explain where Norma is. She doesn’t seem to be anywhere upstairs. Maybe she went down to do some late-night baking? He knows she’s been having trouble sleeping lately. She must be trying to wear herself out or something.

As soon as he opens the door to the loft, he can tell his theory had been wrong. Freezing at the top of the stairs, a surprised smirk spreads on his face as he hears soft piano music from underneath him. He’s careful to make as little noise as possible as he closes the door and tiptoes down the stairs to the sound of her singing quietly. 

Stars shining bright above you  

Night breezes seem to whisper, “I love you.”

God, he’s in love with this woman. She’s sitting there, wearing his shirt, pregnant as pregnant gets and playing piano in the absolute dark without missing a single note. Her voice is downright angelic, as always. He thinks he’ll never get tired of hearing her sing when she doesn’t know he’s listening. What has he done right to deserve to witness an angel on Earth?

Birds singin’ in the sycamore trees

Dream a little dream of me

He wishes he could stand there and listen to her for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, he hardly gets another few seconds. Damn these creaky floorboards.  

Norma whips her head around at the sound from behind her, melting with relief when she sees it’s just him. He takes the last few steps quickly, crossing to run a hand over her shoulder, managing to press a kiss to the top of her head even as she tips it up to look at him. 

“I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” She whispers, her eyes twinkling in the faint moonlight.

He shakes his head, burying his nose in her hair. “It’s late,” he observes, his fingers gently rubbing over the muscles in her neck and back. 

“Your daughter wouldn’t stop kicking me,” she justifies, and it’s not lost on him that suddenly she’s just his daughter. “But I think the music helps.”

“Mmhmm,” Alex hums into her curls, feeling like he could fall asleep on his feet at the soothing smell of her shampoo. “You’ll come back to bed soon?” He murmurs, hoping she can get at least a few hours of sleep before they have to be up again. 

“Yes,” she promises, “Just one more song.”

He seems satisfied with that, ducking down to kiss her cheek with a croaked, “mkay.” His hand trails down her arm until he finds hers, tangling their fingers together so he can pull them tenderly up to his lips. “I’ll keep it warm for you.”

As much as he’d love to stay there all night and hear her play, he would also love to go back to sleep, preferably with her in his arms. So, he reluctantly shuffles back up the stairs, waiting in bed and fighting off sleep for what feels like forever before she finally joins him. He pulls her into his arms, her back against his front, running his hands lightly over her bump the way he always does when he holds her like this. 

“You wake me up if ‘my daughter’ gets kickin’ again,” he instructs, his words already starting to slur with drowsiness. “I’ll tell her to stop.”

Norma giggles softly. “Yeah, ‘cause she’s got a great track record of listening to you,” she teases. 

Alex must be too tired to think of a witty response. “Just… promise you’ll wake me…?” He mumbles, half into the pillow and half into her hair. 

“Ok, I promise,” she nods.

She doesn’t have the heart to tell him when she feels a tiny foot hit her ribs not five seconds later. 

—---

A few nights of very troubled sleep later, Norma lays awake once again, staring at the ceiling of their bedroom with one hand drifting lightly over the swell of her abdomen. She can’t feel anything but exasperated that the baby’s kicking has finally stopped, but now something new is keeping her from falling asleep. 

She carefully sits up in bed, drawing her knees into her chest as close as they can get pressed up against her bump and wrapping her arms around them tightly. Alex is sleeping peacefully next to her, laid out on his back with one arm reached out in her direction where he’d been holding her before she’d begun tossing and turning what feels like hours ago. 

Looking down at her husband, she hears his words from before echoing in her mind. Promise you’ll wake me? She had promised, but hasn’t been able to bring herself to wake him since, wracked with guilt every time she considers disturbing his tranquil slumber. Before, she’d been able to justify not waking him because she didn’t really believe he could even do anything for her, but now… this feels even worse. What if he gets mad?

She knows he wouldn’t get mad at her. He’s told her–and shown her–time and time again that he would do anything and everything for her without her even having to ask. But somehow, this feels like too much. What if it’s his last straw, and he decides he’s tired of worshipping the ground she walks on? What if he stops loving her?

Her eyes begin to sting at the notion, that familiar feeling of hormones rushing through her body, jumping at the opportunity to make her cry for no reason again, bringing a lump to her throat. Staring at the perfect man sleeping just inches away from her, she sniffles as quietly as possible, burying her face in her knees and shutting her eyes tightly to fight off her tears. 

She doesn’t know how long she sits there, anxiety washing over her in waves and causing her fingers to dig painfully into her own shins. All she knows is, sometimes it really sucks to have a stupid telepathic husband. 

The hand that was already encroaching on her side of the bed reaches out as he stirs, flitting across the sheets searching for her. Her heart jumps into her throat, completely frozen as she can’t decide if she wants him to just go back to sleep or wake up to take care of her. Then, his fingers close delicately around her ankle, and she sits silently, not even daring to breathe, hoping he’ll be satisfied by the contact and just fall back asleep without questioning it. 

Of course, he doesn’t. She watches his eyebrows knit together in the dark, letting out a confused grunt before his eyes flutter open to look up at her quizically. He takes a second to blink the sleep from his eyes with a grimace as she stares at him blankly, feeling a little bit like a child caught breaking the rules. 

“S’wrong?” Alex slurs, his grip on her ankle tightening as he squints at her. 

She manages to find her voice after a second. “Nothing’s wrong, Alex. Just go back to sleep.”

Why she thought that would work, neither of them is sure, but he scowls and props himself up on his free arm to rake his eyes over her curled-up form. “She kicking?” He guesses, tugging gently at her ankle to get her to straighten her legs out, but she resists. 

“No. I told you, it’s nothing,” Norma snaps, suddenly feeling defensive as her voice comes out stuffed up and weak. 

“It’s not nothing,” he argues, sitting up a little further at the sound of her. “Are you crying?” 

“No,” she squeaks, but he can see the tear that leaks from her eye as she says it reflecting in the streak of moonlight from their only-mostly-closed curtains. That does it, and in a second he’s sitting all the way up, untangling her from herself hurriedly to pull her into his arms. She doesn’t stop him, flailing around a little like a ragdoll until she finally slumps against his chest, comforted by the warmth of his body touching hers. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry, baby?” He murmurs, resisting the urge to pull her limp arms up and force her to hug him back. 

“I didn’t wanna wake you up…” she cries, her next sniffle coming before she can fully close her mouth, sending the sound down her throat ungracefully, closer to a snort. 

“You promised me you would if you needed anything,” he reminds her in a whisper, cursing himself as it seems to be the exact wrong thing to say. 

“I know!” She whimpers, her tears leaking through her voice as she tucks her nose into the bare skin of his shoulder. 

“What do you need, Norma?” He asks firmly, realizing that trying to get her to stop crying is a lost cause at this point. “Let me help you.”

“I… I don’t…” She takes several quick, shallow breaths in, trying to calm herself enough to speak. “It’s stupid,” she mutters cynically, shaking her head, the simple sentence managing to take all of the breath she had left. 

“I don’t care,” Alex bites, perhaps a little too venomously for the trembling mess draped against his chest. There are very few things that piss him off more than when she rebukes his pampering, though, considering he’s made it his life’s purpose to take care of her. “Just tell me, and I’ll decide if it’s stupid.”

“You… You promise you won’t get mad at me?” 

He scoffs. “I’m about to get mad if you don’t just tell me what’s wrong.” His voice is short, weighed down by the grumpiness of his still half-asleep brain, and he starts to regret taking that tone with her instantly as she tenses in his arms. He sighs, relaxing and covering her small, soft hand with his where it rests on his chest. “I promise,” he concedes, infusing the words with as much gentleness as he possibly can to make up for his crabbiness. 

Norma looks up at him for a second, as if deciding whether she really wants to tell him or not, her watery blue eyes threatening to snap him in two. She must be satisfied enough with his response--and the way his thumb is stroking tenderly across the top of her hand--because she lets out a heavy breath before opening her mouth to speak. 

“I… Ihaveacraving.” She murmurs, the words barely intelligible as she stares at their hands on his chest, unable to look him in the eye anymore.

“Oh,” Alex breathes, meeting her gaze as she glances back up at him fervently. “That’s it?”

Norma looks a bit offended. “Yeah…” she yelps defensively, pulling her face back from him. 

He smiles, relieved. “Well, what is it? I’ll go grab it for you…” He’s already rolling out of bed when she manages to speak again. 

“I want chocolate.”

Alex stops in his tracks, furrowing his brows. “Chocolate?” She bites her lip and nods meekly. “Honey, I don’t think we have any chocolate.”

“I want a Hershey bar. The cookies ‘n’ creme kind,” Norma mumbles, watching him closely for his reaction. 

He raises his eyebrows. “That’s… specific. We definitely don’t have any of those.” She stares up at him for a second, her lip still caught between her teeth, those damn puppy-dog eyes making his heart swell. He sighs, sitting down heavily on the bed next to her. “Okay, I’ll go get you one first thing in the morning, how’s that sound?” He gives a soft smile, expecting her to nod happily.

Instead, her face crumples, her frown deepening, and he freezes, not understanding what he’s done wrong by giving her what she wants. Tears rush back to her eyes alarmingly fast as she lets out a little sob, the desperate, begging look in her eyes only growing stronger as she cries wordlessly at him. 

Oh. She means… she means now.

“Okay, o-kay…” He says soothingly, wrapping her in his arms again and quickly running through his slightly limited knowledge of their new town, trying to think of the nearest store that’s open 24 hours. He sighs to himself.

Gas station it is.

—---

Alex tries to ignore the inquisitive eyes of the old man working the register at the gas station as he wanders through the aisles, looking for something to buy with the chocolate to make himself feel less awkward. He settles on a bag of Cheetos and a red Gatorade, bringing all of his purchases up to the counter and setting them out casually. 

It’s times like these he wishes he was still the Sheriff. No one asked questions when he was the Sheriff. 

“You on a road trip?” The clerk asks amicably, scanning each item and punching a few buttons on the register as Alex pulls out some cash. 

He smiles sheepishly. “My wife is pregnant.”

The man nods, understanding crossing his face quickly. “Ah. It’s $9.43.”

“Thanks,” Alex says, placing a $10 bill on the counter and gathering the items in his hands. “Keep the change.”

“Have a great night,” the cashier calls as he shuffles out the door. 

Alex chuckles. “I’m sure I’ll be back.”

—---

When he walks back into their bedroom, Norma is sitting cross-legged with the lamp on, any pretense of trying to sleep clearly given up a while ago. She looks up at him hopefully as he pulls his hand out from behind his back, proudly flashing three Hershey’s bars in white wrappers fanned out like a deck of cards.

“You got it!” She exclaims, her face lit up, giving him grabby hands as he brings them over. 

Alex looks more than pleased with himself. “Mmhmm. I got a few in case you want some another night,” he nods, passing one into her greedy fingers as he sits on the bed next to her. 

She’s already got the wrapper ripped open, but she pauses to reach for him, grabbing his face to give him a long, sweet kiss. “Thank you, honey.” 

He gives her that one-sided smirk when she pulls away, watching her break off one piece of the unnaturally white bar. Her entire body melts when she pops the chocolate into her mouth, letting out a low moan of satisfaction as soon as she tastes it. “How is it?” He smirks.

Norma beams. “Oh, it’s awful,” she chirps brightly, snapping off another piece. For a second he can’t tell if she’s being sarcastic, but when she looks up at him he realizes she’s dead serious. “Like, actually. I can’t believe I’m putting it in my mouth.” 

He frowns at her as she contradicts herself by taking another bite, practically wolfing down the candy like she’s going to die without it. “But… you’re still eating it.” He nods along, pretending he understands when he really, really doesn’t. 

She shrugs, her mouth full of too-sweet creme and artificial chunks of chocolate. “Take it up with your daughter.” 

Alex scoffs but decides he can’t judge her for something out of her control, kissing her cheek gently as he pulls the covers up over both of them. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Norma giggles. “Literally!”

—---

“You remember what I said to you, when we first met? On the porch that night.” Norma speaks suddenly into the silence of the room, her hands pausing where they’d been running through her husband’s hair as he laid his head on top of her bump. 

Alex shifts to look up at her through his thick lashes, a smirk playing on his face. “Hmm… I’m not sure. I just remember a lot of lying…” He guesses it probably wasn’t smart of him to tease her while she still had her hands on his head, because it takes barely a second for her to swat him playfully in response. 

“Shut up!” She giggles. “I’m being serious.”

“Okay, sorry,” he shakes his head, instantly wiping the expression off of his face to deadpan at her. “I’ve got my serious face on now.” 

“I’m gonna smack you,” Norma threatens through the smile she can’t suppress, gritting her teeth to try to intimidate him and only managing to remind him how adorable he finds her. 

“Okay, okay,” he gives in, running his hands over the sides of her bump. “I’m sorry. Continue.”

She glares at him for a second longer before she speaks. “I told you my son Norman was inside helping me rip up the carpet. And you said,” she gives a truly awful, exaggerated impression of his gruff voice, “Norma and Norman?”

Alex grins, the memory coming back to him. “That’s unusual,” he finishes for her, not quite connecting the dots on what she’s getting at yet. 

She nods, her heart swelling as she prepares her next words, spoken slowly to give him time for them to sink in. “So I said…” she takes a second to smile warmly at him, her fingers smoothing over the hair just above his ear. “I said that babies take their father’s names all the time.”

He looks up at her silently, realization dawning across his face. She swears she can see his eyes starting to shine already when he croaks, “Are you trying to say…”

Norma beams. “I’m trying to say I want to name our daughter after you.”

That single sentence does him in, and before she knows it there are tear stains soaking her shirt and his hands are gripping her tightly as he buries his face silently in the crook between her ribs and their baby. She just holds him tightly, thankfully exempted from the constant urge to cry for once, her fingers stroking his hair soothingly. 

He recovers from the shock of her admission quickly, wiping at his face and composing himself before a full minute even passes. Norma can’t imagine ever being more in love with him as he looks back up at her, deep brown eyes dilated, eyelashes shining with the remnants of his tears, cheeks flushed just slightly. What has she done right to deserve the angel staring up at her with all the love in the world in his eyes?

“You want to name her…” he murmurs, his lips barely moving to form the words.

“Alexandra.” Norma finishes, watching his face melt as he collapses into another bout of tears at hearing the name on her lips. “You like it?” She asks redundantly, smiling as he just nods into her stomach. 

He takes a little longer to recover this time, finally wiping the side of his hand over his eyes and blinking the last few stubborn tears away. “What about her middle name?” He sniffles, changing the subject to give himself some more time to calm down. 

She bites her lip, not wanting to make him cry even harder but seeing no way around it. “I know how much your mother meant to you,” she practically whispers, running both thumbs over his ears tenderly. “I thought we could use her name.”

Alex is silent for a few seconds, staring through her, clearly deep in thought. He clears his throat. “I think it should be your middle name.”

“Louise?” Norma frowns, considering the sound of it on her tongue. 

He nods slowly. “She already got one from me. I think the other one should come from you.” 

She scoffs. “I already have a kid named after me. Alex, if your mom-”

“My mom’s name would just make me sad every time I had to say it,” he interrupts adamantly, running one hand over the widest part of her belly like he’s seeing it for the first time again. “I want her to have her mama’s name.”

Norma sighs, knowing she can’t argue with that. “Fine,” she relents, watching him look at their child like he’s holding his entire world in his hands, which she knows that he is. 

“What will we call her?” He glances back up at his wife inquisitively. “Not Alex.”

She smiles softly like she's been expecting the question, and he realizes she’s put a lot more thought into this than he initially picked up. “I like Allie.”

Alex smiles back, brighter than he thinks he ever has before. “Allie…” he murmurs, and immediately feels something shift, deep in his heart. 

He knows his baby’s name has just left his mouth for the first time.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you’ve got everything? We can make another trip, just to be sure-”

Norma’s cut off when her husband swoops in behind her, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. “She’s good, babe. We don’t need another trip,” he answers, earning a grateful smile from Leah as Norma tuts sadly. 

They’re standing in the hallway of a little apartment building in between the city and their bakery, Alex’s skin shining with a thin sheen of sweat from moving furniture and carrying luggage all morning while Norma put things in drawers and carefully hung pictures on the walls. 

Neither of them expected to be moving a kid into her first apartment quite so soon, having anticipated getting at least another 18 years to prepare. Maybe that’s why Norma’s been an emotional wreck all day, crying into throw pillows and sniffling as she tucked in sheet corners. Maybe it’s just her hormones, but a part of her feels like she’s losing another child already. 

“I just don’t wanna go yet,” she admits, feeling another round of tears rushing to the surface. Alex works quickly to try to reign her in, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to pull her back against his body, his other hand rubbing soothingly up and down her arm. She’s only mildly disgusted by his sweaty body touching hers, knowing they’ll both have to shower as soon as they’re home anyway. Mostly, it’s comforting to feel him holding her, his heartbeat against her back. 

“Shhhh,” he whispers into the top of her head. “No more tears.” 

Leah gives a reassuring smile. “I’m gonna be fine. If I need anything, I’ll call. You know I will.” 

Norma nods, swiping her finger under her eye to catch the single tear that managed to escape. “Okay.”

The girl turns to look at Alex over his wife’s shoulder. “Thank you both for all your help. With everything,” she says sincerely. 

“Yeah, of course,” he nods, a smirk pulling at his lips that serves as a warning that he’s about to make an awful joke. “Just don’t be late to work now you’ve actually got a commute.” 

Leah smiles at that, which makes it worth the elbow to the ribs from Norma. The blonde bites her lip, sighing sadly and shimmying out of Alex’s grip. “Gimme a hug,” she murmurs, pulling the girl into her arms and squeezing her tightly. 

“I’ll still see you every day. And we’ll still watch The Bachelor every Monday, right?” Leah reminds both Norma and herself, not quite wanting to admit that she might have actually needed the hug too. 

Norma hums happily. “Yeah. Yeah, we will,” she trills, finally pulling away and forcing herself to take a step back. 

Alex pulls his lips together, smiling awkwardly and shrugging. “I won’t make you hug me,” he offers, glancing down at his sweat-soaked shirt. 

“Yeah, I appreciate that,” Leah deadpans, and Norma barely stops herself from rolling her eyes. Out of all the things he could have taught her…

He nods gallantly. “Just take care of yourself, kiddo.” 

The girl nods, swallowing hard and giving a half-smile to hopefully cover up her sudden urge to cry. If either of them notices, they don’t say anything, waving their goodbyes quickly enough that she just barely gets the door closed before the tears come. 

This is what she’d wanted, isn’t it? To just be on her own, have a place to herself? She’d known going in that she couldn’t stay with them forever. They need room for their actual daughter. She knows that. And it’s just like she’d said: she’ll still see them for several hours every day. It’s not like they’re saying goodbye forever. Not like her own parents did.

So why does she still feel so sad?

—---

Over the next week, Norma and Alex focus just about all of their time when they’re not running the bakery on preparing their new nursery. 

Apparently, he’d been serious about his ‘dignified’ comment all those months ago, vetoing most of Norma’s suggestions for a pink-unicorn-fairy-princess-themed room. Instead, they finally agree on a neutral, dignified safari scheme, populated with muted greens and yellows and various animal prints. 

She won’t admit it, but Norma ends up liking the final result much better than her original idea, though the giant unicorn she’d won at the Halloween party doesn’t quite fit into the aesthetic as well. The leafy wallpaper she puts up matches perfectly with the soft green rug meant to look like grass. They find a gorgeous white crib that passes Alex’s sturdiness test (which consists of just whacking it with various items and trying to knock it over) with flying colors, getting a teeny tiny green mattress to place inside with a giraffe-print blanket. The mobile hanging above it with all the ‘classic’ animals (Norma hadn’t realized there was such a thing, so Alex had to explain that) dangling in a circle makes her want to cry from the cuteness, but her favorite part of all has to be the bookshelf. 

She has no idea where he found it, but Norma swears it’s the most adorable thing she’s ever seen when Alex first shows it to her. In truth, he hadn’t found it, just built it himself out of thin yellow planks based on a picture from Pinterest, but she doesn’t have to know that. It’s in the shape of a little tree, with the branches serving as shelves for the books and little animal stuffed animals that they arrange on it. The piece pretty much ties the whole room together, and she almost bursts into tears imagining herself sitting in the rocking chair in the corner reading to their little girl. 

Then, Alex walks into the room one day to find a stuffed giraffe that’s over half his height standing next to the crib, which was definitely not there before. 

“Uh… Norma?” He calls, staring at the thing like it’s going to bite him. 

“Hmm?” She hums obliviously, ducking through the door to check on him. 

“Since when has that been there?” 

She does her best not to giggle. “Um… Not too long,” she chirps, shrugging casually. 

Alex nods suspiciously. “Mm-hmm. And where exactly did it come from?”

“The… store…” she squeaks, sensing she might be in trouble. When he just flicks his eyes to the giraffe and back to her silently, she feels the need to explain. “I got him yesterday while I was shopping for baby clothes. Isn’t he perfect?” 

He sighs in mild resignation. At this point, he’s stopped checking their bank account, knowing that nothing will stop them from buying every new, cute item they see anyway. He’d made the mistake of going with her the first few times she went shopping for baby clothes, errantly believing her when she’d promised it’d be ‘fun.’ They’d both found the tiny dresses, overalls, and shoes absolutely adorable, which only led to chaos as they’d struggled to contain themselves from buying half the store. Even so, he’d discovered quickly that baby clothes are absurdly expensive, and it didn’t take him long to realize it was probably better if he just stayed oblivious, since Norma ended up picking out most of the purchases anyway. 

Now, he stares at the plush giraffe leaning over the crib, and he has to admit she’s right. “Yeah… I guess so,” He concedes. Norma giggles, knowing she’s won him over. 

Their daughter is about to be the most spoiled child on the planet, and neither of them would have it any other way.

—---

After almost four months of running their little bakery, things have fallen into a quite predictable routine. For the first few hours, Alex works the register while Norma works in the kitchen and Leah runs plates or helps with bulk orders. Then, there’s a lull between the breakfast rush and lunchtime when Norma takes a much-needed break, usually opting to sit at one of the dining tables or spend a few minutes outside in the garden. Once lunch rolls around, Leah takes over the front counter and Alex delivers food instead. 

It’s a pretty good system, since by mid-day Alex usually starts to miss his wife and Norma starts to get exhausted, so they’re able to meet each other’s needs simultaneously. Whether that means he forces her to take a break and sit down for a minute, gives her a quick shoulder massage, or covers her in millions of little kisses, somehow he always knows what she needs to get her through the last couple hours of the workday. He’s also convinced her to let him take care of all the clean-up duties, usually with Leah’s help, so that as soon as they close at around 3:00 pm, she can trudge upstairs to take a shower and rest. 

Norma finds it hard to believe that March is already almost over, her St. Patrick’s Day cookies and cupcakes long sold out and the pansies in her garden slowly opening up as the heavy rains recede and Spring blows in. The fruit trees in the backyard are taller than both of them now, though they won’t start bearing fruit for another year at least. 

Even a few weeks ago, her due date had felt like it was forever away. Sure, she knows she’s pregnant, and that inherently means they will have a baby at some point, but the reality that a real-life tiny human will come home with them in just two months feels incredibly different. Now the nursery is finished, she’s forced to imagine their baby, really there with them and not just another part of her. What might she look like laying in the crib, or on the changing table, dressed in any one of the billions of outfits in her closet, just waiting for her? How will she sound when she cries in the middle of the night, begging to be fed or held and rocked back to sleep?

It’s both terrifying and exhilarating to think about, especially when she realizes (because every time she remembers feels like a fresh realization) that she’ll have to actually give birth at some point, which she’s not particularly looking forward to. Alex had suggested they go to couple’s birthing classes, which she’d turned her nose up at. 

“I’m just gonna push her out. I don’t need a class to teach me that,” she’d snapped.

But Alex hadn’t relented. “That’s not what the class is about! They do breathing techniques, teach you how to deal with the pain…”

“That’s what epidurals are for,” she’d waved him off, and that was that. 

She’s never really understood the need for a ‘birthing plan,’ since so many aspects of having a child are unknown anyway, and there’s no possible way to guarantee that any one thing will go right. Though Alex had looked like he might have a conniption at the thought, she’d decided her only ‘plan’ would be to just listen to her body and go with the flow. He’d seemed like he wanted to protest at first, but in the end, it’s her body, and she’s the one who has to go through it, not him. So, he’d promised not to push her as long as she wasn’t being unsafe or unreasonable. 

“If this is what seven months feels like, I’m not sure I even want to make it to nine,” she sighs one afternoon during her break, carefully maneuvering her feet to rest on the little white table she’s sitting at. 

“Don’t say that,” Alex admonishes, dropping into the seat next to her. “You want me to rub your feet?”

Norma huffs. “If I take these shoes off, I don’t think I’m gonna get them back on. I feel like a whale.”

“You’re not a whale,” he says gently, pulling one leg into his lap to massage her ankle anyway. “You’re gorgeous, and pregnant, and I love you.”

She just grunts in response, more than used to his adamancy on how perfect she is, despite how she feels herself. 

Susan chooses that moment to emerge from the bathroom, pulling the sleeves of her dark grey blazer down as she walks over. “How’s the little bugger treatin’ ya?” She asks brightly, flopping into the remaining chair at the table. 

Norma smiles. “I wouldn’t call her a bugger. Maybe just a little bug.”

“Okay, how’s the little bug then?” Susan smirks, reaching for her coffee to take a long sip.

“She’s fine. Asleep for now, I guess,” She replies, holding her hands at the sides of her bump appraisingly. “What time do you have to go back to work?”

The detective shrugs. “Meh. We’re between cases so unless I get a call, I’d just be on paperwork duty anyway.” 

Alex shakes his head knowingly. “Yeah, I don’t miss that.” 

Norma pulls her foot out of his lap, quickly replacing it with the other one as he wordlessly repeats his massaging. “How are things with that partner of yours? He still crazy?” She asks amusedly, waggling her eyebrows before dropping her head back as Alex hits a particularly tender spot with his fingers. 

“Yeah, it’s, uh… Never a dull moment with that one.” Susan chuckles. 

“But it seems like you still like him, though,” Norma observes. “Is there something there?”

That earns a big laugh from the woman. “Oh, God, no. Me and David? No.” She chuckles, scrunching her nose a bit. “No, he’s not my type.” 

They both raise their eyebrows. “So you have a type?” The blonde pushes. Susan’s eyes flick between the two of them and she sucks her lips between her teeth, a bit of color flooding to her cheeks. When she doesn’t say anything, Norma turns to her husband. “Thank you for the foot rub, honey,” she says pointedly, giving him a gentle, pleading smile. 

“Oh, girl talk time?” He surmises, looking back and forth at them as they both nod. “Alright, I’m out.” He surrenders and stands up, trudging into the kitchen to pretend to be busy for a few minutes so they can gossip in peace. 

Norma leans in conspiratorily as soon as the door is closed. “So… give me details!” She giggles. 

“Well, I mean… David just isn’t really what I go for.” Susan shrugs cryptically. 

Norma’s having none of it. “Well, what’s wrong with him? Other than the crazy part, I mean.” 

She doesn’t think she’s seen her friend's face turn quite so red before. “Well, he has a penis, to start…” she mutters, scuffing her shoe on the floor. 

“Oh!” Norma chirps, staring blankly for a second. She giggles, her blonde curls shaking with her breath. “Well, yeah, that would do it!” 

Susan laughs along, her blush fading, looking more than relieved to have the tension broken. “I’m still kinda… dealing with that whole realization,” she explains softly, staring down at the table. “I mean, I’ve dated men my whole life. Almost married one. But, it’s like… none of it felt right, you know?”

Norma’s face lights up. “You should talk to Leah!” She suggests. 

“Uh… why?” 

“Well, she’s… going through the same kinda thing, and we’re trying to help her but, you know, Alex is straight as an arrow so he’s no use.” They both giggle, Norma’s face falling into a more solemn expression quickly. “We… we had to take her in for a while last month. Her parents weren’t exactly… understanding.” 

“Ohmygod, really?” Susan gapes, sitting forward in her chair. 

She nods. “Yeah, she just showed up on our doorstep in the middle of a blizzard, and then we almost got arrested for kidnapping, and it was this whole big mess.” Norma throws her hands in the air with a huff.  

“Kidnapping?!” The detective scoffs. She just shakes her head, finding it hard to believe herself. Susan lets out a heavy breath. “Yeah, okay. Maybe I’ll talk to her.”

“I think it’d make her feel a lot better,” Norma smiles softly, flicking her gaze to the kitchen where her assistant is washing dishes. “She looks up to you, you know.”

Her friend bites her lip and glances around quickly. “Well, don’t tell her I said this, but she’s practically a shoo-in for the internship at the OSC this year. I mean, the only reason she didn’t get it last year was ‘cause they thought she was too young. I’d hire her right now if it wasn’t for corporate bureaucracy.” Susan half-whispers. At Norma’s surprised reaction, she tilts her head. “She is applying this year, isn’t she?”

“I… I don’t know. I haven’t asked her about it,” Norma admits. 

“She should. She’ll get it,” Susan says with finality, and Norma has to agree. 

Of course, she’d love for Leah to be her assistant forever, but she knows that the girl’s dreams are elsewhere, and she deserves the chance to pursue them. Even if it means they have to find a new employee. Still, the notion stings a little, especially since she’s still reeling from being alone in the house with Alex once again. She still forgets and sets the table for 3 sometimes, which never fails to make her feel a bit lonely, even with her husband there to keep her company. Leah’s absence only makes her itch even more to have her baby girl there with them to light up their lives. 

Susan’s voice brings her out of her thoughts abruptly. “I kidnapped a child once,” she muses. 

“You what?” Norma giggles, assuming she’s joking. 

The younger woman shrugs. “She was this little Ukrainian girl, and I was supposed to fake-adopt her for this mission we were on, but I just felt so bad, so… I took her home with me.” Norma stares, wide-eyed, realizing she’s actually serious. Susan chuckles nervously. “I mean, she was an orphan, I didn’t wanna just send her back to that place. Plus, the guy there was a creep, so-” 

“Where is she now?” The blonde interjects.

She sighs defeatedly. “I dunno. I got in all kinds of trouble with my boss, and I guess they took her back or put her in foster care or something. She was just the sweetest girl, though.” She laughs softly. “She gave me this little coin… for good luck. I still keep it in my office.” 

Norma leans forward to grab her hand. “Susan, I’m so sorry. That sounds awful.” 

She shrugs one shoulder with a sad half-smile. “My fault for getting attached,” she mumbles, blowing out a short, sharp breath. “God, I’m sorry! That was supposed to be a funny story,” she gasps, shaking her head. 

Norma squeezes her hand and smiles reassuringly. “That’s okay. I’m sure you have plenty.” That earns a weak, grateful nod as they both sit in silence for a second, not sure how to change the subject appropriately. Then Norma gasps delightedly. “Oh! The little bug’s awake,” she beams, holding her bump where she just felt a familiar flutter.

Susan’s face lights up. “Hi, bug!” She giggles brightly. Her bright blue eyes trail up to meet her friends, crinkled from smiling. “She’s gonna be the happiest little girl in the world. I just know it.”

Norma’s heart flutters with joy. “I sure hope so.”

Chapter Text

It’s less than an hour before closing when Alex finally remembers to ask the question that Norma has been waiting for all day. He’s just come back from dropping off a set of bagels with a few of their regulars, sweeping an arm around her as he reenters the kitchen to pull her into his arms. 

“Alex!” She gripes, trying to get back to the cookie tray she’d been preparing to set overnight. When he doesn’t let her go, she glares playfully up at him, finally giving in and wiping her hands on her apron. “Whaaat?” 

“Gimmeakiss,” he murmurs, spinning her around to hold her at the lowest part of her back. Norma rolls her eyes but can’t quite stop herself from smiling, leaning up to press her lips against his, expecting him to pull her closer so he can kiss the life out of her. He doesn’t, though, just kissing her back sweetly for a few seconds and then letting her pull away, a soft, satisfied smile on his face. 

“S’that all you wanted?” She smiles bemusedly. 

Alex smirks, ducking to rub the tip of his nose against hers. “Mm-hmm. Love you.”

He earns himself another kiss for that, one that leaves both of them grinning like fools when they pull away. Norma giggles, “Okay… I love you too,” and with that, he lets her go, one hand trailing over her now almost non-existent waist as she spins back around to work, the giddy smile still lingering on her face. 

“Is it today?” He mumbles off-handedly, gathering a clump of flour under his finger from the countertop. 

She feels her cheeks start to flush as she smiles to herself. “Yeah,” she shrugs, pretending not to notice or care when his head snaps up. 

“Wait, really?” He chokes. 

Norma nods, still focused on her work. “Mm-hmm.”

“It’s your birthday?” Alex gapes, still staring at her, wide-eyed. He scrambles to grab his phone and check the date. “April 2nd?”

She sighs. “Yes, Alex, but please don’t make a big deal out of it…”

They both look up when the kitchen door swings open. 

“It’s her birthday!” He announces before Leah can even get all the way through the door. 

“It’s your birthday?” The girl gasps. Norma sighs again, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. “Happy Birthday!” She chirps obliviously. 

“Thank you, honey,” the blonde replies monotonously, already regretting answering her husband honestly. Finally, she looks up at him, her breath catching at the excitement on his face. “It’s really not a big deal, I don’t want you to-”

“It is a big deal!” Alex interjects. “It’s a big deal to me.”

His wife huffs, turning back to her cookies. “That makes one of us.”

He grabs her arm, forcing her to face him again. “No, come on,” he whines, “we gotta celebrate!” 

“We really don’t…gotta,” she grimaces, though she knows he’s not going to give in. 

“Why not?” Leah pipes up, both of them looking over like they’d forgotten she was there. 

“I don’t celebrate my birthday,” Norma explains, glancing at Alex pointedly. “I never have.”

“Until now!” He adds brightly, grinning like a kid in a candy store. 

Her frustration bubbles to the surface much faster than any of them expect, and she can’t help it. She snaps at him. “No, not until now!” She growls, snatching her arm out of his grip. 

Leah’s eyes bulge at her tone, one she’s very rarely heard come out of her normally kind and nurturing boss. She looks quickly between the two of them, noticing Alex giving her an apologetic warning glance that prompts her to back slowly out of the room and back to the front counter. She’s never been one for poking bears. 

As soon as the door closes, Alex shuffles toward his wife, knowing better than to try to touch her but desperately wanting to anyway. Even though she looks away from him, he knows she’s fighting back angry tears from the way she bites her lip and draws a slow, deep breath in through her nose. 

For once, he feels a little out of his depth. Sad tears, he can handle– he’s gotten pretty good at handling them over the past few months. Even happy tears and hormonal, absolutely-no-reason tears are more familiar to him than this. But rarely does she ever get angry at him. Like really angry, not the fake, exaggerated pouting he’s more than used to from her. 

“Do you want me to leave you alone?” He asks quietly, trying to keep the kicked-puppy tone from his voice, knowing that will only make her feel worse. 

She still doesn’t look at him, but he can tell she failed in trying to hold back her tears when she speaks in that watery, pathetic voice that always breaks him in half. “I just… need a minute,” she squeaks, wrapping her arms around herself. She knows if she tries to talk or even look at him right now, she’ll only get angrier, and that’s not what she wants. He doesn’t deserve for her to yell at him, even if he’s being oblivious. She knows he just wants to make her happy, but her emotions are too high right now for her to explain to him that he’s doing the opposite. 

Alex nods, not bothering to hide the somberness on his face since she won’t even look at him. He walks slowly toward the door, looking over his shoulder like he expects her to change her mind, but she doesn’t.

When she comes out of the kitchen after gathering herself for a few minutes, he’s gone. 

—---

Norma’s sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery an hour later, her face sticky with tears as she holds her bump, biting her lip to fight off another fit of sobs. Why did she have to ruin everything? How is she ever gonna fix this?

She’s so deep in her wallowing that she doesn’t hear the rustling sounds outside the room, only rocking softly and staring down at herself through her puffy eyelids. That’s why she’s so shocked when the door opens and she sees her husband walk through, his eyes finding her as she rockets up out of the chair. 

“Alex!” She wails, throwing herself into his arms and instantly starting to sob into his neck. “I’m… so… sorry!” She blubbers, barely able to choke the words out through her tears. 

Alex is stunned, taking a few seconds to register what’s happening and wrap his arms around her. “Why are you so upset, honey?” He whispers, rubbing his hands up and down her back. 

Norma pulls back, staring at him with confused, shining eyes. “I… I thought…thought you…” She doesn’t have to say anything more before he pulls her back against him, his heart breaking in his chest. 

“God, no, Norma. Why… how could you think that?” He gasps, the sting hitting a second later that she really thought he was capable of walking out on her and their baby. 

“I just… You just… You were gone, and I…” 

“You thought I just left?” He scoffs disbelievingly. 

“No! I knew… knew you wou-wouln’t,” Norma strangles out, her chest jumping up and down rapidly. “I just… got so scared… ‘cause you were mad at me…”

Alex frowns deeply. “Mad at you?” At her weak nod, he sighs, running one hand over his face. This woman is gonna kill me one day. “Baby, I wasn’t mad at you. You said you needed space, so I…” He pulls his other hand out from behind her back, revealing the wrapped bouquet of pink, white, and purple flowers that she hadn’t even noticed in her meltdown. 

“Those are for me?” She snivels, wide blue eyes staring up at him in shock. 

He lets out a quiet chuckle. “Yes, they’re for you. Happy Birthday.” She doesn't take them from him. She just wipes her hand across her eye, unknowingly smearing her makeup even more than it already had been, her breath shaking violently as it rattles through her. He can’t stand to look at her so distraught for another second. “Come here,” he whispers, setting the flowers on the dresser to lead her back over to the rocking chair, pulling her into his lap before he’s even done sitting down. 

She tucks her face against him as soon as she’s seated, her hands fisting in his shirt like she’s afraid he might disappear. He doesn’t say anything, just rocks gently with her for a few minutes, holding her tightly in his arms to remind her that he’ll never stop loving her for as long as he lives. 

“I’m sorry,” she finally mutters, pulling back to look at him and wiping her hands over her face. “I’m acting like a child.”

He runs his thumbs under her eyes, holding in his laugh at how much of a mess she looks because he knows it’s partially his fault. “You’re not,” he assures her, “I shouldn’t have just left like that. I wanted to surprise you, but I should’ve thought it through more. I’m sorry.” 

She shakes her head. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

Alex tucks a wild curl behind her ear. “So we both made mistakes. Let’s call it even.” She sniffles but nods, running her hand under her nose delicately. “You wanna talk to me about the birthday thing?” He prompts gently, his hand still lingering in her hair. 

Her face says she doesn't, but she speaks tentatively anyway. “I just… I never understood why it was a thing. Celebrating the day you were born, like you even did anything.” She shrugs, but he can tell there’s more she’s not saying. 

He scowls. “So… What, so you wouldn’t celebrate our daughter’s birthday, either?” 

Norma’s eyes widen, and for a second she looks offended. “Of course I would! That’s… that’s different!”

“How so, Norma? How is it different?” Alex pushes.

“It just is!” 

He scoffs bitterly. “Now you are acting like a child.”

“Maybe I don’t want to tell you! Maybe I just don’t want to talk about it, did you ever think about that?!” She bites back. 

“So don’t!” He cries exasperatedly. He takes a deep breath and softens his tone, grabbing her cold, fragile hand to remind himself to be gentle with her. “But I can’t understand what’s going on with you unless you talk to me.” 

Her lip quivers as she drops her gaze from his, squeezing her eyes shut tightly to stop any more tears from forming. “I just…” she sighs heavily, “I don’t want to give you another thing to feel sorry for me over.”

Whatever he was expecting, it wasn’t that. He raises his eyebrows, then frowns, opening his mouth to protest, but she speaks first. 

“No, don’t give me that, okay? I know you don’t do it on purpose, but sometimes I feel like you… you pity me, and my sucky past, and you’re, like, walking on eggshells around me because you ‘don’t wanna upset me,’ but it just makes me feel really pathetic, honestly,” she says, all in one breath. Finally, she peers back up at him, fully prepared for him to start adamantly denying everything she’s said. 

“I… I hadn’t really looked at it like that,” he admits instead, sorrowful brown eyes meeting hers. “I never meant to make you feel that way. I just… never wanted you to be uncomfortable.”

Norma smiles softly, reaching one hand up to cradle his cheek. “And I love you for that,” she assures him. “But sometimes, I just want to feel normal. Even if I’m not, I want to think for a minute that none of that stuff ever happened. That I’m over it. I want you to… obliterate me in a pillow fight, or tickle me even after I scream at you to stop, or do things that maybe push my boundaries a little, just ‘cause they’re exciting… I want to do exciting things with you, and I don’t want you to be scared every second we’re doing them that I’m gonna explode into a million little pieces. I feel like… confronting all of that would help me heal more than avoiding it like the plague ever could.” 

He stares up at her, dumbstruck, for what feels like an eternity. Norma swears she could melt like a candle from how intensely he’s looking at her, and he finally finds the capacity to speak just as she starts to blush from the awkwardness. “Okay…” he nods slowly, replaying her words again in his head to process them. 

She runs her thumb over the top of his cheek. “I love how gentle you are with me. It’s what made me fall in love with you in the first place. You’ve spent two years tiptoeing around everything that you know might trigger bad memories for me. I just… I’d rather not give you another thing to tiptoe around. I think I want to keep this one to myself, if that’s okay?”

His face melts a little. “Of course it’s okay,” he breathes. “I wanna support you any way I can. If that means beating your ass with a pillow like I’m back in the Navy, I’ll do it!” He grins, his heart swelling at her bright, tinkling giggle. 

“Thank you,” Norma murmurs, ducking down to press her face back against his neck. She doesn’t have to say that she’s thanking him for more than just letting her have her way. They both know. 

Alex tucks his nose into her hair, his fingers running up and down her sides slowly. She anticipates his next move a half-second before he makes it, both of her hands darting out to grab his wrists and pull them away from her. 

“Do not!” She barks, wrenching away to glare at him warningly. Her hands hold his away from her, and he lets her, even though they both know he could rip them out of her grip with barely any effort if he wanted to. Even he can’t maintain his poker face, the evil grin peeking through as she narrows her eyes, trying to be intimidating and failing miserably. “Alex, I’m serious, do not tickle me.”

His smirk only grows wider. “Or what, Mrs. Romero?” He teases, his eyes trailing down to her very ticklish ribs, his mind already alight with excitement at the thought of her screeching with laughter under his fingers. 

Norma must know where his mind is at because she jumps off of his lap, scrambling away from him with a half-delighted, half-horrified squeal. He pretends to pursue her until she makes it through the door and then pauses, giving her a head start since she can only waddle so fast on her stubby, seven-months pregnant legs. They both know he’ll catch her anyway. It’s why he can still hear her giggling maniacally on her way to the bedroom. 

He is very much liking the idea of doing all kinds of exciting things to her the moment he catches up.  

Chapter Text

After dinner a few nights later, Alex offers to clean up, which already puts him in his wife’s good graces as she turns to head into the bedroom. He stops her before she can get more than a few steps, pulling her back over to him and trapping her between his body and the kitchen table. 

Immediately, her heart rate picks up, even more so when she meets his eye after finding her balance with her hands on his chest, seeing the heat in the way he’s looking at her. Lips parting, she stares up at him, feeling his own heart racing under her palms even as he maintains his cool exterior. 

Her eyes flutter closed when he leans forward, expecting him to kiss her, but the kiss never comes. Instead, he touches his forehead against hers, so that he’s so close she can’t even focus her eyes to see him, his hot breath tickling her lips tantalizingly. She briefly considers closing the distance and initiating the kiss herself, but it’s clear he has some kind of game he’s playing with her, one she assumes will have a very gratifying end result if she plays along. 

His hands are warm on her hips, his voice low as he speaks into the inch of space between them. “I’m going to clean up in here,” he states, somehow managing to make it sound like the sexiest thing she’s ever heard. “And I want you to go into the bedroom and wait for me on the bed.”

Norma swallows hard. She knows what that means. From the tone of his voice, she knows exactly what mood he’s in, and it has butterflies causing a ruckus in her stomach at the thought of it. Her mouth is too dry to form words, so she just stares, her pupils almost black as they dart around taking in every detail of his face. 

“I want you naked, Norma,” he clarifies, barely holding back his smug grin at the little gasp it brings out of her. “Can you do that for me?” His voice is gentle, dropping to almost a whisper, and she quickly understands the hidden meaning behind his question. If she doesn’t want this, now is the time to tell him. He always gives her an out, even in his little games. Every time, it only makes her want him even more. 

“Yes,” she whispers, desperately wishing he would just kiss her right here, right now. She knows he won’t, though. He’s going to make her wait until she feels like she could die without him. He’s just evil like that. 

Norma barely registers the quick half-smirk he flashes before he’s gone, disappearing from her personal space in what feels like an instant, as if nothing even happened. She bites her lip, willing the blood to drain from her face and her breathing to slow down as she manages to walk somewhat normally toward the bedroom, despite feeling like her legs have been turned to jelly. 

She closes the door behind her, taking the opportunity to suck in a slow, deep breath. She doesn’t want to give in to his game too easily. It just wouldn’t be quite as fun if she just gave him everything he wanted right away. So, she flicks the lights off and paces the room a few times to calm herself down before she follows his instructions, pulling at the knot of her maternity dress to slide it off of herself and carefully deposit it in the laundry bin. Her underwear follows, and she manages to crawl onto the bed and lay down in the center of it just as she hears the kitchen sink turn off and heavy footsteps approach the door. 

A sliver of warm yellow light sweeps across the room as he opens the door, bringing a pleased smile to his face as he catches sight of her, exactly where he’d expected her to be. He doesn’t say anything, just unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt as he trails toward the bed, the room shrouded in darkness once again as soon as the door closes. 

It’s a harrowing sight for Norma– a tall, dark shadow standing at the foot of her bed, watching her. If she didn’t know it was her husband, couldn’t recognize his silhouette from the way his strong arms hang out to his sides, she’s certain she would be terrified. His fingers work open the top few buttons of his shirt but nothing else, reaching out to weigh on the mattress as he slowly climbs onto the bed. 

In a second, he’s touching her, his fingers trailing ever-so-lightly over the skin of her calves, thighs, then her sides as he settles on his knees between her legs. She gazes up at him, cursing herself for already panting at the simple touch. She wants his hands everywhere, but he’s intent on torturing her, leaving them resting on the outside of her thighs as his eyes scrape over her, still not adjusted to the darkness. 

“You turned the lights off,” he observes, his tone so perfectly neutral that she can’t possibly tell how he feels without seeing his face.

Norma squirms. “Yeah?” She squeaks, her unbothered façade crumbling almost immediately. A shadow extends in the direction of the lamp on the bedside table, but she reaches out to stop it. “Wait. Don’t.”

“Why?” He asks, dropping his head to press the gentlest kisses she’s ever felt against her shoulder and neck, because he knows why. But he’s going to make her say it. 

“Alex…” She starts to protest, her hands rising subconsciously to try to cover herself. 

“Give me a good reason or I’m turning the lamp on,” he threatens, his deep voice so close to her ear that it sends goosebumps down her neck. 

“I don’t want you to see me,” she admits, her head reeling with deja vu from the hundred times they’ve had this argument. Somehow, he always wins, but she never fails to put up a fight. “I’m fat,” she huffs, shoving so much disdain and insecurity into the single word that Alex wants to grab her by the arms and shake her until she sees herself the way he sees her. 

“Baby,” he sighs, giving her cheek the most sickeningly sweet kiss that almost brings tears to her eyes. “You’re gonna make me say it all again?” He mutters into her jaw, his hands finally moving from her thighs up to hold the sides of her round, swollen stomach. 

“No,” she pesters, pretending his touch is doing nothing to her. “You could just leave the light off.” 

“I want to see you,” he growls, his teeth coming out to nip at her earlobe pointedly. “You’re the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. I mean it.” 

Norma grimaces, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. “I’m huge. I can’t even see my feet. I have stretch marks and…”

His fingers find the purple lines along her skin instantly, even in the dark, every centimeter of them burned into his memory. “And you’re more gorgeous than you ever have been to me,” he argues. “How many times do I have to tell you how perfect you are before you believe me?”

Her stomach turns over as he traces the marks on her skin, her mind refusing to accept that he isn’t just lying to make her feel better. He can’t possibly mean what he’s saying. How could he ever like this bloated, swollen, unwieldy version of her more than the toned, petite physique she’d married him with?

“Listen to me,” Alex demands, knowing without needing to see her face that she’s closed herself off to hearing him. “I have never been more in love than I am seeing you filled with my baby. Everything that you think is ugly, I see as evidence of you giving yourself over to our daughter. These stretch marks are here because you are making me a father, so, yes, I’d like to fucking see them, because that’s the sexiest thing you’ve ever done.” 

He doesn’t wait for her to respond, reaching out and clicking the lamp on to shed soft white light across the room. She’s barely opened her mouth to protest before he ducks his head, trailing feather-light kisses across every thin band winding from her hips to just under her navel. Her breath catches when he looks up at her, the lamplight casting long shadows of his eyelashes across his face, his soft brown eyes filled to the brim with nothing but pure adoration for her. For her.

“I want to see you,” he repeats into her skin, and she knows that he would turn the light back off in a heartbeat if she asked, but the way he’s showering her with every ounce of love he has in him…she can’t bear to tell him no. Slowly, tentatively, she lets her hands slide from her breasts to hold the sides of his head tenderly, the tips of her fingers scratching at his scalp the way he loves. 

“Do your worst, Sheriff.” She smiles softly down at him, speaking with all of the courage she doesn’t have. 

From the look on his face, she could swear he’s just won a million dollars. He doesn’t waste a second, stacking himself back up to kneel between her legs and quickly working at the rest of the buttons on his shirt. Usually, Norma would help, but tonight she chooses to just enjoy the show, laying herself delicately back against the pillows to watch him undress. 

“If I stopped working out, and I lost all of this…” he whispers as he drops his shirt onto the floor, his muscles twisting and bulging in the dim light, “would you love me any less?” 

She pouts slightly, frowning at the idea of not having his gorgeous muscles to drool over. But then, she imagines how he might look with a ‘dad bod’ as she’s heard it called, and she can’t help but bite her lip. “No…” she muses, finally reaching out to run her hands over his chest. “I think you’d still be perfect.”

Alex smirks, and only then does it dawn on her the point of his question. “Exactly,” he says triumphantly, leaning down to kiss the annoyed expression at being bested off of her face. A soft clink sounds between them as her hands drop to his belt, whipping it quickly off of him as his fingers start shoving his jeans down his legs. 

“I know you were doin’ one of your game things, but you could’ve done this before you sat down,” Norma points out as he fumbles a little at getting them off, finally managing to yank both of his legs out and throwing the offending fabric on the floor with a flourish. 

His smooth persona returns the second he looks back at her, one hand dropping suddenly between her legs to work a surprised yelp out of her. “Who said we were done playing?” He smirks, pressing just one finger forward to feel the result of his game. Norma lets out a shaky breath as he parts her, the pad of his finger finding her clit just as his other hand closes around one of her breasts. That earns a soft, needy whine from behind her lips, wide blue eyes staring up at him and telling him everything he needs to know in a second. 

Her heightened sensitivity had been exhilarating to experiment with at first, but as it got more intense, it began to serve as a roadblock more than anything. He’s been left to finish himself off more nights than he can count after he’d worked her up a little too much and she’d been completely wiped out after a single orgasm. Though, he can’t really complain too much, since most of the time she helps him, wrapping her soft, gentle hand around him to let him spill onto her chest or, if she’s feeling particularly generous, her tongue. 

Tonight, though, he wants to finish with her. 

Carefully, he pulls both of his hands away, the action instantly letting her know his intentions. As he leans down to kiss her, opting to cradle her face instead, she reaches one hand up to start stroking him through his boxers, smiling smugly at the surprised groan he lets out into her mouth. 

“How do you want it, baby?” He grinds out, pressing his hips further forward into her hand.

“Like this,” she breathes, craning up to kiss him again. “Just… this.”

Alex nods, dipping his head to kiss across her jaw and down her neck, pausing while he sucks lightly on her collarbone to look up at her in silent question. He’s disappointed but not surprised when she shakes her head, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. 

She won’t let his mouth anywhere near her nipples anymore, not since just over a week and a half ago when he’d wrapped his lips around her, his eyes bulging as he felt a few drops of thick liquid on his tongue. Norma had turned redder than he’d ever seen her, wrenching his head away and scurrying into the bathroom in a panic. 

He wouldn’t quite say it had turned him on--he’s pretty sure she would simply explode if he told her that anyway--but he certainly hadn’t disliked it. But somehow, she always manages to change the subject every time he tries to tell her it’s nothing to be embarrassed about, redirecting him whenever his kisses pass a little too close despite his insistence that he doesn’t mind. 

Tonight, he doesn’t protest, bringing both of his hands down to do everything he wishes he could with his mouth instead. Norma briefly stops stroking him to hook her fingers in his boxers, dragging them down as far as she can reach with her limited mobility. He shimmies the rest of the way, not wanting to move his hands even for a second, sighing loudly when her hand wraps back around him to pick up where she left off. 

“Are you ready?” She murmurs sweetly, and he can’t hold off his smirk. Usually, he would be the one asking her that, but they both know that at this point she would come before him even if she wasn’t very ready, so if he wants them to do it together, he’s got to get most of the way there beforehand. 

“Yeah, baby,” he grunts, leaning down to kiss her again as he shuffles forward on his knees until he’s pressing against her. She gives him a few more languid pumps before lining him up, her hand dropping to his hip as he gently nudges inside. It’s incredibly slow and soft because that’s the only thing she can handle going on 8 months pregnant, but that doesn’t make it any less perfect. 

Alex peppers her face, jaw, and neck with tiny kisses so he can hear every sound she makes, dragging smoothly in and out of her as his hands continue to squeeze and circle her breasts. It doesn’t take either of them very long, the feeling of her warm and wet around him bringing that edge nearer with every stroke of his hips. She’s closer, though: he can tell by the way every inch of her quivers, the gasps jumping out of her raising in volume and pitch as he sucks on the side of her neck. 

“Norma, I’m close,” he grunts, his grip tightening subconsciously. “Wait for me, baby. Hold on.”

Norma lets out a helpless whine, her thighs squeezing against his legs, bringing her tighter around him. “I… Oh, God, I can’t- I can’t,” she gasps, fingers digging into his back. She feels that cord tightening in her stomach and there’s nothing she can do to stop it, throwing her head back with a short, sharp moan. 

“Go, go, baby, I’m there,” Alex chokes, the feeling of her muscles spasming driving him over the edge barely a second after her, both of them gasping and clinging to each other as he pushes as deep as he can to ride it out. “Fuck, yes…” he groans, gratification washing over him at getting exactly what he’d wanted. 

“Alex…” Norma sighs prettily, her fingers tangling in his hair as she starts to catch her breath. It’s been a while since they’ve been able to line it up perfectly, with her hormones and sensitivity shifting on a daily basis, but finally feeling the connection of being together in the most intimate way possible has been well worth the trial and error. 

“That was good,” he mumbles into her shoulder, practically laying on top of her, though there’s no way he could crush her with her bump in the way. 

She giggles breathlessly. “Agreed.”

—---

Maybe half an hour later, after they’ve cleaned up and rolled over to their respective sides of the bed to start winding down for the night, Norma sighs loudly. “Alex, would you tell your kid to stop kicking me in the goddamn bladder? I’m going to die if I have to walk to the bathroom one more time.” 

Alex’s lips quirk up at her melodrama as he sets his book aside on the nightstand, leaning over to lay his head on her lap facing her bump. He runs his fingers over it through the oversized t-shirt she’d thrown on, chuckling to himself as he feels a kick right where his hand is. 

“Hey, bug. You better be nice to your Mama or she might evict you,” he grins. “You’re about 8 months overdue on your rent.”

Norma giggles, dropping her head back against the pillow as she catches a few moments of relief. “Keep talking. I think it’s helping.”

“Okay… what should I talk about?” He flounders, every thought leaving his mind in a split second. 

She winces as she feels another sharp kick to one of her internal organs. “I don’t care! Just speak.” 

“Alright, alright! Um… Football. I can talk about football for hours.” 

Norma rolls her eyes but nods, covering his hands on her bump with hers, twining their fingers as he starts rattling on about yard-lines and running backs. The kicking finally stops for a few minutes and she gets some much-needed relief while he lists the last ten Superbowl winners and his opinions on each of the half-time shows. 

“Did she stop?” He finally asks, looking up at her relaxed, grateful expression. 

“Yes, but can you keep going for a little while? I wanna be sure she’s asleep.” At his nod, she adds, “pick a different sport.”

“Uh… okay.” Alex pauses, trying to think of a sport his daughter might have a little more interest in. “Well, there’s soccer. Seems like you could be a real good soccer player,” he chuckles, pursing his lips when he feels a single kick in response. 

“I think she likes that one,” Norma translates exasperatedly. “Do something else.”

He sighs. “What about volleyball?” More kicks, this time three in succession. 

“Now you’ve really got her excited,” she grumbles. “Pick a boring one!” 

“Okay… golf,” he throws out. No response. Norma nods encouragingly and he quickly gathers everything he knows about golf, which isn’t a lot. “Uhhh, golf is a sport for rich old people who hate the environment.” 

She giggles. “Be nice! She’s gonna come out prejudiced.”

“Sorry, sorry,” he surrenders, correcting his tone to a more chipper narration. “Golf is something that lots of people play for fun, though I prefer putt-putt.”

Norma groans when she feels more movement, not quite a kick but definitely a flutter. “Stick to golf,” she instructs. 

“Got it,” he nods gallantly, beginning to explain the rough strokes of golf (along the lines of ‘you hit the ball into the hole with a stick’) until he sees her starting to relax. Once he’s exhausted all of his knowledge of golf, he shifts to badminton (‘it’s volleyball but it’s tennis’) and then croquet (‘it’s golf but the hole is a hoop’). 

Finally, Norma lets out a long breath, closing her eyes and nodding at him that he’s allowed to stop just as he’s about to get into curling. “Thank you,” she mouths, afraid if she even blinks too hard it’ll wake the living menace in her uterus. 

Alex leans forward to place a soft kiss just above her belly button. “Goodnight, sweet girl,” he whispers, just loud enough for both of them to hear. 

The next morning, she wakes up more certain than ever that he is, in fact, a unicorn, because for the first time in weeks, Norma manages to sleep through the night.

Chapter Text

“So I had an idea,” Alex announces one Wednesday night while he’s washing her hair. It’s become a sort of ritual for them, a couple nights a week. Once Norma had become too exhausted to stand in the shower for long enough to wash her own hair, he’d been more than happy to take over. So, she sits on the little wooden bench they bought for her while he carefully lathers and rinses her fading blonde locks, and somehow she swears her hair is softer than it’s ever been now that he’s been doing it for her. 

“What’s your idea?” Norma prompts, closing her eyes as his fingers massage her scalp soothingly. “Can you-” she starts to ask, but he’s already one step ahead of her, his fingers pressing and scratching lightly at the nape of her neck where he knows it feels the best for her. She melts back against him, humming a soft, satisfied moan and arching her head back to give him better access. 

“You ever heard of a baby moon?” 

“Uh… no. Is that like a honeymoon?” She guesses. 

“Rinse,” Alex instructs gently, stepping out of the shower spray so she can lean back into the hot water. “I saw something about it online. It’s like a little vacation you take before the baby comes. Sort of a… last hoorah of freedom.”

One side of her mouth quirks up. “I think it might be a little late for that.” She can’t see him frowning with her eyes closed, but she assumes he doesn’t understand when he says nothing. “I mean… I can’t really go anywhere like this. I’m definitely not beach-worthy,” she sighs. 

His fingers finish washing the shampoo from her hair, squeezing out some excess water as she sits back up. She feels his breath against her cheek before she can open her eyes. “You are so beach-worthy,” he corrects, his voice rumbling through her chest. “And just because you can’t ride a plane doesn’t mean we can’t go anywhere.”

Norma finally opens her eyes, tilting her head up to look at him behind her. “I’m sensing you already have a plan,” she smirks. 

His finger pulls a dripping strand of hair off of her forehead. “If it’s too much, we don’t have to. I don’t want to push you if you’re tired.”

She shakes her head, grabbing his hand to squeeze it reassuringly. “No, I think it sounds nice. Whatever you’re planning.”

Alex beams. “Well then, Mrs. Romero. This weekend, you and me are going on a road trip.”

———

He tells her as little as possible about where they’re going and what he has planned, which she appreciates even though she usually hates surprises. It means she doesn’t have anything to stress over, if it’s all in his hands. All she knows is what he told her to pack and that they’re leaving Friday evening, shortly after they close. 

Alex has always been far better than her at planning romantic outings anyway, which surprised her at first. She never would have guessed when she met him that he was a romantic at heart, but then again, she never would have guessed he even had a heart either. Regardless, she knows that whatever he has planned will be much better than anything she could have come up with. She trusts him more than anyone with her time. 

Alex insists that they take his pickup truck instead of her Mercedes since it has more room and is more suited for a road trip, considering it has technology that isn’t from 1972. Norma grumbles about it but ends up being thankful for the decision within half an hour of getting on the road. There’s much more leg room for her in the comfy passenger’s seat, and she figures out quickly how to hook her phone up to the sound system so she can play all the country music she wants (until she loses DJ privileges when she starts in on the second Miranda Lambert album in a row). 

She’s still pouting at him over that when they pull off the highway for the first time, about an hour into driving. They haven’t gotten much of anywhere, barely past Dylan and Emma’s place thanks to rush hour traffic, so Alex decides to stop and top up on gas to give it some time to calm down. Norma waddles as fast as she can toward the bathrooms, and he’s honestly shocked she’s lasted this long without needing a pee break. He’s far less shocked when she emerges from the gas station with an armful of snacks, sipping a bright blue Icee that makes his teeth hurt just looking at it. 

“I”m gonna sit in the back for a while,” she mumbles around her straw, trying and failing to climb up into the backseat of the truck on her own. Alex crosses around to her quickly, grabbing the bag of goldfish she’d dropped in the process and placing it back on top of her pile of snacks. 

“Is this about the music thing?” He frowns while he basically carries her into the truck. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, I was just getting kinda tired of-” 

Norma turns around after dropping her mound of snacks on the far seat, grabbing his face with both hands, one of them freezing cold from holding her slushie. “It’s okay, Alex,” she smiles. “I just wanna lay down for a little while. My back is starting to hurt.” 

He blinks at her, looking surprised yet relieved that he’s not in trouble. “Oh… ok.” He nods, reaching into the floorboards to grab one of the blankets he’d packed. “Is it cool enough back there? You want me to turn it down?” He starts to fuss, reaching a hand out to feel the air coming from the vents as she starts unfolding the blanket. 

“It’s fine, honey. Thank you,” she assures him, holding up one hand to his jaw and kissing the corner of his mouth sweetly. 

“Buckle your seatbelt,” he reminds her in a whisper, squeezing her knee as he ducks down out of the truck. 

“But I wanna lay down!” Norma frowns, pulling the blanket up higher around her. 

Alex’s face is hard and intimidating when he looks back at her. “Norma. Buckle your seatbelt,” he demands, some mix of protectiveness and what might even be fear flashing across his eyes. 

She shifts uncomfortably at his sudden seriousness. “Okay, jeez…” she grumbles, reaching for the seatbelt just to make the haunted look on his face go away. 

Once he hears the quiet click of her seatbelt, all of the sudden tension drains from his body. He hadn’t expected or even intended to have such a reaction to that, but he just felt his heart seizing up when he heard those words leave her mouth. As Sheriff, he’d seen too many people broken, maimed, and killed because they weren’t wearing seatbelts, and it was like a hundred bloodied faces had flashed through his mind in an instant. He couldn’t stand to imagine Norma as one of them. 

Things have cleared up a little bit by the time they get back on the road again. After a few minutes of squirming and complaining about the seatbelt buckles digging into her back, Norma finally finds a comfortable position, and she’s asleep almost instantly. Alex resists the urge to grumble about her half-finished Icee rapidly melting in the cup holder, keeping his road rage to a minimum to let her sleep until they get out of the city. 

He pulls over at another gas station just after the bridge out of Tacoma, knowing she’ll probably need to pee again and they should both stretch their legs. The sun is already starting to go down, which means they’ll more than likely have to stop somewhere for the night, which he’d mostly expected anyway. He doubts Norma will be happy about it, though.

“Norma,” he calls softly, shaking her shoulder gently to rouse her. “Do you want to get up and walk around for a bit?”

She moans and groans over being woken up, but once he manages to get her out of the truck and her bladder emptied, she brightens up a little. “I haven’t really been off of the main highway before. It’s really pretty out here.”

Alex chuckles a little at that. They’re barely outside of the city, still in the suburbs technically. “You think this is pretty?” He smirks. She really has no idea what he has planned for her. 

Norma smiles obliviously. “Yeah! There’s so many trees.”

He laughs harder. “Oh, baby. You’re definitely gonna wanna be awake the rest of the way.” 

“Are you making fun of me?” She narrows her eyes at him, her bottom lip sticking out a little. 

Alex snakes an arm over her shoulders, pulling her against his side to kiss the top of her head. “Never.”

———

Just a few minutes on the highway later is when they really get away from civilization. Gas stations and fast food stops become scarcer and scarcer as more and more trees crowd in around them, towering up to catch the sun as it dips lower in the sky. 

“Oh my gosh, Alex, this is beautiful!” Norma chirps, staring out the passenger window at the pinks and oranges of the sunset on her side. “Have you been out here before?”

He smiles to himself. “Just a couple times,” he shrugs, not wanting to ruin his surprise for her. “Enough to know my way around.” 

“We should take Allie out here,” Norma muses, flooding his heart with warmth. “So she can see the trees.” 

He doesn’t really have the words to tell her how perfect that sounds to him, so he just hums and nods, glancing over to find her looking down at her bump like it’s even more precious than the most beautiful sunset she’s ever seen. 

“Are you gonna tell me where you’re taking me now?” She asks once the sun disappears completely behind the trees. It’s gorgeous, but every mile of road has looked exactly the same as the last one for almost half an hour, and she could swear they just took a very long-winded U-turn that makes no sense to her. 

“Nope. But we’re gonna have to stop for the night soon. There’s a town coming up in about 45 minutes that we can stay in.” He glances over at her, expecting to get chewed out for making her sleep in some creepy, dingy motel. 

“Ok,” she just yawns instead, reaching into the backseat to rifle through her pile of snacks. The sound of plastic wrappers goes on for a few seconds too long and he glances in the rearview mirror to see lots of empty bags and not much else. “I’m out,” Norma frowns. 

He bites his tongue before he can say you ate all of that already? “There’s some fruit snacks in the little pocket of my backpack,” he offers, smiling to himself when she immediately wrenches open the zipper. “And a granola bar,” he adds.

“Yech!” Norma scrunches her nose, grabbing two packs of fruit snacks and leaving the rest.

After she plows through her first bag of gummies, he grabs the other one out of her lap, holding it away from her. “You should eat the granola bar too. It’s good for you,” he nags. She looks ready to argue with him for a second, reaching out to snatch her fruit snacks back, but he pulls them away at the last second. “Eat the granola bar, Norma.” 

She groans, finally managing to yank the little plastic bag out of his hand. “Calm your pits, Alex. I’ll eat the damn granola.” 

His hand drops to her knee, squeezing lightly as he smirks, “I love you too, honey.”

Chapter Text

They pull up to little motel in Skokomish, Washington just after 9:30, Norma toddling after Alex into the office, even though he’d told her she could wait in the truck. She doesn’t like being in the middle of the dark woods at night alone. 

“Hi there!” A young woman at the counter greets them, bright hazel eyes twinkling at them as they walk up. She pushes a long, dark tress of straight hair behind her ear. “You guys need a room for the night?” 

Alex nods, pulling out his wallet as Norma flops into a chair in the lobby, watching with narrowed eyes as the lady smiles at her husband. She can’t hear what they’re saying, but she feels her heart starting to pound when the woman giggles prettily at something he’d said. A part of her is glad Alex is facing away from her; she doesn’t think she could stand it if she had to see him smiling at this annoyingly attractive receptionist.

He takes a set of two keys from the counter and walks away without looking back, but Norma’s already seen enough. When he offers her his hand to help her out of the chair, she swats it away and chooses to struggle to stand on her own. 

“What?” Alex frowns, seeing the look she’s giving him. She just rolls her eyes, crossing her arms and following him as he apprehensively leads them down to room 4. “I’m gonna get our bags,” he says suspiciously after he opens the door for her, watching as she practically stomps into the room and flings her purse into one of the chairs. 

When he returns, she’s sitting on the side of the bed, facing away from the door. He can almost feel the angry energy radiating off of her, tiptoeing through the room while he sets down their things. Finally, he crosses over to the bed, sitting tentatively on the other side and staring at the back of her head. 

“What’s this about?” He asks softly. She’s probably just tired, he tries to tell himself, but it doesn’t feel right. She’d been perfectly fine before they’d gotten out of the car. Something had to have triggered this.

“Don’t play dumb,” she spits over her shoulder. 

Alex raises his eyebrows, eyes bulging a bit. “Play dumb about what? Norma, I really don’t know, will you just tell me so I can fix it?” 

Norma sighs heavily, dropping her head into her hands. “That woman was gorgeous, Alex.”

He freezes, scowling in confusion. “Uh… okay? I mean, I guess…” he mumbles, trying to remember what she’d even looked like. “I didn’t even really look at her.”

She tosses her head over her shoulder to glower at him, and she looks like she might be crying, but he can’t tell in the dim light. “Don’t lie to me. I was sitting right there.” 

“For what, Norma? I asked for a room and she handed me the key, I don’t know what else-”

“Stop, Alex!” She gasps harshly. “She was flirting with you. I’m not blind.” 

His frown only deepens as he peers at her, trying to figure out if she’s just messing with him. She stares down at the bed, her side profile cast in yellow lamplight, and he can see from her body language that she’s not kidding in the slightest. Reaching out to hold the back of her arm, he closes his eyes and takes a deep, steadying breath. 

“I didn’t notice that, but I’m not trying to say it didn’t happen, because I honestly don’t know. I wasn’t even thinking about her, Norma, I swear. I walked in that room with my perfect, pregnant wife, and all I cared about was finding you a bed to sleep on. I promise.” 

His wife shakes her head, still not looking up at him. “She was… she was a giggly supermodel, and I’m just…” she trails off for a second, and Alex swears if he hears the word whale from her mouth one more time, he’s going to scream. “A big, hormonal-” 

“Stop.” He holds her arm tighter, shuffling across the bed to take her chin between his fingers, tipping her face up to make her look at him. “You are my wife. You’re carrying my child, and you’re everything to me. I don’t care if I’m in a room full of supermodels, I’m choosing you. Always. Because you’re Norma, and I’m never going to think anyone else on the planet is as gorgeous and perfect as my wife.” 

Norma sniffles, looking up at him with shining blue eyes. He takes her cheeks in his hands, running his thumbs under her eyes to clear her tears away. 

“I only have eyes for one motel owner,” he promises. “Everyone else is just… like, a man with boobs.” 

He watches her lose her fight against her own humor, the smile creeping across her face as she squints her eyes closed tightly. “What?!” She chokes through her strangled laughter. “What does that even mean?” 

Alex smiles, catching a tear he hopes is from laughter and not sadness with his finger. “It means… It means that I find every woman who’s not you about as attractive as I find the most attractive man on Earth, which is not at all.” 

She manages to quell her giggles enough to look at him inquisitively. “Not even, like… Brad Pitt?” 

He laughs. “Nope.” 

“Chris Hemsworth?” 

“Okay, you’re starting to hurt my feelings…”

Norma bursts into giggles again. “Fine, so you’re saying if… if Megan Fox walked up and offered to marry you, you wouldn’t leave me for her?” She pushes. 

“No, Norma, I wouldn’t,” he chuckles. 

“Not even Natalie Portman? Or Jennifer Anniston?” 

Alex rolls his eyes and sighs loudly. “Ok, how about this? If scientists genetically engineered the most perfectly attractive woman to ever exist, I would still pick you over her.”

She scoffs. “Alex, I already said Megan Fox…” 

“That’s it- come ‘ere,’ Alex grunts, wrapping his arms around her hips to haul her back onto the bed, both of them smiling at her screeching giggle. He manages to pin her down well enough, holding her arms down at either side of her head and pushing back the flash of panic that he might scare her, remembering that she’d asked him to push her boundaries a little. 

She only giggles up at him, playfully pulling against his grip, though she could get away easily if she used any real strength. He leans down over her, ducking his head to kiss her, so slow and deep that it takes her by surprise, the excited smile fading from her face as she kisses him back, her heart starting to pound for an entirely different reason than before. 

When he pulls back, he takes one of her hands, holding it up so she can press her hand into his chest, where she feels his pulse beating faster as well. He looks down at her, staring at those blue eyes as they pierce right through his chest to see her name carved into his heart. 

“I’m yours,” he vows, his voice barely a whisper. “Always. Forever. It’s just you, Norma. Only you.”

He picks her hand up from his chest to kiss the center of her palm, pressing the side of his face against her soft skin. He feels the delicate bones of her forearm under his hands, the little bump sticking out from her wrist where she’d told him an old break had never healed properly. How could anyone break something so perfect, so fragile? It makes him sick to imagine holding her firmly enough to feel her bones in his grip, let alone break them. She’s too precious for that. 

“I love you,” he mumbles into her wrist, kissing the smooth skin where he can feel her pulse under his lips. She gazes up at him, her fingers stroking his cheek. “Only you.” 

———

The next morning, they sleep in later than they have in a long time, Norma flopping over to check the time well past 10:00 am and deciding to stay in bed a little longer anyway. She flings a hand in Alex’s direction, finding him just on the edge of sleep next to her. 

“What are we doing today?” She murmurs, rolling over as far as she can to her other side so she can face him. He grabs her hand, blinking sleep out of his eyes slowly. 

“Not a lot. We can go whenever you’re ready.” 

“More driving?” She surmises, deciding she definitely wants to lay down a while longer if that’s the case. 

Alex smiles sleepily at her. “Yeah, ‘s a lot of driving, but it’s worth it. Promise.” 

“We’ll go in a minute,” she mumbles, reaching for him more insistently. “Can you rub my back?”

He lets out a heavy breath, lifting his head to look for his bag with the lotion he brought. “You want a massage?”

“No, no, just… just a back rub.” She stops him before he can get up from their cocoon, pulling him closer to her by his arm. 

“Okay,” he quickly turns on his side to face her, watching her flip her unwieldy body over so he can lift the back of her shirt up under the covers. “This good?” He whispers, beginning to run his hand soothingly over her spine. 

“Mm-hmm,” she hums, her body melting into the bed at his touch. He draws random shapes and letters over her back until she’s on the edge of falling asleep again, knowing better than to stop without permission regardless. “Thank you,” she finally whispers, letting him press in gently behind her, one leg dropping between hers for support and his arms winding around her torso. 

“Sleep a little longer,” he instructs softly into her hair. “Then we’ll go.”

———

They spend the day driving through Olympic National Park, tall evergreens and even taller mountains towering above them as they wind through the forest. Gorgeous creeks, rocks, and flowers make every second of the drive worth it for Norma, even though she almost dies with how sparse the bathroom stops are along the way.  

They end up making it through most of the park by the early evening, even with Norma insisting they pull over constantly so she can take pictures and give Alex multiple heart attacks by climbing on things. Driving by the water is her favorite part, but that only lasts for about 45 minutes after they start to head back inland. All of the National Geographic-worthy pictures on her phone fade from her mind as she looks around at the increasingly familiar trees they’re passing through.

“Have we been here before?” She looks over at Alex, hating his perfect poker face as he shrugs. “I feel like I’ve seen this.” Hardly a few moments later, they pass over a bridge that she knows she’s seen before. But where? 

“Check out that sign,” Alex points out cryptically, unable to hold back his smile anymore as he waits to get close enough for her to read it. 

THE CITY OF FORKS WELCOMES YOU

“Wait. Oh my God! Alex!” Norma shrieks, whipping her head around to watch the sign pass. “Is this really…?” 

He nods, slowing down enough that he can watch her reaction from the corner of his eye. “It really is.” 

“This is- This is the Twilight town! We’re in Twilight right now!” She marvels, looking around at all of the regular-looking buildings like they’re the most amazing things in the world. “Ohmygod, Leah’s gonna freak.” 

Norma had accidentally let it slip to her assistant that she’d never seen or even heard of the movies, which led to five consecutive movie nights after the girl insisted that she had to watch them, ‘for the culture.’ Unfortunately for Alex, she’d been hooked, and he still has a few fading bite marks from her (strangely sharp?) teeth to prove it. 

“We can grab dinner here and then it’s about another hour to where we’re staying. I read you can get the best burger of your life down the road,” he suggests, knowing she’s barely listening. 

“Burger sounds good,” Norma hums back, still staring out the window, somehow more enamored than she had been a few hours ago in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The town is just as small as they’d made it out to be in the movie, so all too soon they pull into the parking lot of a little restaurant with a green roof. 

As it turns out, Alex was right about the burger. It’s absolutely giant, and greasy, and it comes with a set of plastic vampire teeth in a baggie, which he snatches away before she can even think about biting him (because they both know she wouldn’t hesitate). 

Finally, after taking a long tour through the town so Norma could see every inch of it, they leave Forks and head down a narrow, winding road crowded with trees taller than buildings. She drifts in and out of sleep the entire way, the heavy weight of the burger in her stomach making her drowsy and the calm monotony of the road lulling her to jump from dream to dream. 

“We’re almost there,” Alex announces softly when he notices her eyes peeking open, her head propped up on a pillow she’d smushed against the passenger window. 

“Where is ‘there’ exactly?” She mumbles, glancing at the thick forest on both sides of them, the barely paved road stretching for miles ahead. There can’t possibly be any towns nearby, so where the hell are they going?

He adjusts his grip on the steering wheel, deciding there’s not much point in keeping it a secret any longer. “There’s a cabin out in the woods a couple miles up the road. My granddad built it.” 

“You have a cabin and you never told me?” Norma gasps, exaggerating her offense. 

“I mean, it’s really nothin’ special. No one knows about it but my family,” he shrugs, not missing how she preens a little at being a part of his family. “Pretty sure my granddad still spends summers out here, so it should be clean enough. I haven’t seen it since I was a teenager.”

Her cold hand rests gently on his leg, halting his nervous rambling before he can work himself up too much. “It sounds perfect. I can’t wait to see it.”

Alex smiles softly at her before making a sudden turn down a gravel trail, the truck bumping and shaking with every uneven rock they pass over. She stares around at the thick woods, the setting sun just barely peeking out over the canopy of trees. If she thought the last road was remote, this one is downright undiscovered. 

“Shit,” he grumbles, stopping the truck in front of a large tree that must have fallen onto the path. His eyes flick to her uncertainly, fingers tapping on the steering wheel in frustration. “We’re gonna have to walk the rest of the way.”

“Walk? ” Norma gulps, looking down at herself and then at the forest, which looks a lot darker and scarier than it had a few seconds ago. “Can’t you just… move it?”

Alex scoffs. “It’s a thousand-pound tree, Norma.” At her heavy sigh, he grabs her hand from out of her lap. “Look, it’s not that far. If you can’t make it, I’ll carry you, ‘kay?” 

She looks apprehensive for a few seconds, but finally huffs and nods. He helps her carefully out of the truck, grabbing as much of their stuff as he can carry but ultimately deciding he’ll need to make two trips. 

“I can carry some things,” Norma offers, but he shakes his head. 

“You’re carrying the baby. That’s plenty.” 

She rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue, following him closely as he leads them down the trail. It takes an embarrassingly long time for her to maneuver precariously over the fallen tree, but eventually she makes it, falling into step right next to Alex and wishing he wasn’t carrying so much so she could grab his arm. 

“Keep your eyes where you’re walking. You don’t wanna step on anybody,” he instructs gently, completely missing how quickly the blood drains from her face. 

“What the hell does that mean?” She squeaks, picking up her pace to walk closer to him. “Are there snakes out here?” 

“Nothin’ that’ll bite you,” he assures her, which does not make her feel better in the slightest. “It’s just a little longer in this direction.” 

“How old is this place?” Norma frowns, looking at the plants already growing into the worn tire tracks of the path. “I thought you said your granddad came out here all the time.” 

“He does, far as I know,” Alex shrugs. “I dunno how long that tree’s been back there. A while, by the looks of it. Guess he’s just been walking.” 

She gasps softly next to him and he looks up from where he’s stepping to follow her gaze. “Is that it?” 

“Yep,” he smiles to himself. “Looks just like I remember it.”

Norma scoffs. “You said it was nothing special! That’s gorgeous!” 

Alex smiles sheepishly, hitching her overstuffed duffle bag higher up on his shoulder as they approach the little two-story log cabin shrouded in evergreens. Concern settles low in his gut as he notices the overgrown ivy in the hanging pots on the porch, the bright bushes in the front flowerbeds taking over half the front lawn. 

“It’s definitely been a few months since anyone’s been out here,” he observes, smiling softly at his oblivious wife staring at the house like it’s the most beautiful building she’s ever seen. He carefully helps her up the porch steps, making sure she doesn’t step on any of the leaves draping over the stairs before dropping their bags by the front door. “Yep,” he smirks, digging the key out of the long-dead pot of flowers on the ground. “Same as always.”

When he pushes open the creaky door, his stomach drops a little. The place looks exactly how he’d remembered it, the cozy living room, dining room, and kitchen area nestled in the central common room, with a door leading into the second bedroom and the slim upstairs balcony giving way to the master. Only, when he looks closer, everything in the house is covered in a thick layer of dust. A plume of white spreads out from the wind of him opening the door, catching the warm light as he flicks nervously at the switch on the wall. 

“Yeah…” he sighs, looking around at the house, clearly untouched for years. “Looks like granddad’s dead.”

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Norma frowns, grabbing her husband’s arm as he finally drops onto the couch next to her. It’s been a very long hour since they arrived, and she hasn’t had a single chance to speak to him in the frenzy of cleaning he’d sprung into. 

The first thing he’d done was instruct her to stay here in his cop voice as he did a sweep of the house, something that made very little sense to her. He hadn’t exactly been sure how to explain that his grandfather had been quite the hermit, and there was a decent chance he could’ve died in the house and no one would have known until now. Thankfully though, the place is empty, so his next move had been to pull out the old vacuum, a stack of cloths, and a bucket. 

After a lot of bickering, Norma had finally convinced him to let her help with the clean-up, practically ripping the vacuum out of his hands as he got to work cleaning the dust from every surface he could reach with a wet cloth. Finally, after clearing away far more cobwebs than he would ever care to tell Norma about, he’d collapsed on the couch, satisfied that the place looked liveable-enough. 

“I’m fine, really,” he promises, squeezing her hand with his exhausted fingers. “The guy was an asshole.” 

She lets out a short breath through her nose. “An asshole that knew how to build a hell of a house, I guess.” 

“Yeah…” he trails off, looking around slowly, and she sees the memories flashing through his eyes. He shakes his head, squeezing her hand again and standing up suddenly. “Let me give you a tour.” 

The place is absolutely gorgeous and clearly built to last. The guest bedroom has two twin beds and its own full bathroom, while the master has an enormous Wyoming king bed, a full washer and dryer in the closet, and a fully functional stone fireplace. The electricity, heating, and water all still work perfectly, though the kitchen is completely empty save for some canned foods and a box of Twinkies. 

Finally, Norma flops onto the bed in the upstairs bedroom, happily surprised with how comfortable it is. “This place is beautiful, Alex. Thank you for taking me here,” she beams, reaching one hand out to beckon him onto the bed with her. 

“Sorry again about all the dust,” he mumbles, flipping around to sit next to her at the foot of the bed. She doesn’t acknowledge his comment, just grabbing his face and pulling him into a searing kiss that takes him more than a little by surprise. After a second of shock, he leans forward, running one hand from the inside of her knee to the top of her thigh, both of them moaning softly into the kiss. 

“You doin’ all this stuff for me…” Norma whispers against his lips, not even able to finish her sentence before she needs to kiss him again. Her hand covers his on her thigh, dragging it higher under the fabric of her flowy dress, until his finger is barely an inch from the heat of her panties. “Makes me so…” another kiss, “incredibly,” kiss, “horny.” 

Even knowing what she was about to say, nothing could have prepared him for hearing the words actually come out of her mouth. He groans into her mouth, his fingers pressing against the skin of her thigh harder as one of her hands trails over his chest. 

“Are we really gonna do this in your dead granddad’s bed?” She says breathlessly, glancing over at the head of the bed, clearly made by a man judging by the two singular pillows. 

Alex pulls back like he’d forgotten where they were, following her gaze slowly. “You’re right. I’m gonna wash the sheets.” 

“Good idea.” She nods curtly, trying to hold in her laugh at the decidedly un-funny situation, heaving herself back onto her feet so he can strip the sheets off the bed. 

“You know there’s a jacuzzi downstairs on the back porch,” Alex starts suggestively, looking her up and down while he pulls the fitted sheet off of the bed corners. “We could go down there while these are washing.” 

“I didn’t bring a bathing suit,” she frowns, her eyes following him as he carries the giant mound of bedding over to the washer. 

He smirks, not a hint of the excitement leaving his eyes. “So we’ll skinny dip.”

“Alex!” Norma squeaks. “No! Oh my God, what if someone sees?” 

He rolls his eyes. “No one’s around for miles. No one even knows this place exists.”

“B-but didn’t you say there were animals out there?” 

“Well, it’s the middle of the woods, Norma,” he chuckles. “God forbid a bear sees your naked ass.” 

“There’s bears?!”

———

Alex ends up deciding to pull out his last surprise for her to waste some time before they can get comfortable. After a hefty pep talk and promises that she’ll like what he has planned, he manages to convince her to walk through the dark back out to the truck with him. She grips his arm for dear life the entire time, jumping at every tiny sound or twig on the ground. 

His hands are free enough to help her climb over the fallen tree this time, tossing the bag of supplies he’s brought into the backseat before holding her hand so she can jump into the passenger’s side.

“Jesus. I told you the damn truck was too high,” she mutters under her breath. She’d barely been able to climb up into it before she was heavily pregnant, so now she has no chance without his help. 

Alex chooses not to say anything in response to her dig, climbing into the driver’s side silently to reverse down the narrow gravel road. 

“Alex!” Norma gasps when he turns about a hundred feet back, heading off the trail into a somewhat cleared path in the woods. “This is not a road!”

“I know where I’m going,” he assures her, slowing down a little for the sake of her sanity. The truck rumbles and bumps over uneven dirt, rocks, and logs, Norma gripping the car door so tightly that her knuckles turn white. 

“This is some real serial killer shit,” she grumbles, earning an eye roll and a badly-disguised chuckle from the other side of the car. 

Finally, they emerge in a little flat clearing, dotted with stacks of firewood and a few old tree stumps around the edges. Alex parks in the middle of it, turning the headlights off and starting to climb out of the truck.

“Alex…” Norma starts, her grip on the door not loosened even a little bit. “It’s really dark.” 

He crosses around to her door, opening it slowly and giving her his hand to squeeze instead. “It’s okay,” he promises. “The noise of the truck would’ve scared off any critters. I won’t let ‘em getcha.” 

She seems to feel a little better once he turns the flashlight of his phone on, helping her down carefully and leading her over to the nearest stump.

“Where are you going?” She gasps when he starts to extract himself from her grip.

He pats both her arms, guiding her to gently sit on top of the stump. “Just wait here for a minute, ‘kay? I gotta set up the surprise.”

She won’t let go of him. “Alex, no, it’s dark! Can I please just help you?” He’d never thought his wife was afraid of the dark, but now it seems like she must be. Or maybe she’s more afraid of the great outdoors, he can’t tell.

He sighs. “Just come sit by the truck and hold the flashlight for me.” 

Norma springs up instantly, taking the flashlight in her slightly trembling hand to follow him back to the truck. She doesn’t want to get her dress dirty sitting on the ground, so she stands a few feet out of the way and holds the light up like he’d asked. 

There are too many noises outside. It sounds like there are a million owls hooting every few seconds, and billions of crickets (or are they cicadas? She doesn’t know the difference) chirping all around them. She swears she hears twigs snapping and leaves rustling from the woods beyond, and she can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched.

Yes, she’d liked taking all those pictures this morning, but that didn’t mean she actually wanted to go into the woods. 

“Okay, ready,” Alex calls, drawing her attention back to the truck she’s almost forgotten was even there. He jumps down out of the truckbed and waves her over, smiling reassuringly as she shuffles through the grass toward him. 

In the light of the flashlight, she can see what he’d been setting up. The bed of the truck is stuffed with every blanket they’d packed and all of the ones he’d found in the cabin, a couple of pillows set out and a bag of her favorite chips nestled between them. She looks over at her husband, seeing him grinning proudly, a shocked smile spreading over her face.

“You took me out into the woods to have sex in your truck?”

Alex’s face drops. “What? Wait-“ he looks over at the makeshift bed, realization dawning on his face that that’s exactly what it looks like. “No, I… I thought we could just like… sit back there. I mean-“ 

She cuts off his adorable stammering by holding her hand out, silently asking him to give her a lift into the mound of blankets. Sex is great, but if he just wants to just cuddle and feed her her favorite chips all night, she’s not going to complain about that either. 

Relief graces his face as she smiles at him, holding onto his shoulders so he can lift her up to sit on the edge of the bed. She scoots awkwardly back until she finds a comfortable spot, Alex climbing in after her and lifting up the top blanket for them.

“This is s’posed to be one of the best places in the country to look at the stars,” he explains softly, sitting back so he can look up at the sky through the empty space in the trees. “Because of… like, light pollution and stuff. You can see ‘em better where it’s darker.” He trails off a little at the end, looking sheepishly over at her after remembering how afraid of the darkness she’d been.

She doesn’t even seem to notice, her gaze transfixed on the millions of tiny dots in the sky, the long line of colorful dust streaking across it. He watches her for a second, letting himself sit in awe of the starlit beauty of her profile, before he lays down completely on his back, staring up at the sky with her.

“What is all that?” Norma asks, pointing up at the streak of color she’s never seen in the sky before.

Alex stares at it for a moment. “I’m not really sure. I… think it’s the Milky Way.” 

“But we’re in the Milky Way,” she frowns, her hands folded together at the top of her bump. 

“Well, yeah, but we’re… somewhere on the edge. I think that’s like, the rest of it,” he explains, tilting his head to look at it straight on and imagine the millions of worlds in his view. 

Norma scooches closer to him, laying one arm over his chest and curling the other on top of his shoulder. “Woah,” she murmurs, laying her head against his arm and staring at the sky like it’s the first time she’s ever looked at it. “It’s really pretty.” 

Alex tilts his head down to look at her laying on him, the fingers of one hand stroking through her hair. “You’re really pretty,” he says back, watching the blushing smile spread over her face. 

“That was cheap!” She giggles.

He grins back. “But you loved it.” 

She rolls her eyes even though they both know he’s right, biting her lip a little as her eyes trail back to the expanse of space above her. 

“Do you know any of the constellations and stuff?” She whispers, her soft hair tickling his cheek with every slight movement. 

Alex rakes his eyes around for a few moments, trying to find something that looks familiar. “I… I used to,” he says quietly, a touch of sadness leaking into his voice. “I don’t really remember now.” 

“That’s okay,” Norma chirps. “I don’t either. We can just… make them up.” 

He chuckles. “Make them up?”

“Yeah, look, those ones look like a… a spider,” she points up at a spot in the sky that he can’t follow, but he pretends to anyway. 

“I don’t know where it is, but there’s one called Cassiopeia,” Alex rumbles. “That was my mom’s favorite.” 

“That sounds really pretty,” she hums, her fingers creeping to stroke the hair on the back of his head as if she can feel the memories washing over him. “I’m glad you took me out here.” 

Neither of them is sure how long they spend laying in the bed of his truck staring at the stars. It seems like every time they look, they see something new and interesting, and Norma comes up with quite a few new constellations that she’s very proud of. Eventually, they run through over half the bag of chips and he can tell she’s about to fall asleep on him, so they decide to begrudgingly head back to the cabin, with the promise that they would return someday soon. 

———

“You wanna shower first?” Alex offers while he tosses the sheets into the dryer. 

Norma frowns. “You don’t wanna do it together?” 

He looks over his shoulder briefly, doing a double take when he sees the confused disappointment on her face. “The shower in this bathroom is really tiny,” He explains gently, watching at least her confusion melt into relief. “Barely fits one person, let alone two and a half.” 

She snorts and giggles, her disillusionment fading for the time being. “Okay, fine. The ‘half’ and I will squeeze in first, I guess.” 

Once they’re both showered, they work in tandem to put the freshly dried sheets back on the bed (since Alex still hasn’t figured out how to put on a fitted sheet by himself) and Norma climbs under them before he can even bring the thick, fluffy blanket over to lay on top. 

“Oh my god, Alex, get in here!” She marvels, and he can see her legs swinging back and forth under the sheets as she smiles. “I feel like a human Pop Tart!”

Alex chuckles, laying the blanket carefully over the bed before obliging her request, slipping under the warm sheets to join her. “Yeah, that’s nice,” he agrees, splaying his limbs out in the massive bed. 

She drops her head to the side to look over at him. “Why have we never done this?”

“I dunno. An oversight on our part,” he smirks, shuffling across the bed to get closer to her. She takes a few seconds to struggle over on her side facing him, a bright smile spreading slowly across her face as he does the same. 

“I love this place,” she says for the hundredth time. “I can’t wait to bring the kids up here all the time.”

Alex’s eyebrows raise, but she doesn’t seem to have noticed what she said. “Kids?” He asks, a smirk growing on his face as her eyes bulge a little once she realizes. 

She fumbles for a second. “Yeah… yeah, kids. Allie and Kate.”

“Right…” he says slowly, his eyes glinting with humor at how awful she is at lying. She bites her lip, her eyes silently imploring him not to tease her about it. His smile softens as he runs a hand softly over the curve of her arm. “That is something we should talk about, though,” he adds tentatively. 

“What is?”

“More.”

“More… kids?” Norma stares at him, wide blue eyes filled to the brim with some mixture of surprise and apprehension. At his nod, she swallows, her fingers starting their familiar nervous dance between them. “Do you want more?” 

Alex beams, tucking a thick chunk of blonde hair behind her ear. “Norma, I would put a million babies in you, just so you could be pregnant like this forever.”

Her nose scrunches up. “Oh, God, no. Nine months is enough,” she giggles. 

His face drops a little. “So… is that a no?” He presumes, eyes trailing over her face, hoping she’s just joking. 

Norma sighs, smiling sadly at him. “I would love nothing more than to have seven tiny Romeros running around our house,” she says sincerely. 

Alex’s smile has faded completely now, his eyes reluctant to meet hers at all. “I sense a ‘but’ coming.”

At the pure, disappointed sadness in his expression, she reaches out, forcing his gaze back up to her. “Alex…” she frowns, wishing her heart would stop cracking open in her chest. “We have to be realistic.” 

“What’s unrealistic about another baby?” He presses, that stubborn, never-take-no-for-an-answer quality to his voice that reminds her of when they first met. 

“I mean… lots of things. I’m not getting any younger, so, really, we only have like 10 years at the most that I could even have a baby safely. And we still don’t know how this one’s going to go, if something goes wrong with the birth, or-”

“Don’t say that,” Alex interjects, his eyebrows knit together tightly. 

“But it’s the truth, Alex. We have no idea what’s going to happen or what the future will look like. And even if we did, you know we don’t have the space for another baby.” His gaze falls to the bed beneath them, a soft breath puffing from his nose, knowing she’s right. “We can’t make Allie share a room with a newborn. And I love our bakery. I don’t want to move.”

“I don’t wanna move either,” he admits hesitantly. 

She adjusts her grip on his face, bringing is eyes back to her. The helpless sorrow in his eyes overwhelms her with the urge to cry, wishing she could drown in the deep chocolate staring back to her, begging for things to magically be different. “Maybe, in a couple years, if we still want more… we can rethink. But right now…” she drops one of her hands to find his, pressing both of their palms against her bump gently. “She’s it.”

He takes a deep breath, silent for a few seconds before he speaks. “She’s enough,” he promises, pressing his hand more firmly against her. “Both of you are… more than enough. You always will be.”

Norma smiles, dipping her head forward to seal his vow with a kiss, wondering if any moment will ever be as perfect as this one is. He kisses her back for a little while, both of them waiting for the other to make the first move to push things farther, but neither does. 

“You wanna just go to sleep?” She whispers like they’re kids at a sleepover, fighting against her disappointment at wasting the warm, fresh sheets. 

Alex smiles, always charmed when she reads his mind. “I’m completely wiped,” he admits. 

Norma giggles. “Me too.” 

Morning sex. She decides, shuffling down the bed to get more comfortable as Alex turns off the lights and closes the curtains. His body heat returns a few seconds later and she hums happily, reaching one leg out to press her foot against his calf, wanting to still be touching him even as they take advantage of the giant bed. 

He barely contains his flinch at her icy skin touching his. How can her feet still be so cold? He knows better than to move, though, just smiling to himself in the dark. “G’night,” he mumbles, finally letting himself melt into the impossibly soft mattress. 

“Hey Alex?” Norma whispers, dragging him out of what he knows is about to be the best sleep of his life. 

“Hmm?”

“D’you think those Twinkies are still good?”

———

Alex wakes slowly the next morning, convinced for a few minutes that he’s still dreaming. The bed under him is so soft, the sheets still warm from their body heat, that he could swear he’s sleeping on a cloud. The memories of the day before resurface slowly, bits and pieces of one of the best days of his life materializing and fading away in his mind. 

Everything had been so perfect. How could it have been real? The gorgeous mountains, trees, and lakes, the pure joy on his wife’s face, the way she’d glown so beautifully in the moonlight… it all seems too good to be true. He spends a few moments laying there and refusing to open his eyes, savoring the memories in case they disappear, forgotten along with every other dream his brain has conjured up. Just in case it was all a dream, and he’s about to open his eyes back in his empty house in White Pine Bay. 

Finally, he forces his eyelids apart, warm relief washing over him at the sight of a mess of blonde curls strewn across the pillow next to him. Norma’s still dead asleep, her lips hanging open to let the tiniest snores fall out with each slow breath she takes. 

Alex sits up carefully, making sure not to wake her. He draws his legs up toward his chest, watching her sleep with every ounce of love and affection that’s ever existed in his body. It feels like a miracle, that he’s ended up here. With the most perfect angel of a woman he’s ever met sleeping next to him, wearing his ring on her finger, his baby growing inside her. If it is all a dream, he hopes he never wakes up. 

The mid-April air in the cabin is cold without the blankets over him, and he feels goosebumps rising on his skin that have nothing to do with his meticulous adoration. He reaches for the sheets, pulling them up over his knees and running his hands down his legs to build friction. His fingers freeze as they pass over a single, tiny bump just below the bone of his ankle. 

An ant bite.  

Chapter Text

It’s already been a long first day back when Norma realizes that she’s managed to run out of eggs without their weekly Sunday restock. She can’t really bake anything without them, and it’s only about half an hour before they would normally close anyway, so she begrudgingly heads out to the front door to flip the sign to closed. 

It’s just her luck though that right as she’s about to reach for the sign, she sees a car parked outside and two women walking up. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she pokes her head through the door. 

“Hi, ladies!” She smiles warmly. “I have some bad news…”

“Oh, no, are we too late?” The one with short grey hair sighs. 

The other woman, who seems to be a few years younger, with long brunette hair streaked with white, frowns. “Gosh, I was sure we would make it.”

Norma looks between them for a second, the bright smile fading from her face a little at the disappointment in their expressions. She’s never seen them before, which means they’re probably from out of town… someone must have mentioned her to them. The thought makes her heart flutter a little, and she can’t stand to turn them away. 

“Well, I… I was just about to close because we ran out of eggs, but… Go ahead and come in. I just won’t be able to make anything fresh, if that’s okay?” She opens the door for them, glancing over her shoulder at her husband out in the yard. It’s been a very slow Tuesday, so they’d sent Leah home about an hour ago and Alex had gone out to clean up and pull some weeds, leaving Norma to busy herself and wait in case a customer came in. 

The ladies look at each other and then back to her. “Oh, are-are you sure? We can come back-” 

“No, no, it’s really no trouble!” Norma lies with a smile. That seems enough to convince them, and she holds the door just long enough for one of them to grab it before shuffling her very pregnant body out of the way to let them in. “I can do coffee or any of our display items, and I also have a fresh pie in the back that used up my last egg, I guess.” She chuckles, slowly but surely waddling over to the register. 

“Oooh, what kind of pie?” The brunette chirps. 

“It’s a… special recipe. That’s, uh, code for I just made it up.” Norma grins. “It’s got a few kinds of berries and some… lemon, peaches, and… some honey, I think. Just a little bit’a everything. It’s my husband’s favorite.”  

“Sounds like we might just have to try it!” The other lady raises her eyebrows.

They both order one slice, and she quickly rings them up, hurrying once she realizes that the sooner they get their pie, the sooner she can sit down. She brings them their ‘Little Bit’a Everything’ pie with a cup of coffee each, carefully setting both plates and mugs down on the little wooden table. 

“Here you ladies are,” she announces cheerily, inconspicuously wiping a stray crumb off the table and reminding herself to give Alex grief about paying more attention when cleaning later. 

They both thank her softly before the older woman looks up at her. “Gosh, you must be about ready to pop!” 

Norma giggles, holding her bump between her hands and looking down at it like she can’t believe it’s there. “I know, right? I still have another month before I’m due.” 

“Please, sit down. My goodness, you must be exhausted,” the brunette gestures to the open seat at the table. Norma doesn’t have to be told twice, collapsing heavily into the chair with a breath of relief. 

She learns that the grey-haired woman is named Clara and the brunette is Evelyn, and they’re visiting from the other side of Seattle to watch Clara’s daughter in a show at the local theater. They’ve been best friends for nearly 30 years, which blows Norma’s mind. She doesn’t think she’s ever had someone in her life for that long, now she thinks about it. 

“So, do you know what you’re having?” Evelyn asks, dumping another packet of sugar into her already more-beige-than-brown coffee. 

Norma’s eyes crinkle with her smile. “A little girl. Yeah.” 

“Is she your first?” Clara asks while slicing off a piece of her pie. 

“Uhm, no, I have two sons, but they’re all grown up now. I haven’t been pregnant in, gosh, two decades?” She blows out, feeling the sting hit her that Norman will turn 20 without her this year. She shakes her head, not wanting to let herself think about it too much. “It’s my husband’s first, though.” 

“Oh, that’s exciting!” They both smile and Norma glances through the window at Alex knelt down in the grass, plucking out dandelions even though she finds them adorable. 

“They’re weeds, Norma” she hears him saying in her head. But they’re pretty weeds!

She clears her throat and rights her smile, remembering that they’d been having a conversation. “Yeah, he’s really excited to be a dad. Which is, like, shocking considering who he was when I met him.” 

Both ladies chuckle at that. “My husband was the same way. I never expected him to be a good father, but he shaped up,” Evelyn nods. 

Norma smiles. “Alex was Sheriff of our old town when we met. And, God, he was grumpy!” She giggles, the image of her husband with that awful buzzcut glaring at her from her front porch bringing a soft flush to her cheeks. “I mean, he spent the first month of knowing me trying to throw me in jail. And then he did. Asshole.” 

The two friends laugh a little harder than she expected at that, which she doesn’t understand until she feels a familiar, heavy hand on her shoulder. 

“Who’s an asshole?” Alex’s voice rumbles into her ear as he kisses her cheek with his sweaty face. 

Norma scrunches her nose, relieved at least that he only seemed to hear the last part of her story. “You,” she trills sweetly. He frowns in exaggerated offense. “I was telling them about the time you threw me in the slammer,” she explains. 

Alex scoffs. “Why that? Can’t you tell ‘em a good story about me?” 

She pouts. “That’s no fun!” Alex just rolls his eyes, pretending to be upset as she reaches up to pat his cheek. “You were so mean to me when we first met.”

He holds her cheeks in his hands, tilting her face up so he can kiss the top of her forehead, mumbling, “and you will never let me forget it.” 

She giggles evilly. “Mm-hmm! But it’s okay, now. I’ve domesticated you.” 

They all chuckle at that. “How long have you two been married?” Clara asks warmly, wrinkled fingers playing idly with her own wedding ring. 

“A little over two years,” Norma answers, looking back down at their guests but not letting go of her husband. 

The woman smiles. “Mmh. And were you together long before that?” At both of their squirming reactions, she adds, “I only ask because you seem so close. I would think you’d been together forever.” 

Alex finally manages to speak up, since Norma seems to be tongue-tied. “It was… complicated between us for a while,” he shrugs. 

His wife nods along. “We, um… well, it was like… like we weren’t at all together, and then all the sudden… we were.” She beams up at him and he can’t help but smile back, remembering how she’d said the same thing to him after their first night together. Back then, he couldn’t imagine being more in love with her than he already was. 

God, was he wrong. 

—---

After the two ladies finish their pie and leave, with the promise to come back anytime they’re in town again, Norma decides to run to the grocery store and buy some eggs to get them through the rest of the week before they restock on Sunday. Alex hasn’t let her walk down the stairs since she stopped being able to see her own feet, so he helps her down carefully on her way.

“You sure you don’t want me to drive you? I’ll even let you play country music,” he offers, holding her hand to help her off the last step. 

“It’s fine, Alex. I can get a dozen eggs on my own,” she gripes, dropping his hand to waddle toward the front door. 

He sighs. “Alright, alright. Just be safe.” 

“I will,” she promises, turning around to peck his lips over her shoulder. “Love you.”

“Love you too. Text me when you’re back and I’ll come help you.”

She rolls her eyes to herself but doesn’t protest. If he wants to come all the way down to carry a single carton of eggs inside for her, she’s not going to stop him. 

Once he gets upstairs, Alex realizes he doesn’t actually have anything to do while she’s gone. He can’t watch TV because Norma would kill him if he watched any of their shows without her, he can’t do much cleaning because she keeps the place practically spotless at all times anyway, and he’s already done all of the yard work for the day. 

He wonders for a second if this is the last chance he’ll get to be home alone for a long time. Once the baby comes, she won’t really be going anywhere for a while, at least not without either of them. Their house may never be this clean again after she’s born, though he trusts Norma will still insist on having at least some amount of order. 

He takes the chance to get a good look at it all, while it still looks like two adults live there. Soon, there’ll be toys all over the floor, a high chair at the table, covers on every electrical outlet, childproof latches on every cabinet, footstools in front of every sink… and he can’t wait. 

Alex can’t stop his mind from wandering while he draws out his shower to waste as much time as possible. Before he knows it, his life isn’t going to be his own anymore. He’ll be changing diapers and reading bedtime stories instead of staying up all night watching awful reality TV shows or having sex marathons with Norma. He’ll have a little life in his hands, to shape and grow as best he can. 

It dawns on him that he really has no clue what he’s getting into.

After a while, he finds himself in the nursery, in the rocking chair that Norma’s already fallen in love with. Everything looks perfectly staged, like a movie set or a Pinterest photo. Not like a real-life baby’s room. No one has ever slept in the crib, or worn any of the clothes in the closet, or played with any of the toys in their little bins. It’s strange to imagine how things will change when their little ball of chaos comes into the world. 

At the feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket, he jumps out of his thoughts, pulling it out to see an incoming call from his wife. When he glances at the time, he feels his stomach drop. It’s been over half an hour. Even with long lines and traffic, she should’ve been home by now. 

Convincing himself she’s just calling to tell him she’s home, he answers the phone. “Hey, honey,” he greets, keeping his tone chipper. 

“Hi. What are you doing?” Norma responds, and even though she tries to hide it, he can hear the shake in her voice. He stands up. 

“Nothing. What’s going on?” He tries to stay calm, but his heart is pounding in his chest. Something’s wrong. He can feel it.  

She takes a slow, steadying breath that she thinks he can’t hear. “Alex, please don’t overreact, but… do you think you can come pick me up?”

“Why? What happened? Are you in labor?” Alex chokes, feeling his throat starting to close with panic even as he rushes out of the room to grab his keys. 

“No, no, I’m not in labor,” Norma breathes, listening to him sigh heavily with relief. “I just, um… I, uh, I got… got into an accident.”

Alex swears his heart stops beating. He freezes halfway down the stairs, holding his phone closer to his ear like he can climb through it. “An accident?! Where are you? Are you okay?” 

“I’m- I’m just off the main road, by the… by that little boutique with the-the dog mannequin in the window.” Norma sounds terrified at best, and it drives him to sprint the rest of the way to his pickup truck. He knows where that store is. She always points out the dog mannequin, every single time they drive by. Was she looking at it while she was driving? Is that why she crashed?

“Norma, I’m coming. I’m on my way,” he barks, not missing the shaky little breath of relief she lets out. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” 

He can hear rustling that he assumes is her shaking her head, holding his breath as he waits for her to specify which question was a no. “I’m fine. I… I think I’m okay,” she whimpers, breaking his heart with the tears in her voice. She sniffles loudly. “I have to… the police wanna talk to me. I gotta go.”

“Wait, Norma-” Alex is met with just the dial tone as she hangs up abruptly.

Chapter Text

“The police wanna talk to me. I gotta go.”

“Wait, Norma-” 

—---

“Damn it! Fuck!” Alex shouts, throwing his phone into the passenger seat with much more force than is necessary, pressing his foot down harder on the gas pedal. 

It’s two more minutes from here. I can get there in one, just don’t get fucking pulled over. She was just fine. She’ll be fine in another minute. Just get to her. Get to her.

He catches sight of a flash of lime green pulled over in the right lane and whips his truck over, barely throwing it in park and not bothering to even turn it off before he bursts out the door. 

“Norma!” He calls, his eyes frantically scanning the scene for a giant belly and honey-blonde curls. There. She’s standing next to a police officer, her arms wrapped around herself, face soaked with tears, but alive. “Norma!”

She hears him that time, looking up in time to take a few stumbling steps toward him before he reaches her at a run, whipping her into his arms as she buries her face in his shirt. He holds onto her for dear life, taking a shuddering breath through her hair and feeling tears stinging his eyes at the smell of her conditioner. 

Alex pulls back, holding her cheeks between his hands to give her a once-over. “You’re okay? What happened?” He finally gets a chance to look up, seeing the smashed-in backside of her green Mercedes and a white sedan crunched up in the front. 

“I’m fine, nothing hurts, I just… I don’t think my eggs made it.” He barely convinces himself to let out a shaky chuckle at that. She’s probably right, considering that the trunk of her car has been compressed into just a few inches of space. 

“The baby? Is she okay?” Alex gasps, feeling like he could throw up any second, the anxiety at the thought of losing either one of them dropping like a weight on his chest. 

Norma brings one trembling hand up to hold the blue crystal necklace she almost hadn’t put on this morning. “Still kicking,” she murmurs, a single tear slipping from her eye. He wipes it away, pressing a weak, relieved kiss into her forehead. 

Now that he knows they’re both okay, his fear quickly dissolves into anger. “Who the hell hit you?” He growls. 

She watches his face and his tone change, her grip tightening on his arms. “Alex, it was just a kid. She couldn’t have been more than 17, and…and, she’s worse off than me. They took her into the ambulance, I think she was bleeding.” 

“Probably on her fucking phone,” Alex mutters, not a single ounce of the rage drained from his face. 

“Alex, don’t. She’s just a kid. It was an accident,” Norma grabs his face, forcing him to look her in the eye. “What if it’d been our daughter? If it’d been Allie? You’d… You’d want whoever she hit to be sympathetic. She’s worse off than me,” she repeats, reminding him that she’s okay to calm him down. 

Alex doesn’t look happy about it, but he relents. “Did they check you out already?” He asks softly, running a finger over the edge of her jaw. When she shakes her head, the fire blazes back in his eyes. “They took the teenager before the pregnant woman?!” 

“She was bleeding out of her face, Alex! I think head trauma trumps perfectly-fine-but-pregnant,” Norma argues, sighing when he lets go of her and starts marching toward the ambulance anyway. She takes a few steps back and slowly, precariously lowers herself to sit on the curb, wrapping her arms back around herself. At another not-so-soft kick to her ribs, she manages a slight smile. “I know, bug. It’s okay,” she whispers, rubbing one hand over the top of her bump. 

Alex returns less than a minute later with a paramedic in tow, carrying a large black emergency bag. He sits down next to her while the man starts unpacking, rubbing a firm, soothing hand up and down her back. 

“Norma, I’m Andrew, I’m gonna check you out real quick and make sure everything’s okay, alright?” The paramedic introduces himself, earning a soft nod from Norma as he pulls a blood pressure gauge out of his bag. 

“Hi, Andrew,” she squeaks. 

“I’m just gonna wrap this around your arm, and it’s gonna squeeze for a few seconds, ‘kay?” He asks gently, like she’s never had her blood pressure taken before. She nods again, holding her arm out for him and crossing it over her heart like he shows her. “And I’ll need the pointer finger on your other hand. This is gonna take your pulse,” he explains, carefully placing an electronic clip over her finger. 

Alex doesn’t say anything throughout the entire ordeal, just keeps rubbing her back and occasionally squeezing the top of her shoulder comfortingly. Her pulse and blood pressure come out elevated but not dangerously so, which Andrew says is normal after a traumatic event. He listens to her lungs and her baby’s heartbeat with a stethoscope, confirming that both are normal and healthy. 

“Does anything hurt at all? Keep in mind your adrenaline may be blocking your pain response, so even a little ache might be bigger than it seems,” he prompts once the preliminary exam is done. 

Norma takes a second to assess herself. “My… my ankle hurts a bit. I think I kicked it out and it hit something.” 

After looking at it for a few seconds, he presses his fingers gently against it, earning a soft hiss from her. “It doesn’t seem to be broken. Though it is quite swollen,” he surmises. 

“Well, I’m also 8 months pregnant, so…” Norma shrugs. 

Andrew smiles softly and looks back up at her. “It’s probably just sprained. If the pain persists for more than a few days or gets really bad, have it X-Rayed.” They both nod. “Does anything else hurt?”

She reaches one hand up to hold the top of her spine. “My neck is really sore.”

“Can you move your head in a circle?” She can, but it’s not pleasant. At her grimace, Alex squeezes her hand, silently letting her know she can squeeze back as has as she wants. “Whiplash is very common in rear-end collisions. It should resolve within a few days to two weeks, depending on the severity, but nothing to be concerned about.” 

“Okay,” she looks furtively to Alex, as if he might know about her injuries more than she does. He only gives her a soft, encouraging smile, so she turns back to Andrew slowly. “And- and you’re sure the baby’s okay? You didn’t find anything wrong?” 

The paramedic shakes his head. “Everything looks perfectly fine. I could do a quick exam to check for bleeding, just to be sure?”

Norma nods once, swallowing hard as the action shoots soreness down her spine. “Yes, please.”

“Okay, I’m just going to press lightly around your abdomen, and you tell me if anything is tender or painful, alright?” Andrew instructs, reaching forward to place two hands where the edge of her bump meets her side. 

When he reaches the bottom of her stomach, she grunts softly, her grip tightening on Alex’s hand. “That’s tender. I think the seatbelt bruised me.” 

He gives her a one-sided smirk and a shrug. “Drawbacks of life-saving technology.” 

“You see why I always tell you-” Alex starts to say, earning a harsh nudge from his wife. 

“Shut it!” She grumbles under her breath, hating when he’s right. She can still feel his slightly smug smile against her hair when he kisses her temple.   

Once the exam is finished, Norma doesn’t have any other complaints. All she really wants is to be done so they can go home. Their bed sounds much comfier than the concrete curb right now, and the sleep of the century is calling her name. She lays her head on Alex’s shoulder, looking around at the scene, barely believing any of it really happened.  

Just as Andrew is finished packing up, she grabs his arm lightly. “Is… Is that girl okay? She was bleeding,” she asks softly. 

Andrew smiles sympathetically. “She’s okay. My buddies are taking care of her right now,” he assures her. 

Norma nods, taking a deep breath before looking back up at him. “Can I see her?”

Alex’s grip on her hand tightens. “Norma-”

She lets go of his hand. “No, I want to see her,” she shakes her head before he can protest, turning with a slight wince to look at him. “Call Dr. Miller’s office and ask if she can fit me in today for a checkup. I’ll just be a minute.” 

She doesn’t wait for him to respond, taking Andrew’s hand to help her up as soon as she’s done speaking and limping after him toward the open ambulance. He practically lifts her up the step to the back doors, letting her think she’s walking up herself but still holding most of her weight.

As soon as the girl sees her, her dark brown eyes flood with tears. “Are you okay?! I’m so sorry! I’m sorry!” She cries, reaching out with the hand not holding a piece of blood-soaked gauze to her forehead to grab Norma’s arm as soon as she’s close enough. 

“I’m okay, honey. I’m just fine,” Norma smiles comfortingly, grabbing the girl’s hand to squeeze it gently. “Have you called your parents?”

She nods tearfully, her straight blonde hair swaying slightly. “They- They’re on the way,” she sniffles. 

“Good. That’s good. I bet they’re glad you’re okay.”

The girl’s face crumples and she shakes her head. “They’re gonna kill me!” She wails, gasping through a few short, shallow breaths in a row. 

Norma runs her hand up and down her arm soothingly. “I don’t think that’s true,” she says calmly. “If it was my daughter, all I’d care about would be that she was safe.” 

The young girl lets out a quiet sob. “I’m so sorry I hit you. I tried to stop. I really did,” she blubbers desperately. 

“I know, sweetheart,” Norma coos. “It’s alright, it happens. I crashed my first car too, only I was a lot older than you.” 

“Y-You did?” The girl snivels. 

“Mm-hmm. Rolled it twice, and I was in the hospital for three days.”

Wide brown eyes stare at her, pupils spread to the size of saucers, making them appear almost black. “Wow…” 

“Norma,” Alex calls from the door. She turns her head too quickly again, barely disguising her grimace as a sigh for the sake of the teenager holding onto her hand for dear life. “Dr. Miller said we should come in right away. I got everything worked out here already,” he says, purposefully not looking at the girl in the ambulance. 

“Oh… okay.” Norma turns (slowly) back to the nervous wreck next to her, squeezing her hand again. “I’m sorry I have to go before your parents get here,” she frowns. 

“It’s- s’okay.” The girl sniffles, letting go of her with trembling fingers. “I’m really sorry again…”

Norma pats her leg gently. “It happens. Just be safe so it never happens to you again, hm?” She smiles softly, holding onto Alex’s shoulders so he can lift her out of the ambulance. He helps her wobble back to his truck, boosting her into the passenger seat hastily. 

Once they’re en route to Dr. Miller’s office, Norma pretends not to notice him driving 5 miles under the limit, both hands planted firmly on the wheel. What is normally a 15-minute drive will probably end up being closer to 25, but she doesn’t mind. Being in a moving vehicle again so soon makes her feel a little sick anyway. She just keeps her eyes on her hands where they’re holding her bump. The baby still kicks once in a while, and every movement she feels is a fresh relief. 

“Did you really roll your car like you said?” Alex pipes up suddenly, filling the somewhat tense silence she hadn’t even noticed. 

She bites her lip. “Uh… no. I’ve never been in an accident before. ‘Cept when Bob Paris had that guy run me off the road.”

“Yeah, well, look where that got him,” he smirks, expecting her to laugh at least a little. When she doesn’t, he chances the tiniest glance over at her before snapping his eyes back to the road. “How’re you feeling?”

Norma shrugs heavily. “Okay. I think the shock’s wearing off.”

He understands that to mean things are starting to actually hurt now, wanting to reach out to hold her hand but not daring to move his hands a single inch away from 10-and-2. 

“They’ll have some stuff for you at Dr. Miller’s, I bet. Make you feel a little better.”

She shrugs again. “Yeah.”

They’re silent the rest of the ride. Norma doesn’t even reach out to turn on the radio, even though she always listens to music in the car. They both feel the heavy sense of dread hanging over them, the reality of everything that’s happened crushing them under its weight. 

What if they find something wrong? What if the baby’s hurt?

Both questions linger in the air between them like a bad smell, permeating both of their thoughts though neither of them is brave enough to speak them. 

After an eternity and also no time at all has passed, they finally arrive at the prenatal care office, where Dr. Miller is waiting to meet them as soon as they walk in. She asks Norma a million questions on their way to the exam room, and a million more once she makes it up onto the table and they start taking her vitals. 

Finally, she pulls the ultrasound machine over. Norma’s never been quite so thankful to feel the cold gel coating her belly, squeezing Alex’s hand like a stress ball as they wait for the image to come up. 

“Allllllright… there’s baby, smiling for the camera,” Dr. Miller says brightly, turning the screen toward them so they can see the image of their baby’s face looking right at them. They both chuckle softly, squeezing the life out of each other as she moves the wand around for a few more seconds. “Everything looks perfectly normal here. Both baby and mom seem to be doing just fine.” 

Both parents let out heavy sighs of relief, Norma tugging at her husband’s arm to bring him closer so she can cry silently into his shoulder. She’s okay. She’s really okay. She’d been so convinced that her happiness had finally caught up to her. That this was the other shoe dropping, the universe taking just one more chance at a normal life out of her hands at the last second. But it hadn’t. Their baby is okay. She can see that her chubby little face is perfectly fine on the screen, her pudgy lips hanging open slightly.

“Oh, would you look at that?” The doctor gasps delightedly. Norma blinks through her tears to see the screen more clearly where she’s pointing at the baby’s eye. “I think I see some eyelashes there!” 

Her tears forgotten, Norma’s face lights up as she shakes her husband’s arm excitedly. “Oh my God! Aleeeex!” She screeches. “She’s gonna have your eyelashes! I just know it!” 

Her joy is enough to carry her through when the nurse sticks her a few too many times trying to set up her IV, and the discomfort of sitting on the exam table for well over two hours while they give her fluids and a variety of medications, and her annoyance when Alex refuses to leave her side to go buy more eggs. None of it bothers her, because she’s alive, and her baby is alive, and she’s going to be gorgeous and perfect and healthy, and everything’s going to be okay. 

Dr. Miller had said traumatic events can often trigger preterm labor, which is part of the reason she has to stay there so long. It puts her on edge at first, every kick or flutter making her question her own body. Was it really a kick, or was it a contraction? Once the mild pain medicine they give her sets in though, she’s not worried about much of anything anymore. 

Still, along with the fluids and pain meds, the doctor prescribes some other IV medications that will hopefully prevent her from going into labor, as well as some for her baby to accelerate her lung and immune development, just in case. 

Finally, Alex is allowed to drive her home, where she immediately collapses into bed. He follows shortly after her, wrapping her tightly in his arms. She relaxes for barely a second before shrugging him off of her with an unhappy grunt. 

“No, I’m mad at you,” she pouts. 

“Why?”

“We still need eggs. Now I gotta get up early ‘n go get ‘em.”

Alex scoffs. “If you think you’re going anywhere tomorrow, you’re mistaken.”

She sits up to stare at him exasperatedly. “We need eggs!”

“No, we don’t, because we’re closed tomorrow,” he pushes back. 

“We are not!” Norma screeches.

He grabs her hand. “Yes, we are. I already called Leah and told her not to come in. You need to take it easy so you don’t go into labor.”

She rolls her eyes. “This again.”

Alex sits up too. “Yes, this again, because this is what’s best for you and our baby. Take one day off, Norma, please,” he sighs. 

She blows a puff of air out through her lips. “Well it sounds like I don’t have a choice,” she grumbles. 

He smiles fondly, leaning in to place a sweet kiss on her cheek. “That’s right, you don’t. Now go to bed. We’re sleepin’ in tomorrow.”

—---

Alex opens his eyes slowly, squinting as he’s immediately bombarded with light from the lamp on Norma’s side. Jesus, what time is it? The sky is still completely dark. It’s can’t be any later than 5:00 am. So much for sleeping in.  

“Alex! Wake up!” His wife whisper-shouts, jostling his shoulder again. 

“What, what? I’m up,” he slurs, turning his head to look at her and taking in her wide blue eyes, her pupils reduced to pinpricks. His mind rushes with concern at her panic. “What? What is it?” 

“I think my water just broke.”

Chapter Text

“I think my water just broke.”

—---

Every semblance of sleep drains from his body instantly, the blood rushing from his face as he blindly reaches to turn on his bedside lamp. “W-what? Are you sure?” He stammers, finally managing to get the lamp on with his fingers already trembling from adrenaline. 

“Alex…” Norma breathes, her face pale and panicked as she pulls back the covers on the bed to reveal a giant wet spot underneath her. 

His eyes blow wide at the sight. “Oh, God, fuck. Shit,” he gasps, running a hand over his face for a second as the shock washes over his body like a wave. “We- we gotta get to Dr. Miller’s office, they- they can-”

“It’s 4:00 am,” she interjects, struggling into a hunched standing position with her hands braced on the bed. “Dr. Miller’s asleep.”

“Well, what do we do? Fuck, what do we do?” Alex finally gains enough control of his limbs to get out of bed, panting at her as she yanks at her soaked pajama shorts. 

“We have to get to the hospital,” she huffs, throwing the shorts onto the floor along with her underwear. “They… They’ve gotta stop it, it’s too early.”

He nods shakily. “Hospital… ok, right, hospital. Do I call an ambulance?”

“No, no, just- just get the go bag. I gotta change,” Norma demands, waving one arm weakly in the general direction of the door. Alex follows her direction numbly, scrambling over to the nursery to grab their emergency birth bag. They’d packed it a couple of weeks ago just to be safe, never expecting to need it so early. It’s too early.

By the time he makes it back to the bedroom, she’s changed into one of her wrap dresses, leaning over against the wardrobe with her eyes shut tightly. 

“Are you having contractions?” He asks quickly, dropping the bag to hurry over to her. 

“I- I think so,” she chokes, her knuckles turning white from their grip on the edge of the dresser. She lets out a sharp breath through pursed lips, pushing herself back to stand straight up. “We gotta go.” 

Getting her out to the truck feels like the hardest thing he’s ever done. She could barely walk before she sprained her ankle, so now he had to practically carry her most of the way. The stairs are agonizingly slow, his heart pounding with every second that passes when she has to pause as another contraction hits. Finally, he manages to get her into the passenger seat, triple checking her seatbelt as her face scrunches up in pain.  

His overly cautious driving from yesterday goes out the window immediately as he whips through the city, thankful for the lack of traffic in the middle of the night. It’s a 20-minute drive to the nearest hospital, which he manages to get down to 13 with a lead foot and no traffic. Norma has at least two more contractions on the way there that he’s aware of, his foot pressing harder on the gas pedal every time he hears her whimper or gasp. 

“We’re almost there, baby. Just hold on,” he promises as he hurtles down the highway exit, his panic dulling just slightly at the sight of the first giant hospital sign. 

“Mmmmmh!” Norma groans through her teeth, her head arching back against the seat as her hands hold the bottom of her bump. He can see beads of sweat already gathering on her face through his peripheral vision, her breaths coming in shallow, unsteady pants. All he wants is to give her his hand to squeeze, but he’s driving recklessly enough already. He’s not about to kill all three of them a mile away from the hospital.

It’s too early. It’s too early. She thinks while he darts haphazardly into the first parking space he finds. She’s not ready. It’s too early. Her mind repeats as he helps her walk through the doors up to the reception desk. Not yet. Not yet. It’s too early. She hears rushed, urgent talking, Alex’s voice, but no other words will register in her mind. She’s not ready.

“Mrs. Romero?” The woman at the front desk tries to get her attention. Alex grabs her arm gently, helping her to sit down in the wheelchair a staff member had brought over.

“Norma,” he calls, his hand firm against her shoulder. 

Slowly, she becomes aware of the sound of her own voice. “It’s too early…it’s too early…not yet…”

“Norma!” 

“She’s not read-” She stops, blinking at him but not seeing him. They’re moving, she realizes, someone’s pushing her toward the elevator at the end of the hall, Alex hurrying at her side, gripping her arm desperately. 

“Norma, look at me. Come back to me. Right here,” he demands, but everything is so foggy. It’s too early. This can’t be happening, she can’t–or won’t– believe it’s happening. She’s not ready. I’m not ready. 

Luckily, the next contraction is enough to drag her momentarily out of her haze. It really is happening, and it fucking hurts. She clamps her eyes shut tightly. “Aaahhhhh-hhhahhh!” 

They’re in the elevator now, and Alex is kneeling in front of her. He must’ve given her his hand at some point because she’s squeezing the life out of it now. His face is blurry, his voice warbled, but she can just barely make out the words. “I’m right here,” he says slowly. “Breathe. Breathe.” 

“Alex…” she manages weakly, her grip on his hand collapsing the second the contraction is over. She hears his subtle breath of relief, her eyes fluttering somewhere between open and closed as he wipes some sweaty hair out of her face. 

“You’re okay,” he soothes, ducking his head to catch her gaze while she catches her breath. “You’re gonna be okay. Just keep breathing, honey, alright?” 

Norma tries to nod, but she’s not sure if it actually happens or not. Either way, the elevator doors open a second later and she’s moving again, Alex is talking again, but not to her anymore. There are three or four women walking with them, all in light pink scrubs. She can feel their concerned eyes watching her, but can’t find the strength to pick her head up. 

This isn’t how it was supposed to happen. It’s too early. 

She blinks and the next time she opens her eyes, they’re in a hospital room, Alex squatting in front of the wheelchair again. His hands trail from her face down her arms, then to her hands, his eyes trying desperately to meet hers as she stares right through him. 

“Norma,” he says, deep and firm, demanding what little attention she has control over. “You’re scaring me, baby. I need you to speak. Tell me how to help you.” 

She swallows, pushing through the thick fog of panic in her brain and forcing herself to form something that resembles words. “I need… Need them t-to-to make it stop,” she slurs, sucking in as much air as she can after the single sentence leaves her breathless. “It’s too early.”

Alex nods, his hands rubbing up and down her forearms to ground her. “Okay. The doctors are gonna do everything they can to make that happen. But you gotta work with me here. You gotta stay awake.” She bobs her head, fighting harder against the cloudiness trying to drag her under again. He sees her eyes clearing just slightly, sees some of the Norma that he knows coming back to him. “What can I do for you?” 

It takes her a moment to decide what she needs. His hands stroking her arms feel so nice, but she needs more. More touch, something more to feel so she can keep herself there with him. “Hold me,” she squeaks, her fingers wrapping around his wrists. “Calm me down.” 

Alex stands up quickly, looking grateful just to have some way to help. His hands slip gingerly under her arms, lifting her up out of the chair and guiding her with him over to the bed behind them. He helps her up onto it before swiftly stepping forward, wrapping his arms tightly around her back, letting her rest her head on his chest. She can feel and hear his heart beating rapidly, even though he seems calm on the outside. The muscles in his chest are tense under her hands. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” he whispers, fingers stroking gently through her hair. She can feel them trembling ever so slightly, despite his best attempts to hide it. 

Alex has the steadiest hands of anyone she knows. He could rip a hole the size of a baseball in a shooting range target, beat a drug dealer within an inch of his life, even kill a man without so much as a tremor. She’s only ever seen his hands shake once before, the day she told him she was pregnant. Now, they’re shaking again. 

He kisses the top of her head. “No matter what happens, we’ll be okay.” 

Norma gasps sharply. “Ohhhhhuuhhh…” she whimpers, her hands fisting in his shirt as another contraction ripples through her. “Ow, ow, ow.” 

His arms tighten around her. She can feel him holding his breath. “I know, I know…” he sighs, his voice as tortured as she’s ever heard it. “I’m sorry.” 

She flops against him like a ragdoll the moment the contraction passes, flushed with fresh relief and heavy exhaustion to match. Alex pulls back, his fingers finding her face, eyes searching her expression fearfully in case she’s blacked out again. 

“I’m okay,” she wheezes, letting her eyes flutter closed as he tenderly wipes away her tears. 

She doesn’t open them for a few seconds, taking the time to catch her breath until she hears quiet crinkling next to her. “I think you’re supposed to put this on,” Alex suggests, holding up a bag with a blue hospital gown covered in the most hideous pattern she’s ever seen. 

He smiles when she scrunches her nose up in disdain, frowning at the bag in his hand like she’s trying to think of a way out of it. Before she can start with her excuses, he pulls out the gown and starts to unfold it. He has to admit, though, she’s right. It’s ugly as hell. 

“Come on,” he smirks at her, offering his hand to lead her begrudgingly toward the bathroom. “I’ll help you.” 

“What a gentleman,” Norma coos sarcastically, waddling inelegantly after him. 

Once he’s certain the door is locked, he delicately peels the knot on her dress apart, letting it fall open and hang at her sides. She doesn’t offer to help and he wouldn’t want her to, perfectly happy to undress and redress her himself to give her some time to regroup. 

“I don’t want this to go away,” he admits faintly, tracing the tips of his fingers over the tight skin of her bump. “I feel like I haven’t appreciated it enough.” 

“Please,” she chuckles. He hadn’t realized how badly he needed to see her smile. “I think you’ve appreciated more than enough.” 

“Hmmm…” Alex shakes his head, tucking his nose into her hair. “I disagree.” He carefully pushes the sides of her dress off of her shoulders, letting it fall down her back and gathering it in his hands while she slips her arms out of the sleeves. 

She watches his eyes trail down her body slowly, but not in the way that she's used to. They're anxious and flitting, never lingering in one place for too long. He's not looking at her just to look. He's trying to convince himself that she's okay.

He reaches a tentative finger out to trace along the deep, angry bruise at the bottom of her ribs. "Does this hurt?" 

Norma rolls her eyes exasperatedly. "I'm in labor, Alex."

He takes a moment to dip his head and press his lips against it anyway, wishing he could just wipe the mark away for good. Standing up, he lets his eyes wander over the rest of her body, checking for any more signs of distress. Under normal circumstances, having his wife standing naked in front of him would pretty much only lead to one thing. But these are the least normal circumstances he’s ever encountered. Once he's satisfied that she's alright, he scrunches up the hospital gown to pull it over her arms and her head, letting it fall stiffly down to drape over the rest of her body.   

Norma brushes the unsightly fabric smooth, her hands lingering over the swell of her stomach fondly as she remembers what he'd said.  “You’ll have some more time,” she assures them both. “This baby is not coming out today.” He busies himself with folding up her dress so she doesn’t have to see the bleakness in his eyes. 

She must not have been listening when he was talking with the doctors. She would’ve heard them saying there’s almost nothing they can do to stop the labor once her water’s broken, would’ve known that they’d already put a call in at the NICU to prepare for a preterm delivery in the next few hours. 

—---

A doctor finally comes in by the time Alex gets her back into the hospital bed, snapping on a pair of gloves and rolling a stool over to the foot of the bed. 

“Mrs. Romero, I’m Dr. Harris.” She introduces herself briskly, motioning for Norma to scoot down to the end of the bed. “I’m just going to check your dilation, if that’s alright.” 

“O-Okay…” Norma frowns, letting her legs fall open even as she looks up at Alex worriedly. “But, I mean, what are you gonna do to stop the labor?” 

Dr. Harris’s eyes flick to Alex, who stares back at her, frozen. She breathes in slowly, then turns to Norma. “Unfortunately, there’s very little that we can do to stop it once it’s started,” she says cautiously. 

Norma’s face hardens instantly. “Wh- There’s no… no medication you can give me? There has to be something!” She presses, looking up at her husband like she expects him to back her up. 

“I’m sorry, but once the labor process has started and the membranes have broken, medications would only delay the birth, which could put both you and baby in danger of infection.” Dr. Harris seems calm, a direct contrast to the woman seconds away from having a meltdown on the bed. 

“This is bullshit!” Norma shouts, her face turning that angry shade of red that never signals anything good. “I’m- I still have another month left! She’s not ready, she’s too small! You have to stop it!” 

Alex grabs her hand from the bed, pulling it over to him and starting to massage it with his thumbs. “Honey, breathe. It’s gonna be okay,” he soothes, half-prepared for her to turn her rage on him. He turns to the doctor after another few seconds of Norma’s panicked blubbering. “Tell her what you told me.”

Dr. Harris stands up, taking tentative steps around the bed to stand beside Norma. “I know this is shocking and scary for you, but you’re very close to what is considered full-term, even if your due date is a little farther out,” she explains gently, pulling one of her gloves off to place a comforting hand on her patient’s arm. “The vast majority of babies born without complications at 34 weeks are perfectly healthy. I don’t see any reason for you to worry right now.”

“Really?” Norma squeaks, looking at the other woman with terrified tears still shining in her eyes. 

She smiles. “Really.” 

Alex is grateful and a little bit surprised at the doctor’s ability to handle his endearingly insane wife. “It’s gonna be just fine,” he whispers, kissing her temple lightly. “We get to meet our daughter today.”

Chapter Text

Norma feels better knowing the doctor isn’t worried, but her comfort quickly dissipates as she gasps at another contraction rippling through her abdomen. Her hand squeezes Alex’s tightly, a long, low whine drawing out through her lips. 

“About how far apart are they now?” Dr. Harris asks Alex, taking a fresh pair of gloves from the counter and resuming her position at the foot of the bed. 

“I- I think about 5 minutes. And they’re- they’re getting longer,” he supplies, trying to focus on anything other than how painfully hard she’s squeezing him. 

“Okay, Norma, I’m going to check on your cervix and see how dilated you are, mkay?” She announces calmly, repositioning Norma’s legs to get better access. 

“Mmmmhmm-aahhh!” Norma barely gets through her nod before her eyes scrunch closed, a sharp yelp jumping out of her before she can stop it. She tries her best not to squirm and disrupt the exam, instead focusing all of her energy on Alex’s hand clenched between her fingers. 

He shifts nervously, running his other hand over her hair, which is already starting to soak with sweat. “You’re doing so good, baby,” he breathes, doing his best to keep his mind on his wife and not the doctor feeling around in her vagina. “Just… keep breathing.” 

On top of her newfound fears, Alex has never really noticed how strong Norma is. Of course, he’s always known how resilient she is mentally, but the furthest extent of her physical strength he’s experienced was when she slapped him around over their drama with Bob Paris. Back then, he’d been more worried about her hurting herself than him, but now… things are different. She is, in fact, absurdly strong for a woman too prim to lift weights, and internally, he’s a little afraid he could walk out of the delivery room tomorrow with a broken hand.

Dr. Harris rolls back just as the last of the contraction passes, carefully wadding her gloves together to throw them away. “I looks like you’re at about three centimeters, which means that the labor is progressing just as expected.” 

“Only three?!” Norma gasps out, leaning against her husband to catch her breath. 

“You should be entering the active stage of labor now, so things will start moving a little bit faster,” the woman assures her. “Do you plan to go ahead with a vaginal birth?” 

“Yes,” Norma nods, taking a deep breath in while her husband strokes the top of her hand. “But I-I want an epidural please. As soon as possible.” 

“Of course,” Dr. Harris smiles, marking a few things on her chart and making her way toward the door. “I’ll have an anesthesiologist head over right away.” 

“Thank you!” Alex calls after her when it’s clear that Norma’s too weak to do it herself. He strokes his fingers through her soft blonde curls for a few more seconds, listening to her breathing slowing down gradually. “How are you feeling?” He asks softly, instantly cringing as he realizes the stupidity of the question. “Can I get anything for you?” He corrects. 

“Um… water?” She requests meekly, her hands still holding him tightly as he turns around to get some water from the table next to the bed. 

He continues just stroking her hair and holding her hand while she drinks, his touch soothing her so much that she almost forgets she’s in active labor. “Do you want a snack?” He offers, nodding toward their emergency bag set on the chair. “I can get you that Hershey bar... Or some fruit gummies?” 

Norma smiles faintly, blinking up at him like she’s thinking about more than just what kind of snack she wants. “Chocolate,” she finally decides, draining the last of her water while he goes to grab it for her. “Thank you.” 

He kisses the top of her head as she rips open the wrapper hungrily. “Of course. You’re amazing.”

“I haven’t even done anything?” She mumbles through a mouthful of chocolate. 

“You carried our baby for 34 weeks, and now you’re gonna bring her into the world. That’s amazing.”

She turns her face up to him, her chocolate forgotten and that same thinking expressing bringing the tiniest pout to her lips. “I love you,” she whispers, her eyes telling him she wants to say so much more but can’t find the words. 

Alex kisses her forehead, right between her eyebrows. “I love you,” he echoes, his thumb stroking over the apple of her cheek. “You’re kicking this labor’s ass.” 

That gets a giggle out of her, the skin around her eyes crinkling even as her smile starts to fade a little. “It’s… it’s a lot easier with someone here. With you here,” she mumbles down at her chocolate. 

His first instinct is to ask what do you mean? But he already knows what she means. He just doesn’t want to believe it’s the truth. “You… you never had anybody… before?” 

One side of her mouth shrugs up sadly. “John was… he was just a kid, like I was. He was squeamish.” She gives him a look that says she knows that’s not an excuse, so he doesn’t push her on that one. “And Sam wouldn’t, like, hold my hand or anything. He just… hung around complaining that the chairs were uncomfortable.”

Alex closes his eyes for a moment, forcing a slow breath in and out of his lungs to control his blazing anger. He swears he feels some amount of her pain every time she cries, whimpers, or gasps from a contraction, and he would do anything just to take that pain away. He can’t imagine the kind of apathy required to not even want to hold her hand through that. How could anyone be so careless about the miracle under his fingertips? Could they not see they had an angel in their arms? How could they ever let her go?

From the look in her eye, he can tell she’s not interested in unpacking any more of that right now. “Well, I’m here,” he says gently. “I’m gonna hold your hand, and anything else you need me to do.”

Her face starts to scrunch up and she shoves the chocolate into his hand. “Now’s good,” she gasps, grabbing onto his free hand and leaning her head into his chest. He holds her through every second of the contraction, reminding her to breathe every time he feels her go too stiff. “Aaaaaaooooooow!” She groans, her voice vibrating directly into his heart, threatening to stop it with how distressed she sounds.

“I’m here,” he repeats, stroking the top of her hand, wishing with all of his might that he could feel the pain instead of her. “I’m right here, I got you. You’re doing so good, hon. You’re so strong.” 

She hiccups, her grip on his hand starting to relax gradually as the pain fades away in waves. “Fuck, where is that epidural?”

Alex freezes, stunned for a moment at her language. He’s hardly ever heard Norma swear with such conviction unless he was forcing it out of her in bed. “They’re coming, baby. She said she was sending ‘em right away.” 

“I’m in labor!” She growls through her teeth. “A little goddamn urgency would be nice!”  

He sighs, rubbing her back slowly. “Well, I’d do it myself, but I’d probably paralyze you or something,” he murmurs lightheartedly, feeling her chest constrict with her weak chuckle rather than hearing it. Her hand leaves his chest and he expects her to wrap her arms around him, but she doesn’t. 

“Mmmh!” She whines through her lips, her hand rooting aimlessly around since she refuses to lift her head up from his chest. 

“What? What do you need?” 

She just grunts at him, annoyed that he can’t read her mind. Finally, her wandering hand finds where he’s still holding her chocolate bar, grabbing it away from him like he’d stolen it from her. 

Alex laughs to himself. “Yeah, you really don’t have to worry about me stealing that from you,” he points out, glancing down at the unnaturally white chocolate and grimacing. 

Norma groans in agreement. “God, I’m so ready to never eat these again!”

—---

Another two contractions, each with more swearing than the last, pass before the anesthesiologists finally arrive to perform her epidural. Alex helps her to slowly sit up, letting her legs hang off the edge of the bed and giving her both of his hands to hold.

He thought he knew his wife really well, but the last week has made him question that a little. How had he never known that Norma hates the dark and needles? 

She squeezes his hand anxiously through the entire process, almost as hard as she had been during her contractions, even though he knows she can’t actually feel anything that they’re doing. He tries to be as comforting as possible, although he’s the one that actually has to watch them poking her spine with a giant needle, which is more than a little bit unsettling. 

Thankfully, the medication sets in quickly, so he only has to worry about her breaking his hand for two more full-force contractions before she starts to get numb. After that, it’s mostly smooth sailing for both of them. Norma’s able to get up and they take a few slow, limping walks around the hospital, inclduing to the NICU to look in at all the babies already there–which ends up not being such a great idea, since she bursts into tears immediately at the thought of their daughter in one of the little incubators, a tiny pink beanie on her tiny, tiny head.

She’s managed to calm down by the time he shepherds her back to the delivery room, wishing he could just walk around with her forever so he could see the adorable way she waddles in that less-than-glorious hospital gown. But alas, she can only stand to be on her feet for so long before she needs to lay down in the bed again, happily letting him feed her ice chips and fruit gummies to her heart’s content. 

After about an hour of much less panicked labor, Dr. Harris comes in to check her dilation again. “Alright, you’re at nearly 5 centimeters now!” She announces, shifting the angle of her hand momentarily. 

Norma watches her face fall almost imperceptibly, her eyes instantly bulging at the minute change, which alerts Alex to do exactly what he’d promised himself not to do, and look down at the doctor between her legs. “What?” He chokes, squeezing Norma’s hand for once instead of the other way around. “Is something wrong?” 

Dr. Harris stands abruptly, painting a fake smile on her face. “I’m just going to go grab another doctor real quick,” she says calmly, making both of them feel exactly 0% better. Norma looks over at her husband, blue eyes filled with fear and questions he doesn’t have the answers to. All he can do is squeeze her hand tighter, praying to a God he doesn’t believe in that everything’s okay. 

Two doctors come back through the door barely a minute later, both clearly trying very hard to keep their expressions neutral. “Alright, Mrs. Romero, I’m just going to take a quick look atcha,” the new doctor announces, sitting down in the stool between her legs. 

“What’s going on?” Norma blurts, glancing back and forth between the two of them. “Is something wrong with the baby?” Neither of them answers her, which she hates, leaving her to just look up at Alex as if he might be able to fix the entire situation. 

The new doctor looks up at Dr. Harris after a few seconds, nodding curtly as some sort of signal. “Okay, Norma, I want you to stay very calm,” Dr. Harris starts, shuffling forward to take a seat on the edge of the bed next to her. 

“Calm?!” Norma blazes, the tone in her voice making Alex wonder if he needs to physically hold her back. “What the hell is happening? What’s wrong with my baby?” 

“There’s nothing wrong with the baby,” the doctor assures her gently, earning heavy sighs of relief from both parents. “She’s in what we call malpresentation. It means she isn’t oriented properly for a normal vaginal birth.” 

“What… what does that mean?” The blonde squeaks. 

“When I was checking your dilation just now, I could feel your baby’s face in the birth canal.” 

“And that’s not supposed to happen?” Alex asks blankly. 

Dr. Harris shakes her head. “No, it’s not. The ideal position for a fetus is with the chin tucked down against the chest. But your baby’s head is tilted back, so she’s coming out face-first.” She lifts her head up to demonstrate, showing them each position. 

“So… so that’s bad?” Norma questions, her bottom lip starting to quiver. 

She nods. “If you were to try to push now, it could put severe strain on her neck and skull.” 

They both look at each other, hearts pounding in their wrists where their pulses meet. Alex takes a shaky, steeling breath. “So how do you fix it? Can’t you just, like… push her head back?” 

“Repositioning the baby would put both her and mom at risk, which is not something I’m willing to do. The safest option is to deliver the baby via C-section.” 

“C-section?” Norma echoes, turning her shining eyes up to her husband. “I don’t wanna have surgery,” she whimpers, staring at him like he can magically fix the way the baby’s facing.  

“Isn’t there… I- Is there anything else you can do?” Alex barks, running one hand over his face. 

“In my medical opinion, a C-section is the only safe option,” Dr. Harris replies simply. Seeing the fear in her patient’s eyes, she turns to her colleague. “Dr. Frasier here is our best obstetric surgeon. I promise you are in good hands.” 

Dr. Frasier stands, hastily taking her gloves off to shake each of their hands. “Mr. and Mrs. Romero, I know surgery can be very scary, but in this case, I agree that it’s the best option for both you and your baby. I’d like to take you down to the surgery suite as soon as you’re ready, and we’ll get this baby right out, how’s that sound?” 

After sharing one last apprehensive look with her husband, Norma finally nods, clutching his hand for dear life. A few hours ago, her biggest concern had been whether or not she could have her beloved Mercedes repaired, and now they’re taking her to emergency surgery to have her baby a month early? How could all of that have happened so quickly? 

The whole world is a blur as they wheel her down to the OR floor, Alex trailing next to her head the entire time, never letting go of her hand. He’s there while they increase her epidural dose to make her even more numb, while they cover her in drapes and tuck her hair into a mesh net that she can’t stand, and even when they make him step back so he can put on a gown, mask, and scrub cap, he never leaves her sight. 

“How are you feeling? Are you nervous?” He asks her, his hand stroking over her hair through the cap. 

Norma nods tearfully. “I’m scared. I’ve never had surgery before.” 

“Your chart said you had your appendix out,” Dr. Frasier reminds her while a nurse helps her put on her gloves. 

“Oh… yeah, I did but… I don’t remember it. I don’t think it was anything like this…” Norma murmurs, looking around the operating room hesitantly. 

Alex kisses the top of her hand through his mask. “There’s nothing to be scared of,” he promises, though he isn’t actually sure if it’s true. “Everything’s going to be fine.” 

“Okay… okay…” she sniffles, biting her lip to hold back the tears in her eyes before they can overwhelm her. 

“Alright, Norma, are you ready?” Dr. Frasier asks like she’s about to give her a present, not slice her open. At her weak nod, she takes a scalpel from the nurse. “We’re gonna get started, then.”

She’s never been the squeamish type, but as soon as the doctor starts the incision, Norma feels a rush of lightheadedness. Alex must notice the way her grip on his hand slackens because he leans down to check on her. 

“You okay? Take a breath,” he whispers, stroking the top of her head delicately. She squints her eyes closed for a few seconds, breathing deeply and waiting for the wave of dizziness to pass. 

Only, it doesn’t. 

“Alex…” she wheezes, concern seeping into her voice as she sees entire room spinning when she opens her eyes. The bright lights glare at her, stabbing through to the back of her head and spreading a sharp ache through her brain. 

“Norma, what’s wrong?” Alex chokes, shaking her hand urgently. “Talk to me, what’s going on?!”

“I… uhhhh…” Norma gurgles shakily, fighting to keep her eyes open as black spots start swimming through her vision. She can hear other voices speaking, but they sound like they’re a mile away. “Woah…”

Alex’s voice sounds far away as well now, but she still recognizes the panic in his tone. “Stay with me, honey. You gotta stay awake,” he urges. She’s certain that he’s still touching her but she can’t feel him anymore. She can’t feel anything anymore. He’s saying more words but they’re too quiet now, warped and diluted by her fading consciousness as she fights to stay awake just a few seconds longer. 

“Can’t…” she manages to croak, and then everything is gone.

———

“What should I play?” Norma asks brightly, her hands resting in her lap as she looks down at the piano keys in front of her. 

“Whatever you want, Mother,” Norman says offhandedly, preoccupied with the little girl in his arms. 

“I wanna dance, Mama!” Allie pleads, giggling as her big brother bounces her up and down playfully. 

Norma smiles warmly. “You wanna dance, huh?” 

“I wanna dance, too!” Kate chirps, squirming to get out of her father’s grip. Dylan sets her down with a soft chuckle, watching her run over to the piano bench and stand on her tiptoes to look up at the keys. “What are you gonna play, Nona?” 

“Hmmm…” she looks slowly around at her family, all smiling happily back at her. They’re back in the living room at the motel house, every one of them stuffed full of the perfect dinner she’d just served. Her eyes fall on Alex behind her, filled to the brim with joy at the idyllic family they’ve created. “I think I have an idea,” she grins. 

“Yayyyy!” Allie squeals, clutching her hands under her chin exactly how her mother always does. She screeches delightedly when she hears the beginning of a familiar tune on the piano. 

“Miiiiissstteeerrrrrr…” Norma draws out the word longer and longer, earning raucous giggles from both little girls watching her. “Sandman! Bring me a dream…”

She can’t think of a time she’s ever been happier. Her whole family gathered around, singing along while she plays for them. Allie and Kate are more than happy to supply the ‘bum bum bum bum’s of the song, each accompanied by a chorus of high-pitched giggles that make her heart sing. Even Alex can’t hold in his smile, rocking his head gingerly to the melody he knows all too well. 

Norma.

Her fingers fumble on the keys and she stops playing abruptly, turning around to look at Alex inquisitively. “What, honey?” 

“I didn’t say anything,” he shrugs, Norma starting to blush with everyone staring at her. 

“Oh, I… I thought you called my name…” she mumbles, turning back to the piano. 

His hand falls heavily onto her shoulder, stopping her before she can start playing again. “Listen,” he instructs, the room falling quiet as she strains her ears for any noise. 

I love you. 

It’s Alex’s voice, whispering to her, but the Alex in front of her is completely still. The voice isn’t coming from him. So where is it coming from?

“Mama, what’s that beeping?” Allie frowns, her tiny fists holding onto Norman’s shirt nervously. 

She’s right, Norma can hear a faint, rhythmic beeping if she listens really closely. It sounds like it’s miles away, but echoes louder and louder with each passing second. “I… I don’t know, sweetheart…” she replies, turning to Alex questioningly. He just takes her hand tenderly, leading her out toward the front door. “Wait…” she tries to protest, but he doesn’t stop. 

“It’s time to go,” Alex says quietly, pulling her closer to him once they reach the doorway. 

“Go where? I don’t want to go!” Norma argues, pulling on his hand, looking back over her shoulder at her perfect, happy family. 

Please wake up soon.

She gasps softly. Alex’s voice is booming now, almost shaking the house with every syllable. When she turns back around, the front door is open, nothing but white emptiness beyond it. Isn’t this exactly what she’s not supposed to do? 

“It’s okay,” Alex promises, sensing her apprehension. He leans in close, pressing a soft, tender kiss to her cheek. Lingering for an extra second, he whispers so that only she can hear. “Not yet.” 

She watches him pull away and give her an encouraging smile, taking one last look at the house, her family gathered together the way she’s always dreamed of, before she finally turns to the door. As she tentatively steps into the abyss, she hears his voice swell around her once more.

I can’t do this without you.

Chapter Text

“I can’t do this without you,” Alex whispers, squeezing his wife’s hand as she lays, motionless, in the hospital bed. He’s not afraid to admit that he’d be lost without her. He doesn’t have the first clue how to be a parent, how to run a bakery, even how to separate lights from darks. He needs her. 

When he catches sight of her eyelids starting to flutter, his heart leaps into his throat. 

“Norma?” He calls, standing up from the chair beside the bed. Every molecule in his body is on fire as he watches her for any sign of movement. “Wake up, baby.” 

She lets out a short, deep grunt a second before her eyes open, pools of bright blue looking up at him groggily through her lashes. God, he loves her eyes. He’s always loved her eyes, but they seem more gorgeous than ever now that he knows the fear of never seeing them again. She blinks slowly, another low hum escaping her at the sight of him. 

Alex smiles tearfully, relief crashing over him like a tsunami. “Hi…” he squeezes out, eyes tracing over every detail of her face just to convince himself that she’s real.

Norma’s eyelids squint closed for a second as she swallows painfully, preparing to speak. Her voice is barely a croak when it finally comes out. “Al-” the single syllable is all she can manage, her throat immediately constricting from the exertion of speaking. 

She’s never been more thankful that he can read her mind. “She’s okay,” he assures her quickly, one hand running over her hair while the other delicately holds a glass of water up to her lips. She drinks graciously, melting with relief as her uncomfortably dry mouth is soothed by the cool liquid. 

Nothing makes sense about how she got here. Her mind is so foggy, she hardly remembers even making it to the hospital after her water broke. Looking down at her swollen stomach, she feels her blood run ice cold. It looks exactly the same, but something inside her knows--feels--that her baby isn’t in there anymore. She looks up at her husband frantically. “Where…?” 

Alex grabs her hand, sitting down carefully on the edge of the bed. “She’s in the NICU. The doctors said she’s doing perfectly fine. They want to keep her down there a little while to run some tests and do all her newborn stuff, and then they’ll bring her to see us.” 

Norma feels hot tears sliding down her face, unsure if they’re from relief or something else entirely. He wipes them away with his thumb, gazing at her like she’s the most precious thing in the world. Her bottom lip trembles as she looks up at him, losing herself in the love and relief in his deep brown eyes. “What… happened?” She croaks, gratefully accepting when he offers her another glass of water. 

“What’s the last thing you remember?” 

She has to think about that one for a few seconds, replaying everything in her mind until it gets too muddy to make out. “Um… we… went to go see the babies.” 

Alex raises his eyebrows, apparently surprised that she’d forgotten that much. After a second, he nods. “Yeah, uh, when we came back, the doctor came in to check your dilation, and-”

“Something was wrong,” Norma recalls, her eyebrows knit together. “I just… I don’t remember what.” 

“They told us that her head was coming out the wrong way, and it wasn’t safe for you to push,” he supplies, pausing to let her remember as much as she can by herself. 

“C-section…” she breathes the word as it comes to her, eyes widening a little as she looks up at him. “I… I had surgery?”

He nods slowly, adjusting his grip on her hand at the panic in her expression. “You, uh, got really faint right after they opened you up. All the monitors started going kinda crazy, and-”

“I passed out.” 

“Yeah, you did,” Alex chuckles softly, tucking some hair behind her ear. “Nearly gave me a heart attack. Thought I was losing you.” 

Norma smiles sadly, her free hand coming up to cradle his warm palm against her cheek as she shrugs. “You know I just live for the drama.” That earns a real laugh from him, his eyes crinkling enough to squeeze out the tears he’d been valiantly holding back. “Hey… don’t cry,” she coos, both of them smiling at the irony as it only makes more tears drip down his face. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, breathing deeply to steady himself. “I just… got so scared. I couldn’t wake you up, and I’ve just… never been so scared in my life.” 

Somehow, despite everything he’s been through, all the fistfights and car chases and guns in his face, she knows he’s telling the truth. She stares at him for a few seconds, letting it sink in that losing her truly is his biggest fear. Even two years later, he keeps finding new ways to blow her mind with how deeply he loves her. And, even two years later, she still falls deeper in love with him every time. 

A thought occurs to her that instantly brings tears to her eyes. “So… I missed it?” She whimpers. Alex frowns sympathetically at her as the tears quickly boil over, her voice wavering more with every syllable. “Did you see her? Did she cry?” 

He tightens his grip on her hand, shaking his head. “You didn’t miss anything. I was so focused on you, I… I didn’t even notice they had her out ‘till one of the doctors said something. I couldn’t even see her, and they were still trying to get her to cry when they left to take her to the NICU.” 

“But she’s okay?” Norma snivels, shamelessly wiping her tears with his hand instead of hers. At his nod, she bites her lip, her eyebrows dipping together. “Why didn’t you go with her?” The words come out far more accusatory than she means them to, which she regrets the moment she sees the remorse in his reaction. 

Brown eyes drop to the blanket between them, a shaky breath rattling out of him. “I wanted to, but…you were… not doing good,” he gulps, his lips pulled down into a frown they can’t escape. “They couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but your blood pressure kept dropping, and I… couldn’t leave you. I wouldn’t. I just froze.” 

She watches him silently for a few seconds, almost able to see the anvil of guilt on his shoulders that he’d been forced to pick a side in an impossible decision. Clearly, they’ll have to unpack that later, but right now, she can’t stand to see him look so sad. “What was wrong with me?” She prompts, drawing his eyes back up to her. 

He looks a little grateful for the change of subject. “Dr. Frasier said you were bleeding internally. Apparently it had nothing to do with the birth, so it must’ve been from the accident. So… all that time, you were losing blood, and then when they cut you open…”

“I passed out,” she connects the dots, seeing his tentative nod. 

“But they found the bleed, and it’s all fixed. You’re gonna be just fine,” he says softly, clearly needing to hear it just as much as she does. “Both of you are.” 

—---

About half an hour and several more glasses of water later, Norma’s feeling a lot better. The nurses say she should be up and moving as soon as possible, so manages to limp through one painstaking lap around the room with Alex by her side. She can’t have solid food yet, so he sticks to feeding her spoonfuls of ice chips and Jell-O like they’re straight off a gourmet charcuterie board. 

She loves that he always takes care of her. Even as both of them are consumed by anxiety about their baby, he still puts every ounce of energy he has left into making sure that she’s healthy and comfortable. He’s more than exhausted, she can see that from a mile away in the way his eyes droop more and more with each passing minute, his shoulders slumped like he’s fighting not to just collapse onto the bed next to her.

Finally, the door to the room opens and it’s not just a nurse checking on her vitals. A woman they don’t recognize wearing light pink scrubs pushes through, carefully wheeling a little plastic bassinet behind her. Instantly, they both straighten, Alex’s eyes blowing wide as every shred of fatigue drains out of him in a whirlpool.

“Alright, mom and dad, I’ve got someone here who’s ready to meet you!” She announces brightly, letting the door close behind her as she slowly pulls the bassinet over to them. 

Norma gasps, grabbing onto Alex’s arm tightly in anticipation, her eyes already welling with tears. “Oh my God…” she breathes, feeling her heart pounding in her chest as she watches the woman delicately pick up their daughter. Alex is squeezing her just as tightly as she’s squeezing him, both of them feeling like time stretches into an eternity before the doctor finally turns around with their baby. 

“Here she is!” She proclaims cheerfully, very gently lowering the newborn into Norma’s waiting arms. 

Immediately, they’re both a mess of tears, staring down at the baby they created in awe. “Hi!” Norma chokes through her shock, raising one trembling hand to stroke over the top of her daughter’s head, where she has a few tiny wisps of dark hair. She wipes urgently at her face to stop her tears from dripping onto the half-asleep baby, her strangled sob jostling the tiny body pressed to her chest. “Hi there, Allie-bug,” she cries, hands shaking where they delicately touch the smooth, fresh skin of her baby’s face. “I’m your Mama.” 

Alex sniffles next to her and she manages to tear her eyes away from the baby long enough to look up at him, both of them smiling through their tears at each other. Allie squirms a little in her arms, her eyes frowning closed even tighter, apparently unhappy to have their attention turned away from her. Norma brushes one finger over her little cheek soothingly, blinking to clear her tears so she can get a good look at her daughter. 

In Norma’s eyes, the little girl could be a carbon copy of her father. She has his smooth caramel skin, those perfect dimples that she had fallen in love with two years ago, and, of course, a set of long, thick eyelashes to match her dad’s. When she scowls and squirms, all Norma can see is the first love of her life, perfectly replicated in the second. 

When Alex looks at his daughter, he sees every part of his wife that he’s always loved. Her face is slimmer and rounder like Norma’s, her pink lips full and puffy, and she has the tiniest little button nose that’s stolen straight from her mother’s face. The way her chin quivers when she’s threatening to cry reminds him so much of Norma that he feels like he could burst open any second and spew all of the love crammed into him out on both of them.

“She’s perfect,” Norma breathes, seeing Alex’s slight nod in agreement from her peripheral vision. “God, those lashes…” she chuckles disbelievingly, shaking her head down at the baby. “I’m jealous.”

He laughs quietly, kissing the top of her head, trying his best not to drip tears into her hair. “You’re both gorgeous,” he corrects, laying one arm under hers so he can take some of the baby’s weight. 

“You want to hold her?” Norma offers, already shifting the little girl into his arms, exactly like they’d practiced with Kate. He supports her head and neck with one hand, letting out a shocked breath at how her entire skull fits in his palm. 

“She’s so tiny…” he marvels, staring down at the football-sized human in his hands. How could anyone ever be so small? She kicks her legs a bit in protest at being disturbed, her arms flailing out above her as Alex bounces gently to calm her down. He uses the hand not holding her against his chest to reach for one of her arms, smiling tearfully as she wraps all five of her itty-bitty fingers around his thumb. “Hi, baby girl,” he whispers, struggling to believe that they really created an entire miniature person together. He can physically feel his heart filling up with love, more than he ever thought was even possible. 

It all makes sense now. Everything that Norma did for Norman, all the lies, the cover-ups, the fights… he finally understands all of it. Her devastation at the thought of having him taken away from her, the fierceness with which she fought him just to protect her son, how wrecked she’d been when she’d finally allowed herself to try to move on– it’s like everything clicks for him in that single moment. 

Looking down at his daughter, he can’t imagine a world where he wouldn’t do the same.

Her hand lets go of his finger, both of her arms flinging about as her eyes scrunch again, somehow perfectly replicating her father’s scowl without ever having seen him. He starts to rock her back and forth gingerly, but her grimace only grows, a discontented, fussy noise passing through her pouted lips. 

“She might be hungry,” the doctor offers, noticing her distress. 

Norma tuts softly, running her fingers over Allie’s head as she continues to squirm unhappily. “Well, I would be too if I hadn’t had anything to eat my entire life.”

They all chuckle at that, the sound from Alex’s chest calming the agitated infant in his arms a little bit. Norma gestures for him to give her the baby, which he reluctantly does, already missing the feeling of her small weight in his hands. 

“Can I feed her?” Norma asks the doctor, cradling her daughter as her little whimpers start to evolve into the beginnings of full-blown crying at being moved yet again. 

“Yes, of course! I’ll give you all some privacy, but if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to hit the call button,” the woman affirms, earning distracted nods from both parents as they work in tandem to unbutton the top of her hospital gown, Alex trying to help though his fingers are trembling so hard they’re effectively useless. 

“Okay…There you go, sweet girl,” Norma coos once it’s finally open, guiding the baby to her breast with a hand on her neck. One of her petite hands rests in the center of her mother’s chest, the honey tone of her fingers contrasting against Norma’s porcelain, freckled complexion. 

The world seems to stop turning for a second when she opens her eyes. 

The tears that they’d both finally managed to get under control come rushing back as Norma gazes down into her own brilliant blue eyes, framed perfectly with those glorious dark eyelashes. Alex lets out a stunned, watery breath next to her. He’d been convinced he could never find his little girl any more perfect, and he’d been utterly wrong. Of course she has Norma’s eyes, because the universe clearly wants to torment him by turning him into putty in two women’s hands now instead of one. 

And still, he’s never been more grateful to the universe. 

“Oh my God, Norma…” he gapes, watching in amazement as his flesh and blood nurses away, completely oblivious to their astonishment. “You made her…” 

Norma beams, cradling the side of his face with her free hand. “We made her,” she reminds him. “Those eyelashes did not come from me.” 

He grins and tucks his nose into her hair, kissing her scalp tenderly. Even through all the sweat and assorted hospital scents, he can still smell her sweet, fruity conditioner. He hopes she’ll still let him wash her hair once in a while. 

“I love you,” he murmurs, cramming every ounce of emotion he possibly can into the three words and finding that it’s still not enough. “Thank you for making me a parent.”

“I love you too,” Norma hums. The sparkle in her eye tells him that she feels it all, even the things he can’t put into words. Even the things he isn’t sure how to feel himself. 

He breathes her in a little longer, feeling the immense gratitude washing over him that he still can. That everything turned out okay for their little family. He has his entire world in his arms, and he swears in that moment that he will never let them go again. Little Allie Louise has barely been in the world for a few hours, and already, he’s convinced that she’s the most perfect human that will ever walk the planet. 

“You know, the, uh-” he starts, pausing to find his voice through the lump in his throat. “The doctors said that… if-if you hadn’t gone into labor, and she hadn’t been facing like that, and they hadn’t had to do the C-section… They… they might not’ve found that bleed in time to save your life.” 

Norma looks up at him, her eyes shining. Sitting there with her baby in her arms, the best husband she could ever ask for by her side, there isn’t a single place in the universe that she would rather be. Nothing in her life has ever been this perfect, and she can’t fathom that anything else ever will. It’s everything. 

Alex shrugs, one side of his mouth quirking up. “I dunno… it’s- it’s like…like, somehow, she knew .”

She looks down at their daughter, the tiny bundle of tangible proof that all her dreams are coming true, and smiles. “She’s a unicorn.”

—---

Alexandra Louise Romero

4 lbs, 2 oz

F     April 24, 2019   7:14 AM 

Norma Louise Calhoun     &     Alexander Damone Romero  

Seattle, King County, Washington