Her Eyes

Chapter 49: COURAGE

Alex drove to work, all thoughts in his mind circling around Norma. She was always on his mind these days. They were beholden to each other. The thought of Babbit and Norma being in the same room killed him. He knew Norma was a strong woman and could handle anything Babbit threw at her—he just couldn't stand the thought of losing her because of some slipup. He wished he had prepared her a little bit before she talked with Babbit, but then again Norma was the best liar he knew. She lie through anything if it meant saving her and her son's asses.

Alex headed into his office and began some paperwork. He decided to ignore the Bradley Martin case long enough for it to go away on its own. He knew Bradley deserved better and that he was letting his emotions get in the way of his job, but he couldn't lose Norma. She was all he had left. She was his only chance at survival. He was her only chance at survival. They needed each other.

After dealing with a couple of convenience store robberies, he headed back to the Bates Motel. He hoped Babbit hadn't done too much damage, but he knew how she was. She acted like she knew everything about everybody. But Norma wasn't one to take shit from anyone. He stepped into the office to find her behind the desk, groaning at her computer. "Still no guests?" he asked her, closing the door behind him.

"No," she sighed. She brought her eyes to him, smiling lightly. He never got tired of seeing that smile. "How was work?"

He made a grumbling sound, approaching the desk. He didn't want to think about work or Bradley Martin—or even convenience stores at this point. He needed to know what Babbit said. He needed to know that everything was all right. He tried his best to remain calm. "What did Babbit want?"

She rolled her eyes. "She asked about Norman...and Bob Paris." She cringed at the thought of him. Another dead man she regretted ever having contact with. "She wanted to know what I knew. How much I knew about Bob Paris. How close I thought you guys were." She took in his disgruntled expression. "She seems lovely." She smirked at him.

"Yeah. She's great," he laughed. His eyes shyly wandered over to hers. "How are you?"

Her eyes dropped to the desk. "I'm fine." She bit her lip nervously. She had something to say—she just wasn't sure how to say it. Things between them had intensified over the past few months, neither one of them where really sure how to act around the other. Her silence only pained him. She looked everywhere but him. "You told her Norman is mentally ill?"

His heart stopped. He was expecting an outburst. "Norma, I—"

"It's fine." She shrugged slightly. She really had given up. Or maybe she finally admitted the truth to herself. "It doesn't matter. It's the truth." She stood up from the desk and walked towards the door. "I'm gonna close up for the night." He followed her out to the porch, watching her lock up. "She asked how I knew you."

He stared at her as she turned around to face him. "Oh?" His heart raced a little at the thought of her talking about him. It was stupid. He just couldn't handle himself sometimes.

"I told her that you're a very popular sheriff...everyone knows you." She smiled at him. He was hoping there was something more. She took a step closer to him. "I told her that you are good a what you do and that you care a lot about the people of this town. And that you went looking for Norman because it's your job to protect the people of this town—because this town means more to you than anything."

He smiled at how much she understood him. Nobody's ever really deciphered him the way she has. "And what did she say?"

She sighed softly. "She said she found that hard to believe. So I told her that she doesn't know you like I do." She smiled at him, allowing her words to sink in. There was something about her that he couldn't deny. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the house. "We still need to finish our conservation from earlier."

She led him into the living room and sat him down on the couch. She wasn't quite sure where to begin. He could feel her apprehensiveness. She took a deep breath, trying to save herself from disaster. "The night Norman ran away, he asked me if there was something between us." Her eyes locked with his as she bit her lip. His heart began to ache with pangs of love. "And I told him that there wasn't." He felt it anchor at the bottom of his stomach. He wanted to get up and leave—run all the way home, but he couldn't. There was something keeping him there. Her eyes flushed with newfound emotion. "I lied to him and he knew it. So he left." She grabbed his knee as if to keep him stable—to lock him down. "Alex. I love my son more than anything in this world. You're the one man that seems to understand that." She shook her head lightly. "You've done so much for us. And I never really understood why until now." She swallowed hard partially regretting her decision to open up to him. "That night you left the motel—when you moved out—I wanted to tell you not to go. But I stopped myself because I thought I was being ridiculous, thinking that maybe... I couldn't handle the thought of living without you there. I got so attached to the idea of having you close by. If I needed you, you were right there to come and protect me. But when you left, I realized that I wanted a lot more than just protection—that I needed a lot more than protection." She looked around the room to avoid looking at him. "My life hasn't been the greatest. And it's arguably gotten worse since I moved here. And every time I think to leave I stop myself because I'm never gonna find someone else like you. No one's ever gonna treat me the way you do."

"That's cause no one else can handle your shit," he mocked, smiling at her. "Norma, I will always be here for you. I can't leave. I'm...cursed. I just want you to trust me. I don't want anything else from you." He watched her smile appear again. This was his chance. He looked away from her and laughed nervously. "Do you wanna...go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?" He cringed waiting for her response.

She laughed at him and shrugged. "I don't have anything better to do."

He rolled his eyes at her. "I'll come by around seven." He got up and walked towards the door, opening it. "Night, Norma." They smiled at each other before he left. He had to be dreaming.