As her eyes flickered open to the see the cracked beige ceiling, brief snippets of her dream, or rather nightmare began to materialize. Norman's soft lullabies, Hawaii and macadamia nuts, Alex's betrayal, Dylan's departure and fight—it was surreal. Not just all of these moments clouding her mind, but the out of body experience she had felt after these events took place. Alex was attempting to resuscitate her but he couldn't seem to hear Norma cry out for him to dry his eyes or calm his shaky hands. She figured in this dream she was unconscious, but a part of her wanted to reach him. To hold him and assure him that nothing was his fault, that it was only a matter of time before her blinded love for Norman would go against her better judgment.

The bedroom was still and silent, not chaotic like her visions of Norman and Alex combating or Dylan yelling that she wasn't a real mother to him. Norma squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her heavy eyelids in hopes of somehow wiping the picture of being dug out of a grim and suffocating grave away. It was nearing her and Alex's third week of marriage, and she guessed that these dreams were purely anxiety about Norman finding out, subsequently spinning out of control. She had visited him the other day and he had caught a glimpse of her wedding ring. He'd nearly had a fit right there, but he coolly nodded and murmured, "So this is why you locked me up, mother?" and marched off. The image of his infernal eyes meeting her ring was something she could not shake off.

Norma sat up gradually and ran a hand over her rose colored silk slip. Alex's hand moved from resting on her hip to sliding onto her thigh. She turned to look at him sleeping serenely beside her. His chest was bare, hair unruly, face almost a smile, and while drinking him in, she noticed his eyelashes flutter ever so slightly. Norma felt a smile crack on her face, and her heart glowed at a similar one materializing on his. Alex's warm hand grazed slowly up and down her thigh. She watched his hand and then looked back at him. With one eye peaking open, he giggled so softly that she had almost missed it.

Without warning, Alex sprang toward her and scooped her into his arms. "Alex! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She squealed, trying to scold him, but hardly able to hide her amusement. They were now both sitting up in bed, Norma on him, and his arms tangled around her gently.

"I apologize," he growled groggily, throwing her a boyish grin. Norma reached up to smooth the hair at the top of his head back with her right hand and cupped his cheek affectionately with her left. He watched her like she was something marvelously inhuman. Alex traced her back with his fingertips and nuzzled into her neck with a heavy sigh.

When he looked up at her, a frown caught his attention and his expression mirrored hers in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…I just had a bad dream before I woke up…It's no big deal, just anxiety."

Alex rubbed her arms in an attempt to sooth her. Norma's voice had cracked which was his cue to try and comfort her.

"It'll all be okay. You're doing the right thing. I know you're worried about Norman."

She hugged into his chest and kept her composure so that their perfect bubble moment wouldn't be broken. Nevertheless it was, because it inevitable would have. She hopped out of his haven of an embrace at the sound of the phone ringing. Scurrying to the phone, she answered breathlessly, "Hello?"

It was Dr. Edwards and his tone was brash. "Yes, hi. Norman has not been accounted for this morning and is presumed missing. We believe that he has somehow escaped. Have you had any contact with him today?"