She never belonged to you

~ Madeleine Loomis felt ice water flow through her veins as she smoothed down the blue print dress the monster had given her.

What kind of a psychopath gives a woman he's sexually attracted to his dead mother's dress? What kind of woman is sexually attracted to a man who gives her his dead mother's dress?

She felt slightly nauseated at the idea of an endless loop. Sick at the memory of how charming Norman Bates had been. How handsome, in a sweet boy next door sort of way. She had let her guard down when she was with him because he had seemed so harmless and fragile. A nice young man who was all alone in the world.

Who was still grieving the untimely death of his mother and who looked at her as if she was beautiful. Looked at her like Sam had stopped looking at her.

Sam.

Madeleine closed her eyes and tried to stay focused. Tried to not show any emotion that might arouse any suspicion of the evening crew of the county psych ward.

She'd been lucky to have found Andrew Garza. A man who, with enough weight loss, proper hair cut and clothes, could pass. Lucky she had been able to befriend the family of a patient there and visit often enough with her new boyfriend "Andy" to not arouse notice.

But it wasn't Tammy Miller they were going to see today. Although she did have a box of what looked like candy as normal. She and Andy looked as they always did, the perfect couple coming to visit the poor soul who was a friend of a friend.

Good hearted people that Mary and Andy White, as the evening staff knew them. Always the evening staff after five and always on a Sunday after the office workers weren't around. Madeleine wasn't stupid. She wasn't about to get caught.

No, the staff thought Mary and Andy were a nice married couple who liked to visit once a week and bring candy to a poor old lady and visit with the staff and ask general questions about the place. Sometimes staying for hours. They'd been coming for a year now and never caused any trouble. Why would they? Mary was a nice looking girl with her short blond hair and wore vintage dresses. Her husband was quite and kept to himself.

None of the evening staff, the most disposable and with the highest turnover, ever put it together that Mary was really Madeline Loomis and she was the widow of Norman Bates' fourth known victim. Although she, along with a crime researcher, suspected that there were at least five others. A thing Norman Bates' brother Dylan refused to comment on.

Now, now Madeleine was so close to seeing Norman Bates alone in this place. Seeing him face to face since he'd been transferred from the institute for the criminally insane to the county hospital.

She could never get this close to him if he was in the institute under real lock up. They did extensive back ground checks on everyone that came and went out of that place. But here, the doors were left unlocked thanks to fire codes. The patients strapped down on gurneys and allowed to scream all night.

Madeleine had smiled a delightful smile when she had glimpsed Norman Bates being wheeled into a hallway and left there. Tied down and helpless. Medicated out of his mind so he was drooling on himself.

A part of her angry that his brother hadn't shot and killed him in the first place.

No. No, it was better that Norman Bates suffer. She had plans for him.

It was shockingly easy what could be done when the staff was over worked, underpaid and there were too many distractions around. Andrew saw to that when he set off an old sprinkler system and the charge nurse had to respond to it, leaving the front desk unmanned.

It had left Madeleine more than enough time to enter the now unlocked medication room and replace Norman's medication with simple aspirin. She needed him clear headed for the next phase of her plane.

A week after she'd replaced his primary meds, it was time to act. Madeleine had easily found Norman's room number and even stolen a key card to get in. All things that were possible tanks to the horrendous security of county.

None of the staff paying the slightest mind to the lovey couple Mary and her nice looking husband as they walked down the hall. One nurse calling her by name and never questioning why she was down the hall of their more dangerous patients.

With the flick of the key card, Madeleine felt her sprits lift and she was in!

"I'll be outside. Be careful. He's dangerous." Andrew whispered.

Madeleine nodded and tried not to like her new friend too much. He liked her, she could tell. He was willing to do all of this just to help her get revenge on Norman Bates. Yet, she couldn't, she wouldn't, allow herself to care about him. It wasn't easy. Since the weight loss, Andrew was suddenly very good looking. The uniform didn't hurt either. Even if it was just a costume.

Madeleine turned slowly around and saw that her presence in the room had not gone unnoticed.

Norman Bates was staring at her with his cold, glassy blue eyes.

She felt herself returning his stare with that same rush of anger she felt when hearing that verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity two years ago.

"Mother." Norman said in a voice dripping sweet with love. Or was it lust? Madeleine wasn't sure.

She swallowed the uncomfortable lump in her throat and clutched tightly the box of candy to her chest.

"Hello, Norman." she said and walked slowly to the monster. He was restrained in the bed but his eyes, terrible and shinning brightly in the darkness of his bedroom watched her as if illuminated by some kind of mystical fire.

"I knew it. I knew you'd come back." Norman smiled in relief.

"Of course." Madeleine said feeling sick at the idea she'd ever been attracted to him. That she'd worn this dress hoping he'd like her in it. That she'd kissed him and wanted to make love with him when he'd been keeping his dead mother's body preserved in his basement for two years.

"I'd never leave you." Madeleine said with a bright smile instead.

"It's been so long. I feel so strange." Norman admitted.
"I know." she told him.

"I thought you were dead." he told her.

Fiendishly, Madeleine grinned.

"Everyone thinks that." she said. "It's so Alex and I can be together. It was my idea to get rid of you once and for all."

"What?" Norman asked. The fog in his brain clearing and he looked at her in confusion.

Madeleine kept to the shadows so he couldn't see her face clearly. She'd seen enough pictures of Norma Bates to know she looked just like her now. The hair and dress were perfect.

She opened the candy box to take out the pictures she taken at a private cemetery outside of White Pine Bay.

"See?" she said holding up the large color picture of a white headstone Norma's son had erected honoring Norma and her late husband.

"Alex and I had a stone especially made together. So everyone will know we were married." Madeleine smiled wickedly at Norman when she could see him reading in horror the names

Alex Romero ~ Norma Romero

1968-2017 1974-2015

Together in Eternity

"No." Norman shook his head.

Madeleine had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Out of everything, Dylan Massett insisting that the former Sheriff Romero be buried in a private and secret cemetery with his late wife was the sweetest revenge of all.

The funeral home had been embarrassed that Norman Bates had stolen his mother's body right out of the ground and had agreed to pay for a new funeral for both Norma and Alex. Even that beautiful new stone with the wisely chosen name change in case someone decided to look for Norma Bates' body again.

The precaution had been taken to pour cement over the matching white caskets during the service so no one would dig them up. How did Madeleine know all this? She'd been there. She'd befriended Dylan and Emma after he'd failed to shoot his brother. She'd felt horrible when she found out what this monster had done to his mother's body. How Dylan had to see it sitting at the dinning room table like that. How Alex Romero had broken out of prison just to kill Norman Bates and only succeeded in the heartbreak of seeing his dead bride buried in snow. Just before getting his head bashed in with a rock and shot by his lunatic step son.

The funeral home managed to prevent a lawsuit with a new funeral for Norma Bates and Alex Romero. Dylan insisting they be buried together because he sensed there was love between them. Although they were only married for two weeks.

The location of their final resting place was never disclosed and Madeleine never spoke a word about it to anyone but Andrew and of course, Norman Bates.

"That's not your headstone, Mother." Norman said.
"That?" Madeleine cackled. "I HATED that stone and that stupid thing you wrote about me. The cord? Honestly, Norman!" she laughed and shook her head.

"Mother?" Norman asked.
"Alex thought it was more believable that we should be buried together. That we belong together." Madeleine said. "Especially after what you did."

"No." Norman shook his head.

"Yes." Madeleine insisted hatefully. "Look, Norman. People will see this and think I've always belonged to Alex. Because I do. I belong to him. They will think that you were never apart of our lives at all. That I never belonged to you. They'll be right. I never really belonged to you at all. I've always been in love with Alex."

She heard the door to Norman's room open and Andrew come in right on cue.

She turned to see he was dressed in the costume she's picked out for him. It wasn't perfect, but in the darkness, it could easily be mistaken for a White Pine Bay Sheriff's uniform. Complete with the same type of leather jacket Romero used to wear.

"Norma?" Andrew said. "Time to go."

"Sure, Alex." Madeleine said and smiled gleefully at Norman.

"Alex and I have to leave now." she said. "We won't be coming back for you."

"Mother!" Norman shouted with a sudden rage that made her jump free from him.

Andrew was quick to pull her away and she made sure to leave the large glossy picture of Norma Romero's headstone on his bed where he could clearly see it. Clearly see she'd been laid to rest next to her husband.

"It's okay." Madeleine whispered once they were out in the hallway and Andrew zipped up his jacket so no one would see the fake uniform.

"He's a killer. I don't like you being alone with him." Andrew said.

Madeleine looked away from a face that she was finding hard to ignore when he was being so protective.

"He was restrained. He wouldn't hurt a fly." she said with a little smile.

"It's over." Andrew told her. "No more Norman Bates."

Madeleine grinned and felt an exciting high at her simple revenge as Norman screamed in furry at losing his mother.

"No more Norman Bates." she promised.