This story is inspired by a combination of You've Got Mail (1998), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), and Chaos Without You, a fanfic by NormeroBenzo. The stage is set by NormeroBenzo: Alex Romero and Norma Bates are married but only on paper because, despite having a nearly four-year-old daughter, named Amanda, they have been emotionally estranged ever since Norman's suicide.