This is just a little thing I was thinking about. What if a ghost led Tate to go and kill those kids? Another original character story. A short one.

I guess you could call me the fuel to your fire. I never meant for you to hurt anyone. I thought you just wanted to have a little escape.

I always watched you, even when you were little and you moved in. You were never afraid of me. When Constance would leave, I would play whatever game you wanted with you. Nora and I. We were the only family you needed. We would stay up all night sometimes, and I would quickly put you to bed as soon as we heard the front door open. I would make sure you were always safe, away from Constance. In her fits of rage, I would take you and your siblings away, and tuck you away, safe. Hidden. I would hold you, or Addie, or Beau, until it was over, then I would quietly take you all to bed. Making sure she never disturbed you.

I regretted letting her talk to you the way she did. But what did you expect me to do? I could just show up in front of her and yell, that would make her more angry. I was always thinking of you. Always. I would sit in your room and listen to music with you, softly talking as to not tip off your mother. You always loved to play board games. I even let you win. That look of triumph on your small face brightened every part of me. I remembered when you moved out shortly. The other family was horrid. Your mother's boyfriend at the time, trying to be a father and husband but going behind the family next door. It made me sick.

I had to comfort his daughter every day, such a chore. I missed you. She was still young, not my age. I yearned for someone as old as me to walk through the door at least. It was like being a 19 year old mother. You kids are such bothers sometimes.

When you moved back in I was ecstatic. I waited so long for you to come back. You were 16 or 17. You had changed so much. I took advantage of your time, every free moment you had, we would be together. You stopped being a son to me, and you had passed being a brother when you started trying to kiss me, hold me, touch me, be everything I wanted. How embarrassed you were when I quietly rejected you.

"Alice, come on."

"I know how romantic it must be to be with a dead girl, but maybe you could try to find someone with a pulse." After that night, you started to become distant. What a fool I was. If I had just allowed myself to give in to you, maybe you would still be alive.

I talked to you, or at least, tried to. You stopped listening. Complaining that we weren't real. I eventually stopped trying to get through to you. Nora backed off too. We became observers in the corner of your room. When you would sneak out, all we could do was look out the window and wait for your sloppy self to come struggling down the sidewalk. A few times you would collapse in my arms. I would do all I could to drag your body to your bed and make sure you were asleep.

I still remember watching you die. I cried for you.

After a tense meal with Constance and Lawrence, you stormed up to your room and fell into my awaiting arms. You were having some sort of episode. A panic attack? I had heard about all the bullshit that was happening to you, kids at school giving you a hard time, your family. I felt great empathy for you. I pushed you.

I had seen the guns, laying lazily under your bed. I didn't tell Nora about it. It was our little secret. I watched as you brought out a baggie full of pills. I sat and watched as you did lines of cocaine. I just watched. Knowing what you were planning to do.

"Show them who you are. Show them they can't fuck with Tate Langdon." I said darkly to you as you threw yourself under the bed. You needed me to reassure you that what you were doing was going to make a difference.

"Just remember who you need to take out. Don't get sloppy." Another nod from your shaking head. How horrible a person I am. Letting you do that. Letting your life gently slip away from reality.

"I won't."

"Promise me. You have to make your mark."

"I promise, Alice." You came over to me and stood for a moment, looking into my eyes. Rage into rage. Fire into fire.

I think I made you do that.

Waiting was agony. Finally, you burst through your bedroom door and collapsed on your bed. Walking over to you quickly, I sat, and waited.

"Did you do it?" I asked quietly, hoping you didn't mess up. You looked at me, a sadistic grin on your pale face.

"Hell yeah I did." I smiled sadly, knowing your time would be up soon. I wonder if you knew you would die that day. I ran my small hand through your blond curls, savoring the feel. I layed down next to you and rested my head on your chest. A gasp of surprise escaped you. I wanted to feel you alive. I felt your heart beat. How beautiful it was. Different.

"You're going to go to jail, you know that, right?" I whispered to you quietly. I felt your body tense up.

"No I'm not."

That's when I heard the front doors open. I quickly rolled off of you and disappeared. I waited. I saw the SWAT team come in, surrounding you. You got up from your relaxed position, and put your hands up. Then, when I thought you were going to give in, you quickly reached under a mess of blankets, trying to pull out a gun.

I don't know how many times they shot you.

You collapsed and I watched. I sat down, curled up and sobbed. Sobbed as Nora appeared screaming and yelling at me asking what had happened. I told her. She doesn't talk to me anymore.

Your ghost almost immediately appeared, you walked up to me and smiled, sitting down next to me.

"I can stay now. Forever." You wrapped your arms around my broken body and rocked me.

I don't know what happened after that. We remained at our close relationship. There were stolen kisses. Angry, lonely sex. You tried to make me love you. I resented you for that. I think that's why I drove you away.

"Go away." I had said finally, and watched you disappear before me. It's been 20 years and I haven't called for you.

I think by now you should've let go. You should know that I was never the angel you made me out to be.

I wasn't perfect.

I was flawed. Destructive.

I wanted to protect you from the world. The goddamn horror show of a world we had to live in. It will never change. This will always be a shitty earth. I protected myself. I ended it when I knew I'd had enough. You just didn't know yet.

If you ever need me, truly, truly need me. Not just because you want to see me again. I'll be there. Because I'm always watching you. Every day. I'm still here to take care of you.

I think I'm just your Guardian Devil.