Hey all, so I recently got into AHS and am I really the only one who wanted to just hug Oliver… yes! Because I'm twisted, but hey I'm cool with it.

Anyway I hope you enjoy and review

JJ X x

He shouldn't have even been there… I think I hate him a little for that, for finally coming home. I still to this day remember the way he looked at me, like an owner that returned to find the cat eating next doors rabbit and I don't know why he seemed so afraid because he knew I'd never hurt him, for god's sake he's my Nate, my big brother!

"Nate, your home!" I ran up to hold him but he backed away and that hurt, it really hurt, even as those big blue eyes of his looking over at me, the already crusting crimson in my snowy blonde curls and ruining my favorite blue dress, it broke my heart to throw it out but the staining was to deep.

I didn't even realize I had blood smudged over my face, but I could feel the sharp ache a fresh blood pulsed from the right of my neck, the long piece of glass still cemented into the tender creamy flesh "Nate… are you mad?"

But he wasn't looking at me anymore; he was looking at the mangled bodies behind me strewn across the living room floor "Mari, what the fuck have you done?"

I couldn't help the bitter rage as my heart slammed furiously against my chest and a scream ripped burned my lungs "IT'S THIER FAULT!"

That was the last time I saw him, he wasn't even at my trial… I hated us both for that.

It's been seven years since that night, seven years to separate me from that fifteen year old girl who heartlessly butchered three people with a smile on her face, but the truth is I'm still that girl, maybe I always was and no matter how hard they try to beat the devil out of me, they can't, because he isn't there… if he was then maybe I'd have someone half decent to talk to.

All day people had been fussing over our new addition, Bloody Face himself… we'd all heard about him obviously, skinning and beheading women, but hey we all have our kinks right. I remember as he walked into the Day Room, not that hard to spot a new face in this place, he didn't look like a killer, but few ever did. In fact he reminded me of Nate just a little, same build, height, same big scared doe eyes… but eye color, the hair and complexion was all wrong, still as the fight broke out reacted on instinct, rushing past the cheering crowd and kicking Spivey clean in the face and off the newbie, not watching wipe shocked at the no doubt broken nose. I moved to help the boy, a need to fix up the cuts and kiss them better, but the whistle blew…

I felt bad for him when they marched him off to solitary, but said nothing, in this place you learn to do as your told and I have seven years' worth of lessons.

But the boy was just the catalyst, the link that made it all possible… they both where. If I'd have known what would come later I'd have gutted that bitch the moment she'd passed me in the hall earlier that morning, or more Sister Jude forcing her out, but I didn't know, how could I? In fact I thought she was quite glamorous, not as pretty as me though… if only I'd known.

That day had carried on without much change; it wasn't until the next morning that the ball got rolling, I knew I had to be mistaken about what I'd seen at room check last night, because that reporter woman was there, but it couldn't have been her… could it?

It was my fault, I'd rounded the corner into the Day Room and slammed right into him, to lost in the creeping uncertainty of what I saw "oh gosh I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking…"

"No please, I was walking and reading, careless really." The voice was deep and soft, but with a sharp edge and when I looked up, past those thick black rims and into those chocolate swirls, papers in hand, my breath caught onto my lungs and refused to let go.

"Are you alright?" he smiled nimbly down at me in my worn pink pajamas because even with both of us kneeling he was still ridiculously taller than me.

I feel the blush burning my pale cheeks, not many had asked me that question, cared enough to ask so I beamed up at him "just peachy… oh no."

He didn't flinch as I reached for his hand, so much bigger than my own, and finding a long thin slash through his thumb, blood pooling out and the stranger groaned in pain "damn paper cut."

I didn't let go of his bleeding appendage as I all but dragged him over to the nearest chair that wasn't near Loopy Lacy, girl thinks she's a damn vampire "Come over here. Harry could you be a peach and get the first aid kit please."

The guard turns to get the case from the well secured lock-box and rushes to hand it over with a small tilt of his head, all the while the handsome stranger protests but I crouch before him with a quick thanks to Harry as he insists "Really it's not necessary."

He looks almost nervous about it as I open up the box, maybe about the fact a guard just merrily jumped when a patient asked him to or that said patient had a box of needles and pins while holding his already pleading hand "Now don't be silly, it looks a little deep and it could get infected; now we don't what that do we?"

I stand in front of him, hands on hips and watch his Adams Apple bob while he stares at me in mild awe and suspicion before admitting defeat with a silent nod. I clean the blood and wound the best I can with the shitty supplies, humming lightly before asking "you're a new face, lots of those lately… what's your name?"

"Dr. Oliver Thredson, and yours?" he smiles, less anxiety than before and more curious as he watches me work, those chocolate swirls looming on ebony now as he stares at the long scar gliding down my neck curiously.

As I tenderly place the plaster around his creamy freshly cleaned thumb I answer with my best smile "Marilin-Mae Boots at your service… there." Without thinking I place a healing kiss over the bandage before boxing everything up for Harry to take away "That wasn't so bad was it."

However as I look back to the good doctor he's holding his thumb, almost caressing it "dose it hurt? I tried to be gentle, I'm sorry."

"No, no it doesn't hurt at all, thank you, Marilin was it?" he snapped from whatever trance he seemed to be pulled under and stood slowly.

Twirling a finger though my snowy braid mindlessly I try to hide the blush… my god is he tall… no, wait, answer the question "That's little old me, but everyone calls me…"

"Bootsy, they need you in the Bakery, something about the crust, I don't know…" I glare annoyed and frustrated over my shoulder at Frank, letting him know I'm on my way with a flicking wave of my hand.

"That's because they keep fucking tweaking with my recipe. Idiots!" I mutter under my breath before looking back the smirking doctor.

He looked at me through those glasses that made his stare seem so much more intense, bigger, as I slowly, regretfully backed away "I have to go, but it was nice meeting you."

"And you 'Bootsy'." He offers me a crooked smile whilst I, still fiddling with my ribbon tied braid, race from the room, feeling his gaze on me still.

Something about him was different than the other doctors; my first was Dr. Harris who tried so very hard to get me to regret, then Dr. Jeffrey who was more interested in my tits than my crimes, but this man had something about him… something more, something familiar.

I walk into the Bakery and push past those silly people interfering before smiling as my little helper arrives "Gracie, thank god, could you lay out the ingredients for the strawberry and rhubarb crumble please."

With a cigarette hanging out of her mouth she moves over to the fridge, it's few that get kitchen detail and fewer still in Sister Jude's precious bakery. I decide to throw out the pie bases they'd made that morning because they we're all wrong! Better to start from scratch.

My train of thought as I knead the dough is broken by a shrill giggle behind me "Bootsy's got a new boyfriend…"

"What are you talking about Shelley?" I don't bother to look back at her; already visualizing her shit eating grin. Sometimes she can be so annoying.

"I saw you and four eyes eye fucking in the day room, he's seriously hot… about time you got laid to. Maybe then you'll stop fingering yourself over you own brother." she bonces onto the worktop and I shove her off it with brute force and a childish glee while Grace and the on lookers laugh laughs.

She glares up at me from the floor as i smile bitterly "Say something else about my brother, 'whore', I fucking dare you!"

She doesn't say a word, just walks off in a huff and I shake my head, fighting the urge to run after her and bash her face into a floor until her brain leaked out like a cracked egg, because she has no idea, none of them do.

The days passed far too soon in that hell hole and it was evening before I even blinked, but it's the way of things in a place like that where trying to count the sun rises and sets is like trying to catch smoke, useless and disappointing. However that day had been different, he'd been there, I hadn't talked to him again, I saw him though… peering through the day room window. At first he watched Kit, I knew because I watched him to… pretending in my twisted little head that he was Nate, come to finally take me home, that's when I saw those big lenses that earlier had reflected my blue speckled green orbs back at me. I gave him a small smile and a finger wiggle wave before he felt safe to gaze again because I'd returned to my jigsaw I've finished a hundred times over, but still I watched him now staring to another, little miss Lana, while he hid like a shadow in the darkness.

"Hey, I'm Kit." I was ripped from my train of thought by a gentle voice and I look up into the boys eyes, so soft, so tender "You want a smoke?"

"Bootsy. Sure, thanks." he sits beside me then, seeming relived as he lights the cigarette held between my lips and I cough just a little, because the truth is i'm not much of a smoker.

His knee is shaking and he runs a nervous hand though his hair "Look, I just wanted to thank you for helping me out earlier with that greaser."

The country lilt to his voice is just to sweet and I shrug with a slow drag of the bud "that's ok, Spivey's a fucker on the good days, likes to think he's all tough but really he's just a bully."

"Yeah, guys like that never really got much going on upstairs." He chuckles with understanding, letting out the smoke and it reminds me of the first time I caught Nate smoking pot in his room, I was so mad at him, screaming and raving, but then he hook my hands in those big soft ones of his and gave me the best damn puppy eyes you've ever seen, even convinced me to try a little as he held me sprawled out on the floor.

I feel a twinge of heartache at the memory and lean into him "Kit sweetie, let me tell you something about this place, you got your total batshit's, your typical crazies and then the fucked up psycho killers, and they don't give a shit about you, so made your own damn business and keep your head down and you'll be fine, because no matter how nice the staff seem or how they dress it up beating on us is the highlight of those fucker's week and anyone in here will do anything to make sure it's you and not them."

His adam's apple bobbed with the hard swallow and he licked at his dry lips, spearing a glance over to Grace then me "you don't all seem so bad."

"This is Briarcliff sweetie, bad's the only good we have." He laughs with me as I take another pull from my burned out cigarette, my gaze straying to the door where black rimmed glasses no longer linger.

Dr. Thredson reminded me of someone to… someone I knew so long ago that I couldn't remember his name, but he's still there buried deep but still, he's there.

When lights out came I didn't think I'd see the handsome doctor again, not ever… so I wrote it down in my journal, one of my little privileges due to the sharing of some of my mother's recipes in the Bakery. I sat writing about my day, wondering where Nate was, if he was happy, if he still loved his little Mari, and how much Kit reminded me of him, so gentle, so warm... also I wrote of the handsome doctor with the dark, lonely eyes, so very, very lonely and then her, always my mind strays to her… so virtuous, so precious, she deserved so much more and I hate the world for taking her away, but mostly my father and his whore wife, they caused it all.

We could have been so happy if they just gave us a chance!

That was my last thought before the flickering of the crappy old lights took over and the gentle click echoed through the halls like gods voice through the heavens, leaving us confused and unsure, the red lights reminded me of the habitat Nate had for Daisy, his Corn Snake. maybe because we're all just as captive at she was.

I didn't understand what was happening, but I knew it wasn't good. I hadn't even left my room yet but still I heard the ciaos coming from every direction, I'm not going to lie I was scared, I knew what type of people were locked up in there, mad men, murders, monsters… people like me.

"Bootsy…" at the trembling voice my heart almost stopped but I offer a comforting smile to the frail scared creature in my doorway.

"Pepper, sweetie, don't be scared, come on, come with me; I'll protect you." she takes my hand without much effort and hugs onto me, needing someone to shelter her and who am I to turn her away.

I tried to think of a safe place to go, somewhere the inmates wouldn't enter due to fear, a safe place. A triumphant smile twitched to my lips before I tightly gripped Pepper's shaking hand, cupping her misshaped head with the other to make sure she understands "Pep's I need you to keep tight, tight hold of my hand ok? We're going to be ok."

"Pepper, tight!" she raises both our hands to show her commitment and understanding before we scarper from my room and into bedlam, mind the pun.

The halls where flooded with people and guards trying to retain some sort of order, or at least get the more loopy ones back in their cages. I knew where we were headed without worry, because not an inmate here would ever think of Sister Jude as someone safe.

We managed to get out of the red zone easily enough what with the main security down and a broken door window, I was never more thankful for my long sleeves and still remember the sharp pain of my elbow from it. and found a couple sat quivering at the end of the main entry staircase just as the lights came alive again, Pepper clinging to my arm like a frightened child in the storm when a voice booms through the echoed room "what on earth do you two think you're doing down here?"

"Pepper scared." She was trying to explain but Sister Jude wouldn't understand that, I could tell by her usual stony glare.

"It wasn't safe in our rooms and I couldn't just leave her there, I figured your office would be the safest place, after all you are our guiding light Sister" she looked at us skeptically, i'm sure sure if she guessed me sarcasm but tiredly sighed, spearing a glance to the waiting parents before turning to the man I'd only just realized to be behind her "I don't have time for this, Dr. Thredson… you like interfering so much why don't you show Pepper and Marilin back to their ward."

Almost jumping at the chance to get away from the scene, of having to watch parents be told their child is dead he moved toward us "Certainly. Sister Jude."

The walk back is filled with a quite dodge of orderlies rounding up the stragglers and strays still lingering and hiding out, Pepper still clinging to my arm, worried it might happen again even as I repeatedly reassure her.

I looked up at Oliver, the shine off his thick glasses making him look almost sinister "Fun first day?"

His brows knit together in momentary confusion before he laughs, tilting his glasses straight as he speaks "more eventful than anything I'd say."

"Don't get used to it, this is the most that's happened here since I got transferred and that was over a year ago." I smile up at him before we reach Pepper's room, an orderly pulling her away but she won't let go of my arm, started panicking and thrashing around.

The orderly, Carl, is pushed back by Oliver as his grip on Pepper's arm would no doubt bruise and he speaks evenly, warning "you're hurting her."

I'm not paying the asshole any attention at that moment though as I hug a terrified Pepper, running soothing circles up her back and stoking her shaven head as I coon softly "hey, hey Pep's you know when I was little and I got scared my mother would sing to me, not just any song, but a song to make all the bad things go away, because when they heard the song it made them forget I was there because they couldn't get me, if they didn't know I was there. Would you like me to sing it for you Pepper?"

Carl looked pretty pissed, not to mention annoyed but Oliver just looked on as the big toothed woman nodded into my head "Bootsy sing. Pepper not there. Bootsy sing."

"Hush little darling, dry your tears, Mommy's here to calm your fears, to make the monsters go away, to make night feel as safe as day, to hold you close, cuddle you tight, until you're calm and feel no fright." I can feel the two men's stare as her grip loosens on my night shirt, one in frustration and the other in fascination.

"Open your eyes and look around, plonk your feet on steady ground, there's nothing here to fear, my love, no monsters lurking up above, the wardrobe, nor beneath your bed, the monsters all lurk in your head." As I sooth her, hearing her mewing lightly, my gaze locks with those chocolate brown pools, wide as his lip twitches up in the corner "You can make them go away, or make them friends with whom to play; imagine them in silly clothes, or with a feather up their nose, or with big shoes or silly hair, or wearing baggy underwear!"

"This is ridicu..ow!" Carl groans, moving to just sling Pepper into her cell, only for a strong fist to tighten in his chest of his shirt and slam him back into the wall, black eyes burrowing through him as Oliver through clenched teeth, the primal side of him growling "let her finish."

"And soon you'll see that they're not scary, even though they're big and hairy, now your foes are friends, my dear, so please sleep softly, without fear… but just in case, don't forget, that Mommy's always here." With the last part of the song I do what my mother had so many times done to me, cupped her face with tender care, circling my thumbs over her cheeks with a kiss to her brow "Sweet dreams Pepper."

Those big sweet eyes of hers smile up at me bright and unafraid "Night, night Bootsy." And with that she walks back to her cell… I mean room.

Mine in near the other end of the hall and with Pepper all locked up Carl leaves, or more gets a murderous glare from the good doctor and does a runner. However as he turns back to me his face is handsome face is nothing but gentle, no trace of the vigilantly that allowed me to sing "That was a very beautiful song, Marilin, it's impressive that you know it by heart."

"My mother would sing it to me all the time, as I child I was so afraid of the dark… then after she was gone I had to sing it to myself, but it never had the same effect you know?" I don't know why I told him that, maybe because he bothered to show interest.

As we reach my door he smiles at me though those glasses of his and I wonder if his eyes would look as big without them "nothings quite as calming as a mother's touch. She must have loved you very much… I'm sorry Marilin, i'm just having a hard time understanding why your here."

I bite my lip to stifle a giggle because I've asked myself that question a lot over the years, as have many others. I know I sometimes seem sane, maybe I am, I don't know any more or maybe I just don't care "I'm here for the same reason as most of them, I'm a psycho, fucked up, killer. On the other hand if we're getting technical then the real reason I'm here is so much better."

He leans down to me, almost as though I'm about to tell him a secret. So with one last look into those ebony pools I shrug "I'm here because I made the ultimate sin… I loved my baby."