Disclaimer: I don't own AHS. I mentioned a few movies in this chapter, they kind of hint at my age, but I don't own any of those either.

"A new family is moving in tomorrow."

Tate's voice is lazy and happy as he traces circles on her hip while they lay in bed. She wonders if this is really all it takes to make Tate happy. How can he be so carefree when she's so angry and sad all the time? But then she remembers that feeling she gets in her stomach whenever she sees Tate.

The fluttering in her lower belly and the blush that starts on her chest and makes it way up to her cheeks. The heat that swells between her thighs when he gives her that smirk she's fallen in the love with and that way her head swims when he kisses her. She gets delirious and dazed when he kisses her, sucking the air from her lungs while his fingers slide over her body in tortuous patterns. Down her arms, over her chest, his fingertips tickling her sides through her dresses and dipping into the waistband of her leggings to make her squirm and make those breathy little noises in the back of her throat he says he loves to hear.

Maybe he gets that feeling too when he sees her and kisses her and that's why he's happy right now. When she's around Tate that sadness in the pit of her stomach goes away for a while and the pain in her chest lessens a bit as soon he starts talking.

"Tate?" Violet whispers his name cautiously and he hums to let her know he's listening. "I love you."

His shifts his head to study her eyes and the smile taking over his face is genuine.

"I just wanted you to know that," she adds and lets him press a tender kiss to her forehead.

"I love you, too."

"Why? I mean, can you just explain to me why you're in love with me?" Violet sits up then, determined to understand his reasons.

Tate furrows his brow but sits up as well. "I don't know if it's something I can explain, Vi. I just do. I just know I love you. I love how you make me feel."

"How do I make you feel, Tate?" She asks quietly and watches the way he tangles their fingers together in his lap.

"Like I'm not falling anymore," he shrugs and ducks his head.

Violet worries her lip between her teeth and lets him pull her into his lap on her bed. And when his lips connect with her own she almost forgets everything else in the world but him. She pushes herself through the haze she's in when he pulls away.

"You give me a reason to want to be good, Violet."

"You shouldn't need a reason, Tate," she clambers out of his lap and walks across her room to shuffle through her CD's.

"I know," his voice is small. "I'm sorry, Violet."

"Stop staying that." Violet hits the button on her stereo a bit harder than necessary and the song drifts from the speakers to fill her ears. "Just shut up."

"Come lay down with me," he pleads.

"I don't want to."

"Vi?"

"I'm tired of lying around here, Tate," she shakes her head and ignores it when he starts to walk toward her. "I want to do something, anything."

"We can play cards," he suggests half-heartedly and is relieved when she quickly shoots down the idea. "It's the fourth of July. Fireworks will be going off soon at the ball field. You can always see them from the back porch. Wanna go watch them?"

"Yeah, okay."

*/*

Violet has never like fireworks. Not since she was four and she got burned by one those small fireworks that jump around in the grass after you light them. But she doesn't complain when she sits next to Tate on the steps on the back porch. She's missed Tate the last few weeks, missed his touch so when a rather loud firework explodes she uses it as an excuse to nudge herself closer to him and make him put an arm around her shoulders.

She feels kind of stupid with all the thoughts swirling in her head. She's always found those love struck teenage girls to be pathetic and annoying. She always expected falling in love to be different. As much as Violet hates to admit it, she always kind of wanted to have Heath Ledger serenade her on a football field or ride off into the sunset with Patrick Dempsey on a lawnmower.

Being trapped in a murder house with the boy that raped your mother and killed more than fifteen people is warped and a little depraved.

Violet tugs his hand, just a bit, and wonders if she ever had a choice. She tries to think of how it would be if she hadn't fallen for Tate's charm, if she hadn't let herself fall in love with him and allow him to love her back.

But when his head turns and she catches sight of that lopsided grin that graces his face so often, she wonders if he ever had a choice. He didn't choose to be in this house any more than she did. However, she can't help but wonder if it's the house that makes him so dark, or if that's just how he is. How he'll always be.

"It's cold, Tate," she says near the end of the display, right before they do the big finale. "Can we go back up to my room?"

"Yeah," He pulls her to her feet with him, but doesn't let go of her hand as they walk up the stairs to her room. "Are you tired?"

"No, I just want to crawl under the covers with you. You're always warm."

They're both quiet for a while once they're in the bedroom and the noise of Violet restlessly trying to get comfortable next to Tate is the only sound in the room. The lights are off save for the small lamp next to the bed and the door is almost shut with a sliver of light peeking in from the hallway.

"What are you doing?" Tate finally asks when he feels her hands running over his chest. "I thought you were asleep."

"I just want to feel you," she explains.

She pauses at the hem of his shirt almost like she's asking permission to go any further. Her fingers are cautious as they slide up his stomach. She knows her hands are shaking but she can't help it. When she pushes the material towards his head and moves to straddle his abdomen she finds nothing but smooth skin. She wonders how Tate does it. Violet knows how he died. He should have bullet holes covering this pale chest but her fingers find none. But it's probably the same reason her mother doesn't look pregnant and her dad doesn't have rope burns on his neck.

"Do I make you sad, Violet?" He questions when he catches the look etched on her face. "Your eyes are always sad."

"So are yours," she tells him seriously and her fingers pull at his sweater once more. He complies and lifts to tug the piece of clothing over his head. "That's the first thing I noticed about you."

"What are we doing here, Violet?"

She shrugs and makes sure he's watching her before pulling her dress over her head and it lands on the floor next to his sweater. "Take off my tights, Tate."

He rolls them over on the bed and the breath catches in her throat. She loves the way he's looking at her. The way he can't seem to stop looking at her.

"You sure?" He asks warily.

She huffs and starts to push at the material herself, but he grasps her wrists and shakes his head.

"I'll do it."

She holds her breath while she watches him slowly pull the tights down her legs. They puddle onto the floor with everything else and Violet's left in only her bra and panties. His hand moves to the button of his jeans, but waits there while he watches her face to see what she wants him to do.

"It's okay, Tate," she scoots up on the bed a bit and waits as he sheds himself of his jeans and now they're both in their underwear. "I just want to feel you," she repeats her own words and her fingernails dig into the skin of his lower arm after he climbs back onto the bed with her. "I want to feel something besides pain."

"I'll make you feel everything, Violet. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it," it is a promise she knows he means. "Just tell me what to do."

Violet reaches for something, anything, but she doesn't know what she wants. That's her problem. She doesn't know. She doesn't understand how Tate could have done all of those horrible things when he's so sweet and caring to her.

"Tell me, Vi," he murmurs against her skin and she shivers.

The next words she speaks leave a bitter taste on her tongue and she's able to bite back the heavy tears from her eyes as she mutters, "go away, Tate."

A/N: I haven't really had time to read any of the Violet/Tate fics, but if anyone has any suggestions for some good ones I'm open to hear them.