Hello! So this took a few days for me to get out, but it's pretty long so that's my defence. Thanks to those of those who reviewed the last chapter. It means a lot to me. Please feel free to leave constructive criticism in your reviews. I really want to write this so that you can all enjoy it.

Also, I'm thinking of changing the rating of this story to M. I wasn't really planning on any se scenes, but this one seemed logical so there is one in this chapter. So just... be warned! Be warned and enjoy!

Chapter five:

The basement had always been a place of comfort to Tate. It was his place in the house. Everyone had their places. Violet would be in her bedroom. Ben would be in his office. Vivian and Moira would be in the kitchen (unless Moira was feeling slutty, that was.) Gladys and Maria would be in the bathroom. Nora would be in her own private corner of the basement. Beau would be in the attic. Chad would stalk through the lobby furiously most of the time. The list went on and on.

Tate's place had always been in the basement amongst the shadows. It had always calmed him to be down there before, but he was starting to notice all the things that Violet didn't like about it; and they were bothering him. It couldn't be natural, could it? Someone spending so much time in such a dark, lonely, miserable place. but that was where Tate felt at home. What did that say about him?

Monster.

He clapped his hands in front of his face. It was something Ben had told him to do when he could feel himself sinking into that place. The place that made him explode. He had to stay away from that place; that was for sure.

Hayden sent him a funny look. She had been sitting next to him for a while. They had their backs leant up against the wall and were sitting side by side. She was babbling on and on about Violet. Apparently she had overheard their little discussion earlier and she was simply refusing to let it go. You'd think that after being in the same situation he is now she would know that sometimes he just didn't want to talk about it. But then again she seemed to take joy in annoying him.

"Y'know, I just don't get her" Hayden exclaimed. "She acts all high and mighty up in that big bedroom, keeping it all to herself. When is she gonna realise she's just as dead as the rest of us and take what she can get."

"Hayden..." Tate growled.

"Well I'm just saying it's not exactly as if we all have someone to love us. And doesn't she get horny? Her vagina must be made of stone." Hayden went on.

Tate was still annoyed, but he couldn't help smirking a little. That certainly wasn't true.

"And then there's you!" she groaned. "You're just as bad as her!"

Tate frowned. "How?"

"All you do is brood over her and stare after her like a cute, pathetic puppy." She complained.

"I thought you'd know more than anyone that you can't just stop loving someone." Tate shot back at her, raising his eyebrows in challenge.

"I'm not still in love with Ben" she said, coolly and automatically. "What I can't get over is that one minute he can be making love to me and telling me I'm the most beautiful person in the world, then next minute he decides to be a family man and tosses me aside. I don't know if you've ever had that happen to you but it is very disorientating and humiliating. And now I have to stay in the same house as him for all eternity and every day I get reminded that I am nothing to him and I never even was."

Tate wasn't sure what to say. Hayden's little sob story was distressing, but she said it all in such blank, emotionless way. There was this look in her eyes, this far away look as if she was slipping away. He could identify with that all too well, but then after what Hayden has said he was starting to think they weren't the parallels he thought they were. They were just both lonely. They both just needed someone to love them so badly.

"Besides at least I make an attempt to do something around here. Believe me all that hurts like hell, but I don't let it stop me from finding my release." She informed him. "All you do is mope around all day."

"You think..." Tate said, looking at her from under his eyelashes. "...I should be looking for release?"

He saw Hayden notice the change in his tone. He saw the surprise on her face and he watched it turn into a seductive little grin.

"Oh Tate" she purred, placing her hand on his shoulder. "We all need release sometimes."

That was enough of an indication for Tate and he really did not feel like beating around the bush, so he grabbed Hayden around the neck and kissed her roughly. Hayden gasped in surprise, but didn't stop him. She kissed him back. They clumsily shifted so that Hayden was lying on her back and Tate wedged himself in between her legs. He could feel his savage, animalistic side of him taking him over and braced himself. Feeling like that scared him as much as it made him feel invincible.

This was obviously not going to be like it had with Violet. He wasn't going to feel happy or loved and he knew he would have no desire to be gentle. If he was going to go through with this he just had to check something.

"Hayden?" he said.

"What?" she groaned from underneath him, desperate for that release she apparently craved so much.

"I will never love you" he said, firmly. "And if we're gonna do this I need you to promise me you will not fall in love with me."

Hayden's eyes which had been squeezed closed, snapped open. She seemed to register how urgent this was to Tate and probably even to herself. Looking him in the eye she nodded. Tate let out a breath. Well, that was that.

So, in the dark, filthy, gloomy basement they fucked each other. He thrusted into her without mercy and her ass scraped against the concrete floor. When he reached his climax it was not Hayden's name he called out, but Violets. Then when they finished he didn't hold her, or kiss her; he just rolled off her and left her lying on her own in the middle of that dark, cold, god forsaken room and went somewhere she couldn't see him cry.

. . .

Zoe had been watching Ghost Hunters.

She knew she was procrastinating and it was bad. She soothed herself somewhat by telling herself this was research, but that was obviously an excuse. The truth was she was avoiding the murder house. And she was avoiding failure. But most of all she was avoiding Kyle.

Around her seventh episodes she knew she couldn't keep going like this. She had to do something or everything was going to fall to pieces around her. Begrudgingly, she grabbed her phone and checked it. the number of missed calls she'd had from Kyle hurt to think about. Taking a deep breath she listened to the first voicemail.

Zoe please answer your phone. Where are you? Answer your phone! Please Zoe... I miss you-

And that was about all Zoe could handle before she clicked out of the voice mail and placed her phone as far away on the bed as it could be from her. Alright, so she couldn't talk to Kyle. Looks like she was going back to the Murder House. Cool.

. . .

When she got back Tate was sitting on the brick wall by the gate. He looked like crap. She didn't think that ghosts could get ruffled, but apparently so. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair was completely chaotic. He was still very good looking, though oddly enough not in the same way Kyle was. Kyle looked kind and sweet. He was cute. This boy however had a wickedness in his eyes and Zoe couldn't work out if it was mischievous or sadistic.

He regarded her appearance with a swift once over then grinned at her.

"Back again, huh?" he asked. "You made quite the impression with us all last time you swung by."

"You're one to talk" she said, throwing him an accusing look.

Noticing the reproachfulness in her voice Tate sighed and launched himself off the wall. He came up and stood closer to her.

"I'm sorry for scaring you yesterday" he apologised, offering his hand to shake. "I'm Tate Langdon."

If Tate hadn't sounded so sincere Zoe wouldn't have shaken his hand, but the thing is he sounded really sincere. Plus he looked so much like Kyle... and it wasn't like Zoe had any other potential ally ghosts. She had to cave.

"That's alright. Just don't make a habit of it" she shook his, hand but made sure to send him a strict look. "I'm Zoe and... I'm also sorry for throwing you into a wall yesterday."

Tate laughed making his dimples visible. He looked so much like Kyle! But there was just something that just didn't match up.

"That's alright. I don't hold grudges." Tate said, throwing a quick glance back at the house. "So, now that we're all friends how would you like your very own tour of L.A's most notorious haunted buildings?"

Zoe was unsure if this was a jackpot or a walkway straight into danger, but either way she said: "Okay... sure," took the arm that Tate offered her, and let him lead her into the house.

So there you have it. I actually really enjoyed writing the scene with Tate and Hayden. Don't get me wrong I am a full on Violate shipper. They are my biggest OTP and I wouldn't want to see either of them together with anyone else. But I just feel like since Tate and Hayden are in such a similar situation of being trapped and alone I think it would be only natural for them to be drawn to each other for comfort even though Tate would be forever in love with Violet. And I think they kind of tried to show that in the final?

Anyways as a writer it was really fascinating to write. It was also interesting because before writing this I didn't really have much of an idea of who Hayden was. I feel like this really made me think of who she really was and what her motivations for doing certain things were. It was cool. Lots of fun! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

So yeah... sorry for the annoyingly long A/Ns. Please still review anyway? Pretty please with sugar on top?