Blood and Tears
Huddled close to his cold body, finally in his arms once again Violet felt safe, and protected.
Hushing her sweetly, his cool lips pressed lightly against her temple as he carried her back to the graveyard.
Laying her down upon his chest he stroked her long hair doing his best to soothe her already knowing the disheartening news she had for him.
Wild vines seemed to come alive, slithering like a snake rising around them as Tate and Violet sank down between two weathered headstones.
Needing to feel his icy pale chest on her skin she pushed his tee shirt up above his stomach until he got the message and discarded it altogether.
They were surrounded by late summer flowers that grew wild and alive among the dead.
Sweet honeysuckle fragrances swept along the wind as he wrapped his arms around her pulling her in close.
In time she began to feel comfortable enough to talk about the chaos that had been inundating her life.
Echoing what Miles had told him about Detective Embry going after her for murder one, Tate's worst nightmare had been confirmed, she was in real trouble, and it was all his doing.
"I have no idea why but my step father is lying to the police, I'm so confused, it seems as if the world is against me, everyone in town is convinced that I killed Gabe. I don't know what to do, what I can do."
Closing his eyes as guilt weighed him down, Tate whispered softly, trying not to upset her.
"I take it Ben isn't paying for a lawyer."
Scoffing, brushing back a stray tear, she shook her head.
"He's convinced that in some way I'm responsible for what happened to Gabe, he basically said I made my bed and now - "
Nodding Tate interrupted her seething with hatred for the Preacher, wishing that Violet would see the truth in him.
"Stay away from him Violet, as much as you can, lock your bedroom door at night. Don't let him corner you. I don't trust him and neither should you."
Tapping her fingertips one by one on his tight stomach she told him of how she was supposed to meet with a court appointed defense attorney tomorrow.
"I heard he's straight out of law school, a young kid, even if he actually wants to help me. I really don't see how he can."
Watching glowing eyes that bordered the edge of the dark woods off in the distance she hesitated, wondering if she should tell him the rest.
"Your heart is beating so fast … Violet what is it? What aren't you telling me?"
Lifting herself up, leaning on his chest she gazed into the blackness of his intense eyes wishing she could disappear inside them.
"There's something… in the house. I feel him… watching me, following me. Out of the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse of it sometimes. A dark shadowy figure, but he vanishes as soon as I turn to face him head on. Tate… I think… I'm afraid it's … "
"My father."
Guilt was replaced with real fear knowing what he father was capable of.
Tate had inadvertently opened a door the night he visited Violet at the house, awakening a vengeful spirit that wanted nothing more than to punish his eldest son.
Making love to her that night, revealing very real feelings for her left Violet vulnerable to a monster that wanted so badly to make Tate suffer.
Instinctively his father knew the greatest pain he could ever rain down upon his son was to take away the only girl he has ever truly loved.
Holding her close, Tate kissed her as if it would be the last time, she knew something was different … off.
"Why do I feel as if you're going to disappear on me? Tate … please, don't ever leave me… promise me. Swear on your brother that you will never, ever leave me."
Shaking his head he flipped them over sinking her body into the earth below, sweeping his fingers over her lips he tried to memorize every inch of her.
Slow like honey, his words slid down over her, sweet and heavy making her sigh with just the sound of his voice.
"Never, I'll always be with you Violet… here, always … here."
Placing his palm over her heart, he began kissing her deep and passionately before she could fully understand the implications of what he meant.
Leaving a trail of frosty chills down her thigh, he pushed up her nightgown, discarding her underwear, before nudging her knees apart to drive deep inside her.
Her head fell back embedding her hair with dirt and grass, she was filthy already, and she could care less, in a way it made her feel closer to him, to the world he was trapped inside of.
Her skin flamed hot in contrast to the coolness of his touch, it was electric, wild.
Fire and ice together, they were like nothing else, a force of nature, flying in the face of rules set by heaven and hell, an abomination to those who were holy, a blessed miracle to the sane dreamers of this world that knew better.
Strands of his blonde waves grazed her body as he moved over her, each glorious thrust a reminder of his love, his devotion, of the lengths he would go to in order to protect her.
Digging her nails into the soil beside her, she breathed out his name as he whimpered and whined clutching her thighs around his waist.
"Violet… my sweet Violet… I love you."
Slow and thoroughly he poured everything he had into her, releasing all her doubts, making her feel as if she would never be alone, that she would always be loved.
vTv
Hearing early morning birds chirping in the distance, the first indications of the approaching dawn, Tate gazed down at her sleeping peacefully, knowing what he had to do.
Worried that Ben would bring down more punishment upon her if she were to be caught once again, he gently kissed her brushing pieces of her hair from her face.
"Violet… it's time."
Breathing out softly, she snuggled closer to him, wrapping her body so tight around him, it was as if she never wanted to let go.
"Noooo… still dark… not yet."
He smiled at her sleepy reply, protesting like a petulant child, warm and soft nestled perfectly with him.
It made him question, as he had all night, if he could really do what needed to be done in the end.
More forcefully he spoke, using a tone of voice she had never heard from him before.
"Violet, please, you need to wake up… we need to talk before you leave and there isn't much time."
Rubbing her eyes, yawning, stretching her arms up high, she pushed herself up to a sitting position bracing herself against a headstone, alarmed by his tone.
"I'm up, I'm listening… is everything alright?"
Sitting across from her, he stared down at the ground before lifting his eyes, his stare impressing upon her the seriousness of the situation.
"No Violet… everything isn't alright… but it will be. It has to be. Now you need to listen to me carefully, and do exactly what I say, do you understand?"
Tucking her hair behind her ears, she pulled her nightgown over her knees trying to brush away the loose gravel from her clothes.
"I understand. What is it Tate? You're scaring me."
Taking a deep breath as if he had been going over this in his head for hours, he steadied himself, doing his best to quell his emotions, as he finally spoke of that night.
"I want to tell you about the night of the murders. I need to explain to you what happened to my brother, what I did. I need you to understand why I'm stuck here."
Nodding wide eyed, he had her full attention now.
This was something that she had always been desperate to know, but was afraid to ask.
Preparing himself, he ran his fingers threw his hair, gripping the ends tight.
"My father was never what you'd call a good man. He was cruel to us all the time. He argued with everyone he came in contact with, but all that was nothing compared to the animal he turned into when he lost his job at the factory. He hit the bottle hard, drunk by noon on most days."
A sadness overtook the beautiful ghost as he continued on, each word seemingly harder than the last to get out.
"He turned into a violent man, snapping over nothing, lashing out in the worst way. He was a monster when he drank, there was no reasoning with him, no way to calm him down. It was crazy how fast everything spun out of control. I was too old for him to kick around, and as far as my mother was concerned, I think he feared she'd divorce him, taking the house and whatever was left away from him."
Taking a deep breath, he drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself tight, staring off in the distance as if he were experiencing it all over again.
"He took it all out on Jack, my baby brother, he was just ten years old, so small, completely defenseless."
Using the back of hand to wipe away quickly approaching tears, he rocked back and forth as if greatly pained by the memories.
"I did everything I could to protect him, but I had to work. I was the only one bringing money into the house. Once I came home to find Jack locked in the attic. He was beat up bad, barely breathing, dehydrated. It was the dead of summer, the temperature had to be over a hundred. That bastard had him up there for over six hours."
Shaking his head he squeezed his eyes shut trying to block out the images that were coming in hard and fast.
"I went to the police after that, but no one would help. They said it was family business and that I should mind my father, help out more, take some of the stress off of him. It was a different time I guess."
Letting out a rush of air, Violet realized she had been holding her breath the entire time he was talking.
"Oh my god Tate, that's horrible, I'm so sorry."
Violet couldn't restrain her emotions, her heart was breaking for him, remembering the black and white pictures of him and Jack. The happy little boy with the carefree smile, and the teenager who looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"The old cop Miles, the one that's been so nice to you… he was on the police department back then. He was a few years older than me, just a kid, a rookie cop who had no choice but to follow orders, but he tried to help."
Violet's eyes widened, understanding now why Miles was so kind to her. It floored her that he was actually there. It suddenly occurred to her as she gazed up at Tate all the years he had lost, how his life was taken away at such a young age.
"He came out to the house a couple times, threatened my dad with jail, he took pictures of Jack's bruises, wrote out reports, but no one would listen."
Pushing himself up to stand, Tate began pacing the small graveyard, weaving in and out of the tombstones, working himself up to reveal the end of that horrible night.
"I worked at the gas station on route nine, I had to pull a double shift that day, didn't come home till after eleven at night."
Wringing his hands together Tate leaned against the concrete angel with the outspread wings.
"I found mama crying, she was sitting at the kitchen table, just staring out into nothing… sobbing."
Wincing as her bare feet hobbled over roots and tiny rocks, Violet walked over to him to be by his side.
"I didn't have to ask… I knew he had been beating on Jack again. I ran upstairs calling out his name, looked in his usual hiding spots, but I couldn't find him."
Shoving his hands in his front pockets, Tate's voice softened as if he was still unable to believe what had happened.
"I went looking outside, thinking that maybe he ran to Miss. Jenkins house a few miles away, but then I saw the rope from the well unraveling fast until it snapped and fell down into the water, as if something heavy was tearing it down."
Closing his eyes now he was barely able to breathe.
"It was so quiet, I don't remember any noise, no wind, no insects or animals, just the sound of the water hitting the sides of the well … "
Raising her hand to his chest she tried to tell him that he didn't need to go on… but he waved her away.
"The moon was so bright that night, it looked as if it was day. I could see him so clear, that little face staring up at me as if to say, where were you… how could you have let this happen… "
"Tate, you are not to blame for your father's - "
Rambling on as if he couldn't stop now, Tate opened his eyes wide, his voice rising with anger.
"I picked up the first thing I could find, I didn't even know what it was at first. It wasn't until I shoved it as hard as I could in his chest did I realize that it was his pitchfork. Blood oozed out from the holes in his body, his face looked shocked, his eyes, mouth, wide open as if he were stunned that his first born would do such a thing."
Edging his eyes towards her, Tate shook his head.
"No one cared about the truth, my mother said nothing, even when I begged her to tell them about Jack. She just sat there looking out into nothing, as if I wasn't there. My case moved fast, I was headed for the electric chair in no time at all."
Pressing the tips of his fingers to hers, he shrugged his shoulders.
"I think in a way Miles felt guilty, he was the only one who believed me. They were keeping me in the county jail until there was an opening on death row up in Adlison. One day Miles came around, without a word he unlocked the cell door and walked away."
A small smile ran across his face remembering the quiet, shy cop who tried so hard to do the right thing.
"I ran for a while, but when I heard the dogs I knew it was hopeless."
Pointing to the large Oak tree whose branches stretched over the graveyard, Tate lowered his voice.
"I hung myself right over there. I've been trapped in this graveyard ever since."
Moving away from the angel that hovered over him, Tate pulled aside dense vines that had been clinging to the stone, covering the name that was etched beneath the heavenly statue.
Tate Langdon
1940 - 1957
Looking up at the wings that stretched out tall and wide he shook his head.
"I have no idea who did this, I had no one, I was a criminal, a murderer… nothing."
Throwing her arms around his neck she held him close, wanting nothing more than to take all his pain away.
It all made sense now, why he always met her here, beneath his angel, his beautiful guardian that looked over him all these years, his resting place, only there was no rest for Tate, not then, not now.
"That's not true, you know that, I know you do. You were just a kid yourself, this was not your fault."
Tate hesitated before he spoke, lifting her chin up, brushing his thumb along her bottle lip.
It was a confession of sorts, a realization that he could no longer deny.
"I drove a pitchfork straight threw my father's chest without blinking an eye, I stood in the road knowing Gabe would veer off into a row of trees, I wanted him to die. There is a darkness in me, one that prevents me from seeing the light. You... you deserve better, a life bathed in light, in happiness."
Shaking her head Violet found herself searching for words that would not come, all she could utter was what was in her her heart, what she knew to be true.
"I love you, all of you, that will never change."
Whispering in her ear he clung to her waist, focused on the here and now, and the danger that lurked ahead.
"Violet, you have to talk to Miles, you have to convince him to bring Detective Embry here, to me. I'll take care of the rest. But you need to do it fast."
Nodding she stepped away, still holding his hands.
"What are you going to do Tate?"
Lifting his eyes to meet hers he stated plainly, without hesitation.
"What I have to do."
Looking up over her shoulder at the pinkish hue lifting out from the horizon he turned her around, facing her towards the crooked gate.
Leaning close he whispered close to her ear, soft and low.
"Violet there's a reason I appear in your dreams, pay attention. See what you're afraid to see. You have to accept the truth about who killed your mother."
Kissing her lightly on her neck he disappeared.
Hearing a ghostly echo whoosh across her cheek she starting running to her house.
"Go!"
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I had to rush off the computer before checking for mistakes, so please forgive what I am sure are many errors ...
Stephycats7785, Gwenyth Taylor Plunkett, Dinah, greyeyes7, Chris P.C., Guest, ImObviouslyCrazy ... thank you! So so much for your lovely reviews! So so sorry for the long absence but I've figured out the end, sometimes it takes a while to work it out, my stupid life didn't help either, but I'm back on track, will be updating soon :)
So appreciate the support! :)
Oh I almost forgot, Stephycats, I am obsessed with your story " Imperfection!" I'm in love your writing sweetie! Amazing~