It had been a month since Vivien gave birth to the twins. A month since she died. A month since Ben took a gun to his head and pulled the trigger, only to have the full gun barrel not go off. A month since Ben apologized to his deceased wife and daughter, saying he couldn't be around them anymore. A month since he put The Murder House up on the market, and only had two nibbles. It was only 2 weeks since the Montgomery family put in an offer. Now there was going to be a new unsuspecting family moving in.
It had been a month since the incident happened and Violet hadn't left her bedroom. She would stare out the window until it became so dark she couldn't see anything. She remembered one time watching a Alfred Hitchcock movie about a guy who watched out his window and saw a murder, or something. She learned the pattern of all her neighbors. What time they leave for work, what time they get home, when they go to the mailbox, or walk their dog. People were a creature of habit and she was bored enough to notice.
She feared leaving her room because of Tate. She still wasn't ready to face him, even though she knew sooner or later she'd have to. Plus, she was dead, not like she needed to eat or anything. Her mom would come and sit with her every night. Her dad still hadn't talked to her since she informed him that she was dead. He had trouble coming to terms with things that he spent his entire life not believing. And every once in awhile one of the other ghosts would make an appearance in her room. They all liked Violet, especially the twins. They enjoyed trying to torment her.
The only ghost who didn't come to see if she was alright, was the one who caused all the pain to begin with. Not to mention the only one who could fix her broken heart. She missed his voice and how often he'd tell her he loved her. Her grandma said before she died that nobody would understand her and she was right. Nobody did. A ghost did. Though they had only been in the house for 6 months, he had become such a crucial part of her life that she really didn't know what to do with herself. She missed playing games with him. She missed feeling the most alive she had ever felt with him, even though she was no longer living. She missed Tate.
She sat up in bed when she heard a huge bang coming from downstairs. She let out a sigh as she climbed out of bed, still wearing the same clothes from that night and walked downstairs. There was nobody in the living room so she walked into the kitchen. Moira had been cleaning when one of the twins went through and took their bat to the dishes she had laying on the counter. She was quietly speaking in profanity as she picked up the pieces.
"Do you need some help?" Violet asked in a whisper as she crouched down to the floor.
Moira looked up and smiled slightly. "Good evening honey. I'm glad to see you out of your room. That's okay, I got it. Just Troy or Bryan came through here and did this. I swear, I wish—of all the occupants in this house—that Thaddeus had just let those two rotten eggs live. I would not have to clean the same spot fifty million times," she grumbled in a huff. "So what brought you out of your room?"
"I heard the commotion and decided to investigate. I was kind of bored in my room, anyway." She sighed once again.
"I thought you wanted to be in your room so you could avoid a certain character roaming these halls."
"I did. Have you seen him lately?" she asked a little scared of the answer but curious.
Moira thought about it for a moment. "Come to think of it, I haven't. He's probably been sulking around in the basement. He often goes there when things don't go his way." Violet sighed in relief. "But that doesn't mean he hasn't come up and I just haven't seen him. I tend to stay in the kitchen, when I'm not helping your mother with the baby."
Violet grinned. "I'm glad she has you to help her."
"Did you want to see your little brother?" Moira asked.
Violet shook her head. "No. I don't want to see him ever." She began backing up. The memory that Tate was the father of the baby came rushing back and made her sick to her stomach. "I should go back up stairs." She turned around and walked right into a body that had been standing behind her. She looked up into the dark eyes hidden underneath the blond curls. He was just so beautiful. He put his hands on her shoulders, his thumb ring caught the light and sparkled. He didn't say a word, just leaned down and let his lips attack hers. The kiss was rough and full of angst lust. Not like his normally gentle kiss, there was a sense of urgency and a desire to be in control. She tried to fight it, but it was what she wanted so badly. She wanted her Tate… She closed her eyes and finally gave the control over to him, completely. Before she knew it, he carried her to her bedroom, laid her on her bed, and was frantically undressing her as his lips never let go of hers.
She opened her eyes and looked at his face. "Tate, what happened to you?" she said in a breathless moment when he paused for a breath. She pushed him back and stared at the scar on his face. She had looked at his face every chance she got, she knew it like the back of her hand, how had she missed a very prominent scar? She placed her delicate fingers on the scar and traced it. Something wasn't right. He wasn't right. A smirk appeared across his face as he shoved her back on the bed and straddle her. "Get off of me, Tate!" she growled.
He pinned her wrists above her head with one hand and placed the other across her mouth. "Just be quiet, Violet, and enjoy the ride. Your mom didn't complain." He added a wink before she closed her eyes and went limp. A tear rolled down her cheek as she tried to imagine anything but what was happening to her. What happened to the Tate she loved? Why had he become such a monster?
Tate was very agitated as he paced back and forth in the basement. He could feel the darkness within him, but he still didn't have a plan. How was he going to get Violet to see Isaac? His obsession with making things right was causing an uproar of annoyance from the other occupants of the house. None of them knew what was going on with Tate, but he was really getting under their… skin. Well, all of them except for Hayden who was determined to bag Tate and his constant refusal only made her that much more determined.
"Are you still hung up on that little prude?" She was leaning against the wall, running her right hand through her long hair while her left hand rubbed all over her petite body. She began moaning, enjoying her own petting a little too much. Tate rolled his eyes and looked away. "Oh, come on, Tate. Forget that nasty little slut, and be with me." She walked over to him very sultry and put her lips to his ear, "I can do things you've only ever dreamed of. I can make you forget all about that twit. I can make you scream my name in pure ecstasy. Now tell me you don't want me." She then reached down and grabbed his crotch.
Tate could feel his anger boiling inside him. He grabbed her arm and looked her in the eyes, his eyes were even darker than usual. "Now that's what I'm talking about," she squealed in a giddy tone. Her eyes were full of lust and excitement. She had gotten a rise out of him and even if it didn't work this time, she knew she was one step closer to finally conquering him. His grip on her arm never ceased, and it was turning black from the pressure, but of course she was dead and didn't pay any mind to it.
"Leave me alone, Hayden. And for the last time, I don't want you. I want Violet. I never will want you. Even if I never get Violet back, I will never sink so low as to have sex with trash," he growled at her and shoved her to the ground with a force so strong she slid into the wall.
"Wow, what a rush," she mumbled, out of breath.
Tate glared at Hayden for another minute before going back to his own thoughts. When the basement door opened, he watched as Isaac walked down the stairs with a triumphant grin on his face. Isaac looked over at Hayden who was arching her back and rubbing against the wall, then he looked back at Tate. "I see you were busy," he said with a slight chuckle.
Tate rolled his eyes and groaned when he looked at Hayden. "Hayden, please keep your legs together, or at least wear underwear." Hayden was too busy in her own little world to even pay attention to the twins standing right in front of her.
"Tomorrow the new family is moving in. I say we give them two days before we begin screwing with them… metaphorically speaking. Unless they're hot," Isaac muttered to himself. "Oh, I saw your little girlfriend in the hall earlier. She's still pretty ticked at you, so I wouldn't try to talk to her for awhile, yet." Tate frowned. "She's up in her bedroom, if you want to do that creepy watching her sleep thing you like to do every night. I'm pretty sure she's going to be out like a light for awhile," he said with a proud tone and a grin intact.
Tate nodded and wondered upstairs. He appeared in her doorway; Violet was laying on her bed, her shirt ripped open, revealing her bra and hideous scratches that were beginning to heal, but still looked painful. She had one shoe off, her leggings were down around her ankles and her underwear around her knees. She had her hands over her face and was sobbing, uncontrollably. "Why'd he do this to me?" she asked out loud. "He said he loved me! He'd never hurt me! Dammit, why'd he do this?"
He stepped back from the door and collapsed against the wall, following it down until he was sitting on his butt. He stared at his hands as he contemplated what to do. He wanted so badly to go in there and comfort her, to hold her and tell her everything would be alright. But he couldn't. He had let her down, again. He had hurt her by not protecting her from that monster. He looked up from his hands and all he could see was red. This was no longer about clearing his name and winning back Violet, it was about good vs. evil. It suddenly became crystal clear how he was going to protect Violet…
After the she was finally done sobbing, only because her tear ducts were as dry as a desert, she pulled her leggings up and walked over to the door. She saw Tate sitting on the floor and felt fearful of him for the first time ever. She was cold, distant. She was too tired from everything that happened to even show her fear of him. Tate felt her presence next to her and jumped to his feet. She didn't even look at him, just stared at nothing. "Vi…" he mumbled as a tear fell down his cheek.
She just moved her eyes to his face. "What did I do to deserve that?" she had no emotion in her voice. He couldn't answer her. She did nothing to deserve it. She never deserved any of the things that happened to her. He reached up to touch her hand, but she cringed. "I would ask about finishing the job, but since I'm already dead… I don't see much more that could be done to me. Why, Tate?"
He collapsed to the floor and hugged her legs. "Violet, I promise I didn't hurt you! I would never hurt you! If I could, I would have given up my life to protect you, keep you happy. I did hurt you in the sense that I didn't protect you! But… Oh, Violet," he sobbed.
She looked down at the top of his head. "I know it wasn't you, Tate."
Her answer threw him off guard. He leapt to his feet again. "You do?"
"I'm not that stupid, Tate." She raised her shaking hand to his face and traced the area of his face where she once felt a scar. "You love me. I know, Tate. But… just because you love me, and I love you, doesn't mean we can fix things. You kept so much from me. How am I ever supposed to trust you? How am I supposed to know that what you're telling me is true? How do I know when it's you or… whatever that was that attacked me?"
He placed his hand on top of her and hugged it. "I promise I am going to make it up to you. I'm going to fix everything, Vi. Please, don't give up on me, yet. I need you." A single tear rolled down her cheek. "I have a plan, Violet. I'm going to right these wrongs, I swear."
He let her hand go and started to walk down the stairs. "Tate, please don't leave me." That was the first time in their whole conversation that she showed any emotion, fear. He wrapped his arm around her and didn't let go for the rest of the night.
They sat on the bed, Violet sat against the headboard while Tate laid on his side, propped up on his elbow, and she started asking him questions. "He's your brother, right?"
Tate nodded. "His name is Isaac. He's my twin."
Violet looked into his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me about him?"
He just stared at her sweet, innocent face. "I didn't know how to. I didn't even know until you came along, all the horrible things he did, or maybe I didn't want to. I didn't think it was that big of a deal if I didn't tell you. After all, nobody knows about him except for my family. We're never seen together. Mom won't talk about him. Addy and Beau can't. And I don't like to." He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Violet. I am so sorry."
Violet didn't know what to say or do. She didn't blame him for those hideous things she once did, but he still kept things from her. "Was I ever with him?" she whispered the question. He was thrown off by her question.
"No. I was the one receiving help from your dad all those days. I was the one comparing scars with you. I was one who found you the day you overdosed. I tried to save you. I never wanted you to end up like me. You are my world, Violet, my everything. If I could, I would die for you all over again, Vi. I'm not saying these things to make you feel guilty or anything, I'm just telling you this so you'll know how much I love you."
She placed her hand on his cheek. "I trust that you love me, Tate. I never stopped believing that. But I still am not ready to be back with you. I miss you, so much. But I'm not ready to just put all of this behind us, even though it wasn't you. Maybe if we could have had a new start, but Tate, we're stuck here. We're stuck here with your brother. I love you, Tate. I do. I just can't do it, I'm sorry." She could feel a tear run down her cheek.
He took his finger, wiped it, and licked his finger. Violet thought it was gross when he would do things like that, especially when he licked the blood off her wrist, but he just wanted every little part of her and didn't want any of her to be wasted. "Violet, I will wait for you. I only have forever." He smiled slightly. He kissed the top of her head as she laid down, cuddling in his arms.
"You won't leave?" she whispered, sleep was embracing her eyes.
Tate smiled and hugged her. "Never."