A/N: In this story, Nora and Charles Montgomery had adopted Tate and Addie because Constance was too focused on her social life to care for her children. But they kept their last names the same.

Violet Harmon was just a teenage girl trying to make a living for herself in the small town of Clover Hill. She moved out at eighteen just six months ago. She bounced from shelter to shelter until she could no longer take it. She tried going to school but she couldn't do it because she had no clean clothes and no way of supporting herself. She was a straight-A student, but she couldn't do it.

She ran away from home because she couldn't take the crap going on between her parents. Her dad, Ben, had cheated on her mother with a student of his after she miscarried just seven months into the pregnancy. When her mom, Vivien, found out she lost it. She divorced her dad and moved back to Boston with some guy named Luke.

Violet was now working in a place called the Murder House, alongside an older woman named Moira as a maid for Constance Langdon and her new husband, Larry. It wasn't the best job and it wasn't that Violet had hoped for but it paid well and it was the best she could do. Constance wasn't the nicest person around town but she was the wealthiest and Violet didn't complain.

"Harmon," Constance called from the living room. "Harmon!"

Violet came racing into the room. "Yes, ma'am."

"I have some guests arriving in a few minutes."

Violet failed to see what she needed to do.

"Put some tea on," Constance exclaimed. "Goodness gracious, child, it's not that hard."

It is when you fail to mention that part. Violet nodded once and hurried back to the kitchen. She filled the kettle with water and placed it on the stove, turning it on. She turned around put together some cucumber sandwiches and carefully placed them on a China platter.

The kettle started screaming and Violet turned the stove off. She set out some teacups and placed them, along with the pot and some teaspoons onto and iron tea platter and carried it out just as Constance's guests were arriving. They all gave Violet an icky look as she left the room. She came back a moment later and placed the plate of sandwiches beside the tea and stood back.

"That'll be enough, Violet." Constance waved her away.

Back in the kitchen, Violet leaned over the counter and let out a deep breath. She laid her face in her hands, tired. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold onto herself. She pretty much drove herself crazy with thoughts of beating her boss to death with a bat or stab her repeatedly until she saw nothing but red. The job may pay well for what it's worth, but one person could only take so much from Constance Langdon.

Tate Langdon was a twenty-one year old, high-class associate. He was a well-known writer around the vast city of Los Angeles. Everyone adored Tate the moment they looked at him. Girls swooned at his feet, men envied him. His blonde curls were his trademark. His eyes were a dark brown, nearly black which gave a look of great mystery to them. But they were no mystery to the lovely Chloe Stapleton, Tate's fiancé.

Tate and Chloe were to be married in three months. They were happy as could be. Tate's adopted parents, Nora and Charles, loved her dearly. Mostly because she kept Tate happy. His little sister, Addie, couldn't seem to warm up to her. She had told Tate multiple times that she would break his heart and that she wasn't the one for him. He brushed it off and continued his relationship with her.

"So how long will you be gone, dear?" Nora asked Tate. He was going to visit some friends in Clover Hill for a wedding.

He took a bite of his steak. He chewed carefully, wiped his mouth and said, "Just for the weekend, mom." He swallowed. Tate still found it quite difficult to call Nora 'mom'. But no matter what he was always saw her as his mother.

"So we'll see you Sunday," Charles assumed.

"You will." Tate smiled.

"I want to go too!" Addie slumped in her chair.

"Come now, Addie, it's bad posture to slouch," Nora said softly.

Addie fixed herself in her seat and folded her arms across her chest angrily. She envied how much her brother traveled. She never went anywhere because could never sit still long enough to go anywhere. Once Nora and Charles tried taking Addie to Seattle for a concert and she would yell at anyone who looked at her. She had never been a friendly person since her and Tate were adopted. She loved the family she was with, but anyone outside never appealed to her much.

"I want to go with Tate!" she yelled.

"You know I can't take you, Addie," Tate said sadly.

"Why not?"

Tate looked to his parents for help. Charles sat still. It was Nora who stepped in.

"I'll tell you what, honey-you and I can spend the weekend shopping and having girl time."

Addie's face lit up at the idea. She unfolded her arms and straightened up in her chair. Nora smiled and looked at Tate who nodded, impressed by her work. Nora Montgomery was the light of their family, the glue that held them together.

...

That night, Tate had been packing for his trip. He had packed two suitcases for the weekend. He spent over an hour on the phone with Chloe, trying to convince her that the wedding was for his friend. He would be gone no longer than the weekend. She tried to beg him to stay and come up with some excuse as to why he couldn't go. Tate didn't like the idea of skipping his best friend's wedding, so he told her no.

When he got off the phone with her, he stripped for bed and snuggled in under the covers. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. What he didn't know was that his trip to Clover Hill would change his life forever.