When you love someone you want to take care of them. Whether they need you to or not.

[Glory]

I’m not much of a writer but this story has been invading my head for the past few days so I decided I’d give it a go. American Horror Story is on FX. It’s creepy, complex and good as hell. If you aren’t watching you should start. That said, this story will contain spoilers for the show up to the 6^th episode. The show is about a family that moves into a haunted house. The ghosts in the story are corporeal. I also tried to capture Tate’s way of speaking which basically means occasional incomplete sentences. Grammar police: go ahead and arrest me. I'm only focusing on Tate and Violet so there's no creepiness ahead, just a lot of Violet's internal angst.

Here's a video for character visual reference. This video contains some graphic content/shocking images.

And spoilers. Of course the spoilers.

The scene that made me want to write this story:

http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

I have no clue where the writers will go from here and I own nothing.

This is more of a hurt/comfort/caretaking story than a sneeze story. There are some sneezes but I mostly just wanted a story where Tate tries to take care of Violet and she is sort of resistant to it. Here goes:

Violet opened her eyes. Tate was gone. She supposed it was better that way. Her mother catching her cuddling in bed with one of her father’s patients wasn’t exactly on her to-do list.

But what does it even matter, he’s dead. Yeah like my mother would believe that. “Mom, ghosts are real and there are about a billion in our house. You can see them, touch them and they can move things. My boyfriend is a ghost. I know it will take some getting used to but I’m coping with it okay so grow up.”

“Yeah right” she whispered aloud. She sat up a little and only then did she notice the achiness in her body and the pain in her throat. She groaned and rolled back over, pulling the covers over her head. She heard her mother’s voice call up the stairs “Violet! Are you not up yet? We have to leave in 30 minutes, Vi!” Violet didn’t move. She knew she was getting sick but she didn’t want to admit it and risk being coddled or babied although staying home and in bed did sound very tempting. She’d just gone through a rough couple of days. She also knew that if she stayed home today she would be able to spend time with Tate.

The medium told me that I need to help Tate cross over. What if I don’t want to? I know he’s not real, not really. I just don’t want to lose him. He doesn’t even know. He doesn’t know what he did. How can someone not know that they’re dead?

Violet was lost in thought when her mother entered the bedroom. “Okay, why are you still in bed? I have errands to run after I drop you off at school.” Violet opened her mouth to answer her mother. It would have been a really good sarcastic comment but at the last second her expression changed and she sneezed.

HihITCHooo HihITCHooo… huh AtchIEW

Her mother’s gruff impatience turned into ashamed sympathy as though someone had flipped a switch. “Oh honey, are you sick? Is that why you’re still in bed? Let me feel your forehead..”

Violet cut her mother off. “Mom, I’m fine. People sneeze all the time and there’s nothing wrong with them.” Vivien stood with her hand poised a few inches from touching her daughter. She stayed that way for a brief second and then went ahead and felt her, despite the roll of eyes and head shaking she got in return. “I’m going to take your temperature and if I see a hint of fever you’re not going anywhere. Oh then I’m going to have to reschedule my appointments. I was planning on being out nearly all day.”

“Mom I’m 14, not 3. I can stay alone for 5 hours in my house. My house that has a crazy elaborate security system.”

Vivien walked out in the middle of Violet’s speech and quickly returned with the thermometer.

“Not to mention the fact that you should stay away from me if I’m sick.” Violet continued while gesturing at her mother’s pregnant belly. Vivien didn’t answer. She set the thermometer and placed it under her daughter’s tongue. “I’m going downstairs for a minute. When it beeps check the number and tell me the truth.” With that Vivien hurried downstairs.

“Are you sick?” Tate appeared at the doorway to her closet the way he always just appeared. Violet scrunched up her face and shrugged. She couldn’t really answer with the thermometer under her tongue. Tate crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed facing her with one leg curled under him. Violet turned towards him and rested her head on her hand. He reached out and cupped her cheek.

"Well you definitely aren't cold." She couldn’t help but be attracted to him. It wasn’t even the way he looked. It was everything. The thermometer started beeping and Tate reached over and took it. He said it softly, with concern and sympathy in his voice “101.3”.

“Violet, do you want orange or apple juice?” Her mother called up the stairs.

“I don’t want any juice!” Violet yelled back and then made a pained face and put a hand to her throat. Yelling hurt more than she’d anticipated.

Tate seemed to feel her pain as well. He cringed. “She should give you some tea or something hot. For your throat.”

“I’m fine. I mean I feel fine. I would go to school today if my mother wasn’t worried about every little thing. Can’t a person sneeze without everyone making a big production?” Violet dropped her head back onto the pillow and closed her eyes.

“It bothers you. When people care. I feel like that too sometimes.” Tate’s voice was soft and his words were truth. They both heard Vivien’s steps on the stairs. Tate retreated back to the closet.

“Well miss, what did it say?” Her mother returned with a glass of apple juice and a couple of pills.

“It said I’m not going anywhere, I guess… 101.3”

It took about 15 minutes more to convince her mother that she didn’t need anyone to stay and take care of her. Vivien kissed her daughters head and warned about TV, going outside, smoking(both of her parents were aware that she occasionally smoked but they thought it was just a rebellious phase. Truthfully they were both too into their own issues to deal with hers), answering the door and a list of demands involving fluids and taking more cold medication in 4 hours. The family maid Moira was not coming by until 4PM and she had her own key. When the front door finally shut Tate appeared again.

“I’m going to take care of you. You could have told your Mom that. If her and your Dad didn’t hate me”

Violet sighed. “They don’t hate you Tate. They just dohh n’t wahh Aitchhoooo want me to be involved with you because you’re seeing my Dad for therapy. “

“Bless you. “

“Thanks. I don’t need to be taken care of, besides.”

“When you love someone you want to take care of them. Whether they need you to or not. Stop being stubborn about it. I’ll be right back.”

Tate went down the stairs, presumably to the kitchen. Violet realized that she had slept in the clothes she wore the day before. She changed quickly into an oversize long-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of purple plaid boxers and then went to brush her teeth.

Sick people. What do sick people want? Tea I guess. Juice? No, Vi said she didn’t want juice. But she was probably just trying to be contrary to anything her mother says.

Tate felt like it had been a long time since he’d been sick. It had been a long time since he’d been around anyone sick and he wasn’t entirely sure why. He scanned his memory for an answer while he shuffled around the cabinets. He found tea, lots of tea. Chamomile sounded like the best choice. He also found a jar of honey which he thought was good for a sore throat. He had just put the kettle on the stove when the near silence of the kitchen was broken.

HahNGXT HaaaINXT

“You shouldn’t do that.” Tate said without turning around.

“Do what?”

“Sneeze like that.” He said simply.

“Why not?”

“It’s bad for you? I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like something anyone should do.” He turned around “Besides, you hold enough shit in Vi, don’t add sneezes to the list.” He smirked at her, teasing. Then he noticed what she was wearing. “You have a fever. You should at least be wearing long pants. Socks, too. Scratch all of that, you should just be in bed.”

“Okay Dad. It’s not like it’s even cold in here.” But Violet was cold and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hide it. She strapped her arms across her chest in a borderline defensive stance. The tea kettle whistled and Tate turned back to the counter to pour water into the cup. As he added honey he said “Go upstairs and get into bed. I’ll join you in a minute.”

Violet listened to him. She must have been sick because she was definitely not the obedient type. Tate placed the tea and a box of tissues that he found under the sink onto a tray. He wasn’t sure what else to bring with him. He slowly smiled to himself and headed out the back door.

Violet was sitting cross-legged on her bed, thinking. Less than 24 hours ago she’d attempted suicide. Tate saved her. Tate was the reason she’d tried to kill herself. Well, he wasn’t the whole reason. She thought back over the conversation they’d had before she fell asleep with Tate in her arms.

Tate had appeared in her room out of nowhere, like he always did. This time it was different. He was dead. She knew that now. He didn’t. He had died in her house. Specifically, he had died in her bedroom. His mother told her that he was a good boy before they moved into that house. A sweet boy. He was quiet and he liked to read. What could have made him do such a thing? A lifetime of watching movies had not prepared her for a real ghost. Tate was not scary. So why was she scared? Why did she want to push him away?

"I like birds too." Tate said, acknowledging her book.

"Why do you like them?"

"Cause they can fly away when things get too crazy, I guess." He paused for a second "Are you gonna tell your parents? About the pills?"

"No." There was a short silence and then Violet said, "I've been sleeping a lot, they think I'm depressed."

"Are you?"

"I'm sad."

"Me too." Another pause.

"Violet...something's changed in you. Toward me. You’re distant. Cold...and I don't know what I've done, but I'll leave you alone from now on if that's what you want….. Is that what you want?” His voice was heartbreaking. It was full of fear. Tate was close to tears

"Do you know why I'd leave you alone? Because I care about your feelings more than mine… I love you" A tear slipped down Violet's cheek. "There, I said it, and not just on some chalkboard." Violet still said nothing, so Tate continued. "I'd never let anyone or anything hurt you. I've never felt that way about anyone."

Violet looked down, and silence hung thick in the air. Then she did something Tate did not expect. She nodded towards her bed and said, "Come here."

Tate hesitantly climbed onto her bed.

They had remained there until this morning when Violet had woken up alone. First Tate's mother and her weirdo medium had bombarded her with the shocking truth. She was scared and ready to shut him out forever. She was ready to shut the whole world out forever. Then he saved her. Then he poured his heart out. She couldn't turn her back on him now. Did that mean she was ready to help him cross over? She still had some thinking to do.

She wished Tate was alive. That wouldn’t work though. If Tate were alive it would mean that he never died. If he had never died he would be 34 right now, not 17. There was no way they could ever be together. Not really.

He’s a lost soul. He’s stuck here and he’s not supposed to be. But I can feel his love and it’s powerful and real. Why would I want to give that up? No matter how weird this might be, I want it. I don’t want to let him go.

Violet suddenly felt tired. She curled up at the foot of the bed on top of the covers and closed her eyes. She was sniffling now and she felt as though if she inhaled too deeply she would have a coughing fit. Definitely sick, but still too stubborn to admit it.

She heard Tate coming up the stairs and opened her eyes. On his tray was a steaming cup of tea, a glass of orange juice, a box of tissues and a little vase with a yellow tulip. Violet smiled brightly for the first time in days. He placed the tray on the table beside her bed. “Do you want some of your tea? It might be too hot to drink. Do you remember what time your Mom said you were supposed to take more medicine? I know you said you didn't want juice but orange juice has vitamin C and I think that's good for your immune system. Should we take your temperature again?”

Violet laughed and it turned into a rattling coughing fit. She reached for the glass of juice and drank nearly half of it. When she was able to speak again she said “Normally this level of concern makes me annoyed. You’re lucky that you’re so cute.” Tate gave her his brilliant but rarely seen smile.

“I just want to help you feel better, that’s all. We should probably at least check to see if the medicine your Mom gave you brought down your fever.”

“Okay sure. Get the thermahh Ahhhitchoo thermomeh AHITChooo Jesus. Thermometer. It's in the medicine cabinet”

"Okay. And Bless you."

Congestion was setting into her head now. She reached over for a few tissues and blew her nose as quietly as she could while Tate was in the bathroom. Tate entered the room and looked at her with a mix of a smirk and a pout. She was paler than normal with dark patches under her eyes and her nose was beginning to turn pink. “You look like you feel really shitty. I mean... you always look beautiful, but maybe we should take a nap?”

Violet rolled her eyes “Nice save. I could go for a nap.” She opened her mouth so he could take her temperature.

“100.4, so it’s gone down a little. I guess that’s good right? We should still take a nap.” Before she could respond Tate picked her up and pulled her from the foot to the pillow end of the bed and tucked the blankets over her. He climbed in and spooned her.

“This is the opposite of last night” Violet mused “You were the one who needed cuddling.”

Tate kissed her soft dirty blonde hair. He liked her phrasing. She was showing her vulnerability. He was drawn to her strength but it was nice to see her walls come down. “I’m really glad you didn’t tell me to buzz off. I know I said I was going to leave you alone.. But do you have any idea how hard that would be?”

Violet had a faint idea. Tate couldn’t leave their house. She knew what he meant, though. It would be hard for him to do because he loved her, not because of proximity.

She let nearly a minute of silent pass while contemplating saying what she wanted to say. Tate thought she had fallen asleep.

“Violet?” His voice was barely a whisper.

“I love you, too” She whispered back.

[SuzyLee]

I just recently started watching this show, and I must say, that this fic is so adorable and so well-written! I LOVE being inside Violet's head and I love how understanding and patient Violet and Tate's relationship is. This is fantastic and I just read it for the first time so I thought I'd just say how much I love it. Thanks for writing this!!! Definitely makes me want to watch more. Like, right now.

[alias]

I know this is kinda late to post, but I just wanted to commend you for your awesome fic. I love this show, and I think you captured the characters very well. I enjoyed your story very much .

[sneasons greetings]

I read this fic ages ago. I see that I neglected to comment because I'm mean. I loved it, regardless. Not knowing what the show was, I took your recommendation and downloaded the first episode from itunes. I'm pretty sure it doesn't show here. It might, I don't watch TV, though.

I loved it, though

Going to get more next time I think of it.

[Glory]

I haven't been on the forum in a long time, so I had no idea anyone even liked this fic. So here's a very, very belated thanks for the comments!

I'm glad I reread this fic, too, as Tate and Violet will always give me the warm fuzzies.