Begin Again || AHS

Chapter Nineteen

"Do you know where Nora is?" Tate asked as he entered the bedroom. Violet was lounging on her bed with her IPod blaring while Michael sat on the floor near the bookshelf, caught up in a coloring book.

"I don't know" Violet replied, combing a stray strand of hair behind her ear and sitting up "I haven't seen her in a while actually - Why?"

"I just wondered" He said, crossing his legs over at the ankle as he sat down next to his girlfriend. She crawled closer to him, nesting herself in his chest "I suppose she's kinda busy now"

"What do you mean?" She questioned, looking up and furrowing her brow.

"Nora has a new love interest" Tate revealed, almost matter-of-factly as he turned his focus to the dead girl in his arms. He couldn't help but think she was utterly adorable when confused. Her eyebrows knitted together in a beautifully bewildered manner, making his heart melt all over again.

"Really? Who?" She grinned, eyes widening at the prospect of new gossip.

"Violet Harmon, I never thought you'd be one for gossip!" Tate chuckled, causing her to playfully hit him with a pillow. He faked agony before she slowly leaned in, pressed her lips softly against his.

"You thought wrong" She smiled against his lips, making him laugh again.

Out of nowhere, the chalkboard on the wall fell from its position and collapsed on the desk with a loud shutter, scaring the two of them out of their romantic daze. Violet let out a small shriek but soon composed herself.

"How did that fall?" Tate asked rhetorically, as he got off the bed and lifted the board from the desk. He picked it up and hung it back on it's fixtures.

"I don't know" Violet responded, getting up and standing next to him "It was completely secure"

"It was probably nothing" He concluded as he jumped back onto the bed.

"Tate?"

"Mmm?"

"Where's Michael?"

"Shit"

The couple shared a terrified look before dashing through the door to find their missing son. Their shoes squeaked against the floors as they ran at full speed to the nearest set of stairs.

"Where are we going?" Violet asked as she paused at the top the stairs. Tate was almost halfway down when he stopped.

"To find him" Tate replied, stating the blatantly obvious.

"Where?" She asked again.

"Does it matter?" He said, slightly annoyed that Violet was holding him up "Your dad could be torturing him as we speak!"

"And he could be hiding under the bed" She shot back at him after sensing his annoyance.

"Why would he do that, Vi?" He snapped "The blackboard fell down at the same time - Someone was in there!"

"How do you know?!" She yelled

"We can't turn on each other now" Tate replied, exhaling frustratedly as he ran his fingers through his hair "It's what they want"

"Well, they got their wish" Violet retorted "I'll check up here and I'll find you afterwards"

"Violet-" He began but it was too late. Violet had already stormed off to find Michael.

He huffed before continuing on his way to the basement.

-

"Michael?" Violet yelled as she kicked open the door to the master bedroom.

It was empty, unfortunately. She immediately crouched to search under the bed, calling his name a few more times.

After checking in every nook and cranny of the room, she gave up and went to check her bedroom (Although it was technically Tate's bedroom too).

Still nothing.

"Mom?" Michael whimpered from the hallway. She spun around and dropped to her knees, pulling him into her arms.

"Where were you?" Violet asked as she clung on tightly to his small body.

"I was with uncle Beau" He explained, smiling.

"Your dad and I were worried sick" She sighed, letting go of him and holding his hands in hers.

"Uncle Beau says that they're angry"

"He said that? Who is?" She questioned, furrowing her brow "Who's angry?"

"The people that don't like Dad"

-

"And you're sure he said Beau?" Tate double-checked after Constance had picked her grandson up.

"Positive" Violet confirmed, nodding and folding her arms over her chest.

"Beau can't speak!" Tate hissed, stating the obvious.

"Don't you think I know that, Tate?!" She yelled, unfolding her arms dramatically "I know he can't speak. I also know that your son could be making the whole thing up!"

"My son?" He repeated "I thought he was your son too?! Look I know that I make you sad, Vi, but you can't just disown a five year old because what? You think he's lying and makes you depressed?!"

"I'm not disowning him!" She spat back, tears threatening to fall "Why would you think I would ever do that to him? Or to you?"

"You've left me once" He shouted "What's stopping you from leaving again?!"

"So that's it then" She cried "You're pissed and insecure because I was beyond mad at you for raping my mom and basically trashing my family! Is that it?!"

"I'm hurt because you told Nora that you basically can't be around me without feeling like crap" He cleared, letting a few tears escape his eyes too "Instead of doing something about it - You were basically giving up on us!"

She couldn't look him in the eye, or even at all. Both of them were weeping. They hated to argue but once they started, they couldn't stop.

"I'm done, Tate" She choked quietly "I'm done fighting with you"

"Don't go" He whispered "Not again"

"I can't do this" She bawled "I love you and I love Michael but look at what's happened to us! I'm not going to stand by and watch our relationship fall about like this"

"What are you saying?" He cried

"I'm saying give me time" She breathed, disappearing elsewhere in the house.

Once again, leaving both of them heartbroken.