"Grandma?" Tate repeated, too baffled to move a muscle. He knew well that women talked in riddles but this was pretty much indecipherable.

"As of this moment, he's Violet's son and my grandson" She clarified, nodding her head. Tate probably thought she was half-mad but in truth, Vivien was more sane than she had ever been before "I had three children, one of which killed me and Violet killed herself before she could have any"

"I know that but why?"

"There are so many women in this house who wanted a baby but Violet only wanted you" Vivien stressed "Now she has you and he is a part of you"

"You still don't make any sense, Vivien" He sighed

"You both deserve a happy ending and, even though this isn't ideal, it's your own. Please, Tate - this is what you want and what she wants too! It's better for everyone this way"

"Thank you" He replied in a barely audible whisper.

The pair shared an awkward hug before Tate decided it was time to talk to Violet about the decision. This would change everything. If he wasn't dead, Tate would be 37 with his own family.

Unfortunately, it wasn't like that. He was dead and destined to live his days out as a seventeen year old psycho with no hope and most definitely no future. No family or friends, except for Violet (who was his girlfriend) and Beau (who was his older brother). No life.

The person who ruined everything in the first place was also the person who was sorting everything out.

-

"How was Constance?" Violet asked as she sat cross-legged on her bed, reading, or rather re-reading, a ragged book that Tate recognized from her bookshelf.

"She's fine" He replied, deciding that it was better not to tell her the news. It was better kept secret, for now at least. He didn't want to tell her anything that might make her decide. He wanted her to decide for herself, no news to sway her choice.

"I was thinking about looking in the attic for my old board games" Violet smiled as she closed the book and put it back on her shelf but not before slipping a small piece of paper inside. Tate thought it was better not to ask "I'm sure my mom kept some of them"

"Violet, I need to tell you something" He managed, shaking a bit but not much. He was worried about her reaction, he was always worried about her anyway. Violet was understanding and she really got him like nobody else could. That didn't mean she'd jump on the idea though.

She turned and leaned against the desk, arms folded and eyes focused on her shoes "You scare me when you talk like that" She stated, fiddling with her dirty blond hair self-consciously.

"You don't need to be afraid" He walked towards her and held her hands. She met his eyes for a few seconds. As Tate looked into her caramel orbs, he saw her fear and concern. Violet had seemed fine about being left alone so Tate could see his mother but deep down, she was petrified that Hayden might come back "I just need to say this"

The world held its breath as Tate mustered the courage to tell his love what was happening or what was going to happen. He inhaled slowly, steadying his nerves.

"I'm going to-"

He had to say it, he needed to say it.

"-kick your ass at Snakes&Ladders"

-

Seven rounds of Snakes&Ladders, three games of Chess, four rounds of Rummy and two hot chocolates later, Tate felt the responsibility to tell Violet about his son weighing down on his shoulders like a ton of bricks. His palms were sweating uncontrollably and all he could think about was that every second that he could be telling her was every second more that Michael didn't have any parents.

"Have you seen Michael recently?" Violet asked unsurely as she dealt another hand.

"Not since he went to my mom's" He replied, picking up his cards and think about how to play them, which wasn't just a figure of speech. He could do this "That's part of why she visited early"

"What did she say?" She asked as she sorted her cards in her tiny hands and examining them.

"She thinks that I should meet him" He waited for Violet's reaction before even daring to blink. He braced himself for her screaming and dramatic exit. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe she would want nothing to do with her brother or him "I said I'd think about it and went to-"

"I want to meet him" Violet cut him off quickly "He's my half-brother and I should give him a chance, I guess. What do you think?"

"I think you should talk to your mom about all this afterwards" Tate responded, suddenly thinking that it would be better if Vivien told her because, after all, she was Violet's mother and it was her idea.

"Me too"

"She said something to me when I went to talk to her" He mentioned as he turned over a card and contemplated putting one of his down but decided against it "She doesn't want to be a mother to him"

"I can understand that" She said softly as she picked up the card and put down one of her own.

"She wants you to be his mom" Tate turned over another card while studying her intently for any signs of rage or sadness. Thankfully, they didn't appear - neither did any other emotion. She sat still, not saying anything "Violet, please say something"

"So...She wants us to be his parents?"

Tate nodded

"But he'd still live with Constance?"

He shook his head

"She's ill, Vi" He explained, taking her hand and gently tracing her scars. They were a part of her now, like his were a part of him. Etched into their ghostly bodies forevermore, never leaving - Just like them "She has cancer"

"What?" She choked, putting her cards down and let a trickle escape her eyes. Seeing her upset or hurting, always made Tate cry. People like her didn't deserve to be unhappy.

"That's why she reached out to us" He cried as he craddled Violet in his arms. She had crawled onto his lap and buried her head in his chest "She knew that she'd die soon and didn't want him to go to some strangers. I don't know why she thought he'd be safe in this goddamn house, maybe she thought he'd be better off than in some group home. She was such a bitch sometimes but she was my mom and no matter how many insults I hurled at her, she would always come back to me"

"It's not fair" Violet sniffed

"Life never is"