Thanks so much to Sarah, CMLangdon, Freespirit91, and guests for your lovely reviews. Thank you also to anyone who followed/fav this little story. For anyone still interested I will be ending 'Poison & Wine' very soon. xo

Standing perfectly still Tate could feel Violet's fingers tighten around his hand telling him without words that she wasn't going to leave him, ever, no matter what.

Screeching tires echoed along the streets outside as Gabe's insidious grin lifted from ear to ear.

Sighing, the murderous psychopath raised his gun higher, closing one eye aiming in Tate's direction.

"Violet, be a peach, get in the fucking car dear."

Watching her move slowly, Gabe's smile widened with satisfaction. "Now that's a good - "

His words trailed off as she lifted her chin tossing her long dirty blonde hair back over her shoulders, before taking two defiant steps in front of Tate, blocking him from Gabe's gun.

"You have to let me go."

Her tone was calm, her gaze fixated on his shocked twisted face, disoriented by her disobedience.

Distracting him, she knew Tate understood what she was doing, their thoughts intertwined like vines, strong cemented together, growing as one.

"Gabe, listen to me, you don't want me this way. I'll run, and if you find me and bring me back … I'll just run again."

Eyeing Gabe through the golden strands of Violets hair, Tate, carefully slid the dufflebag down off his shoulder till it silently hit the floor.

Gabe's teeth gnashed together, his hand began to shake with rage causing the gun to waver back and forth.

Violet stayed cool, feeling the tips of Tate's fingers drifting with breathless tenderness down her spine, until his palm lovingly spread across the small of her back, telling her everything she needed to know.

Crimson sticky blood edged out from the old lady spreading outward towards Violets feet, the smell of death was thick in the air, the stench hitting them all at once pushing Gabe towards the point of no return as his trigger finger twitched dangerously along icy steel.

"Then I'll tie you up, lock you down, until you change your mind, there is no out Vi, you are mine, I thought you understood that."

Wild, unhinged, Gabe was completely consumed by her, obsessed to the point of distraction as his stare memorized the curve of her lips, the deep bourbon color of her eyes that bore straight through him.

"How will you change my mind Gabe? How could you possibly prove your love for me?"

Sweat dripped from the edges of Tate's unruly blonde hair, his hand reached into the bag, his fingers snaked around the sawed off shotgun nestled between his clothes.

The pads of his fingers pressed with encouraged intent into Violet's flesh, 'Almost there babe, almost there… '

"I never loved you Gabe… you gave me bruises, broken bones, bloody sleepless nights. I lived for years with your foot on my throat, crushing me, suffocating my world. You are small, pathetic… you're not a man, you're just a boy… an insecure, scared child. I could never be with you, I never will again."

Her voice was hypnotic, lulling Gabe into their past, into a view of a one sided marriage, into the mind of girl he thought he controlled, like a bird in a gilded cage, he imagined she'd sing for him forever.

With sadness dripping like molasses from every word, Gabe closed his eyes and breathed in deep, before laying out her fate.

Tate's black glare edged upwards, expelling short puffs of air, his heart pounded fiercely rippling his tee shirt in waves as he counted in his head to three.

Pointing the gun at Violet, Gabe nodded once excepting her admission, and damning her to hell.

"Then … sweet girl… you leave me… no choice."

"NOW VIOLET!"

Collapsing to the floor, Violet covered her head as Tate emerged standing tall slinging the shotgun out from the bag firing off a bullet straight into gabe's chest.

Glass shattered from behind Gabe as he fell to his knees, his gun dropping to the ground as his lifeless body went limp.

Face down, his jet black hair quickly turned bright red, a gaping wide hole in his back spewed blood soaking hands that would never hurt Violet again.

Gasping harshly, forcing air from strained lungs, Tate was thrown against the wall, the recoil proving to be too much for his weakened state, he shuddered violently as adrenaline vibrated throughout his lanky body.

Sliding down the broken plaster, Tate, breathless, stunned, cast his gaze downward to his love.

"Violet!"

Digging her nails into the black and white tiled floor, Violet lifted her face eyeing Gabe through a curtain of tangled honey.

Staring at him, waiting for him to stir, her muscles seized with disbelief that it was over, that he was really gone.

Tate's head fell backwards, his knees shifted up to his chest, his body collapsing in itself with relief that she was alright.

"Violet… we have to get out here."

Siren's screamed like crows in the distance, the devil, the man that started all of this, Tate's father, was coming for them, time was running out as he eyed the caged in school house clock on the wall.

"The train will be picking up it's cargo in two hours, we have to be on it, it's our only chance, we have to get out of the city."

Nodding, unable to take her eyes off of the bastard that beat her into submission time and time again, that verbally and psychologically abused her to the point of entertaining suicide, she slowly stood.

Shifting her gaze to the battered boy who saved her, who stole her heart, and invaded her soul, she ran to him, wrapping her arms around his shivering aching bones.

"Come on, lean on me, we have to run Tate."

Throwing the shotgun back in the bag, Violet tossed it over her shoulder before using what little strength she had to anchor her arm around Tate's waist forcing him to his feet.

The stitches on his forehead reopened slightly as blood began to drip into his damp curls, he was weak from the thrashing he sustained from the cops the night before, but his will was strong, his love for Violet unrelenting, pushing him forward.

Limping out onto the sidewalk outside, Tate shielded his eyes from the strong sun as it pierced his blurred vision.

Waving down a cab, Violet hurried Tate into the taxi as blaring sirens became increasingly louder, claws as sharp as razors were flying close, the vultures were coming.

"Go! Now!"

The elderly driver's cloudy eyes flickered up into the rearview mirror scanning over the two fugitives huddled together, entwined in each other's arms.

Hesitating for a moment before catching the flickering lights of the cop cars heading up the street the cabbie slowly placed his foot on the gas, edging out onto the road.

"Faster!"

Violet's shrilling panicked voice cut through the air as she slammed her hand against the dirty plexiglass between them.

Adjusting the tweed cap on over his white hair the driver cleared his voice calmly.

"I'm assuming you kids are the ones these cops are looking for, if you don't want to get caught, you don't act like you're guilty. Got me?"

Caressing Violet's cheek, Tate's soft voice whispered lightly trying to relax her.

"He's right, we can't draw attention to ourselves Violet."

Redirecting his gaze to the cabbie he nodded in gratitude. "Thanks mister, we're not bad people… just in a bad situation."

"Name's Harry, you kids don't have to worry, I'll get you where you need to go."

Closing his tired eyes Tate mumbled the directions as he folded his body into her, needing to feel her warmth, her beating heart.

Violet held him to her breast, grazing her fingers through his matted hair, listening as he whispered softly in her ear.

"I did it... I did it baby… I saved you like I promised."

Shh'n him, Violet wanted him to save his strength. "Yes you did, rest now, we have a long journey ahead of us."

Insistent he tilted her face towards him, "I want to thank you Violet... thank you for loving me, for showing me that I was good enough to be loved."

Tears stung her eyes as she nodded, mouthing the words back, unable to speak shocked by his vulnerable raw declaration.

'I love you.'

Exhausted, drained they sat together braced against vinyl black seats watching as bridges and roads passed them by, the city that had devoured them was now but a memory, a distant vague beast that they would never return to.

As the hours passed Tate succombed to sleep, his injuries causing to be too much for his body, but Violet stayed sharp, alert, counting the seconds as they pulled into the empty lot facing the large field and two steel train tracks.

"Here! Harry this is it, pull over."

Turning his old body towards the couple clinging together in the back he grimaced.

"Is this really your only way out?"

Nodding Violet looked up over the seats to view the price on the meter.

Waving her off, his grey eyes were fixated on Tate, reminding him of a son he once had, one that he buried long ago.

"Forget it, just make that train, get the hell out of here, get somewhere safe."

Reaching for the dufflebag, Violet nodded as she opened the door.

Off in the distance she could hear the haunting whistle of their freedom approaching, it was real, they had made it.

"Tate, we're here, wake up, it's time."

Placing her hand on his side she gently shook him, Violet's heart stopped feeling something wet and sticky on her palm.

Pulling her hand away she froze staring at the blood caked over her skin.

"No… no, no, no, Tate! Tate wake up! We have to go now, baby come on, Tate… TATE!"

Refusing to let him go she sobbed.

Gabe had managed to get one shot in before the bullet exploded in his chest.

Clutching his lifeless body, it all became clear.

Tate knew that she'd insist on taking him to the hospital to try to save him, that she'd never run, that in turn they would get caught.

All along he wanted to be good, a better man than his father, he wanted Gus' death to have meaning, to be someone his mother would be proud of.

Most of all Tate needed to save her, to prove to her that she was loved, that she was worth his sacrifice.

It would be hard, but it would prove to be the one thing she needed to carry on, to try, for him.

"Girl, you gotta let him go, I'll take care of him, I promise. There's been a car trailing me for a while now, if you don't jump that train, whatever he did for you... will be for nothin'."

That car… it was Tate's father, she knew it, time was almost up.

Crying openingly, she pressed her lips lightly to his, hearing the echo of the train growing louder, vibrating the ground.

She told Harry his name, to bury him next to his mother, and that he was the only person in the world that ever loved her.

"Go girl, train's comin' I can see it now. I gotta lose that car, before who's ever in it goes looking for you."

Tears streaming down her face, she grabbed the dufflebag before pressing her mouth to Tate's temple.

"I'm leaving you my heart, it belongs to you. It always has."

Running through the tall green grass toward freedom, Violet never looked back.

Tate was a part of her now, he would be with her the rest of her days… which turns out were many, and very, very happy.

Once a year an old man lays wild flowers down on an unmarked grave for a boy that reminded him of a son, a boy that turned out to be so much more than anyone ever thought he could be.

He was brave, selfless, fiercely defiant in the face of fear, giving his life for love.

He was beautiful, and his name was Tate Langdon.

~ the end ~