Sarah Paulson's Characters - Oneshots

⚠️ Over the Years

Wilhemina Venable + Reader

Warning: Mention of suicide and mental illness

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Wilhemina remembered the first day you came in to be hired. Your eyes held so much hope, even when she snapped at you, you held so much patience with a heartwarming grin. That grin was what made Venable question your intent. Your smile made her heart flutter, but her mind refused to admit something could be possible between the two of you.

Over the days, her mood got worse. Venable never meant to snap at you so often, but with everything she needed to handle it stressed her out beyond belief. She would get more of your favorite coffee creamer or buy little sketch pads for you. She however wondered what the slightly confused expression that crossed your face meant, perhaps she should've just come out to apologize in the first place, maybe if she just curved her tone that would've fixed things. Maybe you would still smile, or maybe you would've started to say good morning every day.

Wilhemina read through the note over and over, trying to make sense of what she found. How long had you felt like this? Was she the cause of it? She heard you mumbling to yourself whenever you made a tiny miniscule mistake. 'You stupid piece of shit'. Oh how you mumbled it every time you simply spilled a drop of coffee or forgot to run copies for Venable. She hated how much you berated yourself, but she didn't know what to say. At first it made her smile to think she would make people correct themselves, but it went from mistakes that could've been a fifteen minute fix to a two second fix.

Venable gasped as she tried to stop her tears. Reading the letter over and over as if trying to decipher the meaning. How many times did she read this note? She had been sitting here for 3 hours after her shift, sobbing uncontrollably as she clenched the paper tightly. It was her fault, and now it was her fault that she wouldn't be graced with your smile again, she wouldn't hear your laugh anymore. The days she confused your lack of a smile and silence as being broken in, but in reality she was just hurting you. She couldn't get the image of your limp body on the concrete out of her mind. Their screams alerted Wilhemina about something, only to be met by your lifeless face and blood. For so long she thought it was a murder. She could only rationalize it as a murder.

But now, as she sat at her desk sobbing, she  bargained with any deity to be able to have you back. She slowly got up, almost falling to her knees as she broke down again. She got to your desk, looking through the drawers. Venlafaxine and Aripiprazole bottles in one with a handful of pens. She opened your laptop, finding the password with some folders. She unlocked the computer, seeing the first thing that was on the screen. Different kinds of guns, all handguns. She looked through your search history, finding multiple results of your suicidal ideation creeping up.

Wilhemina shook her head, sobbing into her hands. "I'm so sorry!" She whimpered, shuddering as she wept through the night. In the morning, she found herself at the top of the building. She thought about the view, hoping she would get to see you again. Her feet teetered on the stone ledge, looking down at the spot she found you. She leaned forward, ready to let gravity do it's job. "Ms. Venable!" A voice shouted, Wilhemina feeling arms wrap around her waist just as she was ready to go limp. She was pulled back, recognizing the panicked voices. Jeff and Mutt. They pulled her away from the ledge, tears beginning to spill from her eyes. They grabbed your suicide note, realizing the situation.

Through the years, Wilhemina wished she saw the signs. It'd haunt her for years to come, until she joined you by her own hands after five years.