Mason Schmidt

*Vivienne sniffles and she smiles softly, she says in a quiet voice, leaning her chin on his shoulder* Oh, thank you, grandpa Mason, thank you!!

*Mason hugs her tightly, he can feel her slowly relaxing in his arms. He kisses her forehead and he says in a gentle voice* Of course, my little angel. I'm so proud of you.

*Vivienne sniffles, her face buried on his shoulder, after a little while, she looks up with her blue teary eyes, starting to calm down a little bit and she says in a shaky and quiet voice* G-grandpa, I-I w-want t-to b-be a-a t-therapist w-when I-I'm g-grown u-up... L-like y-you... S-so I-I c-can h-help p-people...

*Mason smiles warmly at her, his heart swelling with pride. He gently wipes away her tears with his thumb and says in a soft voice* That's a wonderful dream, sweetheart. You would make a great therapist, just like me.

*Vivienne sniffles and she leans her head on the car seat, burying her face in her long baggy sleeves*

*Mason keeps driving, he doesn't say anything for a while. He wants to give her time to calm down and collect her thoughts. He just lets her cry, he knows that she needs to get all her emotions out. He pulls into the driveway and he turns off the car, he gets out and he opens her door. He unbuckles her seatbelt and he picks her up, he carries her into the house and he sits down on the couch with her. He holds her close and he just lets her cry, he strokes her hair and he whispers comforting words to her.*

*Vivienne sniffles and she clings onto him for comfort, not wanting to let go, shaking, as it is her way to say "bring me home, I am scared" but with body language.*

*Mason notices her trembling and he knows that she wants to go home. He picks her up and he carries her to the car, he buckles her in and he gets in the driver's seat. He starts the car and he drives home, he keeps looking back at her to make sure she's okay. He can see that she's still very upset, she's crying and she looks so fragile. He feels so bad for her and he wishes he could take away all her pain.*

*Livvie sniffles, shaking and she says in a shaky voice* B-but t-they've b-been c-calling m-me n-names f-for m-more t-than a-a w-week a-and t-they e-even s-started p-pulling c-cruel p-pranks o-on m-me s-saying "y-you d-deserve t-them, a-autistic b-brat."

*Mason's blood boils when he hears what those bullies have been doing to Livvie. He pulls her into a tight hug and strokes her hair gently, whispering into her ear.* Oh, sweetie, that's horrible. You don't deserve to be treated like this. You're not an autistic brat, you're a kind and caring girl who deserves to be treated with respect. I know it's hard, but you can't let them get to you. You're stronger than they are.

*A little while later, it was dinner time and everyone was sitting at the table, eating, except for Livvie, that was just looking down at her hands. She then pushes her plate away and she says in a quiet voice, still looking down, trying to hide her emotions: She was clearly still very upset.* I'm full...

*Mason looks over at Livvie and notices that she's not eating her dinner. He frowns and walks over to her, kneeling down to her level.* Livvie, you need to eat. You can't just push your plate away like that. You need to take care of yourself.

*Livvie looks away, trying to hide her emotions and she says in a quiet voice* I'm not hungry...

*So, the next day at school, Mason drove her to school and they were waiting for the gates to open, Vivienne was just talking to her besties, Lily and Rose, when suddenly the two bullies walked past to her and pushed Lily and Rose away and they started mocking Vivienne for her appearence.*

*Mason was watching from a distance, he was furious at the bullies. He wanted to go over and say something to them, but he knew that he couldn't intervene directly. He knew that Vivienne would have to stand up for herself. So, he just watched, ready to step in if things got out of hand.*

*Vivienne's face turns red and she feels her eyes fill with tears, she's so upset by the bullies' comments. She tries to stand up for herself, but she's too shy and sensitive to say anything. The bullies keep teasing her and she just looks away, her heart sinking lower and lower with each insult they throw at her.*

*Vivienne sniffles and she whispers in a quiet voice* I couldn't ate my favourite snack today because they said if I become fat, then I will no longer be attractive for Ethan.... *she pauses* B-but I don't care about being attractive, I just care about him...

*Mason's face darkens when he hears this, he's furious that those bullies would say something like that to her. He holds her tightly and he says in a firm voice* Listen to me, you are beautiful just the way you are. Don't ever let anyone make you feel like you're not good enough. If Ethan really cares about you, he won't care if you gain a few pounds.

*Vivienne sniffles and she says in a shaky quiet voice, burying her face in his shoulder again* Y-you w-will n-never l-leave m-me, r-right...? L-like, d-dying... *she pauses* B-because m-my s-school b-bullies s-said y-you w-will d-die b-because y-you h-hate m-me a-and b-because d-deep d-down, y-you t-think I-I'm s-stupid...

*Mason's eyes widen in shock when he hears her say that, he can't believe anyone would say something so horrible to her. He pulls away from her and he looks at her with a serious expression, he says in a firm voice* Listen to me, Vivienne. I would never, ever think that you're stupid or that I hate you. Those bullies are just trying to hurt you and make you feel bad about yourself, but I want you to know that I'm always going to be here for you and I'm never going to leave you.

*Vivienne sighs and she keeps looking down, as she's very sensitive and she's clearly very upset. She says in a quiet and a little broken voice* B-but they said you are just faking it...

*Vivienne sniffles and she sobs softly, shaking, she says in a shaky and quiet voice* B-but w-what i-if y-you l-leave m-me...? I-I'm s-scared...

*Mason pulls her even closer and he kisses her forehead, he can't stand to see her like this. He says in a comforting voice* Sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I'm going to be here for you always, okay?

*Vivienne sniffles and she nods her head slowly, she says in a shaky voice* I-I l-love y-you, g-grandpa....