The Best Birthday Present

A/N: I wrote this after watching the movie A Series of Unfortunate Events. I've read the books but this story is definitely based on the movie-with a little input of Olaf's continued mis-treatment of the orphans. I would also like to warn any one who is reading this that this story does deal with abuse, so if you're squeamish, or if that sort of thing unnerves you-well, beware. The story also contains the "d" word. This idea has not been very explored, but this should cover it.

This story is written from Violet's point of view, with a small piece of Klaus's.

Also, just so its said, I own nothing but my own ideas and even then, they're probably borrowed.

The Nightmare

I screamed and sat up, covered in sweat. I looked around me, still confused and terrified. I realized that I was still in my room and pulled my knees to my chest, making the sheets tent around me. I went back over the nightmare in head. Count Olaf had been there, of course, and I had the vague idea that he was dressed in some idiotic disguise to try and fool us into believing he was some other person. I shook my head. Funny how he had never fooled us and, yet, managed to fool every other adult in our lives. He always wanted our money which was kind of funny. He put so much effort into tracking us down and so much money into his disguises that he was probably poorer than when he started out. I wasn't sure where my siblings were, yet I knew that they hadn't been in that particular dream. I paused in my musings and listened to see if I had woken Sunny or Klaus. I heard the sound of foot steps, two pairs, coming towards my door. I smiled, despite the reason for their coming, just because they cared.

There was a quick knock and then the door swung open wide to allow my brother and sister into my room.

"Violet, are you alright?" Klaus asked breathlessly.

"Alright?" Sunny echoed.

She had learned to speak more accurately and completely as the years wore on, but in times of great distress would revert back to either her equivalent of baby talk or short phrases.

I nodded and gave them a hesitant smile. Both of my siblings came over to my bed. Klaus grabbed a chair for himself and Sunny climbed up to sit beside me. I lowered my knees and swung my legs towards Klaus so that she would have room on the twin bed to sit.

"Another dream…?" Klaus asked quietly.

I sighed. "More like a nightmare. I can't figure it out. I mean I'm almost twenty-one! I shouldn't be having nightmares anymore." Sunny had moved closer at my outburst.

Klaus smiled. "Only two more days…"

He was referring to my birthday. Once I had turned eighteen, I had become a guardian to my siblings. The judge didn't want to allow it, of course, but Klaus had found a loophole in one of his law books. Even better, we had been able to get a piece of the Baudelaire Fortune, enough to buy a house out in the country, away from everyone. I worked, but only because I enjoyed it. I invented things, put patents on them, and then sold them to companies. On my own, I was managing to make a small fortune. Klaus worked at the Meadow Brook library. He had graduated early, completing high school in only a matter of weeks. He was contemplating college but didn't want to go away from us. Sunny still attended school where she was known to be an articulate speaker, and a creative and kind person. Her hair had darkened and she reminded me of our mother more and more each day. I suppose as a throw-back to her biting days, she rarely didn't have gum in her mouth but she wasn't obnoxious with it the way some children are.

In two days, I would turn twenty-one and inherit the entire fortune. Klaus and I had already made plans for our and Sunny's future, mostly to invest the money. Mr. Poe had been delighted, of course, when we had mentioned investing. "'I knew in my care, you would see the most obvious place to place your money,'" he had said.

"What was the nightmare about?" Sunny asked, turning her head to me.

I shook my head. "I'm still not sure. I know that Count Olaf was there."

At mention of the Count's name, she made a face.

"What was he doing?" Klaus asked.

I fought to make my face carefully blank. "I think he was chasing us but I didn't see you two." I shook my head again. "Its all jumbled up," I said apologetically.

Klaus looked at me, a strange expression on his face. "What?" I asked him.

He looked like he was going to say something, even opened his mouth. Then he shut it and said something else. "Nothing. Once you wake up, dreams usually aren't remembered."

Sunny nodded her agreement.

"Sorry, guys. I didn't mean to wake you up."

Sunny smiled at me. "Its not a problem, Vi."

I smiled at her, knowing the smile didn't quite reach my eyes. How could it, with the contents of the dream still wearing on my heart and mind? But I smiled anyway, not noticing Klaus' smile, too, failed to reach his eyes. Klaus left the room, Sunny following him, each to their own bed. I sat back down on my bed, trying to decide. Had I made the right decision in not telling my brother and sister the truth? Sometimes I wondered if Klaus knew already. He had never made a comment, but there were some things I did that I knew didn't make sense to normal thought. I wore long sleeves, even in the middle of summer. I slid the sleeve of my shirt up, eyeing the long, skinny scar there. I shuddered and quickly pulled the sleeve back down, upset that I couldn't hide the memory as easily. This was going to be one of those nights. I knew sleep was useless now, so I flipped the lamp on. It sat quietly beside my bed on a nightstand very similar to the one I had had before the fire. I looked under my bed, finding my diary and a box of pencils. As I had done when we had lived with Uncle Monty, I had posted paper on all my walls when we had moved into the new house. I quickly pushed the diary back under my bed, not wanting the flood of memories to come. It was too late, of course, my subconscious had already forced me to visit one memory I hated. Quickly, I turned my thoughts to inventing. I walked to the desk that held some books, records and a record player, among other things. This desk was also very much like the one I had had before the fire. I put Beethoven on, hoping Moonlight Sonata would soothe my disturbed mind. I turned the volume down, not wanting my siblings to know that I remained awake. I wish I had known then what I knew now: that everything would be alright, even if it wasn't perfect, that I and my brother and sister would survive past all the evil that had been pulled into our lives thanks to a man named Olaf. Despite my best efforts, my mind returned to those days and tears began to fill my eyes. Damn it.

I cried as I invented, hearing nothing but the sounds of my own pain and cruel laughter.

A/N:

So I think I realized that I may have confused you all. Thanks to Violet Aiken (my first reviewer !) for pointing that out nicely. So, its a one-shot but with chapters...yeah, it doesn't make sense, but not much of my life does...