Here's a new FF. hope you like it. Sorry about the tenses....it swtiched from past and present, but i had some trouble with it, but it's complrehendable. Also, timeing might not be perfect...I'm not sure how much time passed between Bad Beginning and The End. But oh well. here it is, read and review please.
Disclaimer: I'm not Lemony Snicket. He owns the charachters and story. aslo, becasue i'm not him, it's not in his writting style. no one can recreat that.
My siblings and I were on the open sea on our way home. I wasn't sure if we'll find it, but it was worth a shot. Kit's baby, Beatrice, was sitting next to Sunny, who was working the tiller. I had a sudden déjà vu of the last time our small family was in a boat quite like this one. That time was much different though. We had been in a storm, working furiously to save one of our many unlucky guardians. Could it really only have been 3 years ago? It feels like a life time ago. Sunny is now speaking in full sentences, and I, well, am missing what feels like part of me.
I felt a tear fall from my eyes.
"What's the matter Violet?" Klaus asked me.
"Nothing. Just remembering. Klaus, remember when we were trying to save Aunt Josephine?"
"How could I forget?" He said with a small grin. I wish it would all evaporate into some awful dream. I still hope that when we dock at Briny Beach, that our parents will run to us, scolding for being away for so long. It is an empty wish. My parents are gone. Sunny, Klaus and I have gone through more unfortunate events than any child should have to in their lives.
"Violet! Look at that mysterious figure emerging from the fog." Sunny used real words this time. My stomach flipped in panic. Last time I heard those words, the following minutes changed my life. I hoped this is not like that at all. I saw Klaus straining to see against the thick fog. I realized for the first time that I was shivering.
"Sunny, I see it. Be sure Bea is warm enough. It's pretty chilly out here." I told my sister.
"Vi! Eshblat." Beatrice answered. I instantly recognized this gibberish to be the way Sunny spoke for years. "Eshblat" is a word which here means: "No, I'm fine. Please, worry about that figure. I will be fine." I turned my attention back to the shadow that was becoming clearer by the moment. Automatically I reached into my pocket and tied my hair up. Through the fear that was in Klaus' eyes, I saw a glint of mirth as he watched me. I shot him a glare and returned to my vigil. This figure, for lack of a better word, looked like a tall thin man on a boat. Though I knew he was dead, I couldn't help but think, for one fleeting moment that it was Count Olaf back again.
"Oh Violet. I thought I'd never see you again!" The voice called as soon as he could see who it was. My heart skipped a beat. I knew that voice. It was the voice I'd been craving to hear for months.
"Quigley?" I asked tentatively, afraid to get my hopes up.
"Yes Violet? It's me, it really is."
"Oh Quigley. I thought you had died. It's so nice to hear your voice again." I'd forgotten my brother, sister and adopted sister were on the boat with me. I only had eyes for Quigley. The man I'd fallen in love with on the slopes of the Valley of Four Drafts. The man who I thought I'd lost in the currents of Stricken Stream. The man who tried to contact me on that awful submarine, the Queequeg. The man I thought I'd lost when Hotel Denouement went up in flames. The man I thought I'd lost forever.
"No Violet, I've been here. Looking for you. Searching, yearning to see your face again. To watch you smile." He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "Come Violet, I know where we can go. Duncan and Isabella are there too. We can all be together again. We can do whatever you and my siblings were planning on doing back at Prufock Prep. Violet, well, no, maybe I should wait until we get to firm ground. Yes, we'll wait. I shall tell you the moment we get to the beach."
"I'll wait." I told him as he jumped aboard our little boat, causing it to rock violently.
"Quigley, what about your boat?" I asked him.
"Don't worry about it. Let the tides take it." He finally looked beyond me to the rest of the company. "Klaus, I haven't seen you in a long time! How are you? Read any good books?"
"No, I haven't had much time, but we did find out a lot about our family. It's all in the Arboretum. We just left it though. I finally know what VFD is." Klaus answered with a hint of smugness
"Wow, nice job, you'll have to fill me in when we get ashore. I have learned some things myself. Now Sunny, look how much you've grown! I've missed you."
"I've missed you too Quigley. We all have. Do you know Beatrice? She's Kit's daughter."
"Why Sunny, last time I saw you, you were speaking that gibberish talk of yours. Now you speak full sentences and quite clearly too."
"Thanks. One day, it just clicked."
"Gasha!" Bea shrieked.
"Why Beatrice! You sound just like Sunny did. What did you say?"
"Gasha!" Bea repeated. Quigley looked to Violet for help.
"She means to say: 'I don't like you calling it gibberish. And my name is Beatrice. You may call me Bea.'" Violet quickly translated.
"Alright then Bea. Sorry." Beatrice shrugged in response.
"Quigley, will you tell us what happened after Stricken Stream, carried you off?" Klaus asked with wonder, taking out his commonplace book. I looked at Quigley hoping he'd tell.
"All right, I guess. We do have a while before we reach shore." Quigley glanced at me and smiled. I felt my heart jump in my throat. He reached over and took my hand, as if holding my hand would make it easier to tell. My whole hand tingled.
"It all started when I got taken away by the currents of the stream. I heard Violet yelling my name, and I tried to answer, I really did, but the winds were too strong. The current brought me to the sea. I was cold and tired. The only thing that kept me going was the thought that maybe I'd see my dear Violet again." He looked at me and I could feel my face blush and my stomach did flips. "I was in the middle of the sea. I didn't know what to do. I just kept swimming. When I got tired, I'd float. I had some food in my bag. They were only carrot sticks, but they got me through. Finally, when I couldn't stand it any longer, I saw a ship; a massive one. I started swimming towards it, the only thing keeping me going was Violet." I glanced at Klaus.
"Quigley, were there any other motives other than Violet?"
"Umm, not really."
"What about your siblings? Your friends?" I knew why this was so hard on Klaus. The woman he liked, Fiona, walked out on him. To make it worse, she left him for Olaf. "Quigley. I know that Violet means the world to you, but what about the rest of us? Do we mean nothing?"
"Klaus. Don't ever say that again. You also mean so much to me. And as much as you mean to me, well, as it's said, many waters cannot quench love. And I just needed to see her face before I died. Please understand that." Klaus sighed.
"I guess I do understand. I'd do a lot to see Fiona again." Klaus looked blissful.
"Fiona? Fiona Widdershins? You mean the girl that joined Olaf? What about her?"
"Well, we were, er, together. Kind of. We both liked each other. And she kissed me."
"Oh. I didn't know it was that much. Yes, well, I guess then you do know what I'm talking about. Anyway, may I finish my story? I'm almost at the good part."
"Go ahead."
"So I got saved by this boat, and of course they asked me who I was and who my parents were and so on and so forth. I told them that I was Quigley Quagmire and they suddenly stopped treating me like an idiot, but it was like I was royalty. They took me back to shore and I asked them if they happened to know where my siblings were. They said no and I left heavy heartedly. Then I saw the taxi. Kit was in it. She motioned for me to join her, and I did. She told me everything about my siblings and I immediately tried to go help them. I met up with them and now they are, well, actually, I told them to hide under 667 Dark Ave. they're in that pathway. We're going to them now."
"Yuskeh!" Beatrice shrieked.
"She means to say 'why look! I can see land!" Sunny quickly translated.
"Thanks Sunny. And she's right! Look, it's Briny Beach."
"Klaus, Sunny. We've come in two full circles. Let's hope that we won't have to make it three." I pulled my hand from Quigley's and took my siblings. We all bowed our heads in hope. A slight bump forced us to return to the present. First Quigley got out and I passed him Beatrice and Sunny. Then he helped Klaus out and finally me. But instead of letting go of me hand, he wrapped me up in a hug. I felt myself melt into him; felt so good. And he smelled like heaven. I would have stayed like that forever, but Klaus cleared his throat. We broke apart, but he kept his hand on my back. I saw a taxi by the curb, not unlike the one Kit had used. I sensed another déjà vu. I slid into the front seat with Quigley while Klaus kept the two younger ones safe in the back.
The ride through the city was strange. All these things that I knew, they were all coming back. Memories came flooding into my head. I started to get dizzy. Luckily Quigley stopped the car. Clearly light was in, because there were no trees on Dark Avenue. "Quickly now." Quigley said.
We went inside and easily found the way to the hidden chamber. "Klaus! Violet! Sunny! I thought I'd never see you again!" Isadora Quagmire screamed as she saw who was with her brother.
"Hey Isadora! I missed you." Klaus said, hugging her. He felt a strange feeling in his gut when they hugged, but he pushed it aside. "Duncan. It's been too long. I still have my commonplace book. Did you start a new one?"
"Hi to you too. Yes I have. We'll have to compare." Duncan said hugging his friend.
"Alright. What are we waiting for?" Klaus answered with a smile on his face. And with that, the two friends sat and started talking about whatever either of them had discovered. I noticed that Isadora had gone to Sunny and Bea. I guess her maternal instincts were taking over, because she had Bea in her lap, and Sunny hugging her from behind. Quigley smiled at me while I stood gawking at him, my hear pounding an uneven beat. He pulled me in for another hug.
"Violet, when do you become of age?" He asked me quietly.
I shivered as his breath tickled my neck. "Next year. April 5th."
"All righty then. Do you have a legal guardian at the present time?"
"Um, I'm not sure. I think the Mr. Poe is, but ew're not on great terms at the moment." I answered, puzzled by his questions. "Why Quigley?"
"You'll see. Excuse me, but I have to go make a phone call."
"To whom?" I asked, realizing that I was probably being a pain.
"You'll see," he repeated. I chose to take that as an answer, but I did not want to let him go. I clung to him, but he was stronger and gently pulled away. "I'll be back soon." He breathed in my ear. I went to where Isadora was playing with Sunny and Bea.
"Hey Sunny. How's it to be back with our old friends?"
"It's so great. I don't really remember much of Duncan and Isadora, but I have some vague memories. I remember them pretending to be us, and I remember then hidden in a fountain, but that's all."
"Well, you'll have a chance to get to know them again. How's Bea doing?" I looked at the sleeping figure.
"She's had a long day. Um, Violet, do you know why we're still here? I thought this was just a place we were staying until you guys got here." Isadora asked me looking around.
"I'm not sure. Quigley just went off to make a phone call, but when he gets back, we can ask him." I answered. I chose to follow suit, and look around. I remembered this passage. I wanted to see something. "Dora, I'll be right back, ok?"
"Sure Violet."
I walked down the passage and soon found the cage in which Isadora and Duncan were held hostage. I saw some blurry shapes in the corner. I went to have a closer look, and I saw that they were the welding irons that I had made for my siblings years ago. I brought one back to where the families were sitting.
"Guys, look at what I found." I held up a welding iron.
"What is that?" Duncan asked.
"Oh right, you were gone before we got there. Well, my sisters and I went back to the penthouse and Violet thought that we should make pseudo-welding irons. It took some time, but soon, we were climbing down the shaft again, but only to find that Olaf had taken you away yet again. We were so close, we're sorry."
"Klaus. There is no reason for you to feel sorry. We're fine, and now we're all together, so stop feeling back about it, okay?" Isadora said to him. For some strange reason, I saw a small smile creep onto Klaus's face.
"Anything for you, Dora." He said, turning a bit red. I wondered what was going on. Before I had a chance to dwell on it, I felt a pair of hands cover my eyes. I recognized the touch instantly.
"Quigley! You're back. Dora had a question for you. Actually, we both have the same question." It took concentration to get the words out because Quigley was stroking my palm, making my head go fuzzy.
"Quig, where are we going?" Isadora asked him.
"Oh, um, I'm not sure. We're staying here for the moment, but let's go explore for a little bit. I haven't been back here in the longest time." He said.
We all agreed, and emerged onto the sunny sidewalk for 677 Dark Avenue a few minutes later. "So what should we do?" I asked. That was a big mistake. Everyone started shouting at once. Klaus wanted to go to the library; Sunny wanted to go to the hospital; I wanted to go to the Invention Museum; Quigley wanted to see his house; Duncan wanted to visit the aquarium; and Isadora wanted to go to the Poetry read that was occurring in a local café later that night.
For the first time in years, I felt like I was with my family, safe, sound and happy. I was floating on clouds as I walked through the city of my childhood with Quigley's hand in mine, and flanked by my friends and family. Finally, I was safe.
Ok, so i hope you liked. there will be more. i know violet doesn't sound like she should, but in my story, this is how she talks. also...any idea for the future are welcome. so please review (they make me really happy) and untill next time, ~mangotango101