"Did I not mention that?" Jacques said after a long pause

"No" the children all said in unison.

"Jacques!" Olivia slapped his arm

"I thought I had mentioned it" he grimaced.

Jacques and Olivia, shaking her head, watched on as each of the children's faces started to break into a smile. After a few seconds Isadora started bouncing from one foot to the other before launching herself into Olivia's arms and hugging her tightly. Her brothers both wanted to express their happiness the same way but held themselves back, instead, they calmly walked over to Jacques and gave him a one-armed hug before doing the same for Olivia after Isadora had stepped back and around to hug Jacques around Sunny.

"I'm thrilled. I thought you were going to drop us here and then leave but you're staying and this is just so splendid." Isadora said very quickly. Duncan and Quigley walked over to stand behind Isadora again and nodded in agreement.

"I'm so very sorry we didn't communicate about this more effectively!" Olivia said with a slightly guilty look on her face, happiness still outshining any other feeling. Olivia's gaze swept over the older children before skipping back to Violet. A sense of understanding washed over Olivia as she connected violets mood as of late with the fact that the adults were trying to get closer to the children, and Violet was worrying about her and her siblings getting attached only for them to inevitably be left with strangers.

"I must apologise too. I beg your pardon and I will never forgive myself. How hard these past few days must have been for you. Seeing us so happy about what we knew but you didn't, and feeling an assortment of emotions thinking that we didn't want to look after you" Jacques said with his eyebrows drawn closer together.

"you must have thought we didn't care about you enough for us to want to have you in our lives" Olivia said stepping forward and pulling a teary Violet into her arms and holding her "I assure you that this was never the case. Jacques and I had both, unbeknownst to the other, had already made the decision that we were never going to let you children be sent to new guardians ever again. For me personally, I made this decision while watching Count Olaf and his theatre troupe drive away with Duncan and Isadora and seeing the defeated looks on your faces Violet and Klaus. However, the next thing I knew you were being led away by Mr. Poe and I wasn't fast enough to get to you in time before, once again I was watching a car get smaller and smaller." Olivia reached past violets hug to pull Klaus, now also teary, into the hug as well. "I will never willingly let any of you go again!" Olivia said squeezing tighter and looking towards the triplets to ensure that she meant the also.

"I realised that I wanted to keep you all close while Olivia and I were sitting on a small edge twenty floors up six hundred and sixty seven Dark avenue and I realised that this woman I was sitting next to was so motivated to get all you children to safety when she had only know them for a few days. I thought to myself that these children must be remarkable and amazing children" Jacques told the children before looking at Quigley, who looked slightly like he was feeling out of place "and I think I can say for both Olivia and I, that we were invested in you, Quigley, the second we heard that it was you who survived the fire"

Quigley's concerned expression was quickly replaced with a soft smile as he and the triplets all moved forward to hug Jacques.

"shell we go and see more of the house children?" Jacques said, handing Sunny over to Violet. The children all started descending the staircase and just as Olivia was about to follow them Jacques stopped her with a sentence

"incidentally, it was at the bottom of that building, while pulling on a safety rope, that I decided that I wanted to be tethered to you forever not only physically but legally as well" Jacques said with a smirk and then followed the children down the stairs quickly, leaving Olivia staring at the spot he was just occupying in shock.

Blinking a few times, Olivia started to get her wits back and a wide smile stretched over her face at Jacques words. "Likewise, Jacques Snicket, likewise" she said

When Olivia reached the bottom of the stairs the only sign of the comment upstairs was a small smirk from Jacques as he turned towards her and she realised he had heard her quiet response. His smirk sent a warm wave right through her. Oh, the things she would do to that man right now if they were along. She smirked right back at him before walking past him and towards the children. After all, there was an agreement between them that they were to keep such behaviours behind locked doors and out of sight of children.

The first few days at the V.F.D. headquarters while they were waiting for all the children to be brought together were filled with work, teaching the Baudelaire's general school lessons and about their parent's pasts. But when Olivia and Jacques had settled the children in for the night, they could only just get into either Olivia's room or Jacques room before one of them was pulling the other towards them and starting a deep and love filled kiss. However, even with the private rooms, Olivia and Jacques had not had ample time to become more physical then kisses. The two also decided that after their make out sessions they would retire to their own rooms so if the children needed them it was a 100% chance they would find either Jacques or Olivia.

When they had moved into the safehouse, nothing had really changed. They had firstly set up the rooms for boys and girls, there being only two rooms, but after the children all kept ending up in the girl's room, Olivia had moved into the spare bed in the boy's room, after persuasion from Jacques, who didn't like that she kept trying to sleep on the couch when it was obviously not conductive to a healthy spine alignment. They had not really let themselves kiss much in the safe house because any of the children could have walked into the room at any time. Olivia was looking forward to utilising that lock that was on their bedroom door, because honesty, she was starting to feel incredibly wound up because of the little touches and looks Jacques would send her way.

"Ok, children follow me through to the kitchen" Olivia said and continued walking down a hallway to the left.

The kitchen was spacious with plenty of bench space including an island and a little rustic in places. A stone wall sat on the far side of the kitchen. Natural light flooded into the kitchen from large windows and skylights. The room was large enough to also include a long table that would comfortably sit eight plus people. The walls were a clean white and the colour in the room came either from the appliances and accessories or beamed down from the stain glass detailing along the top of the windows. The table was set up as a more casual place to eat. For times more formal the children could see into another room showing the very end of a table and three chairs.

"The Kitchen! This is where we will have breakfasts and lunches most days, we will have dinner through there in the dining room. I have been reading that having dinner together is essential for family unit bonding and that parents really must encourage it" the children all smiled at the hint of family and parents. Olivia chattered on about some of the appliances and whereabouts of different things in the kitchen.

"We will all be making dinner together tonight so you will get to know the kitchen a little better tonight." Jacques said

"yes you will indeed. So, through here is the dining room" Olivia walled between two benches and up three steps and into the room attached to the kitchen. The dining room was large and had a table that would fold out for additional diners. The table was a shining brown and had two rows of three chairs and two chairs at the head and end. A sparkly chandelier was hung above the middle of the table. Windows were all around the room letting in a flood of light that would be non-existent at dinnertime. The walls in here were a deep red. White drapes adorned the windows.

"what a beautiful chandelier." Isadora said

"it's a great view from the windows." Klaus added

Violet handed Sunny over to Olivia again and run her hand over the table.

"beautifully treated wood" Violet said

"through here and down a few doors, rooms for reading and hobbies, is the main family room. This is where Jacques and I will most likely be found after we have cleaned up dinner, we will be reading. These hours are your free time because we have scheduled your lessons and hobby times. So if ever you need us during your free time we will be in here. We of course have scheduled your lessons to start when we start back at the V.F.D." Olivia explained and walked into the main family room. It was comfortable and homely, with large plush sofas and four bookcases around the room. Sunlight streamed into the room but the room was also equipped with standing lamps placed next to all the sofas.

"On weekends you will be coming into headquarters with us where you will undertake the same training that my siblings and I undertook." Jacques said and Olivia nodded. "and when you reach the age of Fifteen you will be coming into headquarters with us every morning for advanced classes before being driven home in a V.F.D. taxi at about 1:00 for you to continue your school studies." The children all seemed intrigued.

"Any normal week day will start off with everybody waking up at eight o'clock in the morning and getting dressed for the day. Jacques and I will have been up an hour earlier and gotten ready for the day we then will have gotten Sunny up and dressed and headed down to the kitchen and start to prepare for breakfast. If we are still cooking when you start to trickle downstairs then you are more than welcome to help with preparations. We will have breakfast in the kitchen and then clean up. Elizabeth and John will be tending to the garden. They are V.F.D. volunteers and will be here for you for whatever you need during the day while Jacques and I are at H.Q." Olivia explained. The children nodding the whole time. Realization clear on their faces at who Elizabeth and John were.

"There cover is gardeners for the house but I urge you, that if you have any questions about anything you are learning and cannot find the answers yourselves, to utilise them because like all volunteers they are very well read." Jacques added and the children nodded again. "While Olivia and I are at H.Q. you will start the day with your general school subjects studies. I assume you are all capable of doing this without help? You will work together if you need to?" nodding "Excellent. After about two hours you will have an hour of outside time. It is your choice whether you want to help with the gardening and landscaping or take a walk down to the park. Elizabeth and John will be keeping an eye on you from an distance if you leave the property. If you do leave you need to all go at the same time, we don't want Elizabeth and John to be divided." More nods "of course, when you are all a few years older you will be watched less closely if you all decide that that is what you want" smiles "you will then come home and prepare lunch with John or Elizabeth and eat. You have an hour for lunch before you are expected to be starting your personal studies." Jacques said

"your personal studies will be chosen by you and approved by Jacques and I. if you need any books for these studies and they are not in our personal collections then just let one of us know later that day and we will organise for the book to be ordered. Your personal studies are to be done in the study and hobby rooms we just walked past. You can explore the house more in a little while okay" nodding "you will have personally studies for two hours and then work on creative outlets of your choosing. Two hours later will be when Jacques and I arrive home again. We will all meet here in the family room for a quick brief about everyone's days and then you will be allowed to go wherever you want in the house and do whatever you want for an hour and a half while Jacques and I will be in here, you are welcome to stay with us and then we will ring a bell system to notify that it is time to come and help to make dinner. Violet we were thinking you might like to invent the bell system that can ring in all sections of the house if rung in the kitchen. What do you think?" Olivia asked and Violet nodded and smiled.

"we will then eat in the dining room and after that we will all go to the library for a hour of reading before you again have free time, remember that by this time Sunny will be in bed so activities will have to be relatively quiet. Then from eight to nine you will get ready for bed and you can read in bed until nine thirty at which time will be lights out." Jacques finished the day to day explanation.

"now, we understand if you all end up in each other's rooms for a while and even every now and then, they are big beds for a reason, but after a while do try to go to sleep in your own beds. And if anyone has any nightmares or fears about anything you know where Jacques and my bedroom is. Just knock and one of us will answer." Olivia said softly to the children

The children all smiled at Jacques and Olivia and nodded in understanding and agreement. There was a quietness in the conversations end for a few seconds while everyone looked around the lounge testing sofas and lamp light. Then quite quickly Klaus spun back around to Olivia and Jacques and stepped forward and said

"Wait. Did you say Library?!" and with that four other children stood up curiously with their heads cocked to the side. Olivia thought they looked quite like meerkats, popping up, standing straight and staring right at herself and Jacques.