A/N: Shoutout to the awesome CompleteIndie for reviewing! You rock, man! ;) \m/

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CompleteIndie ––– Lol I thought so, too ;) I still can't see how Klaus falls for Fiona. He's way too smart to fall for someone like that. :/ Isadora so deserves him.

Shanks! I will. :)

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Disclaimer: Still no own ASOUE.

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Chapter 10
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(Three weeks later…)

.

Keep me up all night, you do,

Lying there, praying for a kiss from you.

.

Always leaving me breathless, amazed,

Unable to speak to you, my mind in a daze.

.

Such a dream come true it would be,

Being with you for eternity.

.

Isadora cringed. What on Earth was this? Where did her muse go? Did it check out of the hospital when she wasn't looking? Or did the enemy slaughter it while she was aboard their vessel? Whatever the case, she didn't like the fact that she wasn't as poetic as she usually was. But then again, it was hard to come up with a good line for each letter in his name and still make them rhyming couplets.

Isadora closed her notebook with a muted growl. How much longer was she and Duncan to stay in this cramped little room? They weren't allowed to leave until Dr. VanSlout gave the okay, and walking around the hospital was no longer exciting. Though its intentions were noble, she still felt like she was in a prison, much like the one she was in aboard The Great Unknown, only much more inviting and sanitary. The only silver lining to her situation was that her nose wasn't broken after all, so her face was no longer puffy, and her wounds were healing faster than she thought. And for that, she was tremendously grateful.

"'Ello," a small voice greeted cheerfully.

Isadora looked to find Sunny grinning in the doorway. She was so lost in her own misery that she didn't even hear the door open. "Oh hi, Sunny!" she replied, returning the gesture. "How are you?"

"'Kay," Sunny answered, which probably meant something like, "I'm fine, thank you." "Algubut?"

Isadora tipped her head, understanding absolutely nothing she just said. "Umm…" she started.

Even after spending lots of time with them for the past three weeks, she found that Isadora's interpreting skills were still as sharp as Fiona's. Sunny quickly changed the subject. "Duncan?" she tried instead.

"Oh, Duncan's alright," Isadora answered, relieved she'd said something that she could actually understand.

Just then, the bathroom door creaked open and out walked Duncan, the latest issue of Various Facts Daily in his hand. "Oh hey, Sunny," he smiled down at her. "How're you?"

"'Kay," Sunny said again with a wide, four-toothed grin.

"Good. Ready to read the paper with me?"

"Yah!" Sunny shrieked happily, clapping her hands together.

Duncan chuckled at her enthusiasm and picked her up off the ground. As the two got comfy in his bed, Isadora couldn't help but smile. This had become a tradition since their arrival at HQ, and every time she watched them, she'd always flash back to when she was five, when her father would scoop her up in his arms and take her upstairs to read her a bedtime story. She could see herself, all tucked-in, listening intently as her big, gruff father read every fairy tale under the moon to her, and right after his nightly story, she'd always ask him if a prince would ever come and save her one day. He'd merely smile and say, "Of course, princess. But not until you're sixty." All that time she never understood what he meant, but when she watched Duncan and Sunny bond over the daily news, it all began to make sense. Sunny was so young…so innocent…so delicate that she'd do anything to shield her from the evils of the world, especially when somebody wanted to come and break her heart. …This was what her father had seen all those years ago. He wasn't trying to discourage her, make her feel bad, he just wanted to protect her, his only daughter. Her thoughts drifted to the fire…Prufrock Prepatory School…667 Dark Avenue…the Village of Fowl Devotees…The Great Unknown… Tears welled up in her eyes. Her life was far from the fairy tale she wanted. There was no happy ending for her–––the recent events had proved otherwise…and there sure wasn't a prince coming to save her from her hell…

…Or was there?

Klaus came to her mind before long, and instantly, her heart picked up the pace. He was her prince, she could feel it. Never had she felt such a connection with a guy before…well, aside from her brothers and her father. He was everything she wanted in a man: sweet, smart, funny, hot…very hot. She blushed profusely. When was she going to get it together to tell him she loved him? To finally make him hers? What was it going to take? If she could kiss him on the cheek, surely she could tell him how she felt about him.

"Mornin', Quagmires!"

Isadora jumped and looked to find Dr. VanSlout emerging into the room smiling brightly.

"Morning, Doctor," Duncan smiled up at him. "How're you?"

"Fine, how are you guys?" Dr. VanSlout crossed his arms in front of him and looked at them.

"We're fine," Duncan replied, Isadora nodding in agreement. "How's Quigley?"

Dr. VanSlout's smile faded. "I don't know."

"You still haven't heard from them?" Duncan sat up, concerned.

"No, I haven't," Dr. VanSlout admitted quietly, shaking his head. "No one has. They refuse to tell us. Why? I don't know. And I deeply apologize, but I'm not going to press the matter until they come to us."

Duncan and Isadora shared an uneasy glance.

"And I hate to rain on your parade even more but it looks like you're going to be in here for a few more months."

Isadora groaned and slammed herself back down, glaring at the ceiling. Great…just what she wanted to hear.

"…April Fool's."

Isadora looked to find Dr. VanSlout grinning sneakily. "What?" she asked.

"Mm hm. Today's April Fool's Day. Ironic, huh?" Dr. VanSlout said. "You two are officially free to go. And that is no joke."

"We are?" Isadora said excitedly, springing up.

"You are," Dr. VanSlout smiled.

"Wait, so, Quigley was a joke, too?" Duncan asked, Isadora immediately jumping out of bed.

"No, Quigley wasn't a joke," Dr. VanSlout said at once. "I'd never joke about something like that. That's not funny."

"Oh…" Duncan said quietly, wishing he was kidding.

"Well, I'd best be off. I'd love to stay and chat, Quagmires, but I got a full plate in front of me today. Your clothes are in that cupboard over there, and I already spoke to the front desk about your dismissal, so you don't need to worry about anything. Have a good day, and I pray I never see you in here again." With one final smile, he walked out and down the hall to his next objective.

Immediately, Isadora flew over to the cupboard and grabbed her clothes off one of the shelves. To her amazement, her tattered, bloodied white shirt and dark purple skirt along with her tattered black, high-heeled boots were as good as new, as if they'd never seen a torture chamber in their lifetime. Putting her puzzlement on the back burner, she raced into the bathroom to change.

"So, how's Klaus?" Duncan asked Sunny, hopping out of bed and heading over to the cupboard. "Haven't seen him in, like, three weeks."

"'Kay…" Sunny said grumpily.

Duncan looked around at her. "You okay?"

Sunny shook her head. "Calibutter," she muttered.

Duncan tipped his head. "Is he gone? On a mission?"

Sunny shrugged. "Mallafuter," she said.

Duncan's heart sank. Oh, how he wished his Violet were here to interpret. "Well, let's go see him," he tried lightheartedly. "Isadora, are you finished?" he called.

"Almost!" Isadora shouted.

"How long does it take to change your clothes?" Duncan asked, puzzled.

"I'm putting makeup on!"

"You look fi–––where'd you get makeup?"

"Found it in the cupboard!"

Duncan paused, wondering how makeup found its way into the cupboard when no one had come to visit them but Sunny. "Well, you look fine. C'mon."

"Just a minute!"

Duncan groaned quietly. He may have been super tight with his sister, but he wanted to leave as much as she did, if not more. He just had more control over his emotions than her. He looked at Sunny apologetically. "Sunny, could you look away for a moment? I'm sorry, but I don't have time to wait."

"'Kay," Sunny said, then covered her eyes and turned around.

Isadora opened the door and gasped, feeling her eyes burn violently. "Gaaah, Duncan! What the heck! I told you just a minute!" she screamed, her face beet red. She never dreamed the first man she'd see naked would be her oldest brother.

"Yeah, I know!" Duncan replied, hurriedly yanking up his underwear. "In woman terms that means another hour!"

"No, it doesn't!" Isadora protested hotly.

Duncan ignored her and continued to get dressed. "Okay, you can look now."

"I don't think I want to."

Duncan rolled his eyes and went over to his bed to pick up Sunny. "Just come on," he grumbled, heading for the door. "We're going to see Klaus."

Ears perking up, Isadora immediately uncovered her eyes and followed them to the entrance. They strode out of the infirmary and looked around, marveling at the V.F.D. Headquarters' majesty. They'd been cooped up for so long (and in so much pain) they'd forgotten just how magnificent it really was.

"Wow…" Duncan whispered, an awed grin spreading across his face. He looked at Sunny. "So where is Klaus, Sunny?"

Knowing full well they didn't understand her, Sunny tried a different language, one that everyone knew. She pointed to the left and the Quagmires needed no clarification. They obediently walked in the direction she pointed until their navigator changed their course.

"Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall," a boy about their age prayed as he inched carefully down the hall. Atop the bulky, archaic briefcase in his hands was a tall stack of papers swaying back and forth like a tall building in the wind. How he made it this far from the copy room with no error was beyond him.

"Max! Max, I found–––oof!" another boy about the same age raced around the corner and slammed into him, the tower of papers now all over the floor along with his briefcase.

"Awww, Kane!" the boy whined. "That was my mother's typewriter!"

Kane's heart stopped dead in its tracks, his hands slapping over his mouth. "Whoops. Sorry…" he said meekly.

Max sighed mournfully, adjusting his dark fedora. "It's fine. Just help me get these to the Vigilant Factfinders Department." The two began to scour about for the facts when Duncan, Isadora, and Sunny rounded the corner.

Hearing their footsteps, Max looked up, his dark gray eyes filled with apology. "So sorry, guys. We'll get out of your way."

"No, it's fine. Let us help you," Duncan said, setting Sunny down, and the three got busy.

"Whew…thanks for your help," Max picked up his briefcase and smiled at them gratefully. "I owe you one." After getting a good look at them, his eyes widened. "Hey, wait a minute. You're the Quagmires!"

Great. They hadn't even been out of the hospital for an hour and they were already being recognized. "We are," Duncan agreed with a polite smile.

"I've been dying to meet you three forever now." Max stuck his hand out with an ecstatic grin. "Max Mallahan, head journalist of the Vigilant Factfinders Department."

"Mallahan…" Duncan's brow furrowed in deep thought. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"I attended Prufrock Prepatory School the same year you guys did," Max explained. "I worked on the school paper."

"That's why!" Duncan snapped his fingers. "You were the one who wrote that story on Carmelita Spats, weren't you?"

"What, the one about when her friend stole her boyfriend and the two got into a huge fight in the cafeteria?"

"Yeah, that one!" Duncan grinned. "That was funny!"

Max shrugged bashfully. "I'm glad you like it," he said humbly. "Although to be honest, there are way more important things to write about than a petty catfight over such nonsense. The only reason I wrote it was because I had to. I was a newbie at the time, and they always give newbies the dirty work."

"True," Duncan agreed. "But, you made more progress than me. I went out for the school paper and they just beat me up with rolled-up newspapers and called me cakesniffer."

"That was you?" Max's jaw dropped. "Oh my God, I was there that day! Unfortunately, they'd hidden my mother's typewriter as a prank and I was too caught up in trying to find it that I didn't even think to defend you. …I'm so sorry."

"Oh, it's alright. Didn't really hurt that much anyway," Duncan assured him. "It was just newspapers."

"Still…it had to have hurt. The truth always hurts," Max said, then chuckled at his little pun. He was quiet for a moment. "The whole headquarters has been worried about you, and since Tim forbade us from coming in the hospital to talk to you, we had to live in suspense ever since you got here. I'm glad you two are okay. Where's Quigley?"

"Oh, he's…still in the hospital," Duncan said mournfully. "We don't even know how he's doing."

"Oh, wow…things are worse than I thought with him." Max looked off to the side, devastated. "Can you keep me updated when you find out? I want to make sure the story is more than one-hundred percent accurate."

"Oh, will do," Duncan nodded.

"And let me know when you two have some free time. I'd like to interview you," Max smiled at them. "I have to get these back to the Vigilant Factfinders Department. It's urgent."

"Okay. It was nice meeting you, Max," Duncan said.

"Wait, before you go," Isadora cut in, and Max and Kane turned around. "We're looking for Klaus. Have you seen him?"

"Klaus Baudelaire or Klaus Makker?" Kane asked. "…Oh wait, I forgot Klaus Cabe…"

Seriously? Was this a joke? But then Isadora remembered that there were at least a thousand volunteer apprentices in this headquarters, and it was highly unlikely that he was the only one named Klaus here. "Baudelaire," she told him.

"Oh…uhh…" Max stuttered after a moment. "Last I knew he was in the cafeteria eating."

"Thank you! See you later, Max." Isadora hurried down the hall, Duncan and Sunny right behind her.

"See you," Max managed to choke quietly, watching her, Duncan and Sunny round a corner.

Kane, who'd resumed walking, looked back around at Max, wondering why he was still standing there, gawking like an idiot. "Max, c'mon!"

"Huh?" Max snapped out of his trance. "Oh, right! Sorry…" He looked in the direction they'd disappeared one last time, then followed Kane back to his objective.

/

The cafeteria was buzzing with excitement when the three walked in and looked around for their target. Wow…and they thought Prufrock Prepatory School's cafeteria was tall and majestic. It looked like Count Olaf's house next to this place. The Quagmires walked up and took a number in the breakfast line.

"Did you eat yet, Sunny?" Duncan asked, looking down at her.

"Yah," Sunny replied, nodding, then pointed off in the distance. "GofindKlaus."

"You're…gonna go find Klaus?" Duncan tried translating.

Sunny nodded.

"Okay." He set her down and she scurried off.

Duncan felt his heart swell with pride. Finally! One translation down, a billion more to go. Oh, if only Violet were here to praise his progress. How he missed hearing her angelic voice serenade his ears, subliminally motivating him to be a better man. A sad, quivery sigh slipped his lips. No…life would never be the same without her. He could remember those dreadful violin recitals of Vice Principal Nero's, the only thing keeping him holding on to life (sometimes literally) was her soft warm hand. How she'd roll her eyes every few minutes, clearly unimpressed by the vile man's lack of talent. How those exact eyes would land on his moments later, begging him to end her suffering, when in reality, his begged the same of her, but not just for the recital to end. For her to take him away from everything that had plagued him. The fire…his parents' deaths…the bullying he endured on a daily basis… Being her other half was the antidote to the poison life forced down his throat every day. Finally a good reason to wake up and want to smell the roses.

…And now she was gone.

He cringed, flashbacks of his past torturing him some more. …Why? Why did he hesitate? She was right there, the moment was perfect…why? He could see himself, standing there in the Orphans' Shack shortly before Olaf's arrival at the academy, Violet right in front of him, them talking about…something. Her latest invention perhaps? He couldn't remember–––his mind was too preoccupied taking in every inch of her beautiful face. They'd reached a pause in the conversation. She was smiling up at him, staring deep into his eyes, a subtle blush on her face. He was grinning down at her, staring deep into hers, his heart racing faster than he'd ever felt it.

…But he just stood there.

Tears welled up in his eyes. Why was he such a coward? Why wasn't he brave like Quigley and just did something for once, regardless of the consequences? Why was he so pathetic?

"Hey…" Isadora rested her hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

"Huh?" Duncan snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

Isadora gave him a skeptical smirk.

"What?"

"Don't 'what' me," she told him. "What's wrong?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. How could he sum up everything running through his mind in a sentence or two? He thought for a minute. "I miss Violet," he whispered finally.

Isadora's heart sank. Now it was her turn to think for a minute. "I do, too," she agreed finally.

After taking a sample of everything the cafeteria had to offer for nourishment, the Quagmires turned and looked for a place to sit, hopefully by Klaus and Sunny. But the place was so packed it made a sardine can look spacious, and soon Duncan began to lose hope of finding him. Isadora, however, was a different story. Like a hawk, she surveyed every face in the cafeteria, refusing to give up the search.

"Found him!" she said after a minute and darted over to a table far across the room.

Sure enough, there was Klaus, sitting all alone at the table, staring down at his folded hands mournfully. Her heart began to pound in her chest, excited to actually hug him without an ounce of pain running through her body. With a giddy grin, she set her tray down next to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Startled, Klaus looked at her.

"Isadora!" he grinned, getting up and returning the gesture.

"Hi, Klaus," Isadora managed to squeak, trying her best to act normal.

The embrace lasted another moment before the two sat down and looked at each other. "You're finally out! How're you feeling?"

"Much better," Isadora smiled shyly, her face flushing.

"Good! How's Duncan?"

"Right here," Duncan said, sitting down next to his sister. "Still alive and still walking."

"Fantastic! Sunny and I were so worried about you guys. Where's Quigley?"

Duncan and Isadora shared a dismayed glance. "He's…still in the hospital," Isadora explained, trying to overcome the lump in her throat. "We don't even know how he's doing."

"Oh…" Klaus's smile faded. "I'm…so sorry," he said quietly, looking away.

"Quigbelat," Sunny assured from the other side of the table.

"She says don't worry, Quigley will get better," Klaus translated, forcing a hopeful smile.

The Quagmires nodded sadly, but were thrilled that they had their translator back.

"Quagmires!"

Everyone looked up to find Fiona walking up to the table with a relieved smile, taking a seat across from Klaus. "Oh, thank God you're okay. They finally let you out?"

"No, they just let us outside for some fresh air," Isadora replied, squinting at her sarcastically.

"Yeah, they let us out a bit ago," Duncan said quickly with an amiable smile, then glared at his sister. "Isadora Melanie, I'm not going through this again!" he hissed terribly. "Now be nice!"

Fiona smiled at him. "That's good! I was so worried. Where's Quigley?"

"Where you should be," Isadora muttered darkly, picking at her eggs.

"He's still in the hospital," Duncan said. "We don't even know how he's doing."

"Oh no…" Fiona looked at Klaus and he nodded reluctantly, confirming her worst fears. "I'm so sorry, guys. I wish there was something I could do to help."

"You've helped enough," Isadora snarled under her breath.

Fiona was silent, fishing for ways to keep the conversation going. "So uh, Isadora. How's your nose? Is it broken?" she asked delicately, apologetically.

"Does it look broken?" Isadora snorted.

"I-I'm sorry, I…" Fiona looked down at the table uncomfortably, beginning to fidget with her hands.

Perfect. She was squirming. Just what she wanted. Deep inside, a cruel satisfied grin began to slowly make its way across her face. "No, it's not…because you're weak!"

Fiona looked up at her, at a crossroads of how to react, Klaus and Sunny holding their breath, and Duncan ready to crawl under the table and hide at the scene his sister was making. Fiona took a deep breath, reminding herself vehemently to take the high road and be the bigger person. "Really, I'm sorry," she protested. "We were all a little crazy in the head that day."

"You were. I wasn't."

"You just got out of The Great Unknown after a year of torture. Don't tell me you came out all fine and dandy like nothing happened."

"You killed Violet. I was trying to protect my friends."

Fiona's heart sank. She couldn't believe Isadora's hostility. When they'd first met, sure, because everybody was having a rough day that day, but three weeks later? Klaus always bragged about how much of a sweetheart she was. Was it all just a lie? Or was there more to this that she didn't see? "Okay, besides Violet and me punching you, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Isadora said innocently. "Nothing's wrong with me." She squinted at her haughtily.

Fiona opened her mouth to speak, but Klaus quickly cut in. "Hey Isadora, did you write any good couplets lately?" he asked, tipping his head curiously.

"Yeah, Isadora, did you?" Duncan added, catching onto Klaus's plan immediately.

"I did, actually," Isadora answered sweetly, taking out her commonplace book. "Here. Take a look." Much to Duncan's surprise, she handed it to Klaus, her heart beating faster. Fantastic. Finally…a moment to prove how better she was at something Fiona wasn't.

Klaus flipped it open to the first page and was greeted by the darkest secret of her heart. Isadora breathed an inside sigh of relief. Thank God it was coded–––she was ready to pass out from so much adrenaline pumping through her veins. And her fainting would be an obvious clue as to who her couplets were about.

Before long, Klaus smiled. He stared at her calligraphic handwriting, his mind beginning to wander. "That's sweet…" he whispered inaudibly after what felt like eternity.

"What's it say?" Fiona asked.

A sparkle in his eyes, he immediately handed Isadora's notebook to her proudly. For a second, Isadora was beyond offended. No one touched her notebook but her, and if she did let someone else touch it, it was an inordinate sign of trust. But when she got to thinking, she smiled smugly. Shoving it in Fiona's face herself would make her look arrogant, which she wasn't, but Klaus handing it to her for her to see was considered friends conversing over an interesting subject, a.k.a., not arrogant. The fact that she got her point across to her without getting her point across to her was perfect. She'd threaded the needle just right this time. And the best part? Klaus didn't even know.

Fiona read Isadora's handiwork, intrigued. "Aww…that's sweet," she cooed, looking up at her with an impressed smile. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"I don't know yet," Isadora lied thoughtfully. "But I'll know him when I see him."

Fiona smiled, then looked back down at Isadora's couplets. "This is really good. You should give this to Max. He publishes a Vat of Fascinating Discoveries section in Various Facts Daily. It's an entire section dedicated to poetry."

"Maybe I will," Isadora beamed. The demon was actually kissing her feet. Could this day get any better?

"Here, lemme see," Duncan said eagerly, holding out his hand.

Fiona handed him Isadora's notebook and he devoured the latest masterpiece from his sister's brilliant mind. Suddenly, he cringed. "What's this? This isn't your be–––oww!"

"Aww, thanks, Duncan," Isadora said with a sickeningly sweet smile, her eyes narrowing dangerously at him. "I'm glad you like it."

"You're welcome," Duncan choked, cradling his foot. "By the way, that was where I got my stitches."

"What're you talking about?" Isadora asked innocently.

Duncan glared at her.

Just then, a beeping started up from under the table and Fiona pulled a small black device out of her back pocket. "Shoot, I gotta go."

"Where you going?" Klaus asked, watching her get up.

"Gotta go sign up for classes. I forgot all about it," Fiona told him.

"I'll come with you," Klaus stood up.

"I thought you already signed up for classes?"

"I did. I just…wanna see if they finished my schedule," Klaus replied, scratching his head.

Fiona gave him a skeptical crooked smile. "Okay," she said with a shrug. "We'll see you at dinner, guys. Glad you're okay." She smiled over her shoulder at the Quagmires then headed toward the double doors, Klaus hot on her tail.

Speechless, Isadora watched him walk away without so much as a "See you later." But it wasn't this that made her jaw drop in horror. It was the action he did afterward. After holding the door open for her like the gentleman he was, he took Fiona by the hand and they walked out of sight.

Isadora blinked for what felt like forever, her heart shattering. "April…Fool's?" she squeaked finally, tears coming to her eyes.

"No," Sunny grumbled, and for once, she needed no translation.