Twelve

"Break a leg" is yet another commonly used phrase in show business and although as dangerous as it sounds, it is actually meant to give the actor inspiration to do their very best in their performance. For example, if you were to inform your co-star that you were nervous about your upcoming performance as braeman in a very popular play that you had personally written and then they told you to break a leg, then you could smile and be assured that your fellow star, and secret love interest was more than happy to see that you would do your best in your role; even if you personally felt that you would not.

But for the Baudelaires however, it is doubtful this is what C. Nimodi meant whenever he stated, "Break a leg, concierges; you've got a lot of work to do and little time to do it in." It is more likely that the wicked theater critic meant this phrase literally and if that was not disconcerting enough, the man had just told them that he and their current guardian; the evil twin of Count Olaf, intended to burn down the Ned H. Rirger Theater despite all of the improvements they'd spent the last several days making to the rundown establishment.

The Baudelaires were once again tasked with yet another plot twist, and were once again in over their heads; especially since they had promised Esmé Squalor they would make absolutely sure that their adversary didn't plot her downfall but now their very guardian was requesting they do this. "I'm not sure I understand, Falo," Violet declared, deciding that the time for secrets was over and then took off her hat and declared, "I won't allow you to hurt any innocent volunteers." "Violet Baudelaire!" C. Nimodi declared with a smile and then added, "So you're choosing the noble path? How very brave of you."

"I'm not going to go along with this either," Klaus said as he revealed himself and added, "Even wicked individuals deserve a chance!" Sunny joined her siblings in their decision to take off their disguises and said, "What is more, we're going to stop you from hurting anyone." Falo looked at all of them and smiled before remarking, "I'm so glad you said that, children. I would've been quite disturbed had you chosen to agree to his plan." C. Nimodi however was not smiling, he was laughing and remarking, "I'm afraid all of you are going to fail anyway. While you ran thru this theater and tried to search for answers, my associates and I have been working hard to prepare for the grand finale of this theater."

"We'll stop you," Sunny declared. "Unfortunately for you there are quite a number of matches below the stage of this theater, and once they have been ignited it will be mere minutes before this entire establishment is burned to the ground by the ensuing flames and there is nothing that any of you fools can do about it," the wicked theater critic replied and then added, "And since you three seem to have decided that your game is over, I suppose it is curtains for this disguise of mine as well."

The villain leaned against his cane with one hand reached up and took off his wig, then rubbed off the make-up he had been wearing and I am thankful to say that I will no longer be referring to the devious theater critic C. Nimodi but rather the true enemy of the Baudelaires; Mister Dominic who now stood before them as he readjusted his hair and took off the rest of his disguise before turning to Falo, who had apparently not discerned this at all. "Dominic!" he declared and then muttered, "But I'm not sure I understand! Rirger said a theater critic would be arriving to view our work here!"

"Both the critic and that fool Rirger are long gone, you idiot! Don't you read The Daily Punctilio? They died in a terrible train accident a few months back! And now I have arranged for this entire charade so that it may be curtains for all those who stand in my way!" Mister Dominic replied with a sneer and then turned to the orphans, "I think I will start with these brats!" Raising his chair up, Falo smashed it across the back of the villain and Falo declared, "Baudelaires! Run!"

The orphans didn't need any encouragement in that regard as their adversary rushed toward them and Violet, Klaus, Beatrice and Sunny moved toward the highest point in the Ned H. Rirger Theater, the rafters that hung precariously above the auditorium and the stage below. "We've nowhere up here to run to!" Sunny realized. "Quick, let's find another exit!" Klaus decided and then turned to depart, only to find Mister Dominic standing there in their way.

"Going somewhere, orphans? I think all of you have had too much fun as stars and you know what happens at the end of every star's career, they have a terrible crash and fall from their lofty position," Mister Dominic declared and then lifted his cane up and flipped the handle sideways to reveal that the supposed walking instrument was in fact a disguise as well and the villain pulled out a long rapier and pointed it toward the youngest member of the Baudelaires and stated, "I must admit I was surprised to find that you had survived that fire back at the Very Fine Dwelling, but I'm afraid now it is curtains for you and everyone else here in this rundown place."

"Why are you doing this?" Klaus asked in surprise as he and his sisters slowly walked across the first rafter, each making sure that they didn't look down.

If you've ever been anywhere that is very high up, such as the top of your pantry or a skyscraper, then you know the last thing you want to do is look down below for if you were to do this; you would find that you could easily fall from the height you were at to the ground below and this would certainly not be enjoyable.

More than that it would prove deadly, depending on the height you were at; and for the Baudelaires I can assure you that one false step would've ended their story right here and now. I can assure you however that Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice will survive this unfortunate event in order to endure equally difficult trials later.

Mister Dominic swung his weapon toward them and laughed before stating, "If you had taken the time to read the article I published years ago in The Daily Punctilio you would understand exactly why I am choosing to start fires rather than stop them… and why it is advantageous for us to do so." "It doesn't have to be like this, why are you so bent on hurting us and everyone else down there in the auditorium?" Sunny asked. "You've still failed to see the point, haven't you? Everyone down there that is not on my side is my enemy. And in this game, there can be only room for one side. The stakes are too high and I can't afford to lose," Mister Dominic explained as he began crossing the dangerous rafter toward them.

"So you did harm those troupe members?" Sunny realized. "They were examples of what would happen if anyone got in my way, and once this theater goes up in flames, the final act will begin in this game that started here ages ago. In fact, it was right over there where your mother shot the poison darts that killed Olaf's parents," Dominic said with a smirk, to which the oldest orphan replied, "We read about that, and we don't understand why our parents would perform such a vile deed. Please, I know you were once a noble individual, maybe you can help us?"

Klaus and her younger siblings looked at her in surprise and wondered what Violet was saying, but apparently Mister Dominic understood all too well and replied, as if talking to himself, "I think the time has come for us to end this portion of the play, my dear Lemony. It has been rather fun, but I'm afraid in the end you were wrong and I was right."

Leaping toward them, the villain caught the four orphans off balance and Violet tripped and began to fall. "Violet!" Sunny yelled out as she leaned over and grabbed her sister's hand. "Hold on!" Klaus yelled out even as Dominic sliced the cord of the rafter and it began to slide toward the majestic chandelier in the center of the theater.

Down below, the patrons were too wrapped up in the world premiere of "One Last Warning To Those Who Try To Stand In My Way" that they paid no attention to more dire drama that was playing out high above them. The Baudelaires all screamed in surprise as Beatrice fell toward the chandelier and then watched as the infant clung to it. "I think it is time for all of you to break a leg, Baudelaires. This is going to be your finest act yet… and also your final one," Mister Dominic remarked with a chuckle as he began to cut the cord of the chandelier.

"Quickly! Climb up!" Sunny urged her siblings as they all clung to various portions of the massive chandelier and then Violet reached up and grabbed the back portion of their adversaries cape, which had been a part of his costume as a theater critic, causing Mister Dominic to trip and fall toward the chandelier as well and his weapon fell down to the audience below.

All of those on the now swinging decoration looked down below to see where the weapon fell and were thankful to see it hit the front of the stage, which caused those in the audience to look up and gasp in alarm at the sight they were now beholding. Klaus, Violet, Beatrice and Sunny all held on for dear life as did Mister Dominic who looked up and realized that the cord holding the chandelier would not hold for much longer. Meanwhile, Esmé had presumed that the audience was booing her performance whenever they had in fact been gasping at the accident waiting to happen above and as people rose and began to leave the theater she yelled out, "You fools! You idiots! You don't know talent when you see it!"

The other remaining members of Count Olaf's troupe, the tall man who was actually quite short, the short woman who was actually quite tall and the mute began to move toward the back of the stage as the chandelier continued to swing high above them and the ceiling of the Ned H. Rirger Theater began to crumble due to the newly added wait of the five individuals on the decoration. "Do you honestly believe that she is better than me? You don't know what she has taken from me! Everything! That's what! It's all her fault! I am a star! I am famous! I am-"

Esmé began to rant, and I both happy and sad to report that this is the next to the last thing that the former girlfriend of the wicked Count Olaf will say, because at that very moment, the weight of the chandelier gave way and the four Baudelaires and Mister Dominic clung to it as it fell to the auditorium below, where everyone that was still there rushed for cover; whereas Esmé herself was smashed flat, thus leading to a most unfortunate accident one that I warned you about several times.

Esmé let out one cry of pain as the massive chandelier crushed her and Violet looked down to the now horribly wounded female villain, realizing that they had indeed failed in their promise to keep her safe and Esmé Squalor uttered the last thing she would ever say, and also pointed a finger at the oldest orphan as she said it. "Baudelaires…why?"

She gasped one final breath and then died, and for a moment, no one in the Ned H. Rirger Theater spoke. It is often considering fitting whenever an important person in a play dies to call for an intermission, giving the audience a chance to regroup and to talk about the things they have just seen.

For the Baudelaires however, they realized there would be no intermission for them or for their allies or enemies in the audience and they would never get a chance to obtain the information that Esmé had and the four children realized that every secret they had wanted uncovered had also died along with the wicked ex-girlfriend of Count Olaf. Mister Dominic was the first to get off of the massive chandelier and brush himself off even as the patrons surrounded it, and Mister Poe was the first to look up and spot Klaus, Violet and Sunny and declared, "Baudelaires? Is that you? How can this be?"

Falo rushed into the auditorium along with the powder-faced woman and two police officers and the formerly disguised impresario of the Ned H. Rirger Theater gasped in shock at the scene in front of him. "Baudelaires! What happened here?" he asked in surprise.

"I can tell you precisely what took place," Mister Dominic offered with a smile as he pointed toward the children and proclaimed, "These children were a part of a theatrical production here and killed two troupe members along with the star of our play, Esmé Squalor!"

There were murmurs of agreement from the crowd at this statement, and Violet clutched the infant with both hands before stating, "No! He's lying! He is the one responsible for their murders, not us!" "On the contrary, the evidence speaks for itself! You orphans were there whenever the man with the long nose was murdered in his dressing room and you were there whenever the powder-faced woman fell to her death and you clearly arranged for this chandelier to fall now and make it look like a horrible accident when in fact it was murder," their adversary countered.

The Baudelaire orphans turned to Falo who was still unsure what to say or do, especially since now the crowd had apparently sided with their enemy. "That's right! I've heard reports of them in the past! They've been on the run for well over a year!" one patron commented. "I knew better than to trust the eulogy I read detailing their untimely death in the newspaper," another commented. "They should be taken to jail immediately," yet another decided. "Now see here!" Mister Poe cried out as he coughed into his handkerchief again and then muttered toward the police officers and declared, "I believe I have known the children longer than anyone here and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that they are good upstanding citizens in the community."

"Is that the truth Mister Poe?" Mister Dominic countered and then added, "Or are these orphans members of a secret society, trying this very night to lure innocent people such as yourselves here in order to spring a trap on them."

It is at this point in the story, I'm sad to say that the curtain must fall. And Klaus, Violet, Beatrice and Sunny at last understood the reason that Mister Dominic had come to the Ned H. Rirger Theater in the first place. Not only that, but the children were dismayed to understand that they had helped him in his dastardly plan.

"You see my dear friends, there is an organization that hides things from us every single day and they have recruited the Baudelaires," the former actor was explaining and then pointed toward Falo and stated, "He is their leader! And there are others here who are connected to this group… it is known… as V.F.D."

There were cries of astonishment from the bewildered crowd and the two police officers who'd accompanied the Baudelaires current guardian were now turning to him for answers, whereas Mister Dominic was slowly moving toward the back of the stage. "Oh no, Mister Dominic will get away!" Klaus realized and then declared, "One of his associates has probably already started the fire!" The wicked instructor from the Very Fine Dwelling kicked open one of the trap doors and jumped down to the cellar below and without thinking twice, the four orphans rushed after him. As they jumped down below, they were quite surprised to see that others were there waiting for them, particularly the tall man who was actually quite short, the short woman who was actually quite tall and the mute along with the troupe member who was neither a man nor a woman and Mister Dominic himself.

"What are you doing here?" Klaus asked, and to answer his question their adversary declared, "Tie these brats up! We haven't a moment to lose to get to the mark." "Aye sir," the short woman who was actually tall said with a nod and then she and her partner, the mute; wrapped the Baudelaires in rope. "So trying to kill us once wasn't enough?" Violet asked.

"I had every intention of ending this above, but sadly you managed to survive the fall. However in retrospect, you did me a great service by disposing of Esmé and also arranging for Falo and V.F.D. to look like criminals. I must say Baudelaires, you are turning out to be welcome recruits after all," Mister Dominic remarked with a chuckle. "We're not on the same side," Klaus growled. "Aren't we?" their adversary replied as he heard the clamor above and stated, "I'm sure even now the officials are handcuffing your poor guardian and leading him and the other members of V.F.D. into custody."

"That's what you wanted all along isn't it?" Violet wondered. "Partially," Mister Dominic admitted and then turned to the troupe member who neither a man nor a woman and told him or her, "Start the fire, then lets use the secret passage and get out of this wretched place." As the short woman who was actually quite tall and the mute finished tying up the orphans, Mister Dominic and his companions rushed toward the dark corridor near the back of the basement that led to Al Funcoot's dressing quarters and Violet tried to tell their foe, "You'll never get away with this!"

"Oh my dear, I already have," the wicked instructor stated as he began to walk away and then called out, "It's a pity you won't be able to survive this blaze, Baudelaires; we had such fun times together and I doubt I'll forget any of you anytime soon." With that, their adversary left them alone and the orphans stared in horror as the inferno began to spread across the cellar and the four of them were caught in the middle of it.

sorry this one took a bit longer to write. the finale is upon us! please read and review and share!