Dislcaimer: I do not (much to my disappointment) own the Quagmires, the Baudelaires, or any other related aspects of A Series of Unforunate Events. Lemony Snicket does.
A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I didn't really get many, but I already had this prewritten in a notebook, and the reviews I did get were very nice : )
I am sitting off school with an enormous headache and cold, and I have just realised there are no tissues or toilet paper in the house. Great. So anyway I decided to type this up! It's a bit too long but never mind.
Abbitha- Faithful proof reader and reviewer! What would I do without you? Yes I like writing fill in the gap fics…
Smilies- Thank you! Here is the second part!
Hermione Baudelaire- Oh sorry! I love your songfic ASOUE stuff! I was very inspired by your Hostile Hospital/Good Charlotte one. I wrote a few similar, but I won't post them : ) Thanks for the review!
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"Whatever. Enjoy your meal" the man left.
"What did you mean 'they're not our friends'?" Isadora demanded.
I wasn't going to answer her. I hadn't meant to say it. It had just slipped out.
The days went slowly at first, then we lost count. It could have been two, or it could have been twenty. Every one was the same: Where are you now Baudelaires? Great friends you turned out to be!
I hoped Violet would find out what had happened. Maybe I was becoming totally obsessed, but it was all I thought about. Even now I am, and we've been here a long time.
"Do you think death hurts?" I asked nervously.
"It depends how they're going to kill us. I hope not Duncan… I'm really scared!"
So am I…
"I'm sure it will be Ok"
Why am I saying these things?
Clink
"What was that?" Isadora shrieked.
"How am I supposed to know?"
Clink
It was definitely coming from above us. It could have been Olaf… the thought made my stoumach turn.
"It's fine- I know, let's play a game. It'll take our mind off things"
It was pathetic really, and more to distract me then my sister.
"Which game?" she asked.
"How about noughts ("X's") and crosses?" I suggested.
"I don't want to waste anymore paper in our notebooks, Duncan. Olaf has already confessed half his schemes to us- you don't know how much we're going to need!"
"Rock, Paper, Scissors?"
"Fine. Again" Isadora rolled her eyes at me, and then nervously glanced upwards. "But over there"
I agreed, and we squashed ourselves into thbe furthest most corner. The clinking had stopped, so I calmed down a bit.
"1, 2, 3" we said together.
"Rock"
"Scissors"
Why does Isadora always win? I used to get annoyed with her for that, and it vaguely registered now, but for once I didn't care. I was playing for distraction, not enjoyment. Who can find any enjoyment in Rock, Paper, Scissors anyway?
The hook handed man appeared in the doorway. We had gotten to know him quite well now- not that it made the slightest bit of difference to our situation.
"I brought you some water and bread- I even took the liberty of spreading butter on for variation" he said.
"You know" I said casually. "If you really wanted to help us, you could unlock this cage"
It was worth a try, even if it was utterly hopeless.
He laughed. Great.
"Unlock the cage? That's the funniest thing I've heard all day- and jokes are in!" he said.
I watched Isadora crouch by the edge of the cage facing the associate of Olaf's.
"Please" she begged. "Just tell us when we're getting out of here"
"Soon Isadora, very soon. Olaf's plan is almost complete and then cages will be the last thing you'll be worrying about!"
To my astonishment, Isadora suddenly smashed her fist against the bars with a cry. I winced.
"It's not fair! Why is this happening to us?" she said, falling back across the opposite side. "How can anybody be so unfortunate?"
VFD, that was why, and we both knew it. It was what drove us into these situations every single day, and what surrounded our entire lives in mysterious ways.
"Er…. I have to get back to the door!" the hook handed man said nervously. "Don't go anywhere!"
Haha. Very funny.
"Come on Isadora! It could be worse!" I tried.
"How?" she asked, removing her hands from her face and scowling at me.
Ok well it couldn't… I really wasn't very good at this sibling morale thing.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors?" I suggested feebly.
"We've played that six times already today!"
I hated Violet. I hated Klaus. I hated Sunny. I hated them all.
Where are you? WHERE ARE YOU NOW? It's all YOUR fault! You forgot about us! You left us here to DIE!
Violet's face appeared outside the cage. I wanted to punch it. I glared at it, but it refused to fade away.
"Vi...Violet?" I asked nervously.
"Do you see her Duncan… or is it just me?" Isadora muttered.
"No, it's really me! Violet Baudelaire!" the girl said.
I extended an arm slightly, not daring to believe it.
"And me, Klaus!"
"Sunny!"
I closed my eyes. My own hatred was playing tricks on me. I wanted to cry. Somewhere inside me hope was welling, and I didn't want it to. Not now.
"Duncan…?"
Violet had an arm inside the cage, reaching for me. I shrank back, she was going to disappear any second now. I was imagining things.
"Duncan, it's them! It is the Baudelaires!" Isadora cried.
They had come? It was a numb feeling. We crouched there for what must have been an age, embracing with relief.
We were ok… we weren't going to die….
"How did you find us?" I choked out.
"We didn't know you were here! We thought Olaf would be!" Klaus explained.
"Why were you looking for him?" Isadora asked.
"To find out his scheme, and where you were of course!"
Violet was quiet, studying the cage door intently. I had seen this image so often it was dreamlike.
"We're going to have to go back…" she uttered.
My stomach dropped. No! Not again! I wasn't going to allow misfortune to separate us once more.
"Violet, no. We may never see each other again if you leave! There's no time!" Isadora said sternly.
"I can't get you out down here- there are no resources to invent anything"
It was happening again. I grabbed Sunny and Violet's wrists desperately.
"Not after last time! I'm not going to allow you to do this! For all of us Violet! Think about it!"
She put a finger over my mouth.
"Shhh" she said. "We won't let it happen. I promise"
"At least let us tell you about VFD!" Isadora protested.
"No!" said Violet.
"You can tell us when we come back and get both Quagmires triplets out of this cage!" Klaus added.
That was their answer to everything. Tell us when it's ok. Couldn't they see it never would be? It was denial- and it could all be so different!
I watched them fade back into darkness. We really were going to die. And the Baudelaires had found us. It was all so messed up.
"They're not going to see us again" I said quietly.
"I know" Isadora was crying again. "It's just too late"
We sat waiting in the dark once more.
A desperate feeling started in me. They had to get here… it couldn't be over! Not now we had been found.
The door creaked and I jumped.
"It's time orphans! The 'In' auction begins in half an hour" Olaf's voice came.
I prepared to scream and fight. They would have to drag me away kicking down the street.
Olaf was dressed in his pathetic Gunther disguise, and was holding out five keys. He unlocked each padlock slowly.
If the Baudelaires would appear now, we'd escape in seconds. But that wasn't to be.
Goodbye. It's a shame we never able to do the things we talked about. Maybe one day you'll discover the secrets that shrowd us all…
The villain held up two syringes.
"This won't hurt… much"
I slammed my foot into his stomach. Every last bit of strength in me went into that kick.
That was for you Quigley.
He glared and produced his knife. Would that be my last image?
"You won't be able to do that for long!"
He stabbed the syringe into my arm.
I kicked and punched out uselessly, trying to fight off the drug. I found Isadora's hand and squeezed it hard.
Nothing else. I accepted defeat.
PLEASE review! It makes me feel good! Sad… but true.