I don't own…ASOUE, but Lemony does, and this story might get that way…who knows.
A/N: I got some ideas…some good ones…thanks to reviewers…and…I will use some in the future…wiggles eyebrows and I will use some now…HEHEH! Complications, complications… Oh, and I hope you understood 'The Walk By'…and why it was there. It confused me when I wrote it…and realized what it meant later on cause of the sugar puffs.
Chapter 7 Convincing Oneself
It was a bright day for some reason in the town that the Baudelaires resided. Bri and Sunny were out on the front porch playing a game of Jenga without a care in the world as Violet watched them, a cup a tea in her right hand. Ben was upstairs, snoring lightly away in Klaus's room with his hand dangling off the side of his bed. It was dead quiet in the mansion…dead quiet for once.
Klaus was leaning on the couch armrest, Cari still sleeping with her back to him. His eyes were open, watching her ever feature, like the small crevice her mouth made as she slept. The way her eyes fluttered each time he took a single breath. She intrigued him to no end. He looked up at the ceiling, which was painted with naked angels, watching over the damned. Klaus bent his head towards Cari's ear and whispered.
"Cari, wake up…it's in the afternoon." Klaus could have smacked himself then. Her eyes flashed open and her heartbeat was rapid.
"Klaus?" Cari gasped slightly, "How long have you been awake?" she said slightly after.
"A couple of hours." He looked at the open door and the teacup that had been left there upside-down. He raised an eyebrow at it.
"What?" Cari looked at the doorway, seeing the cup. "…Someone was watching?!"
"I knew I heard something!" Klaus said and he pushed Cari up so he could stand and he picked her up bridal style.
"Klaus, I can walk!" she said defiantly,
"You can limp, and it'll make me worry to death, so just let me do this!" He said picking up the cup as he jogged out of the room with his bare feet making small sounds against the cool wooden floor.
"Be careful!" Cari yipped as he stumbled and Klaus held her closer.
"I'm trying!" He scrambled into Violet's room and set her on the bed and Cari laid there, gazing at Klaus. Sure she got there a whole lot faster with out him, but did he have to run her there is what she asked herself. "I'll be back!" Klaus said hurriedly as her pecked her cheek and ran out the room leaving Cari shocked to know end.
Klaus jumped down each stair and ran past the open door and skid and turned back.
"Why are you running?" Violet asked, taking a sip of her green tea,
"Don't give me that!" he chuckled to himself, "I was trying to get to you…since someone had forgotten their TEACUP!" And Violet gave him a funny look,
"That could have been Ben's." She said defiantly sticking out her tongue. He turned it to the side showing bright pink markings.
"I didn't know Ben wore pink lipstick…" He growled and Violet's jaw dropped. For the first time, he had caught her…at her own game.
"What's going on?" Bri asked, looking at the empty teacup.
"Uh, uh…" Violet looked at the teacup and made a gesture to cut it.
"Were you watching?!" Now it can never go back to normal…Klaus wanted to yell but he kept his voice soft, but demanding.
"Watching what?" a masculine voice startled Klaus, and he jumped, turning harshly to see Ben carefully rubbing his eye.
"…" Klaus opened his mouth to say something. Nothing came out.
"Oh, yes. You and my sister." Ben stared at Klaus and he wanted to drop dead and die.
"Ben…" Violet warned, and Ben stopped and smiled at the two girls behind Klaus and Violet. Klaus brushed past Ben and he was stopped by Ben's death grip on his left shoulder.
"Let go!" Klaus tugged and Ben asked,
"Where are you going?"
"Anywhere I want to go in my own house! Now get off!" Klaus jerked away from Ben and Violet slapped the grown man in the back of his head.
"I told you to leave him alone!" she said and Ben retorted,
"I'm sorry, but him cuddling my sister isn't something I want to think about!" And Klaus ran up the stairs and found his way to Violet's room.
"What's going on down there?" Cari asked, she was sitting up and trying to peek out the window. Klaus gasped and ran to her to lay her back on the bed.
"Just lay down. You worry me so much…" Klaus pulled the blanket over her as she stared at him.
"You didn't answer." And Klaus pulled his shirt collar to the side to show a slight bruise coming on.
"Oh, he does this to all…and I mean all the guys I've been with." Cari sighed and rolled her eyes. "You should've seen what he did to Bri's little boyfriend Scott. Said he got pushed down the stairs. Real nasty fall."
"Ouch." Klaus pulled his collar back in place and just looked at her.
"Sooooo…" Cari looked back at him and Klaus interrupted abruptly.
"Will you go with me?"
"Go…with you? Where?" she raised an eyebrow and Klaus shook his head as he felt the heat rushing to his cheeks.
"No, no…will you…uh, be my girlfriend. That's what it means." And Cari goes just as bluntly as ever,
"Ohhhh…that's what Quigley said to me!?"
"What?!" Klaus said startled, "Quigley?! Quigley Quagmire?!" He stood,
"Yup. I didn't really…notice…but-"
"Quigley…this is going got be a problem." Klaus lifted a hand to his forehead and brushed it through his hair as he blew air out of his mouth in frustration.
"Well, there's always the chance of going out…in secret." Cari suggested and Klaus looked at her and smiled but it soon faded.
"How would we pull it off?"
"I know." She smirked.
Isadora was standing in the park with her brother Duncan waiting for the third to appear.
"Where is that stupid brother of mine?" Isadora placed a hand on her hip, and Duncan laughed,
"Probably crying."
"What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you hear? Cari, you know. She turned him down." And Isadora gaped, her eyes going wide.
"His first turn down?!"
"Damn straight." Duncan laughed again. "There goes his streak of women."
"When did this happen?!"
"We were leaving the movie theater…you know. The bathroom? You all went to the bathroom." Duncan sat on a bench.
"I'm here." Quigley said as he sat down next to Duncan and sighed. Isadora glanced at him briefly and sighed. There goes their picnic.
"Have you checked on Cari in the Hospital?"
"She's out." Quigley answered to Duncan and he gave him a look.
"Quit joking."
"She's not at her house either." And Isadora looked away,
"How would you know where she lives?"
"Come on…her last name is Avaren. She's the only Avaren in this town." Quigley leaned back. He looked like a train wreck.
"Well…I'm going to check on Klaus or something. He looked…horrid." Isadora replied and began on her way with Duncan shouting out to her,
"Don't do anything I would do."
"I'm not that desperate!" she giggled and went on her way.
"I'm gone. Ice cream is a great stress food." Quigley said and left. Duncan sat there blinking, Is it just me…or do I get the feeling…and he stood and left for home with nothing else to do.
Quigley walked down the empty sidewalk toward the Ice Cream Parlor. He strutted in and sat at the front counter.
"Can I help you?" a female waitress asked, not looking at him.
"Chocolate cone." He said and waited for her to give him is order.
"Here." She handed it to him and watched him leave. Quigley took small licks of his cone and walked towards home.
"Wait! Mr. Quigley Quagmire!" And he turned to see none other than a panting Olaf. Without thinking, he instantly slammed his fist into his long nose.
"Oh, Jesus…I think I deserved that one…" he was checking his nose for blood, which he greatly found.
"You son of a-"
"Wait… I have something important to tell you…" He waved his hand as a gesture that Quigley didn't understand at the moment.
"I have nothing to do with the likes of you." Quigley spat and Olaf grinned cockily.
"But you do. I know where your precious Cari Avaren is." He said and Quigley's eyes widened.
"Where?!" He grabbed the old count's collar and shook him, instantly getting small amounts of blood on his black shirt.
"Calm down! Geez, first you have to do something for me." And Quigley stopped, I shouldn't…I shouldn't…I…Cari…
Klaus grinned to himself,
"You're a genius!" and Cari smiled,
"Thank you, Mr. Baudelaire." She said haughtily and this caused Klaus to laugh hysterically.
"So, how's your leg?"
"Well…I don't know. I'm going to need some pain killers for it later." She said and Klaus gripped her leg slightly and she seethed,
"Still tender." He frowned and looked at her. And Cari changed the subject,
"So what is with my brother and Violet?" And Klaus paused and thought. Something's going on? He was utterly clueless to the fact something like that could actually be going on. This is Violet of all people they were discussing. She hasn't had a boyfriend since…ever?
"Uh…" Klaus gave her a apologetic look, "…something's…going on?"
"Well, dur." She stated, "They all always together. I mean…its like us."
"Then what about Sunny and Bri?!"
"For God's SAKE, they are kids!" she gasped and slapped Klaus's arm playfully.
"Klaus! Isadora is here to see you and Cari!" A voice came from the lower levels of the house.
"Coming!" Klaus smiled at Cari and muttered a 'be right back' and went down the stairs. He could see her from the top of the stairs, staring up at him.
"Why are you so happy?" she asked, Just a couple of days ago, he was Mr. Misery, but she kept her smile on as if she said it sarcastically.
"Uh, no apparent reason." He smiled at her and gave her a gently hug, "So you are here for?"
"I heard about Quigley." She looked up the stairs and saw Cari there. She didn't smile, she didn't wave; she just stared.
"Uh…come again?" Klaus was never a good actor as he followed her gaze and freaked out as he usually does.
"Oh, that's right…Cari is her as Violet said." And she glanced back at Klaus. Why is she giving me that look? And Klaus looked back to Cari and told her to go back in her room and lay down. But as usual, she didn't listen.
"Are you ok? You seem a bit off." Klaus went for the stairs to lead personally put Cari to bed.
"I'm fine, just dandy." She said angrily. Klaus stopped and looked at her.
"Isadora…" He heard that anger and he gave her a scared look,
"Quigley is a living dump because of her." Isadora pointed at Cari and she gasped,
"I didn't understand him!"
"Leave her out of this! She just got hit by a car!"
"Oh, drop it! That was a week ago!" and Violet stuck her head inside,
"Excuse me, but keep it down, I'm talking to Ben. Oh, hey Quigley."
Klaus's eyes widened. He suddenly had a bad feeling, and when he had that feeling, it usually led to something…unfortunate.
"Hey." Klaus could hear Quigley's voice, it sounded a bit agitated and hurt.
"And you are?" Ben started.
"Klaus, drop that girl and things will go to normal again!" Isadora tried to convince him but Klaus was halfway up the stairs going to Cari. I don't want normal…normal is unfortunate…I want change!
"Cari, get in the room!" And she saw Quigley's head pop in as Klaus pulled her in the room and shut the door.
"Oh, now you are hiding her from me?" Quigley laughed, and Isadora stared up the stairs. Klaus locked her in the room and turned,
"No, she needs to lay down. Why are you all here in the first place?!" Isadora turned to leave,
"I was just leaving…think about it Klaus." And she left without warning. Ben was standing behind Quigley, and for some reason, he didn't look so happy that this young man was asking about his little sister.
"I'm here for Cari!"
"The hell you are!" Ben yelled and Violet stepped inside behind Quigley.
"You know what happened. She needs to stay here."
"She rejected me!" Quigley yelled and Violet jumped. Ben's eyes grew darker and Klaus came down the stairs and stood in front of Quigley.
"Why are you here?" he asked again. Quigley's face contorted slowly, and Klaus kept his eyes on him.
"To get you out of the way." He lifted a gun that just came out of his shirt to Klaus's nose and he jumped back.
"Agh!" Ben lashed out at Quigley's shoulder causing the gun to go off in the corner of the ceiling and Klaus reacted with a burst of fury.
"You tried to SHOOT ME?!" He yelled, and he could hear Cari's frustrated cries from Violet's room and Violet was stunned.
"You tried to SHOOT ME!" Klaus's rage caught up to him so fast, it shot through his arms as he found himself pulling Quigley to the floor harshly.
"Klaus! STOP!" Violet yelled, her hand over her mouth,
"YOU BASTARD!" Klaus's fingers were tangled around Quigley's bare neck as he attempted to choke the life out of him. Ben detached the gun from the boy's hand by stepping on it more or less. And Violet picked it up quickly and put the safety on it as Ben pulled the livid Klaus off of him.
Quigley rolled into fetal position, coughing and wheezing, desperately trying to grasp the air. Ben was struggling with Klaus as he told him to stop,
"She isn't yours! SHE WON'T BE! I WON'T ALLOW IT!" Klaus gnashed his teeth at him and snarled.
"Calm DOWN!" Ben shook him until his anger subsided and his breathing was heavy. Klaus mumbled obscenities as tears ran down his face.
"Why, Quigley?! Why!?" Violet grasped his hair and his neck was already bluing.
"Oh…" He groaned and she tugged harshly,
"TELL ME!"
"Olaf…Olaf…" he coughed, regaining his air as Ben placed Klaus down. "He wanted…you all dead…and I wanted Cari."
"Violet!!! Bri was taken by a fat man who looked like a lady…or something!" Sunny yipped and Ben turned,
"A distraction!" He yelled and kicked Quigley in the ribs, surely cracking one. "You dirty bastard!"
"We've been through this before…we can get her back." Violet was panicking. Klaus shook his head and climbed the stairs,
"Cari." He opened the door, and she embraced him,
"Where are you hurt?!" Cari said as she frantically searched him and he looked at her with the most painstaking face.
"They took Bri." And her face dropped.
"W-what?!" she stuttered, "Is this his fault?!" No it's mine! "Oh, god…oh…bloody hell…oh…" she gripped her head.
"Can my life get any worse?!" Klaus yelled and Violet began to tie her hair up.
"I got a plan!" and Klaus gave her a look of gratitude. It's already clearing up. Klaus rested his head ontop of Cari's as she began to speak.
Holy…crap…I just had writers block…a New Years party…and a cool sleepover at the same time… and I ran out of suga puffs on the 6th page in Microsoft word… there goes my sugar…well I apologize for taking so long, and its finally done and it's a sweet…9 pages…hehehehe…I'm proud. Well ENJOY!
Bri-chan!