Dear Reviewers:

Phoenix72389: Oh dear, I hope your doctor doesn't make me pay for the medical bill…;)

Arden C. Evans: Yes, eye-patches are the new hook-hands! Although hook-hands are still very cool. Very Piratey, very Fernald…y. Hey, I just realized… the Widdershins family seems to have a thing with pirate culture. I mean, the "Aye"s and the hook-hands and the eye-patches… Hmm. Anyway, thanks!

LolliPopsAreTears: Poor Sunny… What are you doing?!? "Don't ask me, you're the writer!" Oh yeah… Laura, what are you doing?!? –Waits- Well I can see I'm not answering me, so I guess you'll just have to wait and find out what happens… I'm sorry, I'm just feeling so totally random tonight…I always write at night, so I'm usually very tired and loopy. So… thank you!

Nny11: Don't you worry your buzzy little head, I'll explain soon enough. :)

NewbiaTheElf: Yes…There's an old saying, "Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned." Or something like that. Anyway, Klaus better watch it when he tells Violet about Sunny… LoL. And, yes, I guess since I'm more used to telling the story from Klaus's point of view, I'm more experienced with him. But aside from that, I know the rain thing is a little cliché, but I thought, "Well, his sister has just told him off, he's just figured out that it's his fault Fiona's going blind, and, as an added kick in the pants, he's probably gonna catch a cold now." Ok, I didn't really think that. But I happen to like rain. Hmph. ;) I'll avoid it.

Runaway6: Yep, love to twist my fics around a bit, just to see how people react. I'm glad you liked it! And yeah, there is always the added unhappiness… But anyway, thanks!

QQuagmire: No, it's okay, I'm glad that you're excited. And yes it was Fiona watching him at the end. She has changed over the years, as it will be revealed in later chapters, but the reasons for her wanting revenge, that will also be explained in a while. Yeah, a couple people have commented on how quickly Sunny believed Fiona, and I know I shouldn't have rushed it, but I wanted to get to the "distrustful" Sunny quickly. That sounds like a really sad and interesting book, the one you were talking about; maybe I'll read it sometime. What was it called? Oh yes, and I will tell you, there is more behind Jacky. He'll play a bigger role later. Anyway, I'm really glad you're liking my story. Don't stop reviewing!

And I'd like to give a BIG thanks to all my loyal readers! I would be nowhere without you guys! Sorry if this chapter seems a bit short, there's a lot of dialogue.

So here it is, Chapter the Seventh!

Chapter 7: A G o o d Q u e s t i o n

"And so you just left her?" Violet demanded.

Klaus shrugged sheepishly. "It's just that- Well… there wasn't really anything I could do…"

Violet placed her good hand on her hip in dissatisfaction. "Klaus! This is our little sister we're talking about! You should have brought her back, no matter what she said!"

"Well I-"

"Klaus," Violet said, more patiently. "If I've learned one thing over the years, it is that you have to be firm with Sunny. She's a stubborn girl. You just have to show her that you're her older brother and that she has to listen to you."

"But Violet, this isn't like that!" Klaus said. "It's not like this is just some sibling argument that will be completely forgotten by the next day! You weren't there, Violet. You just don't understand."

"Don't understand? How could I not understand? Klaus, I think I know my little sister-"

"Better than I do? Well, you know what, you're probably right! And it's because of all those years when she barely even knew I existed!" Klaus shouted.

Violet frowned, biting her lip. After several moments of awkward silence, she looked down and sighed. "Klaus… I'm sorry. I've just been so freaked out of my mind, and now that I finally know where Sunny is… It's just hard to accept that I can't do anything to help her."

Her brother nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I know what you mean." He paused, recalling the previous night's incident. "I'm just wondering…"

"Hmm?"

"What could Fiona want with her?"

The two thought for a while, watching customers and waiters mill around the Diner. They stood, leaning against the wall, the kitchen doors next to them swinging open every once in a while. Occasionally Isadora would emerge from the kitchen, balancing heavy trays, and offer them a sympathetic smile.

Klaus smiled back. She was wearing the necklace he gave her.

"Maybe she's using Sunny to get to us," Violet suggested.

Klaus shrugged. "But what could she want?"

They pondered this for a brief moment.

Violet gasped. "I know! Money! She could want money in return for Sunny's release!"

"Well where are we going to get it?" Klaus asked.

"Klaus! We have the Baudelaire fortune!" Violet said, grabbing Klaus's shoulder and shaking him lightly. "We have more than enough money. Sunny will be back in no time!"

Violet's excited grin quickly disappeared when she saw Klaus's unsure expression.

She frowned and looked him in the eyes. "Klaus. We do have the Baudelaire fortune, don't we?"

Klaus swallowed and looked down. "I…I spent it all…looking for you…" he said quietly.

Violet let go of Klaus's arm. After absently staring at a speck of dust on her brother's coat for a while, she sighed and put her arm around his shoulders. She still couldn't begin to imagine how much Klaus had given up just so he could see his sisters again.

How much would they give up now?

"Well…" Violet began. "Did it even seem like Fiona wanted something from us?"

"I didn't even get to see her," Klaus said. "But it looks like Sunny's staying by choice. She said they were training her to be a Volunteer."

"Hmm…" Violet mumbled, frowning.

"And obviously, Fiona told her something about me. Something bad."

"Really."

"Yeah… She said it was my fault Fiona's going blind." Klaus paused and swallowed. "I think she might be right."

Violet looked up at her brother. "Continue."

"Well, you remember," he said. "That fire at the grotto."

"You mean the one after Olaf had taken over it?"

"Mm-hmm," Klaus murmured.

"But that was after Fiona was poisoned," Violet said. "Or…after we thought she was."

"Right. I don't understand it either. I mean, how could she have…" Klaus shook his head and looked away. "Maybe that fire wasn't such a good idea…"

"It was necessary, Klaus. Don't blame yourself."

"But I did start it," he said. "I am the one to blame!"

"Klaus… You did it for the right reason. We all had a part in it."

After a bit of thinking, Klaus looked up and frowned. "You know, I haven't heard anything about training new recruits for V.F.D. at all."

"Well, it's obviously just a front," Violet said.

"No… No, Sunny talked about being trained, that Fiona was her instructor. The way she said it, it sounded like there were more kids being trained with her."

"So… you're saying that Fiona could really be teaching these kids to be Volunteers?"

"Right. No, wait…" Klaus shook his head again, more slightly this time, deep in thought. "If she was, then why would she tell Sunny I was the enemy?" He looked at Violet, waiting for an answer, although Violet could tell he already had one.

She shifted her arm in her sling. "No idea."

"She's telling them that they're going to be Volunteers," he said. "But by instilling in their minds that they're on the good side of the Schism, she's really recruiting followers for her side."

Violet's jaw dropped. "So by telling Sunny that you're against V.F.D., she got her to join the side that's really against V.F.D.!"

"Exactly! She knows about the Reunion, so she's wasting no time recruiting supporters," Klaus said. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply, attempting to comprehend everything that was suddenly coming together in his mind. "Now… All we have to figure out is how to get her back."

Violet massaged her forehead. "Oh boy… This is going to give me such a headache…"

"Well, maybe we could get some Volunteer help. Have you tried contacting the Snickets?"

"I have, but nobody knows where Lemony is nowadays. I tried calling Kit, but she didn't say much. She sounded really worried about something, mentioned that they were in the middle of some sort of family crisis."

"Hmm," Klaus murmured. "What about Fernald?"

"I couldn't reach him at all."

"Think he knows about Fiona?"

Violet shrugged. "I don't know."

Klaus paused, wondering how he would react if he found out. Fernald was such an ambiguous man, a bit like a blurry photograph where you can't make out the features of the person in it. Klaus rarely saw him, hardly ever heard from him, and knew so little of him. How would he respond if someone told him that his sister was a traitor?

Maybe the same way Klaus had when Sunny told him to leave her.

"What about Quigley?" he asked.

Violet scowled and shook her head. "Nope. He hasn't been answering any of my letters or telegrams. I haven't heard anything about him or what he's doing. It's like he's forgotten all about me!"

"Well, the life of a cartographer could be pretty busy, with all the traveling and such."

"He wrote me after my first letter, the one I sent after we got back from France," Violet said. "He said was glad to hear from me and looking forward to my next letter. So I wrote him again. But he didn't say anything after that! I just don't understand why he wouldn't respond."

"Hey, even Isadora and Duncan don't hear from him that often. Don't worry about it."

"But he said…"

Klaus smiled and put his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Don't worry about it," he repeated as his sister sighed.

"I guess I shouldn't," Violet admitted quietly. "So, what should we do now?"

"Well, it looks like we've got to save Sunny ourselves."

"How?" asked a new voice. Klaus turned and saw that Isadora now stood beside them. She wore a look that was concerned and worried, yet hopeful. Isadora always seemed to have hope when he didn't, Klaus thought.

"That's a good question, Isadora." He glanced over at the jukebox where his little sister had spent a lot of her time, just listening to music.

How?