-hands a cookie to each reviewer- Thanks! btw, voting for V/D or V/Q is closed. I'm going to go through all the reviews and count up the votes and you'll find out the pairing in a later chapter. I'll announce that it's "the chapter" when I write it. Thanks.

Chapter 8

"I missed you, Klaus," Isadora said, closing the door to the parlor, securing their privacy. "How were your travels since we last met at V.F.D.?"

Klaus told Isadora about the cranioectomy in Heimlich Hospital. He explained about Madame Lulu and the freaks and Caligari Carnival. He then went on to tell about the Baudelaires time in the Mortmain Mountains and finding Quigley. He was afraid to tell her about the Queequeg and Fiona.

"Is that all?" Isadora was holding hand.

"No," Klaus replied. "We found this submarine and it Captain Widdershins, Phil, and … Fiona."

"Fiona?" Isadora asked.

"She really liked me," Klaus began, wiping a tear from his eye. "And right before she joined Olaf's side, she kissed me."

"Oh," she let go of his hand.

"I'm sorry, Izzie," Klaus touched her shoulder, "it's not what I wanted."

"Klaus," Isadora looked away. "I… don't know."

"Please, Izzie," he said, "you know how much I…"

She pounced on him, pushing her lips to his. They kissed for a few minutes, savoring every moment. Regretful to pull out, Klaus had to in order to breathe. Klaus stroked Isadora's – his Izzie – hair. "Tell me about the balloon."

"Well," she began, "it was pretty boring looking at Duncan all the time and eating Mexican food for so long. Then Hector dropped a taco in the engine, so it kind of exploded. Unfortunately, he didn't survive. Dunn and I were on the other side of the balloon. So we somehow didn't die. The balloon landed in Stricken Stream, so Dunn and I stayed in one basket and floated all the way to Briny Beach where Ben found us."

Klaus tried to smile. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"I want to talk to Quigley now," Isadora stood up.

"Wait," Klaus stopped her. "There's something else you should know." He told her to be aware of "Leigh" and "Emmy" who were really Fiona and Carmelita. "And Gerald and Candy are really Olaf and Esme."

"Oh my," Isadora said.

"Don't worry, they'll figure it out," Klaus took her hand. "You need to see Quigley now."

They left the parlor and walked into the main room to be with their friends.

"Quigley, tell me about your adventures," Isadora said, sitting next to him.

He started with surviving the fire and finished with being found by Ben after washing up on Briny Beach.

"Are you guys triplets, too?" Isadora directed her question towards the three blondes.

"Yes," the boy replied. "I'm Rademes, and these are my sisters Amneris and Aida."

"I've never met another set of triplets before," she said. "It's nice to meet you."

"Ditto," Aida replied.

KNOCK KNOCK!

"I'll get it," Violet stood up, Duncan followed.

"Hey!" It was Leigh. "I heard those triplets are here and I really wanna meet them."

Violet stared coldly. "Sure."

Leigh tried to be as polite as possible. She couldn't understand why Violet was so mean – Oh shit, she knows who I am.

"Guys, this is Leigh," Violet said to the Quagmires. "This is Duncan, you know Quigley, and Isadora."

Leigh waved politely. She looked at Klaus, sighing slightly at the focus of his eyes – Isadora. Immediate hate for Isadora welled up inside Leigh.

"Choco!" Sunny cried, meaning "Rademes, will you help me prepare hot chocolate for everyone?"

"Sure," he replied, catching on to Sunny's way of talking. The two walked into the kitchen.

Violet nudged Aida, Amneris, and Duncan and led them into to the kitchen. She decided to tell Duncan and the other triplets who Leigh really was.

Klaus and Quigley had moved to the other side of the room to discuss a book of maps that Kit had lent them.

Isadora and Leigh remained at the couch. Isadora took out her notebook. Unfortunately, Esme Squalor had destroyed her original commonplace book. Luckily, Hector had a supply of notebooks and she was able to find a black one identical to her first. Duncan also started a new green one.

She started to write more poems, paying no attention to Leigh. Isadora knew her true identity because Klaus had told her.

Happy to be reunited at last,

Into the future, over our past.

She sighed. Not her best work. But it still showed how much she cared about Klaus.

"What are you writing in there?" Leigh asked.

"Couplets," Isadora replied, scribbling down another.

"About what?"

"Just stuff," she replied. "Whatever comes to me. They're all different."

"Interesting." Leigh noticed Isadora didn't want to carry on the conversation. "So do you like Klaus?"

"Excuse me?" Isadora looked up from her notebook. The question caught her off guard.

"Do you like Klaus?" Leigh repeated.

"Well, yeah, I mean we were kind of a thing back at Prufrock until I got kidnapped," Isadora explained. "We never broke up, and I think we're still together."

"Oh?" Leigh replied. "I thought he was with some girl named Fiona. Like they hooked up and everything. And said I love you then Fiona got kidnapped by Olaf too."

"He didn't tell me that," Isadora replied, somewhat hurt.

"Yeah, my dad is fighting against Olaf and stuff," Leigh said. "Like Klaus told Fiona all about you and said he like felt bad for you and that's the only reason he pretended to like you."

"How do you know all this?" Isadora was almost certain that Leigh was lying – or if she was telling the truth, she was giving away her identity.

"Telegram," Leigh replied nonchalantly.

"Oh," Isadora started writing again. Maybe she wasn't lying…

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