Hello, and welcome to the last chapter of "Shattered". It's been an awful lot of fun hanging out in the future of the Baudelaires and Olaf, and I'm gonna miss this story. I'm sure you will, too, unless you've put it on favorites. I'm proud to bring you this final chapter, and just a little apology in advance to Olaf fans: I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but this story.


"Hello again, Violet. And Quigley, what a pleasent surprise! Klaus, haven't you become a striking young man! And Sunny certainly has gotten big." With this last comment, Olaf squeezed Sunny's arm, making her wince in fear. Violet, although scared, could not bear to see her sister in so much discomfort, especially with all that she went through as a baby.

"You let her go!" Violet yelled. "She's done nothing to you!"

"And what exactly are you going to do about it?" Olaf sneered. "Beat me up? I'm shaking in my boots, Violet. Really I am." He followed this up with an evil cackle.

He never noticed that Sunny had wriggled out of his grasp and was now right behind him with a thick book. The adults couldn't help smiling as Sunny smacked Olaf over the head with it, causing the villain to drop his weapon. Quigley scrambled to the floor and managed to grab it, then turned to Violet and said "Run."

"I won't leave you alone here with him!" Violet yelled fiercely.

"Then at least take Klaus and go get some sort of weapon, anything will do. You need protection!"

Violet gave Quigley a pained look, said a quick "I love you", and ran downstairs after her brother.

"You," Olaf hissed. "I've always dispised you, and now I'm going to get rid of you once and for all!"

"And how," Quigley muttered, cocking the gun, "Are you planning to do that? I have the weapon."

"I don't need a weapon to tear you apat with my bare hands!"

With this last comment, Olaf lunged at Quigley, who merely stepped aside and watched Olaf tumble down the stairs. He ran after an now battered Olaf, who was sitting at the base of the steps, his body bruised from the fall. These small scrapes and bumps were not enough to stop Olaf, however. He stood up and, eyes blazing with malice, pinned Qugley to the wall. Quigley struggled to find anyplace at all he could shoot, and ended up hitting Olaf in the arm.

This shot caused Olaf enough pain to let Quigley go. Quigley ran, a now bleeding Olaf in tow. Quigley turned about and ran backwards, wildly shooting behind him, but to his great dismay, every shot had missed. Quigley swore under his breath, then rapidly turned a corner.

There was an inhuman roar followed by a short gasp of pain. Quigley poked his head around the corner to see a shocked and wounded Olaf and Violet standing right in front of him, a look of pure determination on her face.

"You've been after us for three years, trying to kill me and one of my siblings for my fortune. You've been beaten repeatedly by us, only to rise again and chase after us thirteen more times. Now, it's five years later, and you've returned for a fourteenth go at us. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of the pain, sick of the suffering, and sick and tired of you. You will leave us alone and NEVER show your sorry face around here again."

"Violet," Quigley started to say, "What did you -"

Violet moved back far enough to reveal Olaf's stomach, which was now bleeding profusely. Violet held a blood-covered butcher's knife in her hand. Violet was apparently shocked by what she had done, because she gasped in horror, dropped the knife, and fell into Quigley's arms, crying.

What Olaf did next would amaze even the most well-trained of doctors. Stooping as best as he could, he retrieved the knife from the floor. "Touche, my dear," he said as he walked out the door.

Sunny ran downstairs. "What did I miss?"


Olaf ignored his obvious pain and stumbled a few blocks to a dark alley, where he collapsed onto the floor. I'm sorry, Violet, he thought. I don't have you. Quigley does. It won't do any good to whine about it. So I loved you. I suppose that doesn't amount for much though, now does it? He glanced at his blood soaked clothes and then his reddened hands. It's so ironic, isn't it, he wondered, How those whom you love the most can hurt you so horribly. That's what's been said, at least.

He glanced at the knife on the ground. He hadn't gotten what he had wanted: revenge for the deaths of his parents. But he had at least seen Violet one last time. Perhaps that is why, he thought as he raised the knife above him, I can do this in peace.

The blade glinted as it came down, but Olaf neither felt nor saw the impact. He only felt relief as he left this world, and he only thought of Violet as he slowly tumbled into darkness.


THE NEXT MORNING


Convict Found Dead In Alley

"Death appears to be suicide," says officer.

Local escapee known only as 'Count Olaf' was found brutally slashed and stabbed in an alley near 1320 Broken Boulevarde late last night with a knife in his hand. "It would appear to be a suicide," says Officer Roary Thornapel. "Oddly enough, autopsy results revealed a bullet lodged in his left arm, although there was no sign of gun activity at the scene." Police suspect that this may be a remnant of this escapee from the Ima Fealon Maximum Security Prison's attack on local inventor Violet Quagmire. "It would appear that she was probably trying to defend herself," says Thornapel.

Of course I was, Violet thought. She had been reading the Daily Punctillio, even though practically every story in it was wrong to a tee, and this story was not one of their better - reported ones. They weren't wrong about the attack, of course, but they were wrong about the defense. She had slashed him, partially out of defense, yes, but also out of rage. And Quigley had even meant to shoot him, so there was no denying that. Klaus had done his best to prevent Sunny from wandering off, but she had still managed to see Olaf stagger out of the house, bleeding copiously. All of these facts stuck out in Violet's mind, so much so that she almost didn't notice Quigley sitting down beside her at the breakfast table.

"Still thinking about last night?" he asked.

"Yes," Violet admitted.

"It's not your fault, you know."

"I know."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"You know, his funeral is in a few days."

"We should probably go and pay our last respects, even though he was our arch enemy. After all, I did damage and so did you."

Quigley nodded.

"I do wonder, however," Violet said, "If there was something we could have done. Could we have called 911 or something?"

"If he were captured, he would've broken out again anyway."

"You know I'm not perfect."

"I know. But I love you anyway."

Quigley smiled, then leaned over and kissed Violet's cheek.

"You're imperfect," he said, "And I wouldn't want you any other way."


Okay, okay, I know. I killed Olaf. Or, rather, I had him kill himself. I'm sorry, Olaf fans. It added to the drama. My Olaf fanatic best friend gave me such a dirty look when she read that part. Okay, thanks for reading this story. As for me, I've got words to type and grammar to correct in some of my other terribly twisted tales, so I'll be seeing you on the other side, my fine fans!