Before she even opened her eyes, Violet remembered that everything had changed. The knowledge left her feeling unmoored and untethered, though it took her a long moment to remember exactly why. Her body was relaxed and comfortable and warm, so her thoughts were sluggish coming together to tell her it was Friday and that the smell of bacon and toasting bread meant someone was cooking breakfast. Klaus was graduating in the morning and had plans for his life that didn't include her and that she had slept on his couch. She'd broken up with Quigley. She was homeless. She had yet to tell a single person.

The morning sun couldn't reach her directly from the windows, but the room was bright, making her squint when she blinked her eyes open. Blearily, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and a pulled a hand through her hair, but knots and tangles from sleeping on it wet slowed her progress and she immediately gave up on that endeavor. Klaus had Beatrice perched on the kitchen counter beside him while he scrambled eggs and Sunny was busy buttering toast. Normally, Violet suffered from a compulsion to help— help cook breakfast, help get everyone ready for school, help do the dishes— like it was the only thing she was useful for, but it seemed like Klaus had it well under control, so she drew her feet up onto the couch to sit cross-legged, letting herself wake up slowly while she watched their progress and hoped they were making enough breakfast for her.

Once, Klaus glanced her way briefly, noticed that she was awake, and said something quietly to Beatrice, who laughed a delighted giggle and Violet smiled, good-natured about whatever their inside joke was and loved the way Klaus broke a piece of bacon into two, placing half into Bea's mouth and half into his own. She loved that easy way he had with the girls that comes from genuinely loving them.

They ate breakfast the same way they'd drank their hot chocolate the night before— all gathered around the low coffee table. "Don't you ever eat at the dining room table, Klaus?" asked Beatrice, her mouth full of food.

"Well, as you can see," he gestured with his fork to his own dining table that was strewn with boxes and books and papers and his open computer, "there's not much room there right now, and it's usually just me, so…"

"Quigley always makes us eat at the dinner table. I like this better," said Sunny, giving Violet a guilty side-eyed glance.

"Yeah! Me, too," agreed Beatrice.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves," laughed Klaus. "Eat up. This is the last of the groceries. It's a good thing we're going out for supper tonight."

"We are?" asked Sunny.

"Yeah. I thought you knew. Isadora and Duncan are driving in tonight." To Violet he said, "I guess I thought that's why you were here early. To see them."

Violet actually saw Isadora and Duncan all the time. Those two particular Quagmire triplets had finished college together near the coast, to be close to Quigley, she imagined. They were her dearest friends, and probably Klaus's, as well. "Oh, yeah. I had actually forgotten they were coming early. For some reason I thought they were driving over tomorrow morning." She wasn't ready to talk about the Quagmires, so quickly changed the subject. "What else is on your agenda today?"

"Nothing very exciting. Maybe pack a little…and I need to pick up a few things for my trip."

"Your trip?"

"Remember, I told you I was going backpacking with Josh?" he reminded.

"Of course," she nodded. "When does that start?"

"Sunday, first thing."

"Oh." She wished she knew what she would be doing past tomorrow evening. "That sounds like fun. Anyway, the girls and I will stay out of your hair today. I can get started on the packing."

"No, Violet!" protested Beatrice. "I want to go shopping with Klaus!"

Violet pursed her lips, teasing. "Since when do you like shopping?"

"You guys can come with me," Klaus assured, including Violet in the invitation. "I don't mind. We can save the packing for tomorrow when everyone is here to help. You know what Mark Twain says? 'Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.'"

Violet hummed in disapproval. "Then you must consider what Abraham Lincoln said. 'You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today,'" she answered, initiating an age old game between them they hadn't played in many years.

Klaus smiled broadly and it sort of took Violet's breath away. "'If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done,' Rita Mae Brown."

Violet laughed. "I'm going to let you win this one because I'd rather go shopping than pack."

"Hooray!" shouted Beatrice.

Later, after Violet had taken a shower, managed to pack a couple of Klaus's boxes on the sly, and herded the girls into their clothes, they piled into Klaus's car to go to the camping superstore at the mall. It actually was pretty fun. Sunny loved the fresh water aquarium in the middle of the store and Beatrice ooh'd and aah'd over an enormous rack of plush animals of every species imaginable. What these had to do with camping, Violet had no clue, but Klaus let each of the girls pick out a stuffed toy, while he added several dehydrated meals, a headlamp, and three small cans of propane gas to the cart, explaining that they would be cooking their meals over tiny stoves in tiny pots when Violet asked him about the fuel.

And even though they had plans to eat out for supper, they had to eat out for lunch, too, because there was very little food at the apartment if you excluded whipped cream, salad croutons, and a small can of tuna. Violet treated them all to pizza and root beer floats, which Beatrice loved in particular.

"While we're at the mall, we might as well stop by the book store," Klaus suggested innocently, but Violet had been waiting for that and was ready, shaking her head.

"I can think of at least two reasons off the top of my head not to go to the bookstore. Number one," Violet held up a finger. "You take forever at the bookstore. Number two…"

Beatrice broke into peals of laughter. "Violet said 'number two'!"

This made everyone smile, but Violet, trying not to laugh, said even louder than Beatrice, "The second reason is that if you buy more books that's just more we'll have to pack later."

Klaus sighed and checked his watch. "I suppose you're right. We better get back, anyway. The Quagmires will be here in a couple of hours."

Once dressed for dinner, Violet sat idly on the couch. It was unusual for her to have so little to do and she wasn't sure she liked it. The extra time led to feelings of uselessness and anxiety and wondering what Isadora would say when she saw her tonight. As far as Isadora and Duncan were concerned, Violet wasn't supposed to be arriving to the party until the actual graduation ceremony.

The would-be delay in their arrival plans had a lot to do with Quigley. It's not that Klaus and Quigley didn't get along exactly, but they avoided spending very much time together, if at all possible. Violet always felt stuck in the middle, and forcing them to spend too much time together would have ruined Klaus's special day and would only give Quigley fuel to gripe for the next two weeks. He loved to complain at how easy Klaus had it compared to Violet, at how he never took a turn with the girls. He loved to ignore the fact that Klaus was in the middle of his college education and Quigley even sometimes blamed him for Violet's lack of ambition, because if Klaus was around more, then he could watch the kids, but Violet knew that if Klaus was home to help then Quigley would also complain that Klaus was being lazy, and shouldn't he go to school or find a job. It was a no-win situation when it came to the subject of Violet's brother. Either way, school just didn't seem to be on the table for her. It would be easy to blame both Quigley and Klaus for her own current 'lack of ambition', but deep in her heart Violet knew she had stalled out some years before and she had no one to blame but herself.

Violet thought about shooting Isadora a quick text, just a head's up, but every time she pulled her phone out, she just couldn't compose a message that wouldn't make her sound needy or whiny or too casual. Just as she deleted her fourth attempt from her screen, Klaus's phone began to buzz on the kitchen counter. Loping out of his room where he'd been dressing, he scooped the phone up to his ear. "Hey, Izzie," he answered.

Violet could only hear his side of the conversation, of course. "Oh, okay. That's fine." Silence, then, "Actually, it works out better, cause we never would've all fit in one car anyway." Oh. "Well, me and Violet and the girls." God, she didn't know yet that Violet was already there. Of course she didn't know. Violet hadn't told her. Quigley obviously hadn't told her. If Isadora had known she would've called Violet, would've invited her over. "Yeah, they're already here. You've got Duncan, right?" Klaus checked his watch again. "Ooh, you're getting close. We better get a move on. All right, see you soon." He was always so easy with Isadora and Duncan. They almost got the same biased treatment as Sunny and Beatrice. It had been too long since she'd been in Klaus's good graces that way. Unfortunately, these days she always got grouped in with Quigley, and he was not Klaus's favorite, but today had been a pretty nice change, and she figured that had a lot to do with Quigley's absence.

"Time to go!" Klaus called out in the general direction of his room, where the girls were playing on Klaus's bed. "Get your shoes on!" He picked Beatrice up and tossed her on the couch when she ran to him, shoes in hand, and even though she was old enough to put her own shoes on, he would inevitably help her to do so. He was totally wrapped around her finger and Beatrice knew it. He made quick work of it and finally turned his attention to Violet. "You ready?" he asked, looking her over, taking in her purple sundress and her hair, which she had tied back. Violet nodded, combing her fingers through Sunny's unruly blonde curls, which only made them a little wilder. "You look nice, Violet."

The compliment rolled over her pleasantly, making her smile. "So do you." He did look nice in his khaki pants and button down shirt. It was too warm for it, but he'd rolled up the sleeves, exposing most of his forearms and the soft hair that grew there. Violet inexplicably wanted to reach out and rub her hands over the skin of his arms, to feel the lean muscles that lay just underneath.

"Thanks." He held his hand out to Sunny and led the way out the door. Violet's phone began ringing in her purse. She dug it out to see Isadora's name flashing across the caller I.D. Silencing the cell, she let it go to voicemail. Now wasn't the best time for explanations. Violet would see her soon enough and maybe they could have a quick, whispered conversation or a discreet trip to the bathroom to discuss things.

The entire drive to the restaurant was spent worrying about seeing Isadora and Duncan for the first time since her breakup with Quigley. She imagined herself the hot topic of conversation right now between the two triplets. She should've called. Isadora was one of her best friends, but it was so awkward. She didn't want anyone to feel like they had to take sides, and if they did, of course Izzie's loyalties would have to lie with her brother, but it would've been nice to have someone, anyone, to talk to. "Hey," Klaus said. She looked across to the driver's seat and he nodded to her hands that were clutched tightly around her bag. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm good."

They were first to the restaurant, a little Greek place that Klaus swore had the best falafel, and had just secured their table when Duncan and Isadora came through the front door. The hostess pointed out the group of Baudelaires over her shoulder, and Klaus and Violet immediately stood to greet their oldest friends, but Beatrice beat them to it. "Auntie Izzie!" cried the girl joyfully, jumping into Isadora's arms before she'd even got halfway across the dining room.

Duncan approached the table first, greeting Sunny with a huge hug, then held out his hand to Klaus who grasped it in a hearty handshake. "Hey," Duncan said, pulling Violet into a hug. "Long time, no see!" What had it been, less than a week that she'd seen these two? They lived only a few miles away from her. She probably saw these two more than she saw Quigley. Duncan gave her a a sad, but understanding smile. "We just got off the phone with Quigley. You should've called us right away."

Before she could see it coming, she was wrenched away from Duncan and wrapped up in Isadora's arms. She clasped Violet by her shoulders, then held her out at arm's length. "Why didn't you tell me you and Quigley had broken up?" she asked, announcing it to everyone standing around them. "You should've called me right away. Instead, I had to find it out from him on my own?"

Violet shook her head, glancing briefly around. "I…I didn't want to put you in an awkward position," she said quietly, but it was too late. Everyone was looking at her, including Klaus, who was giving her a hard stare.

"You broke up with Quigley?" Sunny asked, sounding somewhat fearful, though she had to have had some idea of what had been going on, had to have heard the fighting. Klaus put his arm protectively on the back on Sunny's chair.

"I didn't want to cause a scene, which is what's happening right now. This weekend isn't about me so we can discuss it later," Violet suggested, assuming a cheerful smile. "This is Klaus's special weekend." She really didn't want to be the center of attention right now.

"Well," Isadora continued anyway, "I think you made the right decision. It's time you did something for yourself. You know you are welcome at my place anytime. You know, until you get back on your feet."

Forcing herself to keep smiling, Violet said, "Thanks. Really, I'm fine. We're fine." She threw in the last part with a meaningful glance at Sunny, who nodded infinitesimally. Violet was grateful to ease into her seat.

"Unfortunately," Duncan said, as everyone settled down, "Quigley's not going to be able to make it tomorrow, Klaus. He's been called in for work."

"Yeah?" Klaus answered, looking down at his menu. "Well, duty calls, I guess. Where's he off to this time?"

"What was it, Izzie?" Duncan turned to his sister. "Canada?" They were both nodding. "Anyway, he said to say he's sorry he can't make it."

Violet perused her menu, also, because she couldn't stand the thought of how little her absence in Quigley's life made a difference to him. She felt a rogue tear roll down her cheek, but she wiped it away quickly, fought back the ache in her throat, and turned her attention to asking the little girls what they wanted to eat.

Klaus closed his menu with a flourish. "We'll order family style, if that's all right with everyone?" he asked the table at large, and Violet felt a small burden lift with those simple words. She was not alone. She was here with her family, ordering delicious food from a restaurant with them, and had the prospects of another couple of days with these people who were most important to her in the whole world.

"Order falafels," reminded Sunny.

"And Dolmas," added in Isadora. The mood lightened considerably as everyone made sure Klaus ordered what they wanted.

"Yes, yes, of course," assured Klaus. "There'll be plenty of everything." So he ordered for everyone and the conversation drifted over to what the triplets had been up to —writing, writing classes, job interviews for publishing houses and so on. Those two loved words. Then Klaus described the plans of his upcoming backpacking trip; the better part of a week on the Appalachian Trail with only what he could carry to keep him alive. His face shone with excitement as he spoke. He described how to tie up a bear bag to keep the wild animals from eating his food, and laughed when he said how much his pack had originally weighed and how he'd had to start over, lightening his load by almost eight pounds. The girls were super impressed.

Part way through their baklava, Klaus got a call. He excused himself from the table, with the phone at his ear. "It's Josh," he said. "I'll just take this outside real quick. Be right back."

But when the dessert was all gone and they'd fought over who would pay the bill, and Klaus still wasn't back, Violet began to worry. "Maybe I should go check on Klaus," she said quietly to Isadora. "Can you keep an eye on the girls for a moment?"

"Sure," replied Isadora. "That'll give us a chance to pay."

"No," Violet said with a laugh. "I already said I would. I'll be right back."

She found Klaus sitting on some stairs that led to a closed up shop nearby. His phone lay on the cracked concrete beside him and she was shocked to see him taking a drag from a cigarette.

"I didn't know you smoked," she said, approaching him. His easy attitude from dinner was gone, replaced by a forced state of impassivity, and one corner of his mouth turned down defeatedly. It was startling to realize how little she knew her brother these days, how far apart they'd grown.

"Yeah, well," was all he said before taking one last drag and stubbing out the cigarette on the ground beside him. "I don't."

"Is something the matter?" she asked, ignoring the cigarette for now. "What's happened?"

Klaus sighed, looking away from her and down at the ground. He ran a hand through his hair to rub at the back of his neck. "The backpacking trip is canceled. Josh got accepted for his internship and they want him in California right after graduation."

Violet felt his frustration like a palpable thing. She scooted herself in beside him on the narrow staircase, and he made a little room for her. "I'm so sorry," she said, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know you must be disappointed." He gave her a tight nod, keeping his gaze turned outward to the parking lot, looking at, but not really seeing the cars there. "I think it's my fault," she continued, laughing a little. "It's been the week from hell. I thought I could come here to escape it, but looks like I just brought my bad luck to you."

This earned her a snort of laughter. "Mother always did say you had to give your cold to someone else in order to get rid of it." Violet remembered that old saying well. Maybe it did have some truth to it. Klaus shrugged. "No. It isn't your fault. It is what it is." He cut her a sideways glance. "So. You and Quigley broke up."

It wasn't exactly a question, but she nodded anyway. "Yeah."

"You could've told me."

"I didn't tell anyone. I didn't know what to say. Like, look everybody, it took Violet Baudelaire over four years to realize she was going nowhere," she said sarcastically. "How blind could she be?"

Too much silence passed in where he did not contradict her. "Nobody is going to think that," he finally said, but it was too late. She knew he was lying, that he'd been thinking exactly what she'd feared he would- that she was useless, a good for nothing, and if she were going nowhere it was her own damn fault. And he didn't say 'I'm sorry', or 'you're better off without him", or 'you can do better', or even 'give it some time'; none of the clichés one normally hears upon a breakup.

But then he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tugging her into his side. "Can I tell you something, Violet?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I'm glad. I never liked him. Not even when we were kids." She started to laugh but it turned into a sob that she quickly stifled with her palm. She'd been so strong thus far, but this is what she'd ultimately come to Klaus for —a little comfort. And one hug and a little assurance that he was on her side was all it took to crack her hastily built dam.

"It's just that I have no idea what happens next." Her voice warbled with the effort of holding back her emotion.

The door to the restaurant opened and out poured the rest of the Baudelaire girls followed closely by Isadora and Duncan. Izzie called out, "You took too long, so I paid. Ha."

As the group approached, Violet wiped the evidence of any tears from her face. "You do always get your way," Violet teased, smiling at her dear friend, who made a sad face when she saw Violet's reddened eyes. "Klaus's friend canceled their trip to the mountains."

"Oh no!" cried Isadora. "That's too bad. I'm sorry, Klaus." Each of the girls were holding Isadora's hands, one on either side, and Duncan stood just beside her, looking so much like Quigley, but much younger than him, too. Sweeter, somehow. Violet was struck with an idea.

"Duncan! Maybe you can go with Klaus," she said, like she had just found the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle that had been hidden under a chair and placed it in its spot to complete the picture. Klaus looked up hopefully, a new light in his eyes, but Duncan was already shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, man. As soon as we get you packed up tomorrow, I've got to catch a flight to New York. I've got a job interview at The Times." His tone said he was sorry, but the smile on his face said he was so proud, and Isadora practically beamed at him.

"Why didn't you tell us? That's wonderful news!" cried Violet, standing to hug her friend.

"Well, like you said earlier. It is Klaus's weekend."

"My goodness," Klaus interjected, standing also. "What is all this about it being my weekend as an excuse to keep me in the dark?"

"Violet!" Izzie randomly yelled, ripping her hand from Sunny's to point it at her. "Violet should go!" Everyone swung their heads from Isadora to Violet.

"What?" asked Violet, thinking of flights to New York.

"You should go camping with Klaus!" Isadora said excitedly.

"Me?" Violet said, looking uncertainly at her brother. She had never been backpacking before and the way Klaus described it, the whole venture seemed a little daunting. "I'm sure Klaus doesn't want me."

"Of course he wants you!" Izzie was still very excited about her idea. Another glance at Klaus showed how his cheeks had turned a bright red. "I'll keep the girls while you're gone. Goodness knows I'll be all alone when Duncan is in New York. It's perfect!"

The plan was not perfect, but it did have some appeal to it. Violet still did not know what to do or where to go next, and she could put off the knowing for another week. A vacation would be nice. A chance to be alone with Klaus, to get to know him again, would be nice.

"What do you say, Klaus?" asked Isadora.

Klaus studied Violet for a minute. "Josh said I could borrow all his gear since he won't be needing it this time. The pack should fit you with some adjustments, but we may have to redistribute the weight since you can't carry as much as he could."

That wasn't a no. Not at all. A trickle of excitement ran over the back of Violet's neck. It had been a long time since she'd done something new. "Is that okay with you, girls?" she said, mainly looking at Sunny, but it was Beatrice that answered.

"We want to spend the night with Auntie Izzie!"

The aunt in question clapped her hands in delight. "That's all settled then."

Klaus was still considering her, but when she caught his eye, he held his gaze steady and one side of his mouth turned up in a quirk of a smile, but then he was distracted by 'goodbyes' and 'see you tomorrows', and he literally had to pry Beatrice out of Izzie's arms because the child thought she was going to start staying with her auntie that very night.

Once everyone was settled into the car, Klaus turned the radio on and Violet was relieved to see him back to his pre-dinner ease, and said so. "You seem…" she started, but wasn't exactly sure what word to use. Better? Happier? Cheerful?

He raised an eyebrow, waiting to see what she had to say about him, but words failed her and she shrugged, smiling.

"Don't you think it's interesting?" he asked curiously.

"What?"

"Coincidence."

"Coincidence?"

"You know what they say. 'Auspicious coincidence is the right thing happening at the right time.'"

"I'm not sure anyone is saying that," she teased.

"I'm just saying," he continued, eyes on the road. "A lot of things had to come together just now. Some good, some bad, but all roads led to you being here early, and Josh canceling, and Isadora being alone for the week, and…"

"And now we're going camping," Violet interrupted. "I suppose you're right. If someone had told me yesterday morning that today I'd be homeless and living out of a backpack, then I would have said they were crazy."

"You left out the auspicious part." He turned his hand palm side up on the middle console of the car, offering it to her. She put her hand in his and he glanced down at their joined hands, then up at her. "It seems to me like the universe is looking out for us, Violet."

"That sounds more like fate than coincidence…and anyway, when has the universe ever been kind to us?"

"Well, I'm feeling hopeful, regardless."

And hearing those words from his mouth, seeing the smile on his face, and feeling his thumb brushing over her knuckles, filled her with something, too. It had been too long since there'd been anything but an apathetic neutrality between them. It was her fault, she knew. He'd once loved her and she had squashed it so fast and so completely that he'd been awkward and embarrassed, unsure of how to act around her and so had settled on disinterest. She'd never done anything to change that, but maybe that had been a mistake. Looking at him now, she remembered how she had loved Klaus, how much she loved him still; how much she had missed him these past years, and wondered at her future, a blank slate where she could write in anything she wanted. Maybe she would start by writing Klaus's name in capital letters at the top of her slate.

Suddenly, she was feeling pretty hopeful, too.