"Klaus?" He woke to Violet nudging him in the arm. "The alarm," she mumbled sleepily. "Make it stop."

"Okay, okay." Klaus never liked waking to an alarm, but doesn't everyone prefer to wake up naturally? He leaned up on an elbow to reach his watch on the shelf that also held his wallet and his glasses, pressing the button to end the annoying sound. He flopped back down on his back and turned his head towards his sister.

She was lying on her stomach, arms curled under her, looking at him. They observed each other for a long minute and Klaus wondered what she was thinking. Finally, she said, "Good morning."

He replied in return.

"Well, I guess I'll go take my chances with the line for the showers," she offered, but didn't move.

"Okay," he said.

"Okay."

Klaus raised his eyebrows at her.

"Close your eyes while I get some clothes on," she grinned, though her cheeks turned light pink and she hid her face in the pillow. He only laughed at her. "Klaus," she told him again, rolling her eyes. "Close them."

He obeyed, closing his eyes, feeling the mattress dip down as she crawled out of the blanket to climb toward the foot of the bed in search of their discarded clothing from the night before, but he didn't keep them shut. It was the first time he'd seen her in the daylight, though the light from the large window was filtered through the closed curtain. She was turned from him, her hair falling in a messy, dark wave, contrasting with the pale skin of her back. As she sat on her knees in the middle of the bed searching through the blankets, he had a nice view of how her thin waist rounded sweetly into a heart-shaped bottom.

Klaus rose to his knees on the bed and she looked over her shoulder at him. "I knew you were peeking," she said, looking him over as the blanket fell away, turning to completely face him.

He wrapped his arms around her middle, lifting her off her knees to lay her on the bed. "You were pretty silly to ask me not to." He covered her with his body, entrenching his waist between her thighs and the warmth emanating from her core felt very inviting. He brushed his nose along hers, wanting more than anything to kiss her, and even knowing she probably wanted him to kiss her, was ninety-nine percent positive, there was still that one percent that caused him to doubt, so instead he pressed his lips to her jaw.

He left a trail of soft kisses down her neck, gently tasting her skin with his tongue. Her breasts were so soft in his palms and he wondered at their amorphous changeability. Now that she was laid flat, her chest had also flattened, but her nipples puckered and hardened as he brushed his tongue over them each, sucking gently, then replacing his mouth with his fingers again so that he could nuzzle the middle of her chest. She held him close, pressing her fingers across his shoulders, up the back of his neck to thread through his bedhead hair. "Klaus," she breathed quietly. "Your mouth feels so good."

Keeping his mouth and nose pressed to her sternum, he raised his eyebrows at her. "That," he punctuated his words with kisses back up to her collarbone; "is a very naughty thing to say to your brother." He buried his face into her neck.

"Don't" she said.

"Don't what?" he asked, nibbling at her earlobe.

She turned her head so that they were face to face, her hand still in his hair. "Don't make me feel guilty." Klaus hadn't realized that she'd had any compunctions about their current illicit activities. It made him feel a little better to know he wasn't the only guilty party, but right now, lust outweighed any shame he might be experiencing.

So he laughed, a low chuckle. "Don't worry. I like it when you're naughty," and he waggled his eyebrows at her, teasing, so that she laughed, too. His hands and mouth made their way slowly down the center of her body. He palmed her hips and inner thighs, swirling his tongue around her belly button, and he was amused at Violet's body language. Her chest heaved with arousal and anticipation, and the fingers that massaged his scalp were pushing ever so slightly, urging him lower, and she opened her legs easily to make room for him.

When his mouth finally reached her soft mound Violet gave a quiet cry of need. Klaus sucked the satiny, pink flesh, rubbing the flat of his tongue over it, and her legs trembled violently around him. "Oh, God," she gasped, a little too loudly in the communal room. Her hands tangled tightly in his hair now, but he didn't mind. He dipped his tongue through her slick folds, then repeated sucking lightly on her clitoris. She tasted warm and tangy, and his saliva mixed with her own juices made her very wet indeed.

His hands encircled her thighs, kneading the soft flesh, brushing his fingertips along her tender pink spots to tentatively press a finger into her. Again, her thighs tightened around him, shaking from sensation, and every now and then she would buck her hips, then whisper; "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Klaus had no idea what she was sorry for. Finding no resistance, he slipped another finger in and pumped them in time with his licks.

She reached for the pillow and covered her face with it, maybe to muffle her harsh breaths, but Klaus would have none of that. He wanted to see her, wanted to hear her lose herself. Violet was a very controlled person usually. Not controlling, but she did like things to be in order, prepared for, and she tried very, very hard to be a reliable authority figure within their small family, which meant she usually had control of almost every situation they faced. She was generous to a fault and silly though it might seem, Klaus felt good that he might actually have something to give her. He was enjoying her pleasure a lot. Reaching up quickly, he pulled the pillow away from her and flung it behind him. She only shook her head at his antics, laughing with eyes shut tight, demanding, "Don't stop."

He didn't stop and he knew when her climax was building. Violet's hands scrabbled at the blankets, fisting them instead of his hair and every breath she took was a quick moan that got louder the closer she got to breaking, but the moment she orgasmed, she became silent, holding her breath, her body quaking around him. He could feel the soft pulsing of her vagina around his fingers, then came the final ragged exhale. He continued for just a moment more, slowing, then stopping when her fingers came back to the top of his head.

Turning his face into her thigh, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips into her skin. It had been very easy to lose themselves in the bubble of their cubby hole bed, but as the pounding of his heart faded and Violet's breaths softened, he began to notice the various sounds of the room; suitcase zippers, muffled voices and laughter, the scraping of luggage on the floor and the further away sounds coming from the bathrooms and café. He couldn't bring himself to feel very embarrassed about their own obvious tendency towards exhibitionism.

He climbed back up her body, feeling again her wet warmth and how inviting it still was, how good it felt just to press his weight onto Violet. She looked beautiful in the aftermath of her orgasm, her cheeks bright spots of pink, her messy hair and eyes heavy-lidded as she watched his movements. When she felt his erection pressed against her, her mouth parted seductively, back arching slightly to bring herself closer to him and she rocked her pelvis towards him, causing a lovely friction.

"Klaus," she breathed, pressing her fingers down his spine, eyes boldly lingering on his then shifting to look at his mouth. "I want you," she admitted, ready to give herself to him in a heartbeat.

And as much as would have liked that, there was something that held him back. He stroked her rosy cheek with his thumb. "Is it still just sex, Violet?" Because, God, it had begun to be something a bit more for him. "It doesn't mean anything?" He wasn't sure he could fully give his body to her without also losing his heart.

She looked away from him, towards the wall, and it felt like an answer. He nodded, pressing his lips into her sternum. "Maybe we should think about getting our showers," he suggested softly, practically. She nodded, still not looking at him, and he thought he saw her wipe a tear away. Then she covered her face with her hands so he couldn't see her. "Hey," he pulled her arms down. "What is it?"

"Nothing," but her words squeaked out through tears. She shook her head, sniffling, trying to take deep breaths. "I'm just being silly." She tried to put on a smile, but Klaus was not convinced and he cursed himself because of course she would feel rejected when she had so obviously put herself out there, telling him what she wanted, what she thought he wanted, trusting him. She twisted her body, ready to be out from under his scrutiny and he sat up, letting her go. She fumbled around in the blankets, still searching for her discarded clothes, tossing his shirt towards him when she found it. She didn't look at him when she pulled their suitcase from underneath the bed to find clean clothes and her toiletry bag. "Meet you in the front room in a bit and we'll find somewhere for breakfast?" Her voice was strained, like she might full out cry any moment, and Klaus felt horrible and regretful for messing things up between them.

"Hey," he tried to grab her hand, but she was eager to escape, so he let her go to walk down the long aisle of beds in their dorm and disappear out the door. He didn't fully understand. If it was just sex to her, then why did it matter so much? Had she realized how much Klaus had come to feel for her and felt sorry for leading him on? If it didn't mean anything, then why did it feel like it meant everything? He tried to turn his mind off because it only wandered in circles.

Violet was back at their bed when he'd finished his shower. He dropped off his dirty clothes and toiletries and she waited for him. "Hey," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him down to sit next to her on the bed. "I'm sorry. I took things way too far earlier, and then…I overreacted. I'm sorry."

Klaus was shaking his head. "Don't apologize. I'm the one who should apologize. I didn't mean to…"

Violet held up both hands, interrupting him. "Let's not talk about it anymore. I would prefer to have a really nice day with you and I don't want things to be…awkward between us."

"Violet…" Klaus started.

Standing abruptly, she interrupted again. "I'm starving. Let's go find something to eat."

With a frustrated huff, Klaus stood, too. They looked at each other for a moment, but something in Violet's countenance was frail and too vulnerable, so he let it go. "Fine," he sighed. He didn't know why it felt like they were fighting.

In silence, they walked down the hill from the hostel to Equator, a coffee shop that Violet'd had her eye on. The inside smelled wonderfully of roasted coffee beans and vanilla. There was quite a long line so they had plenty of time to choose what they wanted from the menu. When it was Klaus's turn he ordered an Earl Grey tea with milk and honey, and a blueberry muffin. He gestured to Violet beside him so that the barista would know their order was together. Violet ordered a café au lait, a slice of veggie quiche, a scone, and a yogurt bowl. Klaus gave her a funny look while he dug his wallet from his back pocket. "What? I'm hungry," she said defensively.

He gave a low chuckle as he handed over some bills. He raised an eyebrow at her, smirking and said under his breath, "I'll bet you are." Not really meaning for Violet to hear him, but getting an elbow to his ribs anyway, they quickly moved into a small table as a couple of teen girls were just leaving. They gobbled down their food and nursed their paper cups of hot beverage, talking over their plans for the day, but the conversation felt stilted. Things had changed and Klaus hated it.

Klaus had earlier decided that Alcatraz was a must see on their vacation, so today was the day. The walk was a mile and a half to the ferry line that took tourists over the freezing water to the old island prison. The morning was swiftly turning into afternoon when they picked their way through the crowded streets toward the bay. The traffic and the trolley were a constant crisscross commotion of speed and motion, and the hills in San Francisco were steep. Many times the sidewalk rose higher than the road by at least two feet, making traversing the busy sidewalks daunting.

At one point Klaus had stopped to look in the window of a promising second-hand book store and when he pointed out a certain volume on West Coast cookery that Sunny might have liked, he realized his sister was not at his side. He scanned up and down the bustling sidewalk, spotting Violet's shiny dark head and denim jacket in the crowd. She was turning circles looking for him also. Just as he was about to wave to get her attention, the door to a small café opened near her and a large group of tourists poured out onto the sidewalk, enveloping her in their midst, heedless of her, herding her nearer and nearer to the edge of the steep curb.

Klaus could see what was about to happen, but it only got worse as he heard the trolley bells approaching from behind him, coming quickly down the hill. He took off as fast as he could, shouldering people out of the way, never slowing, but keeping his eyes pinned on her even as he saw her foot slip off the edge of the concrete and her arms begin to pinwheel. "Violet!" he called loudly, panicking, making it to her, but only barely.

He'd got a handful of her shirt, and he was sorry to say later, probably a pretty large handful of skin. He yanked hard, reaching another arm around her waist to pull her bodily towards him just as the trolley zipped by, making their hair blow around their faces. He lost his footing for only a moment, then they were both facing one another, feet planted firmly on the sidewalk. They were breathless and pale, and Klaus tugged her into a fierce hug, squeezing her like he might never let go. He breathed a long sigh of relief, burying his nose in the top of her head.

Violet was squeezing him back, arms curled under his and then over his shoulders. Into his chest, she laughed and said, "I thought I was a goner."

"I thought I'd lost you," he replied seriously, wrapping his hands around the base of her skull and leaning back to look at her.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," she teased, but he was so strained over the whole episode he really just wanted to frogmarch her back to the hostel and make her lay safe in the bed all day. They were awakened from their tense little bubble by a burst of applause from the people around them. Individuals clapped Klaus on the back, congratulating him on such a heroic act, and Klaus and Violet's faces went from white to pink with all of the attention.

When everybody had finally moved on, and Klaus still hadn't let Violet out of his embrace yet, she smiled up at him. "My hero," and she leaned up on her tippy toes to give him a chaste kiss on the lips.

He ignored her praise. "Should we go back?" he said, looking up the hill in the direction of the hostel.

"What?" she asked. "Why?" She shook her head before he could answer. "No, I thought you wanted to go to Alcatraz today? It's our last free day. Let's not spend it in the hostel."

"I know, but just to be on the safe side," he answered.

"No," she replied firmly. "Alcatraz will be fun. Come on." But she didn't try to move out of his arms, and he wouldn't have let her. "I'm fine," she assured him after a moment for the second time that day.

He nodded, but kept at least one of her hands firmly in his for the rest of the way, only letting go when he absolutely needed two hands for himself. Klaus continued to feel a bit pressed by the crowd even as they bought their tickets for the ferry and stood in the long line of people to board the boat. Was it just that their near catastrophe had drudged up bad memories? Violet seemed the epitome of calm, yet he could feel the adrenaline continue to pump through his veins.

When it was finally their turn to board the boat, Violet led them straight up the stairs to the upper deck, where the chilly bay wind blew through their hair. Already, most of the seats were taken, so they stood at the back of the boat, leaning against the rail. When the boat began to move, Violet leaned her torso over the rail. "Let's look for sea lions."

Klaus pulled her around by her hand that he still kept clasped in his, imagining losing her over the edge of the boat into the chilly bay. "Let's not," he said stoically.

She softened at his hard attitude, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed him into the rail, her body melting into his as he tightened his embrace. "I'm okay," she reassured again.

Klaus felt only relief to be able to hold her again. "What if I couldn't have gotten to you?" he reprimanded. "You could have been gone in the blink of an eye! How can you be so calm?" he asked, internally agonizing over how quickly he could've lost Violet.

She pulled back minutely to look at him and said simply, "I'm with you, aren't I? You've always kept me safe." He made a face of disapproval, screwing his mouth up to the side, which she only laughed at. "I don't know what to say to make you feel better, Klaus. I promise not to get run over by any trolleys for the rest of the day?"

He knew he was being obstinate. He took a deep breath. "At least promise me that until the end of the year." She nodded, but she let him hold her until it was time to debark.

Alcatraz was actually quite beautiful for a prison. Some of the buildings had an old European feel to them and there were even gardens to walk through. The pair were given headphones for an audio tour of the inside. The silence of the tourists listening to their headphones made the prison seem very eerie. There were no voices, only the shuffling of footsteps and a rustling of jackets as groups made their way through the halls and cell blocks.

Klaus particularly enjoyed the history of Alcatraz, while Violet laughed at some of the interesting ways that prisoners had tried to escape in the past and how she, Klaus and Sunny could have done it so much better. How many crazy inventions had the Baudelaires had to come up with to escape terrible situations? Breaking out of prison? No problem.

The pair walked slowly from room to room, hand in hand. Every now and then Violet would wrap her arm around his waist to lay her head on his chest or lean up on tiptoes to place a small kiss on his cheek. Was it that easy? Did they just go from platonic to lovers in a few days away from home? It should feel wrong, but it only felt inevitable and right. It took a bit of self-control to not pull Violet into some dark corner and kiss her senseless. But then Klaus would remember that Violet probably didn't feel the same way about him. She was affectionate because she was comfortable with him. Nothing more. It was one thing to have a little fun on vacation and another to have an entire upheaval in their relationship. Besides, what would Sunny say? He hated to think about that. None of this kept him from getting his hopes up or from feeling his heart swell with every tender look Violet gave him.

After buying several souvenirs and books in the gift shop, Violet pulled him into the line for the return ferry. This time they found two seats together, out of the wind because Violet was feeling chilly. She put her arm through Klaus's as they sat quietly together, but she kept glancing at him. He'd been perusing the children's book they'd gotten for Beatrice, but he had the feeling that Violet had something to say. Even though he sort of dreaded what it might be, he closed the book matter of factly and gave her his full attention. "Out with it."

She made a face, like maybe she wasn't quite ready to say what she needed to. He raised his eyebrows in expectation. "About this morning…" and Klaus felt a clenching in his stomach, but forced himself to take a deep breath and nod. "I shouldn't have asked you. I took things too far. It's just that it…that you felt so good, and I wanted more." Her cheeks turned bright red at her admission and he felt his own wave of heat flushing his chest and neck. It's one thing to talk about it in the midst of making out and quite another to acknowledge their obvious mutual attraction so objectively.

"And I shouldn't have said no," he said immediately. "I've regretted how… well, things didn't exactly go…I don't know," he stumbled with his explanation, but she only squeezed his hand in understanding. Klaus was sure if he had the morning to do all over again, he would not hesitate to make love with Violet. What difference did it make if it was only sex to her? It wouldn't have mattered. It didn't make sense to punish them both over something as trivial as what kind of love they felt for each other. Love was love and Violet loved him, he was sure, as she had her whole life. No brother and sister could be closer than Klaus and Violet. Was that the problem? Had they spent so much time together that their lines had become crossed?

There wasn't enough time to finish their conversation, as it was difficult to come up with the right words to say, and soon they were back on the mainland and fighting the crowds again. The next attraction they visited was the San Francisco Maritime National Park, where the siblings had an opportunity to learn about the ships and submarines in the history of San Francisco. Lunch was eaten at a crowded seafood restaurant. Violet said they had to have fresh seafood while they were visiting the coast. The food was good, though the restaurant itself smelled very fishy. They asked to sit outside on the patio and could hear the sea lions barking from several piers over.

Next, Klaus took Violet to a special place he'd read about in his travel guide, The Musée Méchanique. It was a treasure trove of ancient arcade machines, robotic marionettes, fortune telling automatons, and other electronic gadgetry from times forgotten. Violet was delighted by the theme of the museum and ooh'd and aah'd over gears, fan belts and wind-up toys like no other girl her age Klaus had ever met. Animated film reels filled the museum and it was a busy and noisy space, so he followed her around like a puppy dog, no, a protective guard dog.

Catching a taxi was well worth the money for the five miles it took to travel to the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps. Day was dying and they had the whole place to themselves. After the busy day, climbing the three hundred plus steps seemed a little daunting.

"Hmm," Violet mused. "Want to make this interesting?"

"Why?" Klaus asked dubiously. "What did you have in mind? The last one up is a rotten egg?"

"We can do better than that. How about the last one up has to give the winner a back rub?" It sounded like flirting and while Klaus was trying to decide if he'd rather be on the giving or receiving end of a back rub from Violet, she hollered out, "Ready, set, go!" and began to run up the beautifully decorated stairs, leaving him in the dust.

How she had so much energy, he didn't know. He pooped out three-quarters of the way up, stopping for a short second to clutch his side and catch his breath. There really was no catching up to her now, so he resigned himself to being on the giving end of the back rub, although now he was sure he needed it more. Violet laughed in victorious glee when he reached the final step, leading him to a park bench where they could watch the sun set over the city.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Klaus asked, referring to her upcoming interview.

"Maybe a little," she answered honestly. "I feel like a lot is riding on me to do well."

"I know what you're thinking," he said, the fierceness in his voice surprising her, making her turn her head sharply in his direction. "You don't have to do this in order to take care of us, Violet. Do this for you. You've worked so hard and are the most brilliant girl I'll ever know. You deserve everything good this life can offer you."

A line creased her eyebrow as Violet thought about this for a moment. "Listen, Klaus. The other day, when I said you should go to school or… I don't know, get away from us for awhile, you said you wanted to stay with me?"

Klaus nodded in agreement. "Well, then, we're in this together and everything I do is for you. I want you to be happy. I shouldn't say this, I should be unbiased, but I'm glad you want to stay. I'm glad that Sunny and Beatrice can have us both, a mother and a father. And my deepest wish is that this interview goes well and we can all have a better future."

He pulled her close by her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. She smiled and added, "Besides, you helped me with all of the research. You worked just as hard as I did. You should really be going to the interview with me."

Klaus shook his head. "Researchers don't get the credit. The inventors do and you deserve it."

They found a quick bite to eat, nothing special, because they were still mostly full from lunch, and took a quick taxi back to Fort Mason. Sunday night at the hostel didn't seem as full as the start of the weekend. They probably could have had two beds, but Klaus didn't mention it to Violet as they passed the front desk. He was ready to brush his teeth, lay down, and call it a day. Vacations were exhausting.

Still holding hands, they wound their way through the halls and the aisles of beds and stopped short in surprise upon reaching the tall window by their own bed. Tim and Jen were gone and in their bed lay a very rotund, red-cheeked, round and baby-faced young man playing a handheld video game. Klaus could see that Violet was disappointed. The older couple had been friendly and the nightly show had been interesting and inspiring. As Violet pulled out their suitcase, she said lowly, "I guess it would have been nice to say goodbye."

Klaus huffed a barely audible laugh through his nose and Violet gave him a wry look. "Meet you back here for my back rub in ten," she said and he let out a groan. "No, I don't want to hear any excuses. Fair is fair," she said over her shoulder as she headed to the bathroom to change.

Klaus brushed his teeth with the same pimple-faced youth from the other night and the young man gave Klaus a nod of recognition before spitting a blob of toothpaste into the sink and heading out. With the sink all to himself Klaus took the time to wash his face and hands, peering at himself for a long moment in the mirror, trying to imagine what everybody else saw. Probably just a tall guy with glasses, dark curls on top of his head, in need of a shave. What did Violet see? Perhaps a little brother- someone to protect at all costs at their parents bidding. Or maybe a partner- someone to help with the girls and research better ways to invent. Did she think he was handsome? He knew that he was not classically good-looking, not with big muscles and tanned skin and blond hair, but he supposed his features were rather pleasant, as all the Baudelaires had been described at one point or another.

"Hey, man," came a guy's voice from behind him. "You done?" The man obviously wanted a turn at the sink for he was shirtless and held a towel and a toiletry bag.

"Yeah," replied Klaus, coming out of his introspection. "It's all yours."

Violet once again beat him back to the bed and the curtain was closed already. He stowed away his toiletries and climbed in to their shared cubby. She was dressed in one of his tee shirts that said 'Read, Return, Repeat' on the front and it barely covered her blue cotton panties. The sight of her so skimpily dressed had him turned on in an instant. He hadn't known if their exploration would continue tonight after this morning's embarrassing encounter, but he'd been determined to just follow Violet's lead.

He slid out of his pants awkwardly on the bed while Violet watched, and threw them down to the foot. Then he took his shirt off, too. He got onto his knees and sat back on his feet. "You ready?" he asked and she only nodded, smiling. She turned on her knees to face the foot of the bed, kneeling but letting her legs fan out beside her in a W. She often sat like this on the floor at home when working on a project that had lots of pieces. She said it helped her balance and gave her leverage.

Klaus pushed all of her hair over to one side and began to rub her shoulders, pressing his thumbs into the muscles and slowly moving them up her neck. She hung her head forward in relaxation. He ran his hands down her shoulders to squeeze her upper arms, sliding them back up into the sleeves of the tee shirt so that he was touching the skin of her back. Klaus concentrated on giving a good shoulder rub, then took his hands out of the sleeves to press his fingers down her spine, all the way to her hip bones and then back up under the shirt, hands on skin again.

Quietly, in her ear, he said, "I think I want my shirt back." He tugged at the sides of the 'Read, Return, Repeat' tee to indicate what shirt he meant. She made a sound of mock disappointment with her tongue against the back of her teeth, but held her arms up over her head. He pulled the shirt right off without hesitation and the next slide of his hands up her body had them filled with Violet's breasts. She sighed in pleasure.

Klaus pressed his mouth to her neck, dropping open-mouthed kisses across her shoulder. He ran his hands over her sides again, massaging still, but as he pulled them over her skin on the way back down to her waist she made a soft, unconscious grunt of pain.

"Did I hurt you, Violet?" he asked softly, stilling.

She shook her head. "It's nothing." Her voice was breathless, careless.

But now he was on alert, looking at her carefully, and he noticed a large bruise just under her shoulder blade. The blemish was dark purple, fresh, and looked painful. "What's this?" he asked, circling his fingers around it.

"What's what?" she asked, sounding a little confused at the tangent Klaus had taken.

"Where did you get this bruise?" and he pressed his finger into it to see if it hurt.

She only flinched a bit, looking over her shoulder at him. "I didn't even know it was there. It doesn't hurt," she reassured him.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Well," she hesitated. "When you grabbed my shirt to keep me on the curb you might have pinched some skin. I think the little pain was well worth it, don't you?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" he accused, looking at the bruise and running his fingers over it again.

"You had just saved me from death by trolley," she said matter-of-factly, with a slight roll of her eyes. "I wasn't about to complain about a little pinch."

Even so, he felt bad. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be silly," she said. "I'm a big girl. I can handle a little hurt every now and then." And the way she said it was sexy, like she wasn't talking about her bruise anymore. "Okay? You don't have to be so careful with me." When he hesitated she reached for his hands and brought them to her breasts again, squeezing them, pressing his hands into her hard.

Violet twisted in his embrace, turning to him, and her face was so close, her mouth tantalizing. The urge to kiss her lips was strong, to lay her down and make love to her the way he should have that morning. There was no way he could kiss her and keep his love for her a secret at the same time. It was just sex and he had to keep reminding himself, but she was staring at his mouth, her desire obvious, and he felt his will power crumbling.

Violet leaned forward and Klaus's heart began to thump double time. He was sure that if Violet kissed him he most likely wouldn't stop it…didn't actually want to stop it. It seemed like a silly thing to worry about in the face of what he was hoping would happen between them tonight, but her lips fell just to the side of his mouth, full and soft, and the feel of her kiss tugged hard at his chest, causing him to inhale sharply and his own lips to tremble in anticipation. He turned to catch her lips, but she'd already slid her mouth over his cheek and was sucking softly at the skin just under his jawline.

He scooted his knees in-between her legs, embracing her tightly to his chest, loving the feel of her soft breasts and belly. Making a little room between them, she explored the planes of his torso, running her fingertips through the soft hair that grew on his chest and down a line on his stomach, pressing lightly into his belly button, reaching down to clasp his hips, to push at his underwear until he let go of her to push them down and off. She laid back in the bed and he pulled her panties down her legs, then followed her, laying over her, nestling sweetly between her thighs, her knees bent on either side of him.

Then it was Klaus's turn to spread kisses across her form, until he could suck a nipple into his mouth, feeling the pertness of it with his tongue, then letting it go to watch it pucker and glisten with his saliva in the low light. She arched into him, wanting more. She wasn't shy with Klaus and that made him feel braver, positive that she would let him know, one way or another, if she liked what he did. He repeated the action with the other breast.

In her position, she was open very wide for him to reach down between their bodies and spread his fingers through her silky slickness. Klaus was vaguely aware that the overhead light in the communal room was still on, could hear the murmuring of voices coming from the other beds and liked to think he wouldn't embarrass himself too much, but in reality he didn't really care. Violet seemed to like the way he pumped his fingers in and out of her and began to move her hips in time, the rhythmic movement stimulating him until he thought he might go crazy for the want of her. He removed his hand so that he could instead thrust lightly through her soft folds. He pulled her hands over her head, stretching her body out for him to see, and he kissed the pale inside of her arms. She giggled when he reached her ticklish spots, twisting her hands out of his grasp to cover herself. He chuckled at her instinctive and childish reaction. God, he knew her and loved her. Overwhelmed by a sureness, a deep want, Klaus felt so ready for her.

He whispered into her ear. "Violet, do you still want me?"

She nodded, breathing out a "Yes," and reaching for him, pressed him closer to her, sliding her hands along his shoulder blades, his sides, his bottom.

His erection pulsed in response, getting just a little bit harder if that was possible. He nodded, his mouth against her neck, one hand stroking down her side and hip, guiding himself, slowly and surely, into her tight warmth.

"Oh God, Violet," he said into her skin, not daring to look at her, feeling too vulnerable to bear any scrutiny. He felt a spike of adrenaline in his veins, born of excitement and shame, but it was a bearable jab to his conscience. She clasped her hands around his arms and the two began to move in tandem. They started slow, getting used to the feel of being joined, learning each other's movements. It felt so good to be with her like this, to hear her pleasure, to wrap himself around her soft body, safeguarding her, protecting her, and he felt an irrational jealousy all of the sudden. He wanted Violet to be his and only his. He had to remind himself once more that it was only sex.

He'd worried about not knowing exactly what to do, but it was all feeling and sensation and an instinct that was hard to ignore. Whispering sweet nothings in her ear, he began to pick up a little speed, thrusting his hips faster and she voiced her encouragement. He made a soft shushing sound, vaguely aware that the overhead light was off now, but could still hear the murmur of other voices in the room.

Violet was trembling, her muscles strung so tight, and he knew she was close. Pulling back slightly, wanting to watch her, he'd momentarily forgotten about the sweet temptation her mouth posed, but she looked enchanting with her dark hair spread under her, and her lips parted as she panted out harsh breaths. She tangled her fingers pleasurably tight into his hair, pulling his face to hers so that his forehead and nose pressed against hers, their mouths brushing enticingly with each of his upward thrusts, her lips saying his name against his lips.

"Klaus…Klaus!" Violet was looking right into his eyes, then her head arched back and her thighs tightened around his waist. He could feel the gentle way her core pulsed around him.

"Are you…okay?" he asked her, out of breath, and not slowing.

Louder than she probably should have, she answered, "Yes, God, don't stop!"

They were both covered in a fine sheen of sweat and Klaus could feel tendrils of perspiration snake their way through his hair and onto his neck, but he liked the way his torso slid across hers, and the way each forward thrust would force a small moan out of Violet's mouth, so he just curled his arms under hers and placed hot, wet kisses across her cheekbone. He held out for only another minute or so before he felt the tingling in his spine that foretold his orgasm. By placing his mouth in the crook of her neck and shoulder, Klaus muffled his groans as he ejected his semen forcefully and pleasurably, his muscles spasming when the sensation became too much.

Everything became still, and he couldn't tell if it was Violet's heart pounding so fast or his own. His breaths were hot and damp over her skin, causing goosebumps to raise on her arms and chest, and she shivered a little. Klaus dreaded the moment when he would have to pull out of the comforting warmth his sister provided. He knew he was squishing her at this point, but tried to atone with soft kisses over her earlobe and down her neck. She was breathing just as heavy as he was, her eyes closed and her cheeks feverishly warm.

Finally, he slowly pulled out his softening penis and the action elicited another aroused moan from Violet. He laid on his side next to her, propped up on an elbow and she turned toward him, draping an arm over his waist and hid her face in his chest. He drew little shapes on her back with the tip of his finger until her breathing softened into a slow, relaxed rhythm.

Before she could fall asleep, he nudged her hip, moving to get under the blanket of their bed. They rearranged themselves around one another again, Klaus laying on his back, his arm comfortably under Violet as she rested her head in the crook of his arm. She idly played with the hair on his stomach. He wasn't looking at her, but could feel her smiling at him.

Finally he laughed quietly, starting to feel self-conscious. "What?" he asked.

"Klaus…" she started with a smile in her voice, making him look at her. "Were you a… I mean, was that your first time?"

What a silly question. When in the world would he have ever been away from her long enough to spend enough time with a girl in order to convince her to have sex with him and be able to keep it all a secret from Violet? It wasn't like there was a line of girls knocking on his door. Most people thought he was already 'with' Violet and that they had two daughters, which was basically true!

"You know that it was," he answered matter-of-factly, then all of a sudden worried that maybe she had done it before with some stranger to him and he felt an acute sense of betrayal. "Have…" God, his voice quavered embarrassingly. He cleared his throat. "Have you done that…before?" He held his breath, bracing himself as he waited for her answer.

She laughed out loud, delighted for some reason unknown to him. "Of course not. When would I have? In between work and picking Beatrice and Sunny up from school?" Violet was greatly amused by this thought. "Besides," she answered with sweet certainty. "I like coming home to you," and she leaned up and gave him a chaste peck on his lips.

He huffed a small laugh from his nose. She leaned up on her arms so she could see him. Her face was earnest now in the darkness of the room. "I guess…I'm just glad that my first time was with you," she whispered this part. "I know it isn't right, per se, but…"

"It feels right," he finished for her. She nodded, reaching out to swipe her fingers across his forehead, pushing his hair back and twirling her finger into one of his curls. She was gazing at him adoringly and he wondered at what she might be feeling. They said no more and she finally laid her head back down and soon she was asleep, their bodies tangled pleasantly together, comfortable.

Just sex? Maybe not.