A/N: Shoutout to the awesome Guest and Zevoros for reviewing! You rock, my friends! ;) \m/

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Guest ––– Yes, it has. I work road construction so I'm away from home practically all summer. Otherwise, this would be far more caught up. That, and I've been in a really big Into the Fire mood lately, so that's also why. But I ain't forgot about this story, so don't worry. I will finish it ;) And yes, she has become the only dish she could cook, ironically. Lol XD

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Yes, things are only going to get worse from here on out. And yes, that does seem to be a recurring theme in my stories: Violet dying. Into the Fire was the other one she died in. Lol XD

Zevoros ––– Aww, thanks, my friend. I'm flattered ^_^ Maybe she still is essential, maybe she's not. Let's find out ;) No, they didn't mention Sunny or Beatrice. I think it's because they're still too young to officially be on V.F.D. business? I never really thought about them for this story to be honest. :( But, I'll figure something out. I think it's going to be for the reason above, now that I think about it.

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Yeah! Kladora or DIE, baby! XD \m/ No, actually, they're all still up there. None were deleted. But remember, just because their names aren't in brackets doesn't mean it can't go somewhere ;) I mostly did that for suspense, to better my writing skills. Will they, won't they? Because what fun would it be in the longrun if you knew how it was going to end? Nobody would read it and truly respect it, and frankly, even I would get bored with it, and I fucking love those two. They're my OTP. I like to have my heartstrings pulled. Make me feel something, if you will. And that's my goal with my stories: to make people feel something, truly feel something. People won't respect what doesn't make them feel. So long story short, if her name is in the description, or one of the "main" four characters at the bottom, check it out. See where it goes. ;)

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Disclaimer: Me no own ASOUE. If I did, I wouldn't be here. ;)

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Chapter 5
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Quigley stared out his dorm window, his face just as lifeless as his wife's. He was no longer hungry, and Tadrey had canceled the meeting upon hearing of the accident. Instead, he'd filled the time allotted for the meeting with a funeral for those lost, and since there was no way of getting back to the V.F.D. Headquarters, they were stranded until they could call for another ride back, which was what Tadrey was doing now.

How long had he been staring out his window? Ever since he'd gotten back to Maidenly Manor, yes, but that felt like an eternity ago. His thoughts drifted to the Mortmain Mountains, the very place he'd met Violet. There they were, enduring the snow scouts' ridiculous pledge in that dark, cold cave. They they were, in the Valley of Four Drafts, amongst the ruins of the old V.F.D. Headquarters, when he'd seen her angelic face for the first time. They they were, resting from their climb up to Mount Fraught on that small, icy ledge, marveling the view of the hinterlands in the distance.

…Well, she was anyway. He'd been marveling the sight of her next to him. How could someone be so beautiful and so kind at the same time? It was almost too good to be true. Especially with what happened next. Before he knew it, their lips were locked and their fate was sealed with that first kiss. But, as fate would also have it, they were separated by the Stricken Stream shortly after their encounter with Count Olaf at the top, and he was forced to endure a year of unbelievable atrocities aboard The Great Unknown. But right before he thought he'd never see her again, she'd rescued him, and they'd been inseparable ever since.

Despite V.F.D. consuming most of their lives, they'd found time between missions to hang out, get to know each other better. And when they'd both come of age, he slipped that ring on her finger without hesitation, knowing without a doubt she was the one. Mrs. Quigley Quagmire, his pride and joy, the mother of his children, the one he'd spend the rest of his life with.

…And now she was gone.

Quigley broke down, banging his fist harshly against the glass. To his surprise, with as hard as he'd banged the window, it didn't break. His future, however, did. It was shattered right before him when he'd laid eyes on Violet's remains. There was no reason to live anymore. He had nothing to live for. And Duncan and Isadora? They could take care of themselves. They didn't need his help. His parents were ripped away, his home was ripped away, his life was ripped away…

…And now his wife and child were ripped away.

Quigley's eyes flashed open, possessed by that demonic gleam again, his teeth bared like a rabid animal. Suddenly, with a loud, outraged cry, he began tearing his room apart, destroying anything and everything he could get his hands on. Why should anything, or anyone for that matter, still be intact if his life wasn't? It wasn't fair! No one deserved to be tortured like this day in and day out. And it was all because of this damn organization. It'd brought nothing but hell on him. The heavens were going to pay for what they put him through. Today was a new day, and everyone was going to know it.

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Klaus shook his head, unable to believe his eyes. There Violet was, her grisly remains lying inside one of the many beautiful mahogany caskets. Everyone was in attendance, except for Quigley, surprisingly. He would've thought he'd at least come to pay his respects. But then again, his brother-in-law was probably still recovering from the agonizing sights, smells, and sounds he'd encountered on the landing strip. He didn't blame him. In fact, it was traumatizing just looking at his sister's remains in a much more glamorous environment, he couldn't imagine what Quigley was going through. And for that, he forgave him.

"I can't believe she's gone," Isadora said quietly, shaking her head, just as shocked as the others.

"Me neither," Fiona agreed.

"I wonder what happened," Katey mused. "Like, what caused it to blow up? Did somebody hook up the wrong wire to something?"

Everybody looked at her. "What're you saying?" Isadora peered at her suspiciously.

"I mean, was it an accident? Or was it an "accident"?" Katey clarified, air-quoting the last word with a scowl at Fiona.

"Are you accusing me?" Fiona inquired with a glare.

Before more caskets were needed for the ceremony, Klaus weaved a hand in between them and cut in front of his beloved. "Are you saying my sister was murdered?" he whispered, his heart tensing, staring at Katey seriously.

"I don't know," Katey admitted with a shrug. "I'm just wondering what happened."

"Why else would you say it then?" Fiona snarled. "Guilty conscious maybe?"

"I didn't do anything," Katey said firmly. "And now that I think about it, it couldn't have been murder because our enemies don't know where Ebullient Isle is."

"So it was an accident," Duncan said, praying that murder wasn't in the equation this time. He'd seen too much of it in this past decade. He didn't want to see any more, especially if it involved the girl of his dreams.

"Must've been," Katey said, then gave Fiona another accusatory scowl.

"You are accusing me!" Fiona cried, her eyes narrowing, her hands balling into fists.

"I am not!" Katey shot back.

"Alright, enough!" Klaus said with a stern look at both of them. "We're gonna find out what happened, alright? Everybody's innocent until we find the cause. Now stop fighting and be nice, you two!"

Fiona and Katey glared at each other one last time before the chapel doors flung open and Tadrey walked up the aisle to them. "I'm so sorry about your sister, Klaus," he said softly, his eyes filled with empathy. "And I'm afraid I have more bad news."

Everyone looked at each other, puzzled. "What do you mean?" Klaus said.

"I can't get ahold of HQ," Tadrey explained. "The phones and telegraph machines aren't working. Then again, they are very old, I think that's why. And since all of our gearheads went down to the landing strip to fix the plane, everyone who has expertise in mechanics is dead. Nobody here can fix the phones for us to get ahold of someone to get us off the island. We're stranded."

Dread crept in. They were trapped out here? That couldn't be… "We're…we're stranded?" Duncan gasped, his eyes widening in horror. This day just keeps getting better.

Tadrey nodded slowly, unable to believe it himself. "I knew I should've asked Todd to give my phones a checkup before going out there to fix it," he said with a flinch. "…But, don't worry. We'll figure something out," he added optimistically. "Until then, enjoy your stay." With a final remorseful smile, he turned and walked over to some volunteers weeping in the back pews.

Fiona shook her head, her blood boiling. First she couldn't find any reishi to study, then Katey accuses her of an absolutely ridiculous act, and now they were stranded on Ebullient Isle until further notice. Just when her luck couldn't get any worse. "I'll be in our room," she said to Klaus. "Gonna see if I can make something out of the mushrooms I found." She headed out of the chapel before she could add Katey to the body count.

"I'll be in my room, too," Katey said. "See you later." With that, she pinched Klaus's cheek with a wink, and strutted after her.

"I'll be in mine if you need me," Duncan grunted. "I need a moment." He shoved his hands in his pockets and followed Katey.

Klaus watched them walk out, shaking his head. Between his sister's death and being trapped out in the middle of the ocean, he didn't know what to feel. Sunny and Beatrice had to be worried about him. Yes, they had each other, but it wasn't the same. And what would they say if he came back without Violet? How could he break the news to them? He wasn't ready to be the oldest. He didn't know how Violet did it. What if he failed? Or worse, what if something happened to one of them? How could he live with that?

"Hey," a soothing voice said, followed by his left shoulder being rubbed.

Klaus looked to find Isadora looking up at him, trying to console him no doubt, but at a loss of what to say. "Everything will be alright," she said finally. "I promise."

Klaus forced a halfhearted smile. He didn't feel like smiling, or feeling in general for that matter, but he had to reward her efforts for trying to cheer him up. "Thanks, Isadora," he said quietly.

Isadora smiled, but after a moment, he realized hers almost seemed forced too. Something was eating away at her, he could feel it.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Something's bothering you."

Isadora was quiet. "Violet," she said sadly after a moment, and he needed no clarification. The two were practically sisters. No doubt she was feeling this as deeply as he was.

Klaus nodded in understanding. He thought hard for a moment, sensing that there was more to her discomfort. And knowing her, he had an idea of what it was. "I'm sorry about all that."

Isadora looked at him. "Sorry about what?" she asked.

"Y'know…" Klaus shifted nervously, his hands now in his pockets. "That."

Isadora stiffened. Already, she could feel the wound she tried so hard to patch up ripping open again. "It's fine," she answered sweetly.

"Really. I am," Klaus looked at her seriously.

"Don't worry about it," Isadora said, smiling. "Water under the bridge."

Klaus smiled crookedly. She took things like a champ, too. So loving, so understanding… He felt so guilty for doing that to her. But, he had to. There was no choice. It had to be. He loved her so much that he wanted for her to be happy, and only by doing this could they both be happy.

"I'll, uh, be in my room if you need me," Klaus said, then headed over to the casket to give his sister one last hug.

"Likewise," Isadora said, watching him. Before long, Klaus stopped hugging what remained of his sister and walked down the aisle. But before she followed him, she walked over to the casket to say one final farewell to Violet. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she bent down to hug the rigid, cold remains as best as she could. She couldn't believe this was goodbye. The only sister she had, other than Sunny and Beatrice, was gone. The one she'd talk to about almost everything that she just couldn't talk about with her brothers? She'd have to find someone else, because those days were over. She didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like she'd been hugging Violet forever, and before she knew it, Klaus was pulling her up from his sister's remains and leading her down the aisle briskly, as if he were late for something.

Unfortunately, both of their rooms were in the same wing, and it was highly unlikely he'd take a different route than her to get there. So Isadora took a deep breath and packed it all away. She didn't know why this was still bothering her. It was months ago that this happened. Why she was still dwelling on it was beyond her. They walked side-by-side in silence, observing the manor's elegance, when after quite a walk, something caught Isadora's eye. Immediately, she stopped and stared at a rather peculiar sight.

Realizing she wasn't next to him, Klaus looked around at her, curious as to what she was doing. "Isadora? You coming?" he asked.

"Hold on," Isadora held up a finger, then walked over to what appeared to be a utility room of sorts. The door was opened just a crack, and when she examined it further, she saw that the doorknob was gone. Judging by some deep dents and some scrapes in the door frame, it was also removed by force. "Odd…" she uttered.

"What?" Klaus walked over to her to see what had her spellbound.

Isadora looked up at him, concerned. "Look." She pointed at what she'd discovered.

Klaus examined the door closely. "Looks like someone wanted in," he chuckled, but he knew this was no laughing matter. Tadrey took very good care of his mansion, even the most minute of things. He highly doubted the young master was crazy enough to break into one of his own rooms if he had a key for every lock in the place. "No, that is odd. Let's check it out." He pushed the door open and walked inside the dark room.

"I got a bad feeling about this…" Isadora said nervously, but followed close behind him.

Thanks to the glow of multiple big computer screens on the wall in front of them, Klaus and Isadora realized that the room they were in was actually a control room. All different types of consoles and cables were all over the place, and to their surprise, none of them looked like they'd been disturbed in any way. There were no signs of destruction anywhere.

"It looks just fine," Klaus reported, baffled.

"Then why is the knob gone?" Isadora wondered. "If Tadrey wanted a new one, he'd have removed the whole thing, not just the knob. And even if he did get locked out, it isn't like him to just wreck things. He'd have found another way in without destroying it."

"But the plane exploding was an emergency," Klaus said, looking down at her. "He had to get ahold of somebody. If not to get us off the island, then at least for medical help."

Isadora shook her head. "Tadrey would've at least used his keys," she pointed out. "He's not a brute."

Klaus mulled over her explanation. "Let's look around," he suggested.

They began looking all over the place for any sign of clues. This continued for the better part of the next five minutes, then finally, Isadora threw in the towel. "Klaus, I don't see anything," she sighed, dismayed. "Maybe it was just…Quigley being stupid with his pranks. He's pulled some dumb ones, back before our parents died. And since nothing in here is damaged, it's bound to be him. Right when Duncan and I sat down for dinner, he came in late saying that his prank took him longer than he thought. And breaking a doorknob off does take some time, so I've heard."

"No, there's damage," Klaus confirmed from under a console.

Isadora looked around at him, puzzled. "There is?" She walked over to him.

"Look," Klaus glanced over his shoulder at her.

Isadora got down on her knees and crawled under the console.

Klaus held up a wire for her to see. "What do you notice about this?" he quizzed.

Isadora squinted in the darkness. "Um…it's a wire," she said, her eyebrows rising incredulously, surprised he didn't know what it was.

"Well, duh," Klaus chuckled. "No, I mean look." He pointed at the end of it.

Isadora squinted harder. "Where's the plug?"

"In the socket," Klaus said simply.

Isadora stared at the wire for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Somebody cut it," she whispered, shocked.

Klaus nodded slowly with a triumphant smile.

"Well, what's it go to?"

"I don't know," Klaus admitted. "Let's find out." He began tugging lightly, following where the wire was snaking. In no time, he had his answer. The wire was connected to a lone black phone base up on top of the console. Klaus and Isadora shared an uneasy look.

"Sabotage," Isadora concluded, her heart tensing.

"Indeed," Klaus agreed.

"But, how did our enemies find us here? How did they sneak in past everybody? Everybody's quick to see through a disguise here."

Klaus shook his head. "I don't think it was our enemies. We would've noticed them by now if it was."

Isadora tipped her head. "If it wasn't them, then who was it?"

Klaus looked at her. Though his face was rock solid, his eyes were filled with panic. "One of our own doesn't want us to leave."