It had been twelve days since Klaus had found Violet's birthday present while traipsing around the island, alone, alone, alone…well, you get the idea.

It had been twelve hours since Violet officially turned 18 years old.

It would be another four days until an actual goddamn miracle occurs.

Klaus did not feel good about how his apology to Violet went. They had not made up, but at least they had begun to clear the air. She had left the house to do the milking, so it was time for Klaus and Sunny to put their birthday plan into action. They grabbed water to drink, towels and their swimsuits, including Violet's, a bar of their homemade soap, put the baby in the stroller, surrounded her with all their supplies, and left out of the house quickly and quietly. They only stopped long enough to pin a note and a hand drawn map to the door where Violet would see it right away.

Klaus had found, on his isolated wanderings recently, a cave. It was barely a crack at the base of a large stone outcropping and only caught his attention because of the faint smell of sulfur issuing from its entrance. There was barely enough room to enter and one had to walk sort of sideways for a few yards, but then…wow! The narrow passageway opened into a large cavern, but the roof had crumbled in long ago, so shafts of sunlight filtered down over a small lake. The way was rocky, but partially covered with sand, too, making everything less slippery than it could have been. But the best part? Well.

Sunny was a little scared to enter the small passageway once they arrived, and Beatrice had to be carried because the stroller would never fit. Klaus assured both the small children and pushed ahead first, pulling Sunny gently by the hand behind him. She gave a squeal when she saw the lake and was ready to jump right in, but Klaus made her wait and put on her swimsuit. The shore of the small lake sloped down into the water and from what Klaus had explored, most of the water was only up to his waist, but did drop off closer to the far wall of the cavern, where he suspected the water flowed in from.

Violet wasn't too far behind them. Klaus had only just got his own swimsuit on and brought the rest of their few supplies in from the stroller, laying the towels on a flat dry rock, when he heard Violet call from outside the cave entrance.

"Sunny?" Violet voice was getting closer. "Klaus? Are you here?"

Sunny giggled in anticipation and joined her brother and Beatrice by the towels. They watched Violet emerge into the open area of the cavern, her eyes wide and adjusting to the darkness. The look on her face when she saw the lake and the sunshine coming through from far above was pure amazement.

Klaus held his fingers up for Sunny to see, counting silently up to three, when they said together, "Happy Birthday!" Even Beatrice gurgled along with their greeting. Violet swung her head towards them, not having seen them yet. She smiled at them and started making her way over to them, but could hardly take her eyes off the view.

"Happy Birthday, Violet," said Sunny again, hugging her sister as she approached. "I'm so glad you found us!"

"Thank you, Sunny." Violet was genuinely smiling. "I guess I had forgotten all about my birthday."

"Klaus remembered!" Sunny chirped.

"Of course he did," said Violet, looking to her brother, who was smiling hopefully at her. "It's so beautiful," she gestured to the cave at large. "Thank you for sharing it with me."

"It gets better," said Klaus excitedly. "Put your suit on. There's a surprise." Violet changed quickly, turning away from Klaus while he faced away from her.

"Okay, ready?" Klaus asked. Holding Beatrice in one arm, he took Violet's hand with his, leading her carefully to the edge of the water. He bade her wait a few feet from the shore, while he entered the water with Sunny and Beatrice, then turned back to her. "I really want to see your face when you get in."

"Should I be worried?" she asked.

"Come on in," Sunny called loudly in the echoing cavern.

When Violet stepped in up to her ankles, she exclaimed, "Are you serious? It's hot water! Hotter than any bath I've had in such a long time!" The sibling laughed at her response. "Oh my God! I can't believe it. This is the absolute best thing I have ever gotten for my birthday!" When Violet had entered up to her waist, she ducked her whole body down into the water and moaned in pleasure as the hot water enveloped her. "I'm never leaving. Just bring me food once a day. I'm living here from now on."

Sunny pushed herself into Violet's arms and Violet kissed her face all over. "Violet? Do you want me to wash your hair for you?" asked Sunny sweetly. "Klaus brought the soap."

Tears prickled at Violet's eyes. "Yes, please," she answered the little girl. "That would be lovely!" Violet dipped her whole head under the water to get her hair wet and Klaus handed Sunny the soap out of his pocket. After she was done Violet offered to wash the little girl's hair in return.

"Sunny, your hair is getting so long. I think I'll have to teach you how to braid tonight. Would you like that?" Violet asked as she leaned the small girl's head back to rinse it. Sunny nodded, keeping her eyes and mouth closed tight to keep the soap out. "It takes practice, but it isn't too hard," she said, pulling Sunny up out of the water and wiping the remaining suds from her face. "I think," she whispered conspiratorially to her little sister, "that Klaus might like to have his hair washed. What do you think?"

"Yes! Klaus, do you want me to wash your hair, too?" Sunny asked laughing. Violet took Beatrice from his arms, so he, too, could duck down deeper into the water.

"Goodness, I thought you'd never ask!" he said teasing. They had a lovely time, with Violet exclaiming every so often about the wonderfulness of the warm water and the beauty of it all. They had only ever washed in the ocean or the small tub in their house since they had been here, so this was quite the amenity that Klaus had discovered.

All too soon, Beatrice began to fuss and everyone began to get hungry, so they headed home together. The whole trip was probably a fifteen minute walk, so the family vowed to come here as often as possible.

That evening, after the girls were tucked into their beds, Klaus asked Violet to come with him for a walk. She looked like she might refuse.

"Please, Violet," he said holding out his hand. "Just so we can talk. I can't bear this…this distance between us. I'll do anything to fix it. Please?"

She nodded, taking his hand, and he led her down their familiar trail to the beach. Klaus spoke first. "Fighting is exhausting, when all I want to do instead is to curl up into your body. I want you to wrap your arms around me and make me feel like this is home like you always do."

She stayed silent, looking out at the ocean instead of at him as they walked slowly down the shore.

"I know it's my own fault," he continued. "I made a huge mistake, one that cost us dearly. I couldn't be more sorry, Violet. I don't know what to do to make it right between us. I sincerely thought I was doing what was best, I did. You're right," he said, stopping them and facing her, "I should've trusted you, should've at least talked to you about it." There was a long pause and he followed her gaze to watch the moonlight glint off of the shallow waves. "I don't expect you to love me, not like you did, anyway, not after how I've treated you, but if you could forgive me, please, and I could at least have my sister back."

"Is that all you want, Klaus? Just to have your sister back?" she asked, genuinely interested in his answer and he felt like there was a right or wrong answer, and he wanted to answer it right.

"I want you, Violet. I want everything you're willing to give me. I don't deserve it, but that doesn't stop me from wanting you to love me." He ran his hands over her upper arms, and she was looking at him still. "Nothing in this world feels better than being with you. I want to feel your hands, and your body, and," he rubbed his thumb across her lip, "your mouth against my skin."

"You have to promise me."

"I do," Klaus said quickly, with a huge smile of relief. "I promise I'll never leave you again. I promise."

"Well, kiss me then, Klaus. It is my birthday."

He brushed a lock of windswept hair behind her ear. "Are you sure, Violet?"

"I've already told you that my heart belongs to you. That won't change. I think you are…my everything, so yes, please kiss me," she said, her words sounding so sweet to Klaus.

"I love you so much," he said, leaning down to her, holding her chin, pulling her face up to his, to kiss her, to take her in, filling himself up, filling up all of the holes he had punched into his own chest.

Way before Klaus was ready, she pulled away, gently saying, "Klaus, let's go back up to the house." And there was its own sort of promise in her tone.

Violet checked on the girls when they got home and turned out most of the lights in the house while Klaus watched her, disbelieving what a lucky boy he was and feeling so much more than sorry that he had ever been the cause of Violet's pain. When she joined him in the doorway to their room, he barred her way. "I never want to sleep apart from you again," he said with more emotion than he had meant to.

"Okay," she said simply, taking his hand from the door frame and leading him into the darkened room, turning on the small bedside lamp. "I would like to have a talk with you…about sex. I know you are intelligent and well-read. I don't know if our parents ever had a chance to talk with you about the birds and the bees," she said with a small smile and a chuckle, "but, and I may be being presumptuous here, we need to come up with a plan."

"Oh God," Klaus said in an exaggerated manner, running his hands through his hair. "I don't know if it's worse hearing about it from you or Father?."

"Okay, so you obviously already know the mechanics of sex," she said, sitting down crosslegged on the bed with her back against the wall. "How much do you know about ovulation?"

"Well," said Klaus, going into information mode, "ovulation occurs when eggs are released from the female's ovaries into the fallopian tubes to await fertilization by a male sperm. If it is fertilized it will travel into the uterus where it embeds into a thick layer of endometrium. If it is not fertilized the uterus sheds its lining along with blood."

"Very thorough," she said with another small laugh. "The egg is only fertile for 24-48 hours, but we can't know exactly when ovulation occurs, right, so we have to play it safe. By tracking my menstrual cycle, I can use a formula that will tell me when it would be unwise to have sex, of course to avoid pregnancy, and when it should be safe. There is a downside to the safe days." Klaus raised his eyebrows for her to continue. "A lot of the safe days are when I am actually experiencing my period, but a few before and after, also."

"Is having sex during your period a bad thing? Does it hurt?"

"No, it actually is a good thing, because orgasms help with cramps, and libido can be pretty high during that time. No, it's just… it can be messy, if you see what I mean," Violet said, trying not to sound too uncomfortable with the subject.

Klaus nodded as if he did understand.

"We just have to plan ahead with the calendar. I've already marked the next two months," she said, showing him a piece of paper that she had folded in the book 'Conception and Birth' that lay on the nightstand. He was disappointed to note that today's date, Violet's birthday, was marked unsafe. It must have shown on his face, too, because Violet's voice changed to the one he was starting to consider her naughty voice. It actually didn't sound naughty. It sounded sweet and sincere, but led to sinful things, and there was this little amused smirk that played around her lips, because she knew she was teasing him. She patted the bed beside her, so he sat down next to her, his back also against the wall. Violet brushed her lips gently across his jaw to whisper in his ear. "There's lots of different ways to have sex, Klaus," and her naughty voice sent a pulse of heat straight to his groin. "Would you like me to show you one?"

Klaus let out a shuddering breath. He wanted to play it cool, but yes, he wanted that a lot. He managed a quick nod, "Yes, I think I would like that." He felt good about leaving off the 'a lot' part.

"Hmmm," Violet hummed around his earlobe, sucking it briefly into her mouth before moving down the column of his neck and kissing along his collarbone as she unbuttoned his shirt. "Want to lay down?" she suggested, murmuring her words across his chest. He would do whatever she wanted. He was feeling so grateful, so grateful, for this lovely girl who had forgiven him, who wanted him in her bed.

When he moved to lay his head on the pillow, she lifted her lips from his skin and he captured them with his mouth, then whispered against them, "I don't deserve you." Violet reached into his shirt to rub her cool hands down his sides and back, pushing him to lay down.

Leaning over him now, she gave him a heated kiss before saying, "I think we've punished each other enough. Let's try to leave that behind us now." Like he said, he didn't deserve her. Violet was moving down the center of his body, dragging her tongue and lips until she reached his belly button. She swirled her tongue around it, rubbing her palms on the hard bones of his hips, then popping the button on his pants and unzipping them, pulling them down, boxers and all, until she could throw them over the side of the bed onto the floor. Klaus felt exposed as she knelt between his bent legs, running her hands up and down his thighs, then scratching her fingertips through his pubic hair at the base of his erection and softly cupping his scrotum. He was watching her and she held his gaze for a moment as she bent over him to take his penis into her mouth. At first, she sort of sucked on the end of it, but she bobbed her head lower, little by little, until he disappeared into her mouth.

"Holy shit," he said under his breath. He didn't usually approve of using curse words, but sometimes there just wasn't anything else left to say, because somehow, he hadn't thought of this. The feel of her tongue and lips against him, hot and slick with saliva, soon had his whole body trembling, sweat pouring from the back of his knees, and it was too slow and so good. His hands were clenched around the rails of the headboard behind him in an effort not to tangle his hands in her hair and force her to go faster. He whispered her name over and over again, getting louder as the minutes passed, until it was a warning, until he was coming. There was that silent moment just before, when he couldn't even breathe, only felt his body winding up just to fly apart, then, "Oh God, Violet!" He wanted to see her, but couldn't tear his eyes open, couldn't even lift his head. When she pulled her mouth off of him it was exquisite torture, and he pushed his palms into his eyes, trying to regain control of his body and his breathing. He let his knees fall open bonelessly, no longer self-conscious about his modesty.

Klaus felt the bed dip down when Violet propped herself up on her elbow beside him. She reached inside his shirt again to pull at the soft hair on his chest, and her hand wasn't cool anymore. She was just as hot and worked up as he was, her forehead was damp with sweat, but she still had that soapy sulphur smell from her bath in the hot water lake this afternoon. "Well, I guess you liked that?" she asked, knowing full well that what she had done to him had blown his mind. He found his still couldn't speak, or at least didn't think his mind was coherent enough to form sentences that didn't involve lyrics from sappy love songs or more curse words.

He finally felt able to open his eyes, and he found her smiling down at him, and he couldn't help it, he had to smile back, and he felt so happy and still so relieved, that he began to laugh, making her laugh, and then they were kissing and kissing.

"Happy Birthday," he said gently, stroking her hair when she finally settled onto the pillow, her eyelids now heavy with sleepiness.

"Hmmm," she agreed sleepily.

"You know, earlier this week, I was worried about you being older than me," he admitted.

"What? Why? I'm always older than you."

"I know. I know that, it just seems like, and especially now that you're 18, that you are all grown up and I'm still just a kid."

"I don't feel very grown up," she started, "yet sometimes it does feel like we've had to leave childhood behind. We're the mother and father now. I hate that you have to have so much responsibility Klaus, but I don't think I could manage without you."

"Age is just a number, I guess," Klaus said, kissing Violet's temple. "Right now, I think I can honestly say, I would be wholly content to stay here on this island and just grow old with you. When you're 100 years old then I'll only be 98."

Violet huffed a laugh through her nose. "And then we'll remember the good ol' days, when you were still 16 and handsome, when you had all your hair and teeth."

"Oh, you think I'm handsome?" he teased.

She didn't answer him, only asked, "Do you think you'll still be ticklish when you're 98?" Then she dug her fingers into his ribs, which had always been his worst tickle spot. He writhed in the bed to get away from her, trying to laugh quietly, but there wasn't anywhere to go, and she only relented after he begged her. "Now, go to sleep," Violet said quietly, and she pulled her body into his back, wrapping her arm around him, placing a kiss between his shoulder blades. He pulled the blanket back up around them, and held her hand as they fell asleep.