Hello everyone! Yeah I know what you are all probably thinking, I promised to update soon and it has been what…a month, two? I'm terribly sorry about it. First of all, came the author's block, then my play's presentation, and final projects school work author shoots herself, luckily for me and my incredible smarts (not as incredible is more like it), I'm finally done with school and WELCOME SUMMER VACATIONS! dances you know what that means, luckily, faster UPDATES! GO ME! I had meant to update last week, but I had no time considering I was leaving to a family trip, which was completely amazing btw and gave me time to watch the ASOUE movie quite a few times, heh, actually, I've just returned and finally found time to update. Go me! -crowd cheer- -author bows-
Now, I will start a kind of music recommendation, I can't help it music is a lot of inspiration for me and just wanted to recommend to songs, in a way related to story at least to me. I love it when authors recommend songs, so I just thought I might do the same. For this chapter, I found an eerie similarity to the song Walk Away (Maybe) - Good Charlotte and another song I should have recommended earlier is Broken hearts and Concrete floors –Dashboard Confessional when you listen to it you'll know what I mean. I didn't notice the sticking resemblance until a while ago, and it's the main reason I'm having this thing.
I would like to thank: Nightlark, ASOUE lover, Angelwoman-13 and Dizzy Izzy who reviewed! I'm really grateful guys, I love you! This quite long chapter is for you all! I really hope you like this chapter since, in my personal opinion, is the best yet and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Now with the disclaimer,
Disclaimer: Egocentric theorem doesn't owns anything related to ASOUE, it belongs to Daniel Handler/Lemony Snicket; I wish I did though. However, I do own the plot and any random character there might appear.
Summary: Even though Olaf is long to be gone, and the Quagmires and Baudelaires are far from little children, life has not been easy for them. Slowly struggling through everyday and learning to live; secrets, tragedies and lies surround this pair of siblings. Could things be any different? Slightly AU R&R
Let the drama begin,
Fic time!
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VERACITY FOR ALL DEEDS
Adversity: (n) 1) a state of misfortune or affliction. 2) (n) a stroke of ill fortune; a calamitous event, hardship
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The man groaned in pain, Violet gasped, she recognized the person too well.
"Duncan!" she exclaimed half-surprised and half-relieved, still on top of him; just a small gap between them, granted by the support Violet's arms provided.
"Hey to you too," Duncan replied with a faint, painful smile; Violet stood up promptly and knelt beside him. A sudden sparkle of happiness spread quickly through her body. He is alive!
"I'm so glad you're okay," she said in a high-pitched voice so unlike her own, getting emotional. With that, she moved forward and embraced him in a tight bear hug. Warmth spread through Duncan's body, he couldn't be happier. For a slight fraction of seconds, the pain was gone, almost as if time had stopped itself and everything was right once again…just almost.
"What's going on?" Quigley inquired everyone behind him. The sight of a stranger hugging his girlfriend did not seem about right, not right at all. Violet turned with a radiant smile, giving them time to see who the man behind her was. There stood Duncan Quagmire, in bone and flesh.
"Duncan!" Isadora was quick to react and lunged herself at her brother, embracing him in an even tighter hug. Duncan tried his best not to flinch; the pain was killing him, turning unbearable every passing second.
"We're so happy you're safe," Klaus commented, grinning like a maniac. Isadora released him.
"We thought you were—
"DEAD," Sunny's fearful voice finished Fiona's sentence, her eyes beginning to water again; she was quick to wipe them away, replacing them with what she tried to pass as a smile.
"Well, as you can see, I'm good," Duncan replied, getting short of breath soon afterwards after the short mention, still oblivious to Fiona's stance. He was extremely fatigued, he felt like lying there in the ground and rest in peace.
"Let me help you mate," Quigley said offering his brother a hand, smiling broadly. Duncan took it gratefully, falling to the floor instantly after. The pain was a little too much to take in; his left arm was burning as if being still on fire, his right leg soaking in red blood.
"Oh my god Duncan, you're bleeding!" Violet exclaimed in horror taking in Duncan's appearance, it was atrocious. Quigley and Klaus moved forward and grabbed him from each of his arms, giving him support, he could barely walk. Duncan flinched in pain again.
"I burnt my left arm," he told Klaus gently, closing his eyes trying not to think how much it hurt or how exhaustive walking turned to be. Klaus lightened his hold on him.
"Duncan what happened?" Isadora asked, looking at him concerned, walking beside Klaus. Duncan flipped his eyes open exalted as if waking up from a terrible nightmare. They were just a few meters away from the house. His eyesight was getting blurry; his body was feeling heavier…his mind was drifting into sleep.
"It's a long story," he said softly, using the last bit of the energy he had, almost falling to the ground face first if it hasn't been for Klaus' and Quigley's firm hold on him.
"DUNCAN!" Violet yelped in fright.
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Klaus and Quigley entered a spacious and a vastly decorated room. It had a pair of beautiful single beds and almost as much as books as Klaus's personal library, but not quite it. Most of them being biographies, and some spare encyclopedias. Being the journalist, he was; Duncan needed to know all about he was writing about.
Klaus and Quigley placed Duncan on his bed carefully, staining some of its clean sheets with dark red blood, his right leg still bleeding slightly.
"What do we do?" Quigley asked alarmed, looking at Klaus expectant. After all, he was the researcher here, and they needed fast thinking. Klaus was quick to check for his pulse, and sighed in relief.
"His pulse is perfectly fine," Klaus said while examining the cut closely, ripping Duncan's pants apart. "There might be a hemorrhage in his right leg though; the cut seems to be profound enough to have a perforated blood vessel. We should stop the bleeding as quickly as possible, we should impede him from suffering anymore blood loss," Klaus finished withdrawing his eyes from the injured part.
Everyone nodded slowly, still not completely certain of what they were supposed to do. Sunny looked at the cut with fear. Blood. She thought and squirmed.
"Ummm…Violet grab a sheet from that bed, cut it if necessary, and wrap it tightly around his leg, where the cut is located , that will stop the blood from coming out," Fiona said hurriedly, taking in charge of the grave situation, giving Klaus a sideways smile. Isadora tensed in her spot. Violet nodded and promptly followed her instructions without hesitation. Duncan grunted unconsciously in his sleep, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"What about the burn?" Quigley asked Klaus again, stealing a downward glance at his unconscious brother, gulping at his suffering state.
"We should probably use cold water—
"We should flush the burn with cool running water or apply cold-water compresses, a wet towel or a handkerchief will do well." Fiona said, interrupting Klaus hesitantly. Isadora shot her a dead glare. Fiona turned to Klaus for confirmation, ignoring her. He fidgeted under her gaze and nodded.
"Exactly, that will lessen the pain," he confirmed. Isadora grimaced, and made her way out of the room for water. The fact that she hated the will not impede her from saving her brother's life, she loved him too much.
"Don't bring ice or ice water, Izzy; it can cause more damage to the burnt area," Klaus mentioned to her before she reached the door handle. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her ranging temper, and restraining herself from slamming the door. Think about Duncan. She repeated to herself, before leaving the room.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Sunny asked in a very little voice to her brother, her eyes shinning with tears. Klaus smiled slightly.
"No Sunny, I think everything is okay," Klaus said gently, wiping his sister's warm tears from her eyes. Sunny sniffed and looked at Duncan sadly.
"You know what Sunny, why don't you bring Duncan an extra pillow, I'm pretty sure he would like that," Fiona said kindly, Sunny smiled at her and nodded weakly, going for the other bed's pillow and attempting to place it under Duncan's head, trying to make him comfortable. Klaus looked at Fiona and smiled.
"Okay, I think the hemorrhage is controlled, shouldn't we –
"Call a doctor," Quigley finished for Violet, nodding in agreement. Isadora arrived a bucket full of water and a small towel in hand, her face growing blank dropping the bucket instantly at the scene; the bucket collapsing on the wooden floor safely, drawing everyone's attention to her. Klaus looked away instantly.
"Sorry," Isadora replied weakly looking at the floor dismissively. Taking the bucket and towel with her, and she departed to her brother and began nursing his burn, flinching at the sight. The arm was bright read and swollen. The skin was slightly blotchy and with some small blisters on his forearm, which was the region affected. The skin was vaguely wet. Isadora proceeded to clean her brother, avoiding any eye contact with Klaus and staring at Fiona expressionless from the corner of her eye.
"I know a doctor," Fiona managed to say afterwards under Isadora's uncomfortable stare. Isadora's face contracted into a frown and opened her mouth to speak.
"Isadora, don't, it's not time for your temper tantrums," Quigley said off-handedly. Isadora sighed in defeat, concentrating on nursing Duncan's burn, but not before sending Fiona another dirty look.
"Here call the doctor, quick," Quigley said, almost demanding, handing her his cell phone. Fiona took it uncertain and dialed the number quickly. Violet bit her lip and Sunny looked at Duncan concerned.
"Dr. Schmidt?" Fiona asked shyly.
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Duncan opened his eyes warily; his head was spinning so madly it was getting him dizzy. Duncan tilted his head with little work to one side, to be greeted by the only person that could brighten his day just by flashing a smile, opening her mouth, or even saying his name.
"Hello Violet," his voice croaked, he felt as if he hadn't used his voice a long time ago. His curt lips curled into a small smile.
"I see you're better," she mentioned giving him a sweet and caring smile. Duncan's insides melted, warmth spreading quickly through his body slowly.
"Yeah," was all Duncan was able to articulate, finding his throat uncharacteristically sore.
"You were off almost a complete day, you got …us worried bad," she said gently, looking at him rest comfortably in the bed. It was her turn of the day to watch Duncan over. He tried to clear his throat roughly, making a very scratchy noise. At this Violet quickly reached over the counter and handed him a glass of fresh water. Duncan drank it thirstily, enjoying the prickling sensation it occasioned in his damaged throat.
"The doctor said, you would find your throat sore for a while, and that you need to drink a lot of liquids to recuperate all of what you've lost," She said while watching him eagerly finish his glass of water.
"How bad am I?" he asked off handedly, his voice renewed, handing her the empty glass back. Violet placed it carefully on top of the counter.
"He said you have a minor second degree burn in your left arm and a pretty ugly cut in your right leg, but nothing that cannot be healed with time, he said you were lucky that you didn't suffered any internal burns," Violet answered with a serious tone. Duncan restrained himself from smiling.
"Well you know me, I'm always lucky," Duncan said proudly, puffing his chest lightly in his position groaning instantly. Violet laughed whole heartedly.
"We're just glad you're alright," she said vaguely. "I don't know what I would have done if something happed to you," she added quietly as an afterthought, and patted Duncan's right hand absentmindedly. He melted at her touch, and almost blushed; his heart beating furiously in his chest.
"We're going to take care of you," she said soon afterwards, taking a bowl of oatmeal from the track of food which lay on top of this bedroom counter. Duncan expected to be handed this, and was quite taken aback when Violet said.
"Open your mouth," she ordered patiently; as an understanding mother would order her small child, remembering how her mother used to feed her every time she was sick. Duncan chuckled to himself.
"I can feed myself Vi," he said almost reluctant. The thought of Violet feeding him was quite appealing but he refused hard against it. It would have been unfair. Violet handed him the oatmeal bowl with no further delay and smiled broadly.
Duncan accepted the bowl almost too happily and almost flinched when the weight resented against his left arm, but decided against it. He had to be strong.
"Are you okay?" Violet asked with concern, having noticed Duncan's strange behavior. "The doctor ordered to call for any further complications," she added softly, scrutinizing Duncan closely. He nodded before taking a spoonful of oatmeal.
"It's delicious," Duncan mentioned after a brief pause, oatmeal tasting heavenly in his mouth. He couldn't tell if it was because of the meal itself was delicious or the inclination he had for the cook.
Violet blushed lightly, "I'm not much of a cook, I mean it's only oatmeal; I normally leave cooking skills to Sunny," she said discreetly, sitting on a vacant chair beside his bed.
"You're wonderful Violet," Duncan blurted, his breath caught up in his throat after the declaration. He couldn't help himself, it was the truth. Violet looked at him quite startled at such a revelation. Duncan avoided her eye.
"Err…thanks," she said uncertainly, "You know what Duncan; you finish that oatmeal and sleep for a few hours, okay?" Violet said with delicacy, feeling the urge to leave for reasons she couldn't get herself to fully understand or acknowledged.
"Okay," Duncan replied softly, smiling shortly to himself, "would you be here when I wake up?" he asked innocently almost sounding as a child. Violet smiled warmly standing from her seat.
"I promise," she said before leaving the room quietly, Duncan drifting silently into a peaceful sleep, the oatmeal bowl forgotten beside him.
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Isadora sighed, closing her poetry book with a thud, she wasn't sure how long she had been trying to read or at least pretending to, in attempt of distracting herself from the current happenings, or for how long she had tried to convince herself she wasn't looking at the window every now and then, to convince herself she wasn't thinking about him.
Things have gone too wacky lately, for her to be able to concentrate in her book properly. First of all, a psycho 'supposedly ex-villain' shows up out of nowhere to steal Klaus away and tell them that her brother was supposed to be death. Then her 'presumably dead' brother shows out of the blue, bruised and bleeding. What more can destiny have stored for her? She couldn't tell. Weeks ago, she might have found a new situation thrilling, but now it was distressing and unnerving. What made it worst, Fiona of course. That liar.
How she managed to fool Klaus, Sunny, Violet and her own brother was unknown to her. Her disliking of Fiona turned back, years ago, when she tried to kill her brothers, Hector and herself while being on the self sustaining hot air mobile that followed a long list of evil deeds performed by the schism. She couldn't be expected not to think ill, of such an evil person. Everyone was fooled, but she wasn't. I'm going to unmask you Fiona; I won't let you destroy what I worked so hard for, so many years.
Isadora turned her attention to the wide window of their cozy library once again, and she tensed. There was Fiona and Klaus under a big and beautiful tree, having what could be considered an 'innocent' talk. She couldn't decide on either being angry or being sad, or maybe both. She could see how his eyes twinkled with glee while discussing what probably was the last novel he had read. She could see how Fiona's face glowed under the sun every time she looked at him, and how cheerily she laughed after what probably was a witty remark. She could even see how they blushed now and then. She could see the sun setting in the horizon; how the sky turned red and purple and how in a strange movement, their hands entangled together or why for some reason Isadora found herself unable to turn away from such a torturing sight. Maybe she was a masochist, who knows, for one she didn't.
The door croaked open revealing the slender frame of Violet Baudelaire standing quietly in the doorway. Isadora turned to face her.
"Hello Violet," Isadora said emptily, no distinct emotion in it, stealing a sideways glance at the window and the darkening sky. Violet made a greeting motion with her hand and made her way to a comfortable spot in the near sofa.
"Did I interrupt anything?" Violet asked gently, looking at Isadora and then out the window. She knew her brother was outside with Fiona, and that Isadora has spent most of the evening in the library alone. She wondered how Isadora was doing, she couldn't help being worried about her.
"No, you didn't," Isadora replied shortly, almost sounding robotic, her mind being elsewhere. Violet grimaced; Isadora paid no mind, standing up from her more than cozy spot retrieving back the book to its respective bookcase, looking back again at the window, returning her gaze at Violet soon afterwards.
"Is something bothering you?" Violet asked carefully, trying to get her friend to talk about what she was feeling. Isadora was normally loud about her feeling and if she restrained herself from everyone and isolated herself, there was something wrong.
"No," she said a little bit too fast, but was soon to retort after, "Do you reckon he… likes…her?" she added stopping herself from adding more, looking at the floor with shame, regretting the words the instant it escaped her mouth.
"Well…I," Violet trailed off, a little bit surprised by her bluntness. The door opened unexpectedly revealing Quigley's tall frame.
"Here you are…oh hey Izzy," Quigley Quagmire's cheery voice boomed around the immeasurable library. "I was just wondering, would you like to help me cook dinner?" he asked Violet hopefully, giving her a broad cocky smile.
"I…Duncan…I," Violet began uncertainly. She promised to be beside him when he woke up. Quigley pouted.
"Don't worry, I'll watch him over," Isadora chirped in quietly, indicating Violet to go. Violet frowned slightly and thought. There's no point on avoiding it, Isadora.
"Thanks Izzy," Quigley said taking Violet's hand into his stirring her out of the room. Isadora smiled briefly and returned her sight to the uneventful window.
Fortunately for her, they were not longer there, probably retreating to a more private place. Isadora shook her head violently before leaving the room, leaving her miserable thoughts behind. She closed the wooden door behind her, departing to take care of her brother. Maybe just maybe, it will throw him out of my head.
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Quigley chuckled whole heartedly to himself in amusement. Sunny the youngest of the Baudelaires was scolding Violet after she poured too much salt into the spaghetti.
"I told you it was a pinch, not a handful!" Sunny said in her tiny little voice, Violet looked horror stricken. This time, Quigley couldn't help but to laugh harder.
"Very funny Quig," Violet said trying to sound threatening, failing miserably at the attempt, which made Quigley's charming smile wider. She made her way near one of the counters where he was.
"You know I love to watch you cook," he said warmly moving close to her, placing his hands on her hips.
"More like fail miserably at the attempt," Violet said gloomily, giving herself a Bronx cheer annoyed. She wasn't too much of a cook. That she could deal with difficult mechanisms did not mean she was licensed to enter a kitchen and less, attempt cooking a meal.
"I wouldn't change it for anything," he said leaning close to kiss her tenderly in the mouth.
"Not here Quigley, Sunny," Violet hissed, as she watched Sunny look away, to entertain herself with her cooking again.
"What's with Sunny?" Quigley asked innocently, loving how easily Violet could get ticked-off.
"She is peeking," Violet hissed again, wanting Sunny to look away from the corner of her eye. For some reason, she felt uncertain about showing public affection to Quigley, in front of her siblings and everyone for the matter. She liked being private and intimate about her relationship.
"She is not," Quigley retorted happily, smiling knowingly, and was soon to ask, "Sunny are you peeking?"
"Quigley," Violet said in false alarm, suppressing a smile. Quigley always managed to make her laugh, no matter how grave the situation was, and that was what she needed.
"Nooo," Sunny's innocent and little voice boomed around the big kitchen, shaking her head wildly.
"See…she isn't peeking," Quigley said giving her a sweet smile. Violet looked away, smiling lightly, catching Sunny in the act, pecking over one of her casseroles.
"Sunny, you're a terrible lair young lady, and you'll be punished for that," Violet told her, in what she hoped was her most authoritative tone. Sunny groaned.
"Don't be too hard on her Vi," Quigley said, "Look at her, she is a good girl, besides she'll have to learn sooner or later," he finished releasing her from his grip, giving her joking smile.
"Let it be later than sooner," Violet replied gravely, shuddering at the thought. Quigley couldn't help but to smirk.
"You're so lovely, that's why I love you," he said planting a soft and tender kiss on her forehead, and left to help Sunny with dinner, leaving a startled and blushing Violet to her own thoughts.
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"Violet?" Duncan asked with anticipation, opening his eyes groggily, stirring inside his bed.
"Do I look like Violet?" Isadora's demanding voice echoed around the room. Duncan smiled when his sight straightened and he saw his triplet, a pit of deception forming in his stomach at the same time.
"Sorry Isadora, I expected Violet to be here," he said, blushing slightly, looking at his sheets quite ashamed. If Isadora noticed, she said nothing, and for some unknown reason, Duncan felt a little uneasy all of a sudden.
"She is helping Sunny in the kitchen, with Quigley," she replied casually, looking outside the window, as if looking for something. Duncan frowned, and stocked out his head to glance through the window, to be greeted by the now somewhat dark sky. Wonder what's so special about the scenery. He thought.
"Oh, I see," he found himself saying quite disappointed. His feet back on earth… on reality. Violet was with Quigley, his brother, his triplet, and he felt ashamed of himself.
"I unpacked your suitcase already," Isadora said, sitting on the vacant chair beside her brother, avoiding his gaze. Isadora's behavior was far from usual.
"Thank… you," Duncan stuttered, smiling gratefully at her. Isadora did not smile back. Duncan knew after handedly something was wrong.
"What's wrong—?
Duncan was interrupted by something that froze him to the bone, something he didn't expect her to say, and it scared him.
"I found Violet's picture in your suitcase," She said slowly, inexpressive, scrutinizing her brother trying to read his expression. Duncan's face paled considerably.
"What?" was all he was able to articulate in response. He could feel his heart beating profusely, he could feel his stomach squirming inwardly, and all a sudden he felt like throwing up. He could imagine himself falling through a black hole and never coming back. He could see Violet's horror stricken face of terror, and it scared him, there was no way to turn back, someone knew.
"What was that photo doing there?" Isadora asked sitting on the vacant chair at the edge of the bed, still searching her brother's eyes for emotion. He was petrified.
"Did…did… she saw it?" he asked huskily, not answering Isadora's question, voicing what he dread the most.
"No," Isadora replied softly, shaking her head, looking at her brother with worry. He gulped and passed an uneasy hand over his unruly hair, the fact that Isadora's voice lightened didn't seemed to calm him.
"Answer me Duncan, what was the –
Isadora was cut off by the low screeching of the door, "Dinner is ready, oh Duncan it's good to see you awake," Klaus said in a peculiarly cheerful voice. Duncan sighed.
"Yeah," Duncan replied off-handedly, barely nodding his head in acknowledgement, and quite puzzled Klaus wasn't able to notice the uptight atmosphere. Klaus looked at Isadora brightly.
"Well, dinner is ready, we'll wait for you… downstairs," Klaus said slowly, his voice changing abruptly from one of happiness to one of regret, with that he left.
"Isadora, what's the matter?" Duncan asked her, having noticed his sister's blank expression and cold stare.
"Nothing," she replied quickly avoiding his eyes swiftly, turning her back to him. Duncan raised one eyebrow in bewilderment, while as inadequate as it was, small inner versions of himself danced around a fire, something that resembled the conga; he couldn't help being relieved.
"You heard him, dinner is ready, I'll bring you some," Isadora said turning to him with a small fake smile, hoping he wouldn't notice. Duncan didn't notice, or reserved himself from saying anything.
"Don't bother, I think I've rested enough," he replied with a small smile, throwing away the white blanket that covered his body positioning himself in a sitting position, noticing for the first time he was wearing clean clothes, that his right leg was bandaged and that his left arm had a clean, dry, not fluffy gauze pad.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Isadora said worriedly, her foul mood nonexistent. Duncan waved his hand hastily, indicating her not worry, standing up unexpectedly, and found himself surprised when he stumbled; his right leg was unconventionally weak.
"See, you should stay here, I'll bring some food for you in a minute," she said, placing a reassuring hand over his shoulder. Duncan shook his head with force.
"I know I can Isadora," he said determination, brushing way her hand, limping slowly to the door opening it instantly; he tried not to flinch even though the pain was starting to sting.
"See, I told you I could," Duncan said with a faint smile, trying not to pay attention to his prickling leg. Isadora analyzed him closely, and sighed.
"Alright then, if you must," Isadora said giving in to her stubborn brother, she knew that if she didn't agreed, she would have to bear with an annoying Duncan, and that was the last thing she wanted to deal with.
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Cooking dinner was a little bit more than fun for Violet; she would normally find it exasperating, her mind used to difficult mechanical instructions not to confusing cooking recipes and weird maneuvering. Over all, cooking was definitely not one of her strengths, but today it turned into a rather pleasing experience. Quigley flashed a smile from the other side of the table, placing the silverware on its respective place; Violet smiled back placing one of the plates on the table.
"They are coming," Klaus said quietly, revealing himself behind the door, Fiona following behind.
"Well, the table is settled," Quigley said happily, placing the last fork on the table, giving Violet a sideways glance. Violet's heartbeat accelerated.
"I will help Sunny with dinner," Violet said, leaving the room rapidly entering the kitchen.
"Everything is ready Violet," Sunny said brightly, giving her sister a warm hug. Violet let go of her.
"Thanks Sunny, I'll take everything to the dinning room, you go and join the others," Violet said kindly, placing her hands on one of the kitchen's counter glancing over the deliciously smelling food.
"Is Duncan down here already, is he alright?" Sunny inquired trying to look over the door's kitchen window. Violet's breath caught up in her throat for some reason.
"I don't…know, Sunny," Violet said slowly, not noticing Sunny had left the place already. Violet let out a sigh she didn't know was keeping in.
What's wrong Violet? What's wrong? Why are you so nervous all of a sudden? Violet asked herself fretfully, she still felt guilty about not being there beside him, he couldn't be mad could he? Violet shook her head slightly and proceeded to take the Caesar's salad in her hands. She opened the door warily, just to collapse against something hard, dropping the salad's container instantly, shattering into small pieces of fine glass and the now smudged salad dispersed on the floor with a loud crash. Everyone gasped.
"I'm sorry, I didn't intended to," Duncan apologized, kneeling to clean rather slowly. Violet inhaled a rather sharp amount of air.
"Duncan," Violet breathed instantly, finding herself unable to say more, even though all she wanted was to apologize to say something, guilt was consuming her. Maybe I'm just thinking too much about it. He gave her a small, hopeful, exhausted smile.
"You can't do much with a napkin," Violet said gently, taking the already dirty napkin from his hand, feeling how, a small debris of glass penetrated her skin briefly. Violet flinched in pain.
"Is everything okay?" Quigley Quagmire asked, appearing beside his genetic replica, looking at the mess on the floor. Violet couldn't help but notice how different they seemed from each other. At first sight, most people would find very difficult to tell from each of them, but she knew better. She found them different from head to toe; from Duncan's small scar beside his ear to the way Quigley's hair curled at each end, from Duncan's slightly taller frame to Quigley's softer voice. Everything about them was different; her feelings for each of them were different.
"Everything is alright, I'm cleaning this right away, I'm sorry," Violet said, giving him a quick reassuring smile. Duncan returned his gaze to the salad smudged floor.
"Okay then, I'll better serve dinner," Quigley said, entering the kitchen afterwards. Duncan looked up.
"Are you alright?" he asked, failing at the attempt of making it sound casual. Violet looked at the kitchen's door and then at her the small cut on her finger and nodded.
"Nothing to worry about," she replied, nursing her finger, kitchen's doors opening suddenly, Quigley passing rapidly past it, deliciously smelling spaghetti, ready to serve.
"Come on, let's clean this mess," Duncan said offering to the job, following Violet into the kitchen quietly, not too far behind him.
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Dinner proceeded quietly, changing subtly from subject to subject, from Violet's small cooking screw up to VFD. Isadora barely spoke spending most of her time looking at her food in silence, answering most of the questions with either a yes or a no, occasionally looking over her plate to glance at Klaus or glare at Fiona. Duncan was the most solicited person in the table, being asked about his work in VFD; his latest adventures and how everyone was doing. He answered thoroughly, looking from the corner of his eyes, worried, at Isadora from a moment to another. Suddenly, the conversation came into a halt. Quigley Quagmire stood up, everyone's attention turned to him.
"Now that I have everyone's attention, I have an announcement to make," he said quietly, getting the words out of his chest even though he felt, and feared, something bad to happen.
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Life hasn't been calm for Eileen Pangbourn, luckily enough; she managed to escape the building before it had been attacked by the fire. Surprisingly, the hallway she took led to some secret exit, until then, unknown to her. The sight before her drained the pink color from her skin, making her heart stop for a fraction of seconds. She saw how enormous flames, burned down the humble hotel into…ashes. A scene, that along with more others, still troubled her in her sleep and made her ponder while awake; she couldn't understand how such a level of evil, of wickedness, could exist. She left the place right away, not looking back, thoughts of Duncan plaguing her mind. Was he alright? Was all she could dare to ask herself, and think about, all the time. She still hasn't received any response, and it worried her.
"E, you alright?" a soft distinctive voice asked from behind, which she could instantly recognize as Kit's Snicket.
"Yeah, just fine, peachy," Eileen said gloomily, staring at space, her thoughts still focused on a certain somebody.
"You know there's no point on lying," Kit replied, squeezing Eileen's shoulder gently, trying to provide comfort. Eileen grimaced slightly, Kit removed her hand.
"Don't you worry about Mr. L?" Eileen asked, referring to Kit's absent and last living brother, turning herself slowly to face a tired but still always welcoming smiling face of Kit Snicket.
"He has…we have," she corrected herself, "risked our lives for this organization for too many years now, I still worry, there's no day I don't think were he might be, where other people might be, but there's no point on living on it, because I know, that if I keep on doubting myself and worrying about everything… eventually something bad might happen, so I rather don't think on it," she finished, wearing a not so truthful smile, trying to keep her composure. Eileen didn't think much of it, leaving Kit to her own business, trying not to meddle in, she knew it was a touchy subject.
"By the way Eileen, you received a telegram this morning," Kit said, grabbing a small folded piece of paper from her jeans' left pocket. Eileen's eyes widened, excitement building and spreading rapidly through her body.
"What? Is it from D?" Eileen asked hopefully, her heart accelerating rapidly. Were my prayers answered?
"D…" Kit trailed off blankly, looking at the piece of paper with a strange mix of emotions, her eyes sparking. Memories of the past, of what was and never will be, passed through her mind.
"Duncan," Eileen said, instantly recognizing what Kit was probably thinking about. She regretted not explaining herself; she didn't want to remind her of past painful memories. Kit's eyes widened in surprise having opened the folded paper.
"It's my brother," she said slowly, not believing her eyes. Eileen gaped at her shocked.
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"Now that I have everyone's attention, I have an announcement to make," he said quietly, getting the words out of his chest even though he dread, and feared, something bad to happen.
"Fiona, what I'm about to say needs no further delay, and I hope you accept our decision," Quigley said quietly, everyone was looking at him perplexed and bewildered. Isadora's eyebrows were so high that for a moment, Quigley thought they had disappeared. Fiona gulped, looking at her plate miserably.
"Fiona, I would like to make you an invitation, to stay here as long as you want, as our guest," Quigley said breaking into what he hoped could pass as a happy smile, almost reluctantly, glancing all over the table anxiously. Isadora's mouth fell open, her eyes the widest they had ever been, her fist clenched tightly. Closing her mouth, and with a grim expression, she stood up abruptly and left the room, her food untouched, closing the door rather loudly behind her.
Klaus shuddered involuntarily over his seat, he wanted to talk to her so bad, but felt that he was the last possible person she probably wanted to talk to. Quigley made a move to go after her but Duncan beat him to it, standing up fast leaving the room after his sister, pacing a little bit, closing the door in a little bit quieter manner. Quigley frowned slightly, Violet made him a gesture to seat, while Sunny looked at her food appetite gone.
"I accept," Fiona said brightly, breaking the arousing silence, giving everyone in the room a wide dazzling smile. Klaus sighed.
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"Izzy…Izzy……ISADORA!" Duncan called after his female counterpart. He knew exactly from were all this was coming from, not that he could blame her, he knew she needed someone to talk to.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Isadora yelled back, finally stopping under a tree, near the bushes they found Duncan that morning. Her eyes stung acidly, she felt betrayed, angry, she felt hurt. Isadora collapsed against the tree's trunk, hugging her knees to her chest, resting her head against the tree's rusty surface, losing herself into space, staring nowhere.
"Isadora," Duncan breathed besides her, plunging himself under the tree's unrequited shade, finally catching up with his triplet.
"I said, go away, Duncan," she said with spite almost above a whisper, her voice giving away. I won't cry…I can't cry.
"No Isadora, I'm here right beside you, you're not alone, I won't leave you," he said in what he hoped was a comforting voice, determined, trying to soothe his sister, to reach her. Isadora relaxed considerably and unexpectedly threw herself at the arms of her brother, resting her head on his shoulder. Duncan embraced her calmly, a little less than awkwardly.
"Thanks," she croaked, and sniffed soundly, disentangling herself from her brother's arms, letting go slowly. And for the first time, Duncan looked at the bloodshot eyes of his sister and miserable frame, and he couldn't remember when the last time that he saw her crying was. He frowned lightly.
"Don't cry," Duncan said softly, looking at her with a warm comforting smile. Isadora sniffed.
"I'm not crying," she replied weakly, brushing away tears from the corner of her eyes with her slender fingers, resting her body against the stiff tree's trunk, Duncan followed suit.
"Are you ready to talk about it?" Duncan questioned quietly, hoping he wasn't being too blunt, raising his gaze at the beautiful dark sky, and its sparkling stars.
"I can't stand her near me, less let her stay in my home," she said angrily, her right hand ripping some short grass from the ground, unconsciously.
"I understand," Duncan replied, giving his sister a sideway glance of silent agreement.
"I don't trust her," Isadora said severely, looking at the full moon plastered on the wide dark sky, shinning in what seemed to Duncan, a gloomy stance.
"I neither," he replied, shaking his head flippantly. Isadora paused.
"What he hell is he thinking?" she asked in a bemused tone, Duncan wasn't sure if the question was strictly directed to him and paused, when she didn't go on he replied.
"I don't know, all men think different as hard to believe it might be," he replied with a tint of playfulness. Isadora smiled briefly knowing exactly what he was referring to.
There was another pause, "I hate him," she said with an edge of anger and hurt. Duncan frowned, no longer certain they were talking about the same person.
"But I thought you –
"No," Isadora quickly interrupted, in a grave tone, "he is being an idiot," she added as an afterthought with a huff.
Duncan restrained himself from asking her exactly who she was talking about but felt, that it would ruin the moment, what she probably needed was just a person to pour her heart to, after all he wasn't know for being tactful and didn't wanted to screw things up.
"Are you feeling any better?" Duncan asked with concern, looking at his sister. She smiled broadly for the first time today.
"I'm happy you're here, I missed you," she said sincerely, squeezing his near hand in gratitude.
"Come on, we better get going," he said brushing some grass from his pants, offering her a hand for her to stand up. Isadora took it gratefully.
"Let's go and face the devil," Isadora said, not meaning it to sound as a joke. Duncan smiled, even through adversities Isadora never lost her sense of humor.
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Isadora opened the front door warily, her brother right behind her. The reception area was deserted, Isadora thanked god silently; she was not in the mood of an awkward incurrence. She wished her brother goodnight and climbed the stairs rapidly, not looking back. All she wanted was to lie in her bed and fall to what she hoped could be a peaceful sleep. The door croaked open and what waited for her behind it was something, she certainly wasn't expecting.
"What are you doing here?" she inquired coldly, giving the intruder a cold stare. She could feel her raising emotions building up inside her, the pricking feeling under her skin and all the heat it radiated.
"I thought…- We need to talk," he corrected himself, trying to sound more confident than he actually felt, feeling his hands sweat, his stomach making some kind of acrobatic act.
"There's nothing, I need to talk about with you Klaus Baudelaire," Isadora replied drying from it all emotion, that for a moment it almost sound dead, avoiding his inquiring stare motioning him with her hand the open door.
"Izzy," Klaus said softly and for a reason yet unacknowledged to him, he reached for her hand and took it into his rather sweaty one. Isadora finally looked at him, startled, bewildered almost demanding. Klaus dropped her hand instantly, and for a reason seemed unable to look at her face anymore. He felt, he had done something terribly wrong.
"What's this all about?" Isadora spat crossly, closing the door sharply with a loud thud. Her mind was racing. Was he playing with her feelings? Do this seems like a petty game to him? Klaus's normally collected face contracted in a frown.
"Klaus, what's your problem?" Isadora asked forcefully, bewildered by the young man's actions, her eyes demanding a clear answer. Klaus looked up, determined, his mind made up. He wasn't about to let it away.
"That's what I should be asking you," he said firmly, locking his eyes with hers. He wanted to know exactly what was going through her mind. Isadora reserved herself from drawing back, taken aback. She looked away avoiding his analytical gaze.
"What gives you the idea I have a problem," Isadora remarked defensively, looking at the floor with sudden interest "and how come you suddenly care about how I feel?" she added as an afterthought hastily, almost regretting saying it afterwards, having mentioned one of her suppressed frustrations, which were better left unsaid.
"What are you talking about? I've always cared about how you feel!" Klaus exclaimed bemused. Has she really been feeling that way? Isadora snorted ironically. He could almost picture her rolling her eyes, if only he could see her face.
"Have you? It really shows," she said sarcastically and huffed, beginning to tremble slightly with emotion, looking up slightly. Could he be any more oblivious?
"Look Isadora, I got no idea what your problem is, first you're all rude and mean to Fiona and –
"Is this all it had to be about? Your lovely and noble friend Fiona!" Isadora spat angrily. "Couldn't this be, for once, about me?" she asked again, almost as a whisper, linking his eyes with hers for a fraction of seconds, unwillingly giving away how she actually felt about the whole situation, eyes watering slightly. Klaus looked at her startled, he didn't expect that.
"What are you talking about?" he asked her befuddled; she had gotten beside the point. All he wanted to talk about was, why she was being rude and mean to Fiona and to him. And it dawned into him, guilt slowly rousing, consuming his mind.
"Nothing, never mind," Isadora replied hurriedly, regaining her composure, moving her hands in negation.
"Izzy, does this have something to do with my relationship with Fiona?" Klaus asked quietly, looking at her in the eye, she looked away breathing rapidly and gulped.
"No," she chocked out, "What gives that idea?" she added alarmed, with a sarcastic smile apparently forced.
"Well, the….way you been acting and…and—
He stuttered, trying to be as subtle as he could, looking how Isadora started shaking her head as in amusement.
"It's none my business who you suck faces with Klaus! I don't care! Hear me, I-DON'T-CARE!" she said insolently, raising her voice, her eyes watering, her heart beating furiously in her chest. Into denial now, isn't it Isadora?
"Alright, what about us then?" He asked, feeling himself warming up, not knowing exactly what he really meant with the question. Isadora looked at the floor, her right hand curled in a fist, Klaus couldn't tell whereas she was crying.
"There has never been 'an us', Klaus," she said slowly, not looking up, her voice harsh and firm. Klaus couldn't quite figure out why he felt somewhat, put out or why he felt like crying. He gulped, staring at Isadora's unwelcome frame, his jaw clenched.
"Well if that's true, then you wouldn't care if I told you…I'm going out with Fiona right?" he inquired a little bit louder that he intended to, quite surprised and ashamed when the words left his mouth.
"No, I wouldn't," said Isadora coolly, not looking up. Klaus tried to figure out why such words shocked him so much and why he felt the way he did. He quickly recollected himself.
"Well, Goodnight," he said a little bit too softly, and couldn't comprehend why it felt more like a goodbye. He left the room in slow motion, opening the door not closing it behind him. Isadora looked up, her face looking uncommonly red, her eyes bloodshot, and dashed to the door closing it with force, and locked it.
She ran to her bed slowly and plumped her face on her pillow, letting out all the tears she had been holding up for too long, drifting into her own depression and regrets slowly falling into sleep, slowly falling to pieces her world crumbling down above her.
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Duncan gazed the walking figure of his triplet, while she made her way to her room, until she faded away from his sight. He sighed, perhaps things weren't as good as he expected them to be, who was he fooling it seemed as if everything was going downhill and couldn't help but to ponder if he had something to do with it.
He ran an uneasy hand through his hair and made his way to the cozy living room, hoping to find a warm and silent place to ponder his thoughts and try to find a solution to his consequential problems and preoccupations. He opened the door warily, surprised to see how the amber flames of the chimney flashed and how the long chucks of wood croaked and echoed around the room. He had no idea the living room seemed so homelike at night; he almost felt he was back at his original mansion with his parents and siblings.
"Quigley?" a voice asked from a nearby armchair, Duncan recognized the voice too well and almost cringe at being mistaken for his brother. Yeah, sometimes I wish I were him too.
"No, it's me, Duncan," he replied trying not to sound disappointed. Violet turned her head to face him by the side of the armchair, and smiled slightly.
"Come here, there's something I need to show you," she said chirpily, waving her hand commission him to sit near her. He obeyed and sat on a near sofa which met corners with the armchair on which she was sitting.
"Here," she said and handed him a notebook with several inscriptions and notes. He looked at her quizzically, she ushered him to read.
-guests
-Christmas decoration
- Big tree
Note: Should write to Kit about this
Duncan scanned it briefly and smiled, handing her back her notebook and notes. "Planning on a Christmas party already?" he asked with delight. Violet smiled back and shrugged.
"Well, there has been some time since we had made a party and everyone seems so gloomy that I thought, 'some holiday spirit will do us good', besides you're here so…" she trailed off looking at her notebook with concentration. Duncan looked at her with adoration, not being able to suppress a smile, noting for the first time how the fire light softened her features, her brown hair framing her delicate and beautiful face, how her eyes twinkled under the absence of foremost light. He was mesmerized by her and restricted himself to simply nod, whenever he heard she said something, not being able to seize his eyes away from of her.
"Do you think this is a good idea?" she asked, looking at her notebook's notes in concentration. Duncan nodded unaware that she wasn't looking his way, his mind somewhere else.
Silence
"Yeah you're right, it might not be a good idea at all," she said, with a frown still looking at her notebook scratching few lines with her black ballpoint pen, taking Duncan's silence as a negative response. Duncan nodded absently again.
"Although it might actually be a good idea, I mean everyone needs to light up, what you think?" she asked, turning her head to face a quite dazzled Duncan. Duncan nodded. She looked at him quite puzzled, that wasn't a yes or no answer.
"Duncan, are you listening to me?" Violet asked, passing a hand in front of him, her eyebrows raised. Duncan smiled.
"I love y…," he said and blinked shaking his head hastily as if waking from a dream, "I love your idea Violet, it's wonderful," he finished giving her the trademark Quagmire smile. A light flush overcame Violet's cheeks, Duncan couldn't tell if it was because he smiled at her or because his smile was a little too similar to Quigley's.
"Yeah well, thanks," she replied sheepishly, putting a strand of hair behind her ear a little bit nervous. Duncan kicked himself mentally. I shouldn't go around making it obvious! What if Violet found out? Duncan pondered that thought with dread.
"You know what Violet, I should go now, it's late," Duncan said a little bit too rapidly and got up, gaining a frown from Violet. She stood up too.
"I was actually hoping you would help me to sort this out," she said timidly, looking at him hopefully. Duncan kicked himself again, as much as he wanted to spend all of his time with Violet, he knew that some way or another something would go horribly wrong.
"I'm sorry Violet, I…I…don't know much about this, I better go to bed," Duncan said lamely. If you wanted to avoid any kind of awkward situations, you might have as well made a good excuse. His inner voice said, Duncan kicked himself mentally again, feeling terribly guilty. He wanted to be with her so bad.
"Okk…" Violet stuttered quite disappointed and watched him leave the room in quite a rush, and couldn't bring herself to find a reason why she felt so disappointed and, what was that emotion…abandoned?
She returned to her notes quite unwillingly while Duncan made his way to his room quite slowly trying to restrain his body from returning back to the living room with Violet and was annoyed when couldn't make out if it were sobs or snores emerging from his sister's room. He decided against knocking her door just in case she was sleep. Duncan, too much thinking is affecting your hearing channels. He thought before closing door behind him and entering his sanctuary, lying down in his bed drifting into a good deserved sleep.
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A/N: Gee…I kinda regret saying this is the best chapter yet; I'm no longer sure about it, although I have to accept I really liked it.
There's a bit of fluff thrown in there, if it can be called that I'm no longer sure if I know how to write about that kind of thing and some subtle humor that might be a little bit too subtle, heh.
I can't wait for the next chapter, that I'm sure is going to be my favorite yet, don't miss it. I'm not sure when I'm updating, it will probably be soon hopefully although I can't guarantee something, but whenever an idea comes to my mind to start the chapter it'll be fast.
Now, if you have a comment or a suggestion drop a review, constructive criticism is always welcomed and don't forget the always uneventful FAQ, feel free to ask.
(Now to answer someone's question)
FAQ:
Who was leaving on the black taxi while the hotel was burning?
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The scene was so familiar, he looked away to see a black taxi drive away from the blazing hotel. He sighed. –Chapter Two- Deed
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As some probably guessed this person was, no other than Eileen Pangbourn leaving towards a safer place, in this case Kit's place.
Well that's about it, hope you enjoyed the reading, until next FAQ.
PD: Don't forget drop a review!
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"While it seems so unreal within times of sadness, light will shine through."
Cheers,
Egocentric theorem