A/N: Good God, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post this! I have been positively SWAMPED with random shit that seems to keep popping up. But here is your chappie, safe and sound – with another just about ready for posting. Review and I promise it will come sooner! This one's pretty much just an introductory to a few characters, giving you an idea of the setting, etc. etc., like the first chapter of most stories, so don't get all pissed because there's no plot yet, alright? I promise there will actually be one in this story, lol. Now read!
Violet stared out the window of her study into the dying sun over the Hinterlands. The bloodred sky engulfed the barren hills- still recovering from a terrible fire. Something creaked in back of her, and she jumped skittishly, turning quickly to see what it was. A moment of intense wariness followed, until she realized that it was simply her squeaky desk chair that had made the noise. Violet was very susceptible to strong paranoia, still not able to shake the feeling that she and her siblings were still being tailed by a number of despicable people. The study was quiet and Violet once again returned to her desk with a half-restored air of serenity.
Ever since the schism had ended and VFD had been reunited, there had been an awkward sense of peace all around. It was abnormal for anyone in the organization not to have to constantly be watchful for imposters or villains- directly at least. Of course there were still imposters and villains in the world, much too many, but none that were specifically targeted on them. Their next looming task was the restoration of the safe places, and Violet, Sunny, Klaus and Quigley had been moved to one of the first restored safe places in the Hinterlands. Now, they worked on separate projects, all exploiting each of their own skills to assist VFD in the greatest possible way. Violet was focused on the challenge of improving VFD's mechanisms, devices, and various other contrivances, in order to assure the continued functioning of the many there were, in the best possible condition. It was a great responsibility, but she knew that her mechanical knowledge was beyond that of most of the other members, and she did well at her job, setting her own hours to do something she enjoyed. Along with being together with her siblings, it was the best thing she could have asked for.
Suddenly, something patted her on the leg. Violet didn't jump this time- she knew the very touch of that hand too well. She looked down at the smiling face of her 3-year-old sister and lifted the child onto her lap. Sunny looked up at Violet's face and touched her cheek lightly.
"What's the matter?" Sunny asked in her meticulous toddler-esque speech.
Violet looked down at the rosy face of her sister, somewhat shadowed by the growing darkness, but still glowing with the mature compassion and interest that she'd always had. Her eyes shone with concern as she furrowed her delicate eyebrows.
"What's the matter, Violet?" she repeated.
Violet shook her head and pulled Sunny close in a loving embrace. "Nothing, baby, nothing. Don't worry. You don't have to worry ever again."
It was the biggest lie Violet spoke daily, but one of the most comforting. Of course there would be things to worry about – life was made up of conflicts, but Violet had promised herself, after the night of Olaf's death, that she would keep both of her younger siblings out of any danger that would come their way. She would deal with it herself, if she had to, but no matter what, Sunny and Klaus would never have to deal with more than they had already dealt with in their young lives.
She kissed Sunny on the top her head and set her back down on the ground, sure to steady her on her feet before letting go. Klaus poked his head into the study, smiling at the sight of his sisters.
"Anyone seen my map of underground Tokyo?" he asked.
Violet shook her head. Klaus had been working on the Tokyo project for months now, and was locked away in his own office for most of the day, along with Quigley who was co-working.
"Ask Quigley if he's seen it," she suggested.
It came to her then that she hadn't seen Quigley all day. It was not unusual for him to spend large portions of the day working with Klaus, but he generally made time to come see her at some point. Violet knew that Quigley cared for her a lot, and when he wasn't working, he was a hopeless romantic, but it was not unusual for Violet to feel more than a little ignored as he put his work on a pedestal. Next to her siblings, Quigley was the most cherished thing in Violet's life. He knew her too well, as two people almost always do after surviving such terrible ordeals together as Violet and Quigley had.
Klaus frowned and checked his watch. "I'll go find him, but I could've sworn I left it around here…" He walked out mumbling something about earthquake statistics.
Klaus's time check prompted Violet to glance at her own desk clock in surprise as she realized how late it had become. "Come on, Sunny, let's tuck you in," she said scooping the now yawning child up.
Violet carried Sunny up two flights of stairs to her bedroom and laid her on the soft flannel sheets lining her crib. As she kissed her on top of the head and went to leave the room, she shut off the light and viewed the room, now illuminated with the soft glow of Sunny's night-light. A couple years ago, she wouldn't have thought that she would ever be surveying the scene with such a feeling completely void of apprehension or anxiety. She wouldn't have been able to recall the feeling of peace or calm that was now embodied in her little sister's room.
She turned the knob and pulled the door shut noiselessly, and crossed the hall to her own bedroom. Violet opened the door, and instinctively reached for the light switch, before she found that it was already on. Again, that sense of wariness overcame her and she looked around the corner to where her bed was positioned. She let out a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders with relief as she saw Quigley sitting on her bed. She closed her eyes briefly and smiled.
Quigley smiled too, getting up. "'Evening, love," he said as she moved into his arms, smiling wearily.
She tilted her head up to look at him. "I miss you during the day," she whispered. He kissed her gently on the lips with a look of mixed sadness and adoration in his eyes.
"I know," he whispered back. "I'm sorry."
It was all he needed to say as Violet collapsed in his arms and he sat back down onto the heavily quilted bed. He cradled her exhausted body and stroked her hair rhythmically. Quigley knew how hard it was for her, and how much she'd endured, and he knew that she deserved all the comfort and refuge she received, so he tried as best he could to be sure that it was upheld.
"I'm tired, Quigley," she said hoarsely, the fatigue setting in only at the end of the day, as it always did. "I can never sleep at night, though… Stay with me."
Quigley said nothing. He laid her flat on the bed where she gazed up at him with jaded eyes. He stroked her cheek lightly and bent down to kiss her again. She responded gently, warning him not to get carried away, but ran her fingers through his hair, the softness of his shaggy brown mane soothing her further. He was such a soft person in general. His hair, his skin, his eyes, even his personality was of the most velvety gentleness and the one thing Violet found of ultimate comfort was the presence of soft and soothing things.
A moment later, Quigley lay down next to her and wrapped an arm around her delicate form to pull her closer. "Stay with me, please," she begged in a fading murmur.
"Of course, Violet," he breathed into her ear, "of course I'll stay with you."
He watched as she drifted off into sleep within seconds; her face serene with just a hint of dolor plaguing it's delightfully sharp features. Quigley sat up and undid the worn ribbon that held up her hair- the same ribbon, still, that she'd worn when he met her. He smiled at it, a rare wave of nostalgia washing over him and set it on her bedside table. Quigley looked around the room, with it's high ceilings and white oak theme and knew that this was where Violet belonged. It was her humble palace, her heavenly edifice, and he knew also that it did not receive him well. Not him, with his crude imperfections, so undeserving of the love he knew he had from Violet. She was nothing less than a fairy princess and the incredible ideality of her abode forced him out, knowing of his disgraceful faults. He couldn't spend too long within it because it was just too much of her embodied in it. As soon as she knew that this was home, and that this was her solid ground of stability, she'd cemented that, and poured the essence of her soul into the personal space she'd never had. Her goodness burned his tainted soul until he fled. Intimacy of any sort was wordlessly reserved for his room, for all the evils of his spirit contained in it didn't seem to bother her, protected by the glow of purity surrounding her. He had waited that night until he saw her go into Sunny's room to enter Violet's, because he knew he wouldn't be able to stay long without that searing guilt emerging. Careful not to disturb Violet, he got out of the bed, planted one last kiss on her cheek, and exited the room quickly, leaving her lying alone and dreaming of him.