Tell Me: A Violet/Klaus Romance Story

Author's Note: If you don't like incest, don't read! This is set during the Baudelaire's time at Prufrock Preparatory in the Austere Academy. Enjoy!

It was their fourth night of S.O.R.E., and the Baudelaire siblings had noticed a pattern to the madness. First, they would arrive at precisely 7:00pm, and they would run, for several minutes, until Count Olaf fell asleep. They would run another "safety lap" around the glowing track to make sure he was snoring loudly, and then they would also sleep in shifts, with one of them always keeping guard over the sleeping Olaf. So far, he had never awakened, but they kept watch nonetheless, Klaus and Violet taking turns for one and a half hour each by Klaus's wristwatch. Tonight, after the safety lap, Violet lay down her head on the dry grass, and Klaus began timing at 11:00. While she slept, he watched her breathe in and out, slowly, and he found her mesmerizingly beautiful. No, he thought, beautiful was not nearly adequate to describe his sister. He observed her sleeping figure and thought of several words for her:

Enchanting

Breathtaking

Awe-inspiring

Radiant

There were not enough words in the English language for her. Violet was the source of his joy in this wretched place. There was just one thing, one rip in the seam. Duncan Quagmire was his friend on the outermost layer, and his enemy in the deep folds of his core. Sure, he'd encountered jealousy before. When Violet had almost married Count Olaf, he was insanely jealous until he figured the way to burn the marriage license. But that was entirely different. He knew his sister was never in love with their guardian. Now, he wasn't sure. He glanced back at Olaf every few seconds, hating to take his eyes off of Violet, but loathe to make her run again.

When the watch showed 12:45 (he always tried to let her sleep as long as possible) and he could barely keep his eyes open, he gently woke Violet with "Wake up, Vi," whispered in her ear. He paused for a moment before he said it, and breathed her scent, a comforting sensation he always loved, from childhood. He suppressed the sudden desire to embrace her, and she woke slowly, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it? She asked.

"12:30," he lied easily. He'd been lying to her for her own benefit since he was old enough to reason. Although she was older, he saw her as a precious gem, a dear one to be protected at all cost. "I'm going to sleep now, okay?"

"Yes," she said soothingly, "Goodnight, Klaus." She resumed her position, and he lay down in her former place. It was still warm, and Sunny snuggled up against him. He fell asleep easily, and dreamed of moonlight and Violet's smile.

Violet Baudelaire stayed awake easily. She did not, however, keep watch over Count Olaf as she should have. She gazed upon her younger brother as he slept, arms spread with one protectively wrapped around Sunny, the other extended in her direction. She had a dilemma to consider, and so she untied the ribbon from her belt and wrapped her hair. The choice was simple enough, but so complicated. Duncan was a wonderful friend, and he was, or he claimed he was "inexpressibly in love with you, Violet. And you won't give me an answer. Why do you torment me like this? Do you love me, darling?" She had been unable to face him that day, but looked instead at the tombstone-shaped buildings and said she just didn't know. Why throw away a sure thing for something that could never be? She asked herself bitterly. Duncan loved her, that was more than many girls could ever hope for. But Klaus… she looked at his sleeping form again, his hand still outstretched, and heaved a sigh at the heavens. It was so wrong! He's my brother, I am my sister. I only love him in that way! She lied to herself, but at the same time she was planning how to make him tell her if he loved her or not.

Then, the rarest idea came to her in a flash of inspiration. She shifted her weight in the grass, and took Klaus's hand. He squeezed hers, and she smiled breathlessly. He was so beautiful! No, beautiful was not the right word. Nor handsome either. They just couldn't cover everything Klaus was, and so she struggled to find adequate words for her younger brother:

Stunning

Angelic

Bewitching

Enticing

If perfection could be found in a human, it would reside in Klaus, she was sure of it. She loathed the times she had to tear her eyes from him to look upon the repulsive snoring Olaf, but she'd rather be damned than make him suffer for her failure. She detested Olaf because he was always abusing Klaus. A secret horror plagued her; the idea that Olaf perhaps entertained some sadistic attraction to Klaus. But she would do everything in her power to protect her brother. She'd never leave him alone with that monster; that was for sure. Now, back to the dilemma. It was a short decision. She loved Klaus, and while Duncan was dear to her as was no other friend, she could never be with him without coveting her brother. There has to be a way to make him tell me. And as she held his hand, she devised a simple plan. Now all that remained was to wait for the clock to strike 2:00am.

It was a long, nerve-wracking half-hour for Violet before 2:00 came. The moment the second hand reached the 12, she breathed in and set her resolve firmly in place. To wake Klaus, she bent over him and breathed in his ear, still half-hoping he was dreaming,

"Do you love me?"

His eyelids fluttered, and then he shocked her. He answered not with yes or no, but by kissing her softly with closed eyes. She forgot herself altogether and vigorously responded, without a single thought.

Before long, they were kissing like there was no tomorrow, and Violet realized with a start it was both of their first kiss. When they finally paused for air, he blinked slowly and beamed at her, then asked, "Did that answer your question? I love you like I love no one else, Violet." She smiled the smile that gave him the courage to kiss her again. And again.

When tomorrow became today, they resumed running at 5:30am, and although neither of them had slept for more than four hours, they felt well-rested enough to march back to the Orphan Shack with heads held high, and Klaus's arm was around his sister's waist.

"How shall we tell them?" Violet asked worriedly, and Klaus knew she was talking about Duncan.

"Let me do the talking." He was praying for the right words. Oh please, let me say this in a way that won't make our friends hate us! Sunny, who had somehow comprehended the fact that her brother and sister were in love, said nothing, but was bright-eyed and happy as well, so the older Baudelaires perceived that to be her blessing. Duncan and Isadora were waiting when they returned at 6:00am, with breakfast of hard bread and bananas on the ugly table.

"How was your night?" Isadora asked warmly. Violet looked to Klaus for a response.

"It was amazing," He said, smiling at her, and then, with no warning, he kissed her cheek.

Then several things happened at once. Violet blushed scarlet and pulled Klaus close to her, Klaus smirked triumphantly, Isadora squealed like a fangirl, and Duncan lunged across the table for Klaus's throat.

"NO!!" Isadora screamed a half-second before Duncan hit Klaus, and he wrestled Duncan to the floor of the Shack. With a murderous gleam in his eyes, Duncan easily overpowered Klaus, but Violet and Isadora interfered. They each took an arm and shoved him off of the smaller boy. Klaus got to his feet quickly, and Duncan had come to his senses by now.

"Sorry, mate," he said, with no apology in his eyes. He glared at Klaus, who had the strange impression that he'd just been raped. Sure enough, there was a curiously sexual attitude to the way Duncan attacked him. Violet sensed it too, and was even gladder she'd chosen Klaus. Someone had to protect him from the other guys at Prufrock Prep.…

"S'ok," he lied, meeting his gaze with one equally metallic, and unknowingly to Duncan, equally sexual.

Isadora broke the tension by hugging Klaus. Violet didn't feel a hint of jealousy as she watched her best friend hug her brother, but she did watch Duncan carefully. When all was calm again, the friends shared breakfast, and talked of the test they had today in Ms. Bass's class, the horrid Carmelita Spats, and the strange S.O.R.E. program. Isadora even wrote a poem describing it

"What a fit Olaf would throw

If he ever should know

That the Baudelaires out-smart him every night

And sleep in turns until it's light!"

They all shared a gleeful laugh at that, and then made their way to the school, where Klaus stole a parting kiss from his sister out of Duncan's sight.

Author's Note: If you want more, review! If not, the story ends here!