Disclaimer: (October 5, 2019) If I did own ASOUE, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. Translation: Me no own it. For once, I did not break the vase.

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Chapter 3:
Finishing What They Started
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"I didn't realize this was a sad occasion," a voice said from behind.

I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came out. Instead, my face merely contorted into a look of confusion. What an odd thing to say to some stranger in your yard. "Huh?" I choked finally.

The hand's grip on my shoulder tightened a bit, and I cringed, preparing for a relentless scolding. "Who are you?" the voice asked. It didn't sound angry, but it didn't sound permissive of my presence, either. But I was glad the voice offered me a question I could understand. "Uh…Quigley Quagmire?" I replied, my heart pounding in my throat now. Was this person going to call the police on me? Oh, please don't let this person call the police on me. The past twelve hours were enough to put me on edge.

The hand lifted from my shoulder and I turned around to see who startled me. There stood a man at least six feet tall, garbed in a crisp dark suit and tie, his oil-black hair parted and slicked with a gallon of hair gel. "Are you really?" he breathed, amazed. "I thought you were dead."

"No…?" I said slowly. He thought I was dead? Why? "Are you…Dr. Montgomery?"

"Me?" The man chuckled. "I wish. He's one of the brightest men I know. But I am one of his associates." He stuck out his big rough hand. "Snicket. Jacques Snicket. I'm glad you're alright."

"Thanks. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Snicket," I said, shaking it firmly. Snicket… Why did that name sound so familiar?

"Please, call me Jacques," Jacques insisted with a warm smile. "Mr. Snicket is my father." He gave me a curious look. "How did you get here? I didn't see or hear a car. Or the trolley."

I was about to answer when his eyes suddenly lit up and a grin came to his face.

"You used the underground tunnels, didn't you?" he asked, though he sounded more like he knew.

My eyes widened. He knew about the tunnels, too? I mean, he did say he was an associate of Dr. Montgomery, who also had the same trap door as Mother and Father. "Yeah…?" I answered. Needless to say, my mind was racing again. But then it hit me: Snicket was one of the names I saw in the tunnels. So of course he knew about them. But then, does that mean everybody whose name was down there knew about the tunnels? It had to be true. The evidence was too strong to sway me otherwise.

"That explains the lack of traffic but your presence on the doorstep." Jacques paused. "So. Your parents finally decide it was time to enroll you three as apprentices?" Again, it sounded more like a statement.

"Apprentices?" I asked, puzzled. "Apprentices for what?"

"They never told you?" Jacques eyebrows rose, bewildered.

I shook my head, shrugging. I'm so confused. What was he talking about? "Told me what?"

Jacques pursed his lips, thinking. "Odd," he muttered, almost to himself. "About your V.F.D. training," he said finally.

I flinched. V.F.D. training? What was that? What did V.F.D. even stand for? "V.F.D. training?"

"Hmm." Jacques was lost in thought again.

"My parents said we had a big day tomorrow last night," I said after some thought. "But that was before the fire. And before they could tell me what it was."

Jacques nodded, acknowledging me. That seemed to answer his question because he didn't look so in thought anymore.

"Mother put me down in those tunnels when the fire broke out," I continued. "But she never came back with the rest of the family. I tried to go look for them, but the trap door wouldn't budge. So I walked until I found my way here." I paused, my heart tightening at the thought of my family and where they were. I had to find them. Maybe Jacques could help me. "I have to find my family," I added firmly. "Do you know where they are? Or have an idea of where they might've went?"

Jacques face became soft. He was silent for a moment, his eyes cast downward at the doorstep. "I know where they are," he admitted quietly.

My eyes widened, my heart speeding up. "You do?!" I blurted excitedly.

Jacques looked back up at me and smiled. To be honest, it looked forced. But why? "Follow me. Quickly," he said, then looked over his shoulder warily. "Our enemies are everywhere." Politely, he pushed past me and walked inside Dr. Montgomery's house. I looked out at Lousy Lane, scanning for any signs of people here other than us, then turned and hurried inside.

"Lock that door," Jacques told me over his shoulder, walking toward a very complicated looking, mechanized door straight ahead.

Obediently, I did as told and followed after him. Why did he seem so paranoid? Who were these enemies of his?

What was going on?

I watched Jacques approach the door, wondering how we were going to get inside when he just pulled it open and walked right in. I blinked at how easy it was to open it. Boy, do I feel stupid. I walked in after him. We were now inside the gigantic, glass, greenhouse-looking room I saw from the trap door earlier. All around the room were various cages of all shapes and sizes, each of them covered with a ghost white cloth. Apparently, whatever were in those cages weren't anymore, and for a long time, proven by the thin layer of dust on all of them. At the head of the warm, inviting room was a gorgeous desk with an abhorrent mess on top of it, compiled of books, papers, and opened cans of fruit––peaches, to be exact. Behind the desk were four dark bookcases, all of them four shelves high and with two snakes carved into them toward the top. But there was one thing that didn't make sense.

Where was Dr. Montgomery? Or his family?

Jacques went around the desk and picked up the most recent issue of The Daily Punctilio. "I believe this might answer your question," he said with difficulty, handing it over the desk to me.

I took it in my hands and read the headline.

.

OFFICIAL FIRE DEPARTMENT CONCLUDES: QUAGMIRE FIRE AN ACCIDENT, PARENTS AND TRIPLET PERISH

.

My heart stopped, everything inside of me going numb. I felt time stop, everything around me now uncomfortably silent. No… No… Not Mother and Father, they… They couldn't be… No…

What about Duncan and Isadora? Are they…? Despite the kick in my stomach, I read on.

.

Last night, at around midnight, a fire lay waste to

another mansion, much like the Baudelaires'. Quentin

and Karen Quagmire, who owned the mansion, along with

their triplet son, Quigley Quagmire, were pronounced dead

by law enforcement after their arrival on scene. Although the

fire department is uncertain of the exact cause of the fire,

they conclude that it was an accident. That night, the surviving

triplets, Duncan and Isadora Quagmire, were sent to live with

Samantha Watersbee, a widow who lost her wife last year to

an unsolved murder. Earlier this morning, Watersbee's home

caught on fire, and she died trying to save Duncan and Isadora.

The two triplets are still alive, and they're now under the

guardianship of Prufrock Preparatory School. Stay tuned for an update.

.

Well, that explained why Jacques said he was glad I was alright. The Daily Punctilio actually thought I was dead. I sighed with relief. At least Duncan and Isadora are still alive. The news wasn't as bad as I thought. But I still couldn't believe it: we were orphans. Mother and Father were gone, never to return, never to tell us what our big day today was. Bereft of a chair to sit in, I sat down on my knees and flopped The Daily Punctilio on the floor in front of me. I stared at the floor for what felt like forever, when finally, time resumed and I looked to find Jacques's hand on my shoulder. I looked at him, tears welling up in my eyes. He looked back at me apologetically.

"I'm so sorry, Quigley," he said soothingly, shaking his head.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came forth. I didn't know what to say. In fact, there was nothing to say. What would happen to me now? Would Jacques take me to be enrolled with my siblings at Prufrock Preparatory School? "So what'll happen to me now?" I asked finally, the lump in my throat bigger than before. "Are you gonna take me to Prufrock to be with Duncan and Isadora?"

"I have something better in mind," Jacques told me, a secretive smile spreading across his face.

I flinched. What could be better than being with my siblings again? "What?"

"You're gonna stay here with me. I'm finishing what your parents have started," Jacques explained.

"What?"

"Remember how you told me they never told you about what your big day today was going to be? I think I know what they were planning to do."

At last! My question was finally going to be answered! "What?" I asked, my heart beginning to race.

"They were going to enroll you as apprentices at the V.F.D. Headquarters in the Mortmain Mountains. That's probably why they never told you. It was a secret…for a secret organization."

A secret organization? What did it do? It couldn't have been bad if Mother and Father were in it…right? "V.F.D. is a secret organization?" I asked.

"Yes, and I'll explain everything later. You three were meant to be in V.F.D.. Your parents have planned it since the day you three were born. And now that they're dead and unable to enroll you guys, I'm taking you as my apprentice." With a warm, charismatic smile, Jacques stood up and walked over to the desk. "C'mon, apprentice, we got some work to do."

"Wait!" I said, scrambling to my feet. "What about Duncan and Isadora? Can you bring them here and let them be your apprentices, too?"

Jacques turned to look at me, torn. "I'd love to, but I can't right now. I have some dire research to do and time is of the essence. They'll be fine where they're at for now. As soon as my mission is complete, I'll take you with me to pick them up."

My heart sank. I couldn't be with Duncan and Isadora. I couldn't believe it. But what was odd was I hadn't even known Jacques for an hour and yet somehow I felt like I could trust him, his judgment. He just had that energy about him, and it was unmistakably noble. I could feel it. If he said they'd be fine, then they'd be fine. I didn't have to worry. There was nothing else I could do. All I could do was trust him and learn the ropes as an apprentice for V.F.D.…whatever that was. Putting aside my fear for my siblings' safety and what was to become of me, I accepted being Jacques's apprentice with open arms and walked up to him for my first task. "Okay," I breathed nervously, butterflies taking flight in my stomach. "What do you want me to do?"

Jacques smiled proudly at me, thrilled that I was fully committed to the cause. "I need you to help me secure the sugar bowl."