The Acrimonious Addendum (completed)

Chapter Four

Violet POV:

Late in the evening,  after several hours of talking, the Quagmires bid us farewell. "We bought a small apartment a few streets up," Duncan tells me. We all hug one another, with Klaus and Isadora's embrace being noticeably long, before Quigley snaps his fingers and says, "Damn. I left my hat in the apartment. I'll just be a sec." before bounding back inside. Duncan wanders over to me. "It was a lovely evening." I say.

"Very lovely indeed." Duncan replies, turning to face me with a gaze whose intensity makes a blush creep up my cheeks. "I'm back!" Quigley cries. "And just in time." he says, giving a snarky look to Isadora and Klaus. "Keep it PG, kids."

"We'll keep in touch, Baudelaires." says Isadora, ignoring her brother.

"We'll keep in touch." I repeat softly to myself as the Quagmires melt into the night.

Beatrice POV:

I run downstairs the next morning just in time to see Violet heading off to work. "Bye, Violet! Remember to take your keys!"

"I don't know what I would do without you, Beatrice." Violet sighs.

"Pick the locks, probably." I reply. It's true. She definitely could, but only would if she had work to finish or was very cold (it's happened before.). Violet laughs as she walks briskly downstairs and outside to the bus stop, where she will board the rickety trolley that winds past Briny Beach and to the university. I remember when I was younger and Violet brought me with her to the university. I can still recall the sense of hushed awe I felt looking  at the rows of books and complicated tools that made it seem so important and scientific.

"Beatrice, your uncle will pick you up from school today." says Klaus from the kitchen. "Don't forget to be home by 3 o'clock, ok?" I nod. This has been my Friday routine for years. "I'll see you at 3, Klaus. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye, Beatrice. I'll see you later." I pause at the door, looking back up the stairs. "Klaus?" I ask as he emerges at the top of the stairs, holding a plate and a piece of toast in one hand. "What's happening with the trip and the Quagmires?" Klaus takes a deep breath and pushes up his glasses. "Well, we were talking about it last night and we still have some planning to do but it seems as if we're going to be retracing the history of VFD." I gallop out of the house, screeching something like, "Thank you!" and race down the cherry-blossom covered avenue and to my school. The school day is, as usual, a blur of various subjects. I'm two years ahead of my age group as when we were travelling the Baudelaires gave me an excellent education, so when I first began school the teachers took one look at my reading material and moved me straight up by two years. As it is almost the school holidays we're not doing much work in class and it seems like an even shorter time than usual until the school bell rings and students spill out of the school building. I can see a black-clad figure on the fringe of the crowd of parents. "Hello, Uncle Lemony." I say when I reach the figure. "Hello, Beatrice," he replies as always. "Do you fancy a root beer float?"

We're seated at our usual booth at  Old Ed's Soda Shop with two glistening root beer floats on saucers in front of us as I relay the events of last night. "... and so, Klaus told me this morning that we, meaning him, Sunny, Violet and I, will be travelling to the Hotel Denouement as well as many other places in VFD history just in time for my birthday!"

"And I assume that you shall be retrieving Sunny from culinary college in time for this exciting excursion?" Uncle Lemony asks between sips of his float, stirring the ice cream into the murky root beer. "Oh yes, and the Quagmires as well. They're-"

Uncle Lemony looks up from his float, spoon still poised in his hand.

"The Quagmire triplets? You mean to say that they're- they're alive?"

"I should hope so, as it does not sound terribly fun to go on a road trip with three dead bodies."

"Yes, it is not something that I would recommend... they're truly alive and in this city?"

"Yes, they are. Oh, look out, your spoon is dripping root beer onto the sleeve of your coat."

After that we talk and talk about literature and mathematics, about our weeks, about cooking and investigating and about my mother. It is pleasant and interesting, and so when I say goodbye to Uncle Lemony at the front door of the apartment and walk inside I am not at all prepared for the strange sight that greets me in the living room.

A/N:

hey guys! I'd just like to say thanks for all of the reads. The next chapter is going to have more action in it (and possibly some Kladora :)) but I might only upload it tmrw.

PS pls go check out my other book, it's a poetry book called Ethereal.

xxx Jess