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Chapter Text

“……Violet stayed still as a statue. She hadn't been listening to the last speech of Count Olaf's, knowing it would be full of the usual self-congratulatory nonsense and despicable insults……” (The Bad Beginning)

Tears ran down her face as Olaf sneered about the success of his plans. The mortified audience gasping and shouting in shock. She tuned out the shouts as she glanced over to see Klaus and Sunny. Klaus’s sailor suit stained from the grim of Olaf’s house, the ugly sea green florescent lights shining on her siblings heads. Her hands shook around the moth ball eaten bouquet.

Violet didn’t know what to do, but what she did know was that she needed to send them far away.

Far, far away from this new life Olaf schemed her into.

Four years later…

—BEEP BEEP BEEP—

Violet glanced over to the clock as her alarm blared

7:45 AM

She developed a routine of waking up early to get herself ready. She typically had no where to go, but the actions of getting herself ready made her feel accomplished. And to will herself to make an appearance—

Before she had to face her legally wed husband.

The worst part of her day.

Violet threw the covers over, stretching her arms above her head as she heard the commotion of Olaf's acting troupe practicing downstairs. As the years passed, she found herself not as bothered with them as she used to.

They were just a part of Olaf's crazy train as she was.

Violet picked up her phone as Klaus sent her his usual morning text. Typically it was a little known fact he read in his school paper or an update on his scholarships.

One good thing that came from the atrocious wedding was that Klaus and Sunny were sent to a very exclusive boarding school. Where all their needs were met and they were states away from this insanity.

Violet smiled as she read his message, tucking it away in her mattress. If Olaf found out she had a phone without his knowledge, he wouldn't leave her sight.

It wasn't anything more than a basic burner that she used to keep her contact with Klaus. Sunny was too young for a phone, but she could get updates from her brother about her.

She sighed as she sat at her work bench. At 18, she never thought she would live to see it become a reality:

After the wedding scheme, Olaf thought he had won without any complications. That is, until he learned that he didn't have ownership of her parents massive fortune. She was the rightful owner, as her parents put into their will that no husband nor domestic partner had the legal authority to touch the money. Violet also has very limited access to it until she was 25.

Which meant Olaf was at her mercy.

Despite what he put her though, she was very fair to the Count. She would give him money, like an allowance. If he burned through it, he would have to find means of finding more on his own. In exchange, her siblings would be untouchable.

Herself included.

The mere thought of Olaf even trying to get that close to her made her vomit. Though he has tried. She made sure he remembered who held the bag to his luxury lifestyle.

His lust for money and wine outweighed his lust for her. Though Violet knew she could only avoid him for so long. She was legally an adult now.

After she got herself ready, she made her way downstairs to make some breakfast. The troupe was in the living room, practicing lines for an upcoming show.

With her fortune, a fairly large mansion was purchased. Where Violet had her own side, and Olaf had his.

"Have you seen Olaf this morning?" His associate Orlando called from the room.

"Nope. I didn’t want my day to be ruined so early." Violet grabbed a mug to make some coffee, pulling out the creamer. "Probably burning down someone's house."

"He did say he would be coming in late. With some new orphans."

"Hopefully ones who would make him leave me alone."

"You know you're his favorite." One of the white faced women said almost jealously.

"Unfortunately yes. One can dream though." She started the pot, going over to grab the newspaper. She glanced over the headline that mentioned an enormous house fire, turning to classifieds. Violet would often skim looking for short projects to keep herself busy. She was quite handy and didn’t want her skills to become stale. Home projects quickly ran out and she has to have some sort of life outside of these massive walls. She heard as the troupe members continued their line reading, leaning against the counter as she sipped her coffee.

———————————————————————————-

It was hours later before the slamming of the front door rang through the mansion. Violet jumped as she sat on her couch, dropping her pen. She could hear Olaf's booming voice as he seemed to sneer. "Oh stop your tears! I'm getting rather sick of your blubbering." She closed her blueprints and was starting to roll her eyes when she heard crying. A females cries. Curious, she crawled out of her room and into the hallway to peek over the wall. Maybe it was one of his call girls or some new actress who was auditing.

It was neither.

She was surprised to see three people she hadn't met before.

"Oh, there is the lady of the house." Olaf introduced. Violet wanted to sink into the wall, the three turning to look at her. She was taken aback when she noticed all three had very dark hair and wide blue eyes. She was also surprised to see the individuals look to be around her age. Violet could tell it was two boys and a girl. And happened to be siblings as they all looked rather similar.

She sighed, the smell of campfire and soot filled the downstairs. She pulled her ribbon out of her hair as she leaned against the stair banister.

What has Olaf thrown her into now?

Chapter Text

"Darling Violet, why don't you introduce yourself?"

She narrowed her eyes and was about to snap at him when one of the boys commented first.

"That's your wife? Are you sure that's not your daughter?" The boy turned to look at Olaf with an equal distasteful look on his face.

Violet almost laughed out loud, though she could see Olaf glare at the boy. He took a dangerous step towards him, and Violet was intrigued to find the boy not flinching. Even Olaf's troupe mates would finch if given looks like that.

"What’s it to you? Jealous you can't find a woman like I can?" He leaned in. "Don't you dare talk back to your guardian, young man."

"Firstly, I would never be jealous of a dirtbag like you—"

"Quigley!" The girl gasped, her eyes wide.

"And secondly, don't you dare put your hands on my sister again, old man. You're lucky the only injury you got was your eye." The boy narrowed his eyes at the Count.

"You need to learn some respect." Olaf spat at him, about to lift his hand when the other boy leaned forward.

"Please. We just lost our parents mere hours ago. He doesn't mean what he is saying—"

"No Duncan. Let the leech hit me. Maybe then we can get removed from his guardianship." The first boy said as his brother pulled him away.

"You're lucky you're not 18 yet or I would've taken you back and—"

"Olaf, that's enough." Violet sighed, tapping her fingertips against the banister. "Leave them alone. Just go back to your little friends and we will talk about this later."

Olaf groaned, glaring back at the trio. "Keep your bitch on a lease. Don't want him to get bitten."

"Listen to your master, you slinky freak." The sister stood in front of her brother as she whispered pleas to stop.

Olaf walked away, grabbing a bottle of whiskey.

"Stop telling me to stop!" The boy named Quigley whispered back to his siblings.

"He's our guardian now. We have to respect him." The other boy, Duncan, whispered back.

"I don't have to respect shit! He slapped Isadora. For crying over our dead parents! Do you really expect me to just let that go?"

"You're lucky he didn't call the cops."

"He's lucky that he didn't fall into the blackberry bush." Quigley slipped out of his brothers grip.

Violet made her way downstairs, clearing her throat to get the siblings attention. They all looked over at her at the same time, catching her off guard. "Sorry to interrupt, but why did he bring you here?"

"Our parents just died in a fire. And our financial advisor sent us to live  with you and your husband." The girl said, her nose and cheeks a bright pink.

Violet winced at the word husband, nodding. "I see..."

"Please. We don't mean any disrespect. My brother didn't mean—"

"Just show us where we can sleep." Quigley said, crossing his arms. "This is getting really ridiculous."

Violet nodded in understanding; she understood the frustration that Olaf could bring someone. "First door to the left upstairs. It's the guest room. I didn't realize he was bringing guests over or I would've put the other rooms together."

"You are fine. We will be alright sleeping in one room tonight."  The other brother Duncan said, smiling sweetly. Even though him and his brother looked fairly similar, she could tell he was much sweeter than the other. He followed behind his brother, their sister starting behind them. She was covered in soot and smelt like campfire.

"Hey? Would you like to wash up?" Violet asked the girl.

She looked down at herself, embarrassed. "I'm—" she turned to look at the trail she brought in. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to track soot into your lovely home. Please. If you give me a mop, I'll clean it up." She promised, near tears again.

"Don't worry about it. The cleaning lady comes every week." Violet said nonchalant, motioning for her to follow. "I have a bathroom in my room." She led the way into the room. "I'm sorry, but in all that chaos I didn't quite catch your names."

The girl followed Violet into the room, marveling at how spacious it was. Violet was a little sheepish as she realized how nonchalant she was about her life here. Cleaning ladies, expensive furniture and a huge home. "Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Isadora. And those are my brothers. Duncan's the quieter of the two. And the loud one is Quigley. Sorry about his behavior."

"None taken. He says what's on his mind. I admire that. Especially to Olaf. Not many people can stand up to him."

"Is he—- is he really your husband? Not that it is my business, but—"

"He's legally my husband. On paper. In my day to day life, no. We're not romantic, nor do we sit and have normal meals together. In fact, I can go days without seeing him. He's—- something else."

"I see." Isadora nodded in agreement, taking the rag that Violet gave her. She wiped her face, sniffing.

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents.... I lost mine a few years ago the same way."

Isadora looked at the other female, her eyes sympathetic. Violet has to admit the trio had gorgeous eyes. "And I'm sorry for your loss. It was so sudden. If it weren't for my parents shuffling us out, we would've probably been taken too." She looked down at the dirt on her rag. "We just turned 17 too. Our birthday was last night."

"Birthday? You mean you're all the same age?"

"Yeah. Triplets. Though judging by how different we are, you would think we were all separately born." She laughed a bit, shrugging.

"Then I'm especially sorry." She smiled softly at the girl, hearing footsteps. Olaf came into the view of her door, rolling her eyes. "Yes?"

"I need to speak to my wife. Alone, orphan."

Isadora's eyes watered a bit again, turning to Violet. She smiled back, handing her the rag. She kept her head down as she passed Olaf, the door closing behind her.

"What are you scheming?" Violet crossed her arms when she heard the girl join her brothers in the room. "You can't marry another girl."

Olaf huffed. "I wouldn't marry her. She's a cry baby."

"She just lost her parents in a fire. That I'm sure you set."

"Not this time. Esme did. She's their financial advisor which made it easier for me to become their guardian."

"So they have money."

"Oh not just money. Sapphires. They have to be double the worth of you." Olaf giddily said. "And I only have to wait a year."

"What are you going to do to them?"

"Not too sure yet. I may just shoot the loud one. I don't need another spit fire in my hair."

"At least I don't punch you in the face. What did you do to deserve that?"

"That cry baby wouldn't stop blubbering so I gently tapped her face to try to just her up. Then, bam! That little fucker punched my eye."

"Sounds like you deserved it."

"Whatever. Anyway, I have to decide who to keep."

"Why didn't you just have Esme make sure two were trapped and keep one alive?"

"Because that's too easy and apparently I didn't realize they had three brats. Why the fuck threes."

"They're triplets."

"They're annoying. I rather dispose of all three of them, but they're little money piggies so I need one when they turn 18."

Violet shrugged, not sure why he was even telling her all of this. "And you're telling me this, because...?"

"Because you're going to help me."

"Fuck you. I won't help you do shit."

"Oh yes you are. You forget I have tabs on your brother and sister."

"Only Klaus. And he will soon be leaving the school and you won't know where he is."

"Until then, you do as I say."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you even need me for?"

“Don’t sound so thrilled. Besides….” He stepped forward, his arms moving around her waist. “It would be a great opportunity for us to become closer. You are eighteen now and have grown so nicely.”

Violet gripped his hands, pushing him away from her. “No. Not even if you paid me. We both know you can’t afford that.” She moved back, feeling the urge to scrub her skin. Despite him not even touching her skin directly.

“We’ve been married for 4 years now. Don’t you think it’s about time we christened it?”

“In your dreams. Which I really rather not know your dreams about me are.” She shook her head at him, gripping her door.

“There’s much I can teach you. About the organization. To start fires and fight against the opposite side. You would be a great addition to the cause. And I would love to show you off to—-“

“I’m not a prize pony.” Violet interrupted him. “I’m not going to sleep with you and I’m not going to join VFD. You aren’t going to show me off like a trophy. Like I’ve said before: this?” She motioned in between the empty space that separated them. “Is nothing more than a business relationship. You get to live in this beautiful mansion and get your monthly pay. You come and go as you please and do whatever you do out there. In exchange, my siblings are sent to an exclusive boarding school and you have no contact with them. And I get my own side of the mansion and untouched by you. Literally and figuratively.”

Olaf rolled his eyes as he’s heard this speech time and time again. “You expect me to have a young, gorgeous, of legal age woman prancing around my house and not expect me to want take a bite?”

“Go fuck Esme. Or are you on a break? Again?” She crossed her arms.

“I’m not married to Esme. I want to sleep with my wife.” He started to step closer to her.

“I’m not your wife.” Violet glared at him. “On paper I may be, but you will never have me.” She slammed the door shut, locking it. She heard his sigh of defeat, grumbling to himself as he made his way downstairs.

This routine of theirs happened every few weeks. It was growing tiresome; his advances. Violet wanted him to just give up, but he was growing more and more desperate. On one hand. she was afraid he may just snap and get what he wanted on his own.

The other side of, she was afraid that she may actually like it.

She shook her head of the frivolous thoughts, shuddering. She’s been cooped up in the mansion for way too long.

Chapter Text

-Four years earlier-

After the wedding, Violet locked Klaus and Sunny in their bedroom.

"Don't open the door for anything." She promised Klaus. She put a brave face on, but her insides were shaking.

"Where are you going?" Klaus took his sailor hat off, throwing it to the side.

"I have- I have to figure out what we're going to do now." She took off the veil she had on her head, brushing her hair back. "I just want to make sure you're both away and safe from him."

"What if he hurts you—"

"I'll be fine." She assured them, though she knew what was suppose to happen on wedding nights. Violet stood up shakily, giving them a smile. "I'll be back in the morning. I promise. Keep the door locked." She closed it, hearing the soft clink as Klaus locked it.

She walked back down the hallway as she heard cheering and music playing in the dinning room. Bracing herself, she pulled her hair back with her ribbon. Her hands were shaking as she tried to gather what she was going to do. As she stepped into the dinning room, she could see the mess that was displayed in front of her.

As she stepped into the room, the sudden screech of the music stopped and everyone turned to look at her.

“Oh the blushing bride.” Olaf cackled as he got up from his seat. He stumbled towards her, the half empty wine bottle on his side.

“We need to talk.”

“Ooh, is that so?” The sound of wolf whistles and purring were heard behind him from the other troupe mates. “Then we should take this to the bedroom and eliminate these clothes.” He lend his hand out to pull at her sleeve. Violet gripped his hand and shoved it off of her. “Feisty I see.”

“No. We aren’t doing that. It’s probably best for this conversation to continue when you’re not a blubbering mess.” She glared at him, stepping back.

“Tsk, tsk. Did your parents not teach you what happens on wedding nights?”

“If you’re implying having sex, it’s not going to happen.”

“Playing hard to get. Well, we’ll see about fixing that—“

“You married me for the fortune. Not me.” Violet stepped back as she made her way out of the room back towards her siblings. She could hear him coming behind her, increasing her speed. Violet could see Klaus peeking from behind the door of their bedroom. She shut and lock the door behind her, just in time to hear Olaf banging on the door.

“Ignore him. He’s drunk.” She picked up Sunny and got her ready for bed. Glancing back, she could see Klaus fearfully looking at the door. “Get changed Klaus.” She assured him, handing him a night shirt.

She had to find a way to get them away from this.

Even if that meant not seeing them for a long time.

———————————————————————————

A few weeks passed after Olaf brought home the triplets. He wasn't fond of them and would often force them to do hard manual labor. He fired the cleaning and lawn people and would make them do all the household chores. She would be typically up in her room and she would hear him barking orders at them. Often rude or demeaning remarks to the siblings. She could hear the sister crying softly when he left. It broke her heart to hear him being so rude to them, but she remembered her own siblings and would ignore the comments.

She had Klaus and Sunny to protect.

One early morning, she came downstairs to see one of the brothers already awake. He was leaning against the kitchen counter as he looked up at the rising sun. He turned to see Violet, standing up straighter. "Don't worry, I'm getting to work. I'm just watching the sun rise."

Violet noticed it was the brother who punched Olaf in the eye. "You're Quigley, right? I'm Violet."

He nodded at her, looking back at the sun. Despite her earlier noting, she could see there was some pretty significant differences between the siblings. Obviously, Isadora was a girl. But she originally thought the two brothers were identical. On closer inspection, she could see that Duncan had a rounded face while his brothers was more defined. Quigley had a darker complexion and freckles that covered his nose and cheeks. Duncan was paler and had neater hair. His hair was a little longer than his brothers, and Duncan was a little thinner. "What do you see in that asshole?"

Violet was a little surprised at his question. "Not much."

"Then why are you married to him? I'm pretty sure he showers like once a year and never brushes his teeth. I know love is blind, but—"

"I'm not in love with him." Violet snapped bitterly.

Quigley glanced at her, raising his brows. "Forgive me. I would think married couples are in love. Hence why you're married."

"It's a long story."

"I'm really not itching to chop wood."

Violet laughed a bit, looking down at her feet. "Let's just say we have a business marriage."

"So you weighed the options and decided it was better to just sleep with the dirt bag verse contracts."

"I don't, nor will I ever, have sex with that man."

"From the way he makes it sound, you both are hot and heavy."

Violet groaned under her breath. "I would rather push needles into my eyes then have him touch me like that."

Quigley laughed and Violet couldn't help but notice how nice it sounded. She didn't think the other was one to laugh; he seemed so stoic and rough. "That makes a lot of sense. Since you're a 10 out of 10 and he's a -10/10."

Violet felt her cheeks warm at his comment, but quickly pushed it down.

"I'm sorry for your loss." He glanced at her, his smile slowly fading. She watched as his dimples disappeared, his eyes showing sympathy. "Isadora told us. Thank you for helping her that day. She really needed another woman there. Our parents advisor was a bitch and basically pushed us into her car and brought us to Olaf. There's only so much a brother can do."

"Of course. I'm sorry for yours as well. I know you all were hurting. You were more than welcome to come talk to me."

"Well, your loving husband basically forbid my brother and I from even looking in your direction. In fact, I'm sure he would be having a fit if he knew I was talking to you like this. I don't know what he's afraid of. It's not like I'm going to fuck you. And Duncan's not into girls, so he's delusional."

At the sound of that, Violet didn't think that was a horrible idea. She could see what Olaf was afraid of: a male around her age who wasn't bad on the eyes who would peek her interest. "Yeah, he is." She agreed,  resting her cheek in her palm as she watched him a little closer.

"Well, I better get going before master sees I'm not doing my work." He stretched his arms over his head, heading towards the back door. "Nice talking to you."

"You know, it doesn't have to end."

"He'll end one of us to if he sees us in the same room, let alone talking."

"He doesn't have to worry. Since you'll be too busy chopping wood to fuck me." She raised her brows. "And maybe I want to see why he's so worried about you being around me. He obviously feels like you're a threat."

Quigley raised his brows back at her, slowly smiling as her words processed. "I don't see why not."

Chapter Text

Violet could hear the distinct posh voice of Esme Squalor downstairs. She rolled her eyes as she complained about the lack of "in" decor. Her voice wafted upstairs and was the equivalent of nails on a chalk board.

For some reason or another, the older woman was jealous of her. Violet never gave it a thought, though if she had to guess, it probably was the fact that Olaf was legally married to her.

Violet was more than fine with divorcing Olaf and letting Esme have him.

She groaned as Olaf hollered for her to come down. Pulling her ribbon out, she wrapped it around her wrist. As she walked downstairs, she could see the triplets working on their individual chores. She crossed into the dinning room where the troupe was around the table. Olaf was sitting at the end, Esme standing behind him.

"Come sit." Olaf motioned to his lap. He winked at Violet, patting his thigh.

Violet glared at him, crossing her arms as she sat at the other far end. "In your dreams." She could feel Esme’s disgust, directed at the orphan. She ignored it, wanting to just leave after being disturbed from her peaceful afternoon. "You called?"

"We are discussing an upcoming mission—" at this point, Violet stood up. "Orphan! I'm not done."

"I am. I already told you multiple times I'm not getting involved in VFD's nonsense." He reveled to her the secret organization that not only took the lives of her parents, but hundreds of children who were cohered into joining. "Do what you do with them, but I'm not joining nor getting involved with the missions."

"You will be a part of this discussion. Many people have been awaiting your introduction—"

"I could care less who is or is not expecting me! If anyone thinks I'm joining, it's because you put that expectation into their minds." She knew he wanted more money for his dumb schemes. For some reason, Olaf thinking her joining the organization would make her give him more money. "Now if you excuse me, I'll be enjoying the rest of my day." She turned and left before he could pull her back, the rest of her day ruined by Olaf and his nonsense.

————Four years ago————-

"Violet, what about you?" Klaus took ahold of Sunny as she was handed over.

She fixed their bags, setting it on the conveyor belt. "What about me?"

"You're sending us away for school, but what about you?"

"What's important is you and Sunny having as much of a normal life as possible." Violet smiled softly at them, standing straight. "It's an amazing boarding school. Sunny will be taken care of during the day until she can start school. You guys won't be separated."

"But Violet—"

"Klaus." She rested her hands on his shoulders, speaking lowly. She knew Olaf wasn't far behind, making sure she wouldn't run off. "I need to protect you guys. I HAVE to get you out of here and far away. I don't know what his plans are, but I need to make sure you're safe."

"You need to be safe too." Klaus fixed his glasses, speaking just as softly.

"I will be. I am not going anywhere." She leaned in to give him a hug as Olaf cleared his throat loudly. "There's a phone in your bag with my number... call me as soon as you get to the school."

Klaus nodded against her shoulder, pulling back.

Violet leaned down to give Sunny a kiss on her forehead. The overhead speaker called their plane number, watching as her little brother and sister walked away from her. She felt her chest grow heavy, smiling as they turned back to look at her.

No, now wasn't the right time to cry. Not in front of them. And not in front of Olaf.

She felt his hand on her shoulder, pushing it off. She turned away from him as she walked out of the airport.

"Orphan!"

"Unlock the door." She demanded. Violet got into the back seat.

"Wives sit in the front seat."

"I'm not your wife."

"That's not what the state of Massachusetts says—"

"Shut up and just drive." She snapped at him. "I have an appointment with a realtor at 2:00 PM and I won't be late."

"You're looking at a house and didn't tell me." He narrowed his one brow at her.

"You have no access to my parents money. Remember?" She taunted, narrowing her own brows at him. "So yes I am. You're lucky I'm letting you even move in."

"Then we are finally going to share a room."

Violet laughed. "No. We aren't even sharing the same section of house. Nice try."

"Excuse me?"

——————————————————————————

“Orphan!”

She clenched her fists as Olaf followed after her. “What now?”

“You may think you could run away from this forever . But a time will come for you to join VFD. And you won’t have a choice. Joining me now will ensure the safety of you and your family.”

Violet rolled her eyes, turning to face the man. “Now you want to save me. Says the man who married a 14 year old girl for her parents wealth.”

“It’s all to do with hustling. Little rich girls like you wouldn’t know how to work for their money.”

“Neither do you. You just burn down little rich girl’s homes and steal their money.”

“Anyway.” He continued, sighing in irritation. “We need to talk about how VFD will start closing in if you don’t join our cause.”

“You will say just about anything to get me into bed with you.”

“Not necessarily, but if it works…” he took a step closer to her.

“Uh, no. Esme is in the other room.”

“I would tell her to leave.” He purred.

“That’s if I wanted to.” She stepped away, wrinkling her nose.

“You don’t know what you’re missing. Even a slight taste of blood gets animals going.”

“I’m missing nothing. Nothing that I don’t want to see of you.” She huffed at him, turning to walk back down the hallway. Violet heard his dark laugh.

“As if you have many options in that corner of your mansion”

As she walked back upstairs, she spotted the triplets outside. They were talking amongst each other, taking a break from the numerous chores Olaf throws at them. Violet caught Quigley's gaze, smiling at him softly. She quickly walked upstairs when he smiled back, feeling her cheeks warm up. "Get a grip on yourself, Violet." She mumbled to herself, smoothing her shirt down.

Chapter Text

Violet sipped on her coffee, watching the other across from her.

Despite her better judgment, Violet found herself spending more and more time with Quigley.

He glanced up from his sketch, sitting up straighter. "You know it's not polite to stare." He teased,
She would sneak around to spend time with him in between the chores and often she would talk to him late at night in the guest room he was staying in. It was on the other side of the mansion, far away from Olaf, so he would never know.

"You're the one whose's been silent for the past 15 minutes." Violet leaned in further to see what he was doing. She could see an outline of the mansion, surprised by the details. "Is that here?"

"Yeah. I've been wandering around to make a map of the surroundings. You know, just in case I need escape routes." Quigley shrugged. "I like cartography."

"I was about to say, normal people don't just map out maps of homes." She smiled, resting her chin in her palm. "Does that mean you draw?"

"Yeah. I like to draw, but I don't think I'm that good." He flipped through the pages of his purple notebook and Violet caught quick glances of detailed faces and landscapes.

"They're lovely. What do you mean you're not good." Tilting her head, she stopped him from flipping as it stopped on a picture of a elderly woman feeding birds.

"Thanks." He smiled sheepishly, closing his notebook. Violet thought it was nice to see his smile. Unlike his siblings, he was more stone faced and unemotional upon first impression.

She looked down as their eyes locked, seeing him do the same. Violet cleared her throat as the front door opened and slammed shut. She looked back up to see the other already outside to start his chores. Rolling her eyes, she sipped on her coffee as Olaf stomped in.

"What are you doing up so early, Orphan?" He poured a cup of coffee for himself, sitting at the end of the table.

"Having some quiet before you came home."

"Ha ha." Olaf looked outside to see Quigley working on his chore for the day. "The loud one is at work. Did you talk to him this morning?"

"No, I didn't." She lied, glancing at Olaf. "Why?"

"Good." He mumbled under his breath. "No reason. neither of the orphans in fact. I rather not let them think just because they're close to your age, they think they can be friends."

Violet nodded, standing to rinse her mug out. She did interact with the triplets, though she would admit she spent more time with Quigley. He was more of the odd man out between his brother and sister. A loner compared to them. She couldn't explain why, but she was drawn to him. Maybe it was the fact their personalities were similar. Or the fact that he stood up to Olaf without fear. Either way, she enjoyed their time together. "Gotcha. Anyway, with that—-" she dried her hands off.

———————————————————————————

—Three years prior—

It was one of the rare times she and Olaf went out together. Violet was lagging behind as she looked at the displays. It was holiday season and she was looking for Hanukkah gifts for her brother and sister. She was calculating how much 16 gifts would cost to ship when she ran into someone. “I’m so sorry.” She exclaimed as she dropped the dreidels for Sunny on the ground. Dropping to the ground, she noticed the other do the same.

“You’re alright! I wasn’t paying attention myself and—“ the young man who looked around Violet’s age stopped short, making eye contact with her.

She smiled a bit, gathering the toys in her arms. “No, no I’m sorry. Just a little overwhelmed and stuck in my thoughts.” Violet stood up as the young man did as well.

“Understandable.” He leant his hand out. “I’m Derrick.” They both laughed as he realized her hands were full. “That’s right, my bad.”

“No worries. Nice to meet you Derrick. My name is Violet.”

“Violet. Lovely name for a lovely—“

“What are you doing?” Came the screechy voice of Olaf behind her. “Hurry up. We’re going to be late. The liquor store closes in 30 minutes.” Violet signed to herself, about to say goodbye as Olaf grabbed her forearm and dragged her away.

“It was nice meeting you!” The male called, waving. “Chag Sameach!”

She smiled as she tried to wave, pulling away once they were out of sight. “Can I not talk to people?” She narrowed her gaze on him, continuing walking on her own pace.

“Not people like him.”

“You mean guys my own age? You’re insufferable.”

“Don’t want to give them any ideas. You’re a married woman.”

“A business marriage. You’re acting like I was going to date him. If a guy wants to talk to me, he can talk to me.”

“You’re not going to date anyone. You’re my wife.”

“Funny, didn’t you bring home some hussy last weekend? Couldn’t even make it to your bedroom. Now you’re discussing marriage law to me.” She rolled her eyes as she stopped inside a store. “Get your liquor, I need to get one more gift.”

————————————————————————————

“Orphan. I need to talk to you.” She clenched her fists as she was almost out, turning back.

“There is word that the opposing side of the organization is going attack. Here.” Violet could tell he looked a little frazzled, something she didn’t think the villain could display.

“Alright, why?” She crossed her arms, leaning against the counter. “And why do they know where the house is?” She knew Olaf was tapping into VFD activities, but didn’t think he would bring them around.

“I’ve been using this as a base for meetings and—“

“Excuse me, what?”

“I have spent decades making my way up the ladder and I wasn’t going to lose it—“

“You brought all these dangerous people into my house?”

“Our house—“

“And now they’re going to attack.” Just like her parents and her old home. Violet raised her hand to her chest, trying to calm herself down. This is exactly why she send her siblings so far away. She knew Olaf would put her through this insanity. “You brought them here.”

“It’s not my fault! This is exactly why you needed to be indoctrinated. That’s why they’re attacking.”

“How would they know where to attack when you have been leading your cult meetings here! You’re so dense! All I asked is that you leave me out of this VFD business and you go around and bring them here.” She started to leave before Olaf grabbed her roughly and pulled her back, turning to face.

“Oh you’re so, so naive. You’re not even aware that you can never get away from them. Your alliance with VFD is literally running through your blood. You can never get away from them.” He moved in close to her, nose to nose. “Now you can either align with me and save yourself before this attack happens. Or, you can stay here and die just like your parents in your own delusions.”

Violet narrowed her eyes at him, snatching her arm back from his grip. “I rather die than stand by your side. I’ve spent the last 4 years protecting myself. I don’t need you for anything.”

“You have a lot of nerve to talk like that.” Olaf growled, gripping the front of her shirt. “You’ve done nothing but disrespect me for the last 4 years. I’ve been patient for far too long. You have duties as a wife that you’ve neglected. I have to make my own coffee in the morning. No packed lunch, a hot dinner waiting for me. You’re to be there to fulfill my sexual desires. You’re lucky I’ve been as good to you as I have.”

She laughed in his face, pushing him away from her. “Then you should have married a grown woman and not a 14 year old girl if that’s what you were wanting.” Violet tried stepping away as Olaf grabbed her again, struggling out of his grip.

“You’ve been far too smug for too long. If you’re not going to give me what I want—-“ he grabbed ahold of her pants, yanking at the belt loop. “Then I’m going to take what is mine.”

Violet tightened her legs together as he tried pulling at her clothes, doing her best to get away from him. She felt his hand move down her legs, closing her eyes as she heard a zipper sound. He was about to kiss her skin when the back door opened.

“Hey! Where do you want this wood?”

She let out a sigh of relief as Olaf pulled away, gripping her pants and gripped the wall of the kitchen. Violet could see the irritated face on Olaf as he re-zipped his pants and turned to the voice.

Quigley catch Violet’s eye, before Olaf could turn around. She motioned upstairs as she fixed her shirt and Olaf was turned to the other.

“What are you babbling about, Orphan?”

“The. Wood. That you’ve been making us chop for three weeks now. There’s no room in the shed and we have no place for it…”

That’s the last Violet heard as she ran upstairs. She double locked her door, leaning her bench chair against it just in case. She choked on her breath, sitting down on her bed as her anxiety took over. Her body shook as his touched seemed to make her skin itch. Olaf was becoming more forceful. She knew if the triplets weren’t there, he could’ve—

She shook her head as tried to dry her tears. She needed to get out of here. Away from him. Especially with the impending attack from VFD, this was no longer a safe place. But she had the Quagmire’s to think about as well. She couldn’t leave them here with Olaf. Who knows what he could do to them. Violet stood up to look at herself in the mirror. She pulled her sleeve off and see the grip marks from Olaf.

Violet knew next time Olaf will get what he wants. And knew if she didn’t act now, she would be stuck with him for the rest of her life.

With VFD on the heels, she fear it could possibly be shorter than she thinks.

Chapter Text

A few hours passed as Violet stayed in her room. She was sketching out an invention, hair was tied back with her frayed ribbon. When she found herself stressed, she often tied her hair back with her trusty old ribbon and sketch future inventions. It helped her cope after being separated from her siblings. There was a light knock at her door, her heart racing again. She got up from her bed, slowly pulling her chair back and opening it a crack to see who it was.

"Are you alright?"

She let out a sigh of relief, opening the door further when she saw it was Quigley. Stepping aside to let him in, she locked it before she pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, thank you so much." Violet breathed out, feeling the tears come back. "If you guys weren't there—"

"Shhh, you don't have to thank me. It's Isadora who heard what was happening and alerted us." He pulled back, seeing the marks on her upper arms.

"Then thank you all." She sniffed, pushing her tears away with her sleeve. Violet realized her shoulders were exposed, pulling her cardigan up. "Quigley— have you ever heard of the acronym VFD?"

"Uh, no... not that I can recall. Why?"

"It's a long story."

"I have time."

Violet detailed the small amount she knew regarding VFD, her parents and Olaf's admission earlier that morning. She sat beside Quigley on her bed, letting out a breath she didn't know she held in for so long. "I really want to leave. Especially with what happened today."

"I don't blame you. You should."

"But I don't want to leave you and your siblings. You guys don't deserve to be stuck with him."

"We can't exactly go anywhere else. We have no money. And we don't inherit any money from our parents for awhile. We just turned 17."

"I'll take you guys with me. I can buy you tickets and we all can leave."

"He's going to notice all 4 of us are gone. I know he's not that smart, but that's pretty noticeable."

"We'll plan it out so it all works out. We just have to move quickly since VFD will attack when we least expect it."

He nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry you guys got dragged into all of this. I know this is not ideal."

"It is what it is. You were dragged into it first and we just kind of tagged along." He shrugged.

She smiled a bit at him, looking down at her hands. "I guess I was fortunate enough that Olaf waited this long to act on his aggressions..."

"No, don't think like that Violet." Quigley interrupted her. "Firstly, he married you when you were underage. And got away with it with some stupid 100 year old law. You had to use the small pension of your parents money you are allowed to have now to protect yourself and your family. If you don't want him touching you, he doesn't get the right to. He has no right to force himself on you. He's obviously been trying to groom you and is mad that he couldn't."

Violet hadn't had anyone put that into perspective before. Olaf was convinced he was going to have a little Countess who was going to bend at his every whim and groom her into his own little model to show off to the VFD members. She glanced up at him, nodding as she felt her eyes water. "You're right." She winced at the thought of how her life could be if she wasn't as strong as she was. "I am afraid though... sometimes I get thoughts. Where he does get what he wants and I wind up liking it."

"I mean, it's your choice if you decide to. It's also like
Stockholm syndrome too. You've been around just him for so long, that your mind wanders... but again, it's your choice." The thought disturbed Quigley. Violet was lovely and intelligent. The thought of Olaf's crooked fingernails scratching her soft skin and the wicked things he would do to her made his stomach turn. Olaf didn't respect her, so he could only imagine him not respecting her body in such intimate acts. Then again, she was legally an adult and if she wanted to, she could sleep with the Count.

"No, I don't." She said sternly, shaking her head. "You're right. He's a groomer. He's tried so hard to get me to be this little trophy wife and bend at his every call." She shook her head slowly, looking at the other. Violet smiled softly, wiping at her eyes. "Why did it take so long for you to come into my life? I mean, you guys." She corrected herself quickly, feeling her neck warm up. "I haven't been around anyone my age in 4 long years. I've missed seeing people." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the other again. Violet realized what she was doing, pulling back. "I'm sorry. I'm just very emotional right now."

"No, you're alright." Quigley assured her. "You don't have to apologize."

She kept her arms wrapped around him, smiling again. "Then can I do this?" Violet moved a little closer to the other, her nose nearly pressed against his.

He knew he probably shouldn't encourage, especially with her emotional state. It would feel like he was taking advantage of her. But she was so close and her warmth was nice against his. Quigley leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers softly, his arms wrapping around her waist.

She was both surprised and delighted that he was kissing her. Her eyes widened before she begun kissing him back, closing her eyes. Violet shifted herself and moved closer to Quigley, nearly sitting in his lap. She could feel his arms tighten around her waist, deepening the kissing. Aside from a quick first kiss before her parents mansion burnt down, she hadn't kissed anyone else. She gripped the back of his neck, opening her mouth wide. Quigley moved his hand up her waist to rest on her neck. Violet shifted her legs to rub against his legs and breathed out a soft moan which caused both of them to separate. She pulled herself away from him, sitting back on the bed. "I— uh—"

"Yeah, sorry about that. It got—" Quigley sat up from her bed, smoothing out his shirt and pants. He pulled his shirt down, his cheeks pink both from the kissing and embarrassment.

"No, no, it's alright. I'm— yeah, sorry." She got up as well and went over to her door. "Maybe we— we all, Duncan and Isadora, can discuss what the plan is."

"Yeah, yeah, let me—- us know. I'll clue them in with what you told me about VFD and all that." He glanced around the hallway to ensure no one was in sight. "Bye."

Violet nodded and closed her door. Locking it, she took a deep breath, rubbing her temples. "Get a grip on yourself." she mumbled to herself, going back over to her bed. There was too much that needed to be done and she couldn't let herself be taken by such emotions. She had to stay focused. In order to protect herself, Violet had to go far away from here. From Olaf. From VFD. And she had to act fast.

She took back out her sketchbook, flipping to a clear page. She quickly wrote a list of what needed to be done.

The first on the list:

Divorce lawyer

Chapter Text

The following week was busy with Violet putting her plan into action. First thing Monday morning she went to a divorce lawyer to file paperwork. She asked for separation immediately, citing proof of his "affairs" and playing up her hysterics. After the paperwork was drafted, she left and had one of the triplets sign as Olaf. She came back the following morning with the paperwork, happy to see the paperwork begun filling and she should be legally separated from the Count by Friday.

Selling the house was the next step. She had a little bit of money left that she pulled out of the account from her parents. Violet knew that it would be best to get as much money as she could though so she contacted the real estate agent about getting the house sold. She didn't want to let Olaf take over the house and destroy it with his tacky style and wine bottles. She told them she would take the first cash offer. She didn’t care if it was below market value or any other real estate mumbo-jumbo they told her. Everything will come with the house as well. It was by early Thursday where the agent gave her an offer and she took it. She met up with him at his office and picked up the money.

She bought four tickets to the same town she sent her siblings to. It was an early morning flight at 5:00 AM. It was the best time since Olaf usually didn't come home until later morning either way.

Violet packed a small carry on bag and decided to leave everything else behind. The flight wasn't going to leave until Friday and she grew worried that VFD may attack before they could leave.

Early Thursday morning, she was sitting at her work bench drinking coffee. Violet was avoiding Olaf since the incident and didn't want to be left alone with him. She heard a soft knock at her door, peeking to see who it was. She smiled as she saw it was Quigley. She opened the door a bit to let him in. "Morning." She locked the door behind her, turning to him.

"Morning. I figured you were here since I didn't see you downstairs." He swallowed a yawn, smiling back. "How are you feeling?"

"Strangely... Nervous. This has been my home, my life for so long that anything else seems scary." She admitted, going back to sit on her bench. "The new homeowners are moving in a month, so Olaf has that long before he realizes the house isn't his. Most importantly, I am legally no longer his wife." It was freeing to know she didn't have to be forced to associate herself with the Count.

"I bet. You get into a routine. Though think about it: you get to see Klaus and Sunny again. Start over in a new town and reestablish yourself. Find someone you actually like to start a life with..." that thought made him a little uncomfortable, but there wasn't anyway she would consider— no, she's very much out of his league. Quigley more than anything wanted her to be happy. Especially with as much as she has done for him and his siblings.

Violet smiled softly, sipping her coffee to cover her slight blush. "How are you guys feeling?" She quickly changed the subject.

"Ready to leave. Luckily we barley have a bag a piece so we don't have much to bring. Happy to be away from Cunt Olaf. His merry men aren't too bad though."

She laughed at his play on words, shaking her head. "They aren't. Compared to him at least. I can probably get you guys into the same school as Klaus."

"Joy." He furrowed his brows. "I figured that was the case. Since we haven't had any formal education these last couple of months."

"Well, you guys will be 18 in half a year so if you don't want to stay, you can leave."

"Might as well finish with being so close." Quigley reasoned, shrugging. He looked outside as the sun rose slowly over the trees.

Violet watched him, turning back to the window when he turned to her. "That's true."

He looked down at his hands, as he stood from her bench. "Guess I should complete my last full day of mundane chores."

She put down her mug, following him over to her door. "Don't work too hard. We have an early day tomorrow." Violet realized how close she was to the other, smoothing out her overalls. Maybe if she leaned a little closer...

Violet opened the door to glance down the hallway, letting the other slip out. They waved as she closed the door behind her.

"Focus Violet... Now is not the time for that..."

———————————————————————————-

Violet drummed her fingers against the arm rest of the taxi. Just a few more miles and she would see her brother and sister again. It has been 4 long years.

Isadora sat beside her, patting her knee. "It's going to be alright." She assured the other female, smiling. "I'm sure they miss you just as much."

Violet smiled back, nodding. Duncan sat beside his sister, writing in his notebook. Quigley sat in the passenger seat as there wasn't enough room in the back, asleep.

The taxi came to stop in front of an academy. She got out, seeing a figure standing near the front entrance. She could tell the person was wearing glasses and was fairly tall. Violet felt her heart race out of her chest, watching as the figure walked closer. She start towards the being, realizing as she got closer that it was Klaus. She could cry as she noticed how tall he had gotten. Violet wrapped her arms around his shoulders, sighing in deep relief. "It's been too long." She pulled back to look at him, wiping her eyes. "I never thought I would see you guys again." Violet glanced behind him, looking for Sunny.

"She's in class." Klaus fixed his glasses. He furrowed his brows as he saw the triplets come behind Violet.

She turned to see them carry the bags, standing a good distance apart to give the siblings privacy. "Oh, I forgot to introduce. This is Duncan, Isadora and Quigley Quagmire."

Klaus narrowed his eyes a little, backing away. "Quagmire...?"

"Yeah." Violet continued, not noticing Klaus's distaste at first. The triplets did, glancing at each other. "They went through the same thing as we did and had their home burn down. Count Olaf "adopted" them and they left with me." She smiled at the triplets, looking back at her brother. Her smile faltered a little when he noticed Klaus's face. "What's wrong?"

Klaus shook his head, looking around as he seemed to become a little antsy. "I— I didn't expect you to come with other people.” He gave a slight smile, before clearing his throat. “Violet, there's something that we need to talk about..."

Violet watched her brother confused. He was acting off, which was causing her to put her guard up. Violet had hope though. It has been so long and they had so much to catch up on. Text messages weren’t solely sufficient compared to talking in person. Maybe he was just as in need of reconnection as she was. "Alright. What is it?"

Klaus looked behind him, the door opening up slowly. He took a deep breath as he tightened his fists. Almost as if he was nervous. "I think that it's better if they begun the conversation." He stepped to the side as the academy doors opened all the way.

Violet watched the door open wider, her eyes widing. She intervently stepped back, feeling like she was looking back at ghosts. Which she was heavily under the impression of. She choked back a bit, feeling as though the wind was knocked out of her.

"Mother?…… Father?"

Chapter Text

It almost felt like she had died. Standing before her were the parents she though she tragically lost all those years ago. There they stood, though aged four years.

Her mother, Beatrice, smiled. "Darling Violet. Look at how much you've grown."

Bertrand, her father, wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders. "Of course she has, my love. She's a young woman now."

Violet was speechless, unsure of what to say. She glanced back at the triplets, who were equally unsure of what was going on. Probably more so since they didn't know who anyone was. "I thought you died—-"

Beatrice's shoulders slumped, pushing her lips out. "No, we didn't. I know that you must be very confused by all this, but when we heard you were coming, we knew it was time to talk to you about—-"

"You knew?" She turned to her brother. Klaus stood towards the front entrance, his arms crossed.

He nodded slowly. "When we were dropped off at the academy, we were reintroduced. We were met to come to the academy eventually. There wasn't a good time to tell you what was going on, and—-"

"You lied to me? You all lied to me?" Violet was starting to become upset, backing away.

"Violet, no." Bertrand stepped forward, shaking his head. "This was all meant to happen. You did everything wonderfully. You passed the initiation beautifully. This—"

"Is this more VFD bullshit?" She interrupted loudly.

"Violet!" Beatrice hushed. "Let us explain."

"You're telling me, me having to marry some pedophilic moron, send my siblings far away and basically spend the next 4 years of my life dodging being sexually assaulted by said moron was part of—" she motioned around her. "Your cults initiation?"

Beatrice winced. "Violet... that's not... nothing was going to happen to you."

"And you indoctrinated my siblings into this as well?"

"Violet." Klaus said, sternly. "Listen it's not—"

"Don't talk to me like a child, Klaus." She snapped at him. "You knew exactly what I had to go through. Have you ignored all the text messages I sent you? Did you forget I gave everything up so you and Sunny could get away from Olaf?"

Klaus's head bowed down, his arms dropping to his sides.

"Violet, you need to calm down—" Bertrand started.

"Don't get me started on you two." She shook her head, laughing. "You have no right to come up to me and act like everything is fine. You don't get to be gone for 4 years and come back to "introduce" me to this cult like there's no issues."

"Let us explain..."

"No!" She shouted. "No. I don't want to hear your excuses." Violet was so angry right now she couldn't think straight. "I can't look at you all right now. I'm—"

"Please, let talk this—"

"No." She turned to the Quagmires. "We need to get some rest. We've been traveling since 5:00 AM. I am not talking to you right now."

"Where are you—"

"I will talk to you tomorrow." Violet took out her phone, handing it to the triplets to call a cab. "You want to talk? You need to wait." She picked up her bag, turning away.

"Violet—"

"I will text Klaus's number when I am ready to talk." She ignored them as she took out a map of the small town. She was shaking she was so angry.

Quigley noticed, stepping forward. "I'll find a motel." He mumbled, taking the map from her.

"Thank you."

"Violet, please—"

"She said she is done." Quigley looked up from the map and glared at her family. "What part of 'no' don't you understand? Leave her alone."

"Who are you?"

"Quagmires." Klaus mumbled to his parents. They looked at him shocked, glancing back at the small group.

The taxi drove up, walking up to the car. Violet could hear her parents walk behind, trying to convince her to stay. She didn't look back as she got into the backseat, locking the door. Isadora took her hand as Duncan put their bags into the trunk. Quigley explained to the driver the motel they want to go to. As the doors closed, they drove off, her family watching as the dirt picked up.

This was definitely not what she had planned for the day.

————————————————————————————

The Quagmires gave her space as she spent the afternoon in a haze. At any moment they thought she were going to scream or cry. In order to give her that space, they took a trip to an aged convenience store called The Last Chance General Store. They picked up some basics hygiene products since they left the majority of their things back at Violet's mansion. There was a burger restaurant across from the motel so they walked across to grab some food.

She sat on the balcony, staring at the road. She heard the Arcadia door open and close, not looking up. A burger came into her view, looking over at her companion.

"You need to eat." Quigley said. "You haven't eaten all day."

Violet took the food, leaning back against the glass. "I can't believe all this." She started out at the small towns downtown scenery. "They were alive the whole time and never once did they reach out to me." She blinked away tears that threatened to fall, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. Maybe... maybe in some way, they figured they were doing what they thought was best? I say hear them out tomorrow and then see how you feel." He leaned back against the glass as well. "Though your feelings are completely valid."

She nodded in agreement, taking a bite of the burger. "I know what you're saying. I just know I would have probably not reacted well if I talked to them today." The prospect of knowing her parents were alive also brought a sense of relief. Violet spent 4 years with the gut feeling of something wasn't right. That there was a chance her parents were possibly out there. On the other hand, she had an anger at the thought they purposely didn't reach out to her. They will definitely need to explain themselves if she were to consider forgiving them. "I guess I should send a message letting them know we can talk tomorrow."

"Let them wait a little longer. They waited 4 years before letting you know they were alive."

Violet laughed, wiping her eyes. "I'm really glad you and your siblings are here with me. I think I might have caved if you weren't here."

"No worries. We're on your side. Whatever decision you make, we will back you up."

She smiled, moving closer to the other. "I need that." Violet glanced into the window  to see Duncan and Isadora passed out on the motel bed. She leaned on to press her lips against Quigley's cheek. "Thank you for volunteering."

Chapter Text

Violet sat at a booth deep in the back of a run down diner. After she texted she was ready to talk, she was told to meet at this particular location. Her nerves stood at edge as she waited, her stomach turning. She held her breath as the ding of the door bells alerted to someone walking in, sitting up straighter. She could see it was her parents. Violet glanced at them, nodding as they sat across from her.

Beatrice smiled softly at her daughter, feeling a limp develop in her throat. She couldn't believe how beautifully her child has grown. The woman never felt her family was complete having Violet so far away.

It was for the best, she reminded herself.

Violet pushed her lips out as they sat in silence, a cash register and coffee brewing sounding in the background. "So.... You wanted to talk."

Bertrand cleared his throat, nodding. “I— we-“ He looked to his wife who nodded as well. “Understand that you feel like we have— abandoned you. We know we have hurt you. We were only doing what was best for the family. For you.”

“Yes.” Beatrice agreed, leaning over to take Violets hands. “After that performance, you both were to join us back here and start your formal training. You being so resourceful sent the kids back and the organization rolled with it. We were so impressed at how clever you are.”

Violet pulled her hands back and crossed her arms. Her heart shook at a thought and needed an answer. "You signed off on my marriage to Olaf, didn't you? There wasn't some hundred year old loop hole. You both signed off on the marriage didn't you?"

The two glanced at each other briefly, Bertrand
clearing his throat. "We— we needed to keep up appearances and in order to do that—-"

"You signed my marriage didn't you?"

"Yes. We did."

She felt a lump in her throat, closing her eyes. "You understand what happens on wedding nights right?"

"He wasn't going to do anything."

"He tried. He chased me into my room with Klaus and Sunny after the wedding. Drunk off his mind and was very, very close many times after that."

"No, it was for show."

"No it wasn't!" Violets hands turned into fists under the table. "Just last week he got angry that I wasn't doing 'wifely duties' and tried to 'take what was his'. He tried raping me—" she shakily got out, but sat straighter. "Many times he tried."

Beatrice closed her eyes, Bertrand taking her hand. "Violet..." He looked to Beatrice who nodded slowly. "The organization wanted to try a new initiation tactic and they test piloted it— they wanted to marry off incoming volunteers to seasoned, higher up volunteers who could help initiate and bring the new volunteer into the organization. And eventually they would be a team and—"

"So you basically forced me into an arranged marriage to Olaf and assumed I would join your cult and be his little wife?"

"It isn't a cult Violet. We are a noble organization that protects the other side from hurting our families and homes. We only tried what was best for our family. Olaf would've indoctrinated you and from there you would be join forces with the noble side and form a bond with him—"

"Stopping calling it cute names and say the truth. You made me get into an arranged marriage and thought I was going to becoming a member of this stupid organization.” Violet’s face furrowed. “Apparently Olaf is on the ‘noble’ side?"

"Yes, we are all on the noble side. We are fighting to protect against the less than noble side. And we trust no one else for you to be teamed with."

Violet barked out a laugh. "The drunken washed out actor was the best you got?"

"He is very knowledgeable and intelligent. He has his flaws, just like anyone else, but he would be a great teacher and show you the ways of VFD."

"Delusional. You're both so delusional."

"Do not talk to your mother and myself like that. We were doing what was best for you and your siblings. We were protecting you from the less than noble side. Like those Quagmires you're protecting. If only you knew what their parents did to our friends and family."

Violet was doing her best to bite her tongue, but at that last statement she couldn't hold back. "You did the best for your cults agenda. You weren't protecting me from nothing. It was me who was protecting myself from VFD." Her brows furrowed. "You're saying their parents are a part of this cult too?"

Beatrice held her breath, nodding slowly. "Were."

Violet processed the words, her face becoming hardened. "You killed their parents?"

"No…not us directly. They weren't killed randomly. A volunteer acted first before they could potentially attack."

"Your 'noble' organization set their house on fire with their kids inside. How is that justified?"

"They have the potential to attack and we needed to protect our own first."

"How do you know that they had plans to attack? What were these plans?"

Bert hesitated. "We weren't sure. That's why we attacked first."

"So you killed people who you didn't know were going to attack you. Did they attack you before? What did their parents directly did to you?"

"It wasn't them exactly. It's their parents parents. History is tainted and we need to—"

"Has their parents activity done anything to you?"

"Violet—"

"You killed innocent people and left their children orphaned. What if they were babies? What if they were Sunny's age?" She said with disgust.

"We as children were dragged out of our families homes by our ankles and never saw them again. There are much worse ways to be indoctrinated than homes being burnt down or betrothed to older members..." Beatrice's eyes widened, watching Violet grab her coat. "Violet, no, it isn't like that—"

"You married me off to a stranger. At 14 years old. To an adult man." She spat venom at them. "You really think child grooming is a better option? Well, fuck you both. For the last 4 years I took care of myself. I protected myself from that disgusting human being you think so highly of. I got myself and 3 other people out of that situation. And I divorced that piece of shit too. On my own."

"Violet, please, if you only knew. Reconsider. Olaf would never hurt—"

"You are both brainwashed by this cult. You’re indoctrinating my brother and sister into this." Klaus was more than likely already gone. Poor Sunny was not even in kindergarten yet. "My heart ached for you every single day. Thinking I lost my family. That you were dead, and my siblings being so far away from me. Yet here you all were, like some big happy family without me. I lost my family."

"You haven't lost us. We are here, darling..."

"Don't call me that. I have lost my family to this VFD bullshit. I have no one." She felt the tears start to run, shaking her head. "You ruined my life. I wish you just stayed dead to me." She stood up and gripped her bag, walking away from the table.

"Please don't go. Please." Beatrice started to cry as she got up as well, following her daughter. "I know this isn't ideal. I know this doesn't make sense, but please don't give up on us. We need you back to make our family whole."

"Then you should have rescued me when I needed you the most. You should have protected me. Instead, I learned I have no one except myself." She didn't turn to face her mother, the jingle of the restaurant door sounding as she left her parents behind to grapple with their poor decisions.

Chapter Text

All three Quagmires jumped at the same time as the motel room door opened and slammed suddenly. They looked up to see an angry and silent Violet walk in. They all looked to each other, eyes wide. Violet walked into the bathroom and slammed it shut, turning the shower on.

"Uh..."

"I don't think the visit went well with her parents."

"What do we do?"

"Maybe we should let her be."

"That would work if we weren't all staying in the same room, Duncan."

"We could all go for a walk."

"One of us should stay behind and ask her how she is."

"You should, Isadora. You're a girl."

"Uh thanks for volunteering me."

"How about you, Quigley? You talked to her last night and she calmed down quickly."

"I don't know..."

"That's right. She was much happier after talking to you. You seem to both understand each other." Isadora agreed, closing her notebook.

"We'll go down for a short walk. We have to refill the water jugs anyway. And we'll stay in the lobby for a little bit. Shouldn't be more than an hour. And then we can debrief if she wants to." Duncan went over to grab the empty water jugs.

"Really?"

"It's fine. The last thing Violet would want is to have the three of us here playing 20 questions after what seems to be a pretty heated disagreement with her parents. You don't even have to talk, just sit with her", Isadora followed behind Duncan. They heard the water shut off, moving quicker. "Be back in an hour."

Just as the two triplets left, the bathroom door opened. Violet had a towel wrapped around her, seeing only one Quagmire was in the room. They both looked at each other in silence as she brushed her hair back.

"I— uh, can leave if you-" Quigley motioned to the door.

"It's fine." She assured him, going to sit on one of the beds. "I just needed to shower before I lost my temper around you guys."

"I take the visit wasn't—"

"I just found out my parents are completely brain washed by this cult. My brother also seems to be. Apparently Olaf is VFD's golden child and he's on this 'noble' side. Oh, and my parents admitted I was in an arranged marriage to Olaf and still expect me to be." She put her comb down, turning to the other.

"Wow."

"Yeah." Her face saddened, taking a deep breath. "I also found out something about your parents..."

Quigley cocked his head at her. "Like what?"

"That's your parents were part of this organization as well. And were the opposite side of my parents. The noble side, they— started the fire."

He nodded slowly, looking down. "It makes sense— I mean, fire seems to be a common factor. So I guess you're also confirming that our parents are truly..."

"I believe so. My parents seemed pretty assured they were not alive."

"I thought so. Isadora was holding on to some hope that they too could be alive. Though Duncan and I told her that's very unlikely."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. We knew it was not possible. We were there. The fire burnt everything to the ground. We were just lucky enough to be close to the back door." He shrugged. "Sounds like my parents were the bad side of this VFD."

"I don't believe a word of this cult, so I wouldn't take the definition of "noble" or "non-noble" hard. It honestly sounds like a bunch of rich people fighting and I don't think that determines your parents as people." She lent her hand out to rest on the others.

"Thanks." He smiled softly at her. "What does this mean for you?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I thought coming here meant I would have Klaus and Sunny, but apparently I don't even have that. It's like I'm the odd man out and I'm meeting this new family." She felt her eyes tear up. "It's like I was forgotten. Like I didn't matter. While I am so happy my siblings have been continued to be raised by our parents, it's almost like my parents were sending me off."

"They were, Violet."

"But why? What did I do to deserve that?" She cried out, wiping her eyes. "They married me off to some rapist and wanted to program me for this stupid cult. To be his wife. I was 14! What were they thinking?"

"Of themselves. They weren't thinking of your best interest."

She shook her head, drying her eyes off with the end of her towel. "I guess I should think of what to do next." Violet glanced at the other when she realized his siblings weren't there. "Where did Duncan and Isadora go?"

"To get more water."

"Why didn't you go?"

"They thought one of us should stay. And decided I should since, well, they said I understand you better."

She laughed, wiping her face off. "I did come in a little hot so I can see why you guys came up with a quick plan."

"It's alright. I would feel the same way." He realized she was still in her towel. Pushing his lips out, he scooted a bit as he stood half way. "Would you like me to leave so you can change?"

Violet looked down as she noticed she was still in her towel. She was half embarrassed, looking up at the other. "I almost forgot... does it make you uncomfortable?"

"Me? No, no. I just, I didn't know if you were uncomfortable and didn't want you to think I was— you know, thinking anything, or being weird."

"I'm not. Not with you." She smiled softly, moving closer to the other. "You don't make me uncomfortable. I feel more comfortable with you and your siblings better than my own family. Especially you." Violet took the others arm and pulled him back to sit down. "No. You don't make me uncomfortable. I much rather you look at me than Olaf."

"Oh, I don't— I don't watch you like he does. Or I mean look or think—"

"You look at me. I don't mind." Violet stated matter of factly. "You aren't repulsive like him. You are much more respectful of me than him. You're much more easier on the eyes than him.." she moved closer to Quigley, not taking her gaze from his.

"I don't want you thinking I would take advantage of you. With the situation you're in. I wouldn't do that." He didn't move back as she moved closer. Quigley could feel his heart beat in his ears. He knew she was feeling compromised right now and didn't want her to feel like he would try to benefit from her vulnerability.

"I really wish you would." She knew he wasn't going to do anything to hurt her. Though at the same time, Violet wished he wouldn't put the wall up that he was. She knew she was leading with her emotions at this time, but not enough to let them get carried away. "Please, would you kiss me? Like you did last week."

He felt the back of his neck heat up, his throat drying up.

"You wouldn't hurt me. Or take advantage of me." She assured him, moving so that she was nearly sitting on his lap like before. "I spent so many years being leered at by that disgusting man. I honestly thought I was going to be stuck with him forever and finally just— cave." She leaned in closer to the other, her chest pressed up against his. "You gave me hope that I wasn't stuck. We don't have to be serious. We don't have to go past this.. Violet took his hands, placing them on her waist. "I just want a kiss." She brushed her lips against his softly, feeling his hands tighten on her waist. She was delighted as he kissed her back, deepening the kiss a little more. Wrapping her arms around his neck, they continued their kissing. After a few moment, it got a little more heavier; Violet gripped Quigley's hair a little tighter and she felt her towel loosen a little. They pulled back for breath when they absolutely needed it. She pushed his hair back, gazing into his eyes. Smiling, she ran her hands down his chest slowly. A sudden knock broke them apart. "I better—" she wrapped her towel around herself tighter,  standing up quickly. Violet felt her face flushed, grabbing her change of clothes. She sprinted back to the bathroom.

Quigley nodded, not able to get any words out. He straightened his clothes, smoothing his hair back. He took a deep breath as he got up, the knocking increasing. "I'm coming, I'm coming." He rolled his eyes at his siblings insistence. An hour shouldn't have already passed. "Hold on, what's the big—" he opened the door up, faced with the terrified looks on his siblings faces. Confused, he looked up as they weren't alone. His eyes narrowed, gripping his sisters arm to pull her in. Duncan followed right after. "Hurry."

"Hello Orphan brat, I'm here to see my wife."

Chapter Text

"You mean your EX-wife?" Quigley kept the door close, glaring at the Count. "What do you want?"

"Either way, I need to speak to her. Now." Olaf leaned his hand out to try to pry the door opened.

"Don't make me slam this door on your hand, you bastard spawn."

"You little insignificant—"

The triplet was pulled out of view and Violet appeared. "What do you want?"

"Oh, there is my darling—"

"What is it?"

"Do I need a reason to speak to my wife?"

"We've divorced, Olaf. You have no reason to talk to me."

"Well, I have three reasons to talk to you."

Violet furrowed her brows at the man, her hands gripping the door knob tightly.

"And a court of law would call that parental alienation. You're keeping my children away from me. You're free to go if you like, but I'm here to take back my children."

"You aren't taking the Quagmires. They may be 'minors', but are within legal age to decide who they rather stay with."

"You aren't the one who adopted them. They're mine."

"I was your wife, remember? We were legally married, so they're legally my children as well. And they want to stay with me. Read our divorce paperwork and you will see where it states I am within legal rights to take them out of state." She crossed her arms. "Who told you I was here?"

"I have my ways."

"Well, you can tell my parents that I am not going back to them. Nor you in your wildest dreams. And neither are the triplets."

Olaf's face showed mild shock. "You know about—"

"You mean my parents basically promising me to you? Yes, I do. So do me a favor and leave me alone." She tried closing the door, though Olaf gripped it and prevented her from shutting it. "Go crawl back to your cult and leave me alone."

"You have no idea who you are, little girl. You are VFD royalty and you're throwing it all away? And protecting  these traitorous bastard's on top of it?" He gripped open the door, forcing everyone to back away as he stepped closer.

"Violet..." Isadora whispered. "What is he saying—"

"You aren't taking them." She feared what Olaf would do to the Quagmires if he got his hands on them. "You and my parents are deranged. Marrying minors to recruit them to VFD's agenda. Killing the children of your "traitors" and stealing their fortunates. You think you're all so noble." Violet chuckled shortly.

"You're lucky you're protected by your parents or I would—"

"Olaf, that's enough."

Everybody snapped their heads to the voice that spoke up. Violet was slightly relieved to see it was Bertrand at the door way. She relaxed, looking over to see Isadora shaking like a leaf beside her. Violet wrapped her arms around the other, going to sit on the bed. Duncan and Quigley moved to stand with them.

"Bert, you know the agreement we had. Just because it's your kid—"

"Enough. Now when I told you where they were, you were supposed to just pick up the orphans and go."

The Quagmires looked between each other, concerned at the prospect of being taken by Olaf. "We don’t want to go with him." Duncan said softly.

"Was I speaking to you?" Bertrand snapped.

"Excuse me?" Quigley walked over to the older men who stood at the doorway. Isadora and Duncan shot up, trying to get to their brother. He shook off his siblings grip. "Don't you dare speak to my family like that. I have no idea what my parents did to you—"

"Huh, so naive—"

"Shut up." He glared at the elder Baudelaire man. "But at least my father would never give up my sister to some pedophilic drunk for a 'greater good.' Is that why my family was hated by your people? Because they don't believe in touching little kids like you?"

Bertrand's face heated up, stepping closer. "You are skating on thin ice young man. I would watch yourself."

Quigley stood his ground. In fact he stepped closer, nearly nose to nose. "Or what? Show me what you would do. I would love for you to swing first so I have an excuse to break your nose."

Bertrand kept his glare on the other, before breaking contact. Duncan dragged his brother back towards where Violet and Isadora stood. Violet was holding onto an inconsolable Isadora again. "You're definitely your mothers son..." He mumbled, rubbing his jaw in remembrance the last time the said woman came close to him many years ago.

"How did you know where we were?" Violet asked.

"You're in VFD territory. Everyone here is associated with VFD in one way or another." Olaf crossed his arms.

"And you still couldn't find us?" Quigley laughed. Duncan pushed him down into the bed, shushing him.

"What do you want?" Violet looked at the older men. She stood up to walk to them. "Because here's the thing: I am neither going to remarry you. Nor am I joining this VFD family business— whatever you want to call it. So what options are left?"

"None—" Bertrand sighed, his eyes softening. "Violet, this is why your mother and I tried to protect you. You've been born into this organization. You may believe or not believe in VFD, but members on both sides know you and will stop at nothing to get you on a side. You have to stay on the noble side to protect yourself. This is why you were sent to live with Olaf. He is your protector."

Violet looked at her father confused, starting to chuckle. Before she started laughed hysterically at him. "You're joking right? You really thought this—" she motioned to the Count. "Was going to protect me? Maybe from alcohol poisoning or cirrhosis, but that's about it." She stopped laughing as she became serious. "So what you're telling me, wherever I go, VFD will follow?"

"Yes."

Violet cursed to herself, looking over to the triplets. "And what about them?"

"They're not our concern."

"They may not be your concern, but they're mine. After this one decided to burn down their home and kill their parents, they're my concern."

"Actually, they're my children so I can do what I want with them—"

"Like I said before, we were unfortunately wed. Which means legally, they're also my adopted wards. And you are not going to do a thing to them." She turned to her father. "If you honestly want to keep me in your life, we need some ground rules." Violet knew if she left again, her mother would be beside herself, so Violet was going to hold this over her fathers head. "That school is a real boarding school right?"

"Yes."

"Well, the triplets have maybe another year left before they're of age. They will stay at the school." She looked to Olaf. "You say I'm VFD royalty right? You touch them in anyway, I will ensure your booze is laced with so much rat poison, you'll die twice. And you." She looked back to Bertrand. "Will make sure of this. If I find out you let this fool take the Quagmires away or hurt them...."

"Will you come home?"

Violet held her breath. "If they're hurt in anyway, you will never hear from me again. VFD be damned, I will disappear off the face of this Earth and all you will have left of me is a memory." She said sternly. "You protect them and I will come home."

Bertrand looked back at his eldest daughter, and back to an irritated Olaf who had his arms crossed. He nodded slowly. "You have my word, Edison."

Chapter Text

The following morning, Violet and the triplets sat in the admissions office of Prufrock Preparatory School.

"This is good." Violet assured Isadora. "You guys will have a chance to finish school. And you will be away from Olaf."

"But what if he finds a way to take us back." Isadora said, worriedly fidgeting her hands together. "He seemed pretty pissed last night."

"Nothing will happen." Duncan said, looking up from his notebook. "Once we are 18, we can leave this school and away from VFD." He smoothed out the polo shirt of the required uniform for the school.

"What about Violet-"

"I will be alright." She smiled at the other girl. "I will find a way out, too. We won't be here forever."

"Yeah, I'm not staying here past 18." Quigley closed his own notebook. He pulled at the collar of their new uniform, wrinkling his nose. "Just baring with it until then."

His other two triplets nodded in agreement.

After they were called, Violet waived them goodbye. Promising to visit them in a week or so. She picked up her small suitcase as she made her way to the car waiting outside. A man dressed in a black suit and Newsboy hat stood by and opened the door for her.

She held her breath as she sat in the back seat, her stomach dropping as she drove to what felt like the unknown.

But it wasn't the unknown, right?

—————————————————————————
When she arrived at her parent's mansion, she was greeted with a 4 year old Sunny. Violet was stunned to see how much she had grown. She leaned down to pick her up, Sunny wrapping her arms around her neck. Violet wanted badly to cry, saddened by how much time has passed. She looked over to see Klaus standing a few feet away, his arms crossed. She noticed his cold demeanor, eventually watching as he walked upstairs without as much as a 'hi', 'long time no see' or a 'fuck you'. She let Sunny go as Beatrice walked in, hugging her eldest daughter tightly. It felt nice to feel her mother's touch again, but the fact that mere days ago, she thought she died was still surreal. When she pulled back, Beatrice cupped her daughters cheeks, looking into her eyes.

"Look at how much you've grown. You're not my little baby anymore." She pushed Violet's hair back, smiling.

Moving back in with her family was definitely something she wasn't expecting. For one, she didn't have the privacy she did when she lived with Olaf. She would stay on her side of the house while he stayed on his. Since Violet only brought a small suitcase, she was at the mercy of the clothes already there for her. Which were lots of skirts and dresses. She mostly dressed in pants and overalls, feeling much more comfortable moving and working in them. But to make her parents happy, she wore the dresses.

She was working on adjusting her life, but she found the lack of independence tiresome. After a few days of being in the home, Violet found the courage to reestablish her old routine. She woke up early and made herself some coffee. Violet heard her parents walk downstairs. Which was something she still wasn't used to.

"What are you doing awake?"

"I always wake up around this time." She sipped on her coffee, looking out the window.

"Coffee?" Beatrice asked, pulling out some milk.

"I'm 18." Violet turned to look at her mother.

"Ah, I forget." She laughed lightly, rubbing Violet's back as she turned to look back out the window.

That much about her mother hasn't changed: she was light. Beatrice was regal, girlish and passive. She was often mistaken as a royal family member or movie star. Walking into a room, all attention was on her due to her magnetic energy and soft beauty.

Violet didn't have these qualities. She often had dirty hands from her inventions and had an unruly look. She didn't have her mother's light and girlish attributes. Violet slightly envied this. She could sense a hint of disappointment when she was introduced as THE Beatrice Baudelaires  eldest daughter prior to the fire.

Pushing her hair behind her ear, she listened as the rest of the house awoke. Violet wasn't entirely sure if she could deal with breakfast with her whole family right now. She stepped outside to get some air, sitting down on the step into the garden.

"Violet? You hungry?"

She took a deep breath, glancing back. "I'll be in a minute." Violet forced a smile. She turned back to look into the garden, her smile fading.
—————————————————————————

"And then he ate another banana." Isadora sighed, opening her notebook to review her class notes. "How this man got a teaching degree is beyond me."

Violet laughed, shaking her head at her friend's dismay. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not." Isadora laughed as well. "We aren't even getting a proper education. Why can't we just leave."

"Just a little longer, Is." Duncan assured her. "And once we are done, we can go to any school we want for whatever educational degree we want to get."

"I don't want to go to college." Quigley looked up from his notebook.

"It would be useful if you do." Duncan glanced at his brother, frowning. "Don't you want to be fulfilled and well educated?"

"And waste my time when I could be traveling? I can learn more from that than any book could teach me."

"What about a job? Don't you want a good paying job?" Isadora chimed in.

"No." He shrugged his shoulders. "There's more to life than working until you're dead."

Duncan rolled his eyes, closing his notebook. "We can discuss this further at a later time." He ruffled Quigley's hair as he stood up. "The line has finally shortened and I'm starving."

"If there is any bananas, I think I'm going to throw up—" Isadora said as she walked with Duncan to the cafeteria.

Quigley rolled his eyes as well, flattening his hair down. "It's an ongoing argument with him."

"He only cares." Violet laughed, resting her cheek on her palm. "But I understand you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. School isn't for anyone and doesn't always guarantee a good job."

"Is your parents trying to make you go to school?"

"Hmmm, not exactly..." On the contrary, they have been hinting to her regarding joining VFD. Doing volunteer work with Klaus. Or setting her up with another male member who was close to her age. They tried mentioning Olaf, but she shut that down before it started. Her mother has been talking about marriage.

Violet shuddered at the thought of marrying anyone at this point of time.

"Ah, that's right. They're part of the organization." He nodded when he understood her statement.

"And marriage. They have been trying to set me up with volunteers." Violet didn't know why she let that slip to Quigley. She could see his brows raise up and down, feeling embarrassment. "I kind of just divorced in a way, so I don't know why they are trying to do that."

"I don't blame you." Quigley closed his notebook to give her his full attention.

"I honestly think they're trying to make up for not being there and be parental with me..." she was thinking out loud. "I don't need that."

"Yeah, you don't. You were forced to grow up fast and you don't need them to parent you. Sure, they can be there to guide you and offer their advice, but you've been doing it yourself for 4 years."

Violet nodded, resting her chin into her palm. "Yeah, I don't." She sighed to herself, smiling softly at the other.