Written for A Series of Unfortunate Events Fanfiction Challenges (ASOUEFC); First Time for Everything challenge.

Prompt: Esme's first grey hair

Leaning closer to the mirror in her hotel bathroom, Esme's eyes widened and a hand flew to her mouth with a loud gasp.

Olaf, who was in the the other room, leaned in to look at his girlfriend. "What's the matter now?" he asked irritably. He was in a bad mood — and Esme's and Carmelita's attitudes certainly hadn't helped matters.

She turned to him, heavily-made-up eyes round and shocked like an owl's. "Look!" She pointed a long, thin finger with dark red nails at her head.

He squinted at her and scowled. "I see nothing," he grumbled.

She glared at him. "Idiot! There!" She plucked a single strand of hair from her head with a wince that she quickly masked with her usual grown, and held the hair up to the dim lightbulb on the ceiling. "Look."

Olaf peered at it. "I still don't —"

She waved the hair in front of his eyes, which darted back and forth, following the motion. "It's grey!"

His grumpy expression depended. "So what? I've got a whole head of them!"

She rolled her eyes. "Do you know what this means? I'm old!"

He sighed and called loud enough to be heard in the next room: "Carmelita, come in here."

The spoiled girl skipped in a few moments later. She didn't like being told what to do — but Count Olaf was the exception. He scared her. "What?"

He pointed a bony, knobbly finger at his girlfriend. "Tell Esme she isn't getting old."

Carmelita glanced at Esme. "Oh, she's definitely getting old," she said cheerfully. Esme held a hand to her heart. "Do stop that," she ordered with a sneer. "You look fine. Let's go to the gift shop now. I need a new headband to hold back my bee-you-tea-full hair."

She flipped said hair over her shoulder and skipped back out, leaving Esme distressed and fearful. The fashionable woman took one last long look at her reflection in the mirror and then followed after Carmelita.