A/N: I had just finished watching the third season of ASOUE the other day and I was really impressed by the sibling relationship of Violet and Klaus, particularly of how well they were played by Malina and Louis. Then, the other day, I was rewatching one of my fav movies, Slumdog Millionaire when a thought occurred to me about how fantastic Klaus Baudelaire would be if he took part.

For those of you who haven't seen the movie Slumdog Millionaire, it's an incredible movie directed by Danny Boyle which features two brothers and a girl orphan on the run. One of the brothers falls in love with the girl and although he was separated from her, he goes on the popular gameshow Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in the hope that she would be watching.

Thus, I've adapted a sort of similar premise to my story where Klaus gets separated from his sisters and has to find a way to reunite with them. Like in the TV series, the story will focus particularly on Klaus and his relationship with Violet. I've always loved good sibling fics and this would be my attempt at it. Please review if you can. I've posted the first three chapters

Disclaimer: Don't own anything in ASOUE or anything else other than the story itself.

Chapter 1

Despite many unfortunate days in Klaus's life, none was worse than the day after they set from the island.

Like most days, the blue skies were clear with only a few clouds drifting high above them as Klaus steered the Beatrice through the pristine, blue waters of the sea.

For the first time in a very long time, Klaus felt a sense of peace and purpose as he, Violet, Sunny and Beatrice set sail on the boat from the island they had called home for a year. He pushed hard against thoughts of V.F.D as well as others that had impacted his and his sisters' lives one way or the other. Ever since the night before, Klaus had allowed his mind to wander back to Mr Poe, Justice Strauss, Jerome Squalor, the Quagmires, Fiona and countless others whose status were currently unknown to any of them. He had placed a flower on Kit Snicket's grave while merely giving Olaf's a mere glance. The dead had haunted him for many nights and Klaus was certain they would continue to do so for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, for the first time, Klaus was optimistic as the thought brought a light chuckle to his lips as he pictured Phil giving him a cheery smile and two thumbs up.

"What's so funny?" Violet asked, breaking Klaus away from his thoughts.

"Nothing," Klaus replied as he adjusted his glasses. "Just feeling positive about where we headed off to."

"With you guiding us, I have no doubt," Violet replied as she beamed at him while Sunny continued to play with Beatrice. Watching Beatrice laugh wildly at Sunny trying to imitate the Incredibly Deadly Viper, Klaus couldn't help but smile proudly at the pair. Although Sunny did help to raise Beatrice and her contributions could never be counted out, it was clear to Klaus that both he and Violet were the ones responsible for taking care of them. He felt a slight nudge on his ribs as Violet, who had been about a seat apart was now inches away from his face.

"Okay, enough with that. Tell me what you're thinking." Violet said as she gave him that determined look he had seen so many times in the past.

"I'm just thinking about the amazing job we did raising them both," Klaus replied as he motioned towards the pair.

"Well, Sunny did raise herself quite a bit. Even took care of us a few times."

"I don't deny that," Klaus replied. "But you have to admit that most of it was down to the pair of us."

"True, although imagine if Sunny was our age. We would be unstoppable." Violet cried as Klaus gave a laugh.

"I don't doubt that. She's super strong. So too is Beatrice." Klaus said before sighing. "Which makes me think about what we're going to do once we get back?"

"What do you mean?" Violet asked, looking puzzled.

"I mean, are we going to go back to find a way to start a new life or open up an old one?" Klaus sighed. "I mean, I'm all for going back to Briny Beach, finding Justice Strauss, trying to clear our names and finding a place to lay low until you turn eighteen. But anything to do with V.F.D, I want no part of it."

"Klaus, our parents were from V.F.D. Don't you want to know more?" Violet whispered loudly, wanting neither Sunny nor Beatrice to hear their conversation. "What about Duncan, Isadora, Quigley and Fiona? Don't you want to find them?"

"Of course, I do," Klaus replied hastily. "I just don't see how us going through V.F.D is going to help? And what about Beatrice? She needs a home to live in and grow, not just follow us as we try to hunt down the ghosts of our past. "

"A lot of people might still need our help, Klaus. We just can't abandon them!" Violet replied, her tone rising slightly louder. "We will find a good home for Beatrice, that's our priority. But we will also try to find out what happened to our parents, where our friends are and if there are people in need for us. We were trained to be part of V.F.D, Klaus."

"No, we weren't!" Klaus replied in a tone similar to his sister. "Look, all this. The sugar bowl. The schism. Everything ended at Hotel Denouement. The Man with a beard but no hair and the Woman with hair but no beard, they might be gone as well. So too are countless others! I agree we should at the very least, find our friends but once we have them, that's it. No more looking into V.F.D, no more looking into our or our parents' pasts. It's over, Violet."

"There might still be fires needed to be put out, Klaus." Violet sighed.

"All fires eventually die out, Violet," Klaus replied firmly. "That's the thing. You can kill a fire by depriving it of heat or oxygen but a fire will die out once it runs out of fuel. Us going back into V.F.D, that's just giving it more fuel to burn. We should let this go, Violet."

"How about we talk about it once we get back to the coast?" Violet suggested as she pulled away. Klaus could feel his heart breaking as his eyes rested on her expression, one he had never hoped to see. Violet's face was one of disappointment. Yet before he could utter a single word, Sunny called out his name.

"What's that?" Sunny said as she pointed ahead. Klaus and Violet stood up to stare as Violet gasped in horror. Something was happening to the surface of the water as the four of them felt the boat rocking slightly harder than it used to.

"Sunny, get Beatrice in a life vest," Violet said as she handed her sister the only two life vests on board. She exchanged a look with Klaus who looked just as concerned as she was. Violet pulled out a ribbon to tie around her hair as Klaus sat back on his seat, ready to steer the Beatrice through the terror that waited for them. The waves were getting stronger as the boat started to rock from side to side as Klaus tasted the salty seawater that splashed against his face.

…

KLAUS!

He could hear Violet screaming his name as he watched what remained of the Beatrice float away in the distant. Each time, Klaus felt himself being dragged underneath the surface of the water before being pushed towards the surface. He felt himself gasping from breath as the water soon enveloped him as it poured mercilessly down his throat as his vision soon became blurry before darkness swept from all around him.

"ENOUGH!"

A loud sound pierced through his watery hell as Klaus felt a towel being yanked off from his face as his throat welcomed the sharp bits of air entering into his system. Klaus felt himself spitting and vomiting out bits of water as his lungs burned while he gasped continuously. He felt a strange sensation of having something cold and metallic being removed from his wrists as Klaus felt himself being dragged onto an upright position before being flung to the floor. Despite the abrasions and bruises that formed upon contact with the hard, cement floor, Klaus welcomed his new position as his body continued to expunge the water that had been stuck up his throat. Wheezing and gasping for air, Klaus felt his vision beginning to adjust inside the poorly-lit room.

"Pick yourself up, Scab!" came a loud and growling voice. Klaus hoisted himself up to his feet as he rubbed the water from his red eyes. As he squinted through his eyelashes, Klaus saw that he was face to face with Arthur Barker, the Head Inspector of the police force in Viceroy City. Arthur was a large and broad man, six feet two in height as he sported a large gruffly beard. The bald inspector motioned for Klaus to take a seat as he placed a chair across from him. Darting his eyes around the room, Klaus could see that Arthur's colleagues had left the room and removed the wooden board, leaving nothing in the grey, derelict room other than a table, two chairs and a mirror which Klaus guessed went two ways as they always did in police interrogation rooms. There was a swinging light bulb above their heads as Klaus took to his seat while still spitting our water from his lungs.

"Now, listen here, Scab." Arthur snarled as he glared at Klaus through his rough, hazel eyes. "The treatment that you have received is only the least of what I can do to you. Give me any of the cheeky wit one more time or try to tell me that you know what this word means or that word means and I promise you that the next time, I'll keep pouring the water much longer. So for the sake of your health, I suggest that you answer my questions honestly and without any of that sarcastic tone and we won't have any problems, do you understand?"

Klaus nodded his head, his body feeling weak from the water torture. He felt a pair of hands grabbed his collar as Arthur pulled Klaus towards his face.

"I said, do you understand?" Arthur whispered dangerously as Klaus glared at the man.

"I understand," Klaus replied grimly as he felt himself being shoved back into his seat.

"Excellent," Arthur said as he sat back in his seat. "Now, apparently it says here on your papers that officially your name is Herman Melville but I guess everyone already knows that's not true. Apparently, your name is…"

"Klaus Baudelaire." Klaus coughed as he wiped his face. Arthur gave him a smirk.

"Such a nice name. Shame you didn't want to use it before. Why didn't you just use your real name?"

"Because," Klaus said as he turned to face the mirror before staring back at Arthur. "Because of my past."

"Ahh, yes. Typical of a Scab. Did something bad in the past and so you think you can just waltz into our city and start a new life." Arthur said while smiling wickedly at Klaus. "Klaus Baudelaire, a wanted fugitive for a string of murders, breaking and entering, arson…the list goes on."

"I didn't do that any of that," Klaus replied. "It was all Count Olaf."

"Count who?" Arthur asked as Klaus shook his head.

"Never mind," Klaus replied as he glared back at Arthur. "Doesn't matter now, does it?"

"And why is that?" Arthur asked. As he managed to compose himself, Klaus regained some of the confidence and strength he had gathered days prior to the event at hand. He glared at Arthur as a smile came on his face.

"Because either way, I will be out of this place in another eight hours. The game show is too important to this city for the first ever contestant to reach the Billion dollar question not to show up. The entire public eye is on me and you would have no choice but to release me anyways."

"All I have to do is announce that you're a wanted fugitive," Arthur replied calmly. "The gameshow will disqualify you and that would be the end of it."

Klaus continued to smirk at Arthur as he continued to wipe the water on his face.

"You won't do that," Klaus answered as Arthur glared at him. "There's too much at stake now and even if you wanted to convict me of my crimes, you'll need to gather proof and that would be a long and complex process. Everyone in Viceroy City wants to see me take on the Billion Dollar Question. You wouldn't be able to stop me even if you wanted to."

"I won't?" Arthur snapped.

"Now you won't!" Klaus snapped back. He was tired and frustrated. Klaus recalled the day he had signed on for the game show, able to get himself as a contestant. All those years, working his way around Viceroy City, doing odd jobs and garnering favours had led him to this opportunity. One that was too precious to throw away. "My apologies. It's just that I've come so close, I can't just quit now."

Arthur, who looked ready to torture Klaus a moment ago, softened his expression as he stared curiously at Klaus. "You really need the money, huh?"

"No. If I win, I don't want the billion dollars."

"Everyone wants the billion dollars, Scab."

"Not me."

"What do you want then?" Arthur asked as Klaus averted his gaze.

"I want to ask the Mayor for the favour?"

"The favour?" Arthur cried incredulously. "Please, everyone goes for the money. If it was me, I would take the money. Why would anyone pick the favour?"

"Because there are some things more important than money." Klaus sighed as he stared at the mirror. He suspected that the mayor was watching, along with Quentin. Klaus had suspected that this entire interrogation was nothing but a façade, a way for the Mayor to gauge the kind of person Klaus was.

"You do know why you're here, don't you?" Arthur said as he crossed his arms. "There have been suspicions that you've been cheating."

"You know that it's impossible to cheat in this game," Klaus replied.

"Maybe you had an accomplice tell you the questions, prep you up." Arthur mused.

"I don't have anyone," Klaus replied though his voice sounded rather quiet. "And I did not cheat. Listen, I'll prove it to you."

"How?" Arthur asked

"I'll tell you everything," Klaus said as he turned his attention back to Arthur. "How I know the answers to each of the questions. What I learned on the way. But I need to play this game."

"Why?" Arthur asked.

"There's something I need from the mayor. Something only he can give me. He can keep the money for all I care, I don't want it. But you need to let me play the game."

….

Behind the mirror of the interrogation room stood two men who were as different as apples and oranges. The first was an elderly man with a white beard with no hair who wore a suit that was also white. He stood there glaring at Klaus as he tipped his hat while the other man beside him, a ginger-haired man who stood at five feet nine inches tall watched Klaus with fascination.

"Do you really think he's going to take the favour?" the ginger asked as the other man shook his head.

"He's a Scab, Quentin." the man replied as he stroked his white beard. "Have you ever known a Scab to turn down money?"

"Have you ever known a Scab to reach our final question, Mayor?" Quentin replied as he shook his head. "I don't know, Sir. There's just something about this Klaus that fascinates me. Doctors, lawyers, professors, scientists. None of them ever gets past our first six questions and here he is, the Scab of Viceroy City, reaching further than any Upper or Norm ever could."

"What could a Scab possibly know?!" the Mayor cried out as he threw his hat onto the ground. "There's nothing fascinating about a Scab, Quentin. They're nothing more than leeches. I want him under arrest after we find out exactly how he's been cheating."

"How has he been cheating?" Quentin remarked. "The game is played inside a controlled environment where the audience members are separated by a two-way glass. We removed his spectacles and the way he's been picking the answers suggest that there's no time for him to communicate with anyone. I would suggest letting him play, Sir. Our audience numbers are through the roof ever since Klaus entered the game. People are getting excited to see the Final Question, myself included." Quentin exclaimed as he turned to the Mayor who had a smirk on his face.

"He won't get past it. Not even the smartest men and women in the world have been able to solve the Final Question." The Mayor laughed as he placed his hand on Quentin's shoulder. "Let's just see what he knows first."

….

As Klaus watched Arthur try to size him up, Klaus couldn't help but let his mind drift back to the past six years. It had been hell for him, out there being alone and having to fend for himself. Each night, Klaus thought of three individuals as they swirled around in his thoughts, haunting his dreams. Beatrice would be about seven years old now, capable of speaking proper English. Sunny would be about ten and highly likely to have accomplished herself well as a chef as he imagined her cooking various cuisines and dining with the rich and famous. The thought that both Sunny and Beatrice were no longer babies or toddlers but old enough to attend school and learn about the world brought a slight moment of joy in his heart. Klaus took comfort in knowing that both the girls were safe. He had found Beatrice years ago and left her in the care of her caretakers who were more than happy to care for her while he looked for his sisters. Sunny, on the other hand, was still missing but Klaus knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was safe so long as she was with Violet.

Violet

While Klaus loved all the women in his life dearly, his mother, Sunny, Beatrice, there was something special about his older sister Violet. For as long as he could remember, he and Violet had the best relationship anyone could ever expect. They were as thick as thieves, his mother would say and even that sounded like an understatement. If Violet ever needed to invent something, she would always consult him first using his knowledge to help her and if Klaus wanted to test a theory or something from his research, Violet would help him in any way she could. There wasn't a thing they couldn't accomplish together with proof being those horrid months when they were left in the hands of Count Olaf till their time on the island. In his mind, Violet was as perfect as a person could be.

"If you were alone in this world, son, and you could choose just one person to spend the rest of your life on Earth with, who would you choose?" his father had once asked him. Klaus didn't answer the question as his father would soon be interrupted by Sunny trying to bite his favourite chair once more but perhaps, his father didn't need to know the answer because he already did. Though Klaus cringed at the guilt of having to pick a favourite amongst the people he loved, there really was only one honest answer.

She would be twenty-two years old Klaus sighed as he thought of how his sister must look. He wondered if Violet even suspected he was alive ever since that horrid day after they left the island. Klaus recalled how he made his way back to the mainland and started retracing his steps, hoping to hear news of his family's status. Fortunately, he had found Beatrice and with the news that his sisters had survived, Klaus forged ahead, hoping to reunite with them once more. Yet there were no signs of Sunny or Violet as Klaus wandered from town to town, village to village, city to city until finally, he had reached Viceroy City, a place of technological wonder and considered by many to be the birthplace of a new Renaissance where information and knowledge was shared on a daily basis. It was here that Klaus chose to stay, knowing that if ever there was a chance that he would find Violet and Sunny, it was here in Viceroy City where the odds laid in his favour.

However despite its reputation, Viceroy City was far from a utopia as the city had a terrible social class system. People were divided into three classes; the rich and famous were known as the Uppers while the average working citizens were known as the Norms. Then came the Scabs, the lowest class in the system which consisted of the poor, the homeless or those shunned by society. Though the Scabs made up most of the city, they were seen as pariahs and often were underpaid and overworked by the Norms and Uppers. As an outsider with no wealth or status, Klaus was quickly classified as a Scab. Yet Klaus was undeterred, working manual labour jobs and adopting the name Herman Melville as he continued to search and listen for his sisters' whereabouts. Then came a day a year ago when an interesting conversation prompted him to make the riskiest decision of his life.

…

"I heard that Quentin has finally recovered, mates. That means Victory is back!" said Peter, one of Klaus's construction mates. It was their lunch break and most of Klaus's construction mates were gathered at a table. Klaus sat in between Peter and James, two of the construction mates that Klaus had gotten close too.

"Finally!" James replied as he chewed on his sandwich. "Man, wouldn't it be good to go on that game show?"

"You think they let us Scabs on the show?" Peter said dismissively as he shook his head. "Nah man, the game show is for the Norms and Uppers. They're the only ones that can afford it anyway."

"Sorry," Klaus remarked as his mates turned to face him. "But what is Victory?" Klaus asked as a bunch of the workers stare at him incredulously. Klaus had only been in Viceroy City for two months and was still unfamiliar with most of the things he heard.

"Christ, Herman! You never heard of Victory?!" Peter spoke incredulously as he clapped Klaus at the back. "It's only like the best game show ever!"

"Its full name is called Victory: Fortune or Debt," James explained as he grinned at Klaus. "Basically, it's a multiple choice quiz show where if you answer a question correctly, you get a certain amount of money. It starts from ten dollars then you go to a fifty, then a 100, then 250, 500, 1000, 5000, 10000, 25000, 50000, 100000,250000,500000, one million and finally one billion dollars!"

"So a total of…fifteen multiple-choice questions." Klaus replied, doing the math in his head.

"Exactly," Peter said. "However, this isn't your typical game show. You see, you get three lifelines to help you out in answering the multiple choice question which has four answers from you to choose. The first is 50/50 where you would get two incorrect answers taken away. You can also choose to phone a friend for help which is the second lifeline and the third would be to ask the audience. Mind you, once you've used up all your lifelines, you're on your own."

"That's interesting," Klaus said as he nodded along before pausing. "Wait, why is the game called Fortune or Debt?" Klaus's question was met with a round of chuckles all around as James clapped his back.

"That's what separates this gameshow from all those quiz shows you know," James replied excitedly. "You see, for the first six questions, if you fail to answer it correctly, you go back with nothing although if you choose to walk away, you'll go back with whatever it is, you've earned. So the maximum anyone can make while playing it safe would be a thousand dollars."

"But the thing is," Peter added as Klaus now turned to him. "Once you get past the sixth question, Quentin will ask you if you wish to proceed. If you do, you have to play until the end. Because, if you answer a question incorrectly, you would have to pay whatever is the amount of the question you're on! So if let's say, I make it all the way to the million dollar question and I get it wrong, I have to pay back a million dollars!"

"What?!" Klaus cried in shock. "That's crazy!"

"It is!" Peter replied.

"Precisely," James replied. "Hence why most people walk away after the thousand dollar question. Only the Uppers play on but they can afford to pay their debts."

"Let's not forget about old man Rickety down the street," Peter exclaimed as the other workers started chatting excitedly. "He played the game up until the 250,000 dollar question and he bombed there. Rickety was a Norm, nearly reaching Upper status and now, he's one of us." Peter sighed as he held up his right wrist where a green band was held.

The green band, Klaus knew, was an indication of one's status in Viceroy City. Once registration papers were fixed and residency was guaranteed in the city, one was ordered to wear a band to indicate their economic status. Those who pulled low income like himself, Peter and his mates wore green bands while average, middle class working individual wear blue. Only the rich and famous wore red though it was optional for an Upper to display his or her red band. Such a system disgusted Klaus and it was only after he had worn his green band for a day when he heard someone refer to him as a Scab. From then on, Klaus knew that terms such as Upper and Scabs were not official terms but jargon bred from the mouths of people who still stood by such bigotry.

"I heard Rickety begged the Home Office to allow him to keep his blue band." James sighed. "But you know how it is, here. Home Office said that with the debt, there was no way Rickety could afford the luxuries he had. They took everything from his home to cover the debt and labelled him a Scab."

"That's awful!" Klaus cried. "Why would anyone want to take part in the gameshow then?"

"Money," Peter exclaimed to murmurings of agreement from the other construction mates. "I mean can you imagine if one of us wins the game? Not that we could, of course, but can you imagine having a billion dollars? Think of what you could do with all that money."

"My kids would finally get everything they ever wanted," James replied as others listed ideas on what they would do with the money. "What about you, Herman? What would you do with a billion dollars?"

"I don't know," Klaus replied as Peter flashed him a cheeky grin.

"Come on, mate," Peter said as he nudged Klaus playfully in the ribs. "Maybe you could use it to impress that girl of yours."

"What girl?" Klaus asked, sounding confused.

"The one you keep staring at before you sleep, mate," Peter said as Klaus blushed heavily, the heat rising in his cheeks. Pulling out a photograph from his coat, Klaus handed it over to Peter.

"You mean this one?"

"Yeah, that's it! I never got a good look at it before." Peter laughed before whistling. "Ain't she a beauty?" Peter remarked as the other workers nodded in agreement. "Sorry, mate, no offence. And whoa, is that a kid? You seem kind of young here to be having one, you know, not that I'm judging."

"She's my…" Klaus cried indignantly before stopping himself and feeling a blush forming on his cheeks. One of the benefits of being a resident in Viceroy City was being able to access the libraries as well as the records of the public service centres at the Home Office. Klaus had been careful to inform anyone who asked that Violet Baudelaire and her sister Sunny were friends of his. It had raised a few eyebrows, leading to many assuming that Klaus and Violet had shared some sort of intimate connection.

"She's just my best friend and that's her sister." Klaus sighed, leading to looks of disbelief and laughter. Klaus's expression softened as he stared at the photograph which was being passed around. A smile came on his lips as he recalled the day. Beatrice had been playing with a camera that Sunny had found in the treehouse on the island. It was Violet who had the idea of letting Beatrice take a photograph of the three Baudelaire orphans. As he stared at the photograph with Violet seated next to him, holding hands as Sunny sat in her lap; Klaus blushed at the thought that Peter's inference didn't sound as absurd to him as it did moments ago.

"What are their names?" James asked as he handed the photograph back to Klaus.

"The little one is called Sunny and the older one is Violet," Klaus answered as he slipped the photograph back into his coat. "I've been trying to find them for six years now. No luck so far. I'm hoping that living here might give me a better chance."

"Well, if there's one place in the world where you can find them, it would be here," Peter exclaimed as he patted Klaus on his back. "Of course, I suppose if you win the game show, you could just take the other option."

"What other option?" Klaus asked.

"Well, if you win the game show, you get to choose between two choices you see. Either you get a billion dollars or you can ask for a favour from the Mayor himself." Peter said as Klaus listened intently. "That was the original prize years ago when the game started but it was considered so bizarre as to why anyone would want to ask for a favour from the Mayor when you can just take a billion dollars. It's still an official option, I suppose but it's more like a white elephant now."

The wheels in Klaus's head started to turn.

"Wait, so what you're saying is that, if I do win the game show, I can ask a favour from the Mayor himself? So if I ask him to help me find Violet, he could do it?" Klaus asked, his tone rising in excitement.

"Definitely," James replied. "The Mayor has a major influence all around the world, Herman and tons of resources at his disposal. He could probably find her in a day, maybe less."

His sister often described it as a lightbulb lighting up in her head whenever she came up with a solution to a problem. It was at that moment, Klaus felt a surge of adrenaline and excitement, unlike anything he had felt in the last six years. This is how I find them Klaus thought as he turned to face Peter.

"I'm going to do it," Klaus exclaimed as Peter gave him a puzzled look.

"Do what?"

"I'm going to take part in Victory," Klaus replied firmly.

A burst of laughter erupted from the table. Klaus glared indignantly at the group. "I'm serious!" he cried.

"Sure you are, mate," James said sarcastically. "And I'm going to be an Upper tomorrow. Better apply before the Home Office closes."

"Herman," Peter said as he placed a hand on Klaus's shoulder. "Even if they let a Scab on the show, there's no way you can successfully answer all the questions. Scientists, lawyers, doctors, professors, all the most learned minds from all four corners of the globe have tried and no one has ever gotten past the million dollar question. These questions, they asked, they're not like the ones you learn in school. They come from a range of topics, mate. Why, you probably will have to be a genius if you want to actually want to win this thing."

"Not a problem," Klaus replied as a smile formed on his face.

….

Klaus watched as Arthur dragged a television set in front of him. As Arthur set up the equipment, Klaus turned to stare at the two-way mirror. He had no doubt who was responsible for capturing him and putting him in his current predicament. Many years ago, back when Count Olaf first slapped him across the cheek, Klaus recalled the last time he had felt so utterly hopeless. It was Violet who had comforted him and gave him the strength to push himself further than he ever thought possible.

The years without his family had taken a toll on him. Klaus recalled all the moments he had spent, asking questions, meeting with strangers, nights spent in libraries and travelling from town to town hoping to finally be reunited. Now, he was just one question away and though the entire world was on the edge of its seat, wanting to see him tackle the Billion – dollar question, Klaus only had one thought in his mind.

I'm coming, guys, Klaus thought as pictures of Violet and Sunny ran through his mind. I'm coming

Klaus watched as the television set sparked to life and images of his introduction on the show was seen. He recalled how Quentin had whispered to him about their viewership which had been steadily rising ever since the game show had promoted him as the first Scab to try his luck at the game show. Peter, James and his mates at his workplace had all offered him congratulations and well-wishes as Peter informed him that his appearance on the show had set the city on a frenzy with Scabs now rising up to speak up as a community. James had remarked that Klaus was not just a contestant on a game show, but a leader for a community of people that have been stepped on for far too long. Though there have been talks of revolt and the police forces have even stepped up their security details in the time his appearance was announced, it did not matter to Klaus. He had a goal, one goal and there was nothing that could stop Klaus Baudelaire once he made up his mind.

"Are you ready to do this?" Klaus heard Arthur say as he held up the remote control. Ironically, it was those same words that Quentin was poised to ask him, the image of himself being seated across from the host being shown on the screen. Klaus smiled as he stared back at Arthur, the answer coming to him as easily as it did six years ago when he asked the same question himself on a remote island somewhere out to sea.

"If I wait until I'm ready, I'll be waiting for the rest of my life," Klaus replied as Arthur nodded before pressing play.

….