Dear Reviewers:

Ed, the giant Racoon: Okay, I'm updating now, finally! Hopefully you haven't keeled over from the suspense yet.

Violet K. Baudelaire: Supreme dictatoress of the ASoUE universe…I think I like that title. From now on, everyone has to call me by that, got it? ;) J/K,j/k… I'm glad you like this story so much! If readers like you keep reviewing, I'll keep writing, promise. :)

Samela: Thank you! Updating…Now!

LollipopsAreTears: Wow, I know I'm doing my duty as a writer when my readers get so attached to the characters…and they aren't even my characters…But it's almost the same thing, right? Sorta kinda? Anyway, thank you, loyal reviewer. :)

MlynnBloom: Déjà vu indeed! And remember, Sunny didn't want to visit the Eiffel tower in France because she was afraid of heights for reasons she couldn't remember…hmm…

Nny11: Thank you! I'm glad you think so. :)

NewbiaTheElf: You know, I'll admit it, I'm not that satisfied with the end of the last chapter either. I wanted to hurry and get it completed so I could post it, so it was a bit rushed. And I know, I know, I should take my time with these, but I didn't want to wait any longer. I'll try to be more careful in the future. But anyway, I'm glad you liked the rest. :)

Smartlilazn: Thanks…I'm glad.

Phoenix72389: Hey, your review kinda reminded me of Captain Widdershins! Just replace the AAHH!s with Aye!s and it's almost exactly the same. :D Anyways…Thank you!

Fufulupin: Okey dokey, I'm updating now. Sorry ASAP didn't turn out to be that soon…

Craz obsessed: I hope this dangling feeling you're experiencing goes away, it would be a most unfortunate thing if you acquired a deathly fear of heights as well as our young heroine. And I'm updating now, please don't cry!

Arden C. Evans: Yes, 'tis a very big birdcage. Still, poor Sunny's probably gonna need a trip to the chiropractor afterwards. Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it. :)

B r o k e nSMILES: Thank you! For the compliment and for reviewing.

Xxhannahbananaxx: I'm so sorry this took so long! I'm not gone yet, don't worry. I may be a procrastinator but I don't give up easily! If this ever happens again and I take forever to update, remember that I'd never just leave a story incomplete simply because I got bored with it. The only reasons why I might discontinue a fanfic is if I suddenly keel over, fall mortally ill, or if I am dragged away by the ankles by a secret organization…

x-everywhere-x: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it.

Harry-Potter-fan01: Thanks for the review! Glad ya like it.

Riley Roberts: Thank you! And yes, poor Sunny. She has terrible karma. Anyway, updating now…

OK. I…am…SO sorry I didn't update sooner. There's just so much that's been happening, what with school being a monster and my parents getting stricter with my bedtime, I haven't had as much time to write as I'd like.

Now, this chapter does reveal a lot of secrets, but I keep wishing I had written it better. The ending may sound a little rushed, because when I wrote it I sort of was rushing, and I didn't have time to go back and change anything that needing rewriting. You see, I'm going on a cruise tomorrow, (W00T!) so I won't have internet access for a week and I didn't want to force you guys to wait any longer for an update. I have a soft spot for my readers, what can I say? ;) So anyway, I apologize if this doesn't flow as well, and don't worry, I'll have my notebook with me on my trip so I'll be starting the next chapter soon, and working very carefully on it!

Anyway, this is part one of chapter 13. I divided it into two parts because I thought they should sort of parallel each other, with part 2 happening at the same time as part 1. They sort of go together, so I guess they're both the same chapter. If that makes sense.

I hope you guys like it. And once again, SO SORRY!

Chapter 13: The T r u t h, Part I

Or what I really wanted to call it although it was too long:

Chapter 13: The Truth Behind the Lies Behind the Man Behind the F e d o r a

Sometimes, when you first wake up from a long sleep, you probably find yourself somewhat disoriented and confused. Sometimes you don't know where you are or how long you've been resting. But sometimes, even before you open your eyes, you are aware of things around you; the voices of your family nearby, the feeling of the warm blankets tucked around you, the smell of breakfast being prepared downstairs.

Sunny was experiencing the same occurrence not too long after her brother and sister arrived at a certain villain's intimidating home. She did not, however, hear the voices of her siblings, or feel the warmth of her familiar bed, or smell the scent of something delicious cooking in the oven.

Instead she sensed several different things; things she thought she had sensed before.

There was darkness.

Wind. Cold wind.

A sort of rusty smell.

Something hard underneath her.

She felt very cramped, as if she had been stuffed into tiny bank vault.

And she heard…someone humming?

…Humming a song she had heard before…?

Then she remembered…

It was that song Violet had sung to her during the cold, lonely nights they had spent shivering together, the one their mother had sung to Violet years before. Sunny didn't hear the words now, but Sunny could remember perfectly what they were.

When we grab you by the ankles where our mark is to be made/You'll soon be doing noble work although you won't be paid…

The wind began to blow, freezing and mocking.

When we drive away in secret, you'll be a volunteer…

Sunny began to feel the strange sensation of rocking backwards and forwards, like on a swing.

So don't scream when we take you…The world is quiet here.

She opened her eyes.

And screamed.

She was locked in a cage.

A cage that was suspended 30 feet above the ground.

And suddenly Sunny remembered why she was afraid of heights.

The wind blew again, pushing the cage and sending her mind reeling. Looking up, she saw that it was only hanging by a single rusty metal ring attached to the top, and she wondered how it could possibly support her weight.

Horror began to seep into her mind, began to engulf her, began to make her dizzy again. Cold sweat dripped down her face, tears pooled in her eyes.

…What if it couldn't support her weight?

Oh no, she thought. This was it. She was going to die soon, she was sure of it. The cage was going to break, she was going to fall and every bone in her body would shatter. Her death would be a brutal and bloody one, and nobody would ever know how overwhelmingly petrified she was as the ground rushed up at her, as her all too short life flashed before her eyes…

The wind again rattled the cage's fragile frame and Sunny grabbed the rusty bars and screamed. "Someone let me out! Someone help!" she shrieked, rocking back and forth and pulling on the bars, causing the cage to swing even more wildly.

"Whoa! Hey, careful!" An arm reached through the window and attempted to steady the cage, despite the fact that Sunny was still screaming and not aware of the person in the tower.

"Hey, just- Hold on- Wait!"

"AAAH! Get me out of here!"

"Would you just-"

"Help me! Somebody! Please…" Sunny whined, her panicked screams eventually becoming a pathetic whimper. "Oh, who am I kidding…" she groaned.

She heard a shrill whistle behind her.

"This thing isn't very strong," said a voice. "Try not to move around so much."

Sunny turned as best as she could and finally saw that she wasn't alone.

There was a large, strong hand that firmly clasped the cage bar, and her gaze traveled down the arm and up to the face of whoever had stuck around to keep her company. It was a handsome face, with a rigid chin covered in slight 5 o'clock shadow. Dark hair hung around this face, falling down over one deep brown eye, almost reaching his shoulders. There was a certain gleam in his one visible eye, a sort of look that seemed like he was trying to be friendly, yet Sunny could tell that there was pain hiding behind it.

She knew who it was. Without question.

This was Fedora.

…Without the fedora.

The voice was familiar. The song he had been humming was familiar. And his face, now that she could see it, was probably the most familiar thing she had seen throughout her whole stay at Fiona's.

"Duncan?"

Fedora smiled and shook his head.

No, Sunny thought, it couldn't have been Duncan. This smile was different, not the mischievous smirk he always wore. This was a softer smile, more serious, sadder. Yet everything else about him was almost exactly the same as Duncan, as if he was his twin, or…

…or his triplet.

Then she realized it.

Her jaw dropped.

"You! You're the other triplet! You're Quigley!" Sunny said. "I can't believe it! You're Quigley! Wow!"

Quigley smiled wider. "You got it," he said, taking his fedora from the table and setting it on his head. He tipped the brim back so she could see his face. He narrowed his eyes slyly. "But you better not tell anyone."

"Oh, I won't!" Sunny said, now considerably distracted from her situation. "Wow, I can't believe I'm finally meeting you!" She stuck her hand out through the bars. "I'm Sunny."

"Yeah. I know."

"Oh yeah." She let out an embarrassed giggle. "Heh. I kinda forgot that. You know, because I thought you were just Fedora and not Quigley, and it feels like I'm just meeting you for the first time and… Wow. This is, like…Wow."

Quigley chuckled softly and shook his head. He turned around on his chair and propped his feet up on the desk. "Yeah, well, it has been a while, hasn't it?" he asked, scribbling something in a notebook.

Sunny nodded, cautiously shifting to a less cramped position in the rickety old cage. "It has. But it feels like I've known you my entire life. I've heard so much about you. From Violet especially."

He looked up and quirked an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"Are you kidding? She doesn't stop talking about you! It's always 'Quigley this, Quigley that,' or 'Oh look! A letter from Quigley! I'm going to go up to my room and read it over and over a million times!' or 'The phone's ringing! Maybe it's Quigley!' Seriously, you never hear the end of it, living with her." Sunny grinned and shook her head. Quigley was smiling too, but it was a different kind of smile.

"Well," he said, turning back to his notebook, "It seems to me that you've gotten yourself into a rather dicey predicament here, Miss Baudelaire. You know, you were always one for this sort of thing, meddling in other's affairs…"

Sunny frowned. "What are you talking about?" she asked defensively. "I was tricked into all this! It's not my fault, I had no idea-"

"No, Sunny, I understand that part, more than you think. But if I am correct, I also understand that you took something that didn't belong to you," he replied.

She looked down ashamedly. True, stealing that vial was what had gotten her into this mess. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that… But I was just trying to find some sort of evidence that could give me some sort of idea what Fiona was up to…"

"Yes, but still, you should respect the privacy of others. Especially when they keep their door locked. And bolted. And have surveillance cameras hidden in the eyes in the paintings."

Sunny quirked an eyebrow and peered through the window at the paintings. The paintings…Of course. All Volunteers used to have at least one in their mansion. That's how she knew. "But…" She lowered her voice cautiously. "You mean she can see us right now? She doesn't mind us talking like this?"

"No, I don't think Fiona's paying much attention to the surveillance monitors at the moment. Apparently, she's expecting a visitor down in the study."

"Hmm…" Sunny mumbled thoughtfully. She frowned. "But if she knew it was me, why did she get so mad at Jacky?"

Quigley shrugged. "It was an act. She's got these ways of doing things. One moment, you think she's on your side, the next, she's got a knife to your throat. I guess she figured that you'd come clean sooner or later if she threatened your friend. Fiona's a much more complex person then you make her out to be, Sunny. She's got some serious issues, yes, but she's a crafty one." He sighed and scratched something else down on his notebook. "She's got tricks up her sleeves I can't even began to think of," he continued, slightly quieter. "If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's don't underestimate Fiona." Quigley shrugged again. "And she never really liked Jacky anyway."

"Why doesn't she?" Sunny asked.

"Oh, something happened between Fiona and his dad a long time ago. Doesn't like to talk about him." He looked back down at his notebook and quietly began to write again.

"Oh," she said. Sunny had been hoping to get more of an explanation than that; she could already tell Fiona had something against Jacky's father, that was as plain as day. She sighed. Why won't anyone tell anything? "Hey…" she began, cautiously shifting and looking down at the ground far below her, "Um…Do you think you could maybe…I dunno, get me out of here?"

Not looking up, Quigley silently shook his head.

Sunny blinked. "Why not?"

"You're forgetting who I work for."

A sickly feeling sank into her stomach.

Why didn't she even consider it before?

"You…You're on her side…?" Sunny said, tears beginning to burn in her eyes, her words half a question, half an exclamation of disbelief and frustration.

Quigley stopped writing. "Now wait-"

"I can't believe it! After all she's done to me, after all she's done to Jacky, after all she's done to my brother…" She looked down and swallowed the lump in her throat. "After all I've done to my brother…" Sunny sniffed piteously. "How can you not see it?" she asked, her voice getting louder, cracking on the last word.

"Sunny, hold on-"

"How can you not see what kind of a person that Fiona is? She tried to kill Jacky! Did you see the knife? She's an arsonist and a liar and she's probably a murderer too! She's everything V.F.D. is fighting against, everything Klaus was trying to protect me from!" she screamed.

"Just listen!"

"She shot my sister for Pete's sake!"

Quigley winced.

"You said it yourself!" Sunny yelled. "Fiona is a traitor and would just as soon turn on you too! How can you even think of taking her side?"

"Sunny, I'm not! Would you just listen?" Quigley shot back.

She shut her mouth and watched him intently, waiting for an explanation.

He sighed loudly and rubbed his forehead. Stealing one last suspicious glance at the paintings hanging on the walls, Quigley leaned in closer to the cage, resting his elbows on the windowsill.

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to let a word of it slip to Fiona or anyone who knows her?" he hissed.

Sunny nodded, her curiosity growing.

Quigley bit his lip and stared past her for a brief moment, thinking. Then he wheeled his chair from the desk to the window and sat down, clearing his throat. "Alright. Well…Um, you see…It's like…Oh, how should I say this…"

Sunny drummed her fingers on a cage bar impatiently.

"It's an act," Quigley said. "I guess you could say I'm pretending."

"So…You're like a spy?" Sunny asked.

"Something like it. But it's different really. What I'm doing is more like…like deciding to work with Fiona, and then suddenly changing my mind before I get in too deep."

"Oh, I get it, so you're like…a spy."

He shook his head. "No, it's not exactly…" Quigley frowned and scratched his chin contemplatively. "Okay, yeah. Basically. Only more intense. It's like becoming the enemy to know the enemy, to be part of them to learn to think like them. You probably wouldn't understand, it's kind of like being…"

"…A Volunteer?" Sunny finished quietly.

Quigley stared at her thoughtfully for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Yeah. Just like that. We were trained for this sort of thing, back when we were kids. Mr. Snicket was the sort of 'Master of Disguise,' if you will. He taught us everything he knew about blending in, about virtually becoming someone you aren't. The hat kind of completes it, in my opinion," he said, fingering the brim of his fedora.

"I wish I could remember him," Sunny said. "My brother's told me so much about Mr. Snicket, and I've read his books, but it feels like I never knew him."

"He was a great man. A true Volunteer, if there ever was one. I went traveling with him in Brazil, to get my career in cartography started, and he taught me a thing or two about V.F.D. and what it was all about before the Schism. He said it's changed since then, to the point where it essentially wore itself out. After a while, we went our separate ways. When I heard about how all the former Volunteers were considering getting V.F.D. started up again, I thought about what Mr. Snicket said and decided to try out what I'd learned from him. I figured the Volunteers would need some information on who they were up against, so why not find out myself?"

"Right…" Sunny murmured to herself, wiping a remaining tear from her cheek. "But…do you…" Sunny's voice trailed off. She frowned and shook her head. "Never mind."

"What?"

Sunny shrugged. "I don't know, I was just…When Fiona does things, crimes… When she burns people's houses down…" She looked intently into his eyes. "…Do you help?"

Quigley looked back at her, that hidden pain clouding his chocolate eyes. Silence seemed to suffocate the air, to darken the sky and make the wind blow. Sunny knew silence was never good. It meant that there was something she shouldn't know, when the other person involved in the conversation didn't want to take his turn to speak. And yes, silence was a thing Sunny was used to. But not this silence. Now it was frightening, sinister. It didn't seem just unfair anymore, that he had known something she didn't. This was the worst kind. The wrong kind.

Sunny didn't want him to speak. She didn't want an answer.

Quigley looked down and turned his back, scribbling once again on his notebook.

"How come you never write back to my sister?" Sunny asked.

"Because I'm always being watched. I've tried, but I can't," he said, not looking up. "It would blow my cover." Quigley closed his notebook and held it up. The cover was worn and taped in several places and looked as if it were about to fall off. Some of the pages were wrinkled by water, and by the looks of it, coffee damage. Some papers had been stuffed in and stapled to the back cover; others were curled and ripped at the corners. Sunny wondered what the notebook could have gone through and why Quigley still kept it.

"What's that?" she asked him.

"This," Quigley answered, tapping the cover, "is where I've written down everything that's happened to me since I first wrote to your sister. This is my journal, my thoughts… My letter to Violet."

"That whole thing…?"

"Yup, about a year's worth. To make up for the lack of communication between us, I guess." He opened the notebook and smoothed down a wrinkled page. "And I'm delivering this one personally."

"But… How are you going to do that?"

"Remember how I told you that what I'm doing here is sort of like deciding to work for Fiona and then changing my mind?" Quigley asked, standing up and stuffing his notebook into a backpack that was sitting next to him on the floor.

Sunny nodded.

He pulled on an old, faded jacket that looked like it could have been at least 20 years old. Sewn onto the right sleeve was a patch that read J.S. "Well, this is the part where I change my mind."

She raised her eyebrows. "You mean you're…"

Quigley nodded. "We're getting out of here, and while we still can. Fiona's on to me, I know it. I was waiting for a time like this to make my move. We'll just wait until this so-called guest gets here and make a run for it. Get you home again, how's that sound?"

Sunny smiled. That sounded positively wonderful. Then maybe she'd get Klaus to forgive her for everything she'd said and done, and tell him all about what happened, how she made her daring escape with Violet's boyfriend and finally returned home, and then maybe things would go back to normal.

Oh, Klaus, she thought, I'm going to make you so proud of me.

Her smile faded.

But what if he won't be?

Klaus was her older brother, he had to forgive her, right? Or had she really crossed the line this time?

Sunny let herself drift back to that conversation she had overheard outside Fiona's study, the very room Fiona was lounging in now, expecting a very important visitor.

"I don't think he'll be gone for very long. If he's the same as he was 10 years ago, he's not giving up on Sunny."

Fiona said it herself. It had to be true. Evil as Fiona was, she knew Klaus almost better then Sunny did.

And that meant that Klaus hadn't abandoned his sister yet.

Sunny looked back up at Quigley. "Yes. I think I'm ready to go home now."

Quigley smiled and was about to zip up his backpack when some kind of metal object flew through the tower window and knocked Fiona's assorted junk off the desk. The two stared at it sitting on the desk in silent astonishment, and watched as it was slowly drawn back by the rope it was tied to. The contraption looked something like a metal spider, with crooked rods with hooked ends for legs.

A makeshift grappling hook.

The grappling hook was pulled towards the window until the ends of the rods hooked onto the window ledge. There were several tugs on the rope, to test if it was secure, and then the rope was pulled taut as someone began his journey up the length of the tower wall.

Sunny and Quigley looked at each other and blinked.

"Um…" Quigley pointed down.

Sunny leaned to the side of the cage, causing it to swing slightly, and looked down. Her jaw dropped as she squinted to get a better look.

It can't be…

"Violet!" she screamed.

Quigley let his backpack drop to the floor.

"There you are!" her sister shouted back. Violet pulled herself up to Sunny's level and wrapped the excess rope around her waist so she could lean back and rest while she talked to Sunny. "I was worried sick! What were you thinking, not leaving with Klaus when he came to get you? You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, young lady, and you're in huge trouble when we get home!" Violet chided. She paused and sighed when she saw Sunny's weary expression. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?" Violet asked, her voice now laced with motherly concern.

Sunny shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"Good, 'cause if she did…" Violet scowled and rolled her eyes meaningfully. Sunny smiled slightly.

Violet took a look at their surroundings and shook her head. "Wow, I'll tell ya, it's like déjà vu all over again. You're trapped up here in a cage, which means I have to invent a grappling hook to get you down… Meanwhile, my shoulder hurts like heck," she said, wincing as she rubbed her shoulder. "It did last time too, I remember that." Violet glanced sideways through the window. "Except this time there's no…"

Her mouth hung open after her voice trailed off; something else had caught her eye. Someone else, really. Quigley stared back and flashed a brief lopsided grin at her.

"Hi."

Violet blinked several times as she tried to think of something to say, but couldn't stop drawing a blank on which words to choose.

There were several long, awkward moments of silence.

Finally Violet spoke, although her comment was more directed at Sunny.

"Well…This part is new."