The Astonishing Aftermath

"There are some who say that the Baudelaires rejoined V.F.D and are engaged in brave

errands to this day, perhaps under different names to avoid being captured. There are

others who say that they perished at sea, although rumors of one's death crop up so

often, and are so often revealed to be untrue. But in any case, as my investigations over,

we have indeed reached the last chapter of the Baudelaires' story, even if the Baudelaires

had not."

One year later:

Violet sat up in her small bed and stretched. Yawning, she threw back the covers. As her feet hit the cold floor, she shivered and slipped on her slippers. She walked to the window and pulled open the curtains. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright light of sunrise. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. 7:00. Good. The others would still be asleep.

She opened her door quietly and peeked into the hall. When all stayed quiet, she hurried down the hall into the bathroom for a quick shower. The water was warm and felt so good. By the time she was done, she was wide awake and feeling very refreshed. She, then, made herself a simple breakfast. It wasn't as good as if Sunny had made it, but she didn't want to wake her little sister. At 8:30, she went and woke Klaus to tell him she was heading off to work. He grumbled a response then rolled over and went back to sleep.

Violet walked to work in the crisp morning air. She smiled slightly as she unlocked the door and walked to the back of the building where her office was. Her office was actually more of an inventing studio rather than a regular work place. She enjoyed her work for the most part. She had been surprised that Mr. Malow (her employer) had actually agreed to take her on, with her being so young. Violet sighed and looked up at the calendar hanging by her very large desk. One month. One more month till her 17th birthday. 17. Was she really that old? Had it really been 3 years since the first unfortunate fire that had turned her life upside down? Had it really been so long ago when she last saw her friends? Duncan, Isadora, Fiona (yes she considered her a friend but not a very close one since her betrayal)…. Quigley. A small, shy smile played on her lips as she thought of him who she was particularly fond of. She rested her head on her head and began to daydream. What would it be like to see them again? How would they react to the sight of the Baudelaires after everything that happened? Oh, how she longed to see them again… to see him again. Would he forgive her? Would he understand? Would he smile that wonderful smile of his that was so different than the smiles of his brother and sister? Would he even- Violet's thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice announcing its presence.

"Violet, I'm here. I see you've already opened up the shop." Mr. Malow said as he appeared in her doorway.

Violet smiled at the chubby, middle-aged man. "Don't I always?"

Mr. Malow laughed. "Of course. I really shouldn't be surprised by your earliness anymore."

Violet again smiled at the man before her. He wasn't short, but he wasn't very tall either. He was a bit round and had thick, red cheeks. His eyes were kind and warm, and his hair was cut so it was close to his round head.

The man bid her good morning and headed for his office which was further to the front than hers.

The rest of the day was slow so Violet got a lot of leftover work done. At 3, they locked up and headed to their homes.

When Violet arrived home at 3:30, she was welcomed by the rest of the family. At 6, they all sat down for supper. Klaus (who would be 16 in a few months) told about the previous book he was reading. Sunny (who was almost 5) asked Klaus about his book and Violet about her day at work. Beatrice (who had just turned 3) listened intently trying to pick up new words. After supper, they all sat on the sofa (Beatrice in Violet's lap) and watched TV together. After they became bored with that, Violet would tell them a story. After Sunny laughed and commented on Violet's "story-telling" skills, Violet smiled mischievously and proceeded to chase Sunny about the house. Klaus and Beatrice giggled and followed suit not long after. They all ended up in a heap in the midle of the living room, laughing until their sides hurt. They then ate some icecream and got ready for bed. Klaus settled in by the fire with his book. Violet went upstairs and tucked the two youngest Baudelaires in and kissed them good night. She then made her way to her room and crawled into bed and fell asleep.

And, so, this pattern continued as it had since the day they had landed here and made a home for themselves. But they didn't mind. They were happy for the first time in a long while. They didn't mind going through the daily routine. It was steady, predictable. That's what they had prayed for those 4 unfortunate years. Stability. Peace. Safety. And it continued….. until Violet's 17th birthday.