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beatricebidelaire · 2 years

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ulterior motives

Esme didn't meet Georgina like she same way she met most of the VFD members.

~2.7k, Georgina Orwell / Esme Squalor. pre-canon. also: Ernest Denouement. some background Ernest / Bertrand

for @asouefanworkevent‘s woevember event, day 2, firestarters.

****

Esme didn’t meet Georgina the same way she met most other VFD volunteers.

She met some of them in theater, who eventually introduced her to the others. To be precise, she met Beatrice and Olaf first. They were part of the theater group that hosted an audition that Esme went and tried out the role of a side character for. The two were almost inseparable during that period, never seeing one without the other, involved in some shenanigan or other.

Despite the fact that they looked nothing alike aside from the mischief brewing in their eyes, they were nicknamed The Terror Twins by others in the theater group - and it’s easy to see how, Esme quickly learned. They were respectively the female-lead and male-lead of the show that Esme auditioned for, playing the roles of brother and sister in the show. They had almost the same dynamic outside the show and inside the show.

She met Olaf’s girlfriend Kit Snicket and Beatrice’s boyfriend Lemony Snicket when they came to the set to visit them, and once Kit and Lemony’s older brother Jacques. Aren’t the two families of yours a little too entwined? She remarked once, before getting confused looks from the others. After a moment, Beatrice was the quickest to get what she meant, to Esme’s displeasure - Beatrice had been proven to be very quick-witted and observant and intelligent, which was annoying because she’s already beautiful and popular without even trying, and it’s unfair that she’s also so clever and understanding as well, it’s like she’s getting everything.

“O and I aren’t actually siblings, despite what people call us,” she explained, with a very on brand grin. Casual and a little smug, and vaguely condescending when talking to Esme (and Esme only but not anyone else, or so Esme thought), which Esme wanted to wipe off her face, perhaps by biting, if necessary.

****

Georgina, though -

It was different with Georgina.

****

In retrospect, the fact that the first time Esme saw Georgina Orwell was when they’re at a high society social gathering was quite unusual. Mostly because social gatherings were not really Georgina’s thing. She made allowances for medical conferences, of course, but that’s it. Georgina did not like socializing with others.

Esme didn’t know that during their first meeting, yet. Just like she didn’t know back then that Georgina was part of VFD - she had never met her through Beatrice and Olaf and their group of theater-kid-adjacent friends, nor heard her name mentioned by them.

Georgina Orwell was wearing a purple suit that day, wielding an impressive looking cane, chatting with a man in a gray suit. Esme overheard other people referring to them as “Dr. Orwell and Mr. Denouement”.

Dr. Orwell was tall and stunning, wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses that didn’t hide away the sharp and shrewdness of her eyes, and a pair of pants that very neatly covered up her ankle, which contributed to the reason that Esme didn’t recognize her as VFD in the beginning. Her smile was a blend of perfunctory politeness and condescension, which instantly put Beatrice’s usual condescension to shame - for this is the real master of such technique here, Esme thought.

She only looked in Dr. Orwell’s direction for a few seconds before Dr. Orwell quickly noticed, and turned her eyes on Esme, piercing and sharp. Esme was not embarrassed at having been caught, and walked over directly, greeting her, “Good evening, Dr. Orwell.”

The man beside her chuckled, “Your reputation precedes you, Georgina.”

Georgina Orwell ignored him. “Miss Esme, I presume.”

“You’ve heard of me,” Esme remarked.

“You’ve recently made the news,” Georgina shrugged, studying Esme.

“Dearest Geraldine has always been the most entertaining,” the man supplied. He smiled at Esme, “Hello, I’m Ernest Denouement.”

Esme recognized the Denouement name when the others told her that the man talking to Dr. Orwell is Mr. Denouement. Must either be one of the managers at Hotel Denouement, or someone related to them, Esme thought. (Back then, she didn’t know the Denouements’ and their hotel’s relation to VFD, nor about the famous Duchess of Winnipeg - who was also at the gathering - being a friend of Beatrice and Olaf, and a volunteer.)

“Why don’t you go grab a drink and mingle, Denouement?” Georgina suggested, rather pointedly. She and Ernest Denouement exchanged a look that Esme couldn’t really decipher, before Ernest grinned, drily amused, and said, in a sly tone, “Of course.”

“So, tell me about the play the newspaper said you’re in,” Georgina suggested after Ernest left.

Esme raised an eyebrow - while she was always pleased to talk about her acting career, she rather suspected that Dr. Georgina Orwell was not the type of person who cared about plays. Perhaps she was simply making conversations? Or was she preparing to ease into some other subject?

Nevertheless, Esme gave a brief overview of the play she was in - rather professionally, she might add, and not even getting into complaining about Beatrice. There’s something about chatting with someone with a certain aura like Georgina Orwell that made her feel almost childish for bringing up the petty grievances she had with Beatrice. She wanted to be shown to be above that, somehow, right here at this moment. But also, Esme had met too many Beatrice Baudelaire fans who only approached Esme to ask about the beloved darling of everyone, Beatrice Baudelaire. While Georgina Orwell certainly didn’t look like one, Esme knew that not bringing up Beatrice was often a good test to see if the other person brings up Beatrice in the conversation first.

Georgina Orwell did not bring up Beatrice, and simply nodded along to Esme’s introduction to the play, occasionally making some comment about the plot, or complimenting Esme. At the compliments, Esme gradually relaxed, and started to suspect the real reason behind Georgina and Ernest’s unfathomable exchange of glances.

Georgina’s interested in her.

It was a thrilling and flattering thought, one she wasn’t completely sure if it was correct. But how else would she be able to explain someone like Dr. Orwell taking interest in her plays? She could believe that Georgina was interested in her, but interested in theater plays? Somehow, judging by Dr. Orwell’s reputation she’d heard so far, didn’t seem likely.

Esme decided to test out her little theory by some accidental touches - leaning closer as they chat, elbow bumping into her arm, placing a hand on her upper arm when they exchanged a particularly funny joke and both of them were laughing.

Less than 30 minutes later, they were furiously kissing in one of the hallways outside, and Georgina invited Esme to the hotel she was staying at.

It was a delightful night, all things considered.

They didn’t exchange contact information afterwards, but since they’re both semi-famous people, it was fairly easy for them to look each other up after that night. Esme realized that Georgina Orwell didn’t live in The City, but instead opened a clinic in Paltryville. Although it did seem like she visited The City regularly, and apparently stayed at Hotel Denouement often - it wasn’t the one she was staying when Esme first met her, but according to Esme’s sources, it was indeed her most often choice. Georgina even offered optometry consultation sessions there, in one of the rooms of Hotel Denouement, when she was staying there.

So that’s her business with Ernest Denouement, Esme thought.

A little digging into Ernest Denouement revealed that he and his twin Frank Denouement ran their family owned hotel. Despite the popularity of the hotel and how it was listed in travel books as one of the top choices for people visiting The City, the rumor around The City was that the twin brothers didn’t get along, presumably due to arguments about the management of the hotel and some financial-related reason.

****

When Esme heard that Georgina Orwell was in The City again, this time staying at Hotel Denouement and offering optometry consultation sessions, she immediately booked one. She spoke to Georgina’s secretary on the phone when she called in to book an appointment - the secretary was a man who sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t recall where exactly had she heard this voice before.

The room at Hotel Denouement was pretty luxurious, and somehow the consultation session quickly turned into the two of them enjoying a bath in the huge, granite stone bathtub in the hotel room. After their first one-night-stand and subsequent no particular contact, it was surprisingly not awkward, and Esme was pleased to discover that on their second time meeting, they still got along rather splendidly.

The awkwardness came when Esme was ready to leave, stepping out of the room and into the corridor, and promptly running into Kit’s friend who Esme remembered also came to the theater occasionally.

“Hello, Esme,” Bertrand said. “How was your session?”

It clicked.

“You’re the secretary!” She exclaimed.

The wheels in her head started spinning. Why was Kit’s friend - who was also part of Beatrice and Olaf’s group - working for Georgina? Did it mean Georgina was also one of VFD? Or she just happened to fall under the radar of VFD, who sent one of them along to spy on her for some reason? But also - when Georgina said that she recognized Esme from the papers, was that the whole truth? If Georgina knew Bertrand, who knew Beatrice’s little group, what’s the chance that she’d learned about Esme from them instead?

“I see you’ve met,” Georgina’s drawl came from behind Esme as the optometrist stepped out of the room.

“Do you also know Beatrice?” Esme blurted out.

Georgina sighed, long-sufferingly. “Unfortunately.”

Bertrand’s mouth twisted, just a little.

“I find her quite overrated,” Georgina added, and Esme found herself soothed, her posture relaxing.

“Beatrice often inspired strong emotions from people,” Bertrand says. “People either love or hate her.”

“I don’t,” Georgina said blandly. “I do not care for her enough to hate her. I just find her overrated. Run along, now. I won’t be needing you for the rest of the day.”

Bertrand’s eyes narrowed slightly, before he nodded and said, “As you wish, G.”

For a moment, Esme thought that she saw fury spreading across Georgina’s eyes - so fast that she wondered if she’d imagined it.

The initial was what clued Esme in to the fact that Georgina was most likely one of them - not a theater person like Beatrice and Olaf, but part of the bigger group they were all in - the mysterious group called VFD that Esme was still not completely sure what they were, aside from that Beatrice was apparently a beloved figure in the group, and therefore they probably all had terrible tastes or something.

Well, at least Georgina didn’t seem to care for Beatrice.

But still, knowing that Georgina was part of this VFD - Esme suddenly wasn’t sure what to think.

****

Ernest was one of the first people to know about Georgina’s betrayal of VFD.

Of course, Georgina herself didn’t call it betrayal - first of all, she claimed that one had to have loyalty in the first place for it to become a betrayal. Secondly, she was certainly not joining the firestarters like he had, as she’d repeatedly clarified to him. In fact, she found them to be just as distasteful as the volunteers. But she didn’t mind working with them, when there were mutual benefits, just like she didn’t mind continuing working with the volunteers, given enough benefits.

“I’m a free agent,” she would often say, and Ernest would scoff at that, because it was easier to pretend to be contemptuous of that and think that they were all bound in one way or another. Easier than admitting to himself the fact that she was indeed very, very much free in comparison to him.

Ernest’s bosses had taken interest in the new actress who started hanging out around Beatrice and Olaf at the theaters, saying that she had potential. Esme. Ernest had read the file on her, and how his bosses thought that she could not only be an excellent addition to their side, but also used to recruit Olaf, if they played it right.

Ernest had been to the social gathering to observe Esme, and also bringing in Georgina Orwell for her expertise. Georgina may not be a people person, but she did know how to read people, and was one of the most intelligent volunteers Ernest had met back in VFD, and also one who had loose morals and did not mind working for different sides.

Georgina agreed to the job, but aside from her usual payment, she also added in a condition - she wanted to sleep with Esme. Apparently, the high and mighty, cool and condescending optometrist had taken interest in the novice actress.

Personally, Ernest couldn’t see the appeal. But he couldn’t see the appeal of Beatrice Baudelaire either, and look how many people are flocking towards her. So to each of their own, he thought. Plus, it might make convincing Esme to join them easier - presumably after Georgina got bored and agreed to hypnotize the actress into cooperating with their side.

After the first night, Ernest quickly realized that Georgina had kept the information of herself being in any way related to VFD away from Esme. When asked, she just frowned impatiently and said that it was simpler. Plus, apparently Esme did not like VFD very much despite not knowing much about it yet - good for your side, by the way, she added as she gave Ernest a look - so it was simpler if she didn’t know my connection to it. Even if I’m far from loyal to it, she added lazily.

“If she kept hanging out with Baudelaire and her merry crew,” Ernest warned. “She might find out eventually anyway. You best be prepared for it.”

Georgina shrugged. “Well, she’s pretty, but I’m sure I can always find someone else to occupy my free time.”

Despite Georgina’s words, though, Ernest knew that Georgina quite liked Esme, and while she would have no problems moving on, she’d also prefer to enjoy this a little longer when she still could.

****

In the end, Esme didn’t find out about Georgina’s VFD connections through Beatrice, but rather Bertrand.

Or perhaps Georgina herself was partly to blame, Ernest thought, for allowing Esme to come over to the hotel, where she knew that Esme most definitely could run into Bertrand, who was currently Georgina’s secretary when she’s in The City. Or maybe Georgina wasn’t aware that Esme and Bertrand had personally met before, or thought that simply having Bertrand as secretary didn’t necessarily imply that she was part of VFD, and that she could probably mislead Esme into thinking that her employment of Bertrand was something outside of VFD business.

And from what he found out later after, it was probably Esme’s assumption, until Bertrand called Georgina by her initial “G” instead of “Dr. Orwell” in front of Esme.

An almost amateur mistake that Ernest knew he wouldn’t have made in front of people who weren’t aware of VFD’s existence.

In fact, he was almost sure that it was done on purpose - Ernest knew from Frank that VFD had taken notice of Georgina and Esme’s mutual interest in each other, and considered it a concern, and there had been talk of wanting to do something about it, introduce distrust between them so the two formidable woman with looser morals don’t teamup. Whether Bertrand was under specific orders to reveal Georgina’s VFD connections, or knew of the general consensus and made a quick decision when he was given the opportunity, Ernest wasn’t sure.

It didn’t really matter either way, now that it’s done, but it certainly caused some troubles for him, as an irritated Georgina Orwell meant more work on top of his busy enough schedule.

Ernest sighed, and then rolled onto his side on his king-sized bed, inching closer to the other occupant on the bed.

“You know,” he murmured into the side of Bertrand’s neck. “You do what you have to do, I don’t mind that. But you’re going to need to make it up to me.”

He could hear the hint of a smile in Bertrand’s voice when he replied, “Promise?”

#asoue #woevember #georgina orwell #esme squalor #eswell #otp: bisexual murder girlfriends #ernest denouement #my writing

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vfdbaudelairefile13 · 4 years

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Dear reader,

Although this chapter is far more tamed than the last few chapters and the next few chapters. Please read with caution. We dive into Violet's thoughts and certain character intentions are discussed vaguely. Nothing explicit but I do caution you anyway.

Thank you for the love and support,

-Sue

Chapter Fifty-One:

The One Where Violet Escapes

Violet looked happily at her free right hand as she immediately turned her attention to her remaining wrist restraint. She was sawing quickly and desperately at her restraint that she accidentally scraped the scalpel’s blade against her skin.

“Dammit!” she hissed as she freed her wrist from the restraint. She examined her wrists, both were red and raw and now one was slightly bleeding from where she had punctured and scraped her skin. She pressed her wrist down on the gurney, applying pressure to help handle the bleeding as she used her good hand to cut through the material that had tied her ankles to the gurney.

She sat up and looked around the room for her overalls to find that they were not where she had left them. “Fucking fucker,” she muttered under her breath as she stood up. She glanced around the small room for medical supplies to quickly bandage her superficial wound. “When I get my fucking hands on that fucking bastard…” she muttered to herself as she quickly searched the drawers and cabinets of the small room. She stumbled upon a roll of elastic bandage. She examined it. She knew that this was probably used for more serious types of cuts but it’ll do. She wrapped it around her wound after cleaning it up the best she could. She didn’t have time to worry about herself. Every second she wasted in this room was another second Olaf could be on his way back here or worse...catching up to Klaus and Sunny. She looked to the gurney she was just on and stared mournfully at her two cut hair ribbons, both of which were unusable now. She sighed. She was going to have to think of something both without her locket and without her hair ribbons.

I have to find my siblings and get us out of this hostile hospital. Violet thought as she reached the door. Her hand was firmly on the doorknob. She froze as she remembered that usually, someone was guarding this door. She glanced down at the bottom of the door. There seemed to be no shadows. So no one was standing right outside the door. She pressed her ear to the door and tried to listen to see if she could hear if anyone was either next to the door or coming down the hall. She knew she had to hide not only from Olaf but from anyone who had read the paper. Her blood boiled in her veins as she thought about how hard Olaf had truly made this for the three siblings. With them being on the run, they could no longer try to get help from anyone else who may be of some assistance to them. As Violet slowly opened the door, she pressed her face to the edge, peering out. Surveying both sides of the hall. It seemed empty and quiet. Her heart sank. If no one was guarding her, that means they were all going after her siblings. She thought. Well except Esme...apparently. She made a mental note to be on the lookout for the vicious bitch as she swung the door open and closed it behind her. She raced down a hall trying to act the least bit suspicious.

She glanced down at the hospital gown that she was wearing. If a doctor or nurse comes by...I’ll be able to pretend to be a lost patient, at least. She thought. Unless they’ve read the fucking paper.

Violet reached the end of the hallway as she glanced both ways once more. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She had desperately wished that the Hook-Handed Man had told Olaf where her siblings had last been spotted so she could go that same way.

Think like Klaus. She told herself. You have to think like Klaus to find him and Sunny.

She glanced around the adjacent hall nervously. Her breathing was becoming heavier as she began to worry about Klaus and Sunny. I can’t fail them. She told herself. She sighed as she wiped tears from her eyes. If Mr. Lemons wasn’t the survivor, that means he gave his life for them. You can’t fail them and you can’t fail him. Don’t let his death mean nothing. It has to mean something. She told herself. Instinctively, she reached her right hand to her chest, surprised and saddened when she couldn’t feel her locket. Sunny has it, remember. She reminded herself. She frowned as she sighed once more. She wondered if Sunny had opened her locket and found the secret photograph she’s had stored in there since the day she met her siblings.

She is startled when she hears a nearby door close. Frantically, she looks around for somewhere to hide. She glances at the several rooms that seem to be occupied with patients who have possibly read The Daily Punctilio.

Shit...shit...shit.

Her eyes locked on a door that was labeled ‘break room’, she shrugged her shoulders and ran for the room. She swiftly but quietly closed the door behind her. She pressed her back against the door and took a deep breath. She looked around the room to see at least three sleeping doctors, a lot of half-eaten food, and a small television in the corner of the room. She glanced around to see that there were a few lockers, two vending machines, and a full-length mirror on the other wall of the break room.

She glanced back at the door as she took a few steps forward. She had to come up with a plan to allow her to walk around the hospital undetected from both readers of The Daily Punctilio and Olaf. She quietly walked around the room looking for some sort of inspiration to give her a plan.

What would Klaus and Sunny do? She asked herself. What would Mr. Lemons do?

And the minute the question had formed within her mind, she sighed as she knew the answer. Her father would do what he had been taught to do from VFD, which would be to disguise himself as he always did when he went into public while on the run. Violet’s eyes locked on a single white medical coat that laid hung up on a chair. She glanced at the doctor who was sleeping on the decent-sized couch to make sure that she was still sound asleep as Violet plucked the medical coat from the chair.

She quickly put it on over her ridiculous hospital gown. She examined herself in the mirror. Because most doctors were adults, the white coat was a tad too big on Violet but she didn’t mind it, it was longer than the hospital gown and that’s all that mattered. It did a good job hiding most of her legs as well since she was worried that if someone had seen her it would look as though she was wearing shorts and not just a gown underneath her medical coat. She buttoned up the coat quickly and stopped to glance at herself in the mirror. She sighed as she could see that her current disguise was going to use a little work.

Violet grabbed her hair and began to wrap it into a bun. She knew that it was possible to wrap her hair into a bun without a hair tie, although it took Violet three tries to get it to stick. She looked into the mirror again and sighed. The bun was messy and lopsided and Violet feared it would fall apart again, allowing her long brown hair to flow back down giving away her true identity.

Anyone can see through this.

Think. Think like a...volunteer. She rolled her eyes at the mere thought of being a ‘volunteer’. She glanced around the room desperately again. Her eyes focused on two black pens.

That could work. She said as she began to position the pens in her hair to help keep her bun intact. As she worked quickly, she continuously glanced around the room to make sure none of the sleeping doctors were waking up and she occasionally glances at the door making sure no one was trying to enter. She could not risk getting recognized. She had too much on the line. She had a close call back in that room with Olaf and if it weren’t for him wanting to capture Klaus and Sunny, Violet had a sick, heart-wrenching feeling in her stomach that something bad could’ve happened to her. As the thought of what could’ve happened entered her mind, she felt her body trembling and she felt her legs numbing as if fear was paralyzing her to the core. She shook her head vigorously trying to empty it of any dark thoughts.

No. Don’t think about that. That’s only going to distract you.

Worry about that later.

You have to worry about Klaus and Sunny.

And finding Mr. Lemons.

Conceal. Don’t feel.

She took a deep breath as she gazed at herself in the mirror once more. She couldn’t help but stare at the red bruise on her face from where Olaf had slapped her twice. She put her hand to her face and felt her cheek. It still felt like it was on fire, although the heat wasn’t too intense. It was sore and tender to touch. She knew she would have to find something to hide her bruise. She noticed a few cabinets that were near the vending machines in the break room. She ran over to them and quietly searched through the drawers and openings, desperately looking for a surgical mask. With each drawer she opened, she could see medical supplies which helped get her hopes up. Finally, the last drawer she had searched had an entire box of surgical masks. She quickly grabbed one, placing it around her mouth. She examined herself once more in the mirror, the surgical mask did a decent job hiding nearly all of her bruise and it did a fantastic job with covering up most of her face. The only thing that remained uncovered were her eyes.

She sighed when she realized that she may not be able to change that and she hoped her eyes wouldn’t be a dead giveaway of her identity if she had the misfortune of passing Olaf or any of his troupe while she was searching for her siblings.

Before she had decided that this was the best she could come up with, she gazed into the mirror and she frowned when she remembered how she had disguised herself as a mime to spy on her father. She experienced the same feeling right now as she did that day and it was the fact that when she looked in the mirror, she couldn’t see herself. She didn’t know who she saw.

Was this right? She asked herself. She knew it was against the law to impersonate a doctor but what choice did she have. She had to save her siblings. She had to find her father and she had to get the fuck out of this hospital.

You’re doing this for the right reasons. She tried to convince herself.

... Right?

She sighed. She didn’t know what was worst. Looking in the mirror and being so unable to see yourself that it felt as though she had lost a part of herself or simply wearing a disguise in order to trick people like Olaf did. Her blood boiled in her veins.

You are nothing like him or any of those fuckers who work for him.

Your father wore disguises...disguises aren’t necessarily bad...right? Even if they’re used in a cult.

Once more, she instinctively reached for her locket and stomped her feet in annoyance when she remembered that it was not with her. She felt as though that wasn’t helping her mentality either. Her hair ribbon and her locket were vital parts of her identity and she was without either one.

She stared at herself in pure silence for a few more moments, fighting back her tears.

You’re doing this for them. Everything you do...is for them. You have to find them...before he does.

Violet cringed when she imagined what Olaf would do to her siblings if he had the luck of actually capturing them.

This will have to do. She told herself as she began to head for the door. She sighed doubtfully as she reached for the doorknob. But she didn’t open it right away. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Snickets...they take care of their own,” she whispered to herself. “So where are you, Mr. Lemons?” she whispered wiping away her tears.

She couldn’t shake the idea that her father was the survivor from her head and it didn’t help her mentality at all. She was so confused as to why when she was dragged into her siblings’ misfortune, her father had stopped helping them. Instead, random volunteers like Larry and Jacquelyn had tried to help them, although Violet wondered where in the world they could be. Her uncle had even tried to help her but that ended badly for him. She didn’t understand why her own father would save her siblings and not her. She didn’t know if this was in result of her telling him that she hated him or if he never truly cared just like her birth mother.

Were Esme and Olaf right? Did her father merely get stuck with her?

She shrugged her shoulders, biting her lip, holding back a loud sob.

She pressed her back to the door once more, being careful not to wake any of the occupants in the room. She didn’t know what was going on with her. She was never like this. Never. Violet felt her core shaking as she began to sob. She just wanted her father to burst through the door and tell her that her siblings were waiting for them in the Snicket taxi and that he reserved the passenger seat just for her. But her father wasn’t bursting through the door. Her father wasn’t coming to save her and she knew she couldn’t waste any more time, her siblings needed her help... now.

Get a hold of yourself, Snicket.

You don’t need to be saved.

You need to save.

The time she had spent in that dark room when Olaf wasn’t being a massive creep had done some damage to her psyche and it was showing now. Because as much as she tried to make herself open the door, she couldn’t. She was frozen. Both in fear and in thought.

What if I can’t do this? What if I fail them?

What if it’s too late?

Hot tears were springing to her eyes. As all of these thoughts ran through her head, taking turns picking at her resilience and bravery until there was absolutely nothing left. If the thought wasn’t about her siblings' safety or where in the world her father was and her inner debate of whether she mattered to him or not, her thoughts went back to what had nearly happened to her in that room.

She didn’t know how she was supposed to feel. Relieved because it hadn’t escalated...or fearful because of the mere fact that it could have had her siblings not been spotted. Part of her wanted to feel relief because she was now relatively safer, although she knew she was still in danger simply because she was still stuck in the hospital. But a part of her felt guilty when she felt relief because to her, it felt as though she was okay trading her siblings’ safety for her own.

Get a grip, Snicket. You don’t have time for this internal war.

Conceal, don’t feel.

You can break down later when you have Klaus and Sunny in your arms again.

She took a deep breath as she strained her face trying to push all of these thoughts either out of her mind entirely or to the backburner. She wiped her eyes one more time as she turned towards the door. She gripped the doorknob with a shaky grip as she slowly opened it. She glanced around to see if anyone was around who could possibly recognize her before she was able to come up with an alias.

She entered the hallway and closed the door behind her. She felt her heart beating in her chest as she began to search the halls for any signs of either Olaf or her siblings. She knew that if she could find one of Olaf’s troupe members maybe she could fool them into relaying where her siblings were last spotted or she could simply follow them. She groaned outwardly when she could see that the hallway she was currently standing in was full of people. Being fourteen, Violet was well aware that a hospital needs many different people and many different types of equipment in order to work properly, and as she slowly walked through the hallway trying her best to blend in with the crowd of medical professionals, she saw all sorts of hospital employees and devices hurrying through the halls. There were physicians carrying stethoscopes, hurrying to listen to people’s heartbeats, and there were obstetricians carrying babies, helping to deliver people’s children. There were radiologists carrying x-ray machines, hurrying to view people’s insides, and there were optic surgeons carrying laser-driven technology, hurrying to get inside people’s views. There were nurses carrying hypodermic needles, hurrying to give people shots, and there were administrators carrying clipboards, hurrying to catch up on important paperwork. But no matter where Violet looked, she couldn’t see any sort of familiar face, neither good or bad.

Violet’s eyes widened as she heard a familiar voice. “Out of my way, everybody! I am a fabulously gorgeous nurse who is looking for Dr. Mattathias Medical-School!”

Violet wasn’t able to see Esme’s expression but just the way that she had said Olaf’s alias, she could tell that Esme agreed with Violet about how utterly ridiculous that name was.

Violet turned slightly to get a glimpse at Esme to make sure she wasn’t holding either one of her siblings. To Violet’s relief, Esme was not accompanied by either one of her siblings but as Violet glanced down at Esme, she could see that the vile woman must have gone back to the Library of Records to retrieve her stiletto shoes. Violet gulped as Esme began to pass her. She felt her heart racing so fast that she couldn’t breathe. She felt as though her heart was going to explode in her chest. Good thing I’m in a hospital. She thought as she tried her best to not be noticed by Olaf’s murderous girlfriend.

Esme walked down the hallway, creating odd, tottering steps. “Does anyone know where Dr. Mattathias is?” she called out annoyed, walking past Violet without even glancing at her.

Violet breathed a quiet sigh of relief as her heart beat slowly began to normalize.

Esme stopped dead in her tracks, a few feet ahead of Violet. “You…” Esme called out causing Violet’s eyes to widen and her heart to start beating rapidly again. Violet had hoped that hse wasn’t referring to Violet but as Esme turned around, there was no mistaking that she was referring to Violet. Esme walked towards Violet. Violet shifted her eyes to the ground, deciding it’d be best to not look the villainess in her eyes. Esme narrowed her eyes towards the girl. “You...look familiar…” she said thoughtfully. “Are you who I think you are?”

“Dr. Meredith Grey,” Violet replied using a disguised voice. She was nervous and felt sick to her stomach. She had hoped ‘Meredith Grey’ was a far more convincing name than Dr. Medical School.

Esme looked at Violet for a long second. Narrowing her eyes further as she took the time to glance at Violet. “Hun, I can see through your disguise,” Esme whispered placing a hand on Violet’s shoulder. Violet froze in fear as she waited for the vile woman to dig her nails into her skin or rip away her disguise and drag her back to her room. But Esme didn’t. She merely glanced around the hall randomly and then patted Violet’s shoulder as if she and Esme were well acquainted and on good terms. Violet felt the air in her chest tightened as Esme smiled at her.

“Where’s your sister?” Esme asked. Violet’s heart was beating so fast she couldn’t speak. She wasn’t sure if Esme had seen through her disguise and was now asking for Sunny’s location or if she had confused Violet for someone else. Violet doubted Esme would use the word ‘sister’ to describe Violet and Sunny’s relationship, though. Since Esme and Olaf enjoyed making Violet feel separated from her siblings ever chance they could. But that didn’t stop her breathing from hollowing as she could feel Esme’s eyes still intensely staring at her.

Esme sighed. “Which one are you again? Joyce, right?...”

Violet’s heart was slowly settling down when she realized that Esme must be stupidly mistaking her for one of the white-faced women. Violet merely nodded her head.

Esme took another look at Violet once more. “Where’s your sister?” she asked again annoyed. “We need both of you.”

“She’s looking for those bratty orphans,” Violet replied using a disguised voice.

Esme cocked her head to the side, confused. “What’s with the voice?” she asked. “And the name? ‘Meredith Grey’ that sounds made up.”

“...just playing the part, you know,” Violet replied nervously. “Just having fun with this brilliant disguise Mattathias whipped up for us. Besides, it’s a better name than Dr. Medical-School.”

Violet hoped that her explanation and fake appraisal of Olaf’s intelligence was enough to get Esme to stop looking at her suspiciously. Esme narrowed her eyes at Violet, causing the young girl to panic internally. A moment later, Esme smiled.

Esme gave a small chuckle. “You’re not wrong there,” Violet watched as the evil woman rolled her eyes. “Hooky and I told him, ‘Howser’ or ‘House’ would’ve worked a lot better.” She took another glance at Violet. “So I guess ‘Grey’ is sufficient enough, although it’s not a very In name.”

“Thank you, boss,” Violet replied still using the voice. She was slowly starting to calm down as Esme was having a casual conversation with her. It was like Esme really believed that Violet was one of Olaf’s vile henchwomen in disguise.

“I’ll admit, it is a nice touch,” she muttered. “So was the wig,” she said pointing at Violet’s hair.

“Thank you, boss,” Violet repeated.

“And your face doesn’t look as pale in that surgical mask,” Esme commented as she ushered Violet to follow her.

Violet smiled to herself under her mask when she realized that she had successfully tricked Esme into believing her disguise. Must be the coke. She thought. How does a fourteen-year-old look like an old woman?

“Well, I must be going. Mattathias wants us to find those bratty orphans,” she said still using her disguise voice. She tried to turn around and head the other way but Esme put a hand on Violet’s shoulder, keeping her in place.

“You didn’t hear?”

Violet shook her head. The less you speak, the better. She told herself. She wished Esme would continue only asking her yes and no questions but she knew that that was highly unlikely.

Esme’s smile turned dark and cruel as she leaned down closer to Violet. “ Two down...one to go,” she whispered happily into Violet’s ear. Esme stood back up, glancing around making sure no one else had heard her.

The moment the statement left Esme’s mouth and made its way through Violet’s eardrum to her brain. The young girl’s eyes went wide. She made sure to hide her eyes from Esme fearing that they would give her away. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She was slowly beginning to tremble.

Conceal. Don’t feel.

“What do you mean, boss?” Violet asked, hoping that her fake voice was able to disguise the worry in her voice. She wondered which one of her siblings had been captured and she wondered what Olaf was doing to them right now.

“Mattathias caught the boy!” she squealed, clapping her hands. Violet felt her heart shatter in her chest.

No! Klaus!

Violet fought back tears. She felt as though Klaus was the worst one for Olaf to catch. She knew that Esme had similar intentions for Klaus that Olaf had for her and even if Esme didn’t get to chance to act upon those intentions, she knew Olaf couldn’t wait to torture and kill Klaus in the ‘cruelest way imaginable’. Violet felt sick to her stomach as she began to imagine what Olaf could be doing to her brother.

“H-how did he catch the bookworm?” Violet asked, her voice shaking. She tried her best to hide the worry in her tone, desperately trying to mask it with curiosity. Violet took a quick glance at Esme, and it seemed as though Esme hadn’t caught on to her true identity yet, so Violet believed she was in the clear.

Esme shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t have all the details,” she admitted. A smile appeared on her face. “ But... I was told that the boy has been admitted into the hospital for a near- fatal stab wound.”

Violet’s heart sank. She remembered that when Olaf had left her room, he made sure to bring that big, sharp knife with him. She closed her eyes for a mere second. Trying to process what Esme had just told her.

Near... fatal ...stab...wound. She repeated in her head. She didn’t know why she closed her eyes, it just made everything worse as she began to imagine Olaf running that sharp knife through her brother’s chest, somehow missing his vital organs but harming him just enough to where Olaf would be forced to admit him into the hospital. She also shuddered when she realized that Sunny was probably there to witness that.

Doing her best to keep her composure, she took a deep breath. She couldn’t show worry for Klaus right now. Not in front of Esme. That would blow her cover.

Conceal. Don’t feel.

He’s fine. He’s going to be fine. He’s a Baudelaire...they’re resilient…he’s been through worse...hasn’t he?

Violet had to bite down harshly on her lip to suppress a sob. She still choked on the sob, but she was thankful that she was able to muffle it. Esme took the time to glance down the hall again, allowing Violet a second to stealthily wipe away tears that had passed through her barrier.

“D-did you say...near-fatal…?” she asked in a tone that suggested that she couldn’t believe it. Violet wanted so badly to not believe it cause she desperately wanted it to not be true. She couldn’t let Olaf take her brother from her.

“Yeah, Hooky said the aftermath was so bloody that Mattathias had to get a new medical coat,” Esme explained. “Something about cutting open an old wound. I don’t know. I guess he viciously cut the boy to an inch of his life back when he had custody of them.”

Violet gasped. Her eyes widened when she realized that she had. Violet was feeling so many emotions right now. She felt a slow roasting fire building up in her core as Esme confirmed to Violet what she had assumed for the longest time now. Olaf had cut Klaus back when her siblings were in his care. Violet wanted nothing more than to do the same to Olaf, to show him how it feels. Violet also felt a strange bit of guilt as she wished that she would’ve been there with her siblings to protect them. But Violet also felt as though she was going to throw up. She was sick with worry about Klaus’ condition now . Klaus had been captured and he was now in critical condition. She felt her legs beginning to shake, as they were slowly turning numb.

My baby brother...is in critical condition...because I wasn’t there to save him.

I failed him.

I fucking failed him.

I’m so sorry, Klaus. I wasn’t there to protect you. I thought sacrificing myself was the best option. I thought he’d be too busy with me to hurt you. I am so sorry. She was straining her face to hold back the waterfall of tears that were trying to escape her tear ducts.

I’m so sorry, Mr. Lemons. I’ve failed you, too. If you aren’t the survivor...I’m...I’m making your death pointless. Cause...I can’t protect them as you did.

I’m so sorry... Beatrice ...I failed at protecting your children. She felt herself shake a bit harder as she thought about her birth mother and the promise that she had Klaus make to her. If Violet had been raised by her...that would’ve been her promise to keep...and she was failing at it. She glanced over at Esme, who wasn’t facing her. Violet sighed in relief at this realizing that she had started crying. She quickly wiped her tears before Esme could turn around to continue their discussion.

Just as Esme turned around once more, Violet took a deep breath, holding back her immense anger and worry.

“Obviously, we don’t want that little brat to die...well, not yet, anyway,” Esme explained. “So Mattathias put the boy in critical condition. We have him hidden away in room 922, away from that ugly little brat with the big mouth. These brats are very meddlesome when they’re together.”

“What about the baby?” Violet asked in her disguised tone. She tried to mask her worry with curiosity once again but she felt as though, with not knowing what was happening to Klaus, it was too difficult to do.

“Oh, don’t you worry about her. She won’t get far,” Esme said snickering as she began to walk down the hall, ushering for Violet to follow her.

Violet looked in the direction that Esme was walking hesitantly. She didn’t want to follow Esme at all, she felt as though she needed to find Sunny and then rush to room 922 and help Klaus but before Violet could run in the opposite direction, a pang of guilt hit her in her core.

What if Esme was heading towards Klaus’ room, now? What if she hurts him…

Violet involuntarily gagged at the mere thought. Her blood boiling as she glared at Esme while her back was still turned. Violet knew she had to find a way to get Klaus out of Esme and Olaf’s clutches and find Sunny. But how?

Esme turned around when she noticed that Violet wasn’t following. “Let’s go!” she yelled. “Mattathias wants you to watch our newest little patient while the rest of us look for the baby.”

Violet smiled behind her mask. This was too easy. She thought to herself.

Violet ran to catch up with Esme.

“Now, your job is to watch him and make sure he doesn’t die,” Esme explained in a cruel whisper as she led Violet towards Room 922. “Mattathias was very clear with his instructions. He doesn’t want the bookworm to die that easily.” Esme glanced around to make sure no one else was listening to her conversation. She leaned down to Violet. “And if we’re being honest, neither do I. I have a few plans for Beatrice’s baby boy and they don’t involve him dying so quickly.”

Violet could feel her blood spike in temperature and her skin crawl as Esme began to snicker evilly after that statement. It reminded her so much of how Olaf spoke about her. She couldn’t tell what was worse.

“H-how am I going to make sure he doesn’t die, I’m not a real doctor?”

Esme shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Just think of something. Just absolutely no pain killers. We’re going to let him lay there and suffer until we catch his baby sister and do you know what Mattathias is going to do then?”

Violet shook her head slowly. Because she didn’t know, part of her desperately wanted to know, even if a part of her knew that she was not going to like any of the things Olaf had in mind for the children.

Esme smiled wickedly at Violet. “He’s going to make the bratty boy watch as we tear the baby limb from limb. We might even do it here at the hospital...there’s just so many tools to choose from.” she squealed happily. “And then if he has it his way, he’s going to let the boy ever so slowly bleed out in front of the ugly little girl since she cares about them so so much.”

“W-what’s your way?” Violet asked nervously.

“Simple. We kill the biting baby and that little Snicket bitch and we keep the boy.” Esme explained. “The boy is much more useful than Snicket. Besides, Beatrice actually loved and cared about that one. She gave up the older brat just like that.” Esme said snapping her fingers to emphasize her point.

Violet didn’t respond. She merely frowned behind the mask. She continued to follow Esme down several more hallways. She glanced this way and that desperately looking for Sunny. If she could spot Sunny, she’d find a way to get away from Esme and rescue her baby sister first and then focus on her brother after. Esme did say he was in Room 922. So at least with Klaus, she had an exact location.

Finally, Esme and Violet reached the door of Room 922. Esme’s smile turned into a vicious smirk as she began to snicker. “Well, here we are.” She snarled. Violet’s heart dropped as she could hear the machines beeping inside the room. Violet being only fourteen did not have extensive knowledge when it came to medical procedures but she did know from reading books and watching television that beeping monitors were a good thing. It meant the patient was still alive. She placed her hand on the doorknob of Room 922 and froze again.

She didn’t know if she could stomach seeing Klaus in critical condition. She knew she had to since she had already committed to pretending to be one of Olaf’s henchwomen but she didn’t know if she could go in there and not break apart at the sight of her brother an inch away from death. She knew she definitely couldn’t do it with Esme around.

“Well, go on,” Esme said impatiently. “Our little brainy patient awaits,”

Violet gulped as she opened the door slowly, with a long, whiny creak, and she slowly stepped inside the room, which was square and small and had heavy shades over the windows, making it quite dark inside. But even in the dim light, Violet’s eyes were focused at the hospital bed with the machine set up next to it. The machine continued to make an eerie beeping noise as she stared at the bed. In front of her was an occupied bed, she couldn’t see Klaus or his wound because whoever had set him there had put a large sheet over him entirely as if he had already passed and they were waiting for the coroner to take his body away. Violet’s heart sank to the floor as this image reminded her of her late Uncle Jacques when he was carried out of the Village of Fowl Devotees’ jailhouse on a stretcher.

Violet took a few cautious steps forward. As she glanced at the occupied hospital bed, something felt off. She just couldn’t pinpoint it exactly. But something in her gut felt wrong.

Why had they put a sheet over Klaus entirely? He isn’t dead. She wondered. She took another nervous step away from the door, getting closer and closer to the hospital bed. They hadn’t put a sheet over her when they captured her...so why do that to Klaus?

She suspiciously glanced at the hospital bed looking for any signs of restraints. Surely they would restrain Klaus like they restrained her...wouldn’t they?

Violet tried to reason why she couldn’t see any restraints on Klaus’ wrists or ankles. Maybe the sheet is covering them or he’s lost so much blood that he’s unconscious so there was no need to?

There were so many possibilities that Violet was unsure what to think. But then she noticed something else wrong about the occupied hospital bed. Whoever laid in it, seemed to be around Klaus’ height. They seemed slightly taller than her brother actually was. But she couldn’t be too sure in the dark, so she took another cautious step but stopped abruptly when she heard the door slam closed behind her. Her heart dropped and she cringed when she heard the door lock. “Shit…” she muttered to herself.

A wheezy laugh came from behind her causing her to tremble and nearly break down in sobs. “ ...no…” she whimpered.

“ My...my...my,” a cold, cruel, wheezy voice snarled. “ Seems like someone needs to be taught how to behave. ”

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