Found You

5. The Boy He Loved, Whose First Thought Was Of His Brother

Two years later saw the Quagmires and the Baudelaires living together in a six bedroom apartment above their small shop. (In reality - and legal terms - the apartment was actually two three-bedroom apartments stacked on top of each other, but that fact is irrelevant)

There had been peace for two years. No unexpected fires. No VFD. No Count Olaf.

Life was good.

Sunny was delighted to finally have a real kitchen, and everyone else thoroughly enjoyed her cooking.

Little Beatrice was happy that there were so many people, meaning someone was always ready to play with her.

Violet was happy to have a place where she could let her imagination run wild.

Isadora was happy to have her whole family under one roof.

Quigley was happy that Violet was there. And Sunny and Little Beatrice. He loved the littles.

Klaus was happy for a quiet place to read, or, if he felt like it, a loud place to read in the middle of the living room, the center of the action.

And Duncan was happy that he didn't have to be afraid anymore.

All in all, all was well.

Except that the youngest Quagmire was still hopelessly in love with middle Baudelaire. And Klaus had no idea.

===

One lazy afternoon, Duncan wandered into the kitchen in search of either a good conversation, or a good snack. He hadn't decided which yet.

"Good, you're here." Sunny remarked absently from her perch on the built in step that lined the counters, specially made - courtesy of Violet - for the youngest Baudelaire. "Paprika."

Duncan stood there for a moment and simply blinked at her in confusion. Then he grabbed the paprika from the cabinet. When Sunny needed something, it was best to comply, because you were lucky to be in her kitchen at all.

"Your apron's in the drawer." She gestured with a spatula.

Duncan's metaphorical heart swelled. He had known that Sunny was working on personalized aprons for each of them, but he'd assumed his would be much further down the list of priorities than, say, Violet's, or Quigley's. It was very meaningful to him that Sunny thought so much of him that he couldn't resist the smile tugging on his lips.

His elatedness however, vanished when he opened the drawer and saw the name sewn on the fabric.

"Sunny..." He began with a sigh, but he was cut off by a sudden cry from Beatrice.

He raced out of the room, in the direction of her cries, and skidded to a halt at the bottom of the stairs, down which it seemed Violet had been carrying some new invention of hers when she'd run directly into the toddler. Said invention was now making a noisy whirring sound that nearly deafened Beatrice's wails.

Violet was knelt on the floor, frantically trying to stop the noise and comfort the toddler when she caught sight of Duncan.

"Thank god," she exhaled, "can you take her? She likes you better."

Duncan frowned in response, as that wasn't strictly true, though he picked up the crying Beatrice anyway. He bounced her awkwardly and made shushing noises as Violet fumbled with wires and pieces of metal. A moment later, Quigley came sliding into view and scooped Beatrice from Duncan's grateful arms, and dropped to his knees beside Violet, whose hands were shaking.

He suddenly felt as though he was intruding on a private moment, and he slipped silently from the room.

===

Duncan was leaned against the pantry door much later, eating a cookie, when Klaus walked in.

"Quigley!" Klaus sagged in relief. "There you are, I need to talk to y-"

Duncan snapped. "I am not Quigley."

"...Oh." The Baudelaire adjusted his glasses awkwardly, "I'm... very sorry about that, Duncan," and he ran for the door.