What Friends Are For

A Little Hope

Klaus looked through Lily's files for what felt like the millionth time. He knew she had to have something in here that would lead them to Olaf. Lily had seen through his scheme, (and from the look of her files she saw through most of his schemes and disguises before,) and had been able to get his confession about the fires he had started. But it costed her something Klaus was determined to save: her freedom. He could only imagine how she felt as Olaf's prisoner.

Violet watched him from the doorway of Lily's room. She was worried about him. All he did was read Lily's files vigorously, a word which here means 'almost obsessively and with a strange feeling of anger and hope,' ever since they watched Olaf walk away with Lily. They knew Lily must have had gone with him for a good reason, but at the moment they couldn't think of why. Klaus only knew that he had to find Lily. Violet only knew that her brother had a broken heart. Sunny only knew Lily needed help like how she helped them. And the Quagmire Triplets were just happy to be back on the ground with there friends.

Meanwhile, because his confession was out in the world, Olaf was moving his theater troupe and his 'fortune' to someplace he knew no one would think to look. At least, not again.

"Olaf, honey, what is this dump?" Esme asked.

"My house. It needs some work, and it's been watched by cops, but it was recently bought by Al Funcoot. That would be me. So now the police are gone and we can stay here until this 'kidnapping' and 'confession' thing blows over."

"Blows over? That's how you think this will end? That Shade orphan in the trunk ruined everything! Everyone is looking for us! I won't even be able to get my hair done without being handcuffed!"

"Esme, calm down, please. We'll look suspicious."

"Fine, but we make that brat pay for this."

"We'll figure out something to do to her without causing too much suspicion."

"Alright. Let's get unpacked then. Also it's not very in to make your girlfriend unpack."

"You won't have to Esme. Let's see, Fiona will take the orphan up to her room, it's the one with the boarded up window, and the others can unpack that truck with all the stuff we brought. You and me can go into the kitchen and uncork a bottle of wine."

Inside the trunk, Lily rolled her eyes and thought as hard as she could. She agreed to cooperate with Count Olaf to give her friends time to save the Quagmire Triplets, but once she saw the Triplets in the net of Violet's invention and the look on Klaus's face, all bets were off. Not to mention that horribly vivid memory of what looked to be Isadora and Klaus kissing. She had to get back home to her friends, fortune or no fortune. She had a spyglass to help her, although it belonged to the Baudelaire's and was damaged quite a bit. As Fiona got her out of the trunk of the car and into the house, a small feeling of hope filled her.

"The world is quiet here." Lily mumbled. Fiona paused in shock.

"What did you say?" Fiona whispered.

"The world is quiet here." The two girls stared at each other, shocked, until Fiona opened a door and pushed her inside.

One look at the window, and Lily knew she had to find another way out. There was only one bed, and what looked like a grappling hook on the floor. In fact, it looked like Violet's work if she wasn't mistaken.

If Lily had the tiniest bit of luck, then she might just get out of this mess on her own. But like her friends, luck wasn't normally on her side.

That's what friends are for.