*Klaus' POV*
Dr. Montgomery ushered us inside. "Leave your luggage by the stairs, children, we'll deal with your things later." He said, passing out plates with slices of coconut cake on them. I tasted some and found it was delicious. It was just the right amount of richness and it didn't have too much coconut in it.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Montgomery..." Violet said kindly.
He scoffed. "My dear, I will have none of that 'Dr. Montgomery' stuff!" He replied with a smile. "It's far too stuffy. You may call me Monty- Uncle Monty, once you warm up to me, I hope. Now you must be Violet."
"Yessir," she said, "And these are my siblings-"
"Klaus and Sunny, yes yes! And might I say, Klaus, you resemble your father almost too much!" He said with a chuckle.
"I get that a lot..." I adjusted my glasses, smiling. My father was a great man, so I was never tired of hearing I had something in common with him.
"I'm sure you do!" He turned to the Quagmires, "Now you must be the Quagmire Triplets, Duncan and Isadora." The two of them smiled, nodding and I could tell Monty had made a good first impression by simply addressing them properly. He looked at my younger sister curiously. "Sunny, you haven't touched your cake..."
"Noper!" Sunny babbled apologetically.
"Sorry, Monty," I said, "she says it's nothing personal. Sunny prefers hard food that's fun to bite."
"Ah..." He said thoughtfully, taking the plate and setting it on a nearby table. "Well, that is unusual for a baby, but not so unusual for most snakes. For example, the Barbary Chewer must have something in its mouth at all times, or it begins to eat its own mouth! It's very difficult to keep in captivity..." He produced a carrot from his pocket. "Perhaps she'd prefer something like this?"
"Carotene!" She answered with her little four-toothed smile, accepting the vegetable. Violet translated, telling him she thought it'd be lovely.
"Well..." Mr. Poe said, "I should be getting back to the bank soon...If you need anything, Baudelaires and Quagmires, remember, you can always reach me-"
"They won't be needing anything from you, Mr. Poe. They're finally in my care, and I will dedicate myself to the safety, comfort and happiness of all five of them as enthusiastically as I dedicated myself to this cake."
"Our fortunes aren't to be used until we come of age." I blurted out.
"Klaus, don't be rude!!" Violet whispered, nudging me.
"Oh, I don't give a fig about the Baudelaire Fortune or the Quagmire Sapphires! As a scientist, however, I do appreciate your skepticism, Klaus. It's... Understandable, after what you children have been through."
"No need to remind them of that unpleasantness with Count Olaf. I think I'll see myself out now."
"Capital idea." Monty muttered.
We wished him goodbye as Monty shut the door on him, giving us a polite smile. "I'm terribly sorry if I was rude to him, children, but frankly that man ruffles my scales. 'Unpleasantness with Count Olaf' he says, when he is the very reason you were placed in his care! You Baudelaires, at least, were supposed to be placed under my guardianship the whole time."
"Monty..." Violet said, "Our parents never mentioned you..."
"Really? Dr. Montgomery Montgomery? Renowned herpetologist?"
"I'm sorry, but no..."
"What's a herpetologist?" Isadora asked.
I turned to her. "Well, 'ology' always means 'the study of'."
YOU ARE READING
Family Comes First- ASOUE
Fanfiction"Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what." Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire were intel...
