Chapter Text
The fire crackled, warming the room with a vermillion glow as Mozart played softly from the gramophone in the corner. She had two children sat together in a love seat, their heads almost touching as they poured over books about poetry, one whispering to the other about couplets as she tapped at the pages of her book. Another child, the eldest was sat on the floor fiddling with some contraption or another as last two scribbled in dark green and purple notebooks.
She felt content for the first time in a long time and could see that her children felt the same too. The sitting room was just another glorified library in their modest home, comforting with knowledge and the warmth of the fire.
They were safe. Olivia and Jacques had made sure of it.
He entered the room so quietly none of the children raised their heads. Jacques was carrying Sunny on one hip while his hand steadied a tray full of steaming mugs of hot chocolate. ‘Sunny taught me to add cinnamon.’ He told the children as they each raised their heads and accepted a cup from his tray. Jacques put Sunny on her feet, leaving the youngest girl to toddle over to her sister.
‘All our enemies have been defeated.’ Olivia sighed, happy to feel the warmth and weight of Jacques by her side as he settled into the sofa beside her. She accepted the last mug of hot chocolate with a small smile.
They put an end to Olaf before his schemes could continue to hurt any more lives. Jacques was starting to feel like they were approaching the end of the line in that prison cell, unsure of if he would ever taste freedom again. They outwitted the villain, his girlfriend and his acting troupe. They found The Quagmires in The Fowl Fountain thanks to Isadora’s couplets and The Baudelaire’s ingenuity.
All was right with the world.
Quigley was their missing piece and as Jacques had assumed there had been a survivor of The Quagmire fire. Kit returned him to his siblings and the watchful care of Olivia Caliban.
‘What now?’ He asked her, voice quiet as his eye wandered towards the children each of them doing their own little thing, none paying any mind to the adults tucked away in the corner. ‘Marriage? Children?’ He raised a brow, breath baited as Jacques waited to hear what she had to say.
‘We already have the children.’ He eye followed the same path his had done earlier, hesitating a moment as she counted them out, making sure they were all still there. Her gaze returned to his, something in her eye sparkling as she grinned.
They had the children. They had the home. They were headed for a healthy life now that the evils of V.F.D had been extinguished. Lemony and Kit were still out there, tracking down a few loose ends, promising to send word if things went awry. Jacques was confident that the world was finally quiet. No more fires. No more death.
He grinned at her, smile slowly as it engulfed his whole face. ‘I guess we better get married then. What do you say?’ Olivia could no longer feel her face, glee so wide the muscles were straining. Her kiss was the answer, lips locked tightly as her hands clung to his face. They forgot about the children for a moment, caught up in each other’s embrace as the fire crackled and the music continued to lull all their pain away.
Someone cleared their throat, and when Olivia and Jacques turned to the group of children, it was hard to distinguish which one of them had made a noise. They continued to sit, heads down in books, journals and inventions as their hands strayed for a mug of hot chocolate with every few beats of their heart.
Olivia giggled, flush reddening her cheeks as she turned back to Jacques. ‘I think it’s a splendid idea.’ Her hand was sitting on his chest, thumb rubbing a smooth line against the fabric of his shirt. His hand rose to sit with hers, squeezing her small fingers in a wish that he had a ring in reach to seal their quiet deal. He would find her one later, hidden away in a jewellery box of family heirlooms or perhaps he would ask the children to make one. She would like that. Something that came from teamwork, all her beloveds doing something kind for her.
‘When it is all over,’ when his siblings returned home when they were confident that the world had been rid of the problems that threatened their lives. ‘We’ll discuss having our own children.’ She grinned at him, noses bare inches apart as her other hand clung to his face, fingers grazing the back of his neck as she watched his eyes shimmer.
It had been so long since either of them was happy. The children were another story. Their poor tortured hearts and minds were still waiting for the other shoe to drop. They were happy, she could see it on their faces even when they weren’t showing it. But, they had grown accustomed to feeling content only for Olaf to show up and threaten their lives once again.
Olivia saw his body. Jacques did the dead. They knew this was over. They were leaving no one for prisoner, too scared to risk an escape. All the wanted now was the children confident that they were safe, able to sleep in their own beds rather than a mess of blankets in a shared room, too scared to leave each other alone in fear they would be taken in the night. Jacques kept guard only to keep their minds at ease, the man losing sleep so the children could relax.
It wasn’t perfect, but they were getting there. Trauma was a tricky thing, and Olivia had not been in this game long enough to fully understand the extent of the Baudelaire, Quagmire and Snicket worries. She was more than happy to appease them. There to provide a hug when needed or to stroke their hair after a bad dream. Mostly, she hovered like an overbearing adult, trying to engage in their activities.
Slowly but surely, they were recovering. Olivia knew two things for sure with their new lives: she loved Jacques Snicket and the children they rescued. The children loved them back.