⇗ Chapter 8

Sabine was awakened by a soft kiss on her forehead. Her hazel eyes fluttered open and she smiled when she saw Quigley watching her intently, a small grin on his lips.

"Hi, Quigs," she said sleepily.

"Hello, love. How'd you sleep?" Quigley asked as he gently stroked her hair.

"Good." She nodded. She woke up all the way and was suddenly aware of the fact that her head was laying in his lap. She blushed and sat up, deciding to become very interested in her feet. Quigley chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving her another kiss on her cheek.

The car came to a stop and Kit turned around in her seat to face them. "Alright, lovebirds, we're here."

Everyone climbed out of the car, and Sabine shivered as she looked around. Ice and snow covered everything, and it looked like they were on top of a mountain.

"Wh-where are w-we?" she asked, her teeth chattering from the cold.

"Mortmain Mountains in the Valley of Four Drafts. Sorry about the cold, but we'll be inside soon," Kit explained, starting to walk towards a cave.

"Their whole headquarters is hidden inside that tiny cave?" Quigley whispered to Sabine.

"Maybe there's another secret tunnel!" Sabine said, an excited smile lighting up her face. She literally bounced along behind Kit as they entered the dark cavern.

"Um, Miss Snicket?" Quigley asked.

"You can call me Kit, but what's your question?" she responded.

"I was just-" Quigley started.

"Is there another tunnel in here?" Sabine cut in, hopping from foot to foot in a mix of curiosity and an attempt to keep her blood flowing so she didn't freeze to death.

"There is indeed another tunnel," Kit laughed with a nod.

"Awesome!" Sabine exclaimed. Quigley smiled and gave her a kiss on the top of her cold hand.

"I'm glad you're so excited," Kit said. "Come here."

Sabine entwined her fingers with Quigley's and dragged him over to where Kit was standing. All three of them looked up and saw a very long shaft. On the wall of the shaft were metal hand holds, each one spaced about a foot apart.

"This, my friends, is called a Vertical Flame Diversion. That ladder will lead us to V.F.D. headquarters," Kit explained. Sabine and Quigley pulled out their purple notebooks and turned to the pages where they had written the information that Kit told them about V.F.D. Vertical Flame Diversion, they both wrote, then stuck the journals back in their pockets.

"Follow me, volunteers," Kit said, starting her climb up the ladder.

"We're volunteers!" Sabine squealed, giving Quigley's hand an enthusiastic squeeze.

With his free hand, he cupped her chin and turned her head towards his. "Stop being so adorable," he scolded playfully, making her blush and smile. Quigley smiled back and kissed her cheek, then they both joined Kit as she ventured up the flame diversion.

Sabine shivered from the cold bursts of wind that hit her as she made her way up, but she hardly registered it. Her mind was racing with exhilaration. A secret organization! She thought giddily. She felt like Alice on her journey through Wonderland.

"'Curiouser and curiouser!'" Sabine quietly murmured, quoting Alice.

"Ah, Lewis Carroll," Kit said. "An associate of mine, although I never got to meet him."

Sabine paused in her ascension. "Lewis Carroll was a part of V.F.D.?" She gasped in astonishment.

"He sure was," Kit said.

"Wow," Sabine whispered, starting her climb again. They soon reached the top and saw a door with a very intricate lock placed on it. The lock was connected to wires that looped around the hinges on the door. Underneath the lock was a keyboard, and Sabine took a moment to examine the fascinating thing.

"This is a Vernacularly Fastened Door," Kit said, answering the question Sabine had been about to ask. "To open it, you need to type in three key phrases. The phrases change every season, and we're going to change them soon, so I won't bother teaching these phrases to you." She put her fingers on the keyboard and typed the words in as Sabine and Quigley took notes about the door.

"Done!" Kit said as the door slowly swung open. Sabine bounced again in anticipation and Quigley watched her silently with a soft smile. When she glanced into his sparkling eyes, the warm feeling of being deeply cared for filled her stomach, so she stopped bouncing for just long enough to kiss his cheek.

"Ready to meet everyone?" Kit asked. The romantic feeling Sabine had been experiencing was overtaken by her curiosity and she fiercely nodded. Kit gave her a motherly smile, and then gestured for them to follow her through the door that was now wide open. Sabine let out a thrilled squeak and entwined her fingers with Quigley's once again, then they both stepped into V.F.D headquarters.

"Oh. My. Gosh," Sabine said, letting go of Quigley to slam both of her hands over her mouth. She scanned the gigantic room they were standing in with her large, inquisitive eyes. The place was absolutely gorgeous and buzzing with activity.

"Mmm, it smells heavenly in here," Kit said, practically drooling as she sniffed the aroma of the kitchen they entered. Sabine dropped her hands to take a whiff of the air and was met with the delicious scent of homemade cherry pie.

"It smells like Miss Julia's house," she said sadly, remembering her former guardian.

Kit laughed. "Well, that's because she's our best chef."

As if on cue, a flour coated Miss Julia walked past them, setting a still-steaming cherry pie on the counter. Sabine's eyes glossed over and she fought to hold back her tears. Julia turned around, seemingly looking for something, but caught Sabine's gaze.

"S-Sabine?" she stammered.

Sabine merely nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Oh, dear," Miss Julia whispered, shaking her head as she teared up as well. "I'm so sorry, Sabine."

Sabine just nodded again.

"How do you two know each other?" Quigley asked, wrapping his arm around Sabine's waist protectively.

"She was my guardian," Sabine choked, her voice cracking. Her vision blurred from the tears that were threatening to overflow.

"I had to leave so I could join V.F.D.," Miss Julia explained. "I wanted to take you with me, Sabine, but it was too dangerous."

Sabine blinked her tears away and smiled at Miss Julia, who looked absolutely heartbroken. "No worries Miss Julia. I'm happy to see you again."

Julia wiped her eyes and smiled back. "I'm happy to see you, too." She glanced over to Quigley and looked him up and down. "Is this your boyfriend you were always talking about, Sabine?"

Sabine blushed and looked down at her feet.

"Boyfriend?" Quigley teased, cupping her chin and lifting her head.

"I didn't say that..." Sabine sighed.

He smirked, giving her a look that let her know she wasn't going to live this down. But then he turned back to Miss Julia. "No, I'm not her boyfriend," he laughed.

Miss Julia smiled and when she turned to talk to Kit, Quigley put his mouth up to Sabine's ear and whispered, "I could be yours though..."

She blushed deep red and buried her face in his shoulder, trying to hide her smile. That sounded absolutely wonderful, and she had a feeling that he was planning on making it come true.

"Okay, kiddos. Follow me and we'll get your training started," Julia said.

~༄~

Over the next thirteen days, Sabine and Quigley went through intense physical and mental training. They read over all the books in the library, learned all the secret codes, practiced climbing up buildings with grappling hooks, and all sorts of other things. After one particularly difficult self defense training session, Kit said that she had something important to talk to them about.

"What's up, Kit?" Quigley asked, wrapping his arms around an exhausted Sabine's waist from behind her.

"I have a mission for you," Kit explained.

Sabine got a sudden burst of adrenaline and lifted her head in interest. "Seriously?" she gasped.

"Seriously," Kit nodded. "We just got a message from Olivia Caliban, one of our new recruits. She's currently stationed as Madame LuLu at Caligari Carnival. She sent a telegram saying that the Baudelaires are with her and that they are planning to come to V.F.D. headquarters."

An excited smile lit up Sabine and Quigley's faces as they said, "Are Duncan and Isadora with them?" in unison.

Kit shook her head. "No, but the Quagmires are safe for now."

"Where are they?" Quigley asked.

"Currently they are floating in a Hot Air Mobile Home. We are keeping track of them and we'll provide assistance if necessary," Kit said. Quigley nodded, but he seemed sad.

Sabine rested her hands on top of his and he tightened his arms around her waist. "So, what's our mission?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Your mission is to meet up with the Baudelaires and make sure they arrive safely. You guys know the phrases for the door so you should be able to get in just fine," Kit said.

"So, we meet them at the carnival?" Quigley wondered aloud.

"No. This mission will be slightly complicated. You'll have to infiltrate a group of Snow Scouts and meet up with the Baudelaires through them," Kit explained.

Oh god, please don't be... Sabine thought.

"You'll be in Troop 113, pretending to be scouts on their way to celebrate False Spring. We have connections to the troop leader, so he'll let you in," Kit said. Sabine nearly groaned in disappointment. Troop 113 was the troop that Carmelita Spats was in. "You'll have to leave immediately to catch up with them, but first we need to get you in disguise."

Kit led the two of them into a room filled to the brim with multiple disguises of all sorts. Bridal dresses and detective outfits, sailors suits and dragonfly costumes, all types of different things. Kit walked over to a rack with sweaters and what looked like fencing masks hanging off of it, and gestured for Sabine and Quigley to follow her.

"Pick a sweater and a mask to wear. You'll have to be with the Snow Scouts for at least two days, so find something comfortable," She instructed. Sabine picked out a dark green sweater and Quigley slipped on a gray one.

"What are the fencing masks for?" Sabine asked, picking one of the masks up.

"They'll hide your faces, but they'll also keep away the snow gnats," Kit explained as the children pulled the masks over their heads. She looked them up and down, then put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Well, they're not perfect disguises, but they'll do."

One of the other volunteers walked in the room as well. "Kit, update on the snow scouts," he said.

"Go on."

"They're about to reach Mount Fraught. We should send the kids out now," he said.

"I was just about to do that. Thank you for the update, Dewy." Kit nodded.

Dewy smiled and softly kissed her lips. "I have to go back to the hotel now, love. See you soon."

"See you soon." Kit smiled back as Dewy left. She turned to Quigley and Sabine and said, "Alright then, off you go. Climb down the Vertical Flame Diversion and then wait outside that cave for the Snow Scouts."

"Yes, ma'am," Quigley nodded.

"Good. Be safe volunteers," Kit said.

"Bye Kit!" Sabine said, walking out of the room and sending her a wave as she left.

"Bye!" Kit waved back.

Quigley and Sabine walked through the Vernacularly Fastened Door in the kitchen and then climbed down the Vertical Flame Diversion and landed in the dark, cold cave. Even through her sweater, Sabine shivered from the freezing drafts of air.

"Cold?" Quigley asked. His voice sounded muffled through the fencing mask, but Sabine could still recognize it easily.

"A little," she admitted.

He sighed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "We're supposed to wait outside the cave, but you can cuddle with me to warm up."

Sabine blushed under her mask, but she certainly was not about to turn down his offer. "Okay," she whispered. He led her out of the cave and they sat in the snow, huddled together for warmth. Well, warmth and the fact that they just liked being near each other. Ever since she'd found him again, back in the tunnels, he'd been really flirty with her, and often showed it through physical touch. He hadn't done anything too intense, mainly just holding her hand or her waist, occasionally kissing her cheeks or the top of her head, but it felt really good every time. She really wished he'd do just a little bit more, just say a little bit more, but at the same time, she didn't want to rush him into a relationship if he wasn't ready for one, so she just stayed quiet as they sat outside the cave, though right then would have been the perfect time to talk.

Apparently, Quigley thought so, too, because after a long silence he asked, "Sabine, can we talk?"

She sat up, her heart beginning to race. "Yeah, sure..."

"I've been thinking," he started, then paused and seemed to try to find the right thing to say. "Well... remember how the other day Miss Julia called me your boyfriend?"

Sabine chuckled. "You mean when I was so embarrassed that I turned redder than a tomato? Yeah, I think I remember."

Quigley chuckled too and pulled his mask off. Sabine did the same.

"Like I said," Quigley continued, "I've been thinking... mainly about you... and I was wondering..." He trailed off and looked into the distance.

Sabine kept quiet and watched as he took a moment to contemplate his next words.

"Wondering if I really could be your boyfriend," he finished.

Sabine's eyes widened; she'd been hoping for this. It took all her self control not to squeal and jump around from how happy she was that he'd finally asked.

"I-if you'd let me, that is. You don't have to say yes right now, you don't even have to say yes at all I just... I just thought I'd ask," Quigley rambled.

Sabine let out a giggle and rested her head on his shoulder. He pulled her close and they both gazed into the horizon together. The sun had just begun to set behind the mountains and the sky was painted with beautiful shades of soft yellow, pastel pink, deep orange and sharp red.

"You know, if you have to hide a secret headquarters, this is a lovely place to do it," Sabine finally whispered, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Very lovely indeed," Quigley whispered back, but his gaze was not on the horizon. His deep, dark, intense eyes were focused on Sabine.

She looked up at him and smiled, her cheeks turning pink. "I'd like it very much if you were my boyfriend," Sabine admitted, answering his question from earlier.

He smirked and cupped her chin. "It's official then," he said.

Sabine found herself leaning closer to him, and he leaned towards her. Sabine closed her eyes as Quigley's lips pressed softly against hers. Her heart was pounding in her throat, and suddenly not even the cold of the snow was enough to cool her warm, blushing face. He smiled against her mouth, and it was so contagious that immediately she smiled too. She ran her hands through his long, wavy hair, their noses pressing together as Quigley pulled her closer. The kiss was incredible and captivating, and they both lost track of how long it lasted, but they were breathless by the time they pulled away.

They gazed deep into each other's eyes, their faces red and their hair tousled. Giggles escaped their smiling mouths, and soon they were settled back into the snow, cuddled together and observing as the sky faded from a brilliant sunset to the beginning of the starry night.

Yet, Quigley's gaze returned to Sabine as he repeated, "Very lovely indeed..."

𝔼𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣