The Daring Rescue Mission

Chapter 5: Finding the Hideout

Begin!

Universe*

~Normal POV

When Sunny finished telling Trevor about her troubled past, and how she ended up where they were now, he responded by giving her a very tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him as well and heard him say something very quietly so that only she could hear.

"I'm sorry."

She smiled a little and pulled away from him, "You don't need to be, I've moved on from all that. I just wanted you to know before anything else happens."

"I just can't believe you went through so much at only a year old."

She chuckled lightly, "Yeah it is pretty amazing, isn't it? But I had my family there for me."

As Sunny went back to examining their map, Trevor couldn't help staring at her. How on earth could she be so calm and strong after all the horror she went through with her family? It was almost unreal. He had known that Sunny was the calm and collected one in their relationship, while he was the emotional and brash one, but this was a whole new level. Perhaps that was the reason why he fell for this lovely girl in the first place. She was perfect, almost too perfect. Sometimes he thought he wasn't even worthy of a girl like Sunny Baudelaire. Nonetheless, he was happy to be her boyfriend. He wouldn't have had it any other way.

"I have an idea about where they might be," Sunny spoke after a few moments.

She got up from the table and motioned for Trevor to follow her. He followed her around the library for several minutes before they found Kit once again.

"Kit, did you guys ever rebuild the Mortmain Mountains Headquarters?"

"We've been considering it," She replied, "But it never got past the planning stage, especially with how busy we've been doing damage control on the crimes set by Olaf."

"When we were brought to the Headquarters by Quigley back in the day, he took us through a secret tunnel. Were there other tunnels like it?"

"Yes there are," Kit explained, "They go all over Mount Fraught and they're all connected. Volunteers always had to use them when exiting the Headquarters to keep from raising suspicion. Why do you ask?"

"If there's no one using the tunnels right now," Sunny started, "Then it might be possible that villains took up residence in them. Which means that might be where the kidnapped children are being taken!"

Kit's eyes widened, "That's entirely logical, Sunny. Let me see if I can find a copy of the tunnel map."

They hurried over to the filing area once more and she quickly flipped through the archives before finding what she was looking for. She set out an old looking map that showed an intricate set of tunnels going through Mount Fraught and reaching out the top. They showed it to the others as well.

"How soon can we get there from here," Sunny asked.

"If you drive it should be at least a day or two," Dewey answered, "It's the climb through that you should be worried about. If you're right, and villains did take over the tunnel system then you'll need to sneak in, but where to start is the real question."

"I think I know a way, dad," Beatrice pointed at the map, "See how the Stricken Stream source waterfall goes here? Well what if we got in through the waterfall? There's a tunnel opening listed right there that probably hasn't been used in ages."

Dewey smiled, he was clearly proud of his daughter's sharp eyes; "Excellent work. We'll set up transport to get you into the water."

"And what if the villains realized that the tunnel was there and blocked it off," Hunter asked, "If they're smart, they'd do that right?"

"We'll just have to take that chance," Trevor replied.

~...

"I never thought I'd go back through the Hinterlands again," Sunny said quietly as she drove.

It was dark out now, and despite how much Kit and Dewey insisted that they stay and rest at the hotel before going out on their quest, they refused the offer. Sunny was driving and Trevor was in the passenger seat, while Beatrice and Hunter were asleep in the back.

"I assume you never wanted to come out here again then," Trevor said.

Sunny chuckled softly, "You assume correctly."

He smiled a little at her and rested his hand on hers as it sat on the gear shift. After a minute he spoke again.

"Check out the lovebirds in the back."

Sunny glanced at her friends through the rear view mirror and smirked. They had fallen asleep leaning on each other without even realizing it.

"Sunshine," Trevor started, "Will your family be upset about me knowing everything that happened in the past?"

She shook her head, "Of course not, we were planning on telling you anyway when the time was right."

"And Fiona's brother... you said he was in prison right?"

"He was for several years, but he's been out for a long while now. I forgave him, and the rest of my family was able to do the same."

He smiled at her, "That's reassuring. I figured that since my parents were villains... you might... not want to be with me anymore."

"And why would I think that? Trevor, your family doesn't define you."

He felt a weight lift off his shoulders at her kind words. Without a second thought, he said the first response that came to his head.

"Sunny, I love you."

She smiled at him in return, "I love you too, Trevor. Now get some sleep, I'll wake you when it's your turn to drive."

~End of Chapter

Next chapter will go back to the kids.