Series of Unfortunate Events One-shots, What-ifs, and Drabbles

Firsts

The first time Violet, Klaus, and Sunny stood in a courtroom, it was to clear their names. That took weeks of argument- they'd used what little money they'd been able to use to pay a lawyer. Finally, though, the Baudelaire name was clear. It should be noted that the second time the Baudelaires were in a courtroom, it was shortly after Violet's eighteenth birthday. Violet had been worried that it would be as difficult to get custody of her siblings as it was to clear their names. She had prepared a speech, even. "Your Honor," she'd say, "I've been taking care of my siblings for four years already. We're all we've got. Please, I couldn't bear to be separated from them." But the judge had no issue giving her custody.

Sunny's first day of school was quite a struggle as well. Sunny had never been to school before, except at Prufrock Prep, and that was not a good experience. She begged Violet not to leave and cried in the back of the classroom for about an hour. Thankfully, she wasn't the only one.

The first time they were safe on the anniversary of their parents' death was four years after it happened. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny all had commitments that day, but they put them aside. Sunny and Klaus skipped school; Violet put aside her work. They went to the cemetery where their parents were buried, each with something to lay on their parents' graves. Violet brought the invention she had been using when they got the terrible news- a mechanical device that would retrieve a skipped stone for you. Klaus brought a copy of a poem he'd liked to read with their mother. Sunny brought a rock she'd picked up on Briny Beach on a previous excursion.

The day after that, Sunny went back to school. She was afraid that her teacher would be angry, would punish her. She remembered the harsh and unusual punishments at Prufrock Prep. What would stop her teacher from doing something like that? So at the beginning of the day, Sunny talked to her teacher, meaning to explain herself; defend herself. But her teacher simply smiled at her and told her Violet had called the school and told them about her parents. "I understand completely, Sunny," her teacher told her, and then, as Sunny began to cry, "Oh, it's alright, dear."

Klaus's first boyfriend was a total surprise to everybody, including Klaus himself. Violet and Sunny couldn't be happier for him. They were glad that Klaus had friends, had other people who were close to him. His boyfriend's name was Matthew. Matthew liked to play video games and got Klaus into it. Violet thought that this was very good for Klaus, and Sunny was happy because Matthew and Klaus would often let her play too.

Violet's first job was as a mechanic at an auto shop. She knew she didn't have to work, but she liked working with her hands, doing something during the day. She took night classes and was getting her GED. She would eventually go to college, but not yet.

The first time the three siblings could remember getting through the day without one of them breaking down was a year after Violet gained custody. It was difficult, the healing process, but they were healing. And they were doing it together.