Paris - Chapter Eighteen
Approximately, fall of 1998
At around six in the morning, Annie simply couldn't
take it anymore. It was time to call Jacques and put
an end to this once and for all. She considered waking
JC and telling him, but she wasn't exactly sure how
he'd handle the news. Hell, she wasn't even sure what
she was going to do, but Annie could control herself
well enough if it was her alone. Taking on both her
own temper and JC's, however...
Bad idea.
In the middle of the fifth ring, a bleary voice
answered the phone. ("Hello?")
("Jacques, it's Annie.") She made no attempt to mask
the edge creeping into her voice.
("It's not even seven yet. Why are you calling?")
Jacques tried to bring himself fully awake while he
sat up and switched on the light next to his bed. She
sounded upset...maybe she and JC had just had a huge
fight and she needed him to comfort her! Or maybe she
was just calling to admit that she'd been wrong about
him at the very least. ("Is something wrong?")
Annie took a calming breath...and failed to calm down.
("Yes, Jacques, something is very wrong. Last night,
Josh and I looked through the package Claude left for
us. He had so many wonderful things to share...and one
not-so-wonderful.")
Jacques swallowed hard. ("What do you mean?")
("Claude wrote another letter. He hid it in the
package for me to find. I couldn't sleep this morning,
so I took it out and read it.") Annie made no attempt
to hide the disgust in her voice. ("Jacques...how
could you? How could you stoop that low?") Her voice
began to shake. ("I don't understand... why? What
possessed you? If it was because you 'loved'
me...well, that's just sick.")
("Annie, what are you saying?") This was bad. Unless
he could figure out exactly what Claude had written
and how much Annie understood, there was no way he'd
be able to talk his way out of this.
("I'm saying that Claude figured everything out.
Babette couldn't have taken those pictures herself.")
A small, sardonic chuckle broke it's way pass her
lips. ("She wasn't that limber or smart.") Her eyes
narrowed, even though Jacques couldn't see it. ("It
was YOU! YOU helped her. You set everything up just to
break-up Josh and me.")
There was a long pause on the other end, then Jacques
started to chuckle. ("So,") he purred softly, his
voice going low, ("what are you going to do about it?
Have Mr. Wonderful send over his gorilla of a
bodyguard to make me pay?")
Annie shuddered as he spoke, mentally cursing herself
for missing this before. Jacques obviously needed some
serious help. Choosing her words carefully, she
decided to interrupt his ramblings. ("Jacques, as much
as the idea of TJ beating you to a bloody pulp appeals
to me, and believe me...it does, I've decided to do
something far worse.")
("And what's that,") he sneered. ("Have Pretty Boy
come over hear and dance me to death? Would that be a
fitting enough revenge for you?")
("No, Jacques,") she answered quietly. ("We're not
going to do anything. Nothing at all.")
("Nothing...") Jacques scoffed. ("Yeah, right. That
bodyguard of his would just love to get his hands on
me.") Another laugh, slightly louder this time. ("He
was practically stalking me all day yesterday.")
Annie broke in. ("Jacques, please listen to me. How
can I get it through that slightly psychotic brain of
yours that I am serious.") She paused. ("Would you
like to know why we're not going to do anything? It's
because you're simply not worth it. The revenge, the
anger...the pain.") The earlier edge in her voice
reasserted itself. ("You're a worthless, pathetic and
delusional little boy. So anything I do to you will
make you think that I actually care. Well, let me tell
you right now that I don't, because it's simply too
much of an effort.")
("What makes this worse is that I once thought of you
as a brother. All I can do now is pray that you get
the help you so obviously need.")
("Annie...") Jacques' tone was calming down, becoming
desperate.
But Annie was on a roll. (Think about this, Jacques:
you broke Claude's heart and almost destroyed Josh’s
and my happiness. Now what do you have to show for
everything you've done? Nothing! Your grandpere is
dead and Josh and I are very much together and loving
it. What was it all for anyway?")
("Annie...") Tears were beginning to creep into his
voice. ("Please...")
("Please what?") Annie released a small snort. ("Or
would you care to explain why Batty Babette and Psycho
Boy decided to join forces?")
("You really want to know?") Jacques' voice grew
harder now that he was on the defensive. ("Can you
handle it?")
("Try me.") She had no idea where this was going, but
Annie wasn't going to be intimidated by this crazy
Frenchman.
("Annie, since the first time I saw you in art class,
I loved you.") Jacques' voice became reflective. ("You
were so beautiful, so full of life, outspoken, fun to
be around... I loved your American southern accent
when you spoke in French.") He laughed at the memory
of earlier times. ("It was so sweet and endearing, as
you were pure and honest. People just naturally seemed
drawn to you, and you welcomed them all with a kind
smile.
("The first time you agreed to come home and have
dinner with me, I was overjoyed. I knew that I
probably didn't stand a chance with you, but I was
going to give it a shot. When you and Grandpere hit it
off so easily, I felt like it was a sign. I had never
seen him take to anyone as quickly as he did to you,
and it made me happy to see that the two people I
loved the most in the world loved each other as
well.")
Jacques' tone, which had just been so soft and
meditative, suddenly began to grow harsh. ("I thought
I was making progress...until the day JC suddenly
tumbled into the shop and ruined my life. He was so
pandering to Grandpere, hanging on his every word,
tearing up at just the right moments with those big
blue eyes of his.") He was spitting the words out now,
every phrase full of venom. ("He reeked of the very
image of innocence...and Grandpere fell for it all.
But still, I hoped that it would only be for one day.
Just a quick little history lesson for some American
tourist, then he'd be out the door and on his way. But
then the dinner at Pepe's...") He laughed harshly, his
tone turning mocking. ("You two were so sickly sweet
and cutesy that night, I didn't even have the stomach
for dessert. It was like watching a romance novel come
to life.
("Nevertheless, I still hoped that'd be the end of it.
I figured any affections he raised in you, I'd be able
to make you forget them. But he kept showing up
whenever 'they' were in the area, like a bad allergy.
Whenever I would get home from class, there he'd
be...sitting in the kitchen with Grandpere as if he
lived there, laughing and carrying on. Things that I'd
always done for Grandpere...that JC was taking them
over. And as if that wasn't bad enough, he was all
Grandpere would talk about after he left. JC this and
JC that! I could hardly stand it. He wasn't content to
simply take you from me...he wanted my only family,
the last one with me in the world, as well!")
("Jacques-") Annie started, hoping to calm him down.
("DON'T INTERRUPT ME!!")
("Okay,") she answered quietly. ("Continue.")
("I started following him when he went to your flat. I
had the misfortune of speaking to Babette on some of
these trips, so I decided that she'd be a good little
helper.") Jacques laughed again, in a higher pitch
than the earlier times. ("You know, that is one
seriously screwed up little bitch. Or was, at
least...but I'm getting distracted. I told Babette
that we were going to play a game. Since no one visits
her anyway, she was more than willing to go along.
Also, a little mention of sending Jake after her if
she told anyone helped a great deal in keeping her
under control.")
Annie could almost hear him shrug his shoulders. ("The
rest is pretty simple. Babette lured him over to her
flat where I smacked him in the head. We undressed him
and proceeded to play our little game, with Babette
laughing almost the whole time.") He sighed in
exasperation. ("You have no idea how hard it was to
get her to keep a serious expression long enough to
make a convincing photo. By the way, do you still have
any of those? I thought I was rather creative with a
few of them.")
("No Jacques,") Annie replied, swallowing hard to keep
down a sudden sick feeling. ("I'm afraid we got rid of
all the photos.")
("Just as well. Things started falling apart when
Grandpere got a peek at them anyway. I managed to lie
my way out of it, but it was close for a while. Then,
of course, Grandpere just had to go and die, but it
worked out for me...it meant that no one else would
ever find out.") He snorted. ("How was I supposed to
know he'd written a little synopsis of the whole thing
and hidden it until you could read it?")
Annie sat stunned for several moments, unable to
really think of anything to say. The sick feeling had
passed, but had only been replaced by confusion and
disgust. After a deep breath, she decided how she
would respond. ("Jacques, I don't think I really have
anything left to say to you. What you did...it was
wrong on so many levels that I don't even know where
to begin.") She allowed a brief tone of pleading to
enter her voice. ("I beg you, Jacques...please get
some help. That's the only way you're going to have
something that even resembles a normal life.")
Realizing that everything was about to be swept away
from him in one last swoop, Jacques became desperate.
("Annie, no! Please...") He began to sob. ("Please
don't leave me! Not you too! Please...")
("Jacques, it's pointless to continue this. And I, for
one, can't. You need to get help...more help than I
could ever give you.") She sighed. ("I'll be praying
for you. Goodbye, Jacques.") She hung up the phone
before he could say anything else.
No sooner was the receiver back in its cradle, there
was a knock at her door. She opened it to see JC
standing there, looking concerned. She motioned him
in, shutting the door behind him.
"Who were you talking to?" he asked as soon as she
turned back to him. "It seemed pretty intense...you
woke me up. And in French...at least, I think it was
French. One of those languages I don't speak...which
covers quite a few."
Annie touched the side of his face. "I'm sorry. I
didn't mean for it to get so loud." She took his hands
in hers and drew him down to sit on the bed next to
her. "It was Jacques."
Instantly, JC became suspicious. "What did he want?
Why was he even calling...for that matter, how'd he
get your number?"
"Actually, I called him."
"Okay, but why? Why did you have to call Jacques so
early in the morning?"
Annie sighed. "Josh, I have something to tell you.
Something I just recently learned about Jacques. But
you have to promise me that you won't get all angry
and get on your 'I must protect my beloved' attitude.
Deal?"
"Deal," he said reluctantly. "Now what is all this
about?"
"Josh, it was Jacques. He was the one who tricked
Babette into helping him break us apart."
JC instantly started rising from the bed, fists
clenched in anger. "What?! I'll kill him! Forget TJ,
I'll take him out myself! I'll-"
"You'll do no such thing," Annie broke in gently, yet
forcefully as she grabbed his wrist, shaking her head
as he reluctantly began to sit down again. "That was
the reaction I was afraid you would have, and I can't
blame you for it. But there's nothing neither of us is
going to do but leave it alone."
Her calm voice confused JC. "But why? I mean, how long
have you known?"
"About four hours ago. I woke up earlier because my
stomach was still learning to break-dance from the
little fish incident. I was making myself some tea
when I remembered a letter that Claude had addressed
to me alone. You didn't see it earlier because I put
it straight into my purse to look at later. Anyway, I
took it out and read it." Annie paused, thinking. "I
think Claude was too ashamed to let you see it. It was
filled with such pain...Claude had been crushed.
"You see, Claude had come to think of you as his other
grandson, which made Jacques jealous. He couldn't
handle the fact that you seemed to be taking his place
in both my and his Grandpere's hearts." A single tear
fell down Annie's cheek. "The sad thing, though, is
that Claude truly loved Jacques with all his heart.
Even as much as he loved you and me, nothing would
ever replace the fact that Jacques was of his own
blood."
JC wiped her tear away with his thumb, cradling her
face in his hands. "So what do we do?" he asked
softly.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Yes, nothing. Because to do something, to treat
Jacques as anything more than an annoying little speck
will make him think we care. It'll bother him more for
us to ignore him entirely than if we sent a whole army
of TJs over to beat the living bejeesus out of him.
Besides, he 's a very sick young man and despite the
fact that a swift kick in the head might make us feel
better, it probably won't fix whatever's knocked loose
in that head of his."
"I guess you're right," JC agreed reluctantly. "But
still-"
"No more talk," Annie cut him off, putting a finger to
his lips. "Right now, I just want to sleep."
He grinned at her shyly. "Mind if I stay awhile?"
She smiled back. "Actually, I was hoping you would."
JC laid down next to her, taking her in his arms. He
kissed her gently, then softly sang to her as they
fell asleep.
Thus ends JC and Annie’s adventure in "Paris". The
following morning they would leave Paris and spend the
few remaining "vacation" days they had in London
rather than stay in Paris where Jacques was. The
thought of him stalking them had crossed TJ’s mind and
the farther they were from him the better. Returning
home they would start on "A Whirlwind to Fame."
Completed
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