JC’s fist did in fact connect with something, but it wasn’t the side of Lance’s face. Joey had moved in front of the punch, catching it in one hand. Now he stood there, his bear-sized hand gently, yet firmly, holding JC’s fist at bay.
"JC, stop this." Joey made sure he had JC’s full attention before continuing. "It’s stupid. Is she worth risking a friendship over?" He motioned toward Annie over his shoulder.
Lance stood there, silently. He knew exactly why JC had been so angry and it was all his fault.
Annie leapt off the bed, fire suddenly flashing in her eyes. "What the hell is going on around here? Has everyone completely lost their minds, or was there a blue-light special at K-Mart?"
JC disentangled himself form Joey’s grip. "I don’t know Annie," he growled, voice low and mocking. "Maybe you, in your infinite wisdom, could enlighten us." His eyes met her with cold fury. "I really thought you had more imagination than this. I mean, you are the artist."
Annie stared at him, bewildered. She opened her mouth to speak, but the next words heard in the room were still JC's. "Besides, among all of us here, you’re the expert at dealing with crazy people." One of the most unpleasant smiles streaked its way across her lips. "By the way, how is Babette?"
Annie’s anger fell like a vase of flowers from a second story window. "She’s dead," came the almost whispered reply.
Annie now had the attention of everyone in the room. Lance roused himself out of his thoughts, looking up from the night table he had been leaning against. Joey snapped his head around to look at Annie directly, but still kept his place between JC and the room’s other two occupants.
JC’s anger melted away. "What? How?"
"She fell out the window of her flat." Annie’s shoulders shook, remembering that day. "It was a tragic accident."
"I had no idea. I didn’t know."
A bit of strength returned to her voice. "Apparently, there are a lot of things that you don’t know."
An awkward silence followed in the next minute, broken only by the sound of Annie’s CD skipping.
Joey reached over to turn the music off, then faced the group. "Okay, everyone sit down and we’ll see if we can’t make some reasonable sense out of this whole mess." He waited until everyone was settled. "Lance you go first."
"I walked into Johnny’s office and overhead him talking to Annie on the phone. He was about to hang up on her until I took over. She was hysterical, crying, so I came over to find out what was going on. I was trying to calm her down when you guys burst in. Lance’s eyes turned beseechingly to JC, "I should have told you what was going on when I passed you in the office, I know that. But I was so caught up in getting over here before something happened. I guess I wasn’t thinking straight. I swear, we were just sitting here. Nothing happened!"
Joey held up a hand to stop Lance before he got carried away. "Annie, what’s your version?"
"Pretty much like Lance said. I had just gotten some terrible news about Claude, and I felt that JC would want to know." Her voice had gotten softer. "No matter what sort of things had happened between the two of us. JC loved Claude."
JC stared hard at Annie, fear in his eyes. "What happened to Claude?"
"He died last night." She whispered, not returning his gaze.
Tears glistened at the corners of JC’s eyes. "Annie, I don’t know what to say. He was.. He was so kind to me."
Lance swallowed once, hard. "Did he suffer?"
"No, the doctors say he went peacefully in his sleep. Most likely a hear t attack."
Joey waited for several moments while everyone let their grief pour out, himself included. When he was sure, he could speak without his voice cracking, Joey looked back at the group. "Okay, JC. Your turn."
JC wiped away a few more tears before turning to Annie. "Why did you send that package? Did you want to hurt me on purpose? Why?"
"Again with the package." Annie threw her hands up in frustration. "I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about. All I sent was a painting and a letter."
"What about the photos, the bracelet and the engagement pictures?"
"What are you talking about? I never saw a bracelet."
JC rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure you didn’t."
"I didn’t!" Annie leapt off the bed. "Don’t you believe me? Why are you jumping to conclusions with half-truths?"
"You should know. It seems to be your way of doing things." JC’s gaze was cold, his anger simmering back to the surface by degrees.
"What?" Annie put a hand to her forehead. "I’m so mixed up." She looked in desperation around the room. "Please doesn’t anyone believe me?" Each face she peered into gave her the answer.
All of it was too much. Annie collapsed on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. In doing so, she had unconsciously activated, targeted and unleashed the most devastating weapon the world has ever known.
"Annie, please don’t cry." Joey begged, looking more that just a little uncomfortable.
Lance had risen from his spot on the table. "Please stop. We’re sorry."
JC knelt down next to her, wrapping her in his embrace. Lance took this as the perfect time to leave, but Joey was a little slow on the uptake. The former grabbed his arm, slowly pulling him towards the door. Some papers he had seen on the night table had him already forming a plan to help JC and Annie. Plus it would also be his way of apologizing to them both for his part in all this.
Once the door was securely closed, JC took Annie’s face in his hands. "Please, he whispered, wiping the tears away from her eyes with his thumbs. "Talk to me."
Annie looked deep into his eyes. "I screwed up, didn’t I? I never had all the facts, but I thought I knew enough to pronounce you guilty. I’m so sorry." She placed her hand along his cheek. "It must have hurt terribly. Trying to convince some pig-headed girl of the truth and getting nothing but rejection and anger in return. I know it hurt me just now, when I thought none of you believed me." She buried her face into his shoulder. "I’m so very sorry."
JC stared at the top of her head in confusion. "Then why did you put those photos in that package?"
Annie looked up at him. "But I didn’t. There was just the painting, no other pictures."
"Then who else could have put them there?"
A look of shocked horror slowly came over Annie’s face. "Jacques," she whispered incredulously. "I asked him to mail the package for me."
JC’s face was hard for a moment, but he shook it off. "Well, that’s at least one less mystery to deal with. Next question: Why didn’t you answer my letters?"
"What letters?" Annie shook her head. "I never got any letters."
"I wrote every day, but they always came back unopened."
"Jacques was supposed to be getting my mail for me while I was staying with Claude." Annie’s eyes narrowed.
JC took her hand in his. "Annie those pictures of me and Babette they aren’t real. All those things…I never did any of them." He studied her face. "Didn’t you look at them?"
"I did, but all I could see was what Babette wanted me to see. Not the truth."
His face became even more serious. "What about the engagement pictures?"
"Engagement pictures?"
"The package had pictures of Jacques putting a ring on your finger, then of him hugging you in an airport."
"Jacques asked me to marry him before I left for America. I said no, but he asked me to slip the ring on for a few moments to make him happy." Annie shook her head in disbelief. "Someone must have been there to take pictures of it."
JC smiled. "On the home stretch now. Final question: What about the bracelet?"
"Bracelet?"
"This one." JC procured it from his back pocket.
"It’s beautiful." She whispered, running a finger over its surface. The bracelet was gold with their names etched into it between two hearts. "But this is the first time I’ve seen it."
"I was going to give it to you that day. Will you wear it?"
"Of course. Could you please put it on me?" Annie waited patiently until he was done, then looked at it on her wrist. "Josh, I’m never gonna take this off."
"Annie?"
"Yes?"
"How about we start over? Like all the terrible things that have happened never did, and we’re strangers meeting for the first time."
Annie laughed. "Sounds like a great idea. I’ll go first." She stuck out her hand. "How do you do? I don’t believe we’ve met before."
JC took her hand and kissed it. "I certainly wouldn’t forget if I’d met an angel like you before."
She laughed harder. "Okay, maybe not that far." She mussed up his hair.
"You’re a hopeless romantic emphasis on the hopeless part." Another giggle. "That was one of the worst pick-up lines I’ve ever heard in my life."
JC smiled. "Okay then how about this one?"
ONE HOUR LATER
Lance and Joey stood outside the door, arguing softly.
"Just leave them alone, man." Joey stood in front of the door, arms folded over his chest. "They’re probably going to be busy for a while. Give them some space."
Lance shook his head in disgust. "First of all, this is important enough to interrupt all that. Second, I can practically guarantee you that they’re not doing anything in there any more censored than "The Lion King." Third, I don’t intend to just leave his bag sitting here in the hallway."
"Look, I know it’s important, but I still think they need a bit more time to themselves. We can come back in a few more hours."
"Why don’t you just knock on the door? If they’re not doing anything, it’ll open up pretty quick. If they are, I’ll admit you were right and we’ll come back later."
Joey stared at him a moment longer, then sighed and knocked softly on the door. "If JC comes to the door half-naked with a blanket around his waist, I’ll make sure you never live it down for the rest of your natural life."
Fortunately for Lance, JC answered the door right away, fully clothed and without a blanket. He motioned them in, signaling them to be quiet. They saw Annie asleep on the bed, also fully clothed. She must have gotten enough time to change out of the robe.
"She fell asleep about ten minutes ago." JC whispered as he quietly shut the door. "She’s completely exhausted, poor thing."
Joey handed JC two plane tickets for Paris while Lance set JC’s travel bag down gently on the floor by the dresses.
JC stared at the tickets as if they were going to bite him. "What’s this?"
Joey gave him his characteristic grin. "Johnny’s arranged everything. Due to Lance’s quick thinking and good memory for numbers, we got in touch with Annie’s new boss. He’s granted her some time off for the next week and we’ll be putting things on hold for you."
I still don’t_"
"You two are going to Claude’s funeral, then you’re going to have a little make-up time to get any lingering problems cleared up." Joey slipped into his best "Tour-guide" mode. "First thing in the morning, a limo will come pick you two up and take you to the airport. TJ will be following along as both bodyguard and chaperone. Once there, you’ll be staying at a Four Seasons Hotel in Paris." He winked at JC. "Johnny says it’s all on him, so go enjoy yourselves. We’ll talk to you when you get back."
"Tell Johnny thanks for me." JC turned towards Lance. "Hey man, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to freak out on you like that." He extended his hand. "Still friends?"
Lance took it warmly. "Of course, And hey, don’t worry. I’d fight for her too, if she was my girl. No hard feelings." He smiled. "But you better take care of her, and I mean that."
"I will."
Joey and Lance turned to leave. "Safe journey. I’ll be praying for you guys," the latter said over his shoulder as they shut the door.
"Thanks."
JC walked over to the bed and gently kissed Annie on the forehead. She woke up smiling as she saw his face.
"You’ll never believe this," he whispered, hiding the tickets behind his back.
