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 my and Josh's 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 enought 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 or 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 staking 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."
