A/N: Just a little one-shot I've been meaning to finish and post since Breakup in Paris. Did anyone else think that Jean Luc was just a little too pushy about his infatuation with Bailey?
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me and I am making no profit from their use.
"A simple 'I don't like it' would 'ave been enough..."
Bailey Pickett looked at the ripped painting in her hands, and then at the cute French boy in front of her. "Sorry, Jean Luc, the painting looks really nice. Or, did look nice." She tossed it carelessly to the side, unable to look at the ruined canvas bearing the images of her and Cody, just as damaged as their real relationship.
"It's just..." Her lower lip trembled and tears welled up in her eyes. "Yesterday I caught Cody cheating on me with another girl." Even as she said it she couldn't believe it, wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. When she shut her eyelids it played over and over in her mind: Cody, her Cody, dipping some dark-haired beauty and kissing her, telling her, you're the most beautiful girl in the world... A sob ripped from her throat and she wrapped her arms around her torso.
"Ohh, Bailey..." Jean Luc stepped forward, enfolding her in a comforting embrace. She hated the way he said her name, with his accent, the emphasis wasn't quite right. But his arms were strong and his chest was warm and firm, and she tried to draw what little comfort she could from him. He rubbed her back as she cried into his shirt.
"I am very sorry to 'ear zat." Jean Luc told her, not sounding sorry at all. "If zat pig would cheat on you, 'e does not deserve you, I hope you know zat."
For some reason, Bailey still took umbrage at Jean Luc's insult to Cody, but she sniffled into his chest. "I know." she sobbed. She wanted to stop, wanted to walk away from this virtual stranger, but she couldn't be alone right now, not on her anniversary, when she was supposed to be having the most romantic night of her life with the man she loved... the man who thought some other girl's eyes shone like all the stars in the sky.
"You deserve someone better." Jean Luc said, a light note of humor creeping into his voice. "Perhaps... a charming French painter?"
Bailey pulled away from him, wiping tears from her face. "I just had my heart broken. Now is a really bad time to hit on me."
"No... Bailey..." Jean Luc murmured soothingly. "Don't zink of it like zat. Your boyfriend, 'e kissed anuzzer girl, yes? Why should 'e do zat, but you must stay loyal to 'im?"
"I don't want anyone else." Bailey told him vehemently. "I don't want anyone right now."
Jean Luc took a few steps closer, backing her up against the backrest of a park bench. "Maybe I can change your mind..." Reaching out, he placed a large hand on her face, thumbing away a tear that had just fallen from her eye. Before Bailey could protest, he swooped in and captured her lips with his.
Rolling his eyes, Cody pushed a euro into the coin slot of the sightseeing binoculars, despite finding the accordion player's suggestion utterly ridiculous. "Yeah, right. I'm standing on top of the Eiffel Tower, and out of the millions of people in Paris, I'm going to see the one girl I'm looking f-" He sucked in a deep breath, feeling like he'd just been punched in the stomach.
There, in the park, was Bailey, locked in a passionate kiss with another man.
He almost heard the sound of his heart breaking in two. "Bailey..." he rasped. How could she do this to him? And on their anniversary, no less! Didn't she know how much he loved her? Didn't she care about him at all? He stared, unseeing, into the eyepiece until his time ran out and the lenses darkened, obscuring his view. "She's down there. She's kissing another guy." he said to Pascal, his voice hollow, pained.
Pascal played a few dramatic notes on his accordion. "So go down zair and get 'ere." he suggested.
Cody's face was buried in one hand. "Go get her?" he repeated vaguely.
"Confront 'ere." The accordion player explained. "See what she has to say for 'ereself. Zen you can let 'ere go, or try to win 'ere back."
"Confront her." Cody repeated, nodding slowly. Pulling himself together, he strode toward the elevator.
Using all her strength, Bailey put her hands on Jean Luc's shoulders and pushed him away. "What was that?" she cried. "I said I'm not interested!" She tried to twist away from him, but he had a firm grip on her shoulders.
"And I said... perhaps you will change your mind." Jean Luc said in a maddening tone, dipping his head to kiss her again.
"Stop!" Bailey turned her face away, feeling his slimy kisses dropping onto her neck instead. "Jean Luc! Get off of me! Now!" She gasped in fear and shock as she felt his teeth nip just a little too hard at her collarbone. "Ow!" she cried. "Jean Luc, I'm not going to change my mind! Jean Luc, you're hurting me!"
His hands had tightened on her shoulders, his grip bruising. "I can make you forget about Cody!" he insisted, fingering the spaghetti straps of her dress under the white sweater she wore.
He leaned in, crushing her between the bench and his lower body, and she screamed, angry and helpless as the sweater slid off her shoulders and down to her elbows. "Let go!" She struggled against him, almost breaking free until he caught her by the straps of her dress, yanking her back. She yelped in terror as she heard a tearing sound and one of the straps ripped away. "Jean Luc! No! Please!" she gasped, tears beginning to stream down her face once again. "I'll scream again! Someone will hear me! You'll get arrested!"
Jean Luc slid his hands to her wrists, pinning them painfully against to top of the bench. "Zis is not a busy park." he murmured into her ear as she grimaced at him, still sobbing. "No one will 'ear us. We're completely alone."
Cody had just stepped into the park when he heard a scream that chilled him to the bone- he'd know the voice anywhere: it was Bailey's. Running in the direction he'd last seen her, Cody found himself standing across the street from her. She was crying, pushed up against the back of a park bench, the handsome guy he'd seen in the binoculars holding her by the wrists. Dread and anger welled up in him as he watched the tall boy force himself on Bailey.
His only thought now was for her safety. There was no time to go for help. It would have to be him.
"Get off! Get off!"
"Bailey... no one will 'ear." The tall boy repeated. He kissed her again, forcefully, invasively, and though she struggled and twisted, she couldn't get free. Finally she ripped her lips from his, a strangled scream rising in her throat.
Blind with fury, Cody sprinted across the deserted street. "That's not entirely true." he heard himself growl. "I believe the lady told you to take your hands off of her!" The tall French boy turned around at the unexpected sound of his voice, and Cody punched him in the face with all the force he could muster. He hissed as pain exploded in his hand.
The French boy yelled out in pain, raising his hands to his bruised jaw, letting go of Bailey, who quickly scampered backward. But he quickly composed himself, straightening up to face off against Cody.
"You okay, Bails?" Shaking out his throbbing hand, Cody couldn't take his eyes off his opponent long enough to look at her.
"Yes." she said weakly, mechanically. "Cody, watch-!"
Cody saw the stranger's fist flying toward his face, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. The punch connected with his face, knocking him backward, making see stars. He suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous, and when he raised a hand to his nose it came back with blood on it.
"Ah, you are Cody!" The French boy realized, his tone taunting. "Why do you cheat on Bailey, and zen come to 'ere rescue?"
Cody tried to hit him again but he blocked the blow with his forearm. "I never cheated on her!" he grunted, taking another hit, this time in the ribs. "I love her. Which is why hurting her was your first mistake." He kicked his opponent in the kneecap. When the other boy dropped to one knee, Cody lashed out with the heel of his hand, sending his head snapping backwards.
Bailey gasped, her hands over her mouth, as she watched Cody and Jean Luc fight. She had never been so glad to see anyone in her life as she had to see Cody just then... but now she was more afraid for him than for herself. Jean Luc was clearly the bigger of the two boys, and physical strength wasn't exactly... well, strength wasn't Cody's strong point.
She was surprised as Cody delivered more damage than she would have thought he was capable of, driving Jean Luc to the ground. I never cheated on her. I love her. His words would have thrilled her to the core if the battle hadn't just then taken a turn for the worse. Jean Luc lunged at Cody, tackling him to the ground and using his weight to pin the smaller boy down, punching him in the mouth. Cody snarled, driving his elbow into Jean Luc's crotch. The French boy howled, but the painful blow only seemed to make him more enraged, and he already had the upper hand. He cocked his fist, preparing to hit Cody again.
Her mind was screaming at her to do something, to help Cody, to do anything. Very real fear struck her heart like lightning as she realized that Jean Luc could seriously hurt Cody... maybe even kill him. She cast a panicked glance around for help- someone, anything.
Seeing no one, her eyes landed on the broken painting Jean Luc had painted for their anniversary. Without thought, without a conscious plan, she grabbed it, stepping on it with one foot and wrenching one of the wooden borders loose from the rest of the painting. Wielding the long, thin piece of wood like a bat, Bailey shut her eyes and imagined she was back playing with the Kettlepot boys' baseball team.
Bottom of the ninth. Two outs, bases loaded.
She swung the piece of wood, connecting with Jean Luc's skull with a sickening crack. He slumped to the ground beside Cody, unconscious. Numb with relief, she bent over him and felt for a pulse. Strong. He would be fine... eventually.
Breathing heavily through a bloodied nose, Cody struggled up onto his elbows. Bailey rushed to his side, collapsing beside him. "Don't try to move yet." she murmured, taking his head in her hands and easing it down into her lap.
"He's gonna get up." Cody mumbled, obviously disoriented.
"I know, but he's out for the moment." Bailey soothed, tears returning to her eyes as she surveyed his injuries. Bloody nose, black eye. The entire left side of his face was bruised, as were his bleeding knuckles. A drop of blood trickled from a cut in his lip. And she wouldn't rule out concussion.
Cody breathed deeply, wiping the bloody mess on his face with the sleeve of his tuxedo jacket. "I think I'm okay now." he groaned, this time managing to sit up unassisted. He put his hand over Bailey's as she attempted to rip a piece off her skirt. "Don't do that."
She did it anyway, rolling it into a ball and using it to dab up the excess blood. "The dress is ruined anyway." she pointed out rationally, gesturing to where Jean Luc had torn one sleeve nearly all the way off.
Cody clenched his teeth and shot a venomous look at Jean Luc's still form, raising his hand to gently finger the torn fabric. "I should kill him for this."
Bailey wiped a few tears from her cheeks, still sniffling. "It's just clothing."
"Not the dress." Cody said softly. His fingers danced up and down her arms, lined with the dark bruises of Jean Luc's fingerprints. "You."
Two more tears slid down her face as she fought to hide how shaken she was. "Are you okay?" she whispered. She was still angry at him, still hurt by the kiss she had witnessed... but she couldn't stand to see him hurt either- especially not when he got hurt in the first place protecting her.
Cody removed his sleeve from his nose, seeing that the blood flow had finally stopped. He flexed his bruised knuckles and tested his jaw tentatively. "I'm definitely sore, but I'll live. I'm more worried about you, Bails. What did he do to you?" When she didn't answer, he scooted closer to her on the grass. "He didn't... hurt you anywhere else, did he?"
"N-no." Bailey said quietly. If Cody hadn't come when he had, though, she honestly didn't know what Jean Luc would have done... but she had a horrible idea. "I'm fine. He just roughed me up a little. And..." The words made her feel sick, dirty. "And he kissed me." Reliving the event sent shudders coursing through her. The tears started again, and Cody reached forward and collected her into his arms, holding her against his chest. His embrace wasn't tight and suffocating like Jean Luc's had been. It was tender, careful. She buried her face in his rumpled tuxedo shirt. "I didn't want him to."
"I know." Tension pooled in Cody's shoulders as he looked at the boy who had reduced Bailey to this frightened, trembling mess of tears. "I'm so sorry, Bails... I'm sorry it took me so long to come for you. I was just waiting... I thought..." he rubbed his neck self-consciously. "I thought you were standing me up. If I'd had any idea you were in trouble..."
"Cody." she cut him off. "It's not your fault." Technically... she had been standing him up.
"No, you don't understand." Cody said, guilt evident in his tone. "I was storming down here to confront you. From the Eiffel Tower, I saw him kiss you and I thought..." his voice cracked miserably. "I thought you were cheating on me. God, Bailey, I'm so sorry. I was an idiot to think that."
Bailey pulled back slightly, stunned. He thought she was cheating? Why would he even care? He was the one who had cheated. Now that she thought about it, if he didn't love her enough to stay faithful to her, why did he single-handedly take on her attacker like that?
Cody's eyes begged for forgiveness, but she didn't answer.
Beside them, Jean Luc began to stir, moaning.
Cody looked sidelong at the battered French boy. "My practice date with London didn't prepare me for anything like this..."
Practice date? Bailey frowned, the pieces beginning to come together in her head. "I think we should get out of here before he comes to." she suggested anxiously. "Can you walk?"
"I think so." She helped Cody to his feet, and he sighed heavily, grimacing at the prone figure of Jean Luc. "Who is he, anyway? What happened?"
By now, Bailey had figured out what had actually happened with Cody and the kiss. It was so like Cody to do a dry-run of an anniversary date, and who would he talk into helping him but London... the beautiful dark-haired girl whose face she hadn't seen. Her heart swelled with happiness at the realization that Cody hadn't cheated on her... only to fall again as she realized that she was just as guilty of mistrusting Cody as he was of her.
"Jean Luc. He's the painter I got to do our portrait." she sighed as they began to walk out of the park. "As an anniversary gift. I met him in the park yesterday, and he kept trying to hit on me, but I kept telling him I had a boyfriend."
Cody scowled back at Jean Luc. "Looks like he didn't get the message."
"I thought he did... We agreed to just be friends." Bailey murmured apologetically. "But then... I saw you on your date with London yesterday. I... I thought you were cheating."
"What?" Cody said, stunned. "Bailey, no!"
"I know that now." Bailey said quickly. "But... I was upset, and I... I went to vent to Jean Luc. I thought he was hugging me to comfort me, but then he... well, you know what he did." She looked down at her feet.
"He took advantage of your being upset." Cody supplied angrily. He was mad, but the anger was entirely directed at Jean Luc, not at her.
"I never wanted him for a second, Cody, you have to believe me. It's just that, when I thought I'd lost you... it broke my heart."
Cody thought back to the way he'd felt, watching another man kiss Bailey in the binoculars. "I understand." Reaching over, he took her hand gently. "I guess it's normal to be a little insecure when you're young... and in love for the first time."
Bailey stopped walking in her tracks. "You're in love with me?" she breathed. She knew he loved her, he showed her all the time... but he'd never said it like that before.
Cody looked her in the eyes, gave her a lopsided smile. "Completely."
Her heart began beating double-time as she looked at the man in front of her, battered, bloody, and rumpled, but somehow, he looked more handsome than she had ever seen him. "I think... I'm in love with you too." She placed a hand ever so gently on the back of his neck, drawing him in for a kiss. Just before they made contact, she murmured, "I don't want to hurt your split lip."
"What split lip?" Cody said, dismissing his injury as he leaned in to kiss her. It stung a bit, but it was worth it.
Bailey smiled into the kiss, content. She tasted the faint tang of blood, the coppery taste only serving to remind her of the beating Cody had taken for her, of the lengths he would go to for her. Of the way he had rescued her. She pulled back slightly, whispering against his lips, "You know you're my hero?"
Cody smiled self-deprecatingly, remembering it the other way around- it had been Bailey who saved him. He'd lost the fight... but somehow he'd also won. "I don't need to be a hero." he murmured back. "As long as I'm yours."