Jack in the box

As the holidays drew to an end, Damien Jaeger was already making plans for our return to New York. Darcy continued fiddling with the endless toys and miscellaneous gifts given to her by Diana on boxing day, while Diana didn't run out of new places to explore with me. She has been in Paris for over 30 years yet she adored it like a foreigner. Eventually, our day of departure came and we left for the airport after sobbing sessions between Darcy, Diana and myself, including old maid Suzanne who kept blowing her running nose into her handkerchief.

"What's wrong, baby?" I asked Darcy who refused to answer me. I know she was mad about leaving her aunt, but we couldn't stay there forever.

"Angel, you have to go back to school. You're starting a new session soon." I said. Still, she remained silent.

I sighed, wishing Damien Jaeger was here to cajole her. He had gone ahead of us about 2 hours earlier to round up a few things before leaving Paris and Diana's chauffeur was the one behind the wheels now.

"Okay, I'll make you a promise." I said, "We'll have Da- I mean your grandma come up to New York for your birthday."

"Really?"

I gave a convincing smile, "Really."

"Pinky promise, mommy?" Darcy asked, stretching out her pinky finger towards me.

I locked my finger into hers, "Pinky promise!"

Through the rearview mirror, I caught the smile on the face of old Harold, the chauffeur who was an audience to our little scene.

We arrived at the airport which looked nearly isolated as the only people in the building were the staff, as it normally was when it came to Damien Jaeger. Already familiar with the airport, I manoeuvred through the building with Darcy, walking into the open space where the private jet sat waiting.

"Bonjour Madame!" A young and pretty flight attendant greeted as we entered the jet, "Please make yourself comfortable while we get ready to take off."

"Hey, cutie!" She smiled at Darcy who grinned at her.

My eyes scanned the inside of the jet, "Damien Jaeger hasn't arrived yet?" I asked.

"Oh, monsieur has not arrived yet." She replied, "May I ask the captain when we take off?"

I waved away the idea, "It's fine. I'll just give him a call."

The phone rang for a few seconds after I dialled up Damien Jaeger's number, "Mélie." His voice rang through the phone.

"Damien, we're already in the plane and we're about to take off. Why aren't you here yet?"

"I'm so sorry my Queen, but I can't make it back with you and my princess."

"What? Why?" I asked in alarm.

He must have picked up the tone of my voice, "Relax. It's nothing serious." He said.

"Just meeting an old friend and...I just got caught up." "I'll be back by midnight, hopefully." He added.

"I thought you said it was a business meeting?"

Damien Jaeger went silent.

"It's fine then." I added, brushing off what I had just said.

"Have a safe trip." Damien Jaeger said. His voice suddenly sounded a bit eerie.

"You too." I replied and hung up the call.

"Daddy's not coming with us?" Darcy asked shortly after the jet hit the sky.

"No he's not, my love." "Daddy has something to do."

His abrupt disappearance and refusing to tell me who he was meeting made me ponder. Was Damien Jaeger hiding something from me?
~

I stared at Darcy's music box as it played, showcasing a ballerina who was spinning on top of the box. The music came to a stop and so did the dancing ballerina and Darcy hurriedly pressed against the box and the ballerina started spinning to the sound of the music again. This continued for a while and I stared endlessly until my gaze became introspective.

"Mommy, here!" Darcy's voice drew me back to the jet.

She handed me a box, coated in purple and decorated in rubies; one of the numerous gifts she had received from Daina, "Open it!" She said with excitement.

My fingers moved over the lid and I pushed it open. Almost immediately, something popped out of the box and I jumped on my feet with fright, flinging the box across the jet.

"Gotcha!" Darcy exclaimed with joy and burst into laughter.

"Darcy!" I cried, feeling my heart in my mouth, "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Not me, mommy, It's jack!" She said and ran over to pick up the box with its landlord moving left and right as she returned, "See?!" She said, raising the box up so that I may look.

At that moment, the flight attendant walked in, "Everything fine, mmselle?" She asked.

"Everything is okay." I replied. A smile curled my lips as I stared at Darcy with amazement, "You're so naughty!"
~

It was already a few hours after dinner back at the mansion in New York and Darcy and I were snuggled up in bed as I read her a bedtime story. A knock came on the door, "Who is it?" I asked.

"Sir has returned!" A house worker announced, "And he asks for your presence downstairs."

I flipped closed the book in my hands, wondering why Damien Jaeger didn't just come upstairs to the bedroom. Darcy was already sailing into dreamworld, "Okay. Thanks for informing me." I said and slowly slipped out of bed and opened the door. The maid had remained standing by the door.

"Oh!" She exclaimed as if not expecting me to have opened the door so fast.

"Mandy" "I said thank you."

"My apologies, I did not hear." She said, "I'll leave then." She added and walked away, with me following behind her.

"Damien?" My voice echoed through the living room as I approached the foot of the stairs. Through the dimly lit room, his dark physique was turned back from me.

Why was Damien Jaeger looking shorter than usual? I wondered.

In a flash, light filled the living room and my eyes flew open as I looked at the person standing in front of me that was not Damien Jaeger!