Something in the Way You Move [O'J]

Flying High

Callie's POV

I wake up a few hours later when Danny's alarm starts going off. He shifts beneath me and I jump; I forgot he was there... Oh, God, what happened last night? I don't wanna know. I roll off of him and he mumbles something in his sleep. I look at the time on his phone: 9:00. I guess I have to wake him up. I walk into the kitchen and get an ice cube. Then I return to my room. I throw back the covers and again Danny mumbles something, that I manage to make out as "five more minutes". I put the ice cube in a cup on my nightstand and wait for his alarm to go off again. Soon enough it does, but he hits the snooze again. I'm starting to think he'll sleep all day if he had the chance. Another alarm goes off on his phone; this one reads "Callie...?", as if he knew that I'd need to get him up. I take the ice cube out of the cup and press it to his side, since his shirt rolled up in his sleep. He flinches violently and then rips himself away from me.

"I'm up, I'm up," he mumbles, sitting up.

"You really set this alarm?" I ask, showing him the latest.

"Apparently. C'mon, get dressed, we have to go in twenty minutes." He leaves the room and I change quickly. I walk out of my room and down some dry cereal. Danny comes out of his room and throws some last-minute things into his bag. He downs some cereal too, then looks at the clock. "Damn, I'm never on time," he says, surprised. "One last-minute check to make sure you have everything." He rattles off a list of things, all of which I have.

"Aren't you going to check yours?" I ask.

"Don't have to; I've done this billions of times." He looks at the clock again. "We should go." I grab my bag and shoulder it, even though it's got wheels---I don't think Danny would appreciate it if I was using it as a skateboard---and we head out the door. He locks up behind us and we catch a cab to the airport. We arrive quickly and are thrown into the hustle and bustle of airports. I notice almost immediately people are staring. "Don't say a word," Danny murmurs. As if on cue, photographers and paparazzi (or "paps", as they're called) swarm us and start badgering us.

"Where are you going?"

"Are you going on tour?"

"Did you and Jessie J both quit The Voice UK to spend more time together? Was it planned?"

"Where's the rest of the band?"

"Who's the girl?"

"Are the rumors about you and Jessie J true?"

"Do you realize that this girl could be the twin of the missing girl in Ireland? Did she come to you for help?"

At this, he rounds on the man and snaps, "Yes, I have realized this, and no she hasn't come to me for help because she's my niece, for God's sake! She's not the missing girl from Ireland! I was watching her for my sister while she went on vacation with her husband! I'm bringing her back to her own family now, okay?!?" He turns to me and says, "C'mon, love, let's get you back home." After his comment, the paps disappeared---like they vanished into thin air.

"So I take it they don't like it when you snap at them?" I ask.

"It certainly seems that way." He sighs contentedly. "Perhaps now, we'll be able to proceed in peace, yeah?" He takes my hand since we really have to play up the uncle-with-his-niece act for anyone to believe it. Although we look kind of alike, so it's not terribly hard. He has me go first through security, customs, and everything else, and before I do so he always tell me, "Wait just on the other side. I'll be there in a minute." It's then that I remember that he actually is an uncle and has basically taken me under his wing for the time being. Finally, after over an hour, we board the plane.

We get to our seats before most people get to even board. I guess being an international celebrity has its advantages. Although there are only a few other people in our section of the plane, they are giving us suspicious looks. Clearly, they recognize me from the papers. I decide to play-up the uncle-niece thing and make a show out of trying to get my bag in the baggage compartment. After a moment, I whine loudly, "Uncle Dan, I can't reach it!" And it's true, I really can't.

He turns to me, having been talking with a flight attendant about something, and asks, "Can't reach what, dear?" I gesture to my bag and he smiles. He picks me up carefully so I can put my bag up where it belongs. I do so and he sets me down gently, ruffling my hair affectionately before turning back to the attendant. I sneak a look around and notice that, by this time, most people had boarded the plane, heard my complaint, and saw Danny pick me up to put my bag away. None of them are giving me a second glance, since they are too busy ogling Danny. A minute later, he sits down and whispers, "Very nicely played, Callie. Very nicely played indeed." About ten minutes later, the pilot comes over the loudspeaker and announces that we are taking off and to fasten our seatbelts and to enjoy our journeys. "Your ears might hurt during take off and landing because of the change in air pressure," Danny tells me. "Can you pop your ears?"

"Is that like when you squeeze your nose and try to breathe through it and it sounds kinda like a balloon is being blown up really fast in your ear?" I ask.

"Exactly that."

"Yeah, I can, why?"

"It might help lessen the pain." I pop my ears and so does he, and soon we are taking off. My ears don't hurt at all! Once we are notified that we have reached "cruising altitude", we are free to move about the cabin. "So, what, are they expecting us to throw a dance party or something?" I ask Danny.

He laughs. "I don't think so. We could surprise them, though, if it suits your fancy."

"Excuse me, Uncle Dan, my fancy only wears designer dresses, none of that suit garbage! Keep that for your own fancy!"

"But I thought you hated wearing dresses?"

"But my fancy and I are two totally different people." I sigh dramatically. "Come on, Uncle, it's been almost a week now and you still don't get it!" We share a quiet laugh and end up listening to music from Danny's phone for the rest of the journey. It's a little uncomfortable, since we have to share ear-buds, but it's not horrible. Just an uncle with his niece. Nothing more, nothing less. Before long, we are asked to "return to our seats and buckle up to prepare for touch down". Not that anyone was out of their seats, in all honesty. We both pop out our ears again as the plane lands. We get off and go back through customs and security. An hour and a half later, we're standing outside the Dublin Airport with our bags. A car horn honks at us, and we see that Danny's sister Mandy is waving at us. We hurry over and toss our bags in the boot before getting in the car.

"So how'd you know to come pick us up?" Danny asks.

"You always take the 11:00 AM flight when you can, and I knew you were coming back today," she says. Then she adds sharply, "And you're still supposed to be wearing a sling for your arm, Danny!"

"But it's uncomfortable," he says.

"It'll help your shoulder heal!" she states.

"But---!" he whines.

"No 'buts'!" He sighs and rolls his eyes at me. He mouths 'older sisters are annoying' at me and I nod. We chuckle quietly and Mandy asks, "And just what are you two giggling about back there?"

"Nothing," I answer.

"Hmm. How are you doing, Callie?"

"Good. My bruises are almost completely healed!"

"Oh, that's excellent! Do you know how much you weigh?"

"No, I don't happen to know. Sorry."

"No problem. I can only assume you've gained weight---which is good, in your case---since I'm going to assume Danny's been taking good care of you."

"Yeah, he's not half bad! Not half good, either, but not half bad!"

"I thought you were on my side!" he yells. I grin at him and shrug. He crosses his arms and pouts, staring straight ahead for the rest of the short journey. When we pull up in front of a large house outside of Dublin, Mandy says, "Alright, Mr. Grumpy and Callie, we're here!"