The Princess Diaries Does NOT Belong To Me!
ooOoo
After being on the road for an hour, trying to get back to the Palace through the bad weather on a trip that would normally only take 20 minutes, Joseph was forced to take action. Keeping an eye on his Queen sitting in the back of the Royal Limousine, knowing she was feeling uneasy and hated storms he took the next exit of the main roads and headed to a house not far away.
Clarisse was distracted by the bad weather to even notice what was going on, until Joseph pulled into the drive way and she noticed the house through the rain, with a gasp she looked towards the front of the limo.
"Where are we?" she asked as he turned to look back at her.
"Your Majesty, I know you wanted to get home but it ain't happening, it's taken us an hour to get only half way home." he said "It's getting worse and it will take us forever to get home, so I suggest we stay here." he pointed to the house.
She looked at the house again then back at Joseph "We can't stay here, it's someone's home." she exclaimed.
"Yes, that is correct, it's my Sisters house and she's out of town." he said doing the zip up on his leather jacket "I always stay here whenever I have the rare couple days off, she wouldn't mind if we stay here for just a night." he smirked at her.
Feeling her heart starting to race she looked at him "Is there no way we can get home, I really wanted to get home."
"I know you did, but it's getting worse so why don't we stay here till it's calmed down then head home in the morning?" he suggested, knowing she hated the idea.
Finally she nodded "Ok, I guess we have no choice." she said grabbing her bag.
Seconds later Joseph opened her door, she quickly climbed out and they both rushed over to the porch. Once inside Clarisse stood in the hall as Joseph slipped his jacket off and hung it up.
"Want me to take yours?" he asked walking over to her.
"Oh yes, of course." she slipped her coat off and watched him hang it up.
"Ok basic tour," he pointed to the living room door "That's the living room," he smiled at her then pointed down the hall "The kitchen is at the end there," he looked at her as she nodded and followed his gaze to another door "And that's the dining room." he smiled "And of course" he put his arms out "This is the hall." he smirked.
"Of course, I would never of guessed." she smirked back at him.
"Follow me." he nodded and started heading up the stairs.
She stood watching him for a few seconds, then slowly followed him up the stairs as her heart started racing, again. Once she reached the landing she saw Joseph pointing to another door.
"This is my nieces room, we can't go in there though as she locks the door," he moved to another room "Shes in her teenager years."
"Ahh!" Clarisse nodded and watched him open a door, she moved and stood looking in.
"This is my sisters office, she likes to work from here whenever she's home." he smiled looking at her as she looked around the room, then he walked over to another room "This is the bathroom, just in case" he nodded and headed over to another room "And this is my sisters suite." he smiled motioning for her to follow him as he walked in.
"This is a lovely place, she must of worked hard for it." Clarisse said joining and stood in amazement at the room "Oh this is lovely." she looked at Joseph.
"It is indeed, and yes she has worked hard, all her life." he nodded "This is the room you shall be staying in," he said grabbing her a pair of pajamas from the chest of drawers and placed them on the bed along with some towels.
"I couldn't use her stuff Joseph, that's not right." Clarisse exclaimed while putting her hand on her chest.
"She wouldn't mind, she would rather you be in dry clothes instead of wet ones." he nodded "Ok, so the bathroom is through there," he said pointing to a door "Take a bath or shower if you want to and I will be downstairs cooking up something to eat." he said heading towards the door "Make yourself at home." he smiled and left before she could say anything.
After a while Clarisse came downstairs, finding Joseph in the kitchen cooking up some dinner. She stood watching him in the door way for a few seconds before walking in and making her presence known.
"This is a lovely place." she smiled while walking over to him.
"Isn't it?" he smiled at her "I made you a pot of tea just in case you wanted some, or if you would like something stronger, that wouldn't be a problem her basement is full of drink." he smiled "She has a lot of parties here." he chuckled as she looked at the kitchen table.
"Tea is fine." she nodded "Where are the cups?" she asked looking back at him.
"Oh they are here." he smiled moving and grabbed one, placing it on the table "Help yourself." he smiled and got back to cooking.
"Are you not having one?" she asked.
"No, not yet." he replied.
She poured herself a tea and sat at the table.
"Be right back." Joseph said and rushed through a door as Clarisse sat watching him, returning moments later "I suddenly remembered I needed to put some more logs on the fire." he smirked washing his hands.
"There's a fireplace?" she asked as he looked over at her.
"Yeah, go and have a look," he smiled drying his hands "You will love it." he said and stood back in front off the stove.
She smiled and headed over through the door and gasped at what she saw, slowly she walked in and stood looking around the room, returning to the kitchen a few minutes later.
"What's your sisters name?" she asked while sitting down.
"Well I have 3, but the one who owns this house is called Helen, the other two are Mary and Rose." he smiled over at her as she sat looking at him "I have two brothers too."
"Wow" she exclaimed "What are their names?" she smiled sipping her tea.
"Robert and Michael." he smiled while sitting at the table "I am the oldest out of all of us." he smirked.
"You know I have only just realized apart from knowing you having a daughter and being married for a while and your name of course that's all I know about you." she said resting her elbow on the table and looked at him while resting her chin on her hand "Tell me a bit about yourself."
"What would you like to know?" he asked watching her.
"Well I don't know?" she shrugged "We have been friends for what? 20 years now?" she looked at him as he nodded "And I know nothing about you." she smiled "I would tell you something about me, but well, you know everything already." she smiled as he laughed.
"Yea that is true." he nodded "Alright, well" he sat thinking.
"Your a very private person aren't you?" she asked and sipped her tea.
"Yeah, I guess it comes with the job." he nodded as she looked across at him "Can't trust many people in this line of work." he said looking at her.
"Ahh I understand, yes." she nodded putting her cup down and looked back at him "Forgive me for asking, but I just wondered something, because well I have never known you to go out as such..." she stopped trying to put together the words before making herself look silly.
"Date you mean?" he asked as she looked at him and slowly nodded "Not really," he chuckled "No time really." he sighed "Not that I mind of course, I would much rather hang out and protect my best friend than date anyway." he smiled over at her.
"Well thank you, I enjoy your company too." she grinned "Was there never anyone you were interested in though?" she asked being curious "I mean a man like you would surely have a lot of women interested, whenever we attend events or gatherings there are plenty of young women swooning over you." she chuckled while looking at him.
"There was someone, but she was taken." he nodded while looking at the table for just a second then back at her, making eye contact "I was never interested myself, married to my job after all." he chuckled as she smiled over at him.
They sat in silence for a few moments as Clarisse looked around the kitchen, then back at Joseph as he cleared his throat.
"You are aware that some people in the Palace think somethings going on between us?" Joseph smirked over at her as she laughed "Including your Granddaughter."
"Amelia?" she exclaimed "Really?" she sat thinking for a second while placing her hands around her cup of tea.
"Uh huh." he nodded "Ever since she found out about us doing the wango in San Francisco" he smirked.
"Oh well I am sure us being here alone would give them something to talk about then, wouldn't it?" they both chuckled.
"Indeed!" he nodded while looking down at her, his heart skipping a beat.
"If only she knew what really happened that day?" Clarisse smiled down at him, remembering it well.
"Indeed." he nodded, remembering the day he got to actually be with his Queen and love her for her and not as the Queen.
"Those were the days." Clarisse added while resting her elbow back on the table, and put her hand up onto her neck while looking at her tea "The one you couldn't have." she said slowly looking up at him as he looked at her "Was me, wasn't it?"
No words were spoken, just a small nod followed by standing up to finish cooking the dinner, as Clarisse watched him for a second.
After dinner Joseph cleaned up the kitchen, thinking Clarisse had gone upstairs.
"Joseph," she stepped forward as he looked over at her.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"What if you could have me?" she questioned, folding her arms and looked at him turn to face her.
"Then I would love you, tell you everyday and treat you like the Queen you really are!" he said watching her with so much love "I wouldn't hurt you, I wouldn't cheat, I wouldn't break your heart." he stopped seeing the hurt in her eyes "I would love you for who you are, like I did that day, the day you allowed me to be with you." he said slowly walking over to her "To make love to you." he said stopping in front of her and put his hands on the top of her arms "I have loved you since the first time I set eyes on you all those years ago." he whispered as she looked at him "And that will never change, Clarisse." he whispered.
Clarisse stood watching him for a moment, not saying anything then stepped back, turned and left the room as Joseph sighed while looking down, and got back to cleaning the kitchen.
Laying on the sofa bed in the living room a couple hours later, watching the room light up as the storm raged once again over Genovia, he couldn't get what Clarisse had asked earlier out of his head, he wanted his Queen, even proposed once but she refused. But there was nothing he could do about it, he had told her a number of times that he loved her, didn't want to push her anymore through fear of losing his best friend for good.
"Joseph." she whispered just as lighting lit up the room and Joseph came through the other door, making her jump and scream.
"Clarisse, it's ok." he said putting his stuff down on the desk behind the couch and rushed over to her "It's alright." he said wrapping his arms around her "I know you don't like storms." he whispered as she nodded.
"I'm sorry, you would think I would be used to them at my age." she whispered.
"It's alright, my Mother was the same." he covered her face as it lit up the room again "Ok, stay there a second." he said stepping back and quickly moved shutting the heavy curtains "It's alright now, you won't be able to see it now." he watched as she slowly uncovered her face.
"I'm sorry, I know you like storms, maybe I should go back upstairs." she said looking at him.
"No, you can stay down here it's fine, I honestly don't mind." he nodded and watched her look at the couch.
"Is that where you sleep?" she asked looking at him as he nodded.
"Good old sofa bed, does me fine." he smiled and patted it "Make yourself at home." he moved and sat down in an armchair "I would put the tv on but well.." he laughed as she smiled.
"The power's out?" she smiled with a nod "It's alright." she moved sitting on the bed and covered herself over with the sheets.
"You try and get some sleep." he said looking over.
"Are you sure you don't mind me being down here?" she asked again.
"Of course not." he smiled over at her, then moved putting some more logs on the fire "I tried calling home but the lines are down and I ain't got a signal on my cell."
"I guessed they would be down, I just hope that they know were ok." she said watching him.
"They will do, I'm sure." he said while looking at her.
Just then his phone beeped, Joseph got up and grabbed it from the table and checked it.
"Ahh it's a message from Amelia, trying to find out if we are ok?" he said not looking up "I will try and reply, to let them know we are." he said typing it out, not noticing Clarisse had stood up and was walking around to him.
After a few moments he sighed "Great, no signal again." he looked up "Clarisse?" he said turning to see her stood next to him with a smile "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." she said reaching over and took the phone from him, checking it before putting it back on the table behind him.
A second later she was stood close to him while putting one hand up cupping his face, as she reached up kissing him deeply on the lips for a moment then pulled back, looking up at him as he looked into her eyes, both their hearts racing.
So what do you think? Should they? Shouldn't they?