SONGFIC! YAY! I haven't written one of these against the rules in a while. I love defying :) These words belong to Jewel. Not me. Get it? Jewel Kilcher. Whom I met a few days ago . . .

Dedicated to Felicia: My buddy who has to listen to me talk about PD all the time in first hour. This one's for you. I made them younger. I think they're like...40...or 35...

And so it begins . . .

Foolish Games

You took your coat off and stood in the rain

You were always crazy like that

I watched from my window

Always felt I was outside looking in on you

She watched him running from his home on the palace grounds to the palace itself. The rain was pounding on the roof, and it was simply pouring. Yet there he was, pace quickening with every step, coat held over his head as some pitiful attempt to stay dry. He was crazy, and that was the quality within her head of security that she found most endearing. It was minutes before she realized where he was headed.

You were always the mysterious one with dark eyes and careless hair

You were fashionably sensitive, but too cool to care

He was romantic, in every sense of the word. He was caring, sensitive and wonderful. When he was in public, he donned sunglasses, and pretended not to care. However, she knew he did care. He cared very much for her, and for her safety. And she for his.

You stood in my doorway, with nothing to say

Besides some comment on the weather

She heard a persistent knock on her door some time later. She smiled to herself and answered the door.

"It's raining." He stupidly pointed out.

"Joseph." She giggled quietly. This was one of those days. One of the days when he couldn't sleep because he had been thinking about her. One of those days when her husband was gone away. One of those days that Joseph decided he wanted her again.

Well in case you failed to notice, in case you failed to see

He'd had her once. She was his at one time. He'd convinced her to be with him behind Rupert's back. Although she had felt horrible about cheating on her husband, she was foolishly in love with Joseph. They would spend every moment possible together, and every second they could in bed. Clarisse would often ask Rupert to go somewhere for her, and he often would. For he was foolishly in love with his wife.

This is my heart bleeding before you, this is me down on my knees

"Why are you here? Why now? Why tonight?" She asked softly, closing the door on the speculative guards.

"I've been thinking, Clarisse . . . " his explanation came to an abrupt halt at the sight of her disappearing smile.

"Hm." She sniffed, feeling the tears sting at her eyes.

These foolish games are tearing me apart

Your thoughtless words are breaking my heart

You're breaking my heart

"Don't cry, my love." He wanted to take her in his arms, but he didn't want to soak her to the marrow with an embrace.

"Joseph, how can I not? You're breaking me here."

"Clarisse?" He didn't understand how he could be hurting her.

You were always brilliant in the morning

Smoking your cigarettes and talking over coffee

Philosophies on art, Baroque moved you

You loved Mozart and you'd speak of your loved ones

He would often visit her for breakfast. It was the only time that Rupert was away on a daily basis. He ate breakfast alone every morning, down in the kitchens.

Joseph would sit across the table from Clarisse, looking at her over a cup of coffee, which she disapproved of immensely. She sipped her tea and gave him glares that could cut through bone. He would chuckle at her, never believing she was truly mad about the coffee deal.

Clarisse would listen as he spoke of his family, his music, and his love for her.

You'd teach me of honest things

Things that were daring, things that were clean

Things that knew what an honest dollar did mean

So I hid my soiled hands behind my back

Somewhere along the line I must've gone off track with you

As he spoke on those days, she learned. Her social life left something to be desired. Her street smarts were missing all together. He would speak of his life before meeting her, and she would speak of his life after. He taught her of the world she had missed out on. He'd taught her how to drive and how to swear. Most of all, he'd shown her how to live.

Excuse me, think I've mistaken you for somebody else

Somebody who gave a damn, somebody more like myself

A stray thought crept into her mind that day. What if he came to her for only one thing? That thing she had given him so many times before. Maybe he didn't find her interesting. Maybe she wasn't as lovable as she thought.

"Joseph." She sighed.

"Clarisse."

"Why are you here?"

"Why do you think I'm here?" She gave him a look that explained his intentions. He laughed and grabbed her shoulders lightly, backing her against the wall.

"Joe!" She gasped as he pressed his lips urgently to hers.

"Stop it!" She pushed him away. Her arms were folded, and her clothing was now dampened by his force.

"Clarisse?" His voice was suddenly caring and calm. "My love?" She let her arms hang loosely by her sides.

"That was inappropriate. You can't do that."

"I'm sorry, Clarisse, I didn't mean to scare . . . "

"You didn't scare me." She snapped.

"Hm. All right my brave one."

"Stop. You're making it worse."

"Making what worse?" He asked, looking at her sideways. She paused, finally deciding to say it.

These foolish games are tearing me apart

You're tearing me, tearing me, tearing me apart

"I don't need another man who only wants me for sex." She sat on her bed.

"Do you really think that's how I feel about you?" Joseph walked over and flopped down beside her. "Clarisse. Have you been paying attention?"

"I..."

"Clarisse, I'm with you because I . . . "

"Don't." She put a hand up in attempt to stop him. "Don't say that."

"Why not?" How could she tell him? How could she say that those three little words would make it official? It was one horrible thing to be cheating on your husband, but falling in love was an entirely different matter.

"I'm not ready for that."

"All right. I'm sorry." She accepted his apology reluctantly. "Now, may I kiss you, your majesty?" He bowed mockingly. She giggled. "I love when you laugh." He smiled at her and closed the gap between their lip. The kiss was like every other they had shared. It went from slow and gentle, to needy and demanding. But for Clarisse, it felt like the first time. It had been so long since they'd been together that she'd forgotten about them.

Joseph broke the kiss, much to Clarisse's dismay. She pulled her hand from his back and shivered.

"You are cold . . . and wet." She stripped off his jacket. "Better?"

"Much." He whispered against her neck. She shivered uncontrollably. He placed a hand on the top button of her jacket, and she nodded her consent.

Your thoughtless words are breaking my heart

Hours later, he kissed her goodbye, running a shaking hand through her hair. They shouldn't have been together that night, but they were. Love got in the way, as it always had. Clarisse often said that love was blind...and sometimes it was stupid, too. She gotten it off a television show. If Rupert found out, Joseph would most likely be beheaded. He wasn't sure if it counted as treason to the king if you slept with his wife.

He picked his jacket up off the floor. She was standing, clothes both askew acris her figure and on the floor, by her bed waiting for him to leave . . . or to kiss her again.

"Goodnight Risse." She groaned, he knew she hated when he called her that.

"Goodnight, Joey." He laughed.

"I deserved that."

"Damn right you did." She watched him walk away with a heavy heart. "He's not coming back for two days, Joseph." She hastened to his side and clutched his hand pleadingly.

"I have to go, Clarisse." He moved her hand away.

"Why?"

You're breaking my heart

"You know how it is, my darling, the monarchy." And as he walked away again, she realized what he had done, he had broken her heart with her own words. She called after him, desperate to bring him back, and to convince him to stay.

"Are you ever going to come back?" She asked him.

"Clarisse, understand something, my love." He walked to her and took her into his arms, kissing her slowly. "I never have left you, and I never will."

"Thank you." She hung her head out of embarrassment. Before the words could be stopped, they came rushing out in a flood of passion and pain.

You took off your coat and stood in the rain

"I love you, Joseph." His eyes widened, softened and shone in almost the same moment.

"Oh, my love, my Clarisse, I love you, too." Somehow, speaking the words made it real for him, and he grabbed her hand. She smiled at the simple gesture, and pulled him back to her room. They lay together in her bed, and almost instantly fell asleep. Clarisse was simply thankful to not me alone. Joseph was happy to have his lover in his arms all night at last. He'd waited for what seemed like forever for her, for this moment.

You were always crazy like that . . .