Written by: Me, Genovia's Heart ;)
Summary: Clarisse comes across an old letter hidden in one of Joe's books, what will she discover about the man she thought she knew?
Disclaimer: The Princess Diaries 1 & 2 Do NOT Belong To Me.
xXx
The Letter.
"Oh, where is it." Clarisse moaned to herself while going through the stack of books piled on the floor beside the fireplace, before moving over to the desk in the suite.
Two short months ago Clarisse's life changed, she married Joseph, her best friend of forty plus years. Though when she lost her first husband King Rupert, she swore she would never marry again and even turned Joseph down whenever he asked her over the last 10 years. She didn't plan on ever falling in love with anyone else, but she had to admit she had done just that, and on the day that her Granddaughter, Queen Amelia was due to marry Andrew Jacoby, but not going through with it, she saw it as her last chance.
Standing back Clarisse put her hands on her hips while looking around the room, closing her eyes just a moment later she tried to remember where she had last had the notebook that held details off Joseph's surprise birthday dinner. Smiling she remembered and turned back to the couch while opening her eyes.
"Ah ha!" She exclaimed to herself while walking over and grabbed the book from down the side of the couch. Standing back up she remembered how the notebook had ended up down the side of the couch in the first place.
Joseph smiled while walking into their suite, closing the door behind him, completely missing his beautiful wife stuffing the notebook down the side of the couch.
"What's wrong?" She asked and watched him sit beside her and put his arm along the back of the couch.
"Nothing, I've just finished doing the dishes." He said with a small smile while looking at her as she snuggled up to him, tucking her feet up on the couch "I thought you were going to take a bath?" He asked as she raised her head.
"I was," She smiled while putting her hand on his chest "And now that you are here, why don't you join me?" She smiled and moved her face close to his "I would love the company." She whispered and smiled against his lips before closing her eyes and pressing her lips to his.
"I would love too." He whispered back between kisses and watched her stand just a moment later.
"Perfect." She smiled and held out her hand to him. Watching him as he stood and took her hand as they made their way over to the door she made a mental note to herself to remember to move the notebook later.
Standing with a cheeky smile as she flicked through the book, Clarisse couldn't help but giggle as she stepped back. However bumping into pile of books, books that belonged to Joseph, she stood watching as they fell to the floor "I really don't have time for this." She said to herself while crouching down and started stacking them back up, when something caught her eye.
Sticking out from one of the books was an envelope, one she remembered from years and years ago. Grabbing the book from the pile she stood up straight and pulled out the envelope. Seeing the special, now nearly faded CA stamp on the back of it she froze.
It had been many years since she had last seen one of these special envelopes, and as she stood staring at it she was pretty sure that she had locked them all away in a special place. Remembering that she had found it in Joe's book she slowly turned it over and noticed it was in fact addressed to him.
Noticing the handwriting she started to shake a little, she remembered a month before her brother died when she was only 20 she had given him some of her writing paper from the Palace, so he could write home to her. She was at that time engaged to Rupert, and was due to marry him the week she found out that her brother, Philippe, had been killed.
And now as she stood reading the letter her brother had penned to his best pal, begging him to take care and protect his little sister from the man she was due to marry, Clarisse broke down. Moving to sit on the couch she read the letter over and over, unable to take in what her brother had wrote. She had, had no idea of this until just now, or the fact that his best pal back then was Joseph. She really didn't know how or what to feel over this news.
"Joseph, I will keep this short.. mainly because you already know the facts of how I feel about that man who is going to destroy my darling sisters life, so I feel there is no need to write about them in this letter.
If, after any of the battles we are faced with each and every day I don't make it through, please will you go to Genovia to look out for my sister. I know it's her own choice, but I do feel she's making the worst mistake of her life and even though I have told her some of my feelings, she's still going ahead with marrying that man. And I know at some point it will end in tears and heartbreak, I just wish she would open her eyes now before its too late.
Please take care off her for me, make sure she's happy and enjoying her life.
Thank you Joe, my old pal.
Yours,
Philippe"
She read one last time before folding the letter back up, replacing it in the envelope before resting it on the couch beside her. Resting her arm on the arm of the couch, she bent it up, putting her hand to her face, running the side of her forefinger back and forth along her top lip as she lost herself to thought.