Okay...So here it goes. Why not right? So this is my first Princess Diaries fan fic and I hope you like it. If not...well I don't care what you think so HAHA jokes on you. Sorry to those of you who are waiting for me to update my other stories. I kinda have hit a road block with them so bear with me. (Hehe Bear...) Anyway, this story I started writing cause I was home sick and it seemed like a good idea at the time (psh..Homework? Nah!) So enjoy!

The weather had been fabulous lately. After a particularly cold winter and spring, the warmth of summer was a welcomed relief. The palace gardens were in full bloom after the recent heat wave. A solitary figure in black stood on a balcony jutting from one of the upper levels of the palace. To the average person it would appear that he was surveying the gardens. However, if one was to look very closely they would realize his eyes were trained on a woman who was examining the roses.

"Joe, you have a call," the man turned to see the Queen's aid, Charlotte, enter the study clutching a phone. She looked to see what he had been focused on before grinning. He blushed as he took the phone from her hands.

"Hello?" He questioned into the receiver. It was rare that he got a call on the main phone.

"Hi, Uncle Joe?"

"Brynner?"

"Yes, how have you been?"

"Good! I haven't heard from you in ages, how are you? How's school?

"I'm," she paused for a moment before finishing her thought. "I'm alright, school's fine, I guess, I mean it's school." This was not the answer Joe was expecting.

"Alright? Brynn is something wrong?"

"Uh, nothing out of the ordinary...I actually am calling to ask a question?" Joe nodded before registering he was using a telephone.

"Yes? Anything, you know that."

"Could I possibly come to, er, visit for a little while?" Joe couldn't help but smile, he would love for his niece to visit.

"I don't see why not but let me check with Cl- Her majesty before I say yes, okay?" Joe quickly bit his tongue when he nearly said the informal name of the Queen.

"Alright, call me back, same number!"

"Okay dear, talk to you soon!" He ended the call and carried the phone out of the room. Charlotte noticed that he had an extra skip in his step after talking on the phone and could only assume that there was good news.

"You look happy," she stated.

"Brynner just called, she's wondering if she could come to visit!" He said to his long time friend as he handed back the phone. Charlotte watched him smile uncontrollably and couldn't help but grin back.

"Joe that's marvelous! I can't imagine that the Queen would have a problem with that, I mean we all Brynner like family." Joe's smile grew as he left the room and found the door that led to the outside. The woman he was looking for was still circling the multicolored roses. He stopped for a moment and watched her. Every now and then she would stop and smell or pick up a particularly fine bloom. He silently walked up behind her, slowly he reached forward and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She jumped and let out a small yelp. She relaxed once she realized it was her personal body guard.

"Oh Joseph! You're a rotten man!" She playfully swatted him on his arm.

"I know," he said simply with a boyish grin as he followed her as she continued her stroll around the flowers.

"I assumed you have a reason for scaring me?"

"As a matter of fact I do," she looked up from her roses, cueing him to continue. "My niece Brynner just called and I was wondering if it would be possible for her to come visit for a little while?" He asked hopefully. She but on her 'strict queen face.'

"How long is a little while?" Her look crumbled as Joseph started to stammer; she couldn't help herself and started to let out a chuckle. Joe put on a pouty face as he realized she was returning the joke from him startling her.

"I'm just joking, of course she can come- and tell her she can stay as long as she would like!" Joe's face lit up as he heard the exciting news. She smiled because she hadn't seen Joe this happy in a long time.

"Thank you Madam," he took her hand and kissed the back of it before returning to the palace. She stood there for a moment, reveling in the feeling of his lips on her skin. Charlotte saw the oldest man-in-black and automatically handed him the phone, judging by the look on his face she already knew the answer he had received.

"I take it went well?" She asked as he dialed the familiar numbers. He nodded and walked away as to get more privacy.

"Hello? Brynner?"

"Yeah, Uncle Joe, did you get an answer?" She asked nervously.

"Yes."

"About...?"

"Oh, yes I talked to her and she, her Majesty, I mean, said yes," the girl on the other end of the line grinned at how her uncle acted around his queen.

"Awesome, so?"

"When can you leave? I can talk to your parents-"

"NO! I mean, I already talked to them and they're all for me coming to visit..." Joe's smile faded and he felt a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Uh huh...I see, well Mia arrives in two days. So you-" Joe was cut off for the second time in the same conversation.

"I could coordinate flights, I guess."

"Alright, Brynn, you're sure everything's all right?" The older man said with worry in his voice. There was definitely something she wasn't telling him.

"Uh, well, I, yeah...No...I'll talk to you when I get there, okay?"

"Brynn..."

"Look, I gotta go. I'll see you in a few days, we'll talk then, okay? I promise Uncle Joe, love you." Joe sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"Fine, love you too." He frowned as he hung up the phone. The couch groaned slightly as he sat heavily on it. Thoughts, mostly ones that were worst case scenario, clouded his mind. He didn't hear the soft footsteps that approached him.

"Joseph, are you all right?" He recognized her voice anywhere and immediately stood up.

"Fine, your Majesty," she looked at him skeptically.

"Is Brynner all right?" She knew him well; his eyes betrayed him.

"No, I'm afraid she's not, though she wouldn't tell me over the phone." She indicated for him to sit back down on the couch as she pulled a chair up across from him. He looked at her quizzically but said nothing.

"You're worried," she said it more as a statement than a question; he nodded. "Well, she'll probably explain it like she said she would when she arrives. Which is when exactly?" Joe pulled his eyes up from the floor to meet hers.

"Two days,"

"Same as Mia?" He nodded again. The woman smiled but inwardly panicked. It was his turn to read her like a book.

"Clarisse," he took her hands in his. "It will be fine, don't worry." He gave her a look full of warmth and she visibly relaxed. Joe stood and pulled her up with him. "I'll take care of everything, Clarisse, okay?" He liked saying her name; she liked hearing him say her name. She nodded at his words and he kissed her hands for the second time that day. He left the room to return the phone leaving the Queen alone. She watched him leave and suddenly felt lonely despite being surround by people. It occurred to her that this might be because he was the only one she wanted to be around. Groaning, she stood up and pushed all thoughts of Joseph from her mind, for the moment. She startled Charlotte as she exited her study and approached her aid's desk.

"Charlotte?" She asked tentatively.

"Oh! Sorry your Majesty, how may I help you?"

"I was wondering if Mia's room is ready?" Charlotte typed something quickly on her computer before turning her attention back to Clarisse.

"It is and I just started preparations on one of the guest rooms for Brynner." Her Majesty smiled appreciatively at her friend.

"Thank you Charlotte, I'd be lost without you." She said warmly.

"Oh! Sorry I didn't tell you early, but Mia called and asked for you to call her back when you have a chance."

"Hmm...I'll call her back in my suite, I think I might go relax for a few minutes." Charlotte nodded as the older woman started to walk away.

Joe entered the security room and nearly crashed into a younger man wearing dark glasses. The younger man looked at him apologetically but Joe wasn't too effected by this.

"Sorry Joe!"

"No problem Shades," the older man responded as he sat at a desk with a computer situated in front of it. The younger man noticed something about his boss' demeanor and sat down as well. Joe realized he was still there and became aware he was going to be under a storm of questioning in a matter of seconds.

"Are you okay Joe?" Joe looked up at Shades; a man he had gotten to know over the years and could now call one of his best friends.

"I'm fine,"

"You were a much better liar when I first met you," Shades smirked as Joe sighed and decided to talk to him.

"Brynner's coming..." Joe started to say when Shades smiled at the mention of his niece. He hadn't realized what an impression Brynner had left on his colleagues; Joe continued what he was saying. "When I talked to her on the phone she seemed very nervous, she definitely wasn't telling me something."

"And you're worried, right?" Joe nodded. "Well she's a smart girl, she's been through a lot from what you've told me, she knows how to take care of herself." Joe nodded again as he thought about shades' words.

"I bet you're right, I should probably talk to Marcus though. I think he and Marie are in Thailand right now."

"Why? Is Brynner with them?" Joe shook his head.

"Volunteering and no, she's in Boston still. School let out a few days ago." Shades looked confused.

"Since when have they been in Boston?" Joe let out a short laugh.

"Can you picture Marcus in Boston?" Shade's chuckled at the mental picture of Joe's brother in a city. "No, Brynner goes to boarding school there," Shades stood and stretched.

"Good for her, well, good luck!" Joe nodded and resumed his position in front of the computer as Shades left the room. He didn't actually get any work done but he was very good at faking it. Thoughts drifted through his head, mostly thoughts were focused on his niece. However, the occasional thought about his lovely queen would float by; these thoughts were quickly pushed at the window he became aware that it had become dark. The halls were soundless as he walked to his cabin that was separate from the palace which required him to walk down a path through the woods. He didn't mind it though. His home was comfortable, a room in the palace would no doubt be fancier but he would need a little more incentive to move into the palace.