A/N: I'm back, and hopefully this story will flow along as well as I'm hoping... and hope that all of you who had been reading my previous stories will read this one too!

The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!

Five Years Later

It was a glorious April morning in Pyrus, capital of Genovia, and it had perfect weather- there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was beaming down onto the busy street as the townspeople milled about, doing their shopping, well content- Genvovia had remained stable under the reign of King Joseph and Queen Clarisse and they hoped nothing would change that- while, several kilometres out of Pyrus, at the royal palace, His Majesty, who had been working at his desk since nine, set down his pen, settled back in his chair and looked thoughtfully out the window, his mind elsewhere, on his son's birthday...

He couldn't believe it- His Royal Highness Prince Eduard Christophe Phillipe Gerard Renaldi, aka Phillipe, Flip or 'Joe's Mini Me' (as Charlie had joked), was ten years old today... the second son, the 'spare' (although both Joe and Clarisse vehmently refused to consider him as that) and second in line to the throne, was 10...

It seemed only yesterday that he was born and then, quickly after that throwing tantrums, jealous at the arrival of his twin sisters, as Clarisse had commented at breakfast earlier that morning at breakfast before flitting of to finalize arrangements for the party that afternoon (all the children except one were at school) while Joseph disappeared into his study to complete his essential paperwork before lunch- the afternoon would belong to Phillipe, no matter what.

But he couldn't help but pause for a moment to reflect on the ten years of his son's life... and how quickly the past few years had passed- in fact, five years seemed to have flown by in the blink of an eye...

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It was just over a week after Clarisse's miscarriage before some semblance of normality returned to the palace and everyone could feel it- while the news had been strictly limited to those closest to Clarisse, the palace staff sensed the sombre attitude and asumed it was due to the former King's death as well as Clarisse's 'illness'- and while they returned to their duties quietly and without gossiping about the change, they also sensed the tide was turning...

Clarisse herself found that each day during that week seemed to be getting a little easier (although there were still moments when she felt a crushing wave of despair, depression and guilt, moments she knew that she would continue to have as the years passed), especially since the children- her four healthy, beautiful children- were usually around AND there was finally a thawing of relations between herself and Joseph.

There was still a long way to go in repairing their relationship ("we always seem to have a lot of repairing to do on us!" Joseph had joked wryly) but the important thing was that they were aware of the problems and both Joseph and Clarisse were more than determined to repair it, more for themselves than anything (such as the children, the country, parliament, although they were also part of the reason... the children mainly) else.

The first step in that healing process was mourning the loss of their baby- and after her admission that she mightn't have wanted the baby deep down, he had immdediately soothed her.

"You only felt like that because I hadn't stepped up to the plate, jerk that I was and you weren't sure about anything... I know you wanted that baby, I could see it in your eyes and I know I wanted it too, deep down I knew that, although it sadly took me longer to realize that... and I'm sorry that I was too late," he looked at her with an anguished expression, tears in his own eyes and it was Clarisse's turn to comfort him and she knew that while things would take time to settle down again, she knew the man she was comforting in her arms was the same man she had fallen in love with, the same man she had married over eight years earlier.

After their tender moment, Clarisse had wanted to stay up all night talking- there was still so much to discuss, sort out (she was still angry with him about his past behaviour)- but Joe insisted she go to bed- "after all, you had a busy day with the twins and Phillipe" he joked, not wanting to cause her any pain by joking about the other reason she was still in bed, and she nodded obediently, almost like a child, as she sank slowly into bed before pausing to look at him almost shyly.

"Will you be joining me here or will you be sleeping on the couch again?"

"I wasn't sure you wanted me near you after..." he began awkwardly.

"You're right, I didn't... but I also did and I do now... I was confused, angry and sore... yes, I'm still slightly sore now but..."

"Do you want me to sleep here again?" he asked gently.

"I do," she replied softly before she settled herself into bed and looked up at him. "Do you?"

They were skipping around each other like two nervous children wanting to make friends, understandably afraid to push the other two far before Joseph, sensing an opening as Clarisse had instigated the invitation, grinned slightly at her.

"Of course I do... and I don't need to get changed," he added, and she suddenly noticed he was wearing his pyjamas as he climbed into bed next to her.

"This bed is much more comfortable than the couch or even the sofa in my study... however," he added hastily as she opened her mouth to comment on that. "NOW is definitely not the time to talk, now is the time to rest..." and, as if to punctuate the finality of the statement and that he meant it, he leant over and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"Soon, I promise, we will talk and sort this out."

"It will take some time..." she said sleepily and he looked at her seriously.

"Are we in any hurry... we have all the time in the world..." he said softly as he stroked her hair gently and she drifted off to sleep comforted by the words.

0

They DID have all the time in the world, as Joseph said, to sort out their problems, but they had to fit that 'time' in alongside their other committments- children, country, parliament, committees (Clarisse more than Joseph) and various charitable obligations (again Clarisse more than Joseph), but while Joseph sailed full speed ahead into his work, delegating when necessary, Clarisse returned to her normal schedule at a far slower pace (her 'illness' had been a serious one) as she was not only recovering from her miscarriage but from the past few months, especially Joseph's ''apalling'' behaviour, both of which had been very draining on her.

It was early April when she finally returned to public life, accompany her husband and mother in law to the opening of a new wing at the hospital, named after the late King, and most of the reporters and camera men went wild when they saw her, although on the news that night in the next day's papers, there were some snippy, nasty comments about how thing Her Majesty looked- one in particular stinging: "she looks almost like the victim of an eating disorder, clearly not well and definitely not looking like she had four children."

"Don't worry about that," Joseph said briskly, reaching for the remote and changing the channels- it was one of their rare evenings when they curled up on the couch together and watched television. "They don't know what they're talking about."

"Hmm..." she pretended not to sound like she cared but she did- she had lost her appetite two weeks before the pregnancy was confirmed and while she forced herself to eat now, a month later, her appetite had yet to return properly and fully, and she needed and wanted it to- she needed the energy to return to her normal routine AND still be a good wife and mother, and she was desperate for the extra weight so she didn't get sick.

"We both know I DO need to gain some weight though, don't we?" she continued as she flipped through a book she was supposedly reading before he plucked it out of her hands and slid closer to her.

"Well... yes, sweetheart, you DO need to put some weight on... I'm almost afraid to touch you just in case I break you!" he added jokingly and she gave him a small smile.

"You won't break me... I just... I just haven't had much of an appetite lately," she sighed. "I know why, and I know have to eat but...it's just so hard sometimes."

There was a long silence as he registered her words- he had been growing increasingly concerned about her slender frame- she was almost as slim as when they had been newlyweds- and he had been wondering how he could help... before an idea struck him and leapt up, startling her.

"I have an idea... let's go," he announced, holding a hand out to her and she looked confused as she allowed herself to be helped up, even more so when he led her out of the suite.

"Where are we going?" she asked- they were wearing their pyjamas and dressing gowns, so they couldn't be going outside- but Joseph didn't say a word until they were downstairs and in the bowels of the palace before he paused outside a wooden mahogany door, opened it and ushered her into... the kitchen! Thankfully, the kitchen was empty but she was still confused...

"What's going on?" she asked after he chivvied her into a chair at the large wooden table in the middle of the room- she had never been in here during the day so she couldn't even imagine how people worked in there- but it was clear that Joseph had been there before as he moved around the room, rifling in cupboards, drawers and refrigerators before he set down two plates and a glass of milk in front of her- one plate had a ham and salad sandwich on it (reminiscent of the night they had had their first fight and Joseph had proposed) while on the other plate was a couple of chocolate chip cookies.

"No cup of tea?" she pouted playfully.

"Not until you drink your milk and eat your dinner, young lady," he frowned mock sternly at her as he sat down opposite her with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.

"Thank you," she smiled at him, understanding why he was doing this- and she had to admit that it all looked appealing.

"Maybe you should step down from the throne and become a chef," she commented after she devoured everything on both plates and he poured her a cup of tea.

"Maybe..." he mused with an impish look. "However, since you are the only one who REALLY appeciates my culinary attempts, I'll remain YOUR private chef and the rest of the country's monarch."

"I'll be happy with that... it's everyone's else's loss," Clarisse beamed, feeling comfortably happy and full- her appetite had returned with this almost midnight feast and hopefully it would remain. "But thank you for tonight..." she said gratefully as they stepped into their suite after Joseph had cleaned up the kitchen ("no one should know their Majesties had a midnight snack" he had joked) and Joseph smiled as he closed the door behind him and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"It's all for you... it's always for you," he said simply before he nuzzled her neck and she smiled- she had missed the feel of his beard on her neck, scratchy yet nice- it was such an intimate moment and she knew that there would be more of them... maybe...

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Slowly, ever so slowly, things began to improve after that, both health wise and marriage wise, and by the time the Independence Day celebrations rolled around in June, Clarisse was back to her old self and she was looking much, much healthier, so much so that Phillipe complimented her when they collected the boys for the carriage ride in the parade.

This year, there would be quite a squeeze in the carriage, with the twins coming as well, but the girls would be content in someone's lap and the boys would be told to sit still.

"You look beautiful Mama," he said solemnly, surveying her peach linen coat (with a matching dress underneath), hat and shoes with an almost critical air which, at five, was cute.

His tantrums had finally receeded (although he still had his father's ferocious temper), his charming personality (again from Joseph) emerging to disarm everyone he met, and he was starting pre-school in September, a fact he was very much excited about and talked about incessantly, much to the disgust of his older brother.

"Thank you darling... and you two," she stepped back to observe the two boys in their matching outfits- Pierre had turned seven in May and while he was like his father physically (aside from Clarisse's complexion), he was quieter, more serious and reflective like his mother, preferring to read (or be read to) rather than racing around and around the palace grounds (although he did so happily enough) like his younger brother.

Either way, she loved both boys as they were and she didn't want either of them to change- they may be first and second in line to the throne, but the five and seven year old little boys, one fair, one dark, were their babies that would never change, no matter how old they got.

"... you two look so handsome, I'm going to be the envy of everyone there with you in the carriage with us," and the two boys glowed at her praise before Claire and Grace were brought in, dressed identical pink and white dressed with ribbons, sashes, tights and small leather shoes and looking so much like their mother that Pierre cried out:

"The twins look like you Mama!" but his comment was drowned out by gleeful giggles from Grace and Phillipe as they snuck towards the boys toys with the intent of playing, freezing when one of the boys nannies admonished him, a timely action as Joseph, clad in his best suit and sash of royal colours, stepped into the room with an announcement:

"Time to get this show on the road!" before his brood almost knocked him over with their enthusiasm as they raced towards him, Phillipe being especially vocal and physical as two nannies and Clarisse hastened forward to ensure no jackets, dresses or ribbons were rumpled or torn off.

"Hey... hey!" Joseph raised his voice affectionately as he extricated himself from four pairs of amazingly strong arms and made his way over to wear Clarisse was smoothing down Claire and Grace's dresses and retying their ribbons.

"So... everyone's ready?" he asked Clarisse in an undertone and she nodded and the foursome stood in front of them, each boy holding one of the twins hands.

"We're ready, Papa," Pierre announced and Joe nodded enthusiastically as he beamed and surveyed the four of them.

"Yes, you all obviously are... and you all look fantastic!" before he glanced at his watch. "But we really have to go- we can't keep everyone waiting!"

"Grandma told us royalty is never late, everyone else is just early," Pierre said simply as they followed their parents out of the nursery and Joseph exchanged an amused look with Clarisse- his mother was already educating the next generation.

The Independence Day celebrations turned out well as usual- the crowds turned out mainly to see the royal family (especially the King and Queen's young children, who weren't seen in public too often) but they were also in the typical celebratory mood, celebrating all day, all night and for most of the week, causing Joseph to comment, on the way back to the palace after the parade and his speech, that he wished there was a way for him (and Clarisse "of course", he added hastily as she raised an eyebrow) to somehow become invisible and be able to mill about in the street festival, enjoying as much as the rest of his subjects.

"It's always a possibility," Clarisse said encouragingly, understanding his restlessness and wanting their children to view life from both sides of the palace walls.

"While we of course would need our security with us, maybe we could melt into the crowd," she looked thoughtful for a moment. "This year would be of too short notice to our team," she added quickly as she saw Joe's face light up.

"It might be lovely and impulsive, but it wouldn't be fair to them... however, it could be a nice way to spend the day next year and I'm sure Andre would agree it would be a good thing to be seen out and about with the people... I hope we can do it," she looked at him, suddenly excited at the idea and he couldn't help but chuckle- his adventurous spirit was FINALLY was rubbing off on his wife!

"It sounds like a plan," he said with a grin, pleased he had suggested the idea (he had been mulling it over for a couple of years but hadn't wanted to suggest it as either the children had been younger, she was still recovering from the accident in Paris or Clarisse had been pregnant) and that Clarisse had taken to his suggestion so happily- it showed him that, aside from his influence on her, her own sense of adventure and fun was emerging/returning (he couldn't decide which) and he hoped that she would allow the children to see this side of her.

Her childhood had made her far more repressed, shy and reserved that she had probably been meant to be (although she was naturally reserved) but he knew she didn't want to pass on any of the coldness she had experienced onto them, and he knew she was a warm and loving mother whose children loved her very much... she only needed to believe it more often and he was keen to encourage and reinforce that belief in her.

"However, we have a few other events to consider before then..." he grinned as, after he helped his mother out of the car and the children scampered ahead of them into the palace, he helped Clarisse out of the car- they had a few hours to fill before the ball, although Joseph suspected James and Charlie would probably arrive early- and she looked intrigued at his words.

"Oh? Four birthdays, the opera, Christmas and the new year... what else could be considered an event?"

"Summer," he smiled at her, looking like an older version of Phillipe (which was no surprise) with a vague similarity to Pierre, and she could only laugh but there was no disapproval in her affectionate gaze- he had to be strong for so many, so wise and so calm throughout the year, it was only the Christmas holidays and summer when he could relax and act somewhat immature...

She had long since accepted his two different personas and felt honoured that she knew and loved the real him...

"Alright, summer is an event too... actually, summertime sounds very good to me," she confided with a grin and he laughed along with her- summer had always been his favourite season, but even more so since his marriage- it had meant time with his wife, family and friends, and this summer was particularly important...

Hopefully their relationship, while very much on the mend, would benefit from the two months they had off, he also hoped that another baby could be on their agenda...

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The summer months seemed to slip by in moments, a focus on family and relationships allowing Joseph and Clarisse to relax, their public obligations few during the summer, and allowing their four children to become number one in their lives, somewhere they always wanted them to be but were unfortunately relegated to second position due to their official duties.

The weather was as beautiful and warm as ever, so Joe and Clarisse took the children to the beach house (a handy investment made by Joseph when he was fresh out of college and wanted somewhere he could escape to when the royal life became too much) for two weeks, accompanied by their usual team of bodyguards and the bare minimum of staff to run the house, and they had so much fun that the boys were begging for them to move out there.

It wasn't a bad idea, Joseph thought, but he knew it wasn't practical or possible for them and he now had to let the two excited boys down gently.

"How would you entertain yourselves during the winter?" he asked gently when they came to him in mid July with the idea.

"Maybe the ocean would freeze over and we could go skating," Phillipe said immediately.

"But then you could get lost... the ocean is enormous," Joseph said quietly- he and Clarisse had already decided that they would spend the rest of the summer at the beach- the house, only a walk away from the beach, fitted them all in very well, the bodyguards had a house for them a couple of hundred metres away, the weather had been perfect and the children were thriving- but they both knew it WAS impractical for them to stay on a permanent basis, they had already considered it on more than one occasion.

"Believe me guys, your mother and I have definitely considered this, several times, but... we really can't stay here all the time."

"We'd love to stay here," Clarisse chimed in, seeing the boys faces fall in disappointment. "But both your father and I need to stay at the palace, as do you- you'll be closer to your friends, your schools, Shelley will be much happier..."

The poor dog had been struggling through the sand most of the time until she was rescued by one of the boys, Joseph or Clarisse.

"Besides, it's always much more pleasant if the beach house is a treat... it might get a little boring otherwise if we lived here all the time and we can come here whenever we want..." she added with a quiet smile and both boys happily seemed to accept her explanation- much to their relief.

They eventually ended up staying at the beach house for the entire summer (Alexandra had finally met up with her friend Marie Louise in Paris at the end of June and was now travelling around Europe, although she was planning on being home for Joseph's birthday, the twins and Christmas), returning to the palace at the end of August, just in time for the opening of the new session of parliament, their new schedules for the rest of the year and, three weeks later in mid September, Joseph's 34th birthday.

"I can't believe I'm 34... six years until I turn 40!" he moaned the morning of his birthday as, after the children had presented him with their gifts and had returned to their respective nurseries, he leaned back against his pillows- he had opted to have the day off- and she laughed, half amused and half sympathetic as she snuggled back up into bed with him.

"I'll be there soon enough... I'm 31 next month and the twins will be three... time is going by so fast..." she trailed off pensively, hoping that, one day not too far away, they would have something else to celebrate...

It had been six months since the miscarriage and not only was their relationship back on the rails, the doctor had given them the all clear to try again, and she hoped that it would happen soon...

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Present:

Joseph grinned to himself as he heard a knock on the door- morning tea time had arrived and, despite the paper work he still had waiting for him (and probably would have to finish later that night, once the party was over), he was enjoying the visit down memory lane... life had certainly been interesting then...