Title: The Greatest of These is Love (Crossover E/PD/OSN)

Rating: T

Summary: Crossover story involving Clarisse and Joseph from Princess Diaries, Catherine and Robert from One Special Night, and Nanny and Sir Wilkes from Eloise.

Disclaimer: I don't own ANY of these characters, since the Eloise movies are the property of Disney and Kay Thompson, the Princess Diaries movies are the property of Disney, Buena Vista and Meg Cabot, and One Special Night was produced by kaBOOM! Entertainment Inc. for television. Naturally I make no money from this work of fiction.

Part One

"Robert? It's Joe calling. I thought I'd check in to find out how things are going. I understand you had a blizzard yesterday – your daughter told me you were lost in it!"

"Joe! Hey, buddy, I've been wondering if I'd hear from you again after this summer in New York City! Nah, I'm fine. We were just stranded for one night." Strangely enough, Robert found it difficult to talk about the night before. He hadn't yet decided WHAT it was he was feeling. Certainly he was looking forward to Sunday morning when he had arranged to meet Catherine for chocolate chip pancakes ... although he still wondered if she would actually show up for it. She was a doctor, after all. A FANCY doctor. And she had called him some pretty harsh names last evening. Of course, by this morning, things had been a little different between them ... Abruptly he pulled his mind back to the phone call and the old friend with whom he had lost touch for so long. "Didn't you say you were married now? When do I get to meet the little woman?"

Joe chuckled. "I wouldn't let her hear you calling her that. We come to the United States fairly often now, however, so there just might be a chance."

"You come to the States often? Where do you LIVE?"

"Genovia."

"Genovia? I've never even heard ... wait ... wasn't there something in the news about five years ago when a teenager in San Francisco found out she was the princess of this country?"

"I believe you are correct. That would be Princess Mia. She is now Queen Amelia."

"I see. So you and your wife live in Genovia. Do you like it?"

"Genovia? I love it."

"Your wife a native or is she like you, a transplant there?"

"She's ... ummm, I guess you'd say you're a native Genovian, wouldn't you, darling?" Joseph's voice sounded a little further away as if he had turned to speak to someone else.

Robert heard a light chuckle in the background, and for a moment was surprised because it almost sounded as if ... as if CATHERINE was with Joe! "Hey, Joe?" he asked, unable to resist. "What's your wife's name?"

"Clarisse." came the prompt answer.

"She's not a doctor, right?" Robert pressed.

Joe laughed heartily. "Right. She is NOT a doctor. Why?" he sounded curious.

"Oh, no reason." Robert shook his head. Catherine was on his mind WAY too much! He SHOULD be thinking of MaryBeth.

Almost as if he could read Robert's mind, Joe asked hesitantly, "How is your wife, Robert? You said she wasn't well a few months ago."

Robert almost began to say that MaryBeth was fine, but something stopped him. He had opened up last night to a complete stranger. True, he hadn't had a good visit with Joe for years, but he was no stranger. They had become VERY good friends that summer long ago, even if they HAD lost touch in recent years. Robert knew Joe would want to hear the truth, and certainly talking about MaryBeth allowed him to continue suppressing his mixed thoughts about Catherine. "Actually, she's not good, Joe. She doesn't know me any more. She has Alzheimer's and they say it has seriously compromised her heart." His anguish was clear in his voice. He loved MaryBeth, he had loved her for years. It was heartbreaking to see her like she had been yesterday afternoon, shrieking and terrified of him, accusing him of trying to kill her. "I ... I don't think she has much longer to live."

Joe's support came through strongly, even from a distance, "Let me know, Robert, and we'll come. Maybe not right away, but as soon as we can get free from commitments here."

"I will, Joe. Thanks. I'm looking forward to meeting Clarisse." Robert pulled his mind back from his troubles. "What's she like?"

"Gorgeous. Strong. She has buried her first husband and her youngest son, and still can find it in herself to help her grand-daughter find her place in the world. We just got married in June, a whirlwind romance, you might say, and we've had some problems adjusting, but on the whole, I've never been happier."

"I'm glad." Robert was sincere. "You deserve it."

O o O o O o

It was his fault ... he should never have arranged to meet Catherine at Murray's this morning ... he was a married man! Guilt overwhelmed Robert as he drove as quickly as he could to the hospital. He would never forgive himself if MaryBeth ... Leaving his vehicle in the doctors' parking lot, figuring not many doctors would be out early Sunday morning, Robert rushed into the hospital, his heart pounding.

Jaclyn met him at the door. "Hurry!" she urged him. "Dad, hurry!"

But he was too late. Too late to say goodbye. Too late to tell MaryBeth, one last time, that he loved her dearly ... even if she couldn't respond. Yet somehow he just KNEW that Catherine had been right that night when she had said that a woman never forgets a man who has occupied a special place in her heart. Yes, Robert thought as he gazed at the still face of his beloved wife, MaryBeth knew in her soul that he loved her even if circumstances had managed to wipe him from her conscious mind. Now she was gone. Gone from him, gone from their daughters, gone from Michael ... gone.

Wracking sobs overwhelmed him, and Robert grieved with his daughters.

O o O o O o

Just for a second, Catherine had closed her eyes and had allowed herself to feel the warm strength of Robert's arms holding her as he carried her into the cabin that night. Almost immediately she had recalled with painful clarity Tom's many touches, his holding her hands, the way he would drape an arm over her shoulders. After a year, it still hurt to remember. God, how it hurt. And yet, recalling Robert's touch, she felt ... warm ... happy ... and she had fallen asleep smiling.

The next day, rolling over in the bed, her brain still a little fuzzy from sleep, she felt it again ... Robert's arms holding her, his voice telling her she needed picking up, and the clasp of his hand on hers when they had agreed to meet on Sunday morning at Murray's. Suddenly an overwhelming guilt swept over her. It should be TOM'S touch she recalled, memories of TOM, not of another man. It was ... it was still too soon, even though it had been a year. It was ... it was wrong, because Robert was married.

She remembered Robert's raw emotions when he had finally opened up and spoken about MaryBeth. Yes, she had recognized her own soul in his. Mingling with the weariness and the bleakness of a man who had all but spent his life's energy was the very same aching need she had experienced for the last year since Tom's death. They had both felt the gut-wrenching loneliness, as if they were the last two survivors of a disaster. Yet that night they had forged a bond between them. Inside them both was an emptiness, a huge hole deep inside that craved human contact. Together they could possibly fill that hole ... sometime ... but not now. It was ... it was not right. Not now. Not yet.

Catherine thumped her pillow, hot tears seeping out of her tightly-closed eyes once more as she guiltily realized that she was no longer thinking only about TOM and love-making. Somehow, Robert's face had snuck into her dreams ... his phantom body into her bed! "ARGH!" she groaned before resolutely climbing out of bed. Keeping busy was the only way to stop thinking! The first thing she planned to do today was buy a SENSIBLE vehicle! No point in tempting fate further. Her beloved Jaguar could be saved for summer driving.

On the Sunday, when it was obvious that Robert was not going to show up at Murray's, Catherine fastened a smile on her lips and pretended to the world AND to herself that it did not matter. She had not expected him to come, anyway. After all, he WAS married! The unwanted grief that she had felt not seeing Robert was ruthlessly buried as she threw herself into her work for the next few weeks. Unable to eat or sleep much, she knew she was losing weight, but she avoided William's searching eyes and his wife's questions. She even avoided returning to Shelby Manor in case she might happen to run into the Woodward family ... into Robert. She did not know how she would handle that, so she stayed away from the facility.

Once, when it was unavoidable, Catherine drove past Robert's house and caught sight of him in the front yard, building a snowman with his grandson. She took her foot off the gas and hesitated with her foot over the brake, almost stopping. Then the car behind her honked. Robert looked up at the sound of the horn, but Catherine hunched her head down and drove away, peering into the mirror to see that he had turned back to Michael. He obviously hadn't recognized her and certainly would NOT have known her vehicle since it wasn't the car her father had given her, and she suspected that her licence plates were covered with snow so he could not see the MD on them. Just seeing him, however, made her feel the sharp pang of grief all over again. Would she NEVER get over him? She had only spent one night with him! One very special CHASTE night ...

O o O o O o

"We're going to come, Robert," Joe said on the phone. Robert had called him, as he had promised, to give him the news of MaryBeth's death. "We just have to work out the details. Do you, by any chance, know of a place we can stay that is secluded and off the beaten path? We don't want to stay in a town or city ... anywhere Clarisse might be recognized."

Robert laughed. "Is she a famous movie star? Or is she simply wanted by the police?" he teased.

Joe chuckled. "No," he said simply, and went back to his original topic of conversation. "Any places? A summer home or something?"

Realizing Joe wasn't going to say any more about his wife, Robert set aside his many questions and thought about the problem. After only a split second, he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. "Actually, Joe, I DO know of a secluded cabin. I was thinking I might buy it ... as a vacation home."

"If you do, would it be possible for us to stay there?" Joe asked.

"It would be my pleasure! It's fairly rustic now, but I was looking at it, and the structure seems sound. I just want to add a couple of rooms ... I'll check into the ownership, and let you know if I get it."

"Excellent!"

"Can you stay here for Christmas?" was Robert's next question. "Lori and Jaclyn would love to have you, I know. She's planning a quiet celebration, but you'd be more than welcome!"

"We'll get back to you on that," Joe promised.

As soon as he was off the phone, Robert made a few more calls, and very shortly was meeting with the owner of the cabin, signing the purchase agreement and agreeing to take possession immediately, contents included.

O o O o O o

"Joseph?" Clarisse came into the room to find Joseph sitting by the telephone, looking thoughtful.

"Hmm?"

Clarisse sat beside him, her arms sliding around him. She kissed his shoulder. "Did you get in touch with Robert?"

"Yes, I did. And yes, he thinks he can get a place nearby for us to stay ... incognito. Can you be ready to leave in a couple of weeks?"

"Before Christmas?" Clarisse was startled. "Joseph, I should be here ... It's Mia's first Christmas as queen ... there are so many duties ..."

Joseph placed a gentle hand over her mouth. "Clarisse, my dear, you promised to not let duty to your country come before your duty to yourself ever again. Mia can and SHOULD be left on her own to make her OWN traditions, now that she is queen. Besides, her mother, stepfather and half-brother Trevor are coming over to spend Christmas with her, not to mention that she will still have Charlotte and Shades and Sebastian and the entire staff at the Winter Castle and the greater portion of the populace of Genovia ..."

Clarisse had to chuckle. She kissed the palm of his hand, and he removed it. "Very well," she agreed, still a little hesitant. "If Mia is agreeable ..."

"And if Nan and Sir Wilkes don't mind heading back to New York for Christmas themselves!" Joseph laughed. "Where are they, by the way?"

"They went back to Mertz ... Nan wanted to see if the waiter in the restaurant there still thought she was Queen Clarisse!" smiled Clarisse. "It's funny, last March seems so much longer ago than just nine months. We were just meeting Nan then ... well, I was just meeting her! ... and now look at us. Both couples are married and the best of friends! You know, I didn't have many friends once I married Rupert and became queen. But once Nan got over her silly inferiority complex, I found her delightful and charming and I am SO glad she is willing to put up with Wilkes!"

"Put up with him?" Joseph lifted his eyebrows in question. "He adores her and she him!"

"I know. And it's very sweet. But Wilkes, for all he is so very nice, is also ... well, very boring, I always thought."

"Clarisse!" Joseph pretended shock. "A queen NEVER speaks ill of a friend! That IS a rule, isn't it?"

Not deigning to dignify his question with a response, Clarisse changed the subject. "Have you noticed that Charlotte and Shades seem to be friendlier than ever? Now that Charlotte is in Parliament and has finished with the Children's Home project, she has a little more time to spend with him."

"She still won't watch boxing with us most Friday nights, though. Nan is the only woman willing to brave every one of those bouts!" He spoke admiringly of his old friend and although she knew she shouldn't feel it, Clarisse had to tamp down on a little twinge of jealousy.

"Tell me more about Robert and how you met him," Clarisse prompted. "If we're going to visit him, I'd like to be prepared."

Joseph sat back and opened his arms for Clarisse to snuggle close to him, and, resting his chin on her head, he began to talk about his summer in New York City working in construction.

O o O o O o

"Not that I'm trying to get rid of you," Clarisse smiled at Wilkes and Nan later that evening, "but I was wondering what your plans are for returning to New York City? You see, Joseph and I are thinking of going to Connecticut for Christmas to meet up with one of his friends. He invited us this afternoon. He just lost his wife a few weeks ago, so we would like to take him up on his invitation, provided you were not planning to stay here for Christmas. If so, we'll go in January."

"Aoww, we HAVE to be back at the Plaza for Christmas, for sure, sure, sure!" Nan said. "Eloise won't know what to do with herself without us, for Lord's sake!"

"Well, she probably can't do anything without YOU, Nan," Wilkes chuckled. "I believe there's something about decorating the Christmas tree with boxes and boxes of tinsel ... all the time singing and dancing ..."

Clarisse smiled as Nan's face reddened. "Like you were doing when you were decorating the ball room here with Charlotte. I've never forgotten how carefree and happy Charlotte looked then."

"Until she spotted us watching her," Wilkes nodded, his grin broadening. "Then you BOTH looked a little sick."

Nan dug her elbow into his side. "That's enough of THAT. You usually say much nicer things than that, Willy! Much, much, much! How attractive do you think that makes us sound?"

"You, my love, are very, very, VERY attractive ..." Willy hugged his wife who was still quite insecure around his 'high-class' friends, as she said herself. He dropped a quick kiss on her cheek as she smiled at him gratefully.

"What?" Queen Mia suddenly broke in. "Wait! I somehow MISSED this story! WHAT HAPPENED? Nan and ... and CHARLOTTE?"

Nan hid her face in her husband's broad shoulders while Clarisse recounted with glee seeing Charlotte, at Nan's instigation, draped in streamers, dancing crazily around the ball room singing loudly into a broom.

Mia listened with open mouth, then sighed lustily. "I miss EVERYTHING cool around here, it seems!" she grumbled, but her smile shone in her eyes. "I'd have LOVED to see Charlotte doing that ... AND her face when she saw you watching her! She usually so ... organized and business-like ... so, I don't know ... so CHARLOTTE!"

"Not with children," Nan put in shyly, smiling at the young queen. "That's why you put her in charge of the Children's Home. And she worked WONDERS with Eloise that time your grandmother ..." her voice died away. Oh my stars, stars, stars, she should NEVER have reminded Clarisse that she had had to call Charlotte to come help her when Nan was off enjoying herself with Willy! "I'm sorry ..." she began repentantly.

Clarisse, however, chuckled. "I am still astounded, Nan, that you can manage Eloise as well as you do. You made it look so easy! Yet I, who could quite easily run a country, could not stand to be the one in charge of that child without begging Charlotte to come all the way from Genovia to help me out of the mess I was in!"

"You would have been fine had Priscilla, Tom and I not gotten sick, Clarisse," Joseph reminded her. "But you had US to worry about on top of Eloise!" His eyes twinkled at her as he silently reminded her of how, before he got sick, they had struggled with their desire for each other while babysitting! After all, they had only been married a few months at that time, so were technically still on their honeymoon! Having a child around certainly could put a crimp in lovemaking!

"Someday, Grandma, I want to hear the WHOLE story ... but not now. Sebastian is coming with some forms to be signed. THEN I think we'll be done until January!" Mia got up and stretched, then gave Clarisse a quick hug and kiss. She blew a kiss to Joseph, waved at the other two and was gone.

"Doesn't Queen Mia want you here for her first Christmas?" Nan turned to Clarisse.

"As Joseph said, she should be allowed to start her OWN traditions. And she WILL have the rest of her family here. For years I have been tied down to all the holiday festivities here in Genovia, so I'm actually quite happy at the prospect of having some freedom for once during the holidays. But of course, if you were planning to stay ..."

"I think we should go home next week, Willy. Or is that too, too, too late?" Nan turned to Clarisse. "It will just be a week until Christmas then. If you would rawther we go earlier ..."

"I doubt I could be ready earlier. And we'll be going together on Genovia One, of course. Joseph's friend, Robert, said he would meet us at the airport in New York City. It's only a couple of hours' drive to his place from there." Clarisse instantly took charge. Joseph merely leaned back and grinned. He couldn't wait until Clarisse met his other old friend.

O o O o O o To Be Continued