A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- so glad that you are all enjoying it! It's quite fun to write about missing scenes...and don't worry, Clarisse and Joe won't be forgotten! LOL! Oh, and ''A Royal Journey' may be updated again very soon! We'll see.
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!
"Your Majesty? This is Helen Thermopolis."
"Helen? Please, call me Clarisse... is something wrong?"
"It's Mia..." In the confusion of the moment, Helen didn't use her daughter's full name when speaking to the Queen, but rather the name she had answered to for most of her life.
"Amelia?" the elegant, cultured English accented voice sounded momentarily surprised, even ruffled on the other end of the telephone line, much to Helen's surprise. "Is something wrong? Is she alright?"
"She's fine, nothing's wrong...exactly."
"Exactly? What do you mean?" the voice sharpened slightly.
"It's just that..." Helen hesitated- this was something she didn't want to say over the telephone, but since it seemed to be the only option at the moment, she had no alternative. "It's just that... Mia isn't too thrilled about your news..."
"She will have time to get used to it," Clarisse sounded confident. "She won't be Queen for a long time."
"That's the thing," Helen paused again, feeling even more awkward. "She made it quite clear that she has no intention of accepting the throne or... having any further contact with you."
"I see," Clarisse said after a moment. "Did she say that in so many words?"
"Not necessarily, but the meaning was clear... I tried explaining to her," Helen felt like an errant schoolgirl, explaining her misdeeds to the headmistress. "But she feels betrayed and definite about not wanting any part of the royal life...and it's not only you that she feels betrays her by not being in her life, but me as well, by not telling her that she was royal."
"What do you suggest we do now?" Clarisse didn't mean to sound icy, but she was now very worried- the future of the Genovian throne was in the hands of a fifteen year old girl! And she didn't even know about others who were trying to cause trouble and get their hands on the throne.
"Well...maybe you could come here, to our place and we could talk to Mia together," Helen paused again before adding: "I know you and I have had our differences in the past, but I'm sure that Mia would be a great Princess and... that her father would have wanted you two to become close."
"I'm sure he would have too," Clarisse said stiffly after a moment- she hadn't expected a phone call like this, but she was glad that Helen was letting her know what was going on with Amelia... Mia- Phillipe always used to call her that, she thought to herself with a pang, before she realized that Helen was still on the other end of the line.
"I'm sorry... alright, I will come to you... I have a meeting tomorrow at the Spanish consulate at nine thirty- would you like me to come over before she goes to school? About eight thirty?"
"Yes, I think that would be the best time... thank you, Your Majesty."
"Thank you for telephoning me to let me know about Amelia... and Helen?" she continued, a twinge of amusement in her voice.
"Yes?"
"Please... call me Clarisse."
0000000
When he heard of Clarisse and Helen's plan the following morning, Joseph heartily approved- he had expected that the young girl would be extremely upset and confused about what was happening, he was glad that the two of them were going to work together to ensure that Amelia was given a choice and say in the matter of her life- after all, she would be the one who would eventually rule the country, if she so desired.
He had never approved of the way Phillipe and Clarisse were forced to keep their distance from the child, but it had been Phillipe's request and Rupert had been so angry at the time, Clarisse hadn't dared to rock the boat, although he knew the distance had hurt her deeply.
"Did you still need me to be her chauffeur and babysitter?" he inquired as they walked out the front door of the consulate to the two waiting black limousines and Clarisse stopped to turn toward him.
"Yes, I would prefer that you protect her... I know your other men would do the job just as well...but I trust you," she emphasized the last word softly. "Please?" she looked at him with direct blue eyes, almost a little beseechingly, and he nodded.
"Of course, Your Majesty... but when she's in school or at home...?" he trailed off meaningfully.
"Yes, you will be MY chauffeur/bodyguard and babysitter," she said with a small smile before stepping off the step and walking towards the first limousine.
0
The reunion between the two women was somewhat awkward, both of them aware of the history between them and how that history was now affecting the present and could, possibly, affect the future.
"Where is Amelia?" Clarisse asked politely as she sat down at the kitchen table, trying not to show her concern about her only grandchild residing in a refurbished fire house, although she had to admit it looked clean and comfortable and seemed to be in an appropriate neighbourhood.
"She's just getting ready for school," Helen said as she hurried around the kitchen, turning on the jug, reaching for two mismatched mugs and setting them down on the bench, Clarisse trying not to wince when she saw teabags slipped into the mugs- teabags! "She won't be too long."
"Does Amelia know I was coming this morning?"
"No," Helen said after a moment, standing beside the table. "She was upset enough last night- I didn't want to mention it to her last night..."
"What about this morning? Surely she should have been told this morning?" Clarisse sounded a little disapproving.
"You haven't seen her in the morning- believe me, this is the best way...but she is aware that you want to establish a relationship with her and that I want that too, especially as you are her only living grandmother and one of her few relatives."
"Have your parents passed away?" Clarisse softened.
"Yes, years ago- so it's just been Mia and me for a long time."
"I AM sorry," Clarisse said sincerely, deeply sympathetic for her losses- Helen had been struggling on her own for sixteen years... if only she and Phillipe hadn't promised to stay away... "Why didn't you let Phillipe know? We could have assisted in some way..."
"We both know that Phillipe and Rupert wouldn't have allowed it...not that Phillipe didn't help in his own way, but he preferred that you left us alone...not that it's all his fault, I wanted that too," Helen added hastily as Clarisse raised an eyebrow in displeasure. "I know you would have helped but..."
"Your pride and Phillipe's stubborness and determination got in the way," her former mother in law said matter of factly. "I could never fight against his stubborness- he got that from his father... However, I DO appreciate you calling me last night and telling me about Amelia... and for allowing me the opportunity to come hear and explain my side of the story."
"YOUR side of the story?" Helen looked confused as she poured water into the mugs. "Milk? Sugar?"
"Milk, no sugar... Helen- I know that I wasn't part of my granddaughter's life, but I want to be now and not only for the sake of the future of Genovia... I DID want Amelia to have a normal life until she was 18."
"Really?"
"Really... but after..." Clarisse stopped abruptly, suddenly feeling a stab of grief. "But after the accident, I had to come to the conclusion that his daughter needed to know about her heritage and know that she is now, potentially, the Crown Princess and one day may be Queen of Genovia, if she chooses to accept this title."
"Queen..." Helen repeated in awe as she sat down opposite Clarisse, setting the mugs down on the table- she had always known it had been a possibility, a remote one, that if Phillipe had remarried and had other children, but now... it wasn't a distinct possibility, it was almost a reality. "Queen..."
"Yes, but only if she wants it... but I not only came to see Amelia, I also came to ask for your help and support- Amelia is going to need both of us, no matter which way she chooses..." Clarisse paused for a moment, wondering what Helen would say, if she would support her or not- they had hardly parted on the best of terms, the younger woman blaming her for the failure of her marriage to her son, and she couldn't possibly want her daughter being part of the life she had escaped from- but, to her relief and pleasure, Helen nodded soberly.
"Of course I'll help in any way I can... but I'm not going to push her into anything she doesn't want to do."
"I understand," Clarisse nodded approvingly. "That's what any mother would do- I wish I had done that more often," she added, eyes downcast.
"Phillipe appreciated everything you did for him, even if he didn't tell you...and, in retrospect, we did the right thing by splitting up- it wasn't your fault..." before she was suddenly struck by a thought- the previous night, after Mia had gone to bed, she had gone looking for the old photographs she had kept of Phillipe when they had been in college (and Mia had seen) and had gone through them, remembering the good times they had had...
Maybe seeing one or two of those pictures would cheer the older woman up- she still looked wonderful for her age, if not more youthful, but there was a sadness in her eyes that made Helen realize how much Clarisse had suffered.
"Actually... I have some old photographs of Phillipe when he was here for college- would you like to see them?"
"Yes please," Clarisse's eyes brightened at the thought.
Meanwhile, upstairs in her room, completely unaware of what was happening downstairs, Mia stared at herself at the mirror, well aware of how drab and unsophisticated she looked as compared with some of the other girls, before she heaved a heavy sigh and turned to her cat, saying:
"Well, Fat Louie, this is as good as it's gonna get!"
