Author's Note: Thank you to everyone for their lovely reviews- I'm really into writing this story, but don't worry, I won't forget about the other one either!

The Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot and Disney.

When she first heard the alarm early the next morning, Clarisse was tempted to throw a pillow at it or, better yet, throw a pillow at Joseph to shut it off for her. Why on earth had it been set for such an early hour, she complained quietly to herself as she rolled over to look at the clock. Still half asleep, she fuzzily squinted at the clock, and when she saw that it was 5:45, she groaned and buried her face into a nearby pillow. She then realised why she had set it so early- she, along with Mia, Charlotte, Sheila and Lily, were going to join the men camping!

She suddenly didn't feel sleepy anymore, and there was now a bubble of excitement in her stomach as she realised that, in a few hours, she would be seeing Joseph again! It was ridiculous, she said to herself as she turned onto her back, to feel as if she hadn't seen Joseph in days…but she was absolutely crazy for the man she had loved for a long, long time, and she didn't care who knew it! She grinned to herself as she stared up at the ceiling for a moment, the early morning light slowly beginning to creep in from the windows…she couldn't wait to see his face when she stepped out of the car. It had been rather difficult to keep the surprise from him the previous night- he was usually able to get any secret out of her, but she was grateful that they had been talking via phone…. However, it wouldn't be too long now, and it would be more than worth it when they saw each other!

She hadn't realised how much she would miss him while he was away- even if was only for a week- but, since they had spent almost all of their time together since their wedding the previous July, it was understandable. She smiled to herself- not only was she excited to see Joseph again, but she was also looking forward to the experience of camping…She had never been before, and she had definitely hadn't thought that she would ever go camping…Rupert and the boys had gone every summer for years, and while she hadn't been inclined to go along, it would have been nice to have an invitation extended to her…She had been invited once, by Phillipe- he had been 12 at the time, Pierre two years older….

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"Why don't you come with us, Mama? I'm sure we've got enough room for you," he had asked earnestly when she had come into his room for a brief visit. She had made it a rule that she spent some time with both boys every day, and she enjoyed the time, particularly with Phillipe, who was more like her than she realised…Pierre, on the other hand, was cooler and more distant (like his father), and preferred his privacy.

"Thank you, darling," she had said, gratified, looking into the blue eyes she knew and loved so well. "But I don't think I could survive in the wilderness for four days…"

"I'll help you," Phillipe said helpfully, and Clarisse chuckled softly. "Come on, Mama, it's going to be great fun…some of the security guys are going to try and see if they can build a big fire for us!"

His eyes glowed with excitement, and Clarisse smiled- she knew how much Phillipe loved these outings.

"Besides, we could spend some time together, just the four of us…we never do that anymore…Papa is always travelling," he finished with a wistful look.

Clarisse stared at him for a moment, astonished- even at 12, he was amazingly intuitive, and could sense that the family unit was falling apart…Rupert had been travelling a lot in the past few months and, when he was home, he didn't spend as much time with the boys as Clarisse did.

"I would have thought you would have been glad not to see your mother for a few days," she said teasingly, but Phillipe only shook his head.

"I'm not," he said firmly. "Please come," he begged her, and Clarisse sighed.

"I'll tell you what- when you come back, how about you and I go for a picnic into the woods one day…and you can invite your brother too!"

"He won't come," Phillipe said bluntly, as the knife twisted slightly into Clarisse's heart as she knew that it was true. "But I will," he added, smiling happily at Clarisse before he bounded over to give her a hug…

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Clarisse smiled fondly at the memory- he had always been such a kind and compassionate boy, and they had always been very close…His death, eight years ago, still hurt her in some ways, but time had dimmed the pain…not to mention the presence of both Mia and Joseph in her life…They, in their very different ways, had been the healing balm on the wounds in her heart, and she couldn't ever imagine what her life would have been like if neither of them had been there…

She shuddered, unable to picture the impossible but realizing that she was incredibly lucky in her life now, before glancing at her clock, and sitting bolt upright in bed- it was almost five past six, and they had agreed to meet in the hallway at 6:30! As much as she liked lying in, it was time to get a move on!

Fifteen minutes later, after a shower (and trying not to think that she wouldn't have another one of those for a few days), she sat down and had a cup of tea and a piece of toast. Her maids had brought in her breakfast earlier, and she didn't want to get hungry later. She had never been up this early, but she did like seeing the morning light creep into the room, making the dark room lighter by each moment. She had already dressed- she had thrown on some of Joseph's old clothes- a pair of his jeans (with a belt), one of her own shirts with one of his flannelette shirts over the top, and her sturdiest shoes.

After her brief breakfast, she couldn't resist glancing at her reflection in the mirror with a broad grin- she definitely didn't look like a Queen, especially when she put on one of her gardening hats…in fact, she almost didn't recognize herself…Joseph was going to have trouble recognising her…At the though of Joseph, she beamed happily at the thought of his surprised expression, before a quick glance at her watch told her that she was going to be late……


"Good morning!" she called cheerfully a few moments later as she walked easily down stairs, carrying her two bags of belongings, and smiling at the scene awaiting her. Charlotte and Sheila, dressed casually and looking very wide awake, were chatting near the doorway, their luggage was nearby as they turned to greet Clarisse. The younger generation, however, was a different story altogether. They had obviously managed to make it downstairs, but both were slumped in chairs, sleepily looking around, and not talking much. Clarisse almost laughed, but stopped short when she saw the amount of luggage that surrounded them….

"What on earth….," she began when she got to the bottom of the stairs as Charlotte walked over to take her bags from her, and Lily and Mia blearily waved a hand in her direction.

"Isn't it great to see how much our two young ladies are going to bring?" Charlotte said with a wry smile as she deposited Clarisse's luggage next to her own, and then rejoined Sheila and Clarisse, who were standing in front of the enormous pile of luggage.

Clarisse looked absolutely staggered- she had never imagined that the girls would pack so much….it was understandable for a foreign tour, but a simple camping trip! From what Joseph had told her, it seemed to be less would be better- she herself was relatively simple….but this, this really took the cake!

"So, you two, how much were you exactly intending on bringing?" she finally asked when she had recovered from her shock. Mia sat up in her chair, yawning, and looked at Clarisse with a smile.

"You never know what you're going to need!"

"You two are almost as bad as Scott- he took 4 bags, as compared to the average of two!" Charlotte retorted as Lily woke herself up, sitting up in her chair and looking around with a bewildered gaze.

"What's going on? Is it time to go already?"

"You surely can't be taking all of this, Amelia," Clarisse said as she slowly began picking her way through the bags of clothes, and Mia giggled before Clarisse, slightly disgusted at the amount of clothing her granddaughter was taking, stepped back and put her hands on her hips.

"No, you can't take all of this- this is simply preposterous!" she said firmly as Mia's eyes began to sparkle with mischief.

"How much are you taking?" she asked, slightly insolently as Clarisse exchanged an exasperated look with Charlotte. She had forgotten how cheeky Mia could be when she got out of bed too early. Mia was still waiting for an answer, her head cocked on one side, so Clarisse waved her hand in the direction of the other luggage, which also included three sleeping bags. Mia laughed

"You're taking all that- you're almost as bad as us, Grandma!"

"No, I'm taking two bags and a sleeping bag- the rest belongs to Charlotte and Sheila… Now," she said, taking a deep breath and surveying the scene again. "Are there some bags here that you don't need to take?"

"Yes…," Mia began slowly, a smile beginning to creep onto her face as she stood up and picked out two relatively small bags from the pile. "We knew it was way too much, but we couldn't resist teasing you…" she said with a cheeky grin at Clarisse, who stood there looking stunned for a moment.

"Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi Devereaux…."she began warningly, before the charming and beseeching look on Mia's face stopped her from continuing as she began to laugh. Trust Mia to do something like that!

"Well, now that we've sorted that out, I think we had better go," Charlotte said after a moment, and Clarisse walked over to retrieve her bags. Mia, who had been following her, stopped and surveyed her from head to toe.

"You look very outdoorsy this morning, Grandma! Do some of your clothes belong to Joe?"

"Of course, dear," Clarisse said calmly, walking out behind Sheila Motez. "You didn't think I was going to spend five days camping wearing suits and pearls, did you?" she looked back at Mia with an amused look, and Mia still looked surprised.

"You're always surprising me, Grandma," Mia said as they walked down the stairs and stood in front of a plain black 4WD standing in the driveway, with a small closed trailer attached.

'Funny…that's what Joseph says to me too," Clarisse said thoughtfully, giving Mia a small wink before looking at the car. "Are you sure we're all going to fit in this, Mia?"

"Yes- it's a seven seater I found in the garage, and I've made sure we can fit everything in here or in the trailer," she said as she threw her luggage into the trailer, and stood back to grin at Clarisse. Mia looked well, but Clarisse suddenly realised that maybe she should have not carried her luggage out….Mia seemed to read to her mind as she walked past.

"Don't worry, Grandma, I'm fine."

After they had packed all of their belongings and extra equipment (including groceries as, Lily pointed out, 'knowing the boys, they'll be out of food before we get there!'), they stood in front of the car, suddenly unsure what to do next….

"I'll drive- I know the way there," Charlotte volunteered, walking around to the driver's side while the other four continued to stand there.

"You sit in front, Grandma. Lily and I will be happy in the back," Mia said, climbing into the back seat, followed by Lily. Clarisse looked at Sheila, who smiled.

"I'll be fine in the backseat, Clarisse," she said easily, before following the other girls in, and shutting the door behind her.

Feeling rather awkward, Clarisse climbed into the front seat of the car, and instantly noticed the difference from the ground to where she was sitting.

"Goodness- imagine if I fell out!" she exclaimed, before shutting the door and putting her seatbelt on.

"Well," she said as she looked over at Charlotte, and back at the three in the back. "We're finally off on our trip!"

"The boys had better watch out!" Mia said with an excited laugh.

"Just don't rev the engine before we leave," Lily added with a slight smile, which started everyone off laughing- it was a good beginning to the trip!


Several hours drive away, the men had no idea of the plan or the surprise, but almost all of them were already up at dawn, itching to go fishing in the famous river.

"I wonder if Shades is coming," Kip said for the third time as they sat around the smoldering fire in their camp chairs, watching the sun lift higher into the sky, and waiting for the last member of the party to appear from his tent. Joe himself had been up for at least an hour, watching the sun rise from his rock, and thinking about Clarisse…..and how much he missed her….

It had been wonderful to talk to her the previous night, and the phone call had eased some of his feelings- he had felt that he shouldn't have gone- but she had enjoyed hearing his stories, and he knew that she would have told him off he hadn't gone.

"After all," she said with a smile as they finished packing his bags the night before he left. "You may get sick of spending all your time with me," she said teasingly, and Joe had taken her into his arms for a long kiss.

"As if I would ever do that….I would have done that a long time ago if I had," he joked, and she had laughed at his response.

"Besides- you know what they say: 'absence makes the heart grow fonder!"

Joe had thought about that as he had walked back to the campfire, and no one had questioned where he had gone or what he had done. Sebastian had the other three enthralled with his tale and, after listening for a moment, Joe realised that Sebastian had embellished the story slightly.

"So, did it really happen?" Nicholas asked, eyes wide, as they passed the coffee pot around.

"I think it did- it may have happened two hundred years ago, and most people don't believe it, but I think it was true," Sebastian said solemnly.

"It's my turn now," Shades said after a moment, putting his cup down on the ground, and moving closer to the fire. None of them even asked where he had been, although Nick had come up as Joe was disappearing into his tent, and whispered

"Everything work out okay?"

Joe silently gave him the thumbs up sign, before they both disappeared into their individual tents.

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"I think it would be better if we try and wake him up…we all know what young Scott is like in the morning," Joe said calmly, standing up and striding over to the closed flaps of Shade's tent.

He silently waved to the other three, and they stood on the other side of the tent, before they all shouted simultaneously:

"WAKE UP SCOTT!"

They chuckled quietly to themselves as they waited, listening for a noise, but there was only silence coming from the tent.

"We'll do it again, Scott!" Joe called into the tent and, after a pause, they heard a muffled voice (obviously he was buried in his sleeping bag) call out:

"Go Away!"

"Did you want to come fishing with us?" Sebastian asked.

"No thank you!" came the reply from the inner depths of the tent, and the four of them exchanged grins.

'Definitely not an early morning person," Joe said with a broad smile before they walked away.

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It was well over two hours later when they came back from the river to find Shades sitting casually in his chair, dressed and sipping a cup of coffee.

"Thank you so much for waking me up this morning," he said sarcastically when they leant their fishing rods against a tree, and walked over to the fire. "I really appreciated it!"

"Oh, so does that mean you want one tomorrow?" Joe inquired with a sly grin, and Shades shot him a look. "Obviously not," he added as he poured a cup of coffee and sat down it down next to his chair.

"Why on earth did you come then?" Nicholas asked with a puzzled look as he emerged from the food tent. "You knew we would be getting up early every morning to go fishing, or hiking."

"I didn't realise that you were going to do it every day- maybe every second day….but not every day!"

"It's part of the fun of camping- no alarm clocks to wake you up, and you can see a lot early in the morning…it's great fun out here!" Kip said with enthusiasm.

"And you missed some great fishing time this morning- although we didn't get anything," Joe said with a grin.

"Okay, maybe I'll make an effort tomorrow morning," Shades pretended to grumble, but they all knew he was joking.

"By the way, Joseph, I was meaning to ask you…where did you go last night?"

Joe, helping Nicholas cook bacon and eggs over the fire, almost jumped- he had hoped that no one would have asked him that question. He recovered quickly, however.

"I just went for a walk in the woods- as I said last night, I've heard Sebastian's story many times before, and I didn't need to hear it again," Joe said with a shrug, turning back to the fire.

"But why were you out there that long….wouldn't your torch batteries have worn out?"

Shades was being really persistent, and Joe rolled his eyes before turning back again. He had the funny feeling that Shades suspected something…but he also knew that Nicholas wouldn't have betrayed his confidence.

"As you could see, there was plenty of moonlight last night, so I didn't need it. I haven't been here for a while, and I just wanted to go for a walk, that's all…Enough with the questions Scott…you're beginning to sound like a private investigator," he said in a tone Shades knew not to cross.

After they had enjoyed a long, leisurely breakfast, Shades volunteered to wash up again, and Kip quickly joined him.

"I imagine Charlotte may appreciate this new skill of yours," Sebastian said with a teasing smile at Shades, who only grinned and continued washing up.

"So," he continued. "What are the plans for today?"

"Let's go for a hike or something…I'm sure there would be some spectacular views around here….and more fishing," Nicholas suggested happily. "It wouldn't be too cold to go swimming later, would it?"

"Probably not, but wait until about midday to do that!"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Joe said enthusiastically- he was planning on having fun, even though he missed Clarisse. As if he knew what Joe was thinking, Nicholas said wistfully

"I wonder what the girls are up to now?"

"Knowing them probably still in bed, living the life of luxury," Shades said as he tossed the washing water out. "Besides, we didn't come out here to wonder what they were doing…they could have come with us….this is our time!!"

"Anyway, we'd better get going if we're going for a hike, and then spend the rest of the day fishing," Sebastian said as he stood up, and Joe followed suit.


Meanwhile, on the road, Clarisse glanced back in the backseat and chuckled at the scene behind her- while Sheila was wide awake, and leaning forward to chat to the two in the front, both Lily and Mia were slumped in their seats, asleep, and cuddling their pillows.

"I don't think I'll ask them to get up early again," Clarisse joked gently as she turned back to face the front and Charlotte, after a quick look in the back, laughed as well.

"I thought they were both planning on going to bed early last night!"

"They did…or I know that Mia was planning on it," Clarisse said with a smile, suddenly remembering the conversation that had occurred last night…Mia and Nicholas were going to be parents, and she and Joe were going to be great-grandparents…She wanted to tell the two women, but she was sworn to secrecy…She couldn't wait to tell Joseph, though…..

Charlotte, busily concentrating on the road, threw a quick glance over at Clarisse, and wasn't at all surprise to see a happy and excited look on her face…it was abundantly clear that she was looking forward to seeing her husband again…Charlotte thought it was lovely and sweet that they were obviously so crazy about each other…she suspected that Clarisse was often perplexed at how intense her feelings for Joe were (and vice versa), but neither of them had considered the fact that their relationship had been founded on friendship, over many years, and they knew each other so well…and they were soul mates…..

"I guess you're looking forward to seeing Joe again," Charlotte said, well aware of how lame it sounded, and Clarisse laughed out loud.

"I think we all know the answer to that question, Charlotte…and how about you and Scott?" she turned to look at her inquisitively, and Charlotte shrugged casually, trying to pretend that it didn't matter either way to her.

"I suppose so…" but a quick look out of the corner of her eye told her that Clarisse didn't believe her. "How about you, Sheila?"

"Of course…I never imagined I would see Sebastian camping again, but I think he was really looking forward to this trip, and spending time with the others…."

"By the way," Charlotte added after a moment. "Is Mia alright- she's seemed rather pale and tired lately…I was just wondering if there was anything wrong with her?"

"I think she's just worn out from the past year- it's been a big year for her, and she hasn't had a decent rest in a long time," Clarisse said easily, hating the fact that she was lying to two of her closest friends, but she had promised Mia…. Just as she was speaking, Mia stirred and woke up.

"I'm starving…can we please stop somewhere before we get there?" she asked, sitting up in the seat, and elbowing Lily in the ribs.

"That sounds like a good idea, Mia," Clarisse said, suddenly realizing that it had been several hours since her piece of toast, and she was dying for a good cup of tea.

"Did you want me to drive the rest of the way, Charlotte? Sheila asked from the backseat as they drove into the parking lot of a small restaurant. "I'm sure that it isn't that much further…"

"Only about another half an hour or so, but I'll be okay…I'm not driving back, though!"

"I suppose we'll have a choice of drivers," Lily said thoughtfully as they all climbed out of the car. As she was doing so, Clarisse was struck by an idea.

"I don't suppose you would like to swap seats with me when we leave again, Sheila? I have just had a wonderful idea of how I'm going to surprise Joseph!"


"I don't think I'll be going on another hike for a while," Sebastian groaned, collapsing into his chair, and bending to rub his feet. They had been on an hour and a half long hike, and were planning on moving onto the river for fishing after they had a rest.

"That was quite a steep climb!"

"But the view was amazing, wasn't it?" Nicholas said as he sat down and stretched his legs out. "I wish I had seen that view before….it was great! I could do that again!"

"If you do, leave me out," Joe said good naturedly, sitting down in his chair and rubbing his knees- they were slightly sore, but not as bad as he had expected….in fact, he wouldn't mind doing another hike like that while they were there. It was just the heat, which was steadily rising, that had tired him out.

"And not another word, Scott!" he added as he could tell that Shades had thought of a quick retort.

"I wasn't going to say a thing!" he protested with a smile, before bringing over a bottle of water for Joe. He was just about to hand it to him when he was distracted by a black 4WD that was approaching their camping area. "I wonder what they're doing?"

"Don't tell me that some other people have had this idea too!" Nicholas groaned from the ground. "I was just enjoying the peace….now more people are just going to spoil it!" he complained as he slowly stood up, stretching his arms high into the sky.

"You don't think there could have been an emergency, could you?" Sebastian said uneasily, and Nick looked panic-stricken as Joe felt uneasy, but no one had the chance to reply as the front passenger seat door, that was facing them, opened and out bounced….Queen Mia herself!

"Mia!" they all said in disbelief, as Mia beamed happily around at the group, pleased at the reaction.

"Surprise!" she said with a giggle before she raced over and literally threw herself into Nick's arms. The other four watched enviously before they realised that the back passenger door had opened too, and out climbed Lily and then Sheila Motez.

"Lily?" Kip croaked happily as Lily, smiling shyly, walked slowly over to him.

"Sheila?" Sebastian, in shock, slowly rose to his feet before Sheila made her way over to him. Joe and Shades looked enviously at the three happy couples for a moment before another figure appeared in their peripheral vision, and they all turned to see Charlotte, walking around from the driver's side, grinning at them all.

"Charlotte?" Scott said, obviously dumbstruck (which was a rare occurrence for him, Joe thought with a smile), as Charlotte giggled at him before running over. Joe looked back eagerly at the 4WD, but there was no beaming Clarisse standing there for him, so he sank down into his chair, envious and a little sad.

"Mia, didn't Clarisse come with you all?" he asked, knowing it was already true, but wanting to know what Mia had to say. Mia and Nick finally managed to tear themselves apart, and Mia was beaming happily at him as she turned to face Joe, her smile fading slightly.

"She sent her love…I'm sorry, Joe," she said softly.

"Oh," Joe said, trying not to look or sound disappointed, but he was…and seeing the others look so happy wasn't helping. The happy butterflies in his stomach disappeared, to be replaced by a sinking feeling….It didn't matter, he told himself, he was calling her tonight…

"Actually Joe, there's a carton in the back passenger seat on the drivers side…I was wondering if you could get it for us….we figured that you all would have needed more food," Mia joked gently, and Joe rose from his seat with a brave smile.

"It would be my pleasure, Mia," he said mildly, trying not to look as devastated as he felt…

He walked slowly around the front of the car, his head slightly down, but as he stopped at the point where he was meant to open the back door, there was someone standing there….

He looked up slowly, noting his jeans and flannelette shirt, and he began feeling hopeful again… could it be…. before meeting the beaming smile and sparkling blue eyes of his wife….his beloved Clarisse had come!

"Clarisse," he finally managed to say…this was a dream…she couldn't be here, standing right in front of him….she didn't like doing outdoor activities…was he so disappointed that he had managed to hallucinate….?

"Hello darling….surprise!" Clarisse said shyly, her cheeks glowing a bright pink as she looked at him happily…Maybe she shouldn't have surprised him like that- he had so disappointed when Mia had fibbed to him…and even hurt…and she didn't want to hurt him for anything in the world…

However, she was delightfully surprised as he strode silently over to her and, not caring that his knees still twinged slightly and his feet were blistered, lifted her off her feet, his face buried in her neck, smelling her sweet scent…It wasn't a dream…she was really here….!

"Joseph!" she squealed happily, a little startled at the gesture, and he put her down after a moment and wrapped his arms around her for a tight bear hug. He only pulled away for a moment to look into her face, as if to make sure that it was true….

"You came!" he murmured softly, and she smiled happily at him, loving the look of joy on his face…it had been just as she had imagined, only better…he had missed her as much as she had missed him….

"Of course I came…I want to try camping, but, more importantly…I wanted to see you… I've missed you so much…."

"I've missed you too," he managed to murmur before he kissed her long and passionately…he had really, truly missed her….

"I'm sorry I got Mia to fib to you," she said when they surfaced for air. "But I wanted to really surprise you…and I wanted our reunion to be a little private…I hope I didn't disappoint you too much, or hurt you…."

"I was slightly disappointed that I thought you hadn't come," he admitted, and her eyes instantly became remorseful. "But, don't forget- you could never disappoint or hurt hem," he said huskily as he kissed her hair, and then her neck.

"But if you think I was either of those, I forgive you…all that matters is that you're here…" before he moved in for another kiss.

"I love you," she whispered softly, and he beamed happily at her.

"I love you too…and," he said as he pulled away and gave her a long look, enveloping her from head to toe. "I notice that you're wearing some of my clothes…."

"I thought it would be better…"she began apologetically before he put his finger on her lips.

"I was just about to say that you look fantastic in them…even better than me, I would say!"

"Thank you sir," she pulled away to give him a curtsey, before Joe pulled her close again. Now that she was here, he wasn't going to let her go… "But," she added with a smile. "I do believe that we have an audience, despite my best intentions," she said and Joe turned around to see that the other four couples were standing there, grinning happily at them.