As usual, the Princess Diaries and characters don't belong to me- they belong to Disney. The story line is my idea and I may rework it eventually.

The night was cold, but clear as they climbed to the top of a slope just a little way away from the palace.

"I don't know how many times I can do this," Clarisse puffed as they reached the top. "Now I know why I don't do this anymore."

They stood for a few moments, catching their breath, and looking down at the palace grounds. The palace was almost dark, except for a few lights on in what Clarisse knew was Rupert's suite, and everything was very quiet.

"Just the two of us," she breathed before climbing onto the toboggan, Joseph sitting behind her.

"Ready?" he asked, and she suddenly felt a little nervous.

"I don't know…." but he interrupted her.

"3, 2, 1…" and he pushed them off, and Clarisse couldn't resist a small squeak as they literally flew down the slope. She leaned back onto Joe, and he put an arm around her, making her feel safe. They came to a stop at the bottom of the slope, and Clarisse hopped out.

"Let's do it again!"
"I thought you said you didn't think you could do that too many times, Your Majesty."
"I changed my mind," she beamed at him, her eyes sparkling and cheeks glowing, as he thought that she had never looked more beautiful, or free, as she did now.

"As Your Majesty commands," he bowed to her, and they began the next trek up the slope. They did it several times, before Clarisse sat down in the snow after their sixth descent, declaring

"I don't think I could do that again," as Joe joined her on the ground. She was suddenly struck by a thought. "Weren't you supposed to meet your Santa at midnight?"
"I have," and he looked at her significantly as she blushed.

"How did you know it was me?"
"I've known almost from the beginning- the flowers, the packages- by the way, thank you for the cushion, although I think you need it more than me…" he joked as she pushed him sideways into the snow. "And the scarf, gloves and jacket- didn't you recognise them on me?" He stood up and turned slowly, as Clarisse suddenly recognised the items she had had Charlotte purchase for her. "Although I don't think it was fair that you made me wait till Christmas Eve to open them."
"You did that same thing to me," Clarisse retorted, standing up and brushing the snow off her. "But I didn't know you were mine until you knocked on my door tonight!" He laughed.

"It's time for ice skating now!"
"Where? We don't have a pond- or at least I don't think we do!"
"There is a little pond just a little way from here- I hope you don't mind walking."

"You could pull me in the toboggan," she teased, and he just grinned.

"Let's go."

It wasn't too far a walk to the pond, as the moonlight shone on the frozen ice as they sat down on the log and put on their skates.

"I haven't been skating for year," Clarisse warned Joe as, hand in hand, they walked out onto the ice.

"Don't worry, I've spent the last couple of days practicing so I could help you."

He took her gloved hands in his and, for a moment, she could hardly breathe. "Follow me." Slowly and cautiously, Clarisse skated a little across the ice, holding on tightly to Joseph's hands.
"There you go, you're doing well," he encouraged as they made their way to the centre of the small pond. "Do you think you could do it on your own?"
"I think so…did you bring that cushion with you?" she asked worriedly, before letting go of his hands and slowly moving forward. "I did it! I haven't forgotten!" she called back to him as she sped up a little, and he skated easily beside her. "This is wonderful, Joseph!"
"Be careful," he warned as she sped up, and suddenly slipped and fell on her back. "Clarisse! Are you alright?" he shouted, skating towards her and bending down once he reached her.

"I'm f-fine," she chuckled as she took hold of his arm. "It's just this ice that's freezing…"

She was almost back on her feet again, thanks to Joe's support, before she fell again, this time taking Joe with her. For a moment, they just sat on the ice and laughed.
"What a pair we are!" she giggled as they slowly got up and tried to make their way back to the snow covered shore. "Mia would be in hysterics if she saw us now! Are you sure this ice is safe enough?" she looked around her.

"Very safe-and thick- I had three other security men down practicing with me," Joe replied as he helped her sit back on the log, and then sat beside her. She looked at him in astonishment.

"Three men? Really? No wonder I couldn't find many of you the other day," and then laughed as they looked out onto the pond. Joe took her hand in his, and she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"This place is so beautiful, Joseph. I can't imagine how you managed to keep it a secret."
"It wasn't easy…" and then he trailed off as he watched her. The moonlight made her features glow, and she seemed to radiate an inner calmness that he had seen in her most of the time. It just seemed to be, in the moonlight, more pure. She turned to him when she noticed he had stopped talking.

"What are you looking at?"
"Do you know how beautiful you are- especially in the moonlight?"
"Dear Joseph," she brushed her palm on the side of his face. "You are blind."

"No I'm not," he moved closer on the log to her, so that they were almost touching. "You are a beautiful woman- and you need someone to tell you that at least once every day."
"She looked at him in astonishment, but also tenderly. His presence was making her feel dizzy, and she could hardly breathe as he tipped her chin up, and kissed her. It was only a gentle kiss, but it electrified both of them. When they broke apart, she looked at him dreamily for a moment, and then leaned forward to kiss him again.

"Clarisse, I…"he began, but Clarisse put a gloved finger to his lips.

"Joseph, I love you. I've loved you for a long time, but I didn't know how I could tell you, or whether it was right for me to love someone as much as I love you. After all, I was married to a beloved Genovian King and, although we grew fond of each other, it wasn't like this!" Joe gave her a long, tight bear hug, and then kissed her again.

"I've loved you from the moment we met, when you were 16 and I was 18, and that's never changed, although I love you more now…"
"Oh Joseph," she had tears in her eyes. "You are such a wonderful man- I don't know how I could deserve anyone like you."

"You deserve the best of everything in the world, Clarisse- all the jewels and money in the world…." She stopped him with another warm, sweet kiss.

"I do have the best," she said matter of factly. "And I don't want any of that anymore- I had it since I was 18 years old, and it doesn't matter anymore. All that matter is this," she kissed him on the cheek. "And all the simple things I like to do, Mia and you. That's all I want."

They sat in silence for a time, kissing and cuddling close when Joseph glanced at his watch.

"Do you realise that it's been Christmas for an hour?"

"Really?" Clarisse sat up straight and squinted at his watch. "One o'clock! I could stay up all night…. actually, its time for your other surprise now."
"Oh?" Joe looked intrigued as she took his hand and they stood up together.

"Yes, only it's back in my suite, so…. but this was wonderful, Joseph, absolutely wonderful." She looked around at the pond, and the snow, cherishing the moment. "We should do this again next Christmas- I won't have anything on my agenda then."
"You've got a deal, Clarisse," and, after kissing one more time, they began the slow trek back to the palace, hand in hand.