A/N: thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!
The plane trip seemed to pass by far more quickly than Clarisse had expected and hoped, and while there was a slight delay in going through Customs at Heathrow (although they were soon hurried through when someone realized who they were), the two hour drive flew by just as fast but Clarisse was distracted from the imminent separation momentarily by the stories Joseph was regaling his sons with from HIS time at school.
"I hope you're not giving them any ideas," she reproved gently after hearing about the time when he, James and Charlie had snuck out of their dormitory, raided the main refrigerator and then went swimming in a nearby lake. "No wonder your mother despaired of you at times."
"I wasn't a bad boy all the time," he protested before looking back at the boys with a small smile. "However, you two, I'm only telling you these stories as entertainment, not as a source of ideas..." he said ternly, looking at both of them although he sensed Phillipe would be more likely to try something. "Pranks are alright at home, with us, but here..."
"We'll be good, Papa," Phillipe said innocently, but there was a mischievious twinkle in his eyes that worried Joseph slightly but he knew he couldn't quench the same irrepressible spirit that Phillipe had (and he wouldn't want to and neither would Clarisse), taking after his father yet again.
"Hmm..." was all he said in reply before Pierre broke in, looking excited as he pointed out the limousine window and the other three turned to see the large, imposing, moss covered building, surrounded by six or seven other smiliar sized buildings, all growing larger as the car drove down the long driveway and again, even with a twinge of sadness, Clarisse was impressed.
She and Joseph had flown over for a private tour of the school in May, and the campus was extremely impressive- home to nearly two hundred boys from ten to eighteen and from all different families, cultures and lifestyles, the school was well over 200 hundred years old and covered just about ever subject, sport and hobby, and the teachers seemed pleasant and well educated.
They both knew Pierre and Phillipe would be happy there and would have opportunities they wouldn't have had back at their former school, and Joseph was adamant that they would be known as Pierre or Phillipe, simply to avoid them being made different and subject to teasing.
"Looks pretty good, doesn't it?" Joseph commented in the silence and both boys beamed at him.
"It looks great!" Phillipe cried enthusiastically before freezing when the car came around the corner to park near the main building and they saw a large crowed of blue blazered, khaki trousered boys and their parents milling around with their luggage, an enormous pile that was growing smaller as suitcases and trunks were taken inside.
"What's going on?"
"It looks like it's the first day of school for a lot of other boys," Clarisse observed quietly. "Hopefully we'll see Uncle James and Patrick- he's starting too."
Both she and Joseph had hoped to arrive in a discreet manner and slip inobtrusively into the crowd, but the early arrival of their bodyguards and their car with the Genovian flags on the front put paid to that, and Clarisse could feel the stares burning into her as Joseph helped her out of the car, the boys bounding out afterwards, but she pretended to ignore the scrutiny as the headmaster walked over to greet them and introduce himself to the boys.
It was only after that, when the headmaster had moved on, that they spotted James, Lisa and Patrick, and while the boys huddled together, their parents did the same- it hadn't failed Clarisse's noticed that most of the parents around them were slightly to considerably older than them... surely SHE wasn't the only one who had had her first baby at 23?
"There are a few more couples who are around our age," James explained when Clarisse voiced her realization. "Some of our school friends have sons going here, but they might be coming later... but Patrick has been so excited about coming here, he hasn't slept for the past three nights- how about Pierre and Phillipe?"
"Just as bad, if not worse than Patrick," Joseph grimaced ruefully- they had been more than a little excited in the week leading up to today, so much so that Phillipe had picked fights with all his sisters and, during a soccer game that somehow never made it outside, a vase got broken... thankfully, it hadn't been Alexandra's but a wedding present to the boys parents from someone neither of them liked, but they had known they shouldn't have played inside- so he was more than a little relieved that the day had finally arrived, although he too would miss them just as much as their mother.
He, Clarisse, James and Lisa stayed for a couple of hours to settle the boys in and go on another tour with them- thus winding the boys up again- but soon it was time for the parents to leave so that the boys could really settle in, and the headmaster, in an unusual move but knowing who they were, allowed Joseph and Clarisse to say farewell to their sons in his study.
"You two... learn a great deal and be good," Clarisse said bravely as she embraced the boys individually, taking care not to cling too long, but Phillipe and Pierre did that instead. "Especially you, P," she teased her younger son gently and he grinned up at her mischieviously.
"I'll try Mama," he vowed. "But it's hard sometimes..."
"It is," Joseph empathisized. "However, we both know you can be good on occasion, so you need to try, P..."
"Why aren't you telling this to Pierre too?" Phillipe complained.
"Because he knows how to behave, despite his occasional bouts of naughtiness," his father said pointedly before giving his eldest son an affectionate grin.
Despite the months she had been preparing herself for this moment, telling herself over and over that the boys needed a good education and they would be home for holidays, Clarisse still found it a wrench to leave them, after briefly hugging them both again on the main steps, and climb into the limousine after Lisa, both women watching the school until the car turned the corner and disappeared from view.
"Charlie will be jealous," James spoke up in an effort to change the mood."He's only got three daughters so he will never have to send them to boarding school, thus he'll miss the opportunity to drop them off in a royal limousine!" he finished with a grin and both men laughed but neither of their wives did; in fact, while Lisa looked mournfully out the window, Clarisse looked pensive, having realized something else- while she felt miserable at leaving her two precious sons at school, she and Joseph still had three daughters who would be going to school in Genovia, but James and Lisa still had two sons to send to school, and she didn't think she could do THAT again.
It was at times like these, days that were emotionally draining for her, that she wished, not for the first time, that she hadn't married into the royal family... not that she hadn't married Joseph, she couldn't imagine being with anyone else, but that that they were, instead of reigning monarchs, a normal, low key couple, able to lead a normal life and their children were able to attend regular schools and not be constantly watched and protected, and it again made her realize that no matter how hard they tried to make sure the children experienced normality and a regular routine, they weren't normal, they were royal, and that would never change...
It was dark when Joseph and Clarisse arrived back at the palace, both emotionally drained and missing their sons terribly, and while Joseph had planned to spend the evening quietly with Clarisse and the girls, he was dismayed to discover his private assistant was waiting with paperwork- there was a session of parliament the following morning, and Joe had initially thought he would be home in time to do it that afternoon, but it hadn't happened.
"It's alright dear," Clarisse said with a tired smile when he turned to her to explain. "I was planning on having an early night anyway..." before she kissed him lightly on the cheek and turned towards the stairs, leaving Joe wondering if she was upset with HIM that the boys had had to go to boarding school...
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The palce was unusually quiet the following day after the twins went to school and Joseph had left for his session of parliament as Clarisse sat at her desk and tried to look through the paperwork she had to do that day, although she wasn't in the mood. She had wandered past the boys suite earlier in the morning, as she had headed downstairs to do some work, and now she was feeling rather lost and distracted, feelings she knew were ridiculous, but she couldn't help it... she missed them...
"Mama, Mama!" suddenly came from the doorway and she looked up to see Emily running in, Shelley at her heels. "Can we go for a walk?" she asked excitedly, running around the desk and throwing herself into her mother's lap. "Nanny said I shouldn't bother you..."
"You're not bothering me, sweetheart," Clarisse said gently, stroking her daughter's soft wavy brown hair. "I think a walk would be a splendid idea- we could go and visit your tree..." she added as she stood up and Emily beamed up at her before skipping happily towards the door, Clarisse and Shelley following behind.
They were almost at the balcony doors opening out to the stone steps leading down to the garden, when the mother-daughter duo heard the clearing of a throat behind them and Clarisse turned to see Jack standing there.
"Going somewhere without your security detail?" he asked sternly, but his eyes were twinkling so Clarisse knew he was only half serious.
"Emily and I were planning on going for a walk in the garden- would you like to join us?" she asked politely, not bothering to ask how he had known they were about to disappear outside, she already knew that it was thanks to the recently installed closed circuit camera system Joseph had, on the advice of his head of security, had installed to, as he had explained to Clarisse, "ensure the continued safety of our family."
She hadn't liked it or the thought of them seeing them anywhere, but when Joseph had insisted it was a necessary precaution but there would be no cameras in their bedroom or the children's, and she had reluctantly acquiesced.
"I'd be delighted," he said formally before he followed them outside and down the stone steps. "Where are we going?" he asked as Emily and Shelley scampered ahead, and Clarisse turned back to him with a smile.
"We're going to visit Emily's tree- it was my idea," she replied before continuing. "You know, you can walk beside me now... we're out of view of the cameras..."
"I'd like that," he replied before he stepped smartly up to stand beside her, pleased that she had suggested it- it was an indication that she trusted him. They had been walking together like this, side by side, for four years now, and while he knew it was strictly against protocol- they were there to protect, not befriend- he couldn't help but enjoy her company and her friendship... and they WERE friends, although neither of them would ever acknowledge it.
But the day she had asked him to walk beside her had been, for him, a momentous step in their relationship, and it had given him hope that maybe, one day, she could choose him...
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It was a beautiful early April morning when Her Majesty requested him to accompany her on her usual walk around the garden. She hated asking, preferring to go on her own but both Joe and Jack had reminded her that she was Queen and needed to be protected at all times, especially now, when she was six months pregnant.
"How are you feeling this morning, ma'am?" he asked politely when they met in the main foyer and she sighed, but he could see that she was still glowing and still thoroughly enjoying her pregnancy- she looked beautiful.
"Fine- a little tired, but I really want to stretch my legs and wake up... I don't need to fall asleep at the moment!"
"A walk will stretch your legs out and keep you awake," he said politely before he followed her down the hall and out the double glass doors.
She was a little slower than normal as she strolled along the path, but Jack didn't mind- it gave him more time to spend with her and he was pleased at the though, before he realized she had stopped and turned to look at him.
"Ma'am? Are you alright?" he asked in concern and she smiled.
"I'm fine... I was just wondering if you could do me a favour..."
"Of course... although I'm not leaving you alone," he teased.
"No, not that... I was wondering... would you like to walk beside me rather than behind me? I feel so foolish walking ahead of you and talking back to you. I know protocol insists you have to walk behind me, but..." she trailed off, looking vulnerable and Jack smiled, trying to hide how thrilled he was that she had taken the iniative, and he could actually walk beside her like her family and friends did, with her permission. It really was a big step for her to take and possibly a turning point in their friendship...one day, maybe...
"I'd like that," he said and made the short step up to stand beside her, the two of them smiling bashfully at each other for a moment before they continued their walk.
"By the way," she said after a few minutes, stepping again to turn to him. "I owe you an apology..."
"You owe ME an apology? What for?" he was surprised.
"When I was in hospital after... after..."
"I know when," he said gently, knowing exactly when she was referring to- when she had lost the baby.
"Anyway...I know I asked you several impertinent questions about your marital status and private life and I just wanted to apologize- I shouldn't have pried."
"You weren't prying," he said quietly. "I was glad to distract you in anyway I could, so I didn't mind."
"Thank you," she said after a moment before, to his surprise, she reached over and squeezed his hand. "I appreciate what you were trying to do..."
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"You look thoughtful," he suddenly heard her voice break into his thoughts and he turned to see her watching him with an amused expression. "Penny for your thoughts?"
"Nothing very interesting... I was just thinking of how many walks we've gone on in the past few years..."
It was only a minor fib but he didn't want to look like a fool in front of her by admitting what he had really been thinking about, but she didn't seem to be watching him too closely as she frowned pensively, considering his words.
"I'd never thought about that, whether with you or Joseph... it's an interesting question..."
She enjoyed her walks with Jack- her walks were a means of escaping the palace and official responsibilities while getting exercise and fresh air, if only temporarily- and while he wasn't her favourite companion (Joseph was) but he was intelligent, easygoing and she felt comfortable with him (he had been wonderful duing her pregnancies with the twins and Emily), to the extent that she considered him a friend. It was a blurring of the boundaries slightly, but she liked him and trusted him...
"We've probably gone around these gardes so many times- maybe ten to twenty kilometres," she said after a moment's consideration as they reached their destination- the area where the six special tress were planted, Emily and Shelley were already there- and Clarisse sank down on the garden bench with a sigh.
"That's a lot of walking."
"Not to mention your duties when you're on your feet for hours... no wonder you're so slim, I don't know how healthy it would be!" he remarked before stopping in horror, realizing he may have gone too far, especially seeing her blush and look down at her hands. "Ma'am... I'm sorry, so sorry, I shouldn't have said that!" he said immediately afterwards and she looked up at him with a slight smile.
"It's alright, it's fine... it's nice to know our bodyguards care about us personally as well as your monarchs and bosses."
"Of course we care," he said, speaking on behalf of his colleagues as well as himself. "We do see you as people as well as King and Queen... that's why most of us became bodyguards- to protect as well as work with people and establish relationships."
"How long have you been working here?" she asked curiously- she hadn't thought about it until now, but now that she had, she realized that there probably were bodyguards who had been been at the palace for years. "I've been so self absorbed for years, but now you've got me wondering..."
"You haven't been self absorbed, you have a job to do... anyway, I've been here for nearly fifteen years, training for a year and then assigned to the palace when you and His Majesty announced your engagement- I was the part of the team that was around you when you had your first press conference... and then I became part of the team that protected you, His Majesty and your family."
"Really?" Clarisse looked surprised- she hadn't realized he had been there that long, and protecting her, but she had been so wrapped up in Joseph that she hadn't thought of anything beyond them.
"I didn't see you around..."
"You weren't meant to see us," he replied teasingly, but before he could say anything more, Emily called out to her mother and Clarisse went to join her, forgetting the conversation completely, but Jack didn't- in fact, he was again remembering the moment he had first set eyes on Clarisse...
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The palace had been buzzing for days over the announcement of Prince Joseph's engagement to Lady LeRoche- there had been rumors of a romance between them, especially when Rupert had been away, but they had been discounted as no one would dare anger the King and Queen, but suddenly... they were engaged to be married!
Not only did the speed and intensity of their relationship surprise the staff, but the fact that it was JOSEPH getting married, not his older brother- and to the young woman who had been selected by the Crown Prince as his future bride!
Most of them thought that the marriage would last, romance wise, six months, although they all knew that divorce wasn't an option- "like that would stop our party boy prince!"- one of them joked a little nastily as they went over the preparations for the first official photo opportunity with the prince and his fiancee, and there were a few titters of agreement around the room before the King's Head of Security silenced the room with a quelling look.
"Enough! You are disrespecting a Prince of Genovia and his fiancee, and I won't be pleased if I hear any of this again!"
Suitable chastened, the security team settled down again but Jack was among the group who were cynical about the marriage- in the fifteen months he had been working at the palace, he hadn't see much of the prince, but he had heard the rumours and he had his doubts about the marriage lasting long, unless the girl was willing to close her eyes to his indiscretions (he assumed that he wouldn't change)... and the girl wouldn't be too clever if she did...
However, his attitude changed completely when he caught a look at the Prince and his fiancee as they came downstairs hand in hand before their photo opportunity.
He was surprised to see Joseph looking so happy, so relaxed and so grown up- maybe it WAS true that he had turned his life around and was now acting like a Prince of Genovia (his team could certainly vouch for that)- but he was more than a little stunned when he set eyes on the prince's future wife, whom Joseph was smiling at adoringly- she was gorgeous!
She looked younger than he, if only slightly, and seemed so innocent, radiant and pure- particularly when she returned her future husband's smile with equal affection, neither of them noticing the ever present bodyguards as they stood near the door minutes later, whipser and giggling, Joseph's arm never leaving it's position of being wrapped around her waist...
Maybe it really was love and maybe the second prince had changed... but he knew that he was envious of the younger man- his future wife, the future Princess of Genovia, was so beautiful... she was going to be a definite asset to the royal family...
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"We should go back," he suddenly heard her say and his vision focused to see her standing in front of him, holding Emily's hand, and he was grateful that she hadn't realized that he had been daydreaming.
"I feel so much better- a walk in the garden is definitely the best tonic for me... thank you," she smiled warmly at him and he was suddenly seized with another surge of jealousy, a surge he managed to contain as he smiled back at her.
"Anytime, Your Majesty, anytime," he said calmly and they started off back towards the palace, Shelley running ahead of them, before Clarisse turned to him with a shy smile.
"Maybe next time... you could call me Clarisse, but only when we're alone," she suggested and he literally beamed inside, although he kept his true feelings at bay with a warm smile back at her.
He couldn't believe it, this was actually happening- she was finally opening up to him, trusting him and considering him a friend as well as a bodyguard and maybe, one day, he could give her the choice of him over Joseph...
Thinking that, he failed to take into account her responsibilities as Queen, Joseph's wife and a mother of five- it briefly crossed his mind, but he discounted it with a shrug, it didn't matter to him, he didn't care... all that mattered was her... maybe, one day, they could be together...