AN: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed or put me on their favorite lists. I really appreciate it. Every time I see a new notice or review in my email box, it makes me want to get writing my different stories immediately. Anyway, as always, I don't own the characters, and any mistakes you see are because even though I write for a living, when you're so familiar with something, it's hard to see the mistakes you make. In any case, enjoy!


Mia paused just at the side entrance leading out of the palace, her hand clasped tightly in Nicholas's. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea."

Nicholas turned back to her, looking across the threshold at her, his blue eyes deep and earnest. "Mia?"

"It's just…I don't want to disappoint you."

Nicholas stepped closer to her. "First of all, that's not possible. Secondly, they're going to love you."

Mia shook her head. "You haven't seen your friends in nearly two months, Nicholas. You should spend sometime with them first before you throw your girlfriend at them." She grimaced. "Not to mention the hoards of paparazzi that will be sure to find us at some point."

"Mia, I told you before that everything is going to be fine. Brett and Myra are going to love you. They were the ones that told me I should bring you out tonight."

"Yeah?"

He nodded. "Plus, we're going to do everything we can to keep the photographers away, right? Lionel will be there."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, that makes me feel so much better."

Nicholas chuckled, conceding the point. "Don't worry, okay? I'll right there next to you."

Mia took a steadying breath and nodded, stepping outside. "Okay. I don't know why I'm so worried. We've talked the situation to death. I'm just nervous about meeting your friends, I guess, more than I thought."

"It's fine. Really." Nicholas moved around her to open the passenger side door for her.

Mia shook her head and paused between the car door and the car itself, looking back at him, a serious look in place on her face. "No, its not. I feel like I'm being unfair to you the way I'm acting. I know I'm being irrational…"

Nicholas cut her off with a brush of lips across her own. "No, you're not, Mia. You're still getting used to your role as Queen and what it means." He gave her a gentle push down onto the seat, making sure she didn't hit her head, and then he leaned over the still open door to smile down at her. "In any case, I'm here to kiss some sense back into you."

He shut the door on her laughter, and she watched through the tinted windows as he circled the car to climb in on his own side. She said nothing as he started the engine; instead she simply reached over to take his hand in her own as he rested it on the center console.

Mia was quiet as he drove through the palace gates, her gaze focused on the car's side mirrors and the reflection of the few cars of photographers that always seemed to be parked outside the main entrance. She released a small breath when she saw that none of them followed their car, and for the first time, she felt like maybe tonight wouldn't be a total loss. Apparently, they'd become used to seeing Nicholas's comings and goings off the palace grounds.

She'd been preoccupied all day thinking about their upcoming date. For all intents and purposes, it was their first "public" date, having grabbed a handful of dinners and lunches together inside the palace since that first much-needed date two weeks after her coronation. A month later, she felt somewhat more comfortable in her role as Queen, although the amount of work and attention that fell on her shoulders was still mind-boggling.

Nicholas had suggested maybe meeting his friends, and she'd blithely agreed before he'd mentioned the fact that he wanted to leave the grounds. She had no problems going into the city and doing her work as Queen. She did, after all, have duties to her people. It was the idea of spending her cherished "off" time there that had her hesitating. She had a long enough history of mishaps that took place when she was acting in some sort of official capacity – she didn't want to add on to the somewhat smaller list of her unofficial mishaps.

The plan for tonight was fairly simple. They were going to a small restaurant that Nicholas and his friends were apparently regulars at, with a wait staff that they trusted. Shades had approved of their plan, sending Lionel ahead with another member of the security staff to be on hand in the restaurant. She still wasn't sure how long it would take before the press showed up, but she wanted to do this for Nicholas.

Looking out of the corner of her eye, she studied him as he maneuvered the dark Mercedes toward the town, his blue eyes focused on the road in front of them behind the dark frames of his glasses. She smiled softly at him, remembering the hopeful look that had been on his face when he'd asked her about going out to meet his friends.

Nicholas glanced over at her, catching her staring, and she blushed as his hand tightened around hers. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. I think."

"You looked like you were thinking pretty hard there."

She shrugged, unwilling for once to divulge her thoughts to him. "Just thinking in general."

"Anything you want to share?"

She shook her head. "It wasn't anything really important. So tell me again about this place we're going?"

"It's called Sophie's. It's a small restaurant that the three of us found when we were in secondary school. We don't go there as much as we did then, but we try to go back as much as possible."

"And what's so special about it?"

He chuckled and turned down one of the side streets as they entered the city limits. "Nothing other than the food is good and the staff is pretty discreet about us being there."

"Why are they so discreet for you guys?"

"The owner, Sophie, she said she felt bad for us, being titled and all. I think she assumed we all had rotten home lives."

"And you didn't?"

"It wasn't horrible. My uncle loved me in his own way."

"As we saw."

Nicholas laughed. "Yes, you're quite familiar with that aren't you?" Mia made a noncommittal sound low in her throat. "It was nearly the same for Brett and Myra – their parents were more the absent, forgetful type that were more involved in politics than their children's lives, only really showing up for appearances."

"I can't imagine growing up like that."

"It wasn't always like that. I was only with my uncle after my parents died when I was six."

Mia nodded, having learned that much from him in past conversations. "I'm glad you had your friends. And Sophie's."

Nicholas's hand slipped from hers, moving back to the steering wheel as he turned into a parking space beside an understated, if brightly lit and welcoming storefront. "Speaking of Sophie's…we're here."

Mia gulped and stared at the building in front of them. Then, she took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders, giving Nicholas a warm look. "All right. I'm ready. I think."

Nicholas chuckled and shook his head, leaning over to kiss her gently. "I love you."

The smile that came to her lips was automatic, as it always was when he told her that. "I love you, too."

"It's going to be fine."

"I know." She smiled at him, nodding as he stepped from the car and came around to open her door. She took the hand he offered, not letting it go as he locked the car behind them and led her to the front doors of the restaurant.

Stepping inside, Mia couldn't help but smile at the feeling of home that the restaurant evoked. The entire place was painted in muted shades of green and blue, with dark wooden chairs and tables arranged throughout the rather small floor. At most, there were probably ten to fifteen tables that would hold no more than parties of four, with a few high-backed booths set against the fall wall. A quick glance found Lionel and another of her security team in the crowd, already settled at a table close to the front doors.

Nicholas paused for a moment, looking around, and she shifted a bit as those sitting closest to them looked up in curiosity at the newest customers. She could tell instantly when the whispers and wonderings began if it really was her. Nicholas didn't seem to notice as he pulled her toward one of the booths in the back currently occupied by a young couple that she assumed were his friends.

Her suspicions were confirmed when the blonde haired guy looked up with a big grin and waived to them, saying something to the pretty brunette sitting next to him that made her giggle and hit his shoulder lightly. Nicholas drew them up to the table and then there was an awkward moment when everyone realized just who exactly she was and they both tried to stand to bow and pay their respects. It was in that moment, watching their fumbling, that something released within her, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"It's all right; you don't have to get up." She smiled up at Nicholas as she stepped past him, sliding into the booth so that she was against the wall. Brett and Myra gaped at her as Nicholas sat down next to her, one of his arms automatically finding its way along the back of her seat to rest casually on her shoulders.

"Your Majesty…."

Mia cut them off with a shake of her head and a smile. "Please, not tonight. I realize that there are certain formalities that need to be observed – especially with you both being members of the court – but when I'm out with Nicholas like this, could you do me a favor and just call me Mia?"

Myra was the first to come to her senses. "Um, Your…I'm really not sure I can just call you by your name."

"Would it help if I said please?"

Myra and Brett both laughed and nodded. "Well then, Mia…I'm Myra. It's nice to finally meet you."

"And since she's Myra that makes me Brett."

"It's nice to meet you both – Nicholas has told me a lot about you two."

Myra arched an eyebrow. "Well, I'd say he's said just as much about you, but Nick here has been remarkably tightlipped about everything."

Mia looked at him in surprise, her eyes meeting his, but she didn't comment on it. He smiled at her and the hand on her shoulder tightened slightly in response. "I'm not sure if I should be flattered by that or not."

"Definitely flattered I think," confided Myra.

Mia arched an eyebrow. "Should I ask why?"

Brett shrugged. "Usually, we know he's serious about a girl when he doesn't tell us much – at least until after we meet her." He paused. "We haven't seen that happen very often."

Mia took that in, looking out of the corner of her eyes at Nicholas, before moving her gaze to the tabletop. An uncomfortable silence fell over the table then, one in which they all looked awkwardly at each other. Mia smiled to herself, a look that didn't go unnoticed by Nicholas.

"What's up?"

Mia shook her head. "I just realized something. I was so worried about actually meeting your friends that I didn't even stop to think if they were going to be uncomfortable meeting me." She looked across the table. "How is it that I haven't met you before? I mean, I know you've both been out of the country for travels after school, but I've spent every summer and nearly ever holiday here since I was 16."

"Myra and I always tried to come to as few events as possible over the years. I think it just worked out that the ones we did attend were when you back in the States." He nodded toward Nicholas. "The same with Nicholas here."

"Hmm. Well, I guess things work out they way they should in the end." Mia moved to say more, but was interrupted by the arrival of an older woman with dark hair at the end of their table.

"Well, I see the three of you have finally deigned to come visit me after more than a month back in Genovia." Mia watched in amusement as the others at the table blushed and each tried to stammer an apology, before the dark eyes of the woman caught her own. "And you've brought a friend….well, well."

Nicholas spoke up then. "Sophie, can we not make a big deal here? Mia would prefer to try to stay low-key."

Sophie threw him a withering look that Mia had to smother a giggle at as it was so incongruous with the petite figure's seemingly friendly demeanor. "Have I ever made a big deal about the three of you hanging out here?"

"Err…no, I just…"

"Wanted to protect her." Sophie's smile was warm then. "Mia, is it?" At her nod, Sophie continued. "I'm Sophie, dear. Glad to have you here. You'll keep this one in line, right?"

Mia laughed, instantly liking the older woman. "I'll do my best."

Sophie smiled at her and winked. "I'll leave the four of you menus and give you some time. Are those two in the front with you, Mia?"

Mia leaned around Nicholas, smiling when she realized that Sophie was referring to Lionel and her other guard for the night. "Um, yes they are actually. Is that a problem?"

"Nope, not at all, hun. I'll take good care of them for you. I'll be back in a bit."

Brett snickered as she walked away, throwing a balled up napkin at Nicholas's head. "Ooo, boy. Glad I wasn't on the receiving end of that look."

Nicholas rolled his eyes and threw the napkin back at his friend, playfully glaring at Mia as she laughed as well. "You realize your laughing at the man who tried to stand up for you, right?"

Mia shook her head with a smile before leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek. "I know. And I appreciate it, I do. But the look on your face when she said that was too cute."

Nicholas narrowed his eyes at her and then surprised her by sweeping in to steal a kiss. "I love you. And I'm glad you're here."

Mia ignored the jelly-like consistency that her knees had turned into, thankful that she was sitting down. "I'm glad I came, too." She stole a kiss of her own. "For the record, I love you too."

She turned back to his friends, suddenly remembering that they were there, and blushed when she saw the matching looks on both Myra and Brett's faces. It was a thunderstruck expression of wonder that made Mia curious as to what was going on in their heads.

The couple exchanged looks, and then Brett cleared his throat, looking intently at Nicholas. "Can I see you outside for a second, Nick?"

Nick nodded and squeezed her shoulder before sliding from the booth to follow his friend outside, leaving Mia bewildered across from Myra.

"You two are really serious about each other, aren't you?"

"Yes." She didn't try to explain further, figuring that Myra would make her point eventually.

"I mean, Nicholas told us that he was serious about you."

"And you didn't believe him?"

"I don't know if we understood how serious." Myra reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "It's nothing against you, but we wondered if it was just an arrangement between the two of you."

Mia pulled back as if burned. "If I'd wanted an arrangement, I would have married Andrew Jacoby."

Myra bit her lip. "I totally didn't mean it like that, Your Majesty. It's just, Nicholas, frankly is – or was, I guess – a ladies man when it came to dating. We've never seen him really serious about someone before…"

"And because he was, with me in particular, you thought it wasn't real?" Mia straightened in her seat, wondering how much her relationship with Nicholas would be harmed if she didn't like his friends. "

Myra threw her hands up in the air. "We just didn't know what to think. It was nothing against you, honestly. We're just protective of each other. Hell, Nicholas punched Brett in the nose when he found out we'd started dating and told him that there was more of that coming to him if I was ever hurt." Mia was silent, sensing more was coming. "I thought he was an idiot when he confessed what his bastard of an uncle had him up to. But then suddenly things had changed and he was barely talking to us about all the time he was spending at the palace with you. We didn't know what to think. But seeing the two of you tonight, you looked right together."

Mia narrowed her eyes. "Tell me something. You say you know Nicholas so well. Don't you think, as his closest friends, that when he says he's serious about someone, he might actually be? The way I see it, if it had been an arrangement – which it's not – I can't see him taking the time to set us up meeting like this. He could have just had you come to the palace."

Mia paused and looked to make sure that Nicholas was still outside. Lionel was looking intently at her, and she caught his eye and shook her head minutely, telling him to stay where he was. "Instead, he set up a meeting with me that was on your terms, on ground that was familiar to you, so that you'd be more comfortable meeting me on more casual ground that wasn't going to governed by procedure. At the same time though, he made sure that I was going to be comfortable here and took measures so that I wouldn't be hounded by the paparazzi."

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry, it's just…"

"You were worried about your friend." Mia nodded. "I get that. But maybe you should have a little more faith in Nicholas. And its Mia, remember?"

Myra smiled hesitantly at her. "I really am sorry. Could we maybe start over? It sounds like we should maybe be friends if the two of you love each other."

Mia nodded and smiled, reaching a hand over the table top. "I'm Queen Amelia. You can call me Mia though."

"It's nice to meet you, Mia."

Myra reached to take her hand and they shook hands lightly, understanding in their eyes as they smiled at each other. They'd just let go and had settled back in their seats when Nicholas stormed up to the table, his eyes stormy and a frown on his face. Brett was behind him, and while he looked just as upset, it was clear that he was trying to say something to his friend.

"Nicholas?" She has a feeling she knows what's coming and why.

"I think it's time to go, Mia."

Mia studied him for a long moment, before looking around at the crowd of curious onlookers. She knows that if she leaves with him that it's going to take a while for him to mend his friendship with his friends, but she's also afraid of the scene that could take place if she tries to force the issue. "All right." She slides from the booth, taking Nicholas's hand and giving it a tight squeeze before turning to look at Myra. "Talk to Brett, will you? And if you can, call the palace in the morning. I'll let Charlotte know to put you through."

Myra nodded, eyes wide, but Mia was already off, pulling Nicholas in the direction of Sophie. The owner turned to her, her lips set in a firm line of disapproval as she eyed Nicholas. "It looks like we're going to need to leave early, Sophie. Thank you so much for tonight. I hope I see you again soon."

Sophie nodded, reaching out to give Mia a quick hug. "Whenever you want, dear. I'll make sure I have a table waiting for you."

Mia smiled and then nodded to Nicholas, who sighed and led them out to his car. She was silent as he opened the door for her, and she didn't say anything when he got in on his side either. They sat there for a few minutes, Nicholas's hands tapping impatiently on the steering wheel.

"Mia…."

Mia shook her head, her gaze tracking immediately to the curious gaze of those still inside the restaurant. "Not now, Nicholas. Take me home and then we can talk."

TBC.