A/N: just a short, cute chapter to keep the story rolling... next chapter may be a little more serious!

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers... you all rock!

The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!

"Are you still awake?" Clarisse whispered much, much later as she lay wrapped in his arms, his body spooned against her back, his mouth almost near her ear, his breath warming it every time he exhaled. "Joseph?"

"Yes I'm still awake," his voice was a low rumble in the dark, a combination of sexy and comforting at the same time. "I thought you were asleep."

"Not after my nap this afternoon!" she joked with a chuckle. "I'm not tired now because of that... I thought you would be asleep, though."

"No, I can't and I don't want to... why would I, when I'm holding the most beautiful woman in the world in my arms?" he asked softly knowing, as he said the words, that she would be embarrassed and seconds later, as he expected, he could literally feel the heat rising off her body as she blushed before she shifted uncomfortably, trying to get away from him (although, deep down, she didn't want to) but he wouldn't let her go.

"Why are you so uncomfortable about me saying that? It's the truth."

"It... it's just that... it's a little strange hearing genuine compliments, ones that are said with such love," she paused to swallow hard, tears choking up her throat. "Rupert tried, but he was hardly the effusive type and parliament... I wouldn't trust their compliments as far as I could throw a ball," she said bluntly but honestly.

"Most of them are on the lecherous side," he agreed. "But you believe me, don't you? You know that I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world... you are, you know."

"I know," she said but her voice sounded so small and hesitant that Joe was suddenly concerned- Rupert hadn't been the most complimentary man in the world, but surely he had made the occasional effort with his wife, or at least he didn't put her down, and he was tempted to switch on a light and turn her to face him to find out the truth, but he knew she would retreat into her shell if pushed and he didn't want that.

"Clarisse?" he pressed gently and there was a long pause before she let out a long, heavy sigh.

"I don't know... I never thought that much about my looks, even when I was young and everyone told me how lovely I was..."

"You were more than lovely, you were... and are... stunning..."

"You're very sweet... but when Rupert discovered younger women and they were far more appealing to him..." she trailed off, still smarting over that discovery, although it had happened years earlier. "I thought and felt that I was old and unattractive..."

"Which you are most certainly are not!" he said indignantly.

"I felt that I was, even when you were telling me you found me attractive, and I somehow felt that it wasn't true- I'm a mother, grandmother and Queen!"

"You are also a woman who shouldn't close her heart to love... you are a woman with private needs and wishes."

"Needs!" her face burned hotter at the words.

"Yes, needs- just because you're a Queen, mother and grandmother, it doesn't mean that those roles should completely define you, there is more to you... you may project one image to the world but there is also another side to you..." and he ran a hand down her back,eliciting a gasp and goosebumps from her.

"Accepting compliments is something you need to get used from now on because I'm telling you that you will be receiving quite a few from me..." before he pressed his lips onto her bare shoulder. "I'm taking that part of my husbandly duties very seriously!"

"Thank you," she said so softly that he almost missed it but he heard it and he squeezed her closer to him.

"There's nothing to thank me for- I just want you to be happy."

"I am, I am," she reassured him quickly, stroking his available hand softly. "More so than I ever thought I would be at this time in my life... and I'll try and accept compliments that come my way more gracefully... I just don't want to be viewed as vain."

"That will never happen, you are the least vain person I know... and you will be able to accept compliments..." he said confidently, sad at what she had told him but not entirely surprised- Rupert had been a good King but his relationships with his wife and sons has been rather rocky.

"So," she suddenly turned so that they were facing each other, the dim light of the moon illuminating their faces only dimly. "Now you know one of my deep, dark secrets, I need to request the same from you," she teased coyly. "Tell me something I don't know about you."

"Something you don't know about me?" he was confused, scratching his head with his free hand. "I don't think there's anything you DON'T know about me."

"There has to be a few things," she encouraged. "I DO know, despite pretending otherwise, that you were quite a ladies man when you first came to the palace."

"Completely untrue, all rumours," he responded immediately. "I will admit thtat there was a romance or two with some of the maids..."

"More like twenty," she murmured, giggling when she felt him run a hand down her side again. "You were, I hear, quite a heartbreaker... the gossip I used to hear about you..."

"I didn't make any promises or commitments!" he protested. "They all knew I wanted to get ahead with my career..."

"I'm sure most of them weren't pleased when they noticed you and I getting closer..."

"I wouldn't have cared, you were important to me then but we were friends then...besides, I notice that they are all married now!"

"Those poor girls... they all liked you..."

"I WAS considering marriage once," he suddenly burst out and Clarisse immediately leaned up on an elbow to look at him, interested, intrigued but surprised at the strong surge of jealousy coursing through her.

"Oh really? Who was she?" she tried to sound casual but failing miserably.

"Yes I was," he grinned at the tone of her voice- she was jealous at the mere THOUGHT of another woman in his life, albeit many years ago, and he thought it was cute and proved that she really did love him.

"She was the sister of one of my friends from college who had had a crush on me for years... we met up again a year after I graduated, when I was still trying to figure out what to do with my life... we dated for a couple of months and I was considering proposing and then..."

"Then what?" she was on tenterhooks.

"Then... I was offered a security internship in England and while we did try to make it work, it just didn't work out."

"I'm sorry," she said sadly, half sincere in that but also selfishly glad that he hadn't married her. "What happened to her?"

"Married another friend of mine, four kids, lives in France... we're still friends and I'm sure you would like her if you were ever to meet," he said sincerely before he couldn't resist teasing her a little. "You weren't seriously jealous of her, were you?"

"No, absolutely not!" she pretended to bluster, sounding indifferent, but he could sense that she was fibbing and thus didn't say anything for a long time, so long were they lying in silence that Clarisse finally cracked, feeling foolish.

"Alright, I was a tiny bit jealous when you said you HAD considered marriage with someone else... but it was only the once, wasn't it?"

"Only once," he affirmed, leaning over and kissing her forehead. "Once I met you and realized what I felt for you, marriage to anyone else was impossible."

"You couldn't have married, if you wanted," she pointed out.

"I could have, but I didn't want to," he responded simply. "I'm a little old fashioned in thinking that I need to love the woman I would marry."

"Rupert might not have passed away and I could still be married to him."

"Again, I wouldn't have changed my mind... I loved you from once upon a time and I love you now, nothing could have changed that."

"I still would have loved you too, despite Rupert and our wedding vows, but could you have lived with remaining only my best friend for the rest of your life?"

"I would have lived with it," he affirmed before leaning over and kissing her again. "However, thankfully, we don't have to consider any of those alternatives..." before he paused to yawn. "Maybe confession time is over for tonight... I think it might be..." he added as he kissed her again and her arms wound around his neck and pulled him closer to her.

"I think so too," she murmured in agreement before their lips met again and there was complete silence in the room, the sound of the waves outside the only sound to be heard.

0

The sun was streaming in through the crack in the curtains the following morning when Joseph awoke and spent a couple of seconds reorienting himself with his surroundings before quickly realizing that Clarisse wasn't lying beside him.

Instantly, his protective bodyguard instincts rose to the surface unheeded (he had been Clarisse's bodyguard longer than he had been her husband, he reminded himself as he felt slightly foolish) and he was about to leap out of bed to go searching for her, forgetting that there was a very capable group of bodyguards staying on the property with them (even so, it wouldn't have mattered to him as Clarisse was his responsibility) before he heard movement outside the door and then Clarisse stepped into the room, looking calm and unusually comfortably in only her robe, carrying a tray containing two cups and saucers, a teapot, a tiny container of sugar and plate of buttered, slightly burnt toast.

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully as she set the tray on his bedside table and leant over to kiss him, Joe catching sight of the cream coloured slip she was wearing underneath her robe before adding, matter of factly: "You look like you were just about to climb out of bed and come looking for me," she teased as he pulled her down onto his lap and kissed her again, feeling relieved.

Now that they had been away from the palace for a day, they had made some progression towards knocking down a few walls, Clarisse more than Joseph by having moments of intimacy that had, hopefully, strengthened the bond between them and allowed the true nature of their relationship (which had been so relaxed, loving and trusting during their 'courtship') to re-emerge and he felt comfortable enough knowing that to do what he was doing, her in his lap, with no protest from her.

"No, I wasn't," he lied unsuccessfully as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I was just... wondering where you were," he corrected himself quickly.

"However, " he looked down a the tray. "It's fairly obvious where you were..." and Clarisse immediately looked embarrassed.

"The tea was easy to make, but the toast..." she trailed off.

"It's fine," he said quickly, taking a bite, and while it was slightly crunchier and more toasted than he was used to, it was still edible and she had done well on her first attempt with a toaster. "It is," he added firmly as she gave a noise of disbelief.

"You don't have to eat it."

"It's a great pre breakfast snack," he argued, continuing to munch on his toast. "It may be something we will have to get used to," he added, noting her sitting beside him on the bed, sipping her tea but not eating any of the toast.

"How many bad habits are you planning on introducing me to, Mr Bonnell?" she asked with a flirtatious twinkle in her eye.

"You're just going to have to wait and see," he replied, equally as flirtatious. "So, what are our plans for today?"

"At the moment, we have no defined plans," she looked blissful and Joseph suddenly realized that this was probably the first time when her day and life weren't planned down to the nth degree. "Maybe we could spend some time on the beach?"

"Fine with me... as long as you wear a bathing suit."

"What makes you think I brought one?"

"You did... your maids packed it for you, I assume, just as they packed that drawerful of sexy lingerie you're embarrassed about wearing in front of me," he added with a grin, her eyes widening in horror.

"How... how did you know about that?"

"You should know me by now, my darling, and realize that I know everything... that and I peeked into that drawer while you were in the bathroom last night."

"Oh!" she blushed again, looking mortified, before an unusually sly expression appeared on her face. ""By the way, have you seen my...nightgown, from last night?"

"I assume it's amongst the sheets somewhere...or you put in on this morning before you got up..."

"Not exactly," she said smugly before reaching down onto the floor and lifting up the garment... or what was left of it. "I don't know how it happened, I can't even remember taking it off... but somehow..." she gave him a very victorious look. "You must have liked this very, very much!" she teased and it was his turn to look sheepish.

"I must have gotten... carried away," he mumbled, looking down at his hands before Clarisse gently guided his face back to look at hers.

"At least I'm not nervous about wearing lingerie in front of you... Rupert hated it and insisted on me wearing pyjamas or 'sensible' nightgowns."

"I told you last night that I don't mind what you wear...it was his loss and you can wear whatever you want to bed, just whatever makes you feel comfortable."

"Maybe I will wear something like that again..." she said thoughtfully before they finished their tea and toast in comfortable silence, wondering what they could do that day...