Author's note: Phew! I wasn't sure how this chapter would go- whether it would collapse on me before I managed to finish it, but I have finished it! I just wanted to imagine what the wedding reception would have been like… still a little more to come!
The song lyrics come from 'Because You Loved Me' by Celine Dion
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me at all.
Clarisse and Joseph stood there for a moment longer, basking in the obvious approval from the congregation, as Charlotte and Scott, from the back of the church, grinned at each other. Clarisse glanced over at Joseph for a moment, and smiled lovingly at his expression- obviously wasn't used to all the attention, but she knew that he deserved it all. Just then, the Archbishop stepped from behind them and, standing next to Joseph, said in a loud voice:
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my very great pleasure to present Mr and Mrs Joseph Bonnell!"
Mia beamed happily from Clarisse's other side- she had had no idea about the secret romance between her grandmother and her Head of Security, but she had no qualms in showing her obvious delight and approval about their marriage… Joseph was one of the best men she knew, and he obviously adored Clarisse. The wonderful thing was, she thought to herself as she watched Clarisse sneak another slightly shy look at Joseph, was that he made her grandmother less remote and distant… she really was a woman in love.
"Why didn't he use your title? 'Her Majesty' and Mr…'"Joe murmured as Clarisse moved closer to him to slip her arm through his, and she beamed over at him, more in love than ever.
"Why should he?" she queried gently, wanting to add 'darling', but she didn't want her first term of endearment to her husband to be said in front of the entire country…
"I'm actually glad he didn't, otherwise I wouldn't have acknowledged it… this is not my moment, this is our moment!"
Joe chuckled softly at her firm tone- it was clear that this was their first real moment as husband and wife, and he was looking forward to more 'firsts' that they would enjoy together.
After another brief pause, they slowly walked down the two steps that led up to the altar, and began to make their way down the aisle. While Clarisse was still overcome with some nerves and emotion (quite unlike her usual cool self, she thought with a grin), she knew that she would never forget how happy she was at this moment and Joseph, on the other hand, thought he would burst with pride having Clarisse on his arm- he had always wanted it to happen, and now that it had, he couldn't believe it…
Charlotte and Shades were standing on one side of the exit, watching the newlyweds walk down the aisle.
"They look very happy together," Shades said quietly, aware of how dry and understated it seemed, but Charlotte nodded in agreement as she dabbed delicately at her eyes with a handkerchief.
"They do… they look wonderful together. Now, we don't have to worry about trying to get them back together!" she turned to him with a smile.
"No, although I did have some plans," Scott said with a mock disgusted look. "But I knew that, somehow, they would find their way back to each other again… Just looking at them you can see that there's so much history between them."
They stopped talking as Joe and Clarisse walked past them, still smiling at each other, before they turned to look at the two people who knew more about their story than anyone else, and smiled radiantly at them before walking out the door….
"Wow," Scott murmured softly as Charlotte was struck by another fresh set of tears. "I never realised how deeply in love they really were until now…."
0000
Stepping into the cool hallway of the church, Clarisse suddenly felt inexplicably shy towards the man she just married, and she marvelled at the gamut of emotions she had experienced in the past few hours- depression, when she woke up that morning; apprehension for Mia; relief that she finally told her granddaughter to follow her heart, and then followed her own; boldly proposing to Joseph; tears and nerves when they wed; pure joy when they were declared married; and now, shyness…
She had never really experienced so many emotions within such a short amount of time, but she was glad that she had but now, to feel shy… it was ridiculous, she told herself, to be shy around someone she had known and loved for so long… perhaps, she surmised as she removed her other glove, and looked around the hallway, it was because that there were no longer any barriers between them…
Joe smiled tenderly as he watched her struggle with her glove, and look around, not meeting his eyes- she was feeling shy around him, he could tell, and he found it cute… she had just done something incredibly impulsive, openly declared her affection for him, and let her guard down in front of a church full of people… It was understandable at how she was feeling, and he was surprised that he seemed to be calm, but he also felt a little stunned…
He was about to wrap his arms around her to reassure her when Mia and Sebastian, followed by the Archbishop, came through the doors, and Joe was contented to hold her hand again, and she gave him a smile, knowing what he had wanted to do.
"Grandma, you are so full of surprises!" Mia said with a wide grin as she hugged Clarisse tightly. "I never thought you would use my wedding to your advantage… but I'm so happy for you!"
"Thank you," Clarisse said quietly, smiling rather dazedly at her, and Mia only laughed before turning to Joseph.
"And Joe… gosh, you and Grandma can really keep a secret, can't you?" she teased, and Joe only laughed modestly. "But…I am so happy for both of you…" she threw her arms around him impulsively, making Joe feel warm.
"And I know you can make her happy," she whispered into his ear before pulling away, and surveying them with a warm smile. The Archbishop, who had been watching the scene with a smile, stepped forward.
"If I could have the bride and groom, as well as their witnesses, follow me, I can have your marriage certificate ready in a little while!"
"Oh… but… what about…?" Clarisse stuttered, coming out of her happy fog for a moment to look worriedly at him, and the Archbishop turned around and smiled warmly at Clarisse.
"You are Queen of Genovia, and some rules are meant to be bent for the Queen- particularly when the reason for the rule bending is as good as the one I've just witnessed!"
Sebastian and Mia followed him, chatting easily, while Clarisse and Joe followed more slowly. Before they stepped into the office, she gave him a shy, yet glowing smile, her knees weakening at the sight of the same expression of love in his eyes, and Joe only squeezed her hand tightly in reassurance…
There were two comfortable chairs in front of the desk, and Joseph waited until Clarisse was seated before moving his chair slightly closer and sitting down next to her.
"This shouldn't take too long… I just need to make two copies of the original certificate- one for me and one for the registry," the Archbishop said as he retrieved what he was looking for and reached for his fountain pen. "Most of the details I already know about both of you- but I just want confirmation of full names and previous marital status."
"Joseph Peter Bonnell, bachelor," Joe said clearly as the Archbishop wrote quickly, before looking expectantly at Clarisse.
"Clarisse Elizabeth Renaldi, widow," Clarisse said softly as she looked down at her ungloved hands for a moment.
"I won't embarrass you by asking for your ages…" he was almost talking to himself as he continued writing, and Clarisse smiled as she heard Mia giggle in the background.
There was a slightly awkward silence in the room for a time as the Archbishop completed the necessary paperwork needed, before looking at the silent couple.
"Now, if I could have the bride and groom move a little closer, and Her Highness and His Excellency where they can see…"
Clarisse and Joseph looked at each other happily- 'bride and groom' sounded strange, but it was true… they were the bride and groom.
"I need you to sign all three of these," the Archbishop interrupted their moment with a smile as he offered the pen to Joseph. "The original copy is for you, and the other two are mere paperwork…"
Joe signed where he was shown, almost giddy with delight, before handing the pen to Clarisse who was overcome with emotions for a moment, before signing her name happily. The pen was passed to both Mia and Sebastian, and there was a moment's pause before he stood and beamed at the couple, now holding hands, and Sebastian and Mia grinning in the background.
"It is my honour to present you with your marriage certificate and say that you are now legally married," he beamed as he handed it to Joseph, and Clarisse leaned over to look at it.
"Now, if you would excuse us, Your Highness and Your Excellency, I would like to have a few moments alone with the newlyweds."
He waited until the other two had left before sitting down and smiling at the still clearly stunned couple sitting in front of them. Clarisse looked at him slightly nervously, and he couldn't help but laugh before speaking.
"This isn't an official talk of any kind… I just wanted to talk to you both as James, your friend…. Joe, I know you're dying to ask me why I said finally up at the altar, aren't you?"
"Yes, although I suspect I know why…"
"The reason I did was because I, as well as a lot of other people, am finally relieved that you two have finally managed to make your relationship official. Love is never meant to be kept a secret as long as you two have, and I'm glad that it's out in the open now… Actually," he said thoughtfully, reminded of something he had seen the previous afternoon. "I wanted to ask you something- yesterday, at the rehearsal, it seemed to me that you were avoiding each other like the plague… what happened?"
"Well," Clarisse began, looking at James as she took Joseph's hand in hers. "Joseph had proposed a few weeks ago, and I had made a decision which turned our lives upside down… I didn't tell him in so many words, but I had to turn him down… not permanently," she added hastily as she looked at Joseph.
"It was only until the coronation… if all of this hadn't been squashed into a month, I would have married you in a second," she said softly, looking at him and Joseph only smiled as they shared another moment, in a world of their own.
James smiled as he watched them- if they thought they had been discreet, they had been seriously deluded- anyone who came near them just had to witness one look or smile exchanged to see how much in love they were.
"Why couldn't you marry him?" he asked, puzzled, and Clarisse shrugged as she looked back at him.
"For reasons my head told me to say, but my heart didn't agree with at all… the last two days have been absolute torture, and I can't remember why I didn't say yes in the first place!"
"Well, I'm glad that you took the initiative and decided to throw caution to the wind," he joked as Joseph joined in the laughter, and Clarisse reddened. "I just never thought I would see you do it, Clarisse!"
"Actually," Clarisse admitted with a chuckle. "I had been severely tempted all morning to do just that, but I might not have had the courage if Mia hadn't given me a nudge in the right direction… and I'm glad that she did," she beamed over at Joseph again, who lifted her hand to his lips. "I was just worried about everyone else… which I shouldn't have been, as they really won't matter in a week…"
"You'd be surprised at how many people do approve of your relationship- not only in the palace, either… Viscount Mabrey and his cronies are in a distinct minority."
"It didn't matter to me if no one had approved- I was only concerned with what Clarisse wanted," Joseph said calmly, and Clarisse smiled lovingly over at him. "All I wanted was to marry her and make her happy."
"You know, I was very fond of Rupert, but I could tell that Clarisse and Rupert were a mismatch almost from the beginning… But this, this is very different… I've never seen a couple quite as connected as you two are, and it's in thanks to the fact that you were friends for a very long time, and know each other so well… I'm glad you've ended up together…
Joseph, you've always been a good guy, and you have always been so solicitous of Clarisse, and never taking your eyes off her whenever she was out in public… You don't think I saw, but I saw more than you realised…Clarisse, you and I go back a long way… We went to school together," he explained to Joseph.
"Anyway, I've never seen you as happy or radiant as when you're around him… you've always been reserved, understandable in this profession, but he's opened you up and made you laugh again… I know the Princess has done her part," he added hastily, seeing Joseph look embarrassed. "But you've been there for her through some very difficult times in her life and I, as her friend, will always be grateful for your constant support of her…
Now, before I let you go face the crowds, I just want to tell you something- love like yours only comes once in a lifetime, and you both had endured more heartache than I care to remember… this is your time now, and you deserve all the happiness in the world…In fact, I know you will…"
"Thank you," both Clarisse and Joe murmured as James smiled indulgently at them.
00000
"Charlotte! What are you still doing here?" Clarisse asked at the same time as Joe said
"Shades! I thought you were supposed to be guarding the Princess!" as they emerged from James' office to find Charlotte and Scott waiting patiently for them.
"The Princess told me to stay here while she and Andrew organised a 'few things' back at the palace… and no, it's not serious," she added hastily as Clarisse looked slightly stupefied.
"Actually, I was waiting here to see what was going to happen with the car," Shades added quickly. "I wasn't sure whether you wanted to go out the front, or slip out a side exit instead?"
Clarisse looked surprised- she hadn't realised that there would be a lot of people still waiting outside to see the new set of newlyweds, she thought coyly… but she was torn- although she didn't want to let them down, this was such a private matter, and she didn't want to be on show anymore… And Joseph hadn't had to endure the intensity of the spotlight before… she turned to look at him thoughtfully as Charlotte and Shades moved a discreet distance away.
"What do you want to do?" she asked in a low voice, and Joseph only shrugged as he caressed one of her hands.
"I don't mind… whatever you want to do is fine with me," he said softly, and she smiled.
"That really helps… no, I don't want to share our special moments with the rest of the world- I did that the first time, and I didn't like it at all… and I know that you aren't used to all of this nonsense…."
"But you are their Queen, and they will want to have a chance to share in your happiness… if what James said is true, they will definitely want to celebrate!"
"Our happiness," Clarisse corrected him with a cheeky smile.
"Fine, our happiness… Besides, I'm sure that most of the congregation have already let them know what happened in there anyway, and it might look as though we're hiding…"
"Which we are not!" Clarisse said tartly- she had enough of hiding her strong and deep love for the man standing opposite her. "But what about you... you've always been such a private man, and I don't want to expose you to heckling…"
"Clarisse, I can handle all of that," he moved closer to her, and took both her hands in his. "I love to know that you're so protective of me, but now it's my turn to protect you, and I don't want to do anything you don't feel comfortable with… But we may get left alone if you give the press the opportunity now…"
"Alright," she smiled, relieved that he was happy to walk out the front way. It was going to be one of her final public appearances, but she was definite about one thing- their relationship may have been a source of speculation for many years, but she knew that their marriage wasn't going to be speculated upon… they had formed their friendship out of the public eye, they had fallen in love in private, and their marriage was going to blossom outside the public. Of that she was certain.
"Scott, can you please have the car sent around to the front?" she smiled at the young man next to Charlotte, and they both disappeared.
They walked quietly through the hallway, hand in hand, and Clarisse smiled as the noise from outside got louder and louder as they approached the main doorway. She turned to look at Joseph once as they prepared to walk outside.
"You can change your mind, you know… we don't have to do this…"
"It is going to be an honour to escort my wife (who also happens to be Queen) out of the church… so no, you're not getting out of it that easily!" he teased and she chuckled as she looped her arm through his and the doors slowly opened….
The noise was deafening as they stepped out into the brilliant sunshine, and Joseph was more than a little blown away by the number of people that were standing there, as well as the photographers and journalists! He glanced over at Clarisse and grinned- she was smiling radiantly to the crowd, and waving happily… she was such a pro at all of this!
After a few more moments of allowing the people to call out at them, Joseph escorted Clarisse down to the waiting car, opened the door for her as she stepped in, and was ready to walk around to the other side when, to his surprise, she slid over to allow him to follow her into the car.
"I thought Queens were never meant to slide!" he murmured as Scott shut the door after him, and Clarisse smiled enigmatically at him.
"Only on special occasions!" she said before turning back to the window and waving for a little longer as the car pulled away from the church, before sitting back in her seat with a sigh.
"Wow… I never realised what you and Mia have to put up with all the time until now!"
"You're going to have to get used to it now, aren't you?" Clarisse said teasingly as she beamed over at him, and his hand shyly crept over the car upholstery to take her hand in his as a peaceful, but slightly awkward silence fell on them, as they suddenly realised what they had just done… they had just got married!
It was a quiet trip back to the palace, and they were relieved to see, as the car pulled up in front of the entrance of the palace, that none of the wedding guests had arrived yet.
"So… what are we going to do now?" Joe looked over at Clarisse with a smile, and she smiled as she moved closer to him.
"We can always go for a walk in the garden… and then hide when everyone comes!" she said pertly, before jumping as someone rapped sharply on Joseph's window. "What the…?"
Joseph couldn't help but laugh at her reaction as he pressed a button on the door, and the window buzzed down to reveal Mia standing there, still in her dress, grinning at them
"Did I scare you Grandma? Were you two doing something in there?" she teased, and Clarisse blushed deeply.
"No, you cheeky girl… you just startled me, that's all…"
"I just wanted to let you know that Andrew and I have a surprise for you. We thought that you need to have your own wedding album, so Andrew would like to take some photographs…" she trailed off with a slightly embarrassed smile, and Clarisse laughed happily as her eyes filled with tears. She knew that she wouldn't forget a second of the day, but it would be wonderful to have a photographic record.
"That's a wonderful idea, darling… don't you think so, Joseph?" she looked over at him, who only nodded, slightly abashedly.
"Great… well, Andrew thought that we could do it in the garden… after, of course, getting one of you getting out of the car…"
"Good idea… but Joseph and I need to make a stop before we go to the garden, if that's alright?"
"That's fine… Andrew and I need to get changed anyway," she laughed as she waved at her wedding dress.
"So, why do we have a stop to make?" he inquired as he helped her out of the car, Andrew capturing the moment, before discreetly disappearing, and she gave him a mysterious smile.
"You will just have to wait and see…"
000
Clarisse's study was as neat and tidy as she had left it earlier, and she found it amusing that, despite the fact she had been under a great deal of pressure, as well as being depressed, that she made sure that her desk was tidy and paper free, except for a plain, cream coloured envelope sitting in the middle of the desk. She picked it up carefully, and turned to hand it to Joseph, who had followed her over to the desk.
"What's this?" he asked curiously as he accepted the envelope, and she smiled a little sadly at him.
"This was what I meant to say to you that night… I didn't expect our meeting to go well, but I wanted to make sure that you knew why I decided like that, even if it was in the form of a letter."
""What does it say?" he was still looking at the envelope in his hands, but he made no move to open it as he looked over at Clarisse, who was leaning slightly on the edge of her desk.
"It said… it was the hardest letter that I ever had to write, about the hardest decision I had ever made… It took two solid weeks to come to it, and the fact that we kept remembering instances together made me realise that we have a history together, but Mia needed me… I think it also said that you were the love of my life, and I would marry you eventually, as long as you didn't give up on us… and that I loved you…" she recited it almost from memory- the contents was burned into her memory forever.
"I see…" Joe said thoughtfully, looking at her intensely for a moment before looking at the envelope and, to her astonishment, he tore it in half and tossed the pieces away.
"Didn't you want to see what I wrote?" she looked at him curiously.
"You just told me what I needed to hear… besides, it doesn't matter anymore, does it?" he smiled gently at her, and her reserve suddenly deserted her as all she could think of doing was racing into his arms and burying her face into his jacket.
"Joseph… I missed you so… I wish I hadn't made that mistake before… I thought I had lost you forever…" her muffled voice came from the lapel of his jacket and he smiled tenderly as he lifted her face to look at his, touched to see two tiny tears running down her cheeks, and cupped it in his hands.
"You wouldn't have lost me forever Clarisse… I may have been angry at the time, and gave Shades my resignation…"
"What?" she looked shocked but he stopped her from continuing.
"But he probably wouldn't have let me quit… I couldn't even begin to imagine my life without you being in it, in some way… I probably would have tried to win you back…"
"You never had to win me back, darling," Clarisse murmured softly into his face, a shiver of happiness running down her spine at calling him darling. "You had won me a long time ago…"
He smiled at her happily, more in love than ever, before pulling her close and kissing her as he had been longing to do since they left the church, but hadn't managed to pluck up the courage, until now… But it was magical, as it always had been between them, but there was something more now… the passion they had pretended didn't exist was now close to the surface…
"Wow… I didn't realise how much I missed you kissing me until now…" Clarisse pulled away for a moment, her cheeks flushing and her eyes sparkling as she laughed at him. "I suppose the old adage is true: 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'!"
"You don't feel quite so shy around me now do you, my love?" he teased as he stroked her face with one hand, loving the fact he could call her that, and she blushed even more.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been shy around you, but this has just been something I wished could happen, and I never thought it would… But…."
"I do understand- you've done a few things today that are completely the opposite of what you would normally do… but I love you for doing them, as I know that you did them for us… and Mia…"
"I love you too," she murmured softly before he pulled her close and kissed her again. They only broke apart when there was a discreet knock on the door, and one door opened as Mia peeked in.
"Are you guys ready to have some photos taken?"
"Definitely," Joe said firmly after exchanging a warm look with Clarisse, and they walked towards the door, hand in hand.
0000
It only seemed like moments before they were standing in front of the closed doors to the ballroom, ready to make their first entrance as husband and wife. Clarisse was more than ready to do it, but she couldn't believe how quickly the day had disappeared since the wedding earlier in the afternoon.
The afternoon itself had seemed to fly by… Andrew had taken quite a few photos out in the garden- Clarisse had been initially shy at the thought of photos, but Mia's presence, as well as Joseph's arm around her waist, had made her feel better and she soon found how much she enjoyed it. Although she had had plenty of photographs taken over the years, she much preferred the casual atmosphere in the garden, Mia the only observer, and she was surprised when Andrew began packing his equipment away.
"Is that it?" she asked in surprise, and both Andrew and Mia grinned as Joseph chuckled into her ear.
"Yes, Your Majesty… I will be taking a few more at the reception, but there was one more I would like, if you would be willing…" he got embarrassed, and Joseph realised he wanted a special picture of them kissing, and he knew, glancing at Clarisse, that she had realised the same.
"Do you…?" he began softly, knowing how shy she was about showing her real feelings, but she beamed tenderly at him.
"Of course I could… it's for you…" she trailed off with a dreamy smile.
"For us," Joseph corrected with a smile as he leant over and kissed her softly and tenderly on the mouth. They only broke apart when they heard Mia cry out:
"Perfect!"
"You should be a photographer's assistant!" Joseph joked and Mia laughed.
"Yes… oops, I think I can hear cars coming up the driveway… and, before you ask, no you don't have to be there to greet them, Grandma… you will see them all later, so just leave it to Andrew and me! Besides, I don't think it will be all that long before Charlotte comes to find you!"
"Oh and Mia… could you do something for me?" Clarisse asked they began to walk away, and as she whispered something into Mia's ear, Joseph was curious to see Mia's face light up happily.
000
True enough, Joseph and Clarisse wandered through the garden for less than an hour before Charlotte found them, and now they found themselves standing outside the ballroom doors. Clarisse trembled slightly at the thought of all those eyes on them, and Joe's hand squeezed hers tightly.
"Are you nervous about going in there?" he asked softly and she turned to him, relieved that he knew what she was feeling.
"A little… I never thought I would do this with you…"
"We can do this… I'm just so proud to be able to walk into the ballroom with the most beautiful woman in Genovia on my arm, who also happens to be my wife…" he leant over and kissed her softly on the cheek, and she smiled at him.
"I knew there was a reason why I married you!" she teased softly before a loud thump on the floor told them that their announcement was about to be made.
"Presenting… Mr and Mrs Joseph Bonnell!" came the voice from inside, and Joseph looked at Clarisse in astonishment.
"Why…?" he knew why, but he somehow still felt, deep down, that he didn't deserve this, or the fact that Clarisse was looking at him with such open adoration.
"Today is our day, darling, and I don't want to hear my title at all… I am much happier being Mrs Joseph Bonnell, a title that means more to me than anything…" she said as she squeezed his hand in return. "Today is the happiest day in my life, and it belongs to both of us!"
"Alright… let's go," he squeezed her hand tightly as, her arm looped through his, they walked in through the open double doors and, to their amazement, they had another standing ovation.
"I feel like a celebrity at an awards ceremony!" Joe muttered under his breath so that only Clarisse heard him, and she laughed, giving him a look that told the assembled guests that the Queen was very much in love with her former Head of Security, who was now her husband.
"This is only the beginning," she teased as he helped her into her seat, next to Mia, before sitting down on her other side, Sebastian on his other side, before everyone else sat down as well.
"I wonder whether if they would have given Andrew and I a standing ovation if we had been the ones to get married," Mia said thoughtfully as she sipped her champagne, and gave her grandmother a knowing look.
"I'm sure they would have," Clarisse said calmly, and Mia only laughed.
"I don't think so, Grandma… I think if they had been given the chance, they would have declared today a national holiday!"
"Now you're the one being silly!" Clarisse laughed in return.
After the meal, Clarisse wondered who would be giving a speech but, before Sebastian had the chance to stand up, Mia had stood up quickly and tapped her glass lightly, silencing the room in an instant, telling Clarisse that Mia was going to be a fine Queen.
"I know it's not the norm for a member of the royal family to give an unrehearsed speech, but since I love both the bride and groom very much, I think I am entitled to give a speech.
Now, I know that most of you would probably have known about this 'secret relationship' for a lot longer than I- I only found out about it this afternoon- but I'm sure that we all agree that it was about time that it finally came out into the open!"
Here, she threw a teasing look at Clarisse and Joseph who only laughed, and Clarisse clutched Joseph's hand tightly.
"I never realised how much history and love is between this pair here, but just seeing them look at each other tells me everything I need to know. Love is a gift, and I now realise, after seeing a couple that have had more than their fair share of stumbles on the road to love, that whenever love falls into your lap, you're to grab it with both hands and let it go. I know that, for sure, Grandma and Joe, now that they've finally made it to this moment in their lives, won't ever let it go. Joe, you're the best man I know, and I know that you will make my grandmother very happy while Grandma… all I can say is that you two sure know how to keep a secret!
I just want to wish them all the luck in the world for their marriage (although I don't think they're going to need it!), and I hope that I may be fortunate to witness some of the moments that you have been all so lucky to see… to the bride and groom- Clarisse and Joseph!"
She raised her champagne glass to the couple, followed by everyone else, and Clarisse had to dab at her eyes discreet with a napkin before smiling radiantly around at everyone. She was going to speak to Mia about the speech, and how much she loved it, but Sebastian stood up just a few moments after Mia, so she had to wait until his speech was over.
"So, did you like the speech?" Mia leant over and asked Clarisse cheekily as everyone began talking again, and Clarisse only squeezed her hand.
"Yes, I loved it… thank you so much for it…." She was about to say more, but then the DJ that Mia had insisted on hiring suddenly stepped to the microphone.
"Now that the speeches are all over, I would like to ask the newlyweds to come out onto the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife!"
The entire room turned to look at Clarisse and Joe who were, for a moment, frozen in their chairs, before Joe stood up and beamed down at his wife.
"Could I have this dance?" he asked in a soft tone, and she only nodded silently as she put her hand in his and he led her out onto the dance floor. Joseph had had no idea what song would be playing as they waited for a moment, but he looked curiously at Clarisse- she didn't seem to be worried or curious at all, and he began to suspect what she had murmured into Mia's ear earlier in the garden.
"What surprise are you about to spring on me?" he murmured as the song started, and Clarisse only smiled as they began to dance.
"What makes you think I had something to do with this?" she looked at him innocently, but he only laughed.
"For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful, baby
You're the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through, through it all…
0
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cos you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me
0
You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand, I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love, I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you
0
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cos you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me
0
You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You've been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you
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You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cos you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me
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You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cos you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me."
For a moment, Joseph was literally speechless at the song he had just heard, and had just shared with his wife, and he looked at her, dumbfounded. She smiled sensitively at him- it was, in part, a way of acknowledging how much he had done for her over the years, as well as an apology for what had happened between them a couple of nights before… But, as he still looked at her with a flabbergasted look as they continued dancing to the next song, which she couldn't even remember, she began to get a little worried.
"Joseph? Is there something wrong?" she leaned over to whisper into his ear, and he only smiled at her before, in front of everyone watching them, he kissed her. In the background, Clarisse could vaguely hear Mia laughing out loud, as well as more applause, but somehow that, as well as the fact that she was kissing in front of 200 guests, didn't seem to matter… all that mattered was that Joseph was kissing her…
When they broke apart, however, she went a deep red as she looked around at the beaming faces around her, but when she looked at Joseph, he was the one that was looking slightly worried.
"Should I have done that?" he asked as they continued dancing, and she grinned, her eyes sparkling with pleasure.
"The old Clarisse would have said no, but the new Clarisse really doesn't care… I take it, then, that you like the song?"
"Of course I did… do I really mean that much to you?" he asked softly, and she only brushed his face with her hand.
"Of course you do… always…."
From the sidelines, Mia was surprised- Joseph had kissed her grandmother in front of 200 people, and neither of them seemed upset about it… in fact, if they weren't so aware of everyone around them, she knew they would have probably kissed again. She grinned over at Sebastian who only beamed- he had long since realised that he wouldn't get a dance with the Queen at all that night but, seeing how blissfully happy she was with her husband, he knew wouldn't miss it… after all, who would blame them for not wanting to dance with anyone else that evening?
"We'd better go and greet some more guests," Clarisse murmured huskily after another dance. "There are so many people I want to introduce you to!" and she laughed when she saw him roll his eyes- he had already seen all the people when he was a security guard, but it was going to be a lot more different as Clarisse's husband… Even if he had wanted to escape, he couldn't- Clarisse wouldn't let go of his hand, and most people were very happy to see that the Queen finally had personal happiness… there were a few exceptions, however, and Joe was careful to steer her away from the people who looked at them sullenly.
"Finally caught up with you two!" a voice came from behind them as they moved back towards their seats, and they turned to see Mia, pretty in a pale pink dress, grinning at them. "I was wondering whether I would ever get a chance to speak with you two!"
"Thank you for the speech, Your Highness… it meant a lot to both your grandmother and I," Joe said rather stiffly, and Mia giggled.
"Joe, you and I are family now so you don't have to call me 'Your Highness anymore… hey, what am I going to call you now?"
"Joe- just Joe," he said simply, and Clarisse only laughed at both of them- they had had already established a bond five years ago, and she was pleased to see that her only closest relative had readily accepted Joseph as part of the family.
"So… I think this whole reception went well in spite of the fact that there was a different bride and groom!" Mia said cheerily as she looked around the room at the guests, who were talking or dancing. "I can only imagine what the papers are going to say tomorrow!" before she roared with laughter.
"Yes, it all went very well," Clarisse said calmly, and Mia only beamed happily at her.
"I'm just so happy that you've found someone who really loves you and cares about you… I just wish I had known about it sooner so I could have tried to…"
"I know what you would have done, Mia, and I don't think we would have allowed it!" Joe said jokingly, and Mia only laughed along with him.
"I suppose… but I could have had a lot of fun trying to match make!"
