Alright guys, here is the next chapter. I really hope you like it!

Deep breath in...deep breath out...here we go...

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"Alright, I am officially freaking out now" Joseph's second in command, Shades, said as he walked into the security room. "Charlotte's notes said that Her Majesty was only to be gone for two hours! Sense they left this morning nearly FOUR hours have gone by!"

"Hello to you too, sir" Sinatra greeted as he turned around in his seat to look at the panic-stricken Shades.

"And what's worse," Shades continued as he paced backand forth in front of the three men who were on duty in the security room, "Joseph wont answer his cell phone! Why does the man carry a cell phone if he never puts the thing to his ear?"

Shades stopped pacing and turned to face Dominic with his hands on his hips, "can you tell I'm worried?"

"Not at all, sir. You hide it very well" Dominic replied jokingly.

Shades ran his fingers through his hair, "What on earth could they be doing that Joseph would turn off his cell phone for?"

The other three men looked at each other and smiled but Dean was the one to actually say anything, "Do you actually want us to answer that, sir?"

"Oh, please!" Shades waved his hand at Dean as if to say that what he was suggesting was total nonsense. "Joe hasn't made a pass for her in well over a month" he said.

"So? You don't think that's going to stop him do you?" Sinatra asked. "He's been crazy for her for years now! And if I know Joe as well as I think I do, he's charming that woman even as we speak."

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Joseph inhaled deeply as his dance with Clarisse continued. He took a brief moment to thank God in Heaven for allowing Joseph this moment, indeed this was a dance that he would not soon forget. Joseph smiled as he felt Clarisse copy his actions and also take in a deep breath. It was clear that they were both enjoying this moment, which was a relief to Joseph. Finally, he was able to be with Clarisse instead of being in the presence of Her Royal Majesty. This was the kind of moment that people only dreamt about, and here he was, experiencing the real thing...nothing could be better then this. Joseph pulled away slightly when he felt Clarisse's whole body shiver.

"Are you alright, darling?" he asked as he brushed some of her stray strands of hair back into place.

"I'm fine, just a bit chilly is all" she responded.

He smiled and nodded before pulling her closer once more. His smile broadened when he felt her nuzzle into his neck the way you would expect a cat to do. He brought his hand up to stroke the back of her neck and the tips of her hair.

"This is nice" she breathed.

"Mhmm" Joseph hummed in agreement.

He pulled back again and looked her in the eyes. She stared back at him, not really knowing what he was going to do. Then it was clear to her as he leaned in closer. As he drew closer she couldn't help but have that terrible thought 'I shouldn't be doing this, I shouldn't be doing this! Nothing but disaster with come from this! You're going to hurt the poor man again! Stop it while you may! You shouldn't be doing this!' But Clarisse shoved all of those thoughts out of her head and allowed Joseph to close the distance between them.

When the contact was finally made neither could believe its effect. If Clarisse had opened her eyes and taken a look around, she would have felt certain to see rain drops frozen and extended in mid air for at that moment...time stood still. The kiss was soft and gentle...and SO far from demanding. Clarisse had never felt anything like it and couldn't help but mentally kick herself for shivering again and causing Joseph to pull away in concern.

She watched as he took a deep breath before saying anything, apparently it had affected him as much as it had her.

"Come; let's get you out of this rain. I've kept you out here for far too long already."

Joseph then took off his jacket and held it above her head in effort to protect her from any more rain. And then the two of them set out towards the car, which gave Clarisse plenty of time to contemplate what she had just done. Surely something that felt that wonderful couldn't be half as bad as she had thought. No one had ever been able to cause this kind of feeling in her before, not even when Rupert was still alive. How was it possible that this man could hold such power over her? The more and more she thought about the kiss, the more she wanted it to happen again. For a brief moment she even considered turning to Joseph and doing it herself right then and there...but her conscience got the better of her. She couldn't allow herself to think that way. She had been foolish to allow the kiss to happen in the first place! She can't be involved with a man right now! Why couldn't she just remember that? She was being so cruel to this man by giving him false hope like that all of the time. And now she is just going to turn around and break his heart...again. Oh, why did she let him kiss her? How could she bee so foolish?

Clarisse looked up and saw the limousine in sight. She jumped sky high and clasped her arms around Joseph's waist when she heard the large clap of thunder behind her. He smiled down at her from her reaction and wrapped an arm around her.

"We could run the rest of the way from here" he suggested.

She merely nodded her head in respond and he brought his arm from around her back and clasped her hand.

"Come on then" he said.

And the two of them took off running. Once they reached the car Joseph opened the door and Clarisse sat down inside. Before he closed the door he looked at Clarisse's bare feet.

"Oh, darling" he said over the sound of the rain, "I forgot your shoes back on the beach."

Just then there was a large crack of thunder and Clarisse jumped upon hearing it. "Never mind the shoes. Just get in the car" she said with equal volume.

Joseph nodded and closed the door. It wasn't long before she saw him clime into the front seat and close the door once his legs were safe inside. He glanced behind him and chuckled at the dripping woman who was seated at the back of the limo.

"Well you're no better" she said as she wrapped her arms around her chest and shivered once more.

Joseph turned on the car and then turned the heat as warm as it could go. "Hopefully it will warm up here in a bit" he said. And then began to pull out of the parking lot and onto the road.

They had only been driving for about 5 minutes when Joseph noticed something wrong with the car. Their speed was decreasing even though he was still pushing the acceleration. Deciding he would rather not breakdown in the middle of the road, Joseph pulled the car over to a grassy aria and put the car in park.

Clarisse had been in her own little world but was snapped back to reality when she noticed that the car had almost stopped moving.

"What's going on, Joseph?" she asked.

He was about to clime out of the cab but stopped to inform her, "I'm not sure, but I'm trying to find out."

Then he exited the car and walked to the front of it. Clarisse's view of him was cut off when he raised the hood of the car to look inside. Clarisse just sat there for a while and waited for about twenty seconds until she saw him shove the hood back into place and then was soon back in his seat. He turned the key in the ignition a few times but his efforts were in vain...the engine just didn't want to start.

"What's wrong?" Clarisse finally asked.

Joseph sighed and turned around, "Apparently our friend Richey messed up because this car is lacking the proper amount of gasoline."

"How much does it have?"

"None" Joseph said.

"What are we going to do? From what I remember, the nearest gas station is almost nine miles away" Clarisse said.

"Perhaps I could walk up the road and find that gas station and bring back some gasoline" Joseph suggested.

Just then there was another clasp of thunder and Clarisse jumped.

"I don't like that idea" she said bluntly.

Joseph chuckled slightly and got out of the car. At first, Clarisse thought that he had gone on and done it anyway. But then she saw the door next to her open and he came to sit by her side.

"I have another plan" he said bringing out his cell phone and holding down the number two on his speed dial.

"Who are you calling?" Clarisse asked in a whisper so as not to disrupt the phone call.

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"Charlotte, could you please make sure that these letters get mailed?" Mia asked politely.

"Oh course, Your Highness" Charlotte replied before her hand went to her belt and pulled the vibrating cell phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Yes, Charlotte? This is Joe,"

Charlotte motioned for Mia to listen, so the young woman leaned her head closer and they both listened to the voice coming from Charlotte's cell phone.

"Oh, hey Joe. Is something the matter? Shades is going out of his mind wondering what has happened to you two. Are you alright?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes we're fine but apparently we are having a bit of car trouble and I am unable to get the car moving again. I need you to send someone down here to either restore this vehicle or provide another ride for Her Majesty."

Mia grinned and covered her mouth to remain quiet.

Charlotte also grinned but made sure that her smile was not noticeable in her voice, "Of course. Where are you now?"

"I'm on the side of the road. We were on our way back to the Palace but only made it a few miles from the beach. There aren't any visible road signs that I can see but if you have them drive to the beach they will be sure to notice us when they get close enough. Just send someone as soon as you can."

"Consider it done" Charlotte assured, then flipped her phone closed and she shared a laugh Mia.

"Well," Mia said, "I was hoping that they would get stranded at the beach but I guess my math can't always be right."

"Well I think you still did a fine job, Princess. I wouldn't have known how much gasoline to leave in the car, so you've already done more then I could have."

"Oh, you're too kind" Mia pretended to act flattered and she and Charlotte both shared another laugh.

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Joseph hung up on his side of the line and turned to look at Clarisse.

"Well?" she asked, "are they going to send someone?"

"No, my dear. They've decided to leave us out here for good" Joseph teased.

For a moment Clarisse's expression was one of shock, but then that gave away and a scowl took its place. She slapped him on the arm.

"That wasn't funny" she said.

"Then I'd say that your sense of humor has lessened if you didn't find that funny" he stared at her for a few seconds and almost dared her to keep a strait face.

Alas...she could not do it. Her scowl faded and her lips turned up in a grin, "Alright, maybe it was a little funny."

Joseph chuckled and leaned back in his seat. He rested his arm on the back of the seat and let his hand fall to the base of Clarisse's neck where he then proceeded to tickle her skin lightly with the tips of his fingers. It was not an annoying sort of tickle, like one that your older sibling may have attacked you with growing up. It was a soothing sort of tickle, one that would cause goose bumps to spread all throughout your body if it lasted long enough. It was the sort of tickle that, if it was done in the right place and by the right person, would feel far better then any massage one could ever endure. And that is how it was to Clarisse at that moment. Someway, somehow, Joseph seemed to have found Clarisse's special spot without even putting forth any form of effort. It was an action that seemed impossibly natural to him and Clarisse couldn't explain how or why it was so easy for him. But that didn't mater; she was in no mood to go searching for answers. She was enjoying the sensation he was causing far too much for something like that.

Joseph didn't know exactly what kind of sensation he was causing, but she seemed to be enjoying it. And the truth was, he had only half realized he was doing it in the first place. It was a subconscious action for him. The only thing that made him realize he was doing it was when he noticed Clarisse's head drop slightly to allow him better access. He realized what she was trying to say, so his fingers ventured further up her neck.

What Joseph didn't realize is that when he went to go put his cell phone away, he missed his pant pocket, so his cell phone had been lying on the seat just behind him. And when he leaned back in his seat and first began stroking Clarisse, he had sat on his phone and hence pushed and held the speed dial two button (you see, unlike Charlotte, Joseph did not have a flip phone so his number key was accessible even when not in use). So Joseph had, unknowingly, recalled Charlotte's cell phone. And because the phone was not being held up to either's ear, Joseph nor Clarisse could hear Charlotte's voice answer the line.

Clarisse moaned quietly as Joseph added his other hand into the mix so then all of his fingers (not including the thumbs) were lightly going up and down Clarisse's neck in a slow rhythm.

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Back in her suite, Mia stared on as Charlotte repeated her greeting over and over again. Finally Mia grabbed the phone from Charlotte's hand and held it to her ear. She heard the sound of someone moaning gently. She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at its sides. She found the volume control and turned it up louder then placed the phone back to her ear. She heard something that she thought was someone speaking but she still could not hear it clearly.

"Is there any way for this to get louder?" Mia dropped the phone from her ear and studied its key pad.

Charlotte took it from her hands, "it has a speaker phone" she said and she held down the proper button and soon the sounds coming from the phone were amplified and the voices could be heard clearly.

Mia looked at the phone, then at Charlotte and mouthed "Cool". Then both women listened intently to what was coming from the phone.

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As Clarisse was enjoying the sensation, something in the back of her mind clicked and she brought her head up quickly, which was not a very good idea because it gave her an instant headache.

"No, Joseph. You need to stop" she said.

"What?" he asked completely confused.

"This needs to stop."

Joseph just stared at her with his eyebrows low in concern. "What happened on the beach just now," he said, "you're not regretting it, are you?"

She looked at him sadly.

He shook his head, "I don't understand."

She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, no doubt this was going to hurt him.

"I thought things were going well" he said, still utterly confused.

"They were, Joseph...they were" she said as she gently touched his cheek.

"Then why are you doing this?"

She sighed again and pulled her hand off his cheek, "Because," she said, "This can't happen. You and I...can't happen."

The look on Joseph's face resembled that of a small child who did not understand why they were being punished. It was a look that broke Clarisse's heart.

"Why?"

"Because, I'm in no place to have a romantic relationship with anyone. It's not really you...and it's not really me...it's them."

Joseph still looked confused.

Clarisse let out a hopeless sigh, "I'm afraid you wouldn't understand."

"Then make me, Clarisse. Make me understand. Please, I beg you!" he pleaded in the pain of being broken.

The look on his face caused tears to well up in Clarisse's eyes. "It's the people of Genovia" she said, "They're not ready to see me in a relationship right now."

"Well who cares about that?" as soon as the words were out of his mouth, Joseph knew that was not the right approach to take.

"I care, Joseph! It's my job to care!" she answered angrily.

Joseph fell silent and looked at the ground for a moment. Then he raised his head and looked her in the eyes again. "You're right" he said, "I don't understand. I can't understand why you won't do this one thing for yourself. I mean, I know that you wish to be selfless but...will you not draw the line even at love?"

"Joseph, I am under constant surveillance!"

At first Joseph found it pointless for her to be telling him this. For the most part, he was the one providing this surveillance. But he still let her continue.

"No matter which way I turn there is ALWAYS at least one pair of eyes watching my every move! So what do you think will happen when the country sees me gallivanting this way and that with some man? What do you think the people of Genovia would say!"

"'Good for her'?" Joseph suggested.

"Oh, really now Joseph! Try to act serious for this ONE moment please?"

"I am being serious! Clarisse, this country is full of people who love you, they adore you, they want what's best for you!"

"Oh, and what would that be? Exactly what IS best for me, Joseph?"

Joseph's eyes zigzagged for a split second on the floor and he thought of an answer before raising his head and shouting, "I AM!"

Clarisse's expression changed. She was blown away with the idea of his answer. Her face changed from a frustrated scowl to a face of contemplation as she considered what Joseph just said.

He went on in a softer tone, "I am, Clarisse. I'm what's best for you." He pause briefly before continuing, "As much as you and some parliament members hate to admit it...you're just a woman" he spoke this last part earnestly. "And all responsibilities and...political roles aside, ultimately...you are just a woman. A woman...who deserves to be loved, and cherished, and adored just like any other woman on this earth does. And I am willing to do that for you, Clarisse. I am willing to love you, and cherish you, and adore you! I already do and have for years! Why can't you just realize that?"

Joseph looked down after saying these words in earnest and stared at the floor again. He couldn't let this happened, he was loosing her again, he had to do something. He sighed; maybe this really was supposed to be the end of it. He looked back up at her and saw that she too was staring at the ground.

"Clarisse, look at me" he said.

She did as he requested and looked at him.

"If you can look me in the eye, right now and tell me that you really don't care for me...And when I kissed you on the beach just now, if you can honestly tell me that you felt nothing in that...then...I'll stop chasing after you, once and for all. You will never be bothered by me again. If you can look me in the eye...right now...and honestly tell me...that you don't love me...then I will end it, right here, right now. Can you tell me that?"

He held her gaze intensely and without so much as a blink. And she stared back as she thought about it. At last his deep gaze was too much for her and she tilted her head slightly to the side and stared at the wood paneling that was on certain arias of the limousine as she thought hard about what he just said. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she shook her head lightly.

"No," she squeaked just above a whisper as he chin began to quiver and the first tear slid down her cheek. "I can't tell you that," she said and pinched her lips together in effort to fight off the tears that were now spilling out.

"I can't tell you that, Joseph" she looked back at him and saw that his eyes were closed and he was taking a deep breath in and then let it out in a relieved sigh. She leaned back and rested her head against the seat behind her.

She closed her eyes, "God help me, but I think..." she opened her eyes and looked at him again, "...I think I'm in love with you."

He matched her position by placing his head on the seat also but still looking at her. His first tear slid down his cheek until it was lost in the maze of hairs that formed his beard.

He sighed another sigh, "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that." He placed a hand lovingly on her cheek and wiped the strokes of tears from under her eye. "I love you, Clarisse" he said.

She sniffled, "I love you, too."

He grabbed the back of her head and leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead. Then he touched both their foreheads together and continued to look her in the eyes. He let his hand drop to her lower thigh just above the knee as his other arm was resting on the seat behind them and letting its hand rest on top of her head and play with her hair.

She had one of her hands gripping his shirt and the other resting on his shoulder and stroking the back of his neck with her nails much like he had done to her earlier, but every once and a while she would bring that hand up to tug on and play with his ear.

And like that they sat, with their foreheads touching and looking strait at each other. And they both silently decided that nothing could be more perfect.

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When things grew silent, Charlotte quietly closed her phone and looked at Mia. Apparently it was as touching to her as it was to Charlotte because Mia too had wet eyes. Mia looked at her and they both smiled.

"Finally!" Charlotte said.

Mia dried her tears and watched as Charlotte did the same. Then Mia said, "Mission accomplished" and she and Charlotte shared a high-five.

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There you go my readers, that was the climax of the story. There will be more soon I promise. But please leave me a review to encourage me to write more.

Author's Note: I was just informed recently that all of my mechanical references in this chapter and then one before it were completely inaccurate. So before I get in trouble by all of you mechanics out there, I would like to say I'm sorry but what I wrote about the car was wrong and Mia and Charlotte could not have removed gasoline from the car's hood. This just goes to show that I am totally ignorant when it comes to cars. But I ask that you use your imagination for that part of the story because after all...it is fiction.

--Monker