Author's Note: this was a slightly difficult chapter to write, but I managed to do it! It's not as racy as it could be (sorry!) but I was going more on feelings than anything else, and I enjoyed it! Thanks to all the loyal readers who have reviewed!
The song lyrics are 'The Way You Look Tonight' by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me in any way
"Would you like to dance again?" Joseph asked as Mia drifted off to find Lily, and Clarisse smiled at him.
"I'd be delighted... just as long as it's only you, as I can see that a few other men would like to dance with me!" she teasingly waved vaguely around the room as he led her out onto the dance floor. Joseph laughed, well aware that certain men would be throwing jealous looks in his direction, but he was too happy and proud to care.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you from all of them… there is only one person who can dance with my wife tonight!"
"Really… who?" she asked innocently, but her blue eyes were sparkling with mischief, and he only chuckled as he pulled her closer to him, secretly rejoicing at the fact that he was now able to do that in front of everyone.
As with the other dances, they barely remembered that there was a roomful of people surrounding them, watching them… it was if they were in a room and a happy world of their own…
After the dance, he led her back to their seats where two glasses of champagne were waiting for them, and Clarisse sipped a little before stifling a yawn. She had been hoping to be discreet but, as usual, Joseph had noticed her hand cover her mouth, and he moved his chair closer to hers, so that their legs were touching, to murmur into her ear:
"Are you tired, darling?"
"A little," she admitted with a slightly tired smile. "It's been such an emotionally charged few weeks…" she squeezed his hand for a moment. "And today has been a very big day… I suppose that you aren't tired at all?" she teased him.
"No," he returned the teasing smile. "I'm rather tired as well… some of these guests were rather fond of staying up late," he added in an undertone, and Clarisse suddenly remembered that he had been assigned to guard some of them the night before the wedding, and she chuckled. "So… did you want to try and leave early?"
"I'm sure we wouldn't be too popular if the reception ended at…" she paused, squinting at her watch. "Eight thirty in the evening… everyone seems to having such a good time!"
"Why not?" he put an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned against his shoulder. "Everyone may be having a good time but, as you've reminded me several times today, today is our day and I think that means we should be able to do what we want, when we want… and that includes when we want to leave! Besides, I know that Mia will keep the party going long after we leave."
"Alright," Clarisse smiled at him, loving the fact that he was calling them 'we'- they really were a couple! "But I don't really want to have everyone watching us leave… I'd rather make a quiet exit whereby no one knows that we've left… I'm sure you have plenty of ways for us to do that… after all, you are a former bodyguard!"
"Mmmm…" Joe looked thoughtfully around the room, trying to find a way that they could escape without anyone noticing them, before Mia stopped by their chairs, and Joe was suddenly struck with an idea.
"Mia, can you do something for us?" he half shouted over the noise of the music and the talking, and Mia leaned down between them.
"Sure… anything for the bride and groom!"
"Well, your grandmother and I would like to leave now, but we don't want to create a huge kafuffle in doing so…"
"We'd just like to make a quiet exit," Clarisse added hastily, and felt slightly concerned when she saw a mischievous glint in Mia's eyes. "Nothing too outrageous, though!"
"Don't worry, Grandma, it won't be… I'm sure that Lily and Andrew will help out… oh, and we may need Charlotte and Scott as well!"
When she disappeared to round them up, Clarisse looked at Joseph with a slightly furrowed brow.
"You don't think she'd do anything really too outrageous, do you?" Joseph only laughed and patted her arm reassuringly.
"It might be interesting… you have to admit that Mia certainly makes life very interesting around here at times!"
000
Clarisse was a little too tired to realise what Mia's plan specifically entailed, but she was aware of Mia (along with Lily and even Andrew) singing along to a song the DJ was playing on a couple of microphones as Charlotte and Scott hurried them discreetly out of the room. The rest of the party was too interested in seeing the Princess singing to take any notice of the bride and groom sneaking out of the ballroom doors.
"Good night," Clarisse said with a warm smile to Charlotte and Shades before they, grinning happily, disappeared back into the ballroom and closed the door behind them, leaving the hallway silent and empty. Clarisse and Joseph looked at each other for a moment before Joe wound Clarisse's arm through his and they began heading towards the stairs.
"That was easy!" he joked lightly as they walked up the stairs quietly, the sounds of the party fading as they got further away from the ballroom.
"Yes it was… I'm very surprised that Mia didn't try and rope me into doing karaoke again!" Clarisse chuckled. "Thankfully I did that at the bridal shower... But still, I would have liked to see more of her performance, but I just wanted to spend some time alone with you… we've been on display all day, and now it's time for us…"
"I wouldn't have minded seeing you singing again- you've got such a lovely voice- but I'm glad that it's just us now… I know you would have been used to being on display, but I personally found it exhausting!"
"Now you know how I feel," Clarisse said wisely. "It was exciting, for a little while, but then it got more and more wearing over the years, and now I'm ready just to relax and not be on constant display… and the perfect way to do this is to share my life with you," she smiled over at him tenderly, and he leant over to kiss her on the forehead as they walked down the hallway towards Clarisse's suite… or, rather, their suite now, Clarisse thought with a shy smile.
Although they were now more comfortable together, the shock of what had happened that day finally wearing off, there was a growing sense of awkwardness and anticipation between them… there were no more boundaries separating them anymore- they were husband and wife, not Queen and Head of Security, and both of them were surprised to realise that they were simultaneously nervous and excited about being alone together.
They were distracted from their thoughts for a moment when, standing in front of Clarisse's suite doors, they saw a banner stretched across the door frame, with 'CONGRATULATIONS NEWLYWEDS!' written on it. Underneath the banner was another, smaller handwritten sign with the words 'Honeymoon Suite… Do Not Disturb!'
"What the… who on earth…" Joe murmured almost to himself, and Clarisse smiled fondly at the signs.
"I have a feeling that my granddaughter had something to do with this… but this is lovely…"
The guards had disappeared for the evening and she walked forward to open the doors, but Joseph stopped her before she stepped into the room.
"I know something else that will make it even more special," Joe said softly before, to Clarisse's surprise, he scooped her easily up into his arms.
"Joseph!" she almost squealed with delight. "Are you sure you should be carrying me with your knees? I couldn't bear to have you in any pain!"
"I haven't got any pain at the moment and, even if I did, I wouldn't care," he said with a grin before he carried her over to the threshold. Clarisse laughed with pleasure as he set her down on her feet again, and he turned to close the doors, locking it behind him. Clarisse looked at him curiously.
"Why did you lock the doors for?"
"Just so that, according to the sign, we won't be disturbed," Joseph said with a smile as Clarisse blushed, before reverting back to the previous subject.
"I've never been carried over the threshold before… Rupert didn't do that…"
"I've never done that before, either, so that was another first for us," he said as they walked, arm in arm, into the suite. "I wanted to do it, though, and there was only one person I wanted to carry over the threshold!"
"Oh really…" Clarisse trailed off when they found several surprises awaiting them…
The lights in the room had been dimmed, there was music playing softly from a CD player, and there were two bottles of champagne chilling in ice buckets on the table, two champagne flutes sitting nearby with a couple of slices of wedding cake that Clarisse couldn't remember cutting.
"Now this is really too much," Clarisse said a little tearfully as Joseph opened one bottle and poured some of the sparkling liquid into the glass. "I don't know who did all of this, but it was very thoughtful…"
"There are a lot more people who knew about us in the palace than we realised," Joe said shrewdly as he handed her a glass and gazed at her for a moment, struck by how beautiful she looked in the candle and lamp lights.
"To my beautiful bride… may we have many, many years of happiness together!"
"Thank you," Clarisse said quietly before adding: "To my handsome husband who has always been there for me, no matter what" and they lightly clinked glasses before each took a sip. After slipping the small tiara in the velvet lined box on her desk, she slowly sank onto the couch and slipped her shoes off with a happy sigh.
"Thank goodness… although I'm used to wearing heels, it's such a relief to take them off in the evening!"
"I'm glad too…" Joe teased as he tossed his jacket over a nearby chair and sat down next to her on the couch. Clarisse said stiffly next to him for a moment, wondering what to do, when she suddenly realised that it was Joseph sitting next to her, and she relaxed and snuggled up to him as he put an arm around her.
They could still hear sounds from the party downstairs drifting in through Clarisse's open windows, and Clarisse was relieved to know that the party was still going on even though they had disappeared.
"What a day…" Clarisse sighed, relaxing completely. "When I woke up this morning, I never thought it would end with me being married to you… but what an amazing day! What about you?"
"I thought that Mia was the one getting married but, instead, you convinced her not to do what she wasn't ready for, and claimed her wedding ceremony as your own, much to the surprise of the nation and me!'
"Yes, I didn't think I would do that," Clarisse chuckled delightedly at Joseph's summary of that day. "But I was never 100 convinced that Mia marrying Andrew was the right thing… He's a nice boy, but…"
"She's much too spirited for him… that's what I thought," Joe finished off her sentence. "But it took a lot of courage from both of you to do what you both did…"
"Mia's always been courageous, but I've always been more inclined to stick to what I know, and do the right thing… not create any waves…"
"Until today," Joseph said pointedly, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek, and she smiled over at him. "I was very proud of what you did at the church."
"Alright, I was brave today… but that was for us, and I knew that I would do anything for us."
She paused for a moment, thinking back on the agony of the past few days, and decided to tell Joseph how she had felt during those days.
"You know, as soon as you walked out of the ballroom that night, I realised that I had made the biggest mistake of my life… All I could think about for the next two days was the look on your face, and the fact that I may have lost you… I'm afraid that Mia may have been neglected a little… I was numb for most of that evening, and then I cried and cried and cried… the only other time I have cried that much as when Phillipe died… What about you?"
She twisted around slightly and looked at him curiously, and Joe looked out the window for a moment before looking back at Clarisse again.
"I was hurt and angry, I'll admit that, and I was going to resign… but I came to realise that you did have responsibilities that you had to put before us… Mia most definitely… but I was rather childish to expect you to make a clear cut decision in a few days, and it most definitely wasn't fair for me to walk out on you when you were trying to explain why. Besides, although Scott took my letter, I don't think he would have let me resign."
"I wouldn't have let you resign," Clarisse said pointedly, and then softened. "Not unless you decided to stay… I was missing you so much that I think I may have been planning to beg for your forgiveness… that would have been interesting!"
"I would have liked to have seen that," Joe said with a grin as he stretched over to retrieve the champagne to refill their glasses.
"But I missed you too… not talking to you made me realise that you are not only the only woman I will ever really, truly love, but my best friend as well…"
"You are such a sweet gentleman," Clarisse looked at him, her eyes sparkling with love. "You know that you've always been my best friend and the love of my life… and now you are my husband as well…"
She leaned over to kiss him softly on the lips and, as before, she found herself melting into his embrace… no one had ever kissed her like Joseph did, and she loved every moment…
As they both began to get swept away with the feelings that had been blocked and ignored for so long, Clarisse couldn't help but panic, and pull away quickly, her cheeks going red.
"I'm sorry… I just…" she stuttered softly, trying to explain to him… No one had ever made her feel as alive as this, and both her feelings and the intensity of them scared her just a little.
Joseph, watching her tremble slightly, understood how she was feeling- she had been closed off for so long, starved of real love from Rupert, that now she had the chance of real love and happiness again, it scared her.
"I know darling, and we can as slow or as fast as you want… all that matters is that we're together… finally," he added softly as he rubbed her arm reassuringly, and she chuckled as she leant back against him again.
"We're not going to live that down, are we?"
"Not if James has anything to do with it…" he trailed off as he heard a familiar song playing downstairs, and wanted to dance with Clarisse again.
"I know that you're tired but… would you like to dance?" Joseph stood up slowly, and Clarisse looked up at him, astonished.
"Here? Now?"
"Here and now… but this isn't the most unusual place we've danced, is it?" he said with a soft smile. "Besides, can't you hear what they're playing downstairs?"
She cocked her head to the side, and she smiled dreamily before nodding and standing up next to him.
"I'd love to…. Do you remember," she began as they began to dance near the window, the warm July breeze drifting in from the windows. "The first time we danced to this song? It was on the balcony, a star filled night, and the garden was in full bloom…"
Joseph chuckled as tender thoughts of that night filled his mind.
"And we, as usual, had managed to disappear from the rest of the world for a few minutes," he said softly.
"A few minutes that seemed like forever," Clarisse said almost as softly as she leant her head on his shoulder, and he stroked her hair.
"How could I forget that evening…it was wonderful…?"
"…Yes, you're lovely
With your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft
There is nothing for me but to love you
Just the way you look tonight…"
"Do you remember our first kiss?" he asked after a slight pause, and Clarisse looked at him with a smile.
"Of course I do… that was one of the happiest moments of my life… I never realised, until afterwards, how much it meant to me… or the feelings that went with it," Clarisse said softly, her cheeks turning a pale pink as she thought about that moment.
"I thought I was going to get fired," Joe confessed with a sheepish look, and Clarisse looked at him, astonished. "I mean, a bodyguard kissing the Queen would be considered a fireable offence… I thought that you would tell Rupert, or that someone could have seen us…"
"Why would I have told Rupert about the kiss, Joseph? You were my friend, and you were there when I needed you… everything that happened between us stayed between us, and I would never have told him anything. And, as for you getting fired, I wouldn't have let you go without a fight… you were, after all, the best man in my employ…"
"I never really asked you at the time… I was in shock that it had happened… but how did you feel after….?" He fiddled with the hem on her coat, and she smiled before she lifted his face to look at her.
"I was so used to not being kissed or shown affection that, when we kissed that time, I thought my happiness was because someone had shown me affection… But every time you kiss me, my heart races a million kilometres an hour, I can hardly breathe when I'm near you, and I know that I can fly when I'm with you…" she trailed off as Joseph leaned over to kiss her again.
This time, however, Clarisse felt her relax easily into Joseph's arms, melting into happiness…
"I love you," she breathed softly as his lips moved down from her lips to her neck, and he stopped for a moment, smiling adoringly into her big blue eyes.
"I love you too…"
He looked at her for a moment before realising that she was smiling seductively at him, her eyes aglow with tenderness and happiness, and her hands were fiddling with the buttons on his waistcoat. She stopped when he smiled at her, and she pulled away for a moment to lead him towards the bedroom, blowing out candles as she went…..
0000
Just inside the doorway, she turned to kiss him again, her hands still fiddling with the shirt, but quickly stopped when she realised that he was watching her.
"I'm sorry," she said shyly, trying to pull away before he stopped her by putting both arms around her waist and pulling her even closer to him. They were standing so close together that Joseph could see that she was breathing slightly faster than normal, and he sensed that her heart was racing as her cheeks glowed bright red.
"Why are you sorry?" he murmured as he leant forward to kiss her on the neck again, Clarisse giggling softly at the touch of his beard on her neck, and breathing in her perfume… her scent had always been so intoxicating to him…
"It's been such a long time… I'm nervous… and embarrassed that I'm nervous…"
She couldn't explain it to him (although she knew she didn't need to), but she could barely remember her first wedding night, and she felt as though this was her first wedding night, and she was suddenly a nervous eighteen year old girl again. But in a way, this was her first wedding night, and it was the man she knew inside and out (and vice versa), and had loved for a long, long time…
"Darling," he looked at her calmly, his grasp still firm around her waist. "Like I said before, we can do whatever you want, I don't care… I've just waited to be with you for so long that nothing matters to me anymore…"
"It just seems a little daunting… this is the next step in our relationship, but I never thought that I would ever be this happy, or ever experience this…" she said, not looking at him as she fiddled with his tie, and he cupped her chin in his hand, making her look at him.
"But you are, and you will be… you deserve all of this and more, and I will enjoy every moment of making you happy for the rest of your life…" he said intensely, leaning over to kiss her again, shrugging off his waistcoat as she continued unbuttoning his shirt. While she was now more relaxed, it was now him that was nervous… he could easily put his arms around her waist, or her shoulders when they were still a secret couple, but he suddenly found that he didn't even have the courage to even try and remove her silk coat…
"What's wrong, Joseph?" she pulled away slightly to look at him, his hands stiffly holding her shoulders.
"I just… I'm just afraid that…" he stuttered, feeling foolish that he couldn't finish his sentence or explain to her what he was feelings, but as Clarisse smiled at him tenderly, he knew that she realised he was embarrassed, and she gently caressed his face with her hand.
"You are such a gentleman, Joseph Bonnell… Isn't this ridiculous?" she said with a laugh, dropping her hands for a moment. "We've spent so long hiding our feelings that, now we can show them, we find it difficult to open up… we really are a perfect match! However, I may be able to help you with something…."
She tossed her silk coat lightly into a chair and, still watching Joseph with a surprisingly open look in her eyes, reached back and unzipped her dress. It fell to the floor at her feet, and she stepped over it to stand in front of him, clad in a cream coloured slip and lace lingerie, revealing an even better figure than he had imagined, before floating back towards him.
"It's going to be alright," she said calmly, stroking his face again with her hand as slowly, as if in a dream, Joseph pulled her towards him again to kiss her….
As their kisses became deeper and more passionate, neither of them found it difficult to give into their feelings… Joseph almost shivered as her fingers gently touched his chest under his shirt, and Clarisse only trembled slightly as he caressed her shoulders before his hands shyly began to roam, knocking her silk straps off as he did so. Without pulling away at all, she silent shimmied out of it, kicking it away as she tossed his shirt in the opposite direction.
"Joseph…" she breathed softly into his ear as his lips moved from her neck towards her lips again, and she sighed softly as he ran his hands over her, and she almost melted… it was crazy to feel the way she was feeling, but he had always seemed to make her feel like this, alive and free… all she knew was that she didn't want to be the other Clarisse ever again….
Joseph smiled tenderly to himself- she was still rather proper and shy about her feelings, and the way she should feel about certain things, but he loved the fact that she was slowly opening a long dormant part of herself to him… although she was, publicly, a shy and reserved woman, he knew that, deep down, she was really a very warm, loving, affectionate and even passionate woman… and that was the woman who had showed herself to him, and the woman he had fallen in love with…
He just couldn't believe that it was him that she had chosen… in a way, he didn't feel as if he was good enough for her… she was a Queen, and a lady, and he was only a bodyguard…
He suddenly scooped her into his arms, still kissing her, and deposited her gently on the bed before sitting next to her. He gazed at her perfect form, clad in lace lingerie, and beautiful, radiant face with awe… he really couldn't believe that she was finally his, and he was finally hers, although he had always been hers…
"Beautiful," he murmured softly, and she only blushed and shook her head before he leant down and cupped her cheek in his hand. He had never understood why she never considered herself beautiful… another legacy from her first husband, he though bitterly to himself… to him, she was perfect in every way…
Clarisse herself couldn't believe what he had said, and the blind love and adoration in his eyes… he was such a good man, and she couldn't believe that he loved her…
"Look at me, Clarisse," he said softly, and she looked at him with her wide blue eyes, almost in tears at the tender look in his eyes and smile. "You are so beautiful, Clarisse… I wish you would believe me…"
"You wouldn't want me to get vain, would you?" she teased softly, but her eyes told him she understood what he was saying.
"How on earth did I get so lucky to have you fall in love, and then marry me?" he murmured almost to himself, and Clarisse beamed as she gently touched his face with one hand.
"I'm the lucky one… you're the one I love, and I couldn't believe it when you fell for me… I thought that someone else would have married you a long time ago…"
"There's only one problem with that suggestion," he teased huskily as he gazed down at her for a moment, appreciating and loving every moment with her. "I'm sure that there were plenty out there who wanted to marry me, but I didn't want to marry them… there was only one I ever wanted to marry, and she's right here…"
"Oh, Joseph…" Clarisse's eyes filled with tears as he bent down and kissed her again, and the emotions of the past few days or, more appropriately, the past thirty years were finally released as the world beyond them suddenly faded into the background… all that mattered was that they were together…
0000
He didn't know what disturbed him, but Joseph suddenly found himself staring into the darkness … he glanced around, wondering where he was, before he realised that Clarisse was snuggled up next to him, her hand on his chest, and everything came rushing back to him…. They had gotten married earlier that day!
Listening to the sounds of the night, he became aware of the fact that there was no music or sounds drifting up from downstairs, so the wedding reception must have finished… but long after the bride and groom had actually left! He squinted over at his glow in the dark watch, sitting on the bedside table next to him, and was a little surprised to see that it was just after two in the morning… it had had seem as though it had been longer…
He smiled down at the top of Clarisse's head, and gently reached out to stroke it with his available hand.
"My wife," he whispered in wonderment as he stroked her hair… he had never been happier in his life- he was now married to the woman he had adored almost from the moment he had met her, and now they were finally together!
After a moment, he shifted slightly to sit up against the pillows, and Clarisse raised her head to look at him, smiling widely- she had been awake the entire time!
"You're awake!" he said in a loud whisper and she grinned as she leaned up against the pillows with him, and he put an arm around her.
"Yes, although I did have a sleep before… "
"What have you been doing, lying here in the dark?" he asked as he continued stroking her hair with his hand.
"I've just been thinking about how happy I am…" she leaned against his shoulder happily, and he kissed the top of her head. There was no awkwardness or shyness between them now, and they felt the unbreakable bond between them, which had always been there, but had been solidified by their marriage.
"Did you hear when the reception finished?"
"No, but I did hear Mia and Lily walking past the suite… I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but I can imagine that it was cheeky…" she grinned to herself- Mia could be rather cheeky at times, but she did love that about her.
"Imagine all the disappointed people that wanted to say goodbye and gawk at us before they left, and you selfishly denied them the opportunity by leaving early!" Joe said in a mocking tone, and Clarisse only laughed.
"It wasn't my idea to sneak out!" she protested easily as she ran her hand down his chest, before pausing to look at something on the top of his right shoulder. "What's that?" she asked as she squinted at it.
"What's what?" he asked as he followed her hand pointing to his shoulder, and he chuckled when he saw that she was pointing at the small tattoo.
"Did you want a closer look?" he asked joking and she elbowed him in the stomach as she leaned over to look at it, and switch on the lamp.
"What is the tattoo design? I see that it's in the shape of a heart, and there are two initials inside… C R… who's CR?" she looked at him inquiringly, and Joseph only shook his head mysteriously.
"I'm not telling you…" he teased, but he suspected she knew when she continued to look at it intensely, before looking back at him, tears filling her eyes.
"Are they my initials?" she asked in a quiet voice, and he nodded silently as she looked at it again, tears spilling onto her cheeks.
"What a…." she broke off, her voice choking up with tears, and Joseph hugged her tightly before she beamed up at him.
"You're always full of surprises, aren't you? When did you have that done?"
"About ten years ago, when we were in England… I just thought it might be nice to have it done, and the tattooist never guessed the significance of it… I did have a name, just in case…"
"Oh…" Clarisse was staring at it again, before looking at him with a sparkle in her eyes. "I think I want one too… I want to have something with your initials!"
She paused and laughed at Joseph's horrified expression before continuing. "Why not?"
"No, you can't have a tattoo… you are perfect the way you are… I'm not worth that!"
"Yes you are," Clarisse looked at him determinedly. "Besides, I don't need your permission to get a tattoo or not… you may be my husband, but…."
"Alright," Joseph acquiesced with a calm smile, giving in so quickly that Clarisse was instantly suspicious. "By the way, do you realise how much pain you would have to put up with when it's done… believe me, it's no picnic!"
"How much pain exactly?" she now looked slightly squeamish.
"A lot of pain… more than you could imagine, and you will have pain after you have it done…"
"Okay… it was only an idea anyway," she admitted with a giggle, and Joseph was suddenly struck with an idea.
"Have you got a pen?" he asked after a moment, and she handed one from her bedside table, giving him a quizzical look as he started drawing something on the top of her hand.
"What are you doing?" she asked, giggling as the pen lightly touched her skin. "That tickles… what are you doing?" she repeated herself and, after a moment, Joseph stopped and pulled away from her hand so she could see it… on it he had drawn a tiny heart, with a JB inscribed in the middle.
"There you are… now you don't have to have a tattoo," he said decisively, and she laughed softly as she looked at it again, before smiling at him.
"Thank you… you're quite decisive when you want to be, aren't you?" she teased, and he only chuckled before pulling her close and kissing her.
Settling back into his arms, she laughed as she saw the clothes that were scattered around the room. Joseph, looking around the dimly lit room, realised what she was laughing about and joined in, before realising that most of his clothes were still downstairs…
"I think I might have to go and retrieve some clothes before tomorrow," he said thoughtfully, and Clarisse's eyes lit up.
"Oh, you're going to go to your room! I'll come with you- I've never seen where you lived!" she bounded happily out of bed, and went over to her wardrobe to find her bathrobe.
"Just in case you didn't want to get all dressed again, I've got an old bathrobe of Phillipe's here… did you want to wear that?" she offered it to him, and he accepted gratefully as they smiled warmly at each other.
"Thank you… this is a nice robe," he said as he put it on, and Clarisse smiled at him fondly.
"I got that for him for his last birthday, and I couldn't bear to throw it away… So, do you think everyone would be in bed by now?"
"Yes… I don't think even the Princess would have lasted beyond midnight, so I'm fairly sure that no one will be around!"
000
Sure enough, the hallways of the palace were eerily silent as they padded downstairs and headed towards Joseph's room. He silently unlocked the door, allowing her in before him, and she looked around inquisitively when he turned on the light and shut the door behind him.
"This is where you lived?" she asked, a little surprised as she looked around the small living room, with a doorway leading to the bedroom and bathroom. "No wonder you wished you had a fireplace!"
Joseph laughed at her reaction as he walked into his bedroom, and opened the small cupboard that held all his clothing, Clarisse hot on his heels. She looked around curiously as she sunk slowly onto his double bed.
"It was very easy… to me, this was only a place to sleep, as I had my meals with the boys and spent my waking hours either at your side," he smiled teasingly at her. "Or with the boys… I wasn't like you, and had a virtual house at my disposal!" he teased as he tossed a shirt at her, and she laughed. "Why? Do you think you could manage to live here?"
"No, I don't think I could… I would follow you anywhere, Joseph, but I think I would have to draw the line at living in here for an extending period of time…"
"Which is why I'm very glad that your suite is big enough for both of us," he laughed as he disappeared into the bathroom. "I think I'm going to enjoy living in the Queen's suite!"
"It will be a former Queen's suite in a few days," Clarisse corrected him, and he laughed as he re-emerged from the bathroom.
"True, but it will always be a Queen's suite to me… all because you will be there, and you will always been a Queen to me!"
"I don't really care where we are, just as long as we're together," Clarisse said tenderly as she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, sneaking a soft kiss onto his shoulder, and he cuddled her close for a moment.
He closed his duffle bag with a flourish, and Clarisse looked slightly surprised at all he was taking.
"Is that all you're taking?"
"Yes… well, I did live in black for most of my life, so most of my clothing is black and black is one colour that you can use in a variety of ways…"
"Hmm… maybe it's time that I introduced you to a few new colours," Clarisse said thoughtfully as they walked out of the room, Joe closing the door softly behind him, and they began walking back towards the suite.
"We'll have to see about that," Joseph replied teasingly, but he wouldn't mind the change.
When they walked past Mia's suite, they were surprised to hear music blaring from inside the room.
"I would have thought that she would have been asleep by now!" Clarisse said in surprise, and Joseph only chuckled.
"I think that, after what she narrowly missed today, she deserves to be able to stay up as late as she wants," he said as they walked back into the suite, and Clarisse laughed.
'I suppose so…."
Joseph decided to unpack in the morning, and they were soon back in bed, ready for sleep as Clarisse curled up happily in his arms.
"What a day… but what a wonderful day," she said in a soft voice as she leaned her head against his chest, and his arm tightened around her slightly.
"Yes, it was a wonderful day," he agreed, and she looked up at him with her blue eyes full of love.
"I love you, Joseph Bonnell… and I'm glad that I'm going to be known as Mrs Joseph Bonnell from now on!"
"You will always be a Queen to a lot of people, darling, no matter what you say… but I love the fact that you're Mrs Bonnell too… and I love you too… very, very much…"