A/N: Thanks to my readers and reviewers- you all rock!
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!
"You may kiss the bride, Joe."
The words reverberated between the two of them as well as their witnesses (who were already celebrating but had to remain calm and silent until the ceremony was officially over, that is, the bride and groom broke apart).
Charlotte, personally, was ecstatic that Joe and Clarisse… the Queen… Clarisse… had finally made the ultimate commitment. She hadn't seen the proposal itself but she had been in the doorway when she had seen Joseph practically drag HIS boss out of the ballroom and she knew then that something GOOD had happened for both of them….
"Have you been thinking about us?"
"Yes I have…." A long silence and then…. "Yes… yes… yes!"
She had kept her mouth shut when the next morning, she had seen Her Majesty looking radiant and surprisingly unruffled when the Princess had been caught, on camera, with Lord Devereaux on the palace grounds, but she had secretly hoped that they FINALLY had got their act together and… FINALLY, they were officially husband and wife, together for the rest of their lives.
Charlotte had witnessed their relationship developing, growing and solidifying over the years and now… they had reached out and grabbed the brass ring and were now….husband and wife….and she couldn't be happier for them, they deserved it.
Sebastian and Sheila were just as excited for exactly the same reason- Clarisse deserved to be happy and she found it with Joseph. They had been very discreet, to the point of hiding their relationship, and while they had suffered more than the usual amount of hiccups over the years (Pierre's abdication, Phillipe's unexpected death, Mia's re-emergence in Clarisse's life), THEY deserved happiness and NOW was the time to embrace it.
Sheila had always had a sense of the Queen and Joseph's relationship almost from the moment she had met both of them over ten years ago when, as the new wife of the new Prime Minister, she was introduced to the King and Queen. The King had as good as ignored her but the Queen had been sweet and welcoming and Sheila decided, at that exact moment (although she had also heard rumours about the King and his 'ladies'), that she would ALWAYS support the Queen no matter what… and now, on the evening of her second wedding, being a witness confirmed Sheila's lifelong loyalty, friendship and devotion to Clarisse and Joseph.
To Sebastian, the choice was simple- loyalty to the past or loyalty to the future. He had liked, respected, even feared King Rupert (may he rest in peace) but he had also liked, respected and appreciated the Queen- in fact, he had a sense of protectiveness towards her that had deepened once Pierre had been forced out of the country, the King had continued to be unfaithful and especially once Phillipe was killed in the accident. He had always given her his loyalty- and had often been questioned about it, especially when it came to light that he and Phillipe had gone to school together and had been best men at their respective weddings- but now, he was proud and delighted to openly give his support and loyalty.
Joseph, he had always liked, and while he hadn't had the sense of their relationship as Sheila had had from their first meeting (and he hadn't believed Sheila at first when she had insisted that there was something between the two of them) but he knew that he was fiercely protective of the Queen, even more than the normal bodyguard-subject relationship and over the years, he had seen secret looks and smiles between them and Sebastian had had the almost irritated suspicion (he was irritated that Sheila had been right) that there WAS a relationship between Joseph and Clarisse…. and he had to admit that they were perfect for each other, they had a healthy working relationship and it was obvious that, due to all the time they spent together, their professional relationship became a friendship and then a relationship…
He passed no judgement on their relationship- he preferred to remain neutral in regards to the King and Queen's marriage and their 'extra marital' relationships (which was Rupert over Clarisse) but even he had to admit that Clarisse deserved better and Joseph was better…
As these thoughts were going through the heads of their witnesses, the bride and groom were blissfully oblivious- all that mattered, as they finally broke apart, that was that they were married, together for the rest of their lives…. They were together….
"Are you alright?" Joseph murmured huskily when the moment was finally broken (which was very hard, he would be very, very happy to kiss Clarisse- HIS WIFE (his wife) for the rest of his life) but also aware of their witnesses and yet… wanting to enjoy the moment with Clarisse… his wife….
"Why wouldn't I be alright?" she asked calmly, opening her eyes and smiling sweetly at him- now that the ceremony was actually over, they had made the ultimate commitment and they were married, she suddenly felt herself again… only much, much happier.
"I don't know," he shrugged, suddenly looking sheepish, almost like a boy. "It's just that…"
This time, it was Clarisse who reached over and rested her fingertips on his lips.
"It's alright. It's alright."
They suddenly realised that they weren't alone in the Archbishop's study and they shyly turned away from each other to meet the beaming faces of their witnesses, including the Archbishop James.
"Congratulations Mr and Mrs Bonnell!" Sebastian boomed, stepping forward with a proffered hand towards Joseph, while Charlotte and Sheila (both of whom had been dabbing at their eyes) approached Clarisse with smiles and embraces before they reversed the roles, the newlyweds standing in the middle, bemused and baffled, yet pleased and delighted.
Once the congratulations and best wishes had been proffered and accepted, the three witness stepped back and James stepped forward.
"Congratulations Joseph and Clarisse," he said before they could say anything, reaching forward to grab a respective hand each and combined them with his for a moment. "It is a wonderful moment when a couple in love are joined in holy matrimony and it's doubly wonderful when it's a couple who DESERVE to be married to each other; it is also an honour to have been able to do this ceremony for you."
He wasn't political- as Archbishop and a member of the clergy, he wasn't questioned on his beliefs or political affiliations, but he also knew and believed in change and that it was sometimes necessary to bring a country forward into the current century, as this marriage and the coronation of Princess Amelia would do.
He disapproved of the arranged marriage that the Princess was committing to, and he wished that parliament wasn't so set in their ways- but hopefully, with this surprise marriage, that it would be the catalyst for more changes in parliament and, on a wider stage, in Genovia, an idea that he said to Joseph and Clarisse.
"I'm not sure our wedding should be THE catalyst for parliamentary change- although I agree that change is necessary," Clarisse said cautiously.
"Nonsense! I'm not political at all, but I do take an interest in the world around me and I have to say, politicians need to have occasional surprises so that they don't get complacent and lazy… but enough about politics, I'm just happy that you two are together!"
0
"So…" Joseph began, then stopped.
"So…" Clarisse echoed.
The ceremony was over and, after a little more chat between the six of them, they had all left the church, Joseph and Clarisse driving away first, but there was an awkward silence between them until, just outside of Pyrus, Joseph pulled the car over on the side of the road.
"So… we're married," Joseph said finally.
"Yes, we are."
"No regrets?"
"Definitely no regrets."
"So…."
"Joseph, enough," Clarisse couldn't help but chuckle in the dark before she reached sideways, seeking his hand and, upon finding it, squeezed it tightly. "We're alright, we had Sebastian's approval (even if we truly needed it),we made the decision… I love you, that's all that matters to me at this moment in time."
"I love you too," he squeezed her hand back. "It…it just doesn't seem real at the moment."
"I know what you mean."
There was another silence- only this time it was much more comfortable silence- before Clarisse spoke again.
"Joseph?"
"Yes?"
"I've been thinking… I know that it's our wedding night," she paused, feeling her cheeks grow hot and she was grateful that the car cabin was dark. "But this marriage won't feel really real to me until I tell Mia… I know that might sound ridiculous but…"
"I understand," he said huskily.
"It's not that I don't want us to be… together," Clarisse faltered again, hating that she was blushing and feeling shy around Joseph- her husband- but she was not used to discussing intimate issues with anyone…
Rupert had flatly refused to talk about such 'issues' (in fact, he rarely discussed any personal issues, including their children) and Clarisse, already a product of her parents rigid beliefs not to discuss any feelings, had been frozen into a mould whereby talking about emotions or intimate subjects was considered weak and disgusting.
Thank goodness she had managed to break free and slowly, ever so slowly, she had felt comfortable about revealing her feelings- not that she had had that problem with her sons- although with Joseph and Mia, it had been somewhat more difficult…
"It's just that Mia is my granddaughter and I want her to know before…."
There was another pause after she trailed off, then…
"I DO understand, Mia is important, she should be part of everything… as well as Pierre… and truthfully, I feel that it's rather inappropriate with all the wedding guests arriving in the next day or so… the palace is going to be crowded with guests and…."
"We don't need to reveal our secret to anyone," she finished quietly. "I am not ashamed of our wedding and that we're married… but…"
"Until Mia is married, we need to keep it down low… and personally, I actually like the fact that we have a secret between the two of us…."
"As well as our witnesses," Clarisse added teasingly.
"True… but a secret that is ours and ours alone… besides," he added as he turned on the cabin light and looked at her with twinkling eyes. "Waiting a little longer only increases the anticipation…" and he chuckled as Clarisse, whose cheeks had finally subsided, blushed a deep red again before he leaned over and kiss her gently on the cheek. "However, I will have to give you a good night kiss before we retire for the evening…."
"I'd like that," she said softly. "You know, you can spend the night in my suite… innocent as it would be…."
"I would like nothing more than to do that, but I think we should not attract any more attention to ourselves than necessary… not that I'm not ashamed of us…"
"I know… I'm just fortunate that you are so protective of me… I'm a very lucky woman," Clarisse said quietly, caressing his cheek with one hand. "Will you come with me tomorrow when I speak to Mia?"
"Of course I will. And you're not the lucky one… I am…."
