Author's Note: Sorry about the delay, but I'm kind of dragging my feet on this story because I've enjoyed it so much! (This is the longest story I've ever written!) I've decided to have an extra chapter instead of a sequel…although, a sequel may work eventually…and I'm already thinking!
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me
It was a little while later when they finally gave up on their game- Clarisse finally beating Joseph- and lay silently on the air mattress, staring up at the ceiling of their tent and listening to each other breathing. Clarisse suddenly giggled, and Joe looked over at her in amusement.
"What are you chuckling about now?"
"Nothing… I was just thinking about how horrified certain people would be if they knew how I've behaving over the last few days… in fact, they'd be stunned I actually went camping!"
"Yes, you have been acting rather immature lately," Joe joked warmly before continuing. "But, although some people- and I know who you're thinking of- would be disgusting at your behaviour, I think most people would find it endearing… I know I do…" before he leaned over and nuzzled her neck.
She laughed harder at his touch, and he suddenly realised something as he looked down at her.
"Are you ticklish?"
"No… No I'm not," Clarisse fibbed seriously, but the giggle in her voice told him otherwise.
"I can't believe I didn't know this… well, you must be sensitive here," he moved over next to her, and gently tickled her neck.
"Where else… here?" he ran his hands lightly down her shoulder and chest, and she giggled harder at his light touch, before trying to curl up into a ball. Joseph, however, wasn't going to give up as he firmly turned her back to face him.
"Oh… so you're ticklish everywhere!" he declared with a wide grin, before Clarisse lightly ran her hands down his pyjama shirt, and he pulled away.
"Oh, so you're ticklish too!" she crowed happily before they got busy trying to tickle each other, laughing harder and louder as the game progressed.
"I think we'd better stop," Clarisse finally gasped, rolling over onto her front. "I don't really want to wake Sebastian and Sheila… still, I can't believe that we've never realised how ticklish we both are!"
"Goes to show that, despite how well we know each other, there are still some things to be discovered, and surprised about!"
"It is wonderful that we able to continually able to discover new things about each other," she said softly, her ribs still aching from laughing. "You know, I don't think I've heard the young people come back yet!"
"Which is a good thing- they'd be wondering what we were doing in here if they could hear us!" Joe said as he wrapped an arm around her, and she leaned on his shoulder.
"They certainly would be surprised!"
"I just hope that we're asleep when they come back… and that they don't make too much noise."
0000
Unfortunately for Joe, that didn't happen- it was a little while later, just as they were both drifting off to sleep, when they heard the others return from their midnight expedition.
"What time do they call this?" Joe muttered as Clarisse, snuggled in next to him, tried to clear her head a little and find her bearings. He squinted at his glow in the dark watch, and almost yelled out in horror- it was 2:00 in the morning!
"Is it very late, dear?" came Clarisse's muffled query from underneath the covers, and Joe only growled in annoyance.
"2:00 in the morning… this is crazy!"
Just then, they heard someone outside trying to quieten the rest of the group down- although it seemed that only Scott and Kip were making the noise.
"Sshh… you're going to wake up the others!" Charlotte hissed as Kip and Scott, over excited by their dip in the river, banged tins and rocks together while trying to 'make a cup of tea', as Shades calmly explained.
"You don't think they did anything funny down there, do you?" Clarisse sounded concerned, but Joe shook his head reassuringly.
"Oh well, who cares if we're making too much noise… serves them right for not coming out with us tonight!" they heard Shades continue with a laugh, and Clarisse couldn't help but chortle quietly into her pillow.
"I'm going to get up and tell them off…"Joseph, now fully awake, murmured, but Clarisse stopped him with a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about them, darling… I'm sure they'll be off to bed soon… In fact, I think I hear Mia and Nicholas next door…"
"You are too considerate and kind by far," Joe muttered into her ear, and she only giggled as she moved closer to him.
"They're having fun, and that's all that really matters…."
The noise continued on for a little while, the noisemakers now reduced to Kip and Scott, before Joe and Clarisse heard both Sebastian and Nicholas bellow from their tents:
"GO TO BED!"
"I think we had better go to bed, Kip," Shades said loudly. "I think people want to go to sleep!"
The sounds of birds singing, as well as several voices just outside the tent, woke Joe with a start the following morning. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, the silhouette of the trees visible through the material, before glancing at Clarisse and smiling- she was still fast asleep. Just then, the outline of someone stood in front of their tent, and a hoarse, although slightly muffled, whisper came through the tent.
"Joe! Hey Joe- are you awake in there?" Joe smiled (or nearly grimaced) and made his way out of the sleeping back, shivering slightly at the cool air but careful not disturb Clarisse, and made his way to the entrance of the tent.
"Joe! Are you coming fishing with us?" the voice was annoyingly persistent, and Joe quietly unzipped the tent and, blinking furiously in the sunlight, looked up to see Scott standing there, fully dressed and wide awake. Further back behind him stood Charlotte, Kip, Lily, Mia and Nicholas, all of whom didn't seem to be affected by their late night swim, were dressed and holding their fishing rods, but looked slightly embarrassed.
"No, but thank you for asking," Joe whispered loudly. "Didn't I mention yesterday that we were sleeping in?"
"I tried to tell him that," Charlotte whispered loudly, leaning around Shades. "But he wouldn't listen… I'm really sorry, Joe."
"It wasn't our idea either," Mia looked genuinely remorseful, and Joe couldn't help but smile.
"Don't worry about it… I was awake anyway… but have fun!" he waved them off, and then retreated back into the tent, trying to zip the flaps up gently.
He was back into the warmth of the sleeping bag, relieved that Clarisse appeared undisturbed, and was about to turn over to try to get back to sleep when he heard Clarisse murmur sleepily behind him.
"Did some certain young men, who shall remain nameless, want you to go fishing?"
"How did you guess?" Joe teased as he rolled over and faced her with a smile. "Apparently, it was all Scott's idea… poor Charlotte, she was so embarrassed, but I told them we were going to sleep in… Good morning, my beautiful wife," he said softly, stroking her cheek with his hand, and she smiled at him, now more awake.
"Good morning, my handsome husband…" she said gracefully before leaning over and kissing him. "What time is it, by the way?"
Joe glanced at his watch, squinting at it in the morning light and almost groaned aloud.
"It's about 6:30… I'm going to kill Scott when they get back!" but Clarisse only chuckled softly.
"You can't fault him for enthusiasm, though… Besides, it was their turn to get up early…"
"But we were careful not to wake anyone up!" Joe said, but there was a smile playing on his lips.
"Did Sebastian and Sheila go with them?"
"No, they were just as sensible as us, and stayed in the warmth… so, you're not at all tired from all that noise they made coming back last night?" Clarisse laughed.
"Obviously they can function well on less than six hours sleep," Joe said with a dry grin, and Clarisse smiled at him. "But you weren't too upset to be woken up, were you?" he asked anxiously, and Clarisse smiled lovingly at him.
He was always so protective and considerate about her and her feelings… he had always been like that, which was one of the things she really loved about him. No one had ever made her feel as protected and loved as he did….
"No darling, I was fine… it was actually quite funny to hear them playing up out there… I know you weren't happy, though," she leaned over and kissed his cheek tenderly as he grinned sheepishly.
"Alright, I'm not that good at being woken up…"
"Woken up?" Clarisse chortled. "We had been talking only ten minutes before!"
"Alright…I'm usually not that happy when I'm going off to sleep… but I was more worried about you!"
Clarisse beamed at him, touched that he was so solicitous about her.
"My kind, considerate hero," she murmured huskily into his ear, and Joe laughed, a little puzzled.
"Why on earth do both you and Mia think I'm a hero? I've never been shot…"
"Thank goodness for that," Clarisse interrupted with a shudder.
"I haven't done anything very extraordinary in my life… except marry you," he added as he gently caressed her hair.
"Just accept a compliment, Joseph… gosh, now I can see why we're so compatible!"
"Neither of us likes a compliment!" Joe finished with a grin.
"That's one of the things I liked about you- your modesty… actually, there are so many wonderful qualities about you… it's often made me wonder why someone like you wasn't taken off the market a long time ago," Clarisse said musingly, running her hands inside his pyjama shirt, and he felt goose bumps at the gentle touch of her fingers on her skin.
"Surely you must know the answer to that by now?"
"Yes… but surely there must have been another woman who caught your eye… any woman would have been lucky to be married to you… you're charming, chivalrous, sensitive, caring, bright…"
"Stop it, you're making me blush!"
"Oh, I see," Clarisse said understandingly but sounding amused. "It's alright for you to compliment me, but I can't return the favour?"
"Yes… but, going back to your idea, I know very well that there were plenty of other women who wanted to marry me- and some of them really tried to proposal out of me… I've since suspected that there were a few that were only interested so they could meet you… Anyway, there was only problem with their plans- I didn't want to be married to any of them… there was only one I ever wanted…"
"Their loss is my gain," Clarisse said in a low voice before she leaned over and kissed him.
"By the way, I forgot to tell you about what Mia said to me yesterday… I was telling her off for carrying too much wood, and said that you would tear strips off me if you knew… and young Mia said 'as if Grandma would ever tear strips off you… just one look at you, and she turns to putty in your hands!"
"Really- Mia said that?" Clarisse looked at him thoughtfully, not at all disturbed. "Cheeky as that sounds, I guess she's been more observant that I gave her credit for… it's true that just one look at you… Well, you know…" she blushed, and Joe laughed as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Yes, we both know you can't get angry at me… although I reminded Mia of that argument we had three months after the wedding…."
"As if I could ever forget that argument," Clarisse rolled her eyes in horror at the memory.
"…Apart from that, if we telling the truth now… just one look at you, and I melt too," Joe said softly, and she beamed up at him.
By the time the others had arrived back from their fishing expedition- with three fish between them- Clarisse and Joe had reluctantly decided to get up, and discovered that Sebastian and Sheila had arrived at the same conclusion.
"Maybe we should try that at home," he murmured as he followed her out of the tent, and she chuckled softly as she stood up.
"Maybe," she said with a seductive smile, before seeing Sheila and Sebastian emerging from their tent next door as Joseph pulled back the tent flaps.
"Morning!" Sebastian said cheerfully as he pulled back the tent flaps. "I hear you two had unexpected visitors early this morning!"
" Don't remind me," Joe rolled his eyes as he walked over to stoke up the fire. "I'm going to tell Scott of as soon as they get back…"
"Don't forget about last night!" Clarisse called mischievously, and Joe turned to look at her mock indignantly.
"I know what you're up to… and it's not going to work!" he said, grinning, before turning back to the fire. Clarisse laughed as she and Sheila settled down into chairs nearby and watched the two men work busily around the fire.
"Sebastian was going to get out of bed last night and tell them off!" Sheila chuckled in a whisper to Clarisse, who sniggered in return.
"He wasn't the only one with that plan… I had to restrain Joseph," she joked, and they quickly looked innocent as both men turned to look at them.
"Are you talking about us over there?" Sebastian inquired with a grin, and Sheila shook her head.
"Of course not…" she paused for a moment, hearing noise nearby. "I think I can hear the others coming back," she said calmly and, sure enough a few moments later, the younger generation came back through the forest.
"Good morning!" Scott called cheerfully as he carried the bucket through the campsite, and dumped it near the fire. "Did we all have a good sleep?"
"As a matter of fact, we didn't… not only did you keep us awake last night, but you had the cheek to wake us up this morning!" Joe growled as he turned away from the fire, but there was a tinge of good humour in his voice, and Shades grinned.
"I thought you would have liked to get up early and get some serious fishing in, Joseph!"
"I'm not like you," Joe retorted with a grin as he accepted a fry pan from Sebastian, and peered into the bucket where the fish were. "Who caught these? Did you get another one, Scott?
Mia grinned as the men continued to mock squabble, and collapsed into the chair next to Clarisse.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Clarisse asked attentively and Mia grinned at her.
"I'm feeling much better… I wasn't feeling the best when I first got up, but once I was down on the river… goodbye morning sickness!"
"Did you go swimming in that cold river last night?"
"No… I paddled on the shore, but I wasn't as silly as the others!" she shot a fond look at Charlotte and Lily, who were sitting near Sheila.
"It wasn't my idea!" Charlotte protested. "Besides, I believe that you were rather influenced by a certain best friend?" she looked from Mia to Lily with a pointed look, and the two girls had to laugh.
"But it was fun," Lily admitted with a grin. "We just wouldn't let Mia into the water past her feet!"
"Spoilsports," Mia pretended to sulk, but they all knew that she would put the health of her unborn child ahead of any midnight swim.
"By the way, I'm sorry for the noise two young men made last night… not to mention someone rudely waking you up this morning," Charlotte said in a slightly raised voice, attracting the attention of both Scott and Kip, while Sheila and Clarisse only grinned.
"It didn't worry us," Sheila said easily, waving between the two women. "Our men, on the other hand, might have been slightly annoyed…" she waved over to where the guys were still debating the sizes of the fish.
"What on earth are they going to do once we get back to civilization?" Mia murmured under her breath as they watched as the discussion got rather heated.
"I dread to think that far ahead… or, by the looks of the discussion in front of us, maybe I should be looking forward to it," Lily muttered in reply.
00000000
After breakfast, there was a general consensus that fishing might be the order of the day. Joe glanced at Clarisse, and realised that she wanted to show Mia the spot they had seen the previous morning.
"Do you want to do that now?" he murmured into her ear and Clarisse, knowing what he meant, nodded silently. While the others went to retrieve their fishing rods, Clarisse walked up to Mia.
"There's a place that Joseph and I want to show you and Nicholas… you don't mind missing an hour of fishing, do you?" she asked quietly and Mia turned around with a smile.
"No, I don't mind at all… are you going to take us to one of the places you and Joe happened to disappear to yesterday?"
"Yes… but this one is rather special…"
"Oh?" Mia looked intrigued before going to retrieve her husband, while Joe handed Clarisse her hat and squeezed her hand gently.
"We'll catch up with you guys a bit later," Nicholas said after Mia whispered something in his ear, and while Scott looked surprised, Sheila, with a quick glance at Clarisse, realised where they were going to go.
"Fine… see you four later then," he said cheerfully before leading the rest of the group into the forest.
"So, are you going to tell us a little bit about this place you're taking us to?" Mia asked in a joking tone.
"Before we go, I just wanted to tell you a little bit about where we're going," Clarisse said, sinking into a nearby chair, joined by Joe who massaged her knee gently.
"This around here- although not exactly here- is where your father, uncle and grandfather used to go camping, and the river is where Phillipe learned to swim… anyway, there was a trail that Phillipe used to take… I had no idea about it until yesterday," Clarisse shot an amused look at Joe. "But the view is absolutely magnificent… and Joseph told me that it had always been Phillipe's plan to take me… and then you… up there…"
"Really?" Mia looked happily from Joe to Clarisse. "I knew that Dad loved camping, but I had no idea where he went, or what he did…"
"He did everything that most young men would do," Joe said with a laugh. "But this spot… at sunrise it's spectacular, but the view is just as good during the day…."
"I'd love to see this spot… how far away is it?"
"About twenty minutes… but, I must warn you, there is a fairly steep climb to get there."
"I'll be fine… if not, I know my darling hubby will carry me back… won't you, honey?" Mia beamed over at Nicholas, who rolled his eyes and pretended to look resigned.
"I suppose I will…." Joe laughed
"That's something else you're beginning to discover, aren't you Nicholas... the Renaldi women can be very demanding!" he chuckled, ducking and narrowly avoiding a blow from his wife.
00000
Now that she had already done it once, Clarisse was surprised at how easily she managed to climb the steep hill for the second time. Joe, grinning at her obvious pleasure and surprise, was pleased.
"Didn't think you'd be able to make it again, did you?" he teased in an undertone as they stood at the top of the hill, surveying the scene before them as Mia and Nicholas continued their climb behind them.
"No, I didn't," Clarisse said honestly with a smile, feeling much better than she had the previous trip, before turning and watching Mia and Nicholas slowly climb to the top of the hill.
"If I'd known it was going to be that steep, I wouldn't have… come with you at all!" Mia gasped as, now that she had made it to the top, she sat down on the grass and reached for her water bottle.
"I think you gave us a very false impression of this hike, Joseph Bonnell!"
"I did warn you that it was steep," Joe said calmly as Nicholas collapsed onto the ground next to Mia. "But, before you say it, I have a much easier trail back to camp!"
After a few minutes, Nicholas and Mia had recovered enough to get slowly to their feet, and turn to look at the view in front of them. Clarisse and Joe were sitting down on their nearby rock.
"Wow," Mia said softly, walking away from them a little to stand at the edge of the ridge. "This is really beautiful… can you see the others down at the river from here?"
"I don't think so," Joe chuckled as he stood up and joined her. "We can't even see the campsite, and that's over there," he pointed in the opposite direction. Mia briefly glanced away, before looking back at the sight before her.
"It certainly makes that climb worthwhile," Nicholas said jovially as he stood next to Mia, and Joseph rejoined Clarisse sitting down. Mia looked out at the view for another moment, before turning and sitting down in front of her grandmother, tears in her eyes.
"How many times did Dad come up this way?" Clarisse turned to Joe for clarification.
"I think he came here a few times… he always seemed to like it up here…" he trailed off as Mia smiled tearfully at Clarisse.
"Thank you…" After a moment, Clarisse decided to tell Mia how her father had tried to get them together.
"Besides camping, your father was also rather busy trying to be a matchmaker," Clarisse said with a smile, and Mia had to grin.
"Let me guess… he was trying to get you two together!"
"Well… in a lot of ways, to us, we were already 'together' as you said," Joe smiled tenderly at Clarisse before turning to Mia with a grin. "He only wanted confirmation of that…"
"He probably already knew… but he really wanted to know, and asked us both…" Clarisse began to laugh at the memory. "When we were planning on getting married!"
"He did what?" Mia's eyes were wide open in astonishment
"Yes… well, he already knew that we were… well, in love," Clarisse said as she reached over and held Joe's hand in hers. "He thought that it was only a matter of time before we would get married."
"He told me, and I quote, 'the icing on the cake, when I'm King (apart from Amelia and her mother being here) is to see you two tie the knot'!"
"And despite trying to convince him that we were only friends, and that Joseph would work for him, Phillipe told me that Joseph wouldn't work for anyone else… and that 'July might be the perfect time for a wedding!" Mia and Nicholas laughed along with them before Mia asked a question.
"So, he approved of you?"
"Definitely… he was always convinced that I was the man for his mother…"
"He didn't get along very well with his father," Clarisse said hesitantly. "But we were always very close, and he wanted my happiness more than anything…."
"Well, he sounds exactly like me!" Mia said with a joyful smile. "I think if I had known about you two a little earlier, I would have tried to do the same!"
"I can imagine you would have," Clarisse laughed gently as she tossed some grass at her. "But, he was right in one way…."
"Oh?" all three of them looked at her in interest, and she looked around with a smile before meeting Joseph's eyes.
"July was a perfect time for a wedding!"
The next few days seemed to pass by in moments as everyone tried to pack in as much as possible- swimming, fishing, staying up late and talking- while thoroughly enjoying themselves… and it was a melancholy group that sat around the campfire on their last night.
"It's been a great week," Charlotte said as she poured herself another cup of coffee and sat down next to Scott. "I've never had so much fun in my life- and in the fresh air as well!"
"It has been a fun week, hasn't it?" Scott said in a soft voice, looking around the campfire at everyone. "I couldn't have imagined how much fun we had… especially once our better halves arrived," he shot an amused look at Charlotte, who patted his arm.
"That sounds almost like a compliment, Scott," Mia said from her place. "So… I think we'll accept it as such! Anyway, I never thought I would see Grandma out and about in the great outdoors… nor do some of the things she has!"
"You cheeky…" Clarisse began with a broad smile, before Mia continued.
"But she's continually surprising us… I don't know how you put up with her constant surprises, Joe… but I think she must have had a good time out here!"
She cast a sidelong, impish look at Clarisse, who looked for something to throw at her but, as she couldn't find anything, just grinned.
"I suppose I might have had a good time… alright, I definitely have!" she amended with a chuckle when Joseph, sitting next to her, quietly cleared his throat. "It's been fantastic being out of the palace and here… I now know why Phillipe loved camping so much," she ended softly, glancing down at her hands for a moment, before looking up and beaming at the rest of the group.
"I think the best part of the trip, for me, was having Clarisse here, and seeing her do so many things I would never have thought she would do," Joseph said with a grin, and Clarisse swatted him on the arm.
"Yes Mia, being married to your grandmother means being in a constant state of surprise… but I wouldn't have it any other way," he smiled softly over at his wife as he took her hand and kissed it.
"Well, all I can say is that at least this trip wasn't as disastrous as our previous trip!" Sheila joked with a grin, and Sebastian laughed along with her.
"Although, I think the craziest (and funniest) part was when a group of men- all of whom should have known better- decided to have a bet to see who would catch the first fish!...Thankfully, Clarisse deflated all those egos by catching the first one!" she laughed out loud, joined by Joe and the other women, while the men looked slightly abashed.
"Must you remind of that day?" Sebastian moaned. "I would rather forget all about it!" and Mia sat up in her chair with a wide smile.
"Well, since you all want to forget it that much… I think we might have to keep telling that story, and never letting it die…"
"You aren't being very nice, Mia," Nicholas said mock petulantly from his seat next to her. "Does this mean you're going to be telling our son or daughter too?"
"Of course!" she beamed, and Nicholas rolled his eyes before an idea suddenly struck him.
"So… if you tell them that, it must mean that I'm allowed to tell them about your gambling at that horse race, not to mention…."
"Falling into the fountain," Clarisse contributed with a smile.
"Racing off on your horse before the end of inspecting the troops," Lily added with a sly smile.
"Almost not turning up for your own Independence Day Ball," Joe said quietly, and Mia looked around the group with a look of mock disgust.
"You guys are going to keep reminding me of those incidents for the rest of my life?"
"Of course," Joe said with a quiet smile, and Mia threw a look of mock anger at him.
"Watch it, Joseph Bonnell…! Rats, okay… I give up," she murmured to her husband, who leaned over and whispered something into his ear, setting her off laughing. Joe yawned and stretched, before glancing at his watch.
"If we went to get up early to have all the packing done, and have some fishing time, I'd say it might be a good idea if we all get some sleep… I know that Scott and Kip are probably going to have to get up even earlier to clean out that tent of theirs!" He grinned when the two men in question raised their voices in protest.
"I resent that," Shades began as Joe, followed by Clarisse, Sebastian and Sheila, stood up and made a move towards their tents. "I know you're very neat… but it's…. an organised mess!"
"Most of which is Scott's… I'm a very tidy fellow!" Kip added in protest, and Joseph laughed- it didn't take long to stir the young men up.
0000
Everyone was up and about early the next morning, busy cleaning, packing up and taking down the tents. Clarisse watched in fascination, but with a pang of sadness, as Joseph took down the tent… for five days it had been their little home away from home, and now it was all over and they had to leave…
"Don't worry…" Joe, noticing her gaze, stopped packing for a moment to put his arms around her and kiss her gently on the cheek.
"It just feels like… you're destroying our little home… even though it was only for five days," she said hesitantly, worried that Joseph would think that she was crazy, but when she looked at him, she could tell that he was feeling the same way.
"I guess I'm house wrecker then," he joked tenderly, but he was touched at how much she had enjoyed herself, and how much she didn't want it to end. "How about you and I go camping again sometime soon… we could even come back here if you want!"
"Really?" her eyes lit up with delight. "That would be wonderful!"
There was a slight pause as Joseph continued packing the tent and its pegs away, while Clarisse folded up the blankets, before she sighed.
"What?" Joseph turned to look at her with a grin.
"I am going to miss all of this… but I do have to admit that I'm looking forward to our bed tonight… not to mention a lovely hot shower!"
"I knew you would have to miss a few home comforts, despite all your talk," he teased as he finished putting the tent away, and joining her on the ground to roll up the sleeping bags. "What else did you miss while we were here?"
"Hmmm…" she looked thoughtful for a moment. "Nothing else really… your clothes are less confining than some of mine, I loved the peace and quiet without phones or maids, and the food… well, maybe I missed some of those desserts that Jean loves to make!"
"Mmm… Do you think he'd make us one of his special chocolate tarts tonight?"
"We'll have to ask him… but that would be nice," Clarisse said happily as they finished packing up the sleeping bags, and stood up to see what the others were doing.
Sebastian and Sheila were calmly finishing packing their sleeping bags, while Mia and Nicholas were sitting in the middle of their half packed tent, and giggling. Meanwhile, Kip and Scott (having long since finished packing- a point Scott made sure Joseph knew) were helping Charlotte and Lily with their gear.
"Did you want a hand with your packing?" Joe and Clarisse walked over to Mia and Nicholas. Mia looked up, literally gasping with laughter.
"We thought we had a good start on it… but, yes please…."
They finally finished packing, and the men began hauling equipment to the three cars.
"We don't have to worry about packing it properly- we've got three cars and two trailers to use!" Shades called happily as he tossed his bags into one of the trailers. Mia, of course, wasn't allowed to carry anything, and Joseph quickly chivvied Clarisse into the chair next to her.
"I'm not completely helpless, Joseph! I can carry boxes!" she called after his retreating back, and he turned around to grin at her.
"I know you have…" but he still wouldn't let her help. Charlotte and Lily both ignored Scott and Kip's entreaties not to help, but Sheila soon found herself in the same position as Mia and Clarisse.
"I suppose we should be grateful that our men are gentlemen!" Sheila said with a smile on her face. They were soon all finally packed, but it was getting far too late to go fishing, as it was almost lunchtime when they were all ready to go.
"So, who is going to go with whom?" Shades said with a cheeky grin at Joseph, who suddenly remembered the trip down with him and silently decided not to travel with him again.
The Motezes, Clarisse and Joe decided to travel together in one 4WD, the younger two couples in the seven-seater van… which left the last 4WD to Charlotte and Shades.
"Good luck with Scott's music choice!" Joe called to Charlotte as he opened the passenger door for Clarisse and Charlotte rolled her eyes while Shades threw Joe a withering look. When he looked back at the front seat, Clarisse wasn't sitting there- to his surprise, she and Sheila Motez were grinning at him from the backseat.
"I would have thought…."
"I thought you and Sebastian will enjoy chatting in the front seat," she replied with a smile.
Clarisse watched, a little regretfully, as the campsite disappeared from view but then smiled- like Joseph had promised, they would be able to do it again… and soon!
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The trip back, like the last few days, seemed to go quickly- although, when Joseph looked back at Clarisse and Sheila, he laughed when he saw that they were both asleep.
"Must have been a big week for them!" he joked when he turned back to face the road again, and Sebastian laughed.
"Must have been… but, still, it was good to have them along, wasn't it?"
"It was terrific… I honestly didn't think Clarisse would do something like camping!"
Sebastian grinned over at Joseph- as usual, Joe didn't realise how strong the connection between them was, and how much Clarisse really loved him…
"She's always been so readable and reliable in the past… but now... it's sometimes hard to believe that she's the same woman!"
"I guess you bring out the playful side of her nature," Sebastian said wisely, not adding that he liked seeing the relaxed side of Clarisse. She had always been so closed up and reserved for so long… Mia and Joe brought the best out in her.
The women woke up by the time they drove into the driveway of the palace, and none of them were surprised to see that the other two cars had arrived there long before them.
"I suppose if we had wanted to race them, we shouldn't have stopped for lunch at that restaurant," Joe said wisely as he helped Clarisse down from the 4WD, and she chuckled.
"But I'm glad we didn't," she said calmly as they watched the rest of the security team, most of whom had been on holiday for the week, help the younger men carry equipment and gear in from the cars. They followed them in, and Clarisse smiled as she heard Mia's laugh echo from upstairs. It was rather strange to be back in the palace, after the simple life they had lead in the bush, but Clarisse was a little glad to be back.
"I guess Mia and Nicholas are going to have to start thinking about where they are going to have the nursery," Joe commented as, hand in hand, they followed their luggage upstairs and into their suite, where the 'boys in black' (as Mia called them) deposited it on the floor, and silently left the room.
"You're right... I hope she doesn't call in Rupert's cousin to help with the decorating," she laughed as she walked into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed with a happy sigh.
"Yes, I did miss the comfort of this…" Joe laughed as he sat down next to her.
"I suppose next time we go camping, you'll want to bring this with you?"
"Don't be silly," she gave him a cheeky grin. "Although I may expect you to bring one of the mattresses with you…" before she collapsed into laughter at the expression on his face.
"But you did have a good time, didn't you?"
"Of course I did… it was lovely to spend time with our closest friends, experience some of the 'great outdoors', finally make Nicholas feel relaxed around me… that's it…"
"That's it…" Joe teased, moving closer to her on the bed, and she laughed at him.
"Alright… there may have been a little pleasure at being able to spend time with you… and I loved every minute of everything we did… thank you…"
"My pleasure,"" he said softly, knowing she was thinking about that hike they had gone on.
"You're going to have trouble topping it next time, though!"
"Oh, I might have a few more tricks up my bag," Joe laughed as he pulled her close to kiss her.
