Author's Note: I have no idea what actually happens at an investiture ceremony (although I have seen part of one on television), so I was just playing around with this one! But it was fun...

The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me

The first thing Clarisse realised when she opened her eyes the next morning, lying comfortably in bed with Joseph's arm around her, was that she was better- no fever, no headache and no nausea- and she was starving.

The second thing she realised, as her eyes fell on Joseph's digital clock on the bedside table, was… that they were going to be late! It was just after nine o'clock, and while she enjoyed not having to rush anywhere, they would have to rush this morning if they were to be downstairs in an hour. They couldn't be late on today of all days!

She slowly began to inch her way out of bed, but Joseph's arm, wrapped around her waist, tightened so that she couldn't move anywhere.

"Where do you think you're going, my darling wife of a month?" came his voice from within the pillows, and she giggled as he pulled her back into bed, and sat up to meet her.

"Good morning my dear," he murmured into her neck before she turned to face him, and he kissed her.

"Good morning my dear husband of a month," Clarisse replied in a dreamy voice when they broke apart- as always, one kiss from him made her forget everything else, including why she was getting out of bed.

"Where were you trying to sneak off to before I stopped you?" he asked, nuzzling her neck, and she giggled, suddenly ticklish, before she remembered why she was getting up.

"We have to get up- we slept in, and we have to be downstairs in an hour," she explained before she gently disentangled herself from his grip, and stood up. He groaned slightly at her words, and fell back on his pillows as she walked over to their wardrobe.

"Do we really have to go this morning?"

"Yes we do… Mia needs her support… besides, it will be fun!" she added encouragingly, turning to give him a charming smile, and he laughed- as usual, she knew the right way to get to him- through her charm- not that he minded- he was a pushover when it came to her or Mia.

"Fine, I'll go," he pretended to grumble as he threw back the covers and swung his legs onto the floor. "But I was hoping that we could have had some time to celebrate today…"

"We will, darling," Clarisse paused on her way to the dressing room to touch his cheek affectionately. "I want that too…"

"So, how long do these ceremonies usually go for?" he called through her dressing room door as he got dressed into his navy blue suit in the bedroom. He had been wondering about it for the past day or so.

"It depends on how many there are to be honoured," Clarisse replied, her voice muffled through the door. "It may only be a few people, or it could be more like twenty, and it will then take a couple of hours."

"A couple of hours!" she heard him repeat in stupefaction, and she sniggered softly to herself to herself- little did he know that he was the guest of honour that day!

Ten minutes after she had disappeared into the room to get dressed, she opened the door and walked out to the living room where Joseph was pouring two cups of tea.

"What do you think?" she asked flirtatiously and he turned, a smart quip on his lips, and almost dropped the teapot when he saw her. As per usual, she looked gorgeous in an aqua coloured suit, but there was also something else that he noticed- she looked so happy, and much less reserved than she used to be…

It had been a gradual process since the wedding, but he was happy to see her finally opening up… but there had been something about her that always made him stop and stare at her…

"Is that new?" he finally asked as she sat down at the table and picked up her cup of tea.

"Yes it is, and I've had something added to it, but I'll show it to you later… but, more importantly, do you like it?" she teased, knowing that he did.

"I do, very much," he said quietly, unable to take his eyes off her until she playfully rattled his cup, and he shook his head and sat down opposite her. He chuckled sheepishly as a thought struck at him, and she looked at him questioningly.

"You know, I was just thinking about that first time you asked for my opinion about an outfit… I was shocked- I thought you had people that helped you with that."

"I did, but none of them were very helpful a lot of the time, and I knew that you would give me an honest answer… or I thought you would!"

"I did," Joe protested. "You did look gorgeous in that, and all the outfits you modelled for me over the years! So, when did you manage to buy that?"

"I have my ways," she said coyly as he laughed with her, before he thought about the ceremony again.

"What generally happens at these events?"

"Basically Mia will call up the recipient to stand in front of her; she will make a speech about why they are receiving this honour before tapping them on the shoulders with a silver sword, and pinning a medal on them, and then presenting them to the guests. It's a very moving ceremony, and I tried to personalise it by chatting briefly with each one of them while pinning on the medal, but when there are so many of them, you need to keep it going rather quickly."

She paused for a moment, giving him a thoughtful look. "Are you sure that you never managed to see one of those ceremonies? I know I may have only done a few while I was Queen, but Rupert did a fair few…"

"No, I didn't. The room was usually packed with many excited people, and more than a few big egos, as I recall, that I preferred to stay away… That, and I was usually trying to sort out parking- people arrived at the palace, left their cars in the driveway, and I had to try and arrange where they were all going to go! Anyway, I'm glad that I don't have to worry about any of that anymore, or be a recipient!"

It took all of Clarisse's self control not to blurt out everything to him- she was very excited, and knew it would be all worth it in an hour, but she hated having any secrets from him… in fact, it was amazing that he hadn't managed to discern anything from her!

Joseph looked at his watch before draining his cup of tea, and standing up with a stretch.

"Well my dear, if we're supposed to be downstairs at just after ten, I think we'll have to go… By the way, did you figure out why Mia chose that particular time? According to palace protocol, it's usually customary to be anywhere five or ten minutes early!"

"I don't know why, dear," Clarisse said, deliberately vague as she went back into the bedroom to check her appearance in the full length mirror one more time. Joe chuckled as he followed her, and wove his arms around her waist as he leaned his chin on her shoulder, watching her smooth down her outfit in the mirror.

"Don't tell me you're getting vain," he teased as she smiled at him in the mirror, and he saw a flash of mischief in her eyes, but there was no time to find out what it was for. "Between you and your granddaughter…"

"Our granddaughter," she corrected him, and he grinned.

"Alright… between you and our granddaughter," (heavily emphasising the 'our'), "It's amazing that this country is in such fine shape!"

"You're very funny, Joey," she mocked, wrinkling her nose slightly at him before, laughing, he pulled away to button his jacket.

"Ready?" he offered his arm to her, and she smiled as she slipped her arm through his.

"Ready," she affirmed.

000

Clarisse was almost trembling with excitement as they made their way downstairs. The hallways were oddly empty of palace staff, and Joe frowned slightly at the lack of activity or people- where was everyone?

"What's going on?" he murmured almost to himself as they stood in front of the closed throne room doors.

"I don't know…" Clarisse began before she was interrupted by the familiar thumping on the floor, and the announcement of their arrival. Clarisse smiled over at him as the doors opened, and they stepped forward- and, much to Joe's astonishment, it seemed as if they were last to arrived.

The throne room was different to what it usually was- there was a long, narrow red carpet on the floor, stretching from the doorway where they were standing, up to where Mia and Sebastian were standing, near the throne, and on either side of the carpet were several rows of chairs, all full, and all of them turned to watch them walk in.

It was a little disconcerting to be watched as they walked towards Mia but, as Joe reminded himself, they had walked up and down the aisle in church when they got married, and there were 200 pairs of eyes on them then!

Joe looked around when they stopped in the front row, waiting for Clarisse to sit down next to Sheila Motez before he sat down, and he realised that everyone had been there for a while… and that the guests were members of the palace staff, his former security colleagues, James and Charlie, and his brother… BJ?! He did a double take, but his eyes weren't deceiving him- BJ and his wife were sitting in the front row next to Scott!

He looked back at Clarisse, ready to sit down, but to his surprise, there were no more spare chairs and, even more surprising, she was smiling at his bewildered expression.

"Joseph, could you please step forward?" Mia asked solemnly and Joe felt a little worried as he looked at Clarisse again, and she was still smiling, but with pride… suddenly it all began to make sense- this investiture ceremony was for him.

After a warm press of the hand from Clarisse, Joe breathed in deeply to calm his nerves, and stepped towards Mia and Sebastian, feeling horribly conspicuous…

"Ladies and gentlemen, and honoured guests, you have been invited to a very special ceremony- not only that it's my first as Queen but, more importantly, it's an occasion to recognise the hard work and dedication that this man has shown to the crown of Genovia.

Joe, you have been a loyal and hard working member of the palace staff for over 30 years- first as a trainee then a junior bodyguard, before becoming part of the elite on Her Majesty's security team, and rapidly rising through the ranks to become her Head of Security, a role you had for over 20 years. All your former colleagues have warmly recommended you for your loyalty, dedication, reliability and trustworthiness… and, to quote the current Head of Security, "he was fantastic at his job- tough but fair- so much so that he put the rest of us to shame."

She paused as everyone laughed, and Joe turned to look at Scott, who only turned red and looked down at the floor.

"They also mentioned that you earned their respect and admiration for being such a stickler for detail, and dedicated to every aspect of your job, including following Her Majesty around numerous flower shows…" and the crowd sniggered again.

"According to sources, you were always working- even taking on extra shifts- and being available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for both your colleagues and Her Majesty… the list of admirable qualities goes on, but you can be assured, Joe, that you are well respected, admired and appreciated by everyone present here today. I know that I wouldn't have done as well as I have without your faith in me- even when I made so many mistakes, you and my grandmother never gave up on me… something for which I will always be grateful, and I will never forget it.

While your admirable qualities as a bodyguard and Head of Security have recommended you for today, I've also been asked to briefly mention your devotion to Her Majesty, which was always more than a bodyguard and Queen relationship. Whomever I have spoken to about you, they have always mentioned the friendship between you two, which blossomed into a relationship that, despite the best efforts of both parties, was an open secret in the palace!"

Clarisse blushed deeply from her front row seat, but she chuckled when Joseph turned to look at her with a grin, mouthing: "We are so busted."

"But," Mia continued, and Joe turned to look at her. "Even though there is so much we will we never know about you two, it's also obvious that they are, in every way, a perfect match… who else could deal with all the balls at the palace, following behind the Queen all night with patience and good humour, and even managing to get a dance with her at the evening?"

"Mia," Clarisse whispered to herself, going even redder, and she tried to glare at Mia, but found that she couldn't…the speech was wonderful, and she did like the little comments Mia had added- she wasn't sure if they had been planned, or Mia was ad libbing. She pondered this for a few seconds before she realised that Mia was speaking again.

"And who could put up with someone following them around all day, watching their every move, without falling in love? Their relationship is extraordinary- not only to have lasted this long, but also that they are still crazy about each other. I hope that I am as happy as them… only I don't think that I'll wait as long as they did to get married…"

Mia glanced at Clarisse, a little afraid that she would be angry, but her grandmother was chuckling quietly.

"Today, ladies and gentlemen, is a day to celebrate a man who has done so much for Genovia and Her Majesty, even to the extent of sacrificing his personal life for the safety, happiness and well being of Her Majesty, and Joe… this is just a way of saying thank you…"

Sebastian handed her the silver sword, and Mia was just about to step down when Joseph leaned forward slightly.

"Could my wife come closer to watch this?" he asked softly, and Mia grinned broadly.

"Sure!" before she looked over his shoulder and beckoned Clarisse forward. Clarisse was surprised as she walked quietly up to stand beside Joseph, before turning to watch.

"Joseph, by the power vested in me by the royal crown of Genovia, I dub the… Sir Joseph Bonnell, Master of the Order of Genovia," before doing what Clarisse had described earlier- tapping him on the shoulders with the sword and, after handing it back to Sebastian, she stepped down to pin a medal on his chest.

"Congratulations Joe… how do you feel?" she whispered with an impish smile as she pinned the medal onto his jacket, and he went red.

"I don't know what to say… this is unbelievable," he murmured softly, and Mia patted him sympathetically on the shoulder before leaning forward slightly.

"This was all Grandma's idea," she whispered into his ear before stepping back up to the throne. Joe took the opportunity to look over at Clarisse, standing to his left, and was touched to see her beaming happily, tears sparkling in her eyes. He was about to walk over to her, but Mia spoke again, and he realised that he needed to turn around.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour to present Sir Joseph Bonnell, Master of the Order of Genovia!"

As soon as Mia completed her sentence, everyone leapt to their feet to clap (and cheer, in the case of James and Charlie) for Joseph, all with grins on their faces. He smiled bashfully, not used to being the centre of attention, and looked over at Clarisse again, who was clapping just as hard as everyone else- her plan had worked perfectly!

When everyone finally stopped clapping, and turned to chat to others, he walked over to Clarisse and enveloped her in a tight bear hug, trying to let her know how much he appreciated the gesture. As the thought of what had just happened hit him again, he rested his forehead on his shoulder for a moment, slightly overwhelmed, and anyone who was watching them, feeling as if they were intruding on a private moment.

"Congratulations Sir Joseph," she murmured into his ear, and he laughed as he looked up into her blue eyes, and she gently touched his cheek.

"You planned all of this?" he asked quietly, and she shook her head while smiling modestly.

"Not really… I thought of it, but Mia organised it all… I just wanted people to appreciate everything you have done for Genovia… and for me," she added shyly.

Joe beamed at her, wanting to kiss her, but knew that she might not be ready and would be embarrassed, so he lifted her hand to his lips instead.

"I'll deal with you later," he joked in a low voice before he spotted his brother and his wife fighting their way through the crowd to get to them.

"But, on the upside, you get to meet my brother," he added in an undertone before the couple joined them. "BJ, what are you doing here?"

Clarisse watched the two of them as they greeted each other happily, and she had to admit that she was a little hard pressed to see any similarities between them, until they smiled… both of them had the same smile, she realised… BJ seemed to be nice looking, but she still preferred her Joseph- the most handsome man in the world…

"BJ, Lynn, I would like you to meet my wife, Clarisse," Joe said as he turned to her with a proud and loving smile, and Clarisse smiled easily as she extended her hand to BJ.

"It's a pleasure to meet you… BJ?" she sounded a little confused, and BJ laughed easily.

"I was never meant to be BJ- my full name is Benjamin James, but you can call me Ben, or whatever you want."

"Ben?" Clarisse repeated in the same bemused tone as he shook her hand. "No… if you don't mind, I'll call you BJ."

"No problem… and what shall we call you, Your Majesty?"

"Clarisse," she replied firmly. "After all, I am your sister-in-law now…" before she froze slightly, but only Joseph noticed.

She hadn't thought of the consequences of Joseph having a brother, but it was something new… she had been an only child, as had Rupert, and the only 'in law' titles she had ever been were 'daughter in law' and 'mother in law', but now she had a new one- 'sister in law'… strange but lovely… Her family had been small, and had shrunk even more since the deaths of Rupert and Phillipe… Mia and Joseph were her family, but now it was different…

She quickly shook off her reflective mood to move towards Lynn with a welcoming smile.

00

Joe quickly realised that he didn't have to move at all from where he was standing, as everyone came to him. After BJ and Lynn disappeared, James, Charlie and their wives stepped forward, all beaming happily.

"Congratulations, Sir Joe!" James said loudly before going down onto his knees. "Please don't cut off my head if I beat you at golf next time!" he begged cheekily, and Lesley made an embarrassed face.

"Sir Joe- that's got a nice ring to it," Charlie added.

"Did you all know about this?" Joe asked them, and both men looked at him apologetically.

"We did… but your wife made us promise not to say word, otherwise we would have told you… It's from my past experiences that people should be warned when their wives are planning something as a surprise!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Clarisse protested with an embarrassed smile, refusing to look at her husband, but the arm around her waist tightened, and the gesture informed her that he wasn't at all angry.

"It was a wonderful surprise!" Joe declared before the foursome was pushed aside by parliamentarians, all clamouring to see Joseph.

Clarisse managed to slip away as he was slowly surrounded by men, and made her way over to where Mia, Lily and Charlotte were chatting, and watching the scene with delight.

"Joe obviously had no idea about any of this," Mia said with a grin, and Clarisse laughed as they watched him disappear completely among a growing group of parliamentarians.

"No, he didn't, but I almost blurted it out several times… but I'm glad he finally knows how much he is appreciated," Clarisse said calmly, her eyes misting up again as she thought of how long he had deserved it.

"By the way, that speech was perfect- including the smart quips you managed to include," she added in a low voice, but only looked smug.

"I thought you would like it… Anyway, I'm having a private dinner tonight in Joe's honour, just for a few close friends, and I was wondering if you and Joe would like to come? I know, however, that today is also a special day for another reason, so I will understand…"

"We would be delighted to come, especially as it is in Joseph's honour," Clarisse said happily before someone suddenly grabbed her hand, and she turned, startled, before she relaxed when she saw that it was Joseph.

"I should have known you two were up to something! I don't know how you managed to keep it from me," he said affectionately to Clarisse, and Mia giggled.

"She didn't know what I was planning- she wanted a surprise, just like you… but all that mattered to her, as well as to me, was that you were recognised for your contribution to Genovia."

"It wasn't all that much," Joe said modestly, before Mia was forgotten as he gazed over at his wife- she had been almost as surprised as him over this morning, and he was again overwhelmed by what had just happened, and she smiled back at him. He broke the moment but laughing at Mia.

"That speech was nice- particularly the little asides you added," he said in a low voice. "By the way, where did you get your information?"

"I can't reveal my sources," Mia said calmly, a smile playing on her lips before Scott interrupted them to whisper in her ear. "Thank you… Joe, Elsie Kentworthy is setting up outside- she wanted a few moments of your time to ask some questions about today, and I figured that it would be alright.

"Oh did you?" Joe raised an eyebrow, but then smiled.

"I'll leave you to it," Clarisse said easily, perfectly satisfied to wait in the throne room for him to return, but to her surprise, he kept a firm grip on her hand as he led her through the crowd and out the door.

"No, this is your day," Clarisse said, stopping in the hallway and looking at him gently, and he only smiled as he kissed her hand again. "You don't need me there!"

"I do need you, and I want you with me… please," he said the last word softly, and she looked at him for a moment- after being Queen for so long, it was a relief not to have to do any more interviews- but Joseph needed and wanted her, and she could never say no to his requests, and she knew that he meant it.

"Besides, this is our day," he contradicted her other statement gently. "It's as much a celebration of you as well as me, and it's our anniversary! Furthermore, if I let you out of my sight, who knows what else you're going to spring on me!"

"Well, Mia has…"

"Mia has what?" Joe interrupted her, looking and sounding wary.

"Mia has organised a dinner tonight, in your honour, and I said we would go," she said lightly as they walked out into the main hallway- Elsie was waiting out on the main stairs- and Joe groaned, but he didn't mean it.

"Alright, but when will we get some time alone?"

"You make it sound as if we never have any time alone," Clarisse chuckled before she entwined her arm through his as they waited for the doors to open for them.

"But we will- I'll even lock our suite doors to make sure that it happens," Clarisse teased as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"But first, we have something else to do… let's go and get interviewed!"

"My first interview on television," he murmured under his breath, and she smiled.

00

"This is Elsie Kentworthy on an exclusive story- lowly former Head of Security and current husband of the former Queen of Genovia, Joseph Bonnell, has received a Knighthood and a Master of the Order of Genovia- two of the highest honours in Genovia, for his services to the Crown.

We have been lucky to track down the new Knight for a brief chat, and he is accompanied by his wife, the former Queen of Genovia… incidentally, they have been married for a month…"

Clarisse had to suppress her laughter at Elsie's introductory spiel, but she wasn't quite as happy or pleased when Elsie turned to Joseph with an openly flirtatious smile but, thankfully, he didn't notice or, if he did, he was completely immune.

"Congratulations Sir Joseph- how do you feel about your new title?"

Joe smiled bashfully as, simultaneously the camera focused on him, and Elsie stepped closer, but a supportive squeeze on the arm from Clarisse made him feel better.

"Well… it was a wonderful surprise, and I wasn't expecting it at all. The title and the Order are both tremendous honours, but it meant even more to me that Their Majesties even thought about it…" before he grinned lovingly over at Clarisse who, despite her best efforts, blushed.

Elsie, however, didn't see the look – she was looking too intently at Joseph, and determined to continue the interview.

"When did you find out about the ceremony?"

"Her Majesty invited us to the ceremony a couple of days ago, but I had no idea that it was for me until this morning, when I saw all my former colleagues, as well as my brother, sitting in the throne room," he chuckled sheepishly.

"I have to admit, though, that everyone was very good at keeping a secret, although I did suspect something was going on…"

"Were you hoping this would happen when you retired?"

"No I didn't- I enjoyed my job very much and, as far as I was and am concerned, all my achievements were merely part of my job."

"Any plans for the future?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead, but I'm still just enjoying my retirement with my wife…"

"Your Majesty," Elsie suddenly turned to Clarisse, who was thankfully prepared for the switch in interest. "Why didn't you do this while you were still Queen?"

"I had thought about it several times over the years, but I sadly never had the opportunity to do it," Clarisse said calmly. "It would have been a great pleasure to knight this extraordinary man beside me, particularly after he has done so much for Genovia, and I wish I had been able to do it… But I am pleased that Her Majesty has done it- he deserves it."

Clarisse was being deliberately vague about the real reason, but she hopefully satisfied Elsie with her answer.

"And how do you feel about today?"

"I am thrilled that Joseph has been formally recognised for his many years of loyal service to the Crown. He set a very high standard in the quality of his work, and I was always very pleased for him. Today, for me, is all about Joseph, and I am proud to call him my husband, and for him to call me his wife."

"That's right, it's been about a month since you shocked the nation with your surprise wedding… how has married life been?"

"I would hardly say that we shocked the nation," Clarisse chuckled easily. "But yes, it has been a month since we got married, and it has been wonderful, simply wonderful…" she beamed happily over at him, and the camera caught the loving look that they exchanged.

"How about you, Sir Joseph?," Elsie turned back to Joseph, who only smiled.

"It has been wonderful, as my wife has already said, and I'm looking forward to our life together… thank you," he said calmly, with a polite smile, indicating that the interview was over.

"I thought you said you had never done an interview," Clarisse murmured under her breath as they walked back up to the palace, and Joe laughed.

"I learnt a few tips from the best," and he gave her a significant look.

000

After another hour or so of receiving well wishes and chatting with the other guests, Joe and Clarisse finally escaped for an afternoon of solitude before meeting up with the others again at six for dinner.

"I only hope that she didn't invite some of Mabrey's cronies back for a second round."

"Ah, but then we could be the entertainment for another dinner," Clarisse chuckled as they walked upstairs arm in arm.

"Yes, and James and Charlie would love that- they would insist that you and I take up boxing professionally."

"Well, at least we'll have something else to do!"

After a moment of companionable silence, Clarisse asked:

"So, how does it feel to be Sir Joseph, and a Master of the Order of Genovia?"

"Strange, but I could get used to it."

"I only wish that it had been done a lot sooner, you deserved it a long time ago, but there were already so many rumours about us going around the palace that I didn't want to confirm it… but Mia did a wonderful job, didn't she?"

"Yes, especially with some of the witty asides she made at both our expenses!" he laughed as he followed her into the suite, turning to lock the door behind him.

"Hey, I thought I was going to do that!"

When he turned around, she was smiling shyly at him, and he could tell that she was a little nervous, but she needn't have worried… he was pleased as anything… he pressed her up against the wall, moving even closer to her, and kissed her long and passionately, his hands trying to get her jacket off.

"I take it you're not angry …" she managed to say between kisses, and he stopped to cup her face in his hands.

"Of course I'm not… sweetheart, it was such a beautiful gesture, and I'm so grateful… thank you…" before he kissed her again.

"Don't you want any lunch?" she teased as he tossed both their jackets on the couch.

"There's only one thing I want at the moment, and that's… you," he breathed into her ear, and she only chuckled softly as he led her into the bedroom…