Joseph woke up to the nuzzling of Maurice on his hand. "All right, all right I'll get up." Maurice backed up as Joe swung his legs out of bed and put on his slippers. It had become a daily routine for them. Maurice woke Joe up while Clarisse was still sleeping peacefully. Joe got dressed and went downstairs for some coffee, to feed Maurice, and to check on the security plans of the day. The two then took a walk around the grounds and then sat on the patio waiting for Clarisse to awake and join them for breakfast.

Today however their routine was a little sidetracked, as it was Mia and Nick's wedding day. Clarisse had not been asleep when Joe woke up but rather up and about the palace getting things ready.
Joe and Maurice walked down to Nick's suite and knocked on the door. "Come in?" Nick called from the other side.

"Oh I see you're up. Today's the big day!" Joe said to him while Maurice ran inside the room and nuzzled Nick's hand to be petted.

"Yes it is isn't it?" Nick said not being able to refrain from smiling.

"Do you have your tux in here?" Joe asked him.

"Ah yeah did the maids bring you yours?" Nick asked Joe.

"No actually I didn't see mind in my room. I guess I better go look for it. See you in a little while Nick and oh yeah stay clear of the bride's corridor. I'm sure there is probably chaos going on over there and besides I was given strict orders from the Dowager Queen last night to make sure you do not see the bride before the wedding ceremony."

"I see, well I'll try to stay clear. Thanks for the warning."

"Don't mention it." Joe said and he left the room.

Joe continued on his way to Mia's suite to find where Clarisse was. As he was walking he heard his wife's voice as she was talking to a man. As he peered around the corner not wanting to interrupt what appeared to be an intense conversation, he noticed it was Dr. Pletsky she was talking to. He listened to their conversation and Maurice walked away.

"Well how are you feeling today Your Majesty?" the doctor just asked Clarisse to see how his long time patient had been feeling lately.

"Oh I'm fine, thank you," she said giggling "but I was wondering actually about the baby," she said changing her tone to a whisper.

"BABY! What baby?" Joe thought to himself.

"Ah yes you must be very excited about the little bundle of joy?" Dr. Pletsky asked Clarisse.

Joe heart skipped a beat.

"Yes I am very excited about having a little one around the palace again. It's been such a long time, as you know."

"Indeed it has and babies bring such vibrancy and youth to homes even grand palaces like this," the doctor added.

"I believe you told me that when I was pregnant with Philippe." Clarisse said laughing.

"I did didn't I. Well what is it you would like to know?"

"Well by your calculations when exactly can we be expecting this baby?"

Joe could now feel his heart beat speeding up and he began to sweat.

"Well I believe we should be expecting this baby to arrive around the 9th of May."

"Oh that's wonderful another spring baby!" Clarisse squealed with excitement.

"That's right both princes were born in the spring." The doctor remembered.

"And Amelia was as well and there appears to be luck in our family when babies are born in the springtime."

"Oh that's great to hear," he said with a smiling response.

"Are you coming to the wedding later doctor?"

"Oh yes I would not miss it for the world."

"Great then thank you for your help with Mia last night and for answering my prodding questions."

"Not a problem." The doctor said and they both turned to walk in opposite directions.

As Clarisse began to get close to where Joe was spying, Joe ducked into a closet out of view from his wife.

Clarisse stopped however and after remembering something she quickly called the doctor back. "Ahh Dr. Pletsky?"

"Yes?" he said turning around and walking back. "I do not have to emphasize how important it is that you keep this a secret until the news is made public do I?" Clarisse asked suddenly stern and serious.

"Your Majesty you know I always keep your medical information and the rest of the royal families' medical information secure so the media does not find out."

"Yes you have always been enormously loyal so please, please keep it that way," she said as she closed her eyes and folded her hands pleadingly.

"Of course Your Majesty. No need to worry about a word escaping my lips."

"Thank you," Clarisse said before beginning to walk towards Mia's suite.

Joseph suddenly felt as though he was being kept out of knowing something very important that certainly concerned him. As he walked briskly down the stairs and to the kitchen he overheard the maids gossiping to one another. Since the maids know everything he decided to listen to them as well and stay out of view.

"Did you hear the news?" Olivia asked to Brigitta.

"No what?"

"Her majesty is pregnant!" Olivia said in a high voice.

Joe covered his mouth with his hand.

"Really? At her age?" Brigitta asked surprised.

"Oh please she's at a fine age to have children," Brigitte reminded.

Joe shook his head and said to himself "Really? Is she?"

"Yes Brigitta and she is three weeks pregnant and the baby should be here around May." Olivia proudly reported.

"Oh my God that is big news!" Brigitta responded with excitement.

"Aww a baby. It will be so nice to have a baby around here to take care of." Brigitte added.

"Yes but we must keep it strictly quiet because I believe she has not told the "Daddy" yet," Olivia warned with an excited grin.

Joseph's mouth fell open and his eyes almost popped out of his head. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his handkerchief and then listened to the end of the girls talking.

"Oh yes then we must try to keep this one to ourselves and not let the boys in security find out." Brigitta suggested.

"Yes they always blab out secrets and then blame us for gossiping." Brigitte said.

Joseph rolled his eyes and darted to Mia's suite to find his wife.
As he raced through the halls he almost ran into Patrick who was turning a corner at the same time.

"Joe is everything ok?" Patrick shouted as he took off down the hall.

Joe stopped and turned around. "Yes actually everything is… fine." Joe said with a smile as he nervously thought about becoming a father.

"Oh glad to hear it because you looked liked you saw a ghost or something."

"Nah, thanks for asking though," and then he turned and continued on his way to the suite.

Once he got to Mia's door he took a deep breath and then knocked.

"Who is it?" Mia asked as the women inside all quieted down.

"It's Joe, Mia."

Mia opened the door. "Hey Joe!" Mia said. "What can I do for ya?"

"Is your grandmother in there?"

"No actually she just left to meet Paolo in your suite to start her hair."

"Is something wrong?" Mia asked noticing he looked a bit frazzled.

"No everything's ok. I was just looking for her to see if she knew where my tux was."

"Oh the maids just brought yours to your suite so it should be there now."

"Ok thank you Mia."

"Your welcome, see you in 2 hours!"

"Yep. Can't wait my girl." And he turned to walk back to his room.

As Joe approached the door Charlotte was exiting from the room.
"Good morning Joe!"

"Morning Charlotte is Clarisse in there?"

"Yes she's in there talking about her hair for today with Paolo."

"All right thank you," he said and he entered the room. Once inside he watched as his wife sat in the chair in her bathrobe talking to Paolo about how she wanted her hair to be set.

Noticing him in the room Clarisse acknowledged him. "Ah darling where have you been? I was looking for you before?"

Joseph just smiled brightly.

"Paolo would you excuse us please?" Clarisse asked.

"Of course Your Majesty." And Paolo left the room immediately with his assistants following.

"Come over here I have something important to tell you," she said excitedly as she reached for his hands and pulled him over to sit on the sofa. He noticed how happy she looked and how the morning sunlight was lighting up her face.

"Clarisse I think I know what you are going to tell me." Joseph said with a funny expression on his face. Clarisse laughed at how giddy he looked.

"You do?" she asked surprised.

"I believe so yes."

"I don't think so because there is no way you would know this great news." Clarisse said.

"Trust me I know."

"Well then if you are so sure that you know please tell me then." Clarisse laughed as she pointed to herself with her hands.

"Well no you probably want to tell me a certain way so go ahead."

Clarisse looked at him as if he were confusing the hell out of her.

"All right well last night I wanted to tell you this but when I came out of the bathroom after getting changed you were already asleep."

"I'm sorry, go on."

"No it's all right it's just that we are going to be hearing the pitter patter of little feet in about nine months."

Joe could not believe his ears. "Really! I don't believe it!" His face lit up and he grabbed Clarisse in a huge embrace. Clarisse thought it was so cute how he was reacting to becoming a great grandfather.

"When did you find out?" Joe asked still hugging her.

"Last night actually after the doctor left." Clarisse said.

"Geez good news does travel fast!" he said stunned.

"What?" Clarisse asked wondering what he meant.

"Well you know the maids know everything."

"Oh no the maids are already talking about it?" Clarisse said annoyed. Her face suddenly changed into a smile. "Those girls love to gossip!" she said with a chuckle.

"Indeed, I mean they know you're expecting but they seem to know to keep it a secret from others in the palace."

Clarisse's face drastically changed. "Wait what did you say?"

"They seem to think the security department likes to gossip more then they do. I mean come on men do not talk as much about others' issues as women do."

"Joseph?" Clarisse tried to stop him from talking to see if he said what she thought he said.

"I'm sorry Clarisse but I'm sure Lionel and Shades and the rest of the boys could care less that you are pregnant."

"That I'm Pregnant!!! WAIT WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!" Clarisse yelled to stop him.

"What?" Joseph asked noticing she was upset for some reason.

Clarisse put up her hands before she spoke to silence him and take a deep breathe so she could straighten this out.

"Joseph do you think that I'm pregnant? Me?" she said pointing to herself.

"Well aren't you?"

Clarisse stared at him for a long second and then busted out with a hysterical fit of laughter.

"Oh my god you thought that I was preg… " she was cut off by her laughing.

"Well I heard you talking earlier to Dr. Pletsky about expecting a baby and then the maids all said that Her Majesty was pregnant. So I figured you were."

Clarisse stopped laughing.

"Joseph do you really think I want to be pregnant at my age? I mean really I think I would go crazy from the idea first and foremost." She said as she placed a hand over her eyes and began to laugh again. "The fact that it's permanently impossible is another pretty good reason as to why I'm not."

"Well if you're not pregnant then who is?"

Clarisse stared at him and let him think for a minute of whom else could be pregnant that went by the title of Her Majesty.

"Who Mia?" Joe asked as if it couldn't be.

Clarisse smiled and nodded.

"Mia? Really? Mia's going to have a baby?"

"Yes MIA is going to have a baby not me thank God!"

"That's wonderful news!" Joe said still enthusiastic.

"Aww are you upset it's not me?" Clarisse asked getting close to him and putting her head on his shoulder.

"A little because we don't have a child of our own but honestly I'm a little relieved that you're not."

"Well it would be too much of a strain on my body and we are not even middle aged anymore." She said smiling up at him. Clarisse sat up on her knees and looked at him in his face. "Instead we are going to be great -grandparents and have a wonderful time spoiling Mia and Nick's baby to death since you've never had a child or grandchild and I've never really been around a young grandchild let alone one that's a baby. I missed out on seeing Mia at that age so now I will get to watch this little baby grow up."

"My gosh Mia's pregnant!" Joe said again. "And you found out last night?"

"Yes that is why she got dizzy and fainted because she is three weeks into this."

"So is this what you realized last night when we were outside of her room?"

"Yes it came to me when you mentioned that I had fainted when I was younger and I remembered fainting while I was pregnant with both my boys so I figured that must be why she had fainted as well."

"What a mystery solver you are." Joe said squeezing her around the waist.

"I know right." Clarisse laughed. "Look I'm sorry if you're disappointed it's not me who is pregnant."

"No Clarisse don't be sorry because I'm not. You are right we are no spring chickens but we will make excellent great-grandparents if I do say so myself." He said kissing her forehead.

"Love you," she said.
"And I love you," he answered back.

"But darling don't say a word to anyone because only Mia, I, Helen, and you know so far."

"You mean she didn't tell Nicholas yet?"

"No she's going to surprise him with the news today after the ceremony."

"That's right there is a wedding taking place today isn't there?" Joe said teasing. "Hmm I guess they couldn't wait huh?"

"No, I guess not but there was no use in me lecturing her because she found out herself the day before she's getting married." Clarisse explained.

"I'm assuming we are keeping this from the media?"

"Oh yes they will not know until I figured a few weeks after Mia and Nick return from their honeymoon."

"I see very clever."

"Well I thought the public would just think they got pregnant while on the most romantic part of their marriage."

"Oh come on?"

"What?" Clarisse asked confused.

"You mean to tell me our honeymoon was the only romantic part of our marriage?" Joe jokingly questioned her.

"Well no but…"Clarisse stopped talking and giggled as Joe pushed her down on the couch and kissed her passionately.

"All right that was pretty good too." Clarisse said as she looked at her watch. "I now have only an hour and a half to get ready for my granddaughter, the Queen of Genovia's wedding."

With that there was a knock on the door.

"Yes? Clarisse asked as she and Joe sat up on the sofa.

Charlotte entered the room already in her dress arranging everyone's make-up and hair schedules. "Sorry to interrupt Your Majesty, but Paolo has to do Queen Mia's hair soon so he has to start on yours now."

"And my make up?"
"One of his assistants is doing Mia's make up now but they will be in after to do yours."

"All right, thank you Charlotte and please send Paolo right in."

As Charlotte turned out the door to summon Paolo, Joseph leaned over and kissed his wife once more. Clarisse stood up and then grabbed her husband's hands to help him up.
"Let go great-grandpa our girl's getting married today and we have to get her to the church on time."

As Clarisse sat in her hair and make up chair waiting for Paolo, Joseph went into the other room to change.

"Clarisse!" he yelled, "Did the maids bring me my tuxedo?"

"Yes it's hanging behind your closet door," she yelled back.

"Got it!"

Clarisse laughed to herself as Paolo began to toy with her hair and she could hear Joseph whistling in the other room to the tune of Get Me to the Church on Time.