Clarie, Cathie and Nannie: Chapter Nine
Christmas of 1987
"NAAAAANNNNYYYYYYY!"
Nannie jolted up as she heard her charge's shrill voice.
Kay entered her bedroom as she crawled up, "Nanny wake up it's Christmas!"
She blew a horn and jingle a bell as Nanny covered her ears, collapsing back to bed.
"Nanny!" Kay whined as she shook Nanny's body, "Wake up… I need permission to order our Christmas Breakfast!"
Nannie rolled over as she rapidly nodded her head, "Of course… of course."
Kay started ringing room service as Nannie got up on her bed, collecting her hair up as she did it on a messy bun.
"-Oh and some rawther hot coffee please.. top floor, please charge it. Thank you! Merry Christmas!" Kay smiled as she placed the receiver down and sat beside her nanny, "Oh isn't it wonderful? Maman will be here soon and she'll get to spend Christmas with us!"
Nannie looked at her and smiled, "Oh sure, pet. Merry Christmas! Now let's get up! 'ave you fixed, fixed, fixed.. your bed?"
Kay nodded.
"'ave you fixed your bedroom?"
Kay nodded again.
"Good, good, good. Now where is 'illary?" Nannie said as she got up to open the curtains and fix her own bed.
"She went to do her rounds and act as Santa to deliver gifts, she brought Wenwen and dressed him up as her reindeer." Kay said and as if on cue, the door opened and closed as Hillary ran straight to Nannie's bedroom, blowing a horn that made Nannie stiff as her hands flew directly to cover her ears.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS NANNY!" Hillary greeted, blowing her horn.
Nannie closed her eyes as she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.
Hillary and Kay chuckled as she sighed in relief when the horn stopped.
"Merry Christmas to you too, 'illary.. Now have I already told you two- that it's rude, rude, rude to blow a horn so early in the morning?" Nannie said as she finished fixing her bed.
"Yes, nanny." Hillary said.
"We're very sorry." Kay added.
A doorbell was heard as both girls looked at each other and smiled, "It's mother!"
They raced out of their nanny's bedroom as Nannie opened her closet and took her outfit planned for today and went to her personal bathroom to prepare herself for the day.
Kay Simons and Hillary Schuster, two children with the same mother but different fathers. Kay is eleven months older than Hillary and Nannie have no idea who are the father of those two children. Catherine, their mother who works as a make-up designer in Paris fashion shows, never mentioned it to her and she didn't actually asked.
Nannie worked as a nanny for seven families for the past twenty-two years and so far, Kay and Hillary's family is the most unique in all of them.
The Davis, her first family, got themselves whole. William married Marina and the children's new mother found it easy to get with the children. So it sent Nannie to her second family which is the Lincolntons. They are very loud and big, consist of James and Jessica and together have eleven children names Jane, Janet, Janice, Janessa, Janelle, Janey, Janome, Janus, Janilla, Janoule and Janetta. Not only Nannie have to deal with eleven children, occasionally she also have to look after some cousins and second cousin and third cousins and more cousin like Mary, Madelyn, Madeline, Maryanne, Marianne, Pamela, Pamina, Pamulau and many others.
Complete opposite to her time with the Davis, which was only fifteen days, Nannie spent fifteen years with the Lincolntons. Leaving after their youngest, Janetta, started her college and there's no more children left to take care of. From Chicago, Nannie used her saved money to travel from there to London where she come across with a nannie advertisement on a newspaper. Her next family is the Smiths, with Pamela Smith and Zackary Smith. Together, they have twins names Zara and Phil. At first, Nannie thought that after the Davis children and the Lincolnton children, she'll be able to have two ten-year-old angels but oh boy she was wrong. Despite their ages, Zara and Phil are two incredibly smart children and constantly argues with her.
Their arguing started with who is who to what they should wear and up to the topic of where should she stand when they're in public. Pamela is a lawyer and Zackary is a businessman and the twins like to brag about those things, especially to their nanny. Surprisingly, Nannie survived. The fact that the arguments are between her and the children and not between the two kinda help because for once she won't deal with two fighting kids and she'll only have to deal with the headache that these twins are spoiled to rotten by their parents and certainly do know their lines and how to act.
Her times with them are cut when the family is to fly to California and they, as Nannie would quote, "Surely won't be needing a help there because the children are already capable of making their own choices."
Nannie didn't know whether to take it as an insult or as a relief. Maybe that's because for three years, she grew fond of the twins despite their attitudes.
After the Smiths, Nannie worked for two months with Bernadette Harris, a freshly divorced woman to Tumiko Aikawa. They're fighting each other to get custody of their three months old child, Bertie Aikawa and Nannie's employer's sudden death due to overuse of drugs led the child to his father. Mr. Aikawa gave Nannie an offer to fly with them to Japan so she can resume her work but Nannie didn't want to leave her homeland yet.
While she's working with the Smiths and with little Bertie, Nannie was trying to find her family. But that leads her to nowhere and she realized it while she was working with the Bells.
After a year with the Bells, after Gerard Bell finished college and his sister Gabby Bell finished her last year in high school, Nannie flew from London to New York with her past charges because her hopelessness into finding her own family will lead her to more misery if she stayed there.
At New York, Nannie worked with Harold Peabody to take care of his son Victor Peabody. Mr. Peabody is the current owner of the Plaza which means Nannie gets to stay there. When Victor turned eleven, which was a year and a half to her service for them, he's to continue his education by going to a boarding school which means Nannie gets to find herself another family to work for.
By that time, she came across with Kay and Hillary giving Salamone Sr. a headache. Their mother, Catherine, have struggles finding a nanny and Harold gave recommendations to hire Nannie which she did as she left to work while her children go live at The Plaza with their new nanny.
For a year, Nannie managed the two. With lots practice with her past charges, especially the Lincolntons, it became easy for Nannie to avoid pranks and after ten months of doing so… Kay and Hillary finally became on good terms with her and finally listened to her.
This is going to be their second Christmas together and so far, Nannie thinks it'll go well. With Catherine around for sure the two will be cherishing the rare moments of their mother's home.
Leaving the bathroom, Nannie fixed her bun and her fringe hair as she went to greet a sight of Kay and Hillary helping Brooks, their favorite friend and waiter, to serving their meal.
"Ah Merry Christmas Nannie!" Catherine stood as she and Nannie shared a hug.
Nannie greeted back and turned her attention to the man sitting beside her employer's chair.
He's looking at her in the most weird way Nannie ever saw anyone look at her before.
Catherine looked at her male companion and turned back to Nannie, "Oh how rude of me.. Let me introduce Viscount Arthur Mabrey, we met at a ball that I attended in Genovia and he's just- well you can only guess what else happened… Arthur, this is Nannie… she's the incredible lady who managed to tame my two little dragons and the kindest soul you'll ever met."
Nannie can sense the man giving her funny looks as he stiffly shook her hand.
"'ow do you do.." Nannie suppressed a smile as he quickly let go and sat back on his chair, still giving her funny looks.
Nannie sat on the chair facing Catherine as Kay sat beside her while Hillary to the other side of her mother.
The two filled their mother in with wonderful stories that are either literally happened or based of in their imaginations as Catherine hung on her daughters' words. Nannie can't enjoy the 'Christmas Breakfast' as the man sitting across her kept on giving her looks.
Honestly…. she thought, Why on earth?
"Fetch Doctor Grubbs! We need someone to do a stat section! Now!" Doctor Wells called as an intern stuttered.
"B-b-but si-s-sir! Ii-it's Chr-hr-rist-sma-s-s a-an-aa-and-"
"What is it Doctor Wells? Is something-"
"AH! Howard! Please tell me you can do stat section?"
Catherine nodded as the doctor dragged her to the hallway to one of the rooms while giving her information and helping her prepare.
Seconds ago she's preparing to get back to her home to celebrate Christmas with her husband, and another set of seconds pass by and she's back to the room she left hours ago, preparing to do another stat section.
"-and also we need that woman to relax. She's clearly in a fit and her husband's not there yet. If the baby stayed inside for another moment.. it'll be harder for us to keep him or her alive." the other doctor said as he opened the door and Catherine Howard strolled in.
Tomas Howard looked to his watch as he waited inside the car. Opening the window as he breath his smoky breath, he kept himself contained and calm.
You married a doctor, Tom.. and by doing so, you also have to be patient. he thought as he heard the car door open, someone entered, and then close.
"Hello! I am very… sorry because I'm- ugh- late.." the voice of his wife amuses him as he watch her brush off the snow that covered her coat, "God- I can't hardly believe that it's Christmas. Oh Tom.. I am so sorry."
"Oh it's fine, my dear. In fact, I should also be sorry for the smell of your car. I-"
"Oh nonsense.. I found the smell much more better than the hospital scent. With all the alcohols, anesthetic and pills… makes feel dizzy at the moment." Catherine groaned as she laid her head on headrest, "How was your half-day, Tom?"
Tom shrugged, "Much better than yours I suppose. Same ol' borin' day in the library. What do you expect to an ol' borin' librarian's day?"
He stared the engines and drove away, satisfied that his wife's mood lightened.
Catherine chuckled to his attempt to cockney accent as she shook her head, "First, that accent is better than the last one but it sounded like you're eating while talking.. and second, you are not old and working in a library is not that boring. Imagine surrounded with books plus silence and not medical equipments plus a delirious mother that keeps on cursing her husband. I would at least expected that you enjoyed the silence that made me rethink about my job for mere seconds while I'm attending to that last patient.."
"I thought you were working with babies and children…" Tom asked.
Catherine sighed as she brushed an imaginary dust of her shoulders, "I am and if I am to work with them, then I also have to work with their parents… I'm not quite fond of working with the pregnant once, especially if they make the situations harder for us. I wish I could lengthen my patience during the holidays, I am mostly challenged today. That last patient pissed me off. She can shout whatever bloody thing she wants but to wobble around like a rat-arsed bitch. I don't know if I should tell her to calm down or to remind her that she's lying on a narrow bed."
Tom smiled as he heard Catherine rant, he always admired the way she changed her accents and not notice it until someone pointed it out. Then sometimes she would sound so British yet so American at the same time… he didn't even know if that makes sense but some things don't need to make sense to be understood by other people.
"Aww… you poor thing. Now, darling… how would a vacation sound like?" he asked.
His wife looked at him as she opened her mouth, then closed it again, then opened it again as she inhaled.
Tom looked at her as he cocked his head, "Say something, dear."
Catherine exhaled as she closed her mouth then opened it again, slowly making words, "I…. I don't know… I- well first things first.. where and ha- how… I mean-"
"Gary opened a restaurant in New York and he invited us to visit at some time.. Wilkes called me and he said that it'll be splendid if we visit the same day he'll do which is by tomorrow afternoon. I- well I agreed and… already booked us a flight.. and yes- I know we could have just drive all the way from here to there…. but I know you dislike sitting nor driving this car, no matter how lovely it is, for six hours straight and I don't want that either."
Catherine looked at him as she muttered, "Eyes on the road, Tom."
He blinked as he looked back to the road, quickly moving the car back to the lane as he listened to her.
"I think… it'll be lovely." she slowly mumbled, "Doctor Grubbs become agreed to work during holidays for a reason and I feel so guilty for the past holidays we have.. After all… I asked for a break without planning what will I do and I'm so happy you filled that question in."
Tomas looked at her again as she looked back at him, cupping his cheek and pushing his sight back to the road, "I want to reach New York with no injuries sir and I'm sure you want it either."
Chuckling as her fingers slipped from his cheek to his lips, he kissed it as she lowered it to his jaw, his chest and down to his torso. Making him feel tighter below as she suppressed a smirk.
"If you want us to reach New York in one piece, I would suggest you wait till we get to the house." he breathed.
Catherine raised an eyebrow as she continued to circle the growing bulge between his legs, "Why wait till we get in to the house when…. we can do it here."
Let out a shaky breath as her circling fingers became a hand, stroking the fabric.
"Does your rage made you feel so horny, my darling?"
Catherine smiled as she shook her head, slowly undoing the first buttons on her dress.
Tomas suddenly realized that he's been staring at her and quite distracted that he didn't even felt her bag and coat at the back to the car.
He parked the car in front of their garage as she reached to stop the engines, getting the key and throwing it at the back with her bag and coat.
"My rage is long gone when I thought that for the first time in years… I'll finally have a full week, days or moments alone with you. Away from the hospital and everything."
She moved forward to kiss him as she whispered, "Merry Christmas, my darling.."
Catherine opened her eyes as she looked at her husband who is sleeping peacefully beside her.
Twenty years….
Catherine could hardly believe that it's been almost twenty years since she married this man. And it's been twenty-two years since the day they first met.
It's this very day. Christmas Day in 1965. He's visiting his brother, Gary and they both shared passion with arts, science, music and eventually enjoyed each other's company. Despite the fact that he's fifteen years her senior, Catherine cannot deny that she felt herself attracted to him. And her attraction, for her fear at some stupid reason at the time, grew stronger and became harder to hide.
A man like him who has sharp senses and wit can surely recognize everything, even the things behind his back.
Catherine felt so blessed being with a man like him. A man who would dare to marry such a woman as her.
Brushing a stupid tear that fell from her eyes, Catherine sighed as she gazed at her husband. She's really lucky to find a man who loves her despite her flaws. Who love her despite those reasons why they shouldn't.
She can't cook, she's workaholic, she's moody, she's lazy at some point, she's wicked, she's nosy and most of all….
...she can't bear a child.
Somehow, she felt his sympathy for her. And she felt so guilty at the first few years of their marriage. Not being able to give him a child…
His sympathies strengthened as she felt more guilty. And eventually they both got tired of having unwanted feelings for each other so they agreed to leave the past in the past and the facts to the facts and just enjoy their married life.
Smiling as she felt herself with content, so much in love and incredibly peaceful... she wondered if he felt the same way…
And she also wondered if her sisters felt the same way..
For twenty-two years, by the time she left her childhood home to have her degree. She discovered that Sophie and Paul are doing business with some investigators to help her find her family. Her biological family.
Though she didn't ask, she certainly would appreciate the efforts however.. they were stopped when they found her older brother's grave beside her parents. Somewhere in England that Catherine remembered to be the place where generations of Waltons are buried.
Her brother looked for them… he's been looking for her and her twins.
Hans, the guy who's taking care of the Waltons treasures, told her that her brother never gave up. He's always been looking and vowed he's not to marry until he find his sisters.
Somehow that caused their line to die at him, but because she showed up and Han's wife who is also the old former housekeeper, who Catherine saw aged very well and hasn't change so much, assured them that Catherine is one of the lost triplets. Catherine can inherit the family fortunes.
Catherine thought about it for months before she decided that the fortune shall stay where they are, and to be only touched when her sisters show up.
Hans and his wife, Patricia, continued taking care of the Waltons' treasures and seemed to not hate the idea that they're to do so. Catherine and her brother's friend and lawyer, Stewart, agreed to help each other into finding her sisters. Catherine to be united with them and for Stewart to keep his vows to Philippe about findinh and uniting his sisters.
So far… they're nowhere.
Catherine frowned, could it be a possibility that her other sisters died and their bodies were never found? So it basically meant that her brother's been looking out for her… and she found him three years after he died.
"Where are you?" Tom's voice brought her back to reality as she blinked to see that he's awake.
"Somewhere between the lines of marriage bliss and personal despair.." she breathed.
Tomas hastily got up as he looked at her, concerned, "Personal despair? What do you mean?"
Catherine looked at him, the feelings of tears already on her cheeks made her choked as she shook her head, "Just musing about my sisters… I mean-" taking a sigh, Catherine brushed her tears and looked at him in the eye, "Do you think my twins are still alive?"
Tom caressed her head as he kissed her forehead, "Have you and that Stewart guy found something that made you think so?"
Catherine shooked her head, "He's still looking for my pendant. He said my brother took it somewhere around his office and… well my brother is never one to have tidy rooms."
"It's quite surprising you remember a lot of things." Tom said.
Catherine didn't know how to react as she remained silent. Letting herself be enveloped to his arms.
"One thing is sure, Catherine." he said, "They're also looking for you. The three of you are looking for each other."
Catherine felt a little better, which surprised her, as she smiled as his the corner of his mouth.
"When can we have that promised New York trip? I think I need a new scenery and it'll be exciting to see Gary."
Tom chuckled as he said, "Our flights on 4 pm today… Wilkes told me he booked a five star hotel for us as well. We can surprise my little brother by night because we'll be dinning at his restaurant for dinner."
Catherine smiled as she looked at the clock on the bedside table, "Tom…"
Her husband grunted as she asked, "Do I need eye glasses or does our clock says that it's 3 pm?"
Tom looked at the clock and groaned, "I should have booked for the 5 pm flight."
Chuckling, Catherine got up, "Let's move. I'll pack the bags… you can have shower first. How long are we to stay there?"
"Until January 1st." Tom said as he stretched up, looking at Catherine's shocked look, he smiled, "Merry Christmas, darling."
"Clarisse, are you awake?"
Clarisse groaned as she mumbled, "No I'm not. Who on earth are you- oh! Joseph! I'm so sorry… I didn't recognize the- oh bloody hell! Please hand in the aspirin in the table."
Joseph looked at the table and said, "There is no aspirin in the table… in fact there's a plate and an empty glass of water."
Clarisse massaged her head groaning, "Oooohh shi- -takes… I shouldn't have eaten much of those… they're making me dizzy . Uh- er.. what are you doing here?"
"His majesty sent me to wake you up. And we both know those mushrooms have nothing to do with your headache, Clarisse. Now I brought in your tea." Joseph sighed as Clarisse get out of her bed and tried to fix it.
"Shitakes can cause you dizziness if you eat a lot of it. You recently mentioned that I found myself a new favorite chips and-"
Joseph helped her as he interrupted, "-Clarisse… you know it's not healthy if you-"
"Joseph, it's Christmas Day. For heaven's sake, can we please brush that topic for a while." Clarisse said as she placed her hands on his shoulders and patted it. Brushing her hair backwards with her hand as she looked at herself in the mirror, "Was I hit by a bus?"
Joseph snorted and asked, "Why would you ask that?"
"I look as though I was hit by a fully-loaded, guided tour bus." Clarisse sighed as she observed her face in the mirror.
Joseph looked at her in the mirror as patted her head, "Let me guess what's your next line… 'I've aged, Sidney. I'm getting lines in my face.'... was it right?"
Clarisse playfully smacked his arm and shook her head, "Now is not the time to joke around, Joseph. I looked like as if I'm high as a kite even if I'm bloody not. And no- I don't think I'll use Maggie Smith's lines to point out non-existential lines."
"Well you started with 'Was I hit by a bus? then followed by that long description of busses …. how am I to know?" Joseph shrugged, "Anyways, speaking of long descriptions.. I've contact with that friend of mine who's a builder. He says he and his family are flying to Genovia at some point and he said if you and his majesty can slip it to your time, you can meet him to make an agreement about the renovations."
"Where is the long descriptions in that?" Clarisse asked as she left the bedroom and sat on the couch, pouring herself some tea.
"There is a lot to talk about. Especially that it's the Summer Palace that's to be renovated." Joseph said as he sat on the opposite couch.
Clarisse inhaled the scent of her tea and said before taking a sip, "I'll speak to Rupert about it. Now, does my son came back from his ride or he still have this terrible mood?"
"He came back minutes after you went to bed. Then he went fencing with Pierre. They're yet to comeback." Joseph said as he studied Clarisse.
Twenty-two years ago, she's the woman who's seemed to be his best friend's long lost twin and now she's the woman who's he's working with and working for… not to mention…
…. wanting for.
From his position as an intern, he quickly gain a promotion the day Clarisse almost died of Traumatic Brain Injury. Though the only thing he did was to comfort her when he heard her having nightmares, that gave the royals some reason to trust him and permanently hired him right away. Gave him proper training and within days after Clarisse's wedding, he's back and became her personal guard.
"Joseph?" he heard her ask as he looked at her, raising his eyebrows.
"Yes, Clarisse?"
For years of working with her, they became friends, close friends… and for some reason.. he wanted them to be more.
"I asked you if you would like some tea?" Clarisse asked.
Joseph nodded and added a silent, "Yeah." Before nodding again.
He knows it's a cliché for him to think of that way and comical enough that he's close friends with a married woman who have high place in the upper class society, considering she's a lady turned princess upgraded to queen, and much more ridiculous of him to want more but there's only one thing clear…
….he won't risk it.
If this wanting more is just a mere remnants of his horny boyhood then he'll blame it for his dirty mind of comparing her to Nannie.
Nannie….
The week after Clarisse's collapsing became so hectic to him that he almost forgot to inform Nannie of the possibilities. The thing is, however, when he called to William, the guy told him that Nannie was then working for an another family that no one knew of. He also called Robert, who's preparing to leave Marine and just go to a University with Marybeth, and sadly they also have no idea where she'd gone.
It seems as if their lovely self-deprecating friend have left them with a literal goodbye.
"Joseph?" Clarisse's voice sent him back to reality as he realized that he's been holding a tea cup for about five minutes since he tool it from her hands.
"Yes?" he asked himself as he carefully took a sip on the cold tea, wondering if five minutes is an understatement.
"You've been staring to nowhere for fifteen minutes… are you ill?" Clarisse asked, "You look quite reddish."
"I- uh… I'm just a bit tired with all the security upgrades we've been doing for weeks. Fox has been preparing me… though I doubt that he'll be retiring so soon… he's just three years older than me." Joseph mumbled.
I suddenly realized that I'm also the Head of Security's second in command… he thought as Clarisse gave him a smile.
That smile that he knew would mean that she wanted a time for herself so her next words will be:
"Is that so? Then you can have the rest of the afternoon off.. After all, I'm only to attend the night mass. You can rest."
"Are you sure you're fine, Clarisse?" he asked.
Clarisse smiled and nodded, "I am sure and I am fine. Now please relax yourself.. it's Christmas for heaven's sake."
Joseph nodded as he stood up, "Very well… Clarisse."
Clarisse nodded as she watched him walk away her suite. She let out a loud sigh once the door closed and set her tea cup down.
Day nightmares…
That's what she's been having.
Twenty-two years ago, the royal physician and her physician told Rupert and his parents that she's been suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury and it caused her a week of coma. After she woke up, her almost father Georg told her that the royals already knew her past which changes nothing to her betrothal because the king and Rupert grew fond of her. The queen however..
Clarisse had to play tough to prove herself to the queen. She fought her daydreams, which worsened after her coma. She's grateful that she made it alive to her wedding with Rupert, and she's also grateful that Joseph became promoted to be her personal bodyguard.
He's the only presence that can calm her.
None of the physicians, even if how friendly they've been to her… can help her collect those day dreams in the most calm way.
They've been asking her questions, to help her find her past which she found so exhausting when she became queen.
She have to attend countless of balls, festivals, dinners, lunches, tea parties and many others and became Rupert's confidant and be her son's mother while also looking for her own family.
So far, the pieces of information they have are that she has two sisters who looked exactly the same as her and they are named Cathie and Nancy, but Clarisse knew that they're only nicknames if she's Clarie.. she also has a brother named Philippe and there's someone named Barbara that they presumed her mother and an explosion that they said might have caused her trauma.
Her pendant is the only thing that survived with her and if she do have twins… then the two also have the same with different color.
For the first five years, they have nothing in progress. That's until someone with the name of Philippe would want to have tea with her.
She met his Philippe who turned out to be her long lost brother and fainted that day and she woke up five months later, which he found so hard to believe.
Her brother, Philippe, had died due to a car crash and he wrote a letter to her that explains her whole childhood, her sisters, her parents, how their parents died and he's hunting for her sisters.
It doesn't help that Rupert's father died of heart attack and Queen Marlena's been missing after the wake and she and her husband have to take over the throne and she's still enveloped to her grief and many questions.
This time…
Joseph can no longer help her.
She appreciate his efforts but the second pendant that's on her pocket can make her feel at ease and hopeful.
Catherine's pendant.
Her brother put it on the envelope and left Genovia to talk to the people in England about his discovery.
Somehow he didn't come back and Clarisse doesn't want to see his dead body either.
She doesn't want to see it yet so she just told them to leave it alone and stop the investigation and just focus on Rupert.
On helping him.
He's done so much in her life and now's the time to be there for him.
And somehow, with helping Rupert, raising Pierre and Philippe and also helping to find the still lost Queen Marlena.
She forgot about her own problems.
Of course she doesn't because there's one person who keeps on helping her find herself when she felt lost.
And that's Joseph.
She appreciate his efforts and she also appreciate their friendship.
He's always there and he knows what to say and where and that's what she loves the most in him.
Remembering the way he help her with nightmares, she wondered how did he-
"Maman?" a knock on his door sent her back to her couch in her suite as she blinked.
Fixing herself, she said "Enter." And her sons appeared behind the door.
"How are you feeling maman?" Pierre, her first born, asked.
Oh how time run so fast…
Twenty-two years ago, he's just a baby fresh from her womb and now he's a fully grown man.
The two sat on either of her side as she held their hands.
"I'm fine… now where the two of you have been lurking?"
Pierre looked at Philippe.
Philippe… oh how she missed his baby.
Somehow she can't believe that her youngest son is divorced and a father to a two years old baby girl…
….her granddaughter.
Somehow, she felt so guilty of not keeping communication with him while he's in college and felt so guilty for making him choose between country and family.
It'll be easier if his ex-wife would like to make the effort but Clarisse understands that not all women like the luxury of being a royal wife..
… walking behind her husband and just being a decoration for showing beauty, charm, elegance and happiness.
And somehow, an artist like Helen Thermopolis would like to be free as a bird.
"We went fencing. Father joined us and Pierre lost." Philippe smirked.
"Father cheated… he told me he's sick so I didn't put my best." Pierre's face crumpled as Clarisse chuckled and ruffled their hair.
"Now you two… what else have you been doing?" she asked, her question directed to Pierre.
She knows they made an agreement with Helen to keep all communications to little Amelia untils he turned eighteen but her .sons learned from their father and he's not the one to obey much things.
"I- I called Helen to bid her and Amelia 'Merry Christmas'." Pierre mumbled and met Philippe's gaze, "I can't help it. Your daughter's too adorable. She's beginning to make out words but like a toddler, she sounds like babbling."
Philippe sighed as he said, "You could have made the call with me. I wanted to call them too."
Clarisse felt relief when no rising of temper was shown.
Somehow she's thankful they didn't inherit Rupert's temper.
"Now… you could have made the call when I'm awake, Pierre. How are they?"
"They're fine. Helen would want to keep the call short. No matter how much I insist that I'll pay." Pierre mumbled.
Clarisse was about to speak when her husband entered, "Ah here you three are! How are you feeling, Clarisse?"
Clarisse stood up to kiss his cheeks as she smiled, "Never better.. now what is it that I or we can you for you, darling?"
"Oh nothing… I just wanted to spend some quality time with my family….." Rupert grunted as he sat, "...since I have no more papers left to sign till the end of his damn year."
Clarisse chuckled as she sat between their sons, happy that for once the four of them are together, not because of a tragedy, problem, possible scandal or whatever but because it's Christmas and so far this is the best Christmas she ever had in ten years…
All is just well… for now.
A/N: been a long time since I wrote here but yaaaah! I think I can make this work again and I do hope it works. Thank you for the reviews! And I hope you enjoy! Please r&r and have a nice new year! (⊙-⊙)