Hey everyone, thanks for taking time to read and to those leaving wonderful reviews on any of the chapters. I really appreciate it and honestly can't thank you all enough.

Here's the next chapter for you all, hope you enjoy it.

Up All Night - Part 4.

Arriving back at the palace, Clarisse and Sabrina walked through the main doors to find Philippe, Helen and her parent's waiting for them in the foyer. "Hello mother," Philippe said sympathetically as he raised his arm's and walked over to her, to give her a hug.

"Hello darling," Clarisse said as she closed her eyes in his warm embrace.

"Father told us about Joseph," Philippe said and kissed her cheek before stepping back.

"How is he?" Grace asked and watched as Philippe gave Sabrina a hug too.

"Um, he escaped with several fractured ribs, a broken wrist, and a few cuts and bruises to his face and arms," Clarisse said sadly as she walked over to Helen and her parent's. "Hello darling," she said to Helen as she leant closer to her and kissed her cheek.

"Oh god, how did it happen?" Philippe asked as his mother stepped back from Helen and turned to him.

"He was going to fast around a bend and lost control of his car. Ended up rolling into a ditch," Clarisse said as Philippe, Helen and her parent's all gasped in shock.

"He's a very lucky man," Larry said and everyone nodded. "It could have been a lot worse."

"He really is," Philippe said as he studied his mother a moment. "Did you need us to do anything? We can postpone our honeymoon if you need us too, so that we can be here to support you."

"No, oh gosh no, don't you dare," Clarisse said and shook her head, "there isn't much we can do at the moment anyway. He's got to stay in hospital for a few days but will hopefully be home by the weekend and even then his parent's are here so they'll be on hand to help if he needs anything."

"And I'm staying for a few weeks too," Sabrina said as Philippe looked at her.

"Oh that's good," Philippe nodded while looking back at his mother, "father said that they are going to be staying here at the palace."

"Yes, they are," Clarisse nodded. "Talking of your father, where is he?"

"Oh, he's in a meeting with parliament for another hour or so," Philippe said and watched as his mother nodded.

"Ok," she said, "and your brother?"

"Oh he went out a little while ago, not sure where he went though as he didn't say," Philippe said and watched as his mother looked down at her hands a moment as she took the handle of her handbag in them both before looking back up at him.

"Ok," she said somewhat disappointedly and looked from her son to Helen and her parent's, "I'm really sorry everyone, but it's been a very long few days, what with the wedding then Joseph's accident, and I'm afraid to say it's all catching up with me now and I'm feeling really very tired, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go up and have a rest for an hour."

"Oh of course, you go up and have a rest," Philippe nodded, "me and Helen are going to go and finish packing for tomorrow anyway. With it being our last night here for a few weeks, will we see you later?"

"You will of course, I'll see you all for dinner," Clarisse nodded and looked to Larry and Grace, "see you both later."

"You most certainly will," Larry nodded as Clarisse and Sabrina began to make their way up the staircase.

Stepping up the last few steps Clarisse let out a sigh, she felt that exhausted it truly felt like a mission to even walk up the stairs. "I feel like I can sleep for a whole week," she said as her and Sabrina walked slowly down the hallway towards her suite.

"I can imagine," Sabrina nodded, "now I know you still have some wedding guests staying here at the palace, so did you want me to find a hotel to stay in while I'm here."

"Absolutely not, no way," Clarisse said and shook her head, "we did have a few guests staying but a lot of them left yesterday, so I asked Éloise before we left to make up one of the suites for you while we were out at the hospital, I just need to find out which one."

"Alright, because I don't mind finding a hotel if need be," Sabrina said as they reached Clarisse's suite door a moment later and they both stopped and turned to one another. "I might even call the hotel Harry and I stayed in this weekend, to see if they have a room."

"You'll do no such thing, you are staying here and that's final," Clarisse said and turned back to her door as she opened it.

"Ok, in that case thank you," Sabrina smiled as they walked into her suite to find a huge bouquet of beautiful red roses sitting in a vase on her small dining table. "Oh how lovely, red roses. I wonder who they could be from."

"I think I have some idea," Clarisse said as she walked over to the table, dropping her handbag in one of the dining chairs as she passed by, and picked up the card sitting in front of the vase as Sabrina closed the door behind them.

"I do too, but I'm trying to figure out how with him being in hospital," Sabrina said as she walked over to stand beside Clarisse and placed her handbag down in the same chair as where Clarisse had placed hers. But glancing at the card, she soon realised how. "That's Harry's handwriting, he must have got them for Joseph before flying home."

"This isn't how I thought I would be spending my week, but please please remember that I love you more than life itself and I always will," Clarisse read from the card before staring at it for a long moment. Remembering Joseph had said that to her as he drifted off to sleep when she was sat with him at the hospital, she realised that the outcome, like Larry had said just a short time ago, could have been completely different and she broke down at the reality of what happened to him and how lucky he truly was.

"Oh darling, come here," Sabrina said as she wrapped her arm around Clarisse's shoulders and pulled her to her, "I know it's hard but he's going to be okay, you'll see."

Sitting out on her balcony with Sabrina later that day, Clarisse picked up her glass of ice water from the small table between hers and her best friend's loungers and took a sip of it before looking back down at the book she held open in her other hand. "What book are you reading?" Sabrina asked and watched as Clarisse turned it to show her. "Oh that's a good book, I've read it a few times over the years."

"Yes, the prime minister's wife recommended it to me a while back, and I've really enjoyed what I've read so far but it's no use today, with all that's going on I cant seem to concentrate on the story," Clarisse said and placed her glass back down on the table. "I'm worrying about Joseph to much, so I give up for now and I'll try again in a few days."

"Maybe when he's home and you know he's doing okay," Sabrina said as Clarisse closed the book and placed it down on the table next to her glass.

"Maybe," Clarisse said and looked out across her garden as Sabrina watched her a moment before picking up her own glass of ice water.

"Hopefully we will be able to go back and see him tomorrow, and stay for a bit longer too," Sabrina said and drank some of her drink.

"Yes I'm hoping so too, Lyle said he was going to do all he could to ensure a visit," Clarisse said and turned her head to look back at her friend as she placed her glass back down on the table.

"That's good, I have my fingers crossed," Sabrina said as she raised her hand, to show Clarisse she had her fingers crossed before they both sat in momentarily silence.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Clarisse said as she looked back at her friend, "Joseph asked me earlier if I could find a dress to wear on one of the nights that we are away."

"Oh, he still wants to go?" Sabrina said in surprise.

"Yes he does," Clarisse nodded, "I asked him the same thing, and he said that it might not be for one of the weekend's we originally said, but he's adamant about us still going at some point."

"Well we will still be up for it, whenever he wants to go," Sabrina nodded. "Or rather, whenever he's feeling up to going."

"Thank you," Clarisse said, giving her a small smile before looking back out across her garden.

"So, what kind of dress did he ask you to get?" Sabrina asked.

"He didn't say, just that I'm to get a new dress because he wants to do something special for me one of the nights we will be away," Clarisse said and watched as Sabrina nodded.

"Well that's nice," Sabrina smiled, "what type of dress are you going to get? A nice long one? Or a sexy short one perhaps?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Clarisse said and shook her head, "but I doubt at my age I will be able to pull of a sexy short one. So it will probably be a long one."

"Oh tush you can, and you always will," Sabrina exclaimed, "but if you do decide to go with long, make sure it has a slit in. You will send Joseph crazy, showing a bit of leg," she smiled before frowning and shaking her head. "Actually no, forget that. We don't know what condition he's going to be in when we do go, so getting a dress with a slit in may be a bad idea."

"Exactly," Clarisse said.

"Mother?" Pierre called from the suite.

"Shh," Clarisse said to Sabrina and pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she called out to her son. "I'm out on the balcony."

"Which one's that? Pierre or Philippe?" Sabrina asked quietly.

"Pierre," Clarisse whispered and looked up as her eldest son appeared in the balcony doorway. "Hello."

"Hello," Pierre said as he looked from his mother to Sabrina as she turned her head to look at him, "I didn't realise you had company. Hello Sabrina," he said as he walked over to her and bent over to kiss her cheek.

"Hello," Sabrina said and looked back at Clarisse, "I'll leave you both to talk," she said, knowing what happened between them yesterday and that they needed to talk about it, and stood up from the lounger before picking up her drink. "I'll be in my suite if you need me."

"Thank you," Clarisse said and reached up to kiss Sabrina's cheek as she bent over to kiss her cheek.

"Anytime," Sabrina said and turned to walk inside, smiling at Pierre as she passed by him.

"I'm surprised you are here actually," Clarisse said as she watched her son move around the lounger Sabrina was sitting in just moments before. "I didn't think you were talking to me after you didn't come to say good morning like you usually do and then ducking out of sight when I looked up at you standing at the window in your father's office window earlier."

"To be honest, I didn't think you wanted to speak or see me after the way I behaved yesterday," Pierre said and sat on the edge of the lounger as Clarisse sat up and moved to sit on the edge of her lounger. "I guess that's why I ducked out of sight. Well that and the fact you don't like spying, and I was stood there watching you."

"I'm not going to lie Pierre, I am really disappointed and saddened over your behaviour, but I would still want to see you, to speak to you," Clarisse said as she studied her son a moment. "You're still my son."

"That's what father said," Pierre said and tipped his head forward a moment before looking back up at her. "I'm sorry mother, I really am."

"It's not me you should be apologising too," Clarisse said and watched as Pierre nodded slightly, "is it?"

"Actually it is, I owe you an apology too," Pierre said and watched as his mother shook her head while tipping it forward in despair. "You see I have already apologised to Joseph."

"What?" Clarisse exclaimed in surprise as she looked back up at him.

"I went to the hospital to apologise, I haven't long been back actually," Pierre said.

"You've been to the hospital, to apologise to Joseph?" Clarisse said in shock.

"Yes I have," Pierre nodded.