A/N : Well, at the moment, this story is looking like it's going to be about twenty three chaptrers, and I'm hoping to get it finished and posted by Chrsitmas. Thanx for the reviews on chapter 16; Cordelia Osbourne, Starbright Moonlight, Azkaban Canuck, macdeniken, KrystinePotterLover (I was so proud to get two reviews from you on chapter 15), A Sorta Fairytale, Cassandra Anthemyst, ndblue123 - I appreciate all your comments, but I am not going to tell any of you what is going to happen, you'll just have to keep reading if you want to know! Chapter 17 is quite short so I am posting chapter 18 at the same time. Hope you enjoy both chapters.

(Disclaimer : see chapter 5)

Chapter 17 - The Shock

"A million dollars?" Jay echoed, unable to even imagine that amount of money.

Mia slumped back down in her seat and Michael sat beside her. Diana was frozen with her own shock on Mia's other side.

"We'll pay it" the Queen said suddenly.

"Mia, we can't" Michael protested, which only made Mia more upset as well as angry.

"Michael, for our son's life, I'll pay anything" she told him firmly.

"We do advise against that, your majesty" the agent tried to explain.

"What the hell has it got to do with you, this is my son we're talking about!" Mia screamed, an outburst that was completely out of character for the Queen.

"Please, your majesty, I understand this is very distressing for you but if you pay these people money, you have no guarantee they will keep their side of the bargain and let your son go" the man in the doorway reasoned with the distraught royal.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" she wanted to know.

"They want the money by midnight tomorrow, before, well..." the agent decided against saying the prince could be killed, "anyway, that gives us about thirty six hours to get the results from the forensic team and work out who we're dealing with before we do anything."

"But Phillippe is going to be okay" Diana checked.

"We hope so young lady, we all hope so" the agent smiled slightly at her as he left the room.

"I'm going to go and tell the others what's going on" Michael said, breaking the silence that had settled on the room.

"I'll come with you" Mia told him and they left the room together, leaving Diana and Jay alone.

"He's going to be okay Di. Phil's a fighter, you saw that in the church" he tried to assure her, seeing fresh tears fall from her eyes.

"I know, I'm just so scared that something's going to happen to him and he's never going to know..." she stopped herself, but now Jay was curious.

"Know what?" he asked.

"That I'm so sorry" she told him "and that I love him so much" she added in a quieter voice.

"You love him?" Jay felt sick.

"Yes, I wasn't sure before but now, I'd do anything to be with him" she began to sob again and it pained Jay to see it.

"Come here" he said and she went into his open arms. He held her tight and tried to comfort her "It's going to be okay" he said, softly, although he knew he couldn't be sure of that at all.

Jay hoped Phillippe would be returned safely and the sooner the better of course, but his own pain would not end there. Diana did not love him, she still loved Phillippe. Again Jay would feel alone, but he couldn't think about that right now. Phillippe's life was still at stake and he knew there must be something he could do to help. He wanted to help, he wanted to make everyone happy, especially Diana and he had a feeling he knew a way to do it. To save Phillippe, to help Diana, to make himself a better person, he had an idea of a way to do all that, and he would do it, even if it cost him his life.

A/N : Keep reading! Chapter 18 is already here...