Author's Note: I told you guys that you'd like Joshua! Fizzie-Lizzie, you can go try to steal Joshua for a little while. Moonstone209, Michael and Mia don't get together in this story. Yes, believe it or not there is a story here where Michael and Mia are not together and only infrequently have contact (oops, did I let something slip?). This is a prequel to All My Life, so if you want to see what happens to these characters then go read that, it's long though.

"It is a real pleasure to meet you, your Highness," Lucille said with a curtsey.
"Hi Lucie," I said simply, totally confused. This girl didn't write. Did she even know the alphabet? I mean, she just dates and parties.
She smiled, "I guess Joshua has talked to you?"
I nodded simply.
"Anyways, it is a true honor to be asked to write the biography of my own country's princess," she said with a grin.
"What qualifications do you have, exactly?" I asked.
"She has been ghostwriting for quite a few years," Grandmere interrupted. "She has helped write my autobiography."
I stared at my grandmother. That book had been her pride and joy. "Oh, I see...very well I suppose..."
"I hope we can become real friends," Lucie said with a sweet smile.
I nodded. Hell, if Joshua approved of her then she must be okay.

"Why?" Brock asked, kissing me.
"Because she is writing my biography," I hissed.
"I cannot stand another night without you, baby," he whispered.
"Brock, I am sure you can handle a night with the boys, can't you?"
He pouted. "Fine then. I suppose I can handle time with my friends," he teased. "Call me?"
"Of course. Have fun."
"Sure girlie."

I went to a club with Lucille that night. She explained that she preferred being called Lucille with her 'socialite' persona, but Lucie to her friends and as a writer. "I'm weird, aren't I?" she asked with a laugh.
"So, why don't you let people see the other side of you?" I asked.
"The public doesn't need to see who I really am," she explained. "I have grown up in the limelight, and yet I have never let them see the real me."
"Why not?"
"Because it's none of their business."
"I see. Well, shall we?" I asked with a laugh, motioning for the dance floor. I wish I could separate myself like that. But everyone seemed to believe that they had every right to know about my private life. They even started calling me Mia, not Amelia.

She turned out to be really cool. She never talked about Joshua, which kind of made me happy because I didn't want to see the new 'woman of his life'. Assuming that she was that I mean.
That summer was the final one that Joshua planned on spending in Genovia. He had quit his job in the law firm so that he could start his classes in England in the fall. Although I had Brock now, I still felt sad that Joshua would no longer be able to stop by for Saturday afternoon tea.
"Girlie, relax," Brock said while we were out shopping one afternoon. "It's not the biggest tragedy that wonder boy is leaving Genovia."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
"You didn't expect him to stick around here, did you? He's English for crying out loud."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked again.
"He belongs to dreary old England. We belong here, ya know?"
I shook my head. What the hell was he talking about?"
"I mean, he's so...I can't explain. Hey, what are we doing tonight anyways?"
"Oh, it'll be great!" I said excitedly. "We're meeting up with Lucie and Joshua and some other people I volunteered with. There's this huge party Lucie knew about-"
"Lucie?"
"I mean, Lucille."
"Whatever. Where is it?"
"Over in Conventry."
"I don't want to go all the way over there."
"I do."
"I don't."
"Well I do." I was getting really angry now. He looked like he was expecting me to step down and do what he wanted? "I hardly ever get to see my friends anymore. I am going out with them. You are welcome to join us as well if you wish."
He made a face at me. "Fine. Dinner?"
"No, party," I corrected.
"No, shall we have dinner?"
"Oh. Uh, well, I kind of promised-"
"Joshua?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"Lucky guess," he said, rolling his eyes. "Fine. Whatever the princess wants I suppose. Will I be getting some private time with my number one girl?"
I nodded and smiled, "But of course-"
He glanced up toward my bedroom. "Possibly we could find an indoor activity?"
"But it's a lovely day out," I said, pretending to not get his point.
I started walking further into the garden. The rose that was bred in Grandmere's honor. I had always thought of Grandmere when I saw roses, even as a child. She had always, after all, been a thorn in my side from the day I met her. "Isn't the garden just wonderful this season?"
He put his hand on the small of my back, "Mia, you and I know that I'm not asking for a stroll in the royal gardens..."
I looked at him, "Huh? Oh look! Grandmere is showing the gardens to the crowned prince of Cabonia! Come on, you have to meet him. He's really nice."
He sighed heavily as I pulled him toward my grandmother.
I got dressed later for dinner. "I just cannot find that damn dress," I mumbled to no one in particular. I rung for Javier, my newly appointed assistant. "Have you seen- oh, how'd you get that?"
"Master Joshua has rung," he said, placing my dress on my hook. "They are letting him into the gates as we speak. Shall I tell him to wait in the sitting room?" he asked.
"Oh don't be so silly! You can bring him straight up."
"Princess?" Javier asked, confused. I suppose it was not proper for a gentleman to be sent to the princesses suite but I didn't care.
"He's an old friend," I explained quickly. "It's okay. Proper," I said with a smile.
He nodded, worried.
"If anyone says anything to you, tell them you are under direct orders of the princess, but I highly doubt anyone will."
I quickly put on my dress. Joshua never came up to my room. I finished doing my make up and hair and hurried downstairs excitedly. "Javier?" I called. "Javier?"
I ran into the sitting room and bumped straight into Brock. "Oh, hey," I said softly. "I..."
"Was looking for Joshua?" he guessed.
"But I found you instead," I said, kissing his cheek. "I thought I was going to meet you at the restaurant?"
He kissed my forehead, "Silly girl. Of course I wasn't going to meet you like a friend would. I told Joshua that you were still getting ready and to meet us at Scandi's," Brock explained.
"But..."
He quieted me with a tender kiss. "Come on, Girlie. Let's get going. Can't have boy wonder waiting all this time."
I smiled as we left the palace. That was the nick name Joshua had given Brock. Boys are such silly creatures, aren't they?

We arrived at Scandi's. "Princess!" the maitre d greeted me.
"Bonjour," I replied simply. It had started to become second nature for me to answer people in French now. "We are waiting for-"
"Me," Joshua said softly behind me. I turned and looked at him.
"Joshua Alexander Bloom!" I screamed in excitement. "It's so lovely to see you!"
I had to use proper language in public. This made Joshua smile. He loved teasing me about how I had to act in public, and in front of my grandmother. "Oh darling girl it is such a pleasure to see you!" he replied with a grin.
"Hello Josh," Brock said easily. He put his arms around my waist. "How's the planning for school going now?"
"We have your table, your highness," a hostess said carefully. I still couldn't get over how everyone seemed so eager to please. Geez, if they had ever seen how the delivery guy's back in New York treated me!
"Thank you, miss," I said softly. Politely.
We got settled at our table. The waiter brought a bottle of wine over, "How did they know my favourite?" I asked, looking at the label.
"I called ahead," Joshua explained. "Remember that night with Fitzy? I remember you and I went out and bought three bottles of this-"
"I thought you didn't like to drink," Brock interrupted. "Back on my birthday you refused."
I placed my hand on his, "Brock, it's not a big deal. Joshua is just being nice."
"Crock, I'm not trying to get her smashed or anything. A glass of wine with dinner is actually quite healthy," Joshua said with a sincere smile. I tried not to laugh at his obvious name flub.
"How kind of you," Brock replied. "Mia, do you mind if I have some beer then?"
I shrugged. "You don't need my permission, Brock. You are nineteen years old."
The waiter brought him a rather...large bottle of a new kind of beer. "Want a sip?" he asked.
I had been in a conversation with Joshua about Tawny and her new boyfriend, "Oh, no thanks babe," I said looking at him. "I heard that Tawny met him during a Habitat for Humanity trip?"
"Yeah. It was quite the controversy from what I understand. He was her group leader," he said with a wink.
I had to look away so my hair could hide my crimson cheeks. "He must have been worried about getting into trouble."
"For what? They are both consenting adults." We shared a short eye lock again. We tended to do that quite a bit. "Right?" he asked with almost pleading eyes.
"I suppose..." I started, enjoying looking into his eyes. For some reason they reminded me of Michael's. He and I had that same eye magnetism thing going on that Micahel and I had that night we had been together. Their eyes were nothing alike...but somehow they were...I couldn't understand it...maybe there was something in their gaze that reminded me of one another. "...if it is the right time for them to be together. I mean, they also live in the same country-"
"Yeah, how is your salad, girlie?" Brock asked.
Joshua and my bubble was popped. "Oh, I," I started with a laugh. "I hadn't realized it had arrived!"
Brock stared at Joshua. "And your...what is that again?" he asked, giving a questioning look at Joshua's plate.
"It's just scrod," Joshua said simply.
"Lemon juice?" I asked.
"Yes please," he said taking it from my grasp. "Brock, you have any summer plans?"
Brock looked slightly surprised with being acknowledged. I felt bad...I liked him but I had missed talking to Joshua so much. Besides, he had practically invited himself to the dinner. "Some of my friends and I planned a surfing trip. You?"
Joshua finished chewing his food. "Relaxing."
"No trips this year?" I asked.
"Nope. Just going to enjoy my last few months in Genovia," he replied, not looking at me.
"With Lucie?" I asked carefully, stabbing my fork into a crouton.
"Possibly some time spent with her. I don't know. Haven't really planned anything out."
That's what I liked about Joshua. He never planned too far in advance. He was so not like me, or much like Michael for that matter. I always left a little space for me to screw things up, but planned every little detail so things would be airtight. Michael Moscovitz...lord, I hadn't thought of that name in the longest time. I couldn't figure out why I was thinking of him that night though.
I kept out of the conversation and let my mind wonder. What was he doing now? Was he still with her? Lilly and I didn't talk about him...not since that Thanksgiving conversation. We tended to discuss neutral topics like her own love life. Or Joshua. Or how well I have been behaving myself while in Europe.
I wondered what it would have been like if I hadn't acted so...oddly after we had slept together. What if I had let him kiss me again? Let him wrap his arms around me again? Or reminded him about his girlfriend? Or even if I had simply chased after him. Would we be together right now? He graduated last year. He was probably engaged now to that...Vicky?
"Mia?" Brock asked, tapping my shoulder. "We have to meet everyone else now."
"Oh, right...sorry," I said shaking myself out of my day dream.
I danced with the girls for a lot of the time. Brock wasn't the
dancing type. He was more of the type to stand by the bar and to watch
the girls from afar. Well, he better only be looking at one girl. Me.
"Come on Brock...please dance a little?" I said with a cute pout.
"Mia, I don't dance. Go off with your friends..."
I gave him a dirty look, "Brock, why did you come then?"
He didn't answer me.
"Fine. Whatever, Brock."
Joshua was dancing with a girl on the dance floor. He shot me a
wink and came over, "Princess, why are you dancing all alone?"
I rolled my eyes. "He doesn't do the dancing thing."
I saw Joshua look over toward Brock. "If that stupid bloke won't dance with you, I will," he said pulling me close to him.
I noticed the girl he'd been dancing with's eyes glare at me.
"If looks could kill," I giggled.
He looked back and shrugged. "Not like I was planning on marrying her," he replied.
"You really think that you are gonna marry a girl you meet in a club?" I asked.
I seriously think our eyes have magnets within them somewher because once again they found another again. "No. I highly doubt I would marry a girl I met in a dark club."
"Why not?"
"Ssh, this is a good song."

"Mia?" Brock asked as the car neared his apartment.
"Yeah?" I asked, looking into my compact.
"I was thinking about possibly staying here instead of going on that surfing trip."
I looked at him like he had three heads. "I don't think that'd be a good idea."
"Why not?" he asked quickly. "I mean, with no school we coul spend more time-"
"I have a lot of things to do for my family. And some travel too. Goodwill trips, if you will."
"I could do that with you," he whispered. "Hey, did you want to come up to my place? A drink?"
I shook my head. "No thanks, Brock. I'm really tired. I can't remember the last time I was out this late."
"Come on Mia..."
"Brock...no. I want to go home and go to bed. I have church in the morning."
He rolled his eyes. "That again? Come on Mia. You are nineteen years old. You don't have to pull that routine anymore."
I glared at him. "Correction, I am choosing to do so. I never believed in anything growing up. Now I do. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
He got out of the limo dejectedly. "Call me when you get out of mass, Sister Amelia."

I stopped by the kitchen before I walked up to my bedroom. The staff often left pancakes in the fridge for me. I loved to roll the up cold and eat them. I stacked some up on a plate and walked up a secret staircase to my bedroom suite.
I opened my door. "What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Figured I'd take a chance," Joshua replied. He changed the channel of my television.
"How'd you get in?" I asked, surprised, but pleased.
"Javier told me I could come up."
Good job, Javier.
 "Um...okay..."
"I can leave if you –"he started, getting up.
I pushed him down. "No, don't be silly...let me just get my pajamas, okay?"
"Sure thing. Javier set out a pair in the bathroom I think," he said, re-settling onto the couch. He became entranced in the television.
I shut the bathroom door behind me. I stared at the door in complete shock. What the hell was he doing here? I mean, Grandmere would be flipping out on me right now if she knew. Luckily she was in a totally different wing than me. I then stared into the mirror.
"Okay. You just left your boyfriend at his apartment. You return to very cute boy- man in your bedroom," I said to myself. My face broke into an uncontrollable smile. I did a little joy dance (you know the type I'm talking about, I'm sure you've done it yourself).
Okay. Come on now. Not a big deal. You are Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Grimaldi Renaldo, Princess of Genovia. You can do this. Anyone with that many names should never freak out about a cute boy- man. Ugh! What was he?
 I mean, all those years I had loved Michael, I had seen him as a
boy. He had the whole tousled look down. But Joshua...
I peeked out the door and looked at him while he watched an old episode of FRIENDS. In some ways he was like Michael, but not in the important ways. He was better than Michael in some ways. But worse than Michael in other ways. Ugh, I needed to stop comparing him to Michael. I was over him. Not that I was under him...um, okay, you get
what I'm saying...I think you do.