I got back to the palace and Javier had an expression that could sour the best of moods. "What is it?" I asked.

"Lucie."

My face dropped. "What? What happened?"

"She's waiting in your office...er, desk."

"Doe she know I am here?" I asked, hoping that she'd leave eventually.

"She saw the car pulling up."

"Damn. Fine. I'll go up. Wish me luck."

"Luck!" he called up to me as I made my way to my room.

Hi," I said carefully as I entered my room. She was sitting at my desk as Javier promised. I hadn't spoken to her since New Year's Eve. I had blown off meetings and phone calls for months.

"Mia, geez, I thought you had died and no one informed me. Where've you been?"

"Busy. My friends from America have been here for the semester."

She nodded, "I'm at that part of your life, you know. I need more information. I've tried getting the information from Joshua but he won't talk about it."

I nodded. "How are things with him?" I asked.

"What? Why wouldn't you know?" she asked, writing something in her notebook.

I took off my hat and tossed it into my closet. "No. I haven't talked to him in months."

"Why not?" she asked, shocked.

"Well, he has a girlfriend...I have a boyfriend. He's in England, I'm here. We are both very busy people. As you grow up you grow apart," I explained. I made a mental note to call Lilly to see how things were. I never wanted to grow apart from her.

"He has a girlfriend?" she asked. "Who?"

I stared at her, "You. He told me-"

"Uhm, no. I never have been with him. Is that why you've been blowing me off?"

"No," I lied. Geez, lying was becoming all too easy. Maybe I'd make a good politician yet. "He told me you guys kissed on New Years...that you had come back after I left."

"Yeah, I did come back."

"See..."

"To see if anything had happened with you two I had told him that he had to make his move that night or I'd kill him. He told me he told you..."

"Told me what?" I snapped, pulling my hair into a ponytail.

"N-Nevermind."

"Don't lie."

"That he liked you. He was supposed to seduce you. He was terrified that you were going to reject him. But I convinced him that you wouldn't. But then you were with Brock the entire night..."

I stopped mid-pony tail. "You told him what?"

"To admit that he liked you. He does...or did at least. But Brock-"

"He was with you that entire night. Brock was keeping me company."

"Awfully cozy company."

"Speaking of cozy," I snapped, grabbing the clippings of the two of them from the week before the party. "If you weren't together explain that."

She laughed hysterically. "Those were set up. I called the reporters."

"Huh? You hate the paparazzi, and he hates them too....or I thought he did."

"No. We knew how you read all those things. We wanted to incite jealousy. Well, I did. Thinking maybe you'd do something finally about him."

I shook my head, "It doesn't matter anyways. I have Rob."

"Oh come on, like those feelings are anything like you have for Joshua?"

"Yes," I said too quickly. I actually had no idea about Rob, but I didn't want Joshua to show up and confuse things like Michael had a tendency to do.

"Yeah. Right. Mia, I am going to finish this book, and by then, if you haven't smartened up, I really will steal Joshua from you. He's too good to be true."

I glared at her.

"But it shouldn't matter, since you are with Rob, right?"

I looked at the scepter that Grandmere gave me when I was fourteen. Maybe I could throw it at her and therefore it would have a purpose. "Go ahead. See if I care," I lied.

"Fine, I will."

But he sent me flowers on my birthday with a card with a poem he wrote: (A/N: this is I'll Be by Edwin McCain...good tune)

The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful

Stop me and steal my breath

Emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky

Never revealing their depth

Tell me that we belong together

Dress it up with the trappings of love

I'll be captivated

, I'll hang from your lips

Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above

:I'll Be your cryin' shoulder

I'll Be love suicide

I'll Be better when I'm older

I'll Be the greatest fan of your life

Rain falls angry on the tin roof

As we lie awake in my bed

You're My Survival, You're My Living Proof

My love is alive and not dead

Tell me that we belong together

Dress it up with the trappings of love

I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips

Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above

I've dropped out, burned up, fought my way back from the dead

Tuned in, turned on, remembered the things you said

I'll Be your cryin' shoulder

I'll Be lovesuicide

I'll Be better when I'm older

I'll Be the greatest fan of your life

I guess she hadn't gotten to him just yet. I mean, he used the L word. But I couldn't call him. I had Rober-Rob. Plus, I'm still kind of embarrassed about New Year's Eve and how far I had let him go.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I don't schedule the matches," Rob replied, tossing his clothes in trashbags. Nice way to pack up your belongings.

"But you promised you would go to this wedding with me!"

"Mia, what do you want from me?" Rob snapped. "I'm not gonna just go somewhere and follow you around whenever you want me to. Didn't you say your parents never got together really because your mom didn't want to follow your dad around?"

"B-But Rob," I whined. How DARE he have the balls to bring my parents into this!

"It's probably better that...that we end it," he said suddenly.

I looked up at him from the chair I was sitting in. "What?"

"Mia, I hate having my picture on magazine covers. Having people follow me just to get a fucking coffee. Asking boxers or briefs. McDonalds or Burger King. I don't even eat fast food!"

I started on Mia, don't cry, please don't..." he said softly putting his arms around me.

"I thought you cared," I sobbed.

"I- I do...it's just hard to carry on something like this in such a public way....if it was a different situation I swear...I never wanted that kind of life...I do love you."

He waits until we break up to tell me he loves me? Yeah like that makes a whole lot of fucking sense. "Yeah, sure you do. Good luck with that rugby thing," I snapped. With that I walked out.

I flew all alone to California. I had never been there before.But I wouldn't be there very long because I had some benefit back in Genovia the following evening.

"You look just darling," I said to a very pregnant Sophie. "The dress looks too cute on you," I promised with a smile.

"I just want the damn thing out of me already," she snapped. "And did you know that my fingers are about three or four sizes bigger than normal? I can't even get my wedding ring today. Not til I have this baby!"

I looked at Tawny. "I have a great nutrionalist you could use after the baby is born," I promised.

Ali walked in just then, "Hey girls!" she said in dramatic fashion. Very Ali of her.

We all hugged loosely so that we wouldn't be squishing the unborn baby. "Sophie, I am loving these bridesmaid dresses," Ali said swirling around. I hadn't seen her at the rehearsal because I hadn't gone. I had to do a ribbon cutting at the new national archives in Genovia. You know, the normal thing a girl would do instead of hanging out with her friends.

"I know, they are all so flattering," I said, re adjusting my chest.

"Mia, stop obsessing over the breasts, would you? Tawny teased.

Before we walked up the aisle Sophie started hyperventaliting. "W-What if he changes his mind?" she asked.

"He won't," we all said together.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

Her sister handed her a brown bag to breath into. "Because he loves you. And you aren't giving him much reason to stay if we don't' start this up," she said to Sophie.

"Right...Right...I'm okay. We can start...girls," she said before Tawny could take a step out into the aisle.

"What?" Tawny said with a groan.

"I'm glad we stayed friends."

"We won't if you don't let me meet my groomsman up there," Tawny teased.

I met my groomsman half way up the aisle. I smiled at the people in the chairs (I can't say audience because then it sounds like a big production or something). I saw Joshua sitting on the brides side, twiddling his thumbs. He stared up at me, I looked away quickly. Damn did he look good. I suddenly felt like I did the first time I saw him. When he caught me staring at him.

The past three years disappeared. Suddenly I was the eighteen year old New Yorker trying to get over an old semi flame. He was the handsome face that made shivers go down my spine when I saw him.

Must focus on the ceremony. Must ignore Joshua.

I was put at a table with a lot of the missionary people. Including Joshua. I know she did this on purpose. "Hey," he said softly, taking the seat next to me.

"Hi," I replied.

"Where's the man?"

"Who?" I asked.

"Lucie was telling me you had a boyfriend. Well, Lucie and some tabloids."

I stared at him. "He's off at a rugby match."

"Oh, cool. So those new reports of a break up aren't true?"

"Would it make a difference if they were true?"

"Yes."

I wasn't expecting him to say that. "So, why didn't you tell me that you and Lucie weren't together?"

"When did I ever say we were?"

"You said you kissed her."

"Because I chickened out about-"

The DJ announced that the wedding party would be having their dances now.

"Excuse me," I snapped. I found my groomsman and took his hand.

I managed to switch seats with Tawny. She had a thing going with the other guy I was sitting next to. I couldn't help but notice that Joshua was glaring at me throughout the entire dinner.

He came up to me when the dancing really started, "Come on," he said putting his hand out. I didn't want to be rude, so I took it.

"Mia," he said, pulling me closely. "I think we should talk, don't you?"

"We are," I replied, avoiding his eyes.

"No. About why we haven't talked in almost six months"

"We've been busy," I lied.

"I haven't been. Not too busy to talk to you. You are one of the most important people in my life. Do you even have any idea about how many times I've called you? And how many times I've stayed in to wait for you to call back?"

I shrugged, "I have been busy then."

"Too busy for me?" he asked, hurt.

I looked at him in the eyes and said coldly, "Yes."

"That's not true," he said, pulling me even closer. "Why are you so afraid?"

"I'm not a- wait, of what?" I asked, lost.

"Of what is clearly right in front of us."

"Which is?" I asked.

"For such a smart girl you ask a lot of silly questions," he replied. "Come on," he said pulling me away from the rest of the wedding.

"No."

"Fine. Go sit down."

For once I listened to him and he didn't follow me. I was really relieved, but soon saw why he didn't follow me.

He was up by the DJ who was holding a microphone. Sophie was staring at me as if I told him to go up there.

"This young man, Joshua, wants to sing a little song for...well, for someone. So here it goes."

He handed Joshua the microphone. I expected him to go into his long winded nervous blabberings but he didn't. Instead he went straight into,

The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful

Stop me and steal my breath

Emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky

Never revealing their depth

Tell me that we belong together

Dress it up with the trappings of love

I'll be captivated

, I'll hang from your lips

Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above

:I'll Be your cryin' shoulder

I'll Be love suicide

I'll Be better when I'm older

I'll Be the greatest fan of your life

Rain falls angry on the tin roof

As we lie awake in my bed

You're My Survival, You're My Living Proof

My love is alive and not dead

Tell me that we belong together

Dress it up with the trappings of love

I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips

Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above

I've dropped out, burned up, fought my way back from the dead

Tuned in, turned on, remembered the things you said

I'll Be your cryin' shoulder

I'll Be lovesuicide

I'll Be better when I'm older

I'll Be the greatest fan of your life

That was the saddest thing in my life. He had no voice and the little one had was shaking like crazy. I stood up half way and met him as he stepped away from the make shift stage. He put down the mike when he was done and we walked wordlessly toward the beach.

(Her reception was outside, on a beach)

"What was that?" I asked, the wind blowing my hair loose.

"You are afraid," he repeated, pacing.

"Of what?" I asked again.

He licked his lips and then looked at me. He pulled me against his body and kissed me hard. I hadn't felt that good in....well, since New Year's Eve. Not even Robert's kisses were this good. His had been too gentle, never begging me for more.

I kissed back, wrapping my arms around him. Letting myself go. Letting him take me over. I loved how his hands never stayed in one place, they were always all over my back. On the small of my back they finally found what they were looking for. I don't know what that was, but it was something.

We pulled apart. I laughed, "What?" he asked, out of breath.

"You have my lipstick...all over," I said still giggling.

"You marking your territory?" he asked, still not letting me go. It was almost like he was afraid that I'd run off if he let me go.

"I don't know...."

"Because it is yours," he said softly, leaning his forehead against my own. "It always has been yours," he said, barely audible.

My face exploded into a smile. "Why haven't you ever said anything before?"

"Why haven't you said anything?" he countered.

"I- I was afraid," I replied, admitting he was right. "Of everything. I have been hurt in the past...whether it was intentional or not...but I was worried that I had found the perfect person and that he'd reject me..."

He kissed me softly, "I never would. If I am in fact the perfect man you are referring to..."

I nodded and kissed him back. "Of course you are...I never thought I'd be lucky enough to find someone like that."

Suddenly everything was so easy. We didn't need to go through all the motions and ask a billion questions like I would have asked when I was younger. Then again, I always chose the wrong times to ask questions. Maybe I should have asked Michael back – STOP! Stop thinking aboaut Michael. You finally have Joshua in your grasp. Your life is complete now Mia. You found your lifemate. Accept it and appreciate it.

"Hey, stop sucking face! Time for the bouquet toss!" Tawny yelled over to us.

I giggled and pulled him along. He groaned as I joined the other single women. I didn't mean to catch it, but I think she tossed it on purpose at me. I winked at Joshua.Life could really begin now.

Author's Note: This was the original ending but then I started thinking about how much better it would be to go straight til before he leaves for Africa. Plus, you'll get to see what 'youthful transgressions' he committed Heh...to be continued (um, also I'm buying myself time because I have YET to finish the third part because I'm a lazy ass...no not b/c I'm a lazy ass but because I've added a whole new part to the plot and I have to go fill in the holes...yeah that's it...)