(((A/N-- Sorry this is so short, but I just need a little linkage to the next chapter. I really hope you guys are enjoying this. If you have any suggestions on how I could make the story a little cooler, or something like that, just let me know. By the way, thanks to jenjen-jenfur for the Penguin idea. That REALLY helped me out. Thank you so much! :-D Well, I know you want me to shut up now, so...on with the show (story actually...)))
The jet landed right outside New York. Michael blinked his eyes open and shook Mia.
"Hey." He whispered as she stretched and yawned.
"Hey. Are we in New York?" She asked, sitting up and pulling on her shoes.
"Yeah." Michael said, grabbing his own shoes and pulling them on. He reached behind his chair and pulled his jacket out. He threw it around Mia and stood up.
"Michael, you need this—you're only wearing a t-shirt.." Mia said, starting to take the jacket off.
"No, I'm fine. Keep it." He said then grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the seat. Prince Philip and Lars were in the front of the plane with the pilot, so Michael and Mia walked up to the cockpit to see what was going on. Prince Philip was sitting in a seat close to the pilot and Lars was trying to calm him down.
"Sir, your own mother sold you out. She tried to give you over to the enemy. She made you miserable your whole life."
"But she's still my mother, Lars. She brought me up when my father died."
"No she didn't. Your governess brought you up. For God's sake Philip, she didn't even eat with you!" Michael was taken aback; the only people Michael had ever heard refer to the Prince by his first name were Mia's mother and her grandmother.
"What's going on?" Mia asked, kneeling by her father's feet and holding his hand. The Prince just looked away, so Lars responded to Mia's question.
"Princess, almost immediately after we took off, your Grandmother had a heart attack and died." Mia looked shocked, but didn't burst into tears or have any look of sadness on her face.
"Dad? I-I know it's wrong, but it's better this way. She was keeping us from what we deserved. You can marry Henrietta now, you've been wanting to for 3 years. You guys love each other." She whispered as she rubbed her dad's hand. The memory of his girlfriend brightened him up a little. She looked over at Michael and smiled. "And—and Michael and I—"
"We can go on with our lives—get engaged even." Michael said quietly. Mia started to nod, but then realized what Michael had said and her eyes lit up. Michael could tell she wanted to jump up and start yelling, but she just bit her bottom lip and stayed with her father. Lars pulled Michael aside.
"Michael, I have a problem. My contacts back in Genovia are trying to get rid of the rest of the guardsmen left when Clarisse—died. I need somewhere to hide the Philip and Mia. I don't know New York very well and I can't get in touch with my contacts. It'll only be a few hours. Do you have any idea?" Lars was nervous, Michael could tell, he was handling his gun. Lars saw him looking at it and grinned. "It's empty. I used the last shot earlier." Michael smiled, but thought about where Mia could be hidden.
"The Penguin House at the Zoo." Michael said, the memory of Mia explaining her reaction when she'd first heard she was a princess rushing back. After she'd been told, she'd lost it and hidden in the Penguin House at the zoo. Lars nodded and went to get the Prince. Michael grabbed Mia and they headed out of the plane by cover of darkness.