Lars' contacts had the gates to the zoo open for them when they arrived. They also had a thermos of hot coffee and blankets. Lars followed Michael back into the Penguin House, where there was a corner that nobody ever went into and was dark and deserted. They threw their blankets into the corner and crawled under them. They had to be very quiet because the janitors were still here cleaning up, and they couldn't risk being seen. Mia was pressed between the wall and Michael. She had Michael's arm around her and her hands were wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee. Soon, all four of them had fallen asleep. Lars woke up a few hours later. His neck throbbed and his back ached. He checked his watch, then grabbed his gun and cell phone and went right outside the door leading to the Penguin House. He called one of his contacts. They told him that Genovia was now rid of any guards that had taken over in Grandmere's presence. They went peacefully since Mia's grandmother had died. The contact wanted to know when Lars would bring back Prince Philip so he could be made king.

"Actually, we've had a change of plan." Lars whispered so he wouldn't wake up the rest. "Prince Philip doesn't feel he's capable of ruling a country, and if he takes the throne that means one day his daughter will have to take over. He doesn't want her to, because he's realized that she has a life other than what Genovia holds for her. And that life is more important than ruling a small country. Here's our plan—"

Michael shifted slightly and moaned in his sleep. Mia scooted over and put her arm around his waist. Her eyes blinked open and she smiled. Who would have thought that she'd be sitting in the Penguin House, cuddling with Michael? She looked up and noticed her Father starting to wake up, so she snatched her hand off of Michael and sat up. She pulled the blankets down and slowly stood up. Michael opened his eyes and reached up to her.

"Where—Where you going?" He mumbled quietly.

"I'm going to go find Lars. Go back to sleep." Mia said as he lay down. She kneeled by him and pushed a few pieces of hair out of his face. "I love you." She whispered then leaned down and kissed his cheek.

"Love you—"Michael muttered.

Mia stood and walked to the cracked open door. Lars stood outside, drinking a mug of coffee and leaning on the wall.

"Good Morning Princess." He said, offering her a cup. She accepted and warmed up the minute the hot coffee hit her insides.

"Thank you Lars." She turned and glanced back over her shoulder at Michael and her father.

"Neither of them have had any sleep in days." Lars whispered to her.

"I know. I feel horrible. I never knew I'd be getting Michael into this." Mia explained.

"Princess, nobody knew that this was going to happen. Listen, your father and I were up last night on the plane, talking about what we were going to do when we returned to Genovia. We've decided that we're not going to make you rule." Lars went on to explain that they were going to try to turn Genovia into a democracy, with Presidents and all. "Your father will probably be the first president, but you still won't have to rule. And you'll still be a princess, but you won't—live in Genovia, and you can do whatever you'd like to with your—um—life." He laughed quietly when he noticed her grin and look towards Michael. She smiled up at him and they talked more about Lars and her father's plan. In the other room, Michael sat up and looked around.

"Mia?" He stood up and walked towards the doors leading from the room. Mia was sitting with Lars drinking some coffee and talking.

"Hey." She said, giving him her cup of coffee. He took a sip then handed it back to her.

"Hey, you're up early."

"Mmmhmm." She said. "I couldn't sleep."

The Prince woke up then, so Lars and the group shuffled back into the Penguin House and sat on a bench. It was cold, so Michael grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Mia. He put his arms around her and she leaned back onto him. Lars filled in Michael and the Prince on the recent plans, then added some details had hadn't told Mia.

"Mia—you are going to stay in New York. Don't mention anything to the press, to your friends, to anyone. You may tell Lilly, because she was involved, but that's IT. You will go back to your normal life, go to school, hang out on the weekends, um—party, ect. Michael, you of course are going to stay here with Mia. Prince Philip and I are going back to Genovia almost immediately. We'll keep in contact, Mia." They sat around for awhile, discussing Genovia's future, and then it was time for the Prince and Lars to catch their plane.

"Goodbye Mia." Her father kissed her cheek and gave her a hug. "I'll call you in a few days." Prince Philip said before walking over to Michael. Lars went up to Mia and told her goodbye. While they were talking, Michael pulled Prince Philip over to the side.

"Sir, I know this probably isn't a good time, but I'd rather ask you in person, I don't know when the chance may come again where I can speak to you. I love your daughter, Sir. And I was wondering whether it would be okay if I asked her to—"Michael asked as he ran his hands through his hair.

"That would be fine. But hold off awhile, we have a lot of stuff going on and you two have your whole lives in front of you. Wait for awhile, but my answer will still be yes, whenever you decide to marry. You're a fine boy Michael. Thank you for taking care of my girl." Prince Philip said, and then shook Michael's hand. "Goodbye son."

"Goodbye Sir." Michael said as Prince Philip and Lars boarded the plane. He walked over to Mia and put his arm around her. They saw Prince Philip waving through one of the windows, so they waved back until the plane disappeared through the clouds.