That's how Charlotte found him, moments later. She placed a hand on his arm and spoke soothingly. "Are you okay?"

He looked at her, forcing a smile. "Yeah. I'm good. How's the Princess?"

"Resting. Beating herself up. She's not going to have an easy time forgiving herself. Her physical injuries will heal in time; the emotional ones may take longer." Charlotte paused. "A visit from you might help."

He looked at her sharply. "Not right now."

"Joseph, she thinks that you blame her." He was silent, and levelled his gaze at the young woman.

She opened her mouth in surprise: "My God, you do blame her!"

His voice a deep whisper, he spoke almost angrily. "I blame her for the accident, yes. She doesn't have the experience to be driving around San Francisco in that car. Especially with Clarisse in the passenger seat! Damn it, Charlotte, this never had to happen. I should have been with them! Why… why!" He banged his hand angrily against the wall.

Charlotte did her best not to react to his outburst. "Look, Joseph, you need to try to understand. The two of them needed time alone, to be family for once, get away from lessons and the pressure they were both feeling." She put her hand up as he started to protest her reasoning. "They needed to be normal. A limo and a bodyguard isn't normal, Joseph. What happened is unfortunate, and it scared all of us, but thankfully, they're both going to be okay. Try to focus on the positive, for everyone's sake. Please?"

Joseph ran his hand over his head and sighed loudly. "Is she awake?"

Charlotte smiled. "Yes. Wide awake. She's in 311, down the hall on the right."

"Thanks."

Joseph gently knocked on the door and Helen opened it for him.

"Mind if I have a few minutes with the Princess?"

Helen nodded, and retrieved her purse. "Mia, honey, I'm not going far. I'll be just down the hall. Okay?" She squeezed Joseph's arm on the way out. "Please try to talk some sense into her?"

Mia was resting in the hospital bed, her bruises starting to show, her cuts bandaged, and her broken arm in a cast. Joseph thought she looked pretty good despite the day she'd had. He took a chair by the bed and wondered how he was going to stay mad at his girl.

"Aren't you going to say something?"

"How are you feeling, Princess?"

"Aren't you going to say something about what happened?"

"What would you like me to say?"

"Joe, I know you must be mad that I got Grandma into this, that I almost got her killed."

"Princess, if I am to be honest, you are right. I am, or at least I was, very angry with you. But your Grandmother is going to be alright, and when she is she and I will have a long talk about running away from security."

"Will it be a one-way speech? Mia giggled.

Joe actually smiled. "Undoubtedly. I'll start to object but then your Grandmother will give me a dozen reasons why it was the right thing to do despite the consequences."

"You've known her for a long time, haven't you?"

Joe gazed evenly at the young princess. "Yes, over 30 years."

Mia knew she was treading on thin ice, but Joseph had had a harrowing day and his defences weren't as high as they usually were. She took a chance. "Have you loved her that long, too?"

Joseph was taken aback at the abruptness of Mia's question and said nothing for a few moments. "Why do you ask?" was all he could manage to say.

"I observe people, it's what I do."

"And you have observed your grandmother and me?" Joseph wondered where this was going.

"Yes. You two are fascinating to watch, especially when you think no one is watching you."

Joseph raised his eyebrows and started to say something, but couldn't format a coherent thought. He and Clarisse had been dancing around a relationship for years, thinking that no one was the wiser, yet here was this teenager only in their lives for a few weeks and she already knew there was something more between them than monarch and head of security. Who else knew of their relationship if Mia did?

"Hey, Joe? It's okay, you know. She loves you too."

"And how would you happen to know that?" In all the years they'd been together, he and Clarisse had never professed their love for one another; at least, until she had earlier that day under the trolley car.

"She told me, this afternoon when we were on the boardwalk. We talked about a lot of stuff; how she loved her sons and was proud of both of them. She told me how badly it hurt when my father died, but how you were there for her to help her get through it. She told me about her arranged marriage to my grandfather, and how they never loved each other."

Joseph raised his eyebrows again. Clarisse had never once mentioned that she didn't love Rupert, she'd always called him her best friend, but he'd never before realized that's all he was to her. His heart rate quickened just a little bit.

Mia was still talking, and he tried to stop his wandering thoughts enough to listen. "She told me that she's always put duty before herself, she loves Genovia so much. I hope I can be half as great a queen as she has been."

Joe cut in. "So, you're actually thinking of taking on the job?"

"I guess so."

"Good."

"Grandma told me that you've been the one constant in her life, that she wouldn't know what to do without you, Joe. And when I asked her about love, she told me the only man she's ever really loved was you." Mia watched his reaction with pleasure. She noticed the crystal quality of his eyes as he desperately tried for not the first time that day to stop the tears. He was nervously rubbing his hands together and not meeting her gaze. Man, these two had it bad for each other.

"Have you mentioned this to anyone else?"

"Worried your secret affair might get out?"

"Actually, Princess, it would never do for Genovia's Queen to be having an affair with a commoner such as myself."

"Joe, maybe it just would never do to have the public find out about your affair. You both deserve to be happy, and it's pretty clear you love each other. I think it's sweet."

Joe shook his head. "Sweet?"

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Charlotte poked her head in. "Sorry to interrupt Your Highness, but Her Majesty is asking for Joseph."

Mia looked at Joseph and gave him a knowing look, while he raised his finger to stop any comments. "Thank you, Charlotte, tell her I'm on my way." Charlotte left the room, and Joseph stood preparing to go back to his Queen, his love. "Not a word of this, Mia. Promise."

"I promise, so long as you two talk about this."

"We'll see. Sleep well."

"'Night, Joe."

A/N The last chapter is coming, but I'll be gone for a week so it'll be next weekend. Yes, I like happy endings, too. But really, really drawn out ones!