I know that generally, someone who's been in a car crash is not allowed out this quickly, but you know artistic licence and all that. Nothing belongs to me, Meg Cabot and Disney own all that! "Auto-strade" is Italian, not a misspelling, Lol. This is only the end of part 1! More to come.

. She had, as always phoned Sebastian to wish him luck at the poles. She had woken early and felt better for it, got dressed and continued to organise Saturday's ball before she had sat down in the office, ready to work.

She sat at her desk, listening to band selections for the ball, when Charlotte entered.

"Your Majesty?" she smiled.

"Charlotte?" she answered, looking over the rim of her glasses as she signed her name on a proposition for the building of a new community swimming pool and turned of the CD player which was playing a dreamy waltz.

"Your Majesty, Joseph will be coming home today". Charlotte looked somewhat pleased about this news, and Clarisse felt an unnecessary pang of jealousy.

"Has someone arranged transport for him?" she questioned, returning to the papers.

"Well, I assumed that that could be your decision Your Majesty", Charlotte answered weekly.

"Well, have Shades pick him up", she answered, looking up and then blatantly, "And tell Shades I will accompany him".

"Yes, Your Majesty", Charlotte answered, turning from the door.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

It was the middle of summer and the weather in Genovia, thought the last few days had been an exception, was usually blisteringly hot - today was not an exception. The thin material of her dress clung to her damp skin and her hat made her head too warm. Shades turned up the air conditioning in the limo but it was still unbearably warm. The streets were bustling and Clarisse knew that to go in the normal entrance to the hospital was asking for trouble. So Shades, being the protégé of Joseph had arranged for her to be escorted through a back entrance and her security to be meticulously scrutinised. She felt no safer than if she had been hanging of the edge of a cliff and she felt so stifled, t with the heat and the amount of bodies crowding around her as she made her way through the clinical corridors. The group attracted more attention than she would have alone, so she insisted they moved quickly.

Joseph had been moved to a quieter, more private part of the hospital and it seemed to take an age to get there. When eventually they arrived, she ordered Shades to wait for her outside of the room and quietly went in. he was sitting on the edge of the bed, the bandage removed from his head so she could see the wound that had been stitched up; it looked unbelievably painful. He was putting on his socks and shoes when he looked up, and smiled.

"What a pleasant surprise", he smiled, tying up his shoe, "I thought you would greet me at the palace".

"I decided to bring you home", she answered, moving towards him. He reached out for her hand, lifted it to his lips and kissed the back softly. She closed her eyes and for a fleeting moment, forgot who she was. Then the touch was gone and he was looking up at her, with a look of wonder and terror in his eyes.

"I've just found you; I don't want to lose you". She looked at him strangely, wondering what prompted such admittance. She bent down, her lips close to his, her hands on his shoulders.

"Nor do I wish to lose you".

They rode together in the same limo, and in private as they had left the hospital, Joseph had severely reprimanded Shades for the unnecessary entourage he had insisted on accompanying the queen to the hospital with.

"It's warm, too warm", he stated as they sat in the grid-lock of cars on the Auto-strade, inching nearer and nearer the palace.

"It makes a change", she smiled, "Not a pleasant one, but a change from the dismal weather of the last few days".

He suddenly began to laugh, a hearty, wild laugh. She looked at him inquisitively, not understanding what was humorous about what she had said.

"What are you laughing at?" she demanded, staring at him. He continued to laugh, and his eyes watered.

"Joseph!" she demanded with frustration, "Tell me!"

"Listen to us, just listen!" he breather, looking at her, " Talking about the weather, one day together and already we're speaking about the most boring things!"

She began to laugh, and he took her in his arms to feel her body shaking against his. They sat for a while, calming down. He listened to her breathing, the way it relaxed and evened out as she relaxed against him in a more comfortable position. He held her against him.

"Tell me something about you, something no one else knows", she whispered into his ear.

"I would die for you", he answered simply. "I would kill for you".

"That's in your job description", she said matter of fact, "Tell me something that no one has the slightest idea of".

"I would kill for you and die for you because I love you, not because I get paid for it". She smiled and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"And you tell me something no one else knows."

"That you saved me, if it wasn't for you - I wouldn't be here".

"Hmm", he kissed her lips softly. It was strange, he had kissed her only once many years ago and yet it felt so familiar to demand that from her. She did not resist him, not like she would have weeks ago. She let him hold her, pressed against his body in the back of the cramped limo.

The traffic moved at snails pace and they talked about ordinary things, like how well the organisation of the ball was going and who they wanted to win the election. He made her laugh, she made him smile and she curled into him, and he held her hand and they felt inseparable.

Please R&R.

Yours,

M

Xx

Thanks for the reviews!

BTW, not the end - just end of part 1!