Thanks all, for your lovely comments. I'm back with an update and I'm sorry to say that I think this is will be the last chapter of this story. I enjoyed to write this one very much and I can only hope I give you just as much joy in reading it. If I made you happy with this story, please make me happy with a review. I can live on those for days.
Here we go; the next and last installment of Two Worlds. Are you up for a little romance? ;)
"Just a few more minutes Robert…we're almost there."
His knees protested as they climbed yet another hill and he frowned; wiping the sweat off his forehead. Why on earth they were walking to this event he would never understand but as it appeared, the woman always got her way. Catherine's heels clicked on the concrete in a cheerful rhythm, she didn't seem to be bothered by the warm temperature or the straining climb at all.
"Tell me why we're going again?" he muttered as she turned around to face him with a twinkle in her eyes, climbing backwards now.
"Because the UCSF Children's Hospital is one of the highest ranked pediatric centers in California, with more than 150 experts in 40 specialities providing care tailored for the developing minds and bodies of children and…"
"We're going sightseeing, got it," he interrupted and sighed with relief when they reached the top of the hill and found themselves at the gate of the University of San Francisco.
"Besides," Catherine said as they made their way over to the entrance, "the new heart and vascular Center opens its doors today and I know one of the cardiologists here I want to congratulate him."
"So I'll be on my own in a strange hospital wing with everybody staring at this weird invader?" he asked, "I can't wait!"
"They serve a mean steak at the restaurant," she said with a crooked smile.
His eyes lightened and put his arm around her. "Lead the way ma'am."
-----
She should have brought Mia to this event, but that History test she had to do was more important; she probably would attend more Grand Openings as time went by, it was part of every day life for a Queen. But this Queen could use a little diversion today though; maybe that way she wouldn't feel her headache that much. For now she was sitting in the conference room of the University, sipping tea that she rather didn't want to drink; she would never get used to American tea. She glanced at the clock and frowned, these things always took more time that she anticipated and she would probably be late for her conference call with the Prime Minister. After one more sip of the lukewarm fluid she gave up and left the tea for what it was; hearing a chuckle near the door while doing so.
"You want me to slip it into one of those rubber plants?" Joseph asked, moving forward to accept the cup from her. "They won't notice you know."
She laughed, she couldn't help it. "Don't let anyone hear you," she scolded, her eyes glittering.
He was about to comment on that when a loud knock on the door of the conference room got their attention and a tall man she recognized from earlier that afternoon entered, his movements hasty and a tad impatient. In response she got up and gave him a friendly nod , from the corner of her eye noticing that Joseph immediately straightened up and positioned himself next to her.
"Your Majesty, I'm very sorry about the delay but we're ready for you," the man said, gesturing at her so she would come along. "We're very grateful that you could make time in your busy schedule to attend our Grand Opening, it's an absolute honour to have you here at the University."
"Children are the future Mr. Smith, so it's my pleasure" she nodded, giving Joseph a sideward glance as her cup of tea mysteriously disappeared behind him. She grinned inwardly.
-----
"I didn't understand a word that man said, I'm not even sure he spoke English!" he frowned and yawned inconspicuously as Catherine stretched her neck to hear the rest of the speech.
"We'll be out of here in a little while; Cliff told me that they have a special guest to do the ceremony," she whispered and her eyes twinkled as she looked at him, "I think you will enjoy it."
He raised a brow and groaned approvingly, ignoring the annoyed glance of the woman in white next to him. "Oh, are you going up there?" he asked softly and wrapped an arm around his lady, pressing her a little closer against him. His breath stirred her hair as he pressed a kiss on her forehead. "You're better than any of these clowns anyway."
His last words faded out in the loud round of applause that filled the auditorium and he smiled as Catherine placed a finger against her lips and gestured with her head at the stage in the front of the auditorium. Just when he was about to ask her what on earth she was being so secretive about he caught movement on stage and the words escaped his lips before he knew it.
"I'll be damned."
Catherine chuckled and joined the round of applause as the guest of honour cut the red ribbon to declare the new Medical Center to be open. "Surprise darling!"
-----
Her head was pounding by the time she shook the hand of the last members of the Board and she rubbed her temple, smiling gratefully at Charlotte who handed her a glass of water and two aspirins. She avoided the gaze of her head of security who was standing close; she felt his concerned eyes burning in her neck as she turned around to swallow the painkillers. He was probably right, she shouldn't have come here but she couldn't have turned them down either; she had to pull through one way or the other. A wave of nausea shot through her as she closed her eyes for just a moment, until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Just a few more members of the medical staff Your Majesty, then we'll be on our way," Charlotte whispered, pressing her earpiece against her ear. "Joseph, this way."
Clarisse took a deep breath as she turned around to face the crowd again, camera's flashed in her eyes like an endless bolt of lightning and she managed to smile broadly at the reporters who were either calling her to get her attention or firing questions at her. The small pressure of a warm familiar hand on her back prevented her from being overwhelmed and she passed them; making her way over to the next group of honoured guests of this event.
A tall man in a white uniform waited patiently for her arrival, extending his hand with such enthusiasm that she couldn't suppress a chuckle.
"Your Majesty, it's such an honour to meet your acquaintance. Welcome to San Francisco! My name is Cliff Henderson, cardiologist."
"The pleasure is all mine Dr. Henderson," she nodded, her eyes sliding from his friendly face to the woman who was standing right behind him. There was something about the woman's curious eyes that caught her attention; as if she was studying her. Now the woman glanced aside for a quick moment and then smiled friendly at her again, Clarisse responded to the gesture and raised her brows at the friendly cardiologist. He hurried to help her out.
"May I introduce you to a very respected colleague of mine from Montreal, Dr. Catherine Howard?"
"Your Majesty, how nice to meet you." The woman smiled broadly now. She was about her age Clarisse couldn't help but notice.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Howard," Clarisse said, waiting for Dr. Henderson to step aside so she could shake the woman's hand. When he did she smiled politely, extended her hand and then, out of nowhere, it happened.
A tall dark man stepped into her sight and she swallowed, for a split second she let her hand fall but redeemed herself right away and shook Dr. Howard's hand. From the corner of her eye she studied him; he was wearing a suit and tie but she recognized his twinkling eyes and the amused mouth right away. As if he felt it, Joseph's hand returned on her back as her body seemed to freeze in that awkward moment.
"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," the man said with emphasis on the last word. When their eyes met she understood that he had recognized her as well. She swallowed with difficulty, out of everyone she had never expected to meet him again and to her horror she felt blood rushing to her cheeks. It took her a split second to decide how to handle this.
"Good afternoon sir," she answered and extended her hand, holding on to his stare, inwardly scolding herself for taking that awful risk that afternoon on the beach. Frankly, she would have given up her crown jewels if she could find a way to turn back time. His touch was warm and comforting and he smiled at her reassuringly or at least so it seemed; his eyes were still as warm and inquiring as she remembered them and suddenly she recalled why she had confided in him in the first place.
"Enjoy the rest of your stay in San Francisco ma'am," he said, narrowing his eyes at her exploring look. With those words he smiled one last time and turned around, extending his hand to the lady who had introduced herself as Dr. Howard. As she shook the hand of the next person, Clarisse stretched her neck to watch the two leave, the woman's hand was safely tucked in his, her head resting against his shoulder. Suddenly Clarisse heard his dark voice again, a faint echo in her mind. "I know, I've been there." As if he felt her glance, he turned his head and from across the room their eyes locked. Nobody but the two of them would begin to understand the brief smile they shared secretly at that moment, and nothing else mattered.
-----
The aspirins didn't seem to have any effect at all; her headache had only increased by the time they entered the Consulate again and she swallowed, trying to get a grip on her banging head. Oh she hoped she wouldn't come down with something; she had enough on her plate as it was and she couldn't afford to get sick right now.
"Your Majesty, is everything all right? Do you want your tea in your library?" Charlotte was still in her coat and already she was concerned about her needs; bless the woman.
"No thank you Charlotte, I need to step outside for a moment," she said, straightening her back as her assistant made her way over to her.
"With all due respect ma'am, you don't look like you're feeling well. Do you want me to page Dr. Winston?" Charlotte asked, her eyes sliding over the pale cheeks of the Queen and she frowned, she didn't like the sight of this at all.
Clarisse shook her head and waved away her concerns. "No need to, all I need is a little oxygen and I'll be fine," she said, allowing Charlie to take off her coat. She didn't even want the heavy fabric on her shoulders; all she wanted was to be left alone for a while.
The second she entered the dark area of the garden she knew that she made the right choice. She was overwhelmed by the sweet blending of the smell of countless roses, a scent so delicate that it topped every perfume money could buy. Closing her eyes she inhaled deeply and an approving moan escaped her lips, as she slowly found her way over the dark path that lead to the back of the garden. She rubbed her shoulder with one hand, hugging herself tight with the other as she let the sweet smell of roses calm her down. The nausea finally faded a little and she sighed in relief. Oh, she knew all too well why her head bothered her lately, she worried too much, she thought too much and she wanted too much at once.
With all her doubts concerning Mia, the worries about her country and its future and finally, her feelings concerning a certain security guard that had been occupying most of her dreams lately she didn't have much time to enjoy herself. She missed that really, she missed laughing out loud, she missed feeling the muscles in her stomach ache from giggling, she missed having fun and she missed… living. It felt like she didn't know how to do it anymore, as if she had misplaced the complicated manual of how to be Clarisse Renaldi instead of Queen Clarisse. She shook her head, had there ever been a Clarisse Renaldi anyway?
Almost hitting a brick that seemed to be part of a fountain in progress, she left the stone path and walked across the grass; finding the stone bench she enjoyed the most in this place. Inhaling even more deeply she felt the pain in her head decrease a little, the muscles in her shoulder finally eased up a bit and she sat down with a deep sigh. Here she was, at night in the dark, surrounded by hundreds of roses and she didn't feel happy. She shook her head, she should be ashamed of herself.
The breaking sound of a twig caught her attention and she looked up, not at all startled but instinctively knowing who it was. She should have known he would come out to check on her, his concerned eyes had been following her around all day. Things seemed a bit easier between them these last two days, at least they weren't so polite with each other anymore.
"Hello Joseph," she said softly, turning her head to smile at him. She couldn't even see his expression in the darkness; all she could see was his profile, but she felt his presence tingling in her veins, just like every other time they were alone.
"I'm sorry to disturb you," he said, putting his hands behind his back. He couldn't see her clearly, the high trees around the garden planted to block the press helicopters also blocked every stream of moonlight. It was high time this garden would be finished, the next day he would have to talk to Charlotte about it.
"You never disturb me," she said, nodding at him as he approached the bench to sit down with his back turned towards her. She inhaled deeply and felt shaky when she smelled his familiar cologne that momentarily beat the sweet aroma of the roses.
"How's your head?" he asked, tilting his own so he could look at her, a faint image in the heavy darkness.
"I'm fine," she answered, diverting her face.
Silence fell between them and Joseph folded his hands together, tapping his fingers impatiently. There were words to be said, things to be discussed and, probably, countless rules to be broken and yet he couldn't find it in him to step forward and actually do it. How could he break the wall of propriety, how could he break any wall that she had built up lately?
"Is everything arranged for the state dinner?" she asked and he blinked, for a moment taken aback by the serious tone in her voice.
"Yes I showed our young Princess how to descend a staircase," he nodded, briefly smiling at the memory of one of Mia's clumsy moments. "I think she's ready for it," he said, hearing how she sighed deeply.
"I hope so," she said and frowned, feeling how her head started to protest again.
There it was again, that long pause between their sentences. They were having a conversation but they didn't really talk;all they did was exchange information and it confused her and suddenly she felt a sting of sadness around her heart, this wasn't worth it.
"Joseph…"
"Perhaps…"
Their words came out simultaneously and she bit her lip, waiting for him to finish his sentence. It took only one glance at her for him to gather enough courage to do so.
"Perhaps it's time to be honest," he said softly, no longer looking at her but she never noticed that because she avoided him as well. Suddenly her heart was banging in her chest, her fingers stiffened and she had to close her eyes to swallow back the hint of panic in her throat.
"Perhaps it is," she said and her voice sounded hoarse, tired, he would even call it sad.
"A few days ago…" he started, folding his shaky hands together, "When you said that it was my job to care…"
"That wasn't fair and I shouldn't have said it," she hurried to say, she had felt so guilty afterwards but she hadn't found the courage to get back on it.
He shook his head fiercely. "No, you shouldn't have. You were wrong."
She sighed. "I know."
He pressed his lips together in frustration, waiting until she would say more but she didn't respond. All she did was stare at her entwined fingers and he echoed her pose until he sighed deeply, tilting his head to glance at her perfect profile in the darkness. All he could make out was her nose that made that wonderful curve at the end. "Clarisse, I…"
"When did it become this complicated?" she asked almost at the same time and glanced back at him, gauging his reaction.
He diverted his face and he was silent for a while, considering his answer. "For you or for me?"
She couldn't suppress a gasp as she felt her heart beating in her throat. She knew she should jump up and stop this conversation but she couldn't move a muscle. The words needed to be spoken out loud if they wanted to move forward. "You," she whispered, glancing at the dark sky above them. "When did you…," she swallowed, "…know?"
"Does that really matter?" he asked, hearing how fast she was breathing.
She closed her eyes, now she realized how warm they felt. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He shrugged. "Because I had no reason to."
Silence fell upon the garden again as he listened to the wind blowing through the trees, a soft rushing sound that seemed oddly calm compared to their own shaky states of mind.
"I've been feeling…I feel…" she started suddenly, a whisper so soft that he had to listen very intensely to hear her. "You know it, don't you?" she asked, turning her face just a little. "You've known all along."
He cleared his throat and his stomach seemed to drop, a reaction so intense that it took his breath away and he could only nod. Yes he had known, maybe not consciously but he had felt it, he had seen it in her eyes in the few times she allowed him to look further. A realization so earth shattering that it had taken him months to recover. He still hadn't recovered completely really.
"You're my only friend Joseph," she whispered and he glanced at her, catching the suspicious glitter in her eyes, a glitter that slowly rolled down her cheek until she wiped it away.
He exhaled slowly and swallowed, finally shifting a little so his shoulder brushed hers just a little, feeling how she shivered at the contact.
"I intend to stay that way," he said softly and she shook her head slowly as if she hadn't heard him.
"I already lost a husband and a son. I can't loose you too, we can't…this can't…" her voice broke and she couldn't suppress a sob, a sound so soft but so heartbreaking that he had to bite his lip. He felt the urge to open his arms and pull her into them, yet he stayed where he was and just leaned a little more against her. He felt the same fear rushing through his body, he knew the same reasons why and the same reasons why it shouldn't happen. Oh he had known all along.
"You won't loose me. You have me," he murmured.
It was an odd realization to be there together with the man who occupied her dreams and thoughts and yet she felt more alone than ever. He was there, pressed against her and she felt his warmth invading her skin but she knew he was too far away as well. She knew they were making the right choice but the fear was high in her chest as she turned around to meet his gaze. As if he felt it he turned too, reaching out slowly to take her cold hands in his. Their fingers entwined there on that cold stone bench and she had to look very closely to study his expression; she wasn't sure that she wanted to see it though.
"Do you trust me?" he asked softly, rubbing her cold palm with his thumbs.
She could only nod, holding on his touch with a frustration that he felt as well.
"Can I trust you?" he continued.
Her head shot towards him and her eyes widened when she realized that not once had she stopped to place herself in his shoes. It was always about her, her needs, her fears, her dreams, her hopes and she blushed deeply as she stared at him. Thank God for the heavy darkness that surrounded them. "Trust me with what?" she whispered, tears forming.
"Promise me that you'll try to live your life again," he said, gently squeezing her palm.
She swallowed, feeling his words shooting through her body. "I promise," she whispered.
He shook his head, pressing her hand once more. "You're making yourself sick. Mia needs you…"
"I know," she sighed and attempted to smile bravely but it faded out as he finished his sentence.
"… And so do I."
With that he lifted their entwined hands and very careful and gently he pressed a loving kiss on her palm, closing his eyes doing so. She just looked at his movements and her stomach dropped when she felt the gentle pressure of his lips on her skin. "I'd better go," he murmured against her palm.
"You'd better go," she nodded and he released her reluctantly, lifting himself from the bench and brushing his coat.
"Goodnight Clarisse."
She smiled and he never witnessed the tears that welled up in her eyes as he walked off, her shoulders slightly jolting in the dark solitude of her garden. "Goodnight Joseph."
"I'm telling you she recognized me," he said again, digging his feet deeper in the lukewarm sand.
"I have to admit that she looked at you rather funny," Catherine nodded and laughed as he suddenly stopped so she came to a halt as well.
"You don't believe me?" he asked with a warning look on his face.
"Of course I believe you, I'm sure you made a lasting impression on her," she smiled, her eyes glittering. "You have that effect on women you know."
"Is that a fact?" he grinned, reaching out so she came to lean against him, her arms immediately wrapping around his neck.
She nodded, nuzzling his nose. "That's a fact. You are a very attractive man."
He planted a small kiss on the tip of her nose, biting it teasingly. "And you're a very sexy lady."
"Thank you for the analysis," she grinned and made an attempt to release him but he never allowed her, holding on to her waist just a tad longer.
"I'm not done yet."
She raised an eyebrow at this, tilting a brow at his serious tone. "What is it love?"
His hands slid up and came to a stop when he reached her face, cupping her warm cheeks with both hands. "I realized that I gave someone a piece of advice that I should follow up myself." He could count the little freckles on her forehead as he leaned in to place a single kiss on her lips. "So I decided to act on it right away."
"What kind of advice?" she asked, narrowing her eyes when he seemed to be a little nervous.
"To take every chance for happiness," he said.
She tilted her head and finally her eyes widened as he reached out to his pocket and took a step back. With a painful grimace he kneeled down, extending his hand so he could touch hers. In his other he held up a little red velvet box, containing the most beautiful ring she had ever seen; it sparkled brightly in the late afternoon sun. Her eyes slid from the open box to the sincere face of the kneeling man in front of her.
"Catherine, will you marry me?"
Tears were forming and she could only nod, seeing vaguely how he slowly pulled out the ring and slid in on her finger.
Before she knew it she was in his arms and she nestled against him. feeling how he held on to her for dear life, hugging her closer than ever before and finally swaying her around. She gave into it, happy tears rolled down her cheeks and he kissed the saltiness away. "Take me home," she whispered breathlessly, placing little kisses on every inch of bare skin she could find.
"Our home," he nodded. Happiness was indeed right around the corner.
