Author's Note: Okay, I'm finally getting to the end of this story but, as with all of my other stories, it has been a wonderful ride! I've enjoyed writing them, and I've enjoyed all the reviews I have received…thank you to all those who have stayed with me!

NB: 'Beautiful in My Eyes' song lyrics are by Joshua Kadison

The Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot and Disney

They spent the rest of the day quietly, watching DVDs in the living room, bathrobe clad and curled up in each others arms. A discreet knock on the door at lunchtime provided a private lunch, as well as a bottle of champagne and two glasses, but they hadn't seen anyone else all day- obviously Charlotte had done her job well. As well as the meal, there had been a card on the tray, signed by all members of the palace staff, and Clarisse had been touched to tears at the gesture.

"What a thoughtful, considerate gesture," she said, wiping a tear away as she passed the card onto Joseph. "I hadn't realised how much we meant to them."

"I knew about you…I was a surprise!" Joe laughed as he put the card next to Mia's telegram, before pouring the champagne.

"Happy anniversary, darling," he said, toasting Clarisse, and she smiled at him happily.

"Happy anniversary, my love," she replied, and they clinked glasses.

"I wonder what Mia and Nicholas are up to?" Clarisse asked a little sleepily after they finished watching the second film, and the film credits were rolling up the screen. They were stretched out on the couch that could fit two people, and she was resting her head on his chest- her favourite position.

"Probably giving Shades and the rest of the crew a merry chase," Joe said with a laugh as he envisioned what the young newlyweds would be doing. In the past five years, he had come to know what Mia could do, and it wouldn't surprise him if she, along with Nicholas, would do something crazy…very much like her grandmother in some respects, he though tenderly, as he stroked Clarisse's hair.

"But I hope that they are having a good time," she added, and Joseph had to chuckle.

"I imagine they are," and she looked up at him when she heard him chuckle, and joined in when she realised what he was thinking.

"So," she sat up and looked down at him with a mock imperious look on her face. "I've done my bit, so now it's time for your half of the celebrations and, I must warn you, I'm expecting you to completely top me!" she said sternly, but the sparkling look in her eyes belied her tone.

"I'm a little worried that I won't be able to keep up," Joe pretended to look upset, but he wasn't all that worried- Clarisse's morning of surprises had been wonderful, and it had made him realise how deeply he was appreciated and loved….but, if he had been able to, he would have tried to do some of the things she had done…

"I think I might have to start by giving you your present," he said, pretending to look coy, as he stood up and then helped her up. He walked quickly to his wardrobe in the bedroom, and emerged carrying a flat but long pale blue box, tied with a matching blue ribbon. He handed to her with a smile, and she sat down on the couch again to open it.

"What on earth…" she began, a questioning look on her face, before she gingerly opened the lid of the box. "Oh…" she breathed in awe, brushing aside the tissue paper, and slowly lifted out a deep blue dress. "This is beautiful, Joseph!"

She held it out, and the material unfolded to reveal more of the dress- while it was long sleeved, there was a discreet slit in the back which, when put on, would reveal only a tiny part of the back. It had a small neckline, merely to show off the shoulders, and the hemline, which would reach the knees, was uneven. The material was shimmering with faux blue jewels, and the entire dress was covered with a layer of sheath.

"Oh Joseph," Clarisse cried, looking at him to the dress, and back again. "How on earth did you ….?"

"My darling Clarisse," he said quietly, putting an arm around her waist. "I've been your shadow for many years…it's very easy to know what you like and don't like…with a little confirmation from Mia," he almost whispered, and she laughed, gently laying the dress on the couch, before turning around and putting her arms around him.

"I love it," she said softly before kissing him. "Thank you."

"There is a matching pair of shoes in your cupboard," he added shyly, and she gave him a look of surprise before kissing him again.

"Anyway," he continued, glancing at his watch for a moment. "It's time to get ready…it's five thirty, but I know it will take you at least an hour and a half to get ready," he joked as she turned to pick up the dress again, and narrowly missing a playful slap on the arm from his wife.

"Where are we going?" she asked as they walked towards their bedroom.

"Just a nice, quiet place I know…but we aren't going to dinner straight away…we have something else to do first…"

"I take it you aren't going to tell me what that is?" Clarisse turned to look at him, a flirtatious look in her eyes, and he laughed.

"You managed to keep your plans quiet, so I'm just going to do the same…so don't try that particular look of yours, either!" he added

He watched her disappear into the bathroom, and sat down on the bed for a moment, going through the plan one last time….he hoped that she would enjoy the evening….it was relatively simple, but also very special…and away from the public eye….

As usual, he was dressed and waiting long before Clarisse was ready, but he didn't mind- although he loved her anytime, and didn't care how she looked, he also appreciated the fact that she took her time and put a lot of effort into her appearance…

"Here I am," she said softly from the doorway, and he looked up to see her standing there, shyly, in the dress and shoes he had given her. "How do I look?"

For a moment, as he looked at her, he was suddenly struck by a memory- the first time he had ever seen her after he had begun working at the palace, and the fact that she had remembered his name…..

Joseph hurried along the empty hallways, always slightly nervous about walking about when the King and Queen were up and about. He had secretly made a tour of the palace at night, and he knew where the King and Queen resided, the royal nursery where the young Princes were, and the family room.

He had been working at the palace for nearly three months and although he had been introduced to them on the morning he began working there, he hadn't seen them up close since then. He had seen them at a far distance, going or returning from functions, but he hadn't had the chance to work for them. He was still undergoing the final intensive stage of training to be a bodyguard, but he already knew that he would be working as part of Her Majesty's security team.

He had, initially, been rather disappointed that he was going to work for the Queen, rather than His Majesty, but he had quickly changed his mind when he had first been introduced to the Queen. She had been beautiful, and he hadn't liked the fact that her husband seemed rather indifferent to her. He had heard, in the past few months, rumours that the King was unfaithful to his wife, but he hadn't liked to believe them…after all, who on earth could cheat on that beautiful woman, and mother of the future King of Genovia?

Suddenly he became aware of a noise a few metres away from him, and he looked up to see Her Majesty emerging from a room, talking to her assistant, who was trailing behind her. Joseph, his heart beating faster, pressed himself against the wall- hopefully, if she walked this way, she wouldn't notice that he was there…He wasn't even sure he was supposed to be up here, but he had been sent to look for his boss… He heard her footsteps softly padding on the carpet- she was obviously alone- but, to his surprise, he heard them slow down and then stop.

"Hello…It's Joseph, isn't it?" he held her cultured, melodic voice say softly, and he had no choice but look directly into his sovereign's eyes…and he almost melted when he saw the exquisite creature that he had met three months earlier…Big blue eyes, soft and tentative voice, soft strawberry blonde hair, smooth and pale skin…She was only thirty, but he had never met anyone as beautiful as her in his life…He had been struck by her beauty then, but it was more obvious this time, when they were almost nose to nose.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," he managed to say, bowing to her but, when he looked up at her, she was surprised to see that while there was a smile on her face, her eyes were hiding sadness.

"I imagine you were trying to pretend that I wouldn't see you, weren't you?" she asked, her eyes still sad, but a smile playing at her lips. Joseph, realising that it could be a trap, tried desperately to think of something neutral to say….

"I…I…yes, ma'am," he said, shocked to find the words leave his mouth, realising that he could offend Her Majesty but, when he looked at her, she was looking at her with a warm smile.

"You know, Joseph, I've never had anyone be that honest with me about anything…"she trailed off for a moment, her eyes misty with tears, before she recovered and looked back at him. "I appreciated your honesty. How long have you been working here?"


"I'm just about to complete my final week of a three month course, Your Majesty," Joe said, amazed that he was actually talking to the Queen of Genovia, and how comfortable he felt around her.

"And who will you be working for then?" she asked, and Joe realised that she was genuinely interested in him, and not asking questions for the sake of conversation.

"I will be working for you, Your Majesty," he bowed again, and when he looked up, he saw that she was looking delighted.

"Well, I look forward to seeing you on my team then, Joseph," she said with a gentle smile. "It was a pleasure to meet you again, Joseph," she added as she began walking away.

"It was an honour and a privilege to meet you, Your Majesty," Joseph said softly as she walked away, and hoped that it had been quietly said…

"Never did I imagine on that day that, one day, I would be married to that same exquisite woman, and that we would be celebrating our first wedding anniversary!"

"I remember that day," Clarisse said as she sat down next to him and took his hand with a warm smile, lacing her fingers with his.

"All my bodyguards were usually wearing sunglasses (even inside at times!), or staring straight ahead, before following me at a discreet distance…and then I came out of a meeting and found someone- a very handsome someone, I might add- who was looking at the floor, hoping to disappear! I was both intrigued and touched, and I knew I had to stop and speak to him."

"Would you believe that I felt so comfortable with you in that instant- even though you were a married Queen and, in my opinion, the most beautiful woman in Genovia? It was unbelievable!"

"I was very comfortable with you too…there was just something about you that was so disarming…" she smiled dreamily at him, before Joe gently helped her up.

"We'd better go…I've got out first surprise all ready…now it's my turn to spoil you!"

The hallways were still empty and bereft of life as they walked, hand in hand, down to the main ballroom. Joseph led her through the empty and darkened ballroom to the double doors that led out onto the balcony.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked with a giggle as he opened one of the doors for her, and followed her outside.

"This is your first…second surprise….a dance out on the balcony…I don't think we've ever managed this, have we?" he asked as she looked around, and then up at the star filled sky.

"I don't think so…and this is such a beautiful place….I assume you've already got the music and CD player organised?" she asked teasingly as she watched him walk over to a nearby bush.

"Of course…and I want you to listen this song carefully…"

"It's going to be a bit hard," she smiled seductively as he swept her into his arms. "Whenever I'm in your arms, I don't seem to notice anything else going on!" But she made sure that she was listening to the song.

"You're my peace of mind

in this crazy world.

You're everything I've tried to find

Your love is a pearl.

You're my Mona Lisa, you're my rainbow skies,

And my only prayer is that you realise

You'll always be beautiful, in my eyes.

The world will turn

And the seasons will change.

And all the lessons we will learn

Will be beautiful and strange.

We'll have our fill of tears, our share of sighs

My only prayer is that you realise

You'll always be beautiful, in my eyes.

You will always be, beautiful in my eyes

And the passing years will show,

That you will always grow

Evermore beautiful, in my eyes.

And there are lines upon my face,

From a lifetime of smiles.

But when the times comes to embrace

For one long last while.

We can laugh about it, how time really flies

We won't say goodbye, 'cause true love never dies.

You'll always be beautiful, in my eyes.

You will be always be, beautiful in my eyes

And the passing years will show,

That you will always grow,

Evermore beautiful, in my eyes.

The passing years will show,

That you will always grow

Evermore beautiful, in my eyes."

"I figure, in the years that we've spent apart, that we've had enough tears and sighs to last us to a lifetime, so now it's all about being happy," Joseph whispered softly into her hair, as she had her face buried in his coat. "We've learnt our lesson- and I think our lesson is that we spent too much time apart!"

He waited for her to join in his laughter, but she still kept her face buried and, a little concerned, he gently lifted her chin to look at her, and was touched and worried to see tears pouring down her face.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? I thought this song…"Joe stuttered, worried that he had upset her, but Clarisse smiled bravely and put her fingers on his lips.

"It's…it's absolutely beautiful, Joseph, and I love it…it's just that I never realised…."

"You are a beautiful woman, Clarisse, and it's time that you realised that…inside and out, I've never met anyone as extraordinary as you…I think you just got used to not being complimented by Rupert, and that's just unacceptable. I promise," he pulled away and looked intensely at her.

"That I will tell you each and every day that you are beautiful, and I will do it for the rest of my life."

He had to laugh when she dissolved into tears again, but he knew that it wasn't because she was unhappy but, rather, she was overwhelmed by his gesture and the song.

"I'm…I'm sorry," she said finally, taking Joe's proffered handkerchief and wiping her eyes. "No one has ever dedicated a song to me…it's special…and I love you for thinking of it!"

"It was a pleasure," Joe said gently, pulling her back into his arms for a long kiss, and then laughed at her. "Did you need to go and wash your face?"

"No…but did my makeup run?" Clarisse looked at him worriedly, and he laughed quietly as he put an arm around her shoulders.

"No it didn't, but even if it did, I wouldn't let you reapply your makeup…you actually look better without makeup."

"Thank you, you're very sweet," she said, drying her eyes.

"Do you remember the first time you cried….in front of me?" Joe asked a little hesitantly as they walked back through the ballroom, and out towards the main doorway. Clarisse smiled at him and nodded.

"Of course I do…I was so alone that day, and you were there for me…it might not have seemed appropriate to protocol…But you said," she said, beginning to laugh, before Joe continued

"I don't care about protocol! You aren't going to be on your own, and I'm not moving until you're feeling better!"

Joseph remembered with a laugh, but it hadn't been so funny at the time- she had been under a lot of pressure and pain at that time, and most of it had been inflicted by Rupert….most of it unknowingly…..

Joe was standing in the hallway of the palace, close to His Majesty's study, waiting for his boss to emerge from a meeting with her husband. He had been working at the palace for over ten years, and he quickly progressed through the ranks to become second in charge after Clarisse's Head of Security, Tom James. Tom, however, had been suffering ill health for a while, and there were rumours swirling around the palace that he was due to retire soon…and then Joseph would, it was assumed, become Head of Security…and it made him feel rather apprehensive…all that responsibility, and the safety of the Queen his primary care…although it had been so almost from the moment he had begun working for her………

He and Clarisse, meanwhile, had settled into a warm and comfortable relationship- he was one of the few she could talk to, and she wasn't as shy and reserved as he had initially thought…he had been surprised at some of the jokes and talks they had shared over the years. They were rapidly becoming good friends…and he had almost died when she had, on one of their walks together in the past year or so, asked him to call her Clarisse in private.

"Your Majesty sounds so formal when there's only the two of us," she said with a shrug, and Joseph had been delighted to be able to call her that. He had to be careful though- he knew that there were rumours going around about their 'friendship', and there was no way he wanted Clarisse hurt, or her reputation smeared.

He was also surprised about how deeply he cared about Clarisse…he now realised that the rumours he had heard about Rupert were true, which had only bound his loyalty closer to Clarisse…but, as a bachelor, he was taken aback that, when he went out on the occasional date, he seemed to compare them to Clarisse…

Just then, the sound of His Majesty's study door opening brought him back from his daydream and he stood up straight, ready to follow Her Majesty to wherever she was going next. As she walked past him, her scent as always lingering, he was a little shocked to see that she looked upset…While he had seen her laugh and tease at times, he had never seen her mask slip at all…but now, she looked devastated!

She hurried down the hall, and Joe was a little hard pressed to keep up but, instead of heading upstairs to her suite, she kept walking out of the main balcony, down the stairs and into the garden.

"Your Majesty!" he called, hoping that she would slow down, but she either didn't hear him or was ignoring everyone, because she continued walking fast until she reached the pagoda, where she stopped and sat down on the bench so suddenly that he almost fell over her when he arrived.

"Your Majesty?" he asked tentatively before she looked up, and he was devastated to see tears sparkling in her eyes, and a solitary tear sliding down her cheek.

"Clarisse?" he said gently, sitting down next to her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said false brightly with a bitter laugh, brushing her face with her hand. But when she moved her hand away, he could see more tears beginning to fall.

"You're not fine," he said firmly, surprising both of them with the firmness of his response. "What happened?"

They were close enough for him to ask the question, although he half expected her to give him one of her famous icy blue stares. But when she did look at him, he was filled with compassion at the pain mixing with the tears in her eyes.

"I found out that Rupert has been having another affair…the third this year," she added bitterly, looking away after a moment. "He asked to see me to tell me about it…apparently the girl has sold her story to the papers, and he…he wanted me to be prepared for any vicious stories that come out……"

"Oh Clarisse, I am so sorry," was all Joseph could say as he falteringly reached over and took one of her hands in his. Unconsciously, she squeezed it tightly as she took a deep, but rather shaky breath.

"This is the first time that…that a girl has sold a story…I feel like such a fool," she finally dissolved into tears, burying her face in her hands and sobbing. Joseph watched her cry, feeling more compassion for her, and a lot of anger towards the King…he had always suspected that Rupert didn't fully appreciate his wife…but to publicly humiliate her like this…

"Clarisse…" he said in a whisper, putting an arm around her shoulders and patting her soothingly. She froze for a moment, and then she turned and buried her face in his black jacket.

"I don't know how he can keep humiliating me like this, Joseph," she said between sobs. "I thought…I thought he cared about me, at least…"


"He probably does, Clarisse…he did to tell you about this before it hit the papers…."

She cried on his shoulder for a long time, but he soon realised that she was spent as her shoulders stopped shaking, and she began taking several deep breaths to calm herself down completely. She pulled away after a moment, and he automatically offered her his handkerchief, which she took with a grateful smile.

"I think I'll be alright in a minute, Joseph…you may go, if you wish," she said after a moment as she regained her composure. "I don't think protocol, or the men in the palace, would approve of this!"


"I'm sorry, Clarisse, but I don't care about any of that. As your bodyguard, I'm not leaving you anyway…but, as a friend, I'm not moving from this spot until you're feeling better!"

Clarisse stopped fiddling with the handkerchief and Joe was a little worried that he had gone over the line with his remark as she slowly turned to look at him. Much to his relief, however, there was a small smile playing on the edges of her mouth, and he relaxed.

"You do realise that you just told off your Queen, don't you?" she said mock sternly, but the smile contradicted her stern words. Joseph began to say something, but she stopped with a wave of her hand and a smile.

"Thank you…I just realised what a wonderful friend you are…I appreciated your company at this…difficult…time," she ended with a sigh.

"I did appreciate your company, and I was grateful that you didn't take me seriously enough to leave," Clarisse said as she stepped onto the threshold, and looked puzzled as Joseph dashed over to a nearby hidden cupboard and pulled out a large picnic basket, followed by a large bouquet of her favourite flowers.

"What on earth are you doing?"

"These are for you," he presented them with a flourish, and Clarisse delightedly buried her face in the scents of her favourite flowers, before looking at Joseph with a broad smile.

"Thank you so much…these are beautiful…what are you doing now?" she asked in another puzzled tone as he brought out two sets of clothes, hanging up on hangers, followed by two pairs of shoes.

"I love you wearing that outfit, but I don't think it's exactly appropriate to wear where we're going, so I had some of your clothes organised to change into before we leave."

"So we're not going to a restaurant?" she asked, confused but mainly relieved as she walked over to the nearby study to change- thank goodness there was no one on duty on the first floor!

"No…but the place I've picked is pretty special….but hurry up!"

"But where are we going?" she asked as he followed her out the door after they had changed, and chivvied her down the stairs. She looked over her bouquet and saw that the golf cart she had given Joseph that morning was parked there.

"We haven't been on a ride in this yet, so I thought that now would be the perfect opportunity," he said easily as he put the picnic basked behind them and hopped behind the wheel as she elegantly slid onto the passenger seat.

"You are being very mysterious, Joseph Bonnell," Clarisse murmured as they drove past the rose gardens, the pagoda and the stables, before she realised they were going down to the lake. He parked it a little way back from the lake shore, and helped Clarisse off before scooping the basket from behind her.

"I actually got this idea from Mia…remember when she and Nicholas were caught out here that night?" he asked as, arm around her waist, led her to one of the big trees that bordered the lake.

"Do I what," Clarisse replied, rolling her eyes in memory of that night. "What a kafuffle! I do hope, however, that the paparazzi will harbour no such ideas for us tonight!" she said as he spread a blanket over the dew drenched grass, and they both sat down on it.

"Don't worry, darling," Joe said soothingly as he rummaged through the basket. "I had the boys scout out everywhere today several times…but, as you can see, we've had the boat removed, so there is nowhere for them to hide!"

"Good," she replied, visibly relaxing, leaning against the tree trunk until Joseph offered her a pillow, conjured up from nowhere.

"This is a beautiful place, Joseph," she said after a few moments silence as she looked around her at the silent lake, the darkened forest, and the star lit sky above them. There was a slight breeze skimming over the lake, and she was relieved that Joseph had suggested they changed before coming down. "I wish I had thought of coming out here sometimes!"

"No chance- this was my favourite spot….and yes, this is where I came that night…" he said as he busily unpacked the picnic basket. "I hope you don't mind simple fare tonight- champagne (of course) and sandwiches…but I did arrange a special dessert…."

"I don't mind what we have, darling…although I am tempted to skip everything to get dessert," she joked as she reached over and accepted the plate he offered her. "However, how many bottles of champagne have we opened today?"

"We've got an excuse- it's our anniversary," Joe replied, before they both laughed.

They sat in silence for a time, enjoying their meal and listening to the sounds of the forest. This was one of the best things about their relationship, Clarisse thought to herself as she glanced over at Joseph for a moment, the fact that they could talk all the time, about everything, but also spend a lot of time in comfortable silence…they never needed to fill in the silences….They were so in-sync with each other that silences didn't matter…and she hoped, with all of her heart, that Mia and Nicholas would experience this…but she had the feeling that they would….

She suddenly became aware that Joseph wasn't eating anything, but had stood up and was holding a torch.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he flashed the torch on and off for a moment and, to her surprise, when she looked in that direction, there was a light doing the same thing.

"I've got another surprise for you," he said excitedly, helping her up off the blanket. "I know that when we got married, we were saying our vows in front of a million people…I thought that, for our anniversary, we could say our vows…just for each other," he finished shyly, and Clarisse just stared in wonder at him for a moment.

"Darling…oh, darling…I don't know what to say…"she stuttered as he laughed, and took her into his arms.

"You don't need to say a word…I've got the Archbishop to come out and help us…"he waved vaguely in a direction as the beaming Archbishop stepped out from behind a tree, followed by Charlotte and Sebastian Motez.

"Of course, I thought we could have two witnesses, although it's not really necessary…."but he stopped as Clarisse leaned over and kissed him long and affectionately.

"This is the best surprise I have ever had," she said afterwards, brushing her face with her hand, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"I can't go down on one knee…but will you marry me….again?" he looked lovingly at her, and she laughed, tears spilling on her cheeks.

"Of course I will…"

Joe was suddenly fumbling inside his pocket before pulling out two tiny jewel boxes.

"Open this one first," he handed her a box, and she slowly opened it to see a small, but flawless diamond on a white gold band, surrounded by a number of smaller diamonds.

"I figured you needed an engagement ring, even though we've been married a year," he added bashfully before she silently handed him the ring. He looked momentarily confused before he realised what she wanted him to do. She watched as he slid the small but perfect engagement ring on her left hand, coming to rest beside the gold band he had given her 12 months previously.

"It's perfect," she beamed happily at him, before she kissed him. "But what's in the other box?" she asked curiously as, taking his arm, they walked over to where the other three were waiting, beaming happily.

"You'll find out soon enough," Joe said mysteriously as the Archbishop smiled at them before beginning the service. Clarisse was astonished to find that she was shaking as they recited their vows, but her confident "I do" was enough to convey what the other three already knew-Clarisse and Joe were a perfect match.

When they came to the exchanging of rings, Clarisse was a little confused as Joe handed her the second box, and she opened it to see a plain wedding band.

"I want the world to know that I'm a married man…to the most beautiful woman in the world…and proud of it," Joe said simply when she looked up at him as, for the millionth time that night, tears filled her eyes. Joe had to touch her hand as she nervously slipped the ring on his left hand, and then he clasped both her hands in his.

"I'm now delighted to pronounce you husband and wife," the Archbishop said, finally intruding on a world that he loved to see existed between the two of them. "You may kiss the bride," he added teasingly to Joseph, who needed no second reminder.

When they broke apart, Clarisse, blushing, was laughing and crying as she looked at Charlotte and Sebastian, who only smiled happily at her. She was momentarily distracted as Joseph kissed her again, and when she looked again, they had disappeared.

"Where did they go?" she looked around as Joe rummaged through the picnic basket again, and gasped when she saw what he was bringing out. It was a small wedding cake, with a bride and groom on the top.

"Is that…"

"I arranged with the kitchen a couple of days ago," Joe grinned proudly as he set the cake on top of the picnic basket, and they sat down on the blanket again. "It's chocolate under the marzipan icing….your favourite, I believe."

"Of course….oh Joseph," she sighed, leaning on his shoulder with a happy sigh. "This had been a wonderful evening…"

"A wonderful day," he amended with a smile as he handed her a slice of the cake. "I couldn't have celebrated our first anniversary any better than this."

"But it made me wonder- what on earth are we going to do for our second?" she laughed as she ate her cake delicately- she usually didn't eat with her fingers, but she was enjoying this very much.

"Let's wait till next year to think about that…although, you never know, Mia may have given you a great-grandchild by then, and you'll be too busy to think of anything like this!"

"Goodness, a great-grandchild!" Clarisse laughed as she handed him the plate, and settled down on the pillow, facing up to the sky.

"I hadn't thought past the wedding…a great grandmother," she sighed as Joe packed the plates away, and brought another blanket out, which he draped over them, before lying down next to her. She snuggled up closer, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"You realise that you'll be a great-grandfather," she retorted with a snort of laughter.

"I didn't think that I would be that…" Joe replied and, in all honesty, he hadn't. Rupert would have been that, but he, Joseph, had only married Clarisse…. She looked at him for a moment

"You would be….Mia never knew Rupert or her father…you're the closest to a father figure she's ever had, and she would agree with me…I know it…."

"Alright…Happy anniversary darling…I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart…and happy anniversary," she murmured sleepily as they listened to the sounds of the night, and looked up at the star filled night….