The day of the wedding Charlotte stopped in to tell Clarisse she was leaving for the church. She knew better than to ask her to go again. Clarisse had become somewhat of a hermit and Joseph was becoming more and more agitated with every passing day.

"I'm leaving Your Majesty."

"Charlotte you look lovely! Are you taking Dominic with you?" Charlotte blushed at the name of Joe's best friend. He was owner of the Dancing Meatball and adored Charlotte and it was plain to see the feeling was mutual.

"Yes Ma'am and Joe convinced him to wear a tuxedo."

"I want you to promise that you will have your picture taken with him. I am very fond of your Dominic."

"He feels the same about you. Are you sure you want to stay here all alone?"

"I've always wanted to have the palace all to myself. Please enjoy yourself."

Charlotte nodded sadly and turned to go. Clarisse called Mia to tell her the events of the day. After Mia coaxed her for nearly thirty minutes, Clarisse hung up and sat in her chair looking over her garden. Then she went to open her unread mail and found a small manila envelope. Inside was a DVD with a note that read

Because love is a million memories that create a million chances…..

Clarisse put the DVD in her player and sat down to watch it. The video began with a young Clarisse all of sixteen cleaning mud off her new dress. A young boy of seventeen kneeled trying to help clean it off. She recognized Joseph as that boy. Music began to play.

Why do I sigh, why don't I try to forget. It must have been that something lovers call fate…..

There were pictures of vacations, silly moments, him playing with her sons, happy tears, and quiet moments. There was a particularly touching picture of him holding Pierre at age three. Pierre had pneumonia and Clarisse feared he might die. Rupert was in France and couldn't make it home. Joseph stayed awake for three days with the young boy until he got better. Late at night she would wake up, fearful that he had died. She'd wake to the sound of him kneeling over him and praying for Jesus to save him. That was the kind of love he had always portrayed.

There were pictures of flowers he'd sent her in Lady Whitney's name so as not to arouse suspicion. The carnations in her favorite garden that he had planted by hand when he found out she despised roses.

Kept me saying, "I have to wait." I saw them all, just couldn't fall till we met….

There were pictures of him that made her laugh. He had tried to teach the boys how to skate and had fallen too many times to count. A funny had that Phillepe had bought with his allowance for Christmas. Joseph was so gracious and wore that hat for days until it had been lost in the woods. The woods had been a shoebox in his closet.

Then there was raw anguish at Phillepe's funeral. Clarisse was heavily sedated but it was apparent that Joseph and Charlotte had lost their own child that day. He never left her side for months after that. He'd sleep in the chair in her room or sometimes on the floor. She'd wake up with horrible nightmares. He'd rock her and pray with her until she fell back asleep.

It had to be you. It had to be you. I wandered around and finally found the somebody who could make me be true….

Every precious moment was captured on the DVD. And it suddenly occurred to her that there had been a photographer present. She wondered whom it had been that was there to capture these excerpts of their life. The song came to its finale and a blush crept over her cheeks. The memory was strong and her stomach clenched.

Clarisse was in her favorite garden. The carnation he himself had planted. They were everywhere. Her hands were dirty and she had soil smudges on her cheeks. She wasn't exactly the picture of elegance at that moment. From his spot overlooking the garden he took in a selfish gaze of her and then made his way into her presence.

"Your Majesty."

"Oh hello Joseph."

"Your carnations are looking lovely!"

"Indeed. I love the weather in the spring. Where have you been all day?"

"In Dextrose with Dominic. The Rain Riders Tour is coming up in a couple of weeks so he wanted to get some parts for his Harley. We were working on it all day."

She laughed. "I think you spend more time on your motorcycles than you do on solid ground."

"Ever since I was sixteen I've never been without one. But it's what I came to talk to you about. I know you have many duties and you are becoming accustomed to the role of queen. I also know Shades and LaGella are doing an excellent job on duty. With your permission I'd like to take the run on the Rain Riders Tour."

She didn't answer right away. "How long will you be gone?"

"Six weeks. It goes from Dextrose all the way up to Esquire City. The entire length of Genovia's outskirts."

When she turned to face him, all the color was gone from her face. He'd never been even a day apart from her since he was seventeen.

"Don't answer yet. Listen come with me on a ride tonight."

"Me on a motorcycle? I haven't ever seen a queen ride a Harvey before."

"A Harley, Your Majesty. Harley Davidson. And no I don't imagine most queens ride them but you are different from them. You are Clarisse Renaldi, the same woman who wrestled down giant Jack Griffin at the Genovian Independence Day Picnic in 1987! As I recall you tore your shirt. I knew at that very moment that it was not I who protected you but rather the other way around!"

"He said my cherry pie was bitter and the crust was too dry!"

"I know. I dared him to tell you that. I figured you'd have to make it right and I'd have to taste the pies as you were making them. Your cherry pie is my absolute favorite. And it worked, you had me stacked up on pies for weeks."

She laughed. "You are a scoundrel, Joseph."

"Perhaps but my belly was never in lack. Come with me tonight. You know you're curious and even more than that it will help you to understand just how important this ride is to me."

"Agreed but if it gets out to Genovia I will personally run you over with said Harvey Davidson!"