A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- almost finished this story but there are more to come! Merry Christmas!

The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me

The atmosphere in the palace was painfully quiet and subdued for the next few days, even when Mia's 'scandal' of being caught out on the palace grounds with Lord Devereaux (Joe's sources informed him that it was Viscount Mabrey who had caused that slight problem) and the possibility that her fiancé would want to break up the engagement (which, with the wedding only days away, would have caused panic), but while Her Majesty had dealt with those calmly and confidently, the day after her ballroom dance with Joseph, Her Majesty's was much, much quieter, more withdrawn than ever, even when she continued to bury herself in details of the wedding.

It was even more obvious that the atmosphere was not only contributed to by Mia's subdued emotions over the wedding but also that something had obviously gone wrong between Her Majesty and Joseph, judging by Her Majesty's withdrawn nature, Joseph's absence from security meetings with Her Majesty in regards to the wedding (Scott was sent in his place) and, according to Scott, he was in a roaring temper.

All in all, the emotions of the major players in the palace contributed to the general atmosphere and feelings of most of the palace staff, and it was a very quiet day when the wedding day dawned, fine and bright.

"Remember, as soon as the Princess is married, we are going to sort out Her Majesty and Joseph," Scott said sternly when they met up in the kitchen, very early that morning, so early that not many palace staff were up, but both Charlotte and Scott had a great deal to do before the bride and the Queen were up and preparing for the wedding.

"Mmmm… I think we might have to leave it a couple of days… maybe until after the wedding," Charlotte said pensively- Her Majesty may be quieter than usual, clearly upset about what had transpired, but she also knew that she couldn't be pushed into doing things before she was ready- and she was actually not quite sure that the Queen, in regards to this issue, would ever be ready.

"We don't have time! Joe's planning on handing in his resignation after today!" Scott suddenly burst out and Charlotte felt her stomach plunge in horror.

"No! Surely…. Surely you're wrong….he would have told me….did he tell you?"

"Well, not exactly," Scott looked slightly abashed. "But I found an envelope on his desk addressed to Her Majesty…. And he had made some small comments in the last few days- when he wasn't blowing up at us- that it 'was time to move on', 'find new challenges'…."

"So… you're not exactly sure that he is planning on leaving?" Charlotte asked hopefully, but it was only a small twinge of hope, she knew Joseph all too well and if he was planning on doing something, he did it… and after what had happened in the ballroom, it made sense to his pride that he left before, according to his own reasoning, he got hurt again.

"No, I'm not… but… the writing's on the wall, Char, I can see it and you can see it as well… hence we don't have the time to wait to try and get them back together."

"Okay," Charlotte agreed slowly. "But… not today… morale is already low in the palace and we need to get through this wedding first…. Agreed?"

"Agreed… if this wedding goes ahead at all," Scott muttered ominously and while Charlotte glared at him, she couldn't help but secretly agree with his sentiments- considering the past month and the associate hiccups that had occurred that during that time, it was natural (although not directly questioning the princess, she had had a lot of pressure on her, as did the Queen- it was parliament's fault) to question what was going to happen …. but the question had to be asked and answered eventually…IF this wedding goes ahead at all…

00000

As it turned out, the wedding DID go ahead, but with a completely different bride and groom, and the Princess was still going to be Queen, no matter what….

Even in the weeks to come, once the excitement, surprise and more than a little disbelief over the wedding day had died down to a dull roar (and it was well into October when the wedding wasn't replayed or discussed in the press or on the street), Charlotte couldn't believe how the day had developed and, with one simple decision from a courageous young woman, lives were changed, a couple who had been in love for many years and devoted to each other (even though they had to hide it from the world) were finally allowed to be together and the young woman in question did not have to undergo an arranged marriage.

"What a day!" Scott sighed heavily when, at midnight, when the last guests had left and he and Charlotte and Scott had managed to collapse onto kitchen chairs, a bottle of champagne opened between them- "we deserve it," Scott justified upon opening it.

"Yes, what a day," Charlotte echoed his words- it had been truly a big, momentous day and even she was still surprised at how quickly things changed…..

0

Her Majesty was up earlier than she had expected, going for a stroll in the garden with Maurice, and when she found her, she was doing a last minute perusal of the ballroom.

"It all looks lovely, Charlotte- you have done a marvellous job," Her Majesty said, not looking at Charlotte as she continued walking around the ballroom. "Everything is perfect, it should be a lovely wedding."

"Thank you, ma'am… and Prince Pierre has landed at the airport and is on his way here."

"Good… good," the older woman said distractedly, still looking down at the tables. "I'm glad he is here for the wedding…. Mia met him at her eighteenth birthday party in San Francisco… but it was time for him to come home himself."

"Yes…" Charlotte said uncertainly, not sure what she was supposed to say.

"What about the seating arrangements at the church?"

"All checked and set out… and no, aside from the Prime Minister and his wife, parliament will be sitting in the pews."

"Hopefully they won't cause any trouble today," she muttered bitterly. "It's the least they could do, considering everything they have done over the past month…" she trailed off and looked out in the garden momentarily before glancing quickly at Charlotte. "What about Princess Mia?" she asked, turning professional again. "Is she up yet?"

"Yes, she is in the shower… and I have instructed her ladies maids to let her surprise into her suite…"

"Good, she'll be pleased about that," Her Majesty said with a glimmer of a smile. "She deserves a surprise or two today." She paused again and glanced at her watch. "Have you seen… Joseph this morning?" she sounded oddly casual but Charlotte wasn't at all fooled.

"No, I'm sorry ma'am- I think he was at the church, finalising the security details… would you like me to ask Scott to get in touch with him?"

"No, no thank you… Paolo will be here soon enough and I don't want to keep him waiting."

A brief check on the Princess later in the morning proved that she was happy (and more than a little relieved) that her mother and her step father were with her, as well as her best friend, and she was getting excited about the wedding, but there was something else… a sense of resignation for her duty… and it was something that saddened Charlotte greatly.

The rest of the morning was a whirlwind, ensuring that the Princess and the Queen were both ready for the wedding (and thankfully, Paolo was much easier to get rid of, seeing that he was going to be a guest at the wedding) and she only just managed to get dressed herself before she had to race out to meet the Queen, Prince Pierre and Joseph at the car, ready to go to the church.

"Hello, Charlotte, a lovely day for a wedding," she heard the Prince say as she jogged gently towards the front door and she turned to see Pierre, clad in black with his white collar, striding towards her. "Why are you practically running to the door?"

"I… I didn't want to be late…"

"My mother is on her way… by the way, I need to ask you something?

"Yes?" Charlotte paused to allow him to catch up to her.

"My mother… doesn't seem herself….and I haven't seen Joe around her at all… Has something happened between them?"

"Um…." Charlotte said- she really didn't want to get into this with the queen's son- it was none of her business and Her Majesty was already upset as it was, she didn't want Joseph coming after her if he realised that she was gossiping about them.

"You don't want to say anything, do you?" Pierre correctly interpreted Charlotte's reluctance. "I understand, truly and I do appreciate it- you have always been loyal and dedicated to Her Majesty and she too appreciates that…."

"Something did happen, but I cannot say anymore… Joseph proposed," she burst out, feeling disgusted at herself but Pierre was clearly worried about his mother and she knew that he deserved to know…or did he?

"I suspected as much," Pierre said as they walked towards the waiting royal limousine. "It's about time he did that…" and Charlotte wanted to laugh, but sensed an additional presence and looked to see Joseph standing by the car, looking handsome in the morning suit that had been deemed appropriate for the security detail.

"Good afternoon, Your Royal Highness. Good afternoon Charlotte," he said politely. "Welcome home."

"Thank you, Joe, it's good to be home… temporarily," Pierre said in a much cooler voice than usual (his expression just as cool and calm). "I'm looking forward to the wedding, and I'm impressed with the ballroom and the set up- well done, Charlotte, you have done well," he gave her another appreciative glance. "My mother should be…."

"I'm here," came Her Majesty's clear, strong voice as she emerged from the palace- giving Joseph the chance to wink appreciatively at Charlotte. "Hello, Pierre," she paused briefly to give her son a warm hug. "I'm so glad you came home, you look very handsome… Charlotte, everything looks wonderful…" she trailed off then as she and Joseph regarded each other warily. "Good afternoon, Joseph," she said finally, with a twinge of hope in her voice.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," he responded quietly, but Charlotte could hear the pain in his voice and she again wondered WHY life was so difficult, why two people who clearly loved each other couldn't be together….

The silence in the yard grew long and tension filled as Joseph and his queen kept watching each other carefully, before Pierre broke the silence by clearing his throat.

"If we're not too careful, we're going to be following the bride to her own wedding… hadn't we better be going?"

"Absolutely," the Queen broke the look and strode with determination towards the car as Joseph stepped forward to open the door, but she didn't look at him again as she stepped into the car as Pierre and Charlotte exchanged a look- this ride to the church was going to be very awkward indeed….

0

The twenty minutes in the church that made Genovian history flew by quicker than Charlotte imagined- the guests were seated, the music playing, Mia walking down the aisle… and then freezing momentarily before racing out of the church, much to the consternation of the guests… but not to the Queen, Charlotte could tell that she had been expecting Mia to do something like this, and she didn't blame her.

When they both returned, Joseph hot on her heels, Charlotte was surprised when Mia shook her head at the bouquet she was offering her, but when she made history a few minutes later by releasing Andrew from their engagement and announcing that she was ready to be Queen… "without a husband", Charlotte knew that she was really ready.

But what she did afterwards, encouraging her grandmother to follow her heart (and Charlotte was desperately trying not to listen to the conversation on her ear piece) was even more amazing, and her grandmother was nearly in tears when the conversation was over.

"Did you hear that?" she asked Charlotte.

"Not if you didn't want me to," Charlotte said bravely, but the Queen wasn't fooled as she laughed, suddenly looking radiant, younger than ever.

"Oh, Charlotte…."

Ten minutes later, Joseph and his Queen were married and the radiant expression on the Queen's face was worth everything to Charlotte- after the pain of the last few days, as well as the difficult years since the King's death (and even the difficult years while he was alive), it was wonderful to see Her Majesty looking so free and happy… Joseph was less effusive with his emotions, but as they passed Charlotte and Scott (who had given Charlotte a significant look) arm in arm, Charlotte could see the happiness shining out of his eyes and his expression.

"Well, it looks like the Princess managed to sort out the problem," Scott said to Charlotte in an aside as they followed the newlyweds out of the main area of the church- there was still the signing of the wedding certificate, and they were to be additional witnesses after the Prime Minister and the Princess. "I never would have thought of that."

"Of course you wouldn't have," Charlotte teased in a low voice. "But neither would have I," she admitted. "It was very romantic, though."

"Romance, eugh," he sounded disgusted and Charlotte chuckled at his words.

0

The reception went off very well- even though there was a different bride and groom celebrating their marriage- and while the guests has been surprised at the sudden change in the wedding ceremony at the church, they had recovered enough to surround the newlyweds and pass on their congratulations and best wishes.

"They look happy," Prince Pierre said as he stood next to Charlotte. "I don't think Joe expected all these congratulations- he looks a little overwhelmed."

"I honestly don't think he really cares about the congratulations… he is just too happy to really absorb anything."

"Mother looks just as radiant… I don't think I have ever seen her as happy as she is today… and she looks beautiful," Pierre said softly, watching his mother in awe. "I hope they will be very happy together."

"I think… I know they will be."

She had her own duties to fulfil during the reception, but Charlotte had plenty of time to observe the newlyweds, and she found that she couldn't take her eyes off them- now that they were able to be together, they were making up for lost time.

They barely left each other's sides- if the Queen moved away to talk to a guest, Joseph followed her; and if Joseph was talking to one of his security men (even as a newlywed, he was concerned about the security detail and what they were doing), his wife was at his side, smiling radiantly around the room at times but keeping her eyes firmly on her husband.

She flatly refused to dance with any other members of parliament aside from Sebastian, and they spent most of the evening on the dance floor, so Mia happily stepped up to dance with the members of parliament and she looked just as beautiful as her grandmother.

"I think she's definitely ready to become Queen," Pierre said to Charlotte in a low voice as the evening wound down and guests began to leave- the bride and groom themselves had snuck out much earlier in the evening and thankfully no one had noticed.

"She is…and she's going to be a fantastic Queen."

"At least she's not married," he added, shooting a slightly disapproving glance at some of the members of parliament. "That's a ridiculous law and I'm glad that she has gotten rid of it."

"As am I," Charlotte said softly.

"So," he turned to look at her. "What's next for you?

"What do you mean? I have to oversee the cleaning up, and then preparing for the coronation…"

"No, after that. Now that my mother is married and about to step down from the throne, she won't need you as a personal assistant anymore."

"I… I don't know…" Charlotte hadn't thought of that- she has been primarily focused to the wedding and then trying to get Joseph and Clarisse back together- but now that Pierre had brought it up, she had no idea what she was going to do….

"I didn't mean to worry you or anything, but…."

"No, it's something that I need to think about… I'm quite sure that Princess Mia will want her own team in place…"

"You never know, she might want you…."

"No, it's right that she has own personal assistant…."

"Have you thought about parliament?"

"Parliament?"

"Become a member of parliament… there will be a few that will retire very soon and I'm sure that my niece will be looking for appropriate replacements- and I think you would be a good choice. Just a suggestion, that's all."

0

"So, are you looking forward to being the new Head of Security for the new Queen?" Charlotte teased and Scott sighed.

"Honestly… I had been hoping for another couple of years but…"

"You can hardly expect Joe to keep working now that he's a married man."

"He did get a very nice severance package," Scott mused. "There are benefits to being retired…."

"Yes, I think so… and I'm very glad that we don't have to try and get them to work it out."

"Well, I'm sure we would have done alright…"

"What would you have suggested we have done?" Charlotte teased.

"Lock them in Her Majesty's study until they sorted themselves out," he shrugged lightly.

"I would have liked to see you try," Charlotte teased and Scott laughed along with her, before a companionable silence fell between them.

"So… the coronation," he said finally.

"The coronation," she repeated.

"Another historical moment."

"Yes, it is… are you ready?"

"Yes… are you?"

"Of course."

"Here's to the new Queen," he toasted his glass towards hers and she clinked her glass against his.

"And Mr and Mrs Bonnell."

"To Mr and Mrs Bonnell."