Author's Note: I know it's been yet another long time since I updated, and again I'm sorry, but I should be more regular this time (hopefully)

Thanks to all my loyal readers!

The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me

Before they knew it, their week long stay in LA had come to an end and Annie was dropping them off at the airport.

"Next time you visit, we'll have to go to Las Vegas and do some gambling!" Annie laughed as they made their way to the departure gate, paparazzi and bodyguards trailing behind them and Joseph laughed in response.

"Gambling in Las Vegas? I'd like to see Clarisse at the tables!"he joked, giving his wife a teasing grin. "Or even Lynn!"

"I didn't mean they would be- I thought it would be perfect for you two!"

"Maybe not such a good idea," Lynn intercepted as she embraced her youngest daughter. "We might have a little trouble dragging them away once they get started!"

The three women laughed at the joke as the two brothers pretended to look insulted before BJ decided to defend himself and Joseph.

"We are NOT that bad! Besides," he mock frowned at Lynn. "You're very lucky that I'm going to let you fly on Genovia 1!"

"She doesn't need your permission," Annie quickly retorted. "It's up to Clarisse- after all, it's her plane, and it was her idea to fly back on it."

"Not exactly," Clarisse admitted with a smile- although she had initially planned on returning to Genovia the way they had came, she had also found the stopovers and changing planes tiring, so Joseph had arranged for Genovia 1 to meet them in New York- much to BJ's delight.

"I was wondering why we were flying commercial when you have the royal plane at your disposal," he commented as they waited for the two older women to finish saying goodbye to Annie.

"Clarisse was in one of her independent moods when she decided that," Joseph said with a grin. "But, since she had never flown commercial before, and always wanting to something different..." BJ chuckled along with him.

"Considering the sheltered existence she had as Queen, she really should do different things," BJ replied before stopping short as Lynn and Clarisse joined them, ready to board the plane.

"Who should do different things?" Clarisse inquired as, after one last wave to Annie, they made their way through security.

"BJ should do different things now that he's retired," Joseph replied smoothly as, ahead of them, BJ turned and glared at them, but Clarisse already knew who they had been referring to.

"Aren't I adventurous enough for you?" she teased as, on the plane, she sat down next to Lynn, the men sitting ahead of them, and he grinned before bending down to murmur in her ear: "You're seem to be turning wild!"

Their plane's arrival in New York was delayed by over an hour due to an electrical storm, but Genovia 1 was already waiting when they arrived, and BJ didn't hesitate to accept a drink from a waiting stewardess and make himself comfortable in one of the chairs, completely unfazed by the others laughing at him.

"This IS the life," he sighed happily as the others found their seats. "Joseph, I don't know how you managed to cope with this lifestyle!" he added semi sarcastically. "It must have been a real, real hardship for you, little brother!"

"You sounded exactly like Scott just then!" Joseph grinned as Clarisse sat down next to him. "Do I detect a note of envy in your voice?"

"No," BJ replied quickly, betraying an obvious note of envy. "Still..."he was about to go one before Lynn hushed him as the stewardess announced that the pilot was ready to take off....

000

It was very late when Joseph, Clarisse and their little entourage finally landed in Genovia but, to no one's surprise, one of their usual black cars was waiting for them on the tarmac.

"Shall we stay at the palace tonight?" he inquired rhetorically when he helped her into the car, ready to inform their drivers of their plans, but he was surprised to see that she was shaking her head in the dim light.

"No, I want to go home... to the beach," she added for clarification, in case he hadn't understood, but he had.

"So, I'm not the only one who wants to do midnight dashes to the beach," he smiled understandingly before informing the drivers and hopping in beside her. "I can now see that flying by private plan does wonders for your energy levels,"he teased as the car pulled away. "Why the sudden eagerness to get home?"

"I suddenly remembered that there's an unused spa waiting for us..." she sounded coy in the darkness and he reached over and, rather haltingly considering that it was dark, kissed her on the cheek.

"Yes, I was beginning to wonder whether you remembered that I gave you that for our anniversary," he teased gently and she chuckled in response.

"I had," she replied just as teasingly. "But..." she trailed off meaningfully and he understood- after their accident, they had had other things on the mind, but now everything was fine again... "I guess I must be in one of my independent moods," she suddenly added slyly, and Joseph had the grace to chuckle sheepishly.

"I see you overheard our conversation," he said ruefully, and she chuckled along with him, amused rather than annoyed.

"After being Queen for so long, I've developed a keen sense of hearing, especially when people are criticising me (always amusing to hear), or worrying about me...."

"Funny- I developed the same skill, only... I seemed to hear only you...."

0

It was very early in the morning when they arrived at the beach house, but neither of them cared- Clarisse because she wanted to try the spa, Joseph because he loved seeing Clarisse so different, and, after they dismissed their obviously worn out bodyguards, they entered the dark house and disappeared into two different directions- Joseph upstairs to sort out the spa, and Clarisse to the kitchen to find them a snack.

When she entered the main suite, the light was on, and their luggage there, but there was no Joseph, and she wondered where he was before she heard the sounds of movement from the bathroom, and she wandered in to see Joseph standing by the spa, filling it with water and testing the different features.

"You're like a boy in a toy store," she teased, setting the tray with two cups and a teapot on the bathroom cabinet, and watching with a smile.

"Maybe so," he agreed, switching the taps off and turning to her with a responding smile. "But," he continued, pressing a button and the water began to bubble just like it had in London. "We are now all set, and I officially declare YOUR spa open."

"Wonderful," she beamed happily. "We might as well test it, then, hadn't we?" she gave him a sly look, and he laughed.

"It's four or so in the morning, we just flew in from England and really should be in bed, but this is organised, so... why not?"

"This is bliss," Clarisse sighed happily and she sank into the bubbling water a few minutes later as Joseph relaxed beside her. "I can't believe we didn't do this earlier!"

"I suspect you probably wouldn't have wanted or needed one at the palace!"

"No, I suppose not... although who said I didn't WANT one? It would have been lovely to sink into one after a day of meetings and ceremonial occasions- not only would it have been relaxing, but it would have helped my back... all that standing and walking..." she groaned at the memory."Besides," she continued with a sly smile in his direction. "Don't tell me you wouldn't have wanted something like this in your room?"

"Yes, it would have been nice- particularly after the times the Queen I worked for wanted to spend all her afternoons in her garden..." before sputtering slightly as she gently splashed some water at him.

"You didn't have to come!" she retorted easily, but they both knew those garden strolls were the only times they could be Clarisse and Joseph, not Queen and Head of Security, and be together.

"Maybe not,"Joseph agreed musingly,before there was a long pause as they enjoyed the spa- this really had been a good idea. After a moment, he looked at Clarisse thoughtfully- he had been rather surprised when she suddenly announced she was going to talk to Mia- he had wanted her to do it for a long time, but she also knew he couldn't have pushed her... she would have done it in her own time.

"By the way," he began hesitantly. "Where are you going to speak to Mia about... you know...."

"When they next come out,"Clarisse replied calmly, making it quite clear that she didn't want to talk about it, and Joseph got the hint, changing the subject.

"Shall we stay up to see the sun rise?"

"Mmm..."Clarisse murmured distractedly, her thoughts still occupied with Mia and what she was going to say... before she yawned. "Maybe not- I think all the travelling is finally catching up.... "

00000

As it turned out, Mia and Nicholas didn't come out for a couple of weeks, as they were both busy with functions and responsibilities and Clarisse was secretly relieved- she was still pondering about what she was going to say about Rupert... She was still concerned about how she would react- Mia was a very modern young woman. In the meantime, however, she kept busy with the garden and planning Sergio's garden- she already had a few ideas, and Sergio was delighted.

"Your wife is a very talented woman, Joseph old man!"

It was a few days after Joseph's birthday (which they spent quietly- the spa was one of their favourite destinations) when Mia called to let them know they were on their way, and Clarisse suddenly felt nervous.

"You'll be fine," she suddenly heard him say reassuringly, wrapping an arm around her waist and squeezing gently. "Mia's going to understand..."

""I hope so," she replied softly in a fretful voice.

Both Mia and Nicholas were very impressed by the state of the garden, with Mia joking:

"If you didn't have other plans, and were so happy being retired, you could have been a gardener!"

After the tour, Joseph looked meaningfully at Clarisse before offering to show Nicholas the new car- just the opening Clarisse needed.

"We might leave you to it- how about a walk on the beach?" she suggested to Mia, who happily agreed.

"You are so lucky, Grandma," Mia said as they strolled slowly down the beach, the cool September breeze only a whisper at that time of the day. "You really are living the dream- happily married to the love of your life, retired, living at the beach... although I have to admit that you deserve it!"

"Thank you, darling- that's very sweet, and it's very lovely hear..." before she guided her over to a nearby sand dune, very similar to the one she sat on with Joseph a month ago. "But I have an ulterior motive for this... I need to talk to you..."

"About what, Grandma?" Mia asked innocently, completely unaware of the inner turmoil Clarisse was going through.

"I know there's a lot you don't know about me..." she began hesitantly.

"I know you now, Clarisse, and that's what matters."

"Maybe so,"Clarisse smiled warmly before trying again. "But there is so much I've never told you about Joseph and I, how we became what we are now, your father... and your grandfather...."

"They may have been private or painful subjects for you,"Mia said calmly before she smiled slyly. "Can I ask you something about you and Joe?"

"It depends on what the question is..."

""Fair enough- well, I was wondering... you and Joe have been always seemed so close... where you two... intimate... before you got married?"

Mia was as red as a beetroot when she asked the question, and Clarisse was, at first, appalled by the question before she realised that Mia was genuinely interested, and it could be a way of leading into what she wanted to say.

"Once..." Clarisse said softly, looking out to sea. "It was one of the darkest times in my life- your father had just been buried, and I needed... I wanted to feel loved... it's a bittersweet memory for me, but Joseph was there, as he always was during that week..."

She stopped, not wishing to ad that she knew that one day, they would get married, and Mia tactfully changed the subject- she hadn't expected Clarisse to even answer the question.

"So, what else did you want to talk about?"

"How much do you know about Rupert?"

"Not much really," Mia looked thoughtful. "He was a good king, I've surmised that from what I read and heard about him, but you never liked to talk about him..."

"True- he was a good king, and I really don't like to talk about him, but I've been thinking that you should know a little more about him...."

"Why? He's been dead a long time, and Joe's my grandfather," Mia's brow furrowed- she was now officially confused at her grandmother's strange mood. "Why do I need to know about someone who's only a name to me?"

"It's not only about him, but you may also like to know that it also involves Joseph, and how we came to be where we are now..."

"Alright... so?"" Mia turned to look at her intently.

"So..." Clarisse took a deep, rather shaky breath in- this was incredibly hard. "He was unfaithful..."

"Rupert?" Mia said, only very slightly surprised.

""You don't seem very surprised."

"Well... you know that men in positions of power can seem to very charismatic, and I figure that Rupert was the same- not that it would have made it any easier on you...at least it was only the once."

Clarisse momentarily marvelled at how pragmatic and perceptive Mia was before she had to keep going.

"It wasn't just the once, Mia," she said softly. "It was more than once...it was repeated over and over for most of our married life."

There was a long silence before Mia said, in a slightly altered tone:

"Why did you stay with him, then? Why didn't you leave him?"

Clarisse sighed- she knew Mia would say that.

"I couldn't, Mia- we had a family together, but we were also King and Queen of Genovia-the stability of the country depended on us being stable..."

"But you weren't stable- if your husband was cheating on you, that's a pretty good sign that the marriage isn't all that," Mia replied bluntly, stunning Clarisse before Mia asked: "Is there anything else?"

"You may not understand why I stayed, and I didn't have a choice..."before she proceeded to tell her about several instances when he made her cry, through his treatment of her and especially when he had blamed her for Phillipe marrying Helen.

"He blamed you for Dad marrying my mother?" Mia cried in disbelief. "What kind of father was he? What kind of man was he? He sounded like a real jerk, and I'm really glad I didn't know him at all!"

"He wasn't all bad..."Clarisse tried to say more, tried to let her know that he had, in his own way, cared, but Mia suddenly turned on her, eyes full of anger.

"Don't you dare defend him, Grandma- honestly, I don't understand why you stayed with him... or, more importantly, why you didn't trust me enough to tell me this sooner!"

"I thought you were too young- I wanted to protect you from this...."

"The last time you 'protected' me, Grandmother, you ignored me for fifteen years! I'm not a child, and it's time you realised that!"

"Darling, I didn't mean it that way, or to hurt you... I just wanted to make sure that it was the right time... Joseph wanted..."

"Wait a minute," Mia interrupted her, raising a hand. "Joseph wanted you to do this? Didn't you want to do it at all yourself?"

"Yes, I did..."

"Does Joseph know all of what you've just told me?"

"Yes- he saw or heard most of it..." Mia's expression suddenly turned calculating, and more than a little sly.

"So, did you retaliate and have an affair with Joseph? It's now understandable how you two got together, then make it legal...."

"How can you say that?" Clarisse was aghast at how brutal Mia was being.

""Well, maybe you and Rupert were more alike that you imagined, and poor Joseph got caught up in your little game!"

"My dear girl, are you insinuating that I strung Joseph along?" Clarisse was sounding icy, but she was secretly crushed at Mia's reaction.

"Who knows?" Mia shrugged carelessly. "Maybe you do lie- maybe YOU didn't want my parents to stay married, maybe you didn't want me as Princess... I don't know you at all..."

"I'm sorry, I really did want you to know all this, to know me better..."

"Who know what you want anymore? But I do know that I can't trust you, and probably never will again... in fact, I think I hate you!" she cried angrily before storming off, leaving a devastated Clarisse in her wake.

Nicholas and Joseph were just returning from the garage, still talking about the car when they spied Mia storming around the side of the house, a thunderous expression on her face, and Joseph suddenly realised something had gone wrong.

"We're leaving, Nicholas,"she said angrily when she came into earshot. "We're have to go- NOW!" before she continued to storm ahead to the car.

"Where's your grandmother?" Joseph asked as he and a bewildered Nicholas followed her.

"Somewhere back there," she waved her hand vaguely in the direction of the beach before spinning around to look at Joseph, a pitying expression on her face.

"I feel sorry for you, Joe- I never thought Grandma would lie to me, but it seems she's been lying to protect me... goodness knows what she's told you- I don't know how you put up with her!" before climbing into the car and slamming the door behind her as Nicholas and Joseph exchanged a look.

Joseph watched them leave, Mia staring determinedly ahead, before she realised that Clarisse still hadn't returned from the beach, and he was about to head down when he saw her walk slowly around the side of the house, her head down, heading towards the front door, and he quickly joined her.

"Clarisse?" he began gently, almost hesitantly as he stepped into the house behind her. "What happened?" he asked before she headed towards the stairs. "Clarisse?"

"Could you please leave me alone for a while?" she asked quietly as she started up the stairs, and Joseph knew her well enough to know that when she asked to be left alone, she meant it. Still....

0

An hour later, after pottering quietly around the house while wondering what had happened between Mia and Clarisse, Joseph crept quietly into the bedroom and found Clarisse stretched out on the bed, an arm across her eyes.

"So?" he asked softly as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "What happened?"

"I should have told her sooner- you were right," she murmured under her breath, almost to herself.

"Clarisse, sweetheart, please tell me what happened?" Joseph repeated.

Clarisse sighed and sat up on a pillow- she wasn't crying, but her eyes were red and she still looked very upset.

"Well... it obviously didn't go very well, and it's not very pleasant..." she began before she slowly and painfully recounted the tale, almost in a dispassionate voice, but Joseph knew it was only a facade- she was deeply hurt. He frowned when she told him that Mia had accused her of using him to get revenge on Rupert- it sounded very irrational of Mia, and while he knew that it was probably a normal reaction, he was also disgusted at her behaviour.

"You were right," she looked at him with anguish in her eyes. "I should have told her about Rupert years ago... she hates me now," she added tearfully, and Joseph didn't hesitate to sit up against the headboard beside her, and put an arm around her shoulders as she rested her head against him.

"No, I was wrong- I never imagined that she would react like that..."

He didn't mention that some of Mia's accusations sounded similar to Pierre's on that awful night when Rupert was dying... He was aghast at Mia, and very sympathetic to Clarisse.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he said quietly, leaning over and pressing his lips to her forehead, before she turned to smile almost sadly at him.

"I'm going to have to leave her alone for a while, that's all- although I don't want to, but..." she trailed off, unable to complete her sentence- life without Mia would be equally as unbearable as life without Joseph...

She pondered that point for a moment, painfully aware that Mia and Joseph (as well his gang) were her only family (Pierre wasn't sure about it), before she looked at him with a shy smile.

"What?" he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I thought that, after pushing me to tell Mia about all of this for so long, that you were on Mia's side," she admitted and Joseph looked momentarily stunned before squeezing her shoulders tightly.

"I am very fond of Mia, and I do consider her my granddaughter, but I am always (and I do mean always) on your side- I am your husband, remember?" he nuzzled her neck affectionately, and she laughed weakly.

"Is that all that binds your loyalty to me?" she teased.

"Definitely not," he replied strongly- he was loyal to her because she was the best person he knew but, more importantly, because he loved her and she was, literally, the one person he would do anything for- he took his marriage views very seriously... he had promised to love, honour and cherish Clarisse, and he would, as well as protect her.

"I have an idea," he began hesitantly, now keen to help Clarisse relax. "I know you need to relax..."

"Oh?" Clarisse smiled at him, but it was a vacant, distracted smile. "What is it?"

Clarisse almost began to cry again when he lead her into the bathroom and turned the water on in the spa- he was so kind and caring... she was very, very lucky to have him.

"This is what you need," he rubbed her shoulder comfortingly and handed her a towel, before embracing her tightly, holding her close.

"Thank you," she smiled gratefully at him as she sank into the bubbling water as he sat on the edge and smile. "But why aren't you joining me?"

"I have to go and do something downstairs- but I will be back."

Downstairs, Joseph took a deep breath in as he held his phone in his hand- he had to be calm about this phone call, although he was exceptionally angry (although he would never let Clarisse know that), and Nicholas sounded very solemn when he picked up the phone.

"I would like to speak to Mia please," Joseph said calmly.

Mia, however, had other plans and she hung up as soon as she heard Joseph's voice. Annoyed, he tried again and, this time, he said: "Tell Amelia that if she does that again, I will not be pleased."

"Hello?" Mia, sounding sulky, finally came onto the line."I suppose you're calling to get up me... I suppose, since you've heard her side of the story, that you believe every word she said?"

"Of course I do- but I'm very disappointed in you..I thought you were more open minded than what you displayed this afternoon- your grandmother is very upset..."

"So am I," Mia burst in indignantly. "YOU may have seen it all, but why didn't you make her tell me before now?"

"You may know quite a lot about your grandmother, but you cannot push her into doing something- she does it in her own time. Besides, she was going to tell you when she felt that you were ready, which was a clear sign that she cares about you a lot."

"Whatever," Mia dismissed him. "Since you knew about it... do you believe it?"

"Of course, I saw it," Joseph said warningly. "You said some very dreadful things about and to her- she didn't have to tell you anything."

"Yeah, well now I wish she hadn't- is she trying to ease her conscience or something?"

Joseph sighed audibly, trying to control his temper.

"She did it because she loves you, and she wants to make your relationship better... But I'm very disappointed in you, and that's one emotion I never though I would associate with you, but I cannot believe the things you said to Clarisse... I'm not talking to you as her husband,but she is your grandmother, and she deserves a great deal more respect from you than what she was given this afternoon. You, Pierre and I are the only family she has left..."

"I'll see," Mia said finally, sounding slightly ashamed before saying goodbye abruptly and hanging up. Joseph sighed as he placed the phone on the bench and headed upstairs- it hadn't been the easiest of conversations but he was hopeful that the damage wasn't irreparable- Mia's absence from Clarisse's life permanently would, if not send over the edge, at least cripple her...

"Did you do what you had to do?" Clarisse was now much more relaxed as he entered the bathroom and again sat on the edge of the spa.

"Yes, and I told you I would be back," he leaned over and caressed her flushed and damp cheek gently.

"I know... but aren't you going to join me now?"

"Not today- today I'm willing to let you have the spa all to yourself," he teased, gently flicking some water at her, and she laughed, much to his relief.

"How big of you... so, what did you have to do downstairs?"

"Nothing much- I just called Scott to see if he could arrange a service for the car..."

It was the first time in two years he had lied to Clarisse, but he didn't want her to know he was interfering, or upset her again, and she seemed to believe him.

"Is there something wrong with the car?"

"No, it's just needs a service, and I'm not taking the garage to a public garage... no, the best option was to get Scott on the case," he joked as Clarisse smiled again and leaned back in the spa, to his relief. He was never going to tell Clarisse the truth about his disappearance downstairs, but he sincerely hoped that something he had said would get through to Mia....