Author's Note: Surprise! I've managed to get another chapter up in less than a week!

Thank you to all my loyal readers- fantasyinmymind, Clarisse Renaldi, tabby-fanny, adda edwards, poppinswannabe, reddie09 and whoever else reads it...you all rock!

I am not a doctor, so any medical conditions or terms in here could be wrong.... I guess I've watched too many medical dramas!

The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me at all!

Despite Joseph's secret hopes that Mia had listened to him at all, when Mia didn't call a few days later, he began wondering if she actually had listened to him at all. He didn't say anything to Clarisse, but he could see that she was depressed, clearly suffering (although she tried to remain upbeat) and, apart from his own anger and disappointment, he was worried about her. She didn't speak about it much, trying to keep things normal, but he could tell that she was still upset and hurt by Mia's words, a fact which was confirmed when, a week after it happened, he could hear her quietly sob in the middle of the night.

"Are you alright?" he murmured, shifting closer to her in bed.

"I...I'm fine,"she finally replied, her throat thick with tears as she kept her back to him. She knew Joseph was worried about her, despite the facade she was trying to maintain, but she wasn't yet ready to admit how devastated she was, although she suspected Joseph, knowing her as well as he did, knew anyway. She missed Mia greatly, and wished their talk hadn't turned into such a disaster, but she knew that Mia, like herself, needed time to cool off in her own time...

She also had considered the fact that maybe it was a good thing for the two of them to have some space- Mia would have a chance to think about what she had said and, maybe, realise how harsh she had been... still, it hurt that Mia wasn't speaking to her... it reminded her of Pierre, and she very much hoped that that situation wasn't going to be repeated.

"I was just thinking..." she continued after a moment as Joseph rubbed her back gently and soothingly.

"About Mia?" he asked quietly, not wanting to push but also sensing an opportunity for her to open up. She had always had a tendency to shut down when things became too emotional or painful, and bottle up her emotions, but he wasn't going to allow her to do it this time- she had to talk.

"Of course I am," she almost snapped as she sat up and turned over, switching on a light as she went as Joseph did the same, and took her hand in his. "I just can't believe that this has happened- she has never not spoken to me for a week since... since..."

She stopped short, abruptly recalling that, before Mia was fifteen, they hadn't been in regular contact- a point that was still very sensitive to Clarisse.

"Is she punishing me for what her parents and I agreed upon when she was a baby?"

Joseph sighed, hating the fact that Clarisse could still remember that time- when Phillipe and Helen had split up, Mia had only been a year old as, according to Helen's wishes, Phillipe and Clarisse (Rupert, enraged at the thought of the first royal divorce, had pointedly remained out of the loop) had agreed, albeit reluctantly, to remain out of Mia's life until her eighteenth birthday, something that hadn't sat well with either of them.

"She is my only granddaughter and, apart from the occasional gift I'm 'allowed' to send, I cannot see her for seventeen years!" Clarisse had cried to Joseph when the news became official, although Joseph had known about it long before and had been her sympathetic sounding board. "Still, if she wants the child to have a normal life, I can't blame her..."

Goodness knows she knew that a royal life for young children wasn't the life she would have chosen for her sons, but....

Just over twenty two years later, Joseph still remembered that anguished cry as he considered Clarisse's question.

"I don't think that has anything to do with Mia's anger- I think she feels betrayed that you didn't tell her beforehand," he said fairly, although he also thought that she had been badly behaved even if she thought she had a justifiable reason.

"I wanted to tell her a long time ago, but I never wanted her to know until I though she was ready- obviously, given her reaction, I should have told her sooner."

"I don't think so- obviously, you should have given her a couple more years of growing up before telling her... I was wrong trying to push you into telling her, and I'm disappointed in her, but you did do the right thing..."

"She's still very young..."

"That's no excuse- when you were her age, you were struggling with a tumultuous marriage, a difficult second pregnancy, a young child, a country..."

"Stop making excuses for me..."

"Only if you stop making excuses for her- she acted very childishly when you opened up to her, and she's still acting like one now, not calling to apologise."

"Maybe she needs some space,"Clarisse protested weakly although she was secretly relieved that Mia hadn't called, even though she knew Mia would want to speak to her again about Rupert. "In some ways, she's just like me..."

"But you've never deliberately, cruelly shut someone out of your life..."

"I have shut people out sometimes."

"As a defence mechanism...but you're both hurting, so maybe space is a good thing for both of you... it will work out in the end," he said confidently. "But I am proud of you for what you did- it couldn't have been easy to remember any of that again," he said honestly.

"It wasn't," Clarisse admitted quietly, her eyes a little distant as she recalled the genuine pain and anguish she had felt during those times, and it had returned again when she retold it to Mia, and she never wanted it to resurface again- she had moved on with her life. "I can tell you, though, I don't ever want to remember those times again" she leant against him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her over to kiss her on the top of her head.

"You won't ever have to relive it again for me, my love... Remember, I was there, and I definitely don't want you to relive it again and again..."

"Still..."Clarisse began falteringly, a little nervous about opening up her heart, but Joseph had always understood her- they really were soul mates. "Still... it hurts that she doesn't even want to speak to me... I feel like I may have lost her..." she sounded sad now, and Joseph felt sad on her behalf.

"I know it hurts, sweetheart, but I KNOW it will get better- if Mia is as much like you and Phillipe as I think she is, everything will be back to normal by your birthday... and you haven't lost her," he added reassuringly, wrapping his other arm around her and nuzzled her ear and neck gently, his goatee tickling her, and she chuckled softly. "You haven't, and you never will... just like you'll never lose me!"

There was a slight pause before Clarisse turned to look at him, a small, mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"I was just thinking about that errand you had to do downstairs last week... did that have anything to do with a phone call?"

"How did you know?" Joseph was surprised as Clarisse gave him a small smile.

"You know that annoying trait where you know everything I'm thinking and feeling? Well... I have the same trait with you, and I suspected you might do as much... so, did you managed to talk to Mia?"

"Yes, eventually... the second time, after she hung up on me the first time."

He still wasn't impressed over that, but he wasn't going to divulge that to Clarisse.

"She didn't?" Clarisse sounded horrified. "She hung up on you?"

"Yes, but I got through to her in the end... I hope you don't mind that I did, do you? I didn't want you to think that I'm interfering..." he sounded unusually hesitant but Clarisse felt a strong surge of love course through her.

"You weren't interfering, but thank you sweetheart- it was really a very sweet thing to do, and I really appreciate it," she said, before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. She sighed then, her thoughts again turning back to Mia and their confrontation, as they had been for the past week.

"Stop thinking about it," he murmured into her ear. "Just leave her be- she'll come round eventually."

"I do hope so," she replied softly, snuggling up to him and hoping that he was right....

00000

Almost two weeks later, Clarisse's birthday came and went with still no contact from Mia, although she and Nicholas had sent a beautiful flower arrangement and a new handbag. Clarisse maintained a brave face about it all, determined to leave her alone, but Joseph knew the truth- she was still hurt- while he was beyond annoyed, very seriously tempted to call her again, this time with much sharper words.

"I'm really, really sorry about this, darling," he said apologetically as the day progressed and while there were calls from Joseph's family, James, Charlie and other friends including Charlotte, Sebastian and Sheila, there was a stony silence from her granddaughter.

"It doesn't matter," Clarisse said flippantly, hiding her feelings. "Besides, it's about time I stopped letting people walk all over me," she added defiantly, having thought about it quite a lot.

"You've never let anyone do that to you, but I'm glad you've realised it again... and it'll give Mia something else to think about."

"She..."Clarisse began before she interrupted herself with a chain of sneezes- she had caught a cold a few days ago, and it seemed to be getting heavier by the day, much to Joseph's concern. He had already decided that he was going to insist that she go to the doctor if she didn't improve, particularly as she also seemed to be developing a cough.

"What was I saying?" she asked when she finally stopped sneezing.

"Nothing... but I think you should go to the doctor tomorrow and get some antibiotics," he said firmly as she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"I'm fine- it's just a cold! I can still do everything!" she protested stubbornly.

"Which you shouldn't be doing at the moment," Joseph retorted, about to say more before the phone interrupted his train of thought. To his surprise, the caller was Pierre.

"I'm sorry I haven't been in touch, but I thought I'd give Mother a call on her birthday," he trailed off questioningly, and Joseph suddenly felt grateful he had called. Clarisse too was surprised when she heard his voice, but Joseph was pleased to note that her face lit up slightly as they chatted for ten minutes- maybe the cold was was finally over...

However, he wasn't expecting to talk to Pierre again, but when she passed the phone back to him, it was clear that Pierre wanted to speak to him again.

"Can you step out of the room?" Pierre asked mysteriously when Joseph was back on the line.

"What's going on?" he asked, slightly bewildered, after he stepped into the kitchen, Clarisse comfortably ensconced on the couch, watching one of her favourite films.

"Is Mother alright? She didn't seem her usual bright self today."

"She's got a bad cold at the moment, but..."he paused, wondering if he should say anything, before he decided to tell him. "She and Mia had a massive argument a few weeks back, and Mia hasn't spoken to us since."

"Actually, that's the other reason I called- Mia rang a few days ago, very angry and upset and continually saying something about Mother being a pathological liar..."

"Oh dear," Joseph groaned- he hadn't thought that Mia would be angry enough at Clarisse to contact her estranged uncle. "The thing is, Clarisse wanted to tell Mia about Phillipe and your father, just so she could understand her a little better..."

"But Amelia overreacted- sounds like a typical Renaldi," Pierre finished with a deprecating laugh, sounding oddly at ease with Joseph.

"Just like your mother at times," Joseph joked in response before sobering up as he thought of something else.

"Pierre..." he began hesitantly. "I know you and your mother don't see eye to eye, but I was wondering if...if Mia calls you again, you could mention what you told Clarisse when you were in hospital..."

"Of course," Pierre said solemnly. "I can tell her about that... maybe it will help," he added calmly, knowing how important Mia was to Clarisse.

'000

Joseph called the doctor the following day, much to Clarisse's annoyance, who prescribed antibiotics and bed rest for a couple of days, as well as hot showers and steamings- things she had already been trying.

"Thank you very much for that," she scowled at him when the doctor left. "I was starting to recover from it by myself!"

"Hmm," Joseph looked and sounded sceptical- the cold may have started to clear up, but she now had a very heavy cough and he suspected that she had bronchitis, even though the doctor never said anything about it.

"You tried to fight it yourself, but you still seemed to be getting worse, so this was the best thing to do," he sat down and patted her blanket covered legs. "So, young lady, I'm your nurse for the next few days, so you had better do as you're told!"

"Yes sir!"she mock saluted him with a grin, but her smile wasn't as bright as it usually was, indicating that she wasn't really well, despite her protestations to the contrary.

"I suppose you'll be sending me to bed early, like a child," she sighed heavily, pretending to look displeased, but secretly she was relieved- she felt far worse than she was letting on, and the thought of several days bed rest was extremely appealing. She wondered why this cold had hit her so hard, when she usually bounced back from infections very quickly, but the last month or so had been fairly dramatic... she only hoped that her now healed chest hadn't suddenly exposed her to more chest infections.

"Of course," Joseph suddenly brought her back from her daydream, and she looked momentarily confused, wondering what Joseph was talking about, before she remembered. "I WILL be sending you to bed much earlier than I... although you will be in bed already!"

Clarisse slept most of the day, and Joseph was secretly relieved, hoping that the strong antibiotics were already taking effect. He hated to wake her up at dinnertime, but he also knew that she needed to eat to have her medication.

"How long have I been asleep?" she sounded very blocked up as she dazedly looked around, white as a ghost, before Joseph helped her to sit up against her pillows.

"Most of the afternoon, but you needed the rest- are you hungry?"

"Not really, but I suppose I had better have something..." before she started coughing for a moment, a hand on her chest. "That really hurts."

"Hopefully the antibiotics are already working," he said sympathetically before placing her tray of food in front of her.

"You should have been a doctor instead of my Head of Security," she said cheekily, although she found it dear that he was so solicitous- he had always been like that, and she loved it.

"But if I had done that, I wouldn't have met you," he leaned over and stroked her cheek gently, before standing up again.

"Where are you going?" she inquired, nibbling on a piece of toast and looking vulnerable.

"I'll be back in an instant- my dinner is downstairs....and, despite my many good features, I cannot carry two trays at a time!"

0

After managing to eat some dinner, and have a quick shower, Clarisse settled down again for the night, but Joseph stayed up for a while, watching TV on the television in their room and occasionally glancing over when Clarisse, restless, kept coughing- a deep, hacking cough that caused her to softly whimper at times, and Joseph to watch her carefully.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" he asked worriedly as, at about nine o'clock, she slowly sat up, still coughing but now almost in tears as she sipped a glass of water.

""I don't know... I can't stop coughing, and it's hurting..."she sounded a little wheezy now and, after a close examination of her, he climbed out of bed and reached for his phone. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to call the boys, get them to bring the car around- you, my lady, are going to hospital."

Clarisse wanted to protest, tell him she was fine, but she secretly knew that she couldn't argue- she needed further medical attention- before she sighed and climbed slowly out of bed, reaching for her clothes and coughing sporadically.

Joseph was definitely glad he wasn't driving as he helped his wife into the car and, after a few instructions, slipped into the car next to her- he would have driven himself crazy with worry. As it was, he was almost frantic about Clarisse, who was leaning heavily on him and wheezing as they made the twenty minute drive to their local town.

"I'm scared," she admitted in a small voice and his arm, which was already resting around her shoulders, tightened.

"You don't have to be- I'm going to be with you the whole time..."

At the hospital, a waiting nurse and wheelchair whisked Clarisse off for tests while Joseph was waylaid by paperwork. Once he had finished, Clarisse was still having tests somewhere, so he contented himself by pacing the waiting room, pausing only to make a phone call- he was so terrified he was going to lose Clarisse, he didn't want to be alone...

Less than twenty minutes later, Sebastian and Sheila, slightly rumpled but wide awake, strode into the waiting room- by sheer luck, they had been at their country estate, only ten fifteen minutes away.

"Thank you for coming," Joseph said hoarsely, standing up to greet them- apart from Charlotte and Scott, the Motez's were as good as their best friends.

"We don't mind," Sebastian said mildly as Sheila went in search of coffee. "We have known you and Clarisse forever, both as singles and a couple," he grinned furtively at Joseph, and he couldn't help but chuckle in response.

"True..."

"How is she? Have you heard anything?"

"No... she's been sick for the past two weeks, and tonight... well, I though it would better to bring her here... she's still having tests, but I hope..." he trailed off, not able to bear the thought of losing Clarisse- they had only been 'legally' together for two years...

It was half an hour later (although it seemed like hours to Joseph) when the doctor stepped into the waiting room, Joseph standing up immediately.

"How is she?"

""Your wife is going to be fine- she has a bad case of bronchitis as well as a touch of asthma, but we've given her a different course of antibiotics, which are fast acting. We're going to keep her in overnight, just for observation, but she'll be fine to go home tomorrow... but she is going to need another few days bed rest."

"Thank goodness," Joseph almost collapsed with relief. "Can I see her?"

"Of course, she wants to see you too," the doctor smiled. "I've also had the nurses set up a bed for you in her room as well...."

After bidding Sebastian and Sheila goodnight (they insisted Clarisse needed her rest), he followed the doctor to her private room, and he waved him in with a smile.

Clarisse was sitting up in bed, an oxygen mask on her face, but she quickly removed it and smiled at him, although she was still white, but coughing much less.

"Thank goodness you're alright," he mumbled, hurrying over to take her hand and squeeze it tightly before kissing her.

"I'm sorry I worried you," she replied softly as he stroked her hair with his free hand. "I've never been so scared in my life..." and she had felt so alone as she had undergone her tests, missing Joseph yet feeling guilty- it hadn't been particularly fair to worry him unnecessarily but she had understimated how sick she had really been.

"Hey, it's all part and parcel of marriage," he said lightly before becoming serious and sitting down on the edge of the hospital bed. "But... if you get even the faintest hint of an approaching cold, you are going to the doctor straight away... you gave me quite a shock tonight... do you promise?"

"I promise," she smiled weakly, leaning forward to briefly touch his cheek. "I am sorry..."

"You don't need to apologise for getting sick."

"I hope no one finds out about this..."

"Hopefully no one will, but I am going to have to call Mia,"he said seriously, and she nodded. "I'll do that as soon as you go to sleep."

"Can you stay with me tonight?" she suddenly looked even more vulnerable, and he chuckled.

"Yes, wild horses wouldn't drag me away from here, and … see, there already is a bed in here for me... But now, my darling wife, you need to get some sleep..."

"Maybe," Clarisse said a little sleepily as she settled back into bed- they had given her a mild sedative to help her sleep, and it was starting to take affect, although she had fought it long enough so she could see her husband.

"Maybe I'll let you be in charge for a few extra days," she added in a softer tone as her eyes closed and he chuckled as he set her hand down, and leaned over to kiss her gently on her forehead.

"Sounds like a good idea to me, sweetheart," he joked before tiptoeing out of the room and went downstairs to call Mia. She hadn't spoken to either of them for nearly three weeks and Joseph wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he also knew she deserved to know about Clarisse.

This time, unlike last time, Mia answered with a calm "Hello Joe, what can I do for you?"

"Hello Mia," he replied, startled by how calm she seemed. "We haven't heard from you in a while..."

"I've been busy," Mia's voice suddenly turned icy, but Joseph ignored it as he decided to leap in with the news.

"Good... anyway, I just called to let you know that your grandmother is in hospital..."

There was a short pause on the other end of the line, before...

"WHAT?" Mia almost shrieked, all pretence dropped as she sounded panicky. "Why didn't you call me before? How is she? How long has she been in there?"

"She was admitted this evening... she's had a bad cold for the past fortnight and tonight was a very bad night, but she has bronchitis and a touch of asthma... but she's only in overnight..."

"Oh..." Mia said, relief in her voice. "Can I talk to her now?"

"She's asleep at the moment, but a visit from you in the next week might help," he said pointedly, unusually sharp for him, but he was still annoyed at her as well as his own worry about Clarisse.

"Alright... Joe, I," she began, but Joseph, tired from worry and the past few hours, didn't want to hear it.

"Tonight is not the best night for talking, but I will give you a call in the morning just to let you know how she is."

"Thank you," she responded quietly before Joseph hung up.

Clarisse was still deeply asleep when he returned to the room, and he stood and watched her sleep for a moment, grateful that she was alright. Charlie's illness had made them both realise how fragile life was, but this evening had thrown it into sharp relief as he knew didn't want to lose Clarisse, and would look after her for the rest of their lives... as he had promised on their wedding day.... although, to tell the truth, he had made that promise many years before....