Author's Note: this is the final chapter of this story…:( but, never fear, there is another installation coming up… yes, it's another sequel, but I'm going to work with it… I can be sure, however, that it's not going to be as long as the last two!
Thank you to all my readers for this story- Clarisse Renaldi, Captain Weirdo, addlogcon, tabby-fanny, LadyLuxembourg, VictoriaGrant, Poppinswannabe and anyone else who wants to read this story! You all rock!
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me at all!
Despite the big day, then the late night they had had, Joe and Clarisse were up early the next morning, eager and determined to visit Patrick, Julie and baby Sean in the hospital.
"It was a wonderful day yesterday," Clarisse sighed with a smile as she perused the 'wedding edition' of the newspaper over her cup of tea at breakfast. The press had managed to get quite a few pictures, despite having limited access to the church, but none to the palace.
"But," she yawned slightly. "I do have to agree with you- weddings are exhausting, even when we're only grandparents of the bride!" she laughed ruefully.
"I told you so," Joe smiled smugly at her from his side of the small table. "But it was fun as well… except for that crazy photographer who called us 'Grandma and Grandpa," he added, and Clarisse chuckled.
"I told you so," she mimicked him. "We'll just have to call and tell Mia about Julie… only, not now…"
"No, that mightn't be a good idea," Joe agreed, chuckling, as he switched on the television and, there again on television was extensive coverage of the wedding.
"We stayed away from everyone while we were on our honeymoon so, despite my secret desire to wake them up…" Clarisse chuckled at his impish smile. "Yes… we'll leave them alone."
He watched Elsie Kentworthy talk on the TV for a couple of minutes, before thinking of something else.
"By the way, was Elsie there yesterday?"
"I think so," Clarisse frowned thoughtfully. "I think I saw her in the back of the church, but I can't really remember, understandably… but she's usually fairly respectful at those types of events."
"It's just when she's outside those events that she can be very pushy and downright rude… and you can't say that it isn't true," Joe commented, and she laughed.
"Alright, I wasn't going to contradict you…" before she glanced at the clock on the mantle of the fireplace for the fourth time that morning.
"Why do you keep looking at the clock… am I boring you?"
"You've never bored me, my darling Joseph… although you have said things that were boring," and he laughed as she gave him a significant look. "I'm actually just wondering when hospital visiting hours are…"
"Probably the normal times- 10 to 12, 2 to 6… but I suppose you, as a former Queen, would be able to bypass all those rules… you really are dying to see the baby, aren't you?"
"Yes, and I know you are too," Clarisse retorted with a smile, before she thought of something. "Oh, I have to show you something I bought for the baby and Julie," before she disappeared into the bedroom, reappearing seconds later with a medium sized fluffy blue teddy bear, and a gift bag.
"The bear is cute," Joe commented as she sat down next to him, and handed him the bear. "How did you know it was going to be a boy?"
"I didn't- I just saw it, and had to buy it."
"You really are excited, aren't you?" he sounded amused, but was also touched as Clarisse blushed.
"Yes, I am… It sounds silly, but he's the little boy at the moment, and he reminds me so much of when Phillipe was born… Besides, that little boy is now my godson… It's funny," she chuckled, almost to herself. "I gained a grandson and a godson in one day…"
She paused, looking thoughtful, before deciding to admit something to him.
"I really was worried about Julie yesterday… I feel like Julie and I have a connection… she's almost like a daughter…" she looked away, embarrassed, before Joe gently touched her hand and she looked at him, a little shyly.
"I know- I noticed the connection between you and Jules last time we were together, especially when Julie asked you to be godmother, and I know you're fond of Annie as well, crazy girl that she is… but, sometimes, the quiet ones can be the best…"
"Don't I know it- and I'm glad I realised it a long time ago with you," she smiled lovingly at him before leaning over and kissing him. He chuckled when they broke apart.
"Much as I like… no, love… this… I'm also wondering about what's in the bag…"
Clarisse smiled proudly before pulling out a blue sleep suit with feet… and the Genovian crest on the front.
"Wow…" he said, taking it from Clarisse and looking at the crest more clearly. "Why…" although he secretly though it was adorable.
"It's cute- in fact I've got two others, one light brown and one green- and I couldn't resist putting something a little special on them, just to let them know it's from us… it's not to much, is it?"
"No, I think it's great, and I know Julie will love it…" he trailed off as it was his turn to look at the clock. "So… are you going to blaze through the doctors and nurses to see the baby?" he teased, and she pretended to look annoyed.
"I'm not using my so called connections and title to try and get special privileges… although it is tempting," she mused, before sobering up, something else coming to mind. "I know we're not going back to the beach house for a few days, just until things settle down, but I'd also like to…"
"Go and visit Phillipe," Joseph finished the sentence for her. "Definitely. As soon as we go to the hospital."
000
Despite Clarisse's (and, secretly, Joe) eagerness to see Sean, it was well into hospital visiting hours when they arrived at the hospital.
Julie was in a private room, the rest of her family (excluding Ben and Carrie) crowded around her when they arrived.
"Oh, ho, ho!" BJ said loudly when he spotted them seconds later. "Here's little Sean's godmother, and the man who accompanied her, and who happens to be his great uncle!" as the rest of the family turned to greet them.
"Thank you," Joe said sarcastically as Clarisse quietly stepped up beside the bed, avoiding the small cot, to where Julie was sitting, cuddling a tiny, blue blanketed bundle.
"Congratulations, darling," Clarisse gently kissed Julie, and pressed Patrick's hand warmly, before looking down at the small bundle in Julie's arms. "He's beautiful," she said softly, reaching out and touching the tiny cheek. "And so small…" she added, almost to herself.
"Would you like to hold him?" Julie asked quietly.
"I would love to," Clarisse said immediately, happily, before turning hesitant. "But he looks rather sleepy."
"Nonsense, he's fine," Julie said briskly, sliding off the bed as Clarisse sank into the chair behind her, and Julie placed him in her arms. "He is handsome… I could do it again… actually, I want to…"
"He's only 12 hours old!" Annie protested. "You really are a sucker for punishment!"
Clarisse only smiled vaguely as she smiled down at the small warm child as he opened his eyes, stared at Clarisse for a moment, yawned and then wriggled slightly before settling down again.
"He's so cute," she murmured to herself as everyone else started to talk again, and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Joseph sit down into the chair beside her.
"He is," he whispered into her ear, and she smiled before she was surprised to feel a tear run down her cheek, and fall onto his blanket. Why was she crying? She wasn't unhappy in the slightest….She only hoped that no one had seen the tear…
"I can't wait to spoil the kid- he's going to be the first baby in our family to have a little drum kit and some bling by the time he's six months old!" Annie suddenly shouted, startling both Clarisse and little Sean, his little face starting to crumple as he whimpered, before Clarisse instinctively began rocking him gently.
"Annie!" everyone else chided her, but Clarisse smiled as he settled down again, his eyes closing again.
"Don't worry, he's fine…" before she turned to Joseph expectantly, but he shook his head, causing Annie to make chicken noises.
"I WILL hold him," he said, shooting a look at Annie. "Just not when he's so… new," he finished, and Annie burst out laughing.
"New? He's almost 12 hours old!"
"Don't worry, little brother," BJ leapt in. "Annie was very, very, very nervous when she first held him… in fact, I think I remember you not wanting to hold him because you were afraid you were going to drop him…"
"You didn't want to hold him at all!" Annie retorted with a cheeky smile, and BJ laughed as Julie changed the subject.
"So, Joe, why are you holding a blue teddy bear and gift bag? You look cute with the bear, but aren't you a little too old for it?"
"Oh!" Joe had forgotten about them- Clarisse had handed them to him when Julie gave her the baby. "Right… Clarisse bought them…" and he handed them to Julie.
"But they're from both of us," Clarisse added hastily.
"Thank you both… oh!" Julie cried delightedly as she pulled out the first of the 3 sleep suits, and held one up, instantly spying the Genovian crest on the front. "These are amazing… especially with the crest on them… wow… thank you…"
She looked over at Clarisse with wide eyes, before getting off the bed again, passing the suits to the nearest person, to kiss Clarisse and then Joe. "They really are gorgeous, and he's definitely going to be wearing one when we leave the hospital!"
"It was our pleasure," Clarisse smiled at Julie, before she looked down at the baby, who was beginning to squirm and whimper. "Uh oh, I think little Sean wants his mother…" and she handed him back, smiling at them fondly, causing Joe to say…
"By the way, if you're in Genovia, and ever need any babysitting, I'm sure Clarisse would be delighted to oblige!" he quipped cheekily, and everyone turned to laugh at him, including his wife.
00000
Half an hour later, they were in the car, with a driver this time, and heading north to the cemetery. Initially, it had bothered Joseph to be driven around, but it didn't bother him so much anymore, and this time he preferred it, particularly as Clarisse was usually drained after a visit to Phillipe's grave.
"He is beautiful," Clarisse sighed again, and Joe laughed.
"That's about the tenth time you've said that in a couple of hours… but yes, he's adorable," he added with a smile. "But… I'm glad for Jules and Patrick… shall I call you Sean's Fairy godmother?" he teased, and she laughed this time.
"It definitely sounds better than Her Majesty, but not quite as good as 'Mrs'… or maybe it does," she mused, and he laughed along with her.
"Did I see a tear before?" he asked quietly after a pause, and she looked confused for a moment- why was he talking about tears- before she realised… he had seen the isolated tear…
"It's nothing… I don't know why, unless… I was remembering when I was holding Phillipe after he was born…" she trailed off, looking out the window for a moment. "Or," she joked lightly. "Maybe he was so cute…"
She still had a lot of emotions and memories that needed to be dealt with, but it was time to let it all go- she was happily married, happily retired, and had a very supportive group of family and friends, including Joseph's family.
He laughed, doubtful of her joking, but decided to leave it- particularly once they arrived at the cemetery, when her face suddenly went still, but he also noticed that she didn't look as unhappy as she usually did, as these visits usually stirred up memories…
"I feel different this time, Joseph," she confided as he helped her out of the car, and he looked intrigued.
"Oh?"
"I know that he was there, in some form, yesterday, and approving of what had happened… Don't get me wrong, there's a pain that will never heal, but…it's not quite as unbearable as it used to be…"
"Are you starting to move on?" he inquired as they walked towards the grave- it was clear that Mia had visited only days earlier, as there was a bouquet of lilies on one side of the headstone.
"I must be… that, or Phillipe is making me move on… he always joked that, if he… before me… he would come back and either haunt me or, he would make me feel better… It sounds silly, I know…" she blushed, and he was quick to dissuade that notion.
"No, that does not… I can just imagine Phillipe coming back to haunt you… telling you to get a move on with me," he teased, and she blushed as she kneeled on the grass in front of the grave, and arranged the flowers. "But yes, I think he would also tell you that it's time to move on… miss him, as it's perfectly natural, but don't dwell on his accident…remember him the way he was…"
"Are you turning into a self help guru?" she turned and looked up at him with an amused smile. "You're certainly sounding very positive…."
"I guess I must be…"
He grinned, before becoming more serious as, looking down at Phillipe's headstone, remembering the two different funerals he had attended, both involving the woman in front of him, and remembered how different they had been….
******************
It was a warm spring April day, not quite the typical weather when the entire country was in mourning, and about to bury their beloved King after a long illness. The ceremony at the church had been long and arduous, with everyone important wanting to pay their respects to their beloved monarch, then the trip had been sombre, the streets of Pyrus lined with people to watch the cortege, and now the burial… the quiet cemetery, burial spot for the royal family and those considered 'loyal' enough to the family, was almost full of people wishing to pay their respects, or, more cynically, wishing to be seen at the funeral of a King, but Joseph wasn't paying any attention to any of them…
His position was a few metres behind the immediate family- the widow, her two boys standing on either side of her- and he had a good position of the Queen's stature… she hadn't bent her back at all that day, and he wasn't surprised- she had always been a woman who had kept her feelings on the inside, let out to only those she knew and trusted…
She and the King hadn't always had the best relationship- a friendship was more like it, and even that was strained at times,- but it was clear she was giving him the respect and dignity his title (but not necessarily the person) deserved as she farewelled him, along with their two sons, the former Crown Prince Pierre, and the new Crown Prince, Phillipe.
There was discreet weeping all around the cemetery as Archbishop James said the final farewell, but, walking around to keep an eye on the crowd, Joseph wasn't at all surprised that Clarisse wasn't one of them, as she stared down at the coffin through her dark, veiled covered hat. The boys looked sombre, but, as trained into them from birth, their emotions weren't clear to the uneducated eye either- Pierre looked stony, while Phillipe, his hand holding his mother's firmly, looked thoughtful as he watched the coffin descend into the ground…
Finally, however, the priest finished with his prayers, and walked over to the widow and her sons, pressing their hands, before disappearing into the crowd as the rest of the crowd began to disperse. Both Pierre and Phillipe stood back to see what their mother would do, but she obviously had told them she needed some time alone, as both of them walked away.
Joseph was unsure what to do, so he hovered around near the car until he heard her call:
"Joseph!" and he knew that she wanted him.
"Your Majesty," he said formally, standing in front of her as she walked away from the grave, heading towards the cars, but suddenly stopping in front of him.
"Please, Joseph," she said quietly, lifting the veil and looking at him. "That title is inappropriate today- I just need my friend."
Joe looked around himself furtively and, seeing no one there (all the guests had gone back to the palace), he unstiffened and gave her a warm glance.
"Clarisse… how are you?"
She gave a careless, indifferent shrug- and, the truth was, that was how she felt- the love had long gone out of their marriage, leaving only regret and some fondness, so… although she was sad about the way he had died, she wasn't devastated, feeling that it was the end of her life…
"I'm fine… honestly," she said when Joe looked at her doubtfully. "I do feel sad about how sick he was at the end, but… our marriage wasn't really a marriage at all… and now… once Phillipe becomes King next year, I'll be free… Free," she repeated the word, savouring the feeling of happiness it seemed to evoke. Free to do what she wanted, free to stay out of the public eye forever, free to be herself… free… free to love Joseph openly, not in the shadows.
"A lot of things are going to change now, Joseph," she declared, almost passionately, giving him an intense look, and he suddenly knew he meant their relationship. "Mark my words, Joseph, things are going to change- and I'm going to instigate it…"
000000
Almost a year later, Joseph was in the same spot, watching another funeral, only there were several major differences- the weather was miserable- cold, cloudy and close to rainy, very unusual for a Genovian spring, and the small group that was attending was huddled together in groups… except one person. Unlike Rupert's funeral, this burial was different- when it was planned, the person in charge made it quite clear that it was family and close friends only.
"It's not a celebration or an excuse to be seen by the press, for heaven's sake!"
So, according to their wishes, the funeral had been large, as befitting a Crown Prince, but the burial was quiet and private. The third difference was that the person they were burying was Phillipe, and Clarisse, his mother and still Queen of Genovia, was watching the same way as before, but she was alone (Pierre standing a few metres away), and Joseph could tell she was physically struggling to contain her emotions… this time, she was heartbroken.
After the funeral, the same Archbishop that had buried her husband walked over and pressed her hands warmly, and murmured some words of comfort. A few people made their way over to do the same, but they would all see her at the palace for the wake… and they sensed that she needed the time alone…
Finally, they were alone… just Clarisse and Joseph, and Joseph was again at a loss for what to do… they had been together almost all week, Joseph sticking to her side like Velcro, but now… she had just let go of her favourite son, and he didn't know what to or say…
He was about to walk back and wait by the car, give her some time alone, when…
"Joseph?" and he didn't hesitate to join her over by the graveside. She had removed her veil (and the sunglasses she had been wearing, although they hadn't been needed), and was staring down at the open grave…
"My son is there," she said softly and he nodded, still not sure what to say or do. "Have you ever met a parent that's had to bury their son?"
"I can't say that I have," he said awkwardly, wishing that it would stop sprinkling rain, but Clarisse seemed oblivious to it.
"I always thought it would be tragic to have to do it, but life goes on… I was so wrong… this is the worst thing I've ever had to endure…"
"I'm sorry," he said helplessly, and she finally came to and looked at him with red eyes.
"Why are you saying sorry? This isn't your fault."
"But it's happening to you, and I wish that it hadn't."
"So do I," her voice began to tremble slightly. "I wish that Phillipe was still here, ready to take his place as King, and act like a father to his daughter… but all that's gone… oh Joseph," she finally broke down, turning to him, crying. "What am I going to do now?"
"You don't need to think about that now," he said, stepping forward and pulling her into his arms as she began to sob into his shoulder. "At the moment, all you need to do is look after yourself, and I'll be right here with you, all the way…"
"Thank you Joseph," she pulled away and looked at him, tears streaming down her face. "I don't think I could do this without you…"
"You won't have to… ever," he said firmly.
**********************
"What are you thinking about now?" Clarisse suddenly broke into his thoughts, and he grinned sheepishly, suddenly discovering that Clarisse had stood up and was standing beside him.
"Nothing…" but she was still looking at him, a disbelieving smile on her face.
"I don't believe you… come on, what were you thinking about?"
"I was just thinking about the two times we were here when you had to bury…"
"A husband and a son within a year," the smile faded from her face for a moment as she recalled those two instances… The first time, she was sorry, but more indifferent, and the second time… heartbreak… before she shook off her mood and smiled at him.
"They were very hard times, I'll admit, but I can also recall that you were there as well… and that is something I will always be grateful for…"
She sighed down at the grave again.
"I still can't believe he's gone…. But, life goes on… I suppose…. But he'd think our year would have been hilarious…"
"Yes, moving out to the beach house…"
"Going shopping and renting DVD's…Introducing you to technology…"
"Sorting out a lover's quarrel between his daughter and her boyfriend…"
"Various birthday surprises… including you getting arrested!"
"Your Miss Independent streak…"
"When you got sick…"
"Confronting my darling niece and nephew, and then staying at a fabulous hotel…"
"Reuniting my granddaughter and her boyfriend who quickly became her fiancé…"
"A royal engagement and then payback…"
"Then the wedding… and Julie's lovely surprise…"
They looked at each other and grinned- yes, it had indeed been an interesting and jam packed year since their first wedding anniversary celebrations… Mia and Nicholas had still been dating then, and now they were married… before another thought struck him
"There is something else I've just realised…"
"What's that?" she turned to look at him with a smile as she wove her arms around his waist. "What's that, my darling husband?"
"I've just realised that we can no longer be counted as newlyweds… almost two years since we got married, there is now another newly married couple on the block…"
"Oh… that's right," Clarisse said, realisation dawning on her face. "We are not either… but," she added with a cheeky smile. "Can we still be called 'married'?"
"Yes, and don't you ever think of changing that status!" he growled playfully, and she giggled softly.
"Do you think we'll ever live a 'normal life?" Clarisse inquired with a smile as they walked back to the car hand in hand.
"I don't think so, darling… but, you have to admit that it's interesting this way…"
"Do you think we'll have some more interesting times this year?"
"I think so… and I don't think we'll have to make a bet on it!"
"I wonder what else is going to come our way?"
"We'll just have to wait and see, Mrs Bonnell, we'll just have to wait and see…"