tengland2: Sorry I forgot to tell you, she only spat it out because she doesn't like spicy foods ;)
ooOoo
A week or so later.
Clarisse and Joe arrive back from New York today.
So after dropping Olivia and James at school, Pierre came back and made sure the whole Palace was neat and ready, while Charlotte put some fresh flowers up in Clarisse's newly decorated suite.
After she was done she rushed down the stairs to grab something to put in the suite and saw Joe and Clarisse coming up the stairs to the front door, she went down two more then up three, down one then stopped as Clarisse came in and caught her.
"whats got into you?" Clarisse said with a laugh as Joe shut the door
Charlotte looked up the stairs then back down at them "nothing" she smiled while rushing down and over to her "welcome home" she smiled and hugged her
"um Charlotte" Clarisse started "whats going on?" she said as Charlotte pulled back
"nothing is going on Mom" exclaimed Pierre as he appeared at the top of the stairs with Lilly and Sofia
"your here" Clarisse said extending her arms as they made their way down "I have really missed you" Clarisse smiled while hugging Sofia
"I missed you too" she smiled as they parted
"and you" she said extending her arms and took Lilly from Pierre "I missed you too" she said hugging her
"what about me?" Pierre said while pulling a sad face, teasing her
"oh of course" Clarisse smiled while putting her free arm up and gave him half a hug "I missed you too" she kissed his cheek then stepped back "now then, is someone going to tell us whats going on?" she asked putting her arm down gripping Lilly's leg while still holding her
"well..." Sofia started "I had nothing to do with this till I got home" she smiled
"what?" Clarisse sighed "what's happened"
"it was all Olivia's idea, we just helped her put it together" Pierre said and watched Clarisse and Joe look at each other then back at them
"you need to wear these?" Sofia said pulling two blind folds from her pocket
"what?" Clarisse exclaimed while putting Lilly down "why?"
"cause we have a surprise" Sofia nodded as they all smiled at them
"I think you can wait and put them on when we get to the top of the stairs though" Pierre smiled "or you might go flying on the stairs and hurt yourself" he chuckled with Sofia
"thanks a lot" Clarisse gasped while feeling Joe's hand on her back
"oh did you have a nice time in new york though?" Sofia asked while taking her hand leading them up the stairs
"oh we had a marvelous time" Clarisse grinned "hardly left the suite" she smirked while looking down
"where did you stay?" Pierre asked then realized what she had just said "eww"
Clarisse laughed and looked at him "we stayed at the Plaza, had a lovely view over central park" she smiled "it was lovely"
When they reached the top of the stairs, they put the blind folds on then while Sofia guided Joe to the suite, Pierre guided Clarisse. Charlotte went ahead with Lilly and opened the door for them. Once inside they stood smiling and looked at Joe and Clarisse.
"now you can take them off" Sofia smiled and watched as they took the blind folds off
"what" Clarisse gasped spinning around "happened?" she said looking at them "is this my suite?" she looked at Pierre then Sofia as they both nodded "but..." she exclaimed while rushing into the bedroom then bathroom and came back out "its all new?"
"yeah" Sofia nodded
"we, well Olivia thought seeing though you and Joe was giving things another go and having a fresh start, that included your suite too" he smiled "everything's new, well except for your clothes of course"
"which I don't mind helping you sort out" Sofia smiled while linking arms with Clarisse
"oh I bet you wouldn't" Clarisse said looking at her then back at Pierre
"notice the family photos too" Pierre smiled while pointing to the wall while looking at Clarisse as she turned and looked
"I didn't actually" she walked over and stood looking at them with Joe "these are lovely" she turned and looked at Pierre and Sofia "where is Olivia anyway?"
"she's at school" Sofia smiled "she didn't want to be here when you saw this just in case you didn't like it" Sofia smirked
"well its a shock, I give her that" Clarisse nodded "but its lovely" she smiled and looked at Joe "our fresh start?"
"indeed" he smiled and kissed her
"by the way did you see the photo above your bed?" Sofia asked
"no" Clarisse shook her head "I was to caught up in checking the place to notice" she giggled as Joe put his hand on her back
"go and look" Sofia smiled and watched as they walked over and looked "its the one that Shades took for Dad, when we was all out on the horses" Sofia said standing behind Clarisse and put her arms around her waist "Dad leading the way, then you of course, Pierre, me then Olivia" she smiled as Clarisse put her hands on Sofia's "Shades had it done into black and white"
"it looks lovely" Clarisse nodded while looking at Pierre "remind me to thank him later on"
"will do" Pierre smiled
"and Mom" Sofia exclaimed as she turned her head to look at her "did you notice, you have a new bed? and it's moved" she laughed
"I did actually" she said patting her hands "oh what about the closet?" she asked stepping forward and looked at her
"go and have a look" Sofia smiled while Pierre put his arm around her shoulders
Clarisse went and had a look then came out a few minutes later with a smile on her face
"its so much bigger" she grinned
"yep" Sofia smiled "and Dad, we made a closet for you too" she smiled while pointing over to it "but we couldn't put any of your stuff in as none of it is here yet" she chuckled
"now what would you do if this between me and your father doesn't work out?" Clarisse asked while standing next to them
"well you will have an extra closet then, wouldn't you" Sofia smiled
"and knowing you, it wouldn't take long to fill it" Pierre laughed as Clarisse playfully slapped his arm "what... it's true" he laughed
"yes actually it is" Clarisse nodded with a laugh
"we even done the bathroom too" Pierre smiled and watched as she walked over and checked it out "we really hope you like it" he smiled as she came back out
"I love it" she smiled hugging him then Sofia "thank you" she smiled and hugged Lilly and Charlotte too
"aww the main person to thank is Olivia" Pierre smiled "she was so nervous that you wasn't going to like it"
"oh well she need not of worried" Clarisse smiled as Joe stood next to her "now all I need to do is sort out my closet and get some new clothes" she chuckled
"I can help with that" Sofia smiled as Clarisse put her hands up, cupping her cheeks
"so Joe" Pierre smiled at him "when are you moving in?" he smirked as Clarisse looked at Joe while putting her arms around his waist while standing to his side
"well that's up to your Mom" he looked at him then at Clarisse as he put his arm around her shoulder
"is this gonna be one of them gross me out moments?" Sofia exclaimed as Clarisse kissed Joe and Pierre laughed "eww it is" she put her hand up covering them from her view "I mean really aren't you sick of that yet, that's all you did when you was in New York" she said laughing and peeked at them "come on, stop it" Sofia exclaimed as Clarisse laughed
"and on the plane" Clarisse blushed while resting her head on Joes chest as both Pierre and Sofia stood shocked
"to much information" Sofia laughed "really though what's that like?" she smiled
"it was" Clarisse smiled while looking up at Joe "amazing" she grinned as he looked down at her and kissed her nose then she rested her head back on his chest
"anyway moving on..." Pierre nodded while looking at them "Joe, you didn't answer the question?" Pierre asked again
"as he stay's here every night anyway, I guess whenever he can get his stuff here" Clarisse smiled at them "he will official move in then" she smiled
"so basically then he's moved in, just not his stuff?" Sofia smiled as Clarisse nodded "Dad what are you waiting for?" they all laughed
"I am planning on going to get some stuff today actually" he nodded while resting the side of his jaw against the top of Clarisse's head
"good" Clarisse smiled and looked up at him "want some help?" she smiled
"if you like" he said not taking his eyes from her
"and on this note, we are outta here" Sofia exclaimed and rushed out the room with Charlotte and Pierre
After they had some breakfast, Joe left with Pierre, Shades and Greg to get his stuff from his place while Clarisse stayed behind and sorted out her closet with Sofia.
Just after 1pm Olivia came home and sneaked up to see Clarisse.
"hey Mom" she smiled from the door as Clarisse looked up
"hey darling" she smiled standing up as Olivia rushed over and hugged her "I heard all this was your idea?" she asked as they parted
"yes, please tell me you liked it?" Olivia whispered
"it was a shock, but we loved it" she smiled and hugged her
"I will leave you two alone for a bit" Sofia smiled while standing up and looked at Olivia with a small nod and left them to it
"thank you Livy" Clarisse smiled and stood back "help me fold these clothes up to put into bags ok" she smiled and knelt back down
"how come?" Olivia asked while kneeling next to her and grabbed a top
"because this is what I am giving to charity" she smiled at her "seeing though everything is new in here and the suite, I thought it only fair I go and buy new clothes too" she chuckled
"aww thats a good idea, can I come when you do?" Olivia smiled while folding a top
"of course" Clarisse smiled at her then carried on folding clothes and put them into piles
After a few minutes Olivia took a deep breath and looked at Clarisse.
"Mom" she said as Clarisse lent over grabbing some more clothes "can I talk to you about something?" she whispered
"of course" Clarisse nodded while looking at her then looked away and carried on folding clothes
"this isn't the easiest of things to talk about" she looked at her as she looked back "in fact it's rather embarrassing"
"ahh" Clarisse nodded and stopped what she was doing "one of those chats huh?" she asked while Olivia nodded "ok darling" Clarisse said while standing up and walked over to her closet door and locked it "you know that you can talk to me about anything you want to right?" she asked while kneeling back next to her
"of course, you always told us that as we grew up" Olivia nodded
"good" Clarisse nodded while patting Olivia's hand "I know your embarrassed but really there isn't any reason to be" she smiled trying to reassure her "now I did give you the birds and bees talk right?"
"yeah like years ago" Olivia nodded
"just checking" Clarisse smiled while moving and sat properly on the floor and crossed her legs "alright so what would you like to talk about?"
"well I haven't done it yet" she said looking at her as she sighed with relief
"thats good to hear" she said taking her hand "promise me you won't until you are at least 30 years old" she laughed as Olivia did "nah just kidding, if you feel the time is right then its up to you of course" Olivia smiled "do you have a boyfriend?" Olivia nodded "ahh I see, and your thinking about 'the' scary first time?"
"yeah" Olivia nodded "you said once and everyone tells me stories of it being painful, is it really that painful?" she questioned
"well the first time is, and some times a couple times after that it is for some people but after a while it doesn't hurt anymore" she shook her head as she spoke "now I know that your on the pill but please please please make sure you use protection too"
"of course Mom" Olivia exclaimed
"good girl" Clarisse nodded "now the thing you need to think about is, the first time is special even if it is painful so make sure your doing the right thing and its with the person you want it to be with"
"like you did with Daddy?" she asked
"yeah" she nodded "like that"
"if your first time wasn't with Daddy, would it of been Rupert?" she asked
"yes it would of been and that thought scared me so much" she answered "hence why I wanted it to be with your Father, because he was special to me all those years ago, he meant more than Rupert did and if anyone was going to be my first it HAD to be your Father" she smiled
"aww" Olivia smiled at her "was it special?"
"yes it was, it was very special" Clarisse smiled "in fact" Clarisse smirked to herself "our Wedding Anniversary was on 'that' anniversary" she smiled
"awww" Olivia smiled as Clarisse looked at her
They sat talking in the closet for over an hour, then finished when Joe and the rest came back. Olivia went back to her room while Clarisse and Joe unpacked some of his stuff then Clarisse headed downstairs leaving Joe to carry on.
When Joe had, had enough of unpacking he headed downstairs and stopped half way down when he saw Clarisse slipping on her long coat.
"and where do you think your going?" he asked as she looked up and he carried on down the stairs
"just to the village shop, why?" she smiled while looking down and done the last button up
"I hope you are taking a guard with you?" he asked while walking over to her
"oh I forgot that" she sighed "do you want to come with me?" she asked with a smile
"of course" he grabbed his jacket from her office and came back out "what are we going for anyway?" he asked slipping it on
"just a paper and maybe some sweets, I really fancy something sweet" she smiled while grabbing the big umbrella "best take this in case it rains" she smiled
"lets go" he smiled
As they headed of towards the main gates of the Palace, Olivia and Sofia stood watching them and couldn't help but smile when they saw Clarisse take hold of Joe's hand as they walked and locked fingers with him, and as they shared a kiss they both giggled and let them get on with it.
While walking down the country lane towards the village, they stopped a number of times to talk to people from the village and Clarisse's friends, even if it was raining they stood under the giant umbrella and still stopped to chat. Pleasing her people.
When they reached the road with the shop at the end of it, Clarisse noticed a woman walking on the other side of the road with two small girls. She stopped walking as the lady looked over at her, smiled then carried on into the house. Joe stopped and looked back to see why she had stopped then looked over to where she was looking.
"Clari" he asked while looking back at her "what's wrong" he said walking back to her
she looked at him "did you see that lady?" she asked
"what lady?" he asked looking to where she was looking then back at her
"with the two young girls?" she asked looking towards the house "they just went into that house" she said looking back at Joe
"No I didn't see them, sorry" he looked at her "why?"
"I don't know" she said looking at him and started walking again while looking down "there was something about her and the girls"
"maybe she reminded you of yourself when Olivia and Sofia we're young, maybe?" he said while putting his hand on her back
"maybe" she nodded and looked towards the house again as they walked past it
When they reached the shop they got what they needed then Clarisse stood talking to the shop keeper for a bit.
"ok Val, I shall see you soon" Clarisse called back while walking out the shop and put the umbrella back up
"you can talk can't you?" Joe asked while coming out and stood next to her "you look like Mary Poppins with that big thing" he chuckled while looking up at the umbrella "all thats missing is the bag" he smirked while looking back at her as she posed
holding the umbrella up a little higher with a smile "is that better?" she asked and looked at him as he stepped closer with a laugh
"much" he smiled and kissed her a couple times
Clarisse smiled "come on, lets go home" she smiled and took his hand again as people passed them with a smile Clarisse nodded and smiled back
"you have surprised me today" Joe whispered as they walked
"why?" she asked looking at him
"holding my hand and letting me kiss you in public" he said looking at her then looked ahead "you never liked doing that before" he smirked at her
"well" she smiled while stopping "its my new thing" she said kissing him a couple times then carried on walking with him "things do change you know" she giggled
"I know, I am just surprised thats all" he smiled
"what, don't you like the new me?" she asked
"oh believe me when I say I do" he laughed while putting his arm around her back, taking her hand with his "I love it in fact"
"good" she smiled and looked at him lovingly as he smiled at her "I love you"
"I love you too" he smiled as she kissed the corner of his mouth
"and all in public" he laughed while looking down and Clarisse smiled ahead
"yep" she giggled "oh by the way, talking about Love" she smiled as they carried on walking "our youngest has a boyfriend"
"what?" he said looking at her "she's not old enough"
"she is, silly" Clarisse chuckled "I was surprised when she came to talk to me about it earlier, she's the complete opposite to her sister" she said looking at Joe
"I know" Joe nodded and sighed while looking down "I can't believe how fast they've grown though" he said looking at her
"I know" Clarisse nodded "it feels like only yesterday I gave birth to them" she sighed "and one of them is already going to make us Grandparents"
"wait, Pierre has kids you know" he laughed
"I know that, but in reality they are, well actually they aren't at the moment but they was your step grandchildren" she said looking at him "where as Sofia and Olivia are ours together"
"I get you" Joe nodded and smirked at her "what do you mean at the moment?" he asked
"nothing" she smiled
"does that mean maybe one day they might be again?" he asked teasing her
"I don't know, maybe" she couldn't help but smile
"oh I will take that as a yes then" he smirked at her
"its neither a yes or a no" she smirked "I am thinking about it"
"yes" he exclaimed as she laughed
"come on, lets get home I am getting cold" Clarisse laughed
They headed back to the Palace, where Joe left Clarisse in her office, going through some mail that had been delivered over the last week.
"come in" Clarisse said while looking towards the door as Shades came in
"you wanted to see me?" he asked while shutting the door up
she watched him walk over "yes I need you to check something out for me? without Joe knowing" she said writing something down on a piece of paper "can you check out this address for me and see what you can find?" she asked handing it to him
"are you sure that's wise? I mean with how things are at the moment?" he asked while looking at her
she looked at him over her glasses "please can you do this for me, I need to know who is living there now"
he looked down at the piece of paper then looked back at her "I'm not sure..."
"may I remind you who your boss is?" Clarisse asked while standing up
"I'm on it" he said and slowly nodded before walking out
After a while Clarisse was still sat going through her mail when she picked up a hand written letter, she sat looking at it for a few seconds then noticed Sofia stood in the door way.
"dinner's ready" she smiled as Clarisse smiled back "Daddy cooked it all by himself" she watched her put the letter down on the pile while standing up and walked over to her where they walked through to the dining room
"ahh here you are?" he smiled while handing her a glass "I poured your drink for you" he smiled
"thank you" she took a sip and put the glass down while Joe put his hand on her back "evening Greg" Clarisse smiled
"evening" he smiled "did you have a nice time in New York?" he asked
"oh we did" Clarisse nodded feeling Joe's hands on her hips "we had a lovely time, thank you" she smiled
"thats good" he watched as she looked at Joe then shared a kiss, he picked up his beer bottle and took a few sips as Sofia looked at him
"did you have a nice honeymoon?" Clarisse asked while looking back at him
"we did, thank you" he smirked as Sofia nodded and smiled at Clarisse
"oh that reminds me" Joe smiled while standing next to Clarisse again and took her hand holding it up "she's thinking about it" he chuckled
"what, really?" Sofia exclaimed
"yes" Clarisse nodded "I am" she smiled then laughed while tipping her head back as Joe grabbed and tickled her as Olivia and Sofia sat smiling
After the dinner they moved into the living room, where Clarisse and Joe snuggled together in an armchair, while watching tv.
"alright" Sofia said standing up "we are going to call it a night now" she said standing next to Joe and Clarisse as Joe looked up "Dad did you know Mom's sleeping?"
"I thought she was" he nodded "the jet lag must be kicking in now"
"do you want me to wake her?" she asked with a smile
"no, let her sleep a bit" he smiled as Sofia bent over and kissed his cheek "night night" he smiled
"night Dad" she smiled and left with Greg who just put his hand up to him
Joe sat smiling as Clarisse slept, falling to sleep himself not long after. And just after 1am Clarisse stirred which woke Joe up.
Opening her eyes she saw Joe was awake "did I fall to sleep?" she asked lifting her head
"yes you did" he nodded while watching her sit up
"you should of woke me?" she asked while looking back at him over her shoulder
"you was too peaceful I didn't want to disturb you" he smirked while rubbing her back "I fell to sleep myself anyway" he smiled as she yawned while covering her mouth with her hand
"right come on" she patted his leg "I need the loo and my bed is calling" she chuckled while standing up and walked towards the door
Joe stood up and walked over, flicking the light of as he walked through the door way and placed his hands on her hips "fancy some fun in your office?" he smiled and kissed her shoulder as she laughed
"No" she exclaimed as they headed up the stairs
"oh come on, we could do it on your desk, or over it" he smirked
"Joseph behave please" she looked at him
"oh come on, what happened to the new you? the one who wanted to try anything and everything while in New York" he smirked as they reached the top of the stairs
"well that was there and this is here, we are home and we need to behave here" she smirked while looking down the hall
"whats changed?" he chuckled as she turned and started walking backwards
"maybe another time" she smiled while taking hold of his shirt while still walking backwards "we have a new bed to try out first" she winked letting go of his shirt and turned to walk forward and suddenly felt his presence on her back
"lets go" he exclaimed while pushing her gently through their suite door as she laughed
After brushing their teeth and got undressed, Joe laid next to Clarisse on the bed as she yawned and started drifting of to sleep.
"no no no don't fall to sleep" Joe said and kissed her shoulder
"mmm" she moaned and carried on drifting
"ok" he said and watched her as she fell to sleep before him "good night my love" he smiled and kissed her forehead before turning onto his back with a sigh