20/6/00

Clarisse asked me to accompany her to the entertainment center that she and Mia went to the other day, so I agreed and off we went. When we got there, she went straight for the arm wrestling machine and put in a quarter, "Watch this, Joseph."

She put both hands around the arm and started wrestling with it.

"Cheater!"

She smiled and resumed her concentration, then she won the game, "Did you see that, Joseph?"

"No, for you see I was looking the other way when you said to watch."

She playfully slapped my chest, "No you weren't."

"Then why did you ask?"

She rolled her eyes, "Alright, your turn, Mr. Smartypants."

I grabbed the arm with one hand and won the game within two seconds.

Clarisse was slouching against the wall fanning herself when I looked up – I am one hundred percent sure she was turned on, which I later realised she was.

"Shall we play again, your majesty?" I asked, taking her hand.

Her legs shook as she walked, "No, I have a better idea."

Regaining control of herself, she led me over to the photo booth and pulled me inside. I felt her eyes on me as I put the change in, it was very cramped up in there – I had to put my arm around her waist in order to sit comfortably. She eyed my arm and looked up at my face, that's when the camera flashes started and that's also when she started pulling herself closer to me. Next thing I knew she was kissing me – violently.

"Clarisse!" I managed to say before her lips smacked down on mine again.

Her claws were out, digging into my chest, painful it was. I tried hard to pull her off, but there wasn't enough room. Eventually she stopped suffocating me and tried to undo my pants, that's when I was able to grab her hands, "Do you mind?"

She stopped and looked at me, "Oh, you're no fun!"

She recomposed herself and exited the booth. I did the same, but grabbed the photostrip first before chasing after her.

"Clarisse, wait!"

I grabbed her arm and turned her around, "Would you like to explain what that was about?"

"Obviously not, seeing as though I'm trying to get away from you."

"Do you want to get back together or something? Because you keep doing these things and confusing me."

"I don't know, I just really wanted you."

"And what do you think that means?"

"Probably that I'm unable to follow the rules of a break."

"And what do you plan to do about that?"

"I suppose I'll have to call it off."

"Good…and the press?"

"Don't have to know about us."

"Sneaking around, you mean?"

"Only for a little while."

I took her hand and kissed it, "If it makes you happy."

Later on we had lunch, played a few more games and decided to call it a day.

She leant against my chest with her eyes closed, she wasn't sleeping, just daydreaming. I took that time to observe the photos in my pocket:

No.1: Clarisse looking at me seductively and licking her lips.

No.2: Clarisse attempting to sit on my lap.

No.3: Clarisse parting her lips and bringing her head up to meet mine.

No.4: Clarisse with one hand around my neck and the other hand gripping my chest, lips completely covering mine and me in complete shock.

I laughed quietly at the photos and she looked up after feeling my chest vibrate, "What's so funny?"

"You are."

"Why?"

I held out the photos and allowed her to snatch them out of my hand. I felt her body start to vibrate too, "Are you laughing?"

"No."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not!

"What are we going to do with these pictures?"

"Burn them, I suppose."

She sat up and went through her bag, "Ah, here we are."

She took out a lighter and snatched the photos off me, "Bon Voyage, incriminating evidence!"

I snatched the lighter out of her hands and stared at her, "You always carry one of these around?"

"You always stick your nose into other peoples' business? Give it back!"

"What else do you carry around in your bag?"

"I really don't think it's any of your business."

"On the contrary I think it is, you are my responsibility."

She gave me an evil eye and started taking things out of her bag and slamming them onto the seat, "Lipstick, purse, mascara, eyeliner, pocket-knife, breath-mints, eye shadow and a gun, the same as any woman in a country like this would carry. Are you happy now?"

"All women carry pocket-knifes and a guns? May I ask why?"

"It's precautionary."

"Precautionary?"

"Yes, in case people like you try to hurt them."

"What? I don't go around trying to hurt women!"

"I beg to differ, I remember feeling you strike my face a couple of months ago."

"That was one time and I've apologised for that on several occasions. I only did it because you wished death upon my son."

"Which I did because you lied to me."

"It was for your own good!"

"Oh pull the other one. Did you think I'd never find out?"

"I don't know what I was thinking."

"Obviously."

"Can we just stop this conversation right here?"

"Oh? Are you scared you're going to lose the battle?"

"No, I'm scared I might do something I'll regret."

"Should I take the safety lock off my gun?"

I stared at her in disgust, "Who the hell made you the ruler of your country? Honestly…"

She put her hands on her hips, "I'll have you know I am a good queen."

"A good queen, yes. A well behaved one…no."

"Take that back!"

"It's the truth!"

"Alright, you and I are not together anymore. We're going on a permanent break!"

"I suppose I'm fired too? You know you've said that so many times it's lost all meaning."

Her face grew red and her claws came out again. I felt myself being pushed back into the seat as she jumped on top of me and started ripping off my shirt, "Do you have any idea how good you are at turning me on?"

"Oh, Cyclone Clarisse is back, is she?"

She dug her claws into my shoulders and pulled me onto the floor, "Clarisse, do you remember why we went on a break in the first place?"

She started scraping her nails down my chest, ignoring my comment.

"We went on a break because you thought things were moving too fast."

"Fascinating..."

"Don't you think this is going a little too fast?"

"You want me to slow down?"

"I want you to stop."

"You are such a frigid."

I removed her body from mine and sat back on the seat, looking out the window.

"And you are such a-"

She raised an eyebrow and stared at me as if she would bite my head off if I finished my sentence. I was going to end it with "two-faced bitch", but that look was so scary I decided to keep it to myself. The contents of her bag were spilt all over the floor, but there was an extra item that I didn't see before, a packet of cigarettes.

"You smoke?" I asked I picked them off the ground.

"Sometimes."

"I didn't know that."

"You wouldn't, nobody knows."

"I've never tasted it on your breath."

"That's what the mints are for."

"Why do you do it?"

"Usually it's because I'm either bored or stressed or..."

"I find it hard to believe you can get bored. I know I'm never bored when I'm around you."

"I feel the same way about you, except when you fight off my advances."

"I fight you off because I don't like being attacked by people who aren't thinking straight. It makes me feel as if you're just using me."

She looked at her palms, "I've told you time and time again I don't mean to do it, to be so aggressive. I just become overpowered by my hormones."

Hormones…blah! It's the drugs that overpower her.

"Perhaps you should try to control your...hormones."

"Perhaps I should."

She gave me a sad smile and ran her hand over my head, I could feel her ring – the ring I despise. The ring I know now she will never take off.

"May I ask you something?" I took her hand in mine and held it up to her face, "Why are you still wearing this? You're husband's been dead for over a year."

"You honestly want to know?"

"Yes, I honestly do."

"I like the look of it," she admitted happily to herself, admiring the ring in mid air, "It's so pretty, shiny, big."

"Is that the only reason?"

"I feel bare without it."

"Why not wear a different ring?"

"Because I like this one, weren't you listening?"

"Those are the only reasons you wear it?"

"Yes, why?"

"Never mind."

"Something's wrong, tell me?"

"Have you ever thought that you may still be wearing it because you have a special place in your heart for the man who gave it to you?"

"Joseph, I will always have a special place in my heart for Rupert, as I do all of the men I've been close to, but this ring is just so beautiful, I don't want to take it off."

"You really like it that much?"

"Yes, I really do."

"If I may say so, I think it's hideous."

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's hideous! It's too big, too shiny, too…I don't know monstrous!"

She was flabbergasted, "I beg to differ, I happen to find it exceptionally beautiful. It reminds me of me."

"You? Which one, the evil you or the sweet and innocent you?"

"Don't be smart, I was referring to my appearance."

"Not your many personalities."

"I do not appreciate being degraded by you or anybody else, Joseph. Stop it at once!"

"Certainly, your majesty."

We didn't speak for the remainder of the trip, I stared out the window the whole time thinking about the many moods of Clarisse Renaldi.

Why I love her, I don't know. I think I must just be in love with the Clarisse whose mind isn't being controlled by drugs, the one who's caring and compassionate. Oh how I miss her.

24/6/00

I was asked by Clarisse to accompany her once again today, but this time she didn't tell me where we were going, unfortunately. If I had known we were going to the dress-shop, I'd have said I had more important things to do. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be though.

We arrived at 10am for a final dress fitting (for her, not me) and I had to sit there waiting while she slipped into a loose, green ball gown and watched the staff poke needles in it everywhere. I didn't like it, it was too lose, too green, too long-sleeved and it covered up everything.

When the staff went away to get some more material, I walked up to Clarisse and whispered, "Darling don't you think this outfit is a little…"

"What?"

"Umm…not you?"

"Are you saying you don't like it, Joseph?"

"No, of course not, I'm just saying…you're right, I don't like it."

"Well you don't have to wear it if you don't want to," she smiled.

I giggled slightly, "Can't you choose a different one?"

"Since when have you been concerned with how I look?"

"Since I'm the one who'll be admiring you all night."

"Oh will you? I'm sorry Joseph, but I can't change it now, there isn't enough time."

"There's plenty of time."

"Five days? I don't think so."

"Then tell them to rush!"

"Is it that important to you?"

"Yes, I want to see you looking and feeling your best."

She held my hands and looked into my eyes, "Well if you can find one I like more than this one, I'll think about it."

I smiled and placed a kiss on her cheek, "I'll be right back."

The store didn't have a large choice of dresses, or any that I liked for that matter, so I walked across the street to another shop and there it was in all its blue glory – the perfect dress. Light-blue it was, reasonable cleavage line, short sleeves, long wide skirt and tight around the waist - it was perfect.

I ran across the street and found Clarisse dressed in her "casual" clothes tapping her foot on the ground, "Where have you been? I've been waiting for a whole minute!"

I pointed to the shop across the street and grabbed her hand, "Perfect dress! This way!"

She ripped her hand out of mine and stopped where she was, "Would you mind slowing down!"

"My apologies, your majesty."

I walked slower and made sure nobody came too close to her as we crossed the street. Into the store we went to the dress I led her, "Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"

She looked at it with her hand brushing her chin, "Do they have it in a different colour?"

"I don't know, ask them."

We were approached by the manager of the store, he was French, "Can I help you, madam?"

"Yes, I'd like to enquire about this dress."

"What is it you would like to know?

"Does it come in green?"

"Cream? Yes."

"No I said green."

"Oh green? No."

"Red?"

"No."

"Orange?"

"No."

"Yellow?"

"No, this dress comes only in Cream, Chocolate and the colour you see here."

"May I be permitted to see the Chocolate?"

"She is right over here, follow me please."

Clarisse and I were walking two steps behind the man, so I whispered into her ear, "What's wrong with the blue?"

"Ha! What's wrong with the blue? I don't like it, that's what's wrong with the blue."

"I like it."

"Then why don't you wear it yourself, dear boy?"

"Because blue is not my colour, I like black. Besides, it's not appropriate for males to wear dresses at balls."

"So does that mean males are allowed to wear dresses in other places…like the bedroom?"

She laughed quietly to herself and looked me up and down, "I can just imagine you in a nice little pink number."

"Must you?"

"Do lighten up, Joseph."

The man stopped and pointed to a dress on a rack, "Chocolate, madam."

"Oh that looks absolutely lovely, I'll take it."

"Very well, size?"

She looked uneasily at me and whispered into the man's ear, I wasn't able to hear what was said. I don't understand why she didn't want me to know what her dress size was, I have after all seen her naked body on numerous occasions.

"I'm sorry, madam, we have one size lower and one size higher."

She bit her lip, "I'll take the higher one and have it adjusted to fit."

"Very well, that will be three-thousand dollars."

My mouth dropped, that's almost as much as I paid for the engagement ring I haven't yet had a chance to give her.

She gracefully pulled out her credit card and handed it to the man, who completed the transaction.

After saying goodbye, we headed back across the street to have the dress fitted. It took a whole hour to stick the pins in, so I passed the time by doing the quizzes in a woman's magazine.

"How long will your relationship last?" Was the title of the first one I did.

1. How long have you and your partner been together?

More than a month

More than a year

More than a decade

I wasn't quite sure which one to put as my answer. On one hand, Clarisse and I did share our first kiss well over a decade ago, but she was still married, so we weren't actually together. On the other hand, we officially got together over eleven months ago, but we've been on a break for the last two and rekindled our flame the other day. In the end, I picked "c".

2. How many times have you and your partner slept together?

We're still waiting for the right moment

Once or more

Who keeps score?

I didn't quite understand how they were defining "slept together", for all I knew it could have meant how many times have you and your partner shared a bed, in which case I would have picked "c" again. However, since I was doing a "How long will it last" quiz, I figured it meant sex, so I chose "b", meaning once.

3. Are you and your partner married?

No

We're engaged

Yes

"A" obviously.

4. Are you and your partner in love?

No

We're getting there

Yes

5. How physically attractive do you find your partner?

0-3

4-7

8-10

"C" was once again my answer.

That was the end of the quiz, I ended up with a score of 7/10. The result of that was, "They say true love lasts forever and you're obviously head over heels for your man, but remember looks don't count for much in the long run, as long as you both stay true, your relationship should last for years to come."

I smiled – I hope our relationship will last for years to come.

After I'd finished two other quizzes, Clarisse informed me that she was ready to go, so I grabbed my coat and led her to the car where she asked me about what I had been reading. I told her I was reading up on how to apply eye shadow without making yourself look beaten up. She laughed and fell asleep on my arm. I treasure moments like these where she's calm, happy and…normal. How I wish she would just stop taking her anti-depressants and her other miscellaneous drugs, they're seriously wrecking her mind.

When I said I was going to give up the dates, I meant I'm just not going to bother about making them extremely accurate, there will still be dates. But that doesn't matter now because I'm almost at the end of the movie, just the ball left to go and then it's the five year gap between the movies. I believe this story will end up being about 50 chapters long (omg).

Rest assured that the bottle of wine will make a second appearance eventually – I know exactly what I'm gonna do with it, probly not what you think, though.

Thankyou all for your kind reviews, I don't particularly mind if you think they're boring, I just like to know that people are still reading my story, but I do appreciate the long ones because they're really interesting to read.

R & R.