A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!
PRESENT
Clarisse was still smiling to herself as she entered the palace, both at the memory of Joseph 'telling her off' and Mia's reaction, which included the tidal wave of questions that had proceeded Mia's priceless reaction….
"Wow," she had said only ten minutes earlier, a stunned expression on her face, eyes wide and jaw agape. "Joe actually did that? To you? How did you react? Did you want to fire him, or weren't you allowed to...?"
Mia's voice continued to pepper her with questions all the way back to the palace and Mia was then swept away, surrounded by bodyguards, assistants and ladies maids, leaving Clarisse almost alone, aside from her sole personal bodyguard.
She definitely did NOT mind the lack of fuss and attention around her- in fact, she found it preferable, unlike her first husband, and she couldn't help but imagine his reaction…
"Don't tell me that you were left alone outside?" came a husky, disapproving voice from above her and Clarisse looked up to see Joseph casually strolling down the stairs, his posture stiff with disapproval.
"No, I was just dawdling a little- Mia had to hurry to her next meeting… I'm fine, trust me," Clarisse said reassuringly as he reached her, in the middle of the foyer and took her hand in his. (It still surprised them both that Joseph could finally do that in the open, rather than secretly, although it was usually the only sign of affection they showed to rest of the world, everything else belonged to them.)
"I do trust you, but…"
"Oh, do stop fussing," Clarisse said affectionately, reaching over and touching his cheek gently. "I'm fine."
"Hmmm- but you shouldn't have been left alone with only one bodyguard," Joseph said disapprovingly- he had always been protective of Clarisse and had high standards towards her protection, but now that she was his wife, her safety meant all that much more.
"But I'm not alone now… so it's all fine," Clarisse said gently- she appreciated his protective attitude towards her, but she didn't want him to focus so much on her safety and blaming others for unnecessary mistakes. "As Mia's generation would say- or maybe Phillipe's generation… chill out."
Joe was so surprised at hearing slang coming out of his wife's cultured mouth that he stared at her in amazement before he roared with laughter, startling Clarisse.
"I… I ne-ever tho-ought…. I…. I would…h-hear you say that!" he managed to gasp out, much to Clarisse's embarrassment, before he recovered himself enough to loop his arm through his and walked towards the stairs he had just descended. "I… I'm sorry, my dear, I didn't mean to insult or embarrass you, but… I just never thought I hear slang come out of your mouth!"
"I'm not that old fashioned and proper!" Clarisse protested, still a little embarrassed but there was a playful smile playing on her lips. "And it's not the first time I've said slang!"
"Such as when you told Viscount Mabrey to 'shut up'?" he teased gently and Clarisse blushed, still mortified at the memory, although it also gave her a sense of gratification, that she had displayed spirit to parliament, that she still possessed some part of the old Clarissethat wanted to fight with the honoured members of parliament.
"Yes, then… even though it was inappropriate…."
"Forget about inappropriate, I thought it was extremely appropriate for the time and the place," Joseph sounded approving and proud- he had also roared with laughter when he had heard about it, not from Clarisse herself but from Mia and the ladies maids, but he hadn't thought to mention it until now. "They deserved it…. well, Viscount Mabrey did, I believe."
"Well, it's over and done with now," Clarisse said briskly as she walked into their suite, Joseph on her heels.
"I wish I had been in there to see it."
"You heard about it, though," she turned to look at him pointedly. "Who was it? Mia or my ladies maids?"
"Both…and Sebastian as well- he was very impressed."
"Too little, too late," Clarisse said as she sank onto the sofa and kicked her heels off- now that she was retired, she didn't wear heels on a daily basis and her feet, unused to them by now, often ached after she returned from a rare engagement or meeting.
"Just in time," Joseph retorted as he sat down next to her, leaning over to kiss her lightly on the lips before reaching forward and taking one of her feet into his lap."Anyway, you seemed amused when you came in downstairs… what were you thinking about?"
"Oh, that," Clarisse suddenly recalled the moment. "Oh, I was just thinking about Mia's reaction when I told her about the time you told me off in front of my personal assistant."
"Really? What was her reaction?"
"She was… flabbergasted, to say the least, and she was peppering me with questions all the way back to the palace… not that I got to answer any."
"Yes, she's quite good at peppering people with questions… she is still very curious about us and how we eventually… eventually…."
She waved at the air between the two of them- still shy about actually verbalising their relationship- and Joseph stepped into the breach.
"Eventually fell in love and got married, there's no need to be ashamed or shy about talking about us," he reached over with a free hand and touched her hand.
"Although, with Mia, I know you want her to know everything…."
"Not everything," she corrected, looking up and giving him a coy smile. "There are still a few details of our relationship that I want to keep to ourselves…."
"But as much as you want to tell her," he amended with a smile. "So… where did the story end with Mia?"
"Well… it was when you had yelled at me….."
"Ah, that part…."
0000000
BACK IN THE PAST….
Two hours after the 'confrontation' (not that anyone aside from Joe and Her Majesty's personal assistant knew about it), Joseph was in the kitchen with a few of his colleagues, having an early lunch (and trying not to think about the repercussions of this morning's episode), when suddenly Henry stormed into the room.
"BONNELL! MY OFFICE- NOW!" he bellowed, before turning on his heel and storming out of the room.
"Good luck, Joe," one of the men murmured as he slowly got to his feet, dragging his heels slightly, his stomach suddenly twisting with nerves and he felt sick.
"You're going to need it- it's not a good thing to get on his bad side."
"Yeah, true enough… what on earth did you do to him or to the King or Queen?" spoke up another colleague. "Old Henry seems to be quite rabid…."
"We'll find out soon enough," a third man said "But Bonnell better go now, otherwise we're going to find out that he's been sacked…."
The word 'sacked' made Joseph's insides twist even more, but he didn't reveal any of his feelings as he made his way out of the kitchen, down the hall to the security hub, into the room itself and slowly made his way over to Henry's office.
"Sit down," Henry barked when he entered, closing the door behind him. "So, he continued as Joseph sat down in the uncomfortable chair opposite the pacing Head of Security. "I hear you had a go at Her Majesty this morning."
"It wasn't a go, it was…."
"If I SAY it's a go, and His Majesty SAYS it was a go, than it was a go- or an argument!" the older man snapped back. "Can you tell me WHY you felt the need to call Her Majesty, to quote, "cold, rude, arrogant and unlikeable'?"
"Well, I…."
"And, again to quote, "if you are behaving like a child, I will treat you like a child."
"I probably shouldn't have said that."
"PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT? I think that you SHOULDN'T HAVE said that!" Henry stood in front of Joseph's chair and glared down at him. "Anyway, to continue, you asserted that 'I'm your personal bodyguard, as well as your Head of Security, and I have to have a strong role in your security…" which, I will admit, it's true enough, but you really did NOT have to speak to Her Majesty in that way or manner- it was rude, disrespectful and arrogant… and give me one reason why I should not fire you on the spot for that?"
"I… I don't know what to say."
"Fortunately for you, His Majesty has told me that Her Majesty is still considering her options so, at the moment, you are still employed… but with me, you are considered to be on probation and I will be watching you very, very closely from now on… but, then again, if Her Majesty decides to fire you, then… there's nothing that I will be able to do to convince her otherwise…." Like I would want to, was the implied ending to his words. "However, I will INSIST (and His Majesty also was very adamant on it- actually, this was his idea and I have to admit that it is a good one) that you apologize to Her Majesty… and it has to be a very sincere apology, if you understand that."
"I do, and I am extremely willing to do that."
"Good- because your job and the reference that may be needed rely on it. Now get out."
"When will I apologize to Her Majesty?" Joseph remained seated.
"When His Majesty… I tell you to. Now, to repeat myself, get out and keep a low profile for the rest of the day."
000
"Would you like his removal from your staff? Or better yet, removal from the staff altogether?" Rupert asked sympathetically- once he had heard about the 'confrontation', he had sent Henry to deal with Joseph and he went to see how Clarisse was, something she appreciated as he usually wasn't that thoughtful.
"No… No… I don't think so… it's his only disciplinary issue and he's been here for 7 months or so…"
"That doesn't matter- he was disrespectful to the Queen and his boss, and he doesn't deserve a second chance."
"Nevertheless, it might cause some trouble for you, if the Queen's personal bodyguard is dismissed over a 'minor' disciplinary issue… I know you don't consider it 'minor," Clarisse continued as he opened his mouth to protest. "But… I have to admit that there may have been some justification towards his… outburst."
"Yes, Henry and I suspected as much," he gave her a slightly stern look over his reading glasses. "It didn't seem quite right that a man who seemed so very calm under much more difficult situations would bow to pressure in regards to a… difficult woman," he looked her again, but there was a twinkle in his eye. "Clarisse, my dear, I know that you don't like the invasion of our privacy but… you are really going to have to get used to it.
It's part of a condition of you being Queen in your own right… and you being difficult is not going to be something that will endear you to the palace staff and parliament. I would really appreciate if you try a bit better in regards to your relationship with this man- he is employed as your personal bodyguard and is in charge of your safety."
"Yes, Rupert," Clarisse said quietly, although she had to admit that she was more than a little ashamed at her behaviour towards Joseph in the past few months and, she had to admit that he had been quite appropriate with what he had said to her.
"By the way," Rupert added as he stood up from his chair. "Since you do not wish to discipline Mr Bonnell, I have asked Henry to give him a very stern lecture… and he WILL apologize to you, when you are ready to see him… maybe not today, maybe tomorrow morning will be better.
"Alright."
"Good. And Clarisse? You are really going to have to get used to having personal security. I mean it," and he strode out of the room, leaving Clarisse feeling as though she was also getting a warning.
0000000
"But you really made me wait for that apology, didn't you?" Joseph teased, back in the present.
"Well…."
"You did, you can admit it, I already know."
"Well… alright, yes I did," Clarisse blushed, feeling a little ashamed but with a little sense of triumph mixed in. "I figured that while your lecture was justified, I also felt a little… stung, if that's the right word, by what you said to me, as well as what Rupert said to me and… I just felt that you deserved to wait a little, suffer a little, if you wish to call it that," she gave him a sly smile and Joseph started laughing.
"Well, I definitely appreciated that... and I figured you had a bit of spirit to actually do that… I actually had a bit more respect for you after that."
"Were you actually looking forward to giving me your apology?" This time, it was Clarisse's turn to tease.
"Well, no, not really. Yes, I had done a stupid thing and I didn't want to lose my job… but I was also concerned about what you would do to me after I apologised… remember, I was warned that you could be a difficult woman… and I had this feeling that… you could really make my life difficult… but I was quick to discover that I was wrong about that suspicion," he added hastily, seeing Clarisse's face fall a little.
"Well, I hardly gave you much evidence to prove that I wouldn't do that," she said quietly. "At that time, I was hardly the nicest person in the world… and don't say that I was angry and isolated because while yes, I was that, thanks to my husband," her mouth twisted bitterly for a moment. "But, you didn't deserve to be treated like that and I was just venting my frustrations out on you."
"Better me than someone who could really make life difficult for you… such as Viscount Mabrey or some of his cronies," he looked at her meaningfully.
"Well, thankfully I didn't reveal that side of myself to others."
"It would have given them a well-deserved, sharp shock… anyway, about this apology…I have to admit that I was dreading saying it to you… but then I never thought that you would eat humble pie as well…and I have to admit that it pleased me… a little," but the smile he gave Clarisse informed her that it pleased him more than a little.
0000000
It was two days later when Joseph was finally summoned to Her Majesty's study- Henry exerted his own form of punishment by banishing Joseph to the grounds during the day and doing paperwork late into the night- and he had to admit that his stomach was twisting with nerves as he made his way towards the Queen's study.
He wasn't quite sure what he was going to meet there- his other colleagues had said she hadn't seemed any different than usual, quieter and cool, but hadn't said a word about Joseph to either of them- but he was nervous. What if she screamed back at him, gave him back what he had given her, fired him, even, but he knew that there was nothing he could do….
"Come in," came a voice from within when he knocked on the door and he stepped in just as her personal assistant stepped out.
"Good luck," she murmured under her breath before moving on, allowing Joseph to step into the room. To his surprise, Her Majesty was standing in front of her desk, obviously waiting for him, looking lovely in a pale green floral dress and plain green shoes, a plain emerald necklace around her neck… now, why did he have to think that, he wondered to himself as he walked towards her. I cannot afford distractions now.
"Good morning, Mr Bonnell," she said in a quiet yet pleasant voice.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," he bowed his head to her respectfully. "I trust you are well, this morning."
"I am- and are you?"
"I am indeed," he said politely, formally before taking a deep breath in. "Your Majesty, I owe you an apology for my behaviour the other day. I was rude, arrogant and insulting, and I should not have said those things, or embarrassed you in front of your personal assistant. I overstepped my mark as your personal bodyguard, and I wish to offer you my sincerest apology."
It had been hard to keep his eyes on hers for the entire apology and, as soon as he was finished, he lowered his eyes to his shoes. It seemed as though the silence that began after his apology would continue for much of the morning, but when Joseph finally lifted his eyes from the floor, he realised that Her Majesty was regarding him calmly and he had been waiting for him to look back at her.
"Thank you, Mr Bonnell. I truly appreciate your apology." She paused for a moment before she took her own deep breath in. "I too owe you an apology- I have been treating you very badly for the past couple of months and I have had no true justification for it. You are doing your job and I failed to consider that. It's just that…" she paused again for a split second. "I am truly sorry for my behaviour, Mr Bonnell and… I would like to start again."
"As would I, Your Majesty," Joseph said eagerly, before Her Majesty put her hand out in front of him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. My name is Joseph Bonnell- you can call me Joseph, if you wish."
"Thank you, Mr… Joseph. It's a pleasure to meet you as well… and I'm looking forward to us working together."
"As am I, Your Majesty, as am I."