Whisky Lullaby

She put him out

Like the burning end of a midnight cigarette

She broke his heart

He spent his whole life trying to forget

We watched him drink his pain away

A little at a time

But he never could get drunk enough

To get her off his mind

Joseph turned and left through the door he came in. Clarisse watched in despair as he disappeared into the night. He would surely never forgive her for this. The flash of anger, and disappointment in his eyes moments earlier had startled her. Perhaps she had underestimated the depth of his love. But then, couldn't he see how it complicated more an already impossibly complicated situation?

Joseph began to walk. He had no idea where he was going, and soon he found himself down at the lake. Sitting at the edge in the dark, skipping stones into the ebony water, he reflected on what had just happened. All he wanted was to be able to love her openly, without all the secrecy. He just wanted to take care of her, and spend the rest of his life with the only person he had ever loved. But she had shattered that dream in those three little words, "yes, I have." Her tone had been regretful, her eyes burdened as she looked up at him. His heart had broken into thousands of little pieces, that could never be put back together.

Weeks passed. Mia's not quite wedding came and went. Although officially retired, Joseph couldn't bring himself to leave the palace, he still loved her too much. And so, he began to help Shades reorganize the security system, update it, and breathe some life into it. After a month or so, Shades began to notice changes in Joseph. He was more irritable than usual. Often he came to work late, and left early, locking himself in his rooms.

Then came the day he didn't show at all.

Until the night

He put that bottle to his head

And pulled the trigger

And finally drank away her memory

Life is short

But this time it was bigger

Than the strength he had to get up off his knees

We found him with his face down in the pillow

With a note that said

"I'll love her til I die"

And when we buried him beneath the willow

The angels sang a whisky lullaby

La la la la la la la

la la la la la la la

Clarisse's scream brought Mia on the run. She knew exactly what was wrong though, Charlotte had just told her the news as well. He'd died of a broken heart. Entering her grandmother's suite she found the older woman on the floor, with Charlotte beside her, sobbing for all it was worth. Dropping to her knees next to them, she pulled them both into a hug and the three women tried their best to deal with their loss.

The funeral was small, but quite lovely, Clarisse made sure of that. As the others at the funeral watched her, tears streaming down her face, they suddenly realized who the woman in Joseph's note was. Long after the funeral was over, Clarisse stood under the tree, the branches forming a curtain around her, grieving for her lost love.

The rumors flew

But nobody knew how much she blamed herself

For years and years

She tried to hide the whisky on her breath

She finally drank her pain away,

A little at a time

But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind

Everyone at the palace knew that their former Queen would never be the same. It was obvious in the way that she drifted from room to room, going about her duties in a daze, as if she didn't really know what she was even doing, it was simply routine. Charlotte and Mia began to notice that she was leaving paperwork unfinished. The cook questioned some of the maids after yet another bottle vanished from the cabinet.

Not long after, Mia was left to run Genovia on her own.

Until the night

She put that bottle to her head

And pulled the trigger

And finally drank away his memory

Life is short

But this time it was bigger

Than the strength she had to get up off her knees

We found her with her face down in the pillow

Clinging to his picture for dear life

We laid her next to him beneath the willow

While the angels sang a whisky lullaby

All of Genovia was in mourning for the loss of their much adored Queen. A grand royal funeral was expected, but this was not the case. Mia with the help of Sebastian Motez, got parliament to agree to bury her, not with the rest of the royal family, but with her beloved Joseph instead.

Mia said goodbye to her grandmother one last time, and just before the casket was closed and sealed, she placed one more thing in with her. A picture of Clarisse and Joseph dancing at the Independence Day Ball in San Francisco. The photo had captured what everyone else had failed to see; how blissfully happy they were right then, and how much they loved each other. It was the one that had been found in her death grip.

La la la la la la la

la la la la la la la

Whisky Lullaby isn't mine. It's sung by Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss.