Author's note: I lied. This is it. It's wicked long though. So..review and all that good stuff because that might make me wanna start posting part three (okay, I yet to make a title for it so that may take awhile...)

Lilly picked me up at the airport early on Thanksgiving morning. I had class on Wednesday so I couldn't get a flight until very, very late in the evening.

"Is Maya making her famous sweet potatoes?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course she is. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving otherwise."

"So...it's gonna be us, your mom and dad, your grandparents...Michael? Vicky?" I hadn't realized this, but her name had not been mentioned in quite some time.

She gave me a strange look, "Sorry to disappoint you but you will not be given the opportunity to break my brother's heart again."

"Huh?"

"He's out of town. Trying to get a record deal."

"So no Tony?"

She made a face. "No. No Tony. The guys are serious about getting a deal so they are focusing on that. Women come second to them."

I could tell this was a sour note with them. "So girl time then. That's good."

"You haven't even really gotten to meet Tony..."

"You haven't met Joshua," I argued. "You've talked to him a little, but that's it."

"For some reason," she started, "I doubt I ever really will meet the real Joshua."

The way she said this gave me a weird feeling. "Of course you will. I'm going to marry the man."

She squinted, "Yeah...I just..."

"You just?" I pressed.

"Mia, I have a really weird feeling. I know you don't like it when I say things like that, but I do. Something is-"

"Lill, we've gone through so much already. Nothing is going to get in our way now. Not even if you tossed Michael in my face right now. If you did I would simply stick out my hand and ask how he's been."

She shook her head, "Forget it."

We spent that morning gossiping while Maya made dinner for the five of us. Mrs. Moscovitz had offered to give her the rest of the week off to be with family but she said that she liked cooking for the Moscovitz's. I wouldn't, they are all so picky about foods.

"So, his favorite musician is Billy Joel," I finished up Joshua's personal biography.

"I dunno Mia...he seems nice enough. Really, he does...but I don't know."

"What do you mean?" I asked nervously. Something must be wrong if she keeps bringing it up. She knew me better than anyone did. Including Joshua.

"Maybe this is the sister in me, but I think you and Michael should be together. You guys always danced around the topic when we were teenagers...now that you are old enough you are too scared to do anything about it."

"Scared? No. Not quite. I'm committing myself to another man is more like it. I am in love with another man."

"But you'll always love Michael," she replied. "And you can't deny that. I mean, when you have your fancy schmancy wedding with Joshua you'll still think about what could have been with Michael."

I sensed some bitterness in her tone. "Lilly, it isn't like I don't think he's good enough for me...in a lot of ways he's too good for me. He's.....he's Michael Moscovitz for crying out loud!"

"I am aware of that fact..."

"He has the perfect floppy hair...the kind that drops just in the right spot...he's funny and sarcastic without being cruel...he's taller than me...and he's brilliant. I mean, he's just too perfect for me-"I said with a dazed expression as she interrupted me.

"Yeah, my brother is perfect. You sound like you don't still have feelings for him," she replied sarcastically.

"In my eyes he always was perfect...and Joshua...well, he's shown me a side of him that allowed me to fully love him. For all his faults and everything."

"But you actually gave him that chance. You never allowed Michael to prove himself."

"I never saw him coming after me," I countered. "He had chances to ya know. And besides, it would have never worked out. Can you see me following him around on tour? Seriously Lill."

She shook her head, "You'll never understand will you?"

"Understand what?" I asked.

"Love."

I thought about what she said on my ride back to Genovia. In some ways she was right. I didn't know all that much about love. But I know I love Joshua. Just hearing his voice makes my day complete.

He finally came home after touring Europe with the team. They sucked, but they were trying to build up to super stardom. I didn't care really. I got my boyfriend back.

"I have a surprise for you," he said on Christmas night.

"What, you have your mum and dad here?" I asked sarcastically.

"No. Lord no. She is starting to hate Genovia because I spend all my time here now."

I looked at Grandmere who was talking to her servent William. "She must hate me."

"No, she likes you," he said in a voice that was really saying 'You are right. She does hate you but I love you so I can't possibly tell you the truth'.

"Yeah. So my surprise?"

He brought me upstairs to my room quietly so Grandmere and Dad wouldn't listen in on our conversation.

"I need to continue my Joshua Tree Tour."

I laughed, I had almost forgotten about that. "Okay."

"In Mexico, with you."

"What?" I said in surprise. I hadn't expected a vacation with him. Maybe a necklace or something. Not a vacation to Mexico.

"I want to take you away from all this. Be alone. Be young."

I smiled, "Sounds great. When?"

"Your bags are packed. We're leaving now."

My jaw dropped. "Huh? How? My dad..." This was not like Joshua. It was way too spontaneous.

"I already cleared it with them. Come on. Get your purse."

"What about my ..."

"Javier packed you."

"I see..."

"I have books for you to read."

See why I love him? He knew I would be bored on the plane and would want to fill time with books. Of course, there was once a time that I would spend the hours writing in my journal, but I'm much too old for such foolishness.

I can't believe I used to bring that book everywhere with me. To school dances? But I will admit that it would be nice to have a complete record of my life, but again, I have no time to.

We had a lot of fun in Mexico, but where we stayed had a lot of lizards. It really freaked me out ( I am a New Yorker after all. Anything in nature freaks me out). "Mia, relax. It's just a lizard."

"It has a weird color."

"It's probably just old," he explained. "Come on, touch it."

"Hell no. Joshua, I'm a city girl. I don't do the whole insect slash reptile slash creepy wrinkly thing, things. I mean, you grew up in the country. You are used to having strange things like that."

"You have those rats that are-"

"Rats are one thing. I wouldn't touch those either. They just scamper along. These things...."

"Let me put it on your foot," he said. "It can't hurt your foot."

"No."

"Look, is that a pink lizard?" he said pointing to another creature that was against the wall of our hotel.

"A pink lizard? Yeah, that sounds natural."

Joshua grinned. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I promise, to you," he started as he placed the lizard on his shoulder, "That I will be with you until the day you let me put a pink lizard on your foot."

I smiled. We both knew that day would never come. "It's a deal."

We spent the rest of that vacation on the beach, sneaking kisses and enjoying the fact that the press had no idea where we were. We put his name on a tree, "Here, put your name on there too," he said offering his Swiss Army Knife.

I shook my head. "No. This is your own thing."

"Mia..."

"No. Look, maybe someday down the road we can come back and I'll put my name on there."

"Promise?" he asked, pulling me close to him as a wind picked up.

"I swear it," I promised with a puppy dog face.

"You are lucky you are so gorgeous."

We returned home and back to our regular lives. I found out I got onto Dean's List for my fall semester, the first time I made the list ever. Joshua sent me flowers as a congratulations, not that it would seem like a big deal to him or anything since he made the list every semester at school.

I focused on school while Joshua worked with the national team. He started playing with the guys more often because he had more experience than anyone else. Since we were apart a lot of the time the press started speculating about whether or not we were going to last. How do we go from getting married one week, to breaking up the next? The press is very odd.

I was at dinner one night with Brock, of all people, when a reporter came up to us, "Princess? Isn't this your old boyfriend? Where is Joshua?"

I smiled, "Yes, he is my former boyfriend, but he is also a dear friend. Joshua is working right now."

"Are you two still together?"

Brock answered for me, "Of course they are. They just give one another space to breathe and hang out with other people."

I continued on with my food and Brock did as well. He was really happy I was with Joshua, "I can't imagine you with anyone else. Not even that guy in New York."

"You don't know him though," I argued. Why was I arguing?

"Yeah, but didn't you say he was a musician?"

I nodded. Lilly had told me that his band, Bueller was getting a strong following.

"You couldn't do the music scene."

"Why not?"

"You are too straightlaced. Definately not cool enough," he teased. "Like, for example," he started, "Musicians are known for flings. You could NEVER do a fling."

"I could so!"

"Oh? A fling involves sex without feeling."

He hit a nerve there. I couldn't do that, not without having feeling behind it. "Yeah, well, I could totally marry a musician."

"Yeah, I will run through your beloved Central Park naked...the day you marry a musician."

"Oh come on, that's not a fair bet. You know I'm going to marry Joshua."

"So I'm not worried about New Yorkers seeing my willie."

I started thinking about Michael more and more. I couldn't understand it to be honest. Where was this sudden interest coming from? Maybe it was because Lilly was coming to spend her summer with me. She was interviewing me for her network...well, actually the network wanted to interview me and I told them I'd only accept an interview from Lilly Moscovitz.

I started getting paranoid. It was only February, but I was freaking out about the possibility of Michael coming to see his little sister. Why was I so nervous though? He had his own life. She had her own life. Why did I have the sinking suspicion that he was going to end up here?

"Princess? Your father wishes to share an audience with you," Javier announced, coming into my room. I was thankful for the interruption of my thoughts of Michael Moscovitz.

"Okay Javier. I'll be...wait, where is he?"

"In his office."

Weird. Dad NEVER goes into his office. "Okay. I'll be there in a minute," I replied, covering up what I had in my hand.

"Very well."

Once he left, I uncovered the picture again. It was my prom picture again. He looked nervous to be with me, and I looked nervous to be with him. It was kind of sweet really. I put it behind the picture of me and Joshua again. There was a feeling in the pit of my stomach that there was a change in the air.

"Yes, Dad?" I asked, plopping down on a chair.

"Oh, hi Mia. I um...I have some bad news for you."

My lip started quivering. "Yes, Dad?" It had to do with Joshua. I knew it did.

"Joshua had a little accident while the team was in France. He blew out his knee while he was running a play-"

"Oh thank God," I said with a sigh of relief. "I thought you were gonna tell me he was dead or something!"

He laughed, "No, he's too good for that darling. He'll need surgery though."

My face dropped. Okay, maybe THAT was the bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Oh. When? Where?"

"He's coming back here right now on a private plane. His parents are on their way as well."

I should have known his parents would be coming to Genovia. I didn't mind his father all that much, but his mother drove me nuts. She was pressuring him to propose to me so that she'd have a prince for a son (she makes no sense at all, she wants him to be a Lord as well...). But she also was pressuring him to give up on rugby and to finish up his law degree.

His dad, meanwhile, treated me like a daughter. He gave me silly gifts for Christmas and my birthday. For example, for Christmas he sent me a sombrero with my name on it since he knew I was going to Mexico. It was cheesy, but he meant it to be.

I waited for Joshua's parents to arrive before I left for the hospital where I was told Joshua was being driven to directly from the airport. "Princess? Lord and Lady Bloom are waiting for you in the main waiting room," Javier said as he came into my room.

"Thank you Javier."

I took a deep breath. So this is what it is like to love someone I guess. That is, you deal with their parents when they aren't around. I never spent any alone time with a guys parents. I hadn't met Brock's parents. I only met Rob's dad that one time. And Kenny's parents...well, I have a theory that they don't exist.

The only boy's parents that I'd spent alone time with were Michael's. But he had never been my boyfriend, even if I liked to pretend he was.

I shook my head to get Michael off my mind. Must focus on my boyfriend getting better. And on dealing with his parents.

"Hello Lord and Lady Bloom," I greeted as I entered the sitting room.

"Your highness," Lady Bloom said with an exaggerated bow.

"Mia, you can cut the titles. I'm simply Mr. Bloom," Mr. Bloom replied.

I held back a smile. People who knew me personally didn't really have to do that, which is why Lord Bloom did not.

"Mia, are you okay?" Mr. Bloom said with a concerned expression on his face.

I nodded, "Of course. Are you ready to see Joshua, or did you want to settle in a little more?"

"I want to see him before he goes into surgery," Mrs. Bloom said as Mr. Bloom said he thought Joshua should rest before surgery.

"Well," I started, thinking of a diplomatic response, "Why don't we go for a little while, then come back here and have dinner with my dad and grandmother?"

I knew that would interest Lady Bloom. Dining with royalty. Geez, didn't she understand that we eat like normal people? OR that her son would be royal and therefore she would have FED royalty?

"The car is waiting for us outside," I said motioning for them to follow me.

We waited in a family room before the surgery. Somehow Joshua hadn't reached the hospital quite yet. His plane had not gotten off the ground properly so they had to turn back to the Italian airport to fix some problem. Wouldn't that have been lovely? Him destroying his knee, but only to die while he went to have it fixed?

"Your highness?" an orderly said, coming into the room.

"Yes?" I asked, standing up.

"Mr. Bloom has arrived."

I nodded and looked at Mrs. Bloom's expression. Why hadn't they told her? Why me? Oh, right, because I'm the only one the people at the hospital actually know. "Okay."

"And we are going to rush him into surgery, but he won't go until he sees you," he said, a bit uncomfortably.

"Oh...okay," I said slowly, looking at Mrs. Bloom. She looked hurt because he hadn't asked for her.

I followed the orderly into the room where Joshua was being prepped for surgery. "Hey there handsome," I greeted, keeping things light.

"Gorgeous," he said as I leaned in and kissed him.

"Your mum and dad are here."

"I know. I wanted to see you though. Is that okay?"

I nodded, "Of course. I've missed you...too bad I have to see you in these circumstances."

"Mia, if anything...if anything goes wrong, I just want you to know..."

"Michael- I mean, Joshua, nothing will go wrong."

He gave me a look. "You just totally called me Michael."

I shook my head dismissively, "Lilly called me earlier and was talking about him. That's all," I lied, hoping he'd let it pass.

He smiled and nodded, "Sure. If you say so darling. But if anything does, I want you to know I love you. And I wanted to marry you."

"Stop talking like this. You will, someday. If I take you," I said with a wink.

His lip quivered. "I hope so. Oh, also, I want to be buried here in Genovia if something happens."

"I love you," I said as the nurses came into the room. I didn't want to hear where he wanted to be buried. He wouldn't be buried for another sixty years. And that would be in the Renaldo family crypt. With me. And the other Renaldo's.

"I'm sorry your Highness, but we have to get into that knee and see what this guy has done to himself," the nurse said good naturedly.

I nodded silently. "Bye Joshua."

He winked, "I'll be out in no time."

He was out in no time, if four hours is no time. "The damage to the knee is permanent," the doctor explained more to me than to Lord and Lady Bloom.

"Okay..."

"He'll never play rugby, or any other sport for that matter, again."

I cringed. He was not going to like this.

"So he can go back to his legal studies!" Mrs. Bloom said joyfully.

I glared at her. Did she even care about what he wanted to do with his life?

"And he'll most likely have a slight limp for the rest of his life."

I nodded, biting my lip. Hopefully Grandmere didn't have anything against cripples being the prince consort. "Okay. Anything else we should know?"

"Basically...no. He'll need rehab three times a week. He shouldn't put too much pressure on it for awhile. I'd say give it about a year to heal before complete pressure can be put on it."

There goes my dream of being proposed to on bended knee. But who cares really?

"Okay. When is he going to be released?" I asked.

"And when can he come home to England?" Mrs. Bloom asked, cutting in front of me.

I looked at Mr. Bloom. "Ellie, his home is here now. With Mia."

She glared at him. "I have to take care of him-"

"I can take care of him," I cut in. "I am fully capable."

The doctor looked at Mr. Bloom with wide eyes.

"Ladies, we'll discuss this later. Let Joshua decide."

I nodded. It was his decision. But he'd choose Genovia. I know he would.

We got to spend a lot more time together now that he couldn't work with the team anymore. He helped me work on my final thesis and I helped him exercise his bum knee.

"This blows," he said rudely one night in late April.

I held back my laugh. "You did blow your knee my love," I replied. He never used such language around me.

"Sorry darling. This is just so frustrating, you know? What if it's not ready for June? For the mission?"

I rolled my eyes, "Then you'll be stuck here with me in Genovia. You'll get to meet Lilly," I reasoned.

He shrugged, "Nothing against Lilly, but I'd rather be in Africa."

I nodded, "Well, she can't wait to meet you."

"See who you gave her brother up for?" he teased.

I mussed his hair, "Hush up you!"

There were a few moments of silence as we cuddled in his bed. He had moved into the palace after his accident.

"So are you excited about Iceland?" he asked.

"Duh! I can't believe it, two weeks from now I will be a college graduate and on my way to Iceland. You like to make my dreams come true, huh?"

He smiled, happy to see that he could do something so nice for me.

Before we left for Iceland Grandmere told us that we needed to write up our wills. Weird. "May I ask why?" I asked.

"If anything, God forbid, happens," she explained.

I nodded. I didn't have much. My dad did, but I didn't . Joshua actually had more money at his disposal than I did.

But when we started flying to Iceland Joshua looked like he had eaten a sock. And I know what someone looks like when they did that, Fat Louie used to all the time. "Joshua, you okay?"

He nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Ladies and gentlemen this is your pilot speaking," the pilot started, "I am sorry to report that we need to make an emergency landing in Shannon Airport in Ireland. The lay over should be short so don't fret."

I looked at Joshua who was rolling his eyes. "So, Ireland?"

We instantly fell in love with Ireland, and decided Iceland could wait.

My birthday had passed, with no proposal. Yes, he had woken me up with twenty four kisses and took me out for a special day, but still, no ring.

Grandmere, and Lucie said that he was probably going to surprise me. Like, he'd do it on a day that I would never imagine him proposing. Which is exactly what he did.

It was kind of a foggy day on our final day of vacation. We, nevertheless, decided to have a picnic. I was wearing a really unattractive outfit because it was so cold out. I had a pair of flannel pants that were way too big for me because they were Joshua's, and a long sleeve concert t shirt that I had stolen from Michael when I was a teenager. Joshua didn't know where I had gotten the Nirvana shirt, but he didn't ask either. Maybe he did know though. I mean, he was the pop music influence in my life. Michael had been the one to introduce me to the wonder of Nirvana. And Joshua knew that.

"Can I have the peanut butter?" he asked, licking the grape jelly off his fingers.

I reached into the basket without looking, feeling around for the jar of peanut butter we had bought the night before. But I didn't feel the cool plastic container. NO. I felt a small velvet box.

"Joshua?" I asked softly.

He grinned. "Stand up," he ordered.

I did so robotically as he got onto one knee.

"Joshua, that's your bad knee..."

"I'll be okay, just let me do this, okay?"

I nodded and smiled. It was really happening!

"Mia, will you make me the happiest man alive, and be my wife?"

Those words rung in my brain like nothing else. I knew what I wanted to say, but the words weren't going from my brain to my mouth. I just started crying, I'd never been happier in my entire life.

He took this as an acceptance and lifted me up in the air, kissing me like crazy. "I love you Joshua..."