Here is the final chapter- I've actually poured a lot into this story and I think it has to be my favourite (at the moment)!

Just one thing- I've tried to avoid putting much of the first film in here, as I'm trying to write about scenes that weren't in the film, so I've just summarised much of the movie, except where some lines have to be in there!

I hope you enjoy this chapter- and the story- and thank you to everyone for their reviews!

PRESENT

Clarisse found herself kneeling down in front of the grave, almost overwhelmingly exhausted by the emotions she had felt after reliving the most difficult weeks in her life.

There had been times when she thought she wouldn't have made it, but Joseph's love, and Charlotte's support had helped her through- and once she met Mia, it had made her realise that life was still worth living.

Although Phillipe was gone, he continued living on through his daughter, and Clarisse was grateful for that. She had been to the edge of the precipice, but the love and concern of those three people, as well as Pierre, had given her the strength to move on.

Of course, she would always miss Phillipe, with all her heart, but there was still much to do…particularly with Mia. She smiled for a moment, remembering the lead up to the meeting with Amelia, and how nervous she had been……..

After her surprise announcement to Joseph, things had progressed rather quickly. Neither Helen nor Mia knew that she was planning on coming and, as it turned out, a reason was quickly discovered as to why the Queen was visiting the United States- Genovian business. But she was determined that the press didn't know what the main reason for her visit was- to see Amelia.

"Have I made the right decision to go and see her?" she asked Joseph anxiously the evening before they left. As usual, Joseph was accompanying her and she was relieved to have him around- she didn't know what this young girl was going to be like, despite Phillipe's reassurances that she was very similar to Clarisse herself.

"The princess needs to know, Clarisse, and it's better not to leave it until the press discovers her," he replied, careful not to go across the invisible barrier between them.

He longed to pull her into his arms, as he had been doing in the week after Phillipe's death, but she hadn't invited it- although she was looking at him warmly again.

"I know," Clarisse sighed, pushing aside the papers she was trying to peruse. "But what if Amelia doesn't want to be a princess, or have anything to do with me? What if Helen has managed to poison her against me?"

She was especially nervous about that- she and Helen hadn't particularly got on when she had married Phillipe, and maybe Helen still remembered it.

However, Joseph had to laugh at that- although Clarisse's concerns were very real, sometimes the Queen's imagination went into overdrive.

"Your Majesty, if you remember, Helen was a very decent young woman, and she sounded exactly the same when I spoke to her on the phone. She wouldn't try and turn Amelia against you, not if she did love Phillipe. She knew that the two of you were very close."

"But what if…" The other worry was weighing her down- if Amelia refused to take her rightful place, then Clarisse could expect to remain on the throne for an indefinite period of time, and she didn't want that, not anymore.

"There isn't any point worrying about that now. You will just have to wait and see what she does…However, if what Phillipe says about her is true, I don't think you will have anything to worry about."

Despite Joseph's comforting words, Clarisse stayed awake for much of the flight, continually thinking about her granddaughter's reaction- her only granddaughter, she realised sharply.

They landed in San Francisco early Monday morning, and went straight to the Genovian consulate where Clarisse opened one of her ever present boxes and began dealing with Genovian affairs. She may be away from Genovia for a couple of weeks, but there was always business to be dealt with. She could almost imagine Phillipe's horrified expression, particularly when she had had so little sleep, and she was smiling at the thought as she dove into work.

They were planning on having the state dinner at the consulate in two weeks, and she was hoping that she would be able to introduce Amelia to the Prime Minister and some of the members of parliament. The Von Trokans would be there, unfortunately, she groaned to herself- that was the other part of her worry. If Amelia didn't accept her role, the Von Trokans could possibly take the throne.

By 3:30 the next day, she was pacing her suite and ready to explode as she waited for Amelia to arrive. She had wanted to meet her the day before, to get it over and done with, but she had had to work, as Helen explained in a slightly awkward telephone conversation the day before.

"You're here…in San Francisco?" Helen had sounded surprised to hear the voice of her former mother in law on the line, but remained pleasant. "When did you arrive?"

"Very early this morning. Helen….I know Joseph rang you to tell you….."

"Yes, and I'm very sorry Your Majesty." Helen's voice went quiet at the mention of Phillipe, and as the two women thought about the very different memories they had of him. "Mia was very upset at the news, but she hadn't known him that well….," she trailed off.

"It was his wish that Amelia and I meet, although not under such sad circumstances, and as I was already in San Francisco, I thought that it would be a perfect time to do that."

Even though she didn't sound it on the phone, Clarisse was very nervous, and she took a deep breath before continuing, after a slight pause.

"Helen…I'm going to have to tell her the truth. I know we all agreed that we would wait until she was eighteen, but things have changed…"

"I understand. Do you want me to be there, you know, as support for her?"

"Thank you, but no. I think I need to tell her this alone- it will be hard enough to explain why I haven't been in contact for the last fifteen years, and it won't be easy when she finds out that you've known everything."

"I know," Helen said sounding slightly worried. "Oh…no, she can't come this afternoon, she's working. I'm sorry, but would tomorrow be alright. She can come straight after school."

"Yes, that would be fine….and, thank you, Helen."

So now she was waiting for her long lost granddaughter, and feeling as nervous as when she was a school girl, which was ridiculous, she told herself as she paced the room for the twentieth time. Charlotte was downstairs, preparing the afternoon tea, and Joseph was around somewhere.

Just as she was beginning another trip across the room, she heard voices downstairs, and knew she had to go. She almost collided with Joseph as she walked out of her room, and towards the stairs, and he squeezed her hand reassuringly, knowing that she was very nervous. She gave him a small smile in reply, and began the descent down the stairs, listening to the conversation between Amelia and Charlotte….something about the pears in the flowers.

"…she'll be with you in a moment," she heard Charlotte say, and Clarisse found herself replying "There's no need, I'm here….Amelia, I'm so glad you could come."

The first time she set eyes on Amelia, she almost burst into tears- she was so much like her father physically, with the busy brown hair, big brown eyes (hidden beneath glasses and heavy eyebrows), and his well shaped ears, that it was a slight shock.

Thankfully, Clarisse hid it so well that even Charlotte didn't know, and invited the teenager to sit down.

Although she didn't want to be judgemental, as she watched Amelia carefully, she knew that the young princess needed instruction, and a mini makeover. The only question would be whether the young princess would agree to it.

All seemed to go well until Clarisse tried to break the news gently, and Amelia sat there for a moment, looking stunned, until….

"Shut up!" came out, and Clarisse almost choked on her tea at the expression. What strange slang modern teenage girls had, she thought wryly to herself before trying to amend the situation.

Unfortunately, nothing she said calmed the girl down and, before Clarisse knew it, Mia had run off as Joseph emerged from the bushes where he had been observing the scene.

"That went well, didn't it?" Clarisse said sarcastically as they went back inside. She hadn't planned on this happening- and it didn't bode well for the rest of the time she was in America.

You have to give her a chance to get used to the news, Clarisse. She's still very young, and just imagine how it must have felt to have that news sprung on her…."

"Yes, poor girl," Clarisse said sympathetically, remembering when Mia had said that her only purpose in life was to be invisible. This was going to be very, very difficult indeed.

Despite the inauspicious start, Amelia grudgingly accepted the 'princess lessons' and getting to know Clarisse, while remaining non committal about her final decision. Clarisse herself was hoping that Phillipe's wish would come true- after all, Amelia (and Pierre, far away) were all she had left.

Her instincts about Mia's looks were right when the royal hairdresser Paolo proved it, although he then thought he deserved the credit for her looks, and 'outed' her to all the papers, much to Clarisse's chagrin.

"I thought Paolo and those two assistants were asked to sign confidentiality agreements," she said agitatedly to Joseph as they drove to the school that morning.

"The two girls did, but you didn't give him one. But it's a common mistake- I'd do it too."

"But one that's cost Mia her anonymity," Clarisse groaned, mentally hitting her forehead.

Luckily, Mia took it rather well but still gave nothing away, which clearly frightened her mother a little bit.

The afternoon before the ball, she took Mia the diary her father had left her, and slipped the envelope addressed to her in it before she had left Genovia. The carousel had been sent on as soon as Clarisse had decided to visit San Francisco.

It was then, over mugs of tea, that Mia told her of her decision and, although Clarisse was disappointed, she realised something mattered more- her relationship with her granddaughter. She didn't want to force her to do something that she didn't want to do.

"Oh, my dear….you are, first and foremost, my granddaughter," Clarisse said firmly, and strode over to give her a warm embrace.

It suddenly didn't matter that she herself was now on the crown indefinitely- or until the Von Trokans wrested it away from her- all that mattered, when looking into her granddaughter's face, was that Mia was happy.

"She's not going to do it," she said quietly to Joe as they drove back to the consulate. The barrier between them had disappeared again- after sharing a private dance together, they both realised that they would always have something special between them, and it was not much point trying to ignore it.

Joe glanced into the mirror, and looked into her direct blue eyes.

"How does that make you feel?"

"At first, Joseph, before we met, I was more concerned about having a new Queen for Genovia but….having developed a relationship with Mia over the past fortnight, her happiness means more to me than forcing her to be a princess. Her father would have wanted that."

It was the first time she had mentioned Phillipe in a long time, but it was true. Joseph smiled and knew that Clarisse had done the right thing, even if it meant sacrificing her own personal happiness.

"I'm proud of you," he said quietly, and she gazed up in surprise before giving him a gentle smile.

There was a minor panic when Mia didn't show up with Helen, but she thankfully arrived just in time, with Joseph, and her announcement surprised everyone- except Clarisse. Although she had accepted Mia's decision, and had shown Joseph her resignation, she had had the feeling that it wasn't over yet.

"This morning, when I woke up, I was Mia Thermopolis. But now, I choose to be, for evermore…" she glanced over at Clarisse, who had tears in her eyes. "Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi…Princess of Genovia."

It had been the proudest moment of Clarisse's life, and she realised that Phillipe had been right- Mia was more like her than she had realised……..

PRESENT

Clarisse continued to kneel as she placed the bouquet of flowers she had brought on the grave, and looked at the headstone.

"You would be so proud of her, Phillipe. Everyone else thought that she wouldn't be able to do it, but Joseph and I believed in her. She's so very much like you- and you were right, she is like me, in a lot of ways. I think she is going to make an excellent ruler one day, and I wish that you were here to see her….." she said softly, tears beginning to stream down her face…or was it the heavy drops of rain that she could feel.

Her tears and the rain mixed on her face as she looked down at the grave- she would miss him every day of her life, and knew that there would be no one else like him….But his daughter had brought joy and laughter back into her life again, and she was looking forward to the future with confidence……Thinking of her future, it brought another subject to fore, one she had been trying to keep a lid on for over a year. But since that dance, and another dance out in the middle of the rose garden, it was impossible to keep a lid on her feelings……

"Your Majesty?" A hand pressed gently down on her shoulder, and she almost jumped out of her skin as she turned to see Joseph looking down at her, almost as wet as she was.

"Yes, Joseph?" She wiped the tears away and stood up, brushing the dirt off her knees and skirt.

Suddenly, even though it had been a sad morning of reminiscing, she didn't feel as sad anymore- Phillipe would always be in her heart, and in the character of her Mia. Suddenly, as they stood there, soaking wet, she wanted to make another decision.

"I think you'd better get into the car- this shower is turning heavy."

Clarisse looked up at the sky- she had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she had failed to notice the heavy clouds that had built up during the morning. J

oseph had noticed them, and had watched them intently, but he hadn't wanted to disturb Her Majesty when she was kneeling down in front of her son's grave. But he was surprised at the flushed look on her face, and the open heart in her eyes.

"Alright…"she said slowly, before giving him a long kiss on the mouth, and walking away just as regally. Joseph, surprised, followed her and just as he was about to shut her door, she smiled invitingly up him- gosh, he thought to himself, she looked gorgeous even when she was sopping wet.

"Please sit in the back with me, Joseph. I want you to."

Joseph, unable to say a word, slid in beside her and shut the door. The driver, looking back in the review mirror, looked surprised, before Joseph said "Let's go."

As the car began to move, Clarisse pressed the button, and the part between driver and the back seat closed.

"Are you alright, Clarisse?" Joseph, still stunned by the kiss, asked worriedly- he couldn't bear to think that the stress and strain of the day had finally gotten to her. Clarisse chuckled softly as she looked at him, her eyes reflecting the open heart he had wanted to see again, and hadn't seen in so long.

"I'm perfectly fine, Joseph. I am still recovering from Phillipe's death, and I probably always will, but he is here- in my heart, and with Mia. I've thought so much about everything else, but I never thought about you and I. Joseph," she said formally, taking his hands in hers.

"One day, Mia will become Queen of Genovia, and I don't know when or how, but one day I will marry you. That's all I want now, and I am willing to wait until Mia is ready. I love you, with all of my heart, and you have been so good to me- especially when I've tried to push you and Charlotte away. You've never given up on me- and I will always be grateful to you for that. I love you- and that's not going to change," she finished, before leaning forward and giving him another loving kiss.

She pulled away a moment later, looking worried.

"But, what about you? How do you feel about this?" Joseph watched her for a moment, and then took her into his arms for a warm hug.

"I've waited so long for you to come back, and I meant what I said the evening of the funeral- I will never give up on you. I love you too," and he proved it by giving her another long, loving but passionate kiss.

After they broke apart, she leaned up against him, her head on her chest. "Mia will be ringing tonight….."

"And what will you be telling her?" She smiled up at him radiantly.

"Not this- but how wonderful how father was…..can you help me remember a few stories about him?"

"That would be an honour," he said, before kissing the top of her forehead. "As it is to be serving you," he whispered. "One day, we will be married."

"One day, Joseph, one day…….."