Author's Note: I'm finally finished! Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story- it has been such fun to write, and I've enjoyed it greatly. This has been the longest story I have written! Watch this space- there may be a sequel!
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me.
It was a cold late February day in Genovia, and most of the county was huddled inside around their heaters and fires… and the occupants of the palace, on the outskirts of Pyrus, were no different. While Mia was trying to complete some last minute issues before the arrival of the baby, due in another week, Clarisse and Joe were cuddled up on the couch in front of a crackling fire, and watching a film on television.
"What a perfect way to spend a chilly winter day," Joseph said with a grin and Clarisse, who was lying in her favourite position next to him, looked up and laughed, a look of mock surprise on her face.
"Don't tell me that my number one security man, one of the best in Genovia, is softening up and becoming a marshmallow or a couch potato? We haven't even been married two years!"
"It's a gradual process," Joe said wisely as he stroked her hair. "I've spent so many years on my toes, and being the best bodyguard I could be, it's actually a relief to be able to relax…"
"I know what you mean… it's still a novelty to me that I don't have a country to run, parliament to argue with or even travel as extensively as I used to!"
Clarisse looked thoughtfully into the fire for a moment- it had been almost two years since she had stepped down, and she was still enjoying every minute of her 'retirement' (although she hated that word)… Mia and Joseph took up all of her time, although she still did some charity work, and Joseph seemed to make everything so much fun and easy….
"Yes, I think we're both enjoying all the time we have on our hands… I guess that since we've always had to put everything else in front of our own lives, it's a little different now… but I'm enjoying not being on my toes 24/7!"
Well… I know one way of keeping you on your toes…" she began teasingly, sitting up and looking at him and he laughed.
"Being married to you is one way of keeping me permanently on my toes!" he interjected.
"Yes… but how about you and I go fishing down on the lake for a while?"
"Not again!" Joe mock groaned- since their trip last August, Clarisse had become extremely interested in fishing, and wanted to do it whenever she had the chance. They had had gone on several day trips around Genovia, and down to the lake on the palace grounds, but Joe had to draw the line at fishing on a cold day… in the snow and ice!
"Why not?" Clarisse pouted, but there was a smile playing on the edges of her mouth.
"I can give you several very good reasons why we shouldn't do that: one, it's freezing cold out there; two, I don't want either of us to spend the next week in bed with colds- particularly since there is supposed to be a little arrival due…"
"True," Clarisse amended with a smile- she didn't want to miss that for anything in the world.
"Three," Joe continued. "It's freezing cold out there…"
"You already mentioned that one," Clarisse said impertinently, and Joe laughed.
"I know, but I just wanted to emphasize the importance of that reason…. Besides, I'm not digging a path down to the lake and then crack the ice… and it might start snowing again!"
"Alright, you win…" Clarisse said with a chuckle as she stretched out on the couch again next to him. "Besides, I wasn't really serious about going… I just wanted to see how many reasons you would give me not to go," she added flippantly, hiding her face, as Joe gasped.
"You…. You…." He sputtered, before leaning up on an elbow and looking down at her laughing face. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Mrs Bonnell!" before he leaned down and kissed her.
"Anyway, you were the one who introduced me to the art of fishing," she said with a grin.
"Actually no I didn't… your son did that… so it's all his fault!"
"But I caught my first fish with you, so you're just as much to blame as him!" Clarisse retorted but they both began laughing.
Although it might have sounded like squabbling to other people, they enjoyed teasing each other- even though they did have the occasional argument, whereby Clarisse stalked off to Mia and Nicholas commiserated with Joe, they very rarely argued at all.
"It just goes to show that 25 years of friendship is a good way of preventing arguments once you're married!" Joe had said cheerfully when Nicholas had commented on it once.
"But we'll go fishing once the weather warms up," Joe promised, and Clarisse smiled happily at him.
"Maybe you'll be able to teach your little great-grandson or granddaughter to fish as well!"
"Mia and I have already discussed that, and she said she would prefer me to teach her to fish, rather than Scott… and he got rather offended at that!" Joe roared with laughter, but Clarisse only smiled vaguely, occupied with something else he had said.
"Her?" Clarisse sat up and looked at him archly. "What makes you so sure that it's a girl?"
"I just have the feeling that it's a girl," Joe said smugly, before looking questioningly at her. "Why? Do you think she's having a boy?"
"I had two boys," Clarisse said knowingly.
"That doesn't prove a thing… Phillipe had a daughter," Joe countered with a grin.
"Maybe so, but it might also mean that Mia could end up having the next King of Genovia!"
"There's a fifty fifty chance either way… Don't you want any great-granddaughters?"
"Of course I do… just to see you being wound around their little fingers (like you are with Mia) would be worth it," she said with an impish grin. "But darling, I honestly think this baby is going to be a boy."
"Would you like to place a bet on that?" Joe asked slyly, not at all sure that she would accept it. She looked mildly shocked for a moment before her eyes began to twinkle with pleasure.
"How much are you suggesting, darling?"
"I thought Queens didn't approve of betting or gambling!" Joseph gasped, pretending to be shocked.
"But I'm a former Queen," Clarisse protested, before smiling. "Besides, it wouldn't be that large a sum, would it?"
"No…. what about twenty dollars…. I win if it's a girl…"
"And I win if it's a boy!" Clarisse finished triumphantly and they shook hands on the deal. "I just hope you have the money ready, because I think I'm right!"
"We'll just have to wait and see about that," Joseph contradicted, but he had to smile. No matter that they had just bet on what Mia would have, Clarisse wouldn't really care- all that mattered was that the baby was healthy… Clarisse was very excited about the new arrival in the palace… but she wasn't the only one….
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The country had literally been celebrating the news for the past six months, almost to the day since Mia and Nicholas had announced it, and presents had been pouring in from every part of the country, not to mention the rest of the world!
"What on earth am I going to do with all of this?" Mia asked, a little horrified, as she surveyed the newly decorated baby's nursery, which was full of gifts- toys, clothes, nappies, bottles, furniture, prams… most of it had been sent from around the world, but Clarisse, Helen, Charlotte and Sheila had all contributed a fair bit as well, much to the astonishment and slight disgust of their husbands and Scott.
"It's only a baby… how much is it going to use in the first few years of its life?" Scott had asked when he had seen the gifts, and both Sebastian and Joseph had muttered their agreement.
"You men just don't understand how quickly a child grows," Sheila said briskly but Joe noted that even Nicholas looked slightly taken aback at how much accumulated in the past few months.
"I think I may have to donate a lot of it to the orphanage… and charities," Mia said thoughtfully as she turned to her grandmother. "What do you think, Grandma?"
"I think that's a wise idea, darling," Clarisse said calmly.
But, despite the overload of continuous presents that arrived daily, both Mia and Nicholas were incredibly grateful for the support and good wishes that they had received. It had quickly become clear that the newest Renaldi was a highly anticipated arrival, as illustrated by the constant besiege Lily was under- now that Mia had gone into 'confinement', the phones were ringing off the hook regarding when the baby was due, what it was going to be called, when the public would see it….
"I hope Mia goes into labour soon- I'm just about at the end of my rope!" Lily complained only two days previously, and Clarisse was sympathetic.
"Well, the last royal baby was born 45 years ago, so I suppose that it's very exciting to welcome the next generation of Renaldis," Clarisse said thoughtfully. But she knew that Lily was secretly enjoying a lot of it, and was grateful that she was going to be there when her best friend had her baby. The royal suite at the hospital had been on standby for the past two weeks, and everything was in a high state of excitement and anticipation.
"There is going to be a very big celebration, isn't there?" Mia asked with a wry grin one day. She had been enjoying relatively good health for the last six months, and she was planning on having at least a month off to spend time with her newborn, and Clarisse was ready to step into her shoes temporarily, despite some grumbling from the elder statesmen from parliament.
"Just as long as I'll be able to spend time with my great-grandchild!" Clarisse joked when they had gone over the final plans the previous week.
"What about me?" came Joseph's mock plaintive cry from behind them, and Clarisse peered over her glasses at him on the couch.
"I suppose I might have some time for you as well," she said teasingly, and ducked as he threw a cushion at her. Two nannies had been lined up, but Nicholas and Mia made it clear that they were going to be very involved, and Clarisse quickly volunteered herself and Joseph for babysitting duties.
"I never had that much time with my children," Clarisse told Joe a little sadly when she told him her plans. It would always be one of her greatest regrets that she hadn't stood up to Rupert and the nannies, and insisted she had more time with her sons. "I had to make my visits by appointment… and I'm going to make sure that Mia doesn't have to put up with that!"
"Sounds like you're already on the warpath," Joe joked, squeezing her hand, but feeling sad that she had been refused more time with her own children.
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"I hope that parliament finally wraps that meeting this afternoon," Clarisse said as she stood up, stretched and walked over to the nearby cabinet to retrieve the afternoon tea tray. "I personally don't have any experience in that area, but I can only imagine that sitting in that chair, on a cold day and a week away from their due date, would be acutely uncomfortable!"
"I wouldn't worry about it- Sebastian is well aware of the situation, and he'll probably end it soon anyway," Joe said comfortingly, sitting up on the couch as Clarisse carefully set the tray down on the nearby table, and sat down next to him.
"You know, you don't look like someone who is about to be a great-grandfather," Clarisse teased as she poured two cups of tea, and handed him his as he gave her a withering look. "I meant that as a compliment… you don't even look like a married man!"
"Thank you… I guess I've been lucky to have such good looks… it definitely attracted you in the beginning, didn't it?" he teased, knowing that it wasn't what had attracted Clarisse to him.
"Oh yes, you were so handsome!" Clarisse laughed along with him. "No, I'm not that shallow Joseph! There were other qualities that were more endearing than your looks… although your smile was one of the first things I noticed about you."
"Really? The first thing I noticed about you was… was your absolutely breathtaking blue eyes… they're still as wonderfully gorgeous and sparkling as they were the first day we met… only," he added, putting down his tea cup and cupping her face in his hands.
"There isn't anymore sadness in them… they look happy and content now," he finished softly before kissing her. She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with tears, before they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Joe called as they moved apart, picking up their tea cups and watching as Mia walked in through the open door.
"I need to sit down… ahh," she sighed happily as she sat down in Clarisse's favourite chair. "Gosh, this place is such a zoo at the moment… is one baby the cause of all of this?"
"A big cause," Joe joked as Clarisse collected a third cup from the cabinet and poured her granddaughter a cup of tea. "Didn't you know that?"
"What is going on around the palace?" Clarisse asked as Mia gratefully accepted her tea.
"Lily is literally tearing her hair out about the phone calls, which still haven't stopped; parliament wants to know when I'm having time off, and my darling husband decided to go into town with his security detail! He's supposed to be picking up Mom and Patrick from the airport in half an hour!"
"Don't worry, everything is going to calm down soon enough," Clarisse said soothingly, sitting back on the couch and looking at her granddaughter.
She looked radiant, a little tired perhaps, but happier than Clarisse had ever seen her… after seeing her spend so much time at the children's shelter, she knew that Mia was going to be a wonderful mother.
"I hope so," Mia said with a tired smile. "Anyway, what have you two been up to all day?"
"We've been watching movies… but your grandmother wanted to go fishing just before…" Joe said hurriedly as Clarisse threw him a look.
"I did not- I was just teasing you!" before she turned back to Mia. "How was your meeting?"
"Thankfully Sebastian stepped in before the debates got too heated… that chair is not comfortable at the best of times, but now…."
She looked into the fire with a deep sigh, and Clarisse and Joe exchanged a smile.
"Actually Mia, we were wondering if you could tell us something? We've been thinking about names… have you and Nick chosen your names yet?" Joe asked and Mia grinned at him.
"Yes we have… and no, we're not telling anyone- not even you two!" she added as Clarisse opened her mouth to protest. "It's going to be a surprise to everyone!"
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An hour later, Mia had disappeared to find her mother- who had just arrived from America, leaving Clarisse and Joe to their own devices. Despite several entreaties from both of them, Mia refused to tell them anything more about the names- not even the middle names!
"Don't worry, Lily and Mom are just as in the dark as you two, so you're no different from the others!" Mia laughed impishly as she left the room- she could tell that Clarisse and Joe were both dying of curiosity, and she was enjoying keeping a secret from two of her closest confidantes.
"She must have a surprise in mind for one of us," Clarisse said thoughtfully as Joe went to swap DVDs.
"I have an inkling that your name is somewhere in the mix if it's a girl," he said as he closed the DVD case with a snap, and held up two others for Clarisse's approval.
"Yes, as a middle name… but I also have my suspicions that yours is also a contender," Clarisse said calmly as she pointed to the second case, and he grinned when he saw what she had chosen. They had already watched one of her romance films, so she obviously realised that it was his turn to enjoy a movie.
"I don't think so, darling… There are plenty of other good names to choose from… why on earth would they choose Joseph?" he asked as he put the DVD in the player before coming back to sit next to Clarisse.
"I don't know… why shouldn't they… it's actually a lovely name," Clarisse said in a warm tone as she moved closer next to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"You're just biased," he joked as he settled back onto the couch and put an arm around her. "I bet you didn't like the name before you met me though, didn't you?"
He looked at her intently, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes, and she only grinned at him- she knew that he was trying to tease her.
"No, I've always liked the name Joseph… I actually prefer calling you that than Joe- it sounds more….."
"Gentlemanly," Joe finished for her with a grin. "I like you calling me Joseph- no one else seems to, not that I mind, but it would sound strange you calling me Joe… But I don't think Mia and Nicholas would consider it as a front runner."
"I still don't think you should discount your name as a contender… mine is a given, I know that, but I think that Mia might have a little surprise for you…."
"No, I think it's more likely to be Nicholas or Phillipe… or even Rupert…"
"I don't think Rupert is an option… but just wait and see- I could be right…."
"And you will then be impossible to live with if you win both the bet and this argument…" Joe growled with a grin on his face, Clarisse laughing, as he leaned over and kissed her.
"Don't worry," Clarisse murmured when they resurfaced. "I won't be too hard on you if I win…"
Clarisse and Joe spent the rest of the afternoon, and much of the evening, watching films and trying to think of possible names that Mia and Nicholas would have chosen. Their guesses were getting rather outlandish as they headed to bed, and Joe still wasn't convinced about Clarisse's prediction.
"Oh well, we'll find out in the next week or so," Clarisse said as she emerged from her dressing room and climbed into bed. Joseph laughed at her optimism- he was positive that it was going to be a girl, and he couldn't wait to see her reaction when they found out her name was in there…
"By the way," Clarisse asked as Joseph climbed in next to her, and switched off the light before they snuggled up together. "Have you and Mia finally come to a decision about what you're going to be known as?"
"The list has been narrowed down to a few, but we'll have to see… I will not be known as the Joe Man as Scott suggested!" Joe growled good naturedly as Clarisse laughed along with him.
"That one is a little strange, I will admit, but whatever you two decide, I'm sure it will be good," she smiled at him in the dark before he leaned over and kissed her goodnight.
Joseph went to sleep almost immediately, but Clarisse lay awake and thought about the new baby- it was going to be such a wonderful celebration, and the country was highly excited about it.
She herself was grateful that the pressure hadn't been quite as intense when Pierre and Phillipe were born, but she was still rather concerned about Mia… hopefully it wouldn't be for much longer… She was just drifting off to sleep when there was a loud banging on the door.
After listening to a second bang, Clarisse carefully slipped out of bed and walked to the door, switching on a light as she went. Standing outside was a fully dressed Lily.
"Your Majesty," she began quickly- although Lily usually spoke at a rapid pace most of the time, now it seemed she was on hyper speed. "Mia and Nicholas are on their way to the hospital, but wanted you to know… Also, can you call Prime Minister Motez and, for Scott, Charlotte? A car is at your disposal if you want it… thanks!" she dashed off down the hall as Clarisse watched her go before realising what was going on… Mia had gone into labour!
"JOSEPH!" she shouted as she closed the door behind her and tore into the bedroom, switching on more lights as she went. "Joseph! Wake up! We have to get to the hospital!" she called to the stirring figure of her husband before beginning to rummage through their shared built in wardrobe.
"Wassgoinon?" Joe asked blearily, half asleep as he sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes.
"Mia's gone to the hospital- and we have to get there!" she called frantically as she tossed a pair of his jeans and a jumper onto the bed before rummaging for clothes for herself.
"Why on earth do we have to go to the hospital now?" Joe yawned, still sitting in bed. "I don't think the baby will arrive in the next fifteen minutes!"
"Joseph Peter Bonnell, this our first great-grandchild, and if you think that I'm going to sit here and wait, you've got another think coming!" she shouted, very unlike the usually unflappable Clarisse, turning to face him with her hands on her hips. She was surprise to see Joe chuckling out her, and stepping into his jeans.
"That's payback for trying to make me go fishing this afternoon!" he crowed at her as she tossed one of his shirts at him, and began stepping into her own clothes.
"That's not funny!"
After she finished dressing, she started looking around the room for something, but couldn't remember what it was. Joseph, in the meantime, had calmly got dressed and he walked over to put an arm around her waist.
"Relax… we are going to get there!"
"I'm sorry, I'm just…" Clarisse couldn't describe how she was feeling, but Joe, knowing how she was feeling, gave her a reassuring hug.
"I know, darling, but we will get there in time!"
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It was a quiet trip to the hospital- Joseph successfully reached Sebastian and Charlotte on his mobile phone, while Clarisse stared out the window of the car and hoped that everything was going well for Mia. She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt Joseph take her gloved hand in his and squeeze it.
"Relax… everything is going to be fine!"
"I just hope the press haven't caught on to it yet," Clarisse said anxiously but, to her surprise, the entrances to the hospital were clear of people when the car smoothly pulled up to a stop.
"Thank goodness," she murmured as they hurried inside. She was surprised to see a few people still sitting or walking around as they hurried through the hospital but when she glanced at her watch, she was surprised to see that it was only 9:30.
"Maybe I should pretend that I've hurt myself… everyone's staring at us!" Clarisse joked as they strolled towards the elevators, hand in hand, and Joe had to laugh.
"I don't think that would work, my love- you don't look at all injured… but a good diversion anyway," he added as they stepped into the empty elevator, followed by Clarisse's three permanent bodyguards.
When they finally entered the living room area of the royal suite, Joe laughed when he saw Scott sitting in the corner, looking rather ill.
"Don't tell me you don't do well with pain?" he joked as he sat down next to Shades with a laugh, and Shades rolled his eyes.
"I handle pain just fine… it's just that Her Majesty sounded as though she was in a lot…."
"How is she?" Clarisse asked anxiously but, before Shades could answer, the double doors opened again and in stepped Sebastian, Sheila and Charlotte.
"You didn't take long to get here!" Joe stared at them in surprise, and Sebastian laughed as he and Sheila sat down opposite Clarisse and Joe, and Charlotte sat next to Shades, murmuring sympathetically into his ear.
"We don't live twenty minutes outside Pyrus, remember?"
Clarisse was about to ask Scott again about Mia, but she was interrupted by a door opening on her left, and in came Nicholas, looking slightly harried.
"How is she?" Clarisse asked, standing up immediately.
"She's doing really well…it still might take a while, but the doctor is happy with her progress. Mia sent me out to tell you that…"
"Thank goodness," Clarisse sat down again in relief, as Nicholas waved briefly to the others, and disappeared back through the door he had just entered. She sighed and glanced around at the others- she was so pleased that they had joined in her waiting.
"Did anyone want a cup of tea or anything?" Charlotte asked after a moment. "I thought that the suite was supposed to have a kitchen…."
"Over there," Shades waved to another door, and Charlotte nodded as she looked around the room.
"One tea, please," Clarisse began, and then looked at Joseph. "Darling?"
"Coffee for me, please."
"Teas for us," Sebastian said after consulting Sheila, and Charlotte stopped and looked at Scott.
"A very strong cup of coffee… I'll help!"
The two of them disappeared into the kitchen, and Sebastian gave Joseph a quizzical look.
"I think he might have been a little shocked at how much pain Mia was in," Joe said calmly, and Sebastian burst out laughing. Sheila, however, playfully hit him on the arm.
"You shouldn't laugh- you almost fainted when Marissa was born!"
"Poor Scott," Sebastian stopped laughing, and said in an almost convincing sympathetic voice.
"Right… just for that, you and I can go and help Charlotte!" Sheila said with a grin, and literally dragged Sebastian into the kitchen.
"Thank goodness I never had to put up with pain and hospitals," Joe said with a grin as he sat back on the couch, and Clarisse cuddled up next to him. "How did His Majesty cope?"
"I barely remember when Pierre was born, but with Phillipe… I recall that I swore at Rupert more than once, and tried to have him thrown out of the room- he insisted on being there, even though it wasn't done…"
"And how did he react?"
"He just laughed and patted my hand, telling me 'that it will be all over soon, darling'… Not exactly what I wanted to hear!"
"How long…"
"About ten hours… it felt like forever, but once I saw him, I knew it was all worth it," Clarisse said softly, her eyes filling with tears as she remembered the first time she had laid eyes on her second son… Love at first sight… It had been the most beautiful moment, and it had almost ripped her heart out when he was killed 36 years later…
Joseph squeezed her hand tenderly, and she looked over at him with tears spilling onto her cheeks.
"Oh, sweetheart…" he murmured, pulling her close for a hug, and she wiped her eyes quickly.
"I'm not sad… it's just that…"
"You don't need to explain anything to me…"
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The hours seemed to drag by, but Nicholas came in almost every hour to give them an update, and take a sip of someone's coffee. By three thirty in the morning, Scott was getting bored but, as Mia's Head of Security, he couldn't even go for a walk outside… he had to stay near the Queen (or in close proximity to where she was), so he began pacing… which eventually drove Joseph nuts.
"Alright, Scott! You and Charlotte go and have a quick stroll down to the hospital gardens or something… there's enough agents here to take care of the Queen and Clarisse… go!" he finally said, and Scott, dragging Charlotte by the hand, couldn't make a fast enough exit.
"I guess he's not used to being cooped up for so long," Joe joked to Sebastian who chuckled along with him, and Sheila and Clarisse just rolled their eyes.
Clarisse was just about to move to the kitchen to get another round of teas and coffees, when Nicholas, clad in a green gown, walked into the room, followed by the equally serious faces of Lily and Helen.
"Clarisse and Joe… could you come with me for a moment?" Nicholas said in a sober voice, and Clarisse almost thought her heart had stopped… something had happened… she couldn't bear to think what… Joe clutched her hand tightly as they followed Nicholas out of the silent room, and waited as he closed the door behind him.
If they had stayed standing at the door for a few seconds more, they would have heard shrieks of delight. Clarisse was pale and nervous as they walked behind Nicholas, and she stopped for a moment outside the room, calming herself down, before walking in to see…. that Mia sitting up in bed, beaming happily and holding a tiny blue bundle in her arms.
"Grandma, Joe… I would like you both to meet your great-grandson!"
"Oh darling!" Clarisse cried, tears spilling from her eyes, as she rushed over to the side of the bed and kissed her granddaughter, before looking down at the tiny bundle in her arms. In the back ground Clarisse was vaguely aware of Joe and Nicholas shaking hands, but all she could see was the little boy in front of her.
"Would you like to hold him?" Mia asked calmly, looking at her with radiant brown eyes, and Clarisse could only nod silently. The baby whimpered slightly at the change over, but he then opened his eyes and gazed at Clarisse… his eyes were brown… and they looked very much like Phillipe's eyes, Clarisse realised with a start as she slowly sat down in the chair next to the bed.
"We've already decided he had Dad's eyes, Grandma's nose, and Nick's mouth… but we're not quite sure about the ears… what do you think, Joe?"
Joe wandered shyly up to where his wife was sitting, holding the child and too absorbed to hear anything else, and looked at the ears curiously.
"I think… maybe your father's," he said after a moment, and Mia grinned at Nicholas.
"I told you that's what he would say."
"So…" Clarisse finally tore her eyes away from her great-grandson and looked from Nicholas to Mia. "What have you decided to name him?"
Mia and Nicholas exchanged another smiling look as Nicholas sat down on the bed next to Mia, and took her hand in his.
"Well… it was such a hard decision, and there were so many names we could have used, but didn't like… it was quite hard to decide what to call him, but as soon as we saw him, we knew that we had chosen the right name for him," Mia was stalling, and Joseph finally couldn't help himself.
"So, what is this wonderful name that you're teasing us with?"
"Okay… Joseph Lachlan Phillipe Nicholas Devereaux Renaldi… a little long, I know, but we thought it was a nice sounding name… and we also thought that, until he can decide for himself, we're going to call him…" Mia turned her eyes to look at Joe. "Joey."
There was a long silence as Clarisse and Joseph looked at each other, before Clarisse laughed through a fresh set of tears.
"What a wonderful name, darling… and I love it!" she gazed affectionately at the new parents, pride shining in her eyes, before depositing a gentle kiss on the top of her great-grandson's soft head, and giving him back to his mother. She then turned to look at her husband, who seemed to be in shock.
"Joe?" Mia looked at him worriedly as he sank into the chair next to Clarisse, who took his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. "Is that alright with you…? I know we should have asked for permission, but…."
"Mia," he began in a hoarse voice, looking from Nicholas to Mia and then to the beaming Clarisse sitting next to him. "I don't know what to say… this is such an honour… I…"he bent his head, and cleared his throat, a sign that Clarisse took as he was battling his emotions.
"Joe, look at me for a moment," Clarisse said in a quiet voice, and he looked up. "You have brought so much happiness to this family- not only to me, but to my grandmother… You have been more than a bodyguard over the years, and I want you to be remembered… I'll be remember as the Queen who changed a law, Grandma will be remembered as the Queen who ruled without a man for seven years… and you will be remembered as the only man who loved her unconditionally."
"But… King Joseph?"
"Why not?" All the other names I got suggested were so boring… sorry, Grandma… He may not end up being King under that name but, legally, he will be Joseph…"
"I didn't expect that… but I don't know…"
Mia swung her legs off the bed, after handing Joey to Nicholas, and took both Joe's hands in his as Clarisse and Nicholas silently looked on.
"Joe, you are the best of the best… I would have thought that talk in the forest would have convinced you… Nick and I want our son to be like you- strong and dedicated, but not afraid to show his sensitive and caring side…Apart from the fishing you will be teaching him, I want him to see you as a role model…
"Thank you," Joe said hoarsely, hugging Mia tight before turning and embracing Clarisse even tighter.
"But first, you have to officially meet him…" Mia gently handed him the baby, and Clarisse had tears in her eyes as she watched her husband handle the baby awkwardly for a few minutes, before relaxing.
"Yes… he does have your father's eyes and your grandmother's nose…" he said after a moment as the baby studied him, and then closed his eyes for a nap.
"And eventually, he will have your kind and loyal spirit," Mia said softly as Joe glanced over at Clarisse for a moment, and she smiled as she squeezed his arm tenderly.
After watching the baby for a little longer, Joe suggested that the others should come in too, and soon the room was crowded with people cooing over little Joey. No one else was particularly surprised at the choice of name- in fact, Sebastian nodded approvingly.
"About time someone realised the contribution Joe has made to Genovia," he said firmly, looking from Mia to Joe, who was still sitting in the chair beside Clarisse and saying little.
'Are you alright?" Clarisse murmured into his ear, and she was touched to see that he was smiling happily over at her.
"I'm fine… I can't believe it…"
"She's a very clever girl, that Mia," Clarisse said softly as they watched Mia hand the baby over to Lily, who looked slightly awed at the sight of him.
"Just like her grandmother," he murmured into her ear, before taking the hand that was resting on his arm and kissing it. Clarisse looked around the room again, happy that everyone was there, but suddenly realising that it was probably almost morning…
"I think we might leave the party to it… we can come and see little Joey later today," she murmured, and he nodded his ascent as they slowly stood up.
"We're going to go now," Clarisse said calmly when Mia looked at them puzzled. "It's been a very late night, and I think Joseph needs a few hours sleep…" she trailed off as Joseph looked at her in mock outrage.
"And I was about to suggest the same thing about you!" he retorted before they both laughed, and the rest of the room joined in.
"You have enough people here to have a party… but we'll be back later on today," Clarisse said as she leaned over to kiss Mia. "But congratulations to the pair of you… and thank you for taking my little suggestion seriously!"
"No worries… Nick and I had already discussed it!" she grinned shyly before Clarisse moved to congratulate Nicholas, and have one more glance at baby Joey before accepting Joe's arm and they headed towards the door.
"By the way, we won't tell a word to anyone if the press happened to be downstairs!" Joe said as they left, and Mia laughed.
"Lily's already way ahead of you… she released a statement about half an hour ago… good luck getting through the questioners!"
"You would think that she wouldn't be so cheeky after the night she's had, wouldn't you?" Joe muttered under his breath as they left the suite, and walked towards the elevator. Clarisse laughed.
"I guess it must be the Renaldi genes coming out even more!"
000000
It was surprisingly quiet when they left the hospital, but Clarisse knew that it was only a matter of time before the press besieged both hospital and palace. She gazed out the window- the horizon was lightening considerably, and after glancing at her watch, she realised that it was almost 5:30… they had been at the hospital for 8 hours!
"I think I'm going to have to have a couple of hours nap before we go back to the hospital," Joe said in a joking tone as they walked into their silent suite, and laughed at the chaos they had left behind.
"That sounds like a wise idea, although I'm not that tired really…" Clarisse trailed off as she walked over to the window and gazed at the winter wonderland before them. They had a brand new great grandson, and his name was Joey! She smiled warmly when she felt Joe's arms wrap around her waist.
"It sure was an eventful evening, wasn't it?" he joked, and she laughed. "I wasn't only mentioning the baby, but you coming rushing into the bedroom like a chicken with its head cut off, and shouting at me… I never thought I would see that!"
"It only happens on rare occasions…" Clarisse said teasingly as she turned around and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "But you… you're going to be famous!"
"Yes… I never imagined that they would do that…" Joe sounded a little choked up, and Clarisse rubbed her hand down his face. "Wait… I happened to hear you say 'thank you for taking my little suggestion seriously'… what did that mean?"
He looked at her quizzically.
"Well, I wanted to make sure that they had your name in their discussions… I wanted this for you, and I thought it would be a wonderful surprise… actually; they were already talking about it… And, before you say anything, I had no idea what the name was going to be… I hope I did the right thing…" she looked at him worriedly, and he stared at her for a moment, before pulling her close and kissing her passionately.
"That is the sweetest thing that anyone has ever done for me… I'm not at all mad… I'm actually very honoured, and thank you… thank you, darling," he managed to stutter before kissing her again. "I love the gesture- and I love you for thinking of it!"
"I love you too," Clarisse beamed at him for a moment, before her eyes began twinkling. "By the way, I believe you owe me some money…."
"I knew you would remember that… I hope you're not going to be impossible to live with now!" Joe laughed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He was about to give her the money when she stopped him.
"I was joking… you keep the money- you're going to need it when you start taking Joey fishing… by the way, what is your final decision about your name?"
"I think it might have be Grandpa… there's a Grandma, so Grandpa is a natural choice…."
"You do not look like a grandpa," Clarisse said seductively, kissing him on the mouth, and slowly moving towards the bedroom.
"You certainly don't look like a Grandma…" he added, laughing and following her into the bedroom. Clarisse glanced around for something to hold up, and she held up her empty cup of tea from the previous evening.
"I'll make a proper toast later but…to our new grandson Joseph Lachlan Phillipe Nicholas Devereaux Renaldi… to Joey!"
"To Joseph- and to Mia and Nicholas as well…. They are going to have some fun times ahead!"
"So are we… the best thing about all of this is that I'm celebrating with you… and that means so much to me!"
"It means a lot to me as well…. I think we're all going to have some fun times ahead!" Joe laughed as he walked over and took her into his arms.
"Does that mean you're going to take me camping soon?"
"You're just going to have to wait and see, my darling!"