Thanks so very much for reading, and for the reviews!

Why do we need this chapter? I guess we don't really, but it ends the story on a happy note, and Garry always liked a happy ending.

(And hopefully, the happiness makes up for the dreadfully corny humor at the end. Corny, and highly suggestive, so mind the T rating, youngsters.)

Fast Forward…

It was Princess Amelia's first official visit to Genovia, and the security staff was adjusting once more to life with multiple royals in residence at the palace.

Having observed firsthand the Princess's penchant for blunders and the Queen's revived bodyguard-dodging skills, Joseph clung as tenaciously as ever to his philosophy of erring on the side of caution. There would be no unsupervised, spur-of-the-moment outings in Genovia; no afternoon joyrides to Pyrus; no reason for police escorts home.

Mia was still unused to such a heavily chaperoned existence and was vocal in her discontent. Clarisse, whose feelings mirrored her granddaughter's, kept her real opinion to herself while she reminded Mia of the importance of safety first.

Joseph knew Clarisse's secret thoughts, and truth be told, he shared them to a degree. The Queen was quite busy with her protégé, and the Head of Security was tied up with his employees' redoubled efforts. They rarely had a chance to be alone with each other for a simple conversation, not to mention anything else, and they missed each other.

Sometimes, as they passed each other in the hall or wrapped up a briefing or endured a drawn-out session of Parliament, Clarisse would shoot a surreptitious glance at Joseph, her eyebrows raised in a silent question; and she would receive a covert wink in return.

Did it help, knowing she loved him? she asked.

So much more than she could ever know, he responded.

Other times, the wordless exchange happened after a member of the security team swooped down in time to save the Princess from a potentially clumsy moment. The meaning changed, but the underlying sentiment was the same.

Are you bored yet? she asked.

Never, he responded.

One night, after a particularly eventful day involving Mia's new designer heels, a sagging hem, and a mud puddle, Clarisse flopped back onto her bed in a decidedly un-Clarisse way, entirely too exhausted to even think about starting her bedtime routine. She sighed and stared up at the ceiling until the painfully sharp images of the day softened, and she found herself laughing. Quietly at first, but it built up to a full-on bout of laughter.

"Oh, help," she pleaded – to whom, she wasn't sure – as she wiped tears away from her eyes. She turned her head on her pillow and stared at the phone. After a deep calming breath, she rolled onto her side and summoned enough energy to reach for the receiver.

"Yeah."

"Yes," she corrected him. It was an automatic reaction after all the time she had been spending with Mia and her slang-ridden vocabulary.

"Ah, of course. My apologies. Let's try again."

Before she could respond, she heard the connection break. She blinked in disbelief at the receiver before sitting up and dropping the handset into place with a sigh. She crossed her legs and bounced her foot impatiently in the air while she waited to see if the phone would ring. When it stayed silent, she picked up the handset and redialed the number.

"Good evening. Joseph Romero speaking. How may I be of service to you?"

"That's not really better."

"Perhaps a simple hello?"

"Please." Then she hastened to add: "Wait! Don't hang up."

He sensed her request was a mixture of humorless warning and tired pleading, and stayed on the line. "Alright." He cleared his throat and she sighed again. "Hello."

"Hello, Joseph," she replied testily.

"Clarisse! What a pleasant surprise."

She bit back a retort and opted to keep the conversation moving. "Is this a bad time?"

"Not exactly, but I am glad you decided to call rather than just pop by."

"Oh? Why is that?" she asked, her irritation waning as she wondered what excuse he would give her this time.

"It happens that I've just come out of the shower, and am lounging on the couch in my birthday suit."

That one again. She laughed. "I'm glad I called, too," she said with mock relief.

"What can I do for you, my queen?"

"I'm bored, Joseph."

"Not possible," he responded quickly and emphatically. There was a small pause before he asked, "How bored, Clarisse?"

"So bored."

"I'll get my flashlight."

Seven minutes later, Clarisse heard him knock – just once – on the back of her bookcase.

She tapped out her half of the code knock and he answered with the other half before she reached out to undo the latches. She opened the furniture-door to reveal her Head of Security, leaning against the wall of the tunnel with his arms crossed and a grin on his face that made her think of a time when they were quite a few years younger.

"I'm disappointed," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh?" he pried as he entered the room and turned to push the door closed.

"Yes. You arrived here far too quickly to have had time to dress first." She waited until he was facing her again to let her eyes sweep over his form pointedly. "I don't think you were naked when I called."

He chuckled. "I was not. However," he said mischievously as he took her into his arms, "that can be remedied easily enough."

She dodged his lips and he pulled back in frowning confusion. "You're awfully presumptuous," she accused as some of the day's frustration clung to her.

The frown gave way to another grin. "Just hopeful, Clarisse. Always hopeful."

The last traces of stress finally dissipated once and for all, and her mouth began to quirk into a smile just as he aimed at it again. This time, his lips found their target, and the two of them fairly melted into a stomach-tingling, knee-wobbling kiss.

When they finally broke apart for air, she eyed him warily. "Is that a flashlight in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

She felt something tap against her back, and when she turned her head to look over her shoulder, he held up the flashlight. He arched an eyebrow suggestively and she laughed. He silenced her reaction with another eager kiss.

She barely registered the thud of the flashlight dropping to the floor. She was unsure who started walking them to her bed, but the moment she bumped against it, they collapsed onto it.

And stayed there.

The End