Princess Diaries - The Movies
Takes place a year after the events in PD 2
Rated G or PG and will continue to be.
Hope you enjoy!

The Assassin

By: Kristin'sFatLouie

Chapter I

Joseph Herrara, former head of Genovian security for the Crown, now husband to the former queen of said country, stood at the foot of the platform as near his wife and what he had come to think of as his granddaughter as he could and remain proper, since it was no longer his job. His gaze roved the area and its hundreds of occupants out of years of habit, as well as the belief that though the men he'd trained were competent, no one was more qualified to look after the Queen and her grandmother, his wife, then he himself.

He glanced up to see Clarisse smiling softly at him before she turned her attention back to Genovia's prime minister who was in the midst of a rather longer than necessary, he could see she felt, speech. She knew him so well, he thought with an inward smile. She knew it made him edgy not to be able to stand and protect her as he had for so many years. Today was the one year anniversary of Mia becoming Queen of Genovia, and today was the royal celebration.

Finally the mountain of a man began to wind down and the corner of Joe's mouth quirked as he saw Mia make some comment to her grandmother, which had Clarisse leaning slightly to her right, whispering back. Neither lost their queenly demeanor for a moment.

In the next instant everything exploded as a shot cracked and bedlam ensued. While the assembled Genovians screamed and ran, Joseph leapt onto the platform and to his horror, saw Clarisse fall to the floor and lay still.

"Grandma!" Mia was on her knees beside the unconscious woman and then Shades and Nicholas, Mia's husband, had knocked her aside and covered her with their bodies.

"No! Grandma!" She shrieked, but allowed them to pull her back as she saw that Joe had reached Clarisse and was checking her while he shouted to the security men to fetch the doctor.

To anyone observing, he was the calm, efficient head of security he'd always been, but to Mia who knew him so well, she could see the tension and fear in every move and in the way he watched the fallen woman.

He raised his head to meet Mia's gaze.

"Joe?"

He moved reluctantly as the doctor pushed him aside, but he didn't move far.

"Are you all right, Your Majesty?" He asked.

She nodded.

Shades had his men doing their jobs to protect the queen, and Joe's attention returned to his wife as the doctor began issuing orders to the medial rescue team behind him.

"How is she?" He stared at the blood spreading across the front of her gown. Over her heart.

"She's been shot – I won't know how seriously until I examine her more closely." The older man said. "My primary concern right now is loss of blood. I must get her to the hospital."

"Yes, go." He hesitated, duty warring with his desire to stay with Clarisse. "I will follow directly."

The man nodded and turned to supervise the former Queen's transference onto a gurney and then to the rescue vehicle.

Slowly Joseph rose to find that his men had cleared the courtyard and that Nicholas stood with Mia behind a wall, two security guards in front of them.

Joe crossed to where Shademan was issuing orders to his men.

"I want you to find out what happened and why and who." Joe told him. "I'm going to the hospital, but when I come back, I want a meeting with the entire security team."

"Yes sir."

"Joe!"

He turned to see Mia running toward him, Nicholas and two of the palace guards trying to keep her shielded.

"Your Majesty—" He began but she cut him off.

"I'm going with you." She told him.

"No, you are not."

"Joe!"

Joseph took a calming breath and took her by the shoulders, trying to force calmness into them both.

"Mia, you need to stay here where I know you'll be safe. I am going to the hospital and I'll keep you informed about your grandmother's condition." He squeezed her shoulders. "Please, Mia. Stay here where it's safe." Where I don't have to worry about you, too.

Mia looked deeply into the aqua eyes and saw fear and worry there and also the struggle for control, and knew he didn't need an hysterical queen added to the mix until they knew how her grandmother was. Reluctantly, she nodded.

"Okay, Joe. Just let us know, okay?"

He kissed her forehead. "I will, as soon as I can. Thank you."

Joseph turned and strode down the sidewalk toward his car, every nerve tensed and his heart thumping in his chest. She had to be all right. She would be.

He drove as quickly as he could and still arrive at the hospital in one piece. He couldn't afford to get in an accident... Clarisse would need him when she came home. Because, he told himself firmly, she would be coming home.

Joe was met by one of his security men as he hurried down the polished hallway toward the desk. Second in command, Landry.

"Sir."

"Landry." Joe paused and glanced over the man's shoulder at the operating room doors. "How is Her Majesty?"

"In surgery, sir. The doctor has not updated me at this time."

"All right." He paused, fighting to make his mind... a mind that had formulated security strategies for years, to come up with any plan at all. "I want you to go back to the palace. Make sure that Queen Mia is well protected, along with her husband. I will be back as soon as I can and then I want to see everyone in the ballroom for a meeting."

"Yes sir." Landry nodded solemnly, noting the shadow of fear that clouded the former security head's eyes. He really adores her, he thought. And he's frightened to death that she's going to die.

As he turned to leave, Joe put a hand on his arm.

"Thank you, for coming ahead and watching over her until I could be here myself."

Landry nodded. "It was my honor, Sir and my duty as second in command of Her Majesty's security."

Joseph watched him walk out of the hospital, then dismissing everything else, turned to the doctor who was just coming out of the swinging doors.

"Doctor—"

"Ahh, I wondered where you were, Joseph."

Joe fixed the Queen's doctor with a stern gaze.

"How is she?"

"She's going to be fine. The bullet went through her left side, struck a rib, but hit nothing vital and, though it will be very painful for a time, Queen Clarisse will recover completely."

Joe felt weak with relief.

"Thank God!" He breathed, steadying himself with a hand on the counter. "When can I see her?"

"I'm having her moved to a room for observation. She can go home in a day or two if everything goes well, but for at least a couple of nights I want her here."

Joe nodded. "You are certain she'll be all right?"

The man smiled, nodded. "Yes. The worst was blood loss and extracting the bullet. The blood has been replaced and the cracked rib dealt with. She'll be in pain for awhile, but I'll send some medication home with you to take care of that." He reached out to clasp the other man's arm, as much to support as to reassure. Joe's usually dusky complexion was an alarming shade of pale. "Your wife will be fine, Joseph."

"Thank you." Joe cleared his throat, swallowing with some difficultly. "Where is her room? I have arranged to stay with her until she's settled."

The doctor pointed. "First right, second door on the left. I've sedated her so it may be awhile before she wakes."

Nodding, Joe hurried down the hall to see for himself that his love was alive.

He watched everyone bustling around, plugging holes, now that the horse was well out of the barn. Idiots. He shook his head. All but Herrara. He'd barked a few orders and then chased after his fallen angel. Weakling. For all his charging around, issuing orders, he was washed up. Nothing to worry about there. He snorted. Nothing to worry about at all.

Joe sat beside the bed, Clarisse's right hand clasped in both of his, watching the paleness of her face and the dark smudges under the closed eyes. How he longed for them to open and give him the reassurance he needed that she was alive. That she was going to be all right. He'd been here for nearly three hours and she hadn't wakened once. He knew it was the anesthesia, but still he worried.

As he sat, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest, Joe's mind drifted to the weekend before when Mia and Nicholas had thrown them a surprise one year anniversary party. He smiled at the memory. They had been well and truly surprised, too. Mia had kept it small as she'd known her grandmother would prefer, with just the four of them, Charlotte and a few others to help celebrate their first anniversary. After so many years of waiting and wanting, he'd finally gotten what he'd always dreamed of... Clarisse was his wife. And now in a split second, he'd come so very close to losing her. Losing everything that mattered to him. After so many years of protecting her from harm, he'd almost lost her.

"Your hands are sweating."

He snapped back to find her smiling up at him. Tired, drained, but awake and smiling at him.

Joseph brought her hand to his lips.

"Welcome back." He said softly, all the love he felt for her flowing from his eyes.

Clarisse squeezed his hand and pulled it to rest against her.

"What happened?" She coughed. "Could I have some water, please?"

"Of course." Joe rose and poured a cup, then helped her to sip at it.

When she lay back against the pillows again, Clarisse fixed him with the sternest look she could manage. "All right. What happened?"

He sighed, shook his head.

"We don't know." He held up a hand when she would have spoken. "What we think happened is this; there was an attempted assassination against Mia. You got in the way, threw off his aim and took the bullet meant for her."

"Mia's all right?" Clarisse asked, anxiously.

"She's fine." Joe soothed. "When you leaned toward her to whisper something, it must have thrown him off."

"Thank God for that." The former queen breathed. And, while it didn't improve Joseph's mood, he did understand the sentiment. If he could have taken the bullet for both of them he would have.

"I left them asking questions and gathering what clues they might be able to glean from the people that were there." He told her gently. "I'll see what they've managed to find when I get back to the palace."

"Mia?"

"I wouldn't let her come. She wanted to very badly." He took his wife's hand again. "She was very frightened for you. We both were."

"I'm glad you didn't let her come, Joseph." Clarisse murmured, "She mustn't leave the palace until you find out who did this."

"I know. She won't." Joe assured, rubbing her hand against his cheek. "Nicholas and two of my... of Shade's guards are with her at all times."

Clarisse smiled fondly. She knew how hard it was for him to let someone else take control when Mia was in danger. She squeezed his hand, then gestured to herself. "How bad?" She felt remarkably well and free of pain considering what had happened, but she suspected it was due to painkillers.

He hesitated and felt her hand tighten around his.

"Joseph?" Apprehension sparked in the blue eyes.

"No, no you're going to be fine." He assured her, free hand brushing the hair off her forehead. "I'm sorry my darling, but the thought of what might have happened still freezes my blood."

"He was aiming for Mia and hit me." She snorted. "Not a very good aim, was he?" The corner of her mouth quirked in a smile, and it had the desired effect on her love.

Joe shrugged. "Well, as usual, you made things difficult." He grinned as she made a face. "If you hadn't decided to whisper what was no doubt a less than respectful word regarding the prime minister's speech, Mia would probably –"

"No, Joseph, don't." Clarisse shut her eyes against the image his words evoked.

"I'm sorry Clarisse. I don't mean to upset you." He brought her hand to his lips, gently kissing her fingers. "You lost a great deal of blood but that's been taken care of. The bullet cracked one of your ribs, but otherwise you were lucky."

There was silence for a long moment, then the former queen met her husband's eyes.

"I think perhaps it's time you came out of retirement my darling, just for a little while." She caressed his cheek. "And I believe the current Queen will concur. I want Mia protected at all costs and you are the only one I trust with that precious job."

"Yes, of course." He agreed.

Clarisse studied his handsome features, noting the lines of fatigue around his eyes; the dark shadows that spread under them. And when he spoke, the usual deep, rumbling voice she so loved was rough and laced with exhaustion.

"You look tired." She told him, cupping his cheek with her palm. "How long have I been here?" She glanced out the window. Darkness. So at least a few hours.

"Not long—"

"You never could lie to me, Joseph." She smiled up at him. "To everyone else, yes, but never to me."

"I rarely had a desire to, Clarisse." He smiled down at her.

"Go home, Joseph."

"No, I—"

"Go." Clarisse drew the years of queenly authority around her, demanding his compliance. "Go back to the palace and protect Mia." Her eyes softened as she looked up at him. "Please, Joseph. Protect my granddaughter. Your queen."

He snorted at that and she smiled.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

She cuffed him on the arm. "Oh, stop it."

Joseph leaned over and caught her lips in a sweet kiss. "All right, I'll go. But I'll be back in the morning to check on you." He held up a hand, "And you will not be going home until the doctor says it is all right."

"That will be soon."

Clarisse said it with a certainty that made Joe smile. God how he loved her. He kissed her again and rose.

"Ring for the nurses if you are in pain. The doctor has prescribed medication to help you sleep." He turned to leave but her voice stopped him.

"Joseph."

He turned back.

"Thank you."

She saw the guilt in his eyes then and it clutched at her heart.

"I did nothing. I couldn't even—"

"Stop!" Clarisse said sharply. Then, "I love you, Joseph."

"And I adore you." He smiled then and she felt the warmth of his love wash over her. "I've placed two guards outside, Clarisse. Sleep well."

As the door closed behind him, Clarisse felt an emptiness fill her at his absence. Finally she closed her eyes and tried to find sleep.