"A common misconception," he remarked with equal amusement. "You forget that I am a duke's son, Princess, and that my intentions are completely honorable." His lips curled into a small teasing smirk. "Are you too afraid to have a little fun?"

That comment pricked at her defenses, fully aware that she didn't do anything with her time that he would even remotely consider fun. Not in the winter, anyway. Pausing, Dru laid her hands on her hips, offering him an indignant glare laced with shy humor. "I'm not afraid of having fun," she insisted stubbornly. "I'm just not dressed appropriately."

"I don't mean now, silly!" he exclaimed, eyes moving briefly over her, as if he'd just noticed that she was wearing a skirt. "You look really nice today, Dru," he told her, turning serious as they neared the garage and suddenly feeling just a little bit nervous.

She blushed properly at the compliment, looking down at herself in quiet embarrassment as her hand brushed imaginary lint from the folds of her skirt. "Thank you," she managed shyly, letting herself return that look to take in his tall frame. "You look very handsome." As always, she added in the silence of her mind, not quite brave enough to share that particular observation yet.

He frowned a little, as he realized he was not quite dressed for a family dinner, certainly not dressed as nicely as she was, but riding a bike required leather and denim, if only for safety reasons. He took the compliment at face value, knowing she was probably right - he probably looked more like a rebellious biker than a proper duke's son. "I'm a little dressed down, aren't I?"

"It is just dinner with my family," she tried assure him, not wanting him to feel out of place at all because of her own ingrained sense of occasion. "I promise you, I am more dressed up than anyone. I think the only reason Vicki got dressed at all was because we have a visitor today." She offered him a hopeful smile, leading the way into the garage. A space had been set aside for him, though admittedly they had been expecting a car. "You can leave the bike there," she told him quietly. "If there is anything that needs to be done to it, I'm sure Cary would be happy to."

He followed her into the garage and walked his bike into the space that had been reserved for him. He didn't bother to ask who Cary was, assuming he was someone her family paid to tend to their cars. "It should be fine. I only bought it a few days ago," he admitted, though from the looks of the bike it wasn't brand new. She was a beauty to be sure, but more than likely she was a refurbished older model. It wasn't quite the time of year for riding one, but he hadn't been able to resist.

Dru smiled faintly as he admired his bike, wondering if she was brave enough to do as Jon had suggested and ask Josh if he actually liked her. But what if the answer was no' She shook her head a little, glancing toward the sunlight pouring in from outside. No, if she was going to ask that question, she should do it after the meal. "Come inside," she invited him in a warm voice. "You can meet Vicki, and Humphrey."

He was frowning again, feeling a little nervous and more than a little out of place. Though he was a duke's son, he was not the one being groomed to take his father's place. It wasn't shyness exactly that was making him nervous but the desire to make a good impression on her family. He wasn't quite sure why it was so important to him, but it was. He wanted them to like him, and even more importantly, he wanted her to like him. He wasn't too worried about meeting Jon's wife. He'd heard enough about her to know they'd get along fine, but Dru's great-uncle was another matter. He nodded mutely, looking much younger than all of his twenty years of age in that moment.

His frown made her frown, pausing as they reached the sunshine again to turn and look up at him. Her fingers hesitantly reached for his, wanting to reassure him but not quite knowing how far was too far when it came to crossing that awkward line that existed between touching and not touching. "What is it?" she asked him in her soft voice. "Are you not feeling well?"

"Just a little stage fright," he replied, in a roundabout way saying that he was just a little nervous. "Stupid, isn't it?" he asked with a slightly crooked smile. "I mean, I already met your brother, and I've heard nothing but good things about his wife, so what am I so nervous about' I just....want to make a good impression, I guess."

She shrugged, and for the first time in her life, her mouth ran away with her, all the usual public filters suspended as she heard herself express an honest suggestion of why he might be feeling awkward. "It isn't stupid," she promised him, watching the ground ahead of her feet as they walked toward the house. "It's a natural wish, to make a good impression, though you do not really need to be concerned. It would be different if we were dating - you'd obviously want to make an excellent impression on Humphrey, since he has ultimate control over me here in Rhy'Din. But we're just friends, Josh. Aren't we?"

The question gave him pause. What were they exactly' He wasn't quite sure himself. Friends, certainly, though they had only just met. Why, then, did he find himself wishing they were more than that' It wasn't because she was a princess. Things would have been a lot easier, a lot simpler if she wasn't, but then he might not be here at all. He might be home, focusing on his studies and finishing his degree, without having ever met her. Why did that thought cause him pain" Now that she'd asked him that question, he wondered if this was the time to tell her what he was thinking. "Are we?" he asked, turning the question back on her. "I mean, is that what you want us to be?"

If ever there was a moment to capture in time and use as the perfect example of the phrase "a deer caught in headlights", now would be it. Dru stared up at him, wide-eyed and obviously afraid of sharing her answer. But at the same time, wasn't this what she'd just convinced herself not to ask him' Thanks to one moment of lost control, her friend of two weeks had been given an insight into her mind and was now asking her exactly the question she had promised herself she would ask him after dinner. Swallowing, she fidgeted, tucking her hair back behind her ear as she glanced around for inspiration - or possibly rescue. "Well, I ..." She trailed off, took a breath, and tried again. "I like you, Josh. I like you a lot. But I don't want you to feel as though you have to like me the same way, because I know you probably don't, and just knowing the way I feel will make you uncomfortable, so we can just ignore the fact that I fancy you. I'm very good at hiding what I'm feeling, you'll never notice it."

He was still frowning for some reason, even though he was happy with this unexpected turn of events. "I haven't really dated that much either," he admitted, unsure if she'd believe him, though it was true. At least, he'd never really dated anyone seriously. Being a duke's son complicated matters, since he never knew if girls were interested in him for himself or for his status. It was another thing they had in common, it seemed. He wanted her to know that wasn't the case with him, that he hadn't asked her out because she was a princess, but then, the only reason he was here was because his father had asked him to spy on her for her uncle, or so he deemed. "We should go inside," he said at last. "It's cold and your family is probably wondering what we're doing out here."

She held her ground, despite the fact that any moment now she was going to start shivering in the chill breeze that swept over them. Stubbornness was a characteristic of the Grangers, and one that Dru had definitely inherited. "I'm not budging from this spot until you smile again," she told Josh firmly, one brow raised above her own smile, trying to tease a lighter expression from him. "And be warned ....I can spot a fake smile at ten paces."

As long as he'd been studying acting, he wasn't sure he could fake a smile well enough to fool her. He sighed, that frown still in place, thinking he might as well come clean, at least with some of what was bothering him. "I just don't want you to think that I asked you out because....you know....because you're the Princess Royale," he stammered, that nervousness returning.

"You didn't ask me out," she pointed out unhelpfully. "I asked you, and it wasn't because you're supposedly suitable. I told you, Josh ....I like you. And I trust you. If you were interested in the Princess Royale, we would have met years ago. You would have been one of my peers. Your father and brother would have made a point of making sure we knew each other. That's how I know you're not interested in the Princess Royale." Her smile took on a shy cast once again. "You're interested in me. And that's ....that's wonderful."

What she said was making sense in an almost backwards sort of way. If his father and brother were ambitious enough to want Josh to court the princess, they would have arranged for him to meet her a long time ago, but they had always been supportive, perhaps even indulgent, of Josh's wishes to stay away from politics and make his own choices about his life, at least, until now. He still wasn't sure whether his father had primarily sent him here for the opportunity to gain experience in the theater or to keep an eye on Dru. It was probably a little of both - killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

As confusing as the situation was, she was right about one thing - he was interested in her, and not because she was royalty. "Sometimes I wish life wasn't so complicated."

"Well, as my Uncle Humphrey says, what?s life without the headaches?" Dru shrugged, stepping closer to gently wriggle her finger against his ribs as she held his gaze. "I was serious about the smile, you know. I'm not moving until you smile for me again, even if I have to freeze into a princess popsicle to do it."

She didn't have to wait long, as he smiled at last, mostly because he was slightly ticklish, though he didn't really want her to know that. He batted her hand away from his ribs, his smile warming, amused by her threat. "I don't think I'd make a very good first impression on your family if I let that happen."

She giggled softly, glad to see him smile again finally. "Come on, then, before I do freeze!" With his hand still caught in hers, she turned and pulled him toward the house, moving at a gentle run in her eagerness to get into the warmth once again. Whatever had possessed her to wear a skirt and no hosiery today was beyond her to have guessed. Maybe subconsciously she'd wanted to show off the dimples in her knees.

He couldn't help but laugh as she tugged him along behind her. "Dru, wait!" he called, tugging on her hand to bring her to a halt beside him so he could do what he should have done ten minutes ago. He shrugged off his leather jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. Though it was only a short walk back to the house through the brisk breeze, he didn't want to risk her catching a chill.

The leather was still warm from his body as he wrapped it around her, the garment swamping the slender frame that held so much on its delicate shoulders. But that gentlemanly action earned Josh the sweetest smile she could muster, grateful and touched by his thought for her, even though they were just a few steps from shelter. "Thank you. But now you will get cold, I can't have that."

"Not for long," he said, reminding her how close they were to the house. He pulled the jacket closed around her, his fingers accidentally touching her hair as his gaze met hers. He lingered for a moment, as if contemplating something, before talking himself out of it. A warm smile touched his face at her concern over him. Despite the cold, he thought offering her his jacket was the least he could do. It was the right thing to do, even it was a little overdue. He held out his hand to her again, the house only a few steps away.

Hand in hand once again, they managed to reach the ornate porch this time before Cosmo came barreling out to greet them, behaving as though they had been gone for hours. Between the sniffing and licking and insane tail wagging, Dru's suspicions were aroused, turning her eyes curiously to the hall beyond the main door. A certain redhead with laughing blue eyes and a very prominent pregnancy wiggled her fingers at the young couple, grinning unrepentantly.

Dru rolled her eyes, giving Cosmo a shove as she drew Josh inside. "You have all the subtlety of a sharp stick," she informed her sister-in-law.

Vicki just laughed, crouching to reward Cosmo for his obedient enthusiasm. "Just be glad I know where to point said sharp stick," she countered the slightly annoyed comment from her husband's little sister, rising onto her feet as Dru half-turned to her companion.

"Josh, this is Victoria, Jon's wife," she introduced him to the redhead. "Vicki, Josh."

This time it was Vicki who groaned, but it was with a smile. "I'm doomed to spend at least the next four years hearing my daughter being referred to with a euphemism for excrement," she sighed comically, and chuckled, shaking her head. One hand gestured to the young couple with her. "Come and meet Humphrey, Josh. I promise, he's nowhere near as terrifying as local legend makes him." She didn't wait to see if they were following, moving in her husband's wake and allowing them both time to settle themselves before they ventured into the inner sanctum.

Dru bit her lip, looking up at Josh with a slightly apologetic smile. "Perhaps I should have warned you about them," she mused, "but I didn't think there was any harm in letting it be a surprise. You survived meeting Lena and Tommy - this is nothing compared with that interrogation."

"What?" Josh asked, unsure what it was Dru was apologizing for. "I think they're adorable." There really was no better word he could think of to describe her brother's family. They seemed almost perfect, but he had a feeling it hadn't happened by magic. "How long have they been together?" he asked curiously, letting her take the lead as to when they joined her family in the study. After all, he was just the guest here.

"They've been married for about two and a half years," Dru told him, finally moving to draw him into the manor proper, as laughter echoed from the study ahead of them. "They're good for each other. Just wait until you see Emily. She is definitely her father's daughter."

"I'm not very good with kids," Josh remarked with a crooked frown, worrying someone might decide to toss Emily in his lap at some point during his visit, and he wouldn't know what to do with her. "They seem very happy," he admitted, wondering briefly if he'd ever find that kind of happiness for himself.

"Neither am I," Dru murmured, trying to show a little solidarity with him as they approached the study door. She paused, envy obvious on her face as she considered her brother and his happy little family. Both her brothers, and their happy little families. "I'd like to think that everyone has a chance to have what Jon and Vicki have," she said very softly. "That everyone deserves it. But they are very lucky. They found each other, and nothing stood in the way of what they found together. I wish I could show them off to Tirisano, show our people just how wonderful freedom of choice and the chance of real love really is."

Josh paused with her, fingers automatically reaching to tangle with hers, feeling some sort of odd connection between them though they had only known each other a few weeks. Maybe it was because of their common origins, though he didn't think that was all of it. Whatever it was, the more time he spent with Dru, the more he found they had in common and the fonder he was growing of her. He turned to face her, watching her profile and recognizing the look of envy on her pretty face. "Maybe someday you can, Dru," he told her softly.

Those soft eyes, unafraid to show him the pain of her gilded cage, rose to meet his with a gentle smile. "It's a nice dream," she whispered softly, leaning close to him for a moment.

A moment that was shattered when a rich, elderly voice called out from within the study. "Lurking behind a door with sunlight behind you isn't the best way to eavesdrop, you know."

Josh's mouth opened as he was just about to say something before being cut off by a decidedly masculine and rather domineering voice from the study. Josh just barely managed to repress a blush at the sound of that voice, and he immediately let go of Dru's fingers, as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. "Looks like it's now or never," he managed to whisper.

"And sitting in an armchair wearing this year's latest in designer baby spit up is not the most intimidating look," Vicki was audible in answering back for them as Josh and Dru virtually jumped apart from one another.

The young princess nodded to Josh, pushing open the door to lead him into Humphrey's inner sanctum. Vicki had folded herself onto a couch, Cosmo lying comfortably on her feet with his eyes on Jon and his puppy. The Old Man himself sat, as Vicki's comment had suggested, in the most comfortable armchair imaginable, and yes, there was spit up all over his sweater. He was grinning at Emily, proving once again that he really wasn't as much of an ogre as a lot of people thought.

Jon was sitting beside Vicki, baby babbling back at Emily, pausing a moment to look between his wife and his uncle with an amused grin on his face. "That's what happens when you bounce her on your knee right after she's had a bottle," Jon reminded his uncle for what must have been the hundredth time.

Josh followed Dru's lead, taking the scene before him in. At first glance, it looked like a typical family, though Josh knew there was nothing typical about it. It was obvious to him that this was no ordinary family, nor were they trying to put on airs for his benefit. This was a family who, despite their wealth and power, was not only genuine, but obviously happy.

The Old Man raised a finger, wiggling it in Emily's direction with a smile. "You, little miss, have utterly destroyed my fearsome reputation," he informed the baby girl, who just giggled back at him and returned to gumming on her father's fingers.

Relieved that Humphrey didn't seem to have set himself to play the gruff interrogator, Dru smiled, her fingers reclaiming Josh's hand to draw him into the study as eyes turned to them. "Uncle, may I introduce my friend to you?" she asked the Old Man with enviably natural courtesy and warmth. "Joshua Stuart, may I present Humphrey Granger, my great-uncle."

Behind their young couple's back, Jon exchanged a knowing glance with Vicki, grinning like a idiot and looking more than a little smug. It was perfectly obvious to him that his little sister was developing a crush on her companion, and he was rather proud of himself for suggesting she ask him to dinner.

Josh, though not raised in such a strict environment as Dru, knew his manners and offered a hand to Dru's great-uncle in greeting. "A pleasure to meet you, sir," he told the old man with a friendly albeit nervous smile.

"Have you ever done any musicals, Jon?" Josh asked his idol, taking the focus away from himself.

"Mataya and I did a few in New York, but I was terrible." Jon chuckled. Even though he had no memory of these events, 'Tay was happy to remind him every time he prodded her to do a musical role.

Humphrey chuckled at the innocent question. As much as he loved Jon, and as much as he had enjoyed Phantom, he had to admit that musical theater wasn't really his nephew's strong point. Though, admittedly, it hadn't been a particularly big role. He cast his smile over to Dru, trying to bring her out of herself a little, and felt that smile deepen as her small hand discreetly rubbed over Cosmo's belly to link her fingers with Josh's. They wouldn't be just friends for much longer, in his estimation.

"I had a small part in Phantom a few years ago, but I think Mataya was just trying to humor me," he added, as if reading Humphrey's mind. He had made a decent Firmin to Max Yako's Andre, and it had been a lot of fun, but he didn't really consider it serious acting.

"I heard it was very good," Dru offered shyly, feeling a little more on the level now that she had her hand firmly in Josh's grasp. "Didn't you do some singing in the last Shakespeare you did, as well?"

Josh noticed the touch of Dru's fingers against his and made no attempt to stop her from linking them with his, though his attention remained focused on Jon and Humphrey, glancing to Dru only when she spoke and giving her hand a light but reassuring squeeze, as if to remind her he was right there.

Jon chuckled again at Dru's reminder of a performance he did remember. "Yeah, I was awful!"

"Absolutely dire," Humphrey agreed mischievously, brown eyes twinkling with good humor as he nodded along with Jon's chuckling remembrance. "But in a masterfully professional way."

Dru giggled behind her hand, glancing at Josh briefly before turning the focus of the conversation back onto him. "Josh is very good," she praised her friend confidently. "He has an amazing voice, and his dancing is almost better than mine."

"Almost better," Josh echoed with a chuckle of his own. "Well, thank you for the compliment, Ginger." Rodgers, that is. Though he wasn't too sure if she'd get the reference, it was almost assured that Humphrey would.

She stuck her tongue out at him, the expression ridiculously comical on the face of a woman who was going to be the ruler of his country in the years to come.

Humphrey laughed, shaking his head. "What a beautiful image," he teased them both. "Perhaps I should take a photograph."

"Maybe you should," Jon interjected, looking more than a little amused himself. "You could probably use it to blackmail her with."

Josh laughed. "Princess Drusilla taking after Miley Cyrus," he teased. Apparently, he kept at least somewhat abreast of Earth pop culture, but then he was hoping to be in the entertainment business someday. "So are you going to the Oscars?" Josh asked of Jon.

"How is it fair that all three of you are now picking on me?" Dru complained mildly. "Maybe I should have gone with Vicki and left you men to it." But she was smiling, relieved that Josh felt comfortable enough to tease her along with Jon and Humphrey.

Jon laughed again, this time at Dru's remark. "Maybe you should have. That's what happens when you're the only female in the room." He turned back to Josh to reply to his question. "If I can convince my wife to accompany me, yes," he replied. "There's some stiff competition this year. I'm not sure we're going to win."

Humphrey snorted with laughter. "Try keeping her away from the Oscars," he chuckled. "I seriously doubt you are going to be allowed to miss tomorrow evening, Jon. If your silly little friend is prepared to show up with her post-baby belly, then Vicki has no excuse not to."

Jon frowned, a hint of nervousness showing through. It was a good thing they were having this little gathering or he might have spent the day crawling the walls with nervous agitation. It was good to have company to distract him from his worries. "I've practiced my acceptance speech a dozen times already, but I really think it's DiCaprio's year. I got the Globe and the BAFTA. I don't want to be too greedy."

"Mataya says it's about time you got a clean sweep," Dru pointed out quietly. "Do you think she'll get the Best Actress" She missed out on the Globe and the BAFTA."

"Mataya deserves to win Best Actress. She put everything she had into that role," Jon replied, seemingly more passionate about Mataya winning an award than himself. He had never really sought any sort of recognition for his work, though it was certainly satisfying when his achievements were recognized, as minor as he thought they were. He was extremely proud of Swan Song, though, more proud of that piece of work than of anything else he'd ever done in the past.

Humphrey smiled indulgently at his nephew. "She had better win," he grumbled good-naturedly. "I bet on her."

As Dru burst into louder giggles this time at the evidence that Humphrey wasn't as disapproving of Jon's best friend as he pretended, the door opened to admit Vicki and Emily once again, the baby girl looking a little sleepier than she had before they'd gone. "I'm reliably informed that dinner is served," the redhead told them, glancing quizzically at Dru. "Who broke the princess?"

Once they were all settled, it quickly became apparent that there was no sense of stuffiness in this household at all. Between Vicki knocking over the gravy with her baby bump, Cosmo threatening to knock Dru off her chair when he padded in to join them, Emily attempting to get her food everywhere but in her mouth, and Humphrey insisting on regaling everyone with choice and deeply embarrassing stories about every single one of Dru and Jon's cousins, the dinner passed more pleasantly than most people would have expected. And though usually after dinner would have seen them retiring to another room to continue talking, in this house at least two people needed a nap.

Things had gone far better than Josh could have ever hoped, and he found himself laughing along with the little family gathered around him, and even feeling like one of the bunch. It was easy to see why Dru loved being here, where she could just be herself among people who loved her and not worry about what was expected of her as the next in line for the throne. Nap time it was, but not for Josh or Dru.

Jon moved to his feet to help Humphrey from his chair, while Vicki wrangled Emily. It was a well known fact at the big house that if the oldest and youngest member of the household didn't get their naps, they would both be a grumpy pair later on.

Leaving the responsible adults to deal with the baby and patriarch, Dru invited Josh out onto the grounds for a walk, an activity that gave them privacy and allowed Vicki and Jon to pass out for a little while, too. Tucked into a warm coat, she looked even smaller walking alongside him through the renewing vegetation, shy of being alone with him but happy for the opportunity as well. "What do you think of the Grove?" she asked finally, after several long minutes spent trying not to get caught admiring his profile.

He strolled along contentedly beside her, hand in hand while they toured the grounds, signs of approaching spring everywhere they looked. In the buds on the trees, and the bulbs that were trying to poke their way out of the ground. The smell of spring was in the air, though the air was still crisp and held a late winter chill that warned of possible snow or freezing rain. "I like it," Josh replied, coming to a halt beside a bench that someone had had the forethought to install near a rose garden that was waiting for summer to burst into life. "It's quiet, peaceful. You said something about having an extra room somewhere?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, there are a few spare houses," she confessed with a soft grin, turning to point out a couple of cottages nearby that were not lived in. "Those have been empty for years, according to Humphrey. And there's an entire apartment above the garage that hasn't been lived in since Caroline moved in with her fiance." She looked up at Josh with a smile. "Are you rethinking my offer?"

He shrugged his shoulders, wondering if he was jumping the gun. He didn't want to move too quickly or do anything to jeopardize their friendship, but it would be easier to keep an eye on her here, and they'd be able to travel back and forth to the Shanachie together. There was another reason for reconsidering her offer, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to admit to it or not, and that was simply the fact that living alone in apartment far from home was more than a little lonely, even for someone who was used to being on his own. "I don't want to intrude or take advantage of your family's kindness."

"You wouldn't be intruding," she promised him gently, brushing the snow from the bench to sit down. "And you wouldn't have to share a house with anyone if you don't want to. As I say, there is plenty of space here. I could ask Humphrey this evening, if you would like."

"Are you sure" I mean, I don't want to be any trouble," he replied, a little worriedly, leaning over to help her brush the snow from the bench. Sitting down was liable to result in a wet bottom, and he wondered if he should take off his coat to serve as a blanket so that she wouldn't risk getting wet and cold again. Of course, his lap could serve that same purpose just as easily, but he thought that might be a little too forward of him.

Thankfully, she did have a coat on this time, long enough to protect her rear end from a chilly dunking. "Josh, you wouldn't be any trouble," she tried to reassure him. "To be perfectly frank, I don't like the idea of you living all alone in the city. I know you're a grown up and you can look after yourself, but the point is that you don't have to. Look at Jon ....he's supposed to be a grown up who can look after himself, but he voluntarily came back to live with Humphrey, and he brought his wife with him. You don't have to be all alone to make a point to your father that you can do this."

Josh frowned as Dru came a little too close to the mark. Though a lot of this did have to do with pleasing his father, he wasn't overly worried about proving anything to the man. "It's-it's not that so much. I mean, I've been on my own a while now. It's just..." He chewed on the corner of his lip as he contemplated what to tell her - or maybe what not to tell her. "I don't really know anyone here yet, and..." He sighed. "That sounds pretty pathetic, doesn't it?"

"No, it doesn't." She reached for his hand, inching closer to where he sat, her fingers playing in and out of his as she went on. "Being all alone isn't something anyone should have to go through. Maybe, when you know more people and feel better settled, you'll want to move back into the apartment you have now, but until then, wouldn't it be better to be near someone you know?"

For some reason, he was still frowning. Despite his skills at acting, he was having a hard time hiding his worry. What if she found out he'd been sent there to spy on her" What then" Would she think he'd accepted her offer, become her friend even, just to do his father's bidding" It might have started out that way, but he'd become fond of her. Given the choice, he wanted to be her friend, not because she was a princess, but because he genuinely liked her. More than liked her really. "Dru..." he started, looking nervously at their clasped hands. "You know I like you, right?" Well, of course she did. They'd had a long discussion about that just before dinner.

"Of course I do," she assured him softly, innocent of the worries that were swirling around in his mind. "You asked me out, remember?" Her other hand folded around his, enclosing his fingers in her gentle grasp as she ducked her head, trying to look into his eyes. "I wish you would tell me what?s wrong. When you start worrying, it makes me worry."

"I just need you to know that, that's all. It has nothing to do with you being princess or anything like that," he told her as he lifted his gaze to meet hers. "When you asked me if there was anyone in the chorus that I fancied, the only one I could think of was you, but I didn't want to tell you that because I didn't think you'd believe me and you seemed to want me to like someone else."

His eyes were slow to open, as lost in that moment as she was, as unexpected as it was, not to mention spell-binding. Though he felt his body warming to her touch, it was what he was feeling in his heart he was most aware of. "I promise I didn't kiss you because you're a princess," he countered her whisper with one of his own, needing her to know that, especially if she ever found out the truth of the matter.

"Am I a princess?" So complete was her rather wonderful sense of being utterly dazed, she'd actually forgotten for a moment the rank that separated them. A shy smile touched her face as she giggled softly. "That's a stupid thing for me to say," she laughed, indulging herself in another impulse. Her hand smoothed against his cheek as she kissed him once more, short and sweet and surprisingly tender. "Does this mean I'm your girlfriend?"

"What do you say we forget for a while that you're a princess and I'm..." He paused momentarily as he searched for the right word to describe himself. "...who I am and just worry about being being Dru and Josh for a while." His eyes drifted closed as he savored the fourth kiss they had shared in as many minutes, knowing he was being stupid, but he didn't really care. He let his fingers brush her hair back from her face as the late winter breeze gently stirred the chestnut tendrils. "If you want it to, it does," he replied, once again leaving the decision in her hands.

"I want it to." And there she was ....not the princess, not the grieving teenager, not Jonathan Granger's little sister, but Dru, just as she was, soft and gentle and warm in her youthful hope for something that would last. "Would you like to come over tomorrow and watch the Oscars with us?" she asked him. Perhaps it was a strange invitation in the wake of kisses, but it was the next step toward getting to know each other better.

He arched a brow, once again surprised by this development, by an innocent question that mean so much more than just a simple invitation. It meant that she wanted to spend time with him, that she wanted to share her brother's moment with him, and that she wanted him to feel like a part of the family. "Really' Are you sure you want me here for that?" He wasn't sure who else might be there, but he expected there would more than likely be at least a small crowd in attendance to root for her brother.

Dru laughed softly, gently brushing the tip of her nose to his. "Yes, I am sure," she asserted herself. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't. And besides, you might even move onto the Grove tomorrow. Why shouldn't you come and watch the Oscars with us?"

"So long as your uncle approves," he reminded her, though he had no reason to think Humphrey might disapprove, so long as her virtue remained intact. Josh wasn't sure what the future held for them, and he didn't want to worry about that right now, but it occurred to him that there was no better person to let into his heart than his best friend, and if anyone here on Rhy'Din deserved that title, it was Dru.

"He'll approve," she told him confidently, close to certain that there was very little she could ask of Humphrey that he wouldn't move heaven and hell to accomplish for her. It was probably because she was still just seventeen, and now that Jon, Des, and Lena had impressed on the Old Man just what was going to start happening when she reached eighteen, Humphrey Granger was on board with the plan to make Dru's life here as good as they could. She shivered a little, inching just a bit closer to him in the wintry breeze. "I wish you could stay tonight."

To his credit, he took notice of the chill, and wound an arm around her to draw her close, hardly realizing just how much he wanted to protect her and take care of her and keep her safe until that very moment. He frowned a little at her comment, as innocent as it was meant. There was no real reason he couldn't stay the night, other than his own sense of ethics and morals. Still, if he was going to be moving to Maple Grove in the next day or so, what did it matter if he got a little head start or not' "Why can't I?" he asked, looking to her, even as he held her close in his embrace.

She blinked, surprised that he was prepared to stay if she wanted him to. Looking up from where she was tucked very comfortably under his arm, she met his gaze with a half-smile. "I suppose there's no reason you couldn't," she conceded, making an effort to ignore court protocol and etiquette. "You could borrow some of Jon's things for tonight, at least."

"Best friends having a pajama party," he remarked with a teasing grin. "I promise," he started, lifting a hand to solemnly swear an unnecessary oath, "to keep your virtue intact." Though he would make no promises not to kiss her again.

This elicited a fresh giggle from Dru, who hadn't even considered the danger to her virtue as being part and parcel of the etiquette that at home would have prevented them from even having this conversation. "Then I promise to do the same for yours," she teased him in return, nudging his ribs playfully with a gentle elbow. "Will you take me for a ride on your motorcycle tomorrow?"

"And what, pray tell, makes you think I am virtuous?" he teased back, playfully waggling his eyebrows at her. He smirked as she nudged his ribs, but that was quickly replaced by a look of surprise at her request. "I thought you said they're too dangerous."

"No, I believe I said I wasn't dressed appropriately," she countered with a warm smile. "I'll dress appropriately tomorrow. I'm sure I can steal a leather jacket from Kaylee's wardrobe without anyone noticing." Yes, the heir to the throne of Tirisano was openly plotting larceny with a giggle, bumping her shoulder into his as the worry and tension they'd been carrying between them seemed to slip away.

"Okay, it's a date then. It'll be our first, unless you count today," he replied with a smile as she bumped his shoulder. It would be their first official date as a couple, anyway. "Should we tell your family that we're dating or let them figure it out on their own?" He reached around to settle an arm around her shoulders and pull her close again, liking the feel of her so close beside him.

"Let them work it out for themselves," Dru told him with a smile, unable to help the pink flush on her cheeks as he drew her in close to him, liking the feeling of it as much as he did. "I don't think it will be very difficult to guess at, will it?"

"Not if we keep going the way we're going," he admitted, frowning a little at another thought. "What about Xoren?" he asked further. There was no way they were going to be able to hide their relationship from him, and he wasn't sure they should even try.

She shook her head, hesitated, and nodded. "Well, not quite," she said finally. "I played Rachel in the repertory company's production of Season's Greetings before Christmas, but ....this is very different. I know I'm just one of the chorus, but I feel so much more exposed. I feel certain I'm going to be terrible."

"You're not going to be terrible. I've seen you rehearse, remember" If you were terrible, they wouldn't have you out front fainting. They'd shove you in the back where no one will notice you," he reminded her, the voice of reason. He knew from experience that what he was telling her was the truth. Every actor doubts themselves at some point, and he was no exception. Even the great Jonathan Granger had to start somewhere. "You want some advice?"

You wouldn't have thought someone who had been in the public eye since the day she was born would be subject to stage fright, but it was patently obvious, looking into her eyes, that Dru was definitely suffering in its grip. She took a deep breath, holding Josh's gaze as though he were a lifeline. "Please."

"Let me ask you this first..." he started, recognizing the signs of stage fright in her and hoping to soothe it a little, but before he could give her any good advice, he needed to know something else. Or maybe she needed to answer the question for herself. "Why are you doing this" What made you audition' Are you doing this for yourself or to impress your brother?"

True to form, she considered the question before attempting to answer it. Why was she doing this" Was it really only because Jon had gone out of his way to find her a place at the Shanachie" Swallowing, Dru frowned as she spoke, feeling her way through the truth as best she could, her eyes on their joined hands. "I did Season's Greetings because Jon recommended me," she admitted softly. "Because I didn't want to let him down. And I enjoyed it, but it was stifling. I auditioned for the theater company because I did enjoy performing, and ....Well, I can dance, and I like to sing. If I hadn't been at the right level, they wouldn't have offered me a place, would they?"

She glanced up at him briefly, returning her gaze to their hands as her fingertips stroked over his knuckles. "I've never done anything that wasn't structured toward being the best princess I could be, until I came here. I didn't realize being in the spotlight could be fun, in the right circumstances. I'm doing this because I enjoy it. I actually enjoy doing something, and it has nothing to do with what I am. If anything, I'm learning more about who I am, and she isn't as much of an ogre as I thought."

"Okay, good," he replied,smiling encouragingly. She had given him the answer he wanted, so long as she was being honest with herself. If she'd told him she was only doing it because of her brother, he might have encouraged her to quit and find something she wanted to do for herself, but she had admitted she enjoyed it, and that was half the battle. "My best advice to you is to just have fun with it." Sounded pretty simple, but it wasn't when you really thought about it. "When you get up on stage, try to forget that you're Dru, an actress playing a part, and become the part. Become Pharaoh's servant, or whoever it is you're playing at the time. Throw yourself into the role. Forget you're playing to an audience and play to the cast, to those around you."

She listened intently, giving him the full focus of her attention as he offered his advice to her, trying to absorb the information in a way that meant she would be able to apply it when she needed to. "That does make sense," she conceded quietly. "I suppose the least I can do is try."

"You don't want to completely forget that the audience is there. You are playing for them, after all, but if you can lose yourself in the part and just have fun with it, you won't be as nervous." He hoped that made sense and that it helped her, at least a little. "Opening night is the worst. It's all downhill after that," he added helpfully, wondering why she hadn't asked this same advice of her brother.

Nodding slowly, Dru took a moment to allow all this to settle in her mind, leaning into him as the wind whipped at her hair for a moment. "So if I survive opening night, do I get a reward?" she asked with startlingly cheeky playfulness.

He arched a brow, a little surprised at her question, a small smile forming on his face. "What kind of reward would you like?" he asked, rubbing a thumb against her hand, assuming she wasn't hoping for something like ice cream as a reward for a good job well done. She was earning a pay check, though she probably didn't really need one, along with applause from the audience, but he assumed she was hoping for something more, something special, just from him.

"Seven minutes in heaven?" She actually had no idea what that phrase meant, having never been in a situation where the game was played, much less taken part, but she'd heard enough from other young ladies of her age at the boarding school she had attended to understand that it was suppose to be a rather daring thing to attempt with a boy.

He laughed at her suggestion, having played that game a few times as a teenager, with mixed results, depending on the girl. "You want to hide in a closet with me?" he asked, with a teasing smirk on his face, wondering if she knew what it was she was asking him for.

Judging by the blank look on her face, he'd lost her. "Why in heaven's name would we hide in a closet?" she asked, genuinely befuddled by his laughing response to her rather sweetly innocent suggestion.

"You've never played that game, have you?" he asked, calling her bluff. It seemed there were a lot of things the Princess Royale of Tirisano had never done before, besides kissing a boy and having a part in a musical.

There was that blush again, lighting up her face as she glanced down, embarrassed by how sheltered her upbringing had been thus far. "To be honest, I hadn't realized it was a game," she confessed shyly, her lips curving in a tiny smile. "The girls at school used to talk about it after lights out. It took me a very long time to find out why anyone would want a boy to shove his tongue down their throat. No one would tell me."

"Oh," he said as they came to a halt at the end of the path, just before reaching the gazebo. It was a lovely sight even amidst the stark winter landscape, and he could only imagine what it might look like in its glory during the warmer months of the year. He had feeling she hadn't brought him here to admire its beauty though, but because it afforded them some semblance of privacy, even while still in plain sight.

She let go of his hand as they stopped, allowing him a moment to catch his breath and just take in the sweet little place that Helena had shown her when she had first arrived. "This is my favorite place on the Grove," she told him softly, her fingers running through the snow that had gathered on the railings as she mounted the steps onto the wrap-around porch of the gazebo. "In summer, it's full of color. It's beautiful."

"I'm sure it is," he agreed, though it was hard to tell if he was talking about the garden or the young woman who had brought him here. He watched as she mounted the steps, admiring the grace with which she moved, the color in her cheeks, the way her eyes lit up when she was happy, brightening her whole face. She was, in a word, lovely. Young and lovely and innocent, and suddenly the thought of her ever belonging to someone other than himself made his heart ache with longing.

She looked down at him, for the first time since he had met her both princess and performer, and all herself, a soft, warm amalgamation of everything that made her who and what she was shining from her smile. Her hand reached toward him in invitation. "Is this heavenly enough?"

A smile touched his face when he realized what she was up to. It wasn't a closet; it was far better than that. It was a place where they could be alone, hidden from the world for just a little while, and yet not so hidden that anyone would worry what had become of them. "I guess we'll find out," he said as he mounted the stairs to join her under the cover of roof and vines that were waiting for spring to burst into full bloom.

Who would have thought that shy, innocent little Drusilla had it in her to even begin a seduction, however chaste it might be? Her eyes lit up as he joined her, fingers stroking over his palm as her hand found his once again. "I don't have a watch on me," she warned him with mild good humor. "We may just have to guess when we have reached seven minutes."

"What do you think goes on behind closed doors when people play this game, Dru?" he asked, partly curious as to her expectations, partly wanting her to know that kissing wasn't always part of the game necessarily, though it seemed that was what she wanted. If that was what she wanted, who was he to argue" Ever since he tasted her lips, he'd only wanted more of those kisses.

"Well, I don't really know," she admitted, more amused with her ignorance this time as she shook her head with a smile. "One of the girls, Cornelia, used to talk about third base, whatever that is. I got the impression it was very daring, from the other girls' reactions."

There went that brow of his again in reaction to her remark. One didn't have to understand the rules of baseball to understand the reference. Of course, there were different interpretations of the bases in reference to making out, but in general, third base was just one step short of going all the way. "I think it's a bit soon for third base, but maybe first." They hadn't really technically gotten to first base yet; the kisses they'd shared had been mostly chaste, but had left them wanting more.

"What is first base?" she asked with a quiet giggle, refusing to be embarrassed by her lack of knowledge with him. After all, if anyone could teach her, it was Josh. "I was always left with the impression that you haven't lived until you've got there with your boyfriend, but again, I really have no idea what they were marking this against."

"Is that what I am?" he asked curiously, partly teasing her and partly really needing to know. They had already decided this, he thought, but he needed to know for sure. Two weeks ago, he hadn't even known her, and now here they were practically a couple.

Dru met his gaze, her eyes wide and unblinking, curiously uncertain quite what to tell him. She had thought they had decided that point already, and yet he was questioning it. The last time he had questioned something she had thought already decided, she had kissed him, but she sensed that was not an option here. "I would very much like you to be," she told him in her soft voice, "but only if that is what you want, Josh."

He didn't have to consider his answer. He knew what he wanted, and it seemed he wanted the same thing as her. He could have answered her with a kiss, but there was one other more important question hovering over them - a question that needed to be asked, no matter how difficult it might be to answer. "I do, Dru," he answered as gently as he could, reaching for her other hand to weave his fingers through hers. "I want to be with you, but what we want won't matter if your uncle - if Parliament - has other plans." Maybe he was thinking too far ahead, but if he could save her from heartache, he would, even if it meant heartache of his own.

Looking up at him, Dru understood what he was saying, however much she didn't like it. But she also understood that she was going to have to learn which battles she should fight through her lifetime. The man who would be her husband was one of the battles she could not afford to concede. Her hands tightened on his as she held Josh's gaze, open and sincere and fierce in her understated way. "The choice is mine," she promised him. "But if it comes to it, I would rather not make it alone. I have ten months before that choice is put in front of me. But whatever happens with that list, no one can tell me who I will marry. That choice is mine and mine alone, and I will not allow Parliament or my uncle to dictate to me the identity of the man who will share my lifetime. If they were to ask me right now, I would choose you in a heartbeat."

And so, there it was - his fear, out in the open. He didn't want to fall in love with someone only to lose them, the way his father had lost his mother. He'd watched helplessly as the grief took its toll on his father, his brother, himself. And yet, all was not hopeless. There was a very good chance of his name being on Parliament's list, and if it was, then she'd said herself she would choose him in a heartbeat. It was almost too much for him to absorb, too much to hope for. "You would choose me?" he echoed, his heart beating so hard he thought even she must be able to hear it above the hush of the garden in winter.