Allies

Chapter 2

"Nannie, do you want to meet the Princess?"

Manon smiled brightly and nodded. 

"You have to be a very good girl, then. And listen."

Manon excitedly helped P get dressed in her pretty black gown and the little girl carefully clipped a string of pearls around Penelope's neck and admired her pearl drop earrings.

"Maybe we can put some lipstick on you," Penelope hinted, looking at Manon out of the corner of her eye.

"Please give me some!" Manon begged, tugging on Penelope's dress.

"Okay, come here." P carefully smeared some pale pink lipstick on Nannie's full little lips. "Very pretty," she cooed, watching her daughter admire herself in the mirror.

A hair and makeup team came into Penelope's dressing room and admired Nannie's lipstick before getting started on her. Manon sat on P's lap and watched as her mother's shoulder length, dark brown hair was pulled into loose waves with a small section of the front pinned back. Her high cheekbones were highlighted nicely and the team exaggerated her big, dark brown eyes. Some shiny nude lipstick finished off her look and she smiled. "This is a weird feeling, I can have you guys come up every morning if I want."

The team, consisting of Heidi and Al, smiled brightly. "It's out honor," Heidi said in a thick accent.

"Everyone keeps saying that," P sighed.

She got Manon dressed in a little black dress and curled her bouncy hair. She reminded the little girl about ten times not to touch her lips and was relieved when Liza came in to tell them it was time to go.

P snuck into Ben's room and kissed the sleeping boy's forehead, insuring he was tucked in tightly. It was already 8 o'clock, the kids usual bed time, but Nannie had an extra long nap to prepare her for the late night. Bobby greeted them with a gorgeous smile in the doorway. "Hello, my beautiful family, are you ready?"

"We are," Penelope grinned. Nannie was jumping around her feet, hyped to meet the Princess.

"Nannie, why don't you stand between Mommy and I while we walk?" Bobby asked, trying to reign in the little girl's excitement. 

The family walked down to the first floor of the White House and were met by another round of secret service agents. "The Duchess and her fiancé are arriving from the Blair House."

Bobby and P nodded, holding tightly to their ecstatic daughter's arms. They walked outside to the portico entrance and remained under the blocked in walk way to stay out of the blowing snow. A motorcade pulled in slowly and the door swung open. A British guard first helped the Princess and then her fiancé from the car.

They walked over to the first couple who greeted them with wide smiles. "It's nice to meet you!" Bobby said, shaking the couples' hands. "I'm Bobby and this is my wife, Penelope, or P."

Princess Poppy looked down and stuck out her hand to Nannie, who smiled from ear to ear. "This is our daughter Manon, or Nannie."

"Hello, Princess Nannie. It's nice to meet you," Poppy said musically.

Nannie seemed as though she was about to explode with Princess excitement. "Nice to meet you, Princess."

"Your dress is beautiful," Poppy complimented. "I can't believe you are four years old. I would have thought you to be six, at least."

That about pushed Nannie over the edge. "Nope, I'm just 4!" she said with a huge grin.

"Why don't we go inside? We have some hor d' oeurves waiting," P said, directing the group inside.