I don't own The Selection.

thank you guys for the reviews! i'm so so glad you liked the last chapter, and i'm hoping you like this one too! (also, guess who finally got around to making a cover for both of my fanfics? yeah, me! they're super simple but it's better than nothing.)

enjoy!

There was no way I was wearing my crown.

May would have to get over it; it was her day, not mine.

I was also wearing less medals, seeing as I had no intention of being the star of the show. That was all May's job. So I picked to wear only the five most important ones; the medal for being king, the medal representing the fifth caste, and the three that were legally required.

The black uniform looked better on me than the white one previously had.

It had golden things on the shoulders, ropes dangling down that connected to some other thing, and had a rather regal look to it in general.

I met up with May in the lobby.

My jaw dropped at the sight of her dress.

She was gorgeous.

"Well, damn," I said. "And I was worried about taking the attention away from you, sis."

"Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? I love it."

The dress was.. it was May in a nutshell.

The neckline dipped down in a soft v, revealing a little but not an unacceptable amount of cleavage. It did have sleeves, but they were see-through, and somewhat puffy. Honestly? I thought she looked like a fairy.

And while the sleeves added so largely to the beauty of the dress, the skirt was really the best part.

It was flowy so that it didn't necessarily stick to May's body, but it was still very flattering. There was a thin layer of lace floating over the main skirt. I could see designs of flowers and other kinds of plants.

The entire thing was white, which so delicately highlighted her pale skin and red hair.

Speaking of her hair, it was pulled back in a French braid. As for her face, she did have makeup on, but not so much that it was noticeable. All I could immediately pick out was eyeliner and mascara.

I took a deep breath and came closer to her. "May, you're stunning. That dress is a masterpiece that was definitely meant for you."

"Isn't it great?" she said, spinning around. "Mary outdid herself."

"How are you feeling?"

That's when she let the smile fall.

I immediately took on the role as big brother and wrapped my arms around her, laying my chin gently on her head with ease. She turned to the side so that her makeup wasn't sabotaged.

"I'm scared,"

"May, this day is meant to be scary," I said. "I promise that once you're next to him, it'll be better."

"It better be," she muttered.

"If anything, just remember that you were born to be in the spotlight."

She hugged me tighter, and I did the same.

Once we'd let go, she readjusted all of my dumb medals and I rearranged any hairs that we'd messed up. I kissed her cheek and took her arm.

"Ready?"

"Nope."

And when they opened the doors, we were grinning.

The church smelled like some sort of.. musk. Almost like old books, but mixed with the lingering smell of human body odor. Odd.

As we walked, she was holding onto me so tightly that I was slightly paranoid that she'd faint. That would definitely not be the highlight of this day. Especially not for her.

When we did reach Peyton, who was smiling, I gave May one last hug and placed her hand in his. I nodded towards Peyton and then went to join my little family. America let me slide an arm around her waist as we sat down.

Avery was handed to me, and she cuddled up against my chest.

I turned my attention back to the ceremony.

"We are here today to witness the union of Lady May Singer and Officer Peyton Ryder," the priest said. "Marriage is a beautiful thing; it is the ultimate step in any relationship."

Speeches were something I found boring.

The walls of the church were decorated with wreaths and the windows had been shined. It was utterly gorgeous; May had done an amazing job. The main color scheme—from what I could tell—was a light yellow and white, giving it a rather bright and cheerful glow.

On the end of every pew, there was a small platform with the purpose to hold a candle. It was all so perfect, especially for a wedding.

And when the couple reached their vows, I gave them my attention. This was May and Peyton's big day and I wasn't about to miss it.

"Do you, May Singer, take Peyton Ryder to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to—from this day forward—love and to cherish him, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health?"

"I do."

"Do you, Peyton Ryder, take May Singer to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to—from this day forward—love and to cherish her, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health?"

"I do."

America leaned further into my touch.

"I now pronounce you.. husband and wife! Peyton? You may kiss the bride."

As they shared a quick kiss, everyone got up to give them a standing ovation. America and I showed Avery and Roman how to clap, patting their hands together gently. They didn't really understand, but then again, they were only eight months old.

May and Peyton turned to us.

You could feel the joy radiating off of the newlyweds.

I winked at May.

America and I were seated at a table, where we each held one of the twins in our arms, watching the first dance between May and Peyton occur.

They were completely lost in each other.

It was weird, almost, to see May and think of her as a married woman. She wasn't the little girl I'd once met. She was a woman. It really reminded me of how much could happen in just a couple years.

And the way he held her?

He held her like she was gold in his arms—the most valuable thing he'd ever set eyes on. I mean, just from that, he had my trust and respect.

May deserved the best she could get, and I'd say Peyton was pretty close.

And once again, the girls had done an amazing job with the decorations.

The reception was outside, just as the sun was setting. The area had its own, wooden dance floor in the center and tables placed around it. Above us, there was a large, white tent to keep the threat of rain or anything else from threatening the moment. But it also added greatly to the scenery.

Fairy lights were hung, lighting the medium sized area wonderfully. Each table had two candles on it, a folded napkin holding silverware, and glasses for our drinks.

May and Peyton—still in their own world—were swaying back and forth, smiling. America took my hand under the table, tears falling down her cheeks.

I slid an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.

I'd never seen either person so happy, and I was glad. I was glad they really loved each other and that this wasn't a bad decision. For some reason, I had a feeling this marriage would be a long lasting one.

Roman gripped my finger, wiggling his toes against my lap, just before he gave a huff and leaned into my chest. I smiled against his blond tufts of hair; he'd never made a sound like that, but it sounded a lot like something America would do. Like mother, like son.

I rubbed his side and he yawned; odd. He'd napped this morning. Maybe it was time for another.

When the first dance was over, everyone was served food and the toasts were given.

Magda gave one about May being her last daughter to marry, and how proud she was of her. America gave one, mentioning that May hsd grown up so quickly and that if Peyton mistreated her, we'd use our power against him—of course, it was a joke, but it seemed to have frightened him. Good.

And due to the fact that May's father couldn't be here, I would be the first to dance with her besides Peyton.

She hugged herself closely to me, so it was more like a long-lasting hug instead of a dance. But I was okay with that. It was the one of the more sibling-like things we'd ever really done together—especially in front of an audience.

As much as I liked to joke about being around so many feisty redheads—or just redheads in general—I really liked it. I was positive that I couldn't have married into a better family.

"You were right," she whispered. "When I got up there, I wasn't even nervous."

"Told you so."

"You like being right, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Don't you?"

"Obviously."

We were left grinning. I gave her one last hug before I went back to join America. Others were stepping out onto the dance floor now, most of them being couples or just people who are eager to dance with the newlyweds.

I did find it amazing that Peyton had changed his name. I mean, it wasn't necessarily surprising, but it was indeed different. But I guess with Singer being a royal name now, he'd take the opportunity to have it as his own last name. Besides, it wasn't a bad name at all. Better than Schreave.

When I reached America, she handed the twins over to Kenna and James, who offered. And we went to dance—something we hadn't done in too long.

She wrapped her arms around my neck.

"You look handsome," she said, shyly grinning.

"Handsome? That's all? It took me an hour to put this thing on."

She giggled, tightening her hold on me. I kissed her softly, bumping our noses together.

"Nevermind then," she teased. "You're… the most beautiful man I've ever set eyes on. And you have the goofiest personality, and you're extremely… strong?"

I laughed. "You really know how to inflate a man's ego."

"Your ego is the size of Illéa," she rolled her eyes.

"Hey!"

"Kidding, of course."

I kissed her again, catching her off guard. She sighed into my mouth—and a camera flashed. We immediately broke apart, laughing and blushing. Of course cameras would be here. Why did I expect them not to be? And as usual, we were about to be in the news, captions about our PDA.

"Oops," America muttered. "That's less embarrassing now."

"Yeah. You adjust, don't you?"

"Not like you would know," she teased, rolling her eyes.

"Have fun!" America laughed, but added with a wink, "But not too much fun."

May blushed beet red, sending our little group into a fit of laughter. America's words had obviously had other meaning and May had definitely picked up on it. As her face returned to its normal color, we pushed her towards the car, where she'd be driven away to her honeymoon.

"Have fun!"

"Love you, May!"

"See you!"

The cheers and well wishes that erupted from the crowd were hilarious, mainly due to the fact that they made May's face turn red. America and I laughed until our stomachs hurt.

We returned to the palace about fifteen minutes later, still laughing about the couple's send off.

Avery and Roman were grinning, though they didn't seem to know what was so funny. I was looking forward to when we could all laugh together as a family. Those would be some of the good moments in life that I couldn't wait for.

Looking forward to some family time, America and I sat down on the bed, placing the twins between us. They rolled about on their stomachs, kicking and wiggling.

America kissed Roman's forehead.

"I can't believe she's married," she sighed. "May, my little sis, a wife."

"You seem so shocked,"

"Well, she always swore she'd stay unmarried until she was forty. It became sort of a running joke for a while."

"Ah."

"Oh my God!"

I frowned, panicking before I saw what she had.

Avery—our little darling—was crawling towards the end of the bed, body wiggling with her newfound strength. I stretched my arms out to catch her, hands grabbing her underneath her armpits, and pulling her body back into my lap.

I kissed her cheek, her nose, her head, her lips.

My little girl had just learned to crawl! Now that was a major thing.

She squealed and kicked, and America came forward to give her kisses of her own. We were definitely confusing her, but she didn't seem too upset.

"Did she just crawl?"

"I believe so," I said. "Want to see if she'll do it again?"

We put Avery back down on her stomach and excitedly pat the place on the bed that we wanted to go to. She giggled and stuck her tongue out, not getting the memo. I sighed and patted the bed again. America spoke nonsense to her, and she finally started moving.

She was more of wiggling her way across on her forearms, but it was still crawling. America and I clapped and cheered, showering her in love.

Roman sat there beside us, watching cluelessly, but still had the infamous Schreave smile on his face. Sometimes, I was disappointed at how much they'd seemed to have inherited from me and not America. But then I realized that they were actually a lot like their mother.

"Well, one crawler is better than none," America decided.

"Correct," I said. "Roman can't be far behind. He's sitting up on his own now."

America sat him on the bed, in position to take off like a little bottle rocket, but he just flopped down onto his belly. I laughed at her frustrated expression.

"He's going to be as stubborn as me."

Yes, he was.

Not having May around the palace was.. strange.

Her bubbly personality was something I'd grown accustomed to having around. But I was glad she was staying in touch with us.

She and Peyton were in Bali; a very, very beautiful place. From what I knew, it was a very.. green place, with lots of trees and shrubbery. It had beaches and amazingly built hotels, great food, and I was pretty sure it had some sort of famous swing.

I was sure she was having the time of her life.

And as for work, our investigation on the so-called "Jame Kand" case was picking up. We'd started involving police departments from around the country and asking if they had any kind of idea of her real identity.

One detective—Detective Elaine Hughes—was more than a great help.

She'd discovered that, from asking citizens in her county, that the woman we had on video did in fact live there, but she'd moved out almost five years ago. We'd yet to get a name; that was purely due to the fact that this woman had never talked to anyone. And if she had, she'd probably used the same fake name we found her under.

But for now I'd focus on spending time with Aspen, Adrien, Carter, and Kile. And my twins and two dogs.

Wilma and Ozzy had followed me down to the gardens, so I'd let them come. Besides, none of us had the slightest problem with them being around. They were good dogs, even if they were huge.

"Dadddyyy," Kile huffed. "I want doggy like Uncle Mackin's."

I had become 'Uncle Mackin' over the past few years, which was a title I had never thought I'd develop. Ever.

"Me! Me!" Adrien squealed.

"No, you can share the dogs with your cousins, okay?" Aspen said.

The two gave him puppy dog eyes.

"Nope. Not gonna work."

"Pwease Daddy!" Adrien whined. "Pwease?"

Aspen shook his head. The two sat down by Avery and Roman, pouting like they thought it would help them win the two over. I mean, the dogs didn't seem to mind that they were getting more love. And I'm sure Avery and Roman didn't mind the company.

Carter and Aspen watched while their kids pouted. All three of us laughed quietly, but had to conceal it.

Kile and Adrien definitely knew what they wanted.

I just could not wrap my head around the fact that Kile was three and Adrien was two. It actually felt like they'd been born months ago, but that apparently wasn't the case.

Kile's dark hair had grown out a lot. It was probably time for him to get a haircut soon. His development seemed to be advanced; his speech was much more coherent than Astra's had been when she was three. He was also curious in building things and loved colors.

And as for Adrien? His hair was much longer than Kile's. Aspen and Lucy were letting him grow it out as long as he wanted. His speech was slower and less coherent than Kile's, but I felt that would change, because he was over a year younger than him.

"Willy is pwetty," Adrien muttered, rubbing the dog's head softly. "Pwetty doggie."

Kile frowned. "Ozzy pretty too. They both pretty."

"Not as pwetty as Willy."

"Is too!"

"Kwile mean, Willy."

"Am not!" Kile huffed. "You just too little too get it."

"I big as you!"

Like he was trying to prove it, Adrien stood up and put his hands on his hips. This kid was definitely half Aspen. Speaking of Aspen, Aspen was doubled over with laughter.

Adrien turned around. "W'as so funny, Daddy?"

"Uncle Mackin and my Daddy aren't laughing," Kile observed, crossing his arms. "Rome and Avie aren't either."

"Daddy weird," Adrien muttered.

"Oh, yes. He is very weird," I confirmed. "Very, very weird."

Aspen threw an orange at me. Of all things, he chose an orange. There was an entire bag of food and the best thing he could find was an orange.

"Runaway baby!" Kile shouted, pointing at my crawling daughter.

She was almost to the nearest fountain. How the hell hadn't I noticed her?

I got up and ran after her, hoisting her into my arms and setting her on my hip as I walked back with her. Aspen and Carter narrowed their eyes at me when I sat down.

"You didn't tell us she could crawl,"

Carter nodded. "This is very important information, Uncle Mackin."

"I thought I'd let you see it for yourself," I shrugged. "She's almost hurt herself twice. I'm seriously debating buying one of those baby leashes."

"Oh, God! Ames would freak." Carter wheezed.

Adrien and Kile pulled Avery back over to where they were petting the dogs, while also keeping an eye on the immobile twin.

"So, Roman still isn't mobile?" Aspen asked. "I mean, at least it's one less baby to worry about running away."

I nodded. It was one less baby to worry about, wasn't it? But I mean, he would learn to crawl eventually. It would happen with time.

And then we would be chasing two crawling babies.

I wasn't looking forward to that.