I don't own The Selection.

reviews:

Reader:

Awwwwwwww! Avery can crawl! That was an awesome chapter, I totally loved it! :)

livewithbooks:

yep, our future queen can crawl :))) i'm so glad you liked it! thank you for the review. have a wonderful day

Virtue01:

Thanks for the update you have captured May's character and mannerisms so well. Loved the interaction. Between Maxon and May. The Wedding was nicely detailed. Yay Avery is crawling. Nice family chapter filled with love and joy. Stay safe

livewithbooks:

i'm glad you liked it! stay safe as well and have a great day!

AHHHH I'M TECHNICALLY A 9TH GRADER NOW

i'm terrified

anyways

this time around, christmas is going to be split into two chapters. i wanted to get something out since today is friday, and i'm bored out of my mind! this chapter has mentions of abuse, as always, but it's very brief and not detailed at all. just thought i'd warn you! a few things i want to address:

1. people other than america will be having babies, but since this story is completely revolved around maxerica, i won't be going into such detail on other pregnancies. of course, i will mention it if they are pregnant (like kenna is having a baby), but yeah!

2. i know may is kind of not the settling down type. but i think that with age, and with finding her match, she's grown up :(( she's not the little girl she once was and that's okay!

3. idk if it really matters but here are some things about me, if you'd like to know! my name is anna, i love band + history + writing + netflix + and so many other things. i don't really care what pronouns you use! typically, i prefer she/her or they/them, but yeah, it doesn't matter to me :)

ok anyways time for me to fangirl for a second

I BOUGHT SHADOW AND BONE

BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE

am watching the TV show

THE DARKLING? am in love. ben barnes does him justice. AND ALINA? AHHHH OH MY GOD SHE'S GORGEOUS

(and please, no spoilers. i'm just now finishing the first SaB book and on the fourth episode of the TV show,,,, so yeah)

LOVE YOU GUYS SM

May bounded up the steps to the palace, Peyton right behind her.

She hugged her mother first and went down the line, giving us all enthusiastic hugs and telling us how great it was to be back. Peyton—who seemed to think we weren't a fan of him—just gave us quick hugs. And then we went back inside.

America, Kenna, and Brice went upstairs to help May get her bags unpacked and get her settled in once again. I had a feeling they would be interrogating her as well.

That left me with Magda and James, who quickly left to go take Astra to her ballet classes.

But I did have Roman in my arms.

Avery—the missing twin—was with Marlee, Lucy, and Georgia. They'd swept her off to have a 'girl's day' as they'd so gently put it. I had a feeling Avery would be as spoiled as she could be when we got her back.

Roman squirmed in my arms. I readjusted my hold on him, and he leaned closer to my side.

His hair—just like Avery's—was growing quickly now. It was sticking up in blond tufts identical to mine. He still looked just like me, minus our different eye colors. His eyes had actually gotten bluer over the past few months. I had no complaints.

"He's an angel," Magda said, rubbing Roman's shoulder. "Total opposite of America as a baby."

"I can only imagine," I said, grinning.

"She was a total tyrant. Never let anyone touch her things,"

America as a baby was something I had a great amount of interest in. As for me? I knew next to nothing about myself as a baby. It's not like I had anyone to tell me. My family was gone.

"Sounds like Avery," I said. "I'm hoping I can work her out of her tyrant stage before it's too late."

Magda laughed. "Just wait until she's a toddler."

"The more I hear that, the more terrified I am."

She just smiled and shook her head.

I took Roman up to his and Avery's nursery, where I closed the door, sat down in the rocking chair, and placed him in my lap. Lately, I hadn't gotten much time to spend with my son, and I wanted to make the best of the moment.

He cuddled up against my chest as I rocked us back and forth, eventually grabbing a book.

After making sure the baby monitor was muted, I opened it to the first page and began to read it. This definitely grabbed his attention, and as if he thought he was supposed to, he began to grab at the corners of the book.

"No, no," I laughed. "You hold it like this."

His little hands weren't quite strong enough to hold the book on their own. To help him, I used my hands to help him. He giggled and squirmed, but eventually settled into the position.

"When the little girl went down to the grocery store to get some apples, she ran into a doggy! The doggy was big and slobbery and licked her face!"

The excitement in my voice caused him to squeal and his face turned up in my favorite smile ever. I laughed and kissed his cheek, just now realizing that my wife was watching from the doorway. To greet her, I raised Roman's little hand up and used it to wave.

"Hi, Mommy!" I said, changing my voice a little to pretend I was Roman.

America was beaming. "So this is what you do with my children when I'm not around? Good to know."

"Only on Tuesdays,"

I winked at her, letting a smirk creep onto my face. She leaned back against the wall and gestured for me to continue.

"Don't let me stop you," she said. "I want to hear what happens next."

"Well, kiddo, looks like we've got an audience."

Roman smiled, tongue falling out of his mouth.

I continued, "Yup. Mommy wants to know what happens with the doggy too. You may want to put this," —I carefully guided his tongue back into his mouth— "in there."

As I read, I made sure to describe the pictures to Roman, who was absolutely clueless. But he did clap and giggle along with me. The responses I was getting made this less stupid.

I kissed Roman's cheek several times and he just squealed, sticking his tongue out at the action.

When I looked back up, America was beaming.

"What?" I asked, my voice muffled. My cheek was pressed into Roman's.

She shook her head. "I can't believe you ever doubted yourself as a dad. I mean, look at you. You're a natural and both of them love you."

"I've had eight months of practice," I said. "And I've used it well."

Turning back to Roman and I's storybook, I continued pointing out the different pictures. He'd tilt his head to the side with what I assumed was curiosity. It was odd at how much attention he was paying me. Typically, our father-son story time simply turned into me reading a book to myself.

He pointed out a picture of a turkey and I nodded, telling him what it was and what it sounded like, until—

"Gobble!"

I felt my jaw drop, and my eyes landed on my giddy son.

America had—in less than five minutes—stolen him from my arms, resting him on her hip. She looked over at me, and then sat down on the floor. Roman was clapping.

"Gobble! Gobble gobble!"

I was suddenly laughing so intensely that the noises leaving me sounded like a dog choking on food. America joined in, snorting and wheezing her own embarrassing laughs. Like she'd heard us, Silvia walked in, sighing at our behavior.

And then he did it again.

"Gobble! Gobble gobble! Gobble!"

Silvia was quickly grinning. There went the serious woman I'd grown up around.

"Gobble!"

Of course his first word would be gobble. Of all things, he'd picked an animal sound. And from the sounds of it, he'd be saying it quite frequently.

"I gave birth to a turkey," America said as she calmed down. "I can't believe it."

With another glance at the doorway, I'd discovered that Silvia had left. America and I still laid on the floor with Roman, recovering from our fit of hysteria. Roman had crawled up onto my chest, grabbing with a strong grip at my chin and determinedly trying to stick his finger in my mouth.

"Are you a turkey, Rome?" I asked.

He clapped. "Gobble gobble!"

Christmas Eve seemed to have arrived quicker than ever.

Just like normal, today and tomorrow would be family—and friend—days. We'd already thrown the Christmas Ball, so that was out of the way, and I didn't have much to do at work. So I was free for the next two days.

We hadn't revealed that Roman could talk yet.

I was hoping he'd reveal it himself at the perfect time. A part of me was eager to see the shocked faces we'd get.

He still hadn't chosen to say anything other than his turkey noises, but I was starting to like them. I mean, I was getting to hear my son's voice for the first time in forms other than crying and giggling. That was already a big deal for me! Finally, after all this time, I knew what his voice sounded like.

"Maxon," America said, lowering herself onto my chest. "I love you."

"I love you more."

"Nope."

"Yep."

And then she kissed me, hands moving up into my hair. Just when I was going to flip her over so that I would be on top, she broke the kiss. I pouted.

"Not so fast," she grinned. "We've got to get dressed."

"Too bad. I'm the King and I want to stay in bed. All day. With you."

"Nope," she said, sliding off of me and landing not-so-gracefully on the floor.

When I laughed, she glared at me and went to get ready for the day. I followed her lead and went ahead and got up. I gathered my clothes for the day and got in the shower, which she wasn't using at the moment, so I took my opportunity while I had it.

As I was about to wash my hair, I felt warm arms slip around my waist.

I turned around to face my very sneaky wife.

"I didn't know you were joining me,"

She grinned. "Surprise. Now, turn around."

I closed my eyes as she lathered the shampoo in my hair, taking great care to be gentle. It was oddly comforting. She helped me wash it back out, and then I washed her hair for her in return.

When we got out of the shower, we dried each other off, and then got dressed. By the time we'd made it downstairs, it was ten o'clock. We'd had a couple of detours, I'll admit. Like getting the twins fed and dressed and eating breakfast.

Kenna—now a heavily pregnant woman—was the first person I saw when we got downstairs.

She stole Roman from my arms and swept him away to hold him herself. Astra didn't allow my arms to stay empty for long. As soon as I was seated on the family room's couch, she crawled up into my lap.

"Mackin, Romey won't stop," she huffed.

I frowned before remembering my son's talent. Astra, Adrien, and Kile had been with the twins a lot more lately, so they'd quickly found out about his new ability.

"What won't he stop?" Kenna asked. "He's an angel to me."

America shrugged. "More like a little turkey."

"What?"

Confusion was evident on everyone's face.

Until Roman made his accomplishment public.

"Gobble! Gobble gobble!"

"Did he just—" James froze.

"Gobble!" Roman squealed, clapping again. "Gobble! Wee-woo!"

I was almost immediately laughing, and America had crossed her arms, pouting. She kicked me, and Roman 'wee-wooed' again.

"If Avery's first word is anything indecent, consider yourself dead, Maxon." America said.

Indecent? I had never heard that word leave her mouth. It sounded a lot like something I would've said. Maybe I really was wearing off on her. It only took me five damn years!

"Did.. did he just gobble?" Magda asked, eyebrows raised. "Like a turkey?"

America nodded. "We show him one picture of a turkey and he thinks he is one."

Astra—who sat securely in my arms—leaned her head back and rested it against my chest. She was less hyper than usual, which was definitely odd, but maybe she was just tired. Kenna caught my eye and mouthed, "She's tired. Stayed up late."

I nodded.

Turning back to the main conversation, I was suddenly a little.. sad.

Even with twenty-three years of life, I had only had this kind of family once. And they weren't even my blood-relatives. I'd married into this, and they'd taken me in so graciously. For once in my life, I had a family. I had the most amazing in-laws, and the best niece, who was now asleep in my arms.

And while I missed my mother and my father and Adele and my cousins and everyone else, they had never been this close.

I had never felt.. loved in that group setting. Valued, even. But here, in this family, I was just as important as everyone else. They treated me like we'd grown up together. Like I was truly a member of the family.

May and Peyton finally made their appearance, taking seats next to America and I.

"Where were you two?" Kenna smirked.

"Not funny, Ken," May huffed. "Did I hear someone gobble?"

"Gobble!" Roman squealed.

The twins were on the floor, rolling around on the large blanket we'd brought. America sat with them to ensure they didn't injure themselves or each other.

I was amazed at how well they got along.

Roman was lying on his back, feet held up in the air. Avery made a move to crawl over him, but when America stopped her, she settled on grabbing her brother's foot. He squealed and wiggled, bringing his legs up and down in stiff movements, while Avery just clapped.

"I'd say those two are going to be more hyper than Astra,"

America snorted. "They better not be, Mom."

Speaking of Astra, she was still sound asleep in my arms. I didn't dare wake her; she seemed to be in desperate need of a nap. Especially before Christmas. Every so often, she'd twitch, and I'd be paranoid I'd woken her.

The door opened and in walked Stavros, the door being held for him by Markson.

My heart sank.

"Did—" I paused. "Is it urgent?"

"I'm afraid so, sir."

This was another reason I didn't enjoy my job.

America, who was faking a smile, waved me off.

I passed Astra to James.

"Are you going to be back?" America asked, a twinge of anger in her voice. "Or are you going to just disappear?"

"I'll do my best,"

"We've found Ms. Kand's place of residence, sir," Stavros said.

As we walked, we passed guards who bowed and maids who curtsied. He kept his voice low and I did the same; this was confidential information, and if it got into the wrong hands, everything could go horribly wrong.

"Where?"

"Allens, sir."

"Allens?" I hissed. "That's on the other side of the damn country!"

"Most of your generals believe we should send troops to capture her."

"What? Why would we—not on Christmas, Stavros. I can't. It'll cause an uproar, and then some. This is supposed to be a time of peace for Illéa."

Officer Rogers opened the door to my office for us.

The magnificent room smelled like old books, leather, and coffee today. Typically, the office's elaborate and vividly designed walls would have brought me some kind of happiness, maybe even joy, but today, I had other things to worry about than the walls. Seven years ago, they would have brought back memories of my father's beatings, but thank God I'd been able to redo the entire room.

America claimed it reeked of masculinity, whereas I thought it reeked of the potential life or death decisions that would be made in it.

"I'm aware, Your Majesty, but it's necessary that we find her. Soon."

"Why? We've been searching for months, but why now? Why on the biggest holiday?"

He avoided my gaze for a second.

"Because Kota Singer is no longer in his prison cell."

Well, damn.

I stopped in my tracks, and suddenly, I was fighting the strong urge to break something. Or someone. Kota Singer was the one person that I hated more than anyone else.

"He's gone?" I yelled. "What the actual hell?"

"The guard on patrol that night left for an hour, sir, and when he came back—"

"The guard left?"

I suddenly realized that I was acting like my father—irrational, rude, and overbearing. Poor Stavros. He had to put up with me too.

"He was told not to, sir."

Before another response could rip itself from my throat, I took a deep breath.

Calm, Maxon. Calm.

"How long?" I asked, biting the end of the pen I was holding. "How long has he been missing from his cell?"

"An hour."

"Do they have any idea where he went?"

"I'm afraid they don't, sir."

"Okay, uhm, for now, I want every road shut down in Angeles. No flights, no buses. I want the border at high alert."

"Of course."

In a short hour, my entire council was gathered.

This didn't include Carter, August, and Aspen. I was going to let them have the day off like promised.

"Sir, why would we shut down Angeles?" Greggs asked. "He could be gone."

"Could. I doubt he could steal a car or whatever else it is in an hour. Much less walk out of the province on foot." I said.

"People are traveling!" Jans argued. "Going to see their families—"

Stavros stepped up. "Yet, Mr. Singer is a world-wide criminal. He has murdered many and almost killed our own king. The country should be concerned."

I didn't want to do this.

Not today, not now, not ever.

When we were taking a short break, I got a note from America, asking when I'd be back. I sat down in my overly done office chair and buried my face in my hands.

I was ruining this holiday for everyone.

"They told me you were on break,"

America's voice cut through the room like sunlight on a cloudy day. I jumped to my feet and began rambling, telling her how sorry I was to have left like that, and how horrible I felt about it all.

"Look," she said. "I'm not mad."

"You aren't?"

"I'm not happy, but I signed up for this when I married you."

"I suppose you did."

Her blue eyes found mine, and her arms wrapped around my neck.

Again, the door opened.

It was Stavros.

"I'll be with everyone else," America whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Ames."

I kissed her softly and then it was off to my meeting again. Stavros was silent for most of the walk, and I was too. The halls were quiet, yet full of people. Maids were going back and forth, the guards seemed to have multiplied, and councilmen who had not yet gone back inside the room yet.

When I sat down, the chaos began once again.

"Sir, we need to find Ms. Kand," Greggs said bluntly. "And we need to do it before Kota Singer does."

"Are you implying that Kota and Ms. Kand are working together?" I asked.

He nodded stiffly.

Detective Hughes nodded along with him. "Why would they not be? From what we know, they both want to take down the monarchy, sir. That's something they have in common."

"But should I send troops to hunt her down?"

"She's a force to be reckoned with, Your Majesty," Greggs added. "Her training, from what we can tell, is beyond that of any Illéan soldiers."

I sighed. "I want her brought back alive. Kota too, if he's seen."

"You want us to deploy troops?"

"Immediately."