Chapter 26 – Zenith

On Friday morning, Charlie and all the others in Valerian's house – and also probably at the other estate as well – donned on their best clothes they could find despite the circumstance and then piled up into a black Limo to go to the Report studio. At first, he hadn't liked at all this turn of events, where they had to separate in two groups, but he had found it refreshing. The selected had separated into two groups on their own and he had spent time with that group over the past few days.

"I can't believe this is already the fifth Report of the Selection," Pierce said.

"What? Are you sure?" Weston asked. "Fifth one already?"

Pierce looked at Charlie. "Right?"

Charlie frowned but took out his phone from his breast pocket. "Yes, that's right. Fifth one."

Thank goodness they arrived, just then, because he wasn't ready to talk about how long the Selection had already gone on for, especially since more than half of the Selected still remained. The boys filed out of the car and walked into the backstage door so as to avoid any photographer or paparazzi who would be waiting at the front.

The other Limo was already there, and when the Selected saw each other, there was a happy chaos of hugs, handshakes, and pats on the back. For people who were fighting in a competition for the Princess' heart, there was a lot of camaraderie…

"Hey, Charlie," Willow said, joining him.

"Good morning, Prin– Willow," he said. "Better mood today?"

Wilhelmina sent him a glare. "Yes. At least for the morning."

Charlie snorted. "Good to know. How many are you eliminating today?" he asked casually.

"Yes, that's exactly what I was going to ask," his father said, joining them. "Good morning, Willow."

"Hello, Jesse." She took a deep breath. "Well, I'm sorry I already eliminated one yesterday and I think he took the first flight back to Bankston this morning, but I just couldn't wait for today– I just couldn't see his face any longer."

"Which is totally understandable," Charlie said. "He was a jerk."

"Bankston… Bankston…" Jesse said, rubbing his chin in deep thought. "Oh! Haakon? The governor's son?"

"Yes," both cousins said at the same time.

"Well, I hope that won't damage the relationship the King has with that Governor…" Jesse said. "I'll see you in a bit, then. There's first going to be a moment with your parents."

Willow nodded before she and Charlie shared a look. "I hadn't thought about that," she said. "Him being the governor's son…"

"Don't worry about it," Charlie said. "I'm sure it's going to be fine. Focus on the Report first, we can deal with this later." He squeezed her shoulder. "You know I always have your back, right?"

Willow nodded and smiled at him before joining the Selected backstage. But deep down, Charlie felt awful. He always had her back, but he was also going behind her back with his fondness for one of the Selected. And having Henry in the house where Willow was not had been great. For him. But he still felt like he was betraying her– maybe he should tell her?

"Charles, chéri," his mother called him from the audience. "Come sit."

He took a deep breath and nodded, joining Nevaeh in the audience.

"How are you?" she asked. "I haven't seen you a lot these past few days even if you said you were staying home…" Right. Charlie had spent lots of time at Val's, making sure the guys didn't do anything stupid. And to see Henry, too, of course.

"Yeah, sorry about that. The Selected were taking up all my time– I do feel like I'm babysitting most of the time."

Nevaeh laughed. "That couldn't have been any truer," she said. "It did feel like babysitting to me, too."

"Rolling in five minutes!" the stage director called out. On the stage, his father was talking in hushed tones with the King and Queen – probably about what they were about to film – but Charlie couldn't hear them. Five minutes seemed to go so slow, but then finally it was time.

"Rolling in five, four, three," two and one were shown on the director's fingers and the anthem started.

"Goodeveningladiesandgentlemenboysandgirls!" Jesse boomed from his couch, sitting just on the edge of his seat like he was going to fly away. "My name is Jesse Flynn and I am here this evening with the King and his Queen to have a little chat!" He turned to his sovereign. "Your Majesty: it's been a long and eventful week," he said, "and you've already talked to us two days ago on Wednesday. Have you been able to rest a little since then?"

King Silas shook his head. "I don't know that word, Jesse," he said. "So, no. I'll rest when the war in Europe is over and when we have peace again."

Jesse nodded. "I see. I don't envy you if I have to be honest," he said. "But I do am grateful for everything you do for this nation." He looked at his iPad in his lap for his next question. "Any news on the Palace?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," the King said. "I received a message this morning from the team working on securing the place, and we should be able to go back home tomorrow. We'll all be relocated to the part that hasn't crumbled in on itself." He paused. "I'm sure everyone will be glad to go back home." He wrapped his arms around his wife's shoulders and she nodded, smiling up at him.

"That's absolutely excellent news!" Jesse beamed. "I'm so happy for you! And… what about the war? Any updates?"

"Unfortunately, nothing new," Silas replied, "apart from the fact that the Illéan troupes have arrived yesterday at their posts and that the extended army has positioned itself."

Jesse nodded. "Well, we'll keep an eye on them," he said. "My daughter's out there, so I'll keep up with everything that is going on over there."

Charlie sighed. He hated to know his sister was out there, but there was nothing he could do. Not even Willow or Silas could have kept her in Illéa. This was war, and orders were orders. His mother squeezed his hand, communicating in silence that she was thinking the exact same thing as him: she was terrified for her daughter, too.

After a few more questions to the King and Queen that Charlie didn't really pay attention to, Jesse thanked them and invited the princess and the Selected to take place around the sofas, armchairs, and chairs that the stagehands had brought in after the King and Queen had departed. Surely having around 25 people in the same place wouldn't be too much, right? Charlie rolled his eyes. Of course, it would be too much. But nothing was ever too much to his father, anyway.

"Princess Wilhelmina!" Jesse said once they were rolling again. "It's so good to have you back on stage with all your Selected! How many are left?"

"Counting Liliana, there are twenty-two people left."

"Wait– what? Only twenty-two?" Jesse said dramatically.

"Yes," she said. "Comoe and Feighree passed away in the earthquake," she said softly. Charlie knew it was still a sensitive subject for her, but she really wanted to name them to show that she hadn't forgotten them. "And then I sent Haakon Prospero back to Bankston the other day–"

"Oh, gosh!" Jesse said. "Why?"

Charlie was terrified she was going to say something that would damage the relationship with the governor, but she was smart enough not to. "We didn't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things and I knew there could be nothing between us."

"Oh, I see. Well, that's a good excuse," Jesse said. "Anyone else?"

"Yes." Willow took a deep breath. "Domenico Montero asked to be sent home, as well… To Spain."

"To Spain?" Jesse frowned. "But why? There's a war going on there!"

"That's precisely why he was asking me to go there," she replied. "He wanted to fight at his brother's side."

"His brother?" Jesse asked.

"The Infante Hugo of Spain, Captain in the Royal Navy."

"Oh. I see…" Jesse swallowed. "So that's four less this week in your Selection, Princess. Do you have any good news to share? Are you happy to go back to the Palace?"

"Yes!" she said. "I can't wait. I love Uncle Nathan and Jen and the girls, but I can't wait to find privacy again. And home, even if it's only half of it…"

Jesse chuckled softly before aiming his questions at the Selected around them. Willow was sitting between Mikey and Cal, and Charlie honestly wondered if she and Mikey had something going on… He hoped not, because that would be too weird, but he was not putting that option to the side yet.

Jesse asked Liliana how she had liked this little vacation away from the Palace.

"Yes!" she said. "I have three new friends! Rey, Leia, and Jyn! We watched Disney movies together and played and had sleepovers every night!"

"That sounds amazing!" Jesse said. "I wish I could do that, too," he added, which made the little girl giggle and Charlie roll his eyes. He simply could not imagine his father watching Disney Princess movies and having sleepovers with his friends. Jesse then questioned Archer on his date with the Princess at the Los Angeles Clinic, and Archer played along really well.

"I was broken-hearted to see all those people who had been injured in the quake and who had lost everything," he said. "But I was delighted to see that the clinic had all the right medical technology to care for them."

"Medical technology that comes from your company, correct?" Jesse asked, smirking.

"That's right," Archer said. "And I hope to be bringing that technology to help the wounded in Europe very soon."

"How kind of you," Jesse said. If Charlie hadn't known his father this well, he would have missed the note of sarcasm in his voice. Completely missed it. But it was there, alright… He then asked random questions about the last few days and about the Selection as a whole, expecting the Selected to answer as they wanted. They played along nicely and Jesse had a nice conversation with everyone.

Then, he went back to Willow. "Your Highness," he said. "May I ask you a spicy question?"

"OOoooh" some of the boys said, turning to look at the princess, who became a little pink in the face.

"I know you've been on several planned dates, but I'm sure you've had many candid moments with your Selected… You don't have to give me names, but how many did you kiss?"

Willow's eyes went wide, but she started counting on her fingers. "Hmm, let's see," she said. "Three."

Charlie watched the guys closely to see who would blush or brush it off. To his utmost horror, his best friend turned bright pink, and it was impossible to miss it because his skin was always so pale that a slight color on it was visible from miles around. Charlie wasn't sure he wanted to think about him and Willow kissing, but he couldn't quite erase that image from his mind. And since Mikey was such a blushing beacon, he missed the two others. Darn it.

Charlie tried to focus on the rest of the questions, but it was over very soon after that and he met Willow and the others backstage.

/ / /

As the two Limos headed to Nathan's Estate for one big lunch for everyone, Willow found herself crammed between Xander and Hayes and everyone around them was talking loudly and excitedly about the idea of going back to the Palace.

"Are you excited to go back home?" Hayes asked.

"Absolutely," she replied. "As much as I like sleepovers with my sister and Jaylen, I can't wait to get some privacy back." Ever since the thing with Dom asking to go to Spain and Lolly asking him to stay, Willow and her sister hadn't exchanged a single word, always silently tiptoeing around each other and not addressing the elephant in the room.

"Oh, yeah, I totally get that," Hayes said.

"You're alone in your room," she retorted. "Dom's gone."

"Yes, so I know how it feels to get your privacy back." He offered her a smile. "And I really hope you'll be able to."

"Thanks," she said. But truth be told, she wasn't even sure if the remaining selected would be able to get single rooms in the West Wing; she'd need to know how many rooms were available, and now many Selected were left. And she would probably have to share a room with Lolly again. Great.

The Limousines entered the premises of the Nathan Estate – that was how the two groups had started calling their two new homes: Nathan Estate and Valerian Estate – and stopped in front of the house. One after the other, the people filed out of the cars, and Willow was the last one out. A hand was waiting for her to help her out and she took it.

She was surprised to see who it belonged to, but not disappointed at all. "Thank you, Pierce," she said, genuinely grateful for the help; her high heels were a living hell to get out of a car with.

"My pleasure," he replied, smiling through his dark beard. "We haven't had lots of time together, but I do hope we do soon."

She nodded. "Me too," she said. "I'm going to pick a name this afternoon from the hat, so cross your fingers that it's going to be you."

"I will," he said winking, offering her his arm to go inside. She was surprised – though she shouldn't have been considering his job and occupation – at how hard his arm muscles were under his shirt. They joined the group of other people in the garden where three long tables had been brought out: two for the Selected, and the last one for the royal families who were joining them that day.

She accepted the chair that Pierce pulled out for her and sat on his right next to him. Along the meal, he told her about some natural catastrophes that he had been through, such as floods, tornados, and earthquakes. Willow tried to listen and be interested in what he was saying, but honestly, it was a little too soon for her taste.

After lunch, she pulled a name from the hat and everyone listened with rapt attention as she read it out loud. "Lysander." She smiled and looked at the blue-eyed novelist. "Would you like to organize the date or would you rather I do it?"

"I can organize something," he said. "Around…" he checked his watch. "Two-thirty?"

"Great!" She offered him a smile and sat back down just as dessert was brought in: ice cream!

She continued her conversation with the people around her and by the time the date hour was up, she excused herself from the table and went to look for Lysander, which she found in the entrance hall, pacing the floor.

"Oh, you came!" he said, visibly relieved.

"Of course, I did!" She grabbed his arm and looped hers in it. "So, where are we going and what are we doing?"

"Uhm, we're going into town," he said. "Your bodyguard is going to come with us, of course."

"Ooh, okay! And where are were going in town?"

"I, uhm, want it to be a surprise," he said. "If that's okay with you…"

"If Salima knows where we're going and if she approved, then yes!" She looked at Salima and she nodded. "Okay, let's go then!" Honestly, Willow didn't really care where they were going, as long as it was away from Nathan's Estate – not that she hated everyone there, but she needed a break – and did something different that would keep her mind off of things.

"How's your writing going?" she asked him when they were on the road.

"My room was in the West Wing, so I hope I didn't lose everything on my computer," he admitted.

"Oh! Yeah, me too!" she said. "But at least you have the story – or what you've already written – somewhere in your mind, no?"

"Yeah…" he said. "But if I have to rewrite the whole thing, it will be different. I can't write twice the same thing."

"…understandable," she replied. "I really hope for you that you didn't lose anything."

"Yeah, me too…"

They were silent for the rest of the ride into town, but it broke Willow's heart to see all the damaged buildings and roads as they went. The area was still full of policemen trying to fix everything with road and construction workers. Willow didn't come often in town so she had no idea where they were at the moment. Until the car stopped in front of a large building that looked ancient, but that hadn't been damaged in the earthquake.

"Let me just go check the perimeter," Salima said, climbing out of the car. Lysander and Willow nodded and waited for her to come back. While she was gone, Willow read the inscription above the huge double door.

"Los Angeles Public Library?" she read.

"Yes," Lysander said. "I was hoping to go to the flea market, but it was too damaged in the quake. So this is the next best thing… I hope…" He looked away when Willow looked at him, smiling.

"It is," she said. To be honest, anything was better than being cooped up in Nathan's house. She was getting a little tired of all the Star Wars decorations, statues, pictures, and so on. She couldn't wait to go back home. She saw Salima coming back and opening the door to let her and Lysander out.

"All clear, Highness," she said. "Oh, and put these on." She handed her a pair of huge sunglasses and the princess and her date followed Salima inside. Only a few people noticed them and snapped a few pictures, but they weren't bothered or anything by anyone. "The Library has been evacuated for a couple of hours, so you two have until five o'clock."

"Thank you," Lysander said. He then offered his arm to the Princess. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Sure." She looped her arm in his. "So, where to, Mr. Jefferson?"

Lysander smiled. "I wanted to show you a few of the books that inspired me. If that's alright with you?"

"That sounds great." She offered him a smile and they walked among the aisles of books, their steps echoing in the empty building. Willow had no idea which section he was taking her to, but she could have probably guessed the Fantasy section.

"Ah, here we are," he whispered. And true enough, the word FANTASY was written in big golden letters above the rows of books.

"Okay, so which books did you grow up with, then?" she asked.

Lysander ran his fingers on the spines of the books, walking down the shelf. Willow let go of his arm so he had more freedom to search, and he stopped in front of a section. "These," he said. He handed them over to Willow.

"The Chronicles of Narnia? The Lord of the Rings? The Hobbit?" she chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?"

His shoulders slumped a little. "Is that bad?"

"No! it's just that you're writing high fantasy, and these were epic. Your books can definitely compete with C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. Two hundred percent."

"Really?" he said, hope filling his features.

"Most definitely."

"Have you read them, too, then?" he asked.

Willow tilted her head to the side. "I think I read The Hobbit when I was in middle school, and I may have started the Narnia series, too. But I know I watched all of the movies– oh! Is one of your books going to be turned into a movie, too?"

Lysander shrugged. "I don't know if I'd want that, to be honest."

"Why not?" She handed him the books so he could put them back on the shelves. "It would be epic."

"Yeah…" he put the books back. "But I'd rather people read my books than some stupid director messing up the characters and the story. There's always a fifty-fifty percent chance that it's totally ruined."

"True…" Willow ran her fingers on the spines of the books, looking for a book. "Like this one." She pulled it out and handed the thick blue book to Lysander. "I couldn't put it down, but the movie they tried to make out of it was a disaster." She rolled her eyes and Lysander chuckled, taking the book from her hands,

"Eragon…" he mumbled. "Not the best writing in the world, if I have to be completely honest, but the story was kinda good." He paused. "And yes, the movie adaptation was terrible. That's what I'm afraid of what it might do to my stories, you know?"

Willow nodded. "I completely agree. You'd have to find a really good director and producer or whatever and have your say in it. Otherwise, it's not worth it."

The Novelist nodded. "What were your favorite books, growing up? Besides mine, of course," he added with a smirk.

"Well, for one, we're the same age, so I didn't have your books to grow up with," she said nudging him with her shoulder as they walked down another aisle. "And two, I didn't have much time to read, when I was a kid. I would hide under my covers with a flashlight at night to get in some reading, but my days were filled with school and other tutor lessons."

"Such as?"

"Oh, you know… language tutors, dance lessons, etiquette lessons, horse riding lessons, piano lessons, and so on." She paused and looked up at her date as they walked together. She turned into an alley named KIDS FICTION. "I was a busy kid," she continued, and I lost lots of hours of sleep to read. It sometimes got me into trouble, but my dad always said that he'd rather see me lose sleep to read than to get into trouble elsewhere."

Lysander chuckled. "A wise man."

"Oh, yeah."

She searched for the books she was looking for and– "Ah, here it is." She pulled it out and handed it to Lysander. "My favorite childhood book."

"Little Women? Seriously?"

"Is that bad?" she echoed his own reaction to her reaction earlier.

"No. It's just– Not very feminist. Knowing you…"

"What does that mean?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll have you know that Jo March was the most independent woman of her time."

"Maybe. But not her sisters," he countered. "And the story ends with her finding love."

"So? Is that bad?"

"No." Lysander shook his head and handed her the book back.

She put the book back and looked for another one, searching for an author close by, and pulled out another one. "This one is another one of my favorites," she said.

"Anne of Green Gables– You really went with the most classic ones, didn't you?" he said, laughing softly.

"I went with the ones in the Palace library, and yes, mainly classic literature." Willow sighed and put the book back. "I read the whole nine-book series," she added just as her belly grumbled. She ignored it but Lysander smiled.

"Would you like to go get something to eat?" he asked. "I'm starving."

Willow snorted. "No, I'm starving, and you're just being nice. But yes, that would be a good idea." They exchanged a glance and laughed, the noise echoing in the library around them. She followed him outside and they climbed into the car. Lysander asked her if she knew any good place to get some food around town, but of course, she didn't. So they asked Salima.

"There's this donut place by the sea. Or if you want something salty, there's a taco place that's good as well."

"Donuts," they both said at the same time, and the chauffeur followed Salima's direction to the place. They went inside after Salima did another sweep of the place and ordered a huge box of donuts and donut holes all decorated with fancy chocolate and fondant and ate them in the car so they wouldn't be bothered by other curious patrons. By the time they had eaten half of the box, they were full and it was time to get back home. The chauffeur dropped Lysander at Valerian's house first.

"Thank you for this really nice afternoon," Willow said.

"Thank you," he said. "It was nice sharing our favorite books." He smiled at her, and again, his smile with his dimple on the cheek made Willow's stomach roar in butterfly-esque chaos.

"Oh, uh, here." She grabbed the box of donuts that was still in the backseat. "Take this and share it with the guys."

"Oh, uhm. Thanks…"

She quickly placed a small kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow at the palace," she said before climbing back into the car and slamming the door. The chauffeur started the car and Willow left the young man alone in the driveway.

/ / /

Of course, Willow's dinner had been ruined by the donuts she had eaten with Lysander so she didn't eat anything, pushing her food around. The Selected around the table were talking about doing a game of poker – which Willow knew would turn out to be strip poker after they had had several drinks – but though she loved the game, she wasn't sure she wanted to play.

When everyone left the table to go to their activities – most of the Selected to the poker game, the young girls to a movie night, and some others to bed because they wanted to sleep – Willow caught Mikey's gaze on her. She smiled at him and gestured with her head for him to join her. Mikhail Parker didn't have to be asked twice. He slipped away from the group of Selected who didn't notice him leaving, and he joined Willow in the Veranda.

"Hello, stranger," he said. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, I know," she said. They sat on the swing and she immediately tucked her feet under her and leaned against Mikey who wrapped his arm around her shoulders and wrapped the blanket around them both. "I just had a lot on my mind, in the past few days."

"I know."

"It's no excuse, but–"

"Hey," he said softly. "I totally understand. With the earthquake, the move, the selection, and all that. You don't have to apologize for anything."

She nodded and snuggled closer, breathing in his familiar scent and she closed her eyes. "How was your day?" she asked. "Have you been streaming anything lately?"

"Not since the earthquake," he said. "Everything was in my room so it's probably destroyed by now…"

"Oh– Mikey, I'm so sorry," she said, looking up at him. The freckles on his cheeks were so close she could count them.

"It's not your fault," he said. "The main point is that we're both alive and well. And we're going back to the Palace tomorrow."

She nodded and settled on his shoulder once more. "I know. But we lost so many things."

"That's the thing," Mikey said. "They're just things. Stuff." He paused. "It could have been worse. It could have been raining and we could all have been inside."

"Wow," Willow said, sitting up and looking at her best friend. "Where did the sunshine go? You're always so optimistic." She frowned. "Where's all this coming from?"

Mikey shrugged. "You know, the sun only shines when there's a sky to be in," he said softly, looking at her and searching her eyes. "And I haven't been a lot near my sky."

Willow raised an eyebrow. "Me? I'm the sky? I thought I was the moon– and the moon only shines because of the sun."

The silver-haired boy smiled, making his eyes crinkle a little as he did. "The moon is smaller than the sun, and you're the princess… You're not smaller than me. You're the infinite sky." He leaned in slowly, ready to kiss her, but Willow put a hand on his chest.

"Not here," she whispered. She stood with his hand in hers and lead him towards the staircase.

No one noticed them, too absorbed in their gambling game, too absorbed in their movie, or too absorbed by sleep. They went past the bedrooms, and up the third floor. Willow knew there would be a couple of free rooms there, mainly sitting rooms that had been transformed into Star Wars exhibition rooms for all of Nathan's props and objects he had collected over the years. She pushed the door open of such a room and found it empty.

"No, don't turn on the light," she said. "People might see it under the door."

"But I want to see you," he said. He smirked, took off his leather jacket, rolled it into a bundle, and placed it on the floor, next to the door before turning the light on. "No one will see it."

Around them, they were surrounded by Star Wars things, but the worst was a life-like statue of Chewbacca staring right at them.

"Yeah, okay, that's weird," Mikey said. "Maybe I should turn off the lights…"

"No, we'll just turn him around," Willow said. She walked to the fluffy statue and tried to turn it around. "It's stuck. The platform is screwed to the floor…"

Mikey looked around for something to cover its head, but he couldn't find anything.

"Here, use this," Willow said, taking off her cardigan, which Mikey threw over Chewie's head. It took him three tries to get it right and Willow was giggling.

"You're not helping," he said through his teeth. "This thing is huge!"

"I know, I know," she said, sitting on the couch and trying to smother her laughter.

Once he was done, though, he tackled her on the couch and rested on top of her, smiling. "May I kiss you, now, Milady?" he whispered.

"You may–" But before she had finished whatever it was she was about to say, Mikey pressed his lips on hers, kissing her. He tasted like chocolate cake – no surprise there, since that's the dessert they had had a few moments ago – and she wanted more. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him back. It was like finally coming home after being lost for so long…

Mikey broke off the kiss and grinned, before trailing tiny kisses down her jawline, her neck, her collarbone,… he didn't go any further down, though.

"Why d'you stop?" she asked, breathless.

"Isn't this a little… weird?" he asked, unsure.

"Why?" she asked.

Still above her and holding himself up on his elbow, he raised a shoulder, shrugged. "I've just known you forever," he said.

"So?" Willow was genuinely confused. A few days ago, he had practically told her he loved her– not in so many words, but the sentiment had been there. And she had even hesitated to end the Selection right then and there. "What's wrong?" she asked, wiggling herself out from under him. "Mikey. What is it?"

Mikhail sat back up holding his knees in the crooks of his elbow. He shrugged and ran a hand in his silver hair. "Just– this morning on the Report– you said that you had kissed three people." He paused, not looking up at her.

"Yeah, and?"

He took a deep breath. "I thought I was okay with this whole thing, you know? That you were dating the others." He paused. "But knowing that you kissed two others– I just…" he trailed off, swallowing hard, and dropped his legs.

"Are you jealous?" Willow asked. This moment was not how she had imagined it would go, but here they were.

"Maybe a little?" he admitted, looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

Willow rolled her eyes and scooted over and went all the way to sitting on his lap, facing him, with one knee on each side of him. She just hoped she wouldn't be squishing him to a pancake, but she also knew that he could deal with pretty much anything. Mikey looked up at her as he rested his head on the pillows behind him, smiled at the beautiful brunette woman on his lap, and put his hands on her hips. Without any warning, Willow leaned in and kissed the man she had always loved; the man who had always been there for her. The man who was still there for her.

He slipped his hands under her shirt, resting them on her waist and kissing her deeply. Had she been in her own room back at the Palace with a one hundred and ten percent certainty that no one would come barging in at any given time, she would have offered him more. As it was, the door was unlocked, people might come in, this was her uncles' couch – not that Nathan and Jen hadn't had sex pretty much everywhere around their house but she didn't want to think about it – and they had Chewbacca right there… So no, she was not going down that path. Maybe once they got back at the Palace.

"Willow…" he whispered between kisses. "I–"

"Shhh," she replied, kissing him.

With one swift movement – yes, Mikey was physically strong even if he didn't look like it –, he moved her to the couch and he was once again on top of her. She snugged her knee between his legs and a moan escaped his throat. "Don't do that," he gasped. "Unless you want more, but I don't think it's the best place for that…"

Willow grinned slyly but didn't say anything. She lowered her knee, though, and also slipped her hands under his shirt. "The most privacy we'd have would be at your beach house," she said.

Mikey looked at her and smirked. "It's a date, then," he said. "When everything goes back to normal…"

The princess nodded and after a while, Mikey just held her, being the big spoon, from behind, and they stayed like that, immobile. He just stood to go turn off the light, and then came back. With his free hand, he gently ran his fingers on his hips, thighs, and back up. Willow shivered once in his arms and he chuckled in her neck, wrapping his arms around her. She closed her eyes, wanting to fall asleep in his arms. And she thought he had fallen asleep before her, but when she was about to nod out, she heard him whisper ever so lightly in her ear…

"I love you, Mina."

End of part 1

Welp, this is the end of the first half of the Story. The chapters went from A to Z, and in the second part, they will go from Y to A (yes, I'm not finding another Z chapter, this is the mid-point lol).

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and this first half! As of now, I don't have any pre-written chapters anymore for the second half, though all the chapters are planned out. My twins (yes, I'm pregnant, for those who didn't know LOL) are planned to come around December, and the next step is to get their room ready. I may have more time in the third trimester (which is in a month) to write again since it will get harder for me to move around (hehe), but I can't promise you anything. Expect long waits between chapters for the second half of the story, but we will see the end of it (someday), I promise! just– be patient pwease...

Anyway, let me know how you liked/hated this chapter, your reviews are always appreciated and I can't wait to hear your thoughts (and your predictions for the second half of the story) :eyes: See you in the next chapter and in the meantime, happy back-to-school for those of you in school! byeee!