A/N-Umm...not much to say. Just read.

Chapter 4

"Order, order!" Prime Minister Lukas cried out as he banged his gavel repeatedly to get the attention of the other Parliament members.

I looked around in annoyance. I was hoping to actually get something done during this meeting and all anyone could talk about was the stupid ball coming up in two weeks.

"Please, gentlemen!" Prime Minister Lukas cried. "We have an important matter to attend to!"

Good. At least he was taking this seriously. When everyone finally settled down, I opened my mouth and was about to propose a national mode of transportation when the Prime Minister said, "We have to begin planning Queen Amelia and Edward's wedding."

At the word "wedding" I looked up. "Excuse me?" I sputtered in total shock.

"Your wedding with the young Duke of Burgundy!" He cried, as if it were obvious.

I stared for a few minutes, then cried out, "HE HASN'T EVEN PROPOSED!"

He wagged his finger annoyingly in my face, like I was a stupid little girl and he was a big important adult that knew everything. "But it doesn't matter. We asked if he would marry you and he said yes, so the wedding is on."

Tears were perilously close to pouring out of my eyes. "But that's not right! It's not tradition. He has to propose to me like any other person would."

"But Your Highness—"

"No buts. I will not be the first queen whose king did not propose to her."

When he saw the resolve on my face, he sighed. "But it will no longer be a surprise, you know. You will already know what's coming."

I nodded. "I know. But I would like for this at least to be done the right way."

"Alright. We will inform him of your wishes."

"Thank you."

I swear, I'm not being petty or petulant. I'm marrying someone I barely know. I've accepted that. I just want it to be done right. It's the principle of the thing.

After the meeting, I decided to take a walk in the gardens to clear my head. I was marrying Edward. I ran through the list of pros and cons in my head. Pros: he was smart, funny, kind, interested, polite and charming. Cons: he too much into protocol, he'd get edgy sometimes, and he was a bit sexist.

I was sitting on a stone bench staring avidly at a rose, but not really seeing it. I was doing the right thing, right? According to Genovian law, Parliament could pick him, but in the end I was the one who had the final say.

I think I need my best friend to help me. I can't make a proper decision without her right now. My mind is going in six million different directions, and she's normally the one that puts me on the right track.

I got up and was about to walk back into the palace to try to get some work done, when Lilly came walking hand in hand with a tall, pale man with jet black hair. When she spotted me, she ran towards me with open arms and enveloped me in the most excited hug I'd ever received. "He proposed!" She whispered in my ear.

"Oh my god, Lilly!" I cried. I jumped up and down and immediately grabbed her hand.

"Hi," A deep voice called to us. I looked up and smiled at the face of the man that had proposed to her. "I'm Boris Pelkowski. It's a pleasure to meet you." I detected a hint of a Russian accent.

I stuck out my hand. "I'm Mia Renaldo. Nice to meet you too."

He shook my hand and grinned. "You know, you're much more informal than I expected you to be."

I grimaced. "There are some off times to being a queen." I brought my face down to the huge rock on Lilly's hand. "I can't even see where the titanic hit it!" I cried. "It's beautiful." I looked up at Boris and said, "I hope you make my girl happy. If I hear about anything about you from her, I will knock you till kingdom come."

He chuckled and said, "I give you permission."

I turned back to Lilly and asked, "Did you tell Michael yet?"

"No. I wanted you to be the first to know. Will you be my maid of honor?"

"Of course! Oh, Lilly, I'm so happy for you!" I cried again and I threw my arms around her neck, just in case she didn't take the hint.

Boris said that he had to be back before his manager called him and would see us later. After giving Lilly a passionate kiss goodbye, he left, leaving us to make our way back to the palace.

"So, tell me every little detail and don't leave anything out." I demanded.

"Well, we were eating a picnic at the bank of the lake and he told me to close my eyes. I did and then when he told me to open them, I find this huge rock staring at me in the eye and he asks, 'Will you marry me?' So of course, I said yes and I kissed him for a really long time, until we came to see you." Her cheeks were flushed. I had never seen her so happy. I smiled. She really deserved this.

"I'm so happy for you," I told her for the millionth time that day.

"Thank you. By the way, how did the Parliamentary Session go this morning?"

Ah. Of course. The unwelcome reminder that I too, was semi-engaged. I opened my mouth and was about to tell her when Edward came up to us. He bowed deeply and said, "Ladies. It's a pleasure to see your shining faces this afternoon."

Lilly nearly choked on the lame line, but I elbowed her in the ribs. "It's nice to see you too, Edward. Did you need anything?"

"Yes, Amelia, I need to speak with you privately." He said as he took my elbow and began to lead me back into the gardens.

Lilly looked back at me and raised her eyebrows. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

I nodded. "Alright. We have to start planning!" I called out and let Edward lead me into the rose garden.

He sat me on the same stone bench that I had been on for most of the day. As he got down on one knee, he pulled out a blue velvet box and opened it in front of me. "Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldo, would you please do me the honor of marrying me?"

I looked down at the ring. It was a huge sapphire set in a thin band of white gold. I took a deep breath and mentally steeled myself. I had to do the right thing. This was my duty to the Genovian people. Their monarch was supposed to have a spouse. It was tradition.

Okay, so why did I feel like jumping off a cliff?

I gave him a shaky smile and said, "Yes, I would love to marry you."

He smiled back and slipped the ring onto my finger. After giving me an awkward kiss on the forehead, he said, "I have to go talk to a few people. I'll see you for dinner, alright?" I nodded and watched him walk back into the palace.

What do most girls do after they've been proposed to? They look down at their hands to see the effect of the ring on their finger, right? I couldn't. I couldn't bear to look down and be reminded that I was tying the knot with a person I didn't even know.

I had gotten what I wanted, though. I had asked to be proposed to. I wanted this to be done right.

Without realizing that I had left the garden to begin with, I found myself in my chambers, closing the door slowly behind me. Lilly was waiting for me, lying on her stomach on my bed, browsing through a bridal magazine. She looked up and was immediately warned by the grim look on my face. "What is it, Mia? What's wrong?"

I held up my hand and showed her. "I'm getting married too."

And I burst into tears.

"You sure you'll be fine?" A concerned voice asked in my ear.

I nodded, even though she couldn't hear me. "I'll be alright. I just need to kick some ass and I'll feel a lot better."

I heard her exasperated sigh. "You're weird, you know that?"

I prowled the rooftops looking for signs of danger. My prayers were answered when I heard the loud wail of a fire truck. I turned around and headed in the same direction.

When I finally reached the burning building, I jumped down and tapped the fire chief on the shoulder. "Is there anyone inside?"

He nodded. "An adult and a baby. No one can reach them."

Without another word, I pulled out a white silk handkerchief, drenched it in the water from the nearest hydrant and tied it around the lower part of my face. When I got in, I had to jump back a few steps as a burning beam fell where I had been just seconds ago. I treaded the floor lightly and called out in a muffled voice, "Is there anyone here?"

A baby's sharp wail answered my question. It was coming from my right and I nimbly reached a small crib with an infant wrapped in blue blankets. The poor guy was wailing at the top of his lungs, but no one could hear him over the roar of the fire.

I untied the handkerchief from around my face and slipped it over the baby's nose and mouth. "It's alright, little fella," I cooed as I lifted him in my arms. "I've got you, you'll be just fine." I took the blankets and wrapped them tightly around him as I began to make my way out of the building. When I was finally out, I handed the small child to the fire chief, wet the silk handkerchief again and walked back in.

"Hello?" I called out as loudly as I could. "Is there anyone here?"

I heard a faint moan and bolted in the direction it came from. I saw the hunched over figure on a couch and winced as I recognized the face. He looked like he had gotten into a bad fight and was currently unconscious. I sat him up, tied the handkerchief around his face and maneuvered my way out of the building with his body over my shoulders.

Once we were out in the streets, I set him down on his back and looked him over carefully. "Lil," I murmured softly, making sure no one was around to hear me.

"Yes?" She asked.

"This one needs care. I'm bringing him back with me."

"WHAT?"

"Don't worry."

"DON'T WORRY? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?" She screeched.

I ignored her stabs at my sanity and lifted Michael over my shoulders once again.

It wasn't easy, scaling the sides of buildings with a rather weighty person on your back, but I managed. Once I was back in the lab, I set him carefully down on the bed and took off his torn jacket, only to reveal a ripped t-shirt. I could feel a faint pulse and watched as his chest rose and fell with ever breath he took.

When Lilly approached me to begin ranting some more about my current state of mind, I held up a hand and gestured to her unconscious brother lying on the bed. She closed her mouth and immediately pulled out the first aid kit. I went to the freezer and brought out the ice packs.

"Wait," I said as I watched him squirm slightly underneath her touch. "I think I should do this."

She raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because what if he wakes up and sees you here in this place? That's gonna lead to a lot of unwelcome questions."

She nodded when she saw the reasoning behind me statement. "Alright. I trust I've taught you a little advanced medical care over the years?"

I nodded and she walked back to the mega computer. "Should I stay here?"

I shook my head. "Go back into the palace, but keep your headpiece with you so you can communicate with me."

When she was gone, I splashed some water on his face to try and get him conscious. He didn't respond, so I started to clean the cuts on his face with alcohol. That startled him and his eyes fluttered open. "Ow!" He cried as he winced at the pain.

His disoriented look amused me and I took it in for a few minutes. "It's alright," I soothed.

When he calmed down a little I went back to cleaning his wounds. "Where am I?" He whispered softly.

"You're in my lab," I informed him as I placed a small band aid over the cut on his eyebrow. "I found you badly wounded in a burning apartment building."

A few moments passed in silence and I gently lifted his shirt. It was a good thing I still had my mask, that we way he couldn't see my eyes as they bulged at the sight of his well muscled front side. And marring such a perfect body was a large, deep slash across the abdomen.

I took off my gloves and gently ran my fingers over the bloody mess, ignoring the strange spark that ignited whenever our skin made contact. "What happened?" I asked softly.

He grimaced at the touch. "You remember those guys from a few nights ago?"

I nodded as I pulled out the cotton balls and alcohol.

"They came for me."

I listened quietly as he told me the story.

"I'm prosecuting a rapist," He began. "Allen Tillman. And he's part of their gang. Well needless to say, they don't want one of their crew in jail, so they figure if they go after me, there won't be any other prosecutors that could put up a decent offense against this guy."

I nodded as I kept cleaning. "This is pretty deep."

"I know. It hurts like hell."

We were silent for a few moments as I gently rubbed away the dirt. When it was clean, I told him, "We're gonna wait for it to stop bleeding for a little while. After that, you'll need stitches."

"Can you do that?"

I nodded. "I've learned a little advanced medical care over the years."

I iced a few of the bruises on his arms and found Lilly's medical bag. I pulled out a needle, sterilized it, and found a sturdy wire.

He gave frequent gasps and groans, but for the most part stayed still. "So you're a prosecutor, huh?" I asked as I worked. I wanted him to get his mind off the pain.

"Yeah."

"Do you like your job?"

"I do. I like what I do, but I get the feeling that I'm going no where. I can barely land any of my criminals in prison."

I nodded. "You should know by now that a lot of the judges are lying, cheating scumbags that only look out for number one. The criminals on the streets work for Parliament members, and they pay our law workers a pretty penny to keep them out of prison."

He was quiet. "I don't know what to do."

I looked up from my stitching and looked at his expression carefully. "What do you mean?"

"I thought I could make a difference in Genovia if I became a prosecutor. I wanted to help bring this country back to its former glory."

I nodded, not saying a thing.

"And then…now it seems like I can't do anything."

"You can do something. Just by being politically aware and active, you're helping. You can inform the people of their country and what's wrong with it."

He looked at me. "But it's not enough. It's not like you. You're physically stopping criminals."

I sighed. "But I can't change things."

He looked at me with raised eyebrows.

I closed off the stitch and put away the tools I used. "I don't recommend you move for a while. The burning building was your apartment, wasn't it?"

He nodded.

"Then stay here tonight and I'll bring you to an inn tomorrow."

He nodded again. "Wait."

I looked at him expectantly. "Why can't you change things?"

I sighed again and said, "I clean up messes. I can't prevent the messes from happening."

"Who can?"

"Parliament."

"But what about Queen Amelia?"

I looked down. "She's trying. I know she is."

He snorted. "No she's not. She's a whiny, complaining loser that hates you."

I gave him a sad smile. "Hate is a funny thing. You think you hate something, but in the end you find that when you take another look, it's different than you thought."

"Not Queen Amelia."

"She's trying. I know she is." I repeated.

With those last words, I brought out a sedative in a syringe. "This will put you into a deep sleep. When you wake up, you'll find yourself in a hotel, and you have to promise me to stay out of trouble."

He gave me a small smile that literally took my breath away. He's beautiful when he smiles, I thought. "Then I wouldn't be able to run into you."

I shook my head. "That would be a good thing."

"I'm Michael, by the way."

I rubbed a spot on his arm with a clean wipe and injected him. "I know."

A/N- Please, you guys. I don't ask for much. All I ask is for you to put down your thoughts and opinions in the little text box and click submit. That's all. Please please please please please review!