Four chapters left guys! Thanks for being awesome at reviewing and favoriting and reading and everything else in general. I'm glad that most of you are back on board with Maxerica and glad that I could give you what you have been asking for for so long. :) This was probably one of my personal favorite chapters to write and I really enjoyed reading all of your reviews on the last. I hope that you all will be willing to stick it out these next few chapters and keep reading and reviewing. We are so close to 500 reviews and it would mean the world to me if we managed to pull that off by the end of this story. I will try and write chapter 27 tonight and might try and post it tomorrow. If not, I will have a chapter up on Tuesday and then I will hopefully finish this story over the long weekend. :) Unfortunately, I go back to school tomorrow so I won't have any time to write much after that. I will finish this story however, I refuse to quit halfway like I've done with other things that I've written purely because you all are the best reviewers I've ever had. Anyway, here is chapter 26! Enjoy, as it is the longest one I have wrote yet.

Maxon's POV

The days flew by from the time that night out in the gardens. I couldn't be happier that I would soon be able to have the life that I had deprived myself of for so long. The plane ride back to New Asia was far longer than I could handle but I managed to find enough patience to put on a front. I knew that this evening would be the time to end things with Kriss, but first I would have to go through one more Report with her by my side. Gavril would ask about our deal with New Asia, I would announce that the Caste System was on its way out, and I was sure that there would be a few more simple questions about what would go on from here on out. Afterwards, I had prepared a small dinner to be able to take Kriss out and talk her through everything that had happened between America and I. I needed her to know that I had tried to fall in love with her but that it hadn't happened—I guess you just can't really force those kinds of things to happen. I didn't know how she would react but I wasn't really afraid either. She had made it clear she was staying out of a sense of duty and hardly anything else. I hoped that she had a long lost love she could run after and that she would be able to be happy again because I knew she wasn't now. America's head rolled over onto my shoulder in the plane and I lightly covered her with a blanket, letting her rest. My lips lightly touched her forehead, keeping my promise that I wouldn't overstep my boundaries while I was still engaged to Kriss. I couldn't wait to be single for her again.

After the plane landed, I gave her a small hug before we went our separate ways walking down the plane ramp. I didn't want anyone giving Kriss the news before I had the time to talk her through everything. I would promise her a life that she could chose—whatever she wanted, I would let her take with her if it meant that she would be willing to call off our engagement. I knew she wouldn't be outrageous but I hoped that it would at least help her get on her feet and move on with her life. She was a brilliant woman who could do anything if she set her mind to it. I walked down the hallways and lightly knocked on her door, wanting to make sure that she was ready for the Report and to ask her out for dinner. She opened the door, standing in a plain red dress. This was the first time in a while where her beauty seemed just as plain as her dress. She wasn't standing out to me against anyone and I knew that I truly loved America this time.

"Hi, King Maxon," Kriss said, giving me a soft smile. I returned it as she opened her door slightly, letting me into the room with her. The Princess Suite was still untouched from the time that I had first showed it to her. I knew that a part of her must not really care that she had won it if she was still so reluctant to start decorating. "How was your trip to New Asia?"

"Very successful, thanks for asking," I said with a bright smile, trying to contain the real reason for my excitement. "I can't wait to talk about it in front of Illéa tonight. It was, honestly, one of my biggest accomplishments." I smiled brightly at her, sitting down at the small table in the room.

"That's wonderful," she replied, sitting down next to me. "I can tell how proud you are feeling." She pointed out, her hands smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress. She would have, no doubt, made an excellent queen. Everything about her was regal and poise, but none of it could ever compare to the fire that America had. I couldn't believe that I had tried to convince myself that I could feel the same things for Kriss that I felt for America. Everything about the situation I had landed myself in for the last few months seemed completely absurd now that I was seeing it all clearly for what it was.

"You seem a little giddy," she remarked, calling my attention back to her and the room that we were in. I had to remind myself that I was supposed to be asking her out to dinner, not giving her any reason to suspect that anything had changed about our prior arrangement.

"Yes, I was hoping that we would be able to have dinner in the gardens or maybe even your room after the broadcast. There are a few things that we need to talk about and several things that you should know."

She seemed to pause for a moment, her top two teeth lightly biting down on her bottom lip. I wondered what could be bothering her so much. She had wanted to go out on a dinner date when I got back—or at least she had before I left. Sitting here now she seemed hesitant and unsure of anything. She looked up at the ceiling as if she was searching or confirmation that this was something she actually wanted to do before she finally turned her attention back to me. "I think that's a wonderful idea, there are several things that you should know too." She replied, smiling softly and going back to acting as if she hadn't been hesitant at all. I couldn't help but wonder what had been going through her mind when she was trying to come up with an answer to my question. I hoped that it wasn't anything of consequence and that she hadn't changed her mind about her feelings for me. I wanted them to be nonexistent, or at least enough so that she wouldn't hold on too tightly at the thought of having to let me go. I just wanted to be with America.

"Alright," I said, smiling soft as I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed it gently. I spotted the ring on her finger and decided that I would have to get America a new one, one that was all her own. "I'll see you tonight, Kriss."

America's POV

The hours seemed to drag on until the start of the Report. Although I knew that it wouldn't be until tomorrow that I would actually be able to get back together with Maxon, the fact that I had to wait for him to send Kriss home was sending rushes of anxiety through my body. What if he changed his mind again? It wouldn't be the first time that he decided I wasn't worth it, that someone else would be able to fulfill every need he had and be a better princess. Even with everything that he had told me in New Asia, I still couldn't help to be nervous. I had hoped that maybe Celeste or Marlee would be around for me to talk to but both were busy. Celeste had been dragged off with Daniele the moment that the plane had touched ground and Marlee had doctor's appointments all day for her and the baby. I had no hope of spending time with Aspen either, as he was whisked away by his wife upon our return. I figured that left me ending things with Scott but I was waiting until we went and got lunch to do that.

When I saw him after exiting the plane, he wasn't nearly as excited to see me as Celeste was Daniele or Lucy Aspen. There was a change in his demeanor and I wondered what would have caused the transition. Instead of trying to kiss me, he had simply smiled and pulled me into a tight hug. I could feel Maxon's eyes turn to hard beads and nothing but jealousy being shot in our direction but he had to know that we just had to be patient. I leaned back in my room. If everything went right, this would be the last night in this room. Tomorrow I would be packing up my things and moving into the Princess Suite. My room would be right next to Maxon's and we would hardly have to be separated after that. I couldn't help but worry what he would tell the kingdom. Even if I had won the polls at the end of the Selection, they had started to love and adore Kriss as their crown Princess.

Scott had walked into the room without me noticing. He stood there looking at me for a moment, just waiting for me to notice his presence. I was completely startled to see him there and that earned me a hearty chuckle from him as he sat down in front of me. "How was your time in New Asia?"

"Good, it was nice being able to do some work. It's strange, all I saw myself doing for the rest of my life was singing but now I can have even better work." I smiled up at him, then down at my thumbs. "I can finally make some change."

"That's good."

I stopped him there before he could continue a soft happy conversation. He had to know that we wouldn't be able to keep doing all of this. "Look, Scott there's something that we have to talk about." He sat quietly, look at me.

"You're right, I have to tell you something." He paused for a moment. "I think we should stop seeing each other. I haven't been completely honest with you. I was in love with someone before I ever met you. It didn't go anywhere, simply because I was too much of a coward to admit to her how I felt. She's not around for me to be with her anymore so I was trying to force all my feelings onto you. It would have never worked and I should have known that from the beginning. I really do care about you as a friend though."

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. So I wasn't the only one using him. "I completely understand. I was doing the same thing to you. I've never stopped being in love with Maxon," I whispered to him, wanting to tell him that I would be able to get him back. I wanted to sing it to the world but knew that I had to wait. I didn't want him to know that I was going to wreck Kriss' engagement, especially knowing how close they had been when they were younger. I didn't want to offend him when he would prove to be a good friend later down the road.

"I figured you still had feelings for him. Just be careful, alright? Kriss is head over heels for him. They are engaged and they are going to get married. Just let things fall where they should," he said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "I'll see you around, Lady America." He turned around and smiled softly at me before he headed out of the room.

Tick tock. That was the sound of the clock going off as I waited impatiently for the Report to start. Right now, Maxon and Kriss would be getting dressed, getting ready to head down to the set and get in position for their interviews to start in an hour. Afterwards, they would be having their dinner and Maxon promised to come see me afterwards depending on how late it was. I hoped that no matter the hour he would come tell me what time it was and help me through the night. I wanted to know how it went, I wanted to know how long before we could be open with our relationship and get back to how things were meant to be. I also didn't want Kriss to harbor any negative feelings against me but I knew that was probably a far-fetched hope.

"America!" Celeste screeched as she ran into my room, her face bright with a blush and a giant smile on her face. If I hadn't seen her smiling so brightly, I would have assumed that there was a fire in the palace or a spider in her room. "America, America!" Her voice nearly sang, pulling me to my feet as she made the both of us start jumping up and down in the air.

"Celeste, what is going on? You're being more peppy than usual," I whined, wanting to fall back against the sofa. She had far more energy than I did. "Can't we sit on the couch if you're just going to act like you went crazy?"

She laughed and threw me against the sofa, smiling as she thrust her hand into my face. "He proposed, Five! I'm engaged to a Prince! Not just any prince either, the Prince of Italy!" I laughed at her happiness and smiled at the ring plastered on her finger. Celeste was going to get her happy ending and have a purpose in life. I was going to win back Maxon and everything would finally be right in the world again.

I smiled and pulled her onto the couch next to me, eyeing her ring as I took in every detail. The band was a simple silver but the jewel was a large diamond in a heart shaped holder, tiny diamonds following their way down the band onto the sides of her fingers. It fit her perfectly and I wondered how long he had been planning all of this. Everything seemed to finally be falling into place, not just for me but for everyone that I cared about. "How did he do it?"

Celeste recounted the romantic tale about a small dinner out in the gardens followed by a walk on the balcony. She told me about the flowers he had put all around the top of the palace and had shown her the beauty of all of Angeles before he popped the question. She was so blissfully happy and I couldn't be happier for her. I smiled at the way she lit up when she talked about Daniele as compared to the way she would talk about Maxon. "There was something a little strange going on in one of the corners of the palace, though." She said, breaking me from our happy celebratory thoughts.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, it's just that I saw a couple of men dressing up in guards uniforms but I had never seen them before. It wasn't like the last time when the Southern Rebels attacked though. I saw your ex, Aspen, talking to them before he went on his way. He didn't see them change though, which I thought was odd because they were dressed a little more profoundly than the guards I've seen off duty. I don't know, I probably made the whole thing up because by the time I went to point it out to Daniele, they were gone."

In that moment, everything hit me like a ton of bricks. Everything that had happened since Clarkson was killed, the Archbishop's death at the coronation, everything was finally becoming clearer. "I have to get to Maxon," I whispered, springing to my feet as I dragged Celeste out of the room with me. "Go find Daniele and tell him to get Aspen. There's going to be an attack tonight, I just don't know when. We have to get ready or it'll turn out worse than the last time now go." I commanded, pushing her towards the hallway where Daniele's room was. I ran towards the set of the Report, knowing that Maxon should be behind the curtains waiting to be called on by Gavril. I had to stop him, I didn't know what was going to happen or when, but I knew that if he wasn't careful, tonight was going to be his last.

I ran, faster than I ever thought imaginable in heels, but continued in long strides nonetheless. I could see the entrance to the stage and slowed down my pace so I would be able to speak in terms that Maxon would understand instead of gasping for air during the conversation. I looked at the other turn off in the hallway. There was a small light flashing in one of the rooms just off the stage. I pushed my ear against the door, opening that I would hear something that would give me confirmation as to what was going on tonight. My heart sped up with the adrenaline that rushed through it as the words confirmed everything that I was afraid of happening. Then my world went dark.

When I woke back up, I was tied to a chair. The voices in the back of the room matched the ones that I had heard when I was searching through Clarkson's study trying to figure out who had killed the Archbishop. Even though it was nearly pitch black in the room I could still make out the figure in front of me, who had finished tying my arms to my sides and my body to the chair as he finished tying my legs to that of the chair. I tried to fight but found the cold metal of a gun pressed against my temple.

"Emmett," I growled angrily, not sure who the figure holding the gun was.

"Lady America, you shouldn't have been poking your nose into other people's business. It's what you've always done, I know, but this time it'll be your last," the voice holding the gun retorted. "Shame too, I know that you thought you were finally going to get your precious King back." My heart dropped. So more people knew about Maxon and me than I had hoped. I tried to struggle but found the barrel of the gun pushed further into my temple.

"What is this all about? I know that you were responsible for killing the Archbishop but that there's no way you are Southern Rebels. This is too elaborate, even for them."

"The Southern Rebels work for me. They have worked for me under King Clarkson's command ever since the Selection and Maxon's obvious favor towards you. They were supposed to go after your family but instead went a little rouge on their mission for a while. They were fired to kill you, not King Clarkson but unfortunately he got caught in the cross fire." There was an obvious smirk plastered on his face from the tone of voice he was choosing to use. "However, there are plenty of people more positioned to take over the kingdom after his death than your beloved. However, you'll miss the death of the King as you'll already have lost your own life." The voice teased, pulling the gun away from my head for a moment. "We really must be on our way, I hate to not be able to kill you myself but I already have the honor of pulling the trigger on the King. Goodbye, you little wench."

The door cracked open for a moment, but only after I had been blindfolded. I felt the barrel of the gun push its way onto my temple once again. I thought about Maxon and how I hoped that Daniele and Aspen were ready for them to attack. I hoped that Maxon would fall in love again and be able to have many happy years of marriage. I hoped the same for Celeste and Daniele, Marlee and Carter, and especially Aspen and Lucy. I was strong, there would be no fear coming out of me as I faced death straight in the face. I had had a good life. I was dying for a cause that I would have never stopped believing in. Maxon would find a way to survive tonight and he would make all the changes that I had inspired. I hoped he didn't blame himself for my death when he found out why this attack was going to happen. I hoped that he knew how much I loved him and that I would have spent the rest of my life with him if there had been time for that. I hoped my family knew that my sacrifice meant that they would prosper in all of the changes Maxon was going to bring forward.

I turned my face directly into the barrel of the gun. If he was going to shoot me, he could look me dead in the eyes—well, directly into my face at least—as he pulled the trigger and ended it. He would at least know that I went to my grave unafraid and that satisfaction would be robbed from them forever. If I was truly as horrible as they had said, then in my death I could completely rob them out of their satisfaction as well. They weren't going to have that. I was sure of it.

"You can shoot me, I'm not afraid of you," I told him, not sure who it was but I was almost willing to bet that it was Emmett. "This is why you were so pale that morning, you had received your orders that you were going to be the one to kill me. Even if I hadn't snuck in here, you still knew that you were going to kill me."

"Of course I did, Five," he shot back. "They're right you know. There needs to be Castes, there needs to be a higher order. You were interrupting all of that." He shot back, and I heard the motion of the trigger being pulled. I heard the bullet cock into place. I took a deep breath and heard him chuckle as his free hand moved down my face, finger still glued to the trigger and gun plastered to my head. "What a shame, you were always so beautiful."