From S: Are you scared of insects? - Yes, they give me the creepy-crawlies (no pun intended). But I'm not the paralyzed kind of scared. I'm the angry kind of scared where I'll grab the closest shoe that doesn't belong to me and kill it and flush it down the toilet.

From S: Have you ever done dissections? - No and thank God! I'm not queasy but I love animals (except insects, obviously) and I can't handle cutting into bodies and such. blegh.

From prnamber3909: What is your favorite zoo animal? - I love elephants, red pandas and giant pandas. I'm a gentle giants kind of person.

That's it for this chapter! If I didn't get to it, I'll answer it next chapter!

"Not one drop of your self-worth relies on your acceptance of me."

America woke up late in the morning the next week and was surprised to see her husband next to her. He was still asleep with his arm thrown over his eyes. He had been going to bed well after midnight and waking up at the crack of dawn for weeks now. He was working hard outlining the new laws that would be put in place when the government officially changed format. He had to be careful though; the advisers did not know about the republic yet and because they were not Masons they wouldn't be part of congress anymore. He worked on the side with the Masons while ruling over the present matters of the country with his advisers. She was doing what she could but she respected the specificity of his plans for the country.

She smiled to herself and closed the space between them. She noticed the folders lying at the foot of the bed and lifted them up to inspect them. He must have taken his work to bed with him the night before. The folder contained spreadsheets of each province's progress in agriculture, technology, production and politics. She felt a swell of pride when she saw that almost every province was recovering from the momentary anarchy that had taken hold. Then she felt the weight of guilt settle on her chest as she realized that each province would still be thriving if it weren't for her abandonment.

A few tears leaked out of her eyes as she looked over Carolina's meager reports. Her province was struggling. Their lifeline and main production was cotton and fruit but the rebels – now known to her as the Masons – had ravaged the fields and without a government for a few months, they had only just begun to replant. Her friends and family were struggling because of her. It was all her fault.

"Hey," Maxon said quietly. He sat up and hung an arm around her back, his hand brushing her hip. He brushed her tears away with his free hand. "I thought we were done with the tears."

She waved him off and smiled assuringly. "It's nothing. I'm just emotional this morning I guess. I was looking through your folder. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not. No secrets, remember?"

She nodded. "I remember. Like I said, I've been emotional lately. Have you looked through all of these?"

He shook his head and pulled a couple papers out. "I just brought the folder with me, entertaining the idea of working in bed for a while but I was just so exhausted and you looked so peaceful…I decided to call it a night."

She smiled up at him. "Sometimes you need more than just a few hours of sleep every night. Even you have your limits."

He suddenly turned to face her and swept a hand through her messy hair. "I was thinking that maybe we could start pushing our limits even more."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, lying on her side to look at him closer.

"I know you've been thinking about this. Carter said he saw you with the maternity nurses in the hospital earlier this week." He looked at her seriously, his eyes prompting her to tell all.

But she held back. "I was just making sure that after, you know…that it was still possible for us to even have kids."

He wasn't convinced, she could tell. "America."

"Dax." Pulling back a little, he looked away from her. "What?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I liked the sound of you saying it. Dax."

"Do you want me to call you that more often?"

"Special occasions. Like, holidays, my birthday, your birthday, our anniversary…"

"I thought those already are holidays."

He laughed. "She has jokes." His hand stroked down her waist to rest on her hip. "Seriously though. How do you feel about another baby?"

She sighed and thought about it for a little while. "I do want another baby Max but not right now. Maybe a few more months down the road but I think right now is just not good timing."

"Well we both know about our impressive track record with having children at bad timing." Someone knocked on their door and they both looked at it apprehensively. "I guess we should get out of bed now," he sighed. He didn't move though. "I am fine with waiting. Whenever you're ready, tell me and we can have another baby."

She nodded and kissed him as he slid out of their bed to answer the door. Carter was there holding an envelope. "It is from your mother," he said in a grave voice to Maxon.

America sat up quickly, her ears perking. Maxon took the envelope and looked at Carter. "Did you read it?" he asked, sensing the undercurrents in Carter's voice.

"If I didn't I might suggest for you to read it in the personal confines of your suite. If I did I might suggest you don't read it at all," he answered cryptically.

Maxon nodded. "Thank you Carter. Have Sawyer and Marcus arrived yet?"

"No, Sir, but you will be first to know when they do. Well, after they've been checked properly for WMDs." He paused. "Sir, there are some other guests you should know about. The Leger family arrived late last night, demanding answers about their eldest son."

Glancing over his shoulder at America, he nodded and addressed Carter. "Tell them we'll meet with them this afternoon for tea and refreshments in the main parlor. Also be sure that the Singers don't come to this. They don't need to know the explicit details."

Carter agreed and shut the door, Maxon settling back in bed with America. He held the envelope between them like a grenade, unsure of whether to pull the pin and throw it or tuck it away somewhere safe. He sighed and stared at it.

She put her hand over his. "Open it," she urged quietly.

He shook his head. "All this time…she just dropped off the radar. I did look for her when I had the time but it just seems strange that we're back in the palace and back on top and now she wants to reach out to me…us. Forgive me for being a little suspicious."

"I'm a little confused about why you're suspicious actually. I thought your mother is kind and loves having you as king."

He shrugged. "That was when I had no one else to support me. Now I have the entire country backing me, a family of my own to rely on…she's become somewhat obsolete."

She frowned. Would she be in Amberly's position in just twenty years? Would she become nothing when Christian ascended to leader of the country, overtaking Maxon? "It's your choice to open it or not. It is addressed to you, not both of us."

"You're right. And I'm not going to open it." He reached over and opened the drawer of his nightstand, tucking it inside a book. "Are you okay with meeting with the Legers later?"

"I knew I'd have to face them eventually," she sighed. He was eyeing her carefully, not completely convinced. "Maxon, really I'm fine. You'll be with me and I think that after these last few months, we can do anything as long as we're together."

He squeezed her hand and kissed the back of it. "Together," he agreed.

Things are gonna start to get super exciting and dramatic after this chapter. hope you guys liked it! review and let me know!

and seriously, FL_GeorgieLine