So I knew since I made a whole chapter for America's birthday I had to make one for Maxon's too. It's short and a little PG-13 (okay, really PG-13, probably more R) but I feel like America would totally do this. The latter half of the chapter is inspired by Anonymous after Chapter 5!

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow." - Ronald E. Osborn

I stood in front of my bathroom mirror and tied my hair back before I brushed my teeth. I heard the door to the bathroom open behind me and saw my husband come up to his side of the sink in the mirror. "Oh good, taking care of that morning breath, I see," Maxon joked, earning a playful shove from me. "You have a lot of work to do today?" he asked, watching me through the mirror.

I shrugged and took my toothbrush out of my mouth to spit out some paste. "Just a couple reports to read before Friday. I made sure to get a lot done yesterday so I could have my hands free for your party tonight."

Maxon sighed. "I don't need a big party America." I did nothing to hide my eye roll. "Seriously, I don't need a party, I don't need presents…don't worry over it."

I washed my toothbrush and put it in its cup. "Well it's already planned, so too late," I told him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. I shook my hair out of the hair tie and just let it hang loose around me.

"I do like your hair like that."

"Straight?" I asked. I had been a little apprehensive about what he would say because it was very different from the soft curls I normally wore. "Who knew you would be so easy to please?" I teased and went over to my suite so Mary could help me dress. "Thanks for designing this beautiful dress Mary. It's very festive."

She smiled as she zipped it up and tied the small bow in the back. "That's it, Your Majesty. You look perfect."

It was just our families and friends who came to celebrate because with Maxon's reluctance to have a party I knew he wanted to keep it small. There was no way he was getting away with not having a party at all though, especially with it being his first birthday with me.

Maxon's cousins were the first ones to greet me when I walked into the Great Room. Their small bodies slammed into my legs, wrapping their little arms around my hips. "Hi Liam, Hi Shawn," I greeted them, ruffling the curly hair on their heads.

"America, guess what we got Max for his birthday!" Shawn exclaimed.

I pretended to think about it. "I don't know, what?"

"A new camera!" Liam announced.

"That's great!" I told them as Adele came up to me, putting her arms around her twins. "Correction, I got him a camera. I hope that's not what you were planning on getting him."

I shook my head. "No, I have a special present for him." Adele raised her eyebrows but didn't ask any questions, thankfully. "Speaking of my husband, have you seen him?" I had a bad habit of losing sight of him in crowded rooms.

"You sound just like Amberly," Adele laughed. I practically jumped out of my skin. This was the first I had heard Adele mention of her sister since the attack. "She would always be asking me where Clarkson was. The best part though is that Maxon will at some point come to me tonight and ask if I've seen you around. I'm starting to think that you two should be kept on the same leash."

I laughed out loud. "Oh no! Don't do that; we'd kill each other within minutes."

"Touche!" Adele agreed, raising her glass to that.

"Now what are we toasting over here?" Maxon asked from behind me. As he came up next to me he slid one of his arms around my waist, passing me his glass of champagne. I happily sipped it and passed the empty glass back to him.

Adele watched our exchange with a small smile on her face. "Just your happy marriage," Adele easily covered for us.

Maxon steered me away and whispered, "So when am I getting your present, my dear?"

I blushed just thinking about it. "Later," I answered vaguely.

Marlee skipped up to my side and pulled me away from Maxon for a bit. After talking to her I mingled and then spent time with my family, holding Astra who I missed far too much for my own good. Kenna took me out on to the balcony while I held Astra. "So Kota called the other day," she blurted out.

"Kota? I haven't heard from him since Christmas…"

She nodded. "I know. And I have been worried about him. He may be a jerk but he's still our brother. He sounded okay. Actually, he sounded genuinely hurt that we all moved without him."

"It's not like he really expressed any interest."

"We also didn't give him much warning. We just packed our things and left him with the house. I'm sure by now he's turned it into a pigsty but he hasn't sold it."

I took a sip of champagne. "Did he say anything else?"

Kenna shook her head. "He mainly was just asking me about you. That wasn't a big surprise." There was a crash from inside and we saw Mom standing over a broken vase, her and Adele in stitches at the mess they had made. "On that note we should probably get going. Before Mom breaks the rest of the palace."

"Thank you." I handed Astra back to her and soon enough Maxon and I were saying good night to the last of our guests. We walked back up to our suite hand-in-hand. "Was that a good birthday?" I asked my handsome husband.

He sighed, considering his answer. "I don't know. I haven't gotten my present form you yet."

"Soon," I promised though I could tell he was getting suspicious. We made it to our room and Maxon immediately went to his closet to change. Maids had already brought up some food from the party that we had asked for since we never get to eat much while we're hosting. I went to my suite to change as Maxon looked over the food.

"Which piece of cake is mine?" he called to me. I had asked for two pieces, one center-cut and one corner-cut.

I let out a shaky laugh as I opened the box Mary had left for me, containing the items I was about to change into. "Which one has less icing?" I called back.

There was a pause before he said, "Got it."

I took a deep breath and pulled out the lacy bra top. I had never worn anything sexy per say. I really just wanted to do this for Maxon for his birthday. When I pulled out the garters and tights I quaked like a tree in an earthquake. Maxon and I were more than experienced in the world of sex since getting married but this was a whole new level of intimacy. All I could think about was the last time I did anything remotely seducing and how Maxon had laughed at me.

With a splash of cold water on my face, I gathered the little bit of courage I had and started getting dressed. It took a bit of work to tie the bra on myself and for once I found myself wishing Mary was there just to be a soothing presence. I felt ridiculous putting the heels on with such little clothing on.

I stood in front of my mirror, looking at myself. I just thought about where I was at the same time a year before, looking at Maxon on TV and thinking of him as being pompous and snooty. Now I was here.

"You okay in there?" I heard Maxon call from the other room.

It was now or never…I walked into my suite and stepped through the door connecting our suites, my heels catching his attention. He looked up from his cake and I saw him practically drop the fork he had been using to eat his piece of cake. His jaw practically dropped to the floor. I slid a hand up the doorframe and leaned against it.

"Happy birthday," I purred. At least I hoped it sounded like a purr.

He opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to speak. He gulped and nodded. "Indeed," he mumbled, looking me up and down. I walked toward him slowly, my heart racing and praying that I wouldn't stumble in my heels.

I moved his plate of cake aside and put my arms around his shoulders, kneeling on the bed with my legs straddling his thighs. "So what do you think?"

He laughed and my heart seized. But then he said, "I don't know how I ever thought that this didn't become you." Every muscle in my body relaxed at that assurance that I hadn't made a complete fool of myself. "My only question is: how do we get all of this stuff off of you?"

I choked out a laugh and leaned down to kiss him while I took his hands in mine and guided them around to my back so he would find the ties to my bra. He pulled on one of the strings and I felt one of the ties come loose. He seemed to get the feel for it after that because the rest of the ties were quickly undone, my body pressed against his the only thing keeping it on me.

He brushed my hair back from my face and kissed me passionately before trailing his lips down my neck and into my cleavage. He broke away for a few seconds to unhook the garters. He slid out from under me and stretched my legs out across his lap and gently guided the thigh-high tights I was wearing down my legs, his lips following his hands. He took his time undressing me, like I was his prized porcelain doll and I would break if he moved too fast.

However, my body just got too tingly and I couldn't be patient anymore. I reached up and tore his shirt away from his body. He seemed to pick up on my urgency and followed suit, quickly sliding off his pants and boxers.

After just four months of marriage I never imagined my love for Maxon being able to grow anymore but I was constantly being proven wrong. That night of his birthday was definitely one of those times where I could feel my heart growing for him so much that it was nearly painful. It was painful how much I loved him.

In the haze of our ecstasy after making love that night I just stared at him, drinking him in like the most addictive poison. He was going to be my end. I knew that. My greatest weakness was him. My biggest flaw was him. But if anyone was going to have that kind of impact in my life, I wanted it to be Maxon because I knew I was the same way for him.

The next morning we slept in late. He let me doze in bed, wrapped in his silk sheets while he ordered some breakfast for us from the kitchen. On his way back to bed he lifted my lacy bra. "I don't think I've ever been such a firm believer in recycling until now," he joked, chucking the bra at me.

I laughed and let it lay in my lap. "Enjoyed that show last night, huh?"

"I have to say that I was surprised. It was a good surprise though." He took a seat next to me and kissed me tenderly. "So did I make good on my promise to you last night?" he asked as he gently pushed me to lie down so he was covering my body with his. One of his hands was caressing my leg, making it hard to think straight.

"What promise?"

He smiled. "The one where I said I would make love to you until you were too sore to walk the next day?"

I blushed but shrugged. "Not quite but I'm not disappointed."

There was a knock on our door and a familiar voice filtered in. "Maxon, King Don needs you to fax a report over to him right away," Aspen informed us. He at least knew not to enter our bedroom until eleven o'clock where if we weren't out of bed yet he had permission to pull us out himself. Not that he ever really would.

Maxon rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, thanks for telling me. I'll be right there."

I put my hands on his shoulders, holding him close to me. "No, you're not allowed to go. I'm forbidding you to leave me here. It's treason if you leave."

He kissed my knuckles and sighed. "Duty calls. Lucky for me, we have tonight and tomorrow night and the night after that and the night after that…" his voice trailed off as he lost me in a passionate kiss. "Okay, time to go." He swiftly rose from the bed and got dressed, forgoing the suit coat for the time being and just carrying it with him. "See you at lunch?"

"I guess," I whined. He laughed and kissed me one last time before slipping out the door. I pulled the sheet off the bed behind me and wrapped it around my body as I walked over to my suite, figuring I may as well get dressed as well. I had given Mary and Haley the morning off, not knowing what my plans would be with Maxon.

I showered and then blew out my hair. As I was running my brush through my hair the rebel alarm started blaring through the palace. My heart jumped out of my chest. I had to get to Maxon.

I ran out of my room into the hallway in just my robe and slippers, sliding on the smooth marble surface. I got to his study door and saw a rebel standing at the end of the hall. It was too late; he had seen me. The only place I had to go was in the study. I made it inside and pushed a chair up against the door, hoping that would deter the rebel long enough.

Maxon was gathering up papers on his desk. "America, come help me! The rebels cannot get their hands on these documents." He ran to the fireplace, throwing a lit match inside. He then proceeded to throw stacks of papers into the flames.

"What are you doing?" I asked, recognizing one of the stacks as the bill for removing the castes.

"We can't leave any of this to chance!" he shouted at me.

I gasped. "All of your hard work? Maxon, you've worked for the past year on this!" There was a loud bang on the door and the chair gave a few inches. "We need to get to safety!" I insisted, tugging on his arm but he immediately shook me off and ran to his desk.

The doors crashed open and a whole pack of rebels came in. They immediately aimed their guns at Maxon. I didn't even think. I dove in front of him. My shoulder hit the ground first but that pain didn't compare to the fire that started to rip through me. I heard shouting and then another gunshot. The voices died down and when I managed to open my heavy eyelids I was met with Maxon's beautiful brown eyes.

"America?" He was repeating my name. He was too close to me. How was he not getting burned by the fire burning me alive? "America, stay with me. Focus, America!" he demanded. "Aspen, find Dr. Ashlar now. Tell him that the queen is dying!" The queen is dying? I thought Queen Amberly was already dead. Oh yeah. I was queen. Wait. I'm dying?

I tried to get my lips to move but all I could say was Maxon's name.

"Don't try to talk. Just look in my eyes, stay with me. We'll get you help, okay?"

But it was too hard. My eyelids were too heavy and I was so tired. I could just go to sleep for a few seconds. Yes, that sounded nice. Just a few seconds.

I jerked up in bed, my hands feeling my stomach for the fire that had just been ripping through me. It was dark in our bedroom and Maxon was waking up next to me. I looked around, reality starting to settle in. My heart pounded in my ears as I looked over at Maxon who had just sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Bad dream?" he mumbled.

I just nodded numbly. "Yeah, bad dream. The rebels…they…they…"

"They're gone, dear. C'mere," he whispered, laying down again and opening his arms to me. I pressed my chilled body up against his warm skin, letting it soothe me. The last thing I was aware of was the feel of Maxon's lips touching my forehead and then I was pulled back into sleep.

So how was that chapter? I know, it wasn't one of my best plus it was a little short. I think I'm going to make a little time skip for the next one and start a new mini-plot. Hopefully I can update again with that before I leave for school. anyway, it's super late so i'm just going to answer reviews and call it a night. thanks for all of the kind words for the last chapter! i really appreciated it!

Anonymous: yeah, i really didn't know what the vows were. i feel like i would have to know Maxon and America on a really personal level in order to hear their vows.

Carolina Guest: i like the originality with the guest name! ;) and yeah, those New Asians are something else, huh?

Weatherbug02: thanks thanks thanks! Thank you!

luv2read4reading: is that the deal? maybe i'll wait for that one then. that one sounds like it holds the promise for bonus content for the Heir like the original Selection Stories had for the One. *crosses fingers*

Someone the World Forgot (K): I AM SO EXCITED! I NEED TO HAVE A DANCE PARTY OR RUN OR DO SOMETHING WITH ALL OF THIS EXCITEMENT!

winterprincess: that's definitely a very real possibility for them. it is with any relationship but they only dated for what, eight months before they got married? That's not much time. plus then America just got thrown into the crazy world of being queen and that's a lot to ask for an eighteen-year-old girl. and yeah, i am really excited for the Heir. I personally hope it takes place a few years after the One. I don't think Kiera would write a whole other Selection for Maxon and America's kids. but i mean, they're her books so she can do whatever she wants. Maxon was a little different but in that epilogue he's what, 21, 22? he's grown up a bit and matured a lot. i think the adjustment he went through those first few months after that rebel attack was huge and he changed a lot in there. luckily he had a lady friend at his side to hold his hand through it. ;)

PEETAMELLARKLOVER123: it gets real really fast. i wish i was in your boat! i would give anything for a few more years of high school at this point! (and i hated high school so that's saying a lot)

SJWrites2014: aw, thank you! i know it's a lot of work but i know it's all worth it in the end! if only the end result was a prince. :J

booksforbreakfast: glad i could please you!

thanks for the great reviews y'all! catch ya later!