"For she had eyes and chose me." - William Shakespeare

(I think that quote just fits Maxerica so perfectly.)

"Mommy, I'm not tired!" Shalom protested as I tucked his blankets in around him. I nodded and rolled my eyes. This had been Shalom's mantra for weeks now. At least I was suffering from pregnancy insomnia so I wasn't really missing the sleep but I still hated to see Maxon sacrifice valuable sleeping time.

I sat down on his bed with him. "Honey, it's bed time. That means you have to go to bed. Amber is asleep," I told him, nodding to the other side of the room where I knew Amber was just trying to sleep; there was no way she was sleeping through this racket.

"Can I sleep with you and Daddy again?" he asked, giving me his puppy eyes.

With a sigh I nodded and pulled the covers back. He took off into the hallway and to our bedroom with me following behind him carrying his blanket and pillow. Maxon still hadn't come back but I hoped that just being in our bed would satisfy Shalom.

I waited for him to get settled and then curled up on the mattress myself, content with watching my son sleep since I knew I would not be sleeping much. I seriously hoped that the baby would be placid once she was born. Shalom's breaths did start to even out eventually and I felt myself start to drift when our door opened and Maxon strolled inside. I hoped he would stay quiet but then he came over and plopped on to our bed.

My eyes flashed open and I looked at him angrily, pointing to where Shalom was hiding under the covers. He winced and we both held our breath until Shalom did indeed wake up. "I just got him to sleep," I growled at Maxon. "He is now your responsibility." I pointed at the door and he nodded, scooping Shalom into his arms and carrying him back to the twins' room. Maxon was always better at getting Shalom to sleep anyway.

Twenty minutes later he came back, looking utterly exhausted but staying by the door. "Am I allowed inside?" he asked tentatively.

I raised my eyebrows. "Depends. What's the password?"

"Hmm…Queen America is the most beautiful queen to ever grace this earth?" he tested.

"Nice try but simple flattery won't get you out of the dog house." Fitz rolled over to his back and heaved out a sigh. "See? Even Fitz wants to go to bed."

He nodded. "Am I allowed in or what? Because right now it's just me, standing here with the door…me with the door…and it is my room so…"

I rolled my eyes and waved for him to join me. He ran and jumped on to the bed at my side, jostling both Fitz and me. "Hey, hey, hey, precious cargo over here," I reminded him, smoothing my nightgown over my belly.

"Ah, how could I forget?" Maxon asked sarcastically, pressing his face into my stomach.

I ran a hand through his hair, my fingers snaking their way underneath the collar of his shirt. "Someone is in a good mood, despite it being past midnight and having an early wakeup call tomorrow morning."

He nodded and looked up at me. "I had a good meeting tonight. We're ready to go for merging the Sixes and Fives. Can you believe this Ames? I mean, for all of the things I wanted to do as king I thought this would be the hardest. Now we're on track for eliminating the castes by the time I'm thirty! Happy birthday to me!"

I laughed out loud at that. He rolled on to his side to stretch out next to me, stroking Fitz's back. "Remember, the hardest part is yet to come. We knew the lower castes would support us but once we get to the Fours and Threes things will get a lot tougher."

"I know, I know," he sighed. "I just can't help but get ahead of myself. Things are so good right now. We have two beautiful children, another one on the way, I have a healthy wife, friends that support me and have their own happy little families, a country that is thriving, alliances that are stronger than ever…I couldn't be happier than I am now."

"Really?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "You weren't this happy on our wedding day? Or the day I accepted your proposal? Or the day our children were born? Or the day I told you I was pregnant…" I had to stop talking when he pressed his lips against mine.

"You know what I mean. These past few weeks have just been ones of euphoria, aside from not getting any sleep, of course."

I laughed again. "That is completely voluntary on your part," I said, jabbing my index finger into his breastbone. "Now, you go get ready for bed so I can maybe try to sleep. If I don't do it soon I'm going to order pancakes from the kitchens."

"Oh no, pancakes at midnight, the horror!" he shouted sarcastically, walking to his closet. I listened to the familiar sounds of him changing and going about his nighttime ritual, starting to doze off again with Fitz's warm body tucked into the covers by my knees. My dozing was interrupted by a sharp and urgent knock on the door.

Maxon poked his head out of his closet and looked at me as I sat up, looking at the door. "Expecting anyone?" he asked, rummaging for his robe.

"No," I said, my heartbeat picking up pace.

"Are any of your friends due soon?"

I shook my head. That wasn't an illogical way of thinking. Between Marlee, Kenna, May, Georgia, Lucy and I it was hard to keep track of who was due when. Maxon walked to the door and Aspen walked right in, not even announcing himself. "Sorry to interrupt your evening but we need you to come back into office," he told Maxon sadly.

"What? Why? What's happened?" I asked, sitting up straighter.

Aspen looked over at me and then back at Maxon. "The Twos are protesting."

"What?" Maxon exclaimed, not trying to be quiet anymore. "Just an hour you told me that it seemed like everyone was on board."

"That survey was conducted a couple days ago. The protests are breaking news," Aspen informed us. He strolled over to our TV and turned it on, changing from the cooking network to the news network run by Gavril. He turned up the volume so we could hear.

"We're just getting reports of Twos in Kent, Clermont and Carolina protesting the changes the castes are currently undergoing due to King Maxon's bill for abolishing the castes," Gavril was saying, reading off of a paper report in front of him. "The protests have appeared to be peaceful so far, nothing more damaging than sit-ins and the refusal to give any work to Sixes and other lower castes. His Majesty has yet to offer any comment on the protests…"

I cut the TV off. "That's because we just heard about it!" I screeched.

"Why are we just now hearing about it?" Maxon asked, turning on Aspen. I moved to the edge of the bed and wrapped my robe around myself despite being hot. I just wanted to be more presentable, especially if I was going down the hallway to a meeting with Maxon.

"Maxon, we didn't get any reports about it either. Carter just turned on the TV and sent word to me before I left for the night," Aspen defended, holding his hands up in surrender.

I shook my head. "So, what? They're just not hiring Fives or Sixes? We can handle that. We'll cut down the taxes placed on them and raise the prices for ballets and orchestras."

"That can work for a little while, yes, but they've threatened violence," Aspen said sadly. "They're really unhappy, America. Fighting against them won't work."

Maxon placed a hand on my shoulder to stop me from speaking. "Why don't we go meet with the advisers so we can discuss this as a unit, okay?" he suggested. I nodded and followed the boys down the hall to one of the conference rooms. The advisers who were there were in such disarray that they didn't even notice that we walked in. It took August yelling our names for the advisers to notice and sink into deep, reverent bows. "Gentlemen," Maxon welcomed them curtly. "Okay, Aspen give us a full report."

A butler rushed forward and placed a legal pad and pad in front of both Maxon and I. Another butler offered Maxon a cup of coffee, which he waved off, asking for tea in a hushed tone. "Aspen, the report," I insisted.

"Okay, so Queen America did make the suggestion that we lower taxes for Fives and Sixes but I told her that it is a shortsighted solution. Using money against them will only make them more angry," he told everyone.

August sighed. "So what are you suggesting?"

Aspen took a deep breath before answering. "Think of them as another group of rebels but in a way they're even more dangerous. They have money. They have influence. As sad as it is, there are some celebrities out there that have more influence on the people than the king and queen. It would not take much for them to build up a support base."

"But that support base wouldn't include the lower castes," James argued.

"He's right," Carter endorsed as Maxon scribbled something down on the pad in front of him. "The lower castes support Maxon's plan because they don't like the castes either. It would be hard for Twos to draw much support from them."

Aspen shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Who's more powerful? A few unhappy Twos and Threes or an angry mob of Fives and Sixes?" We all were silent as we answered the question ourselves, knowing that he was right. Fives and Sixes could throw bricks in our windows. Twos and Threes could completely upend our economy. Maxon squeezed my hand under the table.

"What's our plan then?" Maxon asked. "I'm not stepping down from this. We're abolishing the castes no matter what. I understand that telling them that will make them mad so how can we twist it into something they could support?"

"Well why don't they like the idea of merging with the other castes?" Aspen asked the room.

It was quiet for a moment before Carter said, "They'll lose their power."

James nodded as August added, "They feel threatened."

"No more castes means no more walls to protect from other people taking their jobs. Surely there's a number of talented Fives and Sevens out there that could be professional athletes or movie stars. I daresay America could have made an excellent singer but as a Five she didn't have the chance to do so. With those barriers broken down, nothing is stopping someone who could have spent their days in a field from being a national sensation," James explained.

I blushed at his words and felt Maxon squeeze my hand again. I looked down at the pad of paper and saw that he had drawn a tiny crown and a ring that looked like my engagement ring. Underneath he had written You belong here. I smiled and shook my head at him. "We need to develop a strategy," I pressed, trying to keep the meeting going.

"Propaganda," Aspen suddenly announced. I tensed at the word, Maxon and I exchanging a worried glance. "Not the kind your father had in mind, King Maxon. Propaganda that promotes the image of the king and queen."

"It could work," James mused thoughtfully. I couldn't help but laugh at the boys. There had to be ten other advisers in the room but somehow these meetings always ended up as being meetings between Maxon and his closest friends. "Put the king and queen out there, giving speeches, attending charity events held by Twos and Threes, being there for the opening of new schools, celebrating the birth of a new royal baby…" James finished and I could hear the enthusiasm at his last suggestion. As my brother-in-law he sometimes had a hard time containing his excitement for another niece or nephew. As did Carter, August and especially Aspen.

"And if the Twos keep protesting?" Maxon asked casually.

I shook my head, holding up a hand to stop Aspen from answering. "What are the Fives and Sixes supposed to do exactly? They're losing business and we're going to parade around in front of them, flaunting our own wealth?" I asked.

Aspen shuffled his feet nervously. "America, we need to appease the Twos and Threes before we do anything else."

"You're doing exactly what they want you to do," I told him angrily. "They want to get our attention and draw it away from the Fives and Sixes. Because what happens when we do that? Then we have the upper castes angry at us and the lower castes as well. The upper castes are worried that they won't be privileged anymore, sure, but is that such a bad thing? Them refusing to hire Fives and Sixes is nothing more than a childish display of contempt against the throne."

"Dearest, remember, we can't please everyone…" Maxon began, putting a hand on my shoulder but I shook it off, making him stop talking immediately.

I focused an icy glare on Aspen. "Have you forgotten? Have you forgotten what it feels like to go to bed hungry? What it feels like to not have electric for weeks because you can't afford it thanks to some Two or Three that decided they don't need your help? This is your family, Aspen!" I exclaimed.

Aspen blushed but he didn't step down. "I know that!" he fired back. "But I can't carry that torch forever and you shouldn't either."

"You all are despicable," I muttered, standing up from my chair and walking out into the hallway. I was maybe halfway to my room when Maxon caught up to me.

He put his hands on my shoulders and this time I didn't shake them off. "Look, I know you're upset but…"

"I'm not upset! I just feel betrayed. Maxon, I don't want my people to suffer. We should just go forward with the plan, no matter what the Twos and Threes do."

Maxon shook his head. "I can't do that. I can't risk the monarchy like that."

I crossed my arms, squaring off against him. "You don't understand. You never have. You've tried to make up for all of those years I suffered but no matter what you do, someone has to suffer. It's a lot easier for the people in those lower castes to fall back because they have nothing to build themselves up on."

"It doesn't have to be like that!" he insisted, grabbing my hands in his. "I want my people to be equal."

"That's a pipe dream, Maxon! I'm not fooled and neither are the other lower castes. We know that you could do everything in your power but we're still going to be looked down upon."

Maxon took a couple steps back from me. "Since when did 'we' become 'I?'" he asked quietly. "I thought we were a team in this."

I shook my head. "I can't support something that will change nothing," I told him sadly. I kissed him on the cheek chastely. "Good night Maxon." I walked down the rest of the way down the hallway to his bedroom and curled up on the bed again, pulling Fitz closer to me.

I had been lying there for quite some time when Maxon came in, his face drawn and tired. He sat on the edge of the bed, his back to me, and spoke quietly. "I want to make this work America. You know I do. And this is a problem that I just don't know how to solve so you have to trust the decisions that I make in order to solve it. I have no idea what I'm doing. I haven't had any idea what I'm doing for the last five years. You just have to trust me to do the right thing."

"I don't want our child to be some toy for the press to play with," I finally whispered, telling him my biggest concern.

Maxon moved and laid down his stomach so he could look at me. "She won't," he said quietly, putting a hand on my belly. The baby was flipping about and kicked him where his hand was. "I say we just go along with the propaganda for the next few weeks. We'll see what happens. If it's not working, we'll reassess."

"Really?" I asked. I didn't want to be part of the propaganda thing but if it was only for a little while I could maybe give it a try.

He nodded and sighed. "There is one other concern that Aspen had."

I rolled my eyes at Aspen's name, still a little ticked at him. "What?"

"Our trip to Carolina," he said sadly. "He wanted to cancel the trip altogether but I convinced him that you really needed to go. He didn't argue with that philosophy. James even said that we could do some television appearances while we're there. Aspen just feels it's best for us to shorten our trip down to four days instead of two weeks and thinks we should leave the twins here."

I opened my mouth to protest but Maxon held up a finger to stop me. "I know, I don't like it either. However, Carolina is where the protests are going on and it'd be safer for them to stay here. I'm sure your mom would have no problem with watching them. They're surely old enough now where they can go a few days without us."

I shook my head, unwilling to leave my babies here. "I don't know Maxon. Shay hasn't been sleeping well lately and I hate to burden my mother so suddenly."

"Your mom loves the twins. She'd say it isn't a burden at all," he reminded me. "It can be like another honeymoon before this little one comes." He pouted and raised his eyebrows at me, his lips lingering close to my stomach. "Please."

"Fine," I sighed, giving in because I really just wanted to go to sleep. Maxon smiled victoriously and climbed under the covers next to me. "But you're the one that has to tell them."

He sighed heavily and kissed my temple. "If I must."

A few days later I was in my closet with Mary, packing for our trip, when one of the butlers for the first floor came in. "Your Majesty, there's been an emergency and Mr. Illéa has requested your presence in the hospital."

I frowned. "August? Why?" I demanded, handing the dress I had been holding over to Mary and following the butler out of the room. My thoughts instantly flew to Georgia. Was something wrong with the baby?

When I arrived outside the hospital wing, Maxon was waiting for me with a grim look on his face. Marlee was also there, crying into Carter's shoulder. I looked at the doors to the hospital and back to my husband. "What's wrong?" I demanded, not even waiting until I was close to him before asking.

Maxon held my elbows as if he needed to steady himself. "Georgia had a miscarriage," he reported sadly. I could see the tears in his own eyes as he said it.

"What?" I whispered, not quite comprehending. I could feel my face slowly crumbling and Maxon could obviously see it because he immediately pulled me into his arms, crushing my body against his. I could feel his ribs shaking with the effort of holding in his own tears. He would cry later once we were alone. Over his shoulders I saw Lucy and Aspen round the corner, both of them obviously confused over what was happening.

Carter stepped away from Marlee to go explain to them and she came over to me, joining in my hug with Maxon. The doors of the hospital opened and August emerged, his face drawn and gray. Maxon and Carter approached him and offered their condolences. August practically fell into Maxon's arms. August and Maxon were so much closer than I was to Georgia; her best girl friend was Lucy who pushed past Aspen and into the hospital to go see her friend.

The hours stretched on as we all comforted each other in the waiting area by the hospital. Marlee and I went in together to see Georgia although I felt guilty going to see her when I was so obviously pregnant and she wasn't pregnant at all anymore. Finally Maxon and I made the long ascent back to the third floor and collapsed on our bed for the night, all work forgotten for the present moment.

We lay together; stroking my belly and feeling the baby kick against our hands as Maxon explained that Georgia apparently was not a fit carrier for children. This wasn't fair. It wasn't fair for Marlee, Lucy and I to all have healthy children and for Georgia to be denied that right. I didn't know much about her but Maxon mentioned once that she seemed to suffer from the same affliction his mother had after growing up in Honduragua.

"But she had you…there's still hope…" I whispered, moving a few strands of hair out of his eyes.

He shook his head. "I was an anomaly. The doctor was just as surprised as they were that I came out perfectly healthy. There was a concern for a long time that because of her, I would be unable to provide healthy children. Before the Selection I was put through a marathon of tests to disprove that," he elaborated, seeing the worry flicker across my face.

"It isn't fair," I said for probably the hundredth time that night. "We should stay here. Cancel the trip. I should be with her."

For a second I thought Maxon was going to agree with me but then he argued, "America, there's not much you can do here. She'll be with Lucy and Marlee and August said her mother and sister are flying in tomorrow morning. You want to see Aspen's mother, yes? Well this is our only window for what, the next five months? I don't want to sound grim, but do you think she'll still be alive by then?" I wanted to be upset at his words. I wanted to scream and throw things at him but I realized that he was completely right.

"Four days," I whispered, pressing my forehead against his.

"Four days," he repeated. "We'll go, do what we have to do in Carolina, and come back in four days. It'll be like we never left."

Okay, two quick things: 1) don't forget that if there are any one-shots you want and they would or could have taken place somewhere along the timeline of what i've written so far you can review them and i'll do it for you! (just keep it within reason. No AUs or unicorns please!) 2) crap, this always happens, what was the second thing?...i don't think this is what i had in mind but i do have a Tumblr so go follow me at .com ...dammit what was it...i don't think i'm going to remember. oh well.

thanks so much for the reviews guys! i'm not one to normally complain to y'all but i've had a really bad day today and it's always an easy way of perking me up to just go and read your reviews...yup, i still don't remember what that other thing was so i'll just stop talking and answer your reviews!

Oh! This wasn't it either but just a forewarning: next week is my last week of classes and then finals so i do not believe i will be updating within the next week. sorry! i wish i could! but hey, after finals, you have me for nearly four whole weeks! yay! and then the spring semester starts...but let's not think about that now.

Guest 1: obviously i have no experience with having kids but i did try to put myself in the shoes of someone expecting twins. i imagine it would be a little overwhelming at times. i didn't know that about women being more susceptible to having twins after already having twins...hmmmmmm...i'll have to ponder over that one a bit.

Guest 2: i don't understand...

canadianbanana: i hope this is soon enough! i tried to review sooner but i've just been so busy!

prnamber3909: yes, i've had this little girl planned for several weeks now! i can't wait for her to finally get here! i can't tell you how soon she'll be here though because it could be a spoiler.

winterprincess: they're like every other celebrity and they're all normal people too. how did you like mocking jay? i've been fanning out for the last week!

SophGurl77: did i mention that my friend cancelled on me for the movie as well? ugh, so frustrating. but yes i saw it on Saturday and loved it! i thought it was a bit boring at times but it was more of a boring book than the other two. all of the actors did an incredible job and i want to marry Josh Hutcherson even more now. forget that he's short! he's just so darn cute!

Weatherbug02: haha my dad said that to me when i went to my college orientation and was freaking out about being alone. haha so i can't take credit for that one. and i'm not saying Kiera has something against gay characters, i just don't think him being gay would fit into the storyline. America and Maxon are just such compassionate people i have no problem seeing them take care of someone with a mental disability. either that or Ahren is already in a committed relationship but that doesn't explain why he's not the heir. unless he abdicated for the sake of living a normal life with his girl...i don't know. i cannot wait for May! (the month, not the character!)

Mac: that was one of the sweetest reviews i've ever gotten. thank YOU! you guys are the ones who should be thanked. there would be no story without you guys!

Someone the World Forgot: I'M GLAD YOU LOVED IT!

okay, thanks again for the reviews guys! now i'm really hungry so i'm going to post this and eat my leftover Thanksgiving dinner and watch Love Actually...there are fireworks going off right outside my window and it's December and i don't know how to feel about it.