"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."

Win swayed from side to side as my hands ghosted around her, trying not to touch her but wanting to be there if she fell. After several seconds of successful balance she fell on her bottom, my hands catching her shoulders to soften the impact on the plush carpet beneath us. She smiled and laughed up at me as I kissed her forehead, so proud of my little girl.

The door to the nursery opened and Maxon entered. "You missed it! She was standing on her own for almost a whole minute. Can you believe she's going to start walking soon? Our little baby girl, walking already!" I exclaimed, playing with her stubby hands. I finally looked up and saw the grin on Maxon's face.

He crouched down in front of her and kissed her forehead. "Tell Mommy that you want a little brother or sister," he whispered to her.

I laughed. "No, tell your father that you're perfectly content with being the baby of the family for now."

Maxon just rolled his eyes and lifted Win into his arms. He rocked her for a few minutes and then placed her gently in her crib. "I was just speaking to Daphne. Apparently she and Kota are expecting a baby," he informed me.

I gasped, instantly thinking of my brother. I could not imagine him as a father. "What?"

Maxon shrugged. "She doesn't know what to do. She's only been queen for a few weeks and she's already going to be responsible for a baby," he told me.

I nodded. "Kota will take care of her, Maxon," I assured him, sensing his worry.

He shrugged again. "She's just…like a sister to me, you know?"

"She is your sister," I reminded him. We were quiet as I turned on the mobile over Win's crib and then gestured for Maxon to move out in the hallway. We walked across the corridor to our study and I sat on Maxon's desk as he sat in his chair, his hand resting on my knee. "We should have a party," I suggested.

"A party?" he repeated.

"Yes. Here's what I'm thinking. The king and queen of Illéa are celebrating their sixth year of happy marriage this year and they would like to celebrate by hosting the party to end all parties. A masquerade," I emphasized, adding a note of mystery to my voice. "All kings and queens will be invited and we'll be able to catch up with all of our long lost friends."

Maxon thought it over and sighed. "That is assuming that they'll all show up," he pointed out. "Is this really our sixth wedding anniversary?" he asked.

"Maxon Schreave!" I exclaimed, playfully hitting his shoulder.

"I'm kidding," he laughed. "Is it wrong of me to just want to celebrate this anniversary with you alone in our bed?"

I narrowed my eyes at him and said, "You got your birthday wish two years ago and you're getting it again this year. We really need to show up at social functions every once in a while to keep the rumors at bay."

He shrugged indifferently. "I don't know. Having three kids sends a pretty clear message as it is."

"That's another warning," I warned, pointing my finger at him and swinging myself off of his desk. He grabbed my hand at the last second though and pulled me down on to his lap. "Yes?" I asked, more than used to being in a compromising position with him.

"I never did dress in that shrubbery costume we discussed," he reminded me.

"And this will not be the night for that," I informed him. "When you dress as shrubbery it will be for my eyes only."

He raised his eyebrows. "What kind of shrubbery are you talking about?"

"The kind that is for my eyes only," I reiterated, playing with the hair at the back of his neck. "Are you busy this afternoon?"

"Not too incredibly busy," he said. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

I shrugged. "Well, all three kids are currently napping which gives us an hour or so of free time…no interruptions from little ones…"

He narrowed his eyes at me as he considered. Finally he grinned wickedly and asked, "Race you to my room?"

"You know I'll win. I win every time!" I called behind me as I broke into a run and sure enough, I made it to the double doors at the end of the hallway before my husband.

"Okay, but you know that if my room was a mile away I would have won," he told me, pushing me inside and against the closed door. "Besides, who needs running as exercise when you have me for it?" I just rolled my eyes and let him carry me to his bed.

Maxon laughed when he walked in and saw me lying on my bed with my jeans unbuttoned. "Is there a message here?" he asked through his laughter.

I continued staring at the ceiling. "Yes, it's that I am not having any more children. Look what it has done to my body!" I angrily heaved myself off of the bed to show him the damage. "These are my favorite pair of jeans! I wore them for the twins' birthday last year, remember? Now they don't fit!"

He laughed but then frowned. "I thought I saw you wearing them a couple months ago," he commented.

"I don't know, I don't keep track of what I do and do not wear." I huffed and walked back to my suite to change. "Pants are just so much easier to wear these days with having to take care of three kids but none of my pants fit me. None except for my maternity pants."

"That doesn't make sense," Maxon said, standing in the doorway of my closet. "You've been wearing those pants for weeks. Why don't they fit now?"

I shrugged as I zipped up a pair of pants I managed to fit into during the early stages of when I was pregnant with Win. "I don't know. Marlee mentioned something about bloating randomly after she had Kile. Maybe that's what this is." I folded the jeans and put them back up on the shelf, wondering where my maids were. "Or maybe I'm finally getting my period," I added, starting to think out loud.

"Maybe," Maxon answered distantly, lost in his thoughts.

I ignored his nonchalance and kept talking. "I mean, it's not like I've gotten back to a regular schedule since having Win." I finished adjusting my blouse and winced when I noticed that my breasts were a bit more sensitive than normal. I sighed and gave myself the once-over in the mirror before following Maxon to our private sitting room for breakfast. I went to the small bookshelf in the corner and grabbed my pills for the morning before joining Maxon at the table.

"Are you still taking those diet pills?" he asked, clearly annoyed by it.

I rolled my eyes. "Drop it, okay?"

"Testy, testy," he mumbled, opening his newspaper and drinking his coffee. "When do we have to relieve May of her babysitting duty?"

"I don't know, whenever you want," I said, shrugging and opening my magazine as Mary came in with a silver tray. "Yes, Mary?"

"Your Majesty," she curtsied, holding the tray out to me. "We have your new prescription."

I frowned, looking at the tray and back to my pills. "Prescription for what? I don't seem to be out of anything."

"Your, um, birth control, ma'am," she stammered, looking at Maxon warily as if he was going to have a reaction to this. But when I looked over at him he had wide eyes and was staring at me.

I lifted up my birth control sleeve. "No, I have one left. I need the new one tomorrow."

Maxon was shaking his head. "No, you don't."

"What?" I asked, not understanding.

"You forgot a day," Maxon told me.

"That's impossible," I refused. "When would I have forgotten?"

He raised his eyebrows. "The Masquerade? The day you spent after it in bed with a hangover? Ames, that's why none of your pants are fitting you, you're…"

"Don't say it!" I interrupted, holding a finger up to his lips. "Don't you dare say the P-word. There's no way. We've been so careful!"

"Except for one day, obviously," he said.

I shook my head and stood up from the table, starting to pace and also feeling some nausea set in. "Oh my god," I whispered, whole new concerns starting to come. "I'm pregnant. I didn't even notice. I've been taking birth control this whole time. And this isn't planned at all. Can we handle four kids? Holy crap, what if its twins again? Five kids…can we care for five kids?" Mary quietly dismissed herself as Maxon approached me, leading me over to his bed to sit me on the edge.

He took my hand and kissed my lips softly to stop me from babbling anymore. "Hey, how many times do I have to tell you that every child we have will be a blessing?" He put a hand on my lower stomach, right beneath my navel where our child was undoubtedly resting. "I love you. And our children. And I promise that after this baby you can buy all of the jeans you want, custom-tailored and made out of the most comfortable denim we can find."

I laughed at the sentiment and looked at him with assured eyes. "As long as we don't have any more rebel plots. Can we agree to have no attacks or assassination attempts during this pregnancy?"

"Definitely," he agreed. "I guess that shrubbery really did the trick, huh?" he joked, elbowing me. I just rolled my eyes. We both knew that the 'shrubbery night' was not the night that this baby was conceived.

"So what do you think the baby is?" Maxon asked as we walked down the hallway to our study. We had the pregnancy confirmed a few weeks before but we both decided to keep the gender a surprise. Thankfully, it was also confirmed that I was having just one baby. "I hope it's another girl," he added, his eyes sparkling.

"Maxon Schreave, have you turned into a daddy's girl father?" I teased. "I hope it's a boy just for the sake of Shalom when he's a teenager."

He smiled and opened the door to our study for me. "There's nothing wrong with me wanting a palace full of princesses for me to spoil."

I laughed. "I actually think there is something wrong with that. As their mother, I'm the one that has to make sure they have level heads." I had just sat down in my chair when Georgia ran in, looking winded and worried.

"Oh, America, I'm so glad I found you. I was looking for Marlee and Lucy but I couldn't find either of them and I don't want to pull you from your work but I need your help," she said in one breath.

I raised my eyebrows and fought the urge to laugh. "What is it Georgia?"

"Shel has a fever and I don't know what to do! Do I take her to the infirmary? Do I just let her lie down and let the fever run its course? Tell me what to do!" she demanded in a desperate voice.

"Okay, okay," I said calmly, holding a hand up to stop her. I glanced at Maxon briefly and he winked at me. "Have you actually taken her temperature?"

She frowned, looking perplexed. "No."

I nodded. "You need to do that. Just to see how serious the fever is. Do you have a thermometer?" I asked. She shook her head no. "Okay, I have one in my bathroom. Come with me."

We walked briskly to my room and I fished through the vanity in my suite for the thermometer I kept around for whenever the kids got sick. "So…another baby, huh?" Georgia asked slowly.

I kept my eyes focused on the task in front of me of sorting through pallets of eyeshadow. Maxon and I had announced at dinner the week we found out that we were having another baby. My whole family was there plus Adele and all of our friends. Since then though, I had been reluctant to discuss it with Georgia. I was worried that another baby for me would just reopen old wounds for her. After all, of all of our friends, Maxon and I had the most kids. "Yeah, another baby," I said in a tentative voice.

"You don't have to be scared to talk about it with me America. Really, I'm okay now," she said, taking my hand and squeezing it. "I have Shel now. And she is quite the handful. Wait until the twins turn five, you'll see."

I smiled. "From what I've heard, it only gets harder from now on." I finally found the thermometer in a drawer full of foundations and powders and handed it off to Georgia. "I'm excited about having another baby, it's just…" my voice trailed off as I grew embarrassed.

"What? C'mon America, you can talk to me about anything. You know that," Georgia assured me.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. It's just…Maxon goes on and on about me being pretty but this is my fourth child and I know that pregnancies are just going to keep leaving more permanent evidence on my body now. I'm afraid my days in a bikini are over."

Georgia rolled her eyes. "America, this is ridiculous. If Maxon was going to choose a wife based on looks, he could have chosen Celeste. You know that. And you know that he worships the ground you walk on. He's not lying when he says you're gorgeous. For having three kids, you look great."

"But I'm queen, Georgia. I'm supposed to look a certain way, all the time. Even when I'm pregnant I have to watch my weight so that I don't look too bloated on camera. Do you know that when I was in the Selection we had to take diet pills? Diet pills. And the advisers insisted that I keep taking them even after I had married Maxon." I shook my head and sighed. "The people want their queen to look elegant and perfect, not like a mother."

With another roll of her eyes, Georgia took my hands and looked at me seriously. "America Schreave, you are absolutely beautiful. And you are the most loved queen to have ever ruled this country. The people could care less about how you look when you're giving them so many heirs to be excited about."

"Are you saying that my children are upstaging me?" I asked.

She laughed. "Kind of, yeah. Just, remember, that you can't be overthrown for not being pretty, okay? And personally, I think you're glowing."

I smiled but still didn't feel really confident. "Thank you Georgia. Go check on Shel and let me know if anything else comes up, okay?" She nodded and left. I went back to our study and was greeted by two bright, smiling faces. "Hello," I greeted the twins who smiled at me through chocolatey faces. "I can't leave you two alone with your father, can I?" I teased, reaching out to tickle Amber's little tummy.

"Don't look at me!" Maxon called from his desk.

I smiled knowingly at him and turned back to the twins. "Don't you two have lessons to go to with Miss Parrah?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

Shay blushed. "Yes Mommy."

"I thought so. Why don't you two go now and you can have lunch with Daddy and I, okay?" They both nodded enthusiastically and ran out. I walked back to my chair and collapsed with a sigh, putting a hand on my belly. I was starting to feel the baby move a bit but I knew that it would still be a few weeks before Maxon could feel anything.

"Everything sorted out with Georgia?" he asked as he read something seriously.

I nodded. "She's been doing really well with Shel."

"Shel seems to be very low-maintenance, even for a five-year-old," he commented.

"If only ours were low-maintenance."

Maxon laughed out loud at that and looked at me. "The words 'low-maintenance' and 'Schreave' have never been in the same sentence. Look at my grandparents, my father, my great-grandparents…we'll be lucky if they don't turn out to be sociopaths."

"Hey…" I warned.

"I'm allowed to poke fun at my family," he said, standing up with a folder in his hand and whacked me in the back of the head with it as he scooted behind me to put it in a filing cabinet. "They're my family."

The next morning I was in my bathroom getting dressed for the day when Paige strolled through the door. "I know, I know, I'm running late. But Amber was throwing a fit and would not settle on one outfit to wear today," I explained. I had already missed breakfast and at the rate I was going I would be lucky to make it to lunch on time.

She gave me a small smile and handed me an envelope with my name on the front. "This is actually for you, Your Majesty. From King Maxon," she informed me.

I frowned. "What is this?" I asked, sliding my thumb under the flap. I opened the seal awkwardly, opening envelopes never something that I was good at. "Did he have to leave the palace for something?" Sometimes if he needed to make unexpected trips he would leave me a note. This didn't seem like that though. This was handwritten and obviously had taken time for him to write.

My dearest love,

Meet me at our bench right now!

Your Royal Husbandness

I narrowed my eyes at Paige. "What?" I asked.

"You better get going ma'am. I hear you have a long day ahead of you," she said, barely containing her laughter.

I laughed in excitement, putting a hand to my mouth as I practically ran out of my bathroom and down to the gardens. When I rounded the corner of a hedge I found our bench vacant with an abandoned breakfast picnic on the ground. Knowing that this was all my husband's doing, I put a hand to my mouth again and felt tears prick at my eyes. On the blanket was a bouquet of lilies that could have only been for me and when I looked in the basket I saw strawberry tarts, bacon, pineapple…all of my favorite breakfast foods. The thoughtfulness and generosity of the whole thing made me actually choke out a sob.

"Are you all right, my dear?" I heard a voice ask behind me.

I smiled at the memory and answered simply with little vehemence, "I am not your dear."

"What have I done to offend you? Did I not just give you what you wanted?" He chuckled and shook his head as he walked toward me. "I don't remember exactly what I said.

"I'll let you slide this one time. You have a lot on your mind." He walked up to me and took my hands, kissing me softly. I looked at him and noticed the mischievous glint in his eye. "What is all of this about?"

He shrugged. "Surprise! I've given both of us the whole day off!" he announced.

"You can't do that! Can you do that?" I asked.

"Sure I can. I am king and this is, after all, a very special day that ought to be celebrated!" he exclaimed. "You see, today is September fifth which officially marks the seventh year of us knowing each other."

I raised my eyebrows. "You remember the date for when we met?"

"You didn't?" He paused and shrugged. "Its not just you, by the way. It was the day the Selection started. Hard to forget."

"Maybe we should've set today as our wedding anniversary. Then you'd never forget," I joked.

He placed a finger over my mouth. "Shh, you're going to ruin the moment." I sighed impatiently, never being good with these grandiose gestures. "So, since you were somewhat under the weather during my birthday thanks to this little one, despite the shrubbery, and we didn't get to properly celebrate our anniversary, why not celebrate today with a quick journey through the Selection?"

"You really want to revisit all of that?" I knew that if it hadn't been for the Selection, we would not be as happy as we were today but the Selection also had been very painful for both of us. There were so many memories of heartbreak and loss tied to it. It seemed strange that he wanted to be sentimental about this.

"Okay, well, the highlights," he amended.

I nodded and paused again. "Which includes what, exactly? It's not like the first night we met was a highlight with me sobbing in the dirt and yelling at you…"

"Not much has changed there," he interjected.

I rolled my eyes and continued. "Then there's our first date where I supposedly kneed you in the groin."

He nodded. "But I've forgiven you now that we've made it clear that there were no lasting consequences," he said, poking my bump lightly.

"Oh, and not to mention our disastrous first kiss, the fights we had every day, that dreadful night in the safe room, when you were making out with Celeste, that time I almost had to do propaganda just so I could maybe possibly convince your father to let you marry me. Have we forgotten about my father?"

Maxon silenced me by pressing his lips to mine again and I could feel him smile against them. "Shh. You're going to ruin the moment. You'll see what I have in store for you."

I sighed and relented. "Okay. What's first?"

"Breakfast. Featuring not only all of your favorite breakfast food but all of the food options from your first breakfast here at the palace," he told me, helping me sit down on the blanket.

"You really remembered exactly what we had for breakfast that first morning?" I asked apprehensively.

"No," he admitted. "But you're forgetting, this is the palace. Everything that happens here is archived somewhere."

I shook my head at him in disbelief. I could already tell that this day was going to be just as extravagant if not more than my first birthday at the palace. We dug in quickly and it really was such a blessing to have some alone time with Maxon with the guarantee of no interruptions. Sure, we had time to ourselves normally but it was almost always interrupted by one of the kids. In that moment in the garden, it was just so relaxing to lie next to my husband and soak in the sun.

I was startled by Maxon clearing his throat and opened my eyes to blinding, noonday light. "Did I fall asleep?" I mumbled, wiping my heavy eyelids gingerly to avoid smearing my makeup.

He laughed and nodded, helping me sit up. "Yes. I let you sleep for a few minutes but we do have a schedule to maintain," he explained, tapping his watch. I noticed that the picnic basket was all packed so I sighed and got my appearance back in order.

Maxon reached out his hand to help me up – or so I thought. Instead his hand curled around the back of my neck and drew my face to his so he could kiss me tenderly and deeply. I sighed into him, letting my body melt into a pool of contention in his lap. I never dreamed that after knowing him for seven years I would still have such fierce feelings for this man but every time I saw him he took my breath away. And that only had a little bit to do with the baby pressing on my lungs. His touch still made me shiver, the very thought of him still brought a faint smile to his lips. I would never get tired of this man in my arms.

Finally we pulled ourselves together and made our way to the home theatre. On our way there, we passed Aspen who just gave Maxon a curt nod and a placid "Your Highness." I gaped at him as he went, looking back at Maxon.

He just laughed. "Just trying to authenticate things. It was on our way to the movies, if I remember correctly, that I first met him." I swallowed thickly, remembering that moment. It was only the start of a long string of lies I told Maxon. A string I was still trying very hard to make up for despite the years that had passed. He noticed my sober expression though and stroked my hand gently. "What is it?"

"I could've done without that part," I whispered honestly.

He smiled sadly. "I'm sorry…I didn't think it would conjure up any bad memories."

"It does though. It just makes me remember all of those times I lied to you when I should have just told you about Aspen. It reminds me of those things you said to me before the attack…" my voice trailed off as I felt tears prick my eyes. Damn hormones.

Maxon placed his hands on my cheeks and forced me to look at him. "I've forgiven you for it. And you've forgiven me. I'm sorry if that was too much. I'll tell him to lay off the rest of the day if you want." I nodded and he placed a chaste kiss on my forehead. "C'mon, let's go watch this movie because I know you didn't pay any attention to it that day."

I managed to smile grimly at how well he knew me to know that I had in fact not focused on that movie at all. After the movie he walked me up to my suite. "You have ten minutes to be changed and meet me in the Great Room," he said, not offering any other indication as to what we were doing next.

When I entered my bathroom though and saw the butterfly costume hanging by the door I knew immediately what he had planned. "Maxon…" I whispered, stroking the delicate tulle. The dress had obviously been made from scratch to accommodate my new figure and it may have been the most comfortable thing I had worn in a long time. Sitting on the dresser was the mask I had worn with the dress.

The Great Room wasn't decorated or anything. In fact, it was completely empty except for the dapper pirate standing in the middle of the room. I smiled knowingly at him when I walked through the large doors, trying to walk as sensually as possible, adding a bit more swing to my hips and lengthening my strides. "Hello sailor," I greeted.

"Arrr," he said, the growl coming out more strained than he'd probably planned. It was really more of a wheeze. "Forget that happened," he added quickly.

I nodded. "I think I can agree to that," I laughed. "You weren't kidding, were you? Am I to expect Marlee to come in here in an angel costume and Carter in his uniform? Or what about Aspen and May?"

"I thought that this time around it could be just us. I do still owe you some dances from that night," he reminded me.

"Oh yes, the night you ignored me for two hours," I joked.

He shook his head. "But I spent the rest of it with you. And if I recall correctly, you basically agreed to marry me that night."

I shrugged. "That's true." We assumed a casual dancing pose, just swaying slowly in a circle in the middle of the room. It was moments like these that really made me feel like a princess. "That was the first time I could really picture it, you know? Especially when you mentioned the Princess Suite being next-door to your room."

He laughed loudly. "I knew your thoughts weren't always so pure!" he exclaimed.

"Not for the reason you think," I quickly defended, laughing myself. "Just the thought of being so close to you all of the time…it was remarkable."

"Ah! And here I thought you'd have gotten tired of me," he remarked.

"Oh, honey, I got tired of you six years ago. Now I'm just here for the food."

He shook his head at me. "Some things never change."

I don't know how long we stayed in there, dancing slowly and reminiscing, but as the sun set he led me up to my old room from the Selection and we stood on the balcony as the sun sank down behind the castle walls. "I should probably be honest with you now," he said reluctantly.

I turned to him, immediately worried that he'd been keeping something from me. "What is it?"

"This day wasn't just to celebrate us," he admitted. I raised my eyebrows, waiting for an explanation. "Georgia talked to me yesterday afternoon." I groaned, knowing what this was about right away. "She told me about your concerns and I was hoping that by doing all of this it would remind you of our journey and how not superficial our romance is. You told me one time that it was our first kiss that made you feel beautiful, right? No amount of make-up or pretty dresses did that; it was us. Together, as a team."

"I'm not the same girl I was back then. And we're definitely not the same couple we were back then," I rebuked.

He nodded. "I know. But god, Ames, you can't honestly let yourself believe that you have to be something besides yourself with me. Forget the rest of the country. You're forgetting how little they know about anything. They are at our mercy. Whatever I say goes and that applies to you. You were my choice and they have to accept you in whatever form you come in."

"That's not exactly reassuring," I told him.

"What I'm trying to say is, you're beautiful. You've always been the most beautiful thing in the world to me. If I cared about how you looked, do you really think I would have let you see my back, my own imperfections?" He reached for my hands and looked at me seriously. "Your body has been a vessel for three beautiful children, with a fourth beautiful child on the way now. How could I look at you and see anything but beauty?"

I blushed but maintained eye contact, transfixed by the copper color of his eyes in the sunset. "I don't know," I whispered.

"Right, I don't know either. Just please trust me when I say that you're the most stunning creature I've ever seen. You should not ever feel the need to be more than you are for the sake of our people. They don't know how much you do for our family, they don't know that you are the most incredible wife and mother. I've told you to never compare yourself to other people. You're perfect to me. So you have a few bumps and bruises, if your appearance was all I cared about you would know. I can't think of enough ways to tell you that you don't need to change for me."

My eyes misted over and I had to look away or I was going to completely lose it. "That's one of the kindest things anyone has ever said to me," I whispered.

"Well you needed to hear it. You deserve this, all of this. I consider it my job to make you feel special and hearing that you weren't feeling your most confident made me feel like I had failed you in some way," he confessed.

"You could never fail me as my husband. And if you do, I'll definitely let you know," I said, poking him in the chest.

He smiled. "I really want to kiss you now."

"I really want you to kiss me."

Maxon leaned in a barely pressed his lips to mine, kissing me with the same hesitancy he had during our first kiss. The same hesitancy and caution that made me feel treasured. The excitement I felt during that kiss all those years ago had not faded. It had actually only grown stronger as we kissed more fervently until I could feel his body trembling underneath my hands. This was indeed, how it felt to be a lady. And Maxon had given that to me.

Yay, i gave you a nice long update full of fluff to hopefully make up for the long wait! i addressed a couple things briefly here like Georgia and Shel but focused more on America's self-image, both of which were asked about a lot in the reviews. Hope y'all liked it! Next I have another little drabble and then we'll skip ahead to when the kids are older.

LeftByTheGalaxy: No, i have not read the Percy Jackson series. they just never appealed to me and now i feel like i'm too old for them. And May did have a baby haha but there are so many people having babies in this fic right now that it's hard to keep it all straight! My idea is that after America and Maxon's trip to Carolina, May and Beckner went back and cared for his family members until his mother passed away. Then they returned to Angeles and May had the baby but it was in the midst of Aspen's younger siblings moving into his care since he became their legal guardian (hence why he and Lucy haven't had any more children) and it would just be too much to keep all of those names straight. but maybe you'll see more of May's baby later on once all of the kids are grown up!

Anne: There will never be a dull moment!

Sci-FiGenius: I briefly touched on Kaphne this chapter. I'm sorry I couldn't write more about them. But the truth is that they have fallen into the background since Kota moved to France with Daphne and she became queen.

Mac: I can't wait for my first book to get published either!

winterprincess: the second half of this chapter was for you! I can definitely see body image being something America struggles with later in life, especially with the way Clarkson tormented her about it. and in the Selection the girls took diet pills, remember? That's probably how they didn't all gain a hundred pounds throughout the whole process. Plus they were all probably pretty stressed too. that could've helped exorbitant weight gain.

kuriyantako: I'm glad you liked it! I knew i needed to put a positive spin on Georgia's life to make up for killing August.

Someone the World Forgot: i figured i owed you a positive twist!

AirBalloon: Espero que este capítulo foi bastante feliz! isso que é tão frio aqui. cerca de 15 F! Yowzah!

Lynn: I think action is done for a little while but when Amber is a teen there will definitely be more problems!

Ann's Krazy Obsession: there was a little bit in this chapter written just for you! i put in some America-Win time and they're having another baby...yay! and if you give me something to write in his POV, I can ponder doing it. I just prefer it to be something from the books so i can really go off the original work.

Weatherbug02: yes, who doesn't love Tumblr? it's been crazy this morning with super bowl stuff. its quite hilarious. i'm still like, frothing over Missy Elliott just randomly showing up during the half time show. and the fight at the end? so insane. if you're gonna lose, might as well lose with a bang.

Totalbooknerd13: i'm glad it worked out too!

: glad you like them! Welcome to the family!

Prnamber3909: i have a confession too (which i don't remember if i told you this or not in the last chapter) but i really do not read all that much. i read a lot of Fanfiction but actual novels? Not really. i just finished Looking for Alaska but that was the first pleasure read i'd had in a long time. probably not since October. i really should work on that but i just don't have time!

The Selection Fangirl: i aim to please!

Guest: *hides behind barbed wire and steel plated barricade* don't hurt me!