Hi! I'm back. Sorry it's been so long, stress, exams, college, life etc. just kept getting in the way. Ok, so I think this story is coming to an end soon but I'm going to start another fic about their children (NOTHING like the heir). I already have plans for it as well as a few ideas for another fics. Please enjoy this chapter!

Ok, just to remind you all, in the last chapter Maxon talked about maybe going away with the army for a while and this chapter is happening about 8 months after he left. Enjoy!

AMERICA'S POV

The pains began in the middle of the night. I hadn't been able to sleep properly since Maxon left, and the huge bump that had slowly developed over the past months. Currently, I could only lie on my back and even this was painful. As I spent most of my time in bed anyway, after Dr Ashlar refused to let me do anything strenuous, my lack of sleep was ok and didn't affect me all that much. Still, I had entered the closest thing to sleep I could achieve when I was rudely awakened by a twinge. At first I thought I was making it up. At least twice before I had gone to doctor Ashlar only to be informed that it was fake labour. I shook my head and laid back down.

Again! Almost as soon as I was almost asleep I sat up in crippling pain as another twinge made an appearance. Something was different about this time. This was it. I pressed a buzzer that had been installed into my bedside table that rang a bell in Dr Ashlar's office. Hopefully he would be here soon. I stood and turned on my light. As I did so, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked like a mess. I was glad that Maxon wasn't here to see me like this, but I still wished he was here to help me get through it.

The door burst open and Dr Ashlar made an appearance.

"On the bed please, my Queen." He sighed. I wasn't strictly supposed to be moving since I was already past my due date and he was definitely cross with me because I was. Everyone was very protective over the baby, however they did have reason to, I had already had a miscarriage and this baby would be their next ruler-whatever its gender may be.

"The good news is that things seem to be moving, it's for real this time. Shall we call your mother?" He asked after a few moments.

"Please. Maxon didn't come home in the night did he?" I asked hopefully, I hadn't been able to contact him for the entirety of his service, which may have meant that he didn't know about the baby.

"I promise Your Majesty, you will be the first to know when we hear anything from him. He's expected home in the next few days." He left to call my mother, and two nurses came in to help me move down to the hospital wing where we had decided I would have the baby, just in case.

I just got sat down on the bed when my mother came rushing in and stood by my side, grabbing my hand.

"Ok, we can do this. We just need to stay calm. Calm down America!" She told me, squeezing my hand ever tighter.

"Mom, calm yourself. I am calm. It's not like you don't know what to do, you've had five and you've helped Kenna. We can do this." I tried to reassure her. I let go of her hand for a brief moment before grabbing it again as a contraction came. I screamed and the nurses came running back in.

This carried on for hours, I don't even know how long it was, the pain came and went until I finally heard the cries of my first born child followed by the babe being carefully placed in my arms.

"Congratulations your Majesty, you have a son."

I looked down at his little face and saw Maxon's brown eyes with wisps of red hair. I felt tears running down my cheeks and splashing slightly on his. I lifted him up slowly and kissed his forehead.

"He's beautiful darling." My mother whispered, leaning down to stroke his face for herself, as if she didn't quite believe that this was true, not that I did either. How was any of this possible?

Slowly the room began to empty until there was only my mother, perched on the bed beside me, my son, still being cradled in my arms, and of course myself.

"What are you going to call him." My mother said so softly that I could only just hear her in my ear.

"Well, we never really discussed it but…I thought Shalom, for dad, Shalom Clarkson Schreave." I breathed, rocking him in my arms as he slept.

"He would have loved that. Prince Shalom, future King of Illèa." I smiled. We both sat in silence for a moment. "I'll let you get some rest, it's been a long night, or morning, or whatever time it is now." She chuckled. "I'll put Shalom Clarkson in his cot and I'll come back later." She eased him out of my arms and he gurgled slightly before quieting down again as he was lowered into the blue blankets of the small cot in the corner of the room. She waved from the door and then left, leaving me alone.

I quickly fell into a deep sleep. I dreamed of so many things that they all seemed to blur into one. I dreamed that Maxon was here with me, I dreamed that he was dead in a ditch in New Asia. I dreamed of Maxon and I watching our son growing up to have lots of brothers and siblings and one day becoming a great king, I also dreamed of him being stolen by someone, rebels, anyone.

My eyes flew open at the sound of my baby making a small cry, I looked over at him and saw that my nightmare had become my reality as someone stood holding my son. My first instinct was to scream but I swallowed it in fear that frightening him may make him drop my son accidently, or worse, purposefully hurt him.

Silently, I slipped out of bed and tiptoed over to where the two stood. I was a few meters away when I spotted it. First it was the small tear on top of my son's head, then it was the chocolate brown eyes that they came from, then the blond hair that I had missed so much over the past months.

"Maxon?" I whispered, feeling tears welling up in my own eyes at the sound of his name.

"Just a second baby boy, I have to say something to your mother and I don't want you to get squished." He whispered almost inaudibly before kissing him on the head and putting him back among the blankets. Then he turned to me. "America." He beamed, despite the shine in his eyes from the fresh tears.

In two strides he enveloped me in an embrace, holding me tighter than I thought possible and yet it seemed right. A moment later our lips met and all seemed right with the world.

"So what's his name?" He whispered against my lips.

"I thought Shalom Clarkson Schreave, but I'm open to suggestions. I know we haven't really had any time to discuss it." I laughed.

"I love it. And I didn't even know I was going to be a father until I walked through the palace doors an hour ago to be greeted by maids, butlers, and guards. No America. It wasn't until a maid congratulated me and I asked that I found out." He took my hand and we walked towards Shalom.

"I wrote and wrote. I called. I did everything I could but…"

"Yeah, I know. I tried too. Really bad communication out there. I'm glad that my eight-month service finished today though. Can you imagine if I'd had a couple of months left? Just come home to get greeted by a toddler running around the place." He laughed and moved his hands to wrap around my waist. We stood in silence and watched our son sleeping in his bed. Nothing could ruin this.

Yay! Finally finished this chapter! I am so so sorry that it has taken so long. Life got in the way . Also, I think that this fic is coming to an end and I am going to write a fic about the Maxerica children but can't decide if I should just add them as chapters to this fic or start a new one. Which would you prefer? Please review I'll try and update soon.