#prince maxon x reader

[captainsophiestark]

Dive Bar

Maxon Schreave x Reader

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Written for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Fandom: The Selection Series

Summary: As one of the Elite, a finalist in the Selection, Y/N gets to bring Maxon to her hometown to show him around on an official royal visit.

Word Count: 1,841

Category: Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I smiled, trying not to squint my eyes against the bright lights flashing in my face. All this time, and I still hadn't gotten used to that.

"Thank you all for coming, but we're going to have to call it a night! Our official tour of the city starts bright and early tomorrow morning, after all," said Maxon Schreave, the man I stood arm and arm  with, a brilliant smile on his face as he addressed the press. They kept cheering and taking pictures as the two of us smiled, nodded, bowed, then headed inside the hotel arm in arm.

As soon as we were through the doors, I sighed and let some of the tension ease out of my shoulders. Maxon kept his posture and demeanor proper until the elevator doors closed on us. Then he sighed, too, and turned to me with a tired smile.

"Well, that was certainly a long day. But I'm happy to be here with you."

I smiled, my face warming. Moments like this, just the two of us with no one else watching over our shoulders, were incredibly rare. I wanted to savor every second of it that I could.

"I'm glad you're here, too. And the tour tomorrow is going to be fun, even if it's also a media circus."

Maxon laughed, offering his arm to me again as the elevator doors opened and we stepped out together. Servants and staff waited to escort us to our  separate suites.

The two of us stopped to face each other in the  middle of the hallway, before going our separate ways. As one of the finalists in the Selection, I got to bring Maxon back to my hometown for a tour and a look at where I'd come from. Aside from being a fun  experience spending time with the man I loved in the place I called  home, it was also the first time we'd spent togehter without the other members of the Selection. Even with all the media and people surrounding our every step, it had been fun.

"I suppose I'll see you in the morning for the circus," said Maxon, taking my hands and staring into my  eyes with a sparkle of mischief in his I grinned back.

"Yeah. I'll see you then."

Maxon hesitated for a minute, then leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. I smiled even wider, although that was hardly possible, then said goodnight to Maxon and headed to my room.

I went through my regular nightly routine, sending my ladies in waiting away to get some rest of their own. I curled up in bed and closed my eyes, then started my mental clock running. I was going to give it a full half hour, to really minimize my chances of getting caught.

When I'd first heard about the hometown dates, I'd mentally planned a full week of various activities from when I'd lived here before someone burst my bubble. We were coming here with the Crown Prince, sole heir to Illea, while the rebels remained a threat. He would not be going anywhere the palace  hadn't planned and approved.

As someone who'd spent most of my time in this city far away from anything the palace would ever select, I'd been furious. What was the point of a home date if Maxon didn't actually get to see my home?

I knew better than to bring that up with anyone, though. So instead, I'd continued to make my own plan. If Maxon was on board, we were going to have the night of our lives.

I slid out from under the covers in the darkness, listening carefully for any sound or movement from my suite. When I heard nothing, I slipped into a more comfortable pair of  clothes (featuring beat-up blue jeans and a ballcap from my original wardrobe when I came to the palace), then headed to the window.

I'd worked in this hotel for a few odd jobs here and there, and I knew I could get to Maxon's room via balcony-hopping if I really wanted to. So that's what I did. I slipped out the window, closing it most of the way behind me so hopefully no one would notice, then moved carefully from one balcony to the other until I got to Maxon's room.

I listened at the window for a minute, and when I didn't hear any conversation, I leaned in to peek through. The room was empty save Maxon, who was just climbing into bed. I grinned and tapped on the window. He looked up, his face changing from surprised to delighted to concerned in a few  seconds. He glanced at the closed bedroom door behind him as he hurried to open the window for me.

"What are you doing here?" Maxon asked, his voice a frantic whisper. I grinned.

"Trying to take you on an adventure, if you're up for a little bit of risk."

Maxon hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the closed bedroom door again. Then, he looked back at me with a smile.

"Just let me get dressed."

I ended up having to help Maxon pick his outfit, since only a few things in his entire wardrobe would give him a chance at blending in with non-royals. I gave him an extra ballcap and told him to keep his head down, and within a few minutes, we were heading through the city to my absolute favorite spot.

"This is it!" I said proudly, turning with a smile to face Maxon. We stood on a dirty street, in front of a glowing red neon sign for my favorite place in the world. They sold the best shitty pizza and seriously toed the line of dive bar, and it had been one of the things I missed most since going to the palace.

"This... is it? Are you sure this is the place, my dear?"

"Oh yeah. Just you wait, you're in for the best night of your life. The palace could never compare."

Maxon smiled and shook his head, but he took my hand when I offered it all the same.

"Alright then. Let's see what this place has to offer."

****************

"Yes!" Maxon shouted, leaping up in the air before landing with a sheepish grin. "I got my first bullseye."

"I saw!" I laughed, beaming at Maxon's excitement. It had taken him the better part of an hour to relax, but now we were playing darts while eating terrible pizza and sipping local beers, like any other normal  couple from my city might. It had been magical.

"If I'm keeping  score correctly, that means I win unless you also get a bullseye, doesn't it?" he asked, fixing me with a brilliant smile. I picked up my dart and nodded.

"That's right. You better cross your fingers, Schreave."

Maxon laughed as I stepped up to the line, leveling my dart at the board. I'd done this so many times before, it was like second nature, even though I  hadn't played a lot of darts at the palace. I drew back, then followed  through and let the dart fly. It smacked into the board just slightly to the left of the center bullseye.

"Oh my- did I just win?" asked Maxon, a slightly delirious joy in his voice. I beamed as I turned around to face him.

"Yeah. I guess you did."

Maxon laughed in disbelief, then moved forward to wrap me tightly in his arms. He picked me up off my feet and spun me around, and I smiled. I hadn't missed a game-winning shot like that in years, but I wanted to see how happy Maxon would be if he won. I'd made the right decision.

"Does this mean I'm the darts champion now?" asked Maxon, a teasing quirk to his mouth as he set me down. "Since I beat you?"

I shook my head, still smiling as I went to retrieve the darts in the board.

"You've  gotta do more than beat me once with beginner's luck to take the title of champion," I said. "Put a dart board in the palace and we can really see what's what."

Maxon grinned. "You have a deal, my dear. Prepare to lose again."

I chuckled. Maxon's words didn't have any heat behind them, and it made my heart soar to see him so happy and carefree. I wished I could give that to him all the time, but I'd settle for tonight and look for opportunities in the future.

Unfortunately, by the end of that game of darts, we had to head back to the hotel or risk being caught  sneaking out. We took our glasses up and dropped them off at the bar, then I settled our tab. Maxon and I walked out of the place together arm in arm, this time no different than all the other regular strangers milling around on the street.

"Thank you for bringing me here tonight," he said as we walked, the cool night air perfect and refreshing. "I don't often get the opportunity to be among the citizens of Illea. That in itself is a treat, but getting to do it with you is the best thing I could imagine."

"I'm always happy to spend time with you, Maxon. Thank you for taking the risk and sneaking out with me."

"I'll sneak away with you every time I can get away with it, and maybe even a few more times than that."

"Well, good. But let's try to make this one of the not-getting-caught times, okay?"

"Of course."

Thankfully,  we made it back onto the balcony outside Maxon's room without issue. His room was dark, the door still closed, meaning none of the palace staff were any the wiser about where we'd gone. Maxon hopped back through the window, and I smiled before turning to go back to my own room, but he caught my hand and pulled me back.

"I just wanted to  say... I really enjoyed myself tonight. I find that I enjoy most times that I spend with you. I... I love you."

I beamed. "I love you too, Maxon. I love every minute we spend together, even when it's many, many minutes of letting the press take pictures of us. You even make royal procedure meetings enjoyable just by being in the room next to me."

Maxon laughed. He glanced down at my lips, then back up at me, a tentative smile on his face.

"Can I kiss you?"

I grinned. "Absolutely."

I leaned forward, and Maxon and I shared a long, sweet kiss through the window. After a moment, we pulled apart, both of us positively glowing. I took a half-step back, never taking my eyes off Maxon.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" I said. He grinned, leaning out the window even further.

"Yes you will."

"Okay. Good. Then goodnight."

"Goodnight, my dear."

I floated back to my room, thankfully also without getting caught, and fell asleep with a smile on my face. I couldn't wait to experience a thousand more places with Maxon, and play a thousand more darts matches together. Anything the future brought, as long as it was with him.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989

The Selection Taglist: @valkyriepirate

[countrymusiclover]

My Genius Prince

"It's silly. But I'm happy to say you're my Prince Charming"

Rosalind and Spencer have been dating without his team, knowing for almost two years. But after he drops her off at home, she disappears, and it's up to his team and his knowledge to rescue her from someone she hasn't seen since she was a little girl.

1 - An Unexpected Visitor

2 - Call for Help

3 - Beginning the Profile

4 - Who Knows Her Better

5 - I Told You I'd Find You

6 -

???

Comments really appreciated ❤️

Tag list - @the-girl-wh0-cries-w0lf @random000000sblog @aceofspades190

[jadehuntressqueen]

Dreams

Masterlist

The first thing that registered was the bed covers shifting around you, and not by your own doing. Next was the quickened breathing beside you. You sat up and glanced down.

His brow was creased in fear, or sadness. Small whimpers left his lips as he thrashed side to side.

“Baby wake up,” you placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. This action shocked him into wakefulness and he shot upright. “Hey, hey, you’re okay,” you cooed, “It’s okay darling, it was just a dream.” His trembling body curled into your side as you brushed his hair. “Just a dream.”

[come-along-pond]

OC HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE 2022. day twenty-two - october 22nd. A READER LIVES A THOUSAND LIVES.

Charlotte Twist in The Selection. For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

In 2020, we had a classic lit au, now we go broader in our literary appreciation for those of us who only know The Scarlet Letter as the inspiration for Easy A. That’s right, it’s time to entrance your ocs into your favorite books whether that be a classical Jane Austen novel about a woman fighting for independence and true love in a world where girls must marry to achieve favorable social standing and economic security, a childhood defining series about self-discovery like Percy Jackson, or a murder-mystery where curious teenage girl is determined to solve the poorly investigated murder of a former queen bee. Which of your favourite literary characters inspired your oc? How would your oc react to being faced with the conflict of your favourite book?

(x)(x)(x)

taglist: @lilac-lemonade @witchofinterest​ @veetlegeuse @arrthurpendragon @nikolai-lantsv @sentineljedi @stanshollaand @foxesandmagic @guardiansofheroes @eddiemunscns @connietheecunning @decennia @dancingsunflowers-ocs @raith-way @ginevrastilinski

Send an ask if you wish to be added or removed!

[fncreature]

Ok, so no one replied to the 'Does anyone want to know the reference in nerd?' Post. So, the tugging the ear thing, if anyone's read The Selection series, yeah. It's from that. I had read The One before writing it, so...

Also, spoiler here, so...

WHY THE HECK DID EADLYN CHOOSE ERIK HE WASN'T IN THE COMPETITION HE WAS THE FRICKING TRANSLATOR

*deep inhale*

FRICK ERIK DUDE HE JUST- LIKE- HE- HE WAS THE TRANSLATOR HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE BACK AND NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE

[colourofmagic]

It turns out I'm absolutely terrible at staying away from you. It's a very serious problem. ✨

Prince Maxon and America from Kiera Cass‘ “The Selection” series

[fbfh]

promptember day 10 - 2/2 maxon schreave x rebel!reader - 47 fluff

You knew, from the first kiss, the political ramifications this would have. You both did. There was never any avoiding it, really.

It was to stop your cover from being blown, that’s what you told yourself, and him, at the time. PDA makes people uncomfortable, and the last thing the king’s militia would be looking for while searching for the rebel group that kidnapped the prince would be Maxon making out with their leader in public. That’s exactly why it made sense. The fact that it was a logical step to take only led to you to deny your feelings even longer.

It was hard enough holding council with the king to explain that you never kidnapped his son, he had run away. Maxon wanted to know first hand what the people in Illea faced on a day to day basis, the struggles they dealt with that he was too privileged to even imagine. Maybe, he thought, if he could know what it was like first hand, if he could hear the people’s voices, he would be able to make real, substantial change.

As luck would have it, the first person he found rowdily talking politics and social issues in the bar he’d found happened to be you - the leader of the most powerful anonymous rebel group in the country. You and your crew had forsaken castes, and forged connections all over Illea. Your connections in the upper castes provided funding and supplies to liberate and relieve people who were struggling.

Once Maxon found out what you do, you couldn’t get rid of him. Of course, it was just a stroke of bad luck that he was seen being dragged to safety during a riot, which was immediately misconstrued as a royal kidnapping. Having to break into the palace to return the prince was something you’d never dreamed you’d have to do.

You were almost successful, too. It was at the last possible minute the guards found you returning their prince. After a lot of begging and convincing, Maxon got his father and the council to at least listen to you plead your case. After providing a lot of evidence you’d been compiling of how the harm and violence attributed to you and your group was actually done by the king’s guards themselves, they had no option but to listen to you.

With you and Maxon supplementing each other's experiences, you presented the plan you’d been working on together for weeks. If it hadn’t been for the media coverage, you were sure it would have been “under consideration” until hell freezes over. Thankfully, the return of the prince had made the news - live, of course - so you were guaranteed an audience. You’d be lying if you said it wasn’t one of the most satisfying moments of your life, finally having everyone in Illea listen to what you have to say, face to face.

When all was said and done, all King Clarkson had to say was, “Well, now with all this settled we can finally begin preparing for your selection.”

You could see that he was going to refuse, right then and there. You dragged him out for a sidebar before he could.

You never considered yourself a hopeless romantic, but when Maxon grabbed your face, and told you as fiercely as anything, “I don’t care about any of the selected, I want to be with you.” you couldn’t help yourself. You closed the distance, kissing him again and again.

Now here you are, reveling in newly confessed feelings, trying to figure out your next move.

“We have to tell them,” you say, shaking your head. Obviously there are risks. The people that look up to each of you could see you as sellouts betraying what you stand for. But there’s a chance this could mend the country faster than any bills or alliances could.

He looks at you, and you can see how much he really does not want to do this. He has good reason to fear his father, a fact that still fills you with ineffable rage.

“We could run away,” he says, a silly sort of hope to the statement.

“Yeah,” you say with a laugh, “look how well that worked out for you last time.

He looks down, suddenly much more serious. His hand caresses yours, hesitant and tender.

“I’d do it again.”

You turn away, biting back another one of those weird, flustered smiles only he seems to be able to invoke in you.

You both sit in silence for a moment, enjoying what relative peace you have.

“So,” you say, ready as ever, “we doing this?” You look at him expectantly, and he returns the gesture. He has that new sort of confidence in his eyes, not the kind you get from fencing and etiquette lessons, but the kind you get from absolute trust, an altruistic confidence that you will make this work, because this is what’s going to do good for everyone around you.

“Alright,” you laugh, “ready when you are.”

[imagineswithfandoms-blog]

"I love you."

Maxon Schreave x reader Short Drabble but I'll probably be doing a longer one soon *** You smiled softly feeling warmth creep into my face. Maxon Schreave, prince of Illéa had once again caught your eye. You were one of the Elite and things kept getting more and more dramatic. You often desired for it to be over but Maxon was why you stayed. Now you sat at dinner in between Celeste and Kriss. Originally you were planing to be home in less than a week but then you actually met Maxon. You didn't want to be queen but you did care for Maxon deeply. After dinner everyone started to head out. "Y/n," Maxon stopped you. You turned around, "yes?" "Can you come with me," he asks? You didn't miss the glare Celeste gave you but you didn't care. You played with the fabric of your purple dress. "Sure," you beamed. Maxon grabbed your hand and lead you around the castle corridor. You wondered where he was taking you. Maxon stopped when you both stood in the garden. You could tell he wanted to talk, he always took you there to talk. You two shared your first kiss there. The sky had clouds but the day was beautiful. "Y/n," Maxon spoke up. Your gaze left the sky and returned to him. His confidence faltered under your stare but he recovered quickly. "I'm in love with you." At first you didn't respond, too surprised. You didn't know he felt this way, you barely thought he liked you. "It's alright if you don't fee.." you cut him off by pulling his lips to yours. The kiss was soft and warm. You didn't know how to express your feelings but that kiss spoke for you. When you finally pulled away you were smiling like crazy. Maxon set his forehead on yours. You kept smiling. "I love you too." The clouds finally gave out and it started to drizzle. You didn't mind since you always had a mutual appreciation for the rain. Celeste could glare and make rude comments all she wants but that wouldn't change the truth, Maxon loved you. It was all worth it.

[captainsophiestark]

Pegasus

Maxon Schreave x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2022!

Prompt: “Is this safe?”

Fandom: The Selection Series

Summary: Y/N joined the Selection, and against her expectations, fell in love with Maxon Schreave. Now that things are coming to a close and the Rebel activity is picking up, everyone's more stressed than usual, but Maxon has especially being running himself into the ground. He needs to take a break and take care of himself, but he hasn't been organizing that for himself. So, Y/N takes it into her own hands to give him a bit of a mental health recharge.

Word Count: 1,968

Category: Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I took a deep breath as I straightened my dress in the mirror, mentally running through a checklist. The food, the blanket, and everything else I'd decided to set up for the night were all ready and placed. I'd asked my maids to give me the evening, and they'd agreed while also promising to keep prying eyes and ears away. There was nothing else I needed to do.

When I'd first entered the Selection, it had been for my family. We'd needed the money, and it wasn't like living in the palace for a while was the worst thing in the world, if I did get Selected. When I'd been chosen, marrying the prince wasn't particularly on my radar.

Then I got to know Maxon.

He was without a doubt the sweetest, kindest, most wonderful man I'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. Things felt easy with him, for some reason, and despite all the structure and official procedure that was supposed to come with the Selection, we'd quickly formed a close friendship that had turned into more.

If I'd told myself at the beginning of this thing that I'd be falling in love with Prince Maxon, and him with me, I would've laughed in my own face. And yet, many weeks later, here we were.

Recently, as the Selection worked its way to a close and Rebel activity had picked up significantly, I could tell Maxon was seriously feeling the stress. I'd barely seen him, and whenever he did have time to say hello to me and the other ladies, his mind was clearly elsewhere. He'd started to look more and more sleep deprived at meals, and so I'd decided yesterday to find a way to give him a bit of a break.

I couldn't do much, especially since I wasn't officially marrying him yet. I couldn't get officially involved in the meetings, politics, or anything else, and even though Maxon did consult with me about those issues sometimes, I couldn't actually go to meetings to help him deal with things. So, I'd decided to give him a complete break from the stressors in a way he probably didn't usually get to enjoy.

I'd gotten in touch with him this morning through a friendly castle servant to ask him to meet me tonight, a few hours after dinner. With the help of my maids, I'd spent the rest of the day getting everything together, and now all that was left was for Maxon to show up.

Right on cue, I heard a knock at my door. I smiled to myself and crossed the room to open it, then found Maxon, looking exhausted but still smiling at the sight of me.

"Hello, my dear," he said. I smiled.

"Your highness." I dipped into a curtsey as I said it, and Maxon immediately grinned and shook his head at my antics.

"Please. You know we're well past that level of formality."

"That we are." We shared a smile as I stepped aside to let him into my room, then shut the door behind him. He wandered into the middle of the room, looking like he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself, then turned to me.

"So... what did you want to see me about? Is everything alright?"

"I think that's my line," I said. I crossed the room and walked past him to throw open the doors to the balcony. I turned back to Maxon, only to find him staring at me with an eyebrow raised in question. "You've clearly been stressed out of your mind lately. I thought you could use a little break."

"You're not wrong about that, darling."

"Luckily for you, I know just the thing. Come on."

I motioned for him to join me on the balcony, which he did. He took a deep breath of the cool night air and let it out slowly, releasing some of the tension in his shoulders with it.

"It does feel good to be out here," he said.

"Yes, it does. But this isn't all we're doing." With that, I turned to the railing of the balcony and carefully moved to stand on it, using the wall of the castle to balance myself. I heard Maxon gasp, but I ignored him as I climbed the rest of the way up and onto the roof of the palace, above my room.

"Y/N! What on Earth are you doing?" he asked. I popped my head back over the edge of the roof to look at him.

"Giving you a relaxing evening. Now just trust me and get up here, carefully."

Maxon hesitated for half a second before I saw him make the decision to throw caution to the wind and follow me. He moved to the edge of the balcony to follow the same path that I'd taken, and I reached out a hand to help him. A few seconds later, and he was on the roof with me.

"Y/N... Is this safe?" he asked, hesitating a bit and looking behind him, over the edge and towards the long drop into the palace garden. I gave his hand a tug to get him to focus back on me and everything in front of him.

"Yes, I'm sure," I said. "I've been up here more than a few times myself to get some space from... well, everything about palace life, really. Balconies and gardens are nice, but as you'll soon see, nothing quite beats sitting on the roof, out of sight of everyone and staring up at the stars."

Maxon huffed a breath and smiled, and I could tell the idea appealed to him as much as it did to me. I stood and led him a few steps further onto the roof, away from the edge, where I'd laid out a blanket and set up a picnic with all of our favorite foods.

"Ta-da!" I said, gesturing grandly with my arm and facing Maxon with a beaming smile. He stared at the setup in disbelief for a moment, then turned to me with a dumbstruck look on his face.

"Y/N... did you really do all this for me?"

"Yes I did. You take care of everyone else all day long, me included. It's about damn time that someone else took care of you, pardon my language."

He laughed, a smile slowly spreading across his face as my words sunk in. He crossed the roof and closed the few steps of distance between us, wrapping his arm around me carefully and pulling me into his chest.

"Thank you, my dear. For this, and for everything else you do for me," he muttered into my hair as he leaned in to kiss the top of my head. I lifted my chin and met his eyes, then leaned up to give him a soft kiss on the lips. We'd kissed a few times before, but it still felt special and new, and I could feel tingles running through my entire body despite the fact that our lips only met for a few moments.

"I'm happy I could help," I said softly, meeting Maxon's tender gaze with one of my own. "Now come on, let's enjoy this beautiful night."

Maxon and I shared a smile, then moved to lay down together on the blanket. We made our way through all the snacks I'd gathered, then when we were completely full, we laid fully on our backs and stared up at the stars.

"Do you know anything about identifying them?" I asked after a few moments of peaceful, comfortable silence. "What they're called, or the stories behind them?"

"Not much," he replied, his tone full of regret. "Most of the stories have been lost or destroyed. But do you see that grouping of stars there?"

He pointed up, gesturing to a few clusters that were close to each other, and I hummed in affirmation.

"I read in one of the books my father keeps under lock and key that those stars are called 'Pegasus'. Pegasus is a great winged horse that flies through the night sky, and used to help the heroes and gods of stories told so long ago they've been completely lost to time."

"That's beautiful," I sighed, shifting closer to Maxon as I did. He wrapped his arm around my back and waist, and I rested my head on his shoulder and curled into his side. "Do you think Pegasus is still out there somewhere?"

"I think he must be," Maxon replied. "Roaming the skies or the stars, and waiting for someone to let the world remember him."

Neither of us spoke for a minute, and I could feel all of Maxon's frustration at his father and the way so many things in the kingdom were currently being run radiating off him in waves. I traced patterns over his chest, hoping to sooth him a bit by being there and reminding him that I was with him, no matter what.

"If that's the case, then I'm sure Pegasus will be back soon," I said, keeping my voice low but sure. "When you're King, Maxon, things will be better. You'll finally have the power to make them better. And it'll probably mean worlds more stress than you're dealing with right now, but it will be more of the good kind, the kind that comes with the business of affecting change. And much less of the bad kind, of being forced to sit by while people make decisions and create policy that makes you want to scream."

Maxon took a long, deep breath in and out, then wrapped his arm around me a little tigheter.

"Since when do you know me so well?" he finally asked, his tone light and joking. I smiled.

"Since I realized I might actually be persuaded to like a prince, of all things."

Maxon huffed a laugh, then pinched my arm in a bit of payback. I whacked his chest in revenge, but he just laughed again.

We relaxed back into comfortable silence, staring up at the stars and relaxing in each other's warmth and the temporary feeling that it was just the two of us in the entire world. Maxon's heartbeat echoed in my ears as I closed my eyes, feeling the rise and fall of his chest with each breath. I'd just started drifting off as a result of the feeling of complete security and relaxation when Maxon spoke again, his voice a low, quiet rumble.

"You'll be right there by my side, Y/N," he said. He absently rubbed circles on my waist with his thumb as he spoke. "The two of us will make the world right, together. King and Queen, in love, a perfect team."

I smiled and hummed, my heart practically ready to burst at his words.

"Darn right we will," I agreed. He pulled me closer to him, although that was hardly possible, and his hand squeezed securely on my waist, reminding us both we belonged with each other.

We were both young, and there would be plenty of challenges for us to deal with along the way. But I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that things would work out for us. Laying together under the stars, the two of us finding a moment of peace in a swirl of chaos, I was completely confident in our happy ending. We'd continue to fall for each other every day, get married, change the world, then find our peaceful storybook sunset. And nothing could possibly stand in our way.

[countrymusiclover]

1 - An Unexpected Visitor

Part 2

My Genius Prince

Tag list - @the-girl-wh0-cries-w0lf

Walking through the store Islas of Walmart I was hanging out with one of my friends named Malia. We were hanging out at my apartment until we got bored so we decided to run around the store at midnight. “Let’s go raid the toy section.”

Malia and I headed over to the toy section. We found the aisle that had dress up clothes hanging on the walls on either side of us. “Oh hey, try on the blue one.”

“Got it. You need to try on the pink or yellow one.” I pointed at the set hanging behind her head until she turned around and took each one down. Picking out the yellow one to look like Belle.

I chuckled seeing her twirl around in the dress that was made for young girls or that was only worn on Halloween. “You look almost like Belle.” I didn’t care if we were adults in our late 20’s who still mess around as kids every once in a while.

“Oh it is a pleasure to meet you, Cinderella.” Malia teased me with a curtsey once I had slipped the light blue dress over my head and it fell down all the way to the tile floor.

She placed her hands in mine and we began spinning around in circles. Our laughter could be heard through the store but we couldn’t care. My hair that was in a braid was falling apart and in my face so when I tripped over my own feet I didn’t see I tripped myself. “Woah ah!” I was close to hitting the floor but I felt someone holding me up by my forearms.

“Easy, easy. I’ve got you.” I heard a guy’s voice respond in my ear and I felt some of his hair brushing against my cheek.

Glancing over my shoulder I was met with a pair of chocolate brown eyes and brown curly hair. “Oh uh I’m sorry mister. I didn’t mean to be so clumsy.” I apologized, getting to my feet as quickly as I could.

“It’s okay. Glad I was able to catch you. Uh, are you and your friends dressed up like princesses for a party or something?” The stranger tilted his head standing in front of me where I had to lock up at him since he was taller than me.

I lowered my gaze to the ground blushing at how childish this made us both look. “No. To be honest we were bored and decided to just come down random stuff around Walmart. Oh geez that makes me sound so childish.” Smacking a hand to my forehead I groaned.

“Sometimes we all have to embrace our childish behavior every now and then. It doesn’t make me think any less of either of you.” He responded by looking between me and my friend Malia.

Tilting my head to the side I became curious at his words, never seeing any guy embrace my child like wonder. “What’s your name, stranger?”

“Uh, it's Dr. Reid. Spencer Reid…you don’t have to call me Dr…it’s just Spencer.” He cleared his throat, clearly becoming nervous by my question like he was shy about talking to girls. “What’s your name?”

Extending my hand he eyed my hand before briefly shaking it and then we dropped our hands down at our sides. “Rosalind, Rosalind Maxon. It’s nice to meet you, Spencer.”

“Could I buy you two a coffee or something?” He asked shifting his attention to Malia briefly but he held his focus on me the longest now.

Malia looped her arm through mine after we had hung the dresses back up the way we found them. Squeezing her hand in mine I nodded towards the nervous doctor. “Sure. I think we’re down for that.”

“We sure are, Spencie.” I grinned up at him following him when we walked towards the Starbucks inside the grocery store.

2 years later

Coming down the stairs carrying my light brown boots in my left hand and my other hand opens the door revealing my boyfriend of two years as of today. I was wearing a light red lace shirt, some blue jeans with my hair loose except for two strands tied back. “Hey Spencer, what do you think?”

“Hi Rosalind, you look….beautiful.” He hung his mouth open and was frozen in the doorway.

He was wearing a black jacket over one of his blue dress shirts paired with some dark brown pants and his sneakers. He also carried his sachale around like normal. “Come on in. Don’t want you getting cold or someone snatching you off my doorstep.” I moved out of the way and he stepped inside, shutting the door behind himself.

“You know we should probably make a password or get you a security camera. That way you can see the people outside your house before you answer the door.” He suggested sitting his bag by the door.

Grabbing my keys from the kitchen island I raised a brow at him. “Is that really necessary?”

“Studies have shown repeatedly that it is.” He said back.

I nodded. “Guess I should not argue with a genius with an eidetic memory. So am I picking where to eat tonight or you?”

“You pick. But I’m paying for dinner.” He says picking up his bag again and heading towards the door. I shut the door behind me, locking it following behind his one stride to my two strides. We drove to the Arby’s near my house.

Sliding into one side of the booth Spencer slides in on the other side. We both had gotten roast beef sliders with cheese and I got some curly fries. Spencer and I have been together secretly for almost two years. “I know we haven’t had this conversation yet, but why aren’t we telling your team yet?”

“I just don’t want to rush you into it. I told you before about the job that I have. The things that we see day in and day out. I just don’t want to freak you out.” He explained sitting his slider down on the napkin.

Shaking my head at him I smiled. “Spencer, calm down. You won’t freak me out.”

“Yeah but when we met you and Malia were dancing around like princesses. You have an innocence in you that I don’t want to see gone from you.” Spencer replied.

Reaching for a fry I smiled tossing some fries at him. “Oh you mean like this.”

“Roz!” He chuckled, holding his hands up to not get a fry in the eyes.

I picked up some more fries and threw them where some actually ended up in his hair. “Don’t pretend you don’t like it. You freaking love Halloween. This is no different.”

“If I do this right then it should land…right there.” He bent his spoon back with a fry on it. He released it and I scrunched my nose when it hit me dead between the eyes.

Blinking my eyes I glared at him briefly before I giggled back at him. “See you like your inner child, same as me.”

“Yeah we make a good team that way.” He chuckled, staring down at his watch seeing it was almost ten now. “Oh we should probably go. I have to be at work early tomorrow morning.”

He laid down enough money and a tip then we drove on home. Unbuckling my seatbelt Spencer came around opening the car door for me. Putting my hand in his he led me up to the house and I got the door open again looking over my shoulder at him. “Hey I know you said it’s late and you have to work early. So I was thinking you could sleep here for the night if you wanted to, I mean.”

“Uh I appreciate it. I don’t want to intrude though. It’s your house.” Spencer shrugged his shoulders at me, he ran his fingers through his locks.

Throwing my hands up from my sides I tired once more. “Come on, Spencie. I don’t mind one bit. Otherwise I wouldn’t offer.”

“I appreciate the offer. I really do but I don’t want us to move too fast.” He avoided my gaze for a minute and I knew why. He wasn’t used to having a relationship. Even though it’s been two years we have only kissed a couple of times but we never slept the night at the other place.

Walking up to him I smiled, draping my arms over his shoulders, kissing him gently. “Can I still call you if I’m bored later?”

“Yes.” He smiled putting one hand on my waist holding me close to him, but he broke the kiss briefly.

Parting my lips I paused thinking about what I had told him a few months after we had been dating. “If I have nightmares again can I call ya?” Something that I didn’t like talking about after what happened to me. He never judged me over what happened.

“Definitely yes.” He nodded, kissing my forehead where we separated and I walked backwards into the doorway. He turned on his heels reaching into his pocket drawing a necklace from his pocket. “I almost forgot to give you this. I found it at the store one day.”

He dropped it into my hands and I grinned seeing it was a necklace with a tiny silver looking slipper attached to it. “Awe Spencer. It’s my own glass slipper.”

“Yeah I remembered Cinderella was your favorite.” Spencer smiled, clicking his tongue and I saw him get slightly embarrassed.

Clipping the jewelry around my neck I waved bye to him finally going inside and shutting the door behind me. “Night Reid.” Turning around on my feet I moved past the kitchen feeling the cold wind coming in but I knew I didn’t leave the windows open when we left. The wooden floor creaked underneath my boots and I paused when I noticed broken glass from the back door.

The floor creaked in a different room making me whip my head around and I gasped stumbling backwards to see my father Deacon. “Long time no see, Ella.” He stood in front of me holding something behind his back.

“How did you find me?” I questioned him.

He responded back. “It took time after your mother put me in jail. But it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I’m here now and that we can pick up where we left off.”

“I was six when she got you locked up. We can’t go back and change the past.” I attempted to walk away from him and grab my phone from my pocket but I heard a gun cock behind me.

He instructed me to aim the gun at me when I slowly turned around to face him again. “We’ll see about that, princess. You come with me willingly or we have to do this the hard way.”

“Like hell I will!” I ran forward and managed to tackle him to the floor. My father dropped the gun but was stronger than me so he held me down with his body.

He snatched the gun that was by one of my feet, aiming it at me where I froze knowing he meant business now. Wrapping my hands around his wrist he only had the gun barely from pressing my chest. “You’re done fighting now.” He raised the gun and hit me over the head with it where I blacked out.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[jadehuntressqueen]

Perfect Moments

Masterlist

You spun through the kitchen. Hair whipped in your face and fell back down. Music was blasting through your Bluetooth speaker and you shut your eyes in order to enjoy it more.

Unbeknownst to you, you had a spectator. A soft smile adorned his face as he watched you dance happily.

Arms suddenly wrapped around your waist, shocking you and causing you to stop. “Hey baby,” a voice whispered in your ear, “Mind if I join?”

His leisurely smile widened with your giggle. “Of course!” Hands took hold of yours and spun you through the kitchen. These moments were perfect.

[countrymusiclover]

5 - I Told You I'd Find You

Part 6

My Genius Prince

Tag list - @the-girl-wh0-cries-w0lf @random000000sblog

Spencer’s pov

Me, JJ, Malia and Emily had all piled into one of the vehicles. Leaving the rest of the team back at the station in case we were wrong and she was still missing. Getting out of the car I was the first one through the automatic hospital doors and to the front desk. “Can I help you, sir?”

“I’m with the FBI. We are responding to the call that we got saying someone was brought in.” I explained resting my hands on the countertop.

The nurse at the front desk looked at me. “Are you a friend of the family or actual family?”

“He’s her boyfriend. Now is my best friend here or not?” Malia came to stand right beside me not wanting to waste anymore time.

The nurse moved her mouse across the computer screen. “Okay I see it now. Yes, there was a girl brought in by a random driver.”

“Does she have a room number?” JJ asked her.

The brown haired nurse nodded pointing down the closet hallway. “Yes. Just down the hall two doors down. Room 318.”

“Thank you.” I nodded, feeling a tightness in my chest.

Malia bolted past me, not bothering to wait. “Rosalind!”

“Ms. Tames.” JJ warned her trying to cash after her.

Grabbing her shoulder I followed after her. “I’ll go with her….Malia! You can’t just run…”

“Spencer, she’s…she’s here. It’s her.” She clasped her hands together in front of her where I could see tears welling in her eyes.

Shifting my attention away from her, my whole body froze. My hands dropped to my sides with me keeping my focus on the tiny glass window in front of me. There was a girl laying in the bed clearly passed out from exhaustion. “Malia…”

“Is it her? It’s her right?” Malia tugged on my arm.

Silently staring at the girl it was without a doubt her. Her hair was sticking to her forehead and I could see some bruising. “Yeah it’s her…no doubt about it. She’s alive.” Mumbling under my breath I reached for the door handle slowly turning it and opening the door. I couldn’t describe what I was feeling at that moment. I just knew all the worries I had were now gone forever.

Rosalind’s pov

I could hear a monitor blinking in the background. I slowly opened my eyes but shut them when there was a bright light in my eyes. “Ugh…..Where am I?” I whispered to myself feeling very tired but had very little pain at the moment meaning I must be at the hospital and receiving pain meds.

“Roz!” I winced hearing someone cheer my name and whoever it was flung their arms around my neck hugging me tightly.

I froze for a second before I could register that it was my best friend. “M…Malia.” Wrapping my arms around her neck she sniffed into my hair.

“I can’t believe you’re here. I knew something was wrong when you were avoiding my messages.” She chuckled through happy tears.

Shifting my body weight up higher on the pillow I winced while holding my head and it had to be after I hit my head on the steering wheel of the truck I stole from my father. “Yeah I’d never leave you unread. Hey uh…could you get me some ice for my head?”

“Yeah of course.” She scrambled off the bed and quickly left the room.

Shutting my eyes I sighed, laying my head back further against the pillows. Dropping my hands down into my lap I felt someone watching me from the doorway. “Whoever is staring at me I’d suggest you say something before I start crying for help because there’s a stranger in my room.”

“Uh sorry, Rosalind. I just…” Turning my head in the direction of the voice a smile graced my face seeing Spencer standing in the doorway. His curly hair was a tousled mess and his clothes were slightly messy. I also could see some bags underneath his eyes meaning the search for me had taken a hit on him. “For the first time in my life I think I’m at a loss for words.”

Sniffing through happy tears I wanted nothing more than to jump into his arms. “Spencer….ah!” I winced trying to get out of the bed but I felt a pain in my thigh making me remain there.

“Rosalind…” He crossed the room so quickly I didn’t have the chance to blink. He gently but firmly wrapped his arms around my waist bringing me against his chest.

Moving my fingers up his chest I threaded my fingers through the fabric of his shirt. Feeling tears piling down my face I buried my face into his chest sobbing heavily. “Spence…”

“I should have stayed with you that night.” He mumbled through some tears of his own.

Shaking my head no, I knew he would start blaming himself for what happened to me. “Don’t do that, Spence.”

“But if I had just stayed.” He attempted again.

Breaking the hug slightly I held onto his shoulders staring into his brown eyes. “Spencer, this is not your fault. You couldn't have predicted my father would get an early release and come looking for me.”

“I just wish it didn’t happen to you, Roz.” He admitted lowering his gaze from mine briefly.

Running one hand through his I sent him a half smile. “You found me. That’s all that matters.”

“I did promise you didn’t I. Even though I don’t entirely understand the reference.” Spencer says back to me.

On that note an idea got inside my head. Separating from him I dug around for the tv remote finding it inside the table drawer. Scooting over to make room for him on the bed I pated the empty space beside me. “Let’s fix that then. Come on, sit down.”

“Wouldn’t you rather wait for Malia?” He asked me.

Shaking my head I didn’t care about whatever else was happening outside that room. All that matters is that we were back together. “Come on, Spence.”

“Okay but if one of my team members comes looking for me. I’ll have to talk with her.” He responded to me climbing to sit on the side of the bed.

Nodding in agreement I turned the tv on finding Netflix on there. Hitting play on the show named Once Upon a Time we began watching the intro. Prince Charming rides on a horse along a long stretch of land towards a forest. In the forest, he meets several dwarves gathered around a glass coffin. “You’re too late.”

We got an image of Snow laying in her coffin. “No. No! Open it.” Her prince was in denial.

The dwarf that was named Grumpy spoke. “I’m sorry, she’s gone.”

“At least let me say goodbye.” Charming lowered his head looking down at the love of his life before he put his attention back on the dwarfs.

The dwarfs remove the lid of the coffin letting him kiss Snow White, which causes the spell she was under to be broken. A pulse of magic spreads throughout the land. And with that one kiss of true love they all heard her gasp and open her eyes. “You… You found me.”

“Did you ever doubt I would?” Charming asked her helping her sit upright in the coffin.

She smiled gently, grabbing his forearm. “Truthfully, the glass coffin gave me pause.”

“Well, you never have to worry. I will always find you.” Charming gently cupped her face in his hands declaring lovingly.

She smiled lightly. “Do you promise?”

Charming smiled. “I do.”

“So that’s where the reference comes from.” Spencer replied with his hands in his lap.

Glancing in his direction I nodded, hitting pause on the tv remote. “Yeah. Now if there’s anything you want me to tell you just let me know. I’d have to guess you only know stuff that is in textbooks.”

“According to JJ I don’t know about a lot of things. She had to teach me what the term BFF means. I also didn’t know about this supposed vampire family named Cullen’s.” He rubbed the back of his neck, getting nervous.

Reaching for his hand I enjoyed that my small hand fits in his larger one. “Don’t worry we can teach each other new things all the time.”

“Excuse me, Ms. Mason. I’m sorry to interrupt.” We turned our heads and saw a nurse standing outside my hospital room carrying a clipboard against her chest.

Spencer sat upright more with his legs hanging over the side of the bed. “Is there something we need to do?”

“I was just coming to see if you had another emergency contact person.” She says to me,

Raising a brow at her. “Um no I don’t. My mother’s information should all be there in the file.”

“Oh it is, Ms. Maxon.” She said.

I still didn’t understand what the problem was. “I’m sorry then why are you asking about another emergency contact?”

“We attempted to call your mother but it appears her phone isn’t working. We’d just like to see if maybe she changed her number or something else happened before we tried again.” She explained to me.

Spencer squeezed my hand in his. “I think she would know if her mother changed her contact information.”

“I’ll have the front desk try again then.” The nurse turned on her heels leaving the two of us alone in the hospital room.

Brushing hair from my face I started getting worried at what she had asked us. “Spencer, I don’t like what she just said. My mother wouldn’t change her contact information. She already did that years ago. If she’s not answering her phone then something ain’t good especially since Malia probably told her she thought I was abducted.”

“You don’t have to worry about it. I’ll have our tech analyst back at my work to check it out.” He told me to move some messy hair out of my face.

Laying my head back down against his chest I gripped onto his shirt for comfort. “I just don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”

“If she’s as tough as you are then she should be fine.” He kisses my hair.

Letting myself get lost in my thoughts there was a faint memory that came across my mind. Lifting my head up I got more nervous than I was minutes ago. “Spencer, my dad said he would find my mother if he ever got out. Could that mean he?”

“I’ll have Garcia look into it. See if she gets any information.” He responded to me quickly leaving the room to go make the phone call for me.

Unknown to the pair a truck had pulled up outside the Maxon household. Somebody knocked on the front door causing Amanda Maxon to open the door not thinking anything of it. “Can I help you - Deacon!”

“Hello Mandy. Did you miss me?” He asked his wife standing on the front porch.

She slowly began backing up away from him. “What are you doing here. You’re supposed to be in jail.”

“Good behavior got me out. I paid our daughter a visit and she gave me this…I thought I’d show you that you clearly didn’t discipline her enough while I was gone.” Deacon stepped through the doorway with the limp in his leg and some bleeding from the wound he had.

Amanda reached down for her phone seeing that someone was calling her. “I’m calling the cops, Deacon.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Mandy.” She paused, taking in a sharp breath feeling the cold barrel of a gun pressing against her forehead. She slowly shifted her gaze back towards her ex husband. “You hang up that phone right now. You’re coming with me.”

“Okay.” She whispered knowing it was better not to argue with him. She just prayed that her daughter was safe and that she made it out of this alive if she was lucky.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[countrymusiclover]

2 - Call for Help

Part 3

My Genius Prince

Tag list - @the-girl-wh0-cries-w0lf

The next morning - Spencer’s pov

Walking into the FBI building I had been dialing Rosalind for a few hours since it was strange that she hadn't called me on my way into work this morning. Sitting down at my desk I sighed pressing the call button on the phone again but I heard the same response for the fifth time. “This is Rosalind, I can’t answer the phone now. Leave a message and I'll call ya back later.”

“Urgh! That's not right. It's can't be right.” Tossing my phone on the desk I ran my hands through my hair frustrated.

Footsteps came down the hallway and I lifted my head up seeing it was JJ. “Hey Spence, you okay. Something seems to have you pretty upset.” She pointed out standing in front of me.

“Uh.. There’s somebody missing that I care about and she's missing.” I sighed leaning back in my chair.

She tilted her head. “Is she a friend or girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend…” I croaked out feeling my chest tighten with fear.

An office door opened before she could say anything more. Garcia and Hotchner came out of his office. “We have a new case. Everyone in the briefing room now.” JJ and I followed them into the room seeing the rest of the team which included Morgan, Prentas, Hotch, Garcia, JJ and me.

“Okay, so this will sound odd. But the computer system has been blowing up a few minutes ago with a repeated message and now there’s a video that was all sent here. Specifically to Spencer’s email address.” Garcia explained once we were all in the conference room.

Hotch glanced over to her. “What else do you know about whoever sent the emails?”

“I wish I could say I had more to tell you. Sadly I haven’t recovered much. At least until I get to read through the emails and see if anything sticks out to me.” She sighed in disappointment.

I gulped feeling a lump in my throat. “Garcia uh…can I read over the emails with you?”

“I know that you can read them really fast but what do you think you’ll find that she can’t with her computer skills?” Emily asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

JJ sent me a half smile. “He claims that this woman is his girlfriend.”

“Wait a girlfriend. Are you serious? How do we not know about her - how do I not know anything about her?” Garcia put a hand over her heart in awe and somewhat of a betrayal that he didn’t tell them sooner.

Morgan smirked in my direction. “Pretty boy being a player over there. I wish I’d be saying congratulations under different circumstances.”

Clutching my hands into fists at my sides I could feel my whole body shaking while I attempted to get the words out. Thinking back to last night and what would have happened if I had just stayed like she asked. “I have a wealth of knowledge I should be applying to this case. Behavioral patterns of stalkers. Tactical recovery strategies. Victim survival odds. But right now I can't focus on anything more than 4 seconds at a time. Which makes me the dumbest person in the room. So...Please help me. Help me find her.”

“We don't know if we have a case. So we'll be working on personal time. Does anybody want to leave?” Hotch asked the others looking around and nobody said anything against it. “Good. Let's get to work.”

Everybody else had left the room but I felt Garcia reach down for my hand squeezing it gently. “Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”

“Yeah I know…I just hope she remembers what I taught her to buy her time so we can find her.” I sucked in a breath following her down to her office where she opened the door and I pulled in a chair from another desk.

Sitting down beside her she turned on her computer screen grabbing me a set of headphones. “Here, put these on and wait for my cue ... .so care to tell me about this girl before we see some dark things.”

“We’ve been dating for two years. I’m the only person besides her bestie Malia who calls her Roz ... .sorry I don’t really know what would be important until we look through the evidence.” Running a hand through my hair I sighed heavily.

She spun slightly in her chair. “Reid, I know you’re worried about this girl. But you just need to remember that this isn’t all just riding on you. This girl has to fight against the clock in her own way.”

“Yeah…there is one thing that sticks out to me about these photos.” I dropped my attention to the printed photos she had given me when we came into her office. One of the photos showed blood on the floor and a gun bullet laying at the edge of it. “Rosalind has gotten a gun after I taught her how to shoot. But she’d never actually hurt anybody with it.”

Garcia knitted her brows. “What does that have to do with the photo?”

“It means that our unsub has her gun and he’ll most likely use it against her again.” Tapping the fingers of my freehand on the desk I muttered under my breath, getting lost in my thoughts. “Please, please remember what I taught you Roz.”

Rosalind’s pov - One Year Ago

Spencer and I had decided that we would take turns on picking what we did on our next date. I had picked the last one so now it was his turn. He parked the car outside the gun range building that belonged to the FBI. Getting out of the car I gulped slightly nervously. “Are you sure we won’t get arrested with a non-federal agent being here?”

“Typically I would lose my job and you would be charged heavily. But don’t worry I lied and told my boss that it was just me coming to practice here today…uh after you.” He strides past me swinging open the door and gestured for me to go first like a gentleman.

I did a princess curtsey even though I was wearing jeans and sweatshirt going in before him and he showed me the direction we needed to go. “Thank you, sir. So what exactly is it I need to do here Agent Reid?”

“Plant your feet like this…” Spencer began explaining putting his feet slightly apart from each other in a fighting stance position almost. I moved my feet the exact same way he was still watching for his next movement.

He comes behind me handing me the handgun he had clipped to his belt. “So just like this?” I asked him to raise the firearm up with both hands slightly.

“Yeah, just a little higher here. Oh and you should keep this part since it will cock back when you fire.” Spencer moves my thumbnail off the back of the gun and he shows me the part that comes back when he removes a bullet out and returns it back to how it was.

Raising my hands again he moves behind me to my suprise where I could feel his front almost against my back. “Hotch told me when I was doing my practices to not lower your weapon so quickly to see where you hit.”

“Because it takes away your focus on the target at hand.” I added onto his statement.

He nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Okay. I’m gonna give it a try.” I lifted my gaze up to his chocolate brown eyes where he took a few steps backwards from me. Raising the firearm back up I sucked in a breath slowly pulling the trigger. My whole body shook the first time it fired but I released a breath firing a couple more shots. “Woah…how was that?”

Spencer hit the button and the practice target slid forward showing us that two of the three bullets I had fired ended up almost dead center in the person’s chest. “That’s actually a lot better than I was the first couple of times. I didn’t get good until Hotch and I were held hostage by an unsub that I had to shoot.”

“Dang Reid. One of these days I hope I’ll get to meet your team.” I handed him back his gun hearing the door open meaning somebody else was coming in. “Uh somebody’s coming.”

Spencer grabs my hand and we quickly begin running towards a different door and towards his car. “Get in the car….I didn’t expect anyone to come in here right now.” He ran his hands through his hair sighing against the seat.

“Guess it makes this a weird end to our third date huh?” Glancing over at him I sent him a small smile.

He raised a curious brow. “Is there any way to salvage it, Rosalind?”

“Yeah there is, Spencer.” I smiled brightly before he leaned across the seat and kissed me slowly. Wrapping my arms around his neck I kissed him back thinking this wasn’t a bad date in my opinion.

Blinking my eyes opened I moaned feeling some dizziness in my head. It took me a second to regain my vision when I started to see that I was in a barely lit room inside of an old wooden cabin. I attempted to move around but I winced feeling something bond to my wrists. “Urgh! What the…why did he bound me?”

A door creaked opened where I quickly lifted my head upright seeing my father coming in carrying something behind his back like earlier back at my house. “Finally you’re awake. I was worried I’d start to have to call you Sleeping Beauty instead of Cinderella.”

“What do you want from me and how did you get released from jail so early?” I questioned him knowing that he had tried to hurt me when I was six years old.

My father Deacon smirked. “I decided to be on my best behavior. All because I knew it would get me back to you.”

“Even though you knew I had no desire to see you. You do realize I’m not six years old anymore.” I spat at him trying to snap the rope restraints that had tied me down to the wooden chair.

He walked forward revealing something behind his back. One object in each hand but the one in his right scared me more since it was the same gun he hit me with before I blacked out. “You might not be able to fit into your old dress so that’s why I found this one. You’re wondering what I want…I want you to go back before she snitched and ruined what we had.” He held a bright blue dress out in front of his chest in his left hand.

“What makes you think that I’ll just go along with what you say?” I questioned him.

He pointed the gun straight at me. “This doesn’t give you much of a choice. So you do what I say or things will get ugly.” I gulped, figuring there was some hope that Spencer and his team would find me. I had to play his game.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[captainsophiestark]

Children

Maxon Schreave x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Fandom: The Selection Series

Requested: Yes, by @bandshirts-andbooks​

Request: Hello!! Idk if you’re taking requests rn, but if you are could you please make a Maxon x reader where Maxon sees how the reader acts around kids and he falls in love? The setting could be whenever, but maybe when Queen Amberly’s family visits? Thank you so much, your writing is amazing! :)

Summary: Y/N's part of the selection, and she and Maxon have a great relationship, but court politics can get a little tiring. The perfect break comes in the form of a pack of children when Queen Amberly's sister comes to visit, and luckily for Y/N, it might lead to more than just the break she'd bargained for.

Word Count: 1,604

Category: Fluff

A/N: As someone who very recently had a pack of children shouting "kill the babysitter" at me as they tried to tackle me and attack me with pillows, this fic hit close to home and was VERY fun to write lol.

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Rargh! You better watch out, the monster is going to get you!" I raised my arms over my head and waved them exaggeratedly, taking a few big, lumbering steps towards the group of children in front of me. They all giggled and ran away, hiding in the stacks of the library.

I smiled to myself. Being part of the Selection had a lot of ups and downs, especially when visiting royalty came to town. Queen Amberly's family, on the other hand, was the absolute best perk of the competition so far.

Running around in the library with six children who didn't care one bit about court politics was exactly the break I needed from everything else going on around here.

I walked slowly into the stacks, keeping an eye out for any sign of the kids. They ranged in age from twelve to four, which meant some of them were a lot better at sneaking and hiding than the others. I grinned as I heard some giggles from the stack next to me, followed by frantic shushing.

"Let's see... where'd they all go?" I called as I walked through the stacks. I heard another round of giggles, and as soon as I cleared the last row of stacks going towards the door and the tables, I got rushed by a crowd of children coming at me from both sides.

"GET HER!" called one of the boys. Next thing I knew, I had children hanging from both of my arms and legs, and a few grabbing me around the waist, all of them trying to bring me down to the ground. I laughed as I struggled to keep walking, despite the children's best efforts at a group tackle. I was wearing a dress, which was a serious hinderance, but thankfully I was still stronger than a pack of rabid children.

"Rahhhh! I can never be stopped!" I yelled, managing another step forward towards the door. I had no idea where I was going, but I knew if I gave up my momentum, it wouldn't be long before I hit the ground.

"Come on! Don't let her escape!" called the twelve year old. The little ones attacked me with renewed vigor, and I got so caught up laughing that I couldn't stay up any longer. The kids took me to the ground, and I cackled with laughter as they jumped on top of me to pin me down.

"What's going on in here?"

I looked up at the sound of an amused voice to find none other than Prince Maxon Schreave standing in the doorway, looking at me with a smile. I grinned right back at him, then spoke.

"Guys, GET MAXON! He's the monster, we have to get him!" I cried, pointing an accusing finger towards the prince. The kids, absolutely delighted to have a target painted on their cousin, wasted no time before hopping off me and launching themselves at him.

"Nooooo!" shouted Maxon, throwing his arms up in the air dramatically with a smile still on his face. A few of the younger ones latched on around his biceps, and he lifted them into the air like he was doing an overhead press. They giggled maniacally, and I just watched for a few beats with a smile before standing up myself.

"Alright, I've got my breath back," I said. "I'm coming to help my fellow monster!"

I rushed over and grabbed one of the kids around the waist, lifting her up and spinning her around as I pulled her off Maxon. A few of the kids broke off their attack on him to refocus on me, and Maxon and I laughed as we fended them off in packs. We carried on, lifting them up in the air and spinning them around, only to throw them onto a bench full of cushions, all of us cackling with laughter the entire time.

Eventually, just as I was truly getting too tired to keep up with six kids, the door to the library swung open again. Adele, Queen Amberly's sister, came through, smiling at all of us when she caught sight of the scene in front of her.

"It looks like you've all been having fun," she said with a grin. A few kids were still hanging off Maxon, and the others were still wrapped around me.

"We have," I replied, taking a few lumbering steps towards Adele with the kids still hanging from my skirts. "Your kids are very good monster-hunters."

Adele smiled, and the kids giggled as they finally let go of me and ran to their mother. The two hanging from Maxon's biceps didn't let go, and he swung them over to her before coming to stand beside me.

"Well, I'm glad they found someone they could play with," she said with a smile. "But now it's time for bed! Come on kids, you can keep attacking Maxon and Y/N in the morning."

The kids followed with minimal grumbling, which I thought was actually pretty impressive. Adele shot Maxon and I a last grin before shutting the door behind her and the last of her kids. I still had a smile on my face, and I turned to Maxon to share it only to find him already looking at me.

He had a slightly dreamy expression on his face, and he didn't look away from me even as a slight blush rose to his cheeks.

"What?" I asked. He just smiled and shook his head.

"Just... you. The way you are with all the kids. It's... well, it's wonderful to see."

"I could say the same thing about you! I don't know many princes, but I can't imagine many of them would respond well to someone sicking a pack of children on them," I teased, leaning in to give his shoulder a nudge. He just kept smiling at me, his eyes never once leaving my face.

"I... apologize, if this isn't the most tactful way to say this, but... I think I'm in love with you."

My heart stopped, and my mouth dropped open as I tried to process Maxon's declaration. Sure, the idea behind the Selection was for the prince to find love, and we'd had plenty of good interactions before this one, but to think I was the one he'd fallen for, out of all the people here...

"Maxon... are you serious?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I didn't quite dare to believe it, but as Maxon stepped closer and took my hands in his I felt a spark run through my whole body.

"Y/N, I swear to you, I am completely serious. I didn't know what to expect going into this competition, but I hoped desperately to find love. I've never... well, I've never experienced something like this before, but since the first night I met you, you've become my best friend. And after spending so much time with you, and seeing you today... I can't imagine anything better than being in love with your best friend."

I absolutely melted as his words sunk in. I smiled sheepishly at him, and although he looked nervous, he smiled back at me.

"Maxon, maybe it's not obvious, but I love you too. So, so much. I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

Maxon's face broke out in a massive grin. He gently pulled me closer to him, wrapping one arm around my waist. I rested my hand on his cheek, and I could see the nerves written clearly all over his face.

"You are everything I hoped you'd be and more, Maxon," I said quietly, meeting his eyes to make sure he understood I meant every word. "My heart is yours, and if you decide you feel the same, I will gladly walk every step of the rest of my life with you."

"I feel like that was supposed to be my line," said Maxon, his voice coming out in a breathy laugh. He leaned closer to rest his forehead against mine, still looking into my eyes as he continued. "I truly could not think of another person I'd want to have as a constant in the rest of my life, my dear."

I was absolutely beaming, especially as Maxon glanced down at my lips. I ran my hand up into his hair, and his arm tightened around me as we slowly brought our lips together.  It was soft, and sweet, and everything I'd dreamed it might be from the first day I met him.

When we eventually broke apart, Maxon and I were both a little breathless. We grinned at each other like fools, and after we caught our breath a bit, I couldn't stop myself from leaning back in and kissing him again.

Overall, we were going to be doing a lot more kissing now that I knew exactly how Maxon felt. Against all odds, I'd really managed to find love in the middle of the Selection.

Thank goodness for that pack of maniac kids.

[captainsophiestark]

Nor’Easter

Maxon Schreave x Reader

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Fandom: The Selection Series

Prompt: Maxon Schreave + Nor’Easter

Summary: Y/N lives in Waverly, one of the North Eastern provinces of Illéa. Their parents are out of town, so they're on their own to prepare for another of the trademark storms of the region. It's nothing new to them, and they're ready and settled in at the beginning of the night as the wind picks up and the snow starts falling. However, not everyone is so aware of the harsh weather of the North East. Y/N's life might just chance forever when a certain Prince of Illéa gets stuck in the snow.

Word Count: 3,499

Category: Fluff

A/N: I know the Selection is a super niche fandom (although apparently it’s getting a movie?), but Maxon is one of my OG fictional crushes, and I’ve been wanting to write for him forever. Hopefully some of you also read those books and fell in love with him lol

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Y/N? Are you down here?"

I almost whacked my head on the stair above me at the sound of my neighbor's voice. I'd been digging around in the basement, gathering supplies for a coming winter storm, and I hadn't heard them come in.

"Yes, I'm here! I'll be up in just a second!"

I grabbed the buckets I'd come down to find, then hauled them upstairs to find my neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Whitney, waiting with smiling faces in my living room.

"Sorry to burst in on you like this, dear," said Mrs. Whitney. "We just wanted to make sure you were ready for the storm this afternoon."

"Looks like you're already more prepared then we are," laughed Mr. Whitney as I moved to start filling the buckets with water. A power outage might mean we couldn't get running water, so I needed to get as much of it as I could now just in case I couldn't get it later. "We thought we'd offer for you to come stay with us for the storm, but it looks like you're more than prepared here."

I turned and smiled at my neighbors, taking a break from my preparations. They were total sweethearts, and they'd been checking in on me regularly since my parents had left for business last week.

"Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Whitney, but I'm alright. I've got everything I could possibly need ready to go here," I said.

"Alright, if you're sure," said Mrs. Whitney. "Just know you're always welcome to change your mind."

I nodded, and they started heading for the door.

"You know, it's a real shame this storm's interrupting the royal visit," started Mr. Whitney, his tone teasing. "You're going to be stuck in here instead of running into dashing princes."

I scoffed, and I could tell from the laughs of my neighbors that it was exactly the reaction they were expecting.

"Oh yeah, what a loss," I said sarcastically.

"You know, I actually feel a little bad for those royals and their entourage," said Mrs. Whitney as she and her husband reached the door. "They come all the way out to Waverly to visit the people, and instead they're stuck inside thanks to the Waverly Winter."

"Yeah, those poor babies," I said, following my neighbors to the door. "How horrible, to have to sit out a storm in one of the most luxurious hotels in the country. They'll probably think it's some fascinating display of nature, and not any kind of real problem like the rest of us have to deal with."

My neighbors shared a look, but wisely didn't argue with me. They knew I didn't completely hate our government; I just got frustrated with how little they knew about the real world.

Mr. and Mrs. Whitney gave me one last wave as they headed down the walk and back to their own house, and I stayed at the door long enough to see them off. Then, I didn't waste another second in finishing my preparations. This storm was coming, and I wasn't about to be caught unprepared.

****************

Not quite twelve hours later, I was sitting in my living room, curled up with a cup of tea and a book as the storm raged around me. It had just gotten bad about half an hour ago, and I knew we were in for far worse as the night went on, but since the power hadn't even gone out yet I was still enjoying myself.

The wind howled outside through the deserted streets, so hard the snow was coming down sideways. These storms were just part of life in Waverly, and it brought me a weird sense of comfort sometimes to think about. People had lived through storms like this for generations, before Illéa even existed, and they'd continue to live through them after we were long gone.

It was a universal constant, no matter the state of the world.

I finished the chapter of my book I was working on and set it down, deciding to take a peek outside at just how bad things had gotten. Storms like this one could dump an insane amount of snow in a very short amount of time, and this one was no different. It looked like there was already half a foot outside, with the wind already whipping up some nasty drifts.

I was just about to turn away from the window and go back to my reading when some movement out in the snow caught my eye. The trees were whipping around like crazy, but a dark shape a little closer to street level was moving too. I looked closer and realized it was a person, trudging through the storm all on their own.

"What the hell is that dumbass doing?" I muttered to myself, watching the person take a few struggling steps down the street. One of the trademarks of Waverly storms was the high winds that were enough to knock you right off your feet. I watched for a few more seconds, then shook my head and moved to get my coat.

"Idiot's going to get us both frostbite," I grumbled, lacing up my boots and bundling up as well as I could. Whoever that person was, they weren't from this neighborhood, which meant they needed a place to stay. As irritating as it was, I couldn't just leave them out there in the storm.

I shoved open my door and took care to shut it behind me, hoping to keep the ice and snow from getting inside. The wind cut right through my clothes, even though they were designed for winters like this, and I was already freezing as I trudged through the snow towards the figure.

"Hey!" I yelled, screaming to be heard over the wind. The figure barely glanced up, and I could finally make out enough of the person's figure to tell they were a guy. Their face was mostly covered, so I still couldn't see much else, even as I reached his side. "You need to come inside! Like, now!"

The man hesitated for a second, but then nodded. He was shivering like a leaf, so I wrapped one arm around him and helped lead him towards my front door. I had to wrestle with the wind to wrench the door open, but I managed it, and the two of us stumbled inside. I slammed the door as quickly as I could, shoving a few towels into the cracks to help keep the wind from coming through.

"Alright, come here," I said, gesturing for the man to follow me as I shed my winter clothes and headed for the kitchen. "You need to warm up as soon as possible. Take off your wet clothes and come sit by the fire here while I make you some tea."

I didn't hear anything for a minute, but then the guy shed his coat and did as I said. His coat was of pretty good quality, so I doubted his clothes were wet underneath, and I assumed I was right as I heard him sit down behind me at the table.

"Thank you," he said quietly. His voice was oddly familiar, but I didn't think anything of it as I put the tea on the stove. Thankfully, we were early enough in the storm that power and water were still functioning.

"No problem. I couldn't exactly leave you to freeze out there, could I? Now, you wanna tell me what the hell you were doing out there in the first place?"

I finished the preparations for the tea, then turned to take a good look at my visitor now that the coat, scarf, and hat were off his face. He was staring at me, and my mouth dropped open in shock as I realized I recognized the warm brown eyes watching me so intently.

Prince Maxon Schreave was the dumbass from the storm, now sitting in my kitchen.

The prince gave a small laugh when he saw my expression.

"I see I'm still plenty recognizable even after almost freezing to death," he joked. I didn't say anything, my brain slowly taking stock of the situation I now found myself in. The prince was still shivering, although he was smiling. I'd just saved his life, and gotten him out of a situation he wouldn't have been in if he and his palace weren't complete idiots. He didn't have any royal guards with him, and he seemed to be in a friendly enough mood.

Worth the risk to not spend the next however long kowtowing to him.

"Who the hell let you out long enough to get yourself stuck in the storm like that?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips and glaring at the man before me. He seemed shocked at my brazen attitude, but his smile quickly returned when he realized I was done being star struck.

"I'm afraid I only have myself to blame," he said, teeth still chattering a little as he spoke. "I wanted to spend some time getting to know the people and their lives better than I do in the palace, and I thought a cold winter would be the perfect excuse to bundle up and meet people without their knowing that I'm the prince getting in the way of anything."

I just blinked a few times, not quite able to believe the man in front of me. He'd been trying to fix exactly the thing I liked to complain about most, but he'd done it in a way that just reinforced how obliviously stupid everyone in the palace was.

"That is... insanely ironic," I finally said. The prince raised his eyebrows, but I just ignored him as the teapot sang behind me. I turned around to finish fixing it, handing it to the prince while it was still steaming hot. He held it close to his chest, no doubt trying to get as much warmth from it as he could.

"Thank you," he said, and I could tell he meant it. He was more kind, more humble and honest, than I'd been expecting of the prince of Illéa. Combined with his good looks, I'd be lying if I said my heart wasn't fluttering in my chest.

Still, none of it made him any less of an idiot.

"I'm going to go get you some warmer clothes and blankets to layer on," I said, heading towards the bedroom. "Stay by the fire as much as you can."

He nodded, and I left, shaking my head at the situation I now found myself in. Mr. and Mrs. Whitney would never stop talking about it if they found out.

I came back to find the prince exactly where I'd left him, hovering in front of the fire and sipping his tea. I handed him the stack of sweaters and blankets I'd dug up, and he took them with a grateful look at me.

"Thank you, again," he said. "And I apologize for being so rude as to not ask this earlier, but what is your name?"

I felt heat rising to my cheeks as he looked at me with that earnest, kind stare. I tried to ignore the feeling, focusing on just how we'd both ended up in this situation instead, but even that was starting to become endearing.

"Y/N Y/L/N," I said simply. "And of course, I know who you are, Prince Maxon."

"Please, just call me Maxon. I haven't been feeling very princely since I almost got myself killed in that storm."

I cracked a small smile, the first since he'd come inside, and leaned back against the counter.

"Yeah, about that... no offense or anything, but have none of you ever heard of the storms we get in Waverly? They're old, like... old old. I can't believe you've never heard of them."

Maxon just gave me a sheepish smile and shrugged.

"We don't know much about the everyday things going on outside the walls of the palace," he said. "That's why I wanted to come out here in the first place. I suppose I should've done a little more research first, since I won't be of use to anyone if I manage to get myself killed."

I snorted a laugh. "Yeah, that's for sure."

Maxon just sipped his tea, carefully keeping his eyes off me, and I noticed a slight blush rising to his face. I sighed, then pushed off the counter to take the seat next to him.

"Look, honestly, you and everyone in the palace should've been smarter than this," I said simply. "And, as someone who lives here and has had two decades to see how out of touch the palace is, you're going to get a deserved amount of teasing about it. But, I think it's really cool that you're trying to change that. And since we have nothing else to do while we wait for this storm to pass... well, I was thinking I could help you learn a thing or two about your kingdom. Or, about Waverly, at least."

About halfway through my speech, Maxon had looked up at me, a smile slowly spreading on his face as I spoke.

"I would love that," he said, his eyes never leaving mine. "Thank you, Y/N."

I smiled back, unable to help it at the sweet look on his face.

"Sure thing. Like I said, we've got some time to kill now that you've gone and gotten yourself snowbound here."

****************

The first hour or so was a little awkward. Maxon and I sat at the table in the kitchen, going over daily life as he slowly warmed up and I slowly got more comfortable around him. By the third hour of the storm, we were sprawled out in the living room, laughing and talking about more than just the daily ins and outs of life in Waverly.

As the sun went down, Maxon and I headed back to the kitchen, and he helped me cook dinner. He didn't completely know what he was doing, but he had enough competency to be a good assistant chef, and he actually managed to make cooking fun which was something I never thought I'd say. We finally sat down to eat, and I barely noticed the storm raging outside as I chatted with the blond prince.

After dinner, Maxon and I passed time playing stupid board games all night. His smile and friendly attitude were infectious, and I found myself not wanting to go to bed, even as the clock ticked towards midnight.

"HA! Take that!" I yelled, taking Maxon's king in our most recent game of chess. We were both horrible at it, but that only made it more fun.

"Damn. It's a good thing for me chess has nothing to do with actually maintaining the kingdom, isn't it?" he joked. I grinned at him as I dropped the king piece into the bag it came from, then leaned back on my hands and looked at Maxon. He gave me a tired smile, which I returned, and as hard as I tried, I wasn't able to hold back a yawn. "I think it might be time for bed."

"Yeah, I guess so." I started cleaning up the chess pieces while Maxon did the same with some of the other board games we'd played. "You know, I'm sorry you got stuck in the storm like that, but I'm actually glad you ended up here. It's been more fun hanging out with you than it would have been just reading in my chair all night."

"And it's been infinitely more fun learning about the kingdom from you than it would have been to learn about it in any other way," he said softly, standing and holding out a hand to help me up. I took it, but once I was on my feet, neither of us let go.

"You know, it's probably going to be pretty cold tonight," I said, never once taking my eyes off Maxon's. We were chest to chest, and I felt my heart racing just looking at him. "If you want, it might be warmer if we, you know, shared a bed."

Maxon blushed, but agreed with a smile. We both got ready for bed, and we didn't do anything more than cuddle, but even spending the night surrounded by his arms and tucked into his chest was enough to have me feeling giddy the next morning.

I woke up slowly, the sound of the wind still howling around the house. Maxon was still asleep, and his chest rose and fell slowly with each breath. I smiled, still not quite believing this was real.

My slow morning was interrupted by a pounding at the door. I shot up, waking Maxon as I did, and stared straight ahead. Who the hell was outside now?

"What's that?" asked Maxon, his words slurred a little since he was still sleepy as he sat up.

"I don't know. You're the only idiot I know who'd be out in this storm."

Maxon smiled and shook his head, but at the sound of more pounding on the door, we both got up and quickly got dressed. We moved through the house back towards the front door, creeping forward to see who it could be.

I stopped just short of the front of the house, peeking around the corner to see a whole group of men in uniform circling my house. I turned to Maxon, an edge of panic starting to creep in.

"Do you know who they are?" I asked. He nodded, wrapping his arms around me at the nerves in my voice.

"They're here for me. They're my protection from the palace. I think I gave them quite a scare when I didn't come back last night."

I nodded, relief flooding me as Maxon moved past me to open the door. As soon as he did, the house became a whirlwind of activity as somewhere near twenty people moved inside, looking him over and scanning the house for any threats. A few of them tried to question me, but Maxon quickly put a stop to that.

Not long after they arrived, all the people started heading for the door again, hustling Maxon out with them. Despite not being aware the storm was coming, they'd managed to find a way to get through the snow and wind long enough to retrieve the prince, and now they were going back to wherever they'd come from.

I smiled sadly as they hustled Maxon towards the door, expecting that to be the end. But he shook off the guards, ordering them to wait, before turning back to me with a hesitant look on his face.

"Y/N... I hate to leave you here in the middle of all this, alone..."

"I'll be fine," I said, waving him off even as my heart clenched. "I still have plenty of my book left to read, and I'm used to this."

He nodded, but took a few cautious steps towards me.

"I have no doubt that you'd be perfectly fine here, on your own. However, I learned so much from you in just one night, and... well, if you'd be interested, I'd love to have you come with me and teach me more. It's obvious that I won't be getting out into the streets here anytime soon, and, well, quite frankly... I'd like to spend some more time with you."

A smile broke out across my face at his words. I was nervous, surrounded by all these soldiers staring at us so intently, but against all odds I really did like Maxon. I wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet.

"Alright, I'm in," I said, and the smile that broke out on his face was enough to warm every inch of my body, even with the cold draft the soldiers had let in. "After all, you need someone familiar with Waverly if you want to survive this place."

Maxon just kept smiling and held out his hand to me. I took it, my heart hammering in my chest, and we walked out the door together. I had no idea where this was going, or how long it might last, but I was going to treasure every moment of it.

My parents would never believe it when I told them about my new relationship with Prince Maxon Schreave.