Maxon's POV! I hope you guys like it, I started this before The One, so that explains why some characters are there, etc... This is my first real fanfic, so please review so I can improve!

I was making my last rounds around the Great Room thanking all the guests when my mother appeared by my side and pulled me in for a big hug.

"Congratulations, Maxon. I always knew you would make the right choice."

I pulled back, blushing a little, as I could not agree more.

"Thanks, mom" I gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Why don't you two run along now, your father and I can finish the goodbyes."

I turned, in search of my beautiful bride, America. She was in the corner hugging Princess Nicoletta from Italy, and she looked so thankful. Just as Nicoletta walked away with one last "Ciao darling!", I snuck up behind America and wrapped my arms around her, my chest to her back. She was startled, but as soon as she recognized that it was my arms around her, all the tension melted away from her body. She leaned back a bit, placing her hands over mine, and gazed her cool blue eyes over her shoulder and right into my eyes.

Her stare was so many emotions mixed into one. Through her eyes, I could see how happy, truly happy, she was that this day was everything we had hoped, and grateful for all the festivities. I could see her exhaustion from being up so late, though I could tell she was trying to hide it. Her eyes also showed the tiniest glint of excitement, probably from what we both knew was about to happen next. It was amazing how much I could tell from that one stare.

"C'mon," I nudged her. "Let's go upstairs."

I held fast to one of her hands, twirling her so she was out of my embrace, her white dress floating around her. America giggled and squeezed my hand. We were silent on the way up to my room, but it was a beautiful silence, both of us, hand in hand, thinking about the events of the day.

Just before we approached my door, America abruptly turned to me, ducked her head, but looked up at me adoringly from under her lashes and whispered a heartfelt, "Thank you, for everything."

She didn't need to say any more; everything was understood. Thank you for taking me and my family away from the lifestyle of Fives. Thank you for letting me stay after we both doubted and distrusted each other so much. Thank you for letting me cry in your arms when life seemed to be too much to bear. Thank you for loving me.

I pulled her in close to me; holding both of her hands, placed my forehead on hers, and murmured, "Anything for you, America Schreave."

With that, America leaned up on her toes towards me and kissed me. I was grateful the guards had been given orders to give us some space tonight, because neither of us wanted to get very personal in front of other people. Tonight was our night.

America's arms snaked up around my neck and I placed my hands on the small of her back, pulling her towards me. I opened my eyes for a brief second to ask myself, is this real? America looked absolutely magnificent in her floor-length ball gown and brilliant red hair pulled up into a delicate braid wrapped around her head. She looked like a princess; my princess.

Still standing in the hall outside my bedroom, I cautiously guided America over to my door, our lips never parting. She felt wonderful and alive against my mouth as I gently pinned her back against the door with my body, my hands on the door, on either side of her head. She moaned softly and it felt like we needed to be closer, to be bound together. I reached past America's waist and slowly turned the knob and pressed the door open. We slowly made our way to my bed, seemingly dancing together, our bodies synchronized.

I sat on the edge of the bed and America gradually guided me down, leaning over me. I looked into her twinkling eyes, and a smile spread across my face, I could not have possibly been any happier in this moment.

Suddenly I broke our embrace and scooped America up my arms.

"Maxon!" She protested, but I walked over and placed her on a chair in front of my mirror. Stuck in the side of the frame of the mirror was one of my favorite pictures of America. I had just poked her side, her ticklish spot, and she was just bursting into laughter when I snapped the lens of my camera. The picture captured her radiant smile and her red hair, its lazy curls bouncing away from her face. It was stunning, truly.

I faced her towards the mirror, standing behind her, and began to work the pins out of her hair. "Mmm..." America closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulders as I slowly combed my hands through her hair, mesmerized by its beauty. Once they were all out, her hair forming a halo of curls around her face, she turned towards me with a mischievous smile, jumped up, and tackled me!

Shocked by the sudden movement, I let out an exasperated sound and tumbled backwards, but caught America, laughing, on top of me.

"That's for whisking me away so abruptly before" she said with a smile, planting a kiss firmly on my lips. I quickly rolled over, pinning her beneath me and kissed her long, and hard.

"And THAT'S for tackling me!" I responded. Both laughing, we searched each other's eyes. The moon's light fell across her face in a way that made me feel as if I were seeing her for the first time, and I got butterflies in my stomach.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" America accused.

"You're just..." I was at a loss for words. How could I express to her how sincerely beautiful she was in just one word? "...perfect," I finally concluded.

She leaned in for another kiss and we slowly stood up together. I guided her back to my bed, and sat, cradling her in my lap. Her arms, which were lazily draped around my neck, now guided mine to the back of her dress. I played with the zipper for a moment before pulling back to ask her a question.

"America...you're sure you're ok with this? I really don't want to push you if you're uncomfortable."

She looked into my eyes with a kind of amazement I loved and whispered, "I trust you. I love you," before leaning back into a passionate kiss.

That was all the encouragement I needed. My shaky fingers slowly unzipped the back of her dress, but I clumsily got it caught in the lace a few times. America giggled, but continued to kiss me. I finally got the zipper all the way down and tenderly tugged the sleeveless straps off her shoulders. I stood her up and placed her on the ground next to me, at which point her dress slowly slid down to the floor and she stepped out of her shoes. This didn't make her that much shorter, she'd always hated wearing super high heels.

It then occurred to me that she was no longer wearing her dress and she looked...beautiful. Her face had turned a little red and she was looking at the floor as if she were embarrassed. I wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her to me and put my other hand under her chin and tilted her face up to look at mine.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. I couldn't ask for a more beautiful wife."

That eased a small smile out of her, and I leaned down to gently kiss her forehead. She laced one of her hands through my hair and pulled me down for a real kiss. With her other hand, she began undoing the buttons of my shirt. She was shaking a little and struggling with just one hand, so I helped her, putting my hands over hers, never breaking our kiss.

Once my shirt was on the ground next to her dress, America lightly ran one of her hands over my strong chest and stomach, leaving a trail of fire wherever her fingers touched. I was nervous the scars on my back would repulse her, and I didn't want her to have to see them again, to be reminded of the pain I had gone through. She tentatively wrapped her arms around my back, and gently ran both her hands down the length of my back, over the uneven scars. I jerked away from the touch, I was only used to pain whenever anyone touched my back.

"Sorry," I muttered, running my hand through my hair and looking down.

"Shh, it's ok," America sensed how tense I was. She wrapped her arms around me again and stared into my eyes and said, "No one will hurt you now. You have me to protect you, and I swear on my life I will never let him touch you again."

This made my eyes a little watery. Never in my life did I think I would be so lucky to find someone who loved me as dearly as America did. I mustered out a weak "thank you" and could not have felt more vulnerable at that moment. But I knew America would never take advantage of that.

I wiped my eyes and leaned back down to kiss America. We walked back over to the bed, and I laid down, pulling her on top of me. I wrapped my arms low around her waist, and our bare skin pressed together created a kind of electricity that deepened our kiss. But there was still one layer between our chests.

My arms slowly moved up the curve of her torso, until my hands rested on the clasp of her bra. I felt her tense up, so I stopped and looked into her eyes. They were so mesmerizing and beautiful, I couldn't look away. She gave me what seemed like the "okay" signal to continue by leaning in again into our deep kiss. I made quick work of the clasp and slowly sat up before removing it, so she was sitting on my lap facing me, with her legs straddled around my waist and her arms wrapped around my shoulders. America lowered her arms and let her bra drop down in between us. I couldn't help but stare. She quickly put her hands through my hair and laid back down on top of me for another kiss, this time our bare chests pressed against each other, and god, did she feel good. I let out a quiet moan as America took the lead and rolled us over so I was on top of her.

I propped myself up a little so that all of my weight wasn't on her, and she took this opportunity to reach down and unbutton my pants. As she unzipped them, I broke the kiss and looked down at her again... I couldn't help myself. America noticed and scolded me.

"Maxon! Stop looking at me like that!"

"My love," I gazed into her angry yet playful eyes. "Don't blame me for appreciating the beauties of nature," I reasoned with a boyish smirk on my face.

She had had enough, and got let me know by sharply sliding my pants down my legs so they rested above my knees. I quickly rolled over and sat up to pull my pants the rest of the way down and threw them on the ground near my shirt. I laid back down on top of her and decided that it was time to have fun.

I began by kissing her neck, which elicited a moan from her that added to my excitement. I worked my way down, kissing from her neck to her shoulder to the middle of her chest. It was then that I moved my mouth over one of her breasts, and put my hand on the other. I kissed and sucked her one side while massaging the other. America let out a small gasp of pleasure moaned my name, and her hips pressed against mine. I eventually switched sides, and got a good reaction out of her from that, too. Her hands were running through my hair and her legs were wrapped around my waist, and I could feel her warmth pressed into me. After a few minutes of this, I moved back up to her lips and began kissing her, slowly, tenderly, treasuring every moment I had with her. I rolled off of her and onto my side and she turned on her side to face me, our faces centimeters away from each other.

"I love you, Maxon."

"I love you, America."

"How much?" She asked deviously.

"What?"

"How much do you love me?"

How could I express to her how much she meant to me? I thought for a moment then closed my eyes and whispered, "America, you are the rainbow that comes after a thunderstorm, the ray of light that first signals the dawn, you are laughter in the midst of sadness, silence in the midst of chaos, and—"

But then my breathing hitched and I couldn't think straight. Without me noticing, America had reached into my boxers and grabbed me. Not roughly, but she was holding me and her warm hand was like nothing I had ever experienced before. She gave me one mysterious glance before slowly crawling down the bed towards my feet and slowly sliding my boxers down my legs. I was now fully exposed, and she could see just how excited I was. I began to tremble in anticipation as she lowered her mouth over my length.

The noise I let out was not one I was proud of. I was moaning, my hands running through her long hair, as America's mouth moved slowly but thoroughly over me. The feeling was one of pure ecstasy, how could she make me feel so good if she'd never done this before? I let her continue for a few minutes before pulling away and pulling her face back up near mine.

"You've never done that before, have you?" I teased her.

Her face turned bright red. "No! Why? Was it bad? I swear, I've never—"

I kissed her quickly and reassured her, "No, no America, it was perfect. You were just very good at it, that's all." Now was my turn for my face to become bright red.

America giggled lightly and laid down on top of me again, wrapping her arms around the back of my neck and pressing her forehead to mine. We were both completely undressed at this point, and it felt amazing. As I wrapped my arms low around her back, she felt so delicate to me. As much as I wanted to go further and further tonight, I really didn't want to hurt her. I knew how badly it felt to be hurt by someone you love, and while this pain may not be a form of abuse, I never wanted to be put in the shoes of hurting my dear America. I had heard stories of women feeling awful pain their first time, and I couldn't bear to be the one that caused her that.

America must have sensed my worry, she knows me too well. "Maxon, what are you thinking about? I can tell your mind is racing."

"I just... I just really don't want to hurt you tonight. I know how we both feel about each other and that I want to go further, and you probably do too, but I can't stand to see you in pain. It breaks my heart knowing that I'll be the one hurting you." My eyes got a bit watery, and I cursed them for showing how truly worried I was. "Being hurt by someone you love is the worst kind of pain," I told her thickly.

"I know Maxon, I've been in love before and it didn't end well for me, either. You have to know by now that I trust you so much and I know you would rather put your life in danger than risk me going through any pain. Please, don't worry."

After a minute, I hesitantly flipped us over so I was leaning above America.

I paused. "Please, just tell me if you need me to stop or slow down or—"

She place her hands on my shoulder and said, "It's ok, Maxon, it really is. Just go slow."

As slowly and gently as was humanly possible, I slid myself into America, staring into her eyes to make sure she was ok the whole time. She closed her eyes and sucked in her breath sharply and I could feel her fingers tighten on my shoulders ever so slightly. I stopped where I was to let her adjust. After a moment, she nodded for me to continue, a single tear quickly slipping down her face. It was too much. I couldn't do it. I pulled out and wiped her face and my own eyes filled with tears. I absolutely couldn't become the kind of person who causes pain to someone he loves.

"America, I'm so sorry I don't know what I was thinking I—"

"Maxon," America interrupted, pulling my face down close to hers. "This is wonderful, and you are wonderful, and this is something we have to get through together. I will let you know the second I need something. Please, I love you so, so much. You are so good to me, and kind, and I know you would never, ever want to hurt me. Let's just enjoy this, together." She wiped my own tears and pulled me in for a long, deep kiss, and I knew we had to finish what we had started.

I took a deep, shaky breath, and with painstaking care, I once again slid myself into her. This time was already a little easier, and America seemed more relaxed. I began to slide in and out, very slowly. Her eyes were still closed, and after a moment, she let out the faintest moan, which made me lean down to kiss a soft spot below her ear, and one of my hands began slowly massaging one of her breasts. With every motion, we both began to relax more and more until she was bucking her hips in rhythm with mine, causing me to let out sounds of pleasure. She was dragging her fingers up and down my back, whispering my name. My breathing was becoming more and more uneven the feeling of America loving me was threatening to push me over the edge.
Together, we rolled over so she was laying on top of me. She pressed her body into mine, and I placed my hands on her waist, moving her on me, up and down and up and down. I kissed her, hard, as I could feel tension building in my lower abdomen. I was glad I had remembered to put on a condom, because I wanted to be able to have and enjoy America all for myself for at least a few more years.

America was moaning quite loudly, which made me increase my speed. The feeling of her body surrounding mine was overwhelming, and I could feel the tension rising, and I was slowly losing control of my body's movements.

Right as the ecstasy was about to wash over me, America moaned, "Maxon, I—"

And right at that moment, our climaxes took over our bodies simultaneously. America groaned out "Oh, Max..on" as I whispered her name over and over, squeezing my eyes shut, my body shuddering in pleasure. She buried her head into my chest, her head over my heart, as we both caught our breath and regained control. I lightly touched her chin, bringing her face towards mine, to barely touch my lips to hers and give her a whisper of a kiss. She pulled away, our noses millimeters apart, and smiled ever so slightly.

"I love you so much, Maxon."

"And I love you more, America."

We lay there for a while, staring into each other's eyes and listening to each other's heartbeats, before we rolled on our sides, my stomach to her back, arms enveloping her body, and fell asleep that way. I couldn't have asked for a better wedding night.

There you have it! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!