The Renewal

Cinder grimaced as the seamstress's apprentice clinked the needle against her knee joint.

"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty," said the nervous girl. She was young. Maybe 19. Cinder felt bad for making her anxious.

"It's okay. It's just metal."

She studied herself in the mirror. She had the beginnings of wrinkles, strands of grey in her brown hair. The dress she wore was a beautiful red against her tanned skin, the gold threaded designs snaking up the skirt and stopping once they reached her waist.

"I'm too old for this," she said to the room. "It's a private ceremony. It doesn't need to be fancy."

Iko, who had been reading the news on her port, looked at Cinder with betrayal written on her face. "You're not that old! And you should look beautiful for the occasion!"

"Gee, thanks Iko. I would look fine in one of my other dresses."

She wished she didn't have to wear one at all. Kai wouldn't care.

"Don't spoil Iko's fun," said Émilie, who was sitting next to Iko, face buried in her port.

The two of them had been together for as long as Cinder and Kai had been married. Iko had gone so far as to get a middle aged model as soon as Émilie's blonde hair started to grey. Though she still had that same brown skin, her blue hair became black with silver accents, her eyes had crow's feet and her mouth, laugh lines.

Unfortunately, despite all of the social advancements made, Iko and Émilie were only officially married in the Eastern Commonwealth. It was something that would never stop bothering Cinder.

"Don't encourage her, please."

As though that reminded her of something, Iko jumped up, rustling Émilie and nearly knocking her port out of her hand. "Well, if you don't mind, Ém and I need to go make sure the guest rooms are set up properly. Thorne, Cress, and the girls will be here in an hour!"

Despite the later age of her new body, Iko's voice was still as shrill as ever. Émilie, sighing, stood too. "That is my cue, I suppose. À bientôt, Cinder, darling. We have duties to attend to."

The two of them disappeared out of the door. Cinder turned her attention back to the mirror. Some of her hair had fallen into her face. She brushed it back, eyes on the silver strands. She was only 45, but ruling even a peaceful nation in a peaceful union took its toll. Especially when you had a teenager.

"The adjustments are complete, Your Majesty," said the seamstress's apprentice. "The dress will be completed in time for the ceremony tomorrow."

"Thank you," said Cinder. "I will get changed and let Grace know that you did well."

The apprentice was new to the job, and Cinder always tried to be supportive of the newer employees. They tended to need the most support in the face of working directly with royalty.

After changing, she poked her head into Grace's office. Much to Iko's dismay, Grace was the head designer for the imperial family. It turned out, Iko didn't much like the job, but that didn't mean she wanted someone else to have it. Cinder did as she promised before disappearing to go find her kids.

She asked around the palace a bit, but was mostly turned away with shrugs and "I last saw them with Kai"s.

She found her way into Kai's office. He was bent over his desk, deep in concentration. Or so he looked.

Cinder crossed her arms. "Honey, have you seen our kids?"

He looked up a little too quickly. His face was lit up. "How was your fitting?"

"Fine," she said. She pursed her lips, eyes scanning the room, retinal scanner focused on potential abnormal shapes. "Where are Peony and Rikan? It's time for lunch."

Kai folded his arms on the desk. "I haven't seen them. Does no one know where they are?"

Her orange light blinked. She hid a smile. "Nope. No one. I'm really concerned! How do the prince and princess both go missing in the palace?"

He pressed a palm to his cheek. "Stars above. Should we put out an alarm?"

She began to walk around the room. "I'm not sure. I think they're around here somewhere." She passed the curtains, running her fingers along them to see if she could catch the fabric of a shirt. Nothing.

Cinder approached the couch that was in front of the desk. Two bare feet were visible behind a pillow. She shot a smirk at Kai, who was silently chuckling.

She perched on the edge of the couch and heard her son's faint giggle. "Uncle Thorne and Aunt Cress will be here in just under an hour, and they're nowhere to be found! One would think that they would be excited to see their cousins, at least."

Her hand snaked behind her.

"Yes, one would think," Kai replied.

She grabbed hold of Rikan's leg, and he shrieked with laughter.

"What's this?" She gasped. "My child? Hiding in my husband's office?" She gave said husband a look of betrayal. "How could you conspire with the enemy, Kaito?"

Kai was outright laughing now. "You know that I can't say no to them."

She quirked a brow. "Them? So Peony is in here?"

Rikan burst from under the pillows, laughing hysterically, just like his father. He took after his father in just about every area. "Bet you won't find her!"

Cinder tisked. "Protecting your big sister. I suppose it is good to stick with your team."

"We've taught them well," Kai acknowledged.

She tickled Rikan for a moment, eliciting more shrieking laughter, before standing again. "Now, to find my daughter. One would think that a 15 year old would know better than to hide from her mother."

"One would think." Kai was still trying to stop himself from laughing. "Her brother is very convincing. I think he gets it from me."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Now, I've looked almost everywhere! There is one spot I haven't looked, though."

Kai gave her a sidelong glance. "Where's that?"

She rounded his desk, grabbing at the back of his rolling chair. Kai was able to let out a shocked "hey!" before she yanked his chair away from the desk.

Peony was balled under the desk, her laughter finally gaining sound. "Mom!" she shouted, giggling.

Cinder shook her head. "I can't believe you were hiding from me. After all I've done." She faked a tearful sob. "I am… hurt."

Peony crawled around Cinder's legs and stood. She was nearly as tall as her mother already. If Rikan was the spitting image of Kai, Peony was a carbon copy of Cinder. She threw her arms around Cinder. "Did you say Aunt Cress would be here soon?"

Cinder hugged her back, finally chuckling at the whole situation. "Iko and Ém are making sure the guest rooms are set up now."

Rikan ran to her side, bouncing on his heels. "Can we have a sleepover? Can we, can we, can we?"

She kissed the top of his head, breaking away from her hug with Peony. "I'll let Iko know to set up one big room for all of you. She can watch you."

Rikan cheered. He loved Aunt Iko almost more than he loved his mother.

Peony pulled out her port. "Maha says they'll be here in a couple hours." Maha was Scarlet and Ze'ev's youngest child. She had two siblings – Michelle, the oldest at 26, and Logan, the middle child at 20. Fortunately for Peony, Maha was 16, so they were practically inseparable when they were together.

Cress and Thorne had waited until their 30s to have children, much like Cinder and Kai, but had only wanted one. That complicated things when, at 36, Cress found out she was pregnant with twins.

Kai finally reminded them that he was there. "When will Winter and Jacin make their appearances?"

Cinder looked over at him. "Winter has a campaign dinner tonight, and they'll be coming in a few hours before the ceremony." She let go of Peony and dropped to a knee to look at Rikan. "Why don't you and your sister go find grandpa and have lunch with him? I'm sure he hasn't eaten yet."

"Torin probably skipped breakfast," Kai mentioned.

Cinder patted her son's shoulder. "All the more reason for them to go eat with him!"

Cinder watched as the cargo ship made a quiet landing. Thorne had downgraded to a 311 Rampion, Class 8.4 once the old one had been too worn out to continue repairing. Though it was still a cargo ship, it was much smaller. Better for travel and with less opportunities for the children to stumble upon old, crusted blood splatter that had been glossed over during all the cleanings that the ship went through following the war.

It fit the palace's landing pad a lot more comfortably too.

He descended the ramp first, holding Callie's hand. She was the oldest, by an entire hour, and never let anyone forget that. They were followed by Cress and Cristina. Cristina and Callie were identical, their hair in the same braid, both wearing different outfits but with the color scheme of green. They had their father's hair color and their mother's nose.

Peony ran forward and scooped Callie into her arms, much to both Callie's delight and Thorne's.

"Hello to you, too," said the latter.

"Hi, Uncle Thorne!" said Peony, giving him a side hug. "And hello, Callie!"

The twins weren't turning 9 for a few more months, and they sometimes still seemed like toddlers. It was hard to keep up with the passage of time lately.

Callie laughed. "Peony! Is you gonna play with us today?"

Peony smiled. "I am."

Cress came next to them, kissing Callie's forehead. "Are, Cal. Are you going to play with us today?"

Cristina looked up, too. "Yeah! Are!"

"Sorry, momma," said Callie.

The girls were doing well in school, but Callie had always had difficulty with understanding the mechanics of grammar. It wasn't the worst problem she could have in school.

Peony herself had a lot of difficulty in math. But she was not a problem child, and that's what was most important.

Cinder picked Cristina up.

"Aunt Cindy!" the girl cried excitedly. She threw her arms around Cinder's neck, and Cinder shot Thorne a look.

"Cindy? Really?"

Both Thorne and Kai were bent over laughing. "I knew you'd like that one," Thorne said.

But it wasn't like she could tell this adorable child to never, ever call her that again. So she only rolled her eyes and accepted it, instead moving to greet her two best friends.

Scarlet and Ze'ev arrived just before dinner. Cinder was glad, as she rarely got to see their oldest children who had already made lives for themselves. Michelle and Logan, both accompanied by their long-time boyfriends, were the first to come off the ship to embrace Cinder.

"It's been too long," said Michelle.

Cinder returned her bear hug with a squeeze of her own. "I've missed you two." They broke off, and Cinder shifted to hug Logan. "You two must come visit this winter, okay? Bring the boys."

Logan smiled. "You got it, Aunt Cinder."

When Maha exited the ship, Peony squealed and ran to greet her with a jumping hug. It'd been a while since any of the Kesley-Benoits had visited, so the reaction was justified.

Ze'ev and Scarlet were next. They took their time, as they always did, greeting everyone. With Cress, Thorne, and the twins there, it took a bit longer than usual.

As the last of the greetings wrapped up, Kai said, "Dinner, anyone?"

By the next morning, Cinder was tired and almost dreading the ceremony. She was always tired, though. The vow renewal would be nice. Though it was all Iko's idea, Cinder had taken to it well. She was just tired. A day off was much better spent alone with Kai and their kids. It would even be nice if her friends were just visiting. But no. There was no such thing as "just visiting" these days.

Cinder looked forward to just about nothing but retirement.

Winter and Jacin had gotten in a few hours before, when the sun was still gracing the other side of the horizon with its presence. No one but the guards had woken to greet them, and she knew that Winter would not mind. They had likely fallen asleep as soon as they were shown their room.

Winter had not taken to children like everyone expected. When she was still queen, she signed an executive order to have one wing of the Artemesian palace permanently turned into an orphanage for shell children. Lunars were far less terrible about it than they had been, but it still showed itself as an issue now and then. Despite so much progress, it was one tradition that may never die.

It was an easy way for Winter to realize that while children deserved respect, love, and care, she didn't want any of her own. Jacin had no qualms about it.

Cinder sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. Stars, would she ever get enough sleep?

Kai groaned next to her. "Five more minutes." It was basically his mantra.

"We have guests to host."

"No." He whined into his pillow.

Cinder huffed. "Kai, seriously."

"Cancel the ceremony," he said sleepily. "We can renew our vows in our dreams."

She giggled. "Kai, get up!"

He finally opened his eyes, though they were slits. "Happy anniversary to you, too."

She shook her head. "Twenty-five years. I can't believe I've put up with you this long."

He smiled lazily. He looked so comfortable, head framed only by messy grey and black hair and pillow. "You love me."

Sometimes, the way he looked at her made her feel like it did when they were younger. Back before they settled into their relationship and every kiss made her giddy and excited. She brushed a few stray hairs from his face. "You might not be so sure after I say my vows."

He sat up finally, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You love me."

She laughed, conceding. "I do."

Cinder hated formal ceremonies. She was pretty much required to be caked in makeup and finery, and she hated it.

"You look lovely," Scarlet said as she came to join Cinder in front of the mirror.

"So do you."

Scarlet was wearing a simple blue dress that adorned the curves that'd only continued to grow as she'd aged and bore children.

She touched Cinder's shoulder. "Thank you."

Cress was sitting on an ottoman, staring at her port. "T-minus five minutes," she said. "Music is ready to start. Kai should be up there any time now." She heaved a sigh, glancing up at them. "I'm sorry Cinder, but I can't wait for this to be over. Thorne has been practicing his officiating speech since Iko told him about it."

"My stars," Winter added. "It's been weeks!"

Cress let out a groan. "I know."

Iko laughed. "It'd better be perfect."

Cinder studied the five of them. It was always the five of them, in a room like this for each of their weddings, conspiring together on ladies night, minus one while each of them waited for the birth of another child.

Émilie was often there as well, though her connection with them could never be the same. They all still loved her just as much.

The five of them, they'd always stick together.

"The kids?" asked Cinder.

"With Ém," Iko told her. "She's so good with them."

Iko and Ém had enjoyed traveling too much to have had children. They considered adopting at one point, but took a trip to Maui instead. They both loved kids, but much like Winter, they preferred when the kids belonged to someone else. Fortunately, they were both excellent aunts, and reliable when one of the couples needed a child-free vacation.

Cinder studied herself in the mirror one last time. "Let's go, girls."

They made their way to the ballroom. It was a private event, with only family and close friends, but the ballroom was a perfect spot to host. Plus, the food could be in the same room, with a dance floor, so they wouldn't have to interrupt the palace's usual business.

Kai was already at the altar when Cinder was led to the top of the stairs where, so many years ago, she was a cyborg with a soaked dress and a mission. Now, she was a revolutionary, a wife, a mother. An empress. Her heart swelled as music flitted from the speakers.

She focused on Kai as she descended. They were both so vastly different from exactly 25 years ago, when she was first traveling down a similar aisle. In many ways, they were also the same.

He was smiling openly at her.

When she reached him, he took her hands, kissed her, pressed his forehead to hers.

Thorne cleared his throat. "You guys are skipping a lot."

Kai shot him a look.

"Anyway, let's get this road on the show. I'm starving."

Cinder heard a few of the kids laugh. Despite his age, Thorne was still the same sarcastic schmuck that Cinder had broken out of jail with.

"Cinder and Kai," he began. "Two of my best friends. Getting married, again. Except that they're already married, but whatever. All of us have watched your love blossom over the past 29 years, especially Iko-" Iko 'whoop'ed at this "-as she was literally there from the beginning, and I think that 126 T.E Thorne would definitely have been surprised if he found out that you weren't married. But you are, and what a beautiful couple you are, with children that would've made even my father proud. You two deserve each other - you always have - and I am proud to witness and wish for your continued happiness." He looked down at the port he was holding. "Kai, your vows?"

By the end of Kai's vows, Cinder would've been in tears if she could. She almost didn't realize it when Thorne said, "Your vows, Cinder?"

It was hard to say them, because her voice was trembling so much. Her heartbeat causing specific threats of shutdown to appear in her vision when she forgot to keep her breathing steady. When she said her much-practiced final line, "I will love you until the end of my days, and may they take their time to arrive," Kai did not wait to embrace her. The kiss was as fierce as the one at their wedding, full of love and hope and-

Thorne cleared his throat again. "I pronounce you two still very much married. Let's go eat."

Author's Note: I wrote this for tlcshipweeks theme One More Time! It was never my intention to name Cresswell's children after Grey's Anatomy characters (though Callie and Cristina are def two of my all-time favorites ( Shonda, bring them back pls)), but rather I wanted to keep up with the Ca/Cr name thing and it just worked.