Disclaimer: I do not own the Lunar Chronicles. Marissa Meyer is too cool to be me.
Disclaimer no. 2: Again, fluff. Prepare accordingly.
Disclaimer no. 3: I really love writing about these dorks so thanks everyone for reading and putting up with it. I hope the unexpectedness of this continuation is more than acceptable.
Important Things: If you're not good with military time, 2300 is 11 PM and 1700 is 5 PM!

"There is no remedy for love but to love more." - Henry David Thoreau

She pressed her back flat against the office door, trying to slow her heartbeat and erratic breathing, eyes fixated on the ceiling. She was smiling, and something about it was haunting.

"Cinder?"

She dropped her eyes to the woman she now considered her mother, in more ways than one.

Trinity cocked her head to the side, "Are you all right?"

She nodded.

"Is Kai all right?"

She nodded more aggressively.

"Did his 23rd go over well?"

She replied, once again, with only a nod.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?"

Cinder pushed herself away from the door and rushed to the other side of Trinity's desk, where she was now standing in concern. She threw her arms around the woman and pulled her close. She was shaking.

"What's wrong, Cinder? Why are you acting so strange?"

Cinder pulled away and grasped Trinity's shoulders. "I'm 11 weeks along. Due in October."

It took Trinity a moment (an agonizingly long time) to comprehend what Cinder meant, but it registered and her eyes widened and she embraced her surrogate daughter as tightly as she could, trying not to cry. "Does Kai know?"

"He's at lunch with his father. You're the only other person I wanted to tell first."

Trinity pulled back and held her at arm's length. She and Cinder had known each other for nearly four years and, at 20, the cyborg was glowing. She touched her cheek, "Are you certain?"

Cinder shook her head, "I've been having my suspicions. Kai had that lunch thing so I went to the medical wing and yeah, they confirmed it." She sighed, "And to think we've only been married for less than two years."

"Only?" Trinity quirked an eyebrow. "I'm surprised it took you two that long. I once wondered if I'd have to make your wedding dress to accommodate a growing belly!"

If a system overheat was possible, Cinder would've turned burgundy before passing out. Finally, she covered her face with her palms and began to laugh. It was quiet and reserved at first, but soon divulged into howls. She was undoubtedly overcome with emotion, and she couldn't pretend as if Trinity's statement was in anyway wrong or egregious.

"When are you planning on telling him?"

"Tonight," she replied, sucking in a breath to stop the laughter. "Do you think it's too soon?"

Trinity twirled a piece of Cinder's hair around a finger, "Why would it be?"

Cinder glanced down at the nails of her human hand. They hadn't been dirty since she came to the palace and, somehow, she still wasn't used to it. "I'm not sure how he'll react."

"You're joking, yes?" Trinity chuckled. "Cinder! He'll be thrilled! Do you know how many times he's come to me talking about children? About starting a family?"

"He's never really talked to me about it," she mumbled, scratching the back of her head anxiously.

Trinity squeezed her shoulders, "He was worried just as much as you are. Seems silly, doesn't it? Look at how happy you are about it! Tell him tonight. He'll be so happy that he will probably even cry."

Cinder massaged her temples, "I'm so glad that one of us has an easy time showing emotion."

"You two will have the most beautiful children in all the Commonwealth, perhaps even all the galaxy." Trinity promised.

Cinder knew, too, that she really believed that.

The room was still bright at 2300, the netscreen playing some silly drama that she'd picked up whenever she had the chance. Kai had been in meetings with his father since dinner, so she was waiting for him. However, it'd been a long day, and she'd dozed off. She was shaken from a shallow sleep when she heard the door click.

She sat up quickly from her pillows and looked around sleepily.

"I was hoping I wouldn't wake you," he said from the door. "I'm sorry, go back to sleep." He walked over and kissed her forehead.

She reached out her arms, "Wait."

He stood at the side of the bed and held her hands, looking down at her. "What is it?"

Her eyes glazed over while she tried to remember what she had wanted to tell him. She figured it wasn't too important if she couldn't remember it through the sleepy fog. "Uh… The meetings ran pretty late. Is everything okay?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Just more information than usual, mostly technological advancements. Nothing too serious." She yawned and nodded, having a hard time keeping her eyes open. He stepped back, "I'm going to get ready for bed, okay? I'll be back." He commanded the netscreen to shut off and for the lights to dim and walked into the bathroom.

All at once, Cinder remembered what she'd wanted to tell him. She swung her legs over the bed and stood up, unsteady, and stumbled her way into the bathroom in a haze. She got there just in time to watch him peel off his shirt.

"You're so handsome," she said, blinking away the sleep.

He laughed quietly, turning toward her. "You really should go back to sleep. I'll be there in just a moment."

She took a step toward him and ran a hand from his chest to his abs, admiring every hill and valley with tired eyes, "Our children are going to be beautiful."

"If only because they got their genes from their mother," he said, studying her. It wasn't like her to make such comments at random.

She reached up and took his face in her hands. He leaned into her human hand, closing his eyes dreamily. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

His eyes shot open, "What?"

Cinder dropped her metal hand, splaying the five fingers across her stomach. "October 16th, to be exact."

He froze, processing the information.

Cinder leaned back nervously and dropped both hands to her sides.

His eyes stared into the room, just over her head.

He looked back at her.

After what felt like forever, he hugged her, laughing. "Stars, Cinder. Are you sure? Are you really sure?"

She breathed a sigh of relief, shutting her eyes. "I'm really, really sure."

He pulled away and began to caress her cheek, tears brimming his eyes. "I'm so… I don't know. Excited. Thrilled. Elated. All of the above?"

"Those all mean basically the same thing," she mused, running her fingers through his hair. "So yes, all of the above." He let out a tearful sob and buried his face in her shoulder. She tittered, "Why are you crying, Kai?"

He lifted his head and kissed her cheeks and her forehead and her nose and her lips and her jaw and her neck, leaving remnants of salty tears all over her face. "My beautiful princess, this is the best news ever."

"I guess Trinity was right when she said you'd be happy. I can't believe I was worried."

He wrapped his arms around her again and pulled her close. "What were you worried about? That I wouldn't be receptive to this? I've wanted this for so long, Cinder. Stars above, we're going to be parents."

She buried her face in his neck. Inhaled. Exhaled. And then, she smiled.

The press conference was scheduled for the early evening, though Cinder felt it was too soon to let the world know. So much could happen that early, but everyone assured her that it would be fine. Rikan had told her that his wife found out she was pregnant with Kai at 9 weeks and had wasted no time setting one up. Cinder, however, knew that his late wife had been born into a life that would help her in her time as Empress.

Peony and Iko were the next to know after Kai, followed by the emperor and his adviser. It'd been quite an emotional day for the royal family.

Kai was dressed in a silk red shirt with a white sash and white pants. He leaned against the archway of Trinity's office, wiping the exhaustion from his eyes. It was already 1700, but he and Cinder had been up nearly all night talking about the immediate and long-term future, Cinder explaining what he could expect through quick searches and him comforting all of her worries.

Trinity was fixing her hair, and he admired the red silk dress that adorned her body, the color a perfect match to his. It had a white silk band around the waist. She wore red kitten heels and a face that said she just wanted to go back to bed.

Kai smirked, "How do you feel?"

She caught sight of him in the mirror and her expression softened considerably, "Like I wish I could wear a sweatshirt and sweatpants for once."

Trinity clicked off the flat iron and guffawed, "Don't worry, my love. Your maternity clothes will be ten times better than any sweats I could make you."

Androids usually do most of the work for Trinity's royal clients, but she had loved Cinder so much that the only thing she didn't do herself was actually make the clothes, and only because she didn't have that sort of free time.

Cinder sighed, "I've been reading so many things about pregnancy and I just – it's going to be worth it but, stars, it'll be terrible."

Kai walked up behind her as Trinity moved to put her things away and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He made eye contact with her through the mirror and he grinned at the sight, "It's going to be hard, yes, but we'll all be right here, okay?" He brushed his lips across her cheek, "There's no reason for you to worry."

She reached up and touched his hair. "I bet everyone already knows. Or thinks they do. I bet they're split down the middle. Are we getting a divorce? Or are we having kids? At this point, it could be either. Stars, it could be both."

"Well, when they find out that I no longer love you, I'm sure it'll be important that I look as handsome as I do, right? All of their daughters will be, once again, begging to dance with me at the next ball!" He joked, giving her a quick squeeze before standing up. Cinder crinkled her eyes in amusement when the orange light flashed in her vision.

"Be careful," Trinity eyed him with a warning, "In a few months, if you make a joke like that, she might take you seriously."

Cinder stood up, "Not even a lie detector in the brain can deflect a pregnant woman's hormones."

The older woman nodded, "This is true."

Kai gave a dramatic gulp just as Torin stuck his head in the room. "It's time to start the conference. Is everyone ready?"

Cinder stood up and hooked her arm inside Kai's. "We are." Kai gave her a reassuring nod and they headed toward the conference room, her stomach in knots.

They'd been in the conference room together quite a few times already, but her stomach still turned every time, what with the cameras and journalists vying for their attention so that they could ask questions. Kai, on the other hand, seemed completely calm and composed. He had an air of confidence about him that Cinder envied. She'd always wanted to be more like him, but she could never accustom herself to the crowds and flashing lights.

He kissed her hair just before they stepped onto the podium and gave her hand a supportive squeeze, knowing how anxious it always made her.

Kai cleared his throat as he stepped in front of the microphone, Cinder to his left. "Thank you all for gathering here tonight. It is with happy hearts that we come to you. My wife has some news to share with you all."

Cinder gave him a look of terror as he gestured for her to speak. She wet her lips and took a deep breath, "Just yesterday, during a visit with the doctors here at the palace, I found out that I am eleven weeks along in my pregnancy. While it'll be at least another month and a half before we can supply any more news, we wanted to share this thrilling new development in our lives with you. Thank you."

Kai leaned over her to speak, "We will now take three questions before concluding this conference."

Cinder pointed to a journalist in the 4th row. He stood up, and his accent was reminiscent of southern North America. "Is it true that you and the President of the American Republic have been having… relations since you've been dating Prince Kaito?"

Kai began to laugh and Cinder stifled a chuckle by clearing her throat as he hit the podium open-palmed once for effect. Even knowing his father would have his head for losing his composure, he couldn't help himself. "No, those rumors are not and were never true. I'm not sure who came up with them, but they sure created a legacy, didn't they?" Kai covered his mouth, finally calming down. Cinder bumped lightly into him before turning her attention back to the crowd of reporters. "Now, any serious questions?"

Cinder hadn't even shed her dress yet when she plopped down on the bed, kicking off the heels and groaning at the ceiling. "I didn't think three questions would take an additional hour," she complained, "at least, not counting that first one!" She covered her face with her hands, "What kind of reporter asks such a stupid, ridiculous question about a rumor?" She harrumphed.

Kai cackled from the bathroom, "You have to admit, that was a show-stealer. I haven't laughed so hard in such a long time."

She rolled over on her stomach and watched him perform his nightly routine, knowing that she probably should, too. "Only because you never laugh at my jokes anymore."

"Well." His eyes didn't shift from the mirror, "You should step up your game."

She rolled off the bed and marched into the bathroom, arms crossed over her chest. "Excuse me? I resent that."

He composed his expression, feigning seriousness, and then glanced over at her. "Can I help you?" She loved the way the water droplets clung to the hair over his forehead as he washed his face.

"I'm very funny," she replied.

"Not really," he shrugged. She learned to ignore the orange light when they played that game and pretend that he was serious, for the sake of the fun.

She squared her jaw, "Well then." She'd devised a good strategy not long before that for winning. She lifted her arm and pulled the zipper on the side of the dress down as he towel-dried his face. She listened to the all-too-familiar whoosh of the fabric hitting the floor. "Is this funny enough for you?"

He slid his eyes over her without turning his head, then shifted them back to the mirror, running a wet washcloth through his hair to get out some of the gel. "I'm not sure if 'funny' is appropriate in that context." She moved to hop on the bathroom counter, drawing his attention more. She lifted an eyebrow and innocently tilted her head. He smirked and moved in front of her, placing his palms on either side of the counter. "Fine. I concede."

"That's what I thought," she said, taking his face in her hands and kissing him. His hands were cold to the touch from the counter has he placed them against her bare skin. She squealed and pushed her palms against his chest, "Your hands are freezing!"

"Shhh." After a moment, the cold subsided as his hands warmed, and she continued kissing him. It was short-lived. He pulled back, "Hey, in all the excitement, I forgot to tell you something."

She began to plant kisses around his neck, "Hm?"

"It's really important."

"Mmhm?"

He pulled back even more, "Babe, really."

She sat straighter, "You called me babe. What happened?" 'Babe' had become their sort of code word when something was really, really important.

"I feel awful," he admitted. "I put it off for a long time because I wanted it to be my legacy rather than my father's." She gave him a confused look. "I started talking to him about it a month ago and tomorrow, during a public address and a press conference, my father is going to announce the repeal of the Cyborg Protection Act." Cinder bit her lip and ran her nails softly down the side of his face, wondering why he didn't seem happy about it, but knowing he was getting there. "We should've repealed it the day I took you away from Adri. It should've never been instated. I could've-"

"It's over," she whispered, grinning at him. "It's okay. It's over now. I'm not angry with you." She wasn't, but she wasn't necessarily sure how to express just how happy she was about the news either.

"I'm angry with myself-"

She silenced him with a kiss. "You're okay, it's all right. I forgive you."

He gave her a peck on the forehead, "Thank you."

"Now, if you don't mind," she pressed her lips against the curve of his shoulder, "I was trying to seduce my husband."

He shook her shoulder and all she did was swat his arm away. He shook her again, "Come on, love. It's time to get up. The conference is this afternoon."

She opened her eyes and looked at him with pleading eyes, "I don't feel well."

The corners of Kai's lips turned downward, "Are you sick?"

"Sort of." She pulled the blanket up to her chin, "I know it's an important day and I should go, but can't we just stay in? Just this once? I'm so tired."

He brushed her hair away from her forehead. "Of course. I think we can get away with it this time," he winked. "How about I order us some breakfast, and then we can just hang out in here all day?"

She smiled weakly, "That sounds amazing. I'll comm Trinity and Rikan." Afterward, Cinder watched him as he tapped out an order on his netscreen from his side of the bed. "Kai?" He met her eyes. "Will you still love me when I get fat?"

Kai chuckled, "I'll always love you, no matter what." He slid back under the blanket and enveloped her in his arms. "You'll be beautiful three months from now and you'll be beautiful three decades from now. Okay?"

She snuggled into him, grumbling something incoherent.

They both would've dozed off if not for an android announcing itself and rolling in with their pancakes and glasses of milk and bacon and sausage. Kai thanked the android and sent it away, placing the tray around his thighs. He glanced at Cinder. "Hungry?"

She nodded vigorously. "Cut it for me."

Kai laughed, "You must be exhausted."

She lifted herself up out of bed and rested her chin on his shoulder, watching him work. "Our kids are going to be so disgusted by us."

"Why?" He shot her a look.

She pecked his jaw, "Because we've been together for almost four years and we're still nauseatingly in love."

He stabbed a pancake with a fork and fed it to her. "Must be your wiring affecting my bioelectricity."

"Must be that click between us that you felt." They shared a laugh as he fed her another piece of pancake. She swallowed and then stole a drink of milk. "So I was reading online last night after you fell asleep and, apparently, I should start showing next week, if all the factors are right or whatever. Which I'm sure they will be, since I don't even have the hips of a mother. Our poor baby won't have anywhere to go."

Kai kissed the top of her head, "I'm most excited about setting up the nursery."

Cinder yawned, "You and Trinity will probably clash quite a bit there, you know. She'll want things one way and you'll want them another and I won't be able to choose a side. It'll be great, really."

"Try not to sound so hopeless," he said with a smile in his voice. "Peony and Iko will also be there to voice their opinions!"

"Oh god," Cinder buried her face in her hands, "I'm going to be so hormonal. And so fat!" She pulled back a little and looked at him, "Just know that I don't mean anything I might say and please don't divorce me."

He glared at her, "I think I can handle it."

She reached over him and picked up a piece of bacon, feeding him a bite. "That's comforting." As she set the bacon down, she stopped. "Stars."

"What?" Kai sat up straighter, taking little care to make sure the breakfast tray didn't fall over. "What's wrong?"

Her hands flew to her mouth, "The ball! I'm going to look so weird!"

Kai fell back against the pillows, "Good stars above, Cinder. Don't scare me like that."

"Just imagine all of the mean gossip columns about me! Your creepy little fan clubs are going to jump all over that."

"Since when do you care what they think?" He asked.

"I don't, not really. It just makes me sad sometimes. I'm not sure why, it just does."

Kai moved the half-full breakfast tray to the nightstand and then rolled back over to pull her into his arms. "Say the word and I'll shut every single one of them down."

"Not even the emperor has that kind of power," she reminded him, "but I appreciate the thought."

"Besides," he said, before commanding the blinds to shut to shield the room from the brightening sunlight, "you're going to be pregnant. You'll be growing a human inside of you. If someone has something negative to say about it, they can take it up with their mothers."

"You make a good point." She yawned again, feeling the exhaustion set back in. "Oh, I had a weird dream last night. Wanna hear it?"

He ran the tips of his fingers over her back, "Depends. On a scale of 1 to 10, ten being the most, how weird was it?"

"11."

"Hit me."

"I was sixteen again," she explained with a yawn. "And it was before the ball, only I wasn't going to the ball. And you came and visited me at the market to fix Nainsi for something that was really important. And then some awful disease killed your father in less than a week – sorry – and then Peony died from the same thing! And I can't believe I didn't wake up crying! And then there was some doctor here who told me I was Lunar or something and apparently, I ended up being the daughter of Queen Channary who was killed by her sister, Levana. You remember when she exiled Levana to Mars, right? For trying to kill her baby or whatever?" She thought for a moment, "Oh, and apparently you had a crush on me, even though I went to the ball looking like a wreck. And I only went to warn you that Levana was going to kill you if you married her. It was… really strange."

"Marry an evil Lunar queen? Me?" Kai hummed, "That is strange."

"I'm pretty sure Iko became a spaceship before I woke up." She rubbed her eyes. "It was really vivid."

"Maybe it's true in some bizarre, alternate universe."

She chuckled, "Perhaps. Glad we're not there. It did, however, give me a good name for our baby if it's a girl."

"What's that?"

She rolled onto her back and lifted up her nightgown to her waist, tracing patterns on her still-flat stomach with her fingertips. "Selene."

It was 3 AM. It was always 3 AM, like clockwork. She hadn't gotten a full night's rest since she'd started showing and now, at 39 weeks, she was almost used to the constant exhaustion. Still, she threw her legs over the side of the bed after crawling out of Kai's grasp and wobbled into the bathroom.

She sat down on the toilet seat and rested her head against the wall. "C'mon, Selene," she said quietly. "Can't mommy get one night of sleep? Just this once?"

As if giving a reluctant reply, the first contraction came.

"You're not helping," she whispered to her large belly. "You're not helping at all." She'd been having false contractions for weeks, so it was nothing new.

Another came after she settled back into bed, but she only closed her eyes and wished it to pass, like it usually did after a few minutes, so she could fall back asleep. It became apparent very quickly that it would not. When they were still happening an hour later, she finally shook Kai awake.

He sat up quickly and looked around, noticing that it was still very dark. "What? What's wrong? Is it time?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

RISING OXYTOCIN LEVELS IN BLOOD.

"One hundred percent."

He hadn't been expecting that.

He froze.

"Kai."

His body finally caught up with his brain, "Right, yeah. Okay. Um, you comm the doctor, I'll grab your stuff."

She commed the doctor quickly, followed by Peony – reminding her to grab Iko before she came, and then Trinity, and then Rikan. "I feel like I'm dying," she complained as she headed to meet Kai at the door. "The worst part is that I won't even be able to catch up on sleep after this." He helped her into the wheelchair they'd had on hand as they left the room, and commanding the lights to shut off was an afterthought.

They met Iko and Peony, who had been staying while Cinder's due date was near, in the main corridor, and they had to up their pace to keep up with Kai, who was all but running while pushing Cinder in the chair.

"Isn't this exciting?" He asked, halfway out of breath, two halls from the medical wing. "We'll get to meet our daughter soon!"

"Kai," Cinder said through her clenched teeth, "if you don't shut up, I swear on my parents' graves-!" Her threat was cut short by another contraction, a breath hissing past her lips.

The palace didn't return to its nightly peace for another hour and a half. At that point, Cinder was surrounded in cooling blankets and ice packs so she wouldn't overheat, the fear of it had only added to the already high-stress situation. Finally, the bright-eyed baby was placed in her arms.

"My stars, she is wonderful," Kai's voice was low as he pressed his finger into his daughter's hand, delighting in the way she tightened it around him. He knew it was only a reflex, but it was still the most amazing thing.

He pressed his lips to the top of Cinder's head. She touched her daughter's nose, "Linh Selene, you are the luckiest newborn in the galaxy."

"I call her after Kai," Peony proclaimed. "She is my goddaughter, after all."

Trinity crossed her arms, "She's my surrogate granddaughter."

"Calm down, everyone," Rikan waved his hands in a quieting motion. "Everyone will get a chance to hold her. However, as her only other blood relative, I believe it is my turn to hold my granddaughter next."

Cinder lifted her daughter and passed her to her father, "Don't forget to support her head." She sat back in the hospital bed and listened as they all bickered over who gets to hold her next. She watched Kai lift Selene to his face and kiss her forehead, before lowering her, poking her nose with his finger and cooing. It was a perfect sight.

Everything was perfect.

Author's Note: I am done, finished, with this AU. I love it so much but I feel like posting anymore with it is just pushing it. Hell, this chapter is pushing it. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A ONE SHOT. THAT'S ALL IT WAS EVER SUPPOSED TO BE. What have I done? What am I doing? (Procrastinating.) It's been fun. I have other stuff to write. Also, hella French homework. A out.

PS: I read it over like 3 times after I finished it. If I missed anything, well, then, that sucks.

PPS: You're awesome and you look great in that shirt.