Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or Freezing.

Chapter One: The Meeting

All flights are grounded until the snowstorm subsides.

That was the announcement broadcasted to the entire passengers who found themselves stuck inside Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, and predictably everyone is frustrated because they cannot get out of a snowstorm and head towards their intended destinations. Ivan Braginski was among the disappointed passengers who hoped to fly to Minsk to visit his younger sister, but the snowstorm would only shorten his vacation until he has to return back home. Ivan showed his passport to a customs agent and waited until she finished typing on her computer before he could proceed to the departure lounge.

Ivan sighed in frustration as he searched for a place to sit down but almost all of the benches were occupied. He continued to walk around, carrying his luggage, until he came across a tea shop. A vendor looked up to see him approach the stand and smiled while Ivan adjusted his dark blue trench coat.

"What can I get for you today?" the vendor spoke first. Ivan looked at the menu on the board before settling for an order.

"One green tea for me, please," Ivan told the vendor. He turned around to see a young blonde haired woman approaching the same tea stand and looked at the menu. "How much would that be?"

The vendor replied back, "Three hundred rubles." Ivan simply handed a couple of bills to the vendor and waited.

"Are you here to order too?" Ivan asked the young woman. "I hear that they have some decent tea here."

The blonde closed her eyes and watched the way the vendor made her tea. "I've seen better tea preparation than this."

Ivan raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "Where?"

"Britain. I'm coming back from Japan when my connecting flight was grounded here in Domodedovo." The blonde offered her hand for Ivan to shake, which he gladly took. "I'm Elizabeth. Elizabeth Mably."

"Ivan Braginski, and it's a pleasure to meet you." The vendor handed him the cup of tea before leaving the tea stand. "Since our flights are grounded due to the snowstorm, would you like to stay with me for a bit?"

Elizabeth didn't answer right away, but then again she didn't know anyone who was traveling with her back to Britain from Japan and her own family had heard the news of the snowstorm over Moscow, so they became worried that she wouldn't come home on time. Reluctantly, she nodded and joined him in search for a bench where they can sit down.

It took them only thirty minutes until they found a spare bench but it was between the departure gate for the flight heading back to London and the other one for the flight going to Minsk. Ivan allowed her to take the first seat while he sat beside her. Outside, the snowplows continued their work, shoveling snow aside while the personnel outside in the tarmac shoveled the remaining snow with their shovels.

Only two hours had passed by since the announcement was broadcasted that Ivan began to sip his tea. Elizabeth yawned and opened her luggage to grab a blanket she packed for the trip. Ivan slowly got up and yanked a pink scarf from his neck before giving it to her.

"Aren't you going to be cold?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

Ivan shook his head but kept his smile. "I have three scarves with me. The one I gave you was made by my older sister, Yekaterina."

"Where are you going though?" The Mably heiress asked back.

"Would you like some tea?" Ivan asked back. Elizabeth shook her head, but she heard her stomach growl, indicating that she's hungry. "Perhaps some dinner would do. I'll head over to Paul Bakery and buy us some sandwiches."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "That will be fine. I'll probably have whatever you're buying since I don't feel like leaving the bench."

The Russian passenger nodded and left his luggage beside their bench. She pondered on the events that led to her current predicament, from the failed E-Pandora Rebellion to her torture at the hands of a man called Marks Spencer to her assistance towards the E-Pandoras who grew resentful because they felt like they've been treated worse than trash, even though technically they're guinea pigs for the E-Pandora Project. Her thoughts wandered to the battle she fought against Charles that cost her Limiter's life. Elizabeth remembered too well what Andre Francoise told her.

"Don't worry about it. Even if I've used up all of my strength, I'd rather die than to see you lose."

She closed her eyes, intending to repress that awful memory of her Limiter dying at the hands of Charles Bonaparte before the Academy Reigning Enforcer killed her in a fit of rage. Elizabeth buried her face with her hands, trying hard not to show any tears but she felt someone poking her in the back. She turned around to see Ivan return with eight sandwiches inside a plastic bag.

"I've got dinner." Ivan gave her one sandwich, but his smile vanished. He noticed her eyes welling up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Elizabeth smiled as she wiped the tears off her eyes.

"What is your profession?" The Russian asked back curiously.

Elizabeth explained to him her position as a student Pandora within West Genetics and how all Pandoras were tasked with defending the planet against hostile aliens called the NOVA. She also disclosed the role of the Limiters and how their position to the Pandora is important. In response, Ivan told Elizabeth of his career as a young officer in the Russian Presidential Guard and how difficult it was to make sure that his boss (the President of the Russian Federation) didn't get killed by crazy assassins.

"In addition, I have two sisters who live abroad." Ivan grabbed his phone and opened up a file where photos of him with two other girls were uploaded. Elizabeth looked at one of the sisters who had the same platinum colored hair as Ivan before turning her gaze towards the other girl who clutched her brother's arm. "That's Yekaterina. She's my older sister who lives in Kiev right now."

"And what about the other one?"

Ivan's head drooped and sighed in exasperation. "She's Natalia, my younger sister. She has this crazy obsession with me, and she wants us to be married, even though we're siblings."

"Ouch." Elizabeth winced. From what Ivan described about his younger sister, the Mably heiress racked her brains to see if she knew someone who might also have a crazy sibling that acted just like Natalia. Before Ivan could show her more pictures, Elizabeth looked up and smiled serenely. A silver haired woman wearing a trench coat and an ushanka approached them as she gave her a hug. "Amelia Evans. What brings you here to Moscow?"

Amelia Evans giggled lightly. "My brother Luke has been moved to a Moscow hospital and the staff there promised me to keep an update on his condition."

"Your brother?" Elizabeth and Ivan had a surprised look on their faces. "How come he is in a Russian hospital?"

"The hospitals in Britain were charging me over 20,000 Euros, but that was before I signed up for the E-Pandora Project. Thanks to my services plus Scarlet Ohara's bureaucratic strings, we were able to secure a spot for Luke's operation here in Moscow." The silver haired woman smiled at Ivan and grinned back at Elizabeth. "Who's this handsome guy?"

"I'm Ivan. Ivan Braginski of the Russian Presidential Guard, and I'm here on vacation." Ivan and Amelia shook hands before grabbing a sandwich from the plastic bag. "Are you hungry? Elizabeth and I are stuck in this snowstorm."

"Tell me about it! I'm not happy that my flight is delayed and I've just stopped by, all the way from Bali!" A loud voice erupted from the other side of the departure gate. Amelia noticed a blue haired girl with a cellphone on her ear. "Yes, Mother. The trip to Bali was pleasant, but my Limiter acted all strange towards that Bridget girl."

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide after she heard the name 'Bridget'. She knew that there is only one girl with that surname and that is none other than the Untouchable Queen. Furthermore, her curiosity grew as the blue haired girl nodded on the phone and hung up. Ivan's face shifted to a serious look.

"There's a lot of people that are stuck in this lounge, so maybe you could tone down your voice," he said in a stern voice.

"I'm sorry about that. My mother's not happy about the delays in my flight back to London." The blue haired girl looked at the sign and sighed in relief. "So this is where I'll take a flight back to London."

The Mably heiress turned her gaze towards the newcomer. "Are you really going to London? I'm heading back there too, to see my father."

"Yeah. By the way, I'm-"

"Holly Rose. Britain's top Pandora, right?" Amelia interrupted the newcomer. Holly Rose nodded, but Elizabeth kept her gaze on her.

"You mentioned Bridget. Are you referring to Satellizer el Bridget?" Elizabeth asked.

Holly nodded, but the look on her face suggests that she isn't happy to know the Untouchable Queen. "I met the Untouchable Queen and her siblings in Bali during the Golden Vacation Week. My Limiter is Louis Bridget. He's the reason why Satellizer became the Untouchable Queen."

Both Elizabeth and Amelia opened their mouths in horror, and even Ivan narrowed his eyes in suspicion. To him, abusing one's own siblings is not only a hallmark of cowardice, but of being a psychopath. The Russian felt lucky that Natalia didn't act the same way this Louis Bridget person did towards his older sister. Ivan treasured his siblings far more than his own wealth because they all grew up without parents.

The three Pandoras sat down on the bench while another passenger left from his bench in order to make way for Ivan to sit down. Slowly, various passengers started to line up in the cafes, bars and restaurants, eagerly waiting for a chance to order their meal, but Ivan handed another sandwich to the other newcomer. While Ivan started to open the plastic wrapping on his sandwich, his phone vibrated. He picked up his phone and talked.

"Privyet, Natalia. I'm not going to make it in a while because of the snowstorm," Ivan told his younger sister.

"Brat, isn't there a train service from Moscow to Minsk?" Natalia Arlovskaya asked back. She paced around her room in her Belarusian home. "Why did you have to travel to Domodedovo for a flight to my house?"

Ivan kept his posture as Elizabeth and Amelia started to have conversation with each other and Holly simply looked at her phone. "I've already purchased my plane ticket. Besides, I'm with three passengers whose flight to London is also delayed."

"I see. Of course, there will be issues with letting Westerners use our Belarusian airports to catch a flight to Western Europe. Just tell those passengers that they're better off going to either Kiev or even St. Petersburg to catch their flight to London. Anyways, I know that you've only been given two weeks to have your vacation, but I can only host you for three days. I have a business meeting with syestra in Karkiv," Natalia continued to talk. "Anyways, I'll talk to you later."

"All right, bye-bye then." Ivan hung up the phone and returned it into his pocket. He looked outside and his eyes drooped in disappointment as the snowstorm didn't subside.

Hours had passed by since the snowstorm started when Ivan decided to fall asleep on the floor while using his own blanket as a mattress. The announcement was repeated every hour, causing a wave of groans and curses from among the other passengers who returned to the departure lounge after eating their dinner in various restaurants, bars and cafes. There were various shows broadcasted on the televisions around Domodedovo Airport, but Elizabeth gazed at the international news being shown at a TV closest to her bench.

"Stupid snowstorm. Now my Golden Vacation Week will be cut short," Holly cursed. "It was bad enough that I was dragged to Bali just to allow Louis to have a reunion with his sisters, but I also had to see that Satellizer girl's own Limiter fight alongside her."

Elizabeth was surprised at how much Holly knew both of her classmates. "You know Kazuya Aoi as well?"

"Wait, is Satellizer's Limiter the grandson of Gengo Aoi?" Amelia asked suddenly. Her mouth opened in surprise. "How come Dr. Aoi is tight lipped about his own family?"

"That's something you'll have to ask Kazyua, I'm afraid." Elizabeth looked at her watch and gently nudged Ivan awake. "It's two in the morning, Mr. Ivan."

Ivan opened up his eyes and yawned. "Is it really?" He turned towards Elizabeth. "In my service with the Presidential Guard, we've never heard much about Pandoras and Limiters. Normally the Russian Spetsnaz would have Pandoras and Limiters within their ranks and they'd also be trained on the same regimen as the VDV."

"All of the Genetics Academies established around the world are acting in conjunction with their countries' militaries, so how come you didn't know about it?" Amelia replied back in a scathing voice.

"Because Pandoras and Limiters were considered an S-Class top secret within the Russian Spetsnaz and the GRU. As far as I know, the names of the people who are such are invisible." Ivan's eyes shifted towards Amelia. "Amelia, it's about your brother. Was he suffering from any disease?"

"Yes. He has ALS, so he's had so much pain." Amelia looked down on the floor and struggled to prevent her eyes from watering, but unlike Elizabeth, she couldn't resist the urge to cry. "My mother...she abandoned us when she learned that Luke has ALS. She's the reason why I worked multiple jobs, just so I can earn enough money to pay for both Luke's tuition and his operation. I didn't have a normal life after my mother left, and my father died in a car accident."

Ivan slowly moved towards Amelia and patted her in the shoulder. She looked up to those purple eyes and embraced him. The Russian closed his eyes and hugged her in return. Elizabeth and Holly felt speechless after they heard Amelia's life story in just a set of short sentences. The Mably heiress gritted her teeth in frustration while Holly joined the hugfest and embraced the sobbing girl.

"It seems that we have a lot in common. Our parents died when they were young, so my older sister had to take care of us when we were children," Ivan told Amelia. She noticed his eyes welling up. "Did you know that the scarf I gave to Elizabeth was given to me by her?"

"Your older sister made this?" Elizabeth showed Ivan the scarf she used. Ivan nodded in agreement. "Wow. What did she ask in return?"

"Nothing much, except that Natalia and I had to help her out around the house. Yes, we all went to school but after we all graduated we went to enlist in our militaries. Natalia went to the Belarusian Army, Yekaterina went to the Ukrainian SBU and I joined the Presidential Guard, although technically I was supposed to join the GRU," Ivan answered back in a sullen tone. He smiled at Amelia, who finally stopped crying and nodded. "Don't worry about your brother. Our country has top notch medical care, and I'm sure your brother will get off the wheelchair and walk once more."

"Excuse me." All of the passengers turned around as a flight stewardess approached them. "Are you all flying out of Moscow? Unfortunately we had to shut down the terminal until the snow could be cleared, and it will definitely take two days to complete it. Is there another way you can travel out of Russia?"

Ivan shook his head. "I purchased my ticket a while ago."

"Same here, and I'm not sure if British Airways will give us a refund," Holly interjected. Amelia and Elizabeth nodded.

The flight stewardess sighed. "Perhaps if you can purchase train tickets at Leningradsky Station, you can still catch a flight to London from Saint Petersburg. In fact, the airport authorities here in Domodedovo are calling their counterparts at Pulkovo Airport and making requests to take in all the Domodedovo passengers, but I'm not sure if it will work."

"So what's the other alternative?" Elizabeth asked back. She noticed the passengers walking towards the exit while in the conveyor belts their heavy baggage were being pulled from the compartment.

"You cross the border to Finland and take a flight to London from Helsinki." The stewardess turned towards the other passengers who asked for help.

Ivan led the three Pandoras out of the terminal at Domodedovo and waited for a large taxi to arrive. The first taxi driver arrived at the front gate of the terminal and Amelia hopped inside. The driver grabbed Amelia's medium sized luggage before picking up Holly's luggage as she and Elizabeth later joined their former E-Pandora counterpart inside the taxi van. Ivan approached a second taxi as another driver placed his luggage inside his car.

"I've decided to use the train instead of the airplane." Ivan saw Elizabeth climb out of the taxi van. "Let's all meet up in London in five days. I'll fly in from Minsk and I hope you guys give me the tour of your British capital."

The Mably heiress smiled and nodded as the two Domodedovo passengers shook hands. To Ivan's surprise, Elizabeth hugged him while Holly and Amelia beckoned for her to get back inside and the driver was sputtering something in his native language. Ivan went inside the taxi car and watched as the van in front of him sped off from the terminal.

MINSK, BELARUS
YEAR 20XX

Ivan's visit to the Belarusian capital went smoothly without any incident. His stay at Natalia's house was rather normal, and his youngest sister tried her best to accommodate him. Both siblings talked about their work, and because they have connections to their respective governments, Ivan had to go and visit several Belarusian government officials. On his down time, Ivan and Natalia walked around the streets of downtown Minsk, searching for shops where he can purchase gifts for the three Pandoras he befriended.

While they ate inside Natalia's kitchen on one normal day, Natalia noticed her brother looking at the phone. She saw the pictures of the three new friends he made back in Domodedovo and her eyes narrowed. Ivan gave her a reproachful look and put away his phone after he caught her watching over the pictures. Natalia was about to speak when her phone rang. She picked it up and answered.

"Yes, syestra? I'm fine. Vanya's here and I saw some pictures." Natalia turned on the television in the living room. "He made some friends back in Domodedovo Airport."

Yekaterina Braginskaya made a squeal over her phone. "Did he really? Looks like Vanya's on his way to securing a wife for himself."

"Well Vanya's not really interested, and he told me that he wanted to go visit London," the Belarusian girl replied back sourly. "Said something about using up his vacation time until he has to go back to Moscow."

"You know, we could use a vacation. How does London sound? I know we'll only be there for a few days and we'll have to go back to our homes," Yekaterina suggested. Natalia growled in annoyance. "Natalia, I've also wanted to see you badly."

"Don't we have an upcoming meeting in Kharkiv?" she reminded her. "Yes, the meeting that our governments arranged for us with regards to the investment in your shattered country's economy."

"That's true, but that meeting isn't until after the day Vanya goes back to Moscow," Yekaterina replied.

Natalia shook her head. "I'll pass. Besides, I don't want to deal with that Kirkland dimwit and his idiotic brothers."

"I understand. Where's your brother?" Ivan looked up and held out his hand, expressing interest in talking to his older sister.

"Vanya wants to talk to you." Natalia handed the phone over to her brother.

"Vanya, I haven't talk to you in a while. How's your vacation so far? I heard from Natalia that you've made some friends back in Domodedovo Airport. Can you tell me more about them?" Yekaterina said in a cheery voice.

Ivan giggled. "They're such interesting people. There's one girl called Elizabeth. She told me that she goes to a school called Genetics, but I don't understand the rest of what she says."

"Genetics? You've met with a Pandora? I've heard about them though. Unfortunately the Ukrainian Pandoras go to Genetics Russia for their training despite the conflict between our homes." Yekaterina's voice remained cheery. "So what do you think?"

"Think of what?"

"Of your new friends!" Natalia's eyes rolled. "I mean, if she's a good looking girl-"

"I'm too busy with dating, Katya. I'm almost working 24-7, protecting our president and his family, plus the entire General Staff. Besides, I'll probably visit them in London soon enough," Ivan replied. He gazed at the watch and crashed into the sofa. "Anyways, I've got to sleep. I've only got one more day until I travel to London."

Yekaterina laughed lightly. "All right then, Vanya. If you do end up dating someone, be sure to tell me and Natasha about it."

"Katya!" Natalia yelled after she picked up the phone from her brother's hands. "You're embarrassing me!"

"Sorry about that." The phone went dead. Natalia joined Ivan in the living room and switched the channel.

"When do you leave for London?" Natalia asked again. Ivan answered back in a bored tone.

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"I see. Anyways, I'll take you to the airport tomorrow." Natalia continued to watch TV while Ivan fell asleep.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN

To say that the trip back to London was uneventful is simply false; the three Pandoras who joined together in the flight from St. Petersburg to London were exhausted by the time their airplane took off from Vnukovo Airport. By the time their airplane arrived at London, the three Pandoras went their separate ways, with Elizabeth going back to her parents' house, Holly rejoining her own family in Wessex and Amelia staying in one of London's hostels. It would take five weeks until British Airways sent them a formal apology for the delays in Domodedovo Airport and gave them free tickets to wherever they wanted to go.

In the past couple of days, the three Pandoras somehow found a way to stay connected. Elizabeth and Holly befriended each other over social media, but Amelia still had no personal laptop of her own. Although Ivan said in passing that he may eventually visit London, not one of the Pandoras would know when he will eventually show up in London. It was not until when Elizabeth was on her computer, surfing in her social media account that she decided to search Ivan's name. To her surprise, Ivan's name showed up on both facebook and its Russian counterpart, VKontakte. She decided to add him to her list of friends. An hour later, Elizabeth sighed in relief as Ivan quickly confirmed the friend status, but a minute later a message popped up.

Hello, Elizabeth. I will fly over to London sometime tomorrow and stay in a hotel for a few days. Could you come and visit me then? Ivan typed from Natalia's compiter.

Elizabeth looked at the calendar and typed. Which hotel will you stay? She waited for five minutes until a second message popped up.

Park Inn by Radison. It's the closest to London Heathrow. Do you know a better hotel?

Now Elizabeth was at a loss of words. Recommending someone a hotel was not her forte, as she never invited any of her West Genetics classmates to her home in London. Her shoulders sagged and reluctantly typed her thoughts.

That hotel would be your best bet for now. Why don't I send a link to your account to Holly and Amelia? They have accounts here. Elizabeth's message popped up a minute later.

Ten minutes passed by and Ivan's message popped once again. I've looked up their names and added them already. It'll take a while for them to respond. Why don't I arrange the meeting time? Perhaps the next time you Pandoras go on vacation, let me host you in my humble Muscovite home. I'll give you tours of Moscow and maybe take trips across Mother Russia.

"That would be nice." Elizabeth chose not to reply any further and closed the window on her computer.

Damn, I thought this would be one of those oneshots, but it might become a multi-chapter. To be honest, I'm trying to practice writing fanfiction once again because I was too rusty when writing Gundam 00C: Redemption.

EDIT: Finally secured a Beta Reader.

For those of you who don't know, SBU is the Ukrainian counterpart to the Russian FSB. The conflicts in the homes of Ivan and Yekaterina obviously refers to the current War in Donbass. In this AU, Andre Francoise dies instead of surviving with blindness.