AmeBel Romeo and Juliet

June 19th

Alfred whistled a happy tune as he made his way down the streets of Moscow on his way to see his new girlfriend. He quickly avoided a police officer and waited with bated breath for him to leave. No one knew he was alive yet, and the last thing he needed was someone like an officer finding out. Once the man was gone Alfred hurried up the steps to Natalia's house and knocked exactly four times, their code. Natalia answered the door and pulled him inside quickly with surprising strength.

"Did anyone see you?"

"Nah I was as sneaky as a snake!"

Natalia rolled her eyes slightly and then gazed at the package in Alfred's hands.

"What is that Alfred?"

Alfred grins widely presenting her with the box and watched eagerly as she opened the painstakingly wrapped box. Inside was a simple silver necklace, with a small locket. It was a simple but thoughtful gift, something that would suit her.

"Happy one month anniversary Nat!"

Natalia's eyebrows rise in up surprise but she was quick to cover this up. She had been getting better at letting him see her emotions, but old habits die hard.

"You did not need to do this, I didn't even think of something like this."

Alfred holds up his hands in a "hold up" symbol.

"That doesn't matter, you are my girlfriend and I want to treat you right! So may I help you with the necklace?'

Natalia thinks for a moment before she nodded and turned around so that he could put the necklace on her.

"It looks great on you Nat! Now all we need to do is add some pictures to it."

Natalia's hand danced over the locket as she carefully tucks it into her dress.

"Well… Thank you Alfred…I suppose I should do something for you…"

With that she gives him a chaste kiss on the check, completely stunning him.

"Ahhh…..Thanks."

Even after a month of her kisses she still somehow managed to catch him off guard.

Natalia rolls her eyes slightly and leads him to the living room where they spend time together without fear of being seen through any windows.

After the initial jolt of surprise his face broke out into a wide smile as she sits down the couch with her, his arm tucked around her. This had become their routine. He would sneak over to her house, and then they would just sit on the couch and talk or sometimes watch a movie. Alfred didn't really care what they did, as long as he was with her. After a while though Alfred noticed that something was wrong. Natalia was being quiet. Well quieter than usual anyway.

"Hey Nat what's on your mind?"

Alfred turned off the old black and white movie that had been playing (her favorite) as she turned to him. She was gripping his locket with an iron grip, as if afraid to let it go.

"My brother is hosting a ball, and he wants me to find a man at it. He believes that if I get into an alliance with another nation then it will make the Soviet Union stronger… "

Alfred could only stare in shock. This couldn't be happening…No she couldn't be forced into a marriage! That happened in bad stories, but Alfred was supposed to be her knight. He was the one who showed her that the world was a fairy tale. He was supposed to keep something like this from happening. But once Russia was set on something, it happened. Always.

"Don't worry! We will figure something out, after all your hero is here!"

Natalia fixes him with an incredulous look and all of Alfred's facade faded away.

"Ok so… This is bad… But he can't make you marry you already have a suitor right? I mean if you tell him that you already have someone who you like maybe he wouldn't force you to go to the ball!"

"He would want to meet them Alfred…."

Alfred's flash of hope faded.

"Right…. So what do we do?"

Natalia shrugs, for once not having a plan. She had already tried everything that she could think of to make her brother stop the ball, but it was useless against his iron will.

"I will just have to not find a suitable man at this ball. I will just have to scare them all away. "

Alfred nods before smiling as an idea came into his brain.

"Yeah or….."

The ball- June 20th

Alfred tied his dark blue mask more snugly around his face and grins over at his brother who was doing the same with an elaborate red mask.

"Hey Canadia I really appreciate this man!"

Matthew sighs softly. Alfred had called him over the night before, and had secretly enjoyed the relief in his brother's eyes when he saw that Alfred was actually alive. It felt good to know that someone actually did care about him other than Natalia.

"Alfred I'm Canada…. And you're welcome."

Alfred chuckles softly and jabs his brother with an elbow.

"Ah I know I'm just messing with you bro! Now come on, we have a party to crash!"

Matthew rolls his violet eyes slightly but follows his brother into the daunting soviet ball. It was being hosted at night and all of the Soviet states were there, as well as other communist nations. The ladies were dressed in their best gowns and the men in suits, all were wearing masks. Alfred scanned the crowd until he found Natalia in a blue mask that matched his own.

"Perfect she got it! Ok then remember your role?"

Matthew nods as he gazes over the crowd for an initial check of who was there, and then his gaze stopped on one female nation.

"Yes of course! I stay in the background and make sure that Russia; A. doesn't figure out that it's you, and then B. keep him from killing you if I fail with part A."

Alfred grins happily and claps him on the back, nearly knocking the Canadian off of his feet due to his freakish superhuman strength.

"Thanks! I knew that I could count on you dude! Now go and talk to Ukraine, I know you've had your eyes on her for a while!"

Before Matthew's face could match the shade of his mask Alfred nudges him in the direction of the farming nation and turned his attention to his own Soviet state. Natalia was standing with a group of men but was not giving any of them any attention. He couldn't blame the men for wanting to talk to her, though it did make him just a bit protective.

She looked stunning in a blue formal gown, and the light off of her platinum hair gave her the impression of a halo, making her look even more like an angel than she usually did. She was his perfect heaven sent angel, and Alfred could only stare before getting snapped out of it when one of the men grabbed her arm, obviously intent on having her dance with him.

Alfred crossed the floor quickly, more for the man's sake than Natalia's. He knew that if she got angry she could knock him unconscious in three seconds flat, he had seen her do it before. Twice. And once it was to himself.

"Hello Miss. Arlovskaya, may I have this dance?"

Alfred gives her a hidden wink as she eyes him. His hair was neatly combed back for once, and he had traded Texas for a set of contacts. Without the presence of his glasses, Nantucket and of course the mask someone would have to look hard to be able to know who he was. Or least that's what Alfred was hoping for.

"Da, of course you may."

With one swift kick to the man's foot Natalia was released and free to dance with this "stranger." They swept out onto the ballroom floor leaving the men's muttered curses behind. A waltz was started and Alfred was more than happy to swing Natalia around the floor. As they were the only ones dances Alfred got the chance to whisper to her as they glided across the sleek floor.

"Hey Nat…"

"Da?"

"You look beautiful…."

Natalia raised an eyebrow but only looks away.

"And you are handsome. Did you bring your friend to help?"

Alfred nodded happily jerking his head to where his brother was chatting with Ukraine.

"Yeah he's there! Trust me if there's one guy to be a peacemaker, that's my bro Canada!"

Belarus narrows her eyes before she nodded, having finally found him.

"He blends in easily, that is good. We do not want my brother recognizing him."

Alfred nodded happily as he twirled her around faster, the music picking up its tempo.

"Yeah, he's good with that…. Did I mention that you look beautiful?"

Natalia sighs and dances closer to him as the song slowed down, calling for a more intimate dance.

"Da, you did Alfred…."

Alfred shrugs happily. He knew that he was dancing in the home of his enemy, but he had his angel in his arms. All was right with the world. The only thing that could make this any better would be if he could make his way to the food table on the other side of the ball room.

"Good, I can't let you forget that! People forget things if you don't tell them often you know."

Natalia looks away from the intense blue gaze of the American.

"You are too kind for your own good Alfred…"

"Nah, there's no such thing as being too kind!"

As the song ended Natalia could only shake her head while she quickly pats his cheek with a gloved hand.

"You are so oblivious….I wish…"

Her wish was cut off by the arrival of a smiling Russian.

"Hello Natalia… Who is this?"

Alfred trembled slightly as his faced down his red enemy; however he did not let his voice quiver as he answers in perfect Russian, with an accent to match.

"Hello! My name is Tanner Cook. I'm the representation of Antarctica."

Ivan eyes him and nods slowly, motioning for Natalia to go away so they could talk alone. Natalia does this sullenly and joins her sister and Matthew.

"Ah… I see. I did not know that Antarctica had a representation…"

Alfred smiles nervously and shrugs in a joking manner to hide his nerves.

"Ah I don't really do much other than hang out with penguins!"

Ivan nods giving him a smile as he seemingly approved of this candidate for his sisters hand in marriage for the moment.

"Well penguins are very nice, da?"

Alfred nods before being launched into a long conversation with Ivan about penguins, snow and other things like that. The more Alfred talked to him, the more surprised he became. As it turned out, they had a few things in common, along with their mutual love of Natalia. While Alfred's was of the romantic type, Ivan cared for her in a way that only a brother could. Finally Ivan turned to Alfred with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry but… I can't condone your marriage. That is if you want to marry her. You see I want the best for her, and Lithuania has land and people to offer. He can offer her a country, an alliance, an army to protect her. I hope you understand."

Alfred's world shattered before his eyes. Toris? His friend?!
"O-oh yeah! Of course I understand!"

Ivan grinned and clasped Alfred's shoulder fondly.

"I am glad you understand! However I would love to go drink some vodka with you some time and perhaps you could show me some of your penguins?"

Alfred's trembles and clenched fists went unnoticed by the smiling Russian, who was instead watching Lithuania intently as he walked over to Belarus.

"Of course! That would be great!"

Ivan nods curtly.

"I hope you enjoy the rest of the ball."

And with that he left, leaving Alfred to his frantic thoughts.

'This can't be happening! I-I mean, he can't really think that she likes Lithuania! Ugh what are we going to do?!'

Alfred paced frantically across the gleaming floor to the door which led outside to the balcony. Maybe some fresh air would clear his mind. He walks outside with the drone of the party still within ears reach. He stands with his arms resting on the marble balcony as he looks up at the full moon.

"Where for art thou Natalia? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet. "

Alfred shakes his head with a small chuckle. Even after a month having passed between the last time he had seen that play he still remembered that balcony scene.

"Yeah... Why did you have to be Ivan's sister… Ugh why does the world hate me! Why does it even matter! So what if she's communist! I love her!"

"Not everyone hates you."

Alfred whirled around at the sound, scared of whom it might be. However that fear was soon released as he lets out his breath that he did not realize he had been holding in.

"Hey Nat… Did you hear all of that?"

Natalia nods and joins him, her heels making sharp clicks in the mostly silent night. The drone from the party seemed to fade away as he focused on her.

"Da I did… You do realize that it is Juliet that says those lines?"

Alfred blinks stunned and then chuckles softly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Ah yeah… I know… But it seemed right to say."

Natalia nods turning to where she was facing him, their eyes locked.

"I am surprised that you remembered those lines exactly."

Alfred shrugs rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah well… I kind of memorized most of that play…"

Natalia tits her head, looking at him slightly impressed.

"Really?"

Alfred nods happily.

"Yeah! I just really like that play."

"Hmm... I thought that you would prefer something more like Macbeth, or Hamlet. More stories about throwing off a king…."

Alfred laughed a bit at her witty joke before he finally answered her.

"Nah, I like a good tragic romance."

Natalia's eyes suddenly darkened as she glanced at the soviet ball. Red was seen everywhere within.

"Then our romance must fill you with joy…"

Her eye were so miserable that Alfred was quick to pull her into a hug where he mumbled into her hair, wishing he could pluck his words out of the air and shove them back into his mouth.

"Hey don't say that! It's not going to be tragic, ok? We'll make this work, and that's a hero's promise."

Natalia looked up at him, staring into his nearly masked eyes.

"How can you be so optimistic? Don't you realize that we are doomed?"

Alfred smiles and quietly slips off his mask. He was himself now, and able to fully show off his wide grin which reached up to his eyes.

"Because we are in a fairytale, remember? The good guys always win, and they always get the girl of their dreams."

Natalia looks up at him and slowly leans up.

"I wish I could have your optimism."

Her wish was barely whispered as she moves to kiss him.

"NYET! NO! GET AWAY FROM HER!"