AN: Ok so I watched an AMV and this idea came to my head. I love the plot and pairing and such so don't be afraid to tell me what you think. This is just the intro so it doesn't really get into the actual story just yet. (I promise I'm still working on my other projects as well!)

So I love reviews and Matthew hugs those that review so please let me know what you think!

"What the hell do you expect me to do Arthur?" Francis screamed across the room.

"What do you want to do?" Arthur retaliated. "You always pin this shit on me anyway damn it"

"Well, I want you to stop fucking drinking all the time and get your shit together Arthur." Francis was usually calm and nice but, this irked him endlessly. "I want you to not be drunk right now!"

"I'll do what I want. I didn't marry you so you could boss me around!" Arthur screamed the words. "I also don't want you here bitching at me. This might be why the kid won't talk to me."

Francis sighed. "Leave Mathieu out of this Arthur."

Arthur was fuming now. "He's my kid too but, won't even look in my direction. He never talks to me and he just sits in his room alone all day."

Francis sighed, this again. "You know as well as I do that Matthew isn't stupid. He knows about the fighting you idiot."

"I really don't care!" Arthur yelled.

Little Matthew Williams watched all of this from behind the staircase. He refused to come out from this hiding spot. It was the only place his was safe from his fathers arguments.

Alfred was lucky. He wasn't home right now and Matthew could really use his twin. He just needed someone who knew what living in this house could be like. He needed someone that lived here who he didn't have to constantly hide from. That's what his brother was there for. Alfred was his hero and always helped him.

He wished his papa could have a hero. He knew that his father stayed up at night sometimes and cried. He also knew that his father had bruises on his arms sometimes. That was when Arthur got really drunk and hit him. Matthew really didn't like Arthur then. He didn't want papa to cry all night. He wanted his dad to be happy and not have to cry and wear long sleeves to hide the bruises.

Matthew hated his stepdad for all of this. He didn't really consider Arthur family because family didn't hurt each other. A family helped each other. They had been a family a few years ago. But, then the fighting started and that all ended.

"I'm done with this Arthur. I can't do this anymore. I'm done." Francis said the words with tears in his eyes.

"What do you mean you're done? You can't be done with me Francis!" Arthur raged.

"Arthur I love you but, this is just far too much for a person to take. You can't be very happy with this either." Francis pleaded.

"How the hell do you know how I fucking feel? You love… bullshit. You just love to boss me around all the fucking time. You act as if I was one of your children. That's Alfred and Matthew, not me." Arthur was getting louder.

"Arthur calm down please." Francis had regained some of his composure.

That was when Arthur threw the picture frame at Francis. It missed and the shattered glass lay at Matthew's feet. It was a picture of the four of them taken a year beforehand. Oh how he wished he could go back to then.

Matthew woke up and tried to get the image out of his head. The broken glass with the old photograph in it was imprinted on his mind. He reached up to brush his blond hair away from his face and felt the tears there. The dream had left them as a reminder that it wasn't just a dream, it was also his past.

Matthew stood up and walked down the hall and into his twin's room. Alfred lay there asleep but, Matthew needed him right now. He needed his brother so he could remember that it was just that, the past. He needed to remember that he wasn't the scared little kid hiding behind the staircase anymore. "Al. Are you awake?"

"Hmmm…." Alfred rolled over and looked at his brother. "I am now. Why'd you wake me up?" He noticed the tears on Matthew's face. "Damn Mattie. The dream again?"

"Yeah it was… still pretty bad. I needed to see you and remember that it wasn't happening now." Matthew's voice shook.

Alfred sighed, "I'm here and papa is just downstairs and Arthur is not here anymore." He patted the spot next to him on the bed. "Come on over Mattie. Don't fall asleep though because it's already eight and not worth it. We have a meeting to go to today anyway."

Matthew smiled a bit and lay down next to his twin. "Thanks Al. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Alfred smirked, "Freak out?"

Matthew laughed, "Yeah probably."

Matthew sat in silence and thought about his parents and how they used to fight. That experience had been pivotal in making him who he was. That experience had given him his one rule in life. It was a rule that the twins shared and promised one another they would never break.

Don't fall in love. Never let yourself fall in love. Falling in love meant fighting and breaking up. Falling in love meant abuse when the other was drunk and got mad for no apparent reason. Falling in love meant getting hurt like his father had been hurt. Falling in love meant making yourself vulnerable.

Matthew swore years ago that he would never let that happen. He wouldn't cry like he had seen Francis do so many times in the past. He wouldn't ever let himself be that close to a person. It just wouldn't happen.

Alfred was thinking in a similar vein. He glanced up at Matthew. "Remember the rule Mattie. Don't you dare forget that."

Matthew nodded. "You don't forget it either.

AN: and so it begins... the tale of this rule and how it affects Matthew's life. and how others seek to break said rule! Review please.