Alfred was busy doing his usual mountain of paper work. He was so engrossed that he didn't hear the stomping of one of his states down the hall or the secretary yelling after it. The door creaked open and closed without a slight hesitation or a knock. "Uh… hey dad." Its' voice cracked a little. Alfred mumbled something, he wasn't even sure what it was. "Ho-how are you doing?" They were trying so hard to kill the tension, which didn't work with the distracted Alfred. Since his new boss took over Alfred did nothing but work on his person. He didn't visit them anymore, he just sat in his office doing paperwork.
There was a silence before the person spoke up again. "I've gotten really strong, built my own oil ridges and everything." Alfred just nodded. The person wrung the paper in their hands a bit more. "You remember our deal? Zat if I could support me-" their accent slipped! They took a breath and tried again. "m-m-myself I could be my own country."
Alfred didn't respond at first. "Yes, continue." He said with a wave of his arm. "I came here… secede." The person flinched away, but there was no reaction at all. They walked up to the edge of the desk, a little anxious. Still there was no yelling or screaming. "Here's paper for it, you just need sign. I'll be building government, so I won't stay home." The person began to back up to the door. "Da?" they whispered. Alfred only nodded. "Ok. I'll be going then. See you at conference." With that they briskly existed.
It took hours for Alfred to notice. In fact, Arthur and Francis had sat down and played a few rounds of solitaire before Alfred noticed the slight Russian accent. "Da?" he repeated looking up. He yelled at the others there. "When did you two get here!?"
"We arrive a while ago, you ignoramus." Arthur said, setting down his card.
"Why were you saying 'Da', mon cherri?"
"Uh… someone came to visit me. They said 'Da'…" Alfred drifted into though. "Was it Russia?" They all got the same scared expression on their faces. Instantly, they were all on their feet, searching the place over. Nothing. "If It was Russia, he would have left something." Arthurs eyes fell onto a stray paper on the floor. "Maybe, if you should keep your stuff in order you wouldn't be so scatter brained." Arthur's and Francis's scanned over the paper and felt a rock hit the pits of their stomachs. Alfred snatched it away before either could stop him.
"well, lemme finish up my paperwork…" Alfred read the paper swiftly as the two other men hid. His eyes widened and his hand dropped the paper.
"ANNA IS DOING WHAT?!" His voice shook the whole house. In his fit he picked up the couch both men were hiding behind and hauled it over his head.
"Il est fou!" Francis shouted. "Do something, 'Père'!" Arthur jumped up!
"Calm down you brute! You'll kill us all!" Alfred only growled. "I'll get her for this!" He tried to walk through the doorway with the couch still above his head.
After calming down the very distressed Hulk, they sat down in the evening room with wine. "How could you not expect this, blond?" Francis stated, tugging on a piece of Alfreds' hair.
"She's always been so loyal and happy! I mean, I knew she had her own 'separation party' but in this age who does?" Arthur sighed. "Do you remember the first time we met her, after Ivan sold her to us?"
It was a cold day, colder than either Arthur, Alfred or Matthew experienced. Arthur knew it must have been because Ivan was in town. Alfred clung closer to Arthur, who picked him up in response and held him in his arms with his brother.
"So, Ivan's bad?" The younger one in his arms asked, clutching the uniform in his tiny hands.
"You bet, Matthew! He'll eat you up!" The feistier one demonstrated how one might be eaten by Ivan. Matthew gasped and hid a bit more in his fluffy coat. Arthur scolded him.
"He's not bad Alfred and don't scare your brother like that!" Alfred frowned."Ivan is just different. Everyone is, remember that okay?" The two nodded and they all turned to continue starring off into the fog.
It was just then that a dark form began to rise from the thick, frozen fog. "There he is!" Alfred yelled, pointing as Ivan approached them. Ivan, like Arthur, had a child within his own arms, only still dressed in moccasins and mouse hide.
"You have money, da?" Ivan asked, a slight song to it.
"You don't think I'd actually try to cheat you Ivan?" Arthur asked, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a wad of cash. Ivan eyed it then set the child down and now could be seen clearly. It was a girl, white as her elder with long blonde hair and magenta eyes. Ivan knelt by her and whispered something in which she only nodded to. Ivan turned his attention back to Arthur who set down his children. "Alfred, I want you to grab her when I had him the money, okay?" Alfred nodded. "But what are we doing? Who is she?" Matthew mused. "She's your new sister. Ivan's giving her to us." Matthew didn't know how to react, he just nodded.
Slowly the groups merged and just as Arthur handed Ivan the money, Alfred reached out and tugged the other child over to him. Ivan smiled. "Well, it seems our trade is complete. Take good care of little Anastasia." And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving them in the fog.
Anastasia looked from her group to the disappearing man and panicked. She pushed away from Alfred and tried to run after him. The others gasped and Arthur was the first to react. He easily caught up to her and scooped her up into his arms. She cried, cursing in Russian and another language Arthur didn't know, trying to get out of his grasp with no success. The other two joined in hugging her. When she finally settled down she looked England in the eye and said with a thick Russian accent: "I von't stay very long. E'll be me own countre soon."