This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to factual details is purely coincidental. Also Himaruya owns Hetalia and not me (sadly).


*~*~*~[Monday, London, UK]~*~*~*

"Kirkland, I need you for a second." A low voice, muffled behind the glassy office door of room 24, 2rd floor of Albion Law Firm.

"Yes, Mr. Edelstein."

Arthur stood up from his seat in cubicle and walked toward the attorney's room. Today had been rather slow and he had just finished emailing the last client 15 minutes ago. He was glad to finally have something to do, passing the quiet time at the office. Mr. Edelstein was definitely a strict man, but for a lawyer, he was quite forgiving and doesn't boss Arthur around... as much as when he first got this job. You could even say he was rather tolerable, if not for the fit he throws whenever he encounter too many difficult cases with spiteful clients, drowning him in stress. One thing Arthur admired about the man, other than the tidiness and devotion to his work, however unrelated, is how he would play the piano from time to time, usually when he was thinking.

He could be a great performer if not for his prickly attitude, Arthur guessed.

Arthur grabbed the hand knob, when his expression softened at the streaming melodious notes from behind the door. He walked in as the Austrian continued to play, undisturbed.

"The printer," muttered the pianist nonchalantly as he fell back to a slower pace, his eyes closed.

Arthur picked up the still warm stack of papers.

"Will and other processing papers from an old mentor I have. He's in the hospital right now... and I've heard from his secretary that he might not make it through this month," the man gradually stopped playing and glanced up at Arthur, who was now standing next to the desk, flipping through the papers.

"Just organise the lots and that should be it for today," he sighed and then continued to play on. "Also, can you call Elizabeta for me? Tell her I'll be home a bit late. I'm going to visit the man after work."

"Yes sir." Arthur met the Austrian's eyes and mumbled some condolences words. Then he quickly removed himself from the room to give the man some space. He would appreciate that, the Englishman thought. Working with him for 4 years had taught the young man more than enough.

He picked up the desk phone and dialed in Elizabeta's number. It was only 3 in the afternoon so she was probably still in class.

"Hullo, teach. Am I disrupting class?" Arthur delivered smoothly into the receiver.

"Hello boy! It's cool. School, you know, free discussion time." Elizabeta's voice came with a cheery laugh. Arthur couldn't help but smile when he talks to her.

"You are doing fine, teach. Just don't carry that around too often." Arthur said with a small laugh as he divided the papers into small stacks.

"What? Oh that. No, I've gotta have it around to whip you boys into studying. You've got to know at least that much, Arthur!" The Hungarian said with a wink in her voice.

Arthur spluttered at the comment. "Please, don't mention me in any of your "discussions", is all I'm asking."

"No worry, sweetie. Your secret is safe with me. I'm not going to mention any... names," she giggled.

Arthur could feel his face heating up in embarrassment at the thought of his old teacher gathering her high school kids up in a little group for a "story time" about his awful wild school days. "... Thanks, teach." He mouthed, clearly with a sarcastic tone.

"You are welcome! But enough about me, how's work?"

'Yup. She's definitely getting a kick out of this,' Arthur seemed to cried internally.

"Fine, fine. A bit slow these days, but that's what to be expected after the recession this fall, I suppose" Arthur picked up his tea cup and walked to the cupboard behind him. "That reminds me. Your husband's going to be a bit late today. Going to the hospital to visit an old mentor of his whom recently fell ill."

The older woman sighed into the receptor with worries. "Alright, tell him to take care... About Roderich, is he doing fine at work these days? I mean he never tell me anything..."

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe he's playing the piano more these days, maybe not." Arthur sipped on the hot tea and sat down again.

"Really? That's a relief. But yeah... we rarely converse much about work related things, as least he doesn't. I guess I'm just thinking too much then."

"I'll keep an eye on him, if you need me to." Arthur leaned back on his chair. Mrs. Eliz usually have good intuition, but who know.

"Thank you so much Arthur. You are such a sweet kid. Sometimes I wonder if you are actually godsend, really." Elizabeta laughed lightly.

"It's nothing compare to how much I owe you both." Arthur closed his eyes and gave a small laugh himself. He felt like such a kid, talking to his teacher like this.

"No, you are more than we could ever ask for. I would have adopted you a long time ago if you weren't so against it."

"Ugh no way, teach. We are barely... What? 5 years apart. And don't remind me of that either." Arthur could feel cold sweat on the back of his neck. His teacher was not the most friendly and warmhearted person in the world, despite her sweet words. Arthur knew she was being sincere, she still is, but sometimes... you couldn't tell.

"You are so hard to love, kiddo." Now she was starting to pout. Great.

"I'm not a kid. And teach, you've left your real kids hanging for a while." Arthur rushed as he looked at the watch that said 3:24. He shuddered, suddenly remembered that Elizabeta can go for hours once she have entered that mode. "I'll talk to you another time. Have a good afternoon!"

This time she snapped out of it quite fast. Arthur guessed the worries were getting to her after all.

"Alright poppet. You too." She uttered softly and disconnected.

*~*~*~*[Meanwhile]~*~*~*

"Hello. My name is Linda Sturluson and I'm making this call on behalf of Mr. Kennedy Jones, as his secretary. I reckon you are Ms. Moriah Jones?"


*~*~*[10 AM, New York, US]~*~*~*

Alfred woke up startled by an unusually chicken noise screeching in his ear.

"Matthew Williams! You little shit!" he screamed in rage. Its definitely him, that brat.

He had stayed up until 5 again last night. Okay, it wasn't anything in particular, he just couldn't sleep after browsing some horror stuffs online, but he's too embarrassed to say that of course. However, the loss of sleep was getting to him. The boy crawled out of his room, ready to get Matthew, who was innocently sitting at the breakfast table. The light outside was almost blinding, it delayed his train of already insufficient thoughts.

"Good morning, brother!" Matt smiled from his book as Alfred rummaged around, his hand on the wall, trying to get to the kid in the bright light.

"No, you bastard! What was that alarm for? And who opened all the windows?" He shut his eyes tightly as he stumbled out, his head spinning, groping around for balance.

"I got your breakfast. Please go wash your face, Al." Matt flashed him the most charming smile he had got and pointed at the table.

Alfred, with his sight finally focused, or as focused as he can be without glasses anyway, followed its direction. His mouth watered at the sight of that unusually perfect breakfast in front of him, Big Macs, extra-large pizza, fries, soda and various desserts.

Ugh, the sly kid've got him. Alfred was battling his inner voices, to hit the dude then go wash his face, or the wash his face then give Matt a bashing. He finally settled for the third choice, which would be go wash his face, then come back to eat that breakfast, then we settle the inevitable extra violent assault.

"You..." He murmured, scratching his back as he made his way to the bathroom. Behind him, a Matthew's clearly giggling.

When Alfred got back, he noticed that Mom was already there, sitting on the sofa, watching the news like she had been there since forever. He found it hard to trust that women no matter how cool she is sometimes. Well, most of the time. But isn't that how all parents are like. He even thought she was some secret CIA agent when he was a kid. So he ran over to the table as she continued to focus on some world political report. "Nibbling" on his favorite pepperoni pizza (yes, the entire pizza. Slices are for the weak!), Alfred's face lit up with happiness. Then he went back to his brother who was contently sipping his favorite maple syrup tea in front of him. Dude is totally fine with that sickening sweet stuff.

"Mattie what's up with the chicken alarm anyway? You usually don't even care if I sleep in until 12..." Alfred mumbled through his second burger.

"Max sent me the ringtone yesterday," he chuckled at Alfred's expression. "That was fun!"

"Not for me..." Alfred yawned, grabbing the soda. "And all these food? So I don't set you on fire?"

"Yup," Matt chortled, his shoulder shaking slightly. He was usually so cute and sweet, like right now too but... Alfred needed to talk to that Max.

"Hey Mom!" Alfred jumped over to the sofa and gave her an affectionate hug as he tried to cuddle under the warm blanket. She just smiled at the big baby and kissed him on the forehead.

"Morning Alfred. Finally noticing me? I was getting lonely you know." she sulked.

"Anything interesting on the news?" Alfred pouted his lips.

"Nothing much, dear... I might just go and grab a bite." She yawned. "Did Alfred leave anything, Matthew dear?"

"He didn't touch the croissants and pancakes." Matt listed out as he glanced up in his glasses.

"HEY! I wouldn't just gobble up the whole table!" Alfred yelled, his voice muffled by the warm blanket.

Suddenly a ringing sound cut through the conversation. Moriah walked slowly to the kitchen counter and picked up her cell phone.

"Hello," she spoke softly into the receiver with a sweet voice. Alfred had always like listening to his mom's voice on TV. She was the local newscaster on channel 12. But of course he loved it more in person.

"Y-yes." she stuttered. "...How may I help you?"

Alfred pulled the 3DS out from under the sofa cushion, where he hid it yesterday afternoon before falling asleep. Matt caught him in the act and stared at him with wide eyes. He just grinned at the younger boy and stuck his tongue out. Matt just sighed and shook his head in disapproval.

"What happened to him?" the woman gasped loudly. Her hand clapped over mouth as her shoulder began to shake.

This got the attention of the two boys. Matt looked over her with concerned eyes while Alfred just stared at her back in surprise. Then they both quiet down as the women continued her short responses, leaning her arm on the counter. Finally, the mother put down the cell phone and stood there in silent, her hands clutching to her arms.

"What's wrong, Mom?" Alfred asked.

Startled, Moriah turned her head back. Then she walked over to the kitchen table with Alfred following her. She exhaled a soft sigh, which quickly broke into a contained sob.

"Your dad... is in the hospital... They said he might not make it through this month."

~oOo~

Arthur ended up bringing the papers home because he needed to look through them. Being a legal secretary is not just answering calls, composing emails, and making coffee after all. He pulled the tan covert trench coat over his brown suit and stepped outside. The air was a bit colder than he expected, being still indoor. He could see light on from the passing offices. Mr. Edelstein had just left a few minutes ago. Then out of nowhere, his old friend, Kiku Honda, was approaching and giving him a small wave.

"Good afternoon, Arthur. How do you do?" The man said politely with a slight bow.

"Hullo, Kiku. Long time no see. I'm fine. You're alright?" Arthur smiled at him.

Arthur was a tad bit concerned about why Kiku's here but it would be rude to ask, especially if it's related to getting a lawyer, he thought.

As if noticing the curious glance from the Englishman, Kiku spoke up. "I started working at this law firm as a secretary a few days ago. I thought I would pay you a visit soon but if you are in a hurry then I wish not to inconvenient you."

Arthur's eyes grew wider and he let out a small grin. "Kiku, that's great new! We can see each other more often now. And I'm in no hurry. We can go somewhere and catch up right now, if you want."

"No, it's quite alright. We can talk anytime. But are you sure you'd be alright like that?" Kiku said, his hand pointed to the window.

It was raining steadily outside. Arthur didn't even notice since the building was sound-proofed. More like he hadn't been paying much attention to the weather at all, and expected it to be chilly like this morning.

"Oh bugger. I forgot my umbrella at home." Arthur groaned, face-palmed.

"You can use one of mine if you want to. I always have extras around in case someone needs them. It's winter after all." Kiku offered.

"Really? Thank you, Kiku, you are a lifesaver. I don't even want to think about running to the tube in this weather." Arthur patted Kiku's shoulder, giving him his best thankful face.

"It's fine, really. How is work?"

They walked together to Kiku's office. It was a rather short walk, practically two or three rooms down the hall.

Arthur paused a bit, and then sighed. "Nothing out of the ordinary, I guess. It was rather fun at first, I had something to do and it would earn me enough money for a living. But after 4 years, I'm not sure. It's a great job. I just..."

"You want to be an editor."

"Yes—wait! How did you... Oh, right. Gilbert must have told you." Arthur guessed. The Prussian would be the only one who'd bother to bring the Englishman up in any conversation at all.

"Yes. I frequent the pub quite often." Kiku opened the door and walked in.

"Kiku?" a voice came from behind the attorney office's door.

"Yes Mr. Karpusi. Do you need anything? I thought you were about to leave." Kiku pulled a blue umbrella out from the basket cupboard and handed to Arthur.

A man walked out from behind the door. Arthur remembered seeing him around the past months but he never had the chance to talk to him. Okay, that didn't justify anything but it's the usual for Arthur.

"Nothing much. Hello there. A friend?" The older man asked as he noticed Arthur's presence next to Kiku.

"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Arthur Kirkland. I work with Mr. Roderich, room 24." Arthur offered the man his hand.

"You too, I'm Heracles Karpusi. I'm sorta new around here I guess." The man spoke in a husky, almost sleepy voice as he shook Arthur's hand. Then he turned to Kiku with lazy eyes."I was going to ask if you are free this evening. I got some tickets for this nearby museum. Heard they have cats. Want to come?"

"Thank you for inviting me. And yes, that sounds great. I don't have anything important tonight." Kiku said looked up at the older man.

"Then I'll get going. I'll talk to you another time, Kiku." Arthur waved. "Thanks again for the umbrella. You two have a good time."

Arthur strolled out on a high note, headed for the lift. He was glad Kiku had finally settled down with a new job. The lad had not been himself after he broke up with his ex-boyfriend over some trivial matter. He was so devastated and heart-broken, he went out drinking every night. Arthur was secretly glad that his friend didn't take it further; he wasn't the promiscuous type of guy. That aside, Kiku dating alone was hard enough, judging by how committed he can be in a relationship, Arthur guessed.

By the time Arthur got out of the building, it was already getting dark. The rain was still pounding on the pavement. Arthur used to really like rain. It used to make him feel refreshed and lively. Now he just laughed alone thinking about it. How fitting. It was just like his mood these days, dark and gloomy. He found himself thanking everyone around him again and again. Not that it's a bad thing, it's great. If not for them, he would have dropped off the Earth and just... die in some dirty corner in this London. It's just that... Arthur tried to snap out of his moody self as he stepped on the tube. He sat down on an empty seat and made himself comfortable, snuggling into his coat's collar.

'A 15 minute ride isn't that long. Don't fucking fall asleep...' Arthur reminded himself, though his eyes seems to act otherwise.

~oOo~

The atmosphere inside the house was darkening at a steady rate. Alfred's cheerful mood was long gone. He tried to chase his thoughts by letting his eyes wander to the TV screen that was still flashing, when Mom finally breached through the sinking silent.

"What should I do..." she managed through the sobs. Matthew was right beside her, patting her back, his expression more somber than Alfred could remember.

"It's alright Mom. Everything will be fine..." He replied, trying to hide the cold from his voice. He simply refused to believe that he was hearing about his dad, the man who had abandoned them, after so many years, would try to contact them at all.

Alfred had had a warm loving family. He simply couldn't ask for more from such warm-hearted parents, a cute little brother, how the four of them would go on picnic or amusement park every Sunday. Just like a bomb went off, he disappeared from their life. That man had turned his back on them and left without a word 10 years ago. As a 9 years old at that time, Alfred couldn't understand it. His family was torn apart, too fast for him to even comprehend everything. Not much was said between mom and dad, no fight, nothing; except for the fact that he left them with the old house in California, which his mom sold off not long afterward and moved back to her hometown, to Rochester of New York; and a long phone call to mom a few weeks after. He didn't object to her selling the house at all, and Alfred knew that he couldn't ask for anything more than for his mom to stop drinking and neglecting her health after weeks of sleepless nights. Matthew was only one year smaller than him, and he could only remember the small stifled cries and sniffs from the lower bunk bed most nights.

They eventually found out much later in Alfred's years that the man was the second son of a large corporation in London, and after their supposedly uncle passed away in a car crash, he was to replace the man to keep the business running. The truth came out like those sappy dramas of a story book. Even after that, he knew the old memories pricking his heart were not going to simply fade away. More than just a big gap in the family, Alfred could see changes in himself to prove just how much the man's disappearance affected him. Thinking back, he never knew why his parents weren't divorced despite the fact that they were not living together, and hadn't even kept in touch. And they could have just all moved to England instead of being separated. Or were there something else that Alfred didn't know?

Too many questions went unanswered.

And now this.

"Mom, isn't there something else you want to tell us?" Alfred turned his head. He looked straight at his mom with unwavering gaze. Finally there was a chance to talk this out, and he wasn't going to miss it. "Anything at all?"

Both Moriah and Matthew were startled by his tone. Alfred rarely sound like that at all. Moriah had only seen him like that twice, and she remembered it clearly. It was... around 6th grade, when he first persisted her about his dad's whereabouts. Another time was when he came back from school 2 years ago and locked himself up in the room all evening. Moriah averted her eyes, then slowly, she straighten up a little bit.

"You are right." She said, eyes still wandering on the white linen table cloth as though she had never seen anything so peculiar before. "I kept this from you both all these time. I knew that I'd have to tell you someday. I wish it didn't have to come so soon."

"Your dad found out he had... lung cancer that year. It was on the brink of stage 2. Then when the opportunity came, he fled to England. I only found out about it all through a phone call. He said that he might have less than 5 years to live... and he didn't want to make us go through it... And how... he wanted us to end it and look for a new life, a better life. I couldn't... I didn't... I'm sorry...," she burst out in tears again and sobbed on the table.

Alfred simply froze at his mom's words. He couldn't say anything. He looked up at Matthew, who was in complete shock as well. How? All these years, they simply guessed and guessed. His dad left them because he had cancer? How did mom live with all these bottled up inside her? And they didn't divorce or remarried, Alfred furrowed his brows at the thought. 10 years. Not even a letter.

"It's not your fault, Mom."

Matthew draped his arm over the frail-looking woman.

Alfred could only sit there; his emotion boiling in his stomach as all sounds seems to have drained from the room. It was not until after Matthew left for work that he finally snapped out of it and found himself sitting on the sofa again with a blanket over him.

~oOo~

Arthur finally got home after missing the stop, again. He got out his keys, a mint flying bunny chain attached to it, and quickly made his way into the small flat. He should really learn his lesson since it happened almost every time he dozed off on the tube, he sighed. After making a mental note to return Kiku's umbrella, now lying neatly in the basket with Arthur's many other umbrellas, Arthur stepped out of his shoes and hung up his coat. He found himself in his comfortable unicorn slippers and Peter Pan pajamas not long after, boiling water for a cup of piping hot tea. The idea of tea inside in such a night really warmed him up. It had been a while since he actually had work to bring home. Most nights, he would just do some embroidery, head to the pub, or study. He's still a part-time college undergrad, but he felt just like an old man. Arthur was barely 23. He was somewhat content with his life right now though. He has a job that pay generously, a flat that's not too expensive, and money saved up. The only thing left that kept him thinking was probably his future. He didn't want to be a secretary for the rest of his life. But he had planned not to over a year ago by entering the uni. and focus on his journalism major. Something was left out, it seemed. Probably nothing important.

Arthur walked leisurely back to the couch with a cup of chamomile tea on his right hand, unfinished documents on his left.

"Hmm... Kennedy Jones... where have I heard that name before..."

"Wow, the amount of zeroes... to Moriah Jones and his two sons... Alfred F. Jones, Matthew Williams -wait, Williams?" Arthur raised his brows, wondering if he just read that wrong. But no, it's clearly there black on white.

With a piqued curiosity, Arthur flipped through some of the last pages he had. Then one thing hit him.

"Oh. American... Right."

With his interest lost, Arthur hurried through the papers. It was not the first time he had organized wills. It's a first time he had seen the Austrian cared that much though.

After the paperwork was done in smaller manila folders, he stood up and stretched a little. Looking outside through the glass window as he finished his third cuppa, he noticed how the rain had stopped. It was 9 and he didn't feel like having supper. Screw supper then, he thought. Then he mentally hit himself for his old habit. Another day went by. He's content with life, yet he's not. In the end, Arthur forced himself to snap out of this circle of stupidity and just go to bed early for a change.

*~*~*~[That afternoon, US]~*~*~*

Alfred woke up again after falling asleep on the sofa thinking. He didn't feel like he could take it any longer dwelling into Mom's word. It was just too soon to change his mind and how he had viewed his dad all these years. Too sudden. Matt had gone to his part-time at a nearby flower shop, he usually have the Sunday shifts since he'd be busy with classes for most of the week. Mom wasn't in the house, which she usually wasn't anyway. She only had the weekend off and was usually spent with friends or the neighbors. It was around 3 in the afternoon as he pocketed his phone and was out for a walk. His life had been a mess of indecisions. Most of it was for Mom and Matt. He had studied hard in high school, and 3 years ago graduated the same time with Matt over some weird competition with his smart brother. But after that, his mind was like a train wreck, going about what he really wanted to do. First he thought he wanted to serve his country, be in the military or marine. He didn't though. If he left, his family would be just Mom and his brother. He didn't want that, he didn't want to leave them, and somehow, the image of dad's back would appear in his mind. Then he wanted to be a police officer. It was just... honorable and it would still be serving his country. It would give him great pride just knowing he's protecting his community. But he was a 17 years old fresh out of high school. Seventeen. Some other states allowed 18 years old to be a small ranking officer. But not his. 21 would be it. He finally settled for going to college for an associate in the meantime. The work load just didn't cut it though. He didn't feel like he was doing enough. So he took a friend's offer of working part-time at a repair shop, trains and tractors, that sorta thing. Now that he was out of school, he worked full time at the shop on weekdays. Strolling on the slightly crowded street, the cold nibbling at his jacket, he encountered some signs and billboards. Christmas was only weeks away, again.

It was 7 before he could notice. Alfred hurried back home, hoping that everyone wasn't already there. He caught up with Mattie at the door, as they both hurried in when they saw Mom from behind the counter.

"Hello boys. Ready for dinner?" His Mom smiled looking up from some roasted chicken freshly baked right out of the oven.

They both answered in unison, which really made their mother happy even after all these years of hearing them.

It was a great dinner, they chatted about their days, how Maria, Mom's best friend's daughter was pregnant again; and how Lars, the flower shop's owner tripped over some tulips and had spent his entire afternoon crying and apologizing to it. All was good, but of course things that happened never just go away like that.

"After some thinking, I had come to this decision." Their mother said with a bright smile as the boys were finishing up." We are going to England."


[to be continued...]

My first fanfic ever. I hope I did okay for an opening. And a side note, I'm following this story through and through, with as much love as I have for UsUk, so don't even worry about me abandoning it okay? :) (this basically means I will try not to but eventually have to update irregularly, break schedules etc, also... some really cool fanfics I've read are unfinished for years and I'm so sad, I just had to say it)

Link to the chicken alarm thing: tiny url dot com (slash) lnmnvpr

Please review? (Any review at all would make me extremely happy!)

Coming up next with some possible fluff moments * v *