Author's Notes: This fic was born as an exercise on the possible ways Arthur and Sean's relationship could actually heal after the events of 'Hallelujah' by Jackidy. This was posted with her permission by the way. This fanfic is not mean to be a happy, joyful thing, even if it does have a 'happy ending'.

When love took a train heading south

1920 –1938

Sean found, years later, that he couldn't remember most of the four decades after he left his wife and child for his independence. Mind clouded by alcohol and nicotine, anything that would help him to escape from his own consciousness, memories and the broken echoes of screams and accusing green eyes.

1939 – 1960

When his ex-wife, brothers, nephews and nieces went to war and Arthur almost died due to the German bombings, he stayed back, silently watching the war as his brother pleaded to use his badly needed ports, waiting for an Axis triumph. His intake of alcohol worsened during the IRA Campaign in the 40' and the 50', his son's tortured screams forever hunting him.

1961

He avoided going to meetings and sat as far as he could from him. His brothers and the french bastard never allowed him closer than a five meter distance. Even his spouse's former colonies picked that something had happened to their mother and that he had to be kept away from Arthur at all times. However, when their two governments joined efforts to deal with the raising violence in their son's lands, the two slowly began to communicate again.

1962

It was a painful process. His people and his were still bitter and his wife was still hurt and fearful of him. He didn't allow his son to the meetings, afraid of the child's father, terrified that anything that had felled to him would happen to Patrick.

1963

He stopped drinking before meetings, realising the smell of alcohol that he brought with him terrified the other almost to insanity. Sean also never touched him, under threat of losing his limbs if he so much as brushed the other. Iain and Aeron, who took turns to accompany their brother to the meetings, finally started to talk to him besides cursing and insulting him.

1964

Arthur still jumped when ever he entered the room and made sure to have him in sight as well as having something to defend himself at hand. He caught a brief glance of his son when Aeron came to pick Arthur and Iain from the meeting, but the little boy he remembered was gone and he saw the scars covering the youth's flesh left by the terrorist's attacks. Was his independence worth all the pain he brought to his loved ones?

1965

His son shyly meet him, after more than forty years without seeing each other. He found a seemingly eleven year old who cursed like a sailor and fought like a pirate. The once cute innocent boy was gone, changed much like his ex-wife after he came back from the bastard Mediterranean man's rule. Patrick remembered little about him and he wondered if that was not a blessing in disguise. He also wondered if the boy ever learned about all the circumstances leading to his departure of the United Kingdom.

1966

The attacks to the Catholics after the declaration of war by the UVF to the IRA brought an increase of meetings between them. Also, while unsure, Arthur finally allowed Patrick's presence during meetings but made him remain close at all times. Iain was a constant feature in them as well while Aeron always came to pick them up, leaving Sean to return to his abandoned building and drown himself in various forms of alcohol.

1967

'67 was, comparably, a peaceful year. In his son's lands an activist group for Human Rights formed but didn't cause trouble for any of them. It was during this year that he noticed that Arthur's jumpy attitude was not reserved to him but carried to others as well. He felt the bile raise to his throat as he realised that even the man's children received the same treatment.

Arthur, who loved his kids despite anything he would say, was afraid of the children. Only Patrick, Michael and that annoying brat Peter were able to get near the man and all of it was the Irish man's fault.

1968

While the RUC was forced to intervened twice during the year, no mayor conflicts raged and people settled in pacific discontent relatively easily. His son, bouncing between catholics and protestants, was fidgety but whole. It was during this year that, in a moment of insanity, Sean brought a rose banquet for Arthur's birthday.

When Arthur saw the flowers, the Irish man half feared that he would either pass out or punch him. However, after a few minutes of tense silence broken by Sean's mumbled apology as he started flee, the British stopped him and took the banquet from him.

When his mom left the room to find a vase, Patrick congratulated him, making the man blush and Iain treated to cut his manhood if he so much as dared to think anything funny. But it was worth the embarrassment and new threats to see Arthur's shy smile once again.

1969

The first time they touched in almost half a century was to hold down their crying son as he trashed and scratched his eyes as the murders started. His hysterical screams and pitiful cries to his parents for it to stop, please, unheard by all as the deaths pilled and violence escalated. It was the first time Sean witnessed the effects of a terrorist's attack on his offspring and he was frightfully remained of his ex-wife's scream of anguish during the fire of London.

1970

Arthur and Patrick were constantly covered by the smell of death, gunpowder and CS Gas. Their eyes resembled the ones of a soldiers, an animal more dead than alive, constantly on alert. Northern Ireland had turned into battlefield.

Long meeting, increasing in number as more and more died. But both sides were unwilling to give up, to give in. After a particular long meeting that didn't produce any results, Paddy suggested they went together to eat something together, the adult unwilling to bring upset him accepted. The air was tense as they all tried to ignore the reason they were there, but the affair ended without conflict and all of them left with no new injuries to add to the old ones.

1971

Their son began to pull away from both of them, distrust and grief born by the death of his people under both their soldiers. Sean couldn't say he didn't understand it but he certainly was hurt by it. Arthur was not less hurt, green eyes turning somber as the boy left their meetings without them. It brought them closer in the end, though, both more interested in talking bitterly with each other about the boy than walking on eggshell around each other.

1972

The land of Northern Ireland was dyed crimson as the lives of his people stain the grown they walked by. Arthur told them than Patrick has left his house and land, but refused to tell them where he is in their shared territory. Aeron, Iain and Sean searched endlessly for their missing nephew and son, almost coming to blows with Arthur for his apathy towards his missing son.

Years later they learned that the boy had hidden among his abandoned churches, finding numbing comfort in the quiet of dead, running from the insanity of man as the songs of the sea and wind lulled him to sleep.

1973

Things calmed down a little, at least among them, towards the end of the year. Patrick finally returning home around June and Arthur finally returned to his normal self in November. England and him had taken the costume of going to eat together after their meetings, a surprisingly calm affair that Iain not always joined them for. Patrick too declined sometimes to join them, content to let his parents find some kind of peace with each other.

1974

Bombings started in their own countries, burn marks covering their flesh as they did their son's. Iain and Aeron had completely stopped guarding Arthur during meetings, but not before treating Sean for a last time. His ex-wife, who never stopped caring about his sons, was often running around trying to keep them in check. Alfred was the most difficult as he knocked heads with Ivan. Sean just wanted him to stop complaining about the sprog during their meals.

1975

It was strange, Sean supposed, that as the terrorist armies fought amongst themselves, Arthur and him grow closer. It was not a planed event, at least not in their own or their brothers part. If anything, they had tried to be as far away as possible from each other, one out of fear, the other out of guilt. But they did grow closer, each 'date' more comfortable, more natural than the last. So Ireland decided to not question his lot and enjoy it while it lasted.

1976

In later years, when things had passed and the five of them could be trusted to be in the same room without killing each other, they were free to laugh at the incident. Because when one is far away of it, removed and not emotionally bond, a prison protest of inmates refusing to wear their cloths and wore blankets instead was damn hilarious. And he certainly agree with Iain when he said that it was a pity Aeron and Arthur didn't follow suit. The twins were not amused, nor was Patrick.

1977

Ireland would blame to his dying day that it was all his son fault, the brat must have slipped something in his tea for him to ask Arthur out in a real date after all those years. He was also quite sure that the boy had drugged his mother as well, for there was no reason he would have agreed otherwise. Regardless how it happened, they had indeed gone out on a date for the first time in almost sixty years, and while a bit awkward, and Arthur keeping a weary eye on him at all times, they did have a good time and agreed to do it again.

1978

He stayed the horrible week and the following one in Arthur's house, the five of them together waiting for the next bomb to go off, the death toll growing with each one. Patrick had clutched them, a child still, as he felt the pain he should had never had to endure. But the child was a Kirkland, and endure he did. At least, they got a small respite after that November.

1979

Things grow tense after the death of the Queen's cousin, only settling down after the pope's visit. Peace didn't last long however, and the murders continued. When Patrick had invited him for Christmas, he was surprised, but accepted. Things went well until midnight, when he had been forced to run for his life, Aeron and Iain chasing after him with kitchen knifes. He had barely reacted in time too, too dazed after Arthur kissed him.

1980

It took a few months for his brothers to let England out of their sight but eventually they relented. It was not to say things had been forgotten. Ireland couldn't lend down to kiss the other without him freezing, things to fragile between yet. The red head was careful, gentle, like one who is dealing with a beaten animal. The damn frog teased him constantly, but he at least refrained from killing him within Arthur's sight.

1981

The country took small steps into unification, bombings and gunnings still razing the land. Arthur had to change the law after a rather embarrassing event were an inmate won a seat at Westminster. For Ireland it marked the year the British found out about his living conditions and forced him to buy an actual house angrily. He still blamed Patrick for that one.

1982

When the couple were caught in Regent's Park, Arthur getting a nasty injury in the shoulder, Sean found his date time cut short. Arthur was cranky for months, injuring refusing to close for over a year. He didn't protest when his brothers left him in the Irish's care, but Ireland made sure to leave the least amount of ammunition around him. The lamp to the head was something he did not need a reenactment of.

1983

Thing did not get better when a group of terrorists escaped Maze, England running around trying to held things together as panic rose. Sean kidnapped him for a vacation in Canada after months of frustration on both parts. Things calmed down until December, when Arthur's injury reopened due to a bomb exploding in London, which caused Sealand a panic attack as he was the only one present to help him at the time.

1984

Arthur's shoulder finally healed during Ian Thain's trail, much to their relief. He also began to bring Patrick over to the Irish new home, agreeing to let him stay over as long as he asked for permission first. Sean was rather surprised by the whole thing, but knew better to question it. After all, this way he got to spend time with his son and having breakfast with his ex-wife when he came to pick the boy up.

1985

After they signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement, things between them turned cold. Arthur was unsettled about the possibility of Sean using the treaty to take his son away, and Sean had to admit the thought did cross his mind. But he assured him that unless it was Northern Ireland's will, he would not attempt to unit the land. England didn't believe him, but at Paddy's insistence continued to let the boy visit his father.

1986

With things deteriorated in his parliament, Sean found himself spending more time in Iain's home that in his own, the Scott happy to lend it to him since he normally lived at Arthur's. He was less happy when the British decided he wasn't angry anymore and started spending his time with the Irish man. After a few months it seemed more like they had moved over the Scottish man house.

1987

Gordon Wilson would be a name forever engraved into his memory. The man words in mist of his lost making him clutch his son and ex-wife as the Irish sobbed. Arthur embraced him tightly back, eyes bright as they kiss each other and cover their son with kiss, the boy not protesting for once at treatment. The pain, the anguish is there, all too strong, but a tiny, almost unnoticeable light is born, forgiveness has been given.

1988

The pain continued as Arthur's boys died, one after the other, a constant ache in his heart. Sean helped as much as he could, his own pain always close. Peace talk resumed, hope nourished by the bloodied steps on the British islands' land, a cry for peace who grow stronger as people despaired, eyes clouded by fear and hate.

1989

Arthur was never the same after the Hillsborough Disaster. For years he was silent and scared of small spaces, sudden burst of claustrophobic overtaking him. He didn't react to Francis comments or advances and during his meetings he responded to his questions absent minded. It was the first time in almost sixty years that he saw him crying as the other weep in his arms, a scene he would do anything to erase from his mind.

1990

They had tried before, hesitant motions, only to freeze when the past crashed over them. But when Arthur cried his name as he made love to him, the Irish man found himself weeping, hands gently stroking his lover's burned back. England snuggled into his arms, breath calm as he felt sleep, a expression so gentle in his face that Sean wondered for a moment if this was really him.

1991

When his wife left for war, taking Canada, New Zealand and Australia with him, Wales, Scotland and Ireland found themselves dealing with most of the British island home affairs. While their relationship had resumed over the years, the rage they had felt seventy years prior was still there, carefully contained. Aeron had always been the most possessive of them all, and would be the last to accept him back.

It was for this very reason that he had left Iain as Arthur's guardian during their early meetings. The welch had been all to tempted to murder him every time he saw him. Iain had been able to rein his anger better, knowing were it had originated for but never accepting it. But like Arthur, Aeron too was unable to let him go, a love so old non of them were sure when had started.

1992

Aeron was the one to receive him, two days after the fire had died down. Arthur was at the castle with Iain, hard at work as he helped direct the cleaning while the Scott made sure he didn't exhaust himself too badly. The British had panicked when he had felt the fire leaving Patrick to inform his sleeping uncles were the British had disappeared to at the middle of the night.

In later years the five of them would spend a lot of time at the site, Arthur always eager to pinch in the rebuilding of his Queen's home, leaving the rest of them mildly irritated by his enthusiasm. They were all too gland when the year finally ended.

1993

They never accepted their deaths, young innocents lives cut short by a conflict that had started long before their time, one that they could barely comprehend. Small, bright lives so precious, gone in a single instant, suffocated by the malicious intent of these unable to break free of the spiral they all were trying so hard to put a end to. If they killed the young, who would inherit the country they fought so hard for?

1994

News, heart shredding but true, real, threatened to drown them after the ban was lifted. The bloodied streets sang the tragedy as the cemeteries weep for the dead. The all consuming grief was free to fly, to face them. Their souls were weary but their courage didn't betray them as they joined their hands, a family whose bonds had ultimately survived all attempts to shatter them. Their eyes would forever face the future, together.

1995

As they danced around, Alfred whistling and Matthew trying to stop him, Arthur scowling but never releasing him, Sean felt like his chest could burst. His lover eyes were gentle, green as the hills and forest were they often lost themselves during their youth. Christopher winked at them as he spun the complaining Alexander around, as the former colonies had took the chance to spend sometimes with their mother at USA's home. Ireland knew he was grinning like a loon, but the thought did nothing to stop him as he dipped the protesting British down, kissing him soundly.

1996

The bandages were soaked in blood, hands torn by their owner frantic actions. They all survived, against all hope, they had managed to save them all. Injuries would take time to heal, hearts would take time to settle, but no lives had been lost, no-one had left them again. As the Irish man kissed the British cop, uniform wrinkled, flesh torn but heart light, no-one could bring themselves to tear them apart.

1997

97 saw the first real meeting Sean had with the anthropomorphic form of Hong Kong and the boy's return to Yao's custody from Arthur's. The sprog was a quiet, silent brat who upon their first meeting tried to attack him with fireworks after learning his name. Arthur later remarked that that was one of the reasons he had keep them apart from each other.

Sean would have been happy to see the annoying kid leave the house if his wife had not been so upset. He was less than placed to see, however, Patrick's expression after the Asian's first visit.

1998

His son knew without a doubt who had sent the unclaimed present in May and went in person to thank him. He pretended to not notice his wife rather goofy smile at seeing the two together or the not so subtle hints the brat gave to take Arthur out for a date to celebrate. He did, however, take the chance to ask about the Asian rascal his wife had once took in and the exact nature of his son relationship with him.

1999

Aside of people panicking for the end of the world and the peace in Northern Ireland began to take hold, New Zealand invited the five of them to visit him to celebrate. Much like England, the boy had said he just wanted some company beside his overly clingy boyfriend. Australia said he was jealous because he had spent most part of he last decades with them and USA. Canada, who had been already visiting the male, was happy to see his mother, the trip turning quickly into a family reunion when Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Seychelles, South Africa, India and other ex-colonies joined them a day later.

2000

The peace process was never said to happen overnight, direct rule having to be reinstated and attacks still happening even when the people protested. Every step was a gargantuan effort, each win littered with bodies. The all wanted to be able to step out their house without worrying for their lives, all they wanted was to leave in peace. All Sean wanted was to be free of the fear of finding his son gone and his lover broken by his own hand.

2001

No-one was quite sure how Arthur managed to get to the USA after the attacks to his son when the country was locked down. Sean had laughed when Iain burst into his house with enough liquor to drown himself in and proceeded to smash himself up while cursing the blond and his mothering. The row in the Kirkland's household that followed Arthur's government help invading Afghanistan, however, was heard over in Spain.

2002

During the Queen's Golden Jubilee, Arthur took the chance to visit several of his children and other former colonies, Sean, Iain, Patrick and Aeron joining him every chance they got. They also took the chance to get piss drunk at every chance, leading to an uncomfortable incident were the Queen found them drunk with some of her grandchildren.

2003

When one was lived their life at war for so long, it is hard to find their place when it stops, the threat of violence always near. Ireland, Wales and Scotland were contend to let England deal with the 'war against terrorism', stealing him as often as they could. They all agreed that it was about damn time his government stopped following USA to war.

2004

Sean was surprised to learn that his former spouse had not been to Alfred house in over a year. After all, they were in a war together. Later, Arthur would tell him during one of their dates that he refused to meet with the brat after learning that the information he had been given to support the UK involvement in the conflict had been fabricated by the yanks and his boys were dying for nothing.

2005

Ireland and England really wished that the Belfast Agreement hadn't need terms like freeing lunatics like Michael Stone. The British islands didn't need people like that running around, those who refused to accept the, hopefully lasting, peace that had finally settled over Northern Ireland. Sean swore he and Arthur almost had a heart attack when the man was detained, as Patrick had been inside the building that particular day.

2006

His son was good damn giddy when his new government finally started functioning, Arthur watching him with a small affectionate smile. The different paramilitary groups were dissolving, attack winding down as they did. Sean felt like a old man whose children had married and left the house, Iain, Aeron and him enjoying the chance to expend as much quality time with England as they could. That said quality time was as likely to end in bed was a nice bonus indeed.

2007

Sean burst into the Kirkland's home hardly two hours after the bombing and even Aeron didn't comment as the three brothers and Patrick tried to calm down the hysterical nation. Over the next two days the ex-colonies and other countries dropped to help and check on the distraught blond, even Francis apologised for his Interior Minister rather inappropriate statements.

It has a pity, Ireland noted, that Canada arrived before USA. Matthew saved Alfred for a well deserved punch in the face by the twins' mother. It did not, however, save him from Aeron's wrath for hurting his twin with his idiotic antics.

2008

The Irish nation would never get used to the fact that sometimes as a nation he would tell his wife to 'fuck it' and then go as Sean Kirkland to pick him up for their date. Iain had remarked that it was one of the things he was not looking forward if the UK ever dissolved and Aeron had agreed. Thankfully for himself, Arthur wasn't to angry about the Lisbon Treaty and Sean was free to molest his wife in peace.

2009

Maybe, Sean reflected, even after all the years together there was no way back to the years before his independence, when Arthur would look at him with complete utter trust. To much had happened between them, to much hurt, blood and anger. But as they walked, Arthur holding the Irish hand to stop him from hurting his ex-colony for daring to date their son, Sean supposed there was no reason they couldn't built something new.

Memories would always remain, there was no way to erase the pass, but the Republic of Ireland was willing to face anything for the chance to see his lover's smile and hear his child's laugh.

Author's Notes:

On the format: I decided to make short snippets in form of Ireland take on events because it was, in my mind, the easiest way to portray a story that covered a time frame of about ninety years.

On time: Since nations are way older than mortals, time should affect them differently, but they still need to be able to react to the events happening. I thought that almost a century, was good frame of time to develop this.

On character's personalities: Since this is mostly by Sean's point of view, certain events are warped and some characters' actions might feel weird. In the Irish front I decided to focus on the care he would have to employ and guilt he would had felt. That is not to say he able to bitch if the circumstances merited it. Aeron and Iain took a backseat, mostly functioning at bodyguards since this was focused on Ireland and England but they too spent most of the century rebuilding their own bonds with Sean, as finding your brother raped by the other is a thing which would affect them, specially as it was Aeron who found Arthur. Arthur came out a bit vulnerable, which is in my mind understandable, but he too is warped since this is seen though Sean.

On the children: While they fight a lot, I see the Kirklands functioning like a large and dysfunctional family. The children quarrel and revel against their mother but are quick to anger when one of them hogs mom's attention. In many ways Paddy would be the baby, with Alfred as the glaring black sheep. Most of them, due to the peaceful way in which they gained their independence, while not forgetting the previous incidents, are content to keep their links to the former empire and caretaker.

On Hong Kong and Ireland: I imagine that Arthur would prefer to keep them as far as possible from each other, firecrackers and a Irish man a very bad combination in his mind. I also see Sean acting like an old fashioned father when his teenager daughter brought her first boyfriend home to met him would. With Arthur as the exasperated mother who tries to hold him back from killing the said boy.

On USA: This is mostly born by the opinions emitted at my country and not necessarily what the world thought of it at the time. Sorry if I stepped on any toes.