"And so that is the case so far," the Madame President finished. "When the debates have ceased in the Legislative Assembly, we should have a new bill for clean energy. Do you have anything to add?" The petite, very dark skinned woman looked across her desk to another young woman taking notes in a clean, even script – her chocolate brown curls bouncing as she nodded to herself.

"No, I believe you have covered all your bases on this one. If I may, though, you might want to consider adding a section for biologically fueled modes of transportation…namely, the cleaning up after of them. Not all of our citizens use cars, especially during planting and harvest time – even at this day and age."

The Madame President laughed. "You are quite right Hope. I'll have to include the sanitation departments as well under that too." Before she could say another word, the phone rang on her desk. Picking up the slim piece of technology, she pressed the red button on it, changing it to green before she held it up to her ear. "¿Hóla? ¡Sí! Oh no, no te puedes. Porque una ella esta aquí que comó se dice con él." She looked up at Hope with a sly smile on her face. "Claro que si. Hasta luego." She pressed the same place on the phone and turned it off, placing it gently back into its holder on her desk.

Hope had a falling feeling in her stomach that she was going to have to entertain some foreign diplomats again. Of course, she kept up the ruse as only being the Madame President's personal assistant – getting her coffee, making copies, picking up her dry cleaning, etcetera – but she felt like her existence as a Nation was more like being a gopher than a doer.

"Hope?"

She blinked out of her inner musings. "Yes, Madame President?"

"Please, for the last time, call me Anita."

"Yes Madame – I mean, Anita."

"I need you to look after a guest of ours this evening. His plane just arrived a short while ago, and he is being driven to La Fortaleza as we speak. I've been told he is going to be staying a few days, but since I have that charity dinner this evening…"

"I would be happy to give him a tour of the estate as well as entertain him over dinner," Hope recited with the ease of practice, sighing a bit towards the end.

"Good." The Madame President stood up, Hope quickly following suit in required etiquette. She came around the desk, standing next to the taller woman. Hope towered over the Madame President by a good five inches, showing off her not so Puerto Rican roots. "Hope, I hope you do realize how grateful I am for you. I know that you are new to this type of work, and so am I. If you ever need a break or something –"

Hope quickly interjected. "No, no! I'm happy to help you. Being able to finally make a difference; that is what I love about being a Nation." She smiled at her Madame President. "And you a doing a wonderful job."

"And so are you," the shorter woman replied, smiling and placing a hand on her arm. "Now go – I know you will want to freshen up, so you have my permission to take the rest of the evening off."

"Thank you Anita," Hope told her appreciatively. "Tell José not to overdo it," she said as she gave a quick dip of her head and began walking towards the door.

"I told him no churros for a month if he gives himself indigestion again," she called to her as Hope opened the door. The two women laughed as she closed it gently behind her, emerging in a short hallway. "Hasta pronto Diego," she said with a smile to the agent on duty.

"Out for the day Hope?" he replied, dipping his shades down an inch on his nose to look at her. "How did the meeting go?"

"Just fine. I have to entertain another ambassador tonight it seems for Anita. Do you know which country he's from?"

The Hispanic man shook his head no. "Sorry, I don't. Most of the security staff has been briefed on the charity dinner and its guests, not anyone or anything else tonight. Perhaps he's from one of our neighbors; probably –" He paused suddenly, listening to his right ear bud. "Sorry, looks like it's time for us to head out as well. Good luck!" he said, waving back at her as he went and knocked on the oval office's door.

"Adíos," Hope called back softly. She sighed as she turned and walked down the short hallway before turning to her left. The office secretaries called out their goodbyes to her as she left the presidential area of the capitol building, heading for her small office at the other end of the building. The Puerto Rican capitol building, also known as the Palace of Laws, was whitewashed from top to bottom, giving it an airy and cheerful feeling. Portraits of past leaders adorned the walls, as well as paintings of landscapes from around the country.

This late in the afternoon there were hardly any governmental employees left – considering the fact that it was also a Friday, and many had families to go home to. Puerto Rico was a small but proud country, ruled for much of its existence by foreign powers…but thanks to Alfred F. Jones that was the case no longer. Hope allowed herself a small smile as she pulled out her pass card from the pocket of her black blazer. She was not in her official uniform today, as she normally wears for the conferences and summits with the other Nations. Today she was in a simple black business suit, but added a touch of color with a deep amethyst dress shirt underneath. She may have become an immortal Nation, but some things never change.

She swiped the card through the small electronic reader on the right hand side of the door, and heard it click softly before she turned the handle. Stepping into her office, she closed the door behind her and sighed heavily. "I'm back," she called into the emptiness.

As if her office was that empty. Bookshelves lined each and every wall, except for the large picture window behind her desk that allowed her a spectacular view of the ocean. The only other empty space held an enormous world map, pins and markers dotting almost every landmass. The rest held books on the entire history of Puerto Rico (which she was still catching up on). Strange, though, how fast she was learning it – upon reading something once, it was ingrained in her head forevermore. As if she had known the information all along. Others were books on national, regional, and local economics, treaties and policies with other foreign countries, books on the natural resources and climatology of the country, and a small portion of literature dedicated as her "to read list" from the other Nations. These antique, ancient, centuries old bound pages held great stores of information from the oldest Nations, who were guiding her along in her newfound role in her afterlife…if one could put it that way.

Hope stepped across the carpeted floor towards her desk. Two comfortably stuffed blue chairs sat in front of it. She unbuttoned her blazer and tossed it over one, almost immediately feeling the stifling heat lifting. Coming around her desk she placed her small binder down and sat in her chair. Rubbing the armrest, she smiled – the chair had been a dual gift from Matthew and Alfred once she had gotten her own office. They had searched high and low and all over the internet for one that was comfortable, leather, had armrests, and tilted back but not too far that she would fall out. Oh, and one that had wheels – so she could race the other staff down the hall with it, Alfred told her in earnest. Apparently he had held many races with Vice President Neil when he first arrived at the White House.

Waving her hand over a bare spot on her wooden desk, a keyboard suddenly appeared, floating over the surface of the desk. The flat screened monitor also sprang to life as she did so, showing a picture of her, Madame President Anita, and Vice President Alejandro standing in one of the capitol gardens. Hope smiled, remembering. That picture had been taken on the first day she had come to work at the capitol building. Anita and Alejandro had wanted to commemorate the immensity of the situation, that a new country had been founded that had once been a province of the United States for almost two centuries. Having their own Nation made them extremely proud, besides the fact that they were the first president and vice president respectively.

Hope checked her messages, noting two new ones from Matthew and Arthur concerning the upcoming meeting on Monday. She quickly answered them, inquiring about Kumajirou to Matthew and Arthur's healing leg. Sadly, she did note that Alfred had not emailed her at all. For that matter, she hadn't even spoken to him all week. When she had tried to phone him, she always got his answering machine, saying he would call back later. He never did.

He's probably just busy…I mean, he is one of the world's leading superpowers, she reasoned to herself. I'm a Nation now. I won't have as much time for socializing like I used to have…when I was human. The odd thought made her pause. It was true; technically the Nations were human, yet not human. They could eat, sleep, and bleed like the rest…yet they could never die. Not from anything mortal, at least. Nations disappeared, of course – her lessons about Prussia, the Holy Roman Empire, and Italy's grandfather all told her that. She wondered what it would feel like to never age, to watch everyone around you die as you never would…though Hope had gone from an extremely old woman to her young self in a matter of seconds, her recollection of actually aging was slowly disappearing from her mind. It frightened her to think that memories of her life back in Wisconsin with her family were harder to recall with each passing day. One day, she might not even remember she had been human.

Hope quickly shook that line of internal questioning out of her head. Can't be thinking about such morbid things now. I have business with that diplomat soon. Checking for any other messages, updating her calendar and to do list with her portable computer, she turned everything off. The silent hum that had been present disappeared, leaving the room truly silent.

Standing, she stretched and turned around to look at the setting sun. The sky was on fire; brilliant crimsons interspersed with dazzling oranges and deep hued yellows. It was a perfect end to a hectic week. It was also the one thing she loved about her country: the sunsets were spectacular.

Grabbing her binder, she gave her desk a once over. There were a few stacked bins on her left for filing papers, a large cup for pens and pencils, a smaller cup for paperclips in all colors of the rainbow, a small desk lamp, and a single vase that was currently lacking a vibrantly colored flower. The desk drawers were closed and locked, a quick tug on each to make sure it was so. Hope nodded to herself, and then walked around her desk to grab her blazer. She shrugged it on, and headed to another door that was next to the main door to her office. Upon opening it, one could see it contained a raincoat and umbrella, a spare suit in a plastic bag, a change of dress shoes, and a pair of galoshes. On the back of the door was a large set of cubby holes, each with a small drawer. Showing her organization skills off quite well, each little drawer was labeled from everything to Spare Office Key Card to Makeup and Dental Hygiene. She went for a small drawer that read Home Key, and took out a small key ring that jingled merrily in the silence. Dumping it in her pocket, she shifted her flat laptop computer and binder into her left hand to grab her pass card with her right out of her pocket.

Closing the closet, she opened the adjacent door and stepped out, shutting it firmly behind her and locking it until Monday.

However, she jumped and let out a small "eeep!" when she heard a female voice behind her. "Leaving so soon, Señorita Hope?"

Hope quickly turned and let out a sigh of relief. "Eva, don't scare me like that!"

She received a raised eyebrow in response. "Señora Anita called and said you were working this evening. Is that correct?" This particular security agent was assigned as Hope's personal bodyguard and assistant…although she usually didn't treat her as such. It felt strange to have someone around all of the time watching over her shoulder, just waiting to do whatever she needed doing, like some kind of watchdog. Even so, she was almost Hope's height, with straight shoulder length black hair and a dark complexion almost as dark as the Madame Presidents. She wore the same standard black suit as the other agents, yet was one of the few people who knew Hope's true secret.

Hope sighed, finishing locking her office door. "Yes; it seems I'm entertaining once again this evening and possibly over the weekend."

"Do you need to go to your home?" Eva asked her.

"Yes, and then to La Fortaleza, por favor."

"Sí. Are you ready to leave now?"

"Yes, thank you."

Eva nodded, turning so she could walk next to the Nation.

~:~:~

Hope sighed as she slid down in the wonderfully soft and comfortable black leather seat of the car. The one nice perk she did enjoy was the completely electric vehicle with a separated front and back, so she could raise the screen to enjoy her privacy. Although it was something she rarely did; Hope admitted that the silent company Eva provided was comforting.

Tonight, however, was one of the rare times she did press that little black button as she got in that raised up the thin piece of black plastic that obstructed her driver from view and allowed Hope to let down her own shields. Slouching down she brought up her hands and rubbed her temples, doing her best to alleviate the headache coming on.

Charity dinners, balls, entertaining foreign diplomats and ambassadors, double and triple checking information on all the new bills being processed, keeping balanced ties with all of the other Nations… She sighed. I wonder if it's this chaotic with the others. I should talk to Wang Yao – he's been around the block more than a few times. Hope knew the vertically challenged man was an invaluable resource when it came to many things, and had called him on several occasions to pick his brain. They were quickly becoming good friends because of this. Closing her eyes, Hope allowed herself to just relax and listen to the sound of the local radio station that penetrated from the front of the vehicle before they arrived at La Fortaleza.

Eva listened for any unusual sounds from her passenger. Nothing. Turning her gaze from right to left as she changed lanes she frowned, thinking off her charge's recent past. The Madame President had kept Hope working many late nights over the past two months, digging for information concerning the new clean energy bill that was being discussed currently. It was an enormous undertaking, and was clearly taking its toll on her. Her nights were late and her mornings even earlier. All Eva had to do was drive her back and forth and be an occasional errand runner; her charge always did everything herself otherwise.

Even now when she could have said no, said that she wasn't feeling well, said that she had other plans, said she had other work to do…she never said no. Her Nation was almost too kind at times for her own good. The only thing that could make this better was the guest that was waiting at La Fortaleza for her. Eva smiled – even with working her too hard, the Madame President had ways of thanking her Nation that made it all worthwhile.

Slowing the car, Eva lowered her window at the guardhouse.

"Pass?" a burly guard muttered at her. He was wearing standard beige military fatigues, along with a standard sidearm.

She handed him a small plastic card which he took into the guard house, swiping it, and confirming the car's identification.

"Go ahead Eva," he told her as he gave her back the card.

"Gracias Carlos," she told him, placing the card on the seat next to her. With a loud beep, the white gate in front of her slowly retracted, allowing the car through and into the former governor's mansion, now the presidential estate. She drove along the straight road, passing the large water fountains and the flower gardens, taking her time to inhale the heady aroma they presented. The buildings that had surrounded the mansion had been taken down long ago, after a fire nearly consumed them all. Eva thought she preferred it this way, with the open space being almost park-like in the midst of a bustling metropolitan area – even if they were situated next to the ocean.

As she pulled up in front of the estate, Eva pressed a button. "Señorita Hope, we have arrived." She depressed the button and turned off the car.

A slight static noise was heard before Hope replied. "Thank you Eva."

The bodyguard/assistant stepped out into the fading sunlight which painted all of the white walls a rich shade of gold. The tall pillars adorning the front of the estate were proud, holding up the several levels of residence within. Eva walked around the side of the car and slowly opened the door. Stepping around it, she bowed slightly and held out her hand.

A slender but tanned hand placed itself in hers, allowing the assistance out of the vehicle. What emerged could only be described akin to a supermodel; a woman in her early to mid-twenties with sun kissed hair and skin, tall with dark chocolate brown curls running to her shoulders. She wore an elegant evening gown of deep amethyst, higher in the front but down to her ankles in the back. The sleeveless gown swayed and moved with every elegant step, showing off her well-endowed figure. "You look lovely as always, Señorita," Eva complimented her as she gently closed the car door behind her.

"Oh, Eva, stop. My head will swell at this rate." She opened her small purse and checked to make sure she had her work phone as well as her personal phone with her. She snapped it shut, placated for the moment. "I will call you if I am ready to leave early. Otherwise the usual nine o'clock will suffice."

"Sí, Señorita Hope. Have a good time until then."

Hope rolled her eyes at her driver, and proceeded to walk up the short flight of stairs to the main door of the estate. Strangely enough, the usual doorman was nowhere in sight. "Strange," she uttered to herself. Looking around, Hope in fact saw no one; none of the gardeners, none of the other guards, none of the other estate personnel. "Where is everyone?" she thought out loud to herself as she reached for the handle to the door. Pulling on it, the large wooden door swung open with nary a creak, blasting out a cooling air that let Hope know that the air conditioning was on.

Oh, wonderful. It seems like whatever diplomat is here is from one of the northern countries. After several of her first meetings, Hope had begun to see a pattern in the environment catered to those in foreign affairs; for those coming from the tropical areas and used to the temperatures, a glass of something cool and refreshing was always prepared as well as fresh fruit. On the other hand, those from further north or very south towards the poles required more air conditioning in the heated weather – unless it was hurricane season, of course.

Walking into the front entrance foyer, Hope quietly shut the door behind her. Her shoes clicked across the marble flooring as she stepped underneath the enormous crystal chandelier. As she had suspected, not a single person was in sight. The normal staff of La Fortaleza – cooks, gardeners, cleaning staff, security staff – had disappeared, or at least were busy enough that they could not greet her as they usually did when there were guests.

"Which means whoever it is will be a handful," Hope sighed to herself, allowing a brief wave of fatigue to wash over her. "Well, whatever – my job is to entertain, not to judge." And with that she squared her shoulders and began walking to her right, towards the dining hall. Luckily enough it was bordered by the garden on three sides, so there was a pleasant view to see…especially when the sun set. The only disadvantage would be not being able to smell the flowers since the air conditioning was on and the windows closed.

The marble floor narrowed into the hallway as she began passing several wooden doors on each side. She could smell a delicious aroma coming from the estate kitchens, which meant someone was in there at least preparing food for them. Walking the last few feet to the final door at the end of the hall, Hope was surprised to see a small sign situated on a portable stand next to it. Looking down, it read: 'The diplomatic dinner will be held in the small dining room this evening. Thank you.'

The small dining room? Hope thought to herself. Oh, that's it! The rest of the staff must have been needed to help with the charity event this evening. That would explain the lack of people. Nodding to herself at figuring it all out, Hope turned and retraced her steps back until she stood in front of the last door she passed on the right side of the hall.

She knocked politely on the door. Silence was her answer. Shrugging, she turned the handle on the door and opened it slowly, calling out, "Excuse me…is anyone –" and the rest of the words died on her tongue.

A small, round table was set up in the center of the room, with two chairs seated on opposing sides. A crisp white tablecloth covered the dark mahogany wood, with place settings in front of each chair. Exquisite china as well as silverware and crystal goblets sat next to them. A single purple taper flamed gently in the center, surrounded by a bouquet of purple irises.

Hope took several steps into the room with her mouth clearly agape, before a deeper male voice cut in. "Good evening Hope." The door shut with an almost inaudible click.

The Nation spun around, only to have a smile brighten up her entire face. "Alfred!" she cried, running towards him.

America laughed and held his arms out, catching her and swinging her around a little. "Long time no see, huh?" he said with a small laugh as he put her down.

This earned him a good swat on the arm. "You could have told me you were coming! I've tried calling you –"

"All week, yes, yes. Two things: one, I was with Matthew for most of the week working on that new proposal for the next budget hearing. Two: Eleanor and Neil were invited to the charity dinner tonight, remember? You were the one who verified the guest list."

Hope was about to retort back at him when she suddenly closed her mouth. "Oh…" she said slowly, remembering the guest list she had gone through at least fifty times in the last month.

"Yes…oh," Alfred repeated with a smile.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "By the way, you've cleaned up well tonight," she added with an approving nod.

Alfred blushed a little. He was wearing his formal black suit with a starched white shirt underneath, and a tie that was silver with small dark purple stripes running on an angle across it.

Stepping away, he quickly gave her a quick bow before holding out his right hand. "Now, shall we eat…señorita?"

"That sounds wonderful," Hope told him gratefully as she gave him her hand.

~:~:~

"That was so good," Alfred complemented, leaning back in his chair and patting his stomach. "And they weren't even burgers!"

Hope smiled. "Not everything has to be made with one hundred percent all natural all American beef Alfred."

He grinned sheepishly. "Alright, so seafood can taste just as good. You've got me there."

Hope dabbled at her lips gently with her napkin, wiping off the buttery reside from the scallops and shrimp. "So you never answered my question: why are you here, and not with Eleanor and Neil?"

Alfred quickly sat up. "What, I can't come and visit one of my favorite Nations without needing an agenda?" he said, sounding hurt. However, he was smiling, so Hope knew that he was joking with her.

"Of course you can. It's just that…" Hope trailed off, sighing.

Alfred narrowed his eyes at her. "It's just what?"

"Well…" Hope began, her eyes blinking at her reflection in the glass windows. "It seems like ever since I became a Nation a few months ago, I can't see everyone like I used to. I mean, of course I talk to all of you practically every day with emails and telephone calls. But in person…Alfred, this is the first time you and I have been in the same room for over a month."

"We just had a summit last week though," Alfred pointed out.

Hope nodded. "We did, but you were sitting across the room from me, and had to leave as soon as the meeting was over. A single 'hello' is not a decent form of interpersonal communication Alfred."

Alfred frowned. "Well, I think I can fix that." He stood up, placing his napkin on the table and picking up a small bell. He rang it several times.

Hope blinked in surprise. She hadn't noticed the bell before now. However, someone had, and in a few seconds a waiter appeared through the doors to the kitchen. "Sí, Señor?"

"We have finished, thank you," Alfred told him. The waiter nodded, and quickly picked up their plates and headed back towards the kitchen. "Now…" Alfred trailed off. He walked around the table and held out his hand. "Shall we?"

Hope laughed, and placed her hand in his. Alfred pulled her gently up out of her seat, and intertwined his arm with hers and escorted her to the doors to the garden. The waiter suddenly appeared in front of them, and held the doors open for them. As he did, a warm blast of air hit them, warming Hope from the cool air conditioning she had been subjected to thanks to Alfred.

Hope heard the door close behind them as Alfred led her out into the gardens. "They are beautiful, even at night," he commented to her.

She nodded. "If that is one thing Anita likes, it is her flowers."

"Do you like them?"

"I like my irises," she told him with a laugh. "Which you remembered," she added quickly.

"Some things never change," Alfred reminded her. He stopped them inside of a large circle of paved stones, which looked out over a cliff that lead directly into the dark blue of the ocean directly below them. As they did, soft music began to play – strings emerging ever so softly from the silence.

Hope turned around to see a string quartet playing under some of the palm trees, soft glowing lamps upon their stands to light their music for them. The first violinist looked up and smiled at them, nodding.

"Blue Danube," Hope whispered faintly.

"Would you care to waltz?" Alfred asked her, releasing her arm and bowing in front of her.

"I would love to," she told him sincerely, smiling broadly. Alfred grinned and took her up in his arms, swaying gently around the small courtyard to the music.

Hope was ecstatic. Not only had she been able to see Alfred tonight, but he had been a perfect – well, almost perfect – gentleman…as perfect as Alfred could be. The ruggedness of the United States of America could never be erased from his being. She smiled, allowing him to take the lead.

They spun around for the waltz, and did a quick tango, before the music slowed once more into an adagio. Hope leaned in and placed her head on Alfred's chest, closing her eyes and sighing heavily. He wrapped his arms around her, swaying in just one spot.

"I missed you," a mumbled statement came from Alfred's chest area.

He smiled. "I missed you too," he murmured, kissing the top of her curls.

Hope fisted the front of his suit, hiding her face as tears came unbidden to her eyes. No! He can't see me cry. I'm a Nation now! Nations don't cry!

"Hope?" Alfred questioned her.

"Mmm?" she replied, not trusting her voice enough to speak yet.

"Hey…when you get a day off sometime soon…do you want to come and visit for a while? You know, up in the states."

"I would like that very much." She quickly wiped her few tears away and looked up at him and smiled.

"Great!"

~:~:~

Hope was floating, lighter than air, when she entered the Palace Of Laws on Monday morning. She had spent the entire weekend with Alfred, just doing normal, human things like grocery shopping, going to tourist spots, as well as having another wonderful dinner together on Saturday night at her favorite restaurant.

It felt so good. So normal. So unlike her current lifestyle that she had been living for several months: living from meeting to meeting, barely eating and sleeping (not that she needed any of that anymore, of course, but it was still good to have moderate amounts of it), but the strenuous routine of being at the beck and call of her nation. Alfred's sense of normalcy that he exuded, her old American roots, placed her at ease for the short while he had visited.

Alfred had told her he was leaving very early on Monday morning, so they had said their final farewells on her doorstep the night before, when the embassy car had come for him. Hope wouldn't dare say it out loud, but her heart tightened, strained, as her breath caught in her throat watching him duck into the car and wave his goodbye to her from the window. She had smiled, waving back, but her heart and mind had been conflicting with each other over what they had truly wanted. What she had truly wanted.

Hope was in love. Desperately, utterly, and head over heels in love with Alfred F. Jones, the United States of America. But the reality was that it would never come true. He was the United States of America. She was Puerto Rico. He was one of the most powerful countries in the world. She was a backwater, second world country, only recently made into an independent country by his permission. She knew it deep down, but didn't really want to admit it – she had to suffice with loving Alfred from afar, and watching over him as best she could.

Which is why when she walked into the presidential offices five short minutes later, and found the secretaries cowering for their lives out in the hallway and the Madame President shouting profanities in Spanish at someone in her office, she knew her problems were just about to get a great deal worse.