Another Separation

by Nom-Nom123

Alberta is a province often looked over, but when the teenage boy realizes that he doesn't have to be treated this way, it may change all of Canada. Warning; foul language and province OC's

Most nations, provinces, territories, and none of the people could tell you the exact reason it happened, or one thing that particularly brought it all on. They could tell you the factors, that things were becoming too Americanized, that Quebec wanting to separate one too many times just wasn't okay anymore, and that they saw the world was going to shit and wanted to do something about it. Alberta, a brunette with wild hair that was always in his muddy brown eyes, could tell you the exact moment the revolutionary thought had crossed his mind. But he'd sooner kill you.

The Provinces, Territories and their nation representative were to attend a meeting, discussing the separation of Quebec. As the meeting hadn't started yet, Ontario was already yelling her head off at Manitoba, whether it be because she was angry or that was just how she naturally spoke, Alberta didn't care. Newfoundland, a small boy and Labrador, an actual golden lab representing the place, were sitting beside them. The small boy was content with just petting the dog beside him, paying no attention whatsoever to his crazy sibling. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I were having a discussion about who knows what, and the three territories weren't saying anything at all. Usually, if Quebec actually showed up on time, Ontario's volume would be twice as loud as he would outright ignore her. Unfortunately, since the guy was always late, even though the meeting was about him, the blonde girl with warm brown eyes had to make do with whomever was sitting beside her.

"How come they're always like this?" Alberta asked, speaking to either side of him.
B.C, an elegant lady with wavy, caramel blonde hair and vibrant green eyes had answered. "If you mean Ontario, you know as well as I do that she's naturally loud."

"I guess, but she should be able to calm down a little."
His other sister, Saskatchewan, of whom he was also addressing, spoke up. "Can you blame her? It wasn't very long ago that Quebec wanted to separate the first time and he almost did. Now he's at it again." Even though her navy blue eyes were trained on him, it was apparent to anyone that she didn't want to be here in a stuffy meeting room, but outside exploring and having an adventure.

"I know Sas, I didn't think we were all here to meet the queen."

Saskatchewan laughed loudly, still not overlapping with Ontario's manic tangent. B.C only scowled, disapproving of both Alberta's sarcasm and slander of the queen. "Show respect for the queen, Albert."

"Why? Not even England listens to her as much as he used to."

"That's beside the point, we're here to talk about Quebec's separating."

"What's the point of that? We all know he can't survive without the rest of us. He'd owe a ton of money to the rest of Canada, and he wouldn't be able to support himself. It's as simple as that."

"It doesn't matter how simple it is, Albert, what matter's is that he even feels the need to leave us in the first place, I think that's the bigger issue."

"Yeah, whatever, let's just wait until he actually get's here, late for a meeting so we can all focus on him, so he can tell us all his problems like a whiney teenager when he should just be happy that England let us keep French in the first place."

"I never said I agreed with him, you know. Like you said, we're all here so he can tell us what the problem is, and we'll try and fix it."

Before Albert could fire back, Canada, representing them all, had stood up before the podium in front of everyone. "Hello everyone, uhm… the fifteen minute grace period has passed, and Quebec… well, he still isn't here. But, things still need to get done! Ontario, you may be the first to share your opinion on the Quebec Separation." The platinum blonde stood up from her seat with a giant smile on her face, happy to share her opinion first. Before she could even make it halfway across the room, the man of the hour stepped in.

"Quebec, why are you late?" Canada asked, stray hair curl bobbing.

The wavy haired blond had only shrugged and took his seat, leaving everyone in momentary silence. It didn't take long for Ontario to start yelling. "Quebec, can't you see that you need us?! We're all a team, and I know sometimes you get all mad and angsty about the world but that's no reason to leave us!"

"O-Ontario, could you please calm down? Quebec needs to speak…" The girl crossed her arms angrily and huffed back to her seat, leaving a smirking Quebec behind.

"Merci, papa. Not everyone in Quebec wants to separate, but I personally support it." The blond stated bluntly.

Ontario, who was incapable of keeping her mouth shut for more than thirty seconds, shouted from her seat. "Why!? You got to keep your French, for crying out loud!"

Quebec rolled his eyes "It is more than that, Ontario. You are all over represented, and if I were to separate then my people could make sure that we are not as influenced by everyone in North America, not just those in this room."

"B-but Quebec, I don't want you to separate… I'm afraid of what will happen to you if you do, and who knows how it will go." Matthew Williams, also known as Canada, whispered.

For the first time throughout the official meeting, Albert began to voice his opinion. "I do." Everyone turned to him with different levels of interest, the two girls flanking his side being the most curious. "He'll do the same thing he's doing now, depend on the rest of us to make sure nothing bad happens to him."

"Surely he wouldn't-"

"Yeah, he would dad. Everyone here is doing it right now, but instead of the rest of Canada they're all depending on me."

Ontario snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, kid, we don't depend on you. Just cause you pollute the world like it's nothing doesn't mean you're the best of us."

"Oh, yeah? Then how come my province has to give more money to the government than everyone else, huh? Don't answer that, I already know; it's to make sure the rest of Canada doesn't sink."
"You are so…urgh! Why do you have to have such an American mindset?!"

"If any of you would actually listen to me or any single one of my ideas, then you would realize that I don't have an 'American mindset' as you are so fond of calling it. Instead you like to yell about random crap and no one but Quebec can get a word in edgewise. The thing is, he never actually has anything productive to say!"

"E-everyone, I think this is getting out of hand…" Canada said, but to no avail.

"That's because all of your ideas have to do with polluting the world!"

"See? This is exactly what I mean! You can't just say everything that comes out of my mouth is pollution, because even if it were you could at least try and hear my points about it and then make your decision about whether or not you listen to me! But you don't because you're a screaming, ranting and raving psychopath who likes to listen to her own voice more than anything!"

"And you all wonder why us territories dislike coming to these things…" Yukon, a bottle-blonde girl muttered, her ice blue eyes staring forward.

"Can't we all just get along? There's no need to argue…" New Brunswick whispered, a shy boy with indigo eyes and brown hair. Nova Scotia, another young boy with slightly wavy, sandy blond hair and sky blue eyes nodded in agreement.

"I don't need to listen to your ideas Albert, because I know exactly where all of them are headed! So why don't you just sit down and let the adults talk, alright?!"

"Yeah sure, I will. But it won't change anything, because no matter what happens in this stupid meeting, Quebec is still going to have that vote and nothing we say right now is going to change that. Dad, I'm leaving."

"B-but Albert, we've barely-"

"I don't need to sit here and listen to a bunch of people who don't appreciate anything I do, and I especially don't need to listen to my brother go on and on about something he really shouldn't, because guess what?" Now Albert was looking directly at Quebec, -who appeared quite bored with the entire conversation- a large and sadistic smirk on his face. "France lost and he's not going to come back and help you now, so deal with it already."

Turning without so much of a glance at Quebec or anyone else in the meeting room for that matter, Alberta got out of his seat. 'A-Albert, that was harsh, don't you think? Come and sit down again so we can talk through this…" Canada nearly begged.

"British Columbia, Saskatchewan, come on, let's go." Albert called to his two sister's, Saskatchewan bounced out of her seat and skipped to his side, straight raven hair flicking against her back. B.C followed at a slower rate, getting out of her seat politely and walking to Albert's other side. It would be hard to guess that the pristine lady was younger than the two provinces she decided to accompany.
"Can you all please come back? Please?" Canada begged once more, close to tears.

Ontario only humphed. "Whatever, hopefully when they come back they'll have a less capitalist complex."

Surprisingly it was Saskatchewan who glanced over her shoulder, a happy smile on her face that gave off a creepy aura. "You shouldn't talk about us like that, Tari. Albert is right, you know."

"Albert, we need you here…" Matthew tried to persuade.

The boy didn't physically react, just continued walking out of the room with his sister's, the two provinces that bordered his, and realized something. They needed him, but he didn't need them. If he wanted to, he could become his own country with B.C and Sas, and it would be ten times more successful than that stupid idea of Quebec separating. And that was the moment it all started.

It wasn't for a couple more decades that Alberta had actually acted on anything. He just knew that if he wanted to he could separate, and everyone else began to realize this, too. But no one said anything about it, even the people of Alberta knew it was just an option, a possibility. But something was stirring, someone was beginning to make a noise, get people to think, and Alberta was becoming excited. Finally, finally someone was taking action. He knew it would take awhile, that this person, whomever they may be, was just starting to ignite the flames, it would take some time for everything to ignite. But that didn't stop him from going to his sister's and talking about it with them.

"So B.C, we both know that we can become a country." Short, blunt and to the point. Usually Albert didn't like to just dive into a topic like this, it was controversial to say the least and B.C might not agree with him.

"Yes, of course I know Albert. Did you come here to talk to me about this?"

"Well, yes and no. Someone is starting something in Alberta, and I think it's going to be big."

"How big?"

"Like 'starting a revolution and leaving the rest of Canada to rot' big. This person is serious to, I think their really educated. They've probably been thinking about this for awhile."

"Hmm… that's interesting."

"So…what do you think?"

"I don't know, Albert. The idea isn't very popular in B.C, not that anyone is opposed to it."

"Then what do you personally think?"

"Personally, I wouldn't mind separating. I can see the advantages just as clearly as you. I have tourism and plenty of lumber, you and Sas have lumber, farm land and oil. It would be a lovely country, I think. My only concern is the 'revolution' bit. If you are really serious about this, wouldn't it be simpler to just deal with this like the Quebec Separation?"

"That way to go was a total dud, for one. And I don't just want to become a country, I also want to completely change how we do things. I know what would happen if we just separated, the new country would just become a mini version of America. I want to instil new values, like less technology so the Asian countries won't be able to get so much information easily. Plus it will be more about stimulating our own economy, not just the rich over the poor. Think about it, with the money we save from not having to give so much to Canada, we could put more effort into our reusable resources, like wood and farming, instead of just oil. Eventually that stuff will run out. At the same time we can have way more of our own business instead of buying everything American, and that would stimulate our economy even more! Plus we wouldn't be tied down to NAFTA or any of those other crappy deals that have always left us with the bad end of the stick. But if we just have a stupid capitalist government with a bunch of idiots running it, none of those things will go so smoothly. That's why there needs to be a revolution, so that our people can really benefit instead of becoming a bunch of greedy bastards."

"Isn't it a bit greedy to sell out the rest of Canada like you want to?"

"It's not selling them out, B.C. The way I see it, Albertans, British Columbians and Saskatchewan's will really prosper from this. Canada is holding our potential back, without them we could do a bunch of amazing things! Did you know that if we didn't pay so much to the government, you and I, our citizens could have free secondary schooling?"

"You're right, again. I am not necessarily opposed to this, Albert, I just feel guilty for wanting it, even a little."

"You think I'm not? It's just… I hate when they all say that I'm so 'American' and that it's my fault no one can tell the difference between Alfred and dad. That if I weren't so power hungry and tried to relax then maybe he wouldn't disappear all the time. It pisses me off so much, it's not my fault that I have something useful and they don't! If one of them had actually found something worthwhile than I know they would be just like me. They don't even realize that if they would actually listen to me, just for a second, that I'm not a capitalist, in fact I think I might be something completely new but I don't really know what to call it yet."

"You seem really excited about all this."

"Of course I am! Think about it, there are so many great things we can do, it will be a brand new slate! We could become the next superpower, we wouldn't have to rely on those stupid Americans, we could make deals with anybody we wanted to! We could be the real New World! Or at least the next and newest Era!"

"There's only one thing I want, Albert, then I myself will support you, though I still can't say anything about my people."

"What is it?"

"We keep the monarchy. That's all I really want."

"Seriously? Why the hell would I want to keep something like that? Because of that stupid monarchy some retarded people still think we're a colony!"

The young lady barely blinked at the response. "Will you calm down a little, Albert? Things are just getting started and we aren't even close to separating yet, or starting a revolution. Think about it, we don't necessarily know how the nations will react to this. Some might support it in hopes of becoming our partner's, other's might go against us because they see us as a threat. If we keep the monarchy, it might put England more in favour of us."

"I guess, but it's not like his opinion matter's anyway, he's poor as dirt and no one respects him anymore except maybe you and dad…"

B.C glared at him coldly, clearly annoyed. "Shut up, Albert. It's not much I'm asking for, and obviously you're going to be taking the lead in this whole thing so just do it."

"Okay, fine, whatever! But the monarchy for us is going to mean even less than it does now, just saying. Like, we won't even have a Governor General at all."

"Hmm… okay, that will do. So did you tell Sas already?"

"No, I'm not sure what she'll think. Actually, I didn't know what you would think either, I just thought that maybe since you joined Canada last than you might not be as opposed to leaving. Anyways, I gotta go and call Sas, see what she thinks about all this."

"See you, Albert."

"Yeah, see ya Lia."

Once Albert got back to his own house in Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, he called up Saskatchewan. "Hello?"

"Hey Sas, it's me, Albert."

"Oh, hi Albert~! What's up?"

"There's a sort of movement here, people are starting to want me, you and B.C to become our own country."

"Oh, really~? Hmm, that sounds fun. There isn't much of an awareness here, but I'll do what I can to support us~!"

"R-really? Wow… that was easy…"

"Why wouldn't it be? We all knew this could happen, and if I actually had a problem with it I would have said something about it earlier. I was just waiting for some humans to actually do something about it, ya know?"

"Yeah, me too… so I guess we'll talk about this some more later?"

"Course, by Albert~!"

"Goodbye Sas."

A lot of things happened over the course of a decade, there were movements and rallies and speeches. Not to mention groups of supporters rioting and many arrests. The most amazing thing was that the humans were doing everything nearly exactly to what Alberta wanted, what he wasn't expecting was the curiosity and concern from other nations. Sure, he knew Alfred, and maybe England and France would be worrying about what would become of the rest of Canada, but other nations were getting involved as well.

Russia and China were excited at the prospect of them becoming a country, the anticipation of becoming partners with what some nation's were already calling the potential superpower. Other's didn't care at all, either it wasn't their business or they would always just forget about it. America was probably the angriest of them all, and Albert wasn't afraid to say that it highly amused him.

"Albert are you freakin' crazy?! This could kill Canada for crying out loud!"

"It's nice to see your concern uncle Alfred, but Canada wouldn't die. If you haven't noticed, there are already very poor country's out there who are still standing today."

"You're just a heartless bastard! Do you even care?!"

"Of course I care, you idiot, I'm just done with it all. I think you're just afraid that we could become more powerful than even you, and you already have China as a threat to that. So why don't you just cut the crap and stop pretending like you actually care for the well being of Canada and let's get to the real point here. You're falling, hard, and you have nothing left. Not to mention there are a lot of nation's who would be overjoyed with that outcome, and would definitely support me over you. Just look at the two of us right now. I'm an inch taller than you, more powerful than most of the actual nation's out there right now and I'm not even a fucking country yet. But don't worry uncle dearest, it's happening. My people are ready for this, they're ready for change. They don't want to take your crap anymore and frankly, neither do I. And things will be better, believe me, we won't have so much of your dumb stores, not everything will be privately run so that there aren't so many fucking poor people just getting by. We'll stimulate our own economy rather than use sweat shops in other countries and things will be better, way better than it ever was in America. So why don't you stop trying to stand in my way, it's pretty much useless."

Alfred, of course, was speechless. His nephew was calculating, cold and motivated, and no one ever spoke to him like that before, not even England. The kid was a powerhouse, and he wasn't messing around.

Alfred wasn't the first nor the last to try and convince Alberta to forget about separating. A few other nation's came by, whether for their own benefits or because they actually cared, but Albert's resolve never wavered. And whenever anyone asked why, he would just shrug and say it was because he could. Except for the one time, the one time Quebec came over, and Albert really couldn't stand it.
There was his brother, a good five inches shorter than him, standing at the door. He almost wanted to laugh, only a few decades ago Alberta was shorter than his older brother, but now he towered over him with power. Quebec's face gave nothing away, he was completely indifferent to the height different between the two.

"Bonjour Albert. Can I come in?" He requested in a heavy, rough Quebec accent.

"Yeah, sure. Come on in." The owner of the home lead his brother and guest to the living room, where the two sat on different coaches.

"You know why I am here, don't you?"

"You wanted to borrow some sugar?" Albert remarked sarcastically. "Of course I know why you're fucking here!"

"Okay, well I guess the only thing I can say is that I think it's not a good idea like the rest of them."

"Of course you don't, you would be screwed if it weren't for me, Lia and Sas. Everyone here would be, it's the only reason why anyone's bothered to visit me over the past decade."

"So are you happy with what's happening?"

"Uh, yeah?! This is going perfectly! It's started out nice and slow, and now it's built up so much that I can practically taste it."

"What about us?"

"You didn't seem to care about that the two times you wanted to separate, and you still don't."

"That's different."

"How? How is that any fucking different?!"

"I wanted to separate to protect my culture, you want to separate so that you can become wealthier."

"It's not like that."

"Oh?"

"It's not! The rest of you don't see things like I do, and even if you did than you wouldn't do anything about it. If things keep going the way they do, we're going to fall just like America will, and no one seems to care. But I do care, I want things to change and no one is willing to do it, then there's the fact that you're all dragging me down, I could be so great if I didn't have to worry about everyone else all the time. And it's so fucking annoying, because you and fucking Ontario think you're so god damn great and good because you have so much history and culture and you're older. Guess what? Sometimes it's not about that, sometimes it's about what you can actually do, and you want to know something? You and Ontario can't do anything. Any. Fucking. Thing. Then I have to sit there and listen to the two of you argue about stupid things when all I want to do is throw a fucking brick at both of you and finally, finally be able to change Canada for the better because I'm the only one who can do it."

"You still can."

"It's too late for that, even if I wanted to anymore. This is going to happen and there isn't anything I can do to stop it, and I sure as hell don't want to do that."

Quebec sighed, obviously giving up, though he didn't think he would get very far with this anyways. "Okay Albert, do whatever the fuck you want, but when you feel like an asshole for leaving us behind don't bring it up to any of us."

"You got some fucking nerve Quebec. If it weren't for you and your god damn resentment for the rest of Canada I wouldn't have even thought about leaving! If you weren't so fucking whiney and cry babyish about the fact that France lost the goddamn war and you got lucky with being allowed to actually keep your fucking language than things would be different! I hate when you complain about it! England used to make people change everything about themselves, forced them to learn English and his culture, even their names were altered, but he let you keep it, and you can't even fucking appreciate that for a single minute! The first time you wanted to separate I was really upset. We may not have been close but we were brother's, and it really bothered me. But the second time, the second fucking time, I realized, to hell with you! You think you're so much better than us? Well guess what, I don't fucking need you, your poutine or your fucking French! And it got me to thinking, that if I did those same things, if I tried to separate people would actually care, because I do things. But I don't need you guys; me, Sas and Lia, we're fine on our own. You think you don't need us? Well the three of us don't need the rest of you. You're not our brother, you're not anything. Just some Canadian who wishes they were French."

Quebec was, understandably, pissed off. He didn't make a move to become violent though, that just wasn't his style and besides, Alberta was stronger than him, a blind person could see that. "I can see that I am not welcome here anymore. Just remember something Albert, not everything is about success."

Quebec got up from the coach, dark brown eyes staring intensely at mud brown ones. Without another word he passed his brother who had only stared back without any emotion. In only a few moments the Quebecer was gone, and Albert's spirits weren't as high as they were previous to the unexpected visit.

It didn't take long for Canada to come to his house after that. The nation had visited multiple times before and each one was a failure, but this time was different. He managed to convince his son to let him live there.

Albert grumbled, annoyed that his dad had gotten him to allow the older man to stay there.
"Thanks Albert, it's been awhile since I've visited, eh?"

"I guess. You can stay in the guest room that you usually do, alright dad?"

The first few weeks were awkward as they tried to get used to each other's constant presence. Albert was getting slightly annoyed with Matthew for asking so many innocent questions, it made him mad that the nation was avoiding the topic that he was obviously staying there because of. Finally, when Albert had gotten back form a public speech that mostly involved a lot of shouting and police officer's having to calm everything down, he had kinda snapped at Matthew.

"Oh Albert, welcome back. Where were you?"

"Check the news, it should be on channel fifteen." Canada only stared back at him, wide eyed.

"Why would it be on the news?"

"Why do you think, dad? We both know why you're here, and I was out there supporting exactly what you don't want. So, is there anything you have to say to me about it?"

"Albert, I just-" Matthew began softly.

"God dad, can't you just get fucking mad at me already?! Here I am, doing something that could potentially destroy you, and you aren't doing shit! I could be killing you! I'm changing everything in Canada, setting everyone against each other and all you're doing… all your doing is staring at me as if I have nothing to do with it! As if I was only getting groceries and of course I'm not contributing to this because I'm little Albert, and I would never! I would never try and do anything to hurt you! B-but I am… I'm killing you and you're just… why aren't you getting mad at me?" Alberta had broken down, right in front of the entrance, in tears. Canada was already in front of him, leaning down and grabbing his son, who despite being a little taller than Alfred was still slightly shorter than him.

"Shh… shh… it's okay, Albert" Matthew soothed, brushing his fingers through Albert's wild brown hair.

"I-it's not okay dad… how can this be okay for you? I-I'm so s-sorry, I'm so selfish…" The boy sobbed into his father's chest.

Matthew only continued to brush his hair back. It was funny, the situation they were in. Alberta wasn't much before, when he was just a small child, the province was just a stop town for most settlers, reminiscent of the old west. As Alberta grew Alfred began to like the kid more than the other provinces, tending to request the child visit the nation more than any of the other's. Then there was the oil, Albert was so excited, he finally became important. He remembered the child, running up to him looking only eight years old, wonder and amazement in his eyes. Daddy, daddy! They found oil! You'll visit me more now, right? The nation had ruffled his sons wild locks and laughed softly, You don't need oil for me to want to visit you, Albert. That was a long time ago, and now here his son was, crying just like he used to when Matthew told him he had to leave, but the tears now coming out of his eyes were for completely different reasons, and he was not the little boy from Matthew's memories. This Albert was much stronger, he didn't need his siblings or his dad anymore, yet he was torn.

"Albert, I could never be mad at you…"

"I-I don't understand… you should hate me!"

"It's impossible for anyone to hate you, Albert. You're a dreamer, just like you're uncle, yet you still see so much differently than even him. I love you, Albert."

"I-I… I don't deserve…"

"Shh… my little Albert, of course you do… I'm so sorry…"

"W-why…?"

"Because I don't pay attention to you, eh? It's why this all started. Quebec and Ontario, they are always standing out. I should have known to listen to you more, because I am always ignored, too."
"I-I will stop this… okay? I-I'm going to stop hurting you…"

"You know I'm proud of you, eh? Whether you stay or go, I'll always be proud, because I raised you, and you're my son. That will never change."

Alberta buried his head deeper into his dad's chest, squeezing his eyes tighter. His dad smelled just like fresh snow and maple syrup, just like he always did. "I love you, dad."
Matthew pressed his forehead against Alberta's soft messy brown hair and closed his eyes peacefully. He sighed serenely, happy that he managed to connect with his son. " I know, Albert."

Things had changed after that, but not all at once. The movement didn't necessarily stop, but when Albert lost interest so did his sister's, and without the representatives supporting the cause the whole thing went flat in only a few years. People just began to wave it off, content with life and just signing the incident off as one that was similar to the Quebec Separation. That wasn't the only thing that changed. The other provinces and territories began to take Albert's ideas more seriously, with the new awareness that his opinion was incredibly important. With his ideas coming to life, Canada began to have more of their own franchises, even managing to change around some of their current deals with the U.S in order to gain more than they did previously. With new efforts being put into natural resources, the other provinces eventually became richer, and Alberta was able to follow through on even more of his economy stimulating plans. That wasn't where it ended either, a few provinces, including his own, started to have free secondary schooling, with his advice the government used less technology for confidential information and they had even taken advancement in the technology department so they could defend information. There was a new program started by the government, allowing high school students to visit third world countries to see how they lived, all expenses paid. Canada had become the newest economic superpower, having improved on many relationships and helping out America with many of their own problems.

Alberta's personal life was also going well. His sister's weren't too disappointed about not separating, their relationship stayed just as good as it always was and they still knew that the option was always there. Albert, who to his delight had stayed just an inch taller than Alfred, had somewhat reconciled with Quebec. It was hard to tell considering the Quebecer had a sort of cold front to anyone who didn't speak his language, but Matthew told him that his brother had stopped calling him an arse hole, at least. The other nation's held no resentment or disappointment either, mostly because they had been around for centuries and knew that things usually don't turn out how we plan them. He thought that maybe America would hold some sort of grudge over Albert insulting him thoroughly, but the American seemed to have completely forgotten the incident quickly and there was no need for an awkward apology.

But, if Albert were completely honest, though he would kill you as soon as he said it, he had to admit that the most prominent change was the relationship between him and Canada. Neither of them had spoken about the breakdown in Edmonton, on a silent understanding that some things were just better off unsaid, but that didn't mean it never effected anything. Matthew would visit the brunette more often, they would go camping or watch movies and just enjoy each other's company, and once the visit would come to a close, when the two of them would stand at the entrance, eye-level with the other, Matthew would say -genuinely and with much affection- that he would come back soon, and that he loved Alberta with all his heart.