A new story in time for the holidays. This is basically like a Hallmark Christmas movie. All fluffy and pointless and predictable and I really don't care. I still love it. I always want some fluffy nonsense this time of year.

As always, I do not own the Hetalia characters. Because if I did, then obviously USUK would be total canon.

WARNING: There are mentions in this story of RusAme. Alfred is dating Ivan at the beginning but don't despair, it won't last long and he'll be with Arthur soon enough. Just a warning in case RusAme freaks you out or something.

Chapter One: Best Laid Plans

The restaurant was beautifully decorated for the season. Twinkling lights adorned all of the potted plants and holly was interspersed with tasteful ornaments on the garland above the large central fireplace. Alfred bounced a little on his feet as they waited at the hostess station. He glanced around the room and smiled to himself. Tonight was absolutely perfect. It was festive, and romantic and everything that he had hoped for. Ivan stood next to him, loosely gripping his hand in his own wool-gloved palm.

"Reservation for Braginsky," came the rumbling deeply accented voice from his boyfriend. Alfred smiled and looked over at his lover, squeezing his fingers lightly.

"Right this way sir," the young hostess waved her hand and gathered two menus up into her arms. She led them through the restaurant, weaving them between other couples who were already seated and looking happy as they shared in this lovely holiday evening.

They were seated at a small table for two near the back and Ivan pulled out Alfred's chair for him. The American man felt his face colour in a blush as he took his seat. As they sank into their respective chairs, Alfred took the cloth napkin off of the table and began to unfold it, all the while sneaking glances at his Russian lover. Ivan was busy looking over the menu and paid him no mind.

"What do you think you will have?" Ivan asked, not looking up.

"I'm not sure," Alfred said. He glanced at the menu but couldn't seem to read anything. This was it, he was sure of it. This was the night that Ivan was finally going to propose. Alfred knew that his boyfriend had been in a very important meeting all day, and that despite the fact that he was tired, he insisted on them going out for a fancy dinner. Alfred was certain. This was the night. He fidgeted a little in his seat.

A man came by and filled their water glasses. Alfred felt parched so he grasped his glass quickly and took a long swig. He watched Ivan over the top of his glass and felt his heart flutter. Ivan stared intently at the menu and muttered something under his breath in Russian. Glancing up, the taller man met Alfred's blue eyes and narrowed his own. "Is something the matter?" He asked in his crisp accent.

Alfred shook his head fervently. "No, nothing. Just…thirsty."

Ivan nodded and folded the menu, setting it down next to his plate. "Alfred," he began. "There is something I wish to discuss with you tonight."

This was it. Alfred sat up straighter in his chair. This was the moment. "Of course," he said, trying not to let on how nervous he was.

"I had a meeting today, you know," Ivan reached for his water glass and took a deep sip. "It was very important."

"Was it?" Alfred nodded.

"Yes," Ivan lowered his head. "The bank is offering me a position back in Moscow."

Alfred cocked his head, confused. Moscow? What did that have to do with them getting married? He simply stayed quiet, which went against everything in him, and nodded.

Ivan continued. "It is a very prestigious position. It would allow me enough money to bring my family here, to the United States."

Alfred nodded fast. "That's great, I'd love to meet your sisters."

Ivan was quiet for a moment. He set his water glass down with a loud thunk and looked directly into Alfred's eyes. "I would be out of the country for a few years."

It finally sunk in for the bright-eyed American. "Oh," was all he managed.

"So you can see how this is the best course of action," Ivan gestured with his large palm. "This was not going to work out anyway."

"Wait," Alfred shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs in his brain. "What do you mean, this wasn't going to work out? You…Are you breaking up with me?"

"I do not enjoy such crude terms," Ivan said.

Alfred shook his head again and looked over at the fireplace in the center of the room. The flames were high and bright and looked so very welcoming. "You're breaking up with me?"

"In a matter of speaking," Ivan said. "I do not think that it would be for the best if we continue to see each other at this time. I will be gone for a few years. You should not have to wait for me."

"What if I want to wait for you," Alfred said, his eyes beginning to fill with tears. How could this all have went so wrong? He was supposed to be getting engaged tonight. He was sure that Ivan was going to ask him. What had happened?

"I do not wish you to," Ivan said, reaching out a hand for Alfred's.

Alfred pulled his fingers away and pressed them against his chest. "I can't believe this," he whispered.

"I think it is for the best," Ivan said softly. "Now, let us order and finish our meal."

Alfred could feel his body moving but he couldn't seem to stop himself. He heard the scrape of the chair against the stone floor as he pushed his seat back away from the table. "If you think I'm going to sit here and eat with you after you've just dumped me three weeks before Christmas, you've got another think coming!" He felt himself stand and he could feel his fist clenched at his sides. "This is bullshit Ivan! We were supposed to be getting married!"

"What makes you think that?" the Russian man looked up at him quizzically.

Alfred could feel the eyes of the other restaurant patrons on him and he crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at his now ex-boyfriend. "Because we loved each other…I thought. I thought we were in love. And you do this to me!"

"You were an amusing way to pass the time," Ivan looked at his nails and wouldn't meet Alfred's burning blue eyes. "That is all."

"Fine," Alfred spat. "Fine then. I wouldn't want to marry you anyway!"

He shoved his chair back under the table and turned and stalked away with his back straight and as much dignity as he could muster. What had happened to them? He had truly thought that Ivan loved him. Obviously he was wrong. Alfred buttoned his coat and exited the restaurant, slamming the door behind him with a loud crack. He stood on the sidewalk for a moment and shivered against the cold. He could feel the tears burning in his eyes.

There was a taxi idling at the curb and Alfred stomped over to it without thinking, and threw the door open, sliding into the back seat. He gave the driver the address to his apartment and felt a rush of gratitude that he had never moved in with Ivan. He could at least go home and have some peace.

As they drove through the darkened snow-covered streets, Alfred finally allowed a few tears to fall from his eyes. He gazed out the window and silently shook with sobs. He tried to wipe away the tears with the back of his gloved hand but they just continued to fall. Once the driver had dropped him off at home and he had trudged up to his front door, Alfred let the tears fall in earnest. He was sobbing as he unlocked his front door. Closing the door behind him, he leaned against it, the tears falling freely from his eyes and loud, choking sobs coming from his mouth. He glanced up at the room in front of him. The kitchen. He saw the calendar on the wall depicting the days and his eyes widened in horror. Three weeks until Christmas!

He was expected at his parent's house for the holiday this year. And Ivan was expected too. Every year, Alfred always showed up alone and his parents and brother were getting irritating in their teasing and jesting about him growing up to be a confirmed bachelor. They always said he was too focused on work to ever meet anyone. He was actually looking forward to this year because he was going to be bringing Ivan to prove that he could find someone to love him. Oh, this was a disaster!

Alfred sank to the floor, his back to his front door, and let out a gasp. What was he going to do? He had to think of something. He couldn't just call his parents and say that he and Ivan had broken up. They would accuse him of making the entire relationship up in his head. They always said that they wouldn't believe that Ivan existed until they met him.

Placing his head in his hands, Alfred groaned and rubbed his eyes. He wiped absently at the line of tears streaking down his cheeks. He had no idea how things had gone so wrong. He was certain that Ivan was going to propose to him and instead his hulking Russian boyfriend had gone and broken up with him! Alfred let his head sink to his knees. He hiccupped once and then angrily stood up, stalking his way further into his apartment.

When he reached his bedroom, he pulled off his suit jacket and threw it on the floor in a fit of petulant anger. He finished undressing and fell into his too empty bed, naked. Curling up into a ball, Alfred hugged his pillow and cried himself to sleep.

The next morning brought with it more tears in the hot shower as Alfred let the water cascade over his body in preparation for the day. He didn't know what he was going to do. Everything in his life was falling apart because his boyfriend was an asshole. No. His ex-boyfriend. Alfred shook water out of his eyes and willed himself to stop crying. He couldn't show up to work with a puffy face. Everyone would know and they would take pity on him which would be almost as unbearable as getting dumped before the holidays.

Toweling off and risking a glance at himself in the mirror, Alfred sighed when he realized that his nose was about two sizes bigger and his eyes were rimmed in red. He wasn't going to be fooling anyone. Brushing a few fingers across his cheek, he decided to skip shaving this morning. He already looked like hell, so why bother?

Ambling around his bedroom with a towel tied low around his waist, he absently made his bed and began to pick out clothes from his closet. Most of his shirts reminded him of Ivan. They had either been gifts, or the Russian man had helped him pick them out. Alfred was somewhat lost when it came to fashion and all of his friends had noticed how he had changed his style of dress while dating Ivan.

Luckily, the law firm he worked at didn't have a very strict dress code, especially on a day when Alfred wouldn't be meeting with clients. He had taken the day off because he had assumed he would be spending it in bed celebrating with his new fiancée. Unfortunately, Alfred didn't have much in his place to distract him and was opting to go in to work and catch up on a few things. He didn't have anything better to do anyway, and he wasn't about to mope around his apartment eating ice cream and watching soap operas like he did when Kiku had left him. He didn't need the extra five pounds that pity fest had brought him.

Pulling on a pair of tight, dark jeans and yanking one of his old t-shirts over his head, Alfred tried to smile at himself in the mirror above his dresser. He hadn't worn a t-shirt in almost two years. Ivan wanted him to look the part of the successful lawyer, even if it wasn't really Alfred's taste. He had changed so much about himself to please his boyfriend. All his boyfriends.

Alfred had a bitter taste in his mouth as he got into his car and began his drive to the office. Looking back on all of his past relationships, he realized that he had always been the one to change, the one to bend. He changed his clothes, his laugh, his hobbies, all for love. And one by one, each man had left him. Usually saying he wasn't anything more than a good time, like Ivan had; or siting the fact that he "just wasn't what they were looking for." It was always Alfred's fault that the relationships ended, at least that's what all his previous lover's had claimed. It was exhausting to change who you fundamentally were in order to get someone to go out with you. Alfred was sick and tired of it. He was done. From here on out, he vowed as he cruised ten miles over the speed limit, he was going to be himself and look out for himself. No more changing for the idea of love. Because it never really was love, was it?

Not paying much mind as he pulled into his assigned parking spot at work, he took the turn into the space a little bit wide and suddenly he felt his bumper connect with the car parked next to him. Of course. As if this week could get any worse. Alfred grimaced and backed up, slightly angling his car into his space properly before he got out to inspect the damage.

The rusting green hatchback that he had hit looked to have dozens of dents and marks along the bumper and Alfred was sure he hadn't caused them all, so he breathed a sigh of relief. That is, until the driver's side door of the car opened and a short, trim blonde man heaved himself out and glared through the window at Alfred. The man's eyes were a brilliant green and they narrowed in anger as he pointed at the bumper of his car. Alfred tried not to roll his eyes as he exited his own Lexus and joined the smaller man standing in the parking lot.

"Sorry," Alfred said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'm really sorry. I was a little distracted."

"That doesn't excuse you, does it?" the other man's voice barked out in a sharp British accent.

Alfred's eyes widened. He was a sucker for accents, which explained why he mostly dated foreign boys. He'd never dated an English man before though, despite the fact that it was by far his favourite dialect. "I'm really sorry," he repeated.

"I'm going to need your insurance," the man snapped.

Numbly Alfred nodded. He went back to his car to begin digging his paperwork out of the glovebox, all the while listening to the handsome English stranger bemoan how Alfred should pay more attention to what he was doing. Despite the fact that Alfred's car was worth an incredible amount more than the stranger's rusty hunk of junk, Alfred wasn't even concerned as to the condition of his own bumper. His mind was too full of thoughts. The stranger was hot. But he shouldn't be thinking that at all—what would Ivan say?

'Wait,' Alfred thought as he rifled through papers. 'Who cares what Ivan would say? They weren't together anymore!' Alfred felt his eyes fill up a bit and began to blink rapidly to avoid tears falling.

The Englishman had quieted down with his lecture and was watching Alfred closely as the young lawyer emerged from his car. "Look chap," he said gesturing at his bumper. "It's not that big of a deal really? We're both fine, there's no need to cry over it."

"I'm not crying," Alfred said gruffly as he shoved a piece of paper with his insurance information on it at the other man. "I'm having a bad week."

"Me too," the Englishman said softly.

"I thought my boyfriend was going to propose last night and instead he broke up with me. In public. Three weeks before Christmas."

"I'm sorry," the other man blinked slowly and looked genuinely sad at Alfred's tale.

"I was just kind of thinking about how I screw up every relationship I'm in and how it's always my fault and I wasn't really paying attention. I know, I know," Alfred waved a hand. "It's no excuse. But I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it," the other man responded. He held out a pale hand tentatively. "I'm Arthur. Arthur Kirkland."

"Alfred Jones." They shook. Arthur's grip was surprisingly firm.

"Your week can't be much better by the fact that you're in a law office parking lot," Arthur attempted a smile.

"Huh?" Alfred tilted his head.

"You're coming to see a lawyer," Arthur gestured toward the building behind them. "That can't make for a good week, on top of the break up."

"Oh," Alfred said, the other man's words dawning on him. "No, I work here."

"Dressed like that?" Arthur raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Yeah," Alfred gave a small smile. "It's supposed to be my day off but I thought I'd come in and do some paperwork to keep my mind off of things."

"That makes sense." Arthur glanced down at Alfred's insurance card in his hand and shook his head. He held the paper back out to Alfred and said, "Doesn't really seem to be a reason for this. My car isn't exactly a work of art, as you can see. Let's just forget about it."

"Really?" Alfred's eyes lit up with hope.

"Yes, quite." Arthur nodded briskly. "You're having a bad enough week as it is."

"Thanks man," Alfred said with a true smile. "Really, you have no idea how great this is."

"No problem," Arthur said, turning back toward his car. "Just watch where you're going, okay?"

"Will do."

The two men shared a small smile and turned away from one another. Arthur re-entering his car and Alfred spinning on his heel and heading into the law office. As they parted ways, it began to snow.

Arthur Kirkland tucked himself back in his car and watched the large flakes fall down, hitting his windshield and melting on impact. He tried to push the image of the handsome man who had hit his car out of his mind. He looked down at the papers he had placed on his lap once more and grunted. This holiday season was going to be a nightmare. He didn't know what he was going to do. He had spent the morning speaking with a lawyer about what he should do to keep his apartment but the man had basically told him to give up and find a new place to live. Arthur glared out the window at nothing. He had one week to find new lodgings because of his awful landlord. How was he supposed to know that he could be evicted over a cat? This was absolutely ridiculous.

The previous day he had been busy at home when a knock came at the front door. He had patted the cat he had rescued from the dumpster out back a few days earlier and went to answer. It had been his landlord saying that another tenant had brought to his attention that Arthur was keeping a pet and that it was against the rules. The large, smelly man had given Arthur a week to pack his things and leave. Arthur had spent all that night pouring over his lease agreement to find anything in it pertaining to pets and there had been nothing. It seemed to be a 'rule' that the landlord had just made up.

Unfortunately, according to the lawyer he had spoken with today, it looked as though Arthur didn't have a choice but to move. He couldn't very well turn the cat out into the street and taking it to a shelter was out of the question. Arthur had become rather attached to the small creature over the last few days. He was going to have to find a new place to live. And fast.

Turning over the engine of his car, Arthur backed his trusty vehicle out of the space and drove off in the direction of his apartment. The entire way, he thought about what he was going to do, but he kept getting distracted by remembering the beautiful, bright blue eyes of the man who had hit his car. He didn't have time for daydreaming now. Arthur shook his head and tried to concentrate on the problems he had right in front of him.

Alfred spent the day hiding in his office with the door closed and pretending to fill out paperwork for one of his upcoming cases. He wasn't getting much work done. He kept thinking about Ivan, and strangely enough, he was also thinking about Arthur Kirkland. He hadn't been so immediately attracted to someone in a long time. He knew that nothing would come of it though. He would never see the handsome British man again, most likely.

Leaning back in his rolling desk chair, Alfred glanced out the window at the snow falling outside. It was beginning to collect in the trees, but not on the road, which was good. Alfred hated driving in the snow. Especially in his Lexus. The car didn't have the best handling in weather. He remembered when he had first graduated from law school and would tool around in a big red pickup truck. His ex, Kiku had hated the truck and convinced him that it was more acceptable for him to drive a Lexus. So had had caved and bought the expensive car. He hated it. That line of thinking brought him back around to the previous evening and how Ivan had told him that he was just 'an amusing way to pass the time.' Alfred's face burned with anger. He had begun moving on from the sad phase of his grieving to the angry part.

A knock on his door startled him out of his reverie and he said, "Come in." The door opened to reveal his paralegal standing in the doorway holding a stack of papers. Natalia was a bright and striking young woman who had joined the firm only a year earlier. Alfred had snapped her up immediately to work with him and they had become something of friends in the time since Natalia had started there.

"The Vargas case looks as though it's a little more complicated than originally thought," she said, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her. "I know you're not really here today, but I think Ludwig could use some help with it, especially since it's his brother-in-law."

Alfred tried to smile, "Yeah, I had a feeling it was going to get complicated, what's the problem?"

Natalia snorted in a very un-ladylike fashion. "Apparently they don't want to get divorced anymore, but they still want to split up the assets officially in case they decide to go forward with a divorce in the future. Ludwig looks like he might punch one of them."

Alfred did laugh at that. "Shocker. No worries, Nat. Just give me the papers and I'll look through them."

"Thank you," she hefted the pile of folders onto his desk and turned to leave. After a moment of hesitation, she turned back to face Alfred. She gracefully lowered herself into one of the client chairs and looked hard at him. "What's wrong with you?"

"What? Nothing." Alfred insisted.

"Your face is puffy, and your eyes are red like you've been crying," she pointed out bluntly. "And I saw you hit a parked car in the lot when you came in. You're usually not such a careless driver." Alfred lowered his eyes and looked down at his desk. He mumbled something unintelligible and Natalia leaned forward, cupping her hand to her ear. "What was that?"

"I said Ivan and I broke up," Alfred practically whispered.

"What!" she exclaimed. "But I thought you said yesterday he was going to propose!"

"Yeah, well he didn't." Alfred snapped.

"Obviously," Natalia looked at him with sympathy. "What happened? Do I need to kick his ass?"

"He's three times your size," Alfred pointed out. But it felt good to know that someone had his back. "It's nothing. He got a job offer to go to Moscow and it pays well and would be better for him in the long run. He didn't think we should wait for each other."

"So he dumped you?"

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me."

Natalia waved her hand airly. "So go out and meet someone and get laid. You'll get over him fast enough. I always thought you were too good for him anyway. He never spoke to anyone at firm functions, he just stood in the corner like a freak. You're better off."

"Yeah, yeah," Alfred said glumly. "Then why doesn't it feel like I'm better off. Do you have any idea how much I'm screwed?"

"Why are you screwed?"

"Because Christmas is in three weeks and my family is expecting me to show up with my boyfriend," Alfred threw up his hands. "They've been pressuring me for months to meet Ivan and now I have nothing to show for the last two years of my life."

"Don't be a drama queen," Natalia chastised. "You are a successful divorce lawyer who graduated top of your class from Stanford. You have lots to show for your life. Who cares if you have a boyfriend to bring home for the holidays?"

"Um," Alfred said, looking at his paralegal as though she were daft. "My parents. They care. A lot!"

"So bring someone," Natalia shrugged. "It's not that hard."

"You offering?" Alfred grinned.

"No," Natalia laughed at him. "I think your parents would be suspicious of your gay ass bringing a lady home with you. Just find a guy and bring him with. Don't you have friends?"

"They all have families of their own to go home to for the season," Alfred pointed out.

"Then hire someone."

"What?"

Natalia rolled her eyes and snorted. "Hire someone. Put an ad online that you want a fake boyfriend for the holidays and pay some cute boy to go with you to your parent's house and pretend to love you. It's not hard. My sister did it a few years ago. Of course it was quite obvious but it let her save face in front of my father."

"Seriously?" Alfred raised an eyebrow. "I'm not just going to hire some stranger to pretend to be my boyfriend."

"Whatever," Natalia stood up and brushed her skirt off. "Think about it. What choice do you really have?" She spun around and walked to the door. Before she left, she looked deeply at Alfred and said, "I'm really sorry Al. Let me know if you want to go out and get wasted. I'll wing-man you."

"Thanks Nat," Alfred said. He watched her shut the door behind her and looked down at the files on his desk. Hire someone? No way. There was no way he would stoop that low.

AN: As I said, holidayness and predictability. It's what I crave when it gets to be this time of year. So, think cheesy made for TV holiday movies and read on if you wish... :)