A/N: alrighty I got bored late at night, no other explanation…ENJOY~!
The meeting was long and tedious. Arguments and tempers flared every two seconds and by the time of the first break Annie's temper was well beyond its limit. She walked out of the room slowly and quietly placing a delicately gloved hand on her aching head. She grabbed her normal tea before going back early to observe the others come in one by one. There was only one thing she didn't count on…The American. Alfred sat in his chair rubbing his eyes from beneath his glasses. When he got tired of that he took them off all together and for the first time Annie saw dark circles under his bright blue eyes.
Before Alfred noticed Annie decided to make it look like she just came in. He looked at her and smiled, placing his glasses quickly back on the bridge of his nose, smiling brightly the whole time. "Hey, Annie! How're you liking the meeting so far?" She walked over and sat down next to him and gave a small hint of a smile, "Use proper English, will you?" He merely laughed at her, trying to tell her that he spoke English just fine. Not believing him she leaned back into the fabric of the chair, crossing her legs and placing her arms gently on the arm rests. Alfred and Annie talked until the rest of the nations came in one by one.
Germany called the meeting to order when he recognized that most of the nations had returned. "Does anyone have an idea on how to improve the situation in the Gulf of Mexico?" America immediately stood and walked toward the front of the room, grinning like an idiot. "Before I start, I would like to point out that this was England's fault! Now on to my idea!" "WAIT JUST A MOMENT!" "Aw…Iggy did you have to interrupt me?" The addressed nation just ignored him and walked up to stand beside him at the podium. Germany then stood but gave she gave him a look that clearly said 'you sit the fuck down of so help me I'm gonna go pirate on your ass~'. Germany then quickly sat down and let her resume. "Alfred, while I do not defend them, may I say that it was in yours and Mexico's gulf, therefore making it your problem and not mine. Also I don't personally own the company so it's not my fault! " He still argued at it was her company, but she refused to listen anymore. Annie instead opted to sit back down listen to America's scheme and just turn it down when it came to the vote. As usual nothing got done, and frustrated and tired Germany gave up and adjourned the meeting.
Annie held back for a moment, thinking of how to approach America about his apparent sleep deprivation. She decided to use half sarcasm and half concern, but then there was a crash from outside in the hall. She half ran and half walked out of the room, only to see Francis on the ground, Alfred standing over him and a fist raised in the air. She stood there until the fist was about to be set in motion. "ALFRED F. JONES, YOU STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!" Alfred looked up, but it was too late, Francis's blood could be seen coming out in slow trickles. Annie stomped over to the two and looked down at them, hands on her hips. Alfred looked up at her, the ever present smiled missing from his face. Alfred slowly stood and Annie actually saw the height difference clearly, "What are you, my mother?" The voice was mocking and cold, definitely not Alfred. Annie looked down at her shoes, then at Francis rolling dramatically in pain on the floor, and then she spoke, "I used to be…" and walked away.
Annie arrived home to find Francis sitting on her doorstep, napkin still in front of his nose. "Not in the mood frog, just leave me alone." He didn't move in fact he did the opposite and just looked at her before removing the bloody napkin from his nose. "He beat me up for insulting someone, in case you were wondering…" She looked at him, something was odd and it was making her curious. "Really now…and why would I bloody care who you insulted?" Francis smiled, well more kind of a smirk, but you get the point. "Annie, I insulted you." Annie stepped back and quietly said thank you over her shoulder, she was heading to America.
Annie waited in line to get a cab once she got to America, after the long almost 7 hour flight. People were stealing someone else's just because they thought they had some where more important to be. Annie finally got sick of it, all three of the cabs she successfully managed to flag down managed to get stolen, and called a limo service that she had on speed dial. The driver greeted her kindly and asked her where she would like to go, "72nd and central park west, specifically the Dakota." The driver nodded and turned around setting off into the New York City traffic.
Every time Annie visited this apartment complex she thought of two things: Alfred and John Lennon (1). She stood outside and took a deep breath. Annie was nervous to say the least; she never visited Alfred unless it was a meeting, ever. She took one more deep breath and walked through the doors of the Dakota.
The lobby was large and nice, and the atmosphere was slightly calming, causing Annie to relax slightly. She stepped in the elevator with a large mob of tenets, failing to notice that Alfred was in it too. After the first few floors the crowd in the elevator thinned out leaving Annie, an old man and his wife, a pregnant woman, an Asian woman and Alfred.
It's a quarter after one
I'm a little drunk
and I-
She quickly picked it up. Annie had only set this ringtone up for one person, and that was Alfred. "'ello?"
"Hey Annie, what brings you to the Dakota?"She snapped shut the phone, and slowly turned around on her heel, Alfred standing behind her with the stupidest grin ever on his face. Just then the elevator doors opened to his floor, and Annie was dragged into Alfred's apartment.
"So what brings you to New York? The next world meeting isn't for a few more weeks. I mean don't get me wrong, I love it when people visit, but I'm curious." She looked down silently trying to think of an idea, of any kind of excuse. "Well you see…um…alright, you acted weird at the last world meeting and I wanted to see if you were ok." Alfred smiled and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, I'm alright, actually I thought you would be glad that I beat up Francis." She smiled in spite of herself, and nodded. "Well, he showed up at my house after the last meeting, told me why he had gone and gotten his nose broken. Stupid gits, the both of you. First he insults me and then you get emotional and beat him up…" Alfred looked up as she talked to herself, suddenly getting why she came here. "Annie, you think there's something wrong with me don't you!"
She gently bit her lip, and shook her head. "Alfred, you haven't gotten enough sleep…I can see the bags underneath your glasses. I'm worried that too much coffee and not enough sleep might affect the hero, and his heroic actions." Annie sighed; she has actually never referred to Alfred as a hero after the Revolutionary War, but she missed being able to trust him. Alfred stared at her, half smiling and probably half in shock. She looked down at her shoes, not quite sure what to say or what he would say. Alfred stood up slowly and grabbed a cup of coffee from the counter in the kitchen, taking a small sip. Annie stood up, smoothing her skirt, as she walked over to Alfred. She placed her smaller hands on Alfred's, pulling the coffee cups away from his mouth. "No more coffee Al, it's time for sleep." He rubbed his eyes but kept a firm grasp on his cup, "Annie I can't sleep, my boss calls at random times and I have to pick up, Annie I can't sleep!" She walked behind him and grabbed the cup from behind, pouring the caffeinated drink down the drain. Annie then forcefully grabbed Alfred's wrist and with strength she only had before the revolution, pushing him toward his bed room. He placed him on his bed and carefully lifted the covers over him. He proceeded to struggle like a child, forcing Annie to tuck his sheets extra tight, until he could no longer struggle against them.
Alfred still wasn't calm by the time Annie tucked the sheets as much as she could. "Alfred, I'll get the phone if your boss calls, now, all you need to worry about is getting some rest." He sat up abruptly, causing the sheets to unravel themselves. He was face to face with Annie now, causing Annie to stumble back slightly. She sat there on the foot of Alfred's bed thinking of how to get him to relax. She bit her lip again and thought back to when Al was a colony. She then gently pushed him back on the bed and kissed his forehead. He then immediately stopped struggling and eased down into the pillows. Annie moved a few stray strands out of Alfred's face and stood up from his bed.
It was only a few minutes until the phone rang, causing Annie to run into the kitchen. She quickly checked the caller ID, which read, President.
"'ello, this is Annie Kirkland speaking. Alfred can't come to the phone right now, how may I help?"
"Hello, Annie, how is Alfred, is he quite well? He's not sick is he? I know with the whole gulf thing, he sometimes doesn't feel well."
"Yes, he just needs some sleep, he hasn't gotten much lately and he's had a little too much coffee."
"Alright, well when he wakes up please tell him th-"
"Mr. President, I'm sorry to interrupt you and even sorrier to say that… he needs to sleep for a while. Alfred really hasn't gotten any sleep in weeks, the bags under his eyes sag so far that they could reach Mexico. He needs a break for a few days, hell probably even a week or two. I'll take messages and paper work and such but he can't do any work."
"Alright, Miss Kirkland, it seems Al is in good hands. Please make sure he gets this very important message…well actually I'll have to send the paperwork."
"Mr. President, is it quite alright if I sign the paperwork for him? He really does need his sleep…and I assure you I won't cause harm to the United States or its affairs."
"Annie, I will permit this, but please if you are not sure about something, ask Alfred. I hope he feels better and thank you for taking good care of him, I'm glad you still care."
"Um…yes sir. I'm glad I care too; otherwise this would be a huge burden. Have a nice day Mr. President, and Alfred should be back on his feet relatively soon."
"Good day Annie please take good care of him, and have a nice day."
She hung up the phone and listened for any sign that Alfred had woken up, but not a noise was heard coming from upstairs. She put the phone on vibrate and sat down on the couch. Annie didn't realize that she fell asleep until a distant sounding voice echoed in her head and then she was awoken by a rough shaking. "Annie, yo, Annie wake up! Come on!" She opened her eyes slowly, but moved quickly once she saw it was Alfred who had woke her up. "Alfred, you get back to bed now! What time is it? Alfred, are you even listening to me?" Alfred just shrugged her off and headed toward the coffee machine, ignoring Annie's comments and protests.
Once Alfred had his coffee he turned to Annie, giving her time to inspect the bags under his eyes. They shrunk just a bit, but they still would have reached Oklahoma. She sighed and moved toward the taller nation, who seemed to back up just a bit. "Alfred, Bed. Now…" Annie grabbed the coffee cup from his hands once more and took Alfred's glasses off his face, leading him toward his bedroom once more.
Alfred again struggled against sleep, but this time Annie decided to try a gentler approach. She sat down next to him and combed her fingers gently through Alfred's hair, trying to remember the songs that she used to sing to him as a child.
"little child, be not afraid
though rain pounds harshly against the glass
like an unwanted stranger, there is no danger
I am here tonight
little child, be not afraid
though thunder explodes and lightning flash
illuminates your tear-stained face
I am here tonight
and someday you'll know
that nature is so
the same rain that draws you near me
falls on rivers and land
on forests and sand
makes the beautiful world that you'll see
in the morning
little child, be not afraid
though storm clouds mask your beloved moon
and its candlelight beams, still keep pleasant dreams
I am here tonight
little child, be not afraid
though wind makes creatures of our trees
and their branches to hands, they're not real, understand
and I am here tonight
for you know, once even I was a
little child, and I was afraid
but a gentle someone always came
to dry all my tears, trade sweet sleep for fears
and to give a kiss goodnight
well now I am grown
and these years have shown
that rain's a part of how life goes
but its dark and it's late
so I'll hold you and wait
'til your frightened eyes do close
and I hope that you'll know...
everything's fine in the morning
the rain'll be gone in the morning
but I'll still be here in the morning"
When she reached the verse about herself, Alfred's eyes finally started to drift close; she continued the song until the end to make sure he was asleep, but even when he slept the grip in her wrist held fast. She sighed and gently pried his fingers from her wrist, replacing with the coffee mug on his nightstand.
Annie walked calmly back to the living room, checking the phone for any messages. She then when back to Alfred's room with the cordless house phone in hand. She found her former charge still asleep (thank god) and decided to stay in the room to make sure he was ok. She put the phone on silent, but the screen would still glow green in the president called. She set herself on the foot of Alfred's bed, facing away from him, and sure enough she too was asleep, again.
~Annie was suddenly in a mob of people, screaming girls and their mothers chanted in unison. Her hair was down, flowing down her back. Her glasses were still there, and she was wearing a tee-shirt with the union jack on it. Suddenly the girls around hr screamed louder, and she found herself doing the same. She saw girls fainting left and right and then she saw them…The Beatles. John and Paul were waving to the crowd, George and Ringo smiling proudly as the girls sung their praises.
Annie was ushered into a concert hall, and brought backstage for winning a seat contest (you know the ones, if you're in seat x you won this~!). Annie saw John in his Sgt. Pepper outfit and Paul was there standing next to him. Ringo was fiddling around with his drums, while George was tuning his guitar. Yoko Ono was standing behind John, slightly smiling and Annie was just staring at them all. John stepped forward and shook her hand, "'Ello, What's your name?" Annie swallowed and smiled saying, "My name is Annie Kirkland, pleased to meet you Mr. Lennon, Mr. McCartney, Mr. Star and Mr. Harrison." They're eyes kind of popped open, not used to their fans being so...polite. Paul stepped forward next, wait a minute. John remember when we last saw the queen, she mentioned an Annie Kirkland, do ya think this could be her?" John looked her over for a moment and called for Ringo and George. After they had a quiet group discussion they looked back at Annie. "Would you happen to personally know the queen, we know it sounds silly, but she told us of a girl who embodies all of England. You wouldn't happen to be her, would you?" Annie stepped back a bit, wondering why her queen would reveal her secret to a band…but supposed she should tell the truth. She dipped her head and smiled, then spoke in her most polite tone, "My name is Annie Arthur Kirkland, also known as England or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." They boy's eyes went wide and then they smiled; Ringo grabbed Annie's wrist, leading her toward their dressing rooms, asking her if she wanted any souvenirs. ~
Annie awoke with a start when she felt something wrap around her waist, her eyes scanned the room, and after realizing it was Alfred's she knew who's arms were around her waist. She chuckled softly, and looked over toward the nightstand. She got up quickly, checked the clock and after realizing it was 2 in the morning, decided it must be important. She quickly picked up the phone, not even bothering to check the caller ID.
"Hello?"
"Hello? This is Mattea, can I talk to Al?"
"Sorry, Mattea, Alfred's sleeping, what do you need at two in the morning?"
"Annie is that you? Sorry to call so late, or early, but it's kind of important.
"Mattea, your brother hasn't been getting a lot of sleep, can I take a message?"
"Alright, because I have to tell you too, um…I'm kind of gonna have a kid."
Annie would have screamed but that would have woken Alfred, bloody git. After taking several deep breaths Annie had regained her cool and turned her attention back to the phone.
"Mattea, since you're grown up, I'm going to yell, but may I ask just who is the father, and who else have you told?"
"*sigh* well the father is Gilbert and as for who else knows, well at the moment it would just be you and I, but I'm going to call papa after I finish talking to you."
At this point Annie really did scream, successfully waking up the American.
"MATTEA WILLIAMS! HOW COULD YOU BE SO IRRESPONSIBLE, YOU'D THINK HAVING FRANCE TEACH YOU ABOUT SEX WOULD HAVE HELPED YOU A BIT, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF HIS EXAMPLE! WHERE IS GILBERT? WHEN WILL YOU TELL HIM? WHY TELL ME THIS AT 2 IN THE BLOODY MORING?"
"I'm sorry Annie, and it's not that I don't want to have children! Gilbert is at my house, sleeping, I'll tell him when he wakes up and I wasn't going to tell you at two in the morning, I was going to tell Al."
Alfred had successfully grabbed the phone from Annie, after her tirade on the poor Canadian, and started talking, oblivious to what had just happened.
"Hey Mattie! How you doing? Why is Annie yelling at you?
"Al, I called to tell you, you're gonna be an uncle."
Mattie could see the confused grin through the phone, so she continued.
"Al, I'm going to have a baby."
"Mattie, Oh so you're going to be a mommy! That's great! Wait, who is the daddy?"
"Well, um…Al, that's what I want to tell you. Gilbert is the father."
"Oh…well at least the kid will have an awesome uncle like me!"
"Yeah, whatever you say Al, I have to go call papa now, I'll see you later."
Alfred turned to Annie, who was taking deep breaths trying to stop herself from hyperventilating. She was facing away from him, so he couldn't get a good look at her face, but when she turned around she looked…tired. "Hey Annie, why don't you get some rest? I'm feeling way better now!" He looked down at her as she got settled on his bed. She looked really tired, and really pretty, before Alfred knew what he was a doing, he kissed Annie on the forehead. "Thanks for taking good care of me Annie…sleep tight." Her perfect green eyes fluttered close, and a soft smile graced her face. Alfred felt a tired yawn coming on, so he lied down next to Annie, and chose to ignore the bright green glow of his phone.