"Mom!" Alfred cried, sitting up in his bed, panting. Sweat trailed down his temple slowly. The cry echoed throughout the house for a moment. The blond ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, letting out a weak laugh. A light knocking resonated through his bedroom for a moment. A sigh. "Come in, Mattie.." he called out, watching as his twin brother stepped into the room, holding his bear gently in his arms.

Silently, Alfred scooted over and tugged the blanket back. Matthew walked over and slipped into bed with his brother. He smiled weakly and set Kumajirou down. The bear slid off the bed and walked over to the nightstand where Alfred kept snacks for the little bear. Back on the bed, Matthew opened his arms to Alfred, only closing them when the larger had buried his face in Mattie's chest. Alfred's arms wound around Matthew's midsection and held on in a way that would have broken a normal person's back. A little known fact about Matthew was that he had strength that rivaled that of Alfred, although Al would never admit to it.

"Did you dream about her again?" Matthew inquired softly. The only response he got was a weak nod. He let out a soft sigh. "We'll find her, Al... We know she has her reasons for leaving. It wasn't your fault." The lies slid from the Canadian's mouth easily, having years of practice behind it.

It took Alfred years to understand the pain which he had caused their mother, Native America. When he was younger he had taken out all his rage on her, constantly hurting her and shoving her out of the way. No one understood how deeply rooted the guilt that he felt really was.

At first, he only had a few flashbacks to the time before Britain found him. Brief little flashes of memories of a tall woman with dark black hair. Occasionally, he would see Mattie walking around with her, heading up further north while she asked Alfred to stay behind with the tribe. Then he started dreaming about her. He would see days at a time all within the short span of time he managed to sleep. She would always smile and pat Alfred on the head affectionately, tucking his ahoge out of the way gently. The dreams would become nightmares. Flashes of when she was angry with him, or worse, when he was angry with her. When he would hurt her or yell at her. Those all came after Britain arrived, he noticed.

The nightmares became hallucinations. He began seeing her everywhere. The blocks that he had set in his mind to protect him from the awful things he had done fell like a damn being destroyed by dynamite. The day he had remembered everything, he had stumbled to Matthew's house, delirious. He's been staying with him ever since.

"Mattie.. I.." Alfred began, pulling back from the embrace. Already, his eyes were red and beginning to swell from the tears that still slipped from the American's eyes. "I dreamed of the Trail of Tears... Of what I put her through... She.. She looked at me and- God, if you could have seen that look. She was so disappointed in me. And she was bleeding! I- I haven't seen her since..." Mattie sighed.

"She came here." he admitted reluctantly. The American's eyes widened immediately and he gripped onto his brothers arms as if pleading to know. "She asked me not to tell you... I'm sorry, Al. I don't think Mom wants to be found." Alfred recoiled as if slapped.

"You... You've been lying to me!" he accused. Met with silence, Alfred knew the accusation rang true. "You knew- no. You KNOW that I want to apologize to her. You knew even back then and you lied to me! Matthew, you swore!" Matthew reached for his brother's hand, already beginning to beg for him to listen.

"Alfred, please, it's not like that-" Matthew began, but Alfred recoiled, tears burning down his cheeks. He shoved his brother away, watching as he toppled off the bed and into Kumajirou.

"Don't you fucking touch me," Alfred said, his voice cold and hard. "Don't you dare touch me. You've known for years how long I've been looking for her. You know how many tribes I've lived with in hopes that maybe I'll stumble upon her! And yet, you still have the gall to lie to my face and pretend to help me look!Did you look at all? Do you even care where she is? Or are you too caught up in your love for France to even fucking look for the woman we called a mother."

At that, Matthew stood and punched his brother square in the jaw. Alfred recoiled back, his eyes wide with shock as he looked at Matthew. "Get out of my house." he told him, and without another word, turned and stormed from the room.

Alfred watched him go, still breathing heavily with anger. Fury ran through his blood, pushing his every move like coal does a train. Without hesitation, Alfred grabbed his things and left the house. That was as far as he went though. As soon as he was outside, he sat on the porch, his ego deflating at an alarming rate. Through the window, he heard Matthew on the phone. He couldn't make out the words, but he could hear tears in his voice. "Dammit.." Alfred muttered, punching a hole into the porch.

For a second, he considered going in to apologize. Knowing Matthew, he'd accept the apology regardless, but the guilt would sit in his stomach for weeks. Rather than do that, he held onto his anger and pushed off the steps to his feet. He decided he'd search more. As he was walking away, he heard a helicopter land somewhere nearby. Moments later, France went rushing past, obviously in a hurry to get to Matthew. Then came the sound of rushed French in broken sobs. Alfred let out a gust of air like he he had been punched in the gut.

He shook it off though. This always happened. Matthew had endless support and care. Alfred didn't. That's just how it is between them. Even as kids, their mother doted on Matthew exponentially more than she did Alfred. In fact, most of the things Alfred learned were from the men of the tribe he lived with growing up or from Arthur.

Alfred walked aimlessly through the woods for hours. He didn't try to keep track of where he was going or how he was going to survive. He just walked. It wasn't until 4 the next morning that he managed to really snap out of the stupor the fight had put him in. The sound of rushing water caught his attention. When he looked up he saw the most magnificent waterfall. Once again, Matthew surprised him with just how amazing his country really was. He sat down and looked around the area, relaxing for a short nap.

France rushed into Matthew's home, nearly tripping over the small hole on the porch. "Matthieu!" Francis called. Matthew rushed out of the kitchen and into the Frenchman's open and waiting arms. Francis held onto him tight, rubbing his back gently. "It's okay, Matthieu, I'm here now. What happened? Tell me, oui?" Matthew nodded weakly, responding with a soft "oui" of his own before he stepped back and took a breath. He could feel the sobs building in his chest again.

As though sensing this, Francis led him over to the living room where the two sat down on the couch. Soon after, sobs escaped Matthew's lips. His words coming out in rushed and broken French. (A/N: For the sake of us all and my own failure to know French, I'll just keep it in italics to remind you that it is in French ^^) "Al's mad at me because I hid that I know where mom is, but he doesn't know I know where she is! He just knows that I spoke to her before she left. And he called me a li-liar and said that I was pathetic a-and papa it's just not fair! I was just doing what mama wanted why doesn't he get that?"

Francis sighed softly and pulled Matthieu in for a hug. The word "papa" stuck out in his mind. The fight must have hurt him more deeply than he was letting on if he was resorting to calling him papa. It had been years since the younger man had last seen France as a father figure. It pained him to see him this way. "Take a deep breath, mon ami" he said to him in English. Although the two knew French and were comfortable speaking it, he knew it would be more relaxing to Matthew to use English.

Matthew did as he was told and took a deep shaky breath. "Now.. You know where your mother is?" Matthew nodded. "And Alfred does not know that you know this, oui?" Another nod. "Then leave things as they are. In a few days, Alfred will have calmed down and then you can talk to him, no? Just explain that she wanted to be away..." His idea was met with silence. "Matthieu... Do you still speak with her?"

The Canadian couldn't meet his eyes. "Once a year.." he replied softly. Francis nodded and kissed his forehead.

"Try calling her early, ask if she will see Alfred." the Frenchman suggested this hesitantly. He knew it was risky. He himself had seen her the day she had left. He had been coming in to visit Matthew and watched her walk away while Matthew cried and begged her to stay- to forgive Alfred.

He stood and gently took Matthew's hand, then began leading him up to his room. There, the pair would fall asleep in each others arms for comfort.

Alfred awoke to a soft singing late that afternoon. He opened his eyes carefully, expecting the sun to be in his face as it should have been only to be surprised when he saw a tent over his head. He gasped and sat up, looking around frantically. All of his things were right there next to him, set out neatly. He was left only wearing his boxers and his t-shirt of all things, but his clothing was next to him folded and, he sniffed, clean. "What..." he wondered softly.

Suddenly, the flaps to the tent opened and a woman stepped inside, the singing stopping abruptly. "Oh, you're awake." she said fondly, smiling faintly. "Good, I was beginning to worry you had fallen ill!" She knelt next to him and gently took his face in her hands, her eyes scanning his features. "No scratches.. You seem to be okay. What were you doing all the way out here?"

He sat in pure astonishment for a while. Her dark hair fell into her face as she tilted her head and gave him a sweet smile. "I.." he began. "I was just walking.. F-found the waterfall and fell asleep.." he stuttered, a blush rising to his cheeks. She looks so much like her. "W-Who.. are you?"

"I could ask you the same thing, young man. It's not safe to be out here alone." She scolded him. He seemed to shrink in his place, lowering his head and mumbling a soft apology. She chuckled quietly to herself and shook her head. "I have many names, but those close to me call me Amy. Not a traditional name for my people, but it serves it's purpose."

"You're... a native, right?" he inquired hesitantly. He was afraid to connect her to his mother. She nodded, turning to his clothes.

"Perhaps you should get dressed. We will talk once you are ready to visit your brother. I believe you have an apology to make, right, Alfred?" He stared at her as she left, finally getting that picture clear memory in his mind. He had found her. Native America is alive.

Two weeks later, Alfred showed up at Matthew's house. He glanced back to the woods once before he knocked on the door. Almost immediately, the door was thrust open by a frantic Canadian. The moment he saw Alfred he hugged him tight. "Oh, thank God, you're okay!" he cried softly. Alfred laughed faintly and hugged back gently. "I've had people out looking for you! They were checking all the reservations and nobody had seen you back home. I was so worried, Alfred."

Alfred smiled softly and looked at his brother. "I'm okay, Mattie... I just... needed to get away. And.. I'm sorry. What I said... It was uncalled for. I know you cared for mom just as much as I did. She.. she told me how you reacted when she came to say goodbye. I was just so caught up in finding her and apologizing for what I did. It didn't occur to me how much it would hurt you, too."

Matthew took a few steps back and looked at his twin with wide eyes. "You.. what?"

"I found her, Mattie.. She told me everything.." The smile that lit up Alfred's eyes was a sort of happiness no one had seen in the American in a long time. Matthew smiled as well- grinned actually. "What say we catch up on some of our old training, yeah?"

Matthew's grin seemed to spread. "I bet I can still beat you at Onondaga." he challenged. Alfred scoffed.

"Oh yeah? Well I can take you in archery any day!" Alfred yelled back, grinning.

"Bring it on, burger-muncher!"

"Oh it's on, hockey puck!"

Wooooosh I hope you guys enjoyed that! I thought that neat little one shots would be a good way to get back into posting on here as I prepare my chaptered fic.

This is actually based off of a post I saw on pinterest where a Native American woman was holding chibi Alfred and Matthew in her arms. I wondered what would have caused her to leave so that Alfred would be alone when England found him and what it would have done to the two brothers

If you would kindly leave a review, it would be greatly appreciated! I know it seems silly, but your input helps me improve my stories! Thank you for reading~~