Chapter One- There's Been an Accident

Alfred F. Jones woke up in a hospital. At least he thought it was a hospital. He wasn't too sure; in fact he wasn't too sure of anything at the moment. Looking around, Alfred saw that he had several wires sticking out of his arms. This puzzled him; Alfred knew he was completely healthy so why would he need to be at the hospital? He glanced around the room searching to find something that would provide the American with an answer. On the bedside table next to him was a small mirror. He sat up, rotated his position so that he was sat on the side of the bed. Alfred picked it up, wanting to check his face for any obvious signs of damage. He looked into the mirror and it slipped right out of his hands, smashing on the floor. Shards of glass scattered across the pristine, white tiles.

Alfred looked down at the mess, and then down at his hands which were trembling. That face in the mirror, it wasn't him. He'd gotten older, his hair wasn't in its usual style and his face wasn't round and podgy anymore. It was thinner and had a strong jawline. He looked down at his body, that wasn't right either; he was now well-tone. He could feel abs underneath his hospital gown. Alfred knew something wasn't right; he never exercised, ever. None of this made any sense. Alfred was only fourteen yet he looked like a twenty year old! Frantically, Alfred pressed the "call" button, wanting answers and wondering what was wrong with him.

Matthew Williams had just finished a long day at work when he'd received the phone call from Arthur. Matthew glared at the phone as he read the caller I.D, willing for it to just go away. It had been a long day in the office; he had spent the whole day fighting off Francis' constant flirting and all he wanted to do was relax for a couple of hours before his boyfriend Gilbert came round for dinner and hopefully for something more than that. He really didn't want to answer the phone. Whenever Arthur called it was usually a petty rant about Alfred.

"Alfred's not eating healthily."

Or, "Alfred's always so loud, he never shuts up."

Or, "Alfred's being annoying; can't you have a word with him Matthew?"

Usually Matthew didn't mind Arthur calling him, even if it was just to moan about his boyfriend who was also Matthew's twin brother. But, today he didn't want to hear it; he just wasn't in the mood. So, he ignored the call and let the phone ring and ring, and ring. Matthew sighed again. Arthur was persistent; it looked like Matthew wasn't going to get a peaceful night after all. He answered the phone listening to the usually frantic sound of Arthur's voice as it hastened to tell Matthew the news. As soon as the conversation was over Matthew grabbed his coat and headed out of the door again, feeling extremely guilty for not answering the phone sooner.

"Matthew, it's Arthur, Alfred's been in a car serious accident. He's in the hospital."

"Alfred's been in a serious car accident. He's in the hospital."

"He's in the hospital."

Matthew stared out of the window of the black taxi he was in and wondered why life would be so unfair. Alfred had been in an accident? It just didn't seem possible for Matthew; Alfred was his twin brother and his best friend. Alfred was stronger than Matthew, braver than Matthew and better than Matthew. It just wasn't fair. It was a cruel twist of fate. Just when Matthew and Alfred were happy; he with Gilbert and Alfred with Arthur, something horrible had to happen that screwed things up. The taxi stopped and Matthew was jolted out of his thoughts as he realised he was at his destination. He paid the taxi fare and got out of the vehicle. The hospital appeared to be looming over him and it was only then he realised how worried he was about Alfred.

Once he had found the right wing (it had taken a while, the receptionist didn't notice him for ages) he was immediately pulled into a tight embrace by Arthur. This startled Matthew as Arthur only expressed his emotions around Alfred, and even then Arthur tended to bottle up most of his feelings. Matthew returned the hug, wanting to comfort the Brit, it was clear Arthur was struggling. His face looked damp; Matthew knew it was from tears as Arthur's eyes were red and puffy instead of their usual cool and enchanting emerald green that Matthew was used to seeing on a weekly basis.

Arthur took a step back, seemingly embarrassed by the out of character gesture. "I-I've spoken with the doctors and they've said that Alfred's in a stable condition; they're just waiting for him to wake up now."

Matthew nodded; at least he wasn't in critical condition. It could be much worse. He took a relieved breath. "Okay, I'm gonna go and get some coffee, want one?"

Arthur, who had been staring into space, turned his head abruptly towards Matthew. "Hmm? Oh, yes I'd like a hot drink-tea please."

As Arthur watched Matthew leave he realised that coffee would have done him more good considering how damn tired the Brit was. However, he thought the drink was rancid. He also wanted to keep to tradition; he would have countless meaningless arguments with Alfred about whether tea or coffee was better. Tea was obviously the better choice. He found himself thinking of Matthew and of how surprised he was at how strong the Canadian (Alfred and Matthew were raised by different parents in different countries) seemed. Matthew had always seemed like the kind of person who would be an emotional wreck in events like this, but so far he seemed more composed then Arthur did which was a rarity. Arthur was well known for hiding his emotions; it was something the Brit excelled in. He never showed his emotions to anyone and no-one could ever tell what he was thinking or feeling apart from Alfred. Arthur felt as if this was one of the many qualities that had attracted Arthur to the American in the first place.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Arthur looked up to see an Asian man starting at the Brit. He assumed that he was Alfred's doctor. The doctor looked slightly perplexed, as if he had been trying to get the Brit's attention for quite a while. The Doctor, his ID tag named him Kiku Honda, smiled slightly and started to speak.

"Alfred's finally awake. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him although we won't be able to tell until he starts talking." Kiku checked his notes before continuing. "We will be keeping him in for observation. He may be suffering some type of head trauma as he pressed the "call" button earlier, but he had gone back to sleep when we'd gotten to him. We assume it was an after-effect of the drugs. You can go see him now.

Arthur's heart lifted and even though it wouldn't have been obvious to an onlooker, his mood perked up considerably. Alfred's awake, and he's all right! Arthur walked into the room where he knew Alfred was and smiled, already planning the "welcome home" party he was going to hold for Alfred when he was released from hospital.

Alfred was sat upright. His usual cheery grin was non-existent and his mouth was shaped into a frown that didn't suit his handsome face. This was an expression that Arthur wasn't used to and Arthur couldn't help but stand there speechless. He'd at least expected some form of recognition or pleasant greeting from the American, but was instead faced with an ice-cold glare and a scowl.

"Finally. I've been waiting for ages; I've pressed the call button three times already."

Arthur plonked himself in the chair next to Alfred's hospital bed, struggling to form an answer as he tried to contemplate what the American had just said. "E-Excuse me?" Arthur knew that it was pathetic, but it was the only response he could come up with.

Alfred looked at Arthur like he'd been born yesterday. "I said, I've pressed the "call" button, like three times. Something really freaky is going on here. I looked in the mirror and I swear I've gotten older. I mean, I was fourteen yesterday! I know, I sound crazy, but you believe me right?"

Arthur smiled; glad the American was still his healthy self. Alfred was constantly playing tricks on him, another quality Arthur liked about Alfred; you just didn't know what to expect from him, he was unpredictable. He reached across the bed to grasp the American's hand.

"Ha-ha, Alfred." The Brit rolled his eyes. "Very funny. Even in hospital you still have to prank your boyfriend. Typical, can't even be mature for one minute."

Alfred abruptly pulled his hand away; as if the British man had given him an electric shock. "What the heck are you doing? Are you trying it on with me?" Arthur could only have described Alfred's expression as one of extreme disgust. "Jeez man, get a grip. I'm in hospital. What's wrong with you?"

Arthur sat back in shock. This was either one of Alfred's very sick jokes or the guy didn't have a clue who Arthur was. He sincerely hoped it was the first scenario. "Alfred? It- It's me, Arthur- your boyfriend. We've been together for almost two years now. Please say you know who I am, love." Arthur could feel the bitter sting of tears pooling in his eyes.

Alfred backed up, edging as far away from the man as possible. "Look, Artie, Arthur, or whatever. I have no idea who the heck you are, and you're seriously freaking me out. Please leave or I'll get the doctors in here." Another thought seemed to have suddenly popped into his head. "And jeez, where's Mattie?"

Arthur sat straight up; he was really struggling to hold in his emotions. The tears were threatening to spill from his emerald eyes. "You really have no idea who I am, do you?"

He saw the blank expression on the American's face and it was enough to drive him to an emotional breakdown, he just couldn't take it anymore. He ran out of the room, barging straight into Matthew which caused the Canadian to spill tea all over Arthur, not that he cared. Alfred didn't recognise him; he thought he was still fourteen! Alfred had met Arthur when he was seventeen which would explain why he had no recollection of the bushy-browed Brit.

Arthur stepped out into the bitter cold, shivering, and started to cry. He couldn't lose Alfred, he couldn't. Arthur sighed, frustrated with himself. He needed to pull himself together, how could he help Alfred if he couldn't even help himself? He breathed in deeply and managed to stop the crying. If Alfred didn't recognise him, then the Brit was just going to have to make Alfred fall in love with him all over again. After all, it couldn't be that hard right? Arthur walked back to their shared apartment, weary but suddenly empowered, and vowed to himself that he would get the American to love him, no matter what it took. Arthur Kirkland was not going to give up.

A/N:

Well that's the first chapter done! I can't wait to write more of this story, I'm gonna have so much fun writing this, US/UK are my OTP so I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy writing this particular one.

Anyway, please follow, favourite and review! :')

Ciao for now!
~BooksAreLikeChocolateButBetter.