Okay, here's the next chapter for all of you. I should also probably mention that the title is taken from the Bryan Adams song 'Brothers Under the Sun', on the soundtrack of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron. It's a very pretty song.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, but I do own my boys.
"So is this good kind of weird or bad kind of weird?" Jack finally asked, as they managed to sit down on a bench in a park nearby. Nick was still fuming.
"I'm going to say this is bad…very bad. Basically, the government is saying that Alfred doesn't exist," Alex said. "When we all know he existed."
"Unless that's code for…" Theo started off quietly, but Nick raised a hand.
"Don't. Don't even say it. Alfred is not dead. There is something going on here."
"Alfred was always kind of mysterious. Who doesn't know what their middle initial stands for?" Jack grumbled.
"Unless he had some terrible secret, and he lied about it to us," Alex said.
Nick immediately jumped to his defense. "He didn't lie-"
"Not telling us something about your identity knowingly is still a lie. It's a lie of omission," Alex snapped back, and the four of them fell silent. They were quiet for a while.
Jack was the first to speak. "So, are we going back home?"
"No!" Nick said, standing up. "Do you think any of us are going to give up? We're going to get to the bottom of this."
"It will certainly be interesting…" Alex murmured. "It would give us something to do, too." And they all looked at Theo.
"Of course we're still going to find Alfred. Why wouldn't we?" he said, smiling at all of them. "But where do we start first?"
America realized that it was almost 8 at night, and that by now he was on his way home, but not today. His bomber jacket was slung over the back of his chair and he was pacing around reading the files brought to him earlier today. He had been sitting down, but then he just had to get up and move around.
He jumped when his phone started playing Neutron Star Collision (he liked Muse, and used the ringtone for England because they were a British band) but answered it. "Artie~"
Hello, lovely. You didn't call me today. America could hear the slight hurt in his voice.
"Sorry, babe, something came up and it's had me in a mood all day." He flopped into his chair, dropping the file on his messy desk.
What's the matter, Alfred? It's not like you to forget to call me. He sounded concerned now. America wished he could see his face.
He traced the edge of the file. "Back in the war, I made friends with these four guys I was sharing a tent with when I did my tour of duty. I left them after the tour was over, and I thought they'd forget about me." He cut his finger, and pulled it back to watch the blood bead over the cut. He then watched, since it had nothing to do with his country, scab over and heal itself in less than a minute.
…But they didn't, did they.
"No. They asked after me this morning, and the Secret Service is in a tizzy about it. As usual."
Easy, then. Ignore it. You can't possibly tell them the truth, Alfred. You know the rules.
"Who even made those rules?" he asked distantly.
America…you can't. It's for your own safety as much as theirs and you know it. You need to drop it, love.
"I can't stop thinking about them, Arthur. They're here. That's why I didn't tell them where to find me or haven't gotten in touch with them. I want to tell them and… it's too much temptation."
Darling… Stay strong. I know… He paused and America could hear him take a deep breath. I know how you feel, but you can't tell them. It's dangerous.
"They wouldn't do anything to me. And anyway, we tell the people in our government…some of them at least."
That's different, Alfred. They've sworn an oath to us. They can't tell. These four haven't done anything.
"They wouldn't hurt me, Arthur. I know you're worried about me, but…" America took a deep breath himself and slid down in his chair. "I'll forget about it, Artie. Just for you."
Thank you, love.
The next morning the four of them got up and out of their hotel room after a rather futile day one. Jack was still complaining of his knees, Nick was still grumpy as hell and Alex was quoting philosophical quotes at them all. Theo sighed. It was indeed a normal day, except that they had a mission to accomplish.
"So, yesterday was a bit of a waste of time," Theo said.
"You suggested we walk around DC and look for him," Nick grumbled, crossing his arms. "It didn't work."
"Well, it might help if we knew what he looked like," Alex said cheerfully. Unlike Nick of Jack, who was trying to sleep while walking, Alex was a bit of a morning person.
"But we…don't," Nick pointed out. "And now all we're doing is walking around on the Mall."
"It's a start. If we don't start somewhere, then we're not going to do anything," Theo said.
Alex decided now was the time for a speech. "Do not worry, gentleman! We are men of providence, and therefore, providence will provide for us and give us a lead to where our missing fifth member might be!" Nick snorted.
"Yeah, okay, Alex. You keep telling yourself that."
"Must you always ruin my fun, Nick?"
"Excuse me!" A boy appeared next to them, no more than nineteen, holding a stuffed bear. "Might you know which way Pennsylvania Avenue is? I always get terribly lost in Washington D.C." They all traded looks with each other, and even Jack woke up for this. Because from the wire frame glasses and the hair and the deep blue, almost purple eyes…he looked like Alfred had almost 70 years ago.
"It's that way," Theo pointed. "But…may we ask you something?"
"…What?" the boy looked wary, and backed up a step.
"Do you know somebody named Alfred F. Jones?" Nick said, leaning in interestedly.
"Yeeeee…No. No, I don't. I've never heard that name before in my life. It's not like he's my brother or anything." And with that, he turned and walked quickly away, leaving the four of them standing there.
"…Follow him." They caught up with him halfway down the street and that's when he ran, dodging around people and cars like he wasn't a person-more like he was air than anything.
"L-leave me alone!" he shouted back, running and disappearing around the corner. They ran after him, but had to stop halfway down Pennsylvania Avenue. Jack sat down, rubbing his knees, and Nick next to him, breathing heavily and dry-swallowing some aspirin.
"…Wow. Look at that." Alex said. Theo looked up at him and through the wrought iron fence to see the White House.
"Yeah, we're not here to sight see Alex," Nick said, resting his head on Jack's shoulder. Jack had fallen asleep again. "We're here to figure out where Alfred is. And that kid…"
"He looked like Alfred…" Alex said, considering. "Do you think he meant it?"
"What?" Theo asked, sitting down next to Nick.
"That he was his brother. That was too specific to not be true." Nick laughed at that.
"Alexander Evans, don't be stupid. That was over 60 years ago! If anything, the kid's his grandson."
"Yeah, that is kind of silly. Stuff like that doesn't happen."
"So…we have a lead," Theo said finally. Alex smirked.
"Told you providence would help us out."
"Al!" Canada slammed into his office, throwing the door closed behind him. America was sipping at a soda, trying to sort out his triplicate files.
"Hey, Mattie! I didn't know you were visit-"
"These four old guys were at the Mall asking about you." America spit his soda out over his files.
"What? What did you tell them?" He got up and went over, seizing his brother's shoulders. "What?"
"You know how I am when I panic! I can't remember, but I think I might have said something incriminating, because they chased after me! I lost them on Pennsylvania Avenue, but…" He dropped Kuma and flailed about. "What do we do, Al?"
Forget about it, forget about it, the voice in his head that sounded remarkably like England said. But the temptation was a bit too great, not when they were right outside.
"You're going to show me them, Mattie," he said with that nice smile that he knew terrified Canada into doing anything.
"So, now what?" Theo asked five minutes later, after they'd all sat on the bench to catch their breath. Nick stood up.
"Well, we have to find that kid again! Even though we don't…know his name…"
"This is going to be difficult," Alex said. Jack yawned, nodding awake.
"So, what did I miss?" he asked. Nick glared at him and he stuck his tongue out. A branch snapped in the tree near them. They all looked over but it didn't happen again.
"Huh. Must be a squirrel."
"Pardonné moi, monsiuers. I am looking for a boy about yea high, with a bear that he takes with him everywhere, and wire frame glasses. Have you seen him, by any chance?" A man said, hair falling about his face in waves with a smirk and bright blue eyes. He had that French air about him, in addition to speaking French, and his clothes were perfectly immaculate.
Meanwhile, in the tree… Canada coughed. "Did I mention that I was here with France?" America smacked him.
"Ah…yeah, we just saw him." Nick changed his tone of voice to soft and wheedling. "But we lost which way he was going."
"Ah…Mathieu, why must you always run off?" he said with a dramatic sigh before wandering off in the opposite direction.
"Ah, wait a minute!" Alex said, running over to him. "Might you know who Alfred F. Jones is?"
"Why…yes. But what business of it is yours? Asking after him in this city of all places is liable to get you arrested or worse."
Up in the tree… "Oh, fuck no. France, you did not just say that."
"Well, all we want to know is where he is. We wanted to see him again." The man laughed, a high pitched, tinkling laughter that set their nerves on edge.
"Oh, but monsieurs, that is impossible. You would do best to forget about him and all that is happened today. It is not your place to know."
"France, shut the fuck up. Mattie, why isn't he just walking away?"
"What do you mean, 'not our place'? Where the hell do you get off?" Nick said, finally getting mad. Theo put a restraining hand on his shoulder.
"You humans think you know and deserve every-" A gunshot rang around the street as the bullet imbedded itself in the concrete at the French man's feet. The four of them stared and the French man looked up at the tree, smirking slightly before bowing.
"Then it is your problem. Deal with it as you like. Bon chance, monsieurs." And he swaggered off in the other direction and this time he did not look back.
Up in the tree America was still holding out his gun, balancing on a tree branch. Canada crouched beside him. "You know, Al, you really shouldn't lose your temper like that." America didn't answer, he just slid his gun back into its holster.
"Um, Theo, was it my imagination or did he just call us…humans?" Alex said, staring after where the man had disappeared, eyes wide.
"I heard it too," Jack said, walking over to them. "And that gunshot did come from the tree." But when they went over there to look up at the boughs, there was nothing there.