(A/N): This is more like what my chapters are like. The song this story is based off is 'Everything put together fall apart' by Paul Simon. Breathtaking song, I only hope that I do justice to it. And the other song mentioned in this chapter is 'Cheek to Cheek' the Fred Astaire version (it was in the English Patient).

Anyway~ You finally get to meet Alfred in this. He's a little OOC, especially if you've read my other AmeBel story, but it works and I'm not changing it.

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. Ever. I'm completely possessionless.

[WARNING] I guess the same? I don't know. It's Alfred and Natalya. They're crazy.

"And I don't know why you'd want to try. It's plain to see you're on your own."

The noise was deafening. She couldn't stand it. Natalya smiled, trying to make small talk with everyone. But mostly it consisted of drunken men, free of their wives for once, asking her age.

She gritted her teeth, "Twenty two." Natalya said, trying to be nice. She then had to refuse the drinks and hotel keys they offered her. No matter how many men propositioned her, she had never once taken them up on it. She only belonged to one person.

Her violet eyes scanned the room to find her brother chatting with short Englishman and a taller Asian man. She wracked her mind to think of their names. She had memorized the guest list ten times over. Wang Yao was the Chinese man, but she couldn't think of the Englishman's name. Perhaps they hadn't met.

Her eyes narrowed as her brother laughed at something the Chinese man had said. Her fists balled up and her hand went for her knives strapped to her leg.

"Miss!" A voice called from behind her. Natalya wheeled around to see a man she'd never met before. He was tall, almost as tall as her brother, with combed sandy blonde hair. But a rebellious cowlick ruined his entire adult façade, no matter how pressed his suit was.

"Da?" She asked him, trying to keep her ever present temper in check.

He was looking at his watch, "Could you tell me where…" He trailed off when he looked up at her.

"Where what?" This man was trying her patience and she thought she could hear brother laughing again.

The man's sky blue eyes widened and he cleared his throat, "I-I…" The shock passed quickly and he gave her a bright, show stopping grin, "May I ask who this magnificent vision is?"

She glared at him, resisting the urge to cross her arms. If she did so then it would take her longer to reach her knives and kill this man when he inevitably gave her reason to.

"You may." Natalya said crossly.

His eyebrow quirked up. "I see. Then who might this magnification, witty vision be?"

She scowled at the additionally adjective, "Natalya Arlovskaya, sister of Ivan Braginski."

He smiled and put out his hand, "Alfred F. Jones."

She ignored his hand, "Must you always state your middle initial?"

Alfred chuckled, "Must you always state your nearest male relation?"

Natalya glared at him, recognizing the impasse they were at but still not him, "I'm sorry." She said sweetly, biting the tip of her tongue, "But were you invited here by someone?"

Alfred gave her another Hollywood smile, "Oh, Miss Arlovskaya. Of course I was. But don't blame yourself for not knowing, I'm new here. 'New meat' as I'm sure all the ladies say." He smirked as he gestured down at his body that was concealed by an admittedly fine suit, "None of them would mind taking a whack at this right up in here, I bet."

She wrinkled her nose at the thought of ever seeing the man out of clothing, but she hid her disgust well, "I am glad you could make it, Mr. Jones." This was the third or fourth person that she hadn't been able to identify, and that troubled her, "But if you don't mind, I have to talk with my brother for a moment." She turned to leave.

His hand caught her left wrist and she stiffened at the touch, her right hand already on the hilt of her knife.

"But, Miss Arlovskaya. I beg your pardon but you have not answered my question from earlier."

She ground her teeth. Even with her brother in her sights, proper edict insisted that she turn around to face the annoying American yet again.

"But, Mr. Jones," Natalya took a deep breath to keep herself from slitting his throat right then and there, "You have yet to ask the question."

He looked at her with puzzled eyes, running his hands through his blonde hair, "Didn't I?"

She took another deep breath, "Nyet, you did not."

"Oh.." He frowned, "I coulda' swore I did."

Inhale.

"But maybe not…"

Exhale.

He gave her a crooked smile, "My question was have you seen my brother? But…" He looked behind her, "I noticed him a while ago." Alfred waved to a man who looked physically the same as him, but completely different. The man smiled meekly and waved back.

Alfred turned back to her and grinned, "Matt and I are twins. Pretty great, right?" He clucked his tongue, "I'm sure many people thank God for there being two men as handsome as I." His smile fell when he saw her face and his eyebrows knit together with worry, "Somethin' wrong?"

The skin of her palm dug into the hilt of her knife and her voice projected barely contained rage, "When you said I didn't answer your question, you already knew the answer?"

He shrugged, stepping closer to her, "What can I say? I'm a lady's man."

She flinched. He was so close that she could smell him, but she dropped her hand from her knife. This she could deal with. Flirting.

Natalya smiled, thinking of only two things. Cutting his skin and peeling it back slowly and her brother, "Well, I'm glad you have your answer now, but I really must be going."

The live band started playing some kind of older music, a show tune perhaps, that Ivan didn't really care for, but Katya seemed to love, and Alfred's eyes lit up.

"I love this song!" He jumped up and down excitedly and she decided that he really was just a child in an adult's clothing. He looked around at the couples dancing to the song on the dance floor that seemed to have formed around them.

"Quickly!" Alfred grabbed her hand, "I can't dance by myself."

Her eyes widened but before she could react further, he had his arm around her waist and her arm was on his shoulder. Their hands extended out as Alfred swayed to the music. Her hand slipped down from his shoulder for a moment to adjust her skirt before returning.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" She hissed in a low voice.

He grinned down at her, "Dancing! Don't you have dancing in your country?"

She scowled.

Alfred chuckled, singing along with the song in a strong but quiet voice, "Dance with me… I want my arm about you; my charm about you will carry me through to Heaven. I'm in Heaven. And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak." He looked down into her stunning violet eyes, his grin turning into a small, more sincere smile. "And I seem to find the happiness I seek when we're off together dancing cheek to chee—"

As he pulled her in closer by her waist he felt something sharp and pointy against his neck.

"If try that again you will regret it." Natalya hissed through a fake smile. The knife she had grabbed when she'd adjusted her skirt was in the hand that rested on his shoulder. She pressed the blade delicately against his throat.

His eyes widened, "God, you are so sexy when you're pissed."

Her nostrils flared and she was seconds from staining her knife with the red blood it always craved, when her brother caught her eye. Ivan smiled and waved briefly before returning to his conversation with her older sister Katya.

Natalya ground her teeth at the thought of not being with him at that very moment. She didn't notice a set of kind, adoring eyes on her.

"Oh.." Alfred gave her a slightly disappointed smile, "I see." He looked back at the man watching them, "I can tell he likes you too."

Her eyes widened, "R-Really?"

Alfred nodded, "Yeah! Sure. And he's cute." He shrugged with mild disinterest, "In a kind of sort of scrawny way."

Natalya was about to insult every inch of Alfred's being for calling Ivan 'scrawny' until she noticed the man staring at her.

"Him?!" She asked in disbelief, "That's just Toris." They'd known each other all their life, but they were hardly even friends. Just people that knew each other.

Alfred smiled at her indignation, "Yes 'him'!" A sparkle appeared in the American's eye, "Hey! Do you know what'll really get his blood going?!" He dipped her down unexpectedly and whispered in her ear, "Seeing you dancing with another man."

Natalya gasped in pain when she was tilted back. The way her muscles pulled and her skin rubbed against her dress with excruciating. Alfred smirked until her got a good look at her face.

"Miss Arlovskaya?" He asked as she winced again, "Are you alright?"

She shook her head, "I am fine." Alfred allowed her up and when she got back on her feet steadily she caught him looking down her dress. A million biting remarks were on the tip of her tongue but as she looked down at her own chest as well, they disappeared.

It was lower cut than most of the dresses she usually wore. The bruised and battered skin was revealed when the fabric shifted just a little.

Alfred swallowed and forced his eyes up to hers, repeating his question, "Are you okay?" His hands pressed against her back protectively but she didn't move away until a voice called to her.

"Natalya!" Ivan spoke, his voice cutting through all the chatter and music, "Come join me."

"I'll be here." Alfred said. She nodded, not looking away from Alfred's sky blue eyes until she heard her brother call her again.

"Natalya." This was low and dangerous. Ivan never asked twice.

Her eyes widened, "Da! I'm coming!" She put her knife back in its sheath quickly and pulled away from Alfred. He didn't resist. He only asked her one question.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked for a third time, never looking away from her.

Natalya hesitated before shaking her head, "Nyet." Then she hurried to her brother. Her love. Her only. Her guardian. Those were the words she used for him. Others would use different ones. Abuser. Rapist. Jailer.

Ivan's smile greeted her as she walked up to him, careful not to aggravate the defects littering her body.

"Sestra." He said, "I want you to meet this young man." He gestured to the Englishman that he'd been talking with earlier.

"Arthur Kirkland." Arthur extended his hand her, "Charmed."

She smiled and played the sweet younger sister her brother wanted her to play. Her voice hiked up about half an octave as she took his hand and he kissed it.

"Natalya Arlovskaya." Her eyes moved from the Englishman to her brother, excepting an answer.

Ivan nodded with a smile, "Mr. Kirkland is going to be helping us with our next business venture."

Her eyebrows shot up for a split second before she realized her mistake. A British Oil Tycoon.

Arthur nodded at her as though reading her mind and reintroduced himself, "Arthur Kirkland, CEO of British Petroleum."

She blinked, "Of course! Mr. Kirkland, it's an honor."

"The honor is all mine, Miss Arlovskaya ." He smiled at her, revealing a signature crooked smile, and looked behind her, "And I see you've already met my business associate."

Natalya turned around, trying to think of what other BP representative she might have met that night. She came face to face with those blue eyes again.

"Miss Arlovskaya." Alfred bowed, "It's nice to see you off the dance floor."

Ivan's voice wafted in from behind her, "Ahh… You danced with my little sister, Da?"

Alfred nodded, dialing back his charming smile for a moment, "Yes. I did. And if I may," His eyes locked with Natalya's violet shocked and slightly wide eyes, "She is a wonderful dancer."

Natalya's head whipped around to look at her brother again when she didn't hear a response. Ivan smiled and nodded, but behind his dark purple eyes there was an unrequited rage. This wasn't the last she would be hearing about this.

"But," Alfred began, a cocky smirk slipping across his face, "We were not quite done with our dance." He bowed to Natalya and extended his hand, "Miss Arlovskaya, if I may?"

Her terrified gaze shifted to her brother. Ivan didn't look at her directly, but he gave the tiniest nod before striking up conversation with Mr. Kirkland again.

"You may." She said shakily.

He smiled as he led her out onto the dance floor again.

"Did you think about what I said?" Alfred asked once they had found a comfortable rhythm.

"You talk quick a bit, Mr. Jones." Natalya no longer made an effort to keep her accent light. She knew that it was difficult to understand her through the Russia accent, but he didn't seem to mind, "I would have no idea what you might be referring to."

He chuckled, "Has anyone ever told you that you have quite a cold personality?"

"Da. Indeed they have." Natalya stepped into his arms and he spun her out. When he spun her back in, careful to catch her gently as to not her hurt her again, he smiled down at her.

"They're wrong, aren't they?"

Natalya glared up at him, "Have you not already formed an opinion of me yourself?" She stepped back into their two-step rhythm, "I've rejected your advances, while you insist another man has feelings for me, and held a knife to your throat. What do you think, Mr. Jones?"

He smirked, "Alfred, please. I've already seen down your dress, I think that's familiar enough for first names, Miss Arlovskaya."

She stiffened in his arms and met his eyes again. All the joy had disappeared from his blue ones and he swallowed.

"What happened?"

"Nothing." She whispered, "I love my big brother very much."

His eyes widened and his gaze lifted to find Ivan amongst the crowd.

"Don't look." Natalya snapped.

Alfred nodded and he returned to her, pulling her just a little closer. She glared at him until he loosened his grip on her waist.

"Him? What did he do?"

"Nyet. Nothing." Natalya didn't look away.

Alfred swallowed again, visibly shaken, "Are you being hurt?"

She sneered at him, "How is that your concern? How old are you?"

He straightened up to his full height, "Twenty one."

"Still a child." She chuckled.

His eyes narrowed, "How old are you?"

Natalya grinned, "Never. Ever. Ask a lady's age. Haven't they taught you that yet in primary school?"

He gritted his teeth, "I was only asking! I just wanted to help."

Her grin fell. "What do think you are doing? Do you think you're a hero?" She hissed.

Alfred looked back at her with a set jaw.

"Nyet." Natalya lowered her voice, "Nothing can be done. And certainly nothing by you. So why don't you just get back on your plane tomorrow, fly back to ignorant little America, and leave me alone?!"

He took a few steps to the right, leading her as they spun in a circle before continuing to dance. He didn't say a word. Alfred just looked at her with burning blue eyes.

Natalya swallowed, "I love my big brother very much."

Silence.

"He's always been very kind to me and my sister."

Nothing.

She was beginning to get uncomfortable with his silence as they danced, "He really is, Mr. Jones."

"Alfred." He spoke finally, "Call me Alfred."

She nodded, biting her lip, "He is a kind man, Al-Alfred."

"He.." Alfred began, "He doesn't seem so kind."

His blue eyes drifted back to her brother, who was directly behind her now and in his line of sight. Alfred's frown deepened as he watched Ivan. Natalya had no idea what he could have seen her big brother doing. To everyone he was nice and affectionate toward his family. The perfect man. Natalya knew him better than that, but no one else should be able to see through Ivan's guise.

"And what would make you say such a thing?"

He raised his eyebrow and looked back down at her, "Well… He hasn't looked over here once."

Natalya stiffened and resisted the urge to whip her head around and looked at him herself, "H-He hasn't?"

Alfred shook his head, "Not even once. Which means," He spun her out and then back in as the song's rhythm insisted, "That he is either is trying very hard to not look over here."

They switched hands and started dancing the other way, "Or… He honestly doesn't care that his little sister is dancing with a strange man."

Natalya glared up at him, "My brother loves me."

Alfred ignored her, "But in my opinion." He craned his neck to look at Ivan again, "The latter is far more likely." His blue eyes locked on her violet eyes, "He doesn't care about you at all."

She was reaching for her knife again. How dare he?! Her brother loved her; he loved her more than life itself.

"Which begs the question…" Alfred's hand traveled from her waist up to her chest and pulled down the fabric just enough to reveal a nasty black and blue bruise, "Who are you hiding these from?"

Her knife was at his throat in a second.

"Get your hand off of me." She hissed in a low voice, applying pressure to the razor sharp blade so that it almost sliced through his skin.

Alfred lowered his hand, a scowl forming on his face, "Who are you hiding them from?"

"No one." Natalya spoke through gritted teeth, "There is nothing to hide."

His friendly blue eyes turned cold, "Not your brother. Not your sister. No one. You're all alone." He leaned in, "You don't need to hide them, because no one cares."

Angry tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked to be rid of them. She opened her mouth to respond only to find nothing to say. Her knife was completely forgotten. The song ended and Alfred stepped away, bowing to her. His eyes caught hers and he smirked.

"It's not often that you are able to render a lady speechless." He mused softly, "Perhaps you would do better to be a more gracious host. That would provide your guest with plenty of conversation." Alfred turned and left, leaving Natalya alone in the center of the dance floor and completely broken.

Her breathing quickened, "Arlovskaya. All of them."

(A/N): I hope you guys like this! Tell me if you do and I'll get started on chapter 3.