Alfred stayed in that small wooden fortress for a short while after the sun had set beyond the far tree line,simply listening and trying to calm himself down. A sudden voice calling out didn't help too much with his already frayed nerves.

"Alfred? Are you out here? A familiar voice called out, a welcome one at that, although the sudden break in the darkness' silence had startled the teen. He looked up, moving to crawl over to the opening that acted as a doorway in the structure. "Arthur?" he replied back shakily, being cautious in his actions.

The teen could hear the breath the other had been holding in let out in a sigh of relief. "Bloody Hell, Alfred. Do you even knowhow worried everyone is about you? Where have you been? Were you here all afternoon?"

Alfred himself let out a small huff, crawling out of the tree house. "Let's just... go home... okay? I... Don't want to talk about it... I just want to go home," Alfred said quietly, climbing back down the branches to gingerly meet his worried friend's eyes.

Arthur's eyes were a dark stormy green, and his face seemed a bit creased with worry, and a bit of pent-up anger. The lean blond's hair almost reached his eyes, seeming to leave them in a downcast shadow.

Alfred felt guilty looking up at his friend, and shrugged a little. "I just.. need to... think a few things over, okay? I'll... tell you about it some other time." He mumbled, slowly heading back the way he came, knowing Arthur would follow.

He was proven right when footsteps and the Brit's all too familiar accent followed him. "Alright... Your mother wanted to talk to you though... That's why I was looking for you. She heard about... something that happened at school, and she wanted to talk to you about it," Arthur spoke unsurely, seeming unusually hesitant with his words.

Arthur was known for being one to always speak his mind straight out, his voice always capturing the attention of everyone around him with his tone and way with words. Some used to say Arthur talked as if he had been born the son of some powerful king, or if he were one himself.

So to say the least, the way Arthur seemed to be talking so hesitantly and acting so subdued and submissive in general, was a rather large surprise to Alfred. The American glanced back at his friend, raising an eyebrow slightly at his life-long friend.

"Hey... you okay?" Alfred asked, stopping momentarily. Arthur, however, continued to walk past Alfred. "You'll see," he mumbled quietly, continuing to step over roots that grew into the lightly visible dirt path.
Alfred sighed, nodding and following after Arthur.

Alfred hummed cheerfully, stepping through their spacious apartment as he carefully decorated the place for the upcoming holiday. His key, a simple silver one that hung around his neck on a chain, bounced against his chest lightly with each step.

Strings of lights decorated the frame of every doorway and lined the windows, lighting up the flat considerably with the lights off. He hummed small tunes to himself as he placed ornaments on the large tree that resided in the corner of the apartment's living room

The place was empty except for Alfred and his light singing of Christmas songs. Arthur had left earlier to go see his girlfriend, Anya, and Alfred wasn't expecting to see him back for several hours. So that left Alfred to himself, decorating for Christmas to keep himself entertained.

Alfred jumped slightly when he suddenly heard soft knocking on the door; startled by the sudden noise accompanied by quiet laughter, Alfred blinked, tensing and looking towards the door.

"Alfred? Are you home?" Alfred heard a soft voice call out, and his look of surprise instantly changed into a bright smile. "Mattie!" He practically squealed, running over the door, throwing it open, and tackling his brother in a hug.

The Canadian laughed happily, returning the hug almost as eagerly as his look-alike. "Hey Al," He pulled back, smiling up at the blond, "How have you been?" He asked in his naturally quiet voice. Alfred smiled, pulling back and helping his brother up off the floor.

"Holding in. You know how it goes," Alfred replied, looking his brother over quickly, "How about you? How are you doing?" He asked eagerly, since it had been a year or two since they had last seen each other.

Matthew smiled a little nervously, glancing over Alfred's shoulder. "Well... I kind of got a... er... I met someone," He began awkwardly, jumping slightly in surprise as a slightly older looking Albino stepped over to him and slipped an arm around his waist.

Alfred's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, before he narrowed them at the other white-haired man. "You better take good care of my brother. If not.. well, you don't want to know whats going to happen," He growled slightly, before smiling again and gesturing towards the door. "Come on in guys, I was just decorating a bit. Arthur's out with his new girly friend, so I've been getting the place ready for the holiday"

There was a light chuckled from off to the side, and Alfred looked over at a man that seemed rather familiar, although he couldn't seem to remember where he had seen the man before. "So Arthur's finally managed to get himself a lover, oui?" The blond laughed, smiling slightly at Alfred. "It's good to see you again, old friend."

The albino rolled his eyes slightly. " Oh come on Francis. You don't need to flirt with everyone you see."

'Francis? Why does that name... sounds so familiar?'

~**~*~
Alfred sighed heavily, keeping his head down as his mother scolded him. He nodded when he knew he should,and suffered in silence, only speaking when he knew he needed to answer.

His mother was livid, her face almost red with anger. "Now where were you? Why did we have to send Arthur out to find you? You should have been home hours ago! " His mother yelled, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look up at her

"Where were you?" she demanded. Alfred hesitated, not sure if she would believe the truth even if he told it. "Tell me now, Alfred" The teen blinked, before he looked down again. "I... I don't know.. exactly... I was in class and then... then I wasn't.. I-I don't know what happened,"

Alfred's mother narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean you were not in class?" she asked, sitting in a chair behind her desk and leaning forward to rest her elbows on the desk. " Where did you go?" She asked, her voice much calmer than before.

"I was... There were," Alfred sighed heavily, before he started explaining the story to his mother. It took an hour or so to tell the story, and afterward his mother looked a bit happier than she had before. She held a small, soft smile on her features, and as soon as Alfred finished his story, she stood up from her chair behind her desk, gesturing to the corner.

A young blond man, a year or two older than Alfred himself, stepped forward, offering Alfred a small, reassuring smile. "Francis, Go get the keys please. It's time,"
The young man nodded, slipping through the door and out of sight.

"Now, Alfred.. You may not understand everything we have to tell you," His mother began gently, waving Arthur in when he knocked on the door.

AND Cliffhanger ;P

So hope you guys enjoyed the second chapter, I tried to add a bit of backstory this this time, as well as advance a bit in the modern storyline.

If you can't tell, the "~*~*~*~" marks are sort of markers between time. they lead to flashbacks or time skips. Hopefully I'll be able to make them clear enough to understand.

I hope you enjoyed the second chapter, and I can promise a third will be here soon.

I'm always open to suggestions.

Please review, they keep me going.