For a Little While

Genre: Romance/Angst/Hurt/Comfort

Rating: T

Warning: Inappropriate situations and language and a bit of gender-bending.

Summary: Lars vanRijn does not like being tied down to women who constantly gripe and moan about their past ex's. Lily Zwingli can't stand the fact that she's 18 with a childish body and a dishonest, "awesome" German fiancé. If only things were a little easier…

Disclaimer: I will never own Axis Power Hetalia or the characters -.-.

A/N: This chapter took WAY too long to write up and I don't know if its all that great but beggars can't be choosers.

Chapter Two: In this Life part II

~The Next Day~

Emma Van Rijn looked at her elder brother and said calmly, "The situation you described doesn't sound like a major crisis to me, Lars."

Lars shook his head in disbelief, clearly stunned. After a brief moment of recovery, he was almost certain he had misunderstood his sister's response so he decided to tell her again. "I said the woman who you talked me into taking out last night announced at my house the she's pregnant."

And just in case his sister still didn't get it, he clarified by saying, "She's going to have baby. An English-French baby and before you give me an all-accusing stare, just remember that last night was our first date and under the circumstances it was definitely our last."

Emma sighed and raised a perfectly-shaped blonde brow as she continued the task of setting up the table for dinner.

Matthias, Lars's friend and business partner, whom she considered her surrogate brother, and his Norwegian "husband" and their adopted ten-month old daughter, would be coming, and she looked forward to seeing them.

She was quite pleased that the Dane had finally put aside his whoring ways to settle down and start a family.

"I know what being pregnant means, Lars. Like our father for example who had an affair with three different women and produced three children. You, me, and our troublesome little brother," she chirped as she swatted him gently with the napkin.

"All I'm saying is that at least she was honest about it and up front with you. So the way I see it, to decide you won't be seeing her again is acting rather hasty. I would think you could put the issue of her pregnancy behind you and move on."

Lars snorted and leaned in the doorway that separated the kitchen from the dining room, wondering if his half-sister actually thought such a thing was possible. But then, he knew she really did.

Everyone who knew Emma was well aware that she was soft, loving, and playful at heart. She was charming when she wanted to be and saw the good in everyone…including their jerk of a father and believed a positive spin could be derived from any negative situation.

In this case, she was dead wrong.

"You're expecting too much if you assume I'll consider asking her out again," he grumbled.

Emma shrugged. "I see no reason why you shouldn't. Being pregnant is not the end of the world. Men date and have sex with pregnant women all the time, even if the child isn't their own."

Lars frowned. "Yeah, and usually when they do it's because they have a vested interest, like being the father of that child. Don't you see the problems that can develop if I become involved with Alice Kirkland?"

"No, I don't see the problems since she's made you aware of her condition. It's not like she's trying to pass the child off as yours. I think your being too judgmental. Things happen for a reason."

Lars shook his head. "Children aren't that bad, no matter whom they belong to, but there's a lot more to it than the pregnancy issue. She's still hung up on the baby's father."

"She actually told you that?"

"She didn't have to. She talked about him enough over dinner for me to tell, and I refuse to get involved again with a woman carrying around emotional baggage. And trust me; Alice Kirkland is up to her ying-ying in it. I'm not interested in dating women with issues."

Emma didn't say anything for the longest moment. She remembered how a few years back Lars had fallen in love; a woman he had practically offered everything—his time, his money, and his heart. On their wedding day she broke things off between them to get back together with her old boyfriend and had even the gall to send Lars an invitation to their wedding.

Since that fateful time, he had refused to date women who he thought had personal problems they couldn't let go of.

"Lars…there's no such thing as a perfect woman."

"I know that."

"You need to bend a little and let go of some things."

"And if I don't"

"Then you'll let something precious slip between your fingers."

Lars frowned. "Trust me, I know what I want. I may not be understanding of someone else's problems but I'm not an idiot…after what happened…I refuse to be played for a fool." He then turned and walked away.

Emma watched her half-brother leave and shook her head sadly. She wondered when it would occur to him that in addition to not being understanding or a fool, he lived in a glass house and shouldn't be throwing stones because it was quite obvious that he had issues of his own.

A/N: Emma is Belgium's possible name in Hetalia so I hope you all don't mind.