Gah, for some reason it took me awhile to figure out what to do with this chapter. I hope it turned out....okay. And not awkward or anything. Also thanks to Parula for assigning herself as my "Editor" for all those little things I miss. ;D

He really wished the people in the next car would just shut up. They didn't need to completely stop talking, but if they would just lower their voices, or maybe stop talking about things that were so stupid. His car was, of course, private, but he was starting to think the ones on either side of him should be empty too.

"Well, I heard that feathers would be the new thing…"

"Feathers? I do declare, are they trying to bankrupt us? I don't need anymore frills, thank you."

"But feathers are ever so pretty. Of course I do love ribbons too, and Fredrick agrees they look good on me…"

America was pretty sure he was going to have to slam his head against the wall until he was knocked unconscious to escape the torture of this conversation. Instead he tried even harder to concentrate on his book. This was not the first time he had read it. No, it was probably the third or fourth. It was a profound book, one that had moved him. Ever since it had been published it had caused a stirring in his people, one so strong he could feel it to his very core, and he hated that the impact of it was being ruined by the pathetic excuse for a conversation going on next door. Just as he was about to tune them out, the excitement of the story pulling him in once again, the screeching of the train brakes snapped him back into reality. He stood up with a sigh as the train came to a halt, hopes of a nice trip shattered. Stepping out of the car he saw who he was pretty sure were the culprits of his horrible ride. There was a plump, rather dim looking girl, and a lank woman with an expression that seemed perpetually pissed-off.

"Alfie!" His head snapped up as he heard the familiar voice cut through the crowd. There she was, his little sister waving at him enthusiastically as though there was nothing strange about her being out in public. He hurried over to her, used to the stares people were giving him.

"Annie!" He said when he reached her. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah wanted to meet you here!" She said, giving him a big hug around his waist. "Ah wanted to show you Ah could do it all by mahself." She turned her face up to look at him, a big smile plastered across it.

"How did you get here?" America asked, still looking slightly shocked.

"Ah came in the carriage that was coming to get you." She said, looking proud of herself. America glanced around a few more times, before satisfied that he was getting no more attention than usual.

"All by yourself?" He said, finally returning her smile.

"All by mahself." She repeated, eyes sparkling slightly.

"Well, that's very impressive." He said, taking her hand and walking with her to the waiting carriage. A young man followed behind, carrying the luggage. The little girl hopped inside and scrambled onto the seat. She began to swing her legs back and fourth slightly, waiting for her brother to get inside. They almost reached to the floor now, he noticed as he climbed in. The door was shut, and they were off at a quick but comfortable pace. Annie propped herself up at the window, staring out at everything they passed, soaking in every detail. America simply watched her for a minute before speaking up.

"Annie?" She looked up at him, smile still plastered on "Did you read the book I sent you?" Instantly her face fell, and she slumped into her seat, not meeting his eyes.

"Yes." She mumbled into her lap.

"Well," He said, slightly confused by her reaction. "What did you think?" Her little hands clenched into fists, and her eyebrows were knitted in a tight frown.

"I-It wasn't true at all, it was all wrong!" She finally burst. America simply stared at her for a moment.

"What?" He finally said, voice blank "What do you mean?"

"Ah…Ah mean…." She said, stuttering like angry little children always did when they couldn't properly express themselves. "Ah mean, it's not true, it's full of lies!"

"Who told you that?" He said, voice suddenly cold. His own copy was crumpling slightly under the force he was now gripping it with. The title stared up at him; Uncle Tom's Cabin.

"No one told me….A-Ah just know!" She said, resolve faltering just a little. "That woman's never even been on a plantation, she doesn't know anything about what it's like down here, how could she-"

"Annie." Her brother's tone stopped her instantly. "That's enough." She bit her lip, staring down with indignity. America's gaze didn't shift from her, breathing heavily as he tried to calm down. He didn't want to believe what he'd just heard, but at the same time there was part of him that had been expecting it. For years he had felt split and undecided about the issue of slavery, but recently he had felt more and more like siding with the abolitionists. The possibility that this was not because the country as a whole was moving in that direction, but rather that the north and south were beginning to slip apart had become apparent as soon as he knew of the existence of his sister. Of course the South would find this book false, and distorted, so therefore, so would she…

"Ah'm sorry…" He blinked. "Don't….don't be mad…" America had to take a deep breath before he replied.

"I'm…I'm not mad." He said carefully.

"You're not?" Annabel looked up in surprise, worry and just a hint of guilt in her eyes.

"No," He said with a slight shake of his head "People can….disagree without being angry with each other, or fighting." She looked thoughtful for a moment before getting up and moving to sit next to him.

"Ah'm glad." She said, leaning her head against his shoulder "Because Ah never want to fight with you…"

America carefully squeezed most of the water out of the cloth he was holding before gently placing it on the forehead of the small girl beside him. She was sleeping fretfully, cheeks flushed with fever. He was glad she had finally managed to rest, she needed all she could get. He started a little when another man walked in, carrying a fresh basin of water.

"Ah…thank you." He said as it was placed next to him. There was a small nod from the other man before he too sat down. "Sorry you have to spend your time here with me…" America, said slightly sheepishly. "I'm sure you have work you could be doing."

"The President wanted someone to report to him." He replied with a slight nod of resignation. "We are in a time of relative peace; I don't have too much work."

"That's good….Davis, isn't it?" Another nod. They sat there for a minute, America watching as his sisters chest rose and fell slowly. The man next to him was also watching her, looking thoughtful.

"Do you know why this is happening?" He said finally.

"Hm? Oh…"The young blonde said, running his hand through his hair. "The Yellow fever outbreak in New Orleans."

"But you don't feel any symptoms?"

There was a slight pause. "No." He finally said "None at all."

"What does that mean?" Davis' eyes were on him now, carefully studying his face. America kept staring straight ahead, jaw clenching ever so slightly.

"I don't know." He lied, glancing at his companion. The man simply looked away quietly. Of course the nation knew what it meant; there was only one thing that would cause this. The people of New Orleans were no longer connected to him, they were no longer his. They belonged to the little girl lying in front of him. If only he knew how much of the South he had already lost, and what it meant. He hated to admit it, but it frightened him.

"Where are you from, Davis?" He asked, trying to distract himself from his thoughts.

"Mississippi, Sir." Was the polite response.

"Oh, that's right, you're a Senator too, aren't you?" Another nod. America turned his head so he was looking at Annabel once again. She would be better in a few days he was sure, maybe a week. Things like this couldn't really hurt them, but nations could still feel as much pain as any human. He reached up and brushed a few strands of hair away that were stuck to her forehead. As he did so he couldn't help but notice the intense way that the Senator stared at his sister, a slight frown on his face, as though he was thinking very hard.

A cupcake if you knew right away who "Davis" was! :D I hope the first "fight" thing seemed believable, I definitely don't want to them to just wake up one day and be like "GAH I HATE YOU NOW GRRR." So um....thanks for reading!