Author's Note: I am so sorry for the long wait for this chapter! I had a lot of college things to do and haven't had much time to sit down and think of plot lines for this story. I hope this chapter feeds your 'cravings' for this story. I know there are some unrealistic things with the children in this story, and I apologize. Critiques and reviews are welcomed and greatly appreciated! Enjoy!

Liebe Elizabeta,

I finally managed to find some time to sit down and write you this letter. Though, it's been such a long time, I'm not sure you can handle reading my awesome handwriting anymore. Anyways, I thought I'd give you an update on how Heinrich is doing. Currently, he's learning how to walk and we're all waiting for him to say his first word. I just hope that Francis has gotten his way in trying to make Heinrich mutter some French word the first time he speaks; if he does, I'll have to punch Francis for that. Heinrich's also beginning to look more and more like you as he gets older. His eye color has lost the bluish hue and has grown to a darker green; kinda like yours. His hair is also not fully blonde, but not brown either. It's right in the middle. And he has your temper too.

I hope you know that I miss you and think about you every chance I get. I wish things would've gone differently for us, I wish you here next to me as I put Heinrich to bed or when he cries. I hope things in Vienna are going well for you; Roderich must've taken the news well…whatever it is that you told him.

Please write back; you know how much I hated it when you didn't write to me before Heinrich was born.

Ich liebe dich. Immer.

Deine,

Gilbert

Several months later

"C'mon, Heinrich!" Francis cheered, tickling Heinrich's stomach. "Say Bonjour for me!" A loud, frustrated sigh came from Antonio who was lying on the floor, playing with one of Heinrich's toys.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Heinrich's first word should be 'father'." Antonio muttered.

"Pére?" Francis asked, chuckling.

"No, you idiot, in German; whatever that is." Antonio said, laughing. Francis lifted up Heinrich's arms, helping him stand up as the child tried to walk, moving slowly.

"German's so boring; but if you insist," Francis murmured. "It's Vater. Or vati, for short I think." Heinrich stopped before tumbling over backwards, babbling as he reached for the toy Antonio was tossing up and down in the air.

"Eh!" Heinrich whined, throwing his hands up in the air and accidentally smacking the Frenchman in the face. Antonio laughed loudly, only to quickly cover his mouth with his free hand and sliding the toy over to the fussy child. "Fa! Fa!" The two older men glanced at each other in confusion, putting their attention back to Heinrich, who threw the toy across the room with all his might.

"Fa…fa? What the hell does that mean?" Antonio asked, rolling over onto his stomach.

"Don't swear in front of him!" Francis cried. "And how am I supposed to know; he's a baby for crying out loud! That could mean anything! It could mean 'I want this toy' to 'I soiled my pants'!" Antonio smirked.

"I think we'd know if he needed a diaper change, Francis. And since when is 'hell' a swear word?" he teased. He sat up and took the babbling child away from Francis, holding him up in the air. Heinrich giggled, dropping the toy on Antonio's face. "I think he's going to be a little trouble maker, what do you think?" Francis shrugged.

"Of course he's going to be a trouble maker; he's Gilbert Beilschmidt's son. Gilbert is the master of causing trouble." he commented. "Speaking of the devil, shouldn't Gilbert be home by now? And Ludwig's usually back by now too, getting dinner ready."

"Maybe they got wrapped up in things?" Antonio suggested, letting Heinrich stand on the floor and waddle away before falling over. "I mean, I know they're usually pretty punctual about things but, you never know."

"Fa! Fa! Fa!" Heinrich cheered, hurrying over to the toy he had thrown moments ago. Francis stood up, following him and picked him up, repeatedly urging him to say 'bonjour'. Just then, the front door swung open, revealing the two German brothers marching in.

"Francis! How many times do I have to tell you to not speak French around him? He's gonna pick that crap up and speak it!" Gilbert muttered, taking Heinrich out of his friend's arms.

"I can't resist, mon ami." Francis murmured.

"Fa! Fa…t!" Heinrich cheered, waving his arms around as he hid his face in his father's shirt. "Fa! Fa…y!"

"Besides, I think he's trying to say 'Francis'." he added. "Good kid."

"He's saying 'fa', not 'fra'." Gilbert snapped.

"R-really? I'm pretty sure I heard 'fra' in there somewhere." Francis brushed back his hair with his hand, smirking. "He's taking after his Uncle Francis."

"You are not his uncle." Ludwig hissed.

"'Course I am! What do you think Antonio, Feliciano and I are to him? Certainly more than simple babysitters." Francis snapped back. Gilbert had already walked away from the two arguing, standing in the kitchen, gently tossing his son in the air.

"How's my awesome little son doing today? Gut?" Gilbert asked. Heinrich was giggling contagiously, which made Gilbert grin from ear to ear. "It's so good to be home with family, not at that stinky press company."

"Fa! Fa! Fat!" Heinrich chirped. Gilbert smirked.

"Think of all the pranks we can do when you're older! I think Francis should be our first target, what do you think?" he rambled, pulling Heinrich close and cradling him. "What to do though; I've basically done every prank in the book…"

"Vati!"

"Maybe I could hide and throw eggs at him or something…"

"Vati! Vati!" Gilbert paused, looking down at the child who was pulling at the buttons on his shirt. "Vati! Vati!"

"Did you just…t-talk?" Gilbert asked, blinking. "You said your first word!" The father ran out of the kitchen, back into the room where his younger brother and friends were still arguing.

"I don't care what you think, Francis, Heinrich is not going to call you his 'uncle' because you're not!" Ludwig shouted, poking Francis' chest. Francis raised an eyebrow and bit his lip, chuckling to himself.

"Well, that's what you think." he grumbled.

"Hey dummkopfs," Gilbert hollered, bumping into his brother. "Heinrich just said his first word!" Francis gasped and clapped his hands in joy.

"I bet he said 'bonjour' for me! He's such a good little boy!" Francis cheered.

"If it was bonjour, I'm going to make sure you never step foot in this house ever again." Ludwig mumbled. Antonio draped his arms over Ludwig's and Francis' shoulders and flashed a wide grin across his face.

"Was it 'padre'? Well, in German, of course." Antonio asked. Gilbert grinned and nodded. Ludwig sighed with relief, smiling faintly as Francis slumped his shoulders and muttered under his breath. Heinrich leaned forward, babbling and reaching outward to the toy that was lying on the floor next to Gilbert's feet. "That's great; can you believe that the little guy is saying his first word already?" Antonio added. "He'll be all grown up before you know it."

"Don't remind me." Gilbert sighed, squatting down to let Heinrich crawl away from him to the toy.

"Wouldn't that be somewhat of a good thing though? I mean, when he gets older, that means you can go to Austria so he can meet Elizabeta." Antonio reminded. "Wouldn't it be nice to see her again?" A smirk gently tugged at the corner's of Gilbert's mouth as he watched his son laugh at the toy before throwing it once again.

"It'd be fantastic to see her again," he replied, brushing his hand through his silver hair. "My worry is explaining everything to Heinrich…and how much Liz has changed over the years."

Dearest Gilbert,

I am so happy that to hear that Heinrich is doing well. No words can describe how much I miss him and you; I must admit I feel empty inside. Can you believe that Heinrich will be almost a year old soon? It seems just yesterday I was holding him for the first time.

Enough sad comments for now; I have other news! Though you most likely do not care for this bit of information, but Roderich and I are parents! Our daughter's name is Valeria and she's only four months old. Roderich generally spoils her rotten, which I'm fine with I suppose. It's nice to have him home to help me take care of the baby, though he says he will be leaving soon again for another tour. He's a proud father, and I'm a proud mother, I suppose. It certainly is hard to try to push away the fact that my son is living in another country, growing up without a mother. But I know you'll take good care of him, won't you Gilbert? You always did take good care of me when we were younger. I know Heinrich is safe with you.

Take care, I'll always love you. Some day we will see each other again.

Liebe, Elizabeta

Elizabeta woke up to the chirping sound of birds sing outside of the bedroom window. The Hungarian turned on her side to see that her husband had already woken up and had left the room. "He just can't leave her alone, can he?" she muttered, pulling on a robe as she stepped out of the dim room. She made her way to the nursery to find Roderich swaying back and forth, humming some sort of melody from a piano piece he was recently composing. "Guten Morgen," Liz announced, covering her mouth as she yawned. "How's our little Valeria doing?" Roderich turned slightly and smiled.

"She's calmer now, she even smiled to me for the first time." he replied. Liz grinned, gently taking her daughter away from him.

"Jó reggelt, Valeria! Did you sleep well?" Li sang off key, kissing the child's forehead. Valeria, only four months old, kicked her tiny legs, cooing. "Yes, you're a happy baby this morning!" Valeria clung close to her mother, hiding her face in the crook of Liz's neck. "Let's go get some breakfast, sweetheart." Liz turned to the doorway, carrying her daughter close.

"Your parents are visiting today." Roderich announced. "You know you're going to have to explain what happened to our…your first born."

"They don't need to know about the affair I had with Gilbert." Liz reassured. "As far as they know, the child was a stillborn."

"How can you say that?" Roderich asked, following her out into the hallway. "How can you just ignore that fact that you had an affair and gave away your son? Doesn't it bother you that you're not in his life?"

"I can't dwell in the past; I have to move on." Liz muttered.

"And you know how nosy your mother is," he added. "She'll pry for every bit of information she can get her hands on." Liz rolled her eyes, setting Valeria in her high chair.

"You have nothing to worry about, Roderich dear. I've lived with my mother for the first half of my life and I've lied to her on several occasions."

"I think I've already figure that out myself." The musician pushed past her to get to the stove. "You're fantastic at keeping secrets too."

"Oh Roderich, please let it go." Liz sighed, wrapping her arms around her husband's neck. "Everything's been sorted out between us and all is well. We have a beautiful baby girl; isn't that enough?" She delicately kissed his cheek. "My life is perfect."

"Despite that you're completely ignoring the fact that you have an illegitimate son." Roderich grumbled.

"I write to Gilbert and he keeps me posted." Liz snapped. "We promised Heinrich will come visit me when he's much older to understand!"

"Don't you think people aren't going to question what happened? I mean, he's an unmarried man and suddenly he's taking care of a child." Roderich hissed. "Do you really think people are that stupid, Elizabeta?"

"If you think people are going to shun him, that's not true." Liz defended. "The only person who'll do that is his grandfather; the man never liked him for some reason."

"Come to think of it, all of the consequences you should be dealing and coping with was just dumped on Gilbert." Liz took a step back, putting her hands on her hips.

"Hey!" she cried. "Who's side are you on?!" Roderich shrugged, handing Valeria her bottle.

"I'm just being practical, is all." Liz gave him a glare that could shatter ice as he sat down. "Though I don't personally know the man and think he's in the way of our marriage, he's got a lot to deal with. All on his own, with a child; it's quite unheard of." Liz sat down on the chair across from the Austrian, folding her hands in her lap.

"I received a letter from him a few days ago. I can't believe Heinrich is already a year old. Can you believe that?" Liz stated, going off topic. "He must be so big now. Probably learning how to walk without tumbling over…" Her voice trailed off as she closed her eyes.

"So you do think about him then." Roderich grumbled. "Heinrich, I mean."

"Of course I do! I just…I have to keep my thoughts hidden." Liz answered. She sighed as a butler walked past and handed Roderich the newspaper. "If you think that I don't spend one waking moment without think about what I lost, you're wrong."

"I didn't say that," Roderich stated, flicking the paper open. "I'm just being practical, liebling." Valeria dropped the bottle on the floor, giggling as she looked down to see the small cup rolling on the floor. As he reached down to pick up the bottle, Liz smiled.

"I'm happy with you, you know that, right?" she whispered, smiling at him sweetly. Roderich simply nodded, not bothering to answer her with a simple 'I know'. The room fell silent as they ate, Valeria being the only one who seemed to be happy that morning as she giggled and grinned. Once the two parents were finished, Liz picked up her daughter and followed Roderich out of the dining room. Roderich walked towards the music room, like always, and as he opened the doors, Liz tapped him on the shoulder. "I don't love him." she denied. "Gilbert, I mean. I love you and only you, Roderich." A smug smirk flashed across Roderich's face as he closed the doors.

"Of course you do, liebling." he whispered. "Of course you do."

Dinner time was always chaos in the Beilschmidt household; first, making the meals was crazy enough. Both Francis and Feliciano were particular in what foods they wanted to eat, particular in two different ways. Ludwig had a hard time figure out what to cook to please the two picky eaters and his family. Basically, cooking dinner was hell.

"As usual, this dinner is bland in taste." Francis mumbled, sitting back in his chair. "Don't you ever eat anything with flavour?"

"If you don't like what I make, you could always go back to your place and cook yourself your own dinner." Ludwig snapped. "It's always the same with you! You're always complaining!" Antonio chuckled.

"Don't take it so seriously, Ludwig. He's only teasing." The Spaniard reassured.

"No I'm—" Francis started before Antonio smacked the back of his head. "Ow!" he whined.

"He appreciates everything you do, Ludwig." Antonio added, grinning.

"Yeah, thanks Ludwig!" Feliciano cheered. "Though I would still prefer some pasta over sauerkraut and potatoes, but it'll do!"

"No Heinrich, don't throw the food on the floor!" Gilbert shouted. "Sauerkraut is yummy!" Heinrich squirmed in his chair, turning his head away from the fork that Gilbert was shoving in his face. "I don't understand! You had no problems eating it last week."

"Nein!" Heinrich cried, whacking his father's hand which caused the food to fly across the table, landing right in Francis' hair. Everyone at the table was silent, staring at Francis who pursed his lips in anger. Gilbert snickered, covering up his grin with his hand. Heinrich broke the silence by going into a laughing fit and clapping his hands together. He looked up at his father, grinning. "Noch einmal!" Gilbert joined in his son's laughter, patting his Heinrich's head.

"Gilbert!" Ludwig shouted. "Don't encourage him…" Gilbert shrugged.

"I don't see the problem; I'm sure he's had worse things in his hair before." The albino mumbled, moving Heinrich's plate away from him.

"I swear you are the spawn of the devil." Francis hissed. He glared at Heinrich who was still laughing. "Both of you." Ludwig sighed, frustrated, and shook his head.

"Gilbert, you're not making the situation better by laughing. You're influencing him." he said.

"What's the problem?" Gilbert repeated. "Of course I'm influencing him; I'm awesome!"

"Gilbert!" Ludwig hollered. Gilbert frowned and rolled his eyes, sulking in his chair a bit.

"Fine, I'll try to be more serious next time." he grumbled. Heinrich stopped laughing, reaching for the tiny fork that was in front of him. "You have to admit, it was funny."

"It was not!" Francis protested. "That's the fifth time he's done that to me!" Gilbert shrugged, grinning.

"Not my problem." he replied, picking up Heinrich out of the chair. "Bath time, Heinrich! Let's try to keep that water in the bathtub this time, okay?" As he climbed up the stairs, the others sat in silence, staring at their empty plates.

"Well, we should all get going then." Antonio muttered, standing up. "Come on Francis; you don't want your 'precious' hair to be ruined."

"Bye!" Feliciano chirped. "See you tomorrow! Sleep well! Hope you get that stinky sauerkraut out of your hair!" The two closed the door behind them and Feli stood up. "Why don't you get some rest, Ludwig? I'll clean up for tonight!" he offered.

"It's alright, Feli. Just go home." Ludwig answered.

"No, no, I insist!" Feliciano began gathering all of the plates, smiling towards his friend. "You may not help with babysitting Heinrich, but you do a lot around this small house. You work on the farm, you take care of your grandfather when he has back trouble, you cook for us; you do everything while the rest of us have fun! Go on! Get some extra rest!" Ludwig smiled and nodded.

"Thank you." he relented, walking to the staircase. "Just don't break anything, okay?" Feliciano grinned.

"Okee dokee, Ludwig! You can trust me!" The blonde hurried up the stairs and shuffled to his room, stopping in front of the washroom door hearing his elder brother laughing away. The door was partly open, and Ludwig slowly pushed on it to see his brother taking a bucket and filling it up with water.

"Oh no, it's raining!" Gilbert gasped, obviously playing some sort of game with his son. He carefully poured the water over Heinrich's head, which made water splatter everywhere. Heinrich giggled, picking up a bath toy and throwing it out of the tub.

"Noch einmal, noch einmal, noch einmal!" the child chanted. Gilbert chuckled, reaching for the toy and setting it to the side.

"Bath time is over." he answered, snatching a towel. He pulled Heinrich out of the tub, wrapped him up in the towel and kissed his forehead. Ludwig faintly smiled as he backed away, letting the door slip from his hands. As he closed his bedroom door behind him, he thought about how proud he was of his brother, despite the odd circumstances.

Liz walked carefully as she entered the parlor, holding a tray with four full teacups and the small kettle. She set the tray on the small table in between the two couches where her parents and Roderich were sitting. "I brought cream and sugar too." Liz said, smiling. Her mother was holding Valeria, who was peacefully sleeping, and glared at her daughter suspiciously.

"Tell me again what happen to your first child." she stated, swaying back and forth.

"Mom, I already told you in the letter I sent you; the baby was a stillborn." Liz answered, avoiding eye contact. "Can't we talk about anything else? You told me that you bought a new house; what's it like?" Liz's mother simply turned towards Roderich and smiled.

"You must've felt so devastated when you came back from your tour and you received the news." she said, gently touch his knee. "Were you crushed?" Roderich inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

"I suppose you could say that." he answered, reaching for a cup and sipping from it slowly. "Wouldn't any man be devastated when he finds out that the child he was hoping to meet after a long trip is simply gone in the blink of an eye?"

"What did you two do? I mean, that's so depressing; I'm surprised you two were able to move on so quickly and try again." Liz's mother continued. "Elizabeta, weren't you upset?"

"Of course!" Liz snapped. "But I have Valeria now, and I'm happy. I couldn't imagine my life without her." Her mother grew quiet, nodding as she looked down at her granddaughter.

"Is she going to be a pianist like you, Roderich?" she then asked. "I always wanted Elizabeta to play a musical instrument, but she was too into riding horses and hunting. It was because she was friends with that troublemaker Gilbert." Valeria stirred in her sleep, whimpering and kicking her feet. "You two were always playing pranks on me and your father; that boy was a terrible influence on you."

"Gilbert is a good person, anya." Liz hissed. "You never took a chance to meet him properly and see the kinder side of him."

"All I remember is him laughing and screaming whenever he was around. Nothing but trouble."

"That's it; onto another topic!" Liz yelled, standing up. She glanced at the three who were sitting there, thinking of what else to say. She looked towards her father and gave him a soft smile. "Apa, how are you? You haven't uttered a word since you've got here. How's…how's the business going?"

"Elizabeta, you know your father doesn't talk much now." her mother commented, leaning back in her seat. Liz pointed at her mother, closing her eyes to calm herself down and sighed.

"You never shut up, do you? You just have keep talk and talking and talking." Liz spat in Hungarian. "Is it really that hard for you to keep your mouth shut? Have you ever thought that sometimes people don't want to hear you talk?" As the echo from her voice faded away, Valeria began to cry and scream from the chaotic argument. "Look what you did, you made her cry!" Liz added, moving closer to her mother. Before her mother could hand the upset child to Liz, Roderich swiftly took Valeria in his arms and began walking out of the parlor. "Roderich, where on earth are you going?" Liz demanded, following after him.

"Being in the middle of an argument is no place for a child," he answered, not bothering to look back. "I'm going to take her to the music room to play and sing her some lullabies to soothe her back to sleep." He paused in the door way, looking over his shoulder. "And Elizabeta," he added. "Die Wahrheit muss gesagt werden." Elizabeta stood in silence as she watched him turn the corner and bit her lip.

"Elizabeta," her mother whispered. "What did he say?" Liz did not reply at first, looking down at her feet and playing with the ring on her left hand. "Elizabeta, what did he say?" her mother asked again, sternly.

"Nothing." Liz replied, closing her eyes. "He said nothing."