Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Now, because there are a few new character introductions in this chapter, I'm just going to give a quick guide in case I've made it too complicated (which I probably have, knowing me XD):

Head Alphas

Adel Bielschmidt – Germania

Roma Vargas – Grandpa Rome

Elizabeta Héderváry – Hungary

Vash Zwingli – Switzerland

Yao Wang – China

Ivan Braginski – Russia

Allistor Kirkland – Scotland

Arthur's Omegas

Number One – Lili (Liechtenstein)

Number Two – Francis (France)

Number Three – Kiku (Japan)

Number Four – Michelle (Seychelles)

Chapter 10

The winter auction was always a grand occasion, and Arthur stood by the door, welcoming each Head of Household to the mansion. There were eight of them overall, including Arthur, and as each one arrived with a bodyguard and sometimes one of their alpha sons, the Englishman mentally recalled details about each one.

The first and always most punctual of the Head alphas was Lord Adel Bielschmidt; a strong and stern Germanic alpha who had been buying omegas from the Kirkland family for generations. He had long blonde hair that flowed past his shoulders, but if anyone dare mock him about it he could tear them apart. His eyes were ice-blue and he held an aura of subtle danger, enough to make others heed him and respect him.

Adel had two recently eligible young alphas – Ludwig Bielschmidt, who was still a pup aged five with blonde hair and blue eyes like his grandfather, and Gilbert, who was a rare albino pup aged eleven, but Adel had acknowledged him as a Bielschmidt just as much as his younger brother, and now the albino pup walked by his grandfather's side, attending the auction for the first time to choose his own omega, under the supervision of Adel.

Arthur welcomed Adel with a firm handshake, giving a smile. "It is good to see you again, Lord Adel. I hope you are faring well."

"I am indeed." Adel replied, nodding in acknowledgement and respect as Arthur's butler took his coat. "I have brought one of my daughter's pups to see the auction tonight." The Head alpha gestured to Gilbert, who puffed out his chest and tried to stand tall.

Arthur regarded the pup's red eyes, pale pallor and white hair, and gave a polite but dismissive nod. "Of course, if you would like to come this way, I shall introduce you to my omegas."

Adel strode after Arthur as the Englishman led them into the ballroom, Gilbert following a few steps behind.

The albino pup was curious, and as he saw what he assumed were the omegas, he widened his eyes. There were four of them, two male and two female. The first was a blonde, meek-looking female omega in a little red dress with a bow in her hair. The second was clearly pregnant and in a blue silk tunic, and he was the only one sat in a chair, also the only one not speaking with the other omegas. He seemed to stand out a bit, as the others seemed to be friends. The third was another male, an Asian omega with short dark hair and equally dark eyes, wearing a purple tunic that went down past his knees, who politely engaged conversation with the first and fourth omegas. The fourth one was a tanned female omega with brown hair and eyes, in a sea-green dress who seemed bubbly and animated as she spoke with the other three.

"What are their names?" Gilbert asked Adel and Arthur in curiosity.

Adel furrowed his brows slightly. "They are not named, they are numbered, Gilbert." He chastised, coming over and the presence of such a stern Head alpha quietened the omegas.

The omegas stood side by side, and Francis also rose from his seat, though Adel raised a hand to him to stop him. "You may sit."

Francis looked up at the Germanic alpha, giving a small, grateful smile as he sat back down, sighing softly.

Adel studied him a moment, before turning back to Arthur. "The others are familiar to me, but this one is not. Did you lose the previous Number Two?"

Arthur nodded. "I did – in childbirth. I lost the pup as well." He said with little emotion.

"Well, I see you've wasted no time securing a new omega." Adel remarked, standing in front of Francis and examining him, frowning as Francis flinched when he tried to touch him.

"Forgive him." Arthur amended quickly. "This is his first auction – the only alpha he has seen in a year is me."

Adel nodded in understanding. "I see." He tilted Francis' chin up so he could see his face, and Francis blushed but did not fight him, realising he was supposed to be on display tonight.

"He is very pretty. I shall be interested in his pups, I expect. How far along is he?"

All of the Head alpha's questions were directed to Arthur, and Francis lowered his gaze again, resting a hand on his belly. He had not known that his own pups were going to be auctioned off before they had even entered this world.

"He is almost in his sixth month." Arthur said proudly, his gaze resting on Francis a moment, before surveying his other omegas.

"I shall meet them in the summer auction, then." Adel was still examining Francis, not giving the other omegas much attention, as they were uninteresting to him now.

Arthur excused himself as other head alphas began to arrive, meeting them at the door as well and being very courteous.

The first Head alpha to arrive after Adel Bielschmidt was Ivan Braginski, a Russian alpha who towered over Arthur and admittedly made him a tad uncomfortable. Ivan was the Head of a very strong line of Russian alphas, and preferred omegas that were somewhat troublesome because he enjoyed 'breaking them in', as he put it. Ivan had violet eyes and silver hair, and also seemed interested in Francis, which made Arthur's hackles rise slightly because he was starting to dislike the amount of attention his favourite omega was receiving.

Then Vash Zwingli arrived, a Swiss Head alpha who was known for trying to barter with Arthur for the omega pups that he priced too highly, in the Head alpha's opinion. Every auction without fail, the Swiss alpha chose one of Number One's pups, as he seemed to have a soft spot for the little blonde omega. So he did not pay any mind to Francis, which eased Arthur a little.

Yao Wang greeted Arthur politely, bringing a gift as the Chinese Head alpha always did, as a token of appreciation for allowing him to view Arthur's pups. He was somewhat reserved until provoked, but he had warmed to Number Three and instantly went over to the short, Asian omega.

Elizabeta Héderváry was the only female Head alpha of the eight, but the Hungarian alpha was sometimes fiercer than Adel Bielschmidt at times. She always seemed to take an avid interest in Arthur's male omegas and would often sit down and talk with them about how Arthur treated them and such. She pried a little too much for Arthur's liking, and when she saw there was anew male omega, she leapt at the opportunity to chat to him. She pulled up a chair beside Francis and began asking how Arthur treated him and such, and Arthur had to quickly intervene because she was asking some very personal questions.

Surprisingly quite punctual was Roma Vargas, an Italian alpha as old as Adel and just as strong, but he spent most of his time drinking and courting and goofing around. Arthur knew that Roma would have to be watched, as he was known to flirt with and get handsy with Arthur's omegas during the auction party. He had more pups than the other Head alphas, but because he preferred weaker omegas, the alpha pups he bred were not as strong as Roma and therefore less desirable.

Arthur sighed as he waited for the final member to arrive, getting irritated because he was always late. He was the most infuriating, stupid Head alpha of the group, and by rights he shouldn't even be a Head alpha anymore. Just as Arthur was about to close the door, he saw a posh navy and white car pull up, and he growled softly as the last Head alpha stood up from the vehicle and grinned.

"Waiting for me, are ye, Artie?"

Allistor Kirkland. An obnoxious Scotsman with no sense of honour or propriety – and Arthur's older brother.

By rights, there should only be one Head of the Kirkland household, but Allistor had turned everything on its head when he left the business, having fallen in love with one of his omegas. He had decided to promise himself just for her and her alone, and so he had abdicated the role as Head alpha, giving it to his brothers until the only one left was Arthur.

But then Allistor's omega had passed away, and the seven Head alphas had welcomed him back into the group in a rare ceremony of re-initiation. Arthur had been furious, and still was to this day, but Allistor had his own pups from his late omega-mate, and needed pretty omegas for his alphas as well.

"Are you allergic to being on time or something?" Arthur growled huffily, letting Allistor inside and then closing the door a little harshly, having half-hoped the Scotsman would not actually turn up.

Allistor barked with laughter, clapping Arthur on the shoulder with a large, rough hand. He made a shocking contrast to Arthur with his fiery red hair, but the emerald eyes and bushy eyebrows were a trait that no Kirkland was without. "Ye've still got that stick up yer arse, I see~"

Without waiting for a response, he strode past Arthur to the ballroom confidently. Arthur gave an irritated growl, quickening his pace to catch up with him, and when he entered the room he saw four of the Head alphas hovering around Francis, one of them being Allistor, and Arthur gritted his teeth.

Francis was feeling very overwhelmed, as he had only been around Arthur and a few nannies for almost a year, and now there were so many people, and four alphas with conflicting scents that were strong enough to make him feel dizzy, all crowding around him.

Adel was focused on his physical appearance and health, trying to determine how the pups will turn out, whereas Roma was flirting and getting far too close for comfort, touching Francis' bare leg as he tried to charm him with a flowing Italian lilt. Elizabeta was still asking personal questions, wanting to know what kind of lover Arthur was, which Francis thought was beyond rude, and Allistor seemed utterly entranced by the French omega.

Arthur did not wish to offend the Head alphas – his guests – but the sight of them all touching his omega made his blood boil. He let out a soft growl, giving a nod to Nanny Smith who was waiting for her cue, and at his gesture she ushered the young omegas into the ballroom, flanked by Arthur's security. She led them up onto the stage and Arthur joined them, calling for attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please." The hosting alpha called, and gradually the Head alphas came as close to the stage as Arthur's security would allow, their eyes focused on the young omega pups Arthur was about to present. There were only twelve this season, due to the loss of the previous Number Two and her pups. Highly inconvenient, but Arthur had to make do.

Each omega pup was dressed smartly in brand new clothes for the occasion, each wearing one of four colours so they could be identified just like his own omega-mates. The twelve pups ranged from as young as four, to as old as nine years old, and they all seemed rather nervous. None of them seemed to recognise their omega-parents at the back of the room, and as Francis saw this, he realised that they probably did not know who their omega-mothers and fathers were.

"Now then, I would like to introduce this season's pups – they are aged four to nine and are wearing the colours corresponding to their omega-parents." Arthur explained, beginning to introduce each pup.

Francis listened, feeling rather emotional about it, but his distress was suddenly dwarfed by Number Four, the tanned female omega, who began trembling as she stared hard at the stage. Her sea-green dress was the same colour as a couple of the pups being introduced, and they had the same dark hair as her, with Arthur's green eyes. Those were her pups.

The French omega did not know what to do, and gently reached out to try and comfort her, but suddenly the tanned omega gave a scream of distress, rushing toward the stage. Her scent of distress filled the room, and Arthur widened his eyes as he realised she was trying to get to her pups, who were confused at this strange omega.

"Get her back to her room!" Arthur cried out to some of the security, as the Head alphas were all becoming affected by such a strong urge to comfort Number Four.

She fought against the security, clawing at them. "They're my pups! Let me see them! My babies!" she was screaming, and Roma Vargas came over, secreting a comforting alpha scent to calm her while security restrained her.

Arthur climbed down from the stage, able to see that the other Head alphas were somewhat uncomfortable, and he growled. "Take her back to her chambers, now."

Roma Vargas straightened up as the two security guards dragged the now whimpering and sobbing omega from the ballroom, and turned to Arthur. "What a display."

Arthur's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "My deepest apologies to you all, she has never done that before."

Francis let out a whimper, as watching Number Four's outburst had deeply upset him, and Number One and Three were also trembling in distress. The French omega closed his eyes, unable to help the scent of distress emanating from him, and he felt a hand on his shoulder, not recognising the scent too well though.

Opening his eyes, he saw Allistor Kirkland crouched in front of him, smiling softly at him.

"Hey, are ye okay?" the alpha asked gently, which was uncharacteristic of the Scotsman, and he was releasing his own subtle calming scent to soothe Francis' trembling.

Francis nodded a little, though he was clearly shaken up, and he glanced for Arthur, who was busy having a discussion with Roma Vargas.

"I'm Allistor…What's yer name, princess?" the Scotsman asked, sitting beside Francis in the chair that Elizabeta had pulled up earlier.

"Um…N-Number Two…" Francis said nervously, not sure what Allistor wanted from him.

The Scottish alpha chuckled deeply. "Nah, I mean yer real name."

"Oh," Francis said softly, hesitating and lowering his gaze a little. "Francis…"

Allistor smiled a little, keeping a hand on Francis' arm until he stopped trembling, seeming relaxed by Allistor's strong alpha scent. It was similar to Arthur's, so it held some familiarity and comfort for Francis, but it was also different and the French omega hoped that perhaps Allistor was nicer than his brother.

"Are ye sure yer alright?" the alpha was still concerned that Francis was distressed, and stood up, offering Francis his hand. "Would ye like a walk in the gardens?"

Francis hesitated, knowing he wasn't supposed to leave the mansion, but he glanced at Arthur who was accepting a written cheque from Roma Vargas, and so he nodded. "Oui, monsieur."

Allistor smiled, taking Francis' hand and supporting the pregnant omega through the large double doors of the ballroom and out into the gardens. It was winter and therefore cold outside, but the alpha took off his jacket without prompting, draping it about Francis' shoulders.

The French omega was grateful for the gesture, pulling the jacket around him more and not complaining when Allistor put an arm around his waist. The ground was frosty and slippery, as Arthur had only given him canvas shoes to wear, but Allistor made sure he did not slip, being as attentive as if Francis was his own omega.

"Ye must be in yer second trimester by now, right?" the Scottish alpha asked, making conversation as they slowly stepped through the garden.

"Oui, I am six months pregnant…" Francis was grateful for the slow pace, and happy that Allistor did not seem agitated by it. He seemed to know how to treat a pregnant omega; it was nice.

"I did'nae see any pups in blue up on the stage – Is this yer first?" Allistor held Francis close as the omega faltered slightly, making sure he was alright before continuing.

Francis only nodded a little, going quiet as he thought about Antonio. Allistor sensed he had upset the omega and he gave an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, princess. I did'nae mean to upset ye…" the alpha said sincerely, spotting a little loveseat in an alcove of the garden, nestled away through an arched trellis that in summer would be decorated with beautiful blooming roses, but during winter the trellis was bare and covered with frost and naked vines.

Francis needed to rest, and was grateful when Allistor led him to the little seat, sitting down with a weary sigh. Allistor sat beside him, still holding his hand but he let go when he realised, becoming slightly flustered despite his confident appearance.

"Is it too cold for ye? We can go back inside – " Allistor began, overly concerned for Francis.

"Non, it's alright…I do not really want to go back just yet…" the French omega confessed, playing with the jacket Allistor gave him a little bit nervously.

The Scottish alpha sighed, sitting back a little and gazing at him in sympathy. "Seeing that omega freak out was'nae nice to watch, was it?"

Francis shook his head a little, rubbing his belly. "It made me realise…these pups I'm carrying are not really mine…Arthur will sell them off and they won't even know I am their Papa…" he teared up at this, unable to help it. His hormones were all over the place and paired with the traumatic event of Number Four's distress it made Francis want to break down in tears.

The omega dipped his head, sniffling slightly, and he felt strong arms wrap around him in comfort. It felt nice, it wasn't Arthur, but it was caring and gentle, and Francis found himself leaning into Allistor's embrace, grateful for it.

The garden was silent, save for the sound of Francis' crying, and the faint sound of the resumed festivities of the auction party.

A/N: Uh oh, Allistor's getting a little close for comfort~

So, how do you feel about Michelle's outburst at the party? And what do you think Arthur was accepting a cheque for from Roma?

And what is Arthur going to do when he sees Francis in the arms of his brother?

Please review and let me know!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and that the rest of this year and the new one will be amazing~

Love you all x

P.S. Thanks to Coriolis for pointing out a continuity mistake I made (I've fixed it now) XD